Chapter 600: Convergence of Powerhouses
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Although Desolation City was the nearest city to the Celestial Burial Valley, one still needed three to five days to complete the journey.
On the way, Xu Que got a rough idea of the Nine Deathtraps from Liu Jingning.
Apparently, the Nine Deathtraps had come into existence during ancient times. All these places were quite sinister, where numerous ancient powerhouses had been killed.
There were also a lot of interesting rumors about the Nine Deathtraps. For example, an ancient ferocious dragon had passed away in the Heaven Dragon Cave. A celestial was also apparently buried in the Celestial Burial Valley.
However, Buttface shook his head at this information, "These are all rumors! Actually, the Heaven Dragon Cave is just a place where a powerhouse of our Magic Dragon Tribe once napped. The ancient magic dragons are extremely powerful. He just slept there, and his aura, which is very ferocious, can still be sensed now.
"As for the Celestial Burial Valley, as the name suggests, a crap celestial died there. If that guy was a powerful celestial, he should have passed away in the Spiritual Realm. How could he die in the East Continent? If I go to that place, I will dig up the body of that celestial and punch it. How could the pathetic Celestial Burial Valley be mentioned in the same breath as the mighty Heaven Dragon Cave?"
Buttface spoke proudly, as if the name "Heaven Dragon Cave," which contained the word "Dragon," made him proud.
Hearing his words, Xu Que knew he was definitely bluffing, so he disdainfully replied , "I remember you said you went in and out of the Celestial Burial Valley seven different times!"
"Did I?" Buttface was stunned for a moment, then he remembered he had said that before. Although he was quite embarrassed, he still confidently asserted, "I've never said that! You misheard me! If I used to go to the Celestial Burial Valley, it would have long disappeared!"
"Alas! What a stupid dog!" Xu Que sighed.
Liu Jingning was quite surprised by Buttface's words. She had thought Buttface was just a common demonic beast. To her surprise, she couldn't sense the cultivation level of Buttface, who was intelligent and could speak a human language.
Now this dog was bluffing that he was part of the Ancient Magic Dragon Tribe, which made Liu Jingning even more confused.
How could a dog be related to a magic dragon?
"What are you looking at? My noble face is not something you can look at casually!" Buttface sensed Liu Jingning's curious gaze, so he spoke arrogantly and shook his body.
Hearing that, Liu Jingning raised her eyebrows; the pressure of the Void Training Stage gushed out of her and abruptly pressed toward Buttface.
As the Holy Virgin of the Utopia Faction, she enjoyed an extremely high position in the East Continent. How could she put up with disrespect from a dog?
Xu Que could disrespect her. However, it didn't mean anyone, even a demonic beast, could treat her like that.
"Howl! Little brat, little brat, just discipline your woman! This demonic woman is insane and is trying to kill me!" Buttface's posture changed in three seconds. Suppressed by Liu Jingning's pressure, he became cowardly and cried for Xu Que's help.
"I've warned you before that you should behave yourself. She is a Holy Virgin. You can't disrespect her like that! Do you think you can continue living like someone with this type of handsomeness? If you don't have a handsome face like this, you should always keep a low profile!" Xu Que scolded Buttface as if the dog had failed to live up to his expectations.
The first half of Xu Que's words consoled Liu Jingning a bit. She knew Xu Que respected her at least.
However, she was totally pissed off by the second half of his words.
Like owner, like pet!
This pet dog is so shameless and is disliked by normal people. I guess only a shameless guy like Xu Que could keep such a dog with him—they were painted with the same brush!
"Little Queque, later when I see Jiang Hongyan, I will definitely tell her you bullied me on the way!" Liu Jingning pouted and spoke pathetically as if she had been wronged.
"You'd better forget it. Hongyan clearly knows that I'm an honest and upright gentleman immune to a woman's charms. Moreover, your cultivation level is higher than mine—how could I bully you?" Xu Que sneered.
However, he felt a little bit different about the situation in his heart. He worried that Liu Jingning could gossip about him in front of Jiang Hongyan cause a misunderstanding.
After all, Liu Jingning knew everything about him and Madam Ya from his time in the Fire Nation.
"So what? Your handsome face and elegant temperament attracted me. I was mesmerized by you temporarily, so I didn't resist your flirtatious actions." Liu Jingning's words became more and more outrageous. "I didn't expect you to turn against me soon. I feel very wronged . . . " Her face was a wide smile, but she really sounded like a little woman who had just been forsaken.
Xu Que was immediately pissed off. I haven't laid a finger on you—I only spanked your little hips! You can't just slander me like that!
"Okay, come here. You said you are attracted to me, right? You said I bullied you, right? Then let me bully you again!" As he spoke, Xu Que reached out to touch Liu Jingning's bosom.
Liu Jingning drifted back calmly to evade Xu Que's hands, then she sniggered, "Little Queque, you can't touch here!"
"I won't touch them, I will just grab them!" Xu Que spoke with wide eyes. He was not in the mood to play with Liu Jingning, so he started to run toward the Celestial Burial Valley.
He no longer worried about Liu Jingning gossiping about him to Jiang Hongyan—Jiang Hongyan probably know Liu Jingning's character better than he did, so she definitely wouldn't believe any gossip.
If something really happened between him and Liu Jingning, she would also never tell Jiang Hongyan about that.
Hum! Liu Jingning thought. What a shameless guy! How could he say something like, 'not touch but grab?' Seeing Xu Que had flown away, she set off to follow him.
The two-person, one-dog trio continued forth on their journey.
Over the next two days, Xu Que was attacked by more lightning. They didn't cause him any damage but kept hurting innocent bystanders.
Those people seemed to have heard of Xu Que's wicked deeds. When they saw lightning, they would angrily shout, "Lightning Rogue, how dare you show up again? I'll kill you!"
"Get lost!" Xu Que was quite angry. He waved the Dark Heavy Buster Sword, which blew away a lot of people.
He didn't stop. However, Liu Jingning couldn't help smiling. "'Lightning Rogue?' It seems they gave you a nickname!"
"Hum! I will show those fools the power of the Flash later!" Xu Que was quite embarrassed about this nickname. How could they work out a cheesy nickname like the 'Lightning Rogue?'
But he never felt sorry for those cultivators. They had come here to kill Jiang Hongyan. Their being struck by lightning could be deemed as payment of interest, at most. If they dared make trouble in the Celestial Burial Valley, Xu Que wouldn't mind killing them all.
However, after dashing forward for three days, they had to stop at a place several hundred kilometers away from the Celestial Burial Valley.
It wasn't because they had met Jiang Hongyan. This area had been packed with tens of thousands of cultivators, which was even more than the amount of cultivators in Desolation City.
Even worse, among these cultivators there were around 100 powerhouses at the Void Training Stage, who were from different families and sects.
Xu Que and Liu Jingning had to stop, their faces solemn.
"What the hell? How could they be faster than us?" Xu Que frowned. He thought he was the first one who knew Jiang Hongyan was in the Celestial Burial Valley. But how could so many people arrive in this place ahead of him?
Chapter 601: Reconciliation
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
On the desolate and endlessly barren land, there were tens of thousands of cultivators, a very shocking sight.
Obviously, these people had come for Jiang Hongyan.
"Cricky! The Old Man of Heaven Secret must have figured out the precise position where Jiang Hongyan is! This explains why so many cultivators are here." Liu Jingning frowned.
"F*ck the so-called Old Man of Heaven Secret! When this business is done, I will destroy the Heaven Secret Pavilion!" Xu Que also frowned. He was very surprised.
I never thought in the Cultivation World there would be someone who could make such an accurate prediction!
"You can't do that! You can't possibly make yourself an enemy of the Heaven Secret Pavilion. If you do, wherever you go, you'll be in danger!" Liu Jingning exclaimed. "Yes, the Old Man of Heaven Secret might not be the most powerful guy, but no one is as strong as him. Even the powerful men of the Form Synthesis Stage ask him for help or advice from time to time."
"Oh, really?! If he is really that powerful, why on earth hasn't he predicted the consequences of offending me?!" Xu Que sneered. Clearly, he was not joking about bombing the Heaven Secret Pavilion. He knew that he'd already grown powerful enough to do so.
Liu Jingning had simply thought he was talking in nonsense.
"Apparently the Old Man of Heaven Secret can predict almost everything, but he cannot predict what will happen to him. I don't know, someone said this is the rule of some sort! Every time he makes a prediction, his lifespan is shortened. So if you want to ask help from him, you have to give him sort of potion that doubles his lifespan! If you ever dare offend him, you'll just make yourself the enemy of a huge number of people!"
"I'm not afraid!" Xu Que shouted.
He didn't doubt how powerful the Old Man of Heaven Secret was. In fact, he knew that Jiang Hongyan was in a much much more dangerous situation than he had ever expected.
To ask for help from the Old Man of Heaven Secret, you had to pay a big price. Even so, to get the precise whereabouts of Jiang Hongyan, he still chose to ask, which clearly showed these cultivators were extremely determined to kill Jiang Hongyan.
Bang!
All of a sudden, a young man in black appeared in the sky.
He looked extremely handsome but had a cold look on his face. Between his eyebrows, there was a mark of a flame. In his hand, there was a crimson Fang Tian Ji.
"He is the Holy Son of the Heavenly Demon Sect, Xiao Munan!" someone exclaimed. "I heard that he went to the Blood-devouring Abyss to do his cultivation in seclusion! I would have never thought he'd already returned!"
"My goodness!" another man exclaimed. "He is in the ninth level of the Void Training Stage. In less than a hundred years, he is bound to become the youngest man of the Form Synthesis Stage!"
"I doubt it. You know in the Jiang Family, the Gong Family, and the Bai Family, even in the Illusionary Flower & Moon Sect, the Utopia Faction, the Heaven Secret Pavilion, and the Four Directions Desolation Faction, there are already many Holy Sons or Holy Virgins who are in the eighth or ninth level of the Void Training Stage. In less than a century, they will all step into the Form Synthesis Stage!"
"Just as the saying goes: 'waves which come later are stronger and higher.' Maybe after a thousand years, there will be another powerful Holy Son or Holy Virgin who will step into the Spiritual Realm!"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
A beautiful young woman appeared in the air and walked down on an invisible staircase. Whenever she took a step, a delicate blue lotus blossomed beside her feet.
"She is the Holy Virgin of the Bai Family!"
"It seems that she has already mastered the Azure Lotus Treasure Appraisal Art! How marvelous!"
"Each of her steps reflects the Taoist Connotation. I am sure if she steps into the Form Synthesis Stage, she'll be the strongest one!"
"The Azure Lotus Treasure Appraisal Art itself is a very powerful incantation. As far as I'm concerned, her master could be the disciple of the Emperor Qing."
People had started to talk.
As the time passed by, more and more Holy Sons and Holy Virgins of other powerful Factions arrived . . .
Xu Que and Liu Jingning secretly hid among the crowd. They hadn't changed back into their real forms, so no one recognized them yet.
Among the crowd, Xu Que spotted Qin Ji, the Holy Virgin of The Illusionary Flower & Moon Sect, and Xiao Taixuan, the Holy Son of the Eight Directions Green Dragon Sect.
Xu Que smiled at Liu Jingning. "Ha! I mean if I kill all the Holy Sons and Holy Virgins here, would there be a huge earthquake in the Eastern Continent?"
Hearing this, Liu Jingning was stunned. "Behave yourself! They are not that easy to deal with!"
She believed Xu Que had the ability to kill them all. The reason she asked Xu Que to behave himself was that she did not want him to be hunted down wherever he went.
"I'm also not that easy to deal with!"
"You should wait until you step into the Void Training Stage. I know you have many tricks, but you can't even beat me! You don't have any Taoist Connotation!" Liu Jingning said coldly.
"The Taoist Connotation?" Xu Que was a bit confused.
Right at this moment, an old man appeared, and his energy wave suddenly covered the entire place.
The crowd held its breath and looked at the old man.
"Good morning! Everyone! I am Jiang Yushu, the head of the Jiang Family. I believe we all gather here today for the same reason!" Jiang Yushu paused and shook his head.
"I have to admit that Jiang Hongyan has indeed caused much trouble for my Family, and I am sad to have her as a member of my Family! If we allow her to step into a higher level, I think the entire Eastern Continent will be cursed. The Old Man of Heaven Secret has told me that Jiang Hongyan is going to have her tribulation tomorrow. I hope every one of you can make an effort to help me kill her, and I will really appreciate your doing so."
"He is right! Even us Gong Family and Bai Family were also been dragged into a quarrel, and I think this has something to do with Jiang Hongyan. I am glad to say that the Jiang Family has already done quite a decent job trying to compensate us. As you can all see, Jiang Hongyan is only in the Infant Transformation Stage and she is already capable of causing us trouble. If we allow her to step into the Void Training Stage, the entire Eastern Continent will be chaotic. So no matter how dangerous the Celestial Burial Valley is, we have to work together to kill Jiang Hongyan!"
Hearing this, all the disciples in the three Families shouted, "Kill Jiang Hongyan!"
Seeing this, Xu Que's face became dark.
"Why on earth have the three Families made alliances with each other?"
"It seems that your plan did not work. I think the Jiang Family must have done a lot to comfort the Gong Family and the Bai Family!" Liu Jingning shook her head.
Xu Que sneered, "I won't let them have what they want! Wait and see, I will make them fight against each other soon!"
"Calm down! We should find out where Jiang Hongyan is!" Liu Jingning said hurriedly.
Buttface was worried. "She's right!"
Xu Que thought for a moment and nodded.
He had got plenty of ways to make the three Families hate each other again, but if he really did so, he would expose himself and more importantly, he would not be able to stop their plans of killing Jiang Hongyan. By then, he could do nothing but run, and he would fail to save Jiang Hongyan.
The most important thing for me to do is find Jiang Hongyan, then I will kill them all! After killing all the cultivators of the Void Training Stage, I think I am going to get many precious experiences.
Thinking of this, Xu Que smiled.
Chapter 602: The Carefree Building
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
When Xu Que and Liu Jingning left the area a lot of cultivators were gathering in they kept a low profile and didn't draw attention of many people.
In such a noisy, crowded place, cultivators were constantly coming and going. Some people went to scout the Celestial Burial Valley in advance. Some people decided to leave on the spur of the moment.
However, Xu Que, who left with Liu Jingning and a dog, was a little bit eye-catching.
"What? The guy who left just now looks quite familiar!" a man murmured to himself from behind Xu Que with a frown.
Someone beside him turned around and took a glance. "D*mn!" he said. "I know him! He's the Lightning Rogue!"
"Holy sh*t! No wonder he's so familiar to me! I remember when he was fleeing, he took a dog with him!"
"Exactly! The butt of that dog is bald! That's him!"
"The Lightning Rogue is here! Let's take him down! We have to erase this despicable man from this world!"
Many people who had been injured by the lightning which had been intended for Xu Que suddenly recognized him. And they were furious.
Luckily, most of the cultivators had come here with the main forces of the big families and sects, so they hadn't seen Xu Que before.
Those who had been struck by the lightning were cultivators Xu Que met on after setting off from Desolation City. Therefore, their headcount was not very high, and their uproar didn't draw the attentions of most people. Also, most of the cultivators who had been tormented by Xu Que were still in Desolation City.
Around 100 cultivators formed a revenge team immediately. They started to chase Xu Que, shouting, "Kill the Lightning Rogue" with rage.
Those uninvolved were quite curious and began asking about the Lightning Rogue.
The big shots of the big families and sects were also distracted by the noise. After learning they were chasing a man who always stabbed others in the back, the big shots soon lost their interest. After all, the main purpose for their being here was to kill Jiang Hongyan!
As a cultivator who had reached the summit of the Infant Transformation Stage, Jiang Hongyan didn't deserve such a big scene. However, the identity and talent of Jiang Hongyan were both way too extraordinary.
The Jiang Family worried that Jiang Hongyan might seize back power after crossing her tribulation. The other big families and sects worried that Jiang Hongyan's return might strengthen the Jiang Family, which could throw off the balance between them.
Therefore, they all shared the same target, and they could only rest assured after Jiang Hongyan's death.
The most important part of the alliance between these Holy Sons and Holy Virgins was their agreement that the one who killed Jiang Hongyan would be the number one Holy Son or Holy Virgin in the East Continent.
So, the big families and sects had attached much importance to this issue. It seemed they had come here to kill Jiang Hongyan, but really they wanted to assist and protect their distinguished Holy Sons and Holy Virgins when they strived for the reputation of number one in the East Continent.
"Jiang Hongyan was quite good in those years. It's a pity that her magic art is incomplete. I will definitely be the one who kills her!" Xiao Munan, the Holy Son of the Heavenly Demon Sect, spoke coldly with a chilled expression. His voice was saturated in an overbearing, domineering aura.
As he spoke, some cultivators at the Golden Core Stage and the Original Infant Stage became quite pale as if they had been burdened by an enormous pressure.
"Lord Xiao is so majestic!" The Holy Virgin of the Bai Family replied with a faint smile. "However, I remember you once tried to woo Jiang Hongyan. But your courtship was rejected. Your hatred originates in your love, right?"
Her words caused an uproar among everyone listening.
Did the Holy Son of the Heavenly Demon Sect try to woo Jiang Hongyan? Was his courtship reject?
My God! I didn't expect something like that could happen to the majestic Xiao Munan!
The Holy Son of the Heavenly Demon Sect's face darkened. Apparently, Bai Lingrui provoked him by raking up his embarrassing issues.
"Hmph! I was too young and too naive back then. But I remember you were a copycat following after Jiang Hongyan in those years. You always called her 'Sister Hongyan' so that you could get elixirs from her. Since the relationship between you and her is so good, why are you here now?" The Holy Son of the Heavenly Demon Sect snorted sarcastically.
His words astonished everyone.
Even the powerful Bai Lingrui used to be a little girl following Jiang Hongyan!
She is the successor of the Azure Lotus Treasure Appraisal Art! I didn't expect her past to include this! The little girl has evolved into a Holy Virgin coming here to kill Jiang Hongyan!
The Holy Virgin of the Bai Family's face also darkened. However, soon an innocent and lovely smile appeared there instead. "As you say, I was still a little girl in those years. How could I know the meaning of being haunted by misfortune? Now I'm grown and know I should have the East Continent's interest in mind. I can't allow Jiang Hongyan to turn the East Continent into a misfortunate land!"
Hearing her words, the onlookers nodded in agreement.
Right! She was still a little girl then. How could she know the seriousness of this issue?
However, some people still sneered at her. Bai Lingrui was not an innocent girl. She seemed to be simple and naive, but actually she was a cunning and evil woman.
Unbridled laughter burst out in the crowd at this moment. "Are you really enjoying this dog-eat-dog game?" With a blade of grass in his mouth, a man in white leaned on a tree and stared at them with humor.
Xiao Munan and Bai Lingrui became furious immediately. "Huang Zaitian, are you looking to die? Come here and let's fight!"
Huang Zaitian?
People were surprised.
This recalcitrant young man was Huang Zaitian, a guardian of the Carefree Building!
Many people became serious. The Carefree Building was not a big power in the East Continent. However, the big families and sects didn't want to offend it.
The Carefree Building had been established by a group of genius cultivators. Any one of them could have acted as the Holy Son or the Holy Virgin in any big family or sect. However, they had chosen to set up the Carefree Building instead.
The reason that the big families and sets didn't offend them was that the Carefree Building would be extremely powerful in the future. Even if they didn't have a powerhouse at the Form Synthesis Stage now, when these genius cultivators eventually reached that stage, the Carefree Building would be the most horrible power in the East Continent.
If the Carefree Building had been earlier discovered by the big families or sects, they would have been eliminated. Now these genius cultivators had reached the Void Training Stage, so it was impossible for the big families or sects to wipe out the Carefree Building.
This Huang Zaitian was just a guardian of the Carefree Building. It was rumored that his strength could equally match the strength of Xiao Munan and other powerhouses. Therefore, Huang Zaitian was also an outstanding cultivator among the current Holy Sons.
"Ha! I don't have time to play with you," Huang Zaitian said grimly. "You're making a commotion hunting Jiang Hongyan. It startled our building head, who came here to check it out. We had no choice but to follow him!"
"What? Is Dong Genji also here?"
Everyone's demeanor changed. Even the expressions of the Elders of the big families and sects darkened.
"Dong Genji" was a name that caused many people to feel dread. Even some Holy Sons and Holy Virgins became frightened upon hearing it.
As the building head of the Carefree Building, he was also at the core of the genius cultivators like Huang Zaitian. Now he was at Level 9 of the Void Training Stage. It was said that he once fought against eight Holy Sons at the same time whose cultivation stages were identical to his. Instead of being defeated, he won and seriously wounded three of the Holy Sons!
Dong Genji was quite a vicious man. Dapper in appearance, he could talk cheerfully and humorously with anyone while hiding a dagger in his smile.
"Ha-ha, is the hypocrite Dong Genji also here? Why doesn't he show up?" someone laughed heartily. It was Xiao Taixuan, the Holy Son of the Eight Directions Green Dragon Sect.
His words immediately silenced the whole area.
Huang Zaitian became serious and looked at Xiao Taixuan with a cold smile.
The rest of the surrounding people were also shocked. Many people knew Dong Genji was a hypocrite. But only a few people dared say that, and Xiao Taixuan was one of them.
"Xiao Taixuan, aren't you a bit too unforgiving?" Huang Zaitian asked. "Our Building Head just seriously wounded you and made you spit blood during the trial. Is it necessary to slander him like this in public? Are you a man who can't afford to lose?" he snorted.
"Ha! He might have made me spit blood, but I also ruined his magical artifact! He doesn't want to show up now. Could it be that he still misses Jiang Hongyan and is going to see her now?"
Does Dong Genji adore Jiang Hongyan?
The crowd was totally confused.
However, some insiders knew Jiang Hongyan was the top among her peers and that Dong Genji was number two. He was a rare talent slightly inferior to Jiang Hongyan. Dong Genji also adored Jiang Hongyan. He had tried to woo Jiang Hongyan, but all of his efforts were in vain.
Patter! Patter!
At this moment, Huang Zaitian slowly stood on the tree. He clapped and, ignoring the Elders of the big families and sects, coldly said, "Indeed, our Building Head is with Jiang Hongyan now. I'm here to deliver a message for him: You can prevent Jiang Hongyan from crossing her tribulation and you can ruin her cultivation achievements. However, the one who kills her will be the enemy of the Carefree Building!"
Hearing his words, the crowd gasped.
Dong Genji is really diabolical!
Chapter 603: You Have Met Your Match!
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Obviously, Dong Genji did not want to prevent others from stopping Jiang Hongyan going through her tribulation, and he did not mind others destroying her cultivation. This demonstrated that he also wanted to eliminate the misfortune Jiang Hongyan caused.
Once Jiang Hongyan's cultivation was destroyed, she would become an ordinary woman, and she would no longer pose a threat to any faction or Family in the entire Eastern Continent.
Jiang Hongyan had always been the most talented among her peers, and no one had ever surpassed her no matter how hard they tried. Neither had Dong Genji, and most importantly, he had failed to win Jiang Hongyan's heart.
Now Jiang Hongyan had returned and Dong Genji could still not force her to give in—even if she was just in the highest level of the Infant Transformation Stage.
But if Jiang Hongyan's cultivation were to be destroyed, Dong Genji could easily get her.
Now that everyone else was determined to take her life, if Dong Genji managed to save her life, there was a great chance he could finally win her heart.
This had made many present cultivators quite envious since they all wanted to win Jiang Hongyan's heart—she was such a beautiful and noble woman!
But few people present dared to oppose Dong Genji since it seemed a bit stupid to fight for a woman with the risk of offending people from the Carefree Building.
"If we manage to save Jiang Hongyan's life," Huang Zaitian said, "we would be very willing to allow ten cultivators to get into the Carefree Building. If anyone dares to contradict with us, we'll definitely make him suffer!" The next minute, he gradually disappeared.
Hearing this, the people present began to change their minds. Getting into the Carefree Building was really quite something! Everyone knew that it was extremely difficult to get in. The people in the Carefree Building were all very arrogant and looked down upon Holy Sons and Holy Virgins who they deemed weren't talented enough.
Although those extremely powerful Holy Sons and Holy Virgins did not care about the Carefree Building at all, some of them, and even the powerful Elders, started to change their minds.
If a disciple of a certain Faction or Family joined the Carefree Building, that Faction or Family would gain a powerful ally.
Suddenly, the three old men of the three big Families, as well as other powerful cultivators of various Factions, looked at each other. They gently moved their lips and began to send each other voice messages.
"Ten people have the opportunity to get into the Carefree Building. This is really quite something. I think we should consider keeping Jiang Hongyan alive?"
…
Xu Que, Liu Jingning and Buttface were about to enter the Celestial Burial Valley.
Between two huge mountains, there was the big entrance of the Celestial Burial Valley.
For years, no one had ever dared to get close to the entrance . . .
When Xu Que and Liu Jingning arrived at the entrance, they found hundreds of people gathering in front of it. Most of them had been sent by the Influential Families or Factions to see what was going on.
Not far away from the entrance, there was a wonderfully beautiful and noble woman sitting among the flowers.
Jiang Hongyan!
A woman who with beauty that no one could match, and a woman targeted by almost everyone in the Eastern Continent.
"Hongyan!" Xu Que exclaimed and landed.
Xu Que had not seen Hongyan for a few months, and he was surprised to find that Hongyan had grown more powerful and beautiful than when she was back in the Five Elements Mountain.
But soon, the smile on Xu Que's face froze.
Jiang Hongyan was sitting rather close to the entrance, which was rather dangerous. Just a few meters away, there stood a handsome young man.
Jiang Hongyan was focused on her cultivation and did not notice what was happening around her.
The handsome young man stood in front of her had his eyes glued to Hongyan, as if he were admiring something that belonged to him.
Liu Jingning was surprised. "I never thought he would come here!" Then she turned to Xu Que and said, "Little Que Que, you have met your match this time! You know what, Hongyan never lacks pursuers!"
"So what?! That young man—compared to me—is nothing!" Xu Que sneered. If it weren't for not wanting to disturb Hongyan, he would have already gone forward to punch the guy.
"He's Dong Genji, the most powerful Holy Son among us and the leader of the Carefree Building! Even I can't beat him!" Liu Jingning smiled at Xu Que. She found this situation, in which Xu Que had met his match for the first time, rather interesting.
Obviously, she meant that Xu Que could not possibly beat him.
"Dong Genji? What a strange name!" Xu Que sneered.
Hearing this, Liu Jingning rolled her eyes.
"Your name sounds even more strange. By the way, when Dong Genji was born, there was a piece of jade inside his mouth. On the surface of the jade, there were two characters, '根基,' or 'Genji!' This even shocked the Old Man of Heaven Secret. He came to see the baby and predicted his future. Can you guess what he said?"
"The baby is crooked, but can still be saved?"
"What?!" Liu Jingning asked, confused.
"A new-born baby with a piece of jade inside his mouth—don't you think he would be choked to death?"
"Stop talking in nonsense! The Old Man of Heaven Secret said Dong Genji was an Immortal Cultivator in his last life and that he's going to become the foundation of the Cultivation World!"
Xu Que stared at her in silence for a moment. "Never mind!" he finally said. "I have to see how Hongyan is. I want to make some preparations for her before her tribulation comes."
Xu Que waved his hand and headed to the entrance.
Liu Jingning did not say anything and followed him.
However, Buttface suddenly got frightened while staring at the entrance; he was trying to recall something and failed to do so. Then he stopped thinking and hurried to catch up with Xu Que.
"Jingning, I never thought you would come here!" Dong Gengji ignored Xu Que and smiled at Liu Jingning.
Still, Xu Que managed to catch his lewd smile, even if it only lasted for a few seconds.
"You hypocritical dirty man!" Xu Que cursed.
Liu Jingning was used to such lewd smiles from men. She had also noticed Dong Genji's smiling and knew why Xu Que had cursed. But she didn't address it and just smiled.
"Dong Genji, I knew you would be here!" Liu Jingning she said.
Xu Que slowly walked past him with an indifferent look.
At this moment, Dong Genji looked at Xu Que and spoke with surprise. "Nice to meet you, my name is Dong Genji. I am sorry, you are?"
Liu Jingning knew Xu Que was in a bad mood. She feared he was about to quarrel with Dong Genji.
Just when she was about to introduce him to Dong Genji, Xu Que suddenly beamed. "You are very polite. My name is Wang Sicong, I come from the Exploding Heavens Faction."
"I see!" Dong Genji smiled back. "I hear over you wherever I go!"
"No way," Xu Que replied politely. "I am not that famous."
Seeing this, Liu Jingning was surprised, she was not surprised by Dong Genji's words since she knew he had always been an arrogant and hypocritical man. Rather, she was shocked by Xu Que—just a few seconds ago, Xu Que called Dong Genji a hypocritical man.
Compared to Dong Genji, he's the hypocrite.
"Brother Dong, I see you standing here. Are you protecting my Hongyan? If you are, I really appreciate your doing so!" Xu Que said.
Hearing this, both Dong Genji and Liu Jingning were stunned.
Dong Genji was a bit annoyed, but the next moment he shifted his mood and smiled.
"I see! Hongyan has spoken to me about you. You are Xiao Wang Ba?"
Hearing this, Liu Jingning immediately knew Dong Genji was verbally abusing Xu Que and forced out a smile.
So did the few hundred cultivators standing in the back.
They had been watching what was going on between Xu Que and Dong Genji and were deeply impressed by Dong Genji's reactions.
No wonder he became the leader of the Carefree Building and made a bunch of talented cultivators follow him . . .
"F*ck him! Xu Que, he just verbally abused you—you're not angry about this?!" Buttface said angrily.
The atmosphere became awkward.
Right at this moment, Buttface got an idea and looked at Dong Genji.
"So, you are Xiao Jiba?"
Hearing this, Liu Jingning almost burst into laughter.
Dong Genji's face instantly turned dark; he coldly glanced at Buttface.
"How dare you!" Xu Que angrily scolded Buttface.
Hearing this, both Liu Jingning and Buttface were shocked.
What is wrong with you?! I was helping you for god's sake!
At the same time, Xu Que turned around and smiled at Dong Genji.
"I am sorry. He was kidding just now, I promise I will teach him a lesson later! In fact, I have also heard my Hongyan mention you—you are Genji Ba?"
Chapter 604: Here I Am!
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Swish!
All at once, the atmosphere became awkward.
"Are you Genji (a d*ck)?"
There was nothing wrong with the question. However, like Buttface, Xu Que intentionally paused in his pronunciation, which made the question sound like, "Are you a d*ck?"
Xu Que and Buttface were humiliating Dong Genji by making his first name sound like "d*ck."
Liu Jingning almost couldn't hold it in. She turned around immediately and her body was trembling slightly. Obviously, she was trying her best not to burst into laughter.
However, the onlookers standing to the side burst into laughter after a momentary pause.
They couldn't help laughing, even if they were afraid of the strength of Dong Genji and the Carefree Building.
Dong Genji had been a celebrity for many years. None of them expected his name to be used by Xu Que as a tool for humiliation!
"Eh, my fellow cultivator Wang, I don't think the relationship between us is good enough that we can address each other by name!" Dong Genji's eyes were full of murderous intent. However, he managed to hold back his anger and speak rationally through a false smile. His tone, however, was noticeably colder than before.
Liu Jingning managed to painstakingly hold in her laughter. She was about to turn around to ease their embarrassment.
She knew well that Dong Genji was a man who would seek revenge over the smallest of grievances. Because his special identity, Xu Que would experience endless trouble if he became the mortal enemy of Dong Genji.
However, before she had time to say something, Xu Que winked and curiously asked, "What Brother Dong said is right! I will not address you by name. By the way, I've heard you had Genji in your mouth when you were born. That's why they named you Genji, right?"
Liu Jingning burst into laughter.
She had been originally disgusted by Dong Genji—anyone could feel disgust for this kind of hypocrite. However, as the powerful and cunning head of the Carefree Building, at least Dong Genji was respected by most people on the surface.
But now his name had been made fun of by Xu Que and Buttface three times!
First he was a "small d*ck," then he was "a d*ck," and then they said he was born wit "a d*ck in his mouth!"
Liu Jingning couldn't hold in her laughter anymore, even though she knew she shouldn't laugh—it was too satisfying.
Xu Que had intellectually crushed Dong Genji.
"I had a piece of golden jade in my mouth!" Dong Genji almost burst with anger. If he wasn't keeping control over his sanity, he would have strangled Xu Que.
"Right! The two characters 'Gen Ji' were inscribed on the jade. Actually, I think the golden jade is of low importance compared to the two characters, which must have a secret from heaven behind them!" It seemed Xu Que didn't sense Dong Genji's anger, so he kept seriously discussing the topic with Dong Genji.
Dong Genji's face was very dark. In front of powerful opponents, he wouldn't reveal emotions through his face; on the contrary, he would appear apathetic.
However, Xu Que was just a Level 4 sovereign of the Infant Transformation Stage—this was nothing for Dong Genji. He showed his respect to Xu Que to show due respect to Liu Jingning and Jiang Hongyan and maintain his graceful bearing.
But he didn't expect Xu Que to continue humiliating him, especially with such low blows. This was also the first time he felt he'd been outwitted by someone.
He felt like a genius doing his best to solve a problem who was suddenly faced with a stupid guy solving the problem instantly. This was way too humiliating!
"My fellow cultivator Wang—enough is enough, okay?" Dong Genji said coldly, staring at Xu Que. Pressure from his body started gushing toward Xu Que. He didn't want to be hypocritical anymore by posing an undisguised threat.
However, Xu Que just ignored his threat as if nothing had happened. The next moment, Xu Que feigned surprise and asked, "Brother Dong, what's wrong? Did I say something inappropriate? My Gosh! You really have a good name! Don't tell me you don't like the name Genji!?"
"You…" Dong Genji, furious, was about to murder Xu Que with raised-arm moves. However, he'd hardly finished saying, "You are seeking death," when his movement abruptly stopped. He was a bit stunned.
The next moment a magnificent aura swept out from Jiang Hongyan like a turbulent tsunami.
Jiang Hongyan opened her sparkling eyes. Her majestic and mighty aura vanished and was replaced by water-like gentleness.
"Hong…" Dong Genji was delighted, and made to come over.
Whoosh! Suddenly, a figure flew over Dong Genji and landed in front of Jiang Hongyan. It was Xu Que.
Xu Que smiled. "Here I am! Are you surprised? Is this unexpected? Are you happy?"
Jiang Hongyan was not surprised at all; it was as if she had already known Xu Que would come. She shook her head. "You shouldn't be here!" she sighed, but there was a faint smile on her face.
"No way! You protected me when I crossed my Heavenly Tribulation, and now it's my turn to protect you!"
Liu Jingning also came closer and, embarrassed, said, "Jiang Hongyan, I lived up to my promise. But this little brat didn't listen to my advice and came here finding the way himself. I just can't stop him. It might be hard for you to believe that he found the way by repeatedly tossing his shoes!"
Hearing that, Jiang Hongyan was surprised. By tossing his shoes?
Dong Genji was also confused. However, he didn't take the story seriously. It was bullsh*t that someone could find their way by tossing their shoes.
For him, Xu Que must have gotten the information of Jiang Hongyan's whereabouts and come here by using a teleportation device.
However, none of these issues mattered now. He was quite curious about the relationship between Xu Que and Jiang Hongyan.
When he heard Xu Que said "my Hongyan," he hadn't taken it seriously. But Jiang Hongyan's attitude toward Xu Que was really unexpected.
From his perspective, Jiang Hongyan seemed gentle and nice. But she was apathetic in a way that usually pushed people away. Now, however, Jiang Hongyan was being really gentle and nice to Xu Que.
"Building Head Dong, I really appreciate your protection just now." Jiang Hongyan turned to Dong Genji and spoke with a faint smile on her face.
Although she was in cultivation condition, she was aware of her surroundings.
Before the arrival of Xu Que, the cultivators were trying to attack Jiang Hongyan. However, they abandoned this effort when Dong Genji appeared.
Of course, Jiang Hongyan knew these people couldn't pose a threat to her even Dong Genji wasn't here.
Dong Genji smiled. "Hongyan, you are always welcome! Based on our close relationship—"
"Genji," Xu Que interrupted with a grin. "Eh, Brother Dong, we still have some family affairs to discuss. How about you go and I will chat with you over dinner some other day!"
Xu Que's dismissal was so obvious that Dong Genji couldn't stop his face from darkening. Xu Que had mentioned "family affairs," which was obviously provocative as a declaration to everyone that he'd set up a family with Jiang Hongyan.
Jiang Hongyan didn't react to Xu Que's words and just silently glanced at Dong Genji.
Dong Genji understood Jiang Hongyan's attitude immediately, so he forced a smile and folded his hands. "In that case, I'll see you later!"
After saying that, he turned around and left without hesitation.
He knew humiliation was all he would get if he remained here. However, after Jiang Hongyan crossed her tribulation tomorrow she would become his toy!
And Xu Que would be first on his kill list!
…
"Little brat, you offended a troublesome man, so you have to be careful in the future!" Watching Dong Genji from behind, Jiang Hongyan warned Xu Que quietly with furrowed eyebrows.
Xu Que smiled with an indifferent expression. Dong Genji? He's nothing for me!
Liu Jingning smiled wryly. She didn't have the heart to tell Jiang Hongyan that Xu Que had offended almost all the big families and sects in the East Continent!
"If nothing goes wrong, I will cross my Heavenly Tribulation tomorrow. Little brat, you leave here with Jingning now and wait for me in the South Continent!" Jiang Hongyan smiled at Xu Que, but her gaze was still quite serious to convey that she wasn't kidding.
"I'm already here, and I'm not going to leave you. Well, just put on the equipment that can protect you during the tribulation tomorrow. I'll set up several spells so that we can have fun with those guys!" As he spoke, Xu Que purchased a Spirit Visage and a Banshee's Veil from the System, which were both pieces of equipment to enhance magic resistance.
Jiang Hongyan shook her head and didn't take the equipment. Instead, she looked at Xu Que seriously and tried to urge him to leave. "You don't understand! Tomorrow's situation will be out of your control—"
Xu Que bent over and placed the equipment in Jiang Hongyan's arms. Before she had time to react, he patted her head and, with an affectionate smile, said, "Be good and obedient! Put them on first and wait here until I finish setting up the spells!"
Xu Que turned around and left in a handsome, domineering way, Jiang Hongyan and Liu Jingning staring dumbfounded in his wake.
This is definitely the aura of an overbearing president, right?
How could the King of Tough Acting keep failing at teasing girls?
Xu Que was very delighted. He opened the System Mall and started to search for the advanced spells!
He'd developed a well-thought-out plan to kill those guys.
This time I will not only upgrade my cultivation stage, but also act tough by making those guys spit blood!
I will definitely be the King of Tough-Acting and the one who has the last laugh!
Chapter 605: Burning the Cultivators to Death
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Seeing this, Liu Jingning was rather shocked. She couldn't believe it.
He asked Hongyan to behave herself . . . and Hongyan just allowed him to?!
Liu Jingning stared at Hongyan in great surprise.
In her view, Jiang Hongyan had always been a very calm and gentle soul. In fact, it was exactly because of her calmness that all the Holy Sons and Holy Virgins felt a sense of inferiority in front of her.
Jiang Hongyan never meant to make anyone feel like this—it was just because she was too outstanding. Anyone who stood in front of her either felt a sense of inferiority or felt the need to work hard and catch up with her.
No one had ever really surpassed Hongyan, both in terms of their power or their characteristics. Even a talented genius like Dong Genji had never been able to surpass her. All these years, Dong Genji had worked hard to win Hongyan's heart, and everyone knew it, but he had never managed to win her heart.
For the first time ever, Liu Jingning saw her really accepting someone . . .
"She can't be in love . . . "
The next minute, Hongyan picked up the green armor and put it on, and put a cross-shaped accessory into her pocket.
She really put on that ugly armor—just as Xu Que told her to. My goodness!
Liu Jingning was so surprised that she covered her tiny mouth with her hands.
In her view, both the green armor and the accessory were nothing special. She couldn't believe Hongyan had just done what Xu Que told her to.
"They really fell in love with each other?!"
Liu Jingning was stunned.
At the same time, she grew more curious about Xu Que.
How on earth has he managed to win Hongyan's heart?!
In fact, Jiang Hongyan had seen this green armor before. Xu Que wore this when he went through his thunder tribulations. More importantly, this green armor could weaken the power of the thunder tribulations. That was why she quickly put it on without hesitation.
She also figured Liu Jingning was thinking something was going on between her and Xu Que, but she didn't want to explain herself.
Suddenly, a scene flashed through Jiang Hongyan's mind: when both of them were still in the Water Nation and Xu Que lied on the ground, pretending he was injured and saying he would only get up on the condition that Hongyan kissed him.
…
At the same time, Xu Que was walking around the outskirts of the Celestial Burial Valley.
Since he had mastered the dragon-hunting formula, he was able to analyze the topography. In his eyes, the entire Celestial Burial Valley looked like a sharp sword that pointed directly at the Eastern Continent, and the point of the sword was the entrance to the Celestial Burial Valley.
Obviously, the Celestial Burial Valley is easy to guard and hard to attack. I can set up some magic arrays and trap the cultivators.
For those cultivators, the Celestial Burial Valley was also the perfect place to trap Jiang Hongyan. They planned to gather together at the entrance of the Celestial Burial Valley, and on the other end of the Celestial Burial Valley there was no way out. This way, Jiang Hongyan would be trapped inside and could not possibly run away.
In fact, the idea of running away never crossed Xu Que's mind since he had decided to teach the cultivators a good lesson.
"The advanced level incantations have cost me lots of Acting Tough Points. But anyway, I can use them to fight against the cultivators of the Void Training Stage."
Xu Que looked at the array appearing on the screen of the System and smiled.
Currently, he only had 6,000 Acting Tough Points, while a high-level magic array cost about 4,000 Acting Tough Points.
Even so, Xu Que had decided to spend his Acting Tough Point buying an array of high level, as long as he could kill more people. Besides, if he managed to upgrade his level, he could act tough more easily and gain more Acting Tough Points.
"The topography here is rather dangerous, and there are many options for me to choose. For example, the Myriad Flame Incinerate Ghosts spell plus the Mystical Fires would be extremely powerful. No matter how many cultivators there are, I could easily kill them all!"
Xu Que looked at the screen and nodded.
Once I set up an array with the Mysterious Stone, the Myriad Flame Incinerate Ghosts Spell could easily be activated. Besides, with the Mystical Fires, its energy would be three times stronger. Most importantly, it only costs 5,000 Acting Tough Points.
"My goodness! Do you really have such a powerful magic array that can kill all the cultivators at present?"
Buttface was shocked when he heard Xu Que murmuring.
"I'm just at the Infant Transformation Stage, and even if I can practice a high-level magic array I can't make the most use of it. There are just too many cultivators here. To kill them all, I would have to find some other way!"
I don't have any extra time to upgrade my level now, and I also don't have enough Acting Tough Points. I have to find some other way!
"Do you mean you want to put them off by throwing Stinky Tofu at them? You can count me in on that. I'm sure they can't stand the smell of stinky tofu."
Buttface spoke with great excitement. Obviously, he was craving stinky tofu again.
"F*ck the stinky tofu! F*ck off! I'm going to set up an array!"
Xu Que took out a flag and quickly penetrated the ground with one end of it.
A sudden tornado of Spiritual Qi appeared and it became windy. He threw another piece of Spiritual Stone on the ground, and the tornado moved in another direction.
Xu Que was standing rather far from the others. All the cultivators knew he was setting up an array, but no one really cared.
Usually, only someone from either an influential Faction or Family was able to set up a powerful array by consuming a huge amount of resources and labor. That was why they didn't feel threatened by the array set up by Xu Que.
Dong Genji left from the entrance. Soon, a few young ladies walked toward him.
Obviously, they had all come from the Carefree Building.
"That young man came to help Jiang Hongyan?!" A young, beautiful lady laughed. "That's really interesting. He wants to set up an array outside of the Celestial Burial Valley!"
"He's just in the Infant Transformation Stage. He can, at best, set up a basic level array!" a young man mocked.
Hearing this, another young man shook his head and said, "I don't think so. He's setting up the array with a spell flag. I think the array must be a middle level!"
"Don't be ridiculous! He's just in the Infant Transformation Stage, this can't be possible! You know what? Even we, who come from the Carefree Building, only know one way of setting up a middle-level array."
"Don't underestimate that young man! He looks so confident, I'm afraid he has got some potential!"
"Never mind! Even if he knows how to set up an array in the middle class, so what?! He can not possibly stop the cultivators from getting into the valley!"
"Things are getting more and more interesting now! They decided not to kill Jiang Hongyan, but only to destroy all her cultivation!"
"Our leader can finally have Jiang Hongyan to himself!"
Chapter 606: This Guy is Insane!
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Outside the Celestial Burial Valley, white clouds sparsely dotted the clear and boundless sky. Although hundreds of cultivators gathered outside the valley, it was still quiet.
These people had been sent to spy on Jiang Hongyan's action. They didn't plan to attack her—they didn't have the guts to attack her.
When Liu Jingning arrived, she had taken off her human-skinned mask along with Xu Que and revealed her face. The cultivators had already recognized her identity. As the prestigious Holy Virgin of the Utopia Sect, Liu Jingning was not someone they could mindlessly offend, even if she was not as reputable as Dong Genji.
Moreover, Jiang Hongyan had reached the highest level of the Infant Transformation Stage. None of the cultivators dared attack her.
Liu Jingning and Jiang Hongyan silently watched Xu Que, who was setting up spells at a distance.
After a while, Liu Jingning turned to Jiang Hongyan with a smile. "I didn't expect this little brat to push his every limit for you. It's a pity that tomorrow you'll have to face desperate combat. No matter how many spells he sets up, they can only slow those people down for several breaths!"
Speechless for a short while, Jiang Hongyan eventually shook her head. "He never does something he isn't sure about!"
"After being with him the past few days, I agree with you! However, this time is different. The situation is unavoidable now. Among your opponents, there are over 100 powerhouses at the Void Training Stage. Even the Utopia Sect sent five Elders at the Void Training Stage here. Luckily, my Grandmaster is not here. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to stay here and protect you!"
After saying that, Liu Jingning helplessly sighed, "But tomorrow I can't stay here anymore!" She was quite clear that nothing would happen if someone saw her staying beside Jiang Hongyan.
However, if she were found here tomorrow, the Utopia Sect would become involved in this issue. According to the style of those big sects and families, they would definitely accuse the Utopia Sect of being partial to Jiang Hongyan!
"Tomorrow you should just leave together with Xu Que. He is quite gifted and deserves a better future. It is unnecessary for him to offend the entire East Continent for me!" Jiang Hongyan said calmly.
Hearing her words, Liu Jingning smiled wryly and shook her head. "Nothing he does matters now. He has offended almost all the families and sects in the East Continent!"
Jiang Hongyan was stunned and her eyebrows furrowed. "What happened?"
Liu Jingning sighed and told her everything Xu Que had done since his arrival in the East Continent.
On the first day, he'd offended the Bright Moon Hotel and killed sovereigns of the Gong Family and the Jiang Family. Then, he'd killed another batch of people in the stone quarry of the Jiang Family. That night, he'd attended the Stone-Cutting Convention and cheated all the families and sects there. Finally, he'd teased the three big families mercilessly. He'd even become the notorious "Lightning Rogue" on his way here.
Hearing that, Jiang Hongyan was totally dumbfounded.
He'd managed to offend all the big families and sects in the East Continent within several days!
However, Jiang Hongyan soon realized the issue. It seemed that every trouble Xu Que had encountered was not caused by him, but by someone else. All these troubles came to him as if they were arranged by an invisible hand!
Jiang Hongyan's eyes dimmed. In a low voice she said, "He is haunted by the misfortune . . . "
"Don't worry. It seems that is the last thing he's afraid of. He broadened the horizons of my beliefs about people the last few days. Ordinary people are always frightened by misfortune. Only this little brat always plans to make trouble. In addition, I get the feeling that he is quite happy after knowing he is haunted by misfortune!" Liu Jingning said this part with a weird expression.
After hearing her words, Jiang Hongyan was surprised and opened her mouth to say something.
Rumble—!
Suddenly, a thunderous bang came in from the sky.
They were surprised and thought the big families and sects were preparing to attack in advance. After looking up, the two of them became stunned at the same time.
They saw an enormous swirl in the sky, which was sweeping Spiritual Qi around it crazily. Even the magnificent Spiritual Qi at the inlet of the Celestial Burial Valley was being sucked up by the swirl like flood water.
A moment later, light bloomed on the ground several hundred meters away from them. After the convergence of the Spiritual Qi, a light screen rose abruptly.
In the blink of an eye, the entire inlet of the Celestial Burial Valley was blocked by the light screen, which separated them from the guys outside. Meanwhile, black flames gushed out from the ground into the sky and were turned into a sea of black flames. Inside it, countless ghosts wrapped by black flames floated and gave off a horribly fervent aura that twisted the void.
These flames were the Mystical Fires added by Xu Que: The Eight Waste Destruction Flame!
"Considering the aura, is it . . . an Expert Spell?" Liu Jingning was completely shocked and her expression immediately changed.
Jiang Hongyan was also totally stunned.
They had noticed Xu Que setting up a spell yesterday. However, they hadn't given it much thought—even Jiang Hongyan knew Xu Que could take extraordinary measures. But they had never expected Xu Que to set up an Expert Spell.
…
Outside the inlet, everyone stared with wide eyes.
"An . . . Expert Spell! Is he insane?"
"My Gosh! The spell used to protect the mountain of our Illusionary Flower & Moon Sect is also an Expert Spell!"
"Now you're talking! Except for the Jiang Family and the Gong Family, who can set up Spiritual Spells, only a few families and sects in the East Continent can afford to set up expert spells!"
"D*mn! This guy is really insane! Why did he set up an Expert Spell here?"
"This is a reckless waste of natural resources. This guy is totally lunatic! Sh*t!"
Hundreds of cultivators sent by the families and sects to spy on Jiang Hongyan were trembling and shouting in surprise. Headed by Dong Genji, people of the Carefree Building were also dumbfounded.
Then, a man beside Dong Genji regretfully said, "That guy is absolutely insane! If I knew he was setting up an Expert Spell, I would have robbed it from him just now!"
Everyone became quiet.
An Expert Spell couldn't be evaluated with Spirit Stones or treasuries. Spell Masters were quite scarce in the East Continent. The Expert Spells were even rarer, which could only be obtained from the large auctions held every few decades.
The spell used to protect the Carefree Building was just an Intermediate Spell.
But now Xu Que had set up an Expert Spell to help Jiang Hongyan in holding the big families and sects off. It was a reckless waste of grain!
"An Expert Spell wasted like this! Alas!" The young girl who had kept staring at Xu Que shook her head and sighed regretfully.
"Where does that guy come from?" someone asked, glancing at Dong Genji.
Dong Genji's face was quite dark and his heart was filled with rage.
He had underestimated Xu Que and lost an Expert Spell, which completely ruined his mood.
"Just now he said he was Wang Sicong of the Exploding Heavens Faction. Have you ever heard of this organization?" Dong Genji asked coldly.
People around him were immediately confused. Apparently, they hadn't heard of it before.
One man in white among them started speaking with surprise in his voice. "I heard that during the Stone-Cutting Convention co-hosted by the Jiang Family and the Gong Family several days ago, a guy from the Exploding Heavens Faction made trouble and caused great loss to the three big families. But the name of that guy is Chow Yun-fat!���
"Really?"
"Yes. I heard that Chow Yun-fat of the Exploding Heavens Faction cooked a kind of Smelly Tofu there that could enhance any cultivators' Soul Strength by ten percent!"
"What? How could such a thing exist in this world?"
"Heh-heh, it was nothing! He even took out a miraculous item which could look through the ancient stones. That miraculous item was purchased by the three big families with 5,000,000 high-grade Spirit Stones. However, Jiang Limu of the Jiang Family betrayed the alliance of the three big families by stealing the item. His whereabouts are still a mystery. For this, the Jiang Family suffered great loss by compensating the Gong Family and the Bai Family with three ancient cities!"
Chapter 607: Stop it, Otherwise, it will Explode
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Hearing this, both Dong Genji and his followers were stunned.
They all knew that if they got the magical object that could see through things, they would surpass all the other influential Families and Factions in less than ten years and the Carefree Building would become the most prominent power in the entire Eastern Continent.
"The big three Families have been trying to cover this up," a man in white said, "but many people witnessed what happened, so the news just spread today."
"Give my orders to the fellows in the Carefree Building and ask them to track Jiang Limu down and anyone else who is related to the Exploding Heavens Faction, including that young man who just set up an array of a high level. Remember: don't kill him once he is caught. Bring him back to the Carefree Building instead. I am sure he must be carrying some other valuable things with him!"
This young man must have gone into some ancient caves to become this powerful. I have never heard of this so-called Exploding Heavens Faction, which means that this Faction is still rather young. If I can end it before it grows much stronger, it will do the Carefree Building good.
…
Xu Que finished setting up the array and walked to Jiang Hongyan with Buttface.
Seeing Jiang Hongyan wearing the Spirit Visage as well as the Banshee's Veil, he smiled.
"Little chap, how on earth do you know how to set up a high-level array!?!" Liu Jingning asked Xu Que with great surprise; she realized she had underestimated him once again.
There were plenty of reasons for her to do so, since even the Utopia Faction only knew one way to set up a high-level array after paying a huge price. Jiang Hongyan was also greatly shocked and never thought Xu Que could be this powerful.
"Setting up a high-level array is a piece of cake for me. If I weren't on a 'tight budget,' well, I could have set up many arrays of the Spiritual Level or even an Ancient Scary Array!"
If I hadn't spent so many Acting Tough Points on upgrading my System, I would definitely set up a few Arrays of Spiritual Levels, even if each one cost me tens of thousands of Acting Tough Points. The Ancient Scary Array, which only costs me a few thousand Acting Tough Points, is much cheaper than an Array of the Spiritual Level, but only a cultivator at the class of Eight Stars can set it up. To upgrade my level to that level, I need to spend hundreds of thousands of Acting Tough Points.
"Array of Spiritual Level?"
Hearing what Xu Que said, Liu Jingning was shocked.
"Excuse me, I need to hurry up now. A high-level array is not enough!"
Xu Que paid no attention to Liu Jingning's and Jiang Hongyan's facial expressions and quickly took out dozens of storage rings from the System parcel.
He waved his hand and threw these storage rings into the air.
All of a sudden, a huge amount of soul strength energy burst out and covered all the storage rings.
Then he took out his Killer Book and raised up his hands; the next minute, a three-colored fire lotus rose up.
The Molten Green Lotus, the Bone Freezing Fire, and the Eight Waste Destruction Flame all appeared.
Seeing this, Jiang Hongyan was a bit surprised. She had seen him practicing this before and knew how powerful this was. She could also feel that this time, the energy of the three-color lotus was even more powerful.
"Xu Que, what are you going to do?" Liu Jingning asked in surprise; obviously, she had also noticed this.
So did Buttface. He quickly backed off and said, "Xu Que, calm down! The big war is in tomorrow, not today! Why on earth are you doing this?!"
Xu Que did not reply and kept focusing on what he was doing.
The three-color fire lotus rotated slowly while giving out frightening Spiritual Qi.
The energy of the Genuine Buddha's Fiery Lotus, which was thirty times more powerful than the Killer Book, and the fully cultivated Killer Book, were enormous. Even Xu Que was a bit afraid and sweat appeared on his forehead.
Seeing this, Buttface screamed and quickly ran away.
Back in the Snow City, Buttface had once been accidently burned by the lotus and all the hair on his butt had singed away. No hair had ever grown back there . . .
"This is…"
Liu Jingning could not believe what she had seen. Before she met Xu Que in the Eastern Continent, she had heard that Xu Que almost bombed the Bright Moon Hotel with the Genuine Buddha's Fiery Lotus. Still, she was extremely terrified when she saw this with her own eyes.
Jiang Hongyan was also stunned and could not believe that in just a few months, the Genuine Buddha's Fiery Lotus had grown more powerful.
Xu Que was still holding the Genuine Buddha's Fiery Lotus in his hands and kept squeezing it.
Soon, the Genuine Buddha's Fiery Lotus stopped shrinking and began to expand, with its energy getting more and more concentrated.
"Jesus! Xu Que, stop it!" Buttface shouted. "Otherwise, it will explode!"
"Xu Que, what on earth are you doing?!" Seeing the Genuine Buddha's Fiery Lotus getting bigger and bigger, Liu Jingning became extremely worried.
More and more drops of sweat appeared on Xu Que's forehead; he was trying very hard to control the Genuine Buddha's Fiery Lotus.
Right at this moment, Jiang Hongyan stood from the ground and moved close to Xu Que, ready to help at any time.
She had never seen Xu Que with such a serious face and could tell Xu Que was dealing with something very difficult.
Bang!
The void around the Genuine Buddha's Fiery Lotus collapsed. The Genuine Buddha's Fiery Lotus started to change its form and was about to explode.
"Stop it now!" Liu Jingning shouted.
Bang!
The Genuine Buddha's Fiery Lotus was almost to explode and a huge amount of energy erupted from it.
Liu Jingning was extremely frightened and was about to reach her hands out to Xu Que when Jiang Hongyan took them away.
Right at the moment, Xu Que took out a storage ring and put the Genuine Buddha's Fiery Lotus—which then exploded—into it.
In the blink of an eye, all the heat and energy disappeared, and everything went back to normal.
Xu Que took a deep breath and folded the Divine Tracking Emblem in his sleeve.
He had prepared to leave immediately with both Jiang Hongyan and Liu Jingning if he failed to concentrate the energy of the Genuine Buddha's Fiery Lotus.
Luckily, he had managed to put the Genuine Buddha's Fiery Lotus into a storage ring right as it exploded.
The storage ring that contained the Genuine Buddha's Fiery Lotus could not be opened now. Otherwise, the energy of the explosion would be rather destructive.
However, this was exactly what Xu Que wanted.
"So, you want to . . . " Liu Jingning had guessed Xu Que's intentions.
Xu Que smiled. "Yes! This is the surprise for them! Now please leave me alone, concentrating a Genuine Buddha's Fiery Lotus is really tough. I need to focus and make more of it by tonight!"
Hearing this, Liu Jingning and Jiang Hongyan looked at each other at the same time and forced out two smiles.
They had given up the idea of persuading Xu Que to stop what he was doing.
By now, Xu Que had already grasped the idea of how to make a Genuine Buddha's Fiery Lotus on the brink of an explosion.
He summoned out the system and turned on the self-reviving. After he regained his Soul Strength and Genuine Energy, he began to make another Genuine Buddha's Fiery Lotus.
Chapter 608: Jiang Hongyan's Heavenly Tribulation!
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
All through the night, Xu Que kept producing three-color fire lotuses without any pause, and threw them into the storage rings one second before their explosion.
Seeing so many storage rings in front of them, Liu Jingning and Jiang Hongyan became speechless and very serious.
This bizarre idea was unprecedented. No one ever put such powerful magic art into storage rings.
Liu Jingning and Jiang Hongyan were shocked. They knew clearly that only those who could perfectly control the magic arts could realize what Xu Que had finished, which had extremely strict requirements upon the Soul Strength.
This was impossible even for Liu Jingning and Jiang Hongyan!
Maybe powerhouses at the Form Synthesis Stage could do so. However, cultivators at the Form Synthesis Stage couldn't do that for they always despised such methods.
However, what confused Liu Jingning and Jiang Hongyan was how Xu Que would use those storage rings after putting so many three-color fire lotuses in them.
If he detonated them after tossing them out, those watchful cultivators would use their defense arts immediately, which would impair the damage of the three-color fire lotuses remarkably.
But now Xu Que was still caught up in making the fire lotuses. He became more and more delighted. Moreover, he had activated the Function of Automatic Recovery, so he would never get tired or run out of True Core Strength and the Mystical Fires.
Liu Jingning and Jiang Hongyan were surprised by this scene. However, no matter how confused they were, they couldn't ask and interrupt Xu Que.
After feeling safe, Buttface also walked back shaking his head. "This guy is totally insane! If he just tosses all these storage rings out, I don't believe they'll cause any damage to those people!"
…
When dawn faintly lit the sky, more and more cultivators had arrived outside the Celestial Burial Valley.
Finally, when the sun rose, a large crowd of people dashed over from afar like black clouds.
Thousands of cultivators, who gave off horrible, fearful auras, headed for this area riding the flying swords. At first glance they seemed like millions of troops from heaven.
Elders at the Void Training Stage of all families and sects with high statuses stood in the front.
However, all of them were shocked when they saw the powerful spell filled with black flames outside the Celestial Burial Valley.
The entire spell was filled with different colors. An enormous light screen blocked the inlet of the Celestial Burial Spell. Behind the light screen, it seemed there was a sea of black flames. Countless ghosts made of black flames floated around. However, they couldn't see what was happening in the spell.
"Is . . . this an Expert Spell?" Jiang Yushu, the Grand Elder of the Jiang Family was totally surprised.
"Who did this? To set up an Expert Spell here is really a reckless waste of grain! It's absurd!" a powerhouse of the Gong Family angrily declared with furrowed eyebrows.
"The one who set up this spell is a total lunatic!"
"This guy is absurd! An Expert Spell wasted! What a pity!"
"D*mn! Even our Heavy Sword Sect doesn't have an Expert Spell!"
"Could it have been set up by Jiang Hongyan? But how could she have an Expert Spell?"
People at the rear part of the crowd spoke about this Expert Spell. They were shocked and aggrieved by the spell.
The cultivators sent to spy on Jiang Hongyan soon gave reports to their families and sects. Again, their reports surprised the latecomers.
This spell was set up by a sovereign at the Infant Transformation Stage! Apparently, he was trying to help Jiang Hongyan.
"Is it for real?" several powerhouses asked in surprise. How could a sovereign at the Infant Transformation Stage have an Expert Spell? It was impossible even for a Holy Son to have an Expert Spell!
"It is absolutely true! That guy spoke with Dong Genji, the Head of the Carefree Building, and said was Wang Sicong of the Exploding Heavens Faction!"
"Exploding Heavens Faction? Again?" Several powerhouses who participated in the Stone-Cutting Convention frowned.
"What's more, Liu Jingning, the Holy Virgin of the Utopia Faction, is also in the spell."
"What?" Hearing that, four powerhouses at the Void Training Stage of the Utopia Faction couldn't keep their seats anymore.
They already knew that Liu Jingning and Jiang Hongyan used to be friends. But now the news that Liu Jingning was still in the spell could get the Utopia Faction involved in this issue!
All at once, an Elder at the Void Training Stage stepped forward and, staring at the spell, shouted, "Holy Virgin, are you going to betray our faction?"
…
In the spell, Xu Que had already stopped his preparation. After one night's hard work, he'd managed to produce over one hundred three-color fire lotuses, then he'd put all of them into over 100 storage rings respectively.
He wouldn't have stopped if he hadn't sensed the arrival of the powerhouses outside the spell.
The next moment, they heard the yell of the Utopia Faction's powerhouse.
Liu Jingning smiled wryly. "It's time for me to go."
She wouldn't mind staying here to help Jiang Hongyan if it were possible. However, as the Holy Virgin of the Utopia Faction, she couldn't do that; otherwise, the Utopia Faction would be implicated. After all, the big families and sects in the East Continent were going to kill Jiang Hongyan this time.
"Just go! My Heavenly Tribulation is coming. You shouldn't be here." Jiang Hongyan calmly stared at Xu Que. It was implied that she hoped he specifically could leave this place to avoid being implicated.
"Right! You heard that? Just go. This is not the place for you to be!" Xu Que played dumb by staring at Buttface and Liu Jingning. Meanwhile, he took out the spell flag and prepared to send them out by opening the spell.
"I agree with you!" Buttface joyfully said.
Liu Jingning smiled a bit and looked at Jiang Hongyan thoughtfully, waiting to see how she would urge Xu Que to leave.
However, before Jiang Hongyan had time to speak, Xu Que said, "Don't try to persuade me. I will take charge of everything today! And . . . I never do something that I am not sure of. Don't you believe me?"
He was staring at Jiang Hongyan.
Jiang Hongyan was stunned. She met Xu Que's gaze for a long time. At last, she sighed, "If the spell is broken, you have to go!"
She knew Xu Que had a spell which he could use to escape the pursuit of powerhouses at the Void Training Stage.
Without giving an affirmative or negative answer, Xu Que just nodded his head and pretended to agree to Jiang Hongyan's requirement. However, from his cunning eyes, she knew he wouldn't leave if the spell broke.
Jiang Hongyan didn't force Xu Que to leave. She glanced up with a serious face, for she had sensed her Heavenly Tribulation was drawing near.
Xu Que smirked, then he took out the spell flag and prepared to open the spell so that Liu Jingning and Buttface could get out.
After all, he couldn't count on Buttface. And it was useless for Liu Jingning to stay here because they couldn't implicate her faction.
Just at this moment, he heard a clear and flirtatious voice.
"Little Queque, don't die. I know you can escape. If Jiang Hongyan refuses to run away, please don't die with her!"
Xu Que turned around and found Liu Jingning smiling at him.
Xu Que's eyes widened. The woman was apparently teasing him. Although she'd asked him to avoid dying with Jiang Hongyan, she was implying that he could escape with Jiang Hongyan if she refused to leave on her own.
Rumble–!
A dull rumbling abruptly came from the sky.
The next moment, a magnificent, suffocating pressure descended from the sky like an enormous but invisible palm pressing down!
"Just go now!" Jiang Hongyan's expression shifted and she gracefully jumped into the sky.
The Spiritual Qi beneath her feet turned into a stream of running water, which formed a water bridge that kept extending forward. Jiang Hongyan walked along the water bridge and landed on a mountain near the inlet of the Celestial Burial Valley. She was preparing to cross her Heavenly Tribulation!
"Okay, you just go out now. No matter what happens, just stay as far as possible and don't come back again!" Xu Que took out the spell flag and opened a secret exit as he spoke to Buttface and Liu Jingning.
"Little brat, remember, don't die!" Liu Jingning smiled. The next moment, she made eyes at Xu Que as if she were trying to seduce him. After that, she turned around and left.
"Tsk-tsk-tsk, what a coquettish young girl . . . No, she is definitely a siren!" Xu Que felt as if his blood were frozen. This woman was really good at flirting with men. Xu Que shook his head.
Then, he turned to Buttface and prepared to urge him to go. "Buttface, be quick, just go . . . "
However, hardly had he finished his words when he was dumbfounded. Buttface had already disappeared! When he'd opened the spell, this shameless dog rushed out immediately ahead of Liu Jingning!
"D*mn! He's really fast running for his life!"
Xu Que was speechless. After following Liu Jingning and Buttface with his eyes, he waved his hands and lowered the spell flag to close the spell!
Rumble–!
The sky was filled with black clouds. Lightning kept flashing in the clouds as if it were a lightning dragon shuttling back and forth.
Xu Que turned around and found Jiang Hongyan sitting on the summit of the mountain with her legs crossed. Strands of Spiritual Qi gathered around her and turned into a water curtain to envelop her.
After seeing the descent of the thunder clouds from the sky, the cultivators outside the spell immediately became serious.
Jiang Yushu's eyes widened; he angrily shouted, "The Heavenly Tribulation has arrived. Jiang Hongyan has nowhere to run! Let's break the spell!"
Chapter 609: This is Extremely Terrifying
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Bang!
Outside, thousands of cultivators began to activate their inscriptions all at once. Some Holy Sons and Holy Virgins activated inscriptions that were much much more powerful than the cultivators.
Bang!
Suddenly, the energy of the inscriptions hit the light screen of the Myriad Flame Incinerate Ghosts Spell.
The array Xu Que created had already absorbed a huge amount of Spiritual Qi and was very stable. Even if it had been hit, it was still intact—its light dimmed a bit but nothing more.
After all, the Myriad Flame Incinerate Ghosts Spell was a high-class array—many of the influential factions didn't even know how to set it up. Its power could even kill a man of the Void Training Stage.
Seeing this, everyone present was shocked.
Jiang Yushu, the leader of the Jiang Family, frowned. "It seems that this array is much more powerful than I thought!"
"So what?! I believe that if we hit it ten more times, the light screen will definitely crack!" the old man from the Gong Family sneered.
"When we get in, we should destroy Jiang Hongyan's cultivation first, then we should catch that young man alive," the old man in the Bai Family said. "I think he's carrying lots of valuable objects!"
Hearing this, the rest of the people nodded.
…
The Holy Sons and Holy Virgins were also stunned by what they had seen.
"This is really impressive!"
Xiao Taixuan, the Holy Son from the Eight Directions Green Dragon Sect, became rather interested in the array.
Bai Linglue, the Holy Virgin of the Bai Family, sneered, "Never! I am sure this array will be destroyed before Jiang Hongyan goes through her Thunder Tribulation!"
Hearing this, Xiao Taixuan shook his head.
"You're too full of yourself. I don't agree with you since even if the array is broken, the black fire inside is also very dangerous!"
"Don't tell me you're afraid?!" Bai Linglue sneered.
Xiao Taoxuan stared at her coldly. "We'll see who gets to kill Jiang Hongyan!"
"Killing Jiang Hongyan? You would dare kill someone who's wanted by the Carefree Building?" Xiao Munan, the Holy Son of the Heavenly Demon Sect, mocked.
"I would dare! I know you're all cowards!" Xiao Taixuan said in a deep voice, and a huge amount of energy erupted from him.
The other Holy Sons and Holy Virgins glanced at him and activated their inscriptions.
…
Right at this moment, Xu Que stood behind the light screen. Seeing the light gradually dim under the attack, he was not worried at all. Instead, he began to smile.
"What a bunch of losers! I thought it would take less time for them to destroy the light screen. It seems that I overestimated them!" Xu Que shook his head, put his spell flag on the ground, and walked toward the mountain where Jiang Hongyan was.
In fact, he had been worried that they would easily destroy the array; now he was confident that it would take quite a while for the cultivators to do so.
Bang!
The thunder was getting louder and louder, the heavy black cloud getting closer and closer to the top of the mountain. It was so big that almost the entire sky was covered and, of course, the sunlight was blocked as well.
Jiang Hongyan was sitting on the mountain and giving out a huge amount of Spiritual Qi of the Water Element. She was shrouded in a water shield on which many golden inscriptions kept appearing.
The golden inscriptions rotated quickly around Jiang Hongyan, and the sound of someone singing scripts floated around from time to time.
After a short while, the water shield froze . . .
Xu Que quickly ran and landed beside Jiang Hongyan. He then looked up and glared at the sky with a serious face.
He knew that once he got close to Jiang Hongyan, the power of the thunder tribulation would get stronger, and he would become the target of the lightning. But he did not care since he could feel that this thunder tribulation was rather different from all the other thunder tribulations he had experienced before. It was much more depressing and dangerous. Xu Que believed that if he did not help her, Jiang Hongyan would be in great danger.
Xu Que looked at the sky and sneered, Come! You stupid thunder tribulation! I want to see if you can kill me! I'll absorb all your energy and improve The Great Ultimate Derivation Dragon & Elephant Seal. Then I'll be invincible!
With the thunder essence inside his body, he had managed to finish around thirty percent cultivation of the Heavenly Thunder Seal of the Great Ultimate Derivation Dragon & Elephant Seal. He believed that if he absorbed more thunder energy, he would be able to complete the cultivation of the Heavenly Thunder Seal. When that time came, he could easily defeat the Holy Sons and Holy Virgins.
Right at the moment, Jiang Hongyan sensed that Xu Que was next to her and frowned.
After all, the thunder tribulation this time was in fact called the Sixty-Nine Heavenly Tribulation; if Jiang Hongyan managed to get through it, she would step into the Void Training Stage.
She worried that Xu Que might be killed since he was only in the fourth level of the Infant Transformation Stage.
However, she was now completely focused on the tribulation and could not stop to ask Xu Que to leave.
At the same time, all the surrounding Spiritual Qi—including the mysterious Spiritual Qi in the Celestial Burial Valley—gathered around Jiang Hongyan. It seemed that she was going to practice a powerful incantation.
Xu Que sensed that Jiang Hongyan was worried about him. He smiled at her and said, "Don't worry, just focus on your own business. I'll absorb all the thunder energy and it will actually do me good."
Hearing this, Jiang Hongyan was a bit relieved.
Bang!
The thick and heavy black cloud suddenly cracked in the middle.
A ray of extremely bright light shed upon the top of the mountain.
He felt something ringing in his ears—it felt like the sound was coming from his heart.
He trembled all over. Raising his head to the sky, Xu Que was stunned by what he saw.
On the other side of the cloud, he saw millions of people standing in a great formation. They all shined in silver and looked like the magnificent Milky Way floating in the sky.
Xu Que was too shocked for words.
Are they the so-called Heavenly Soldiers? It's just a f*cking tribulation, why on earth would they come here?! What on earth has Jiang Hongyan done wrong to be treated this way?!
Right at this moment, all the soldiers shouted, "Give my money back!" Their loud combined voice echoed throughout the land.