Chapter 675: Crisis

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

In the Holy Sage Pavilion, Liu Chan sat cross-legged, taking a break. Right then, someone walked towards him. Liu Chan opened his eyes to look at the person, asking, “You’ve finally left?”

This person was Sage Wanxiang, the Pavilion Lord of the Wanxiang Pavilion.

“Yes.” Sage Wanxiang nodded. “I did some divination for the Palace while I was in there. Take a look at it.” As he spoke, an illusion appeared before him. In the starry skies, the constellations shifted and glowed. Underneath the starlight lay a palace that stretched out like a city. This was a projection of the Holy Zhi Palace. Then, several streaks of dark light shot down from the sky, striking the Palace. It was like the end of the world, with a hint of darkness pressing down upon everything, as if a huge crisis was about to happen.

Liu Chan was not an astrologer, but he could still somewhat understand this sort of divination. His expression turned extremely concerned and serious, and he asked, “What sort of divination is this?”

“It’s a divination of crisis,” Sage Wanxiang replied. “There’ll be a crisis at the Palace soon.”

“What will be the result?” Liu Chan’s expression grew graver.

Sage Wanxiang shook his head. “Don’t you know that astrologers aren’t prophets. We can’t predict the future, but what we can do is to use astrology to deduce a rough idea of what might happen. Since this is a divination of crisis, that means the Palace is about to face one soon. Whether or not the Palace will be destroyed within this crisis, or if it’ll find a new lease of life is unknown. Many things can happen and change this one reading. However, this reading seems to match one that we had some years back.”

“Are you referring to…” Liu Chan’s eyes were alert. “I thought that would have been a crisis related to the Divine Path. Could it be a crisis related to the Palace instead?” His heart heavy, Liu Chan continued, “People from the Zhisheng Cliffs of the Yu State came by the Barren State not long ago. Could that have all been a sign?”

“People from the Zhisheng Cliffs came to the Barren State?” Sage Wanxiang questioned, a gleam flashing through his eyes. The nine states all coexisted under the rule of Emperor Xia. However, as this generation of the Barren State appeared weaker, the other states were beginning to position themselves in a way that would eventually push the Barren State out of the picture and have its sacred learning grounds replaced. As such, those from the Zhisheng Cliffs were definitely not in the Barren State just to train. This was definitely not a good sign at all.

“Yes, there was an incident several days ago.” Liu Chan nodded. “Could this crisis be related to there being no saint in the Barren State?”

“I can’t say for sure, but that is definitely possible.” Sage Wanxiang sighed. “As there is no saint in the Barren State, the Holy Zhi Palace could be replaced at any time.”

“Luli is currently aiming for the Magi Plane. We should help him as much as we can, such that at the next battle for supremacy, he’ll be at a place where he can aspire towards sainthood,” Liu Chan said. His gaze grew determined. There wasn’t much time left for the Barren State.

…

The Black Wind Condor soared through the sky above the Thousand Holy Islands. Ye Futian, Yu Sheng, Hua Jieyu, Yuan Zhan, Yi Xiaoshi, Loulan Xue and Yi Qingxuan were all there. Long Ling’er had come along too. The girl had insisted on sending them off.

The many islands in the Divine Sea made for a beautiful sight. The island cities hung above the mountain, and weaving through them was like going through a magical celestial world. Despite the beautiful view, Ye Futian was still somewhat downcast. He wasn’t too affected by his expulsion from the Palace, but he still felt a sense of reluctance in saying goodbye to a place where he had trained at over the past four years. Furthermore, he had made many friends at the Palace, all of whom he had to bid farewell to as well.

“Ling’er, you take good care of yourself now that Jieyu and I won’t be at the Palace anymore. If anything happens you can always go to your Older Sister Phoenix and Yun Shuisheng,” Ye Futian told the girl.

“Alright, Big Brother Futian.” Long Ling’er let out a mischievous expression.

“Okay, we’ve gone past the Thousand Holy Islands already. You should go back,” Ye Futian said.

“Let me go with you all a little further,” Long Ling’er protested, reluctant to leave them.

“It’s not as if we’ll never see each other ever again.” Ye Futian patted her head. Long Ling’er was all grown up now, but she was still so clingy.

“But I can’t bear to watch you all go, just let me follow you for a while longer.” Long Ling’er grinned at him.

Ye Futian gave up on persuading her, and the group went past the Thousand Holy Islands to enter a mountainous region as they traveled straight ahead. Right then, Ye Futian’s brow creased slightly. The mountainous area ahead of them was filled with brown sand, giving it a barren feel. With his sharp senses, Ye Futian couldn’t help but have the feeling that they were being watched.

“May I know which senior has arrived?” Ye Futian looked up into the sky and asked. There was no reply, not even a hint of any new energy.

Ye Futian’s expression darkened. At the Sage Plane, one’s Spiritual Will could cover vast distances. To kill someone from a distance away while being completely out of their sight would not be a difficult feat for a Sage. Whoever they were up against was evidently not near them, but somewhere that was out of the perception range of Ye Futian’s own Spiritual Will. The other person could definitely see them, it was just that Ye Futian had noticed their presence.

Yu Sheng and Yuan Zhan lifted their heads as well, their expressions growing colder.

“Ling’er, go back to the Palace now.” Ye Futian pushed Ling’er away. This new presence could be targeting him.

“I won’t.” Long Ling’er looked towards the skies. At this juncture, she couldn’t bear to leave even more.

“Listen to me, please.” Ye Futian’s tone grew urgent. Long Ling’er did not reply but shook her head stubbornly.

The energy grew even more prominent. It was as if the person realized they had been discovered and was now making no effort to hide.

The Black Wind Condor continued onwards. Ye Futian’s expression was cold. He had only just left the Palace, but here he was, already caught in an ambush. He wondered who it was that wanted to attack him. Could it be the Holy Zhi Palace?

Looking at Liu Chan, while he was insistent on nurturing Bai Luli to help him achieve sainthood, there was no need for Liu Chan to kill Ye Futian. Ye Futian was only just a noble, even if he had been expelled from the Palace, for Liu Chan to attack him with such underhanded means would be incredibly ungracious of him. But then, who was it exactly that wanted him dead?

“Prepare to fight,” Ye Futian murmured, his voice low. Ritual implements appeared in his hands at the same time. In his left hand, he held the pagoda that You Chi had given him, while in his right hand was the Divine Destruction Polearm. Powerful energy emanated from his being. Everyone in the Barren State knew that no one of the Noble Plane would be able to go up against him. If one were to attack him, they could only do so using an individual of the Sage Plane.

Armor appeared on Yu Sheng’s body, and instantly a frightening energy appeared all over his being. The Black Wind Condor let out a powerful magical aura, and shifted into its demonic beast form, its gaze frosty.

A strong wind started blowing, and the brown sand was sent flying through the air, turning into a terrifying sandstorm. Caught within the storm, the group’s vision was blurred, causing them to almost be unable to see the path ahead.

Surges of murderous intent reached them. Whoever sent them had not bothered to hide their intentions. It was evident that they were here for Ye Futian’s life. Ye Futian had only just been expelled by the Palace, but the moment he left the territory of the Palace, his life was instantly being targeted, not just by a person, but by a group, he realized.

“You can come out now,” Ye Futian lifted his head and said coldly. He could perceive a few blurry figures appear within the sandstorm, all of them emanating a frightening energy from their beings. These were four powerful individuals of the Sage Plane. It seems like whoever wanted him dead thought very highly of Ye Futian’s capabilities, sending such a powerful group after him.

Whatever happened in the sky was beyond everyone’s concern at this point, but a frightening energy was beginning to manifest there as well. Within the sandstorm, a golden flash of lightning appeared, bringing with it a scarily destructive power.

Ye Futian suddenly found himself in an illusion. It was as if the surroundings had been entirely covered by a destructive matrix. Within the sandstorm, he could see a Vermillion Bird spread its wings and fly. He also saw a Qilin race across the space and a terrifying golden halberd appear out of nowhere. An immense pressure descended upon them, and the Black Wind Condor was immediately slowed down. Its wings grew incredibly heavy, making it hard for it to move.

Just then, with a long cry, the dazzling Vermillion Bird rushed down from the heavens, heading straight for the group. This enormous Divine Bird was surrounded by the Light of Punishment, which formed the shape of a cross and destroyed everything in its path.

“Immortal Celestial Bodies, Absolute Territory,” Ye Futian called out. With a flash of divine light, the Divine Destruction Polearm in Ye Futian’s hand let out a blinding glow, and he was surrounded by starlight. A gust of frightening willpower was created, and the group was surrounded by the light from the stars. It was an incredibly dazzling sight.

With a loud crack, the terrifying cross-shaped Light of Punishment made contact, shattering the Immortal Celestial Bodies and shredding apart the Absolute Territory. The destructive Light and the Vermillion Bird then continued its trajectory towards the group.

The power of a Sage contained the natural order itself. They were on a completely different level. As such, even the strongest noble would not be able to go up against a sage. Even someone as strong as Bai Luli had to be at the peak of the Noble Plane before he was able to defeat a lower-level sage. That was the battle that had sealed his reputation as a godly existence. However, Ye Futian and the rest were currently up against four sages. Without any hesitation, Ye Futian released his Divine Ape Life Spirit, before activating his Douzhan Body. The gigantic Divine Ape stood proudly in the space, and as Ye Futian held on to the Divine Destruction Polearm, a greater defensive energy was released. The group now seemed to be surrounded by an actual star itself, and as the frightening cross-shaped Light continued its descent, only cracks appeared in the star. It was not torn apart by the Light.

At this moment, the Vermillion Bird suddenly rushed down, and with a crack, the Star was broken apart once again. However, Ye Futian raised the Divine Destruction Polearm, and it turned into a hundred-meter polearm that covered the sky. The Polearm slashed towards the sky with a destructive power.

With a loud crash, the violent destructive power tore through the space and tore the Vermillion Bird into pieces. But, a far scarier power began to descend from the heavens, seeming to turn everything into an image of destruction.

Yuan Zhan stepped into the sky and roared. Wolf Fang Bat in hand, Yuan Zhan charged straight for the Qilin pacing about in the sky. The Qilin was immense in size, and despite the great power of the Wolf Fang Bat, it felt like the attack had landed on the body of an actual divine beast. Yuan Zhan spat out a mouthful of blood, feeling his own body being suppressed. Even with a ritual implement, the increment in his power was limited, and he struggled to fight back against the attack of a sage.

An even more savage destructive power descended upon them. Dazzling golden halberds appeared in the sky, with each halberd being about a hundred meters long. They spun down from the heavens, emanating an immense power that could destroy everything in their path. The next moment, the halberds descended all at once towards Ye Futian, in an attempt to suppress him immediately. It seemed like the most important target to get rid of here was Ye Futian.

With several thuds, several dazzling streaks of light shot through Yu Sheng’s body, and five of the Seven Star acupoints were activated. Terrifying demonic energy surged out of him, and his eyes became like that of a demon’s, shining with a blood-red glow. He was not holding back at all. He knew all too well that to hold back in this battle would be to court death.

It was the same for Ye Futian, who was harnessing the energy within his body to the maximum. Golden flames enveloped his body, and a dazzling divine light shot upwards into the heavens!