Chapter 1295: The Auction Comes To An End
Master Dong Ye remained unperturbed. There wasn't even a hint of frustration on his face.
"1.61 billion going once, twice, thrice... and sold!" Jiang Chen flicked a glance at Master Dong Ye and smiled. "Congratulations! The Pinecrane Pill is yours. I've engraved my personal seal onto the pill, so do take good care of it. Remember to break the seal before taking the pill. I'm not liable for any damage incurred after the seal is broken."
The young lord was extremely wary of the monk. The bald donkey seemed loyal and kind on the surface, but harbored all kinds of malice within. If it wasn't for him, the fake wandering cultivator from before wouldn't have been able to stir up such a large ruckus.
Jiang Chen had no choice but to take some precautions when selling the Pinecrane Pill to him. It was better to be safe than sorry as there was no guarantee that the monk wouldn't stir up trouble in the future.
"Young lord Zhen, I'm already aware of that." The monk answered blandly.
"That's good. You can still withdraw as the money hasn't been paid. You'll only lose some of your deposit. It'll be too late for regrets once the item has exchanged hands." One had to make the terms clear when dealing with someone like Master Dong Ye. Jiang Chen didn't feel the need to withhold anything in front of so many people.
Master Dong Ye snorted coldly. "Let's verify the goods." He walked up and observed the pill meticulously for over an hour before nodding. "It's a deal."
Jiang Chen hadn't expected Master Dong Ye to be that wealthy. The monk didn't wrinkle his forehead in the slightest when counting out 1.61 billion saint spirit stones.
The other auction items underwent verification as well. The items were collected after the money was paid.
With that, the grand auction finally came to an end. Almost every great faction had bought something they desired. The only group that had gotten nothing out of the auction were the wandering cultivators. Emperor Inferno was the only one who won a bid in the auction for the Rakshasa Fire.
"Everyone, thank you all for coming. I'm truly flabbergasted by your opulence and sheer wealth. Veluriyam Capital will host similar auctions in the future. For all we know, something even more rare or desirable might show up then! We'll definitely make you feel that you've gotten your money's worth!"
Jiang Chen raised a cupped fist salute. "The trading event has officially come to an end! From tomorrow onwards, I'll be giving lectures and having pill dao exchanges with everyone. But a few things before that. The pill dao lectures will involve a wide range of topics ranging from pill dao fundamentals to interesting theories, but no open discussion of pill recipes. I'll also be answering questions on final day of the lecture to relieve you of any confusion. Priority will be given to our wandering friends as they are the main audience of the Dragon and Tiger Meet. Ninety percent of the questions will be theirs, while the remaining ten will be given to the representatives of the great sects. I hope to be enlightened by all of you."
"Alright! That's wonderful!"
"Young lord Zhen! You have our support!"
"As expected of young lord Zhen! We'll forever support you just for this reason alone!"
"To think that young lord Zhen is so considerate of us! Young lord Zhen, you 're too kind!"
"Young lord Zhen, you truly are a man amongst men!"
The wandering cultivators broke into thunderous applause. They were completely touched by Jiang Chen's actions. They didn't care if it was just for show. It was a good gesture all the same.
Many powerful factions were participating in the event, yet young lord Zhen was showing favouritism towards the wandering cultivators instead.
The crowd felt that young lord Zhen was a man of his word and an extremely charismatic person. The auction came to a close amidst cheers from the wandering cultivators.
"Item owners please rest assured that all proceeds from the auction will be handed over to you. Also, we won't be taking a cut since this is our first auction."
No cut?!
Even the guests were shocked by the announcement. Such generosity! The proceeds from the auction were in the tens of billions. Even a low cut of ten percent would've netted him at least a billion! And yet, the young lord had chosen not to collect a single spirit stone.
"Hmm... that kid is a lot more astute than he appears." The elder from the Empyrean River Palace was extremely taken aback. "How can he remain so composed in front of so much wealth? His actions doesn't really reflect his youth. In fact, he's much more excellent than Emperor Peafowl in his youth. The disciple has already surpassed the master."
You little fame-seeking brat! Emperor Dragontyrant was also quite shocked. How is he so astute at such a young age? One can only imagine the heights he'll reach in the future. Is he trying to recruit those wandering cultivators by currying favor from them? Hmph! Wishful thinking. Those ingrates can never be bought with money or favor. Giving up his cut is far from enough to gain their undying loyalty!
Emperor Dragontyrant condemned Jiang Chen's actions. He believed that the young lord was too overzealous and there was no way his plan would work.
Wandering cultivators were loose sand. It was easier to teach a pig flight than to gain sovereignty over the wandering world. Throughout history, there'd been countless heroes who'd deemed themselves worthy, only to fail in the end. Some even lost everything during their attempt.
Various factions congratulated Jiang Chen after the trading event came to a close.
"Congratulations, young lord Zhen. The Pinecrane Pill was sold for such a high price that Sacred Peafowl Mountain will be well-fed for many generations to come!"
"You've widened my horizons. Only a few pills have ever been sold for such a tantalizing amount in history."
"Agreed, but it's understandable. The Pinecrane Pill is likely one of the top five pills throughout history." The crowd was obviously very impressed by the pill.
It was a pill that everyone yearned for. Unfortunately, the young lord had already mentioned that the pill wouldn't be sold to the public and would only be transacted with his close confidantes. It meant that the only way to get the pill was through an auction or a private deal with the young lord. Thus, everyone quickly rushed to curry favor from the young lord.
Emperor Coiling Dragon sighed. "Young lord Zhen, I've never truly known how much I owed you until this day. To think that the Pinecrane Pill is actually be worth so much! Young lord, I'm eternally grateful."
"Haha! Young lord Zhen, the Skysword Sect wishes to reserve two Pinecrane Pills! Surely you won't reject a brother's request!" Han Qianzhan cut straight to the point. There was no reason for him to beat around the bush. "Young lord, hiring you as our guest pill king is the smartest thing I've ever done in my life! I feel damn good!"
A thick skin is of paramount importance if one wished to be well fed. Since they were already collaborating with each other, there was no reason to be shy.
Su Huanzhen laughed. "Young lord Zhen, I've never owed Emperor Peafowl any favors but since I've helped you make a hundred million more from that monk, won't you consider making a Pinecrane Pill for the Celestial Cicada Court as well?"
"Young lord Zhen… It's not easy for me to say this, but the Pinecrane Pill is simply irresistible. We of the Ninesuns Sky Sect…"
"Young lord Zhen, whenever you have the chance to, do visit us at the Moon God Sect." The Moon God Sect's third sectmaster no longer restrained herself as well.
Various other wandering great emperors also went up to the young lord to curry favor. They were filled with regret. Why hadn't they agreed to Jiang Chen's terms back then? What a wasted opportunity! Hesitation had costed them the deal of a lifetime.
Jiang Chen was overwhelmed by their enthusiasm. "Everyone, the Pinecrane Pill doesn't grow on trees. Its availability depends entirely on fate. When it's finally available, I'll definitely prioritize all of you. I give you my word."
"Excellent! Young lord Zhen, I've been waiting for you to say that!"
"Such straightforwardness! Young lord Zhen, you're a man worth befriending!" Shangguan Yanqing from the Ninesuns Sky Sect was obviously currying favor with Jiang Chen.
"Wonderful!" It took awhile for the crowd to finally disperse. Emperor Peerless and the Jiao brothers were the only ones who remained.
"Young lord Zhen, the earnings from the auction are quite significant. Not asking for a cut is a huge waste." Emperor Peerless stated in a low voice.
"Agreed. They'll be more than willing even if the cut was a fifth of earnings. They're getting off much too easily." Jiao Yun sighed.
"Young lord, you've been showing so much good will to wandering cultivators. Surely you don't plan on roping in the entire wandering world?" Jiao Feng asked curiously.
Jiang Chen smiled blandly. "That remains to be seen. However, don't you feel that the wandering world is full of potential?"
"Oh? Why is that?" Emperor Peerless smiled wryly. "You've now seen the discrepancy of wealth between the leaders of the wandering world and the great sects. Our potential doesn't hold a candle to the great sects."
He was slightly pessimistic after seeing what had transpired today.
Chapter 1296: Daner Emerges From Closed Door Cultivation
"Old Brother Mo, you're thinking from the perspective of wealth. To be frank, I'm not considering the personal fortunes of the wandering cultivator world, but the manpower within. It may look like I've spent a bit of personal wealth today, but the uproar caused by the events of the past few days will certainly travel to all corners of the human domain in the months to come. Think about it for a moment. When more and more people build your reputation for you, what need is there to be concerned with Pillfire City then?"
Jiang Chen had indeed given up a great deal of money today since he'd given more than a fair price for the treasures that hadn't been auctioned, and taken not a single stone from the auction. He'd expended more than 1.5 billion spirit stones today.
But honestly, he didn't lack for these spirit stones at all. If he wanted to earn money, he had at least a dozen ways to easily earn all of these spirit stones back.
After the auction, Jiang Chen had plenty of spirit stones again after he collected from Master Dong Ye. Back in his residence, he didn't rest before diving straight into preparations for the pill dao lectures.
After a night of effort, he finally organized all manner of thoughts and topics. The wandering cultivators were the main audience of the classes this time, so his content also specifically focused on questions and issues this demographic would grapple with. Thanks to various channels, the young lord had a decent understanding of the exact points that wandering cultivators usually lacked knowledge in.
"Pill King Bu, Pill King Lu Feng, Lin Yanyu, and Mu Gaoqi — come help me with the lectures over the next three days."
The four were delighted to hear their names. This was another learning opportunity!
On the next day, Jiang Chen's appearance was greeted with cheers and roars of approval. All of the wandering cultivators rose to welcome him with a standing ovation.
"Young lord Zhen! Young lord Zhen! Young lord Zhen!"
The unanimous shouts illustrated just how much they were looking forward to him and the lectures today. The yells rippled out from Veluriyam Capital like passionate waves, extending for several kilometers in all directions, bringing with them the enthusiasm of the gathering.
At the same time in a deep patch of bamboo forest in the rear mountains of Sacred Peafowl Mountain, a bamboo door creaked open, allowing the gentle, morning rays to grace the inside of the thatched hut.
A beautiful figure appeared in front of it. She was dainty, pretty, and charming, as if an orchid blooming deep in the mountains.
"You, you're out of seclusion, miss?" A maid was washing clothes in the nearby creek and ran over barefoot when she heard the noise.
"Cui'er, what's going on outside for it to be so noisy?" The beautiful figure had a slightly wan complexion due to prolonged avoidance of the sun.
"Miss…" Cui'er's eyes reddened and tears began flowing. She sobbed with utter heartbreak, as if she'd suffered the gravest injustice in the world. "Miss, you locked yourself up for five years. Cui'er was so, so worried about you!"
Emperor Peafowl had originally brought Miss Dan'er back from Myriad Domain, and she'd announced a sealed door cultivation for three years because of annoyance from harassment from Veluriyam dandies.
However, three years had turned into five before she finally emerged. Cui'er was her body servant and had valiantly remained here all this time. Now that her mistress had finally emerged, how would the little girl be able to keep her emotions in? Her pent-up feelings exploded along with her tears.
She wiped her eyes dry a long time later. "Miss, it's wonderful that you're out. You look like you've lost a lot of weight."
The little girl was quite pained by this.
Miss Dan'er stroked Cui'er's head gently. "Cui'er, you're a big girl now too. It's my fault that I haven't settled your affairs properly after all of these years and in fact, delayed things for you."
"Miss, what kind of words are these?" The maid hurriedly responded. "Cui'er is meant to serve the miss. It's my duty to wait until I'm old, much less five or fifty years!"
Dan'er sighed softly at this response and frowned slightly after. "Cui'er, you haven't told me yet why it's so noisy outside."
Cui'er made a face. "Apparently we're holding some Dragon and Tiger Meet these days. All of the wandering cultivators in the world have come. And… all of the great first rank sects have sent representatives as well."
"Oh? Is His Majesty hosting it?" Miss Dan'er blinked. "He's always liked peace and quiet, so why would he hold an event like this?"
Cui'er's eyes reddened again when she heard the words 'His Majesty'. Her mouth curved downward and she seemed to want to cry again.
"What's wrong, Cui'er?" A bad premonition flashed across Miss Dan'er's heart.
"Miss, I hear people say that His Majesty's fallen…" The maid responded timidly.
"What?!" Dan'er's expression changed drastically. "Cui'er, don't sprout nonsense!"
"I'm not, miss! His Majesty left Sacred Peafowl Mountain not long after you entered seclusion. Some rumors popped up after, and he hasn't appeared even with everything that's happened recently. A lot of people in the capital have accepted this by now."
"Impossible!" Dan'er frowned ferociously. "Where did you hear this nonsense from?? His Majesty is almighty and powerful, how would he be gone just like this?"
"Miss, Cui'er also thinks that His Majesty is invincible. Young lord Zhen… young lord Zhen also said that even if His Majesty temporarily can't return, he's not dead."
"Young lord Zhen?" Dan'er had some impression of this name. The young lord had earned quite a name for himself when Pillfire City had come knocking… all of this had happened before her sealed door cultivation.
"That's right. He's also the organizer behind the Dragon and Tiger Meet. Miss, you don't know that we've been in a very dangerous position since the rumors came out that His Majesty is no more. Young lord Zhen wasn't at home then, the four monarchs didn't know what to do and didn't dare take a single step away from Sacred Peafowl Mountain. It wasn't until… young lord Zhen came back that the situation settled. I remember… them saying that Emperor Shura wanted to rebel and called for a Vassal Meeting to take over the capital. Young lord Zhen came back in time and handily defeated Emperor Shura, crushing the conspiracy to protect Sacred Peafowl Mountain's position and prevent the capital from splintering…"
Dan'er's mind was completely blank. She didn't care at all about what the young lord had done. She was completely preoccupied with Emperor Peafowl's disappearance.
"Your Majesty… Your Majesty…" Her heart was in disarray. The two were like father and daughter ever since the emperor had saved her. She'd long since relied on and respected the emperor like a father. The thought of receiving such bad news on her first day out of seclusion had never occurred to her. "Cui'er, do any of the rumors say where the emperor was last seen?"
"Miss, the rumors only say that His Majesty has disappeared, but don't say where. Don't worry, miss. Young lord Zhen's said that His Majesty is alive. The young lord's words can be trusted." Worship suffused the maid's tone.
"Young lord Zhen… young lord Zhen…" Dan'er repeated the name softly. "Cui'er, why do people submit to such a young person? How does he command everyone's respect?"
"Miss, young lord Zhen is amazing! I heard that he battled Emperor Shura during the Vassal Meeting and took all of the emperor's attacks. They fought to a draw! It was a difficult fight that preserved the status of Sacred Peafowl Mountain and prevented Shura Retreat from a successful coup."
"He tied with Emperor Shura?" Dan'er's mind couldn't work fast enough to process this. The emperor was second to only Emperor Peafowl! Wasn't young lord Zhen a young man less than thirty years old? How could he have tied with Emperor Shura?
"Miss, Cui'er doesn't understand all this violence, I only heard it from other people. Oh right, young lord Zhen is holding some pill dao lectures today. You heard people cheering for him just now, miss. Everyone was yelling his name."
Dan'er nodded woodenly. She didn't have much of a relationship with the young lord, so she didn't care about just how strong he was. She only knew that Sacred Peafowl Mountain belonged to Emperor Peafowl. If the emperor wasn't here, could the mountain still be called that?
"Cui'er, how's Nian'er now?"
"Nian'er's still training with Plumscore Monarch. Cui'er hears that young lord Zhen cares about Nian'er a great deal and wishes for Plumscore Monarch to raise her well."
Dan'er sighed softly. "Everything you speak of is something you've heard from someone else. I don't know what I should trust. Forget it, since this is the case, I'll go take a look myself."
"Where are you going, miss?"
"To look in on Nian'er."
"Miss, didn't you say that you wouldn't go see her before she has certain accomplishments with her cultivation?" Cui'er trotted after her mistress.
Dan'er's footsteps paused and she swayed slightly. The words were a hard blow to her heart. She had indeed said those words before, but that was because she wanted only the best for her daughter. In actuality, other than the figure who couldn't be erased from her heart, the only person she was most concerned with was the child from her womb.
"Cui'er, I'll just sneak a look at her from far away before leaving." Dan'er sighed softly.
"Will you come back after you take a look, miss?"
"No, I'm going to take a look at young lord Zhen and see if he's the sort who just pursues a good name. I'll be happy for His Majesty if the young lord truly has inherited His Majesty's legacy. But if he's just a superficial character intending to profit off of a good name, I won't let him off the hook!" Dan'er's figure wavered as she spoke and she disappeared into the bamboo woods.
"Miss, miss…" Cui'er chased after her mistress but couldn't even catch a shadow. The maid was quite depressed. "Her strength seems to have increased a great deal after a few years!"
Chapter 1297: Daners Decision
Plumscore Retreat was snowy year-round. Plum blossoms bloomed around the ingress, a sea of trees stretching into the distance. Many spirit fowl and cranes soared overhead.
A white bolt of lightning descended from the skies, revealing a majestic snow hawk. Upon the bird was a little girl with bright eyes and brilliant teeth. She was dressed in a light-blue robe, her eyes as pure as a mountain spring. Her rosy cheeks and exquisite features evoked adoration in anyone who saw her. The girl was about ten years old and hadn't fully developed yet. Her slender legs however, was clue enough that the girl would be indescribably beautiful once she had grown up.
"Wonderful, Big White. You're getting faster and faster!" Her voice was soft and crisp, as pleasant as a canary's.
Further into the sea of plum blossom trees, Miss Dan'er stood behind an old tree, looking at the hawk-riding girl from afar. Her eyes reddened as she did so, her emotions having gotten the better of her. She began to weep softly, clapping a hand over her mouth.
The girl seemed entirely unaware that there was someone watching her from afar. She was focused solely on playing with the hawk, bursting out in innocent giggling from time to time. The plum blossom grove was brightened by her mere presence.
When girl and bird had played for a while, the former picked herself up from the ground to preen the hawk's smooth feathers, still smiling.
"We have to go back, Big White. When grandma comes back to see me playing all the time, she'll chide me for being lazy. Grandma always says that if I don't cultivate well, then I won't be allowed to see mom… I really miss her..." Nian'er's voice became lower and lower. She clutched the hawk's neck, uttering an almost dreamlike murmur. It was enough to break the heart of any listener.
The hawk let out a shrill airborne cry, transforming into a bolt of white lightning once more. It shot back into the inner part of the Plumscore Retreat.
Behind the old tree, Miss Dan'er couldn't suppress her passions any longer. She collapsed upon the trunk, sobbing silently against its bark.
"Nian'er, Nian'er, I've really let you down. I'm too selfish. I… I'm to blame for everything. I can't teach you anything useful. That's why I hardened my heart and handed you over to Plumscore Monarch. I want you to get somewhere someday, so that you can grasp your destiny in your own hands. Don't be like me…"
Wiping away her tears, Miss Dan'er collected herself before casting a forlorn glance in the retreat's direction. She lingered there for a moment before harshly turning her head away.
She wanted more than anything to be with her daughter again, but she was worried that she would lose to herself. There was no way she could resist her daughter's pleas to take the girl away when they came face to face. Alas, Dan'er knew intimately that her own strength and knowledge were insufficient to instruct her daughter.
"Wait for me, Nian'er. I promise I won't let you wait too long. When I come back, I'll never leave you ever again. Even if the sky caves in, I'll be by your side to protect you. This is the last time. If I don't take this chance, I'll regret it for the rest of my life…"
Softly incanting these words to herself, Miss Dan'er departed from Sacred Peafowl Mountain in a streak of light.
…...
Veluriyam Capital was a bustling place. Wandering cultivators in the millions surrounded the Dragon and Tiger Meet's premises, clogging up the surrounding space.
Jiang Chen spoke spiritedly from the stage, words flowing from his mouth with ease. There was a style in his mannerisms that naturally drew respect. Even the Upper Eight Region heavyweights in the guest area waited with bated breath to hear what he had to say. Not a single discordant word was heard.
"Some have asked me this: the Upper Eight Regions has never heard of a Pinecrane Pill or an Emperor Supremacy Pill. Did I make them up?" Smiling placidly, Jiang Chen's expression contained a confident wisdom as he looked toward the Sublime Chord Temple's Master Dong Ye.
"I think that Master Dong Ye should know the answer to that in his heart now." The young man laughed. "1.61 billion saint spirit stones isn't a sum that's given away for free.
"The universe is an enormous place, without border or limit. Our known world is a grain of sand in the vast sea, a staggeringly insignificant mote in the grand scheme of things. Unlike the universe, human knowledge has limits. It's fine if you haven't heard of the Pinecrane Pill or the Emperor Supremacy Pill. But from today onwards, you no longer have that excuse. These pills do exist. Can they represent the pinnacle of the pill world, however?" Jiang Chen smiled faintly. "Clearly not."
"Pill dao has no limits either. Even pills like the Pinecrane Pill and the Emperor Supremacy Pill are rather ordinary in the grand scheme of things.
"Let's not get too ahead of ourselves, here. On the Divine Abyss Continent, we only know of the human domain. How much knowledge do we have of the world outside of that? How many worlds do we know of outside of ours?
"Some might say that our strength and knowledge are limited. As long as we understand what is within our grasp, that's more than enough. Others might say that knowing the unknown is meaningless.
"Yes, I am sure that many here would agree with these two sentiments. It's because so many think this way that the world of martial dao has so many unremarkable cultivators. Those that truly get to the top do so by daring to think what others do not, to do what others do not, to shoulder what others do not.
"Perhaps you might think that we're deviating from the original topic. We're supposed to be talking about pill dao, yes? I sound like I'm wasting time getting into irrelevant, esoteric topics.
"I simply wanted to tell you that the world is a big place. Look a bit further and higher. The world of martial dao has countless undiscovered things, places, subjects. A lot of the time, it's your own self that limits you the most. Your environment, your upbringing, pointless faction squabbles, egotistic profiteering… these are all painful obstacles. I'm only thirty years old, and yet, who can rival me in pill dao knowledge in the Upper Eight Regions?
"Perhaps you might think I'm making an overly general statement, but I'm more than happy enough to make a formal declaration. In terms of pill dao, I am second to none. I have this much confidence at least. No matter who comes to challenge me, I will be ready to defend myself. I'm here anytime!
"Why do I dare to make this bold assertion? Because I see things from a higher vantage point than everyone else. That's what gives me my confidence.
"Back to pill dao. Let's talk about pill dao factions… there are countless pill dao factions, but anyone who belongs to a faction that reaches its peak won't further restrict themselves to staying in a section. True masters always amass the advantages of many…" Jiang Chen's speech was polished and suave.
Suddenly, his heart trembled. He felt that someone's eyes was on him from a distance. He hadn't noticed it until now, but its attention pained him. It was the most bizarre feeling, hazy and ambiguous. It wasn't something that one could get a solid grasp on.
Jiang Chen's consciousness moved, his God's Eye moving into action. Unfortunately, all he saw was a throng of wandering cultivators in every direction. He couldn't find his mysterious observer at all. How can this be? Jiang Chen felt somewhat lost. He was losing his grip over his own emotions.
It wasn't something that easily happened to him, given his Boulder's Heart.
Is it someone I'm familiar with? The phenomenon piqued his curiosity. How could someone he knew hurt his heart so?
His mother? Sister?
They were both at the Moon God Sect. There was no way they would be here, of all places. It didn't seem like them in any case.
Huang'er?
She was back at the young lord residence on Sacred Peafowl Mountain. She hadn't left at any point.
Who could it be, then?
There was an indistinct shadow in Jiang Chen's heart, but he found it impossible to gather them into a discernible figure.
Deep within the crowd, Miss Dan'er assessed the young lord on the stage. Her heart was completely calm. "This young lord Zhen is an eloquent speaker. Foiling Emperor Shura's conspiracy and now hosting an event like this… he must be quite capable. I needn't worry for His Majesty's sake any longer; Sacred Peafowl Mountain is in good hands now. I only hope that this guy can uphold His Majesty's legacy."
Having seriously considered young lord Zhen quite a while, Dan'er thought that the young lord's only flaw was that he talked too much. Considering his accomplishments, she could forgive him this much.
Though she had some interest in the lecture's contents, she wasn't in the mood to listen to the rest. She lingered a few more moments within the crowd before disappearing with a quiet sigh.
"Your Majesty, I must disobey your instructions once again. I guarantee that this is the last time. If I still can't find any news of him this time, I'll give up my fantasies altogether. I'll cultivate here at Sacred Peafowl Mountain in peace, raise my daughter, and stay by Your Majesty's side. I only hope that Your Majesty is free of whatever trouble you were in, and we can meet again someday." Reaffirming these words to herself, Dan'er drifted away from Veluriyam Capital without a trace.
Back on the stage, Jiang Chen fell into a slight daze before quickly recovering his wits. He was perfectly calm once more. He told many enjoyable, unknown stories about pill dao history. His listeners cheered and guffawed in support. After about two hours, he slowly wrapped up the lecture.
"My idle words shall end here, my friends. Next comes free time to ask questions. Opportunities are limited, so I'd like to hear some difficult ones. I wouldn't want to waste anyone's time – both yours and my own. Ah yes, a small note: everyone has only one chance at asking questions. Anyone who has already done so is not eligible to ask any more."
He was hinting that easy questions should not be posed. Each person was incentivized to value their sole chance at having their questions answered.
The wandering cultivators had waited a long time for this.
Chapter 1298: Incredibly Strong Pill Dao
The segment for questions had been hotly anticipated by not only wandering cultivators, but also the heavyweights sitting in the guest section. Although some of them were irked by Jiang Chen self-styling himself as foremost in pill dao, feeling that the young man was simply too cocky, they couldn't find any proper words to refute him with.
The Pinecrane Pill and Emperor Supremacy Pill were enough to cement his position in the pill dao world, to say nothing of anything else. Besides, he welcomed any and all challengers. This was a proclamation that almost none of the pill dao heavyweights, whether currently active or retired, had ever dared issue.
That kind of overweening tone made for a lofty announcement, but at a high cost. If someone really did take one up on the offer and defeated the issuer, then the issuer would've lost all face and reputation.
Therefore, young lord Zhen's actions came off as a newborn calf unafraid of a tiger. He'd grown too full of himself after a little bit of achievement.
But then again, young people could afford to be that cocky. The advantage of youth was that it didn't matter if one was defeated. If those hermit experts actually did emerge from seclusion to teach the young lord a lesson, the young man might even be more delighted and proud of himself — such were the thoughts of some of the guests.
They had no idea that Jiang Chen had carefully considered all of his words before voicing them. There were countless wandering cultivators present, but not many would have the chance to raise a question.
The first ten had been selected, one of them being the sect heavyweights in the guest area.
"Young lord Zhen, my question is, who is the senior you respect the most in the world of pill dao?"
This wasn't a technical question at all, and it elicited uproarious laughter when it appeared. The crowd plainly loved it and might have even felt it more interesting than a serious question.
Jiang Chen wanted to ignore it, but realized how much wandering cultivators liked gossip when he heard them laugh kindly. Since they wanted to gossip, he decided to go with the flow.
"I haven't had the chance to interact with that many seniors in the world of pill dao, neither have I visited many of them. I don't actually have anyone in mind right now, but I do admire two young geniuses."
"Oh?" This response piqued the crowd's curiosity as well. It was equally interesting to learn about which geniuses the young lord admired.
"Which two?"
"Yeah, which two, young lord Zhen?"
"The two are named Mu Gaoqi and Lin Yanyu. They're both in my residence now. Gaoqi, Yanyu, let everyone get to know you."
The two hadn't thought that Jiang Chen would call their names, but they had some worldly experience and immediately stood up. The two were only mid level pill kings, but that was a high level for their age.
"Young lord Zhen, you're favoring your own people!" Someone called out.
Jiang Chen smiled faintly. "That's right. I am indeed introducing talents from my own Sacred Peafowl Mountain. Acknowledgement of talent shouldn't be avoided because of ties of kinship. Mu Gaoqi has an innate wood constitution of the highest order and unparalleled pill dao potential. His body is a treasure vault, one that will launch him into the stratosphere of legendary pill emperors in the future. Lin Yanyu's potential is slightly lower than Mu Gaoqi's, but he's studied pill dao since young and has a grasp of it that no one else has. He will also surely become a legend in the pill dao world in the future as well. Mark my words, two more pill dao stars will appear in the human domain in one to two hundred more years!"
"Young lord Zhen, there are many young geniuses in Pillfire City. Are none of them on par with your people?"
Jiang Chen smiled blandly. "Is that a question as well?"
Obviously not. "I didn't get a slot, but I just don't agree. Pillfire City's the foremost faction in pill dao. Do their geniuses really not measure up to yours?"
Jiang Chen chuckled. "I'll make an exception for this. The reason's simple. My people are of Sacred Peafowl Mountain and they spend their days learning from me. One day, they'll surpass those so-called Pillfire City geniuses."
His response was quite domineering, resulting in a tidal wave of applause.
"Damn straight, young lord Zhen! I like you!"
"That's right! So what about Pillfire City? Yeah they're pretty strong, but they're not as generous as young lord Zhen!"
"The young lord is so young so his potential is definitely greater. I feel that in the long run, the young lord will absolutely surpass that Pillfire City."
Even many seated in the guest area couldn't help themselves and clap. The elder of Empyrean River Palace however, had a darkened expression on his face before schooling it back to indifference. Master Dong Ye of the Sublime Chord Temple looked at Jiang Chen on the stage with a complicated expression, wariness flashing through the depths of his eyes. Long Baxiang of the Heavenly Dragon Sect privately gnashed his teeth. He still had his eyes set on Jiang Chen's true dragon. That was the real priority.
"Young lord Zhen, I have the second question. I have one about pill dao for you. I once saw a partial recipe in an ancient tome, but it was missing one of the supplemental ingredients. I've been studying it all along, wanting to fill in the blank. But we haven't been able to no matter what we've tried. Can you give us some advice, young lord?"
Jiang Chen smiled. "What's the primary ingredient?"
"Dragonwhisker Whitesilver Fruit."
Dragonwhisker Whitesilver Fruit? Jiang Chen thought for a moment, mentally flipping through recipes. "Is the fire attribute Gale Ginseng one of the supplemental ingredients?"
"No."
"Then the water attribute Supple Snow Root?"
"Yes!" The cultivator's eyes lit up. "That's one of them. Do you know it, young lord Zhen?"
"More or less. Tell me the first character of each of the other ingredients and I'll be able to tell you what you're missing." Jiang Chen was doing so to keep the secret. If all of the ingredients were revealed, then so was the recipe. Though it wouldn't be copied in its entirety, it'd no longer be exclusive.
The cultivator was delighted and took a moment before reeling off characters.
The young lord smiled after listening to the list. "I know which one's missing. You're missing a bit of Goldcoin Jadeite, and almost fully mature at that. It'll affect the primary ingredient if it's too mature."
"Almost mature Goldcoin Jadeite?" The cultivator was overjoyed. "Thank you so much, young lord Zhen! If this recipe can be completed, you'll be my born-again parents, young lord!"
Jiang Chen flashed an easy smile. He understood that this was a very precious recipe for wandering cultivators. It would absolutely be a source of wealth if research bore results. It wasn't much in his eyes given his current height, but to a wandering cultivator, it would change his life.
"Go back and study it well. There aren't any mistakes with it. If you succeed, it would completely change your fate." Jiang Chen encouraged.
The cultivator was overcome with gratitude and bowed respectfully towards Jiang Chen before melting back into the crowd. The scene appeared incredibly bizarre to the eyes of others. Many shot stunned glances at Jiang Chen, at a loss for words after his performance.
They even wondered if this had been rehearsed beforehand. Otherwise, how could the young lord just-so-happen to fill in the blanks of a recipe from a random stranger in the crowd? Was it coincidence or heaven-defying?
No matter how skilled one was in in pill dao, there was still a limit to the amount of knowledge grasped. It was impossible to complete a pill recipe with just a few words.
Was young lord Zhen a pill dao encyclopedia?
The elder from the Empyrean River Palace couldn't hold himself in. "Young lord Zhen, this seems a bit like child's play. If you pre-arrange everything, aren't you just lying to us all then?"
Honestly, what had happened really did come across as a planted shill. It was simply too outrageous to be genuine. Long Baxiang also sniggered. "Young lord Zhen, I'm not trying to make trouble for you, but some more effort should've gone into this fake."
Jiang Chen smiled with detachment. "Gentlemen, you're doing this just to try to provoke me. But I'm rather happy instead of angry. Do you know why? Your frustrated and harassed countenances are proof that my Dragon and Tiger Meet has been successful."
"Hmph. A glib tongue as always." Long Baxiang sniffed coldly. "Dare you say that you didn't arrange for all of this? I'll be the last to believe that you could just so happen to fill in the missing part of a random pill recipe. That's much too legendary. Do you think wandering cultivators are fools to be so easily lied to and pawns for you to use?"
"This isn't the first time, Long Baxiang!" Emperor Peerless suddenly thundered. "I know you won't accept it if I throw you out, but there's no place for you after your repeated targeting of my young lord."
The sect head threw his head back in laughter. "Mo Wushuang, I would've shown you some respect before, but do you think I care about your opinions now after you've become someone else's dog?"
Chapter 1299: Forceful Expulsion
Long Baxiang's malice deserved capital punishment. He'd intentionally shamed Emperor Peerless both to strike at Sacred Peafowl Mountain and to evoke the wandering cultivators' hostility. His words were full of malicious undertones and incitement.
See, a giant of the wandering cultivator world has become young lord Zhen's dog! This is a heinous offense against your entire class. And yet, you're still giving him this much support?! You've been completely fooled!
Emperor Peerless's expression darkened. He was a man capable of keeping his cool and he knew Long Baxiang's motives quite well. If he were to lash out now, the young lord's plans would be irrevocably damaged.
Frowning, Jiang Chen stepped forward in front of Emperor Peerless. He glared at Long Baxiang coldly. "This is the third time you've offended Sacred Peafowl Mountain, Long. I respected you as our guest the previous two times. But this time, you're taking a mile after receiving an inch. I do not tolerate the debasement of one of Sacred Peafowl Mountain's venerated elders!
"Jiao Yun, Jiao Feng. Throw our our unwelcome guest. If he doesn't leave within the time limit, kill him on the spot!" Jiang Chen scanned the crowd. "Mutual respect is one of my principles. Anyone who seeks a quarrel with Sacred Peafowl Mountain will be struck down regardless of station! Long, watch yourself!"
Long Baxiang's two previous interruptions had gone unanswered. Because of that, he had fallen into a false sense of security. He'd thought that because the young lord had only recently ascended to the throne, he must still lack a bit in charisma. There was no way the young man would risk breaking with him. Furthermore, the sect head's typical arrogance added to his self-confidence.
He'd completely underestimated Sacred Peafowl Mountain's character. Young lord Zhen had turned on him at the drop of a hat, leaving him uncertain and hesitant.
"You dare to expel me, young lord Zhen? A great emperor?" Violence danced in Long Baxiang's eyes.
Jiang Chen glanced coolly towards Emperor Peerless. "Old Brother Mo, please back the Jiao brothers up. If that Long person over there doesn't comply, cut him down at all costs!"
The young man was uninterested in wasting words on Long Baxiang. His determination was resolute enough to kill.
The Jiao brothers weren't a pair of herbivores to begin with. With Sacred Peafowl Mountain backing them up, there was no reason for them to hesitate. Cackling, they hurtled toward Long Baxiang.
"Are you deaf, Long? Are you going to leave by yourself, or would you like some help?"
The great emperor from the Heavenly Dragon Sect had to respect the Jiao brothers' ferocity, especially since a displeased Emperor Peerless wasn't far away. Long Baxiang was quite strong, but he wasn't about to indulge his cockiness against three of his peers in enemy territory.
Sneering, he circled around the crowd. "So many other first rank sects are here. Won't someone speak up for the sake of justice? I suppose you've all fallen in line before the Zhen brat's terror. If you're all as cowardly as this, the human domain will soon defer to a singular voice!"
Long Baxiang was still attempting to rile up the audience. Unfortunately for him, there was no one willing to stick their neck out for him. They didn't want to anger Jiang Chen. And from an objective point of view, the young lord was hardly at fault. Long Baxiang had the one who'd spewed putrid air everywhere.
If he wanted to oppose young lord Zhen, then he should have done so openly and directly. What was the point of dragging Emperor Peerless into it? And connected to the emperor was a large band of his fellow wandering great emperors, amongst whom the Jiao brothers were the closest.
Additionally, Long Baxiang wasn't the kindest of people. He had a habit of doing whatever he liked. He had threatened Master Dong Ye at the auction just yesterday! When someone like him got into trouble, barely anyone sympathized.
Some of the first rank sect representatives smirked, while others remained impassive. A few were uncaring enough to display open scorn. Not a single one stood up for the arrogant emperor.
Long Baxiang felt blood well up in his face. His cheeks flushed deep red. If a fissure opened up in the ground, there was no doubt he would dive right in. Humiliation like he'd never experienced before flowed into him.
"Ah, never mind. The Heavenly Dragon Sect doesn't have a habit of asking for help anyways. Zhen, I'm on your home turf today, so I'll let you get away with this for now. But I don't believe for a second that a kid like you can run all eight of the Upper Regions! The indignity I've suffered today will be revisited upon you tenfold. I promise it!" His face too dark for words, Long Baxiang scurried off after leaving a few choice last words.
"Jiao Yun, Jiao Feng. Keep close tabs on him until he leaves Veluriyam territory. If there is any delay on his part, you may attack him without worry." Jiang Chen commanded.
"Yes, sir!" The Jiao brothers heard the youth loud and clear.
Jiang Chen's incredible swiftness and determination daunted everyone present.
Seeing the haughty Long Baxiang be so distressed and discomfited by the young lord's actions produced an indescribable mixture of feelings from the observers. Some were guarded, others deferential…
"Friends, there is no end to conflict in the world of martial dao. I've never thought of obtaining everyone's approval. Perhaps you feel that the question just now was arranged beforehand. I welcome you to mention any such concerns to me. I have no problem with them in the slightest. However, maliciously disrespecting Sacred Peafowl Mountain's people is something I will not tolerate! A man walks the world with his reputation before him. Emperor Peerless and I appreciate each other greatly, so much so that we're sworn brothers. He joined Sacred Peafowl Mountain in my time of need solely to help me. This is nobility of the highest order! But Long defiled utterly it with his vile words. Do you think I should simply endure this injustice? He has committed the first and hopefully the last offense. Any infractions in the future will face Sacred Peafowl Mountain's wrath!" Jiang Chen swept the entire place with a frigid gaze.
The wandering cultivator who'd asked the question in the first place walked out angrily as well. He looked furious. "What are you people trying to pull, eh? Young lord Zhen has looked after wandering cultivators very well at the Dragon and Tiger Meet, but you keep making trouble for him! Is goodwill and kindness toward wandering cultivators not tolerated in this world? Should anyone who does so be an instant focus of attack? Why do you say that I'm the young lord's shill?
"Those who make that claim, are you brave enough to confront me face to face? If I really am a shill, then let heaven strike me down right now with some natural disaster! But if I'm not, then heaven should strike you instead! Do you dare swear such an oath? You're shams, cheats, and hypocrites! Is there anyone brave enough, huh? I'll take all of you on!"
The wandering cultivator roared ferociously, hotly riled up. The veins in his neck pulsed as he heaved for breath, his face was flush with agitation. He was caught up entirely in the heat of the moment.
"I don't care what kind of new crap you're trying to label young lord Zhen with. I only have one thing to say. Among the large factions in the world, young lord Zhen is the only leader who I've seen is genuinely willing to promote wandering cultivators' interests! From today onwards, I will only support young lord Zhen and Sacred Peafowl Mountain! Don't mention anyone else to me. Young lord Zhen is the only one!
"Which one of you is as forthright as young lord Zhen, hmm? I admire him because he's forthright to the highest degree. If all you know are a few petty tricks, the heavens will clear things up in the end. We wandering cultivators aren't blind. It's easy to separate kindness from hostility in the long run!"
After a lengthy outburst, the man huffed back into a sea of his fellows. In the next moment, all the wandering cultivators began to clap.
"Well said! All of these people deserve to be cussed at! They're jealous of young lord Zhen!"
"Anyone who insults young lord Zhen in the future will be cursed by me!"
"That's right! Young lord Zhen's compassion is unrivaled. Who else would think for us? Before now, absolutely no one!"
"I didn't get a single stone from coming to the Dragon and Tiger Meet, but even so it was well worth my time! At least I know now that there's a young lord Zhen here in Veluriyam Capital. As long as he's here, this entire place is worth coming to!"
"Young lord Zhen, you must hold the Dragon and Tiger Meet often in the future. I'll be sure to attend. Not only that, but I'll bring my brothers and friends here as well!"
There was a tremendous wave of support among the wandering cultivators; Jiang Chen's heart swelled up in satisfaction. To say that he hadn't done much of what had occurred out of partial self-interest would be a lie.
But even so, there was a great deal of sincerity in his actions. It was plain to anyone that many wandering cultivators had benefited from the proceedings. The first person who'd done so had come out to swear rather severe oaths. There was no reason for the audience to suspect that it had all been an act.
Even the elder from the Empyrean River Palace felt a certain amount of agreement. He was both wary and concerned about the crowd's rising emotions.
What he had witnessed today told him that Sacred Peafowl Mountain's young lord Zhen had a magical sort of charisma that could win people's hearts. Why else were these wandering cultivators so supportive of him?
"Emperor Pillzenith has found a difficult opponent this time," the elder lamented to himself.
Jiang Chen stepped forward, pressing both palms slightly down. "I'm truly thankful for your heartfelt support. What little abuse I bear in the process is entirely worth it. Alright, let the questions continue! Let's not let the calumny of a few ruin the event for the rest."
The question and answer segment continued as planned.
Order was restored to the staging grounds. The wandering cultivators who got a chance at a question were all marvellously excited, devoting their entire intellects into devising the perfect inquiry.
Some of the lucky ones who couldn't come up with a question right away received buy offers from their powerful peers. Getting answers from young lord Zhen's own mouth was a service that fetched a high premium.
The atmosphere was electric.
As the segment went on, the price for a single question shot up higher and higher. Each question asked became more and more technical. Some wandering cultivators were able to serendipitously pawn off their chance for a modest sum of wealth.
Jiang Chen didn't interfere in these organic transactions. They were part of the larger wandering cultivator ecosystem, which he saw little need to disturb.
In the guest area, the sect representatives occasionally received the opportunity to ask a question as well. But Jiang Chen naturally didn't open the floor up to factions hostile to him. The few chances that he had freely given early on had gone to the Great Yu Skysword Sect and the Celestial Cicada Court – with the occasional leftover for the Moon God Sect and the Ninesuns Sky Sect.
Chapter 1300: Huangers Worries?
The sect representatives implicitly understood Jiang Chen's deliberate bias. In particular, the Empyrean River Palace didn't receive a single chance to ask questions.
Sublime Chord Temple's Master Dong Ye was equally out of luck. However, the Buddhist master didn't look particularly interested in the opportunity in the first place. Instead, he tossed an occasional, inspecting look at Jiang Chen, as if he beheld a monster.
The three days' worth of pill dao lectures incorporated a great deal of pill dao wisdom. In this way, Jiang Chen was able to both maintain interest and broaden his audience's horizons.
Both the wandering cultivators and the faction delegates reaped substantial benefit. The pill dao prowess that Jiang Chen exhibited during the question and answer segment was especially impressive. It was difficult to deny that the young lord's pill dao knowledge was almost encyclopedic.
After the pill dao lectures were concluded, it was time for one of the weightiest segments. It was one that carried a lot of anticipation and expectation behind it. A senior from Myriad Abyss Island was going to answer martial dao questions!
"I'm sure that the segment to come has been hotly anticipated. Tomorrow, a mysterious expert from Myriad Abyss Island will descend upon Sacred Peafowl Mountain. However, he has told me in advance that he will answer only seven questions. Only seven of you will be lucky enough to have a question answered. As with this time, one chance will be given to one of our guests, while the remaining six will be limited to wandering cultivators only. Only then can this Meet be called a wandering cultivator meet.
"Unfortunately, how exactly the chances should be handed out is a very thorny problem. Everyone knows that a senior from Myriad Abyss Island is sure to know much more about martial dao than us human domain cultivators. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity. Who do we give these chances to? If we give them to ordinary cultivators, that seems a little bit wasteful. Questions that ordinary cultivators encounter can easily be answered by many of the emperors and great emperors present as well.
Jiang Chen paused here a moment before continuing. "Because of this, I'm conflicted about how I should hand out these opportunities. Why don't I hear from some of you? There are cultivators of many levels here. Sage realm cultivators, emperor realm experts, and great emperor realm seniors. If we give all the chances to the great emperors, it'll be unfair to the emperor and sage realm cultivators. If we give some to sage realm cultivators, emperor and great emperor friends won't be happy about how simple their questions will end up being. Come, share your opinions with me on how to deal with this."
It was a real dilemma.
"Emperor Wellspring, you are the most senior of the wandering cultivators here today. Why don't you tell us what you think?" Jiang Chen glanced at the emperor in question.
Emperor Wellspring laughed. "To tell the truth, I'm as interested as the rest of you in conversing with the mysterious expert from Myriad Abyss Island. I can definitely understand where young lord Zhen is coming from. Still, I think that because of how incredibly rare this opportunity is, all of the chances should be left to the highest-level cultivators. It has always been an unspoken rule in the world of cultivation that the strong are entitled to precedence, and I'm sure everyone attending understands me. I do have a suggestion however, to counter the fact that only great emperors are benefiting from the segment."
"Please go on, Emperor Wellspring." Jiang Chen wanted nothing more than for the emperor to solve this problem for him. He didn't want to anger all the wandering cultivators in the world.
"The six chances will be decided by lot among us wandering great emperors. Furthermore, we will adhere to young lord Zhen's principle of including as many as possible. Each person who gets the chance to ask a question will need to contribute for fairness' sake, at least. We should give and take to maintain balance."
"Oh? What kind of contribution do you propose?" Jiang Chen asked curiously.
"Each great emperor who gets to ask a question must lecture to their wandering cultivator juniors. At said event, they must answer at least a hundred martial dao questions. What do you think about that, young lord Zhen?"
Requiring anyone who benefited from Myriad Abyss Island's senior to teach more of their juniors in turn was a very good suggestion. Since wandering great emperors had six chances to ask questions, the questions of six hundred lesser wandering cultivators would end up answered.
"What do you think, gentlemen?" Jiang Chen looked toward the other wandering great emperors.
"Old Brother Hui's idea is excellent. We are fully behind him."
"Yes, it is as it should be. Emperor Wellspring's advice makes perfect sense."
"Young lord Zhen, you should do as Emperor Wellspring says. He has always been a fair and reasonable senior in our community. We are grateful that he's mindful of our needs!"
"Yes, six chances for six hundred questions is rather reasonable. We have no objections." The lower level wandering cultivators had nothing to dispute. In terms of qualification, it was a complete waste to allow any of the chances to fall into their hands.
Because they weren't at the senior's level, there was no common topic of conversation between them. What was the point in asking a distinguished senior a bunch of basic questions?
Such chances were reasonably reserved for great emperors. Most other wandering cultivators hadn't even thought about competing for them in the first place. That young lord Zhen and Emperor Wellspring were able to protect the masses' interests was already very kind.
The relative lack of opposition prompted Jiang Chen to beam with genuine pleasure. "Very good! I daresay there aren't many ways much better than this. The sects' representatives will have a chance as well. As with the wandering cultivators, we'll decide who gets the chance by lot."
The twenty-one wandering great emperors and the factions' representatives all gathered together. The latter group included representatives from second and third rank sects in addition to first rank ones, but the emissaries from the lesser sects didn't dare fight for their own prospects. In the end, the first rank sects were the only factions included in the lottery.
The drawing itself was completely aboveboard. The six chances were drawn one by one among the wandering great emperors. Even Emperor Wellspring didn't get one. Despite this, the emperor was untroubled. There was nothing he wanted to protest given the clear-cut rules.
On the other hand, Emperor Inferno was lucky enough to have his name be drawn.
Emperor Reliance has missed out as well. The remaining chances went to Emperor Ye Jianlei, a great emperor who'd been the first to agree to the transaction with Jiang Chen.
Among the first rank sects, the lucky chance fell into the hands of the Celestial Cicada Court. Su Huanzhen was overjoyed by the stroke of happenstance.
After the lottery was done, Jiang Chen smiled. "Congratulations to our winners. Tomorrow, each person will have an hour's worth of time to hear from the expert. Please wait here. If the senior is willing to come here, that would be for the best. If not, I can't exactly force him to come out, so I'll have to trouble all of you to come to Sacred Peafowl Mountain instead."
The staging ground for the meet wasn't far away from Sacred Peafowl Mountain's entrance. Since they were all cultivators, it took only a few seconds to travel between the two points.
"Young lord Zhen, has a senior from Myriad Abyss Island truly graced Sacred Peafowl Mountain with his presence?" The Jiao brothers looked expectant. Though Mo Wushuang stayed silent, his eyes overflowed with similar curiosity.
Jiang Chen laughed. "I can't reveal too much about anything that relates to that island. Still, please do not worry."
The three great emperors came to a tacit understanding upon hearing this. There were no further questions. It wasn't only those three who were inquisitive, however. The entire Sacred Peafowl Mountain was keen to know more about the senior who had come from Myriad Abyss Island – in particular, whether he was really already here.
Personally, Jiang Chen was in no hurry to remove the veil of mystery. There was someone from Myriad Abyss Island, but it wasn't some senior. It was Huang'er. If Elder Shun was here, he would count as a senior from the island. Alas, he and Huang'er had been separated for almost ten years now. There had been no news from the old man since.
Within the young lord residence, Huang'er had found out what was about to take place at the wandering cultivator meet.
The time was deep into the night. Only Jiang Chen and Huang'er remained in the courtyard. The moon was full today, and bleak moonlight scattered upon the yard's stony tiles. The shadows of the trees formed indistinct shapes upon the earth, and the occasional chatter from ambient insects created a rather distinct atmosphere in the inky gloom.
"Your hands are a bit chilly, Huang'er. Don't catch a cold." Gently cradling his arms around Huang'er's shoulders, Jiang Chen basked in the sensation of intimacy to her graceful figure. He didn't expect the slight shiver from the girl next to him. Though Huang'er tried very hard to suppress this reaction, Jiang Chen caught it nonetheless.
"It's getting late, Huang'er. The temperature is dropping. Go rest for today." Instinctively, Jiang Chen took off his coat and placed it over his female companion.
Huang'er's upward-facing visage was filled with love and emotion. And yet her eyes, clear as mountain springs, hid a hint of muted sadness.
Jiang Chen hummed quietly. "Huang'er, do you have something on your mind?"
The girl didn't answer, instead gazing directly into Jiang Chen's face. "Brother Chen, what are you planning to do for tomorrow's martial dao lecture segment?"
Jiang Chen chuckled. "There's nothing to do about it. I'll have to direct a one-man show."
"But, can you really answer the martial dao questions from those great emperors?" Huang'er paused, anxiety clear on her face. "Brother Chen, you've been working really hard the past few days. Do you know? My biggest worry is that you'll overwork yourself. There are too many burdens on your shoulders."
Huang'er sighed wistfully. "If I could, I'd like to put everything down and find a secluded spot. We can spend some time there, just the two of us. Brother Chen, do you think I'm being too selfish?"
A sharp, painful sensation spiked into Jiang Chen's heart. He was apologetic and contrite. As of late, Huang'er was the person he owed the most to. He had spent the past few years traveling the world while Huang'er had stayed behind in the young lord residence to manage and maintain it. That was why he had been able to wander so much without worry.
Realizing this made him emotional as well. He grasped the girl's hands tightly, taking in her smooth skin. "Huang'er, I've been the selfish one. I've asked you to do too much, but I haven't ever calmed down my heart to stay by your side."
"Don't say that, Brother Chen. You've already spent a lot of time with me. When we went from Myriad Domain to Veluriyam Capital, then from there to the desolate wildlands… I'll never forget those days of happiness. Never…" Huang'er's murmuring softened into a whisper. Tears welled up at the corners of her eyes.
Chapter 1301: An Unwelcome Guest
"Huang'er, what's making you so sad? You and I have weathered life and death. No one can tear us apart in this life. Now that your Generation Binding Curse is undone, I can handle whatever comes, even if the skies cave in…" Jiang Chen stretched out a hand and clumsily wiped away the tears at the girl's eyes.
Warmth suffused Huang'er's heart when she took note of Jiang Chen's ungainly motions. She valiantly got her emotions back under control and smiled. "Brother Chen, I just thought of the tragic parts of my background, is all, and couldn't help myself all of a sudden. Don't think less of me!"
Jiang Chen's mood took a turn for the better when he saw the girl smile. He cupped her cheeks and planted a moving kiss on her forehead.
"Don't you worry. The skies can't really cave in, but even if they do, I'll be right there to hold them up for you. This isn't an empty bluff, but a promise from me to you." Jiang Chen grasped Huang'er's hands and looked deep into her eyes with his solemn vow.
The fiery passion in his eyes would melt even the hardest ice, much less a couple madly in love. Huang'er was filled with boundless joy at these words. She nodded rapidly, wanting to fully preserve this happiness in her heart.
"Brother Chen… I…" The normally coolly composed Huang'er was overcome with emotion. Her heart pounded frantically in the face of such ardent declarations, and a bright flush crept up her neck.
Their eyes met, their lips inexorably attracted to each other like two ends of a magnet. In this moment, even the bright moon ducked behind a patch of clouds and refused to peek out. Languid feelings of love flowed in the courtyard.
An exceedingly discordant sound cut through the perfect atmosphere.
It was… a cough. An extremely sudden, perplexing, mood-killing cough…
Jiang Chen didn't make out who it'd come from, but he really wanted to smack whichever idiot it was to death.
"Ai. Huang'er. Once is bad enough, must it happen a second time?" A clear voice cut through the air.
Hmm? Jiang Chen froze when he heard the voice. It was very foreign, absolutely the first time he'd ever heard of it. Who is it?
He moved Huang'er behind him and deployed God's Eye to the utmost. "Who is it?!"
It would be a lie to say that he wasn't alarmed at the moment. Security around the young lord residence was high and not just anyone could enter the Nine Sparks Petalstorm Formation. But here the voice was just in front of of them!
No matter who the other was, he'd been able to make it past the formation and into the residence. It was a most apprehensive development!
However, Huang'er grasped Jiang Chen's hand tightly with an indifferent expression. "Elder Xi, you seemed to have gone back on your word. Don't forget what you promised me!"
The sky was quiet for a long moment. Jiang Chen couldn't detect any ripples no matter how he deployed his consciousness. The void around them seemed to have sunk into unending emptiness, as if the residence had disconnected from the rest of Sacred Peafowl Mountain.
A soft sigh travelled from the air after a long time.
"I don't wish to do anything that ruins the mood, but Miss Huang'er, it would be a mistake upon a mistake if you took another step forward. Spilt water can't be gathered up, what's done wouldn't be able to be undone afterwards. Have you considered the consequences?" The one who Huang'er called Elder Xi finally spoke.
Jiang Chen snorted coldly. "Who might you be? What kind of person are you to hide and cower like this? Show yourself, no matter who you are!"
He'd perceived that the other wasn't a simple character. It was obvious that it must be someone from Myriad Abyss Island. Huang'er didn't stop him, only tightened her grasp on Jiang Chen's arm, as if deathly afraid that he would suddenly disappear.
"You're quite bold, young man, to falsely use the name of Myriad Abyss Island. Aren't you afraid that your lawless actions will bring down an extinction event on your Sacred Peafowl Mountain?"
Jiang Chen chuckled softly. "Myriad Abyss Island doesn't belong to one particular person. Don't you find your threat rather bizarre?"
Strange ripples suddenly emanated from the air, like an air current swirling through the void. It coalesced in the next second, revealing an elder not too far from Jiang Chen.
It was an ethereal-looking elder dressed in apricot yellow robes. He looked older than Elder Shun, but his eyes were uncommonly radiant. There seemed to be the infinite mysteries of the world hidden within.
"Huang'er, is the young man the person who cured your poison?"
Huang'er pulled on Jiang Chen's arm proudly. "That's him, Elder Xi. I've already pledged myself to him. Whether in life or death, I, Yan Qinghuang, am his woman."
Yan Qinghuang? Jiang Chen started. It was the first time he'd heard Huang'er's real name. The girl murmured, "Brother Chen, I didn't tell you before not because I wanted to lie or hide things from you. I was afraid that if I suddenly left you one day, you'd look for me everywhere. That would only drag you down…"
Elder Xi frowned slightly. His woman whether in life or death? This brat?!
"Impossible!" Although Elder Xi's tone was tough, his heart softened under Huang'er's forceful gaze. "Huang'er, you've always been smart. You should know that had your illness not been treated, there might've been a chance for you two. But since you've been cured, any possibility for the two of you is no longer. I admit that this child is different from normal mundane youths. But Huang'er, you know what will happen to Sacred Peafowl Mountain if you stubbornly continue on your path."
Huang'er had nothing to say to that. An exceedingly pained look appeared in her clear eyes, as if her heart had been broken into pieces by someone else's bare hands.
"Elder Xi, is it?" Anger surged in Jiang Chen's heart when he saw his woman this saddened and despairing. "I don't care who you are and what relationship you have with Huang'er. I only want to tell you that the skies won't fall in when I'm here. And even if they do, I can hold them up!"
Elder Xi sniffed derisively, but there seemed to be a hint of admiration within. It was drowned out by mockery and his expression suddenly sank. "And if you no longer existed?"
Huang'er panicked when she heard this. "Elder Xi, I'll die right here in front of you if you dare do anything!"
Jiang Chen's anger exploded into fury and he seemed willing to do anything. He wrapped his arms around his woman. "Huang'er, don't be afraid! Who is he?! Is he the evil family who cast the curse on your parents and wants to use you as a cultivation cauldron?"
Frosty killing intent shot out from Jiang Chen's eyes as he pieced together a plan. If the other really was a Myriad Abyss Island expert, then he was very likely stronger than a great emperor. Sacred Peafowl Mountain had no way to resist a personage like this.
The strongest trump card Jiang Chen had in his hand was the restriction in the abode that mid-empyrean expert Guo Ran had left behind. He wouldn't hesitate to use it if they really did erupt in open hostilities.
Huang'er quickly called out when she felt killing intent surge in her lover. "Don't misunderstand, Brother Chen. Elder Xi's not from that family. He's… from my Yan family."
"What?" Jiang Chen was thoroughly taken aback. Someone on their side?
"Brother Chen, Elder Xi is an elder of my family and has an even higher position than Elder Shun. He's one of the great elders of my family."
Elder Xi frowned again. "Huang'er, there's no need to tell an outsider so many family secrets. Don't force me to destroy our agreement and kill him."
Huang'er snorted lightly. "I won't live on if anything happens to him!"
The elder was displeased and snorted dismissively. "Brat, stop making faces at me. No matter how strong you are, you're still relying on a woman to protect you today."
"Enough, Elder Xi!" Huang'er wouldn't bear any insults to her beloved man. Normally placid to both insult and compliment, she roared like a leopard. "Brother Chen is the foremost beneath the heavens! Elder Xi, if he'd been born on Myriad Abyss Island, he would stomp on both Yan and Xiahou descendants! They wouldn't be fit to carry his shoes!"
"Heh heh, Miss Huang'er, I understand that beauty is in the eye of the beholder." Elder Xi thought nothing of Huang'er's words. "This kid has a bit of skill and enough courage. However, a lowly birth is his original sin. What can he do in this life? So what if he trains to peak great emperor and can sweep the human domain? Compared to those in our world, we're the heavens and he the earth, and a tiny ant on the ground at that."
Elder Xi highly valued bloodlines. How would a lowly peon in the human domain compare to the noble bloodlines of Myriad Abyss Island? So what if one was monstrous in the human domain? How many heroes in the human domain commanded the skies and rain? But they couldn't even get to Myriad Abyss Island.
And even if they were so lucky as to make it, they'd find out that a lowly birth was just a lowly birth in the end. They were nothing.
Huang'er's face was as white as a sheet. She was highly infuriated by this response. "Elder Xi, Brother Chen isn't the ant you think of. You…"
"That's enough. I don't care if he's an ant or not. You should be rejoicing that it's me here this time and not anyone else from the family. This place would be a mountain of corpses and blood by now if so. If someone from House Xiahou came, then the entire Veluriyam Capital would be destroyed. To House Xiahou, taking you in is the greatest sacrilege! Would they care about a bunch of ants in their anger?"
Chapter 1302: Are You Worthy of Representing the Heavenly Law?
Huang'er was silent. She knew that Elder Xi wasn't voicing empty words. If anyone else from her family came, they might really make a move against Jiang Chen. If someone from the Xiahou clan was here, they would certainly slaughter all of Veluriyam Capital! The city wouldn't be able to resist at all if House Xiahou made a move. Even a monstrous genius like Brother Chen might not make it out alive from the assault.
Having grown up in Myriad Abyss Island, she knew that the island was so much stronger than the human domain. House Xiahou in particular was an undeniably vicious clan. Why else would they have put this curse on her otherwise and make her the cultivation cauldron of their family?
Elder Xi seemed to have an innate disdain for those of the human domain. He flicked a mocking look at Jiang Chen. "Young man, if you're smart enough, you should recognize the situation you're in and come to your senses. You should at least loosen the dirty hand you have around Miss Huang'er.
"No need to glare at me. Your fury in my eyes is the tragic wails of a trash. Remember, don't borrow Myriad Abyss Island's name in the future. The island is heaven and and represents the paramount heavenly law. It's not a place where an ant in the dust like you can take its name in vain!"
A mocking mirth shone in the elder's eyes and he pointed carelessly at the sky. "I've sealed off this area and can undo it any anytime. You may summon all of your followers and I can teach you a lesson if you don't accept this. I'll teach you the difference between heaven and earth…"
Jiang Chen balled up his fists tightly. He could feel the elder's hostility and strength, and could even vaguely sense that the old man was purposefully trying to provoke him so that the elder would have an excuse to commence a slaughter.
And yet, this wasn't what irked Jiang Chen the most.
What irritated him the most was that the old man dared shamelessly talk of heavenly dao in front of him, as if he were the heavens!
"Brother Chen, promise me, don't do anything, promise me!" Huang'er maintained a death grip on Jiang Chen's arm as anguish and pleading filled her eyes.
Jiang Chen's overflowing wrath dissolved into a light sigh at the end. He hugged Huang'er lightly, his fury slowly quieting down. He knew that she was doing this to protect him and Sacred Peafowl Mountain. Except, was he the sort to roll over and play dead?
He stared coolly at Elder Xi. "Even if you're Huang'er's elder, I can tell you clearly that you! Do not! Represent the heavens! The heavenly dao is boundless, how much of it do you know? How dare you shamelessly speak of it? The heavens will come claim you after you've committed sacrilege against it today. Remember, I'll let you know one day just how ignorant you are in talking of the heavens, and how ludicrous you are!"
Jiang Chen's every word was crystal clear and as sharp as a frosty dagger.
Elder Xi was an exceedingly noble personage. Although he was largely dismissive of Jiang Chen's response, he was also somewhat irritated. He snorted coldly and sent a spear of aura towards the young man.
"Little brat running his mouth." Elder Xi didn't think much of Jiang Chen's words. He'd promised Huang'er that he wouldn't kill anyone, but that didn't mean he couldn't use his aura to injure. This aura flare was a bullying move. Mountains would collapse and earth crack if they came in contact with it!
This twitch of consciousness was faster than lightning and travelled to Jiang Chen in the blink of an eye.
"No!" Huang'er flew into a panic and pounced to stop the elder.
Alas, she was too late. The consciousness was formless but more frightening than any sharp knife. It shot straight into Jiang Chen's sea of consciousness, obviously to churn it to pieces. In this way, he would become a drooling idiot even if he didn't die!
A twitch crossed Jiang Chen's mind as a heretofore unfelt sense of danger surged inside of him. By the time he reacted, the frightening mind attack had roiled into his consciousness like ill winds from hell.
This is bad! An inborn sense of resistance flared within him.
"Heh heh… you know not your limits!" Elder Xi smirked coldly when he saw that the young man wanted to resist. He obviously didn't think it was possible. A mental attack from an empyrean cultivator was stronger than anything. The kid was dead without a doubt even if he was ten times stronger!
Ringing explosions went off in Jiang Chen's mind, feeling like it would explode and crumble at any moment. The silent seal in his consciousness, a chain link circling nine droplets of water, suddenly shuddered violently.
It rotated at a high speed in the next instant, forming a starry vortex that was an unending, celestial river from the primordial depths. It sucked in the mental attack like a hungry man slurping up noodles, leaving nothing behind. A second later, it reverted back to its inert state.
The seal again… The thought flew across Jiang Chen's mind. The seal circled in his sea of consciousness like a cloud of skies. It wasn't the first time that he'd felt its existence. It was ancient, mysterious, strong, unfathomable, and hid boundless possibility.
It had been the culprit behind the stunning natural phenomenon when he'd broken through in the Precious Tree Sect, making it seem like an emperor realm cultivator had broken through. Later on in the tests of the nine obelisks with the Veluriyam Pagoda, it had been this seal that'd saved his almost collapsing consciousness. And it'd been the seal again that had protected him this time.
In this moment, Jiang Chen was even more certain that an enormous secret was hidden within this seal, one having to do with the cycles of life between his current and past life.
When he thought of his past life, untempered confidence soared in Jiang Chen's heart. So what of Myriad Abyss Island? As strong as it was, the island was just composed of refugees from the ancient times! They were descendants of the cowards who ran away from the ancient demon war, their origins questionable to begin with!
So what if these people were stronger than those in the human domain? What was there worthy to boast about? What right did they have to represent the heavenly law?
"Brother Chen, how are you? Brother Chen… Brother Chen, wake up!" Huang'er was highly frantic. Her world had spun and darkened when Elder Xi fired off his attack. Jiang Chen staring blankly and then laughing was making her very fearful that her lover's consciousness had been destroyed.
Jiang Chen came back to his senses when hearing Huang'er's voice. He smiled faintly and patted her back. "Don't be startled, Huang'er. I said before that the skies won't cave in. Even if they do, I can hold them up for you. Don't forget, I'm born of the heavenly dao. No one knows the heavens better than I do!"
Huang'er brimmed with joy and flung her arms around Jiang Chen, her eyes red again. In that moment, she'd experienced how it truly felt to lost everything in the world. She'd only wanted to die.
But, her lover had once again proven what it meant to be a genius and pulled her back from the depths of despair. He was fine!
Yes, he was fine!
She suddenly recalled what he'd once said to her, something that was a secret between the two of them. Her lover wasn't an ordinary person. After being beaten in Eastern Kingdom, he'd awoken a heritage that exceeded the level of the Divine Abyss Continent!
This was a white lie that Jiang Chen had told Huang'er, but it wasn't too far away from the truth.
She gained some more confidence when she thought of this. That's right, her lover had awoken his heritage and so his level might be even higher than Myriad Abyss Island! He might even be at the heavenly planes!
"Hmm?" Elder Xi was flabbergasted to see Jiang Chen laughing and chatting, completely at ease. How could this be? Had he missed?
But, how was that possible? How could an empyrean realm cultivator have missed with a mental attack on an emperor realm youth? He was lost in a perplexed haze for a moment.
"Elder Xi, do you really want to break your word and force Huang'er to lose her life here?" Huang'er hectored when she saw that Elder Xi's expression was unfriendly, seemingly wanting to stir up more trouble.
"Don't be scared of him, Huang'er. As a family elder, he's supposed to look after the juniors of the clan. This kind of elder commands no respect and will never protect the family in critical moments." Jiang Chen smirked coldly at Elder Xi. "Do your worst! Mental attacks can't kill me and physical attacks won't end me either! You won't be taking Huang'er away today unless it's over my dead body!"
Although the old man hadn't mentioned his purpose in coming here, it was obvious that he was here to take away Huang'er. After all, he'd mentioned that there was hope for the two of them if Huang'er's illness had never been cured, but none at all now that it had. He was going to take her back and hand her over to be House Xiahou's cultivation cauldron!
Elder Xi was indeed losing his reason due to anger. He'd never thought that he'd lose so much face in front of an emperor realm kid. He itched to start a slaughter in this moment and wipe Sacred Peafowl Mountain clean!
Huang'er was of House Yan after all, she was quite familiar with the house elders' personalities. She interjected remotely, "Elder Xi, you can do whatever you'd like if you want to end up destroying the clan."
Her tone was indifferent, but full of threat.
Elder Xi's heart trembled. Huang'er was protecting this kid so fully that if he really did start a slaughter, she would answer with her death. If she died, House Xiahou's fury would descend on their family and it might even be their ends!
The possibility of losing something great for something small was highly possible!
Elder Xi was a well versed old monster and cackled. "Huang'er, am I really that type of person? Although I may not care as much about you as Elder Shun, I watched you grow up after all. Would I do all this if it wasn't for the circumstances?"
So the old fox was submitting.
"If this is the case, then please depart the premises. I know what I'm doing. My Brother Chen will be inviting an expert from the island to answer some questions tomorrow. You might as well fulfill the role."
"What? Me?" Elder Xi was gape mouthed, completely stunned.
Jiang Chen however, shook his head. "No need, Huang'er. I can handle it!"