A short distance from the two children, Ye Guhan sat cross-legged. His face was expressionless, and though he made no move, his mind was a whirlwind of flashing sword light!
Lately, he had done nothing else but forge and practice his swordsmanship. Inspired by the example of the two children, and using the one-armed saber technique as a template, Ye Guhan, his vitality renewed, was filled with aspiration for his own original style of swordsmanship!
Ying Bokong was not asleep either; he was in Elder Jun’s study, consulting with Jun Wuyi about some unknown matter.
Everything seemed perfectly calm. Everything was filled with tranquility.
Jun Moxie smiled with deep contentment.
Just then, the sound of rushing wind suddenly broke the stillness from the far horizon, accompanied by an exceptionally powerful surge of divine sense. It pressed downward without restraint toward their location! This potent divine sense carried with it vast fury and a chilling killing intent!
This aura possessed a truly earth-shattering, overwhelmingly majestic power. In Jun Moxie’s entire life experience, only one person could compare to it, and that person could firmly hold the upper hand over him: the Venerable Mei from the Heavenly Punishment organization.
Others, even the ‘Earth-Shaking Dual Swordsmen’ and the ‘Stormy Wind Dual Supremes’ from the Secluded Immortal Palace, would be slightly inferior!
Such power had clearly reached the pinnacle realm of the mortal world!
Jun Moxie’s pupils contracted sharply. They had finally come!
And this time, it would cause a huge commotion!
The person arriving was likely the Old Ancestor of the Huang family!
It was the surging anger and murderous intent that allowed Jun Moxie to deduce the arrival’s identity.
To act with such brazen disregard for propriety. So utterly undisguised!
Did this person truly believe there were no other supreme experts in the world? Jun Moxie sneered inwardly. This young master has already spread the net wide; it seems tonight I might just catch a big fish?
In the study, Ying Bokong and the other two startled, looking up sharply. At Ya Xiang Hut, the Snake King’s face also showed shock, and he rapidly stepped out the door.
Mei Xueyan frowned, a faint look of annoyance flashing in her eyes, yet she remained seated, unmoved.
In the next instant, a lightning-fast purple silhouette appeared atop the tallest structure of the Jun family—the pinnacle of the pagoda! Clad in an unusually conspicuous purple robe, contrasted by a head of white hair, his figure was robust. The golden trim inlaid on the robe’s edges shimmered brilliantly under the moonlight!
He stood there, hands behind his back, and had yet to utter a word, but the surging tide of his aura already announced his arrival to everyone! He was waiting, expecting someone from the Jun family to step forward and speak first.
However, this peerless master did not expect that as he descended, his two feet nearly crushed Jun Moxie, who was also standing on the pagoda top! He forcibly bumped the concealed Young Master Jun off balance, much to the latter’s annoyance.
“May I ask which esteemed master has arrived at my Jun Estate? I am Jun Zhantian, and I apologize for not welcoming you properly from afar!” An exceptionally deep and steady voice rang out. The speaker was naturally Elder Jun Zhantian.
Although Elder Jun had already judged from the visitor’s aura that no one in the Jun family currently stood a chance against this person, his tone remained calm and even, devoid of any sense of panic.
Though Elder Jun had rarely engaged in duels with experts in his life, his years of campaigning and the countless upheavals he had witnessed surpassed that of most others. This composure—the ability to remain impassive even when a mountain collapses before him—was a skill few, even among the Supreme level figures, could match!
“Jun Zhantian? Hmph. You are not worthy of speaking to this old man.” The figure on the pagoda top let out a wild laugh. “Last night, who had the audacity to detain the guards of our Dreamlike Blood Sea? Step out quickly, and don’t make this old man exert unnecessary effort!”
A cold sneer echoed, and a sharp voice declared coldly, “Dreamlike Blood Sea? What an imposing title! Do you mean to say that even if someone is nothing but a petty thief, as long as they belong to the Dreamlike Blood Sea, they cannot be detained?”
As the sneer faded, a lean, tall figure slowly emerged from the shadows. His long hair danced in the air as if weightless, and his eyes flashed like lightning. Standing with hands behind his back, his bearing was as unyielding as a mountain. It was none other than the Prairie Eagle God, Ying Bokong!
Ying Bokong’s temperament was inherently defiant and unrestrained; he always did as he pleased and loathed those who relied on bullying while trying to act lofty. Seeing this man arrive with such an arrogant, condescending tone, how could the Eagle Supreme not be enraged!
Ying Bokong had only vaguely heard about last night’s events today. He had initially felt he missed a grand opportunity, but seeing this man arrive tonight, he felt a surge of excitement for a fight. Even knowing he might not be his match, he had to engage first!
If nothing else, just by looking at this man’s preposterous demeanor, Ying Bokong felt thoroughly agitated. Are the Three Great Sacred Lands so formidable? Why must every person who emerges have the attitude of ‘I am the world’s foremost’? I absolutely refuse to play along!
“Who are you?” The old man Huang looked down from above. “Report your name first! Let me see if you are qualified to die by this old man’s hand. This old man never kills those without a name!”
“I am Ying Bokong! Am I qualified, perhaps?” Ying Bokong threw his head back, looking at the elder with utter disdain. In his eyes, this old man was merely putting on a show! Lines like ‘qualified to die by my hand’ and ‘I don’t kill the nameless’ were dialogue straight out of a stage play. He couldn’t help but sigh inwardly that the prestige of the Three Great Sacred Lands had spoiled these people over the years! To simply have a fight was fine, but they insisted on being overly eloquent. Did he think he was the lead in an opera?
“Heh heh, Ying Bokong, so you must be the newly promoted lowest-ranked among the Eight Great Supremes? I know of you.” Old Man Huang’s white eyebrows shot up in a mocking manner. “But knowing of you is all. With your strength, you are not yet qualified to enter the inner sanctum of the ‘Dreamlike Blood Sea.’ You dare to shout at this old man like this? You are not worthy of fighting me!”
“Whether I am worthy or not can only be known after a fight! Since you arrived so openly, you likely won’t hide your identity. Which figure from the Dreamlike Blood Sea are you? Perhaps you could announce your actual designation!” Ying Bokong snorted, retorting.
“Fine, so that you, a mere junior, may know—stand firm, and do not let my name scare the soul out of you!” Old Man Huang laughed toward the sky, his eyes wide: “This old man is Huang Taiyang of the Scorching Sun Thousand Peaks!”
A muffled “Pfft” sounded from the void. It was the concealed Young Master Jun, who simply could not suppress his laughter. This old man’s name was truly funny—Huang Taiyang, and even more amusingly, his epithet was ‘Scorching Sun Thousand Peaks’—it was a perfect match! It made it impossible not to laugh.
Hearing this extremely ridiculous name, Jun Moxie finally confirmed that the old man before him was indeed the Huang family’s Old Ancestor.
However, although Jun Moxie found it amusing, the Prairie Eagle God, Ying Bokong, felt nothing of the sort.
Because the name Scorching Sun Thousand Peaks Huang Taiyang, despite its comical sound, represented a legend in the martial world one hundred and thirty years ago! Huang Taiyang originated from the utterly unremarkable Huang family. Initially, he possessed only slightly better aptitude, but one day, his power suddenly skyrocketed to the Divine Profound level. He wandered the martial world, constantly seeking out and challenging others. His methods were ruthless, and countless people perished by his hand.
It was rumored that his Profound Energy seemed endless and inexhaustible, and it increased with terrifying speed. In just a few short years, he surged from Earth Profound cultivation, blasting through to the Supreme realm, instantly becoming one of the world’s foremost top experts, a grand, mysterious, and powerful legend among all Profound practitioners of that era! Legend claimed that he once single-handedly confronted the two Beast Kings of the Heavenly Punishment Forest back then, holding his own without yielding an inch!
The progression of his Profound Energy had always been one of the most tantalizing mysteries in the martial world! What kind of power could allow an Earth Profound practitioner to break through to the Divine Profound and even the Supreme realm in just a few years? This naturally led even more people to seek him out.
At that time, his vengeful enemies spanned the entire world. Countless Profound practitioners united to seek revenge, only to be routed and scattered by his single effort, allowing him to depart calmly.
Only when Huang Taiyang vanished without explanation did this bloody legend come to a temporary halt.
It turned out that the so-called legend’s disappearance was merely his being lured into the Dreamlike Blood Sea! After Huang Taiyang vanished, his enemies ruthlessly suppressed his Huang family for a long time, attempting to lure him out. The Huang family members at the time knew he had entered the Dreamlike Blood Sea, but since Huang Taiyang never reappeared, and entering the Dreamlike Blood Sea was not necessarily an honor, they instead lost contact.
After completely losing their strongest pillar of support, the Huang family could only reluctantly continue their decline, until today they had devolved into a small, ordinary Profound Qi family. Especially in recent years, if it weren't for the Dugu family, their in-laws, acting as their backing, they might have long since dispersed like dust when the tree falls.
It truly was a strange turn of fate that just as Jun Moxie and Tang Yuan were starting to deal with the Huang family, this legendary menace from the previous generation should suddenly emerge and appear right here!
“So it is Elder Huang. Has Elder Huang come tonight merely to show off his might?” Although Ying Bokong was shocked to realize the person before him was Huang Taiyang, his words remained sharp and caustic.
“Having shown off my might, this old man doesn’t mind killing a few more people,” Huang Taiyang said, adopting a condescending posture and coldly laughing, his voice like that of a night owl. “Perhaps a few figures who are Supreme merely by undeserved reputation and luck, or those who rank lowest among the Supremes yet shamelessly believe themselves to be number one in the world…”
Ying Bokong erupted in anger, his eyes flashing fiercely: “Huang Taiyang! I call you Elder out of respect, but don’t rely on your moldering signboard to act high and mighty! The new generation always surges past the old; you old folks are obsolete. This world of martial arts is no longer the one you knew! You outdated legend should worry about whether I will tarnish your two hundred years of fame!”
Huang Taiyang roared with laughter, as if he had heard the most ridiculous joke, nearly doubled over with mirth, his body shaking back and forth.
Suddenly, a cold, detached voice spoke impatiently: “What old crow is cawing in the deep of night, disturbing people’s dreams!” This voice didn’t sound overwhelmingly loud, but the moment it appeared, it was like a blinding bolt of lightning, effortlessly slicing through the aura field that Huang Taiyang had conjured with his supreme Profound Art. It was like a sword plunging from the heavens to the earth in the dim, oppressive night!
Every single word sounded as if the Thunder God were venting his frustrations, striking slow drumbeats in the high heavens, yet causing the heart of every person who heard those beats to tremble!
With the appearance of each syllable, a tremor! A palpitation! As if these words had transformed into heavy drumsticks, directly beating against the heart!
(Please spare a few recommendation tickets! Brothers and sisters, the recommendations are desperately low, and the click-to-vote ratio is unbalanced. Please lend a hand. (To be continued.))