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Translator: Fate
Proofreader: Silavin
In the meantime, Chi Ling, Ye Ling and the rest found themselves in trouble. They have encountered a rhinoceros-like beast in the True Enlightened Realm not long after entering the Celestial Ancient Continent.
Despite being a young prodigy, her strength was merely in the Early Honoured King Realm. She could have difficulty fend off beings in the Partial-Enlightened Realm, so taking on a being in the True Enlightened Realm would be extremely difficult. Unless she used certain forbidden tools or weapons. Normal magic weapons would be futile against this beast.
However, she was reluctant. After all, she would have never expected herself to be so unfortunate as to bump into a beast this strong right after entering.
The Intermediate True Enlightened Realm rhinoceros-like beast was formidable. Once it opened its mouth, fiery lights shot into the sky. They were like heavenly beacons, before spreading and transforming into a sea of flames. This one attack easily torched a number of clan members to ashes. Seeing that, those that were still alive were deeply shocked.
“Chi Ling, Iet’s attack together! You distract it while I prepare the killing blow!” Suddenly, among the followers, Ye Ling shouted.
Ever since their entrance into the Celestial Ancient Continent, he had been trying to leave hints for Chi Ling. Implying that Gu Changge was no decent man. Trying to warn her to stay away from him. However, it seems like Chi Ling either missed his insinuations or failed to understand them as she showed no interest in his words.
Ye Ling felt helpless as Gu Changge was too good at pretending and even possessed a face that could easily charm women.
As such, he opted for another approach. He instead plans to charm her. First, he needed to stand out. He was confident since he possessed numerous daunting Spells and methods, which he could use to challenge cultivators with higher cultivation. And, this was the best opportunity for him to impress Chi Ling and the rest.
Hearing that, Chi Ling turned to him without saying a word. Instead, it was the followers of Chi Ling that reprimanded Ye Ling as disbelief was written all over their faces.
“What are you saying? Are you seriously asking for the spotlight at such a time?”
“Have you gone insane? Now is not really the time to prove yourself to the Gifted Lady, is it?”
In their eyes, Ye Ling simply wanted to show off to Chi Ling. Meanwhile, to Ye Ling, it made the followers, whose cultivation was higher than him, seem timid and weak.
[This brat is only in the Honoured Lord Realm! Does he want to die? How brave of him to go up against a beast in the True Enlightened Realm while spewing such nonsense?]
“He must be sick of living! Thinking about showing off under this situation!” The followers, including a few female young prodigies of the Vermillion Bird Clan revealed an unfriendly, condescending look towards Ye Ling.
Nevertheless, Ye Ling was already used to such derision being direct at him. After all, on the surface, he was merely Honoured Lord Realm. There really didn’t seem to be any chance for him to defeat a creature in the True Enlightened Realm. However, the cultivation of his had been disguised.
“Open your eyes, you lowly scums! You might learn a thing or two today!” Feeling somewhat helpless, Ye Ling rubbed his nose as he let out a cold snort. As he was getting his most powerful move ready, he looked down on the so-called young prodigies before him. Right as he was about to initiate, black and white gleams harbouring wondrous anomalies surged around his body. All he thought about was to annihilate all lives.
[Ye Ling’s power is actually alarming!] Chi Ling subconsciously shook her head. With Ye Ling’s assistance, the chance of her winning grew.
*Whoosh!* Out of nowhere, the air trembled, and an elegant, impeccable palm print charged forth, even more quickly than Ye Ling. That palm print seemed to be as hard as heavenly rocks. It was engulfed in dense aura, tearing space apart as it speedily dropped down from the top of a hill not far away.
*Thump!* The beast was taken aback. Before it realized, it had already been fatally injured. Its body was torn apart and blood gushed out of the opening.
“Ouch…” At once, the crowd gasped in astonishment as they peered at the hilltop not far away. There was a group of young prodigies in golden armor. They had an immensely intimidating aura while they rode on wild beasts like knights on horseback.
“It’s her!”
“Yue Mingkong!”
“The Heir of Unrivaled Celestial Dynasty!”
Members of the Vermillion Bird Clan were thoroughly stupefied, unable to contain their astoundment. The True Enlightened Realm beast, which Chi Ling couldn’t even take on, was taken down by the future emperor with just one blow. [How overpowered! How terrifying!]
[How powerful… She’s at least in the Intermediate Honoured King Realm. Otherwise, there’s no way she could harbour such immense power…] Chi Ling couldn’t help but be stunned.
Having just broken through to the Honoured King Realm a short while ago, she wouldn’t be able to achieve such a feat even if she were to further ascend to the Intermediate Honoured King Realm.
Essentially, even for young prodigies such as herself, in the Beyond, they were categorised into Upper Class, Middle Class, and Lower Class. While she belonged in the Middle Class, Yue Mingkong indubitably belonged in the Upper Class, or perhaps even higher than that.
“Yue Mingkong…” Ye Ling, too, was dazed as amazement flashed across his eyes. Every time he saw the celebrated future emperor, his breath would always be taken away.
[She’s so beautiful. She is as perfect as a painting; her beauty beguiles even the soul; she is a gift from the gods!] His heart palpitated as he witnessed Yue Mingkong’s all-powerful, overbearing aura.
[Gu Changge, you lucky b*stard! D*mn it!] Surprisingly, right when he was about to draw his hands, Yue Mingkong instantaneously intervened and put down the beast. In that instant, his heart was filled with envy, jealousy, as well as reluctance. He thought that Yue Mingkong’s plan to assassinate him back then was, in fact, Gu Changge’s arrangement, so naturally, Gu Changge should be the one to pay.
Nevertheless, Ye Ling wasn’t that concerned. Given his flawless disguise, he was confident that even Yue Mingkong wouldn’t be able to recognize him. After all, even Gu Changge himself couldn’t recognize him.
“Thank you for your help, Princess Mingkong!” Regaining their senses, the young prodigies of the Vermillion Bird Clan turned to Yue Mingkong and shouted their gratitude from a distance.
“Thank you for your help, Princess Mingkong!” Feeling somewhat perturbed, Chi Ling thanked Yue Mingkong with an obeisance. She figured that Gu Changge was the reason for Yue Mingkong’s interference. However, it wasn’t a gesture of friendship, but rather, an assertion of dominance. A flaunting of superiority.
Back at Supreme Peak, Chi Ling’s amiable interactions with Gu Changge were witnessed by Yue Mingkong. That was probably why the latter decided to butt in and assert dominance. Hence, Chi Ling could only force a bitter grin as she was at loss for words. At the end of the day, only women could understand each other best, so she easily figured out that that was the reason for Yue Mingkong’s intervention.
Standing on the hilltop, Yue Mingkong wordlessly shot Chi Ling an icy glare before turning around and leading her followers into the deeper areas. As a matter of fact, if it weren’t for Chi Ling’s presence, she wouldn’t have taken another look at the group.
Despite knowing full well that Chi Ling was simply one of Gu Changge’s pawn, she had to let her understand that Gu Changge was not a man whom she should attempt to take advantage of. Moreover, this act was also beneficial to Chi Ling, to prevent her from falling deeper into Gu Changge’s bottomless schemes.
Regardless, Yue Mingkong failed to notice that Ye Ling was hiding among Chi Ling’s followers. In her previous life, since Ye Ling did not become the scapegoat of the Successor of Demonic Arts, he came to the Celestial Ancient Continent under broad daylight. As such, he encountered countless opportunities and treasures. Apart from that, Yue Mingkong didn’t have much information.
Of course, she remained the most important part. She was aware of where and how certain young prodigies got their hands on the treasures in this continent. Thus, she was confident that her journey to the Celestial Ancient Continent this time around could help her break through to Partial-Enlightened Realm. By then, if she managed to take possession of the Celestial Spirit, breaking through to the Sacred Realm wouldn’t be an eventuality. After all, the celestial energy within the Celestial Spirit was feared by even the best of young prodigies.
[Judging by the timeline of my previous life, the Celestial Ancient Continent is about to undergo a huge turmoil as the burial site of some of the natives is brought to ruin. I’ve never really thought about it back then, but Gu Changge must have sneaked himself in. As long as the corpses of ancient masters are buried and have yet to decompose, they should still possess energies which Gu Changge can devour with Nommening. It’s basically his hunting ground now. No one could possibily tell how strong he would get by the time he walks out of the Celestial Ancient Continent. Besides that, he also has his eyes on the Celestial Spirit that’s about to appear…]
Pressing her temple, Yue Mingkong felt rather helpless and disconcerted as she knew she had no way to stop Gu Changge despite knowing about everything that was to come. That man was simply flawless; be it his methods or power, he was basically invincible. Hence, even if she was a regressor, who could foresee what he was up to, she wasn’t in any power to make any changes, so her advantage was of no use against him.
A few days ago, although Gu Changge claimed that he couldn’t bring himself to kill her, judging by his personality, she knew the credibility of those words would undoubtedly be short-lived. Even though she was recently able to sleep more soundly at night, it was certainly difficult for her to keep herself alive by Gu Changge’s side. The excruciating memory of how cold and heartless he was in her previous life had traumatized her.
Gu Changge was a merciless man, and that never changed. The reason he let her live and even tried to ingratiate her was only because she still had some use to him. Therefore, Yue Mingkong continuously came up with several ways to increase her strength.
[Regardless, Xianer doesn’t seem to have strayed too far. She’d eventually cause an uproar with the Ancient Sea Palace, further leading to a bounty hunt after herself, which actually posed no real threat. Conversely, she even achieved a cultivation breakthrough during that battle.] Retaining a still face, Yue Mingkong sank into contemplation before leading her followers to the treasure nearest to her. She recalled one of the young prodigies had acquired an Emperor-Grade Array Seal.
At that moment, sensing a battle from a distance away, Ye Ling, who was gazing at Yue Mingkong, revealed a scowl. When he turned to the direction, his face turned pale as he saw a figure in a red dress being assaulted heading his way.
[That’s… Yin Mei!? Damn it! She’s in trouble!] Seeing that, Ye Ling, without hesitation, got up and summoned an Arcane Bridge before charging towards Yin Mei. In his eyes, Yin Mei wasn’t just Bai Lie’s fiancee, but also the only witness that could prove that he did not kill Bai Lie.
“Ye-” His action caused Chi Ling to reveal a frown. However, she did not bother to stop Ye Ling. After all, he was merely hiding among her followers and he had no obligations to listen to her instructions. Nonetheless, although she wasn’t disaffected, her followers certainly were as each of them bore utmost disdain against him. [That brat! Running away on his own! Disobeying Chi Ling’s orders!]
“I knew that brat was weird! When did he sneak in?” Suddenly, one of the followers expressed their suspicion and confusion.
“Hopefully he’s not the Successor of Demonic Arts, who had sneaked in and hid among us…” Another follower subconsciously stated, leaving the rest extremely anxious.
Hearing that, a number of the followers felt a chill up their spine. Recently, everyone was put on the edge of their seats due to the turmoil caused by the Successor of Demonic Arts, and their suspicion towards Ye Ling only kept growing.
Likewise, Chi Ling, helpless, could only come up with an excuse. Though, she was somewhat irritated by Ye Ling’s behaviour as well. It truly seemed as if he had taken her kindness for granted.
[Perhaps Ye Ling is no match to Brother Gu after all…] Chi Ling shook her head. She was rather disappointed with Ye Ling despite not expressing it.
On the other hand, Ye Lng was watching Yin Mei taking on a young prodigy whose body was covered in godly light, causing landslides and sandstorms. Heavenly lights surged and dispersed throughout the battlefield like thunderstorms, as runes’ implosion engulfed the area.
Yin Mei, on the other hand, looked rather miserable. Visibly at a disadvantage. There was blood on the corner of her lips. At the same time, her followers, constricted by a ferocious beast, could not lend her a hand.
[Yin Mei’s in danger! I have to help her!] Ye Ling hadn’t the slightest hesitation, especially when it came to scenarios involving him, the protagonist, saving a charming princess. This was a scenario he had experienced numerous times, so he was already used to it. Therefore, doing this now was nothing out of the ordinary to him.
*Zoom!*
As he drew his crimson shortsword, noises of the dimension being shattered thundered through the skies. The shortsword turned into a red mist that resembled an Arcane Bridge. At lightspeed, the mist, like clouds in the sky, pierced through the air and charged towards the young prodigy.
“Who’s there!?” The shining young prodigy asked. He noticed a formidable foe, who seemed to be covered in flames. He sensed the uniqueness of the shortsword and instantly cast a Spell to deflect it. Upon seeing Ye Ling, who was storming towards him, he revealed a scowl.
For some reason, he felt that Yin Mei was pretending to be weak as she used none of her powerful moves. Moreover, given that someone else was charging at him, he decided to give up the treasure before summoning an Arcane Bridge and fleeing.
An inexplicable light flashed across Yin Mei’s eyes as she retained her composure. Excitedly and curiously, she thanked the cultivator who had come to help her. “Thank you for your help…”
According to Gu Changge’s instructions, the dashing young man before her must be Ye Ling, who had altered his appearance. After all, if anyone indulged in impressing women and would ignore all risks of exposure in order to be the ‘white knight,’ it would unquestionably be Ye Ling. Knowing that, Yin Mei scoffed in her heart.
Upon hearing her words, Ye Ling grew hesitant. If he were to reveal his real identity to Yin Mei, who possibly bore ill intentions towards him, he would undoubtedly be in danger. Nonetheless, after a moment of contemplation, he recalled Yin Mei’s behaviour and concluded that he could trust her. Thus, he confessed to her, “Yin Mei, it’s me, Ye Ling.”
“What!?” At once, Yin Mei opened her stunning eyes, mouth agape out of shock and dismay before hastily replying. “Are you looking to die? Why would you come here and even reveal your identity!? Do you realise how foolish that is? What if I intend to bring you harm?”
As she was speaking, her eyes were filled with immense nervousness as she was worried about Ye Ling. If Gu Changge were here with them, he would definitely compliment her. Impressed that the Nine-Lives Gifted Lady managed to pull off such fine acting that could only be accomplished by award-winning actors in his previous life. Her words and expression were truly flawless.
At that moment, Ye Ling was thoroughly captivated, and seeing how concerned she was about him, he couldn’t help but feel moved. [There’s another person who believes in me! I knew I could trust Yin Mei!]
Suppressing his voice, Ye Ling whispered, “Don’t worry. My concealment skills are top-tier. No one will be able to recognize me.”
Hearing that, Yin Mei gradually calmed down, though there was still a trace of worry on her face. “You’re being very reckless by coming here! Don’t you know cultivators are going everywhere, looking for you?”
“Doesn’t matter. Since I was framed, I’ll come up with a way to clear my name. Besides, there’s something I want in the Celestial Ancient Continent,” Ye Ling answered.
Yin Mei gave a nod in response.
“Anyway, Yin Mei, don’t you suspect me of murdering Brother Bai Lie?” All of a sudden, Ye Ling curiously asked.
Shaking her head, Yin Mei looked straight into Ye Ling’s eyes. “Never. On that night, indeed, Bai Lie was furious after you left, but not enough to want to have you killed. He honoured the brotherhood you shared. Plus, I trust you enough to know that you won’t do such a thing.” Her tone was filled with resolution without the slightest hint of suspicion.
Listening to her claim, Ye Ling was surprised to find that Yin Mei had so much trust in him. He felt extremely touched. He gave a nod and assured, “Worry not, I’ll definitely prove myself innocent. Either way, please be wary of Gu Changge. I think he’s one who framed me.”
Assuming that Yin Mei had already offended Gu Changge, Ye Ling decided to be upfront with her and told her to be more cautious of Gu Changge whenever she was in Skyward Schloss.
“What!? You think it’s Senior Gu?” At once, Yin Mei seemed dumbfounded before revealing a look of fear and disbelief, though, in her heart, she mocked. [It is as Master had predicted. Ye Ling is sharp enough to suspect is him. Sadly, he’s just not very bright…] Her heart was filled with scorn.
Quickly, Ye Ling, taking on the guise as Yin Mei’s old friend, introduced himself to her followers. Soon, Chi Ling and her followers caught up and were somewhat stupefied, though they spoke not a word.
And so, thanks to Ye Ling, Chi Ling and Yin Mei decided to team up and formed an alliance, venturing into the depths of the continent.
Meanwhile, Ye Ling was rather gleeful that he managed to flaunt some of his powerful moves and impress the crowd. Thanks to his luck, he encountered a number of rare heavenly herbs as well as godly weapons that were buried.
“Brother Gui, will we really be able to locate the Stage of Enlightenment of the Ancient Reincarnation Supreme Being based on the direction you gave me?” Ye Ling questioned the turtle spirit in his pendant as he was confident that he had become the leader of the alliance.
“Worry not. The Supreme Being left it specifically for you. Also, there are countless treasures waiting for you on the Stage of Enlightenment,” the spirit turtle answered.
Hearing that, Ye Ling was thrilled.
Little did he know, his every movement was observed by Yin Mei, who was assiduously leaving a trail behind for Gu Changge. She did this out of concern that Gu Changge might not be able to find his way in. After all, the Celestial Ancient Continent was gargantuan. For contingency purposes, she made countless preparations, which went unnoticed to the rest.
Staring at the excited Ye Ling before her, condescension flashed across her eyes as she snickered in her heart. [He’s not merely a scapegoat, but also a treasure-seeking one as well. Oh, so sorry for the trouble, Ye Ling!]
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