The Dark Court had seven great thrones that were occupied by the Dark Kings.
The seven Dark Kings ruled the Dark World for the Dark Emperor. In the Dark World, every cultivator on the throne had unparalleled authority and awesome strength.
For such characters, in the Void Realm, as well as the outside world, they would always be the topmost existence.
Two great men at the peak of their existence from the outside world, including Mei Ting, who was one of the Eight Great Devil Generals, had now made their appearances in Heavenly Mandate City of the Void Realm.
Such a grand occasion was rare, even in the outside world.
"Youming," Mei Ting said as he raised his head and glanced at the figure on the throne. Suddenly, everyone from the outside knew that the Dark King who had arrived was the master of the Youming Throne.
Youming had come here in person. Just how important was that girl?
"Since they interrupted your drinking, allow me to have a drink with you."
Youming sat on the throne. With him as the center, a suffocating pressure enveloped the space where he and Mei Ting were, as a death storm was raging. He stretched out his hand, and two wine glasses appeared in front of his palm, suspended in the air.
Then, he took out a jug of wine and poured it into the glasses, filling them to the brim.
"Please," Youming said, and suddenly, one of the glasses of wine, like lightning, flew in Mei Ting’s direction.
Mei Ting reached out into the air, and the wine glass abruptly stopped, steadily, in front of his hand. The wine in the glass had not moved in the slightest.
Youming raised his glass to Mei Ting from the distance and drank up. Mei Ting did the same. Afterward, he waved his hand and sent the glass back.
Everyone from the outside world was quite frightened. Not many could command the master of the Dark Throne to pour the wine in person. The Eight Great Devil Generals of the Devil World must have been at the same level as the other so that even the master of the Youming Throne had to treat him with respect.
"Mei Ting, the Devil Emperor hasn’t ventured outside for hundreds of years. You wouldn’t be here at the Original Realm just to stop me, would you? After all, the Devil World had never been interested in the Original Realm," Youming poured the wine again and remarked. His position was superior enough, but he wouldn’t be so conceited as to think that the Devil World would be here because of them.
Those from the Devil World were known to be willful and arrogant. There were also many things that they would not deign to do.
Rather than believing that Mei Ting had come to stop them, he would rather believe that it was because they did interrupt Mei Ting’s drinking because the latter was more consistent with their temperament.
"Because you were defeated, the Original Realm ended up being ruled by Donghuang the Great. Why are you here in the Original Realm?" Mei Ting asked instead.
"That was many years ago." On the throne, Youming smiled. But even his smile was chilling to those who beheld it.
"As you were. Continue with what you are supposed to do," Youming looked at the army and commanded. He then turned his attention to Mei Ting and continued, "Since they disturbed your drinking, how about I stay here and drink with you?"
He didn’t insist on knowing Mei Ting’s purpose; he would just play along with the drinking pretext.
Nor would he pursue the matter that Mei Ting had killed one of his men. Every master on the Dark Throne was ruthless. In their eyes, the end justified the means. If he really wanted to settle the matter, he would have to fight Mei Ting. But the battle would affect the others, and he couldn’t really say for sure that he could suppress Mei Ting.
"That works," Mei Ting responded coolly. A smile appeared at the corner of Youming’s mouth. Suddenly, in front of him, the army moved forward once again, marching oppressively toward the Heavenly Mandate Academy.
The army, hindered by Mei Ting alone, finally moved on.
The Region Lord of the Fate World looked gloomy. But if the master of the Youming Throne did not pursue the matter, how could he?
After all, these powerful men from the outside world were much too strong than even their own top figures in the Original Realm.
The army marched forward, dark and heavy, and the sky dimmed without light.
An extremely tyrannical mass descended on the sky above the Heavenly Mandate Academy. A devastating death storm raged above the sky, and a horrific vortex appeared above the Heavenly Mandate Academy. It seemed intent on swallowing everything in its path.
Someone stepped out. Their body was surrounded by a flowing dark light with a terrifying aura. He looked down at the Heavenly Mandate Academy below and said, "Turn her over to us, and no one will lose their lives today."
Lord Taixuan looked at him and replied, "That is not something that the Heavenly Mandate Academy is accustomed to doing. Never have, and never will," everyone in the Heavenly Mandate City exclaimed silently.
This was the courage of the Heavenly Mandate Academy. Anyone inside the Heavenly Mandate Academy had no reason to be handed over to someone else.
They would rather go to war than hand over the girl.
What appeared to be sacrificing a single person to avoid war was not as it appeared. Once, Shen Ji from the Shen clan had come and demanded the Heavenly Mandate Academy to surrender Ye Futian to him, but it did not acquiesce.
After that, the Heavenly Mandate Academy joined their allies to go to the Shen clan and made their demands. That time, Ye Futian gambled with his life, but even so, the Shen clan did not easily turn over those that he wanted, not until the intervention from an already crazed Sky River Great Elder.
In that exchange, the reputation of the Shen clan was completely destroyed. Instead, Ye Futian and the Heavenly Mandate Academy claimed their fame on the back of the Shen clan.
That was probably an eternal shame that the Shen clan could never live down.
And now, the Heavenly Mandate Academy would not compromise.
"Is it worth it?" the clan leader of Clan of the God of Ghost pronounced loudly, looking down at Lord Taixuan below.
"Today’s battle, even if just one person from the Heavenly Mandate Academy perishes, the Academy will forever be at war with the Hidden Land Realm for today’s participation. Maybe I won’t be able to stop you, but unless you all disappear from the Hidden Land Realm forever, you will rue this day until the end of time," Lord Taixuan said. If they were to unleash their utmost against any Renhuang, any low-level Renhuang would not stand a chance.
Lord Taixuan’s indifferent voice caused great internal conflicts for those forces from the Hidden Land Realm; it was true that they had considered the possibility of an eternal grudge.
If they insisted, they would probably always be facing the threats of death in the future.
However, it seemed that they had no choice but to destroy the Heavenly Mandate Academy.
However, the appearance of Mei Ting, who was capable of stopping their leader, suddenly put a damper on things. They were not so sure now that they could destroy the Heavenly Mandate Academy.
Above the sky, the dark storm was getting stronger still. In the sky above the Heavenly Mandate Academy, an immense storm of destruction appeared, covering the firmament. Countless devastating lightning seemed to be raging in the storm. This storm seemed to be moving, gradually eating away the boundless space.
Boom, boom, boom...
Beneath the sky, everyone in the Heavenly Mandate Academy felt a force of destruction.
But at this moment, infinite Light of the Buddha descended and enveloped the heavens.
A group of dazzling figures traveled from the far-off void and came upon the space above the Heavenly Mandate Academy.
The breath of these Buddhist cultivators was astounding. They clasped their hands together and chanted the Sound of the Buddha. Suddenly, as the sound lingered, thousands of Buddha appeared in the sky, filled the sky.
Figures of the Buddha condensed and manifested, responding to the dark power. The Buddha’s handprint reached out toward the sky, and suddenly, the sky was blocked by the Light of the Buddha so that the destructive power was unable to descend.
"Buddhist cultivators from the Mountain Realm," many remarked with shock, for the man heading the group was the Abbot of Tianxian Temple, who was also an eminent monk.
"Was it not enough that the King of Hell perished in the Void Realm? Now you are here to repeat the same mistakes?" the Abbot of Tianxian Temple said loudly. The King of Hell, who had perished in the past, was also one of the cultivators who occupied the Dark Throne of the Dark Court, the master of the Hell Throne.
However, the master of the Hell Throne was suppressed by the Vajra Buddha with Buddhist Doctrine, and the two died together. In that battle, Vajra Buddha, the strongest Buddha in the Mountain Realm, fell as well.
"Heaven loves all living things. The war of the past did not affect the forces in the Hidden Land Realm, but now you want to help the evildoers and set off the storm again. If the Vajra Buddha is here, I am sure he would not be as merciful back then." The Abbot continued his admonishment, which did not speak kindly of the forces from the Hidden Land Realm.
The forces from the Hidden Land Realm were also aware of their connection with the Dark World. However, Donghuang the Great did not involve them and allowed them to continue their cultivation in the Void Realm.
In the distance, Youming, who was drinking with Mei Ting, saw what transpired there as well. Just as he had suspected, the attempt at a comeback this time was not so easy.
This Void Realm was more difficult to chew than they had imagined.
The Heavenly Mandate Academy, the first opponent they encountered, already gave them huge troubles by pledging their lives to save an inconsequential girl.
At the moment, the composition of the Heavenly Mandate Academy was already considerable. In addition to the allied forces gathered at the Heavenly Mandate Academy, there were now reinforcements from the Mountain Realm.
Secretly, there were still many cultivators who might still be joining in.
More importantly, the cultivator on the throne, the strongest of them all in the Hell army, was still there, drinking.
The two mighty armies were in a face-off, while Lord Taixuan and several other major figures walked to the front. The aura that swept across the sky was extremely terrifying.
At this moment, not far from Heavenly Mandate Academy, another group appeared with a terrifying aura, as if they might also join the battlefield.
"Shangxiao Divine Palace is intervening?" The clan leader of Clan of the God of Ghost looked at the group of cultivators, who were from Shangxiao Divine Palace of the Higher Heavens Realm.
"Whether this world is the Void Realm or the Original Realm, it is not allowed to be trampled. If the Hidden Land Realm wants to take action, then, the name of the Hidden Land Realm will be struck out." The voice of their leader was indifferent but still determined.
If there were to be a war, Shangxiao Divine Palace would not sit idly by; it would intervene.
The Divine Palace did not normally inquire about outside affairs, but this matter was different!
This sight in front of him moved Ye Futian tremendously. He remembered the stone tablets he saw in the ancestral land when he was seeking the truth in the Divine Palace. The inscriptions on the stone tablets were: the heart for heaven and earth, the life for the people, to pass on the sacred learning, to seek peace for generations.
The Divine Palace was a true preaching holy land. Although it wasn’t swayed by outside disturbances, its heart was always in the world.
Presently, with the invasions of outside forces, a large army descended upon the Heavenly Mandate Academy, the cultivators from Divine Palace had come to back them up.
As a result, the makeup of their groups had become even more powerful. Even the entire forces of the Hidden Land Realm were to join together, it would be difficult to shake up their opponent.
Ye Futian pondered that although the world of cultivation was a cruel one, there were still many who cared about the world. They didn’t want to see the chaos of centuries ago sweeping through the world once again!
1758 Chapter 1758 鈥?The Beauty in Humanity
The cultivators in the Heavenly Mandate Realm, the Buddhist monks from the Mountain Realm, the Yuanyang Clan and Xiao Clan from the Central Emperor Realm, and the Dou Tribe from the Ziwei Realm were already here. Now, Shangxiao Divine Palace came to lend a hand as well.
They made an incredibly formidable alliance. Even the menacing army coming all the way from the Hidden Land Realm became hesitant about launching their attack.
The army from the Hidden Land Realm was comprised of not only cultivators from the native forces in the Hidden Land Realm, but also people from the Outer Realms. They even had cultivators from the Dark Court, led by the Lord of the Underworld. However, as domineering as they were, they couldn鈥檛 gain the upper hand in the current situation.
If the Lord of the Underworld didn鈥檛 fight in the battle himself, they might even be at a disadvantage.
It was extremely difficult for them to snatch the girl from the Heavenly Mandate Academy under such circumstances.
No one could estimate how many people would lose their lives here if a battle broke out.
People from various places who had come to watch the battle were shocked and amazed that the Heavenly Mandate Academy was able to assemble such a strong defense lineup that even included the Shangxiao Divine Palace.
The Shangxiao Divine Palace was the holy land of the Higher Heavens Realm. Many people in the Nine Realms believed that three holy places were the best at imparting knowledge and training cultivators: the Tianshen Academy in the Central Emperor Realm, the Shangxiao Divine Palace in the Higher Heavens Realm, and the Heavenly Mandate Academy in the Heavenly Mandate Realm. Although the Heavenly Mandate Academy was rising to prominence and had almost surpassed the Shangxiao Divine Palace, no one could deny the great power the Shangxiao Divine Palace held.
Such a grand occasion for the Heavenly Mandate Academy and the Shangxiao Divine Palace to join hands and fight against the enemy side by side was unprecedented.
The cultivators in the Heavenly Mandate City right were witnessing history now.
Some people even envisioned how the Heavenly Mandate Academy and the Shangxiao Divine Palace could merge and become the predominant holy land in the 3,000 Realms of the Great Path. They would outstrip the Tianshen Academy altogether.
Of course, it was only a fanciful notion that would never happen in reality. The Shangxiao Divine Palace only sent reinforcement here to support the Heavenly Mandate Academy for this particular time.
The two sides reached a stalemate. While the Dark Army marched here all the way from the Hidden Land Realm, they didn鈥檛 want to die in vain. They couldn鈥檛 achieve their goal if they blindly jumped into the fight without having some confidence in victory.
Two menacing forces were locked in a confrontation. The entire Heavenly Mandate City was engulfed in the terrifying might of the Great Path.
Qingyao stood quietly inside of the Heavenly Mandate Academy. Yaya was next to her, holding her hand.
Except for Qingyao, Ye Futian sent away everyone who had not reached the Renhuang Plane.
He wouldn鈥檛 give her up to the enemy, and he was willing to fight for her. But he could never compromise the people he sent away by hiding Qingyao among them, on the off chance that he lost the battle. He would do everything in his power to keep his promise to Qingyao. But Qingyao had to face her destiny if he was defeated in the end.
Although Qingyao was still a young girl, she understood the risk Ye Futian was taking. She was deeply moved but remained composed and tearless.
Her brother Ye and so many people hovering in the air were willing to fight for her.
She brought bad lucks to everyone and was despised and shunned everywhere until she met her brother and sister, who protected her fiercely. Nianyu played with her and regarded her as the best friend. Grandpa Xuan also took care of her.
Everyone in the Heavenly Mandate Realm treated her exceptionally well. She never experienced such kindness in her life.
Even today, she saw all of those good people from other forces who came here willingly and were ready to risk their lives for a girl like her who had a cursed fate.
Then, what about her? What should she do?
Did she really want to implicate her brother, sister, and everyone else?
Could she really stand by idly and selfishly at the expense of other people鈥檚 lives?
She lived through a lifetime of darkness and never felt as warm and loved as today.
It was because tens of thousands of extraordinary and kind people stood up for her, a cursed girl.
All of a sudden, she grinned in silence.
She didn鈥檛 cry. Instead, she cracked a blissful smile.
"Sister," said Qingyao. She raised her head and looked at Yaya.
Yaya heard her voice and looked back. She grasped Qingyao鈥檚 hand firmly and reassured her, "Don鈥檛 be nervous. This will be over soon."
Qingyao shook her head and said with a smile, "Sister, I鈥檓 not nervous. Let me go with them."
Surprised, Yaya gripped Qingyao鈥檚 hand even harder and said, "Qingyao, your brother Ye and other people will protect you. No one can take you away against your will. Look, even more people are coming to help our side. They will win this fight."
Yet Qingyao was still shaking her head. "Sister, I believe that we will win. But I have made my decision. I will go with those people from the Hidden Land Realm."
"Why?" Yaya asked, staring at the girl.
"Because you鈥檙e all so kind to me." Qingyao smiled radiantly. She continued, "No one has ever been nice to me before. Now that I get to know all of you, I will certainly feel terrible if bad things happen to you because of me. I don鈥檛 want to see any of you being hurt. Not today, not ever."
Yaya was astounded. Looking at the smile on Qingyao鈥檚 face, she was overwhelmed by mixed feelings.
She felt touched and sorrowful at the same time.
She surely understood that this matter had put tremendous pressure on both Ye Futian and the Heavenly Mandate Academy. However, Ye Futian obviously wouldn鈥檛 hand Qingyao over without a fight. This was about holding one鈥檚 ground and keeping one鈥檚 words. It was meaningless and unnecessary to argue about right and wrong or to put a price on the level of sacrifice.
None of them would give in to the enemy and put people they cared about in danger.
To fight to the death was different from utter abandonment.
Nevertheless, Qingyao wanted to leave even when Ye Futian and the Heavenly Mandate Academy had already summoned enough people to turn the tables.
"Qingyao, take a look, those people don鈥檛 dare to provoke us now..." Yaya was going to speak more, yet was interrupted by Qingyao, who said, "Sister, they came here and committed such acts because of me. They won鈥檛 simply give up in the future. People here in the Academy will definitely be harmed if I stay here."
Yaya looked at the girl and was at a loss for words.
She couldn鈥檛 refute because she knew Qingyao was right.
These people in the Hidden Land Realm sent a large army at high costs all the way to the Heavenly Mandate Academy.
Even if they failed or retreated this time, who could tell what they would do in the future to achieve their objective?
Would they give up?
Absolutely not. The threat would always lurk in the shadows as long as Qingyao stayed in the Heavenly Mandate Academy.
"Sister, brother Ye told me that everyone has the right to determine their own fates. Isn鈥檛 that right?" Qingyao smiled broadly, said, "Right now, I have made my decision."
Qingyao learned this from Ye Futian, and she was telling it to Yaya now.
"If you don鈥檛 want me to go, I will leave on my own. Would you grab me against my will? You would make yourself a bad person if you did that," Qingyao chuckled. As a 12-year-old girl, she seemed to be exceptionally mature and rational.
Yaya鈥檚 eyes sparkled as she looked at Qingyao鈥檚 innocent face. Despite Qingyao鈥檚 average appearance, she seemed truly beautiful to Yaya. It was the beauty of a gentle and kind spirit.
Yaya smiled back at Qingyao.
She knew that Qingyao had grown up now.
"Qingyao, have you really decided?" Yaya asked. "Brother Ye will definitely help you as long as you want to stay."
"Sister, this is the only choice I have ever made. I will never regret it," Qingyao replied.
Yaya looked at her earnest face, said, "I support you."
"Thank you, sister." Qingyao beamed with joy. All of her fear and anxiety evaporated. She felt incredibly relaxed at the moment.
The two armies were still engaged in a standoff in the air. No one dared to act recklessly. The Dark Army seemed to be waiting for order while the Lord of the Underworld was drinking wine.
At the time, Yaya held Qingyao鈥檚 hand and slowly rose into the air. They moved toward Ye Futian, who was standing on the battlefield.
No one noticed Qingyao and Yaya鈥檚 conversation in front of the Academy since the atmosphere was so intense.
"Yaya, why do you bring Qingyao here?" Ye Futian saw them and asked.
"Brother, I鈥檓 leaving," Qingyao said to Ye Futian with a smile. Her eyes were filled with deep affection. The past few days in the Academy were the happiest time she had in her entire life.
"You鈥檙e leaving?" Ye Futian looked at Qingyao, surprised.
"Qingyao decided to leave," Yaya said to Ye Futian. Ye Futian stared at them in confusion.
"I agree with Qingyao about her decision," Yaya saw Ye Futian鈥檚 expression and added.
"Yaya, she is still a little girl. What does she know?" Lord Taixuan walked toward them and said to Yaya and Qingyao.
"Grandpa Xuan, if only you were my real grandpa," Qingyao smiled and replied. Lord Taixuan was puzzled and said to her, "But I am your real grandpa."
"Haha..." Qingyao chuckled again when she heard Lord Taixuan鈥檚 reply. The laughter then turned into a muffled sob, not because she was sad, but because she was moved by their care for her.
"Grandpa Xuan, just like Nianyu, I want to play with you affectionately too. But I was not brave enough. Now that I鈥檓 leaving, can I give you a hug?" Qingyao asked, smiling and crying at the same time.
"Of course you can. But who said you have to leave?" Lord Taixuan stepped forward and held the girl in his arms.
Qingyao hugged Lord Taixuan tightly, then she mimicked Nianyu and pulled Lord Taixuan鈥檚 beard. Lord Taixuan looked at Qingyao鈥檚 smile and could feel that she was a different girl now.
"Have you really made up your mind?" Lord Taixuan suddenly asked.
"Yes," Qingyao nodded. "Maybe I won鈥檛 see Grandpa Xuan again in the future, but I surely will miss you a lot."
After that, she turned around and opened her arms at Ye Futian, who was standing to the side.
Ye Futian picked up the girl and looked at her. Qingyao used her hand to cover Ye Futian鈥檚 mouth, said, "Brother, can you let me choose my own life, please? I made this choice on my own. I won鈥檛 regret this, ever."
Ye Futian took a look at the girl, then glanced at Yaya and Lord Taixuan. Same as Lord Taixuan, he sensed how she had changed.
As if she grew up overnight.
"Brother, let Qingyao go," said Yaya. Her voice was strangled even though her face was lit up with a smile.
"Qingyao, we won鈥檛 lose today," Lord Taixuan told Qingyao.
"I believe in you, Grandpa Xuan. But I really thought this through. Grandpa Xuan, brother, sister, Nianyu, and sister Loulan, I want you all to take care of yourselves," Qingyao said gently. She shifted her eyes to Ye Futian again, held his shoulders, leaned forward, and kissed him on his forehead.
"Thank you, brother!" Qingyao finally expressed her gratitude in a soft, angelic voice.