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Translator: Fate
Proofreader: Silavin
The Azure Dragon Empire was quite rowdy.
Space fluctuated, turning blurry. Then, a corridor to the void opened up. Three Elders from the Immortal Academy had finally rushed through space and arrived, two men and a woman, all incomparably old. Gu Xianer and the Azure Dragon Emperor were already waiting for them at the entrance of the palace.
“Three of them?” Gu Xianer was a little surprised, looking up into the sky but seeing no sign of Gu Changge.
“Greetings, esteemed Elders.” The Azure Dragon Emperor and the others immediately approached in order to greet them.
“No need to be so courteous,” the old woman said, waving her hand. She was known as Grandma Yin Hua. She was dressed in floral-patterned clothes and holding a dragon headed cane. Her silver hair was combed neatly which made her look austere.
She seemed annoyed as she had greatly favoured Qing Xiaoyi and even fought against several other Elders to get her. The sudden news was so shocking that she was rooted for a while. She didn’t know who would be daring enough to kidnap Qing Xiaoyi during the trial.
The other Elders all had similar reactions. They were all shocked, worried and angry. Nonetheless, none of them dared to place the blame on Gu Xianer. She might share some of the blame for failing to take care of them as the Senior Disciple, but she had Gu Changge backing her. So, who would dare blame her? Maybe in their heart but not in their words and actions. Still, their emotions could not be hidden from their expressions when they saw her.
Gu Xianer knew the reason for their reactions but didn’t want to comment on it, looking cold as ever. She had done all she could, even sacrificing some rare and precious Sacred Herbs in order to save Qing Feng.
Soon, they arrived at the palace where Qing Feng was recuperating. His life had been saved after some hard work by the doctors of the Empire, but he was still unconscious. When the Elders arrived, he was reaching out involuntarily, as if still wanting to save his sister.
Gu Xianer, calm as ever, noticed this and raised her eyebrows. [Seems like the situation had probably gone like this. Qing Feng realised Qing Xiaoyi was being abducted and he chased after her. But, he got struck by that mysterious expert’s palm. That one attack was strong enough to destroy all the protective artifacts the Elders had given him, and had nearly killed him. The wave of energy I had sensed must have been from that attack. My quick arrival is most likely the thing that made him cease his attack, completely focused on taking Qing Xiaoyi away without being bothered about me.]
“How pitiful…”
“I don’t know how he survived such an injury.”
The three Elders sighed and checked on Qing Feng’s injuries, curious and shocked about how he had survived yet couldn’t find the cause.
“I still have a Nine-Cycles Spirit Restoration Pill on me. He can have it.” One Elder unwillingly pulled out a pill brimming with nine-coloured light, which was about the size of a thumb. Once it appeared, a wave of energy, which made nearly every pore relax, spread into the air. Strange scenes such as soaring celestial birds around divine mountains seemed to appear.
“You’re really making a great sacrifice.” The two other Elders inhaled sharply when they saw this pill. This was a pill that even they could use when they were gravely injured. They quickly understood the Elder’s motive. If he could use this to save Qing Feng and find Qing Xiaoyi, she would be so grateful that she would ask to become his student. When they realised this, they regretted missing such an opporunity.
After the pill was consumed, a rainbow shone and many extraordinary phenomena intertwined, making Qing Feng’s unconscious body shine brilliantly.
“The Nine-Cycles Spirit Restoration Pill is truly amazing…” The Elder looked pleased. Even though he was initially anxious, it was fine as soon as it showed its effectiveness. Qing Feng’s weak condition was now improving at a rate visible to the naked eye. His pale face was already now filled with colour.
“It’s really all thanks to the Nine-Cycles Spirit Restoration Pill. No wonder it’s called a Lifesaving Pill,” praised Grandma Yin Hua.
Meanwhile, Gu Xianer noticed a strange pattern flash across the ancient flask. After the pill had been consumed, Qing Feng spat a mouthful of dirty blood and his broken bones and organs began to heal. Spiritual energy weaved together into Purple Qi and enclosed him, making his appearance much healthier.
“Sister…”
“Let go of my sister.”
Qing Feng’s eyes shot open as he instinctively screamed while he got up. This sudden movement tugged on his injuries, sending an intense wave of pain through him. His face paled and he began to sweat profusely. He then realised that he was no longer in the garden, just like that night.
“He really survived.” Gu Xianer sighed in relief at this while the Elders did the same.
The Elder who had procured the Pill let out a smile. “Good, good. At least it wasn’t a waste.”
“My sister has been kidnapped…” Qing Feng looked stunned and didn’t seem to notice them, still murmuring in fear and worry.
Grandma Yin Hua frowned upon hearing that. “His soul seems to be in shock and need some quiet time alone to recuperate.”
As she spoke, she waved one of her sleeves and a blurry ball of light moved towards him. Qing Feng, who had been stunned, slowly recovered and calmed down. It was a Calming Spell.
“Thank you, Elders and Senior Xianer for saving me.” Qing Feng was now calm and knew he couldn’t beat around the bush. He began to relate what had happened that night. He had completed his trial and was preparing for bed when he suddenly sensed a strange disturbance from his sister’s lodgings next door.
It wasn’t him, of course, but the flask that detected it. He immediately felt something was wrong and when he rushed over, he saw a mysterious man whose face was hidden. He was entirely covered in pitch-black runes, holding onto an unconscious Qing Xiaoyi and planning to leave.
The sight angered him and he didn’t think twice before trying to save her. Yet, the man had merely slapped down a hand and made the protective amulet the Elders had given him to explode into pieces. At that point, he instantly lost consciousness.
“If not for this mysterious flask blocking the blow, I would’ve died,” said Qing Feng bitterly. He couldn’t hide the presence of the mysterious flask now, since the three Elders had already noticed it. Likewise, he wouldn’t be able to withstand the blow with his own strength, and lie his way out of all the potential questions.
“That flask…” Grandma Yin Hua took it with some surprise and studied it. It had an ordinary pattern and looked ancient and rusty, thus it was hard to see anything unique about it.
“Is this flask, the Flask of World Domination?” Another Elder stared at it intensely to investigate it, soon recognising it.
“The Flask from the Seven Tools of World Domination?” Gu Xianer was flabbergasted. She had naturally heard of the Seven Tools of World Domination; gathering all of them enabled one to find and open the Immortal Palace Treasury, which contained immeasurable precious items and even opportunities. She hadn’t expected this unassuming flask to be the Flask of World Domination.
Even if Qing Feng had admitted it, the Elders couldn’t take possession of it no matter how much they desired it. Thus, they returned it after studying for a bit.
“The man has been extremely decisive in his attack, knowing that Qing Feng won’t be able to counter and would immediately die. This makes it hard for us to trace what happened.”
“We still need to try, though.”
“Qing Xiaoyi’s Life Plaque hasn’t broke yet. This means she’s still alive.”
Afterwards, the three Elders, all in the Sacred Emperor Realm, appeared in the compound, conjuring their respective techniques to retrace what had happened. Very quickly, Chaos Qi spread out, accompanied by colourful light of multiple Principles. It was like they had returned to the day of the world’s creation, blurry objects materialising into the sky. The sight was shock-inducing.
Just when they were about to see the mysterious man, a terrifying grey fog swept in. All three of them grunted and became pale as if hit by lightning, quickly withdrawing. All that effort and they saw nothing.
“Just what technique did that man use? He either has a mysterious treasure or some Talent which disturbs fate itself.” The three Elders looked solemn as they knew this was going to be difficult. Both possibilities showed that the culprit was strong, and had plotted this kidnapping in advance.
“Hmm, this isn’t right.”
“There might still be a way to find that mystery man…”
Just as the people were puzzling over what to do, Grandma Yin Hua suddenly suggested an idea while looking at the Flask. “It’s said that the Flask is part of the Seven Tools of World Domination because it is made of a unique material, with both attack and defensive properties. It could even absorb and reflect the opponent’s attacks…”
The words immediately got everyone’s attention.
“The Flask had shielded him from the attack, so we can try activating it. We can then trace and restore the blow. The man most likely never expected Qing Feng to possess such a thing. We can use the energy and Principles from the stored attack to find out who has done it.”
The Elders nodded, looking at Grandma Yin Hua with admiration. Gu Xianer thought the idea would work as well, feeling really hopeful. After all, no one had expected Qing Feng to have the Flask of World Domination at all.
Soon, the three Elders worked together, trying to activate the Flask of World Domination and restore the strike it had absorbed.
*Mmmmm!
Terrifying Principles of the Sacred Emperor Realm rained down, each ray extremely terrifying and making the sky change colour. All within a million kilometres had the urge to prostrate themselves. Great surges of energy rose to the sky as the rust marks on the Flask fell from its surface. It shone with beams of light from the Great Dao, as if cleansed of all its impurities.
Quickly, an enormous dark palm was projected by the flask, which materialised in the air. The energy vibrations from it made Qing Feng’s expression shift into deep hatred.
“That’s right. That’s the energy I felt… This strike came and nearly killed me!” Anger and hatred shone within his eyes since he would never forget the feeling. One strike was enough to almost crush him like an ant.
“He may be enclosed in dark runes, but the origin of his power is different. It is extremely rare. No, it can’t be, but except for that person…” Grandma Yin Hua studied the pitch-black palm print and soon noticed its strangeness. She seemed to remember something suddenly, becoming wary and no longer speaking.
“This…” The other Elder’s expression changed as well and chose to remain silent. He looked a little anxious yet tried to remain unruffled by this sudden revelation.
“How’s this possible…” The last Elder looked uncertain as he glanced at Qing Feng, sighing deeply with an indecisive and helpless eyes.
“What? Why are you all like this so suddenly…” Qing Feng, who had been expecting them to uncover the identity of the culprit, froze when he saw their expressions. He became uneasy. [Is the culprit not someone they can go against? That’s why they are now so wary, and are unwilling to explain any further? Or, is their conclusion just that impossible?]
“How’s that possible?” Gu Xianer stared at the dark palm, runes flickering in her eyes as she deduced the situation. She was in shock as well.
“The energy is nearly the same as that of Sky King Zhi Yang when he was fighting against Gu Changge. No one can conjure up such Chaos Force except for him, right?”
After she made the suggestion with her cool and calm tone, she surveyed the silent Elders before continuing, ” I think the Elders have noticed it too.”
The Sky King Zhi Yang was a Ranked Disciple of the Immortal Academy, his strength used to be unrivalled among the younger generation of the Upper Realm and he was known to be number one before Gu Changge came into the picture. He had the Purple Mansion, an Immortal Sect, behind him. Thus, it wasn’t strange that the Elders were cautious and refused to speak. Even Gu Xianer was shocked, wondering if he had been framed.
On another thought, she began to wonder if it was another ancient monstrosity who did it. Besides, the culprit had avoided her on purpose. However, considering the way the Sky King had courted her, Gu Xianer now knew why.
“Why would the Sky King Zhi Yang kidnap Qing Xiaoyi though?” Gu Xianer couldn’t make the connection but had already said her thoughts.
The three Elders looked at each other cautiously, not daring to speak much of this. The Purple Mansion was extremely powerful, and they had purposefully seated an extremely old Elder from an ancient generation in the Immortal Academy. That Elder views Zhi Yang in a favourable light, and was his protector.
That Elder was far superior to Sacred Emperors Realm experts like them. It was said that he had once failed to reach the Great Dao, and had removed his cultivation. However, he could still return back to his peak anytime, due to his unfathomable strength. They were suspicious of the Zhi Yang, but they couldn’t discuss this further nor think about his motive in taking Qing Xiaoyi when she had never wronged him. Every Ranked Disciple had powerful backgrounds, which could not be trivialised.
“Senior Xianer, what should we do?” Qing Feng’s face became pale as he wasn’t stupid. Gu Xianer’s words and the Elders’ change in attitude definitely explained something.
The Sky King Zhi Yang was an ancient monstrosity who was backed by Purple Mansion. His background was enormously powerful and he had immeasurable strength. He and Qing Xiaoyi had no power or position to speak of. The only thing they had was their potential, which was appreciated by the Elders of the Immortal Academy. Otherwise, they have nothing. Who would dare offend Sky King Zhi Yang and the Purple Mansion backing him for them?
“I…” Gu Xianer froze on the spot, her brain rapidly pondering over Sky King Zhi Yang’s motive in taking Qing Xiaoyi. [He can’t be doing this same thing right? Kidnapping her, planning a whole act, and then taking the credit for finding her, and protecting her? All this just to pique my interest? It can’t be. It’s too unlikely.]
“Then, it might be for her Celestial Demonic Physique. When has Zhi Yang begun working together with the Successor of Demonic Arts?” Gu Xianer’s expression was grave as she really wanted to help Qing Feng, yet she couldn’t face the power behind Zhi Yang with just her own strength. The Immortal Gu Family would never listen to her, and the Elders with her were all too cowardly, trying to exclude themselves from this mess.
Most importantly, she wasn’t able to see if there was a clear link between him and the Successor of Demonic Arts. If there was, she could use this chance to inform everyone about it. However, there were too many reasons and excuses to abduct her. Thus, without evidence, he would just refuse to admit to it, and there would be no consequences.
“Senior Xianer, please save Xiaoyi.” Qing Feng was pale as he pleaded with her, pulling out the Flask. “If all of you can safely return Xiaoyi, then I will give you this Flask.”
The Flask was truly precious but the Elders weren’t dumb either. The Elder who had saved Qing Feng using the Nine-Cycles Spirit Restoration Pill felt pained as he waved a hand. “We will find a solution. We will save her, but we need to strategise first.”
Qing Feng felt more desperate when he heard their dismissive tone, turning to Gu Xianer instead.
“I will help you as much as I can.” She nodded, unable to promise anything.
“Thank you, Senior Xianer. I know you will think of a way. Since Young Master Changge spoils you so much, you can speak to him about this…” He looked like he had caught a lifeline, speaking urgently to her as he felt hopeful. The other young prodigy who could help was undeniably Gu Changge!
“How does he spoil me?”Gu Xianer’s cold expression stilled and she answered instinctively.
“He treats you so well! He beat up Zhi Yang till he’s all back and blue when he tried to approach you…” Qing Feng thought she didn’t like that and quickly explained.
“Enough.” Gu Xianer came back to herself and interrupted him, sounding angry. “Do not say things like that again.”
“Oh? What things?” Suddenly, the surprised voice of a young man came from outside the compound. She was stunned as she watched Gu Changge lead his followers inside. The Azure Dragon Emperor, trying to gain favour, followed behind him.
“Young Master Changge, when did you arrive?” The three Elders were all shocked as they hadn’t sensed his presence or arrival, even when they were all in the Sacred Emperor Realm.
“Just a trivial trick of mine.” Gu Changge seemed to know why they were shocked and waved an ancient artifact at them with a smile on his face.
Many thanks
Changge is farming style points again
Many thanks