Translator:
EndlessFantasy Translation
Editor:
EndlessFantasy Translation
Duan Ling Tian was surprised that a crowd had gathered outside of his residence. Based on their conversations, he knew they had been waiting outside for half a month just to invite him to meet their masters or elders who intended to accept him as a disciple.
‘I shouldn’t have deactivated the Formations so quickly,’ Duan Ling Tian thought to himself.
Alas, the crowd had already noticed the deactivated Formations and broke into a commotion immediately.
Swoosh!
In the end, Duan Ling Tian appeared before the crowd.
“Duan Ling Tian has deactivated the Formation. He’s out!”
“Duan Ling Tian! I’m Xu He, Supreme Elder Huang Ping Yi’s second disciple. My master wants to invite you to his cultivation ground.”
“Duan Ling Tian, I’m Guardian Liu Gang Xuan’s eldest disciple, Li Chong Yu. My master wants to invite you over for a visit.”
Duan Ling Tian was surprised when he heard that a Supreme Elder and a guardian wanted to meet him.
There were only a few Supreme Elders in the Hidden Fog Sect. Moreover, Supreme Elders and guardians had higher status compared to the 19 core elders. Their status was comparable to the few Vice Sect Leaders of the Hidden Fog Sect. In fact, some of the Supreme Elders had even higher status than the Sect Leader of the Hidden Fog Sect due to their superior strength.
Duan Ling Tian was surprised the Supreme Elders and guardians wanted to accept him as their disciple since he had held his strength back to avoid being too eye-catching. He did not expect he would still attract attention from so many people even after downplaying his strength.
“Duan Ling Tian, I’m Supreme Elder Wu He’s son. My father wants to accept you as his disciple. If you’re willing to become his disciple, he promised that your treatment would be even better than mine!”
“I’m Supreme Elder Liu Hu Gui’s second disciple, He Chai. My master wants to accept you as his disciple as well. He has prepared three Auspicious Pills as a meeting gift for you.”
“Duan Ling Tian, I’m Guardian Zhao Bu Yi’s fourth disciple, Ouyang Quan. My master has said that as long as you become his disciple, he’ll find nine Auspicious Pills for you to help you become a King of Gods within a year!”
There were young men, middle-aged men, and a few young women inviting Duan Ling Tian to meet their masters and elders. Upon seeing the competition, some of them even began to increase their offer.
Duan Ling Tian was rather tempted when he heard that someone was willing to find nine Auspicious Pills for him within a year. Nonetheless, in the end, Duan Ling Tian cupped his fists together at everyone and interjected, “My apologies. I, Duan Ling Tian, have no intention of acknowledging a master even though I’ve joined the Hidden Fog Sect. My goal is to join the Great Dragon Battle Sect in the future. I apologize for keeping all of you here for so long.”
Upon hearing these words, some people left with a sigh, and some people were still determined to negotiate with Duan Ling Tian, in hopes of changing his mind. Alas, they were still rejected in the end. Among those who were rejected, there were a few who were unwilling to give up. They followed Duan Ling Tian who went to the Internal Affairs Pavilion to find out the ranking of the Heavenly Stairs Battle.
Even before the rankings were revealed, many people did not doubt that Duan Ling Tian would rank first among the inner disciples who were gods. After all, none of the gods who were inner disciples had ever climbed to the ninth step before.
Another commotion broke out among those at the Internal Affairs Pavilion as soon as Duan Ling Tian showed up.
“It’s Duan Ling Tian!”
“Duan Ling Tian? The advanced god who ranks first in the Heavenly Stairs Battle?”
“That’s right! It’s said that he’s not even 3,000 years old. Vice Sect Leader Murong is the one who recommended him to join the sect ahead of time.”
“A talent like him is truly rare. Vice Sect Leader Murong really has a discerning eye!”
“That’s right. Apart from a few Supreme Elders and our Sect Leader, I admire Vice Sect Leader Murong as well!”
After a while, Duan Ling Tian asked with a smile, “Hello, can you tell me where I can collect the rewards for the Heavenly Stairs Battle?”
After someone pointed the place out to him, Duan Ling Tian quickly obtained his reward, which was an Auspicious Pill.
Just as Duan Ling Tian was about to leave, a chubby inner disciple with an equally chubby face called out, “Duan Ling Tian! The core disciples’ test is just around the corner. Are you confident about passing the test? The last time an advanced god managed to pass the test was 10,000 years ago! Moreover, over the past 100 years, not even one King of Gods has managed to pass the test.”
Everyone shifted their attention to Duan Ling Tian curiously, eager to know his answer.
Duan Ling Tian turned to smile at the chubby inner disciple before he said, “I’ll try my best to be the first advanced god to pass the core disciples’ test in 10,000 years.”
Without waiting for a response from the chubby inner disciple, Duan Ling Tian left, leaving the noisy crowd behind.
“Based on Duan Ling Tian’s words, it seems like he’s very confident about passing the test!”
“I’m excited to see how it turns out! If he truly passes the test, he’ll be the first advanced god to pass the test in 10,000 years!”
“I really wish the core disciples’ test would come faster!”
…
It did not take long for what happened at the Internal Affairs Pavilion to spread through the Hidden Fog Sect.
Upon hearing the news, Tang Wu Yan, who was with her granduncle, Tang Chun, exclaimed in shock, “He’s so confident?”
Tang Chun asked, “What happened?” After listening to Tang Wu Yan, he said with a smile, “I think he’ll be able to pass the test.”
“Granduncle, you’re so confident about his strength as well?” Tang Wu Yan was surprised. “Based on the strength he had demonstrated, I don’t think it’s enough for him to pass the test unless… he’s been hiding his true strength. Granduncle, don’t tell me you know he’s hiding his strength?”
Tang Chun shook his head. He naturally did not know if Duan Ling Tian was hiding his true strength, but he could not help but feel certain of Duan Ling Tian’s victory.
“Then, why are you confident?” Tang Wu Yan asked, puzzled.
“Maybe it’s his bearing and temperament. If it were someone else, I’d think they’re arrogant. However, coming from Duan Ling Tian, it just seems like he’s confident, not arrogant,” Tang Chun replied. Then, he looked at Tang Wu Yan meaningfully as he said, “Wu Yan, I heard you went to Heavenly Stairs. You went there for Duan Ling Tian, right?”
Tang Wu Yan was rendered temporarily speechless by Tang Chun’s words. Then, she said, “Granduncle, I only went there because I planned to participate as well. However, due to Duan Ling Tian’s sudden battle with Qi Yu, I decided to follow them to the Extreme Martial Arena to have a look. After the battle ended, I returned and entered the Heavenly Stairs.”
Tang Chun did not seem convinced. He continued to look at Tang Wu Yan meaningfully as he said, “It’s okay. I understand. It’s only normal for young women to feel shy.”
Tang Wu Yan really did not know what else she could say so she only remained silent. Perhaps, due to Tang Chun’s words, a purple-clad figure appeared and lingered in her mind.
She chastised herself inwardly, ‘Why am I wasting time thinking about a married man with children?’
Tang Wu Yan tried to get rid of the purple-clad figure in her mind, but it was futile. Not only did the figure linger in her mind, but her heart began to race when she thought about him.
…
“Ridiculous!” Tu Feng said mockingly, “Who does he think he is? He thinks he’ll be able to become the first inner disciple to pass the core disciples’ test in 10,000 years? Although the test for inner gods is easier compared to that for the King of Gods, it’s still nearly impossible for advanced gods to pass it. Does he plan to become the next Xue Hai Chuan? What a joke!”
Tu Feng was sure the person whom he planned to kill would fail the core disciples’ test since he knew how difficult the test was.
Chapter 3670: The Heavenly Stairs Token
Translator:
EndlessFantasy Translation
Editor:
EndlessFantasy Translation
‘Death would be better than being imprisoned in there.’ Duan Ling Tian could not help but shudder when he thought about the inner disciples imprisoned in the Heavenly Stairs. It was likely that most of them had lost their sanity.
At this time, Tang Wu Yan said, “There are many of them who took their own lives since they could not stand being in there.”
“If the participants can’t defeat the prisoners, doesn’t it mean the participants will be killed by the prisoners?” Duan Ling Tian asked.
“This is very unlikely to happen unless the participants are reckless. I’m sure you noticed by now that participants are given tokens before they climb the stairs. Those are called the Heavenly Stairs Tokens. If participants can’t defeat their opponents, they can crush the token and be transported out. The chances are very low for participants to be unable to crush the tokens in time,” Tang Wu Yan explained.
Duan Ling Tian learned a lot after listening to Tang Wu Yan. As it turned out, the tokens not only kept track of time but functioned like a life-saving token as well.
At this time, the young man who had made a bet with Hu Jun had already climbed up to the third part of the stairs while Hu Jun looked at the stairs intently, waiting for the results.
Meanwhile, the male inner disciples looked at Duan Ling Tian enviously. The most beautiful female disciple in the Hidden Fog Sect who was usually aloof and taciturn was conversing with him for so long, after all.
“Among the gods, how high do they usually climb?” Duan Ling Tian asked.
The Heavenly Stairs had 19 steps in total. The steps below the 12th step flashed with spots of light, but the steps above were dim. On the 11th step, there was only one spot of light.
“During the previous Heavenly Stairs Battle, three gods managed to climb to the eighth step. One of them was Qi Yu, the inner disciple who has been challenging you over the past few months,” Tang Wu Yan replied, “Among the three, the person who stayed on the eighth step the longest was considered the winner. Although Qi Yu performed well, he was only ranked third.”
Based on this, Duan Ling Tian could infer that the spots of light from the ninth step onward represented the Kings of Gods since the top god only climbed to the eighth step.
“The rankings will be shown above the stairs. The sect will reward those who rank at the top as you already know,” Tang Wu Yan said.
Duan Ling Tian was rather excited to challenge the Heavenly Stairs after listening to Tang Wu Yan’s explanation.
At this time, the flashing spot of light on the third step suddenly vanished.
Soon after, the young man appeared and returned the divine rocks back to Hu Jun. Then, he said furiously, “D*mn it! I was so close to climbing past the third step, but that fellow suddenly fought as though his life depended on it nearing the end! Whatever! So what if he won? He’ll die soon enough living in such a place.
“Stop talking nonsense. A loss is a loss. Everyone only has one chance to participate in the Heavenly Stairs Battle. You’ll have to wait for the next round to redeem yourself,” Hu Jun said, grinning ear to ear now that he regained the divine rocks he had lost earlier.
At this time, someone exclaimed, “Look! Senior Brother Qi Yu has reached the eighth step!”
Duan Ling Tian instinctively looked up and saw a spot of light flashing on the eighth step.
“Senior Brother Qi Yu has reduced the time he spent on the seventh step!”
‘Qi Yu?’ Duan Ling Tian smirked. Although he had yet to meet Qi Yu, he knew Qi Yu was sent by Tu Feng to trouble him. That was the reason Qi Yu had persistently challenged him over the past few months.
...
After a while, it was finally Duan Ling Tian’s turn.
“Elder, I’m Duan Ling Tian, an intermediate god. I’m here to challenge the Heavenly Stairs,” Duan Ling Tian said to the old man in front of the Heavenly Stairs.
This was the standard greeting of the disciples participating in the Heavenly Stairs Battle. Usually, the old man did not pay much attention to the greetings, but this time, he looked in surprise when he heard Duan Ling Tian’s name. He asked, “You’re Duan Ling Tian from Skywind City’s Hidden Fog Academy?”
“Yes.” Duan Ling Tian nodded.
“After hearing so much about you, I finally got to meet you. Good luck,” the old man said with a rare smile on his face as he handed a token to Duan Ling Tian, “This token will be activated once you channel your Divine Energy into it. If you want to leave, send a strand of your Divine Consciousness into it.”
“Thank you, elder,” Duan Ling Tian said before he entered the Heavenly Stairs.
Many of the inner disciples began to focus their attention on Duan Ling Tian again when they saw the elder’s attitude toward Duan Ling Tian.
“That’s that monstrous talent from Skywind City’s Hidden Fog Academy!”
“No wonder Tang Wu Yan treats him differently!”
“What nonsense are you spouting? I don’t think our sect’s goddess treated him any differently!”
“That’s right. Our goddess stood quite a distance from him so I’m sure they’re just ordinary acquaintances.”
Duan Ling Tian was not around to hear the conversations, but Tang Wu Yan heard it all. Nonetheless, she did not pay attention to the whispers. Instead, a hint of curiosity flashed in her eyes as she looked at the flashing spot of light that represented Duan Ling Tian.
In the beginning, she had been indifferent toward Duan Ling Tian, but she felt like her ego had been hit when Duan Ling Tian ignored her. When she was showing him around the sect, he did not pay much attention to her at all. It was as though he did not see her beauty at all. She was someone who took great pride in her beauty. With his indifference, her self-esteem naturally suffered a blow. She was one of those women who ignored men who were interested in them and were interested in men who ignored them.
...
Duan Ling Tian was naturally unaware of the messy thoughts in Tang Wu Yan’s mind. He had just entered the first small realm. It was dark and resembled the space in spatial rings.
Swoosh!
A flame suddenly lit up.
Duan Ling Tian saw a sloppy figure in front of him. They were standing in the middle of a barren valley at this moment, across from each other. Beyond the valley was only darkness since the realm was isolated.
“The Heavenly Stairs Battle has started again?” The sloppy young man who was sitting cross-legged rose to his feet slowly. His body burned with flames from the law of fire.
“Yes.” Duan Ling Tian nodded.
“You can attack first,” the young man said.
“You’re no match for me,” Duan Ling Tian bluntly said.
Duan Ling Tian had already used his Divine Consciousness to probe his opponent. He discovered his opponent was just an intermediate god. Moreover, his opponent had yet to comprehend all the profundities from the law of fire to the mastery stage.
“You’re just an intermediate god like me. How can you be so confident when we’ve yet to fight?” the young man said hoarsely.
Duan Ling Tian shook his head. The air seemed to freeze as he cast the profundities from the law of space.
Silence descended immediately.
After a moment, the young man said, “I... I surrender.”
Chapter 3671: Qi Yu
Translator:
EndlessFantasy Translation
Editor:
EndlessFantasy Translation
Subsequently, the sloppy young man raised his hand and pointed at the air. A crimson energy shot out and struck the space barrier.
Duan Ling Tian instantly felt a pulling force sweeping in from all directions. His surroundings alternated between darkness for a while before he realized he had arrived at a new place.
This realm was not as dark as the one before. A huge luminous pearl hung in the air, illuminating the entire place.
Duan Ling Tian found himself standing in a stone forest with various tall rocks. For a long time, he did not see anyone else at all. He knew he had climbed to the second step, meaning he was now in the second small realm. As for why he did not see anyone, he speculated his opponent must be hiding.
Duan Ling Tian swept his surroundings with his Divine Consciousness and soon detected an aura hidden behind a huge rock not far away.
As soon as the person sensed Duan Ling Tian’s Divine Consciousness, he revealed himself immediately. He was a young man with a stern expression. He was dressed in a spotless blue robe, and he looked clean. He was the total opposite of the sloppy young man from the first small realm. He did not look like he had been imprisoned in this place for a long time.
Swoosh!
The stern young man looked at Duan Ling Tian indifferently. Without saying a word, he mobilized his Divine Energy that had been boosted with the law of water.
Duan Ling Tian finally discovered why the young man remained clean despite being imprisoned here. As it turned out, the young man had comprehended the law of water. He could sense the young man was much stronger than the sloppy young man he had met in the first small realm. This young man had comprehended all of the profundities from the law of water to the mastery stage. However, the young man had yet to comprehend any Fused Profundities. Similar to the sloppy young man, he was also an intermediate god.
Duan Ling Tian silently made his move. In just a moment, a raging spatial energy swept out, easily crushing his opponent’s attack before injuring and sending his opponent flying.
The young man spat out a mouthful of blood before he looked at Duan Ling Tian fearfully. As though he was afraid Duan Ling Tian would attack again, he hurriedly activated the Teleportation Formation to send Duan Ling Tian away.
Just like that, Duan Ling Tian had reached the third step and entered the third realm. Like before, he had easily defeated his opponent.
The inner disciple imprisoned in the third small realm was still an intermediate god. He had comprehended all of the profundities of the law of metal to the mastery stage and had begun to comprehend double Fused Profundities. Needless to say, his strength was still inferior to Duan Ling Tian’s. In just a second, he was defeated by Duan Ling Tian with just one move.
The situation was the same on the fourth and fifth steps.
However, on the sixth step, Duan Ling Tian had to expend more effort to defeat his opponent. Naturally, this was only because he was hiding his true strength. If he had used all his strength, he would have defeated his opponent in just a blink of an eye.
On the seventh step, Duan Ling Tian’s opponent was an advanced god who had comprehended a double Fused Profundity.
Since Duan Ling Tian was unwilling to use his full strength, he was having difficulties dealing with his opponent.
‘Hmm?’ When Duan Ling Tian was in the midst of the battle, he discovered his Divine Energy had suddenly surged. Then, he realized he had successfully broken through the bottleneck and became an advanced god.
‘I had a breakthrough?’
Seeing that Duan Ling Tian had a breakthrough, not only was his opponent fearless, but his opponent charged forward even more aggressively than before. This was because he knew it took time for one’s foundation to stabilize after a breakthrough and for one’s Divine Energy to transform. He planned to launch a sneak attack at this moment. If he was successful, he was sure he would win the battle.
Swoosh!
Alas, Duan Ling Tian had foreseen his opponent would make a move. He teleported again and again as his opponent attacked in a flurry.
Just as Duan Ling Tian’s cultivation base stabilized along with his Divine Energy, his eyes flashed coldly. He stopped teleporting before he said, “Since you have a death wish, I’ll fulfill your wish!”
As his opponent charged forward again, Duan Ling Tian cast the Mastery Dao, one of the Four Daos of Heaven and Earth. Spatial energy raged around him, killing his opponent in just an instant.
This was the first person he killed since he entered the Heavenly Stairs. He did not kill his previous opponents since they did not have conflicts between them.
After killing his opponent, Duan Ling Tian sat cross-legged on the ground to further stabilize his cultivation base and facilitate the transformation of his Divine Energy.
…
Outside of the Heavenly Stairs.
Most of the eyes of the inner disciples, including Tang Wu Yan, were glued to the Heavenly Stairs. To be precise, they were glued to the spot of light that represented Duan Ling Tian.
Earlier, the spot of light had risen rapidly from the first to the sixth step. Finally, it had slowed down. In fact, after waiting for a while, they discovered the spot of light stayed on the seventh floor. It did not dim, but it did not move up to the eighth step.
Seeing this, one inner disciple sighed. “I think the seventh step is as far as he’ll go.”
“The fact that he managed to reach the seventh step despite being an intermediate god is amazing enough. As expected of the monstrous prodigy from Skywind City’s Hidden Fog Academy. He really lives up to his reputation!”
“That’s right! Even the ten strongest inner disciples couldn’t reach the seventh step when they were still intermediate gods.”
“Even if he can’t move up from the seventh step, he should still be proud of himself.”
Tang Wu Yan did not pay attention to the conversations around her. Instead, she was staring at the spot of light that represented Duan Ling Tian. At the same time, a hopeful expression could be seen on her face.
At the same time, a spot of light on the eighth floor vanished, and a person appeared outside of the Heavenly Stairs. He was a tall and handsome young man dressed in a brown and blue robe. As soon as he appeared, he attracted the attention of many female disciples. They looked at him with bright eyes as though they wished they could pounce him immediately.
“Senior Brother Qi Yu!”
“Senior Brother Qi Yu has come out. Although he still has yet to climb past the eighth step, he stayed on the eighth step longer than before. I feel like he’s going to rank first this time!”
“Senior Brother Qi Yu is really amazing!”
The inner disciples looked at Qi Yu and praised him to the high heavens. Their optimism toward Qi Yu was a stark contrast to their pessimism toward Duan Ling Tian.
Qi Yu was clearly pleased by the praises, based on the proud expression on his face. When he saw Tang Wu Yan, his eyes lit up, and his expression softened immediately. He returned the Heavenly Stairs Token back to the elder before he walked over to Tang Wu Yan and asked with a smile, “Junior Sister Wu Yan, did you just arrive or did you just come out from the Heavenly Stairs?”
“Senior Brother Qi Yu,” Tang Wu Yan greeted Qi Yu before saying, “I’ve yet to enter the Heavenly Stairs.”
“Oh?” Qi Yu asked, “Are you going to enter now then? Junior Sister Wu Yan, I remember you were on the seventh step for quite a long time previously and even made it into the top ten. This time, you must have a greater chance of climbing up to the eighth step. It seems like I’ll have the honor of watching you advance to the eighth step today.”
Qi Yu was very enthusiastic toward Tang Wu Yan. Naturally, this was because he liked Tang Wu Yan. This matter was not a secret in the Hidden Fog Sect. Many male inner disciples did not dare to express their affection to Tang Wu Yan due to their fear of Qi Yu.
“I don’t plan to challenge the Heavenly Stairs for now. I’m waiting for my friend to come out,” Tang Wu Yan replied. She was not particularly cold nor friendly toward Qi Yu.
Although Qi Yu was rather strong, his reputation was rather bad. As far as Tang Wu Yan knew, there were no fewer than five female inner disciples who had intimate relations with him. Those female disciples did not seem to mind his promiscuity so as an outsider, Tang Wu Yan did not have an opinion on it either. Nonetheless, her impression of Qi Yu was not good.
“Your friend? Who is it? Do I know him?” Qi Yu asked with a smile.
“I think so,” Tang Wu Yan glanced at Qi Yu as she slowly said, “After all, Senior Brother Qi Yu, you’ve been challenging him once every month over the past three months.”
Qi Yu’s eyes widened as he asked with a hint of disbelief, “Junior Sister Wu Yan, the friend you mentioned is Duan Ling Tian?”
“Yes.” Tang Wu Yan nodded. Then, she turned back to look at the spot of light that represented Duan Ling Tian without sparing another glance at Qi Yu.
Upon seeing this, Qi Yu’s expression soured as he clenched his hands tightly. His eyes glinted coldly as he followed the direction of Tang Wu Yan’s gaze. Previously, he only targeted Duan Ling Tian because of Tu Feng. However, because of Tang Wu Yan, even if Tu Feng did not say anything, he would still continue to challenge Duan Ling Tian.
This was the first time Qi Yu had seen Tang Wu Yan showing so much interest in a man, after all. He had never received such treatment from her before. How could he not be jealous of Duan Ling Tian?
…
Duan Ling Tian was unaware that Qi Yu had left the eighth step nor was he aware that Qi Yu now held a personal grudge against him.
After becoming an advanced god and stabilizing his cultivation base and Divine Energy, he rose to his feet and muttered to himself, “Alright, let’s advance to the eighth step.”
Chapter 3672: Xue Hai Shan
Translator:
EndlessFantasy Translation
Editor:
EndlessFantasy Translation
In fact, after killing his opponent on the seventh step, Duan Ling Tian had felt the pulling force from the Teleportation Formation trying to send him to the eighth step. However, when he found he could withstand the pulling force, he decided to further stabilize his cultivation base and Divine Energy after becoming an advanced god.
After he was done, he finally allowed him to be taken away by the pulling force.
In just a blink of an eye, Duan Ling Tian found himself hovering above a literal sea of blood. He could smell the metallic stench of blood rising from the sea. When he did not see or sense anyone with his Divine Consciousness, a vague idea appeared in his mind.
He rose higher up into the sky and stood with his hands on his back as he asked tonelessly, “You can create such life-like illusions with your bloodline power and hide your aura from my Divine Consciousness; I have to say you’re quite impressive. However, I’ll have to disappoint you if you think you’ll be able to catch me off guard.”
As soon as Duan Ling Tian’s voice fell, the sea began to bubble as though it was boiling. After a moment, the sea vanished into thin air, and a middle-aged man dressed in a dark red robe appeared in front of Duan Ling Tian. The middle-aged man was tall. He had a pair of piercing eyes. His eyebrows and stern expression made him look fierce. As soon as he appeared, he said, “Not bad. You managed to discover this is from my bloodline power.”
Now that the sea of blood had vanished, Duan Ling Tian found himself in a plain field.
“Since I’ve been brought here, how could there be no one around? Since I couldn’t detect you with my Divine Consciousness, it’s only obvious that I’d figure out what was happening,” Duan Ling Tian replied.
“You’re quite smart. In the past, I killed quite a few inner disciples before they could even react. They didn’t even have a chance to leave the Heavenly Stairs,” the middle-aged man said confidently with a sinister smile, “I’ve been so bored during my time here. The only fun I have is playing with the inner disciples who come here. Since you’re rather smart, I’ll try not to kill you.”
“Kill me?” Duan Ling Tian smiled faintly. “Oh, then I’ll have to thank you for sparing my life.”
“Brat, are you mocking me?” the red-clad middle-aged man said with a sneer, “Very well. You’ll soon have a taste of despair. I, Xue Hai Shan, is the strongest among the inner disciples imprisoned on the eighth step.”
Xue Hai Shan moved as soon as he finished speaking. Divine Energy surged from his body, boosted by the law he comprehended. With a flick of his finger, everything seemed to have frozen.
Duan Ling Tian was slightly surprised when he felt the familiar energy. ‘The law of time?’
It did not take long for Duan Ling Tian to figure out that Xue Hai Shan, the advanced god imprisoned here, had comprehended the law of time, one of the Four Supreme Laws. The law of time was also the most mysterious law.
Since one could control time with the law of time, it made the law difficult to guard against.
Duan Ling Tian could also tell Xue Hai Shan had already comprehended one triple Fused Profundity from the law of time.
“Although you’ve only comprehended one triple Fused Profundity from the law of time, it’s indeed enough to make you the strongest among the prisoners on the eighth step,” Duan Ling Tian said as Divine Energy surged out from his body. Then, he cast two triple Fused Profundities consecutively.
A terrifying spatial energy swept out, colliding with Xue Hai Shan’s law of time, preventing the law of time from affecting Duan Ling Tian.
The law of space was also one of the Four Supreme Laws and was not inferior to the law of time even if the law of time was more mysterious.
With two triple Fused Profundities, Duan Ling Tian managed to keep the law of time at bay.
Upon seeing this, Xue Hai Shan’s arrogant expression was replaced by an expression of disbelief. He exclaimed in shock, “Y-you… You comprehended two triple Fused Profundities from the law of space?!”
There was a reason why Xue Hai Shan was confident he was the strongest among those imprisoned on the eighth step. Despite all the prisoners on the eighth step being advanced gods who had comprehended one triple Fused Profundity, he was the only one who had comprehended a supreme law. Hence, this gave him an edge over the others.
Now that he was facing an opponent who not only comprehended a supreme law but also comprehended two triple Fused Profundities, he was at a loss. He felt hopeless and helpless. After all, he knew now he was no match for Duan Ling Tian.
“Do you want to continue?” Duan Ling Tian asked. Without waiting for a reply, the spatial energy raged like a storm, easily pushing Xue Hai Shan’s attack back.
Xue Hai Shan scoffed coldly with a sour expression on his face before he brought out a small and square flag that was inscribed with complex patterns. After he channeled his Divine Energy into it, his offensive strength soared immediately. For a while, not only did he seem to be able to rival Duan Ling Tian, but it also seemed like he could pressure Duan Ling Tian.
“Do you think you’re the only one with a mediocre divine artifact?” Duan Ling Tian asked tonelessly. Inwardly, he was rather surprised that Xue Hai Shan would bring out a divine artifact with a soul. Naturally, he was not afraid. With just a wave of his hand, he brought a sword, which was a divine artifact with a soul, out.
Swoosh!
After imbuing the sword with his Divine Energy, he swung it with all his might.
At the same time, the spatial energy converged before transforming into a huge sword ray.
Duan Ling Tian’s attack easily destroyed Xue Hai Shan’s attack before it landed on Xue Hai Shan.
Xue Hai Shan’s crimson robe was immediately shredded. His body was riddled with wounds in just a blink of an eye. His face was pale, and an expression of despair could be seen on his face.
Although Duan Ling Tian had held back at the last minute, Xue Hai Shan still suffered minor injuries due to his close proximity to Duan Ling Tian’s attack.
Swoosh!
When a gust of wind blew past them, Xue Hai San felt stinging pain from his wounds. Despite the pain, he was overjoyed. After all, he was certain he would die just a moment ago. Then, he bowed and hastily said, “Thank you for showing mercy, sir! I, Xue Hai Shan, will forever remember your kindness. May I ask for your name?”
“Duan Ling Tian,” Duan Ling Tian replied. He had spared Xue Hai Shan’s life because earlier, Xue Hai Shan had said he would not kill him.
“Duan Ling Tian. Alright, I’ll remember your name!” Xue Hai Shan nodded. “If I manage to leave this place in the future, I’ll definitely repay this favor!”
Duan Ling Tian did not take Xue Hai Shan’s words to heart. After all, most of the inner disciples had committed a great crime to be imprisoned here. It would be a long time before they were released. Moreover, Xue Hai Shan was weaker than him. Hence, he did not think Xue Hai Shan would be able to repay the favor.
Before Duan Ling Tian left, Xue Hai Shan reminded him, “When you’re on the ninth step, you shouldn’t hesitate to use your token to leave when you encounter any danger. Moreover, once you climbed up the ninth floor, you would’ve broken all the record.”
“Are the prisoners on the ninth step and above all Kings of Gods?” Duan Ling Tian asked.
Xue Hai Shan replied, “Over 90% of them are Kings of Gods. There are few advanced gods who have comprehended two triple Fused Profundities; you’d be lucky to encounter them. If you encounter a King of Gods, it’d be difficult for you to defeat him even if his comprehension of the law is only mediocre. Try to hold on as long as you can on the ninth step. However, don’t hesitate to leave as soon as you encounter danger.”
“Alright.” Duan Ling Tian nodded.
“Hey, let’s drink together after I leave this place!” Xue Hai Shan said before sending Duan Ling Tian to the ninth step with the Teleportation Formation.
After Duan Ling Tian vanished into thin air, Xue Hai Shan said with a sigh, “I didn’t expect there’d be an advanced god who has comprehended two triple Fused Profundities in the Hidden Fog Sect. Moreover, the law he comprehended is the law of space, one of the Four Supreme Laws.”
Even before Xue Hai Shan was imprisoned, disciples like Duan Ling Tian were a rarity. Perhaps, only his younger brother, Xue Hai Chuan, was as talented.
“More than 10,000 years have passed, I wonder how’s that kid, Hai Chuan, is doing? With his innate talent and comprehension skills, he must be a Lord of Gods now, right? At the very least, he should be an advanced King of Gods now…” Xue Hai Shan muttered to himself.
…
Meanwhile, there was a huge uproar outside of the Heavenly Stairs.
“Heavens! Duan Ling Tian climbed up to the ninth step!”
“Am I seeing things?”
Chapter 3673: The Prisoner on the Ninth Step of the Heavenly Stairs
Translator:
EndlessFantasy Translation
Editor:
EndlessFantasy Translation
Duan Ling Tian’s reputation had long preceded him in the Hidden Fog Sect. Perhaps, only those who were in closed-door cultivation were the only ones who had yet to hear about him.
Moreover, over the past three months, Qi Yu, one of the top ten inner disciples in the Hidden Fog Sect, had repeatedly challenged Duan Ling Tian, causing Duan Ling Tian to become even more famous.
Many people were looking forward to Qi Yu and Duan Ling Tian’s fight, after all. Most of them were confident Qi Yu would win the fight. Although Duan Ling Tian had comprehended triple Fused Profundities from the law of space, Qi Yu had also comprehended triple Fused Profundities from the law of wind. Moreover, Qi Yu was already an advanced god while Duan Ling Tian was just an intermediate god. With that, even if Duan Ling Tian had comprehended one of the Four Supreme Laws, it would still be difficult for Duan Ling Tian to defeat Qi Yu.
Today, Duan Ling Tian stuck out even more since Tang Wu An had shown that she had a good relationship with him. Most importantly, his performance during the Heavenly Stairs Battle was too shocking. They did not expect him to make it to the eighth step. They would not have been surprised if he was an advanced god, but he was just an intermediate god. How was it possible for an intermediate god to reach the eighth step?
Similar to the others, Qi Yu was also shocked that Duan Ling Tian successfully climbed up to the eighth step. He thought to himself, ‘It’s already amazing that he managed to pass the seventh step and climb up to the eighth step. However, considering how long he took on the seventh step, it’s likely he won’t be able to hold out for long on the eighth step.’
However, not long after that, Qi Yu was shocked again.
After advancing to the eighth step, it did not take long before Duan Ling Tian advanced to the ninth step.
The difficulty on the eighth step far surpassed that of the seventh step. There was a reason why even the strongest inner disciples with the cultivation of god could not make it past the eighth step. To climb to the ninth step, they would have to kill or defeat their opponents.
Everyone was naturally shocked by Duan Ling Tian’s feat.
“Duan Ling Tian actually climbed up to the ninth step?! Heavens! He actually passed the eighth step!”
Tang Wu Yan wore a surprised expression on her pretty face. “H-he actually passed the eighth step?”
Although Tang Wu Yan had never been to the eighth step before, she had climbed up to the seventh step, after all. The opponents on the seventh step were very strong. She could not defeat her opponents at all, hence, she failed to advance to the eighth step. How could she not be shocked that Duan Ling Tian passed the eighth step and advanced to the ninth step?
At this time, many people began to speculate among themselves.
“Do you think the person who’s imprisoned on the eighth step went easy on him?”
“Went easy on him? Impossible! You know they’re prisoners of the Hidden Fog Sect who used to be inner disciples. With every win, their sentence would be reduced! How could they have gone easy on him?”
“Nonetheless, there have been cases where those prisoners went easy on the participants for various reasons. For example, some of them had lost the will to live or they were familiar with their opponents.”
Rumors, when repeated enough, would suddenly gain credibility. As the inner disciples continued to speculate, more and more people were convinced that Duan Ling Tian only managed to advance to the ninth step because the prisoner on the eighth step had gone easy on him.
Qi Yu sneered. “So what if he’s ranked first? No one believes in his strength anyway!”
Although Tang Wu Yan also thought it was likely that the prisoner on the eighth step went easy on Duan Ling Tian, she felt uncomfortable when she heard Qi Yu’s words. Hence, she said, “Senior Brother Qi Yu, you can’t say that. There’s a chance he defeated his opponent fair and square.”
Qi Yu said with a smile, “Junior Sister Wu Yan, he spent so much time on the seventh step. With that, do you really think he’d be able to defeat his opponent fair and square?”
Tang Wu Yan frowned as she said, “It’s possible that he had a breakthrough on the seventh step and spent time stabilizing his cultivation base before he advanced to the ninth step.”
“Breakthrough? How could there be such a coincidence?” Qi Yu shook his head. However, at the mention of a breakthrough, he felt slightly frightened. After all, he could still intimidate Duan Ling Tian if Duan Ling Tian was an intermediate god. However, once Duan Ling Tian broke through and become an advanced god, he would no longer be able to suppress or intimidate Duan Ling Tian anymore.
…
Meanwhile, Duan Ling Tian successfully entered the small realm on the ninth step after Xue Hai Shan from the small realm on the eighth step activated the Teleportation Formation.
This time, Duan Ling Tian found himself above beautiful mountains and rivers. He saw an elegant figure dressed in a white robe standing at the peak of a mountain with his hands on his back. He was a middle-aged man who looked like a scholar. Although his appearance was ordinary, his temperament and bearing were extraordinary. One would not miss him even in a sea of people.
“Not bad. You managed to come here despite only being an advanced god,” the middle-aged scholar said tonelessly.
Before the middle-aged scholar finished speaking, Duan Ling Tian felt the other party’s Divine Consciousness sweep over him lightly. After reciprocating the action, he exclaimed in shock, “You’re an advanced god as well?”
Based on Xue Hai Shan’s earlier words, Duan Ling Tian knew he was lucky that his opponent on the ninth step was an advanced god. After all, most of the prisoners on the ninth step were Kings of Gods with just a few advanced gods.
‘Xue Hai Shan said that the advanced gods imprisoned on the ninth step have all comprehended at least two triple Fused Profundity… It seems like my opponent is such a person.’
Upon seeing the shock on Duan Ling Tian’s face, the middle-aged scholar asked expressionlessly, “Are you surprised?” Then, he said pridefully, “However, I’m different from the advanced gods you faced previously. If I’m not mistaken, your opponent on the eighth step is an advanced god who had comprehended a triple Fused Profundity, right? Let me tell you, I can kill that kind of person with just a strike.”
“I believe you,” Duan Ling Tian said as he nodded, “Since you’re imprisoned on the ninth step, you’re definitely stronger than those on the eighth step. However, I’m rather curious about something… Why did the Hidden Fog Sect imprison a powerful cultivator like you? You’re an advanced god who had comprehended two triple Fused Profundities. Someone like you is rare in the Hidden Fog Sect.”
After Duan Ling Tian finished speaking, he waited for the middle-aged scholar’s reply.
“It seems like you know quite a lot,” the middle-aged scholar said as he looked at Duan Ling Tian with a deep gaze, “Perhaps, if I had committed another crime, the sect might overlook it due to my talent. Do you know what crime I committed?”
“What?” Duan Ling Tian was startled.
“I killed my master, the former Sect Leader of the Hidden Fog Sect,” the middle-aged scholar replied with a grin, revealing two rows of white teeth.
Upon hearing these words, Duan Ling Tian trembled slightly. He was shocked his opponent had killed his master. Not only that, but his opponent master was the former Sect Leader of the Hidden Fog Sect. His gaze turned into one of disgust as he continued to look at the middle-aged scholar.
“What? Do you despise me?” the middle-aged man asked with a smirk, “Do you know why I killed him?”
The middle-aged scholar’s voice turned solemn as he said, “He ordered the annihilation of my clan and said he did it for me! Thousands of lives were lost because of him!”
At the same time, a ferocious cyan energy rose from the middle-aged scholar’s body.
“Could you be mistaken?” Duan Ling Tian frowned. He did not understand why the Sect Leader of the Hidden Fog Sect would annihilate his disciple’s clan.
“Mistaken? Of course not! When the assassin he sent to kill my family returned to report to him, I overheard their conversation! How could I be mistaken? Back then, I told him that I had no wish of becoming the next Sect Leader of the Hidden Fog Sect. I want to return to my clan and lead the clan to greater heights.. I had hoped that my clan would join the ranks of king-rank or lord-rank forces! He was unhappy with my decision. He did not want me to return to my clan so he killed everyone!”
Chapter 3674: Do You Have a Death Wish?
Translator:
EndlessFantasy Translation
Editor:
EndlessFantasy Translation
The middle-aged scholar grew more and more agitated as he spoke.
Duan Ling Tian could sense the middle-aged scholar’s bitterness and hatred. He now understood why the Hidden Fog Sect would imprison such a talented cultivator. With the crime the middle-aged scholar had committed, even if the sect did not kill him, they definitely would not set him free. Otherwise, it would only bring disaster to the sect in the future.
Since the middle-aged scholar was chosen to be the next Sect Leader of the Hidden Fog Sect, Duan Ling Tian knew the man had to be highly talented. With that, how could the Hidden Fog Sect let a potential threat continue to grow stronger? The small realms in the Heavenly Stairs that restricted one’s cultivation base from advancing were the best place to imprison the middle-aged scholar.
“So you’re sentenced to life in here?” Duan Ling Tian asked.
“What do you think?” The middle-aged scholar sneered as he said, “I was only over 2,300 years old when I became an advanced god and comprehended two triple Fused Profundities from the law of wind. Only a few people in the history of the sect achieved this. The only reason they didn’t kill was so they could use me to train the disciples of the sect! How could they let me out? It’s natural that I was sentenced to life.”
The middle-aged scholar smiled mockingly as he said, “The Hidden Fog Sect is a dignified lord-rank sect, but they’re so cowardly! They were even afraid of an advanced god like me back then! How ridiculous!”
Duan Ling Tian was surprised by the middle-aged scholar’s achievements when he was younger.
“Alright, enough of this,” the middle-aged scholar finally said, “Boy, do you want to leave on your own or do you want me to send you out?”
The middle-aged scholar’s Divine Energy that had been boosted with the law of wind surged violently as he looked at Duan Ling Tian intently.
Duan Ling Tian smiled. “Although I don’t plan to pass the ninth step, I’m afraid you’re not capable of sending me out of here if I’m unwilling.”
“Very well. Then, have a taste of my strength.”
As soon as the middle-aged scholar finished speaking, he made a move.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
A hurricane spun around the middle-aged scholar’s body as a terrifying energy swept toward Duan Ling Tian like a starving beast.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Duan Ling Tian’s spatial energy surged out and easily devoured the violent and storm-like energy.
The middle-aged man’s expression changed drastically as he exclaimed in shock, “Y-you’ve comprehended triple Fused Profundities from the law of space?!”
There were eight profundities in a law. Naturally, with so many profundities, one could comprehend many triple Fused Profundities. It was not limited to just one or two. Needless to say, the more one comprehended, the stronger one would be.
When Duan Ling Tian attacked, he had used three triple Fused Profundities from the law of space to destroy the middle-aged scholar’s attack. He had done it with the ease he had when defeating Xue Hai Shan from the eighth step.
Boom!
At this time, the surging spatial energy landed heavily like a giant hammer on the middle-aged scholar, sending him flying back.
At the critical moment, Duan Ling Tian restrained his strength. Otherwise, the middle-aged scholar would have died.
“You!” When the middle-aged man regained his senses, his face turned pale with fright. He watched as the purple-clad young man standing in the distance brought out the Heavenly Stairs token to leave.
“He’s not advancing to the tenth step?” The middle-aged scholar was puzzled as he watched Duan Ling Tian leave.
When a thought suddenly appeared in his mind, he reached out to wipe the blood off the corner of his mouth and smiled. He muttered to himself, “It seems like he’s trying to maintain a low profile. After all, no advanced gods had ever made it to the tenth step of the Heavenly Stairs in the history of the Hidden Fog Sect. Even the strongest advanced god in the history of the sect only made it to the ninth step.”
Then, he sighed, feeling slightly embarrassed. ‘To think he’s even more talented than I was back then. I didn’t think such a person would appear in the Hidden Fog Sect.”
...
Outside of the Heavenly Stairs.
As people watched the spot of light that represented Duan Ling Tian, they all thought Duan Ling Tian would be soon eliminated.
Even Tang Wu Yan thought the same.
However, they were surprised when Duan Ling Tian had yet to come out even after a long time.
“Is he really so strong that he manages to hold on against his opponent on the ninth step?! Otherwise, how could he last for so long?”
“Impossible! There must be another reason!”
Many people shook their heads. They did not believe Duan Ling Tian was capable of holding his ground for so long against his opponent on the ninth step.
“He took such a long time to pass the seventh step. It’s impossible for him to be able to hold out for so long.”
“That’s right! There must be another reason for this!”
“Exactly! I’m even more convinced now that the prisoner on the eighth step of the Heavenly Stairs went easy on him!”
Naturally, no one would be able to guess that Duan Ling Tian stayed on the ninth step for so long because he was chatting with his opponent.
After a while...
Swoosh!
Under everyone’s expectant gazes, Duan Ling Tian appeared before everyone’s eyes after the spot of light on the ninth step went dark.
Needless to say, everyone assumed Duan Ling Tian was sent out after being defeated by his opponent.
“Duan Ling Tian’s here!”
“I still can’t believe he climbed up to the ninth step! If nothing changes, then he’ll definitely rank first this time!”
“How lucky.”
Duan Ling Tian ignored the conversations in his surroundings and handed the Heavenly Stairs token to the old man guarding the Heavenly Stairs. “Elder, this is my token.”
The old man asked curiously, “You fought with the prisoner on the ninth step for so long?”
Duan Ling Tian shook his head, “No, the battle ended quickly with just one move.”
Everyone, disciples and elders alike, assumed that Duan Ling Tian was defeated by his opponent with just a move. Not even in the wildest dreams would they be able to imagine that it was the other way around.
Everyone continued looking at Duan Ling Tian curiously, urging him with their eyes to tell them why he was at the ninth step for so long.
“We chatted for a while,” Duan Ling Tian said.
His response naturally shocked everyone. It did not cross their minds that he was on the ninth step for so long because he was chatting with his opponent.
‘How could he be so lucky? He even found an opponent to chat with!’
Many disciples had tried to engage their opponents in conversations in hopes of prolonging their time in the small realms. However, they were always ruthlessly sent out of the Heavenly Stairs.
“How lucky,” Qi Yu said in a voice dripping with mockery as he sneered.
Qi Yu’s voice was very clear due to the quietness in the surroundings.
Duan Ling Tian looked at Qi Yu for a moment before he said with a faint smile, “Indeed, I’m lucky. However, even if you’re as lucky as me, you still won’t be able to beat me.”
Qi Yu’s expression soured immediately. After a moment, he said contemptuously, “Duan Ling Tian, did you finally decide to stop being cowardly? Since you’re here now, why don’t you accept my challenge? Don’t tell me you’re afraid and plan to hide like a tortoise?”
“Challenge?” Duan Ling Tian did not respond for a while, confused as to why the stranger in front of him was so hostile.
At this time, Tang Wu Yan stepped forward and said, “Duan Ling Tian, he’s Qi Yu, the one who has been challenging you over the past three months.”
“Qi Yu?” Realization dawned on Duan Ling Tian immediately. “So he’s the mad dog that Tu Feng sent to attack me.”
Tang Wu Yan, who was standing in front of Duan Ling Tian, was stunned. She did not expect Duan Ling Tian to openly call Qi Yu a mad dog. When she regained her senses, she asked through Voice Transmission, “Duan Ling Tian, you have a conflict with Senior Brother Tu Feng?”
Although Tu Feng was also an inner disciple, his status was higher than that of ordinary inner disciples. After all, not only was he a King of God, but he was also the disciple of the second elder of the Hidden Fog Sect.
Duan Ling Tian was highly talented and had good comprehension skills, but it was still not wise of him to provoke Tu Feng. Hence, Tang Wu Yan was slightly concerned.
“Personally, I don’t care about him at all. He’s the one who’s holding a grudge,” Duan Ling Tian said with a shrug.
Before Tang Wu Yan could respond, Qi Yu said icily, “Duan Ling Tian, do you have a death wish?”
Chapter 3675: The Extreme Martial Arena
Translator:
EndlessFantasy Translation
Editor:
EndlessFantasy Translation
As soon as Qi Yu’s voice fell, everyone fell silent. The tense atmosphere made them nervous as they looked at Duan Ling Tian and Qi Yu.
“I have a death wish?” Duan Ling Tian looked at Qi Yu with a deep gaze as he asked, “What? Do you think you can kill me?”
Qi Yu scoffed. He said derisively, “Duan Ling Tian, just because you climbed to the ninth step due to luck, don’t tell me you really think you’re that great? Our rankings aren’t an accurate representation of our strength. Oh, right, you’re just a newcomer so you’re unaware of this.”
In Qi Yu’s opinion, since Duan Ling Tian spent such a long time on the seventh step of the Heavenly Stairs, it was definitely impossible for Duan Ling Tian to pass the eighth step. He was convinced Duan Ling Tian had only managed to do so because his opponent had gone easy on him. Although it was rare, it was not unprecedented. Moreover, Duan Ling Tian had also just said he was defeated with just a move after advancing to the ninth step. Duan Ling Tian was only on the ninth step for a long time because he was chatting with his opponent. For all these reasons, despite Duan Ling Tian’s superior ranking, he did not think Duan Ling Tian was stronger than him. He attributed Duan Ling Tian’s ranking to his luck.
“Luck?” Duan Ling Tian raised an eyebrow. “Alright, let’s fight then.”
“Do you think I’m afraid of you?” Qi Yu sneered. “Very well. Do you dare to fight me at the Extreme Martial Arena?”
The Extreme Martial Arena was where members of the Hidden Fog Sect carried out challenges. During a fight in the arena, one could choose to admit defeat. However, if one did not admit defeat or could admit defeat in time, there would be no consequences if one was killed.
For sparring sessions, members of the Hidden Fog Sect would go to the Martial Square that was located below the Extreme Martial Arena.
“Extreme Martial Arena? Senior Brother Qi Yu wants to fight Duan Ling Tian in the Extreme Martial Arena?”
“Heavens! If one can’t surrender in time, one’s opponent can kill one without any repercussions!”
“Is their enmity that deep? It seems like Senior Qi Yu plans to kill Duan Ling Tian in the arena before Duan Ling Tian can surrender!”
The inner disciples were shocked. Some of them who loved to watch a show were filled with excitement and anticipation.
At this moment, Tang Wu Yan said through Voice Transmission, “Duan Ling Tian, don’t be impulsive. If you fight in the Extreme Martial Arena, you’ll die if you can’t surrender in time. Qi Yu won’t be punished for killing you as well!”
“I know. I’ve already learned about the Extreme Martial Arena from the Inner Disciple Manual,” Duan Ling Tian calmly said with a smile on his face.
Qi Yu was even more jealous when he heard Duan Ling Tian’s words to Tang Wu Yan. He could naturally guess Tang Wu Yan had sent Duan Ling Tian a Voice Transmission to dissuade Duan Ling Tian from fighting in the Extreme Martial Arena. With this, he said sarcastically, “Duan Ling Tian, the genius from Skywind City, do you dare to accept my challenge?”
At this moment, an aged voice rang in Duan Ling Tian’s ears.
“Duan Ling Tian, don’t be rash. Don’t agree to it if you’re not confident about winning.”
Duan Ling Tian looked up in surprise. The Voice Transmission was from the inner elder guarding the Heavenly Stairs.
“Elder, don’t worry. I never do things I have no confidence in,” Duan Ling Tian replied through Voice Transmission. Then, he looked at Qi Yu and said, “Lead the way.”
Qi Yu was briefly stunned by Duan Ling Tian’s response. When he regained his senses, he sneered and proceeded to lead Duan Ling Tian to the Extreme Martial Arena.
The crowd erupted in an uproar immediately.
“Duan Ling Tian actually accepted the challenge!”
“I really don’t understand why he accepted the challenge. Since Senior Brother Qi Yu proposed fighting in the Extreme Martial Arena, clearly, he’s very confident about winning.”
“An intermediate god actually dared to accept the challenge from an advanced god?”
Tang Wu Yan frowned when she saw Duan Ling Tian disregarding her advice. Then, she hurried over to catch up with Duan Ling Tian. When she caught up with him, she said through Voice Transmission again, “Duan Ling Tian, remember to surrender if you feel like you can’t hold on anymore. As long as you surrender, Qi Yu won’t be able to kill you without facing punishment! The elders on duty at the arena will also protect you.”
Duan Ling Tian was already aware of these things. Nevertheless, he still thanked Tang Wu Yan.
Except for those who were still in the Heavenly Stairs and the inner elder guarding it, everyone went to the Extreme Martial Arena excitedly as well.
In fact, the inner elder guarding the Heavenly Stairs would have gone to the Extreme Martial Arena as well if he did not have to guard the Heavenly Stairs.
At this time, an inner disciple who had just come out from the Heavenly Stairs looked around in confusion. “Where’s everyone?”
No one was around except for the inner elder on duty.
After learning about what had happened, the inner disciple hurried to the Extreme Martial Arena as well.
‘I can’t believe Senior Brother Qi Yu and Duan Ling Tian are going to fight in the Extreme Martial Arena! I can’t miss this exciting show!’
Along the way, the inner disciple would recount what happened to others he encountered. With this, even more people made their way to the Extreme Martial Arena.
At the same time, the inner elder guarding the Heavenly Stairs sent a message to an elder whom he had a good relationship with.
“Elder Peng, if I’m not mistaken, you’re on duty at the Extreme Martial Arena now, right?”
The other party’s reply came quickly. “Yes. What’s the matter?”
The elder said, “Please update me about the outcome of Qi Yu and Duan Ling Tian’s fight at the Extreme Martial Arena. Duan Ling Tian is the disciple that Vice Sect Leader Murong recommended to join the sect. If he’s in danger, I hope you’ll help me remind him to surrender through Voice Transmission. He’s actually very polite. Moreover, he’s highly talented. He’ll definitely be of great help to the sect in the future.”
“What? Qi Yu and Duan Ling Tian are coming to fight in the Extreme Martial Arena? Never mind, they just arrived. Alright, don’t worry. I don’t such a genius to die so pointlessly as well.”
…
Elder Peng, who was on duty at the Extreme Martial Arena, saw Qi Yu and a group of people making their way over to the Extreme Martial Arena. Although he had never seen Duan Ling Tian before, he could guess the handsome purple-clad young man behind Qi Yu was Duan Ling Tian.
Above the Martial Square, there were 19 Extreme Martial Arenas. They were located between the inner and outer sect, and both inner and outer disciples could use them. Usually, the Martial Square would be lively while the arenas would be empty.
When Duan Ling Tian, Qi Yu, and the others arrived, there was already a crowd in the Martial Square. Needless to say, everyone was attracted by their sudden arrival.
“Why did so many people come?”
“How lively!”
“Hey, that’s Senior Brother Qi Yu, one of the ten strongest inner disciples who are gods!”
“He’s going to the Extreme Martial Arena!”
“Who’s he fighting?”
“Who’s that purple-clad young man behind him?”
The inner and outer disciples on the Martial Square were curious so they followed the others to the Extreme Martial Arena as well. Since they were unaware of what was going on, they began to ask the people who had come with Qi Yu and Duan Ling Tian.
“Senior, what happened? Who’s Senior Brother Qi Yu fighting in the Extreme Martial Arena?”
Everyone was shocked when they learned about what happened.
“He’s going to fight that newcomer, Duan Ling Tian? Isn’t Duan Ling Tian an intermediate god? How dare he agree to fight with Senior Qi Yu who’s an advanced god in the Extreme Martial Arena?”
“I’ve heard about him. Similar to Senior Brother Qi Yu, he had also managed to comprehend a triple Fused Profundity. However, Senior Brother Qi Yu’s cultivation base is one level higher than his. How can he be a match for Senior Brother Qi Yu?”
“I really don’t understand why he would accept the challenge when the odds are clearly against him.”
“Well, there’s no lack of geniuses who died due to a moment of rashness.”
Although everyone did not understand Duan Ling Tian’s decision, they were still excited to watch the battle. They looked at the purple figure pitifully as they shook their heads.
Qin Yu led Duan Ling Tian to the arena in the center. It was also the biggest one. It was like the moon while the 18 smaller arenas that surrounded it were like the stars.
After landing in the arena. Qi Yu turned to face Duan Ling Tian. He could not help but feel slightly worried when he saw how calm Duan Ling Tian was. Duan Ling Tian could have pretended to be calm when they were outside the Heavenly Stairs, but it would be impossible to pretend to be calm now that they were in the arena, right?
Qi Yu’s uneasiness continued to grow.. When he could no longer bear it, he extended his Divine Consciousness to probe Duan Ling Tian. In the next moment, his eyes widened as he exclaimed in shock, “H-he broke through and became an advanced god?!”
Chapter 3676: I’ve Already Given You a Chance
Translator:
EndlessFantasy Translation
Editor:
EndlessFantasy Translation
Earlier, it did not cross Qin Yu’s mind to probe Duan Ling Tian’s cultivation base at all. After all, he was convinced Duan Ling Tian was not as strong as him and that Duan Ling Tian’s feat of advancing to the ninth step was just a fluke. Moreover, he did not think Duan Ling Tian would have a breakthrough in the Heavenly Stairs. The only reason he had decided to probe Duan Ling Tian was due to the sense of unease he felt when he saw how calm Duan Ling Tian was even after they had arrived in the Extreme Martial Arena.
Now that Qi Yu discovered Duan Ling Tian was an advanced god, he was frightened out of his wits. Duan Ling Tian’s breakthrough made a whole world of a difference in their fight. He was confident about defeating Duan Ling Tian when Duan Ling Tian was an intermediate god, but now that Duan Ling Tian was an advanced god, he was not confident he would be able to defeat Duan Ling Tian at all. Although they had both comprehended triple Fused Profundities, and their cultivation bases were both the same now, the fact that Duan Ling Tian comprehended one of the Four Supreme Law gave him an edge. After all, he had only comprehended one of the elemental laws.
Qi Yu said grimly, “I didn’t expect to break through and become an advanced god.”
Qi Yu intentionally raised his voice when he spoke. He wanted everyone present, including the two elders on duty, to hear him.
Upon hearing Qi Yu’s words, Elder Peng, one of the elders on duty, confirmed Qi Yu’s words by probing Duan Ling Tian with his Divine Consciousness as well. Then, he sent a message to the elder guarding the Heavenly Stairs.
“Elder Chen, your worries are unfounded.”
Elder Chen, the elder who guarded the Heavenly Stairs, was confused. “What do you mean?”
“Duan Ling Tian is an advanced god. This means he has a high chance of winning the challenge. Don’t you think you’re worrying too much? There’s no need for me to remind him to surrender,” Elder Peng said.
“What? Duan Ling Tian is an advanced god?” Elder Chen was shocked. “Before he entered the Heavenly Stairs, I’m sure he was just an intermediate god. I used my Divine Consciousness to probe him after all. Don’t tell me he broke through while he fought one of his opponents in the Heavenly Stairs?”
After thinking about it for a while, Elder Chen said, “That should be it. He likely broke through while he was on the seventh step. That must be why he stayed on the seventh floor for such a long time, and that’s also probably why he passed the eighth step so quickly. The prisoner on the eighth step didn’t go easy on him at all. Then, he likely encountered a King of God on the ninth step and was thus eliminated.”
After his analysis, Elder Chen felt like he had been worried for nothing. Duan Ling Tian was not any weaker than Qin Yu; in fact, he was likely stronger than Qi Yu.
“Well, you’d know better. Anyway, I’m going to watch their fight now. I’ll let you know the outcome once the battle ends. However, I think Qi Yu’s going to end up surrendering. I can already see the fear in his eyes. Moreover, being frightened before a fight is going to be disadvantageous to him as well.”
After that, Elder Peng stopped communicating with Elder Chen and focused his attention on the two people standing in the Extreme Martial Arena. At the same time, he could hear the conversations in his surroundings.
“I didn’t expect Duan Ling Tian to break through and become an advanced god!”
“No wonder he accepted Senior Brother Qi Yu’s challenge. As it turns out, he had a breakthrough!”
“Hey, I get it now! I think Duan Ling Tian broke through on the seventh step of the Heavenly Stairs! That was why he took such a long time defeating his opponent on the seventh step but quickly defeated his opponent on the eighth step! Then, he likely encountered a King of Gods on the ninth step and was eliminated!”
“I agree!”
At the same time, Tang Wu Yan stood among the inner disciples and looked at Duan Ling Tian with a complex gaze as she muttered softly, “So he really did have a breakthrough in the Heavenly Stairs? I just casually said those words to Qi Yu. Who knew that’s really the case?”
Earlier, Tang Wu Yan had told Qi Yu that Duan Ling Tian might have had a breakthrough, allowing him to easily defeat his opponent on the eighth step and advance to the ninth step. Nonetheless, she only said those words to defend Duan Ling Tian. In fact, she did not think Duan Ling Tian could have a breakthrough in the Heavenly Stairs as well. She really did not expect she would be right.
...
Back in the arena.
Duan Ling Tian looked at Qi Yu coldly as he said in a voice dripping with mockery, “What’s the matter? Do you want to admit defeat? Oh, wait, based on what I know, once you enter the Extreme Martial Arena, you’re not allowed to admit defeat immediately. You can only admit defeat after one minute into the fight.”
“Who said I’m going to admit defeat?” Qi Yi said. Outwardly, he looked calm, hiding all fears in his heart. He continued to say, “Duan Ling Tian, although you’re an advanced god, you’ve just broken through so your foundation still isn’t stable. With that, do you really think I’ll admit defeat? You must be joking.”
As soon as Qi Yu’s voice fell, a gust of wind surged from his body along with his Divine Energy. The wind grew more and more violent until it grew into a small tornado. After that, the tornado continued to increase in size.
Duan Ling Tian remained expressionless as he looked at Qi Yu. The middle-aged scholar he had met on the ninth step of the Heavenly Stairs had also comprehended the law of wind, but the middle-aged scholar was much stronger than Qi Yu. After all, the middle-aged scholar had comprehended two triple Fused Profundities from the law of wind while Qi Yu had only comprehended one triple Fused Profundity from the law of wind. With that said, how could he be afraid of Qi Yu when he had easily defeated the middle-aged scholar?
“I’m going to give you a chance now,” Duan Ling Tian said tonelessly, “Kneel down and kowtow ten times, and I’ll spare your life.”
Duan Ling Tian’s words stunned everyone. They did not expect him to say such words as though he was completely assured of his victory.
“You’re too arrogant!” Qi Yu was naturally infuriated by Duan Ling Tian’s words. He charged out immediately like a gust of wind toward Duan Ling Tian. Following that, a scimitar appeared in his hand, and he hurriedly imbued it with his Divine Energy and the law of wind, causing it to glow green. Although the scimitar was a primitive divine artifact, after being imbued with his energy, it was rather powerful. It seemed as though it could tear a hole in the sky.
Swoosh!
The wind whistled as Qi Yu brought his scimitar down at Duan Ling Tian.
Duan Ling Tian remained indifferent as he teleported and dodged Qi Yu’s attack.
When he reappeared behind Qi Yu, Qi Yu spun around, guided by his instinct. Then, he brandished his scimitar, releasing energy rays toward Duan Ling Tian.
The energy rays that missed Duan Ling Tian immediately circled back to him.
“I’ve already given you a chance earlier,” Duan Ling Tian said before he stepped forward. Then, the outline of a piece of armor appeared on his body. Along with the spatial energy, he easily destroyed Qi Yu’s attacks. Then, he casually waved his hand.
Swoosh!
A short sound of wind whistling reverberated in the arena.
Following that, at the same time everyone saw the sword that suddenly appeared in Duan Ling Tian’s hand, they also saw Qi Yu’s head that had already been severed from his body at some point. Following that, they watched as the spatial energy crushed Qi Yu as though he had been through a meat grinder.
With Qi Yu’s death, the remaining energy rays vanished. Those that managed to land on Duan Ling Tian were easily neutralized by his armor. His armor was a defensive divine artifact, after all. It was given to him by the Zhong clan. Its value was not inferior to that of an offensive divine artifact. The sword he had used was also a primitive divine artifact given by the Zhong clan.
Blood splattered all over the arena.
Everyone was silent. No one expected the battle to end so quickly. From the time Qi Yu attacked to the time he died, less than 18 seconds had passed. Duan Ling Tian only took 6 seconds to kill Qi Yu.
The two inner elders on duty inhaled sharply. Although they were surprised, due to their experience, they quickly recovered. Although they were certain Duan Ling Tian would win, they did not expect him to win so quickly. After all, Qi Yu was among the top ten strongest inner disciples who were gods.
Qi Yu was the face of the inner disciples with the cultivation bases of a god to the outside world. However, the elders were not saddened by his death. After all, a stronger disciple had appeared, and he was more than qualified to become the new face of the inner disciples with cultivation bases of a god.
“This...” Tang Wu Yan was in shock for a long time. When she regained her senses, she muttered to herself in disbelief, “He has just broken through, but he’s already so strong? He actually killed Qi Yu with just one move!”
Chapter 3677: Wu Feng Yin, the Second Elder of the Hidden Fog Sect
The purple-clad young man stood in the Extreme Martial Arena with a calm expression as though everything that had just transpired was insignificant. It was as though he had long predicted this outcome.
“I already gave you a chance.”
The purple-clad young man’s words reverberated in everyone’s ears. None of them expected him to kill Qi Yu so effortlessly. Since Qi Yu did not cherish the chance given to him, he could only die.
Under everyone’s horrified gazes, Duan Ling Tian looked at Tang Wu Yan and asked, “When will the results for the Heavenly Stairs Battle come out?”
“What?” Tang Wu Yan was still in shock. When she finally regained her senses, she hastily told Duan Ling Tian about the day the results would be released.
“Alright, I’m leaving first then,” Duan Ling Tian said with a nod. Then, he teleported away under everyone’s eyes, leaving a bloody mess behind.
As soon as Duan Ling Tian left, a commotion broke out immediately.
“Heavens! That Duan Ling Tian from Skywind City’s Hidden Fog Academy is so strong?”
“He killed Qi Yu so quickly. Did you see how he did it?”
“His sword attack seemed so simple, and yet, Qi Yu couldn’t defend against it.”
“I didn’t see it clearly so I don’t know what happened exactly.”
Most people could not see how Duan Ling Tian had killed Qi Yu with his law of space’s triple Fused Profundity.
“Is this the difference between the Four Supreme Laws and ordinary laws?”
Some people thought Duan Ling Tian’s strength came from the law of space, and some people thought otherwise.
“Although the Four Supreme Laws are stronger than ordinary laws, the difference in strength isn’t so wide. Perhaps, Duan Ling Tian’s overwhelming strength is due to his bloodline power?”
Even Tang Wu Yan was confused. Hence, she sent Duan Ling Tian a message, asking, “Duan Ling Tian, how did you kill Qi Yu earlier? The law of space shouldn’t give you such overwhelming strength, right?”
Duan Ling Tian replied, “I used the rudimentary stage of the Sword Dao I’d comprehended.”
At the same time, Elder Peng and another inner elder who were on duty at the Extreme Martial Arena had also figured out that Duan Ling Tian had killed Qi Yu using the Sword Dao. Since the others were quite a distance away, they did not hear the two inner elders’ surprised gasps.
…
“Compared to using two triple Fused Profundities, the Sword Dao is more low-key,” Duan Ling Tian muttered to himself when he returned to his room.
Then, he brought out the five Auspicious Pills that the Zhang clan had given him and consumed them all at once. With his talent, he would have been able to break through and become a King of Gods if he had nine Auspicious Pills. In fact, any gods would have been able to become a King of Gods with nine Auspicious Pills. There were many advanced gods in the Realms of Gods who directly became Kings of Gods after consuming nine Auspicious Pills.
It did not matter to Duan Ling Tian that he did not have nine Auspicious Pills. After all, five Auspicious Pills were enough to boost his cultivation base, bringing him closer to a breakthrough.
He had rushed back because he wanted to consume the nine Auspicious Pills and cultivate.
Duan Ling Tian had only decided to use the Sword Dao, the Weapon Dao of the Four Daos of Heaven and Earth, when he was making his way to the Extreme Martial Arena earlier. He, naturally, did not reveal his full comprehension of the Sword Dao and only showcased the rudimentary stage of the Sword Dao. After all, being able to comprehend the rudimentary stage of a Weapon Dao could also be attributed to luck and not just talent alone. Since his comprehension of the Sword Dao was rather profound now, he could easily conceal his strength.
Since he wanted to keep a low profile, he thought it was better to use the Sword Dao. It was more low-key compared to using two triple Fused Profundities. He would only attract jealousy, hate, and trouble if he were to show his true strength, after all. The prodigies were easily jealous, and he had no support in the Hidden Fog Sect since he did not plan to acknowledge a master, hence, it was better to keep a low profile.
Nonetheless, he would not keep a low profile regarding some matters. For example, even if it would attract attention, he had been determined to kill Qi Yu. He killed Qi Yu not only because Qi Yu wanted to kill him, but also to send a message to others like Qi Yu who harbored ill intentions. He wanted everyone to know that he was not a pushover.
‘After becoming a core disciple of the Hidden Fog Sect, I’ll gain the protection of the sect. At that time, even most core elders won’t dare to simply make a move against me,’ Duan Ling Tian thought to himself.
At this time, he thought of the second elder of the Hidden Fog Sect who was also Tu Feng’s master. Since he had enmity with Tu Feng, Tu Feng’s master definitely disliked him as well. It was likely that Tu Feng’s master would help Tu Feng seek revenge. Even if Tu Feng’s master did not personally make a move, Tu Feng’s master might pull some dirty tricks to drive him away from the sect. Since Duan Ling Tian was just an inner disciple now, it would be easy for an elder to expel him from the sect.
However, it would be different if he was a core disciple. The second elder of the Hidden Fog Sect was not qualified to expel a core disciple, after all.
“The five Auspicious Pills will help me make huge progress. Next, I’ll focus on breaking through and becoming a King of Gods. Barring any unusual circumstances, I should rank first in the Heavenly Stairs Battle. With that, I’ll gain another Auspicious Pill. Once I become a King of Gods, I’ll be able to protect myself better in the unfamiliar Profound Energy Land.”
With that, Duan Ling Tian focused on cultivating to break through as soon as possible.
…
Meanwhile, after the crowd left the Extreme Martial Arena, news of Duan Ling Tian and Qi Yu’s battle spread like a wildfire. In just a short time, the entire Hidden Fog Sect had already heard of Duan Ling Tian’s extraordinary feat.
Even some high-ranking officials of the Hidden Fog Sect were stunned when they heard the news.
“Qi Yu died?”
“Qi Yu is dead? I had planned to ask him to become my third disciple. What a shame.”
“We lost Qi Yu, but we have Duan Ling Tian now. The Hidden Fog Sect didn’t suffer a loss.”
…
At the same time, Tu Feng, who was cultivating, was woken up by a message from his master, the second elder of the HIdden Fog Sect.
“Tu Feng, didn’t you go to Hidden Fog Academy previously to express my intention to accept Duan Ling Tian as a disciple?”
The second elder of the Hidden Fog Sect was Wu Feng Yin. He was a middle-aged man with a purple diamond-shaped mark on his forehead. His expression was stern, and his loose green robe could not hide his tall and muscular body.
“Go and invite Duan Ling Tian over. I’ll personally express my intention to him,” Wu Feng Yin said to Tu Feng.
After receiving his master’s message, Tu Feng asked in confusion, “Master, didn’t you previously say that he doesn’t know what’s good for him for refusing you? You even said you no longer wish to accept him as a disciple.”
“Did I?” Wu Feng Yin’s tone was casual as he said, “Even if I did, I wasn’t serious. Go and invite him over. He’s not even 3,000 years old, but he managed to kill Qi Yu with a move. If he becomes my disciple, my status in the sect will definitely rise. I’m certain someone like him will have even greater achievements than me in the future.”
Toward the end of his words, Wu Feng Yin’s tone showed signs of urgency.
“What?” Tu Feng was shocked when he heard his master’s words. “Duan Ling Tian killed Qi Yu with just a move? Master, are you mistaken? Are you sure he killed Qi Yu, one of the ten strongest gods among the inner disciples? The person who was ranked third during the last Heavenly Stairs Battle?”
Tu Feng found it hard to believe that Duan Ling Tian had killed Qi Yu.
Wu Feng Yin said, “Apart from him, who else could it be?” Wu Feng Yin said indifferently, “I know what you’re thinking. You don’t think Duan Ling Tian is a match for Qi Yu since Duan Ling Tian is just an intermediate god and has just recently joined the sect. However, you’re unaware that due to the pressure on the seventh step of the Heavenly Stairs, Duan Ling Tian broke through and became an advanced god. He successfully passed the eighth step and advanced to the ninth step before he was eliminated. He’s likely to rank first among the inner disciples in this time’s Heavenly Stairs Battle. Moreover, not only did he comprehend the law of space’s triple Fused Profundity, but he has also comprehended the Sword Dao, one of the Four Daos of Heaven and Earth, to the rudimentary stage. It’s with this that he killed Qi Yu. Perhaps, it was due to his luck that he managed to form and comprehend the Sword Dao to the rudimentary stage, but with his talent, he’ll definitely be able to comprehend it to the mastery stage. Alright now. Stop wasting and invite him over now.”
“Yes, master,” Tu Feng said as his eyes glinted coldly. Naturally, he did not express his displeasure to his master. After he was done talking to his master, he broke his bed in a fit of anger.
“Damn it! Why is Duan Ling Tian so strong? The rudimentary stage of the Sword Dao? How can he be so lucky?”
Tu Feng was aware that if Duan Ling Tian became his master’s disciple, his master would definitely value Duan Ling Tian more than him even if Duan Ling Tian’s cultivation base was not as high as his for now..
Chapter 3678: If We Can’t Have Duan Ling Tian, Kill Him!
Tu Feng was naturally reluctant to invite Duan Ling Tian over to see his master. However, he did not dare to disobey his master even though it had crossed his mind more than once to lie to his master, saying that Duan Ling Tian refused the invitation.
Although Tu Feng and his master, Wu Feng Yin, were both Kings of Gods, Tu Feng was just a rudimentary King of Gods while his master was one of the stronger advanced Kings of Gods in the Hidden Fog Sect. Let alone a rudimentary King of Gods like him, his master could even kill an ordinary advanced King of Gods.
Apart from that, Tu Feng was very familiar with Wu Feng Yin’s temper. His master hated those who defied his orders the most. Hence, despite his reluctance, he could only obey his master.
However, when Tu Feng went to look for Duan Ling Tian, he discovered that Duan Ling Tian was in closed-door cultivation. Duan Ling Tian had also activated the Formations to block out disturbances using the Formation compass that was given by the Hidden Fog Sect, which would block out messages and Voice Transmissions as well.
When Tu Feng arrived, there were quite a number of people gathered near Duan Ling Tian’s residence. All of them had come with the same purpose as Tu Feng: they were there to invite Duan Ling Tian on behalf of their elders or masters who were keen on accepting Duan Ling Tian as a disciple.
At this time, a young man who had seen Tu Feng smiled mockingly as he said, “Tu Feng, didn’t Duan Ling Tian refuse you when you went to Skywind City’s Hidden Fog Academy previously? Why did you come again?”
The young man was one of the disciples of a high-ranking official of the Hidden Fog Sect. He was also an inner disciple who was a rudimentary King of Gods like Tu Feng. This was why he was not afraid of mocking Tu Feng.
“Xie Shao Feng, mind your own business!” Tu Feng, who was already in a bad mood, said as he glared at the young man.
Xie Shao Feng was amused by Tu Feng’s reaction and only chuckled in response.
At the same time, another young man said with a smile, “Tu Feng, it’s best if you leave. From what I heard, when Junior Brother Duan fought Qi Yu, he mentioned something about Qi Yu being your dog. It’s clear he knows that you sent Qi Yu to look for trouble with him. Do you really think he’ll accept your invitation with that?”
“That’s right!”
“Tu Feng, you better leave. Junior Brother Duan definitely won’t acknowledge the second elder as his master after what you did.”
Since the group of disciples were all rudimentary Kings of Gods, they naturally did not fear Tu Feng. Moreover, their masters or elders’ status was comparable to Tu Feng’s master.
Tu Feng’s expression changed drastically upon hearing these words. Did Qi Yu expose him to Duan Ling Tian? He shuddered. He could already imagine the outcome if his master found out about this matter.
After a moment, Tu Feng decided to leave. He knew it would only be a matter of time before his master summoned him to punish him.
Indeed, not long after Tu Feng left, he was summoned by his master, Wu Feng Yin.
…
In the backyard of a courtyard, Wu Feng Yin stood with his back facing Tu Feng. He placed his hands on his back as he looked at the illusory landscape of a pond in front of him. Then, he asked lightly, “Tu Feng, is it true that you sent Qi Yu to look for trouble with Duan Ling Tian?”
As soon as Wu Feng Yin finished speaking, Tu Feng fell to his knees immediately and said in a hoarse and indignant voice, “Master, I was only displeased that he refused to become your disciple. After all, he should feel honored. I was just angered that he refused you, master!”
“So, you’re saying it’s my fault then?” Wu Feng Yin asked as he turned around to look at Tu Feng with a faint smile on his face.
“That’s not what I meant!” Tu Feng lowered his head even more. “It’s all my fault offending Duan Ling Tian.
“Enough. Rise to your feet,” Wu Feng Yin said with a wave of his hand. At the same time, his expression eased as well.
“Thank you, master!” Tu Feng had been prepared to be punished by his master so he did not expect this at all.
After Tu Feng rose to his feet, Wu Feng Yin glanced at him and said, “Based on the current situation, it’s unlikely that Duan Ling Tian will agree to become my disciple, right?”
Tu Feng’s heart skipped a beat upon hearing these words. However, he nodded and said, “Yes, master.”
Tu Feng felt incredibly anxious at this time. Relief flooded his heart when he heard Wu Feng Yin’s next words.
“Since it’s impossible for him to become my disciple, and he’s already an enemy of yours, find a chance to get rid of him for good,” Wu Feng Yin said tonelessly, “It’s better for someone like him to die now. Otherwise, it’d be a walk in the park for him to kill you once he grows stronger. As your master, how can I not do anything? Moreover, since he’s your enemy, he naturally won’t have a good impression of me as well. This means that he’s also a threat to me. Make sure you kill him before he becomes a King of Gods to avoid future troubles.”
Tu Feng’s eyes brightened as soon as he heard his master’s words. “Yes, master!”
This was a dream come true for Tu Feng. Not only was he not punished, but his master had even told him to kill Duan Ling Tian.
Wu Feng Yin asked, “Are you confident about executing this task alone? If not, I’ll find another person to help you.”
“Master, that brat isn’t even a King of God. I can’t get rid of him without any help,” Tu Feng said as he shook his head. He knew his master would think less of him if he had agreed to let someone help him. After all, he was a rudimentary King of Gods. It should be easy for him to kill an advanced god.
“Very well. You may leave now,” Wu Feng Yin said with a nod.
“Yes, master.” Tu Feng bade farewell to Wu Feng Yin and left. He was already thinking of ways to get rid of Duan Ling Tian.
‘Since Duan Ling Tian hurried back to enter closed-door cultivation after the Heavenly Stairs Battle, it’s likely he’s preparing for the core disciples’ test. In any case, he’s doomed to fail the test. Even Elder Xue Hai Chuan barely passed the test 10,000 years ago despite comprehending two triple Fused Profundities from the law of death and possessing a bloodline power. Duan Ling Tian has only comprehended one triple Fused Profundity from the law of space, and the power of his rudimentary comprehension of the Sword Dao isn’t a match for the power of another triple Fused Profundity. Although I’m not sure if he possesses a bloodline power or not, it shouldn’t matter anyway. It’s not enough to make a difference.’
With this thought in mind, Tu Feng calmed down.
‘There isn’t any chance for me to make a move before the core disciples’ test. I’ll have to find a way to lure him out of the sect after the test.’
Tu Feng naturally did not dare to make a move on Duan Ling Tian in the Hidden Fog Sect. Apart from the Heavenly Stairs, most places in the sect were under surveillance that would be recorded. Even if he managed to kill Duan Ling Tian, he would definitely be found out and executed by the sect.
…
Duan Ling Tian finally emerged from his closed-door cultivation half a month later.
‘The effects of the five Auspicious Pills are truly shocking. Their efficacy is truly shocking and lasts for a long time. It only took me a day to absorb them and raise my cultivation base. Even my cultivation speed increased tremendously. I’m so close to breaking through and becoming a King of Gods that I think I only need three instead of four Auspicious Pills to break through.”
Due to his 99 Heavenly Veins, Duan Ling Tian had been surprised when he discovered that the efficacy of the Auspicious Pills was prolonged. After all, most of the inhabitants of Realms of Gods possessed more than 90 Heavenly Veins so he no longer had much of an advantage over his opponents in that regard. His speed when mobilizing his Divine Energy was not much faster than his opponents. For example, during his battle with Qi Yu, he discovered he was only slightly faster than Qi Yu in mobilizing Divine Energy. He did not expect his 99 Heavenly Veins to surprise him again after consuming five Auspicious Pills.
‘Now that half a month has passed, the rankings for the Heavenly Stairs Battle should’ve been released. I should rank first and receive the Auspicious Pill, barring any unforeseen circumstances.’
With that, Duan Ling Tian removed the Formations with just a thought. In just an instant, countless voices flooded into his ears immediately.
“I wonder when Duan Ling Tian is going to come out? My master told me to wait here until Duan Ling Tian comes out. I can’t leave until I see Duan Ling Tian.”
“He should be coming out soon. By the way, who do you think Duan Ling Tian would choose to become his master?”
“I don’t know. Since he refused the second elder, I don’t think he’ll accept anyone with the same status as the second elder.”
“It’s only normal for a prodigy like him to be picky..”
Chapter 3679: I’ll Try My Best
Translator:
EndlessFantasy Translation
Editor:
EndlessFantasy Translation
Duan Ling Tian was surprised that a crowd had gathered outside of his residence. Based on their conversations, he knew they had been waiting outside for half a month just to invite him to meet their masters or elders who intended to accept him as a disciple.
‘I shouldn’t have deactivated the Formations so quickly,’ Duan Ling Tian thought to himself.
Alas, the crowd had already noticed the deactivated Formations and broke into a commotion immediately.
Swoosh!
In the end, Duan Ling Tian appeared before the crowd.
“Duan Ling Tian has deactivated the Formation. He’s out!”
“Duan Ling Tian! I’m Xu He, Supreme Elder Huang Ping Yi’s second disciple. My master wants to invite you to his cultivation ground.”
“Duan Ling Tian, I’m Guardian Liu Gang Xuan’s eldest disciple, Li Chong Yu. My master wants to invite you over for a visit.”
Duan Ling Tian was surprised when he heard that a Supreme Elder and a guardian wanted to meet him.
There were only a few Supreme Elders in the Hidden Fog Sect. Moreover, Supreme Elders and guardians had higher status compared to the 19 core elders. Their status was comparable to the few Vice Sect Leaders of the Hidden Fog Sect. In fact, some of the Supreme Elders had even higher status than the Sect Leader of the Hidden Fog Sect due to their superior strength.
Duan Ling Tian was surprised the Supreme Elders and guardians wanted to accept him as their disciple since he had held his strength back to avoid being too eye-catching. He did not expect he would still attract attention from so many people even after downplaying his strength.
“Duan Ling Tian, I’m Supreme Elder Wu He’s son. My father wants to accept you as his disciple. If you’re willing to become his disciple, he promised that your treatment would be even better than mine!”
“I’m Supreme Elder Liu Hu Gui’s second disciple, He Chai. My master wants to accept you as his disciple as well. He has prepared three Auspicious Pills as a meeting gift for you.”
“Duan Ling Tian, I’m Guardian Zhao Bu Yi’s fourth disciple, Ouyang Quan. My master has said that as long as you become his disciple, he’ll find nine Auspicious Pills for you to help you become a King of Gods within a year!”
There were young men, middle-aged men, and a few young women inviting Duan Ling Tian to meet their masters and elders. Upon seeing the competition, some of them even began to increase their offer.
Duan Ling Tian was rather tempted when he heard that someone was willing to find nine Auspicious Pills for him within a year. Nonetheless, in the end, Duan Ling Tian cupped his fists together at everyone and interjected, “My apologies. I, Duan Ling Tian, have no intention of acknowledging a master even though I’ve joined the Hidden Fog Sect. My goal is to join the Great Dragon Battle Sect in the future. I apologize for keeping all of you here for so long.”
Upon hearing these words, some people left with a sigh, and some people were still determined to negotiate with Duan Ling Tian, in hopes of changing his mind. Alas, they were still rejected in the end. Among those who were rejected, there were a few who were unwilling to give up. They followed Duan Ling Tian who went to the Internal Affairs Pavilion to find out the ranking of the Heavenly Stairs Battle.
Even before the rankings were revealed, many people did not doubt that Duan Ling Tian would rank first among the inner disciples who were gods. After all, none of the gods who were inner disciples had ever climbed to the ninth step before.
Another commotion broke out among those at the Internal Affairs Pavilion as soon as Duan Ling Tian showed up.
“It’s Duan Ling Tian!”
“Duan Ling Tian? The advanced god who ranks first in the Heavenly Stairs Battle?”
“That’s right! It’s said that he’s not even 3,000 years old. Vice Sect Leader Murong is the one who recommended him to join the sect ahead of time.”
“A talent like him is truly rare. Vice Sect Leader Murong really has a discerning eye!”
“That’s right. Apart from a few Supreme Elders and our Sect Leader, I admire Vice Sect Leader Murong as well!”
After a while, Duan Ling Tian asked with a smile, “Hello, can you tell me where I can collect the rewards for the Heavenly Stairs Battle?”
After someone pointed the place out to him, Duan Ling Tian quickly obtained his reward, which was an Auspicious Pill.
Just as Duan Ling Tian was about to leave, a chubby inner disciple with an equally chubby face called out, “Duan Ling Tian! The core disciples’ test is just around the corner. Are you confident about passing the test? The last time an advanced god managed to pass the test was 10,000 years ago! Moreover, over the past 100 years, not even one King of Gods has managed to pass the test.”
Everyone shifted their attention to Duan Ling Tian curiously, eager to know his answer.
Duan Ling Tian turned to smile at the chubby inner disciple before he said, “I’ll try my best to be the first advanced god to pass the core disciples’ test in 10,000 years.”
Without waiting for a response from the chubby inner disciple, Duan Ling Tian left, leaving the noisy crowd behind.
“Based on Duan Ling Tian’s words, it seems like he’s very confident about passing the test!”
“I’m excited to see how it turns out! If he truly passes the test, he’ll be the first advanced god to pass the test in 10,000 years!”
“I really wish the core disciples’ test would come faster!”
…
It did not take long for what happened at the Internal Affairs Pavilion to spread through the Hidden Fog Sect.
Upon hearing the news, Tang Wu Yan, who was with her granduncle, Tang Chun, exclaimed in shock, “He’s so confident?”
Tang Chun asked, “What happened?” After listening to Tang Wu Yan, he said with a smile, “I think he’ll be able to pass the test.”
“Granduncle, you’re so confident about his strength as well?” Tang Wu Yan was surprised. “Based on the strength he had demonstrated, I don’t think it’s enough for him to pass the test unless… he’s been hiding his true strength. Granduncle, don’t tell me you know he’s hiding his strength?”
Tang Chun shook his head. He naturally did not know if Duan Ling Tian was hiding his true strength, but he could not help but feel certain of Duan Ling Tian’s victory.
“Then, why are you confident?” Tang Wu Yan asked, puzzled.
“Maybe it’s his bearing and temperament. If it were someone else, I’d think they’re arrogant. However, coming from Duan Ling Tian, it just seems like he’s confident, not arrogant,” Tang Chun replied. Then, he looked at Tang Wu Yan meaningfully as he said, “Wu Yan, I heard you went to Heavenly Stairs. You went there for Duan Ling Tian, right?”
Tang Wu Yan was rendered temporarily speechless by Tang Chun’s words. Then, she said, “Granduncle, I only went there because I planned to participate as well. However, due to Duan Ling Tian’s sudden battle with Qi Yu, I decided to follow them to the Extreme Martial Arena to have a look. After the battle ended, I returned and entered the Heavenly Stairs.”
Tang Chun did not seem convinced. He continued to look at Tang Wu Yan meaningfully as he said, “It’s okay. I understand. It’s only normal for young women to feel shy.”
Tang Wu Yan really did not know what else she could say so she only remained silent. Perhaps, due to Tang Chun’s words, a purple-clad figure appeared and lingered in her mind.
She chastised herself inwardly, ‘Why am I wasting time thinking about a married man with children?’
Tang Wu Yan tried to get rid of the purple-clad figure in her mind, but it was futile. Not only did the figure linger in her mind, but her heart began to race when she thought about him.
…
“Ridiculous!” Tu Feng said mockingly, “Who does he think he is? He thinks he’ll be able to become the first inner disciple to pass the core disciples’ test in 10,000 years? Although the test for inner gods is easier compared to that for the King of Gods, it’s still nearly impossible for advanced gods to pass it. Does he plan to become the next Xue Hai Chuan? What a joke!”
Tu Feng was sure the person whom he planned to kill would fail the core disciples’ test since he knew how difficult the test was.
Chapter 3653: Xue Hai Chuan
Translator:
EndlessFantasy Translation
Editor:
EndlessFantasy Translation
Duan Ling Tian could not help but shake his head when he heard his fellow students’ conversation. He thought that it was likely that there would be an uproar tomorrow when his points were announced.
‘The highest points in the past were only more than 20,000 points. I could’ve avoided this commotion if I’d spoken to Ding Yan and Hou Qing Ning about this matter…’
After Duan Ling Tian entered his room, he sat on his bed and brought out a stalk of grass that glowed with a green light. The grass’ edge was like a sawtooth. Despite being plucked, it was still brimming with vitality. The stalk of grass was none other than his reward for ranking first in the trial, the Dragon Pattern Divine Grass.
Murong Sui Feng, the dean of the Hidden Fog Academy, had told Yu Qian Shan to give him the Dragon Pattern Divine Grass before he returned to his courtyard.
Duan Ling Tian knew Murong Sui Feng showed so much care for him due to his talent.
Although he had told Murong Sui Feng about his origin, he naturally did not mention he had only managed to go to the Realm Battlefield with the help of the Five Divine Elements in his body.
The Five Divine Elements were not only highly coveted in the Devata Realms, but in the Realms of Gods as well. Most people would stop at nothing to get their hands on any of the Five Divine Elements, especially those with a high form. After all, with the Five Divine Elements, one’s chances of becoming a supreme powerhouse were very high. How could Emperors of Gods or Supreme Gods not be interested in something like that?
For this reason, Duan Ling Tian knew he could never expose the existence of the Five Divine Elements in his body.
He was not afraid of Murong Sui Feng digging deeper into his story. Even if Murong Sui Feng managed to go to the Land of the Dead, one of the seven deadliest places in the Devata Realms, it would be at least 300 years in the future. At that time, even if the space in the Land of the Dead was stable, he could brush it off as the space there only being unstable due to the collision between the Realms of Gods. Most importantly, even if Murong Sui Feng found out about his lie at that time, it would not affect him at all.
Duan Ling Tian had decided to reveal part of his origin to Murong Sui Feng to prevent the Hidden Fog Sect from suspecting him. After all, it was only normal that the sect would be wary of someone whose identity was a mystery.
‘The turning point for me will come in a month’s time. With the Hidden Fog Sect as a springboard, I’ll be able to enter the emperor-rank force in the future…’ Duan Ling Tian thought to himself as his eyes lit up.
Then, he shifted his attention to the Dragon Pattern Divine Grass. He imbued the grass with his Divine Energy, and what looked like dragon scales began to surface on the grass.
‘So that’s how the grass got its name. No wonder Teacher Yu told me to imbue the grass with my Divine Energy before consuming it to unleash its full potential.’
Duan Ling Tian wasted no time in ingesting the Dragon Pattern Divine Grass. After that, he closed his eyes and began to cultivate. Since he had blocked out everything that might interfere with his cultivation, the night was peaceful.
…
On the contrary, the Ten Stars student could barely catch a wink of sleep. Their curiosity about Duan Ling Tian’s points that even shocked Yu Qian Shan kept them up all night.
Since word about it had spread, the other students were just as curious.
Yu Qian Shang’s strength was only second to Murong Sui Feng, the dean of the Hidden Fog Academy, after all. How could they not be curious when Duan Ling Tian’s points were able to elicit surprise from Yu Qian Shan?
It was not an exaggeration to say that all the students of the Hidden Fog Academy were eagerly waiting to find out about Duan Ling Tian’s points.
…
Meanwhile, Chu Feng Yang had gone to Yun Hui’s cultivation ground for a visit.
“Junior Uncle.”
Yun Hui was Chu Feng Yang’s junior uncle. He was also the teacher that was assigned to monitor the Ten Stars assessment.
Chu Feng Yang was only confident about Duan Ling Tian’s battles against Ding Yan and Hong Jun because he had heard about Duan Ling Tian’s strength from Yun Hui.
“Boy, what brings you here?” A kind and gentle smile appeared on Yun Hui’s face when he saw Chu Feng Yang. Before Chu Feng Yang could reply to his question, he added, “Did you come because of Duan Ling Tian?”
“Junior uncle, you must have heard about what happened then,” Chu Feng Yang said with a sheepish smile. Then, he said, “Junior uncle, I came to ask about Duan Ling Tian’s points. Everyone in the academy is wondering about the points he accumulated during the trial.”
“What makes you think I know?” Yun Hui asked.
“Junior uncle, Teacher Yu will definitely tell you if you ask him. After all, you’re his senior, and he respects you a lot since you saved his life when he was young,” Chu Feng Yang said as he looked at Yun Hui with an anticipatory gaze.
“I planned to ask him about it, but the dean has ordered him not to reveal Duan Ling Tian’s points. Hence, there’s nothing I can tell you. In my opinion, Duan Ling Tian’s points must be incredibly shocking,” Yun Hui said with a sigh.
Chu Feng Yang was taken aback. “The dean intervened? That’s unusual.”
It was unprecedented for Murong Sui Feng to intervene in such a trivial matter, after all.
“Indeed.” Yun Hui nodded. “I suspect Duan Ling Tian must have exceeded 50,000 points.”
“50,000 points?! T-that’s impossible, right?!” Chu Feng Yang exclaimed in shock.
“Well, we’ll find out tomorrow,” Yun Hui said.
Chu Feng Yang nodded. Then, as though he had just recalled something, he asked, “Junior uncle, I heard that the dean plans to let Duan Ling Tian join the Hidden Fog Sect as a core disciple. Is that true?”
“Yes.” Yun Hui nodded. “He has already spoken to the sect. After a month, the sect will send someone here to bring Duan Ling Tian to the sect.”
“A month? That’s fast!” Chu Feng Yang said, surprised, “From what I know, the test for core disciples will be held half a year later, right?”
Yun Hui said with a nod, “That’s right. I think the dean plans to let Duan Ling Tian enjoy the cultivation resources of an inner disciple while Duan Ling Tian waits to take the test to become a core disciple. After all, the cultivation resources of an inner disciple are much better than that of a Ten Stars student.”
“That’s true,” Chu Feng Yang said with anticipation flashing in his eyes, “Duan Ling Tian might just be able to pass the test and become a core disciple as well…”
“Perhaps…” Yun Hui nodded.
“Junior uncle, you don’t think Duan Ling Tian will be able to pass the test?” Chu Feng Yang asked. He was confused when he saw Yun Hui’s reaction.
“That’s not it. However, due to his cultivation base, the test will be more difficult for him compared to those who are already Kings of Gods. Although the test varies depending on one’s cultivation base, you should know that there weren’t any inner disciples who managed to pass the test over the past 10,000 years,” Yun Hui said as he shook his head.
Chu Feng Yan fell silent upon hearing Yun Hui’s words. He would have forgotten about that if Yun Hui did not mention it.
There were many inner disciples who participated in the test to become core disciples in the Hidden Fog Sect. However, over the past 10,000 years, no one managed to pass the test. For this reason, there were no more than 100 core disciples in the Hidden Fog Sect. Moreover, due to the difficulty of the test, even the weakest core disciple was a rudimentary King of Gods.
“I hope Duan Ling Tian will pass the core disciple test. If he manages to pass the test, he might just become the next Xue Hai Chuan!” Yun Hui said with a hint of excitement.
“Xue Hai Chuan…” Chu Feng Yang’s eyes lit up when he heard the name Xue Hai Chuan.
Xue Hai Chuan was about the same age as Chu Feng Yang. However, he had to address Xue Hai Chuan as senior when they were in the sect. Xue Hai Chuan was the last person to become a core disciple in the Hidden Fog Sect. He was now a respectable elder in the emperor-rank force that controlled the Hidden Fog Sect.. Even the Sect Leader of the Hidden Fog Sect was respectful to Xue Hai Chuan.
Chapter 3654: Everyone is Shocked by the Results
Translator:
EndlessFantasy Translation
Editor:
EndlessFantasy Translation
As soon as dawn broke, figures began to emerge from the Ten Stars students’ courtyards, making their way to the Ten Stars Pavilion.
“The rankings will be released in an hour! Let’s head over there and wait.”
“I wonder how many points Senior Brother Duan accumulated. Teacher Yu was shocked after all.”
“We’ll have our answer in an hour.”
At this time, Yuan Lei was the only teacher on duty in the Ten Stars Pavilion. Initially, he had looked down on Duan Ling Tian due to his relationship with Ding Yan and Hong Jun. However, he no longer doubted Duan Ling Tian after Duan Ling Tian’s crushing victory over Hong Jun.
“Teacher Yuan Lei, the rankings will be released in an hour, but do you know how many points Duan Ling Tian accumulated?” Ding Yan asked. He stared at Yuan Lei intently, looking for changes in Yuan Lei’s expression.
“Get lost!” Yuan Lei said irritably, “What makes you think I know? Only Duan Ling Tian, Teacher Yu, and the dean know how many points Duan Ling Tian accumulated. Even I have to wait for the rankings to be released just like you.”
Ding Yan was disappointed when he heard Yuan Lei’s words.
At this time, a group of people had already gathered in one corner of the Ten Stars Pavilion, in front of a Formation. A blank screen that would show the rankings of the students hung in the air. Needless to say, all of these people had gathered here to find out about Duan Ling Tian’s points.
About half an hour later, the top five Ten Stars students before Duan Ling Tian’s appearance showed up as well, drawing everyone’s attention.
Following that, the teachers began to show up as well.
“How crowded! I guess everyone’s here to see Duan Ling Tian’s points.”
When it was 15 minutes before the rankings would be released, everyone, except for Duan Ling Tian and Zhong Ke Qi, the Young Master of the Zhong clan, had gathered.
“Duan Ling Tian isn’t here yet?”
“Zhong Ke Qi isn’t here as well…”
Since there were not many Ten Stars students, they could tell who was absent with just a quick look.
“Teacher Chu is here!”
All of the students recognized Chu Feng Yang since he was frequently on duty in the Ten Stars Pavilion.
The Ten Stars students and the teachers waited eagerly as they looked at the blank screen with anticipation shining in their eyes. Although it was just 15 minutes, it felt like years to them.
“Just a few more breaths left…”
The entire place fell silent. Soon after, the names of the Ten Stars students began to appear on the screen.
The names of those ranked in the bottom appeared first and slowly made its way up.
“Hong Jun accumulated 17,821 points and is ranked sixth.”
“Senior Hong Jun ranked the lowest among the six strongest senior brothers… There’s only five of them left, including Senior Brother Duan Ling Tian.”
One of the strongest Ten Stars students who were on par with Hong Jun and Hou Qing Ning ranked fifth and scored about slightly over 200 points more than Hong Jun with 18,030 points.
The student who ranked fourth had scored less than 100 points more than the student ranked fifth while the student ranked third scored more than 300 points compared to the student ranked fourth.
“Senior Brother Hou Qing Ning is in second place! He could’ve ranked first if it weren’t for Senior Brother Duan Ling Tian!”
“He scored more than 20,0000 points!”
A commotion broke out when Hou Qing Ning’s name appeared on the screen. After all, the previous student who ranked first only scored close to 20,000 points.
“He scored more than 20,000 points, but he’s not in first place. Senior Brother Hou Qing Ning must feel very dissatisfied.”
Many of the Ten Stars students looked at Hou Qing Ning curiously. However, they discovered Hou Qing Ning did not look unhappy or dissatisfied. He only looked at the screen expressionlessly.
“Senior Brother Duan’s points are about to be shown!”
The crowd held their breaths as they waited for Duan Ling Tian’s name to appear. Silence continued to reign over the place even when Duan Ling Tian’s points were revealed.
Everyone looked at each other in shock and disbelief when they finally regained their senses. Then, an uproar broke out immediately.
“H-how’s this possible?!”
“Is this real?”
“These points are heaven-defying!”
“Duan Ling Tian…” A bitter smile could be seen on Hou Qing Ning’s face at this moment.
Ding Yan had still yet to recover from his shock.
Even the teachers looked at each other incredulously when they regained their senses.
Chu Feng Yang’s felt his eyebrows twitching as he looked at Duan Ling Tian’s points. “I thought junior uncle might have overestimated Duan Ling Tian when he speculated Duan Ling Tian might have accumulated more than 50,000 points… No, all of us have underestimated him…”
“D-Duan Ling Tian is a monster…” Yuan Lei said tremblingly.
The teachers nodded in agreement.
Duan Ling Tian had scored 125,613 points! He had 100,000 points more than Hou Qing Ning who was ranked second.
“This has to be the craziest score in the history of the Hidden Fog Academy, right?” one of the Ten Stars students asked.
“The highest points recorded in history was almost 30,000 points. Not only did Senior Brother Duan break this record, but his points are four times greater!”
“Senior Brother Duan is truly a monstrous talent!”
“I didn’t expect to witness such a historical moment before I graduate from the Hidden Fog Academy. I can brag about this for the rest of my life!”
The Ten Stars Pavilion grew lively again as students and teachers discussed the rankings among themselves. To be precise, they were discussing Duan Ling Tian’s points.
Among everyone present, only one person seemed to be in a terrible mood. It was none other than Zhong He Liang, a disciple of the Zhong clan. Upon seeing the results, he had sent a message to Zhong Ke Qi, informing him of the matter.
…
“More than 120,000 points?”
Zhong Ke Qi, who was lying on the bed, sprung to his feet immediately with a shocked expression on his face. Soon after, his expression turned unsightly. He did not go to the Ten Stars Pavilion not because he was afraid Duan Ling Tian might attack him. He just did not want to see Duan Ling Tian being the focus of everyone’s attention. Moreover, based on Yu Qian Shan’s expression, he could tell Duan Ling Tian would definitely rank first. Since he saw Duan Ling Tian as his enemy, how could he feel good seeing Duan Ling Tian doing so well?
Nevertheless, he had instructed Zhong He Liang to inform him about the results as soon as the rankings were released. Who knew the news would shock him so much?
Chapter 3655: The Man from the Hidden Fog Sect
Translator:
EndlessFantasy Translation
Editor:
EndlessFantasy Translation
When news of Duan Ling Tian accumulating more than 20,000 points during the trial of the Ten Stars students spread, it caused a huge uproar in the Hidden Fog Academy.
“Heavens! Senior Brother Duan is a monster! Previously, the highest points for the trial were nearly 30,000 points, but he actually accumulated more than 120,000 points!”
“He’s crazy! Is he even human?”
On the other hand, the teachers were calmer despite being shocked by the reveal as well.
“In fact, one of the factors for Duan Ling Tian’s achievement has something to do with the monsters arranged by the sect as well. After all, even the strongest monster is weaker than Hong Jun and the other four. The monsters might not be easy for the other five to deal with, but they’re nothing to Duan Ling Tian.”
“Indeed. During his battle with Hong Jun, Hong Jun used his divine artifact and managed to barely withstand his attack. If he uses a divine artifact, he’d be able to kill the strongest monster on the trial grounds in a few breaths. It’d be even faster if he had launched a sneak attack.”
“That’s right. It’s not really surprising he managed to accumulate so many points.”
“Nevertheless, accumulating more than 120,000 points is still an incredible feat.”
The teachers calmed down even more when they found reasons for Duan Ling Tian’s overwhelming points.
Similarly, the students were no longer as shocked after listening to the teachers’ analysis. Even so, in their eyes, Duan Ling Tian was someone they could only dream about becoming. The gap between them was too big, after all. Duan Ling Tian was not even 2,800 years old, and yet, he was so strong. They had never met anyone as talented or strong as him.
“Senior Brother Duan has made history in the Hidden Fog Academy. I wonder how long it’ll take for someone to break his record.”
“Perhaps, there might not be anyone who’s able to break it.”
…
Duan Ling Tian was fully immersed in his cultivation. He could feel the change in his Divine Energy. This meant that he was close to becoming an advanced god and that a breakthrough was just around the corner.
At this time, he was suddenly woken up by Chu Feng Yang.
He had a good impression of Chu Feng Yang after interacting with Chu Feng Yang many times.
He asked curiously, “Teacher Chu, has it been a month since the trial ended?”
“That’s right,” Chu Feng Yang nodded with a smile as he said, “You haven’t forgotten the dean’s words, right? The person the sect sent arrived yesterday. However, my junior uncle drank with him all night so he didn’t ask for you.”
Chu Feng Yang continued to say, “The sect sent an inner elder here. I address him as senior uncle. He’s had a good relationship with my junior uncle since they were both young. In fact, they entered the Hidden Fog Academy and the Hidden Fog Sect together. They even became inner elders together.”
Duan Ling Tian knew Chu Feng Yang’s junior uncle was Yun Hui, the teacher responsible for the Ten Stars students’ assessment.
“I was with them when they were drinking yesterday. My junior uncle told my senior uncle that he was very fond of you. He asked my senior uncle to look after you when you join the sect. So, if you run into any trouble, you can speak to my senior uncle,” Chu Feng Yang said.
Duan Ling Tian did not expect Yun Hui, who looked strict and serious, would do this for him.
As Duan Ling Tian and Chu Feng Yang walked, Chu Feng Yang said, “Before I bring you to my senior uncle, you should bid farewell to the dean.”
After emerging from the dense white fog from the Formation that shrouded the Ten Stars students’ courtyards, Chu Feng Yang led Duan Ling Tian to Murong Sui Feng’s cultivation ground.
Murong Sui Feng smiled slightly when he saw Duan Ling Tian before he said, “Duan Ling Tian, after arriving at the sect, you’ll have to wait a while for the core disciples’ test. During that time, you should try your hardest to break through and become an advanced god. With that, you’ll have a higher chance of passing the test.”
Although the core disciples’ test for intermediate gods was easier than that for advanced gods, it was not by much.
“If you pass the test and become a core disciple, I’ll give you a gift,” Murong Sui Feng said.
Upon hearing this, Chu Feng Yang grinned. He could barely contain his excitement. He said enviously, “Duan Ling Tian, you have to work hard. The dean’s gifts are always precious.”
Duan Ling Tian smiled at Murong Sui Feng as he said, “Dean Murong, I’ll be even more motivated if the gift is the recipe for the Power Brew.”
There were not many things that could hold Duan Ling Tian’s interest. Hence, he did not think any of Murong Sui Feng’s gifts would interest him unless they were divine pills, divine fruits, or divine herbs that were helpful to his cultivation. He was not interested in divine artifacts or cultivation methods since the ones in his possession would definitely be superior to whatever was given to him. After all, his Seven Orifices Exquisite Sword was a prominent-grade divine artifact, and his cultivation method was a supreme cultivation method left behind by a supreme powerhouse. As long as he was diligent, and his talent kept up with his growth, he would definitely become a supreme powerhouse in the future.
“The recipe for the Power Brew?” Murong Sui Feng was briefly stunned. When he regained his senses, he shook his head and said, “Is that all? If you really want the recipe for the Power Brew, I can give it to you now.”
Murong Sui Feng did not wait for Duan Ling Tian’s reply and brought a jade token out as soon as he finished speaking. Then, he sent a strand of his Divine Energy into the jade token. After he retracted his Divine Energy, he handed the jade token to Duan Ling Tian and said, “This is the recipe for the Power Brew. Once you become a core disciple, I’ll give you another gift.”
“Thank you, Dean Murong!” Duan Ling Tian’s eyes brightened when he looked at the jade token that contained the recipe for the Power Brew. He no longer refused Murong Sui Feng. After all, he could not tell Murong Sui Feng he was not interested in the gift unless it was something that could improve his cultivation. If he told Murong Sui Feng such a thing, it would clearly imply that he had superior divine artifacts and cultivation methods.
“I won’t be able to help you much after you join the Hidden Fog Sec. You can only depend on yourself. After all, I’m the dean of the Hidden Fog Academy and only the Vice Sect Leader of the Hidden Fog Sect. I don’t have a free run of the sect like I do with the academy. The guardians of the sects have the same status as I do. There are also a few other Vice Sect Leaders like me. Many of the guardians are also the deans for the academies in other cities like Skywind City,” Murong Sui Feng said, “In the sect, the members are all in different factions. This includes inner elders, inner disciples, core elders, and core disciples as well. Unless you join a faction, you’ll first be associated with the Skywind City Progeny.”
Murong Sui Feng paused briefly before he said, “In the sect, I can help you mediate if you have conflicts with those from the Skywind City Progeny. However, there’s nothing much I can do if you have conflicts with those from other factions.”
“I understand.” Duan Ling Tian was rather surprised by Murong Sui Feng’s words. He did not expect it to be complicated in the Hidden Fog Sect. Nevertheless, he did not dwell on the matter. In his opinion, all he needed to do was to play his part well. He would take the initiative to cause trouble. Needless to say, he would not back down if someone came to look for trouble with him.
“Alright. You can leave now. Don’t make Elder Tang Chun wait for too long.”
After bidding farewell to Murong Sui Feng, Chu Feng Yang led Duan Ling Tian to Tang Chun who was staying with Yun Hui.
“Teacher Yun,” Duan Ling Tian called out and bowed when he saw Yun Hui. Then, he shifted his eyes to Tang Chun and said, “Greetings, Elder Tang Chun.”
Tang Chun was a tall and sturdy old man with messy white hair that lay on his back. With his body and hair, he gave off a rather unrestrained aura. At this moment, he was sizing Duan Ling Tian up. After a while, he said, “Duan Ling Tian? You’re a very handsome young man. Yun Hui has spoken to me and asked me to look after you. If you encounter any problem in the sect, don’t hesitate to speak to me. Even if I can’t solve it, I can still help you think of a solution.”
Tang Chun’s voice was rough and loud when he spoke.
Duan Ling Tian had a good impression of Tang Chun. He could tell Tang Chun was an honest and straightforward person. This type of person was worth being friends with. They were usually kind and would never scheme against their friends.
Duan Ling Tian smiled and said, “Thank you, Elder Tang Chun.”
Tang Chun grinned and nudged Yun Hui. “I’ll spar with you next time. I’ll bring him back to the sect first. When you have the time, come back to the sect to have a drink with me.”
“Alright, you old geezer. You can look for me in Skywind City when you’re free as well!”
As Duan Ling Tian stood at the side and watched the two old men’s friendly banter, he could not help but think of his old friends. He had not seen them for a long time now.. Some of them had even died.
Chapter 3656: The Zhong Clan’s Trap
Tang Chun was very honest. Even after leaving the Hidden Fog Academy and Yun Hui was not around, he was still very friendly toward Duan Ling Tian.
“Duan Ling Tian, it’s the first time a genius like you has appeared in Skywind City’s Hidden Fog Academy. With this, the Skywind City Progeny will be thrust into the spotlight.”
After leaving the Hidden Fog Academy, Tang Chun was not in a hurry to bring Duan Ling Tian to the Hidden Fog Sect. Instead, he brought Duan Ling Tian to a restaurant first.
“Elder Tang Chun, you’re overpraising me.” Duan Ling Tian shook his head and smiled.
“If you maintain this momentum, even if you can’t become a core disciple now, you’ll definitely become a core disciple when you’re a King of Gods,” Tang Chun said with a smile, “As a core disciple, the sect won’t hold back in nurturing you. You’ll also enjoy the same treatment as the inner elders of the sect.”
Then, Tang Chun said enviously, “For me and Yun Hui, our talents are considered mediocre in the Hidden Fog Sect. It’s only through many years of hard work that we managed to arrive at where we are today. Once you become a core disciple, you’ll be able to receive resources equal to ours without so many years of hard work.”
After that, Tang Chun looked at the crowded restaurant and said, “The signature dishes of this restaurant aren’t bad. Every time I come to Skywind City, I’d come here to eat. Let’s have a meal before we start our journey.”
Duan Ling Tian naturally had no objections to this.
When they walked into the restaurant, Tang Chun discovered there were no private rooms left.
“Sir, I’m really sorry. It’s lunchtime so the rooms are all occupied. We only have a few vacant tables left in the common area. Do you want to dine in the common area instead?”
Tang Chun’s frown eased when he heard the waiter’s words. He said, “Alright. Please arrange a table for both of us.”
“Please come with me.”
The waiter led the duo to a table before he handed them the menu. While they were looking at the menu, he brought a pot of tea and teacups over.
Tang Chun said with a smile, “Like I said, their signature dishes are quite good. You should try them.”
Duan Ling Tian nodded. “Since you highly recommend them, I’m sure they’ll be tasty. Coincidentally, I’m hungry as well.”
At this time, a group of people emerged from one of the private rooms. Duan Ling Tian would have recognized a few of the people if he had seen them. One of them was Zhong Ke Qi, the Young Master of the Zhong clan, who was also a Ten Stars student of the Hidden Fog Academy.
Zhong Ke Qi walked in the lead as five people followed behind him. They all looked to be around his age.
One of them said, “Young Master Qi, it’s rare for you to be able to obtain the academy’s permission to come out and see us. You should stay for a few more days. There’s no need to rush back.”
“No,” Zhong Ke Qi shook his head and said, “I only took two days off, and today is the last day. I have to go back. When we meet again, I’ll treat all of you to a nice meal.”
These people were not from the Zhong clan. There were disciples from small forces under the Zhong clan. They would usually follow Zhong Ke Qi around and flatter him endlessly.
Needless to say, Zhong Ke Qi enjoyed this feeling of superiority.
“Young Master Qi,” another person asked in a deep voice, “Should we think of a way to help you get rid of that jerk Duan Ling Tian who offended you and the Zhong clan? It’d be bad once he joins the Hidden Fog Sect.”
“Do you think we don’t want to kill him?” Zhong Ke Qi said angrily as he turned back to glare at the person who had spoken, “When do you think we’ll have a chance to kill him if he doesn’t leave the Hidden Fog Academy? During the Ten Stars students’ trial, Yu Qianshan was there so even our clan’s Kings of Gods couldn’t do anything to him.”
Zhong Ke Qi had asked to leave the Hidden Fog Academy for a few days because he had been feeling depressed in the academy. Although no one made fun of him for being defeated by Duan Ling Tian and having to give up his prominent-grade courtyard, he still could not let go of his hatred toward Duan Ling Tian. He had taken two days off to relax and also to ask the clan if they had any plans to deal with Duan Ling Tian.
When he learned that the clan was only going to deal with Duan Ling Tian after Duan Ling Tian joined the Hidden Fog Sect, he was in a bad mood. Hence, he invited a few people out to eat with him.
Zhong Ke Qi led the others out, walking through a long corridor before finally arriving at the common area. To leave the restaurant, everyone would have to cross the common area.
Whenever Zhong Ke Qi walked past the restaurant’s staff members, they would all greet him respectfully and address him as Young Master Zhong. He naturally ignored them and made his way to the exit.
At this time, one of the people standing behind Zhong Ke Qi looked at the crowded restaurant and said, “The business is booming in this restaurant. Even the common area is packed.”
Zhong Ke Qi instinctively swept his eyes across the common area. However, his gaze was soon fixed to a spot. He had seen a familiar figure who had a prominent feature in his nightmares recently.
‘Duan Ling Tian? Why isn’t he in the academy? Did he ask for leave as well?’ Zhong Ke Qi thought to himself. Then, he looked at the other person sitting across from Duan Ling Tian, confirming the other person was not a teacher of the Hidden Fog Academy. He thought to himself, ‘Is that person his elder? Did he ask for leave because his elder came to visit him in Skywind City? Is it a coincidence that they came to our clan’s restaurant?’
Zhong Ke Qi inhaled deeply before he turned around and returned to the long corridor he had just left. His actions puzzled the people with him and the staff of the restaurant.
One of them asked, “What’s wrong, Young Master Qi?”
“Shut up!” Zhong Ke Qi said coldly.
The other person naturally did not dare to speak again.
When an idea appeared in his mind, Zhong Ke Qi hurriedly sent a few messages through the Soul Pearls in his spatial ring. The recipients of the messages were his father, Zhong Er; the Second Master of the Zhong clan, Zhong Da; his uncle and the Clan Leader of the Zhong clan, and his other two uncles; Zhong San and Zhong Si.
…
Zhong Da and Zhong Er had both returned to the Zhong clan’s estate at this time.
When the four brothers learned that Duan Ling Tian was with his elder in the Zhong clan’s restaurant, killing intent flashed in their eyes.
Zhong Da immediately sent a message to Zhong Si, asking, “Zhong Si, are you at the restaurant?”
“Yes, I am,” Zhong Si replied immediately, “I’m with Ke Qi.”
“Send your people here to get the Formation compass. We need to seal the restaurant and prevent news from leaking. We’ll trap Duan Ling Tian and kill him. Is he in the common area? Arrange for him to eat in a private room. After that, set up a Formation to prevent him from leaving and isolate him from the outside world.”
“Yes, brother,” Zhong Si replied respectfully.
Zhong Da then sent a message to Zhong Ke Qi, asking, “Ke Qi, are you sure the person with him is his elder, not a teacher of the Hidden Fog Academy?”
Zhong Ke Qi replied confidently, “Yes! Uncle, I’ve been in the academy for almost 2,000 years now. I’m familiar with all the teachers at the academy. I’m sure I’ve never seen the person with him before. He’s definitely not a teacher of the academy!”
“Alright,” Zhong Da said, “I’ll send your father there now. Tell your fourth uncle to wait until your father arrives before he does anything. Before we set up the Formation, make sure you don’t expose your presence or let Duan Ling Tian discover our plan. After killing him, we must destroy his corpses and get rid of everything that might connect his death to us. Without evidence, if someone saw him entering our restaurant, even the dean can’t do anything to us. This is a good chance for us. Perhaps, today will be able to get rid of that nuisance.”
Zhong Da was very cautious. Based on his words, it was clear he regarded Duan Ling Tian as an enemy as well.
…
Meanwhile, Zhong Ke Qi’s eyes lit up when he heard Zhong Da’s message. Then, he conveyed Zhong Da’s message to Zhong Si.
After speaking to his staff, Zhong Si learned that Duan Ling Tian and his elder had initially asked for a private room. Hence, he called the young man who waited on the duo earlier over and said, “Tell the two guests your served earlier that we have a vacant private room. Tell them that you felt apologetic so you did your best to find them a private room.”
Although this excuse was rather shabby, Zhong Si felt that as long as Duan Ling Tian did not know the restaurant belonged to the Zhong clan, Duan Ling Tian would not be suspicious.
As Zhong Si expected, Duan Ling Tian did not think much of it when the waiter told him that there was a private room available.
Even Tang Chun did not find the waiter’s words suspicious..
Chapter 3657: Sudden Intrusion By Uninvited Guests
After being seated in a private room, Tang Chun ordered another round of dishes instead of having the waiter bring in the dishes from the common area. Since the waiter had gone to great lengths to secure a room for them, he decided to spare the waiter from having to bring the dishes into the room.
“Thank you, sir.” The waiter bowed to express his gratitude. Before he left, he said, “Please wait a moment, sir. I’ll place your order now.”
After the waiter left, Tang Chun asked Duan Ling Tian, “Duan Ling Tian, are you married? I have a beautiful niece. If you’re interested…”
Duan Ling Tian hurriedly interjected with a wry smile on his face, “Elder Tang Chun, I’m already married with children.”
Duan Ling Tian did not expect Tang Chun, who was just chatting with him about another matter, would suddenly switch the topic and become a matchmaker.
Tang Chun, clearly undeterred by Duan Ling Tian’s words, said, “It’s normal for capable men to have multiple wives and concubines.”
“Elder Tang Chun, I really want to marry again,” Duan Ling Tian said firmly.
Upon seeing this, Tang Chun gave up on introducing his niece to Duan Ling Tian.
…
At this time, one of the Zhong clan’s men had already collected the Formation compass and were on their way back to the restaurant.
Similarly, Zhong Er was also on his way to the restaurant.
The man who was sent to retrieve the Formation compass was an old man. He was also Zhong Si’s right-hand man. Duan Ling Tian would have found him familiar. After all, during the Zhou clan’s auction, the old man had bribed a worker at the Zhou clan’s auction house and entered Duan Ling Tian’s room at that time.
The Formation compass was an heirloom of the Zhou clan. The Formation would cut off all means of communication once it was set up.
When the old man handed the Formation compass to Zhong Si, Zhong Si said, “Let’s set up the Formation first.”
While Zhong Si was setting up the Formation, Zhong Ke Qi’s eyes flashed with killing intent as he thought to himself, ‘You must die today, Duan Ling Tian!’
In Zhong Ke Qi’s opinion, there was no way Duan Ling Tian could escape death today.
A month ago, after learning Duan Ling Tian had accumulated more than 120,000 points during the trial, he had fallen into despair. He worried for his future now that he had made an enemy out of such a genius. The only way was to kill Duan Ling Tian before Duan Ling Tian grew into his potential.
Although the Zhong clan wanted to kill Duan Ling Tian badly, they knew there was nothing much they could do if Duan Ling Tian stayed in the Hidden Fog Academy or if the teachers were by his side.
None of them expected Duan Ling Tian to show up at their restaurant without any protection. For them, this was a golden opportunity to get rid of Duan Ling Tian. After all, they knew that with Duan Ling Tian’s age and talent, he would definitely grow very strong in the future. At that time, the Zhong clan would be in trouble. Hence, they were rather eager to get rid of him.
“Fourth uncle, is it done?” Zhong Ke Qi’s eyes lit up when he saw Zhong Si returning.
“Yes.” Zhong Si nodded with a smile before he asked, “Where are those people with you? They didn’t leave, did they?”
“No.” Zhong Ke Qi shook his head. “I left them in the room where we ate earlier. I didn’t tell them about our plan. I only said I had something to attend to and told them to wait for me there.”
“Well done.” Zhong Si nodded. His eyes shone cruelly as he said, “We just need to wait for your father to help us set up another Formation. When the two Formations are up, we’ll be able to get rid of that nuisance Duan Ling Tian!”
Zhong Ke Qi’s face had turned slightly red from the excitement. He smiled and said, “We’re about to achieve our goal! I heard that reality is often the opposite of our dreams.”
Recently, Zhong Ke Qi had been having nightmares about Duan Ling Tian killing him and massacring those from the Zhong clan. He would wake up, drenched in sweat. In fact, over the past few days, he had not been sleeping. He spent most of his time cultivating instead.
At this time, Zhong Er finally arrived. Although he and Zhong Ke Qi looked rather alike, their temperaments were completely different.
Zhong Ke Qi was young and still had the unrestrained aura that usually came with youth.
On the other hand, Zhong Er had a steady and mature air about him. Moreover, with just a glance, one could tell he had high status.
“Father! You’re here!” Zhong Ke Qi’s eyes lit up as soon as he saw his father.
Zhong Er nodded to Zhong Ke Qi. A rare smile appeared on his usually expressionless face. Then, he said, “Ke Qi, it’s all thanks to you that we’re given this golden opportunity. Otherwise, who knows how long we’d have to wait to kill. Now, which room is he in?”
After listening to Zhong Si and Zhong Ke Qi’s words, killing intent shone in Zhong Er’s eyes. He asked, “Did you probe the cultivation base of the old man with him?”
“No.” Zhong Si shook his head. “Second Brother, since there’s no King of Gods among us, we didn’t dare to rashly use our Divine Consciousness to probe him. It’d be terrible if we accidentally alert them”
“Good, you did well.” Zheng Er nodded. Then, he raised his hand.
A Formation compass flew up, setting up a Formation that covered the room, causing the room to tremble slightly.
…
At this moment, Duan Ling Tian and Tang Chun who were in the room had felt the tremble as well.
Tang Chun frowned. As he was about to extend his Divine Consciousness, the door opened with a loud bang.
Four people rushed into the room at once. Their speed was not fast nor did they look special. However, one of them caught Duan Ling Tian’s eyes immediately.
‘Zhong Ke Qi?’ Duan Ling Tian recognized Zhong Ke Qi as soon as he saw Zhong Ke Qi. He found one of the old men rather familiar, but he could not remember where or when he had seen the old man before.
On the contrary, the old man did not have Duan Ling Tian’s problem. He could clearly remember Duan Ling Tian. His expression changed drastically as his eyes widened in terror. He recalled the purple-clad young man in room nine in the Zhou clan’s auction house.
The old man had gone to room nine to probe the young man who had successfully bid for the three divine pills, the Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Pills, against Zhong Si. Zhong Si had planned to seek revenge from the purple-clad young man at that time because the purple-clad young man had disregarded his status as the Fourth Master of the Zhong clan.
The old man remembered seeing the teenage girl and beautiful woman in the room as well. In the beginning, he did not pay any attention to the teenage girl or the beautiful woman. He only realized the beautiful woman was a Lord of Gods when she almost killed Han Li Gang, an advanced King of Gods from the 10,000 Devils Sect, for being rude to the teenage girl. With that, almost everyone realized the teenage girl had come from a powerful force.
After the teenage girl and the beautiful woman left, many people had searched for the purple-clad young man in hopes of forging a connection with him. Based on the teenage girl and the beautiful woman’s strength, they were likely from a top lord-rank force or even an emperor-rank force. All of them hoped to curry favor with the purple-clad young man for this reason. Alas, they could not find him. Apart from a few people, including him, no one knew what the purple-clad young man looked like.
The old man truly did not expect to see Duan Ling Tian at this time.
‘Why is he here?’ Clearly, realization had yet to dawn on the old man.
Meanwhile, Duan Ling Tian looked at the uninvited indifferently.
At this time, Zhong Ke Qi, who was standing behind Zhong Er, sneered as he coldly said, “Duan Ling Tian, I didn’t think you’d be brave enough to leave the academy without a teacher by your side. Today, you’re going to die here.”
“You want to kill me? Or is it the Zhong clan that wants to kill me?” Duan Ling Tian raised an eyebrow. Then, he looked at Zhong Er and Zhong Si.
“The Zhong clan?” Tang Chun’s expression darkened immediately upon hearing these words.. To think the people of the Zhong clan dared to make an attempt on Duan Ling Tian’s life in the presence of an inner elder of the Hidden Fog Sect!
Chapter 3658: The Enraged Tang Chun
Translator:
EndlessFantasy Translation
Editor:
EndlessFantasy Translation
“Are you Duan Ling Tian?” Zhong Er asked. Then, he nodded as he continued to say, “You’re highly talented and have high comprehension skills. You’re handsome as well. If you’d joined our Zhong clan back then, both you and the clan would’ve benefited from it. What a pity that you rejected our invitation. Not only that, but you even killed the men from our clan.”
After a brief pause, Zhong Er asked slowly, “Any last words?”
When Zhong Er came in, he had used his Divine Consciousness to probe Duan Ling Tian and the old man next to him. After confirming Duan Ling Tian was just an intermediate god and the old man next to him was just an advanced god, he was no longer worried.
With the two Formations they had set up, let alone an intermediate god and an advanced god, even an advanced King of Gods would have a hard time communicating with the outside world. This meant that no one would find out the Zhong clan had killed the two people in the room.
“Last words?” Duan Ling Tian smiled. His eyes narrowed as he asked, “Who are you? The Clan Leader of the Zhong clan?”
Before Zhong Er could speak, his son, Zhong Ke Qi, scoffed. “Duan Ling Tian, he’s my father; Zhong Er, the Second Master of the Zhong clan. This person is Zhong Si, my fourth uncle and the Fourth Master of the Zhong clan.”
Duan Ling Tian looked at the two middle-aged men before he rested his eyes on Zhong Si. He smiled mockingly. He had already met Zhong Si a long time ago during the Zhou clan’s auction. He had bid against Zhong Si for the Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Pills and won.
“Zhong Er? Zhong Si?” Tang Chun, who was seated next to Duan Ling Tian, sneered. “The Zhong clan is really brave, huh?”
Zhong Er and Zhong Si ignored Tang Chun. In their eyes, he was just Duan Ling Tian’s useless elder, an advanced god. They could easily kill a person like him.
Zhong Er had long become a King of Gods in his early years while Zhong Si had successfully broken through a few days ago and became a rudimentary King of Gods.
“So you’re the Second and Fourth Masters of the Zhong clan?” Duan Ling Tian smiled mockingly. “So is it just the both of you who wants to kill me or is it the clan’s intention as well?”
“I represent the Zhong clan,” Zhong Er said. Although Duan Ling Tian was calm, he did not think much of it. After all, he was certain everything was under his control. Hence, he acted without restraint.
At this moment, Zhong Si suddenly trembled. His expression was one of shock and panic when he looked at Duan Ling Tian again. His face turned pale as though he had just seen a ghost. This was because he had just received a Voice Transmission from the old man standing behind him. He finally realized Duan Ling Tian was the young man from room nine who had bid against him for the three divine pills during the Zhou clan’s auction.
At that time, Zhong Si had been furious that Duan Ling Tian had outbid him. He had been determined to seek revenge from Duan Ling Tian until the beautiful woman in room nine displayed the strength of a Lord of Gods. At that time, she even attacked the second elder of the 10,000 Devils Sect. The people in room nine were not people he could afford to offend.
Although he was not sure of Duan Ling Tian’s relationship with the beautiful woman and the teenage girl, according to the old man, the teenage girl seemed to have a very close relationship with Duan Ling Tian. When the two women left without the young man, all thoughts of revenge had vanished from his mind. Instead, he had wanted to foster a good relationship with Duan Ling Tian. Alas, Duan Ling Tian was nowhere to be found after the end of the Zhou clan’s auction.
Since the old man had seen Duan Ling Tian before, he thought he had an advantage compared to the others who were searching for Duan Ling Tian. Unfortunately, after searching for a long time, they still failed to find Duan Ling Tian.
He did not expect the genius student from the Hidden Fog Academy whom they had been trying to kill was the young man from room nine in the Zhou clan’s auction house.
He repeatedly confirmed with the old man through Voice Transmission that Duan Ling Tian was indeed the young man in room nine.
The old man’s reply remained the same. “I’m sure, Fourth Master. His face, his temperament, and his clothes... Everything is the same.”
Zhong Si felt chills running up his spine at this moment. When he saw the mocking smile on Duan Ling Tian’s face, he could not help but shiver.
At this time, Zhong Ke Qi, whose eyes shone with killing intent, said, “That’s enough, Duan Ling Tian. It’s time for you to die.”
Duan Ling Tian only looked at Zhong Ke Qi silently.
Suddenly, Tang Chun, who was seated next to Duan Ling Tia, rose to his feet with an icy expression on his face.
At the same time, Zhong Si was informing Zhong Er about his discovery. Zhong Er was naturally shocked and frightened.
“Zhong Si, are you sure?” Zhong Er asked.
“Brother, I’m sure it’s him. What should we do now? The Zhong clan and he are irreconcilable enemies now!”
“Just act like you don’t know anything,” Zhong Si said determinedly. His eyes narrowed as he said decisively, “He and the old man next to him are just intermediate and advanced gods. As long as we leave no traces behind, no one will know that we killed them.”
“Second Brother, Ke Qi’s friends are still here. They could tell he was behaving strangely earlier...” Zhong Si said.
“After killing these two people, we’ll kill the others to prevent news from leaking,” Zhong Er said viciously.
“Alright!” After listening to Zhong Er, Zhong Si’s eyes shone with determination.
Although Duan Ling Tian had a powerful background and was someone they could not afford to offend, now that things had escalated to this extent, they could not let him leave. Duan Ling Tian would definitely order his men to deal with the Zhong clan once he left.
Now, Duan Ling Tian was like a trapped beast in a cage they had set up. They had also blocked all means of communication. This meant he could not inform anyone from the force belonged to. With this, no one would know even if they killed him today.
This was the best choice. If they did not kill him now, the Zhong clan would definitely suffer a huge disaster. It was likely that the clan would be annihilated. Hence, it did not take them long to come to this decision.
While Zhong Er and Zhong Si stared at Duan Ling Tian, Tang Chun scoffed coldly and said, “Very good... The Zhong clan is truly bold! A mere king-rank clan dares to kill an inner disciple of the Hidden Fog Sect in front of me? Both of you and the Zhong clan must have a death wish.”
Tang Chun was well and truly enraged. He had come to Skywind City to bring Duan Ling Tian back to the Hidden Fog Sect after Murong Sui Feng recommended Duan Ling Tian to be a core disciple of the sect. Since he had yet to take the test, he was now an inner disciple of the Hidden Fog Sect.
“An inner disciple of the Hidden Fog Sect?”
Zhong Er and the others were stunned by Tang Chun’s words.
Meanwhile, Zhong Ke Qi said with a sneer, “Old geezer, you said Duan Ling Tian’s an inner disciple of the Hidden Fog Sect? Ridiculous! In any case, both of you will die today. No matter how talented or strong he is, he won’t be able to enter the Hidden Fog Sect once he’s dead.”
Zhong Ke Qi, Zhong Er, and Zhong Si remained confident.
On the other hand, the old man looked anxious and skeptical. After listening to Zhong Er and Zhong Si’s plan, he was still afraid. After all, the beautiful woman’s display of strength was still vivid in his mind. He, out of everyone present, was the only one who had been in close proximity with the people from room nine, and he knew how terrifying they were. He thought to himself uneasily, ‘After this, I better leave the Zhong clan...’
“Zhong clan really taught their disciples well. Even a junior dares to be presumptuous in front of me.” Tang Chun sneered. “Even Zhong Da has to bow to me when he sees me.”
Zhong Da was the Clan Leader of the Zhong clan.
Chapter 3659: Tang Chun’s True Cultivation Base
Translator:
EndlessFantasy Translation
Editor:
EndlessFantasy Translation
Zhong Ke Qi was shocked and frightened upon hearing Tang Chun’s words. He wondered inwardly, uneasy, ‘What does he mean by my uncle has to be respectful to him?’
On the contrary, Zhong Er laughed disdainfully upon hearing Tang Chun’s words. He said, “Old geezer, you’re just an advanced god. How dare you spout such nonsense in front of us? What a joke!”
Zhong Si laughed as well. He chimed in, “That’s right. You’re just an advanced god. Killing you is as easy as a walk in the park.”
As Zhong Si spoke, he unleashed his Divine Energy, causing the air in the room to grow heavy. The Divine Energy of a Kings of Gods was very different from that of gods.
Duan Ling Tian’s eyes narrowed slightly. He was slightly surprised. ‘Wasn’t he an advanced god? His Divine Energy isn’t that of an advanced god. Did he break through recently and become a King of Gods?’
Before joining the Hidden Fog Academy, while he was in the Zhou clan’s auction house, Duan Ling Tian had heard people talking about Zhong Si, the Fourth Master of the Zhou clan. This included his cultivation base. Hence, he knew Zhong Si was an advanced god. However, that was clearly no longer the case based on Zhong Si’s Divine Energy.
“Oh? The Fourth Master of the Zhong clan has had a breakthrough and become a King of Gods?” Clearly fearless, Tang Chun cocked an eyebrow and smiled contemptuously when he sensed Zhong Si’s Divine Energy. Instead, he said, “I’m very curious… Where did you get confidence from, thinking you can kill me with your cultivation base?”
Zhong Si smirked. “So you know I’m a King of Gods. Then, you should know why I’m confident about killing an advanced god like you.”
Zhong Ke Qi, who was standing behind Zhong Er, said derisively, “Old geezer, if you kneel and beg for mercy now, my fourth uncle might just leave you with an intact corpse after he kills you.”
Tang Chun did not pay attention to Zhong Ke Qi. Instead, he looked at Zhong Si and chuckled before he said, “How dare a rudimentary King of Gods act so impudently in front of me, Tang Chun?”
Zhong Si did not have any reaction to Tang Chun’s words. However, Zhong Er frowned slightly. He thought the name ‘Tang Chun’ sounded familiar. However, he could remember where he had heard that name before.
Swoosh!
At this time, an even more powerful Divine Energy surged out of Tang Chun’s body. It immediately suppressed Zhong Si’s Divine Energy as soon as it appeared.
Zhong Si’s expression changed drastically upon sensing the Divine Energy. Even his eldest brother, Zhong Da; the Clan Leader of the Zhong clan, did not have such a powerful Divine Energy. Most importantly, his eldest brother was an intermediate King of Gods. What did this mean?
“Y-you’re an… an advanced King of Gods?!”
Zhong Er’s expression turned grim. He did not expect the old man in front of him to have concealed his strength. He truly did not expect the old man was an advanced King of Gods pretending to be an advanced god.
In the Realm of Gods, there were many treasures that could hide one’s cultivation base. However, such treasures were rare in Skywind City and the neighboring areas. Those who possessed such treasures rarely used it as well. After all, this world was one where the strong were revered. Hence, why would anyone deliberately appear weak?
Zhong Er thought that he was really unlucky to meet one of the few exceptions today.
At this time, Zhong Er and Zhong Si’s expressions were very grim.
After Zhong Si had broken through and became a rudimentary King of Gods, he was still seriously outmatched by Zhong Da, an intermediate King of Gods. Hence, he did not need to think at all to know that he was no match for Tang Chun, an advanced King of Gods. When he recalled how he had mocked and threatened Tang Chun earlier, his expression turned even more unsightly. He really could not believe he had done such a thing to an advanced King of Gods. As despair flooded his heart, he said tremblingly, “M-my lord… I-I was just joking earlier. P-please don’t take i-it to… to heart…”
“Joking?” Tang Chun sneered. “Do you treat me as a foolish three-year-old?”
Zhong Si trembled. His face was ashen as he turned to Zhong Er and pleaded desperately, “Second brother, save me!”
Naturally, Zhong Si knew it was unlikely that Zhong Er would be able to save him. Based on the beautiful woman and teenage girl at the Zhou clan’s auction house, he was certain Duan Ling Tian was from a lord-rank force. This meant that the old man in front of him was an advanced King of Gods from a lord-rank force!
As Zhong Si drowned in despair, certain of his death, he instinctively reached for help from Zhong Si like a drowning man grasping around for a float.
At the same time, Zhong Ke Qi, who was still standing behind Zhong Er, paled in fright as well. His body swayed and trembled as the enormity of the situation dawned on him. Then, he fell limply to the ground. Soon enough, the stench of urine wafted out in the air. He stared ahead blankly. He wanted to hit himself for mocking and threatening an advanced King of Gods earlier. He had heard his father saying Tang Chun was an advanced King of Gods in a low voice earlier.
Similarly, colors drained from Zhong Er’s face. At this time, a thought suddenly appeared in his mind. Then, he cupped his fists together at Tang Chun and asked respectfully, “Senior, are you Elder Tang Chun of the Hidden Fog Sect?”
Zhong Er finally remembered that one of the clan elders had mentioned Tang Chun after returning from the Hidden Fog Sect. That clan elder was also an inner elder of the Hidden Fog Sect; apart from that, they also belonged to the Skywind City Progeny. Hence, although they disliked each other, they still had to tolerate each other.
At the same time, Zhong Er hurriedly sent a message to his eldest brother, Zhong Da, through a Soul Pearl in his spatial ring, informing Zhong Da of what was happening.
Zhong Er had already removed the first Formation and ordered Zhong Si to remove the second Formation earlier. Since the Formations had been removed, one could naturally communicate with the outside world again.
Zhong Er said urgently to Zhong Da through Voice Transmission, “Eldest brother, hurry and contact the Grand Elder. Tell him to ask Elder Tang Chun to spare my, Zhong Si, and Qi’er’s lives! Only the Grand Elder can save us now!”
The Grand Elder of the Zhong clan was Zhong Da’s ancestor. He held high status in the Zhong clan and held the highest position in the Hidden Fog Sect among the members of the Zhong clan.
…
Zhong Da was shocked when he received Zhong Er’s message as well. He did not expect that Zhong Er, Zhong Si, and Zhong Ke Qi would end up provoking someone like Tang Chun.
He did not waste time and hurriedly contacted the Grand Elder of the Zhong clan. He was the only one in the clan who possessed the Grand Elder’s Soul Pearl. This meant that he was the only one in the clan who could contact the Grand Elder.
…
In a private room in the Zhong clan’s restaurant.
Following Zhong Er’s lead, Zhong Si, Zhong Ke Qi, and everyone else kneeled on the ground. Their bodies were trembling.
“Elder Tang Chun, it’s our fault for not recognizing you and offending you. We hope you can forgive our ignorance and spare our lives for the sake of our Grand Elder,” Zhong Er said earnestly.
Tang Chun ignored Zhong Er. Instead, he asked Zhong Si, “What’s the matter? Didn’t you want to kill me?”
“E-elder Tang Chun, please, please forgive,” Zhong Si pleaded in a trembling voice. Panic and fear assaulted his heart.
“Didn’t you say that you’ll kill me?” Tang Chun asked again with a sneer. His gaze was cold as he swept his eyes across the people in the room. At the same time, his Divine Energy surged violently in the small room.
Tang Chun, an advanced King of Gods, was ridiculed and threatened by ordinary gods. How could he bear this humiliation? Moreover, if his cultivation base was truly lower than theirs, he would have long died.
“Elder Tang Chun, please spare us!” Zhong Si cried out when he sensed Tang Chun’s killing intent. He hurriedly kowtowed with all his might as he begged for mercy. He did not seem to care about the blood that gushed from the cut on his forehead.
Meanwhile, Duan Ling Tian who was still seated at the table watched the scene before him with an indifferent gaze. It was the Zhong clan’s own doing that resulted in this outcome. How could they threaten him in front of Tang Chun, an inner elder of the Hidden Fog Sect? Moreover, they even dared to threaten Tang Chun. They were truly seeking death with their actions today.
‘Elder Tang Chun will likely only kill those who offended him and leave the Zhong clan alone. The Zhong clan will likely be fine. After all, even if Elder Tang Chun testifies against them for their attempt to murder me, the Hidden Fog Sect likely won’t act against the Zhong clan for an inner disciple like me. Even if I’m a core disciple, the sect still won’t take action as long as there’s no concrete evidence. After all, the sect can’t recklessly annihilate the clan. There are several inner elders and no fewer than twenty outer elders from the Zhong clan.’
Duan Ling Tian had learned about this from Ding Yan and Hou Qing Ning while he was still in the Hidden Fog Sect. Through the duo, he learned about the Zhong clan’s connections with the Hidden Fog Sect.
Hence, Duan Ling Tian knew it would not be easy to deal with the Zhong clan by relying on the Hidden Fog Sect. If he wanted to annihilate the Zhong clan, he could only depend on himself.
Nonetheless, when Duan Ling Tian thought about how he would be able to see the three people from the Zhong clan die today, his good mood returned. He did not feel a shred of pity for them.. After all, they had planned to kill him.
Chapter 3660: Make Peace
Translator:
EndlessFantasy Translation
Editor:
EndlessFantasy Translation
Duan Ling Tian would never show mercy to those who tried to kill him so he was rather indifferent toward everything that was happening in front of him.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
Tang Chun’s Divine Energy fused with his profundities swiftly, looking as though it was going to tear the void open. The energy was aimed at Zhong Si’s body.
Tang Chun’s eyes flashed with killing intent.
Duan Ling Tian, who was sitting at the side, could clearly feel Tang Chun’s killing intent as well. Hence, he had no doubt that the trio from the Zhong clan was going to die today.
However, just as Tang Chun was about to deal the killing blow, he suddenly restrained his Divine Energy and removed the profundities.
Thump!
The Divine Energy only sent Zhong Si crashing against the wall on the side of the room. After he landed, despite the blood trickling out of the corner of his mouth, a relieved smile could be seen on his face as he said, “Thank you, Elder Tang Chun, for showing mercy!”
Zhong Er’s eyes brightened immediately.
Following that, Tang Chun’s Divine Energy struck again. This time, its target was Zhong Ke Qi.
Zhong Ke Qi was thrown against the wall as well. Since his cultivation base was much lower, although Tang Chun had restrained his strength, Zhong Ke Qi was still severely injured. He spat out a mouthful of blood when he landed.
Upon seeing this, Zhong Er hurriedly rebuked his son, “Idiot, aren’t you going to thank Elder Tang Chun for sparing your life?”
Zhong Ke Qi was pulled back to his senses and hastily thanked Tang Chun. “Elder Tang Chun, thank you for sparing my life.”
Zhong Er, whose eyes shone with the joy of surviving a huge disaster, looked at Duan Ling Tian from the corner of his eyes. When Tang Chun suddenly restrained his strength, he knew the Zhong clan’s Grand Elder must have asked Tang Chun to spare them. Otherwise, based on Tang Chun’s earlier killing intent, Tang Chun would not have spared them.
Nevertheless, the joy of surviving quickly vanished when they remembered Duan Ling Tian. Even if they survived today, Duan Ling Tian would not let them off the hook. Chills ran up their spines when they thought about this.
Thump!
Zhong Er was also thrown against the wall. He ignored his injury and hurriedly thanked Tang Chun for sparing his life as well. At the same time, he hurriedly sent a message to his eldest brother, Zhong Da. “Brother, although we’re okay now, Duan Ling Tian definitely won’t let us go…”
Following that, Zhong Er informed Zhong Da about the things Zhong Si had told him earlier.
…
“What?!”
When Zhong Da learned that Duan Ling Tian was the young man whom everyone suspected was from a lord-rank, or possibly an emperor-rank, force, his expression changed drastically.
“How can this be?”
How did Duan Ling Tian, a student from the Hidden Fog Academy, become the young man from the auction?
“Are you mistaken? If he has such a powerful background, why would he join the Hidden Fog Academy or the Hidden Fog Sect?”
Zhong Er’s reply came swiftly. “I don’t know. Brother, what should I do now? I’ve already removed the Formations so he might have already told the force he belongs to about this matter. Why don’t we take the risk and ask the Grand Elder to speak to Elder Tang Chun so that Elder Tang Chun will turn a blind eye while we kill Duan Ling Tian? If he has yet to inform anyone from his force, we might be able to survive this!”
“No. It’s likely he has already informed his people about this matter,” Zhong Da refused Zhong Er without any hesitation. “You should beg for his forgiveness. It’s best we don’t make an enemy out of a person like him. As long as he forgives us, we’ll pay whatever price he demands of us. Let him know that no matter how ridiculous his demands are, we’ll do everything within our abilities to fulfill them.”
Then, Zhong Da said helplessly, “From now on, the Zhong clan can’t act against him at all!”
Although Zhong Da did not know which lord-rank or emperor-rank force Duan Ling Tian belonged to, there was no doubt Duan Ling Tian had a very close relationship with that teenage girl. Zhong Si’s confidant had been with the clan for a long time so there was no way he would have lied about that.
Most importantly, the beautiful woman, the Lord of Gods, had addressed the teenage girl as ‘Young Miss’. To have a Lord of God as a guardian, the teenage girl was likely the child of someone with a very high rank in a top lord-rank or emperor-rank force. Just a word from someone like that was enough to get the Zhong clan annihilated or banished from the Profound Energy Land.
Duan Ling Tian’s expression remained indifferent as he thought to himself, ‘I expected Elder Tang Chun to kill them, or at the very least, Zhong Si. I didn’t expect him to spare all of them.’
Duan Ling Tian could tell Tang Chun had forcefully restrained his strength at the very last moment. With that, it was not difficult to figure out that Tang Chun must have received a message from someone and decided to spare the trio from the Zhong clan.
After injuring the trio from the Zhong clan, Tang Chun sat down and looked at the trio as he said coldly, “For Zhong Tian Qing’s sake, I won’t kill you today. However, if you dare act like this again, I’ll kill you even if Zhong Tian Qing pleads for your lives.”
The trio hurriedly nodded and promised there would be no next time.
After that, Tang Chun looked at the trio and asked, “Apart from that, the three of you said you want to kill Duan Ling Tian on behalf of the Zhong clan, right?”
Zhong Si and Zhong Ke Qi were still in a daze, but Zhong Er hurriedly replied, “No, no, Elder Tang Chun, you must’ve misheard us. We… We have no intention of killing Duan Ling Tian. After all, the Zhong clan sees Young Master Duan as an honored guest.”
“Since that’s the case, why don’t you apologize to him?” Tang Chun asked.
With these words, Duan Ling Tian knew the Zhong clan would receive no further punishment for their actions today. He could only rely on himself if he wanted to seek revenge for today’s matter.
Duan Ling Tian did not resent Tang Chun for the choices Tang Chun made. After all, he had just met Tang Chun. Tang Chun was not obligated to help him. In fact, he felt that Tang Chun had already done his best by demanding the trio from the Zhong clan apologize to him.
Before Zhong Si and Zhong Ke Qi could apologize, Zhong Er cupped his fists together at Duan Ling Tian and said respectfully, “Young Master Duan, my eldest brother, the Clan Leader of the Zhong clan, asked me to convey a message to you. We’d like to compensate you for the misunderstandings between you and our clan. We’re willing to pay whatever price you demand as long as it’s within our ability.”
Zhong Ke Qi frowned. He did not understand why his father was being so respectful to Duan Ling Tian.
Even Tang Chun was stunned by Zhong Er’s words. He only asked them to apologize to Duan Ling Tian; he did not expect them to take the initiative to compensate Duan Ling Tian. Was the Zhong clan very wealthy?
In fact, Duan Ling Tian did not expect this as well. He thought it was strange that Zhong Si and the old man next to Zhong Si did not look surprised, but Zhong Ke Qi, on the contrary, looked surprised and confused.
At this moment, realization dawned on Duan Ling Tian. He finally remembered where he had seen the old man before. When he was in room nine in the Zhou clan’s auction house with Duan Qiao Yu, he remembered the old man had come with the staff from the Zhou clan to hand him the three divine pills.
He remembered the old man because, at that time, he thought it was strange that two people were sent to hand over the three divine pills. Usually, only one person would be sent. At that time, he did not think too deeply about it.
‘Zhong Si must have sent him to room nine at that time to investigate me since I outbid Zhong Si and embarrassed him.’
Duan Ling Tian knew Zhong Si was furious after he successfully bid for the three divine pills. At that time, many people had speculated he would pay the price for daring to bid against Zhong Si. However, after witnessing the beautiful woman’s strength and finding out the woman was in room nine with him, he knew Zhong Si had abandoned all thoughts of revenge.
Duan Ling Tian finally realized why the old man was staring at him intently earlier. The old man must have recognized him.
With this, he finally knew why the Zhong clan was behaving so humbly. Clearly, they were afraid of Duan Qiao Yu and were afraid to provoke him because of that.. After all, the old man had seen Duan Qiao Yu holding onto his arm and calling him ‘brother’ when he was in room nine.
Chapter 3661: Two Requests
Translator:
EndlessFantasy Translation
Editor:
EndlessFantasy Translation
Perhaps, the old man did not think too much about it when he first saw Duan Qiao Yu acting affectionately with Duan Ling Tian or calling him brother. However, after Yu Qiu Xuan, the beautiful woman, made her move, it was clear that he assumed Duan Qiao Yu and him were from a powerful force. This was a logical assumption. After all, would ordinary people be protected by Lords of Gods? How could Duan Ling Tian be ordinary when the person the Lord of God protected had called him brother?
‘Since this old man recognized me, he must have told Zhong Er and Zhong Si about it earlier…’ Duan Ling Tian thought to himself, ‘However, Zhong Er and Zhong Si were still determined to kill me earlier. They likely set up a Formation to prevent me from sending messages so that they won’t be implicated after killing me. No wonder I felt a slight change in the air earlier. It must be from when they were setting up and removing the Formation.’
Duan Ling Tian was skilled in the law of space. Moreover, he had also comprehended the Space Mastery Dao, which was one of the Four Daos of Heaven and Earth. Hence, his senses were very keen in regard to changes in the void.
‘After finding out about my so-called background, they must have been even more determined to kill me. After all, if I survive, in their opinion, they’ll have to suffer the wrath of the so-called powerful force that they think I belong to. Unfortunately for them, they did not expect Elder Tang Chun to be an advanced King of Gods.’
In fact, not long after arriving at the restaurant, Duan Ling Tian had discreetly probed Tang Chun with his Divine Consciousness. At that time, he had sensed Tang Chun’s cultivation base that was of an advanced god. Although he was an intermediate god, he could still vaguely sense an advanced god’s cultivation base. Any higher, he would not have been able to sense the cultivation base. Subsequently, he had asked Tang Chun about his cultivation base. Tang Chun had told him that to avoid being bothered by other Kings of Gods, he had used a technique to conceal his cultivation base.
Unless one was stronger, one would not be able to detect Tang Chun’s real cultivation base at all. Those who were stronger would definitely not be bothered with Tang Chun.
‘Those three from the Zhong clan must have failed to detect Elder Tang Chun’s cultivation base like me…’
Duan Ling Tian also knew Zhong Er would not behave so humbly because of Tang Chun. After all, even after offending Tang Chun, Tang Chun did not kill them. Clearly, Tang Chun had to consider the person supporting the Zhong clan as well. It was likely someone from the Zhong clan who held a high position in the Hidden Fog Sect had messaged Tang Chun, telling him to spare the trio’s lives. Perhaps, they even compensated Tang Chun for sparing their lives. Perhaps, that was why Tang Chun only asked the trio to apologize to him.
While Tang Chun was still puzzled, Duan Ling Tian asked Zhong Er, “Are you sure you’re willing to pay any price as long as it’s within your ability?”
“Yes,” Zhong Er said without any hesitation as he nodded twice.
“Very good,” Duan Ling Tian said as he smiled faintly, “Then please show me your sincerity.”
Duan Ling Tian shifted his eyes to Zhong Ke Qi, who was behind Zhong Er, and continued to say, “Second Master Zhong, your son, Zhong Ke Qi, is the cause of this conflict between me and your clan. I only have two requests. One, Zhong Ke Qi must die.”
Zhong Er, Zhong Ke Qi, and Zhong Si’s expressions changed drastically.
Zhong Si said anxiously, “Young Master Duan, can’t you spare him?”
Duan Ling Tian glanced at Zhong Si as he said tonelessly, “Would you have spared me earlier?” Without waiting for Zhong Si’s reply, he said mockingly to Zhong Er, “Second Master Zhong, if the Zhong clan can’t fulfill my first request, then there’s no need for me to tell you my second request.”
Duan Ling Tian turned to Tang Chun, who was seated next to him, and said, “Elder Tang Chun, I’ve lost my appetite. I’ll wait for you at the Hidden Fog Academy. Please send me a message when you’re done, and I’ll come to you.”
Before leaving the Hidden Fog Academy, Duan Ling Tian and Tang Chun had exchanged Soul Pearls so they could easily communicate with each other now.
“No, I’m done as well,” Tang Chun said as he shook his head, “Let’s head to the sect.”
Although Tang Chun did not know why the Zhong clan was behaving so humbly and respectfully toward Duan Ling Tian, he knew this was not the time to ask Duan Ling Tian about it. Apart from that, he did not think the Zhong clan would agree to Duan Ling Tian’s first request.
Although Zhong Ke Qi was not an important figure in the Zhong clan, he was not called the little prince of the Zhong clan for nothing. He was the son of the Second Master of the Zhong clan, and he was slated to be the next Clan Leader of the Zhong clan. His uncles all doted on him a lot as well.
Tang Chun thought it was already good enough that Zhong Er did not lose his temper after listening to Duan Ling Tian’s request. How could Zhong Er agree to kill his son? Even if Murong Sui Feng, the dean of the Hidden Fog Academy and the Vice Sect Leader of the Hidden Fog Sect, were here and made this request, the Zhong clan still would not agree to it.
Just as Duan Ling Tian and Tang Chun were about to leave, something shocking happened.
“Since my unfilial son has offended Young Master Duan, he deserves to die!” Zhong Er cried out.
In the next moment, a loud sound rang out as blood splattered in the room.
The person who was alive just a moment ago fell lifelessly to the ground with a loud thump.
Under everyone’s watchful eyes, Zhong Er had decisively struck his son’s head, killing his son.
Perhaps, only Duan Ling Tian was unsurprised by this outcome. He had long guessed it would turn out like this.
On the contrary, Tang Chun was truly shocked. He did not think Zhong Er would kill his son for Duan Ling Tian’s sake. Although he had lived a long time and experienced many things, he was still shocked by this sudden turn of events. When he looked at Duan Ling Tian again, it dawned on him that he did not know the young man in front of him at all.
“Young Master Duan,” Zhong Er called out. His body was trembling, and his eyes were red as he looked at Duan Ling Tian. He tried to hide the fear in his heart as he said hoarsely, “Please tell us your second request.”
Duan Ling Tian looked at Zhong Er and said, “My second request is simple. I just want to see the sincerity of the Zhong clan.”
Then, Duan Ling Tian raised his hand, openly toying with his spatial ring. Clearly, he was implying something with this gesture.
Upon seeing this, Zhong Er, Zhong Si, and the old man sighed in relief inwardly. They were afraid Duan Ling Tian would ask for their lives. After all, if Duan Ling Tian made such a request, they would have no choice but to obey. Their lives were nothing when faced with the well-being of the entire Zhong clan.
“Elder Tang Chun, let’s go.” Duan Ling Tian did not even wait for Zhong Er to agree. He knew Zhong Er would not refuse him. After all, Zhong Er had already killed his son. How could Zhong Er still care about treasures?
Tang Chun, who was still in shock, was pulled back to his senses. He nodded and made to leave with Duan Ling Tian.
When Duan Ling Tian had just stepped out of the room, Zhong Er asked, “Young Master Duan, how should we hand the things over to you after we’ve prepared them?”
“Send someone to bring them to the Hidden Fog Sect,” Duan Ling Tian replied.
…
When Duan Ling Tian finally left, Zhong Er collapsed to the ground. His hands trembled as he held Zhong Ke Qi’s body and said, “Qi’er, please don’t blame me. I had to do it for the sake of the clan. Please forgive me. You died for the clan today; the clan will never forget your sacrifice. I’ll make sure the future generations of the clan remember your name!”
At this time, Zhong Si also came to Zhong Er’s side and patted his shoulder. “Second brother, my condolences... Actually, I could’ve done it in your stead.”
When the two brothers exchanged glances, they both saw the resentment and powerlessness in each other’s eyes.
…
At the same time, Duan Ling Tian, who left the restaurant and Skywind City with Tang Chun, finally heard Tang Chun saying apologetically, “Duan Ling Tian, I apologize for what happened earlier.”
“Elder Tang Chun, there’s no need to apologize. You didn’t do anything wrong,” Duan Ling Tian said as he shook his head.
Tang Chun smiled bitterly. “They wanted to kill you, but I only asked them to apologize to you. Aren’t you angry?”
Duan Ling Tian shook his head again, but he no longer replied.
Tang Chun’s smile grew even more bitter. He tried to explain his helplessness to Duan Ling Tian, “Earlier, when I was about to kill Zhong Si, I received a message from the sect from Zhong Tian Qing, the Grand Elder of the Zhong clan asking me to spare the trio’s lives.. Although Zhong Tian Qing is also an inner elder like me and our strength is the same, he has a very good relationship with one of the core elders.”
Chapter 3662: Tang Chun‘s Small Gesture
In the Hidden Fog Sect, inner elders had the same status while the core elders were ranked. Not all core elders had the same status.
Tu Feng, the disciple who had come to the Hidden Fog Academy to extend an invitation to Duan Ling Tian join his master, was the disciple of the Hidden Fog Sect’s second core elder. The second core elder’s status in the sect was rather high even though he was not the strongest. There were many old core elders in the sect who were known as supreme elders as well, but they were not ranked.
“I understand,” Duan Ling Tian nodded and said with a smile, “Elder Tang Chun, in fact, there’s no need for you to explain this matter to me. I understand your situation. After all, from the sect’s point of view, I can’t compare to the Zhong clan.”
Upon hearing Duan Ling Tian’s humble words, Tang Chun shook his head and said knowingly, “Duan Ling Tian, you must be joking. I know the Zhong clan’s sudden change in attitude earlier is definitely because of me. If I’m not mistaken, you must have a powerful supporter, right?”
In order to pacify Duan Ling Tian’s anger, Zhong Er, the Second Master of the Zhong clan, was even willing to kill his son. Even a tiger would not devour its cub. For Zhong Er to do something like that, he must be convinced that the consequences of angering Duan Ling Tian were not something the entire Zhong clan could bear. Otherwise, why would he resort to such a drastic measure?
Based on Duan Ling Tian’s cultivation base, it was clearly not enough to intimidate the Zhong clan. Hence, Tang Chun was certain that Duan Ling Tian had the support of someone strong enough to make the Zhong clan fear him.
Upon hearing these words, Duan Ling Tian only smiled but did not say anything else.
Tang Chun felt he must have guessed correctly after seeing Duan Ling Tian’s ambiguous reaction.
Previously, Tang Chun had a good impression of Duan Ling Tian, but he did not give Duan Ling Tian any special treatment. However, with this new discovery, he naturally did not dare to neglect Duan Ling Tian. How strong must Duan Ling Tian’s supporter be to be able to make Zhong Er kill his own son? He felt uneasy when he recalled his earlier actions that must have disappointed Duan Ling Tian.
Although Duan Ling Tian was polite to him, Tang Chun could keenly feel the sense of alienation from Duan Ling Tian. Hence, he tried his best to make up for his earlier mistakes. After all, there were only benefits to forging a good relationship with Duan Ling Tian.
Tang Chun said, “However, it seems like they were still determined to kill you even when they knew about your identity. They must have cast a Formation that blocks communication. When they confirmed I was an advanced god, they must have planned to kill two of us. With the Formation, our deaths wouldn’t be traced back to them. However, when I revealed my true strength, they must have deactivated the Formation to call for help. That was when the Grand Elder of the Zhong clan, Zhong Tian Qing, sent me a message to ask me to show mercy by promising me benefits. Half of them should belong to you since I wouldn’t have gotten them without you.”
In other words, Tang Chun was trying to remind Duan Ling Tian that he was mostly alive because of him even if Duan Ling Tian had a powerful supporter. Then, he tried to make amends by offering to share the benefits he would obtain from Zhong Tian Qing with Duan Ling Tian.
Duan Ling Tian naturally understood Tang Chun’s meaning. He said with a smile, “I won’t forget Elder Tang Chun for saving my life. I’ll definitely return the favor in the future. However, there’s no need to give me half of what Zhong Tian Qing promised you. I believe the Zhong clan will prepare something valuable for me.”
Tang Chun no longer persisted once Duan Ling Tian refused him. After all, he was rather reluctant to part with Zhong Tian Qing’s promised reward as well. Although Duan Ling Tian was not as warm as before, at least Duan Ling Tian did not hold a grudge against him.
‘I’ll slowly mend our relationship after we return to the sect. It’s best not to push things too hard now…’ Tang Chun thought to himself. With that, he no longer said anything to Duan Ling Tian.
…
In the Zhong clan’s estate.
The Zhong clan was in chaos after Duan Ling Tian left Skywind City for the Hidden Fog Sect.
In the Zhong clan’s ancestral hall, Zhong Ke Qi’s corpse was placed on a small white bed. He was surrounded by Zhong Da, Zhong Er, Zhong San, and Zhong Si, the masters of the Zhong clan.
“Qi’er, the clan will never forget your sacrifice. Your selfless act will be recorded in the books. Our clan wouldn’t have been able to survive that disaster if it weren’t for you,” Zhong Da said in a low voice as he looked at Zhong Ke Qi. His voice echoed in the hall.
“Second brother, I’m sorry for your loss,” Zhong San said grimly as he patted Zhong Er’s shoulder in an attempt to comfort Zhong Er.
“Rest assured. I’m fine. Qi’er’s sacrifice isn’t in vain. He saved our clan,” Zhong Er said. His body trembled as he tried to suppress his emotions.
“Second brother,” Zhong Da said, “I’ve activated the Formations in the ancestral hall. No one will be able to hear anything in here no matter how big the commotion is. There’s no need for you to hold back. You can vent your emotions here.”
As soon as Zhong Da’s voice fell, the hem of Zhong Er’s robes fluttered as Divine Energy surged violently from his body.
The furniture in the hall shook violently as the Divine Energy raged in the hall.
Then, Zhong Er fell next to Zhong Ke Qi’s body. His eyes flashed with killing intent as he cried out, “Qi’er, I’m sorry I can’t avenge you! I’m useless!”
Zhong Er continued to cry until his voice turned hoarse. When he finally calmed down, he said with a smile, “Eldest brother, don’t worry. I’m fine now.”
“That’s good.” Zhong Da patted Zhong Er’s shoulder and nodded. “We believe Qi’er understands you. If Qi’er had a choice, I believe he would sacrifice himself to save our clan as well.”
Zhong Er suppressed the bitterness that rose in his heart when he heard these words. No one knew his son better than him. Zhong Ke Qi would never sacrifice himself for the clan’s sake. Given a chance, Zhong Ke Qi would definitely choose to save himself. This was the reason he had decisively killed his son. He was afraid he would be soft-hearted and unwilling to act if his son had a chance to plead for his life.
“Eldest brother, I’m fine. The loss of a son can be replaced with another. However, it’ll be the end if the clan is wiped out,” Zhong Er said as he forced a smile on his face, “Anyway, Duan Ling Tian is clearly extorting our clan. What kind of gift should we prepare for him?”
Zhong Er’s expression darkened briefly before it returned to normal.
Zhong Da sighed. “It’d be easier if he had told us what he wanted. I’ve spoken to the Grand Elder before coming to the ancestral hall. He said to give Duan Ling Tian half of the divine stones, divine artifacts, divine pills, divine fruits, and divine grass we have. He’s aware of what happened in the Zhou clan’s auction house and suspects Duan Ling Tian is from an emperor-rank force.”
The brothers were reluctant to give Duan Ling Tian half of everything the clan owned but changed their minds immediately when they heard Duan Ling Tian was likely from an emperor-rank force. Losing material possessions was nothing compared to losing their lives.
“Eldest brother, I have no objection to that,” Zhong San was the first to say.
“Me too.” Zhong Si nodded.
“I trust the Grand Elder’s judgment,” Zhong Er said.
“Second brother, the Grand Elder told me to inform you that he’ll be investigating Duan Ling Tian’s background after Duan Ling Tian joins the Hidden Fog Sect. There’s nothing we can do if he’s really from an emperor-rank force. However, if that’s not the case, the Grand Elder will get back what’s rightfully ours!” Zhong Da said.
Zhong Er’s eyes glinted as he said icily, “If he’s not from a powerful force, I’ll personally crush his bones and tear him into pieces!”
Chapter 3663: Sect Guardian Pavilion
Translator:
EndlessFantasy Translation
Editor:
EndlessFantasy Translation
During the journey to the Hidden Fog Sect, Duan Ling Tian found that the test for the core disciples was only half a year away.
Tang Chun said, “You’re now an inner disciple of the sect so you’ll enjoy the resources of inner disciples. Under normal circumstances, you wouldn’t have been able to join the Hidden Fog Sect so quickly even if you’re recommended by the Vice Sect Leader. However, an exception is made this time since Vice Sect Leader Murong recommended you twice. The first time, he recommended that you be made a core disciple of the sect. When he found out it would take a while for you to become a core disciple, he recommended that you be made an inner disciple first. Since this is his first time recommending a student to join the sect in advance, the sect was quick to agree to his request. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be able to join the sect so quickly.”
Duan Ling Tian did not expect Murong Sui Feng to secretly help him out. He did not doubt Tang Chun’s words since there was no reason for Tang Chun to lie about this matter. Moreover, he could easily discover the truth once he arrived at the Hidden Fog Sect.
…
After some time had passed.
“We’re about to arrive at the Hidden Fog Sect.”
Tang Chun led Duan Ling Tian into a mountainous forest. As they traveled deeper into the forest, the fog grew thicker as well. It was getting harder to see ahead of them.
In the past, Duan Ling Tian had been to many places that were protected by Formations. However, he had never encountered a fog that seemed so boundless like this one. Naturally, he knew this fog was from a Formation. At one point, the fog was so thick that they could not see past 100 meters. Moreover, their Divine Consciousness was also blocked.
After passing through 99 clouds of fog, Tang Chun finally said, “We’re here.”
The fog cleared up as soon as they arrived at the Hidden Fog Sect’s estate.
Duan Ling Tian saw a vast plain where a huge island floated in the sky. The island was so big that it seemed capable of housing 1,000 cities the size of Skywind City. It looked like a paradise where immortals lived. The island was surrounded by beautiful mountains and shrouded by fog that kept away prying eyes.
“The 99 layers of fog we passed through are from the Sect Guarding Formation that protects the periphery of the estate. Outsiders will have a hard time crossing the layers of fog,” Yang Chun explained, “I’m able to bring outsiders here because of my inner elder’s identity token. Outer elders and inner disciples can only bring one person here. Naturally, outer disciples can’t bring anyone here. Just like inner elders, core disciples are allowed to bring three people here. Those who forcibly enter this place will be attacked by the Sect Guarding Formation. Those weaker than Lords of Gods will definitely die. Even ordinary Lords of Gods will be injured if they barge in.”
With these words, Duan Ling Tian learned about how powerful the Formation was.
Tang Chun continued to say, “Apart from the Formation that protects the boundary of the estate, we have another Sect Guarding Formation protecting the sect. The fog shrouding the island is from that Formation. Without an identity token, you won’t be able to enter the estate. I won’t be able to bring you through that Formation. In order to do that, we’ll need to obtain clearance from the Sect Guardian Pavilion.” He paused for a moment before he said again, “The Sect Guardian Pavilion is responsible for protecting the sect. The members of the pavilion are incredibly loyal to the sect. They’re all death warriors.”
Tang Chun looked around his surroundings vigilantly before he continued to say through Voice Transmission, “The death warriors have taken the Devil Heart’s Blood Oath to be loyal to the sect. If they were to betray the sect, only death awaits them. Only those with positions higher than core elders can bring outsiders into the estate. Everyone else will have to obtain clearance from the Sect Guardian Pavilion before they can bring outsiders into the estate.”
“The Hidden Fog Sect is very strict with security. It’s quite extreme,” Duan Ling Tian said before he asked, “Did something happen in the past that caused the Hidden Fog Sect to be so highly vigilant?”
“According to rumors, that seems to be the case, but I’m not sure what happened,” Tang Chun said with a nod, “There’s no doubt our sect’s security is much stricter compared to other lord-rank forces. In fact, even emperor-rank forces might not be so strict with their security measures.”
Duan Ling Tian was certain something bad must have happened in the past for the Hidden Fog Sect’s security to be so tight. However, since even Tang Chun did not know what happened, it was clear that the high-ranking officials of the Hidden Fog Sect intended to keep the matter a secret.
“Duan Ling Tian, I’ve spoken to the people from the Sect Guardian Pavilion. We’ll have to wait for them to send someone over,” Tang Chun said, “After entering the sect and registering you as a disciple, you’ll be able to enter and leave the estate freely with your identity token.”
Duan Ling Tian nodded.
A few dozen breaths later, a figure emerged from the fog shrouding the floating island. The figure flashed a few times before arriving in front of Duan Ling Tian and Tang Chun. The figure belonged to an aloof middle-aged man who was dressed in a long black robe. He looked at Duan Ling Tian indifferently before he asked Tang Chun, “Elder Tang Chun, is he Duan Ling Tian, the Ten Stars student from the Hidden Fog Academy?”
“Yes.” Tang Chun nodded. Then he introduced the middle-aged man to Duan Ling Tian. “Duan Ling Tian, this is the Third Pavilion Master of the Sect Guardian Pavilion.”
At the same time, Tang Chun explained to Duan Ling Tian through Voice Transmission that there were 10 Pavilion Masters in the Sect Guardian Pavilion. Each Pavilion Master had 100 death warriors as their subordinates. Among the 10 Pavilion Masters, there were two Lords of Gods, and the others were outstanding advanced Kings of Gods. Apart from that, he also learned that the weakest death warrior was a rudimentary King of Gods.
‘The Sect Guardian Pavilion has 1,000 death warriors who are Kings of Gods?’ Duan Ling Tian was rather shocked by this discovery. Considering death warriors were not disciples, their number was truly high. Outwardly, he said, “Greetings, Third Pavilion Master.”
The middle-aged man did not respond to Duan Ling Tian’s greeting. Instead, he only said, “Show me your Ten Stars student’s identity token.”
Duan Ling Tian silently handed his identity token to the middle-aged man. He nodded after confirming Duan Ling Tian’s identity. Following that, an invisible force surged and swept toward Duan Ling Tian.
At the same time, the middle-aged man said, “Don’t resist. Otherwise, you’ll suffer the consequences…”
Duan Ling Tian relaxed his body after?hearing those words. In the next moment, he discovered he had passed through the fog and had entered the Hidden Fog Sect’s estate.
After entering the estate, Tang Chun said, “Thank you, Third Pavilion Master.”
The middle-aged did not spare Tang Chun a glance before he vanished from their sight.
“The members of the Sect Guardian Pavilion are indifferent by nature. You’ll get used to it eventually,” Tang Chun explained with a smile.
Duan Ling Tian nodded in response.
“Let’s go and get you registered,” Tang Chun said to Duan Ling Tian.
With Tang Chun by his side, it only took Duan Ling Tian half an hour to be done with the registration.
“Duan Ling Tian, I have to attend to some matters now. I’ve already sent for someone to show you to the inner disciples’ cultivation ground,” Tang Chun said.
As soon as Tang Chun’s voice fell, a beautiful woman suddenly appeared in front of the duo. The woman was dressed in a long red robe. Although she was not a peerless beauty like Duan Ling Tian’s two wives and Huan’er, she was still a beauty in her own right.
“Greetings, granduncle,” the woman greeted Tang Chun respectfully. A hint of curiosity could be seen in her eyes when she looked at Duan Ling Tian through the corners of her eyes.
“Wu Yan, there’s something I need to deal with so I’ll leave Duan Ling Tian to you. Why don’t you show him around?” Tang Chun said with a smile.
Tang Wu Yan was the Tang clan’s most outstanding member among the younger generation. She was the only one in the clan who managed to become an inner disciple of the Hidden Fog Sect. Her peers were only outer disciples and outer elders.
Tang Chun turned to look at Duan Ling Tian and said with a smile, “Duan Ling Tian, this is my grandniece, Tang Wu Yan. She’s an inner disciple as well. If you have any questions, feel free to ask her.. She’ll bring you to the inner disciples’ cultivation ground as well.”
Chapter 3664
: Tang Wu Yan
Translator:
EndlessFantasy Translation
Editor:
EndlessFantasy Translation
“Wu Yan, look after Duan Ling Tian. I won’t be happy if you neglect him,” Tang Chin said before he left. As soon as he turned away, a meaningful smile could be seen on his face. He had deliberately created a chance for his grandniece to get close to Duan Ling Tian.
When he was dining in the restaurant that was owned by the Zhong clan, he had already thought about introducing Tang Wu Yan to Duan Ling Tian. Based on how outstanding Duan Ling Tian was, if Tang Wu Yan was successful in forging a relationship with Duan Ling Tian, their clan would definitely rise to great heights. However, at that time, Duan Ling Tian had said that he was already married with children so he dismissed that idea.
However, when Tang Chun saw how the Zhong clan humbled themselves in front of Duan Ling Tian, to the point where Zhong Er, the Second Master of the Zhong clan even killed his son to appease Duan Ling Tian, he was determined to play matchmaker.
As one of the top three female disciples in the Hidden Fog Sect, Tang Chun was very confident about Tang Wu Yan’s ability. The number of female disciples was rather low so one could imagine how few outstanding female disciples there were in the Hidden Fog Sect. Apart from that, Tang Wu Yan was widely acknowledged as the Hidden Fog Sect’s most beautiful disciple. Many male disciples would fight over her. There were even core disciples who had asked for her hand in marriage.
Tang Chun would have been happy to marry Tang Wu Yan off to any of the core disciples. After all, core disciples had a bright future ahead of them. Their prospect was even better than his. Unfortunately, Tang Wu Yan was not interested in any of the core disciples.
Tang Wu Yang was very strong-headed so it would be impossible to force her into a marriage with a man she disliked. In fact, it was likely she would choose death rather than being forced to marry someone she did not like. Hence, Tang Chun, who was eager to marry Tang Wu Yan off to someone who could help their clan in the future, decided to try and match her and Duan Ling Tian.
Nevertheless, before Tang Chun left, he sent a Voice Transmission to Tang Wu Yan. “Wu Yan, Duan Ling Tian is already married with kids. If you can’t accept that, then at least try to be friends with him.”
Tang Wu Yan did not reply to Tang Chun’s Voice Transmission.
Although Duan Ling Tian was handsome and had an extraordinary bearing, these things were not important in a world where the strong were revered. To Tang Wu Yan, the man she liked had to be strong. As long as he was strong enough, she would not even care if the man had wives or children. In her opinion, it was normal for powerful men to have multiple wives. Moreover, she was confident about her beauty and was certain she would be able to win the man’s heart no matter how many wives he had.
At this time, Tang Wu Yan glanced at Duan Ling Tian before she said casually, “Follow me.”
Duan Ling Tian silently followed Tang Wu Yan. He naturally knew Tang Chun had deliberately created an opportunity for him to interact with Tang Wu Yan. After all, Tang Chun had mentioned setting him up with Tang Wu Yan when they were still in the restaurant. He would have found it troublesome if Tang Wu Yan had acted enthusiastically. Hence, he was relieved when he saw Tang Wu Yan’s indifference.
“If you have any questions, feel free to ask me,” Tang Wu Yan said as she showed Duan Ling Tian around the estate, pointing out various buildings that house core elders and inner elders to him. The high-ranking officials of the Hidden Fog Sect stayed in a different area. The Heaven and Earth Spirit Energy in the Hidden Fog Sect was the same everywhere so it did not matter where one stayed.
“That’s where the second elder lives,” Tang Wu Yan said as she pointed at a building that looked like a small palace, “His cultivation ground is located in there as well, and his disciples would also cultivate there.”
Duan Ling Tian nodded. At the same time, he recalled the time in the Hidden Fog Academy when he refused the invitation of a young man who claimed to be a disciple of the second elder of the Hidden Fog Sect. At that time, that man was so angered by Duan Ling Tian’s refusal that he almost attacked Duan Ling Tian. In the end, that man was stopped by his companion.
“How many second elders are there in the sect?” Duan Ling Tian asked.
“Only one. There are only 19 ranked core elders in the sect, and the second elder is one of them. The unranked core elders are supreme elders. The supreme elders naturally have higher status than the?19 ranked core elders, and they’re on par with the Vice Sect Leaders at least. Some of the supreme elders are stronger than the Sect Leader; they’re our Sect Leader’s elders. Apart from that, the sect also has 19 guardians, their status is comparable to the Vice Sect Leaders and higher than the 19 ranked core elders.”
When Duan Ling Tian looked at the second elder’s residence, he wondered if Tu Feng was there now.
“Based on our speed, we’ll be arriving at the inner disciples’ cultivation ground within 15 minutes,” Tang Wu Yan said.
It would have taken them only a dozen breaths to get to the inner disciples’ cultivation ground if she did not have to show Duan Ling Tian around.
“Sorry to trouble you,” Duan Ling Tian said with a nod and a smile on his face. As they flew, he saw a familiar figure leaving the second elder’s residence. He could sense the figure’s gaze on him.
‘That’s not Tu Feng…’ Although Duan Ling Tian only caught a glimpse of the figure, he was certain it was not Tu Feng. However, he was not bothered and continued to follow Tang Wu Yan’s lead.
…
Indeed, the figure did not belong to Tu Feng. It was the gray-clad young man who had stood behind Tu Feng when Tu Feng went to see Duan Ling Tian in the Hidden Fog Academy. He was Tu Feng’s fourth junior brother, the second elder’s fourth disciple.
“Isn’t that Duan Ling Tian?” The young man was surprised when he saw Duan Ling Tian. When he regained his senses, he hurriedly sent a message through Voice Transmission. “Huan Li, can you ask Tang Wu Yan who’s the purple-clad young man with her? Don’t tell her that I’m the one who asked. Pretend like it was someone else who saw them.”
Huan Li was an inner disciple of the Hidden Fog Sect who had a good relationship with Tu Feng and his junior brother.
It did not take long for Huan Li’s reply to arrive.
“Meng Xing Hen, do you like Wu Yan as well? Why do you suddenly care about who she’s with?” Huan Li asked teasingly.
“You’re overthinking things. The purple-clad young man looks familiar so I want to know who he is. Anyway, hurry up and ask her. I’ll treat you to a good meal later,” Meng Xing Hen replied.
Meng Xing Hen did not have to wait long for Huan Li’s reply.
“Meng Xing Hen, the purple-clad young man is a Ten Stars student from the Hidden Fog Academy. He just arrived today and joined the sect as an inner disciple. I didn’t expect Vice Sect Leader Murong would recommend a student to join the sect in advance. It’s said he even recommended that student to become a core disciple. That student will be taking the core disciples’ test in half a year. You mentioned he seemed familiar; do you know him?”
“Thank you.” Meng Xing Hen thanked Huang Li but did not answer his question.
He quickly flew away before coming to a stop in front of a building.
“Eldest Senior Brother, are you free?”
Chapter 3665: Unresolved Grudge
“Fourth Junior Brother, did something happen?”
A figure flew out of the building and appeared in front of Meng Xing Hen in just the blink of an eye. It was none other than Tu Feng who had gone to Hidden Fog Academy to express his master’s intention of accepting Duan Ling Tian as a disciple to Duan Ling Tian. After being rejected by Duan Ling Tian, he held a grudge against Duan Ling Tian. He hated Duan Ling Tian to the point where he wished Duan Ling Tian would die before joining the Hidden Fog Sect.
“Eldest Senior Brother, do you still remember Duan Ling Tian, the strongest Ten Stars student from the Hidden Fog Academy who broke the record by accumulating 120,000 points during the Ten Star students’ trial?” Meng Xing Hen asked.
Tu Feng and Meng Xing Hen, who had met Duan Ling Tian once, were shocked when they heard about Duan Ling Tian’s outstanding performance during the Ten Stars students’ trial. Moreover, Duan Ling Tian even survived multiple assassination attempts from the various king-rank forces in Skywind City during the trial.
“How can I not remember him?” Tu Feng said as his eyes glinted coldly, “I heard from our master that Vice Sect Leader Murong recommended that he be allowed to join our sect ahead of time as an inner disciple. In fact, Vice Sect Leader Murong had suggested that he be made a core disciple. I didn’t expect him to arrive so soon.”
“Eldest Senior Brother,” Meng Xing Hen said grimly, “Duan Ling Tian is now an inner disciple. I know you don’t like him, but it’s best that you don’t act against him for now. You should know about the sect’s rules…”
Meng Xing Hen was worried his hot-headed senior brother would get into trouble.
“I know,” Tu Feng said impatiently, “Did you come only to tell me about this?”
“Yes.” Meng Xing Ku smiled wryly. Not only did he come to inform Tu Feng about Duan Ling Tian’s arrival, but he had come to remind Tu Feng not to act recklessly. Otherwise, their master might not even be able to save Tu Feng from the consequences of breaking the sect’s rules.
“In any case, I’m not stupid,” Tu Feng said contemptuously, “Since he has joined the sect, I naturally have ways to deal with him without having to make a move myself. In fact, he’s not worthy of me personally making a move.”
Although Tu Feng was not a core disciple, he was rather popular. This was due to his status as a disciple of the second elder of the Hidden Fog Sect and his cultivation base that was of a King of Gods. After all, a rudimentary King of Gods younger than 10,000 years old was rare among the inner disciples.
“That’s great.” Meng Xing Hen heaved a sigh of relief upon hearing Tu Feng’s words.
“If there’s nothing else, you should cultivate harder so you can break through. Otherwise, it won’t be long before Duan Ling Tian surpasses you,” Tu Feng said dismissively before he left.
Meng Xing Hen watched helplessly as Tu Feng flew into the distance instead of returning to his residence. He knew Tu Feng was already plotting against Duan Ling Tian. After all, he was very familiar with Tu Feng. After being humiliated by Duan Ling Tian, Tu Feng had been holding a grudge against Duan Ling Tian. At that time, there was nothing Tu Feng could do since Duan Ling Tian was in the Hidden Fog Academy. Now that Duan Ling Tian was in the Hidden Fog Sect, he knew Tu Feng would definitely not let go of this chance to seek revenge.
“I hope that Eldest Senior Brother won’t go overboard. It’s rare that Vice Sect Leader Murong placed such great importance on a disciple. He even made two recommendations. It’s clear he thinks highly of Duan Ling Tian,” Meng Xing Hen muttered to himself before he returned to his residence.
Since Tu Feng and Meng Xing Hen were disciples of the second elder, their residences were near their master’s.
…
As they made their way to the inner disciples’ cultivation ground, Tang Wu Yan continued pointing out buildings to Duan Ling Tian.
“That’s where the fourth elders and his disciples live. High-ranking officials in the sect usually live very close to their disciples and relatives since it’s more convenient. Most of the inner disciples living in the cultivation ground don’t have masters in the sect. Some of them won’t accept a master unless it’s a high-ranking official of the sect. There are also the arrogant ones who think even the high-ranking officials aren’t qualified to be their masters. The majority of the inner disciples there are without masters because their performances were deemed ordinary. Moreover, the high-ranking officials also think the inner disciples are beneath them,” Tang Wu Yan said. Then, she glanced at Duan Ling Tian before she sighed and asked, “Although the Vice Sect Leader recommended you twice, he didn’t express his wish to accept you as a disciple, right?”
Duan Ling Tian nodded.
“Do you know why?” Tang Wu Yan asked. Without waiting for Duan Ling Tian’s reply, she continued to say, “Based on your innate talent and comprehension skills, many supreme elders and guardians with the same status as Vice Sect Leader Murong would be more than happy to accept you as their disciple. Have you wondered why that’s not the case for Vice Sect Leader Murong?”
“Why?” Duan Ling Tian asked. In fact, he had wondered about this matter as well. Before he had met Murong Sui Feng for the first time, he was already prepared to refuse Murong Sui Feng when Murong Sui Feng expressed his wish to accept him as a disciple. However, to his surprise, Murong Sui Feng did not bring up this matter at all. He wondered if Murong Sui Feng knew he had rejected Tu Feng’s master, hence, Murong Sui Feng did not bother asking him to become his disciple. However, based on Tang Wu Yan’s words, that was clearly not the case.
“Vice Sect Leader had a disciple he cared about a lot. However, when his disciple passed away, he vowed that he would never accept another disciple in his life,” Tang Wu Yan said with a hint of reverence in her voice, “Although he didn’t swear on the Devil Heart’s Blood Oath, my granduncle said that it’s unlikely he’d accept another disciple again.”
She paused for a moment before she said, “Duan Ling Tian, once news of you arriving at the sect spreads, the supreme elders and guardians will surely try to get you to become their disciples. You should consider the matter of who you’re going to accept as a master carefully. After all, there are many factions in the sect. If you ask me, I think you should join the Skywind City’s Progeny since that’s where you came from. They’ll definitely take great care of you.”
Although Tang Wu Yan was not from Skywind City, she had joined the Skywind City’s First Progeny because of Tang Chun.
“The other progenies will also take great care of you. However, it’d take some time since they’d be wary of you in the beginning. In any case, this is just my suggestion. The choice is still in your hands. The Skywind City’s First Progeny won’t target you even if you decided not to join us. After all, we’re all from the sect.”
Duan Ling Tian smiled faintly upon hearing Tang Wu Yan’s words. “Thanks for the suggestion.”
When they arrived near a mountain range, Tang Wu Yan looked into the distance and said, “The inner disciples’ cultivation ground is behind the mountain peak. There are a few thousand inner disciples in the sect. About 20% of them are disciples of high-ranking officials. The majority of the inner disciples usually cultivate in the cultivation ground. Apart from that, some might have left the sect to cultivate outside while some older inner disciples are outside helping the sect manage its affairs. Hence, there are usually about 1,000 inner disciples at the cultivation ground.”
After passing through the mountain range, the duo arrived in front of a valley. The ground was uneven, and stone houses and wooden houses of different sizes and shapes were scattered everywhere. It seemed like the houses were built by the disciples themselves.
“These houses were built by the inner disciples… Those covered in cobwebs are unoccupied. You can choose to clean it and stay there or you can build your own place,” Tang Wu Yan said, “You can find out more about your responsibility as an inner disciple through the Memory Jade Token given to you during the registration. If there’s anything you’re unsure of, you can speak to me.”
After saying that, she handed her Soul Pearl over to Duan Ling Tian.
“Thank you.” After putting away her Soul Pearl, Duan Ling Tian handed his Soul Pearl to her as well. “Thanks for showing me around today. If you need my help, please feel free to speak to me..”
Chapter 3666: Inner Disciple Manual
Translator:
EndlessFantasy Translation
Editor:
EndlessFantasy Translation
During their entire journey, Tang Wu Yan only showed Duan Ling Tian around and introduced the various buildings to him, she did not talk about anything outside of that.
For this reason, Duan Ling Tian was certain she was not interested in him at all and was only helping him because of Tang Chun.
“It’s nothing so there’s no need for you to feel obligated to say such things,” Tang Wu Yan said with a faint smile. However, she did not reach out to take Duan Ling Tian’s Soul Pearl. It was as though she did not intend to have any contact with him in the future.
“Just take it. Who knows if I’ll be of some help in the future?” Duan Ling Tian said with a smile. He did not like owing others after all. Although this only took a little effort on Tang Wu Yan’s part, he knew she would not usually be tasked to show new disciples around. Naturally, he knew that Tang Chun had only arranged for her to show him around in hopes that he would take a liking to her. Apart from that, during their short time together, he could sense the pride and arrogance that were etched in her bones. In his two lives, he had only met a handful of women with such arrogance and pride.
“Alright.” Tang Wu Yan nodded in the end. A hint of helplessness could be seen on her face when she accepted Duan Ling Tian’s Soul Pearl.
Duan Ling Tian who noticed her expression could not help but smile bitterly. He rarely gave out his Soul Pearls, but one of the few times he took the initiative to give out his Soul Pearl, he was refused.
“I’ll take my leave then,” Tang Wu Yan said before she left, “Remember to have a look at the Inner Disciple Manual that’s contained in the Memory Jade Token. It’ll save you a lot of trouble down the line.”
“Okay.” Duan Ling Tian nodded faintly as he watched Tang Wu Yan leave. Then, he made his way to the cultivation ground of the inner disciples. Instead of building a house, he chose to stay in a vacant stone house.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
With a wave of his hand, a gust of wind swept through the stone house, clearing the cobwebs and dust away. In just a blink of an eye, not even a speck of dust could be seen in the house.
After entering the house, Duan Ling Tian looked at the Formation compass that had been given to him during his registration. The Formation compass was given to the disciples so they could place it at their cultivation place to avoid being disturbed. It also served to protect the disciples since the Formation could keep everyone who was weaker than Kings of Gods out. If the Formation was destroyed, the inner elders responsible for protecting the disciples would also be alerted.
Duan Ling Tian sat cross-legged on the bed before he brought out the Memory Jade Token.
“Inner Disciple Manual.”
As soon as he extended a strand of his Divine Consciousness into it, a huge load of information appeared in his mind immediately.
The introduction of the manual contained some of the basic rules. There were the Hidden Fog Sect’s rules and rules specifically for the inner sect. Along with that were detailed descriptions of the punishments for breaking the rules. The rules were similar to the laws on earth to maintain order.
The manual held a lot of information, hence, it took Duan Ling Tian several hours before he was finished with the manual. With that, his understanding of the Hidden Fog Sect deepened as well.
“The Hidden Fog Sect is only a lord-rank force, but it’s still so wealthy. Every inner disciple is given ten taels of divine rocks every month. Even if I don’t collect my divine rocks, they’ll accumulate, and I can collect them at a later date.”
Although Duan Ling Tian possessed a few hundred thousand taels of divine rocks, he was still impressed when he thought about the Hidden Fog Sect giving 10 taels of divine rocks to so many inner disciples. With just inner disciples, the sect was already giving away tens of thousands of divine rocks a month. Moreover, this did not include the divine rocks allocated for the core elders, inner elders, outer elders, guardians, core disciples, and outer disciples.
“The cultivation environment here is indeed better than that of the academy. There’s also the Heavenly Stairs Battle for the inner disciples who are gods and Kings of Gods respectively. The top ranker will be handsomely rewarded as well. One can choose from different rewards or ask for something equal in value…”
Due to the rewards, Duan Ling Tian was rather excited about the Heavenly Stairs Battle. Since the core disciples’ test was still half a year away, he should have plenty of time to participate in the Heavenly Stairs Battle.
After that, Duan Ling Tian decided to leave his stone house to ask someone about the competition. As soon as he stepped outside, he saw a figure flying out from a wooden house and hurriedly intercepted that figure.
“What’s the matter?” The other person looked at Duan Ling Tian warily.
“Hello,” Duan Ling Tian said, somewhat embarrassed. After all, it was rude to suddenly obstruct someone’s path. He asked, “Excuse me. I just wanted to ask when’s the upcoming Heavenly Stairs Battle?”
“Heavenly Stairs Battle?” The young man that Duan Ling Tian intercepted had an ordinary appearance and a medium build. He furrowed his brows as he looked at the unfamiliar purple-clad young man and asked, “Are you a new inner disciple?”
The young man was certain Duan Ling Tian was a newcomer because he had never seen Duan Ling Tian before and also because of Duan Ling Tian’s question.
“Yes.” Duan Ling Tian nodded slightly.
“The next Heavenly Stairs Battle is in four months,” the young man said somewhat impatiently, “Now that I answered your question, can you step aside?”
“My apologies.” Since Duan Ling Tian knew his action could be considered rude, he apologized and stepped aside. His mind was only filled with thoughts about the Heavenly Stairs Battle at this moment.
‘I have another four months. During this time, I should try breaking through to become an advanced god. If I succeed, ranking at the top won’t be shocking,’ Duan Ling Tian thought to himself.
Although Duan Ling Tian was certain he would be able to rank first despite only being an intermediate god, he thought it would attract too much attention and trouble. Due to envy and jealousy, who knew if there were those who would make an attempt on his life? Although the sect provided ample cultivation resources, there was still a limit to them. There would be those who were unwilling to share these resources with another person.
Although Duan Ling Tian did not fear any of the inner disciples, he could not dismiss their masters who were elders of the Hidden Fog Sect. Even if the elders could not act openly against him, it would be easy for them to act in the dark.
“If possible, I should try to find a backer in the sect. However, accepting a master is out of the question. After all, I already have a master,” Duan Ling Tian muttered to himself. He felt a headache coming on when he thought about this matter. “Let it be. Let’s just take one step at a time for now.”
With that, Duan Ling Tian returned to the stone house to cultivate.
…
At some point, Duan Ling Tian was woken up by a disturbance to his Formation. Although whoever was outside did not force their way in, he or she had still triggered the Formation’s alarm.
When Duan Ling Tian emerged from the stone house, he saw a middle-aged man and a young man.
The middle-aged man was dressed in a long cyan robe. Although he was rather handsome, he looked rather gloomy.
On the other hand, the young man’s appearance was ordinary. He looked a little dull, but his eyes were bright.
“Are you looking for me?” Duan Ling Tian asked with a frown as he sized up the two strangers.
“You’re new here?” the middle-aged man asked Duan Ling Tian.
“Do you have a problem with that?” Duan Ling Tian bluntly asked.
“This stone house is my eldest brother’s cultivation place. He’ll be returning soon. Since you’re new here, I won’t say much, but it’s best you vacate the stone house.”
“Your eldest brother’s cultivation place?” Duan Ling Tian raised an eyebrow.
Perhaps, if he did not read the Inner Disciple Manual, he might have apologized and vacated the stone house. However, the Inner Disciple Manual had clearly stated that the vacant houses could be occupied by any of the inner disciples. Based on the cobwebs that hung on the house when he arrived, it was clear the house had stood empty for a while now.
“That’s right.” The middle-aged man nodded. A hint of impatience flashed in his eyes as he said, “My eldest brother built this house. Since you’re a newcomer, you should leave as soon as possible.”
“Why?” Duan Ling Tian asked. Since the people in front of him were also inner disciples, he did not believe they were unaware of the rules. He had just arrived not too long ago, but these two people had already come knocking on his door. He felt this matter was not simple.
“What? You don’t want to leave?” The middle-aged man’s expression hardened immediately. “You’re just an intermediate god. You’re not a match for me, an advanced god!”
The dull-looking young man sneered at this moment as he suddenly exuded an oppressive aura.
Duan Ling Tian looked at the middle-aged man expressionlessly as he asked, “Not a match for you? Are you sure?”
Chapter 3667: Duan Ling Tian Finally Comes Out of Closed-door Cultivation
Translator:
EndlessFantasy Translation
Editor:
EndlessFantasy Translation
The middle-aged man was taken aback by Duan Ling Tian’s confidence. Despite being an advanced god, he was ranked bottom among the inner disciples who were advanced gods. In fact, some of the more outstanding intermediate gods had strength on par with his.
A hint of fear flashed in the middle-aged man’s eyes as he mulled over the reason why an intermediate god was so confident facing an advanced god.
Similarly, fear could be seen in the dull-looking young man’s eyes as he asked, “Who are you?”
Duan Ling Tian said mockingly, “You don’t even know who I am, but you dare disturb me when I’m cultivating? Did the person who sent you here not tell you about me?”
At this time, Duan Ling Tian was rather certain the person who sent these two people here to look for trouble with him was Tu Feng, the disciple of the second elder of the Hidden Fog Sect. Hence, he added, “Perhaps, I should be more direct. Did Tu Feng not tell you about me before he sent you here?”
The duo’s expressions changed drastically.
Although Tu Feng did not explicitly tell them to look for Duan Ling Tian, they had indeed come because of Tu Feng. Earlier, they were chatting with Tu Feng when Tu Feng mentioned there was a newcomer whom he wanted to teach a lesson to. The duo decided to take matters into their own hands since it did not seem difficult to look for trouble with a newcomer. They could claim credit in front of Tu Feng at that time, and Tu Feng might even reward them. However, it was beyond their expectations that Duan Ling Tian was calm even after they threatened him.
Seeing the duo’s silence, Duan Ling Tian smiled and said, “I’m Duan Ling Tian.”
The duo’s expression changed again upon hearing Duan Ling Tian’s words.
“Y-you’re Duan Ling Tian?”
“You’re that Ten Stars student from Skywind City’s Hidden Fog Academy?!”
The duo began to panic. They had naturally heard about the monstrous genius from the Hidden Fog Academy. News about Duan Ling Tian’s outstanding performance during the Ten Stars students’ trial had long spread in the Hidden Fog Sect. They knew he was only 3,000 years old but had already become an intermediate god and comprehended triple Fused Profundities from the law of space, which was one of the Four Supreme Laws.
Although the duo was much older than Duan Ling Tian, they had only comprehended two or three double Fused Profundities. Although they were advanced gods, they knew they were no match for Duan Ling Tian. Even if they joined forces, they would only fight to a draw at most.
All of that aside, a monstrous genius like Duan Ling Tian definitely had a bright future ahead of him. The duo knew it would be disastrous if they offended Duan Ling Tian. As long as no accidents happened, Duan Ling Tian would definitely surpass them.
The duo exchanged a look and saw the regret in each other’s eyes as they communicated through Voice Transmission. They would not have acted so boldly if they knew their target was Duan Ling Tian.
“We’re too naive! We should’ve known Senior Brother Tu Feng wouldn’t have asked for Senior Brother Qi’s help if he wanted to deal with an ordinary inner disciple.”
“We can only blame ourselves for acting rashly…”
At the same time, Duan Ling Tian said with a nod, “Indeed, I’m from Skywind City’s Hidden Fog Academy. Based on your earlier words, it seems like you want to challenge me to a duel. I accept your challenge.”
The middle-aged man forced a smile on his face as he hurriedly said, “Junior Brother Duan, I-I was just j-joking. Anyone can occupy the vacant houses. Since it was vacant when you moved in, you can naturally stay here.”
“Is that so?” Duan Ling Tian stared at the middle-aged man intently.
“Yes, yes,” the middle-aged man hastily said before turning to the young man next to him and said, “Hurry up and help me say something as well!”
With this, the young man regained his senses and chimed in, “That’s right. It’s just a joke, Junior Brother Duan!”
“It didn’t seem like a joke to me. Tell me the truth, and I’ll let this matter go,” Duan Ling Tian said as he narrowed his eyes.
The duo exchanged a look before they turned to look at Duan Ling Tian and told him everything they knew through Voice Transmission.
“Junior Brother Duan, please forgive me for disturbing you.”
“Junior Brother Duan, you best keep an eye out on Senior Brother Qi Yu. He’s one of the top ten strongest gods among inner disciples. His comprehension should be on par with yours. He’s comprehended a triple Fused Profundity from the law of wind.”
‘Qi Yu? He comprehended a triple Fused Profundity from the law of wind?’ Duan Ling Tian’s narrowed eyes glinted frostily.
Initially, he had wondered why Tu Feng sent two weak gods to teach him a lesson. As it turned out, the duo took the initiative to look for trouble with him in order to curry favor with Tu Feng.
“Junior Brother Duan, if there’s nothing else, we’ll take our leave now. Sorry for bothering you.”
With that, the duo hurriedly left before Duan Ling Tian could even respond.
‘Am I that scary?’ Duan Ling Tian was stunned when he saw the speed at which the duo vanished. He shook his head and returned to his stone house.
He continued cultivating, hoping to break through and become an advanced god so his performance during the Stairway to Heaven Competition would not be too shocking. After all, he did not want to attract unnecessary attention.
“I have a few months left before the Heavenly Stairs Battle. I should be able to become an advanced god by then. Moreover, I still have the leftover efficacy from the Dragon Pattern Divine Grass.”
Subsequently, Duan Ling Tian began to immerse himself in cultivating. He activated the Formation compass he had been given so as to avoid being disturbed. Unless the Formation was destroyed, he would not be alerted to all the small commotions outside. He had even cast a Formation that functioned like an alarm clock, which he had learned during his last month in the Hidden Fog Academy, to remind him of the time.
Hence, for the next few months, Duan Ling Tian cultivated undisturbed.
…
Duan Ling Tian lost track of time as he tried to break through and become an advanced god using the Dragon Pattern Divine Grass’ leftover efficacy.
Alas, before he could do so, he was woken up by the alarm-like Formation that he had cast to wake him up on the morning of the Heavenly Stairs Battle.
“Time’s up? I was so close…” Duan Ling Tian sighed, feeling helpless. He was on the brink of achieving a breakthrough, after all. He needed only a few more days to break through the bottleneck but was interrupted at the critical point.
While he was lost in his thoughts, a voice rang from outside his stone house.
“Duan Ling Tian, you’re finally out of your closed-door cultivation.”
It was none other than Tang Wu Yan, Tang Chun’s grandniece.
Since he was in closed-door cultivation over the past few months, he had been unreachable until now.
Chapter 3668: The Auspicious Pill
Translator:
EndlessFantasy Translation
Editor:
EndlessFantasy Translation
“What’s the matter?” Duan Ling Tian was not surprised Tang Wu Yan knew he had woken up from his closed-door cultivation. After all, many of the inner disciples had seen him; some of them must have informed her about it.
“Over the last three months, Qi Yu, who’s ranked in the top ten among inner disciples with the cultivation base of a god, has been challenging you to duel, but there was no response from you. A lot of people thought you’re too afraid to accept the challenge. Naturally, there are some who realize you’re in closed-door cultivation. However, it seems like someone’s deliberately spreading the rumor that you’re a coward. Duan Ling Tian, you should just ignore these people. Don’t let their words affect you,” Tang Wu Yan said.
“Don’t worry. I won’t,” Duan Ling Tian replied. He could tell Tang Wu Yan was sincerely concerned. However, with his experience in the mundane realm to the Devata Realms and the Realms of Gods, how could he be affected by such trivial matters?
Although Duan Ling Tian only responded with a few words, Tang Wu Yan could tell that based on his calmness, he was truly unruffled by the rumors. After a brief moment, she asked, “Are you planning to compete in the Heavenly Stairs Battle?”
“Yes,” Duan Ling Tian said with a nod.
Tang Wu Yan smiled and said, “Alright. Good luck. I hope you do well!”
Tang Wu Yan no longer said anything after that. She did not even mention if she was going to be present during the battle.
Duan Ling Tian followed the inner disciples who were leaving the cultivation ground. He knew they were all going to the Heavenly Stairs Battle’s venue.
The Heavenly Stairs Battle was an important event for the inner disciples to show their talents and skills.
As he made his way to the venue, Duan Ling Tian recalled the thing he had learned about the Heavenly Stairs Battle from the Inner Disciple Manual. If he took it literally, it seemed like the battle was to see who could climb the highest. Naturally, he knew it was not going to be that simple.
The Heavenly Stairs Battle was created by the founders of the Hidden Fog Sect. Initially, its purpose was to train the disciples. As time passed, it evolved and became an event where inner disciples competed with one another. The sect seemed happy with this development and tried to motivate the disciples by putting up extraordinary rewards for the person who ranked first in the battle.
Duan Ling Tian overheard the conversations between the inner disciples around him as he continued to walk.
“It’s said that the person who ranks first this time in the King of God and god divisions of the Heavenly Stairs Battle will be rewarded with the Auspicious Pill and the Tribulation Defense Fruit respectively.”
‘The Auspicious Pill?’ Duan Ling Tian was stunned. He did not expect the Hidden Fog Sect to be so generous as to offer the Auspicious Pill as a reward.
The Auspicious Pill was created specifically for gods. Even an advanced god who was not particularly talented was guaranteed to become a King of Gods after consuming the Auspicious Pill. This pill was tremendously useful in helping gods become Kings of Gods.
There was a rumor that an extraordinary god had broken through and became an advanced god. After that, he directly took nine Auspicious Pills and became a rudimentary King of gods. Having two breakthroughs in a day was normal in the Realms of Gods. Many emperor-rank and supreme-rank forces would provide their prodigies with various resources to facilitate two breakthroughs in a day. Hence, one can imagine how highly coveted the Auspicious Pill was.
‘The god who ranks first and the King of Gods who ranks first will be rewarded with the Auspicious Pill and the Tribulation Defense Fruit respectively.’
Duan Ling Tian had heard of the Tribulation Defense Fruit as well. Unlike the Auspicious Pill that was refined using various rare medicinal herbs, the Tribulation Defense Fruit was a product of heaven and earth. It did not boost one’s cultivation, but it would help Kings of Gods withstand the Heavenly Tribulations.
Kings of Gods had to face the Heavenly Tribulation once every 1,000 years. The tribulations would get increasingly difficult, and those who could not raise their cultivation bases in time would be killed by the Heavenly Tribulation. For this reason, apart from anticipation, there were also many advanced gods who feared becoming Kings of Gods. Advanced gods’ cultivation bases could stagnate, and it would not be a problem. On the contrary, the consequences would be deadly if a King of Gods’ cultivation base stagnated since they would be unable to withstand the Heavenly Tribulation.
The Tribulation Defense Fruit could help a King of God avoid the Heavenly Tribulation once. After consuming the fruit, a defensive barrier would appear to help the King of God partially block the damage from the Heavenly Tribulation. If a King of God only had a 50% chance of surviving the Heavenly Tribulation, with the Tribulation Defense Fruit, his or her chances of survival would increase to 80%.
‘The Hidden Fog Sect is truly generous!’ Duan Ling Tian exclaimed inwardly. He was amazed by the wealth of the lord-rank force.
“Young Master Duan!”
A voice rang in the air, pulling Duan Ling Tian back to his senses. Since the voice was unfamiliar, he did not look back. However, the owner of the voice flew over and stood in his way. He asked, “Who are you?”
The person who stood in front of Duan Ling Tian was a tall and burly middle-aged man. His eyebrows slanted up at the sides, and he wore a determined expression on his face. A hint of fear could be seen on his face as he said, “Young Master Duan, my name is Zhong Tian Nu. I’m a disciple of the Zhong clan.”
Zhong Tian Nu was not only a disciple of the Zhong clan, but he was also the adopted son of Zhong Da, the Clan Leader of the Zhong clan. Although he had no blood relations to the Zhong clan, he was raised to be loyal to the clan since he was young. Moreover, when he was young, Zhong Da had tricked him into taking the Devil Heart’s Blood Oath, swearing to be loyal and to only serve the Zhong clan. For this reason, the Zhong clan entrusted him with many important tasks. Today, he had been entrusted by Zhong Da to deliver the things to compensate Duan Ling Tian.
Since Duan Ling Tian was in closed-door cultivation over the past few months, Zhong Tian Nu was unable to deliver the compensation to Duan Ling Tian. With the commencement of the Heavenly Stairs Battle, he was certain he would be able to meet Duan Ling Tian today.
“Young Master Duan, I’m here to pass you these things on behalf of my godfather,” Zhong Tian Nu said.
“Your godfather?” Duan Ling Tian was puzzled.
Zhong Tian Nu explained, “My godfather is Zhong Da, the Clan Leader of the Zhong clan. Young Master Duan, everything is kept in this spatial ring.”
Duan Ling Tian accepted the spatial ring. After claiming ownership of the spatial ring, he took a look at the content. He was surprised when he saw the piles of divine rocks, rare medicinal herbs, divine fruits, and pill bottles that were already labeled.
‘Auspicious Pills?’ Duan Ling Tian was further stunned. The Hidden Fog Sect was only rewarding the winner with one Auspicious Pill after all.
‘How many Auspicious Pills are in this bottle?’ Duan Ling Tian wondered inwardly as he used his Divine Consciousness to sense the number of pills in the bottle.
One, two, three…
Chapter 3669: The Heavenly Stairs Battle
Translator:
EndlessFantasy Translation
Editor:
EndlessFantasy Translation
Auspicious Pills could help an advanced god become a King of God. Duan Ling Tian was naturally interested in this reward for the person who ranked first in the Heavenly Stairs Battle’s division for gods.
He had seriously weighed the pros and cons of participating in the Heavenly Stairs Battle. Although he was just an intermediate god, he was confident about winning the battle. However, it would draw a lot of attention for an intermediate god to rank first. Even among the advanced gods who were inner disciples, there were not many who had comprehended triple Fused Profundities. People would definitely wonder how an intermediate god like him managed to rank first. Nonetheless, in the end, he decided to take the risk for the reward. He thought he had made the right decision when he heard the reward was going to be an Auspicious Pill. Imagine his feelings now that he discovered the Zhong clan had not only given him piles of divine rocks and other valuable things, but they had also given him more than one Auspicious Pill.
‘Five Auspicious Pills!’ Duan Ling Tian could barely contain his excitement when he discovered five Auspicious Pills in the pill bottle. With these pills, he did not have to take the risk and rank first in the Heavenly Stairs Battle.
‘I didn’t expect the Zhong clan would give up five Auspicious Pills,’ Duan Ling Tian thought to himself. It seemed like the Zhong clan was sincere about compensating him. The other things aside, with just a glance, he could tell the Zhong clan had given him at least 1,000,000 taels of divine rocks.
‘A king-rank force like the Zhong clan likely possesses 2,000,000 taels of divine rocks at most. These divine rocks here should be half of their fortune. Apart from that, they could have just given me one or two Auspicious Pills, and I would be none the wiser. Why did they give me five? Are they afraid of incurring my wrath?’ Duan Ling Tian wondered curiously. He had never met Zhong Da before, but he was truly impressed by Zhong Da’s generosity.
“Young Master Duan,” Zhong Tian Nu said respectfully, “My godfather wants me to ask you if you’re satisfied with this compensation?”
“Yes.” Duan Ling Tian nodded. His eyes glinted as he thought to himself, ‘I was planning to annihilate the Zhong clan, but since your leader is so sincere, I’ll only kill those who tried to kill me.’
Although the instigator, Zhong Ke Qi, was dead, Duan Ling Tian did not have any intention of letting the others who were involved go. He would return to seek revenge once he had grown strong enough.
“Thank you, Young Master Duan,” Zhong Tian Nu said as he sighed in relief. Then, he moved to the side to make way for Duan Ling Tian. Following that, he sent a message back to Zhong Da.
Meanwhile, some of the inner disciples discussed among themselves as they watched Duan Ling Tian.
“Who’s that? Is he a newcomer? I’ve never seen him before.”
“Based on how respectful Zhong Tian Nu was to him, he must have an extraordinary background.”
At this time, someone said, “What? You don’t know him? Haven’t you heard about the newcomer who joined us recently? You know, the person whom Senior Brother Qi has been challenging over the past months?”
Qi Yu was one of the top strongest gods among the inner disciples. He was famous as well during his time at the Hidden Fog Academy.
Someone exclaimed, “So he’s Duan Ling Tian from Skywind City’s Hidden Fog Academy?”
“Duan Ling Tian? The person Vice Sect Leader Murong recommended joining the Hidden Fog Sect ahead of time? It’s said that his innate talent and strength are extraordinary. He’s not even 3,000 years old, but he has already an intermediate god and has comprehended triple Fused Profundities.”
“It’s not just that. The law he comprehended is the law of space, one of the Four Supreme Laws. If I’m not mistaken, no one in our sect who’s below the age of 4,000 has comprehended a triple Fused Profundity from any of the Four Supreme Laws.”
“Duan Ling Tian is truly a monstrous prodigy. I heard he’ll be taking the core disciples’ test as well. Initially, Vice Sect Leader Murong recommended that the sect make him a core disciple.”
“Not all inner disciples are qualified to take the core disciples’ test. I didn’t expect Vice Sect Leader Murong to recommend him. After all, there’s a limit to how many times the high-ranking officials can recommend someone to be an inner disciple or core disciple.”
Although Duan Ling Tian was a distance away, he could still clearly hear the conversations in his surroundings. He only just found out that inner disciples could only take the core disciples’ test if they had a recommendation.
Soon after, Duan Ling Tian came to a stop with the others.
A flight of brightly lit stairs hung in the air.
A person hovered in front of the stairs, receiving a token from an expressionless old man. Then, that person disappeared up the stairs.
Not long after, a spot of light lit up on the first step when the disciple entered it. Then, the the spot of light vanished from the first step and appeared on the second step. However, when he reached the spot of light reached the third step, the light dimmed. Soon after, he exited.
At this time, a young man standing near Duan Ling Tian shouted, “Hu Jun, you still can’t pass the third step of the stairs?”
After returning the token to the old man, Hu Jun approached the young man. His expression was dark as he tossed a few divine rocks over to the young man. Then, he said, “Don’t get ahead of yourself. You’ll have to return these divine rocks to me if you can’t climb up to the fourth step of the stairs.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll definitely succeed!” the young man said with a smile. Then, he flew over to the old man. After receiving the token, he began to climb up the stairs. Light began to light up in his wake as he climbed the stairs.
‘Is the stairs part of a Formation?’ Duan Ling Tian wondered inwardly. Then, he extended a strand of his Divine Consciousness to probe the stairs only to discover his Divine Energy was blocked by another force.
At this time, while Duan Ling Tian was deep in his thoughts, a figure appeared next to him and called out, “Duan Ling Tian.”
Before Duan Ling Tian could respond, the people in the surroundings began to whisper among themselves.
“It’s Tang Wu Yan!”
Not only was Tang Wu Yan among the top three strongest female inner disciples, but she was also acknowledged as the most beautiful female disciple in the Hidden Fog Sect. She was even more famous than Qi Yu in the Hidden Fog Sect.
Duan Ling Tian nodded with a smile on his face at Tang Wu Yan.
When Tang Wu Yan saw the confused expression on Duan Ling Tian’s face as he watched the Heavenly Stairs Battle, she was reminded of herself when she first watched the battle. She naturally knew what was going on in his mind so she said, “Duan Ling Tian, the Inner Disciple Manual only briefly describes the history of the Heavenly Stairs Battle. I bet you don’t know much about the stairs, right?”
Duan Ling Tian nodded.
Tang Wu Yan continued to say, “The stairs might look like it’s from an Illusory Formation, but that’s only partially true. It only looked like stairs outside; it’s just an illusion. However, when you climb up the stairs, you’re led into many small independent realms in there. These small realms are guarded by inner disciples who committed crimes. Some of them have been imprisoned there for 100,000 years when the sect itself isn’t even 200,000 years old. In order to climb up the stairs, you’ll have to defeat those in that independent realm.”
Duan Ling Tian nodded as he listened to Tang Wu Yan’s explanation. In other words, the Heavenly Stairs were just a prison for those disciples of the Hidden Fog Sect who committed crimes. They were isolated in small realms and could not raise their cultivation bases in there. To him, death was better than being imprisoned in such a place.. The prisoners had nothing to do, and their interactions with the outside world were only with inner disciples who participated in the Heavenly Stairs Battle.
Chapter 3670: The Heavenly Stairs Token
Translator:
EndlessFantasy Translation
Editor:
EndlessFantasy Translation
‘Death would be better than being imprisoned in there.’ Duan Ling Tian could not help but shudder when he thought about the inner disciples imprisoned in the Heavenly Stairs. It was likely that most of them had lost their sanity.
At this time, Tang Wu Yan said, “There are many of them who took their own lives since they could not stand being in there.”
“If the participants can’t defeat the prisoners, doesn’t it mean the participants will be killed by the prisoners?” Duan Ling Tian asked.
“This is very unlikely to happen unless the participants are reckless. I’m sure you noticed by now that participants are given tokens before they climb the stairs. Those are called the Heavenly Stairs Tokens. If participants can’t defeat their opponents, they can crush the token and be transported out. The chances are very low for participants to be unable to crush the tokens in time,” Tang Wu Yan explained.
Duan Ling Tian learned a lot after listening to Tang Wu Yan. As it turned out, the tokens not only kept track of time but functioned like a life-saving token as well.
At this time, the young man who had made a bet with Hu Jun had already climbed up to the third part of the stairs while Hu Jun looked at the stairs intently, waiting for the results.
Meanwhile, the male inner disciples looked at Duan Ling Tian enviously. The most beautiful female disciple in the Hidden Fog Sect who was usually aloof and taciturn was conversing with him for so long, after all.
“Among the gods, how high do they usually climb?” Duan Ling Tian asked.
The Heavenly Stairs had 19 steps in total. The steps below the 12th step flashed with spots of light, but the steps above were dim. On the 11th step, there was only one spot of light.
“During the previous Heavenly Stairs Battle, three gods managed to climb to the eighth step. One of them was Qi Yu, the inner disciple who has been challenging you over the past few months,” Tang Wu Yan replied, “Among the three, the person who stayed on the eighth step the longest was considered the winner. Although Qi Yu performed well, he was only ranked third.”
Based on this, Duan Ling Tian could infer that the spots of light from the ninth step onward represented the Kings of Gods since the top god only climbed to the eighth step.
“The rankings will be shown above the stairs. The sect will reward those who rank at the top as you already know,” Tang Wu Yan said.
Duan Ling Tian was rather excited to challenge the Heavenly Stairs after listening to Tang Wu Yan’s explanation.
At this time, the flashing spot of light on the third step suddenly vanished.
Soon after, the young man appeared and returned the divine rocks back to Hu Jun. Then, he said furiously, “D*mn it! I was so close to climbing past the third step, but that fellow suddenly fought as though his life depended on it nearing the end! Whatever! So what if he won? He’ll die soon enough living in such a place.
“Stop talking nonsense. A loss is a loss. Everyone only has one chance to participate in the Heavenly Stairs Battle. You’ll have to wait for the next round to redeem yourself,” Hu Jun said, grinning ear to ear now that he regained the divine rocks he had lost earlier.
At this time, someone exclaimed, “Look! Senior Brother Qi Yu has reached the eighth step!”
Duan Ling Tian instinctively looked up and saw a spot of light flashing on the eighth step.
“Senior Brother Qi Yu has reduced the time he spent on the seventh step!”
‘Qi Yu?’ Duan Ling Tian smirked. Although he had yet to meet Qi Yu, he knew Qi Yu was sent by Tu Feng to trouble him. That was the reason Qi Yu had persistently challenged him over the past few months.
...
After a while, it was finally Duan Ling Tian’s turn.
“Elder, I’m Duan Ling Tian, an intermediate god. I’m here to challenge the Heavenly Stairs,” Duan Ling Tian said to the old man in front of the Heavenly Stairs.
This was the standard greeting of the disciples participating in the Heavenly Stairs Battle. Usually, the old man did not pay much attention to the greetings, but this time, he looked in surprise when he heard Duan Ling Tian’s name. He asked, “You’re Duan Ling Tian from Skywind City’s Hidden Fog Academy?”
“Yes.” Duan Ling Tian nodded.
“After hearing so much about you, I finally got to meet you. Good luck,” the old man said with a rare smile on his face as he handed a token to Duan Ling Tian, “This token will be activated once you channel your Divine Energy into it. If you want to leave, send a strand of your Divine Consciousness into it.”
“Thank you, elder,” Duan Ling Tian said before he entered the Heavenly Stairs.
Many of the inner disciples began to focus their attention on Duan Ling Tian again when they saw the elder’s attitude toward Duan Ling Tian.
“That’s that monstrous talent from Skywind City’s Hidden Fog Academy!”
“No wonder Tang Wu Yan treats him differently!”
“What nonsense are you spouting? I don’t think our sect’s goddess treated him any differently!”
“That’s right. Our goddess stood quite a distance from him so I’m sure they’re just ordinary acquaintances.”
Duan Ling Tian was not around to hear the conversations, but Tang Wu Yan heard it all. Nonetheless, she did not pay attention to the whispers. Instead, a hint of curiosity flashed in her eyes as she looked at the flashing spot of light that represented Duan Ling Tian.
In the beginning, she had been indifferent toward Duan Ling Tian, but she felt like her ego had been hit when Duan Ling Tian ignored her. When she was showing him around the sect, he did not pay much attention to her at all. It was as though he did not see her beauty at all. She was someone who took great pride in her beauty. With his indifference, her self-esteem naturally suffered a blow. She was one of those women who ignored men who were interested in them and were interested in men who ignored them.
...
Duan Ling Tian was naturally unaware of the messy thoughts in Tang Wu Yan’s mind. He had just entered the first small realm. It was dark and resembled the space in spatial rings.
Swoosh!
A flame suddenly lit up.
Duan Ling Tian saw a sloppy figure in front of him. They were standing in the middle of a barren valley at this moment, across from each other. Beyond the valley was only darkness since the realm was isolated.
“The Heavenly Stairs Battle has started again?” The sloppy young man who was sitting cross-legged rose to his feet slowly. His body burned with flames from the law of fire.
“Yes.” Duan Ling Tian nodded.
“You can attack first,” the young man said.
“You’re no match for me,” Duan Ling Tian bluntly said.
Duan Ling Tian had already used his Divine Consciousness to probe his opponent. He discovered his opponent was just an intermediate god. Moreover, his opponent had yet to comprehend all the profundities from the law of fire to the mastery stage.
“You’re just an intermediate god like me. How can you be so confident when we’ve yet to fight?” the young man said hoarsely.
Duan Ling Tian shook his head. The air seemed to freeze as he cast the profundities from the law of space.
Silence descended immediately.
After a moment, the young man said, “I... I surrender.”
Chapter 3671: Qi Yu
Translator:
EndlessFantasy Translation
Editor:
EndlessFantasy Translation
Subsequently, the sloppy young man raised his hand and pointed at the air. A crimson energy shot out and struck the space barrier.
Duan Ling Tian instantly felt a pulling force sweeping in from all directions. His surroundings alternated between darkness for a while before he realized he had arrived at a new place.
This realm was not as dark as the one before. A huge luminous pearl hung in the air, illuminating the entire place.
Duan Ling Tian found himself standing in a stone forest with various tall rocks. For a long time, he did not see anyone else at all. He knew he had climbed to the second step, meaning he was now in the second small realm. As for why he did not see anyone, he speculated his opponent must be hiding.
Duan Ling Tian swept his surroundings with his Divine Consciousness and soon detected an aura hidden behind a huge rock not far away.
As soon as the person sensed Duan Ling Tian’s Divine Consciousness, he revealed himself immediately. He was a young man with a stern expression. He was dressed in a spotless blue robe, and he looked clean. He was the total opposite of the sloppy young man from the first small realm. He did not look like he had been imprisoned in this place for a long time.
Swoosh!
The stern young man looked at Duan Ling Tian indifferently. Without saying a word, he mobilized his Divine Energy that had been boosted with the law of water.
Duan Ling Tian finally discovered why the young man remained clean despite being imprisoned here. As it turned out, the young man had comprehended the law of water. He could sense the young man was much stronger than the sloppy young man he had met in the first small realm. This young man had comprehended all of the profundities from the law of water to the mastery stage. However, the young man had yet to comprehend any Fused Profundities. Similar to the sloppy young man, he was also an intermediate god.
Duan Ling Tian silently made his move. In just a moment, a raging spatial energy swept out, easily crushing his opponent’s attack before injuring and sending his opponent flying.
The young man spat out a mouthful of blood before he looked at Duan Ling Tian fearfully. As though he was afraid Duan Ling Tian would attack again, he hurriedly activated the Teleportation Formation to send Duan Ling Tian away.
Just like that, Duan Ling Tian had reached the third step and entered the third realm. Like before, he had easily defeated his opponent.
The inner disciple imprisoned in the third small realm was still an intermediate god. He had comprehended all of the profundities of the law of metal to the mastery stage and had begun to comprehend double Fused Profundities. Needless to say, his strength was still inferior to Duan Ling Tian’s. In just a second, he was defeated by Duan Ling Tian with just one move.
The situation was the same on the fourth and fifth steps.
However, on the sixth step, Duan Ling Tian had to expend more effort to defeat his opponent. Naturally, this was only because he was hiding his true strength. If he had used all his strength, he would have defeated his opponent in just a blink of an eye.
On the seventh step, Duan Ling Tian’s opponent was an advanced god who had comprehended a double Fused Profundity.
Since Duan Ling Tian was unwilling to use his full strength, he was having difficulties dealing with his opponent.
‘Hmm?’ When Duan Ling Tian was in the midst of the battle, he discovered his Divine Energy had suddenly surged. Then, he realized he had successfully broken through the bottleneck and became an advanced god.
‘I had a breakthrough?’
Seeing that Duan Ling Tian had a breakthrough, not only was his opponent fearless, but his opponent charged forward even more aggressively than before. This was because he knew it took time for one’s foundation to stabilize after a breakthrough and for one’s Divine Energy to transform. He planned to launch a sneak attack at this moment. If he was successful, he was sure he would win the battle.
Swoosh!
Alas, Duan Ling Tian had foreseen his opponent would make a move. He teleported again and again as his opponent attacked in a flurry.
Just as Duan Ling Tian’s cultivation base stabilized along with his Divine Energy, his eyes flashed coldly. He stopped teleporting before he said, “Since you have a death wish, I’ll fulfill your wish!”
As his opponent charged forward again, Duan Ling Tian cast the Mastery Dao, one of the Four Daos of Heaven and Earth. Spatial energy raged around him, killing his opponent in just an instant.
This was the first person he killed since he entered the Heavenly Stairs. He did not kill his previous opponents since they did not have conflicts between them.
After killing his opponent, Duan Ling Tian sat cross-legged on the ground to further stabilize his cultivation base and facilitate the transformation of his Divine Energy.
…
Outside of the Heavenly Stairs.
Most of the eyes of the inner disciples, including Tang Wu Yan, were glued to the Heavenly Stairs. To be precise, they were glued to the spot of light that represented Duan Ling Tian.
Earlier, the spot of light had risen rapidly from the first to the sixth step. Finally, it had slowed down. In fact, after waiting for a while, they discovered the spot of light stayed on the seventh floor. It did not dim, but it did not move up to the eighth step.
Seeing this, one inner disciple sighed. “I think the seventh step is as far as he’ll go.”
“The fact that he managed to reach the seventh step despite being an intermediate god is amazing enough. As expected of the monstrous prodigy from Skywind City’s Hidden Fog Academy. He really lives up to his reputation!”
“That’s right! Even the ten strongest inner disciples couldn’t reach the seventh step when they were still intermediate gods.”
“Even if he can’t move up from the seventh step, he should still be proud of himself.”
Tang Wu Yan did not pay attention to the conversations around her. Instead, she was staring at the spot of light that represented Duan Ling Tian. At the same time, a hopeful expression could be seen on her face.
At the same time, a spot of light on the eighth floor vanished, and a person appeared outside of the Heavenly Stairs. He was a tall and handsome young man dressed in a brown and blue robe. As soon as he appeared, he attracted the attention of many female disciples. They looked at him with bright eyes as though they wished they could pounce him immediately.
“Senior Brother Qi Yu!”
“Senior Brother Qi Yu has come out. Although he still has yet to climb past the eighth step, he stayed on the eighth step longer than before. I feel like he’s going to rank first this time!”
“Senior Brother Qi Yu is really amazing!”
The inner disciples looked at Qi Yu and praised him to the high heavens. Their optimism toward Qi Yu was a stark contrast to their pessimism toward Duan Ling Tian.
Qi Yu was clearly pleased by the praises, based on the proud expression on his face. When he saw Tang Wu Yan, his eyes lit up, and his expression softened immediately. He returned the Heavenly Stairs Token back to the elder before he walked over to Tang Wu Yan and asked with a smile, “Junior Sister Wu Yan, did you just arrive or did you just come out from the Heavenly Stairs?”
“Senior Brother Qi Yu,” Tang Wu Yan greeted Qi Yu before saying, “I’ve yet to enter the Heavenly Stairs.”
“Oh?” Qi Yu asked, “Are you going to enter now then? Junior Sister Wu Yan, I remember you were on the seventh step for quite a long time previously and even made it into the top ten. This time, you must have a greater chance of climbing up to the eighth step. It seems like I’ll have the honor of watching you advance to the eighth step today.”
Qi Yu was very enthusiastic toward Tang Wu Yan. Naturally, this was because he liked Tang Wu Yan. This matter was not a secret in the Hidden Fog Sect. Many male inner disciples did not dare to express their affection to Tang Wu Yan due to their fear of Qi Yu.
“I don’t plan to challenge the Heavenly Stairs for now. I’m waiting for my friend to come out,” Tang Wu Yan replied. She was not particularly cold nor friendly toward Qi Yu.
Although Qi Yu was rather strong, his reputation was rather bad. As far as Tang Wu Yan knew, there were no fewer than five female inner disciples who had intimate relations with him. Those female disciples did not seem to mind his promiscuity so as an outsider, Tang Wu Yan did not have an opinion on it either. Nonetheless, her impression of Qi Yu was not good.
“Your friend? Who is it? Do I know him?” Qi Yu asked with a smile.
“I think so,” Tang Wu Yan glanced at Qi Yu as she slowly said, “After all, Senior Brother Qi Yu, you’ve been challenging him once every month over the past three months.”
Qi Yu’s eyes widened as he asked with a hint of disbelief, “Junior Sister Wu Yan, the friend you mentioned is Duan Ling Tian?”
“Yes.” Tang Wu Yan nodded. Then, she turned back to look at the spot of light that represented Duan Ling Tian without sparing another glance at Qi Yu.
Upon seeing this, Qi Yu’s expression soured as he clenched his hands tightly. His eyes glinted coldly as he followed the direction of Tang Wu Yan’s gaze. Previously, he only targeted Duan Ling Tian because of Tu Feng. However, because of Tang Wu Yan, even if Tu Feng did not say anything, he would still continue to challenge Duan Ling Tian.
This was the first time Qi Yu had seen Tang Wu Yan showing so much interest in a man, after all. He had never received such treatment from her before. How could he not be jealous of Duan Ling Tian?
…
Duan Ling Tian was unaware that Qi Yu had left the eighth step nor was he aware that Qi Yu now held a personal grudge against him.
After becoming an advanced god and stabilizing his cultivation base and Divine Energy, he rose to his feet and muttered to himself, “Alright, let’s advance to the eighth step.”
Chapter 3672: Xue Hai Shan
Translator:
EndlessFantasy Translation
Editor:
EndlessFantasy Translation
In fact, after killing his opponent on the seventh step, Duan Ling Tian had felt the pulling force from the Teleportation Formation trying to send him to the eighth step. However, when he found he could withstand the pulling force, he decided to further stabilize his cultivation base and Divine Energy after becoming an advanced god.
After he was done, he finally allowed him to be taken away by the pulling force.
In just a blink of an eye, Duan Ling Tian found himself hovering above a literal sea of blood. He could smell the metallic stench of blood rising from the sea. When he did not see or sense anyone with his Divine Consciousness, a vague idea appeared in his mind.
He rose higher up into the sky and stood with his hands on his back as he asked tonelessly, “You can create such life-like illusions with your bloodline power and hide your aura from my Divine Consciousness; I have to say you’re quite impressive. However, I’ll have to disappoint you if you think you’ll be able to catch me off guard.”
As soon as Duan Ling Tian’s voice fell, the sea began to bubble as though it was boiling. After a moment, the sea vanished into thin air, and a middle-aged man dressed in a dark red robe appeared in front of Duan Ling Tian. The middle-aged man was tall. He had a pair of piercing eyes. His eyebrows and stern expression made him look fierce. As soon as he appeared, he said, “Not bad. You managed to discover this is from my bloodline power.”
Now that the sea of blood had vanished, Duan Ling Tian found himself in a plain field.
“Since I’ve been brought here, how could there be no one around? Since I couldn’t detect you with my Divine Consciousness, it’s only obvious that I’d figure out what was happening,” Duan Ling Tian replied.
“You’re quite smart. In the past, I killed quite a few inner disciples before they could even react. They didn’t even have a chance to leave the Heavenly Stairs,” the middle-aged man said confidently with a sinister smile, “I’ve been so bored during my time here. The only fun I have is playing with the inner disciples who come here. Since you’re rather smart, I’ll try not to kill you.”
“Kill me?” Duan Ling Tian smiled faintly. “Oh, then I’ll have to thank you for sparing my life.”
“Brat, are you mocking me?” the red-clad middle-aged man said with a sneer, “Very well. You’ll soon have a taste of despair. I, Xue Hai Shan, is the strongest among the inner disciples imprisoned on the eighth step.”
Xue Hai Shan moved as soon as he finished speaking. Divine Energy surged from his body, boosted by the law he comprehended. With a flick of his finger, everything seemed to have frozen.
Duan Ling Tian was slightly surprised when he felt the familiar energy. ‘The law of time?’
It did not take long for Duan Ling Tian to figure out that Xue Hai Shan, the advanced god imprisoned here, had comprehended the law of time, one of the Four Supreme Laws. The law of time was also the most mysterious law.
Since one could control time with the law of time, it made the law difficult to guard against.
Duan Ling Tian could also tell Xue Hai Shan had already comprehended one triple Fused Profundity from the law of time.
“Although you’ve only comprehended one triple Fused Profundity from the law of time, it’s indeed enough to make you the strongest among the prisoners on the eighth step,” Duan Ling Tian said as Divine Energy surged out from his body. Then, he cast two triple Fused Profundities consecutively.
A terrifying spatial energy swept out, colliding with Xue Hai Shan’s law of time, preventing the law of time from affecting Duan Ling Tian.
The law of space was also one of the Four Supreme Laws and was not inferior to the law of time even if the law of time was more mysterious.
With two triple Fused Profundities, Duan Ling Tian managed to keep the law of time at bay.
Upon seeing this, Xue Hai Shan’s arrogant expression was replaced by an expression of disbelief. He exclaimed in shock, “Y-you… You comprehended two triple Fused Profundities from the law of space?!”
There was a reason why Xue Hai Shan was confident he was the strongest among those imprisoned on the eighth step. Despite all the prisoners on the eighth step being advanced gods who had comprehended one triple Fused Profundity, he was the only one who had comprehended a supreme law. Hence, this gave him an edge over the others.
Now that he was facing an opponent who not only comprehended a supreme law but also comprehended two triple Fused Profundities, he was at a loss. He felt hopeless and helpless. After all, he knew now he was no match for Duan Ling Tian.
“Do you want to continue?” Duan Ling Tian asked. Without waiting for a reply, the spatial energy raged like a storm, easily pushing Xue Hai Shan’s attack back.
Xue Hai Shan scoffed coldly with a sour expression on his face before he brought out a small and square flag that was inscribed with complex patterns. After he channeled his Divine Energy into it, his offensive strength soared immediately. For a while, not only did he seem to be able to rival Duan Ling Tian, but it also seemed like he could pressure Duan Ling Tian.
“Do you think you’re the only one with a mediocre divine artifact?” Duan Ling Tian asked tonelessly. Inwardly, he was rather surprised that Xue Hai Shan would bring out a divine artifact with a soul. Naturally, he was not afraid. With just a wave of his hand, he brought a sword, which was a divine artifact with a soul, out.
Swoosh!
After imbuing the sword with his Divine Energy, he swung it with all his might.
At the same time, the spatial energy converged before transforming into a huge sword ray.
Duan Ling Tian’s attack easily destroyed Xue Hai Shan’s attack before it landed on Xue Hai Shan.
Xue Hai Shan’s crimson robe was immediately shredded. His body was riddled with wounds in just a blink of an eye. His face was pale, and an expression of despair could be seen on his face.
Although Duan Ling Tian had held back at the last minute, Xue Hai Shan still suffered minor injuries due to his close proximity to Duan Ling Tian’s attack.
Swoosh!
When a gust of wind blew past them, Xue Hai San felt stinging pain from his wounds. Despite the pain, he was overjoyed. After all, he was certain he would die just a moment ago. Then, he bowed and hastily said, “Thank you for showing mercy, sir! I, Xue Hai Shan, will forever remember your kindness. May I ask for your name?”
“Duan Ling Tian,” Duan Ling Tian replied. He had spared Xue Hai Shan’s life because earlier, Xue Hai Shan had said he would not kill him.
“Duan Ling Tian. Alright, I’ll remember your name!” Xue Hai Shan nodded. “If I manage to leave this place in the future, I’ll definitely repay this favor!”
Duan Ling Tian did not take Xue Hai Shan’s words to heart. After all, most of the inner disciples had committed a great crime to be imprisoned here. It would be a long time before they were released. Moreover, Xue Hai Shan was weaker than him. Hence, he did not think Xue Hai Shan would be able to repay the favor.
Before Duan Ling Tian left, Xue Hai Shan reminded him, “When you’re on the ninth step, you shouldn’t hesitate to use your token to leave when you encounter any danger. Moreover, once you climbed up the ninth floor, you would’ve broken all the record.”
“Are the prisoners on the ninth step and above all Kings of Gods?” Duan Ling Tian asked.
Xue Hai Shan replied, “Over 90% of them are Kings of Gods. There are few advanced gods who have comprehended two triple Fused Profundities; you’d be lucky to encounter them. If you encounter a King of Gods, it’d be difficult for you to defeat him even if his comprehension of the law is only mediocre. Try to hold on as long as you can on the ninth step. However, don’t hesitate to leave as soon as you encounter danger.”
“Alright.” Duan Ling Tian nodded.
“Hey, let’s drink together after I leave this place!” Xue Hai Shan said before sending Duan Ling Tian to the ninth step with the Teleportation Formation.
After Duan Ling Tian vanished into thin air, Xue Hai Shan said with a sigh, “I didn’t expect there’d be an advanced god who has comprehended two triple Fused Profundities in the Hidden Fog Sect. Moreover, the law he comprehended is the law of space, one of the Four Supreme Laws.”
Even before Xue Hai Shan was imprisoned, disciples like Duan Ling Tian were a rarity. Perhaps, only his younger brother, Xue Hai Chuan, was as talented.
“More than 10,000 years have passed, I wonder how’s that kid, Hai Chuan, is doing? With his innate talent and comprehension skills, he must be a Lord of Gods now, right? At the very least, he should be an advanced King of Gods now…” Xue Hai Shan muttered to himself.
…
Meanwhile, there was a huge uproar outside of the Heavenly Stairs.
“Heavens! Duan Ling Tian climbed up to the ninth step!”
“Am I seeing things?”
Chapter 3673: The Prisoner on the Ninth Step of the Heavenly Stairs
Translator:
EndlessFantasy Translation
Editor:
EndlessFantasy Translation
Duan Ling Tian’s reputation had long preceded him in the Hidden Fog Sect. Perhaps, only those who were in closed-door cultivation were the only ones who had yet to hear about him.
Moreover, over the past three months, Qi Yu, one of the top ten inner disciples in the Hidden Fog Sect, had repeatedly challenged Duan Ling Tian, causing Duan Ling Tian to become even more famous.
Many people were looking forward to Qi Yu and Duan Ling Tian’s fight, after all. Most of them were confident Qi Yu would win the fight. Although Duan Ling Tian had comprehended triple Fused Profundities from the law of space, Qi Yu had also comprehended triple Fused Profundities from the law of wind. Moreover, Qi Yu was already an advanced god while Duan Ling Tian was just an intermediate god. With that, even if Duan Ling Tian had comprehended one of the Four Supreme Laws, it would still be difficult for Duan Ling Tian to defeat Qi Yu.
Today, Duan Ling Tian stuck out even more since Tang Wu An had shown that she had a good relationship with him. Most importantly, his performance during the Heavenly Stairs Battle was too shocking. They did not expect him to make it to the eighth step. They would not have been surprised if he was an advanced god, but he was just an intermediate god. How was it possible for an intermediate god to reach the eighth step?
Similar to the others, Qi Yu was also shocked that Duan Ling Tian successfully climbed up to the eighth step. He thought to himself, ‘It’s already amazing that he managed to pass the seventh step and climb up to the eighth step. However, considering how long he took on the seventh step, it’s likely he won’t be able to hold out for long on the eighth step.’
However, not long after that, Qi Yu was shocked again.
After advancing to the eighth step, it did not take long before Duan Ling Tian advanced to the ninth step.
The difficulty on the eighth step far surpassed that of the seventh step. There was a reason why even the strongest inner disciples with the cultivation of god could not make it past the eighth step. To climb to the ninth step, they would have to kill or defeat their opponents.
Everyone was naturally shocked by Duan Ling Tian’s feat.
“Duan Ling Tian actually climbed up to the ninth step?! Heavens! He actually passed the eighth step!”
Tang Wu Yan wore a surprised expression on her pretty face. “H-he actually passed the eighth step?”
Although Tang Wu Yan had never been to the eighth step before, she had climbed up to the seventh step, after all. The opponents on the seventh step were very strong. She could not defeat her opponents at all, hence, she failed to advance to the eighth step. How could she not be shocked that Duan Ling Tian passed the eighth step and advanced to the ninth step?
At this time, many people began to speculate among themselves.
“Do you think the person who’s imprisoned on the eighth step went easy on him?”
“Went easy on him? Impossible! You know they’re prisoners of the Hidden Fog Sect who used to be inner disciples. With every win, their sentence would be reduced! How could they have gone easy on him?”
“Nonetheless, there have been cases where those prisoners went easy on the participants for various reasons. For example, some of them had lost the will to live or they were familiar with their opponents.”
Rumors, when repeated enough, would suddenly gain credibility. As the inner disciples continued to speculate, more and more people were convinced that Duan Ling Tian only managed to advance to the ninth step because the prisoner on the eighth step had gone easy on him.
Qi Yu sneered. “So what if he’s ranked first? No one believes in his strength anyway!”
Although Tang Wu Yan also thought it was likely that the prisoner on the eighth step went easy on Duan Ling Tian, she felt uncomfortable when she heard Qi Yu’s words. Hence, she said, “Senior Brother Qi Yu, you can’t say that. There’s a chance he defeated his opponent fair and square.”
Qi Yu said with a smile, “Junior Sister Wu Yan, he spent so much time on the seventh step. With that, do you really think he’d be able to defeat his opponent fair and square?”
Tang Wu Yan frowned as she said, “It’s possible that he had a breakthrough on the seventh step and spent time stabilizing his cultivation base before he advanced to the ninth step.”
“Breakthrough? How could there be such a coincidence?” Qi Yu shook his head. However, at the mention of a breakthrough, he felt slightly frightened. After all, he could still intimidate Duan Ling Tian if Duan Ling Tian was an intermediate god. However, once Duan Ling Tian broke through and become an advanced god, he would no longer be able to suppress or intimidate Duan Ling Tian anymore.
…
Meanwhile, Duan Ling Tian successfully entered the small realm on the ninth step after Xue Hai Shan from the small realm on the eighth step activated the Teleportation Formation.
This time, Duan Ling Tian found himself above beautiful mountains and rivers. He saw an elegant figure dressed in a white robe standing at the peak of a mountain with his hands on his back. He was a middle-aged man who looked like a scholar. Although his appearance was ordinary, his temperament and bearing were extraordinary. One would not miss him even in a sea of people.
“Not bad. You managed to come here despite only being an advanced god,” the middle-aged scholar said tonelessly.
Before the middle-aged scholar finished speaking, Duan Ling Tian felt the other party’s Divine Consciousness sweep over him lightly. After reciprocating the action, he exclaimed in shock, “You’re an advanced god as well?”
Based on Xue Hai Shan’s earlier words, Duan Ling Tian knew he was lucky that his opponent on the ninth step was an advanced god. After all, most of the prisoners on the ninth step were Kings of Gods with just a few advanced gods.
‘Xue Hai Shan said that the advanced gods imprisoned on the ninth step have all comprehended at least two triple Fused Profundity… It seems like my opponent is such a person.’
Upon seeing the shock on Duan Ling Tian’s face, the middle-aged scholar asked expressionlessly, “Are you surprised?” Then, he said pridefully, “However, I’m different from the advanced gods you faced previously. If I’m not mistaken, your opponent on the eighth step is an advanced god who had comprehended a triple Fused Profundity, right? Let me tell you, I can kill that kind of person with just a strike.”
“I believe you,” Duan Ling Tian said as he nodded, “Since you’re imprisoned on the ninth step, you’re definitely stronger than those on the eighth step. However, I’m rather curious about something… Why did the Hidden Fog Sect imprison a powerful cultivator like you? You’re an advanced god who had comprehended two triple Fused Profundities. Someone like you is rare in the Hidden Fog Sect.”
After Duan Ling Tian finished speaking, he waited for the middle-aged scholar’s reply.
“It seems like you know quite a lot,” the middle-aged scholar said as he looked at Duan Ling Tian with a deep gaze, “Perhaps, if I had committed another crime, the sect might overlook it due to my talent. Do you know what crime I committed?”
“What?” Duan Ling Tian was startled.
“I killed my master, the former Sect Leader of the Hidden Fog Sect,” the middle-aged scholar replied with a grin, revealing two rows of white teeth.
Upon hearing these words, Duan Ling Tian trembled slightly. He was shocked his opponent had killed his master. Not only that, but his opponent master was the former Sect Leader of the Hidden Fog Sect. His gaze turned into one of disgust as he continued to look at the middle-aged scholar.
“What? Do you despise me?” the middle-aged man asked with a smirk, “Do you know why I killed him?”
The middle-aged scholar’s voice turned solemn as he said, “He ordered the annihilation of my clan and said he did it for me! Thousands of lives were lost because of him!”
At the same time, a ferocious cyan energy rose from the middle-aged scholar’s body.
“Could you be mistaken?” Duan Ling Tian frowned. He did not understand why the Sect Leader of the Hidden Fog Sect would annihilate his disciple’s clan.
“Mistaken? Of course not! When the assassin he sent to kill my family returned to report to him, I overheard their conversation! How could I be mistaken? Back then, I told him that I had no wish of becoming the next Sect Leader of the Hidden Fog Sect. I want to return to my clan and lead the clan to greater heights.. I had hoped that my clan would join the ranks of king-rank or lord-rank forces! He was unhappy with my decision. He did not want me to return to my clan so he killed everyone!”
Chapter 3674: Do You Have a Death Wish?
Translator:
EndlessFantasy Translation
Editor:
EndlessFantasy Translation
The middle-aged scholar grew more and more agitated as he spoke.
Duan Ling Tian could sense the middle-aged scholar’s bitterness and hatred. He now understood why the Hidden Fog Sect would imprison such a talented cultivator. With the crime the middle-aged scholar had committed, even if the sect did not kill him, they definitely would not set him free. Otherwise, it would only bring disaster to the sect in the future.
Since the middle-aged scholar was chosen to be the next Sect Leader of the Hidden Fog Sect, Duan Ling Tian knew the man had to be highly talented. With that, how could the Hidden Fog Sect let a potential threat continue to grow stronger? The small realms in the Heavenly Stairs that restricted one’s cultivation base from advancing were the best place to imprison the middle-aged scholar.
“So you’re sentenced to life in here?” Duan Ling Tian asked.
“What do you think?” The middle-aged scholar sneered as he said, “I was only over 2,300 years old when I became an advanced god and comprehended two triple Fused Profundities from the law of wind. Only a few people in the history of the sect achieved this. The only reason they didn’t kill was so they could use me to train the disciples of the sect! How could they let me out? It’s natural that I was sentenced to life.”
The middle-aged scholar smiled mockingly as he said, “The Hidden Fog Sect is a dignified lord-rank sect, but they’re so cowardly! They were even afraid of an advanced god like me back then! How ridiculous!”
Duan Ling Tian was surprised by the middle-aged scholar’s achievements when he was younger.
“Alright, enough of this,” the middle-aged scholar finally said, “Boy, do you want to leave on your own or do you want me to send you out?”
The middle-aged scholar’s Divine Energy that had been boosted with the law of wind surged violently as he looked at Duan Ling Tian intently.
Duan Ling Tian smiled. “Although I don’t plan to pass the ninth step, I’m afraid you’re not capable of sending me out of here if I’m unwilling.”
“Very well. Then, have a taste of my strength.”
As soon as the middle-aged scholar finished speaking, he made a move.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
A hurricane spun around the middle-aged scholar’s body as a terrifying energy swept toward Duan Ling Tian like a starving beast.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Duan Ling Tian’s spatial energy surged out and easily devoured the violent and storm-like energy.
The middle-aged man’s expression changed drastically as he exclaimed in shock, “Y-you’ve comprehended triple Fused Profundities from the law of space?!”
There were eight profundities in a law. Naturally, with so many profundities, one could comprehend many triple Fused Profundities. It was not limited to just one or two. Needless to say, the more one comprehended, the stronger one would be.
When Duan Ling Tian attacked, he had used three triple Fused Profundities from the law of space to destroy the middle-aged scholar’s attack. He had done it with the ease he had when defeating Xue Hai Shan from the eighth step.
Boom!
At this time, the surging spatial energy landed heavily like a giant hammer on the middle-aged scholar, sending him flying back.
At the critical moment, Duan Ling Tian restrained his strength. Otherwise, the middle-aged scholar would have died.
“You!” When the middle-aged man regained his senses, his face turned pale with fright. He watched as the purple-clad young man standing in the distance brought out the Heavenly Stairs token to leave.
“He’s not advancing to the tenth step?” The middle-aged scholar was puzzled as he watched Duan Ling Tian leave.
When a thought suddenly appeared in his mind, he reached out to wipe the blood off the corner of his mouth and smiled. He muttered to himself, “It seems like he’s trying to maintain a low profile. After all, no advanced gods had ever made it to the tenth step of the Heavenly Stairs in the history of the Hidden Fog Sect. Even the strongest advanced god in the history of the sect only made it to the ninth step.”
Then, he sighed, feeling slightly embarrassed. ‘To think he’s even more talented than I was back then. I didn’t think such a person would appear in the Hidden Fog Sect.”
...
Outside of the Heavenly Stairs.
As people watched the spot of light that represented Duan Ling Tian, they all thought Duan Ling Tian would be soon eliminated.
Even Tang Wu Yan thought the same.
However, they were surprised when Duan Ling Tian had yet to come out even after a long time.
“Is he really so strong that he manages to hold on against his opponent on the ninth step?! Otherwise, how could he last for so long?”
“Impossible! There must be another reason!”
Many people shook their heads. They did not believe Duan Ling Tian was capable of holding his ground for so long against his opponent on the ninth step.
“He took such a long time to pass the seventh step. It’s impossible for him to be able to hold out for so long.”
“That’s right! There must be another reason for this!”
“Exactly! I’m even more convinced now that the prisoner on the eighth step of the Heavenly Stairs went easy on him!”
Naturally, no one would be able to guess that Duan Ling Tian stayed on the ninth step for so long because he was chatting with his opponent.
After a while...
Swoosh!
Under everyone’s expectant gazes, Duan Ling Tian appeared before everyone’s eyes after the spot of light on the ninth step went dark.
Needless to say, everyone assumed Duan Ling Tian was sent out after being defeated by his opponent.
“Duan Ling Tian’s here!”
“I still can’t believe he climbed up to the ninth step! If nothing changes, then he’ll definitely rank first this time!”
“How lucky.”
Duan Ling Tian ignored the conversations in his surroundings and handed the Heavenly Stairs token to the old man guarding the Heavenly Stairs. “Elder, this is my token.”
The old man asked curiously, “You fought with the prisoner on the ninth step for so long?”
Duan Ling Tian shook his head, “No, the battle ended quickly with just one move.”
Everyone, disciples and elders alike, assumed that Duan Ling Tian was defeated by his opponent with just a move. Not even in the wildest dreams would they be able to imagine that it was the other way around.
Everyone continued looking at Duan Ling Tian curiously, urging him with their eyes to tell them why he was at the ninth step for so long.
“We chatted for a while,” Duan Ling Tian said.
His response naturally shocked everyone. It did not cross their minds that he was on the ninth step for so long because he was chatting with his opponent.
‘How could he be so lucky? He even found an opponent to chat with!’
Many disciples had tried to engage their opponents in conversations in hopes of prolonging their time in the small realms. However, they were always ruthlessly sent out of the Heavenly Stairs.
“How lucky,” Qi Yu said in a voice dripping with mockery as he sneered.
Qi Yu’s voice was very clear due to the quietness in the surroundings.
Duan Ling Tian looked at Qi Yu for a moment before he said with a faint smile, “Indeed, I’m lucky. However, even if you’re as lucky as me, you still won’t be able to beat me.”
Qi Yu’s expression soured immediately. After a moment, he said contemptuously, “Duan Ling Tian, did you finally decide to stop being cowardly? Since you’re here now, why don’t you accept my challenge? Don’t tell me you’re afraid and plan to hide like a tortoise?”
“Challenge?” Duan Ling Tian did not respond for a while, confused as to why the stranger in front of him was so hostile.
At this time, Tang Wu Yan stepped forward and said, “Duan Ling Tian, he’s Qi Yu, the one who has been challenging you over the past three months.”
“Qi Yu?” Realization dawned on Duan Ling Tian immediately. “So he’s the mad dog that Tu Feng sent to attack me.”
Tang Wu Yan, who was standing in front of Duan Ling Tian, was stunned. She did not expect Duan Ling Tian to openly call Qi Yu a mad dog. When she regained her senses, she asked through Voice Transmission, “Duan Ling Tian, you have a conflict with Senior Brother Tu Feng?”
Although Tu Feng was also an inner disciple, his status was higher than that of ordinary inner disciples. After all, not only was he a King of God, but he was also the disciple of the second elder of the Hidden Fog Sect.
Duan Ling Tian was highly talented and had good comprehension skills, but it was still not wise of him to provoke Tu Feng. Hence, Tang Wu Yan was slightly concerned.
“Personally, I don’t care about him at all. He’s the one who’s holding a grudge,” Duan Ling Tian said with a shrug.
Before Tang Wu Yan could respond, Qi Yu said icily, “Duan Ling Tian, do you have a death wish?”
Chapter 3675: The Extreme Martial Arena
Translator:
EndlessFantasy Translation
Editor:
EndlessFantasy Translation
As soon as Qi Yu’s voice fell, everyone fell silent. The tense atmosphere made them nervous as they looked at Duan Ling Tian and Qi Yu.
“I have a death wish?” Duan Ling Tian looked at Qi Yu with a deep gaze as he asked, “What? Do you think you can kill me?”
Qi Yu scoffed. He said derisively, “Duan Ling Tian, just because you climbed to the ninth step due to luck, don’t tell me you really think you’re that great? Our rankings aren’t an accurate representation of our strength. Oh, right, you’re just a newcomer so you’re unaware of this.”
In Qi Yu’s opinion, since Duan Ling Tian spent such a long time on the seventh step of the Heavenly Stairs, it was definitely impossible for Duan Ling Tian to pass the eighth step. He was convinced Duan Ling Tian had only managed to do so because his opponent had gone easy on him. Although it was rare, it was not unprecedented. Moreover, Duan Ling Tian had also just said he was defeated with just a move after advancing to the ninth step. Duan Ling Tian was only on the ninth step for a long time because he was chatting with his opponent. For all these reasons, despite Duan Ling Tian’s superior ranking, he did not think Duan Ling Tian was stronger than him. He attributed Duan Ling Tian’s ranking to his luck.
“Luck?” Duan Ling Tian raised an eyebrow. “Alright, let’s fight then.”
“Do you think I’m afraid of you?” Qi Yu sneered. “Very well. Do you dare to fight me at the Extreme Martial Arena?”
The Extreme Martial Arena was where members of the Hidden Fog Sect carried out challenges. During a fight in the arena, one could choose to admit defeat. However, if one did not admit defeat or could admit defeat in time, there would be no consequences if one was killed.
For sparring sessions, members of the Hidden Fog Sect would go to the Martial Square that was located below the Extreme Martial Arena.
“Extreme Martial Arena? Senior Brother Qi Yu wants to fight Duan Ling Tian in the Extreme Martial Arena?”
“Heavens! If one can’t surrender in time, one’s opponent can kill one without any repercussions!”
“Is their enmity that deep? It seems like Senior Qi Yu plans to kill Duan Ling Tian in the arena before Duan Ling Tian can surrender!”
The inner disciples were shocked. Some of them who loved to watch a show were filled with excitement and anticipation.
At this moment, Tang Wu Yan said through Voice Transmission, “Duan Ling Tian, don’t be impulsive. If you fight in the Extreme Martial Arena, you’ll die if you can’t surrender in time. Qi Yu won’t be punished for killing you as well!”
“I know. I’ve already learned about the Extreme Martial Arena from the Inner Disciple Manual,” Duan Ling Tian calmly said with a smile on his face.
Qi Yu was even more jealous when he heard Duan Ling Tian’s words to Tang Wu Yan. He could naturally guess Tang Wu Yan had sent Duan Ling Tian a Voice Transmission to dissuade Duan Ling Tian from fighting in the Extreme Martial Arena. With this, he said sarcastically, “Duan Ling Tian, the genius from Skywind City, do you dare to accept my challenge?”
At this moment, an aged voice rang in Duan Ling Tian’s ears.
“Duan Ling Tian, don’t be rash. Don’t agree to it if you’re not confident about winning.”
Duan Ling Tian looked up in surprise. The Voice Transmission was from the inner elder guarding the Heavenly Stairs.
“Elder, don’t worry. I never do things I have no confidence in,” Duan Ling Tian replied through Voice Transmission. Then, he looked at Qi Yu and said, “Lead the way.”
Qi Yu was briefly stunned by Duan Ling Tian’s response. When he regained his senses, he sneered and proceeded to lead Duan Ling Tian to the Extreme Martial Arena.
The crowd erupted in an uproar immediately.
“Duan Ling Tian actually accepted the challenge!”
“I really don’t understand why he accepted the challenge. Since Senior Brother Qi Yu proposed fighting in the Extreme Martial Arena, clearly, he’s very confident about winning.”
“An intermediate god actually dared to accept the challenge from an advanced god?”
Tang Wu Yan frowned when she saw Duan Ling Tian disregarding her advice. Then, she hurried over to catch up with Duan Ling Tian. When she caught up with him, she said through Voice Transmission again, “Duan Ling Tian, remember to surrender if you feel like you can’t hold on anymore. As long as you surrender, Qi Yu won’t be able to kill you without facing punishment! The elders on duty at the arena will also protect you.”
Duan Ling Tian was already aware of these things. Nevertheless, he still thanked Tang Wu Yan.
Except for those who were still in the Heavenly Stairs and the inner elder guarding it, everyone went to the Extreme Martial Arena excitedly as well.
In fact, the inner elder guarding the Heavenly Stairs would have gone to the Extreme Martial Arena as well if he did not have to guard the Heavenly Stairs.
At this time, an inner disciple who had just come out from the Heavenly Stairs looked around in confusion. “Where’s everyone?”
No one was around except for the inner elder on duty.
After learning about what had happened, the inner disciple hurried to the Extreme Martial Arena as well.
‘I can’t believe Senior Brother Qi Yu and Duan Ling Tian are going to fight in the Extreme Martial Arena! I can’t miss this exciting show!’
Along the way, the inner disciple would recount what happened to others he encountered. With this, even more people made their way to the Extreme Martial Arena.
At the same time, the inner elder guarding the Heavenly Stairs sent a message to an elder whom he had a good relationship with.
“Elder Peng, if I’m not mistaken, you’re on duty at the Extreme Martial Arena now, right?”
The other party’s reply came quickly. “Yes. What’s the matter?”
The elder said, “Please update me about the outcome of Qi Yu and Duan Ling Tian’s fight at the Extreme Martial Arena. Duan Ling Tian is the disciple that Vice Sect Leader Murong recommended to join the sect. If he’s in danger, I hope you’ll help me remind him to surrender through Voice Transmission. He’s actually very polite. Moreover, he’s highly talented. He’ll definitely be of great help to the sect in the future.”
“What? Qi Yu and Duan Ling Tian are coming to fight in the Extreme Martial Arena? Never mind, they just arrived. Alright, don’t worry. I don’t such a genius to die so pointlessly as well.”
…
Elder Peng, who was on duty at the Extreme Martial Arena, saw Qi Yu and a group of people making their way over to the Extreme Martial Arena. Although he had never seen Duan Ling Tian before, he could guess the handsome purple-clad young man behind Qi Yu was Duan Ling Tian.
Above the Martial Square, there were 19 Extreme Martial Arenas. They were located between the inner and outer sect, and both inner and outer disciples could use them. Usually, the Martial Square would be lively while the arenas would be empty.
When Duan Ling Tian, Qi Yu, and the others arrived, there was already a crowd in the Martial Square. Needless to say, everyone was attracted by their sudden arrival.
“Why did so many people come?”
“How lively!”
“Hey, that’s Senior Brother Qi Yu, one of the ten strongest inner disciples who are gods!”
“He’s going to the Extreme Martial Arena!”
“Who’s he fighting?”
“Who’s that purple-clad young man behind him?”
The inner and outer disciples on the Martial Square were curious so they followed the others to the Extreme Martial Arena as well. Since they were unaware of what was going on, they began to ask the people who had come with Qi Yu and Duan Ling Tian.
“Senior, what happened? Who’s Senior Brother Qi Yu fighting in the Extreme Martial Arena?”
Everyone was shocked when they learned about what happened.
“He’s going to fight that newcomer, Duan Ling Tian? Isn’t Duan Ling Tian an intermediate god? How dare he agree to fight with Senior Qi Yu who’s an advanced god in the Extreme Martial Arena?”
“I’ve heard about him. Similar to Senior Brother Qi Yu, he had also managed to comprehend a triple Fused Profundity. However, Senior Brother Qi Yu’s cultivation base is one level higher than his. How can he be a match for Senior Brother Qi Yu?”
“I really don’t understand why he would accept the challenge when the odds are clearly against him.”
“Well, there’s no lack of geniuses who died due to a moment of rashness.”
Although everyone did not understand Duan Ling Tian’s decision, they were still excited to watch the battle. They looked at the purple figure pitifully as they shook their heads.
Qin Yu led Duan Ling Tian to the arena in the center. It was also the biggest one. It was like the moon while the 18 smaller arenas that surrounded it were like the stars.
After landing in the arena. Qi Yu turned to face Duan Ling Tian. He could not help but feel slightly worried when he saw how calm Duan Ling Tian was. Duan Ling Tian could have pretended to be calm when they were outside the Heavenly Stairs, but it would be impossible to pretend to be calm now that they were in the arena, right?
Qi Yu’s uneasiness continued to grow.. When he could no longer bear it, he extended his Divine Consciousness to probe Duan Ling Tian. In the next moment, his eyes widened as he exclaimed in shock, “H-he broke through and became an advanced god?!”
Chapter 3676: I’ve Already Given You a Chance
Translator:
EndlessFantasy Translation
Editor:
EndlessFantasy Translation
Earlier, it did not cross Qin Yu’s mind to probe Duan Ling Tian’s cultivation base at all. After all, he was convinced Duan Ling Tian was not as strong as him and that Duan Ling Tian’s feat of advancing to the ninth step was just a fluke. Moreover, he did not think Duan Ling Tian would have a breakthrough in the Heavenly Stairs. The only reason he had decided to probe Duan Ling Tian was due to the sense of unease he felt when he saw how calm Duan Ling Tian was even after they had arrived in the Extreme Martial Arena.
Now that Qi Yu discovered Duan Ling Tian was an advanced god, he was frightened out of his wits. Duan Ling Tian’s breakthrough made a whole world of a difference in their fight. He was confident about defeating Duan Ling Tian when Duan Ling Tian was an intermediate god, but now that Duan Ling Tian was an advanced god, he was not confident he would be able to defeat Duan Ling Tian at all. Although they had both comprehended triple Fused Profundities, and their cultivation bases were both the same now, the fact that Duan Ling Tian comprehended one of the Four Supreme Law gave him an edge. After all, he had only comprehended one of the elemental laws.
Qi Yu said grimly, “I didn’t expect to break through and become an advanced god.”
Qi Yu intentionally raised his voice when he spoke. He wanted everyone present, including the two elders on duty, to hear him.
Upon hearing Qi Yu’s words, Elder Peng, one of the elders on duty, confirmed Qi Yu’s words by probing Duan Ling Tian with his Divine Consciousness as well. Then, he sent a message to the elder guarding the Heavenly Stairs.
“Elder Chen, your worries are unfounded.”
Elder Chen, the elder who guarded the Heavenly Stairs, was confused. “What do you mean?”
“Duan Ling Tian is an advanced god. This means he has a high chance of winning the challenge. Don’t you think you’re worrying too much? There’s no need for me to remind him to surrender,” Elder Peng said.
“What? Duan Ling Tian is an advanced god?” Elder Chen was shocked. “Before he entered the Heavenly Stairs, I’m sure he was just an intermediate god. I used my Divine Consciousness to probe him after all. Don’t tell me he broke through while he fought one of his opponents in the Heavenly Stairs?”
After thinking about it for a while, Elder Chen said, “That should be it. He likely broke through while he was on the seventh step. That must be why he stayed on the seventh floor for such a long time, and that’s also probably why he passed the eighth step so quickly. The prisoner on the eighth step didn’t go easy on him at all. Then, he likely encountered a King of God on the ninth step and was thus eliminated.”
After his analysis, Elder Chen felt like he had been worried for nothing. Duan Ling Tian was not any weaker than Qin Yu; in fact, he was likely stronger than Qi Yu.
“Well, you’d know better. Anyway, I’m going to watch their fight now. I’ll let you know the outcome once the battle ends. However, I think Qi Yu’s going to end up surrendering. I can already see the fear in his eyes. Moreover, being frightened before a fight is going to be disadvantageous to him as well.”
After that, Elder Peng stopped communicating with Elder Chen and focused his attention on the two people standing in the Extreme Martial Arena. At the same time, he could hear the conversations in his surroundings.
“I didn’t expect Duan Ling Tian to break through and become an advanced god!”
“No wonder he accepted Senior Brother Qi Yu’s challenge. As it turns out, he had a breakthrough!”
“Hey, I get it now! I think Duan Ling Tian broke through on the seventh step of the Heavenly Stairs! That was why he took such a long time defeating his opponent on the seventh step but quickly defeated his opponent on the eighth step! Then, he likely encountered a King of Gods on the ninth step and was eliminated!”
“I agree!”
At the same time, Tang Wu Yan stood among the inner disciples and looked at Duan Ling Tian with a complex gaze as she muttered softly, “So he really did have a breakthrough in the Heavenly Stairs? I just casually said those words to Qi Yu. Who knew that’s really the case?”
Earlier, Tang Wu Yan had told Qi Yu that Duan Ling Tian might have had a breakthrough, allowing him to easily defeat his opponent on the eighth step and advance to the ninth step. Nonetheless, she only said those words to defend Duan Ling Tian. In fact, she did not think Duan Ling Tian could have a breakthrough in the Heavenly Stairs as well. She really did not expect she would be right.
...
Back in the arena.
Duan Ling Tian looked at Qi Yu coldly as he said in a voice dripping with mockery, “What’s the matter? Do you want to admit defeat? Oh, wait, based on what I know, once you enter the Extreme Martial Arena, you’re not allowed to admit defeat immediately. You can only admit defeat after one minute into the fight.”
“Who said I’m going to admit defeat?” Qi Yi said. Outwardly, he looked calm, hiding all fears in his heart. He continued to say, “Duan Ling Tian, although you’re an advanced god, you’ve just broken through so your foundation still isn’t stable. With that, do you really think I’ll admit defeat? You must be joking.”
As soon as Qi Yu’s voice fell, a gust of wind surged from his body along with his Divine Energy. The wind grew more and more violent until it grew into a small tornado. After that, the tornado continued to increase in size.
Duan Ling Tian remained expressionless as he looked at Qi Yu. The middle-aged scholar he had met on the ninth step of the Heavenly Stairs had also comprehended the law of wind, but the middle-aged scholar was much stronger than Qi Yu. After all, the middle-aged scholar had comprehended two triple Fused Profundities from the law of wind while Qi Yu had only comprehended one triple Fused Profundity from the law of wind. With that said, how could he be afraid of Qi Yu when he had easily defeated the middle-aged scholar?
“I’m going to give you a chance now,” Duan Ling Tian said tonelessly, “Kneel down and kowtow ten times, and I’ll spare your life.”
Duan Ling Tian’s words stunned everyone. They did not expect him to say such words as though he was completely assured of his victory.
“You’re too arrogant!” Qi Yu was naturally infuriated by Duan Ling Tian’s words. He charged out immediately like a gust of wind toward Duan Ling Tian. Following that, a scimitar appeared in his hand, and he hurriedly imbued it with his Divine Energy and the law of wind, causing it to glow green. Although the scimitar was a primitive divine artifact, after being imbued with his energy, it was rather powerful. It seemed as though it could tear a hole in the sky.
Swoosh!
The wind whistled as Qi Yu brought his scimitar down at Duan Ling Tian.
Duan Ling Tian remained indifferent as he teleported and dodged Qi Yu’s attack.
When he reappeared behind Qi Yu, Qi Yu spun around, guided by his instinct. Then, he brandished his scimitar, releasing energy rays toward Duan Ling Tian.
The energy rays that missed Duan Ling Tian immediately circled back to him.
“I’ve already given you a chance earlier,” Duan Ling Tian said before he stepped forward. Then, the outline of a piece of armor appeared on his body. Along with the spatial energy, he easily destroyed Qi Yu’s attacks. Then, he casually waved his hand.
Swoosh!
A short sound of wind whistling reverberated in the arena.
Following that, at the same time everyone saw the sword that suddenly appeared in Duan Ling Tian’s hand, they also saw Qi Yu’s head that had already been severed from his body at some point. Following that, they watched as the spatial energy crushed Qi Yu as though he had been through a meat grinder.
With Qi Yu’s death, the remaining energy rays vanished. Those that managed to land on Duan Ling Tian were easily neutralized by his armor. His armor was a defensive divine artifact, after all. It was given to him by the Zhong clan. Its value was not inferior to that of an offensive divine artifact. The sword he had used was also a primitive divine artifact given by the Zhong clan.
Blood splattered all over the arena.
Everyone was silent. No one expected the battle to end so quickly. From the time Qi Yu attacked to the time he died, less than 18 seconds had passed. Duan Ling Tian only took 6 seconds to kill Qi Yu.
The two inner elders on duty inhaled sharply. Although they were surprised, due to their experience, they quickly recovered. Although they were certain Duan Ling Tian would win, they did not expect him to win so quickly. After all, Qi Yu was among the top ten strongest inner disciples who were gods.
Qi Yu was the face of the inner disciples with the cultivation bases of a god to the outside world. However, the elders were not saddened by his death. After all, a stronger disciple had appeared, and he was more than qualified to become the new face of the inner disciples with cultivation bases of a god.
“This...” Tang Wu Yan was in shock for a long time. When she regained her senses, she muttered to herself in disbelief, “He has just broken through, but he’s already so strong? He actually killed Qi Yu with just one move!”
Chapter 3677: Wu Feng Yin, the Second Elder of the Hidden Fog Sect
The purple-clad young man stood in the Extreme Martial Arena with a calm expression as though everything that had just transpired was insignificant. It was as though he had long predicted this outcome.
“I already gave you a chance.”
The purple-clad young man’s words reverberated in everyone’s ears. None of them expected him to kill Qi Yu so effortlessly. Since Qi Yu did not cherish the chance given to him, he could only die.
Under everyone’s horrified gazes, Duan Ling Tian looked at Tang Wu Yan and asked, “When will the results for the Heavenly Stairs Battle come out?”
“What?” Tang Wu Yan was still in shock. When she finally regained her senses, she hastily told Duan Ling Tian about the day the results would be released.
“Alright, I’m leaving first then,” Duan Ling Tian said with a nod. Then, he teleported away under everyone’s eyes, leaving a bloody mess behind.
As soon as Duan Ling Tian left, a commotion broke out immediately.
“Heavens! That Duan Ling Tian from Skywind City’s Hidden Fog Academy is so strong?”
“He killed Qi Yu so quickly. Did you see how he did it?”
“His sword attack seemed so simple, and yet, Qi Yu couldn’t defend against it.”
“I didn’t see it clearly so I don’t know what happened exactly.”
Most people could not see how Duan Ling Tian had killed Qi Yu with his law of space’s triple Fused Profundity.
“Is this the difference between the Four Supreme Laws and ordinary laws?”
Some people thought Duan Ling Tian’s strength came from the law of space, and some people thought otherwise.
“Although the Four Supreme Laws are stronger than ordinary laws, the difference in strength isn’t so wide. Perhaps, Duan Ling Tian’s overwhelming strength is due to his bloodline power?”
Even Tang Wu Yan was confused. Hence, she sent Duan Ling Tian a message, asking, “Duan Ling Tian, how did you kill Qi Yu earlier? The law of space shouldn’t give you such overwhelming strength, right?”
Duan Ling Tian replied, “I used the rudimentary stage of the Sword Dao I’d comprehended.”
At the same time, Elder Peng and another inner elder who were on duty at the Extreme Martial Arena had also figured out that Duan Ling Tian had killed Qi Yu using the Sword Dao. Since the others were quite a distance away, they did not hear the two inner elders’ surprised gasps.
…
“Compared to using two triple Fused Profundities, the Sword Dao is more low-key,” Duan Ling Tian muttered to himself when he returned to his room.
Then, he brought out the five Auspicious Pills that the Zhang clan had given him and consumed them all at once. With his talent, he would have been able to break through and become a King of Gods if he had nine Auspicious Pills. In fact, any gods would have been able to become a King of Gods with nine Auspicious Pills. There were many advanced gods in the Realms of Gods who directly became Kings of Gods after consuming nine Auspicious Pills.
It did not matter to Duan Ling Tian that he did not have nine Auspicious Pills. After all, five Auspicious Pills were enough to boost his cultivation base, bringing him closer to a breakthrough.
He had rushed back because he wanted to consume the nine Auspicious Pills and cultivate.
Duan Ling Tian had only decided to use the Sword Dao, the Weapon Dao of the Four Daos of Heaven and Earth, when he was making his way to the Extreme Martial Arena earlier. He, naturally, did not reveal his full comprehension of the Sword Dao and only showcased the rudimentary stage of the Sword Dao. After all, being able to comprehend the rudimentary stage of a Weapon Dao could also be attributed to luck and not just talent alone. Since his comprehension of the Sword Dao was rather profound now, he could easily conceal his strength.
Since he wanted to keep a low profile, he thought it was better to use the Sword Dao. It was more low-key compared to using two triple Fused Profundities. He would only attract jealousy, hate, and trouble if he were to show his true strength, after all. The prodigies were easily jealous, and he had no support in the Hidden Fog Sect since he did not plan to acknowledge a master, hence, it was better to keep a low profile.
Nonetheless, he would not keep a low profile regarding some matters. For example, even if it would attract attention, he had been determined to kill Qi Yu. He killed Qi Yu not only because Qi Yu wanted to kill him, but also to send a message to others like Qi Yu who harbored ill intentions. He wanted everyone to know that he was not a pushover.
‘After becoming a core disciple of the Hidden Fog Sect, I’ll gain the protection of the sect. At that time, even most core elders won’t dare to simply make a move against me,’ Duan Ling Tian thought to himself.
At this time, he thought of the second elder of the Hidden Fog Sect who was also Tu Feng’s master. Since he had enmity with Tu Feng, Tu Feng’s master definitely disliked him as well. It was likely that Tu Feng’s master would help Tu Feng seek revenge. Even if Tu Feng’s master did not personally make a move, Tu Feng’s master might pull some dirty tricks to drive him away from the sect. Since Duan Ling Tian was just an inner disciple now, it would be easy for an elder to expel him from the sect.
However, it would be different if he was a core disciple. The second elder of the Hidden Fog Sect was not qualified to expel a core disciple, after all.
“The five Auspicious Pills will help me make huge progress. Next, I’ll focus on breaking through and becoming a King of Gods. Barring any unusual circumstances, I should rank first in the Heavenly Stairs Battle. With that, I’ll gain another Auspicious Pill. Once I become a King of Gods, I’ll be able to protect myself better in the unfamiliar Profound Energy Land.”
With that, Duan Ling Tian focused on cultivating to break through as soon as possible.
…
Meanwhile, after the crowd left the Extreme Martial Arena, news of Duan Ling Tian and Qi Yu’s battle spread like a wildfire. In just a short time, the entire Hidden Fog Sect had already heard of Duan Ling Tian’s extraordinary feat.
Even some high-ranking officials of the Hidden Fog Sect were stunned when they heard the news.
“Qi Yu died?”
“Qi Yu is dead? I had planned to ask him to become my third disciple. What a shame.”
“We lost Qi Yu, but we have Duan Ling Tian now. The Hidden Fog Sect didn’t suffer a loss.”
…
At the same time, Tu Feng, who was cultivating, was woken up by a message from his master, the second elder of the HIdden Fog Sect.
“Tu Feng, didn’t you go to Hidden Fog Academy previously to express my intention to accept Duan Ling Tian as a disciple?”
The second elder of the Hidden Fog Sect was Wu Feng Yin. He was a middle-aged man with a purple diamond-shaped mark on his forehead. His expression was stern, and his loose green robe could not hide his tall and muscular body.
“Go and invite Duan Ling Tian over. I’ll personally express my intention to him,” Wu Feng Yin said to Tu Feng.
After receiving his master’s message, Tu Feng asked in confusion, “Master, didn’t you previously say that he doesn’t know what’s good for him for refusing you? You even said you no longer wish to accept him as a disciple.”
“Did I?” Wu Feng Yin’s tone was casual as he said, “Even if I did, I wasn’t serious. Go and invite him over. He’s not even 3,000 years old, but he managed to kill Qi Yu with a move. If he becomes my disciple, my status in the sect will definitely rise. I’m certain someone like him will have even greater achievements than me in the future.”
Toward the end of his words, Wu Feng Yin’s tone showed signs of urgency.
“What?” Tu Feng was shocked when he heard his master’s words. “Duan Ling Tian killed Qi Yu with just a move? Master, are you mistaken? Are you sure he killed Qi Yu, one of the ten strongest gods among the inner disciples? The person who was ranked third during the last Heavenly Stairs Battle?”
Tu Feng found it hard to believe that Duan Ling Tian had killed Qi Yu.
Wu Feng Yin said, “Apart from him, who else could it be?” Wu Feng Yin said indifferently, “I know what you’re thinking. You don’t think Duan Ling Tian is a match for Qi Yu since Duan Ling Tian is just an intermediate god and has just recently joined the sect. However, you’re unaware that due to the pressure on the seventh step of the Heavenly Stairs, Duan Ling Tian broke through and became an advanced god. He successfully passed the eighth step and advanced to the ninth step before he was eliminated. He’s likely to rank first among the inner disciples in this time’s Heavenly Stairs Battle. Moreover, not only did he comprehend the law of space’s triple Fused Profundity, but he has also comprehended the Sword Dao, one of the Four Daos of Heaven and Earth, to the rudimentary stage. It’s with this that he killed Qi Yu. Perhaps, it was due to his luck that he managed to form and comprehend the Sword Dao to the rudimentary stage, but with his talent, he’ll definitely be able to comprehend it to the mastery stage. Alright now. Stop wasting and invite him over now.”
“Yes, master,” Tu Feng said as his eyes glinted coldly. Naturally, he did not express his displeasure to his master. After he was done talking to his master, he broke his bed in a fit of anger.
“Damn it! Why is Duan Ling Tian so strong? The rudimentary stage of the Sword Dao? How can he be so lucky?”
Tu Feng was aware that if Duan Ling Tian became his master’s disciple, his master would definitely value Duan Ling Tian more than him even if Duan Ling Tian’s cultivation base was not as high as his for now..
Chapter 3678: If We Can’t Have Duan Ling Tian, Kill Him!
Tu Feng was naturally reluctant to invite Duan Ling Tian over to see his master. However, he did not dare to disobey his master even though it had crossed his mind more than once to lie to his master, saying that Duan Ling Tian refused the invitation.
Although Tu Feng and his master, Wu Feng Yin, were both Kings of Gods, Tu Feng was just a rudimentary King of Gods while his master was one of the stronger advanced Kings of Gods in the Hidden Fog Sect. Let alone a rudimentary King of Gods like him, his master could even kill an ordinary advanced King of Gods.
Apart from that, Tu Feng was very familiar with Wu Feng Yin’s temper. His master hated those who defied his orders the most. Hence, despite his reluctance, he could only obey his master.
However, when Tu Feng went to look for Duan Ling Tian, he discovered that Duan Ling Tian was in closed-door cultivation. Duan Ling Tian had also activated the Formations to block out disturbances using the Formation compass that was given by the Hidden Fog Sect, which would block out messages and Voice Transmissions as well.
When Tu Feng arrived, there were quite a number of people gathered near Duan Ling Tian’s residence. All of them had come with the same purpose as Tu Feng: they were there to invite Duan Ling Tian on behalf of their elders or masters who were keen on accepting Duan Ling Tian as a disciple.
At this time, a young man who had seen Tu Feng smiled mockingly as he said, “Tu Feng, didn’t Duan Ling Tian refuse you when you went to Skywind City’s Hidden Fog Academy previously? Why did you come again?”
The young man was one of the disciples of a high-ranking official of the Hidden Fog Sect. He was also an inner disciple who was a rudimentary King of Gods like Tu Feng. This was why he was not afraid of mocking Tu Feng.
“Xie Shao Feng, mind your own business!” Tu Feng, who was already in a bad mood, said as he glared at the young man.
Xie Shao Feng was amused by Tu Feng’s reaction and only chuckled in response.
At the same time, another young man said with a smile, “Tu Feng, it’s best if you leave. From what I heard, when Junior Brother Duan fought Qi Yu, he mentioned something about Qi Yu being your dog. It’s clear he knows that you sent Qi Yu to look for trouble with him. Do you really think he’ll accept your invitation with that?”
“That’s right!”
“Tu Feng, you better leave. Junior Brother Duan definitely won’t acknowledge the second elder as his master after what you did.”
Since the group of disciples were all rudimentary Kings of Gods, they naturally did not fear Tu Feng. Moreover, their masters or elders’ status was comparable to Tu Feng’s master.
Tu Feng’s expression changed drastically upon hearing these words. Did Qi Yu expose him to Duan Ling Tian? He shuddered. He could already imagine the outcome if his master found out about this matter.
After a moment, Tu Feng decided to leave. He knew it would only be a matter of time before his master summoned him to punish him.
Indeed, not long after Tu Feng left, he was summoned by his master, Wu Feng Yin.
…
In the backyard of a courtyard, Wu Feng Yin stood with his back facing Tu Feng. He placed his hands on his back as he looked at the illusory landscape of a pond in front of him. Then, he asked lightly, “Tu Feng, is it true that you sent Qi Yu to look for trouble with Duan Ling Tian?”
As soon as Wu Feng Yin finished speaking, Tu Feng fell to his knees immediately and said in a hoarse and indignant voice, “Master, I was only displeased that he refused to become your disciple. After all, he should feel honored. I was just angered that he refused you, master!”
“So, you’re saying it’s my fault then?” Wu Feng Yin asked as he turned around to look at Tu Feng with a faint smile on his face.
“That’s not what I meant!” Tu Feng lowered his head even more. “It’s all my fault offending Duan Ling Tian.
“Enough. Rise to your feet,” Wu Feng Yin said with a wave of his hand. At the same time, his expression eased as well.
“Thank you, master!” Tu Feng had been prepared to be punished by his master so he did not expect this at all.
After Tu Feng rose to his feet, Wu Feng Yin glanced at him and said, “Based on the current situation, it’s unlikely that Duan Ling Tian will agree to become my disciple, right?”
Tu Feng’s heart skipped a beat upon hearing these words. However, he nodded and said, “Yes, master.”
Tu Feng felt incredibly anxious at this time. Relief flooded his heart when he heard Wu Feng Yin’s next words.
“Since it’s impossible for him to become my disciple, and he’s already an enemy of yours, find a chance to get rid of him for good,” Wu Feng Yin said tonelessly, “It’s better for someone like him to die now. Otherwise, it’d be a walk in the park for him to kill you once he grows stronger. As your master, how can I not do anything? Moreover, since he’s your enemy, he naturally won’t have a good impression of me as well. This means that he’s also a threat to me. Make sure you kill him before he becomes a King of Gods to avoid future troubles.”
Tu Feng’s eyes brightened as soon as he heard his master’s words. “Yes, master!”
This was a dream come true for Tu Feng. Not only was he not punished, but his master had even told him to kill Duan Ling Tian.
Wu Feng Yin asked, “Are you confident about executing this task alone? If not, I’ll find another person to help you.”
“Master, that brat isn’t even a King of God. I can’t get rid of him without any help,” Tu Feng said as he shook his head. He knew his master would think less of him if he had agreed to let someone help him. After all, he was a rudimentary King of Gods. It should be easy for him to kill an advanced god.
“Very well. You may leave now,” Wu Feng Yin said with a nod.
“Yes, master.” Tu Feng bade farewell to Wu Feng Yin and left. He was already thinking of ways to get rid of Duan Ling Tian.
‘Since Duan Ling Tian hurried back to enter closed-door cultivation after the Heavenly Stairs Battle, it’s likely he’s preparing for the core disciples’ test. In any case, he’s doomed to fail the test. Even Elder Xue Hai Chuan barely passed the test 10,000 years ago despite comprehending two triple Fused Profundities from the law of death and possessing a bloodline power. Duan Ling Tian has only comprehended one triple Fused Profundity from the law of space, and the power of his rudimentary comprehension of the Sword Dao isn’t a match for the power of another triple Fused Profundity. Although I’m not sure if he possesses a bloodline power or not, it shouldn’t matter anyway. It’s not enough to make a difference.’
With this thought in mind, Tu Feng calmed down.
‘There isn’t any chance for me to make a move before the core disciples’ test. I’ll have to find a way to lure him out of the sect after the test.’
Tu Feng naturally did not dare to make a move on Duan Ling Tian in the Hidden Fog Sect. Apart from the Heavenly Stairs, most places in the sect were under surveillance that would be recorded. Even if he managed to kill Duan Ling Tian, he would definitely be found out and executed by the sect.
…
Duan Ling Tian finally emerged from his closed-door cultivation half a month later.
‘The effects of the five Auspicious Pills are truly shocking. Their efficacy is truly shocking and lasts for a long time. It only took me a day to absorb them and raise my cultivation base. Even my cultivation speed increased tremendously. I’m so close to breaking through and becoming a King of Gods that I think I only need three instead of four Auspicious Pills to break through.”
Due to his 99 Heavenly Veins, Duan Ling Tian had been surprised when he discovered that the efficacy of the Auspicious Pills was prolonged. After all, most of the inhabitants of Realms of Gods possessed more than 90 Heavenly Veins so he no longer had much of an advantage over his opponents in that regard. His speed when mobilizing his Divine Energy was not much faster than his opponents. For example, during his battle with Qi Yu, he discovered he was only slightly faster than Qi Yu in mobilizing Divine Energy. He did not expect his 99 Heavenly Veins to surprise him again after consuming five Auspicious Pills.
‘Now that half a month has passed, the rankings for the Heavenly Stairs Battle should’ve been released. I should rank first and receive the Auspicious Pill, barring any unforeseen circumstances.’
With that, Duan Ling Tian removed the Formations with just a thought. In just an instant, countless voices flooded into his ears immediately.
“I wonder when Duan Ling Tian is going to come out? My master told me to wait here until Duan Ling Tian comes out. I can’t leave until I see Duan Ling Tian.”
“He should be coming out soon. By the way, who do you think Duan Ling Tian would choose to become his master?”
“I don’t know. Since he refused the second elder, I don’t think he’ll accept anyone with the same status as the second elder.”
“It’s only normal for a prodigy like him to be picky..”
Chapter 3679: I’ll Try My Best
Translator:
EndlessFantasy Translation
Editor:
EndlessFantasy Translation
Duan Ling Tian was surprised that a crowd had gathered outside of his residence. Based on their conversations, he knew they had been waiting outside for half a month just to invite him to meet their masters or elders who intended to accept him as a disciple.
‘I shouldn’t have deactivated the Formations so quickly,’ Duan Ling Tian thought to himself.
Alas, the crowd had already noticed the deactivated Formations and broke into a commotion immediately.
Swoosh!
In the end, Duan Ling Tian appeared before the crowd.
“Duan Ling Tian has deactivated the Formation. He’s out!”
“Duan Ling Tian! I’m Xu He, Supreme Elder Huang Ping Yi’s second disciple. My master wants to invite you to his cultivation ground.”
“Duan Ling Tian, I’m Guardian Liu Gang Xuan’s eldest disciple, Li Chong Yu. My master wants to invite you over for a visit.”
Duan Ling Tian was surprised when he heard that a Supreme Elder and a guardian wanted to meet him.
There were only a few Supreme Elders in the Hidden Fog Sect. Moreover, Supreme Elders and guardians had higher status compared to the 19 core elders. Their status was comparable to the few Vice Sect Leaders of the Hidden Fog Sect. In fact, some of the Supreme Elders had even higher status than the Sect Leader of the Hidden Fog Sect due to their superior strength.
Duan Ling Tian was surprised the Supreme Elders and guardians wanted to accept him as their disciple since he had held his strength back to avoid being too eye-catching. He did not expect he would still attract attention from so many people even after downplaying his strength.
“Duan Ling Tian, I’m Supreme Elder Wu He’s son. My father wants to accept you as his disciple. If you’re willing to become his disciple, he promised that your treatment would be even better than mine!”
“I’m Supreme Elder Liu Hu Gui’s second disciple, He Chai. My master wants to accept you as his disciple as well. He has prepared three Auspicious Pills as a meeting gift for you.”
“Duan Ling Tian, I’m Guardian Zhao Bu Yi’s fourth disciple, Ouyang Quan. My master has said that as long as you become his disciple, he’ll find nine Auspicious Pills for you to help you become a King of Gods within a year!”
There were young men, middle-aged men, and a few young women inviting Duan Ling Tian to meet their masters and elders. Upon seeing the competition, some of them even began to increase their offer.
Duan Ling Tian was rather tempted when he heard that someone was willing to find nine Auspicious Pills for him within a year. Nonetheless, in the end, Duan Ling Tian cupped his fists together at everyone and interjected, “My apologies. I, Duan Ling Tian, have no intention of acknowledging a master even though I’ve joined the Hidden Fog Sect. My goal is to join the Great Dragon Battle Sect in the future. I apologize for keeping all of you here for so long.”
Upon hearing these words, some people left with a sigh, and some people were still determined to negotiate with Duan Ling Tian, in hopes of changing his mind. Alas, they were still rejected in the end. Among those who were rejected, there were a few who were unwilling to give up. They followed Duan Ling Tian who went to the Internal Affairs Pavilion to find out the ranking of the Heavenly Stairs Battle.
Even before the rankings were revealed, many people did not doubt that Duan Ling Tian would rank first among the inner disciples who were gods. After all, none of the gods who were inner disciples had ever climbed to the ninth step before.
Another commotion broke out among those at the Internal Affairs Pavilion as soon as Duan Ling Tian showed up.
“It’s Duan Ling Tian!”
“Duan Ling Tian? The advanced god who ranks first in the Heavenly Stairs Battle?”
“That’s right! It’s said that he’s not even 3,000 years old. Vice Sect Leader Murong is the one who recommended him to join the sect ahead of time.”
“A talent like him is truly rare. Vice Sect Leader Murong really has a discerning eye!”
“That’s right. Apart from a few Supreme Elders and our Sect Leader, I admire Vice Sect Leader Murong as well!”
After a while, Duan Ling Tian asked with a smile, “Hello, can you tell me where I can collect the rewards for the Heavenly Stairs Battle?”
After someone pointed the place out to him, Duan Ling Tian quickly obtained his reward, which was an Auspicious Pill.
Just as Duan Ling Tian was about to leave, a chubby inner disciple with an equally chubby face called out, “Duan Ling Tian! The core disciples’ test is just around the corner. Are you confident about passing the test? The last time an advanced god managed to pass the test was 10,000 years ago! Moreover, over the past 100 years, not even one King of Gods has managed to pass the test.”
Everyone shifted their attention to Duan Ling Tian curiously, eager to know his answer.
Duan Ling Tian turned to smile at the chubby inner disciple before he said, “I’ll try my best to be the first advanced god to pass the core disciples’ test in 10,000 years.”
Without waiting for a response from the chubby inner disciple, Duan Ling Tian left, leaving the noisy crowd behind.
“Based on Duan Ling Tian’s words, it seems like he’s very confident about passing the test!”
“I’m excited to see how it turns out! If he truly passes the test, he’ll be the first advanced god to pass the test in 10,000 years!”
“I really wish the core disciples’ test would come faster!”
…
It did not take long for what happened at the Internal Affairs Pavilion to spread through the Hidden Fog Sect.
Upon hearing the news, Tang Wu Yan, who was with her granduncle, Tang Chun, exclaimed in shock, “He’s so confident?”
Tang Chun asked, “What happened?” After listening to Tang Wu Yan, he said with a smile, “I think he’ll be able to pass the test.”
“Granduncle, you’re so confident about his strength as well?” Tang Wu Yan was surprised. “Based on the strength he had demonstrated, I don’t think it’s enough for him to pass the test unless… he’s been hiding his true strength. Granduncle, don’t tell me you know he’s hiding his strength?”
Tang Chun shook his head. He naturally did not know if Duan Ling Tian was hiding his true strength, but he could not help but feel certain of Duan Ling Tian’s victory.
“Then, why are you confident?” Tang Wu Yan asked, puzzled.
“Maybe it’s his bearing and temperament. If it were someone else, I’d think they’re arrogant. However, coming from Duan Ling Tian, it just seems like he’s confident, not arrogant,” Tang Chun replied. Then, he looked at Tang Wu Yan meaningfully as he said, “Wu Yan, I heard you went to Heavenly Stairs. You went there for Duan Ling Tian, right?”
Tang Wu Yan was rendered temporarily speechless by Tang Chun’s words. Then, she said, “Granduncle, I only went there because I planned to participate as well. However, due to Duan Ling Tian’s sudden battle with Qi Yu, I decided to follow them to the Extreme Martial Arena to have a look. After the battle ended, I returned and entered the Heavenly Stairs.”
Tang Chun did not seem convinced. He continued to look at Tang Wu Yan meaningfully as he said, “It’s okay. I understand. It’s only normal for young women to feel shy.”
Tang Wu Yan really did not know what else she could say so she only remained silent. Perhaps, due to Tang Chun’s words, a purple-clad figure appeared and lingered in her mind.
She chastised herself inwardly, ‘Why am I wasting time thinking about a married man with children?’
Tang Wu Yan tried to get rid of the purple-clad figure in her mind, but it was futile. Not only did the figure linger in her mind, but her heart began to race when she thought about him.
…
“Ridiculous!” Tu Feng said mockingly, “Who does he think he is? He thinks he’ll be able to become the first inner disciple to pass the core disciples’ test in 10,000 years? Although the test for inner gods is easier compared to that for the King of Gods, it’s still nearly impossible for advanced gods to pass it. Does he plan to become the next Xue Hai Chuan? What a joke!”
Tu Feng was sure the person whom he planned to kill would fail the core disciples’ test since he knew how difficult the test was.