Chapter 1217, Zhao Xuetu

Translator: Silavin

  

Ten thousand kilometres from Vibrant Vermilion Peak.

 

There stood a city of no small scale, and within it, voices and noise filled the air, a scene of lively bustle.

 

In a place like the Myriad Beasts War Domain, truly safe ground was almost nonexistent. Yet there were, even here, certain exceptions.

 

A city of this scale served those who entered it with supplies, intelligence exchanges, and more, and one had absolutely no need to worry about Demonic Beasts launching an assault, for a Saint stood in residence.

 

Any powerful expert who wished to enter the city needed only pay a certain number of Spirit Stones to obtain temporary shelter.

 

At the very centre of this city stood a grand hall of imposing, majestic presence, crouching there like a sleeping beast.

 

Within that hall at this moment, a powerfully built figure stood at its centre.

 

This figure belonged to a man who appeared to be around forty years of age. The lines of his face were sharply pronounced, his lips thin as the edge of a blade, radiating a cold and cutting ferocity. Between those eyes of his burned an arrogance impossible to conceal.

 

This man was the sovereign of a territory spanning ten thousand kilometres, the protector of this city, Zhao Xuetu.

 

To hold dominion over ten thousand kilometres of territory, Zhao Xuetu was a genuine Saint in every sense of the word. Under his command stood no small number of Martial Ancestors. Though such strength would be nothing remarkable on the Myriad Beasts Continent itself, within the whole of the Myriad Beasts War Domain he commanded an extraordinarily lofty reputation.

 

Saint Realm, in this particular stretch of land, was an existence that was all but invincible.

 

Long-established Saints of this kind, those who had taken up permanent residence in the Myriad Beasts War Domain, were afforded a degree of regard, and even courteous treatment, even by the great Top Tier Races.

 

After all, should relations sour between them, the young members of those great Races who ventured in for their trials would very likely become hunting targets. Even the most confident Top Tier Race would not consider it wise to send their young, still at the Martial Ancestor Realm, into a direct confrontation with Saints who had spent decades, or even a century, entrenched within the Myriad Beasts War Domain.

 

That said, these Saints also knew their own limits well enough. They understood that although the Saint Realm commanded a near-supreme status within this domain, if they drove the Top Tier Races too far into a corner, the latter possessed their own methods of dealing with them.

 

Tearing open space and forcibly sending a Saint into the depths of the Myriad Beasts War Domain was, while somewhat taxing even for the truly powerful, by no means impossible.

 

Moreover, the vast majority of Saints within the Myriad Beasts War Domain had broken through to their current realm thanks, in some form or another, to the grace and assistance of certain powerful Forces.

 

Viewed from a certain angle, these Saints could be regarded as enforcers cultivated and maintained by those Top Tier Races.

 

Zhao Xuetu rested his palm lightly atop the table beside him. Somewhat surprisingly, he was seated not at the foremost position at the centre of the great hall, but at the head seat along its side.

 

For it was the foremost seat at the very centre of the hall that was occupied, by a petite and lovely silhouette. Had Qin Yichen been present, he would undoubtedly have recognised her at once.

 

It was the Spirit Cloud Race woman he had encountered when he first entered the Myriad Beasts War Domain, Yun Jun. Yun Yin and Yun Lan stood behind her.

 

Three young women, in appearance barely more than girls, were seated in the foremost position of this great hall. And the Zhao Xuetu whose fearsome name had spread far and wide showed not the slightest sign of displeasure.

 

“Zhao Xuetu, did you not receive the Spirit Cloud’s transmission?”

 

From the foremost seat, Yun Jun’s voice rang out, cool and unhurried. Facing this Saint, she showed not the faintest trace of wariness. What she had, instead, was the cold detachment of one accustomed to looking down from a great height.

 

“I have received it, it was simply that there were a great many trivial matters demanding my attention during this period, and I was unable to reply to Sister Yun Jun in good time. I ask for your forgiveness.”

 

Zhao Xuetu kept his posture deferential, laughing drily as he spoke. Yet beneath those sharp and severe brows, not a single trace of genuine apology was to be found.

 

“There is still one month remaining, Zhao Xuetu. I do not care how many matters you have. If you do not arrive within half a month, I will take that as you relinquishing your place.”

 

Yun Jun’s elegant brows drew together faintly, as though the manner in which he had addressed her had caused her some displeasure. Her tone carried a clear note of irritation.

 

“Of course, of course, I have not forgotten your Race’s great kindness. When the time comes, Zhao shall be the very first to charge into the fray for the Spirit Cloud Race!”

 

Zhao Xuetu clasped his hands together and answered in a loud, full-bodied voice. That display of sincerity, had it been witnessed by someone less experienced in the ways of the world, might have genuinely moved them.

 

The two women behind Yun Jun gave small, satisfied nods. Yet Yun Jun’s expression remained utterly unmoved, those eyes of hers, like clear glass, fixed steadily upon Zhao Xuetu as though she intended to see straight through every thought in his head.

 

“City Lord!”

 

All of a sudden, from beyond the great hall came a burst of rapid, urgent footsteps, and along with them, a voice filled with anxiety.

 

“Enter.”

 

Zhao Xuetu’s brow furrowed slightly. He knew that the people under him were not foolish enough to dare disturb him at a time like this. Moreover, the man approaching was one of his most trusted confidants. For him to seek an audience at a time like this, the matter was certainly not a small one.

 

“City Lord…”

 

As Zhao Xuetu’s voice settled, a middle-aged man dressed in a fitted, practical robe strode quickly in from outside. He had been on the verge of speaking, but upon catching sight of the women in the foremost seat, he paused for an instant and held his tongue.

 

“This is Yun Jun of the Spirit Cloud Race. Xue Li, whatever it is, just speak.”

 

Zhao Xuetu waved a hand to indicate as much.

 

“City Lord, Blood Hand Zhao Xueqi’s Soul Lamp, it has gone out.”

 

After a brief pause, the middle-aged man clenched his jaw and spoke.

 

“What did you say!?”

 

The words had barely landed before Zhao Xuetu’s expression darkened with a sharp, sudden intensity. Beneath his hand, the table and chair were reduced to fine powder in an instant. A terrifying aura surged outward from his body, enveloping the entire great hall within it.

 

Under the weight of that aura, the man known as Xue Li drained of all colour. Yun Yin and Yun Lan, who had been wearing pleasant smiles a moment before, felt as though even breathing had grown somewhat difficult.

 

“Zhao Xuetu!”

 

Yun Jun’s elegant brows pulled together sharply, and she called out in a cold, sharp voice.

 

Even a Saint’s aura, released without any deliberate intent, was not something that two women of merely Late Stage Martial Ancestor Realm like Yun Yin and Yun Lan could endure.

 

“My apologies!”

 

As though Yun Jun’s sharp call had snapped him back to himself, Zhao Xuetu reined in his composure with some effort. The oppressive aura that had blanketed the great hall gradually dispersed.

 

“Forgive me, Fellow Sister Yun Jun. I had originally intended to travel together with you, yet as you have seen, Xueqi is my Younger Brother. Please grant me a few more days. Once I have dealt with this matter, I shall come at once.”

 

Zhao Xuetu rose to his feet, clasped his hands toward Yun Jun, and spoke with an apologetic air.

 

With that, Zhao Xuetu gave Xue Li a look, then strode swiftly toward the exit of the great hall.

 

“Who could be so bold, to dare kill even his Younger Brother?”

 

After Zhao Xuetu had departed, Yun Lan exhaled slowly, still faintly shaken.

 

“Hmm, Elder Sister Jun once said, never mind his Younger Brother, even the likes of us could be ambushed if we were not careful.”

 

Yun Yin stuck out her tongue beside her, and for once there was not a trace of mischief about her. She was, instead, speaking in a perfectly earnest and obedient manner.

 

“Let’s go, we are leaving.”

 

Before them, Yun Jun did not follow up on the subject, as though something occupied her thoughts. She gave a light, unhurried instruction, then turned and walked toward the exit.