Chapter 873: Impasse

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

At that moment, the void suddenly quieted down, not seeming at all like a terrible battle had just happened there. But the area was still filled with terrible rule power, and the corpses on the ground where like a testimony that this had indeed been a battlefield.

Although Douzhan was still standing proudly, and his stalwart body seemed like it would never fall, in fact, his actual situation was only known to himself. He had used a great deal of his inner strength in his battle with the Great Zhou Sacred King, and now his body was overwhelmed. If it wasn’t for the divine light that flowed over him, one would be able to see that his body was now riddled with holes.

Although Ye Futian had rushed towards Zhou Huang in such a short time, the Great Zhou Sacred King had still been able to launch countless attacks on him. When he saw Ye Futian capture Zhou Huang, Douzhan understood why his disciple had arranged things the way he had these past few days.

He had ordered the Village Chief and Qin Zhuang to pin down the Great Zhou Sacred Dynasty, and at the same time, observe their movements. He had calculated a good time to have the Village Chief return and wait until he had finished things so the two of them could face the Great Zhou Sacred King. But before this, there had been no certainty that anyone could block the King. In fact, it was sure they no one could. The Village Chief could use his command of space to escape but he couldn’t bring him with him.

Thus, Ye Futian had ordered the army of the Holy Zhi Palace to cut off the Great Zhou Sacred King’s army. You Chi and the others had fought hard and achieved a brilliant victory, and this had laid the foundation for today’s battle, allowing Ye Futian to grab Zhou Huang and deter the Great Zhou Sacred King.

Ever since he had come to Nine State City seeking Saint Jiang, everything had been for his Master.

Ye Futian had used this kind of power last time outside the palace. After that fight, he had collapsed for a while before he had woken up. Today, he had once again relied on power beyond what he could bear. His counterattacking power was still quite formidable. He didn’t know how a disciple like him could still be alive.

According to common practice, he had forced himself to use more than his own Spiritual Energy. Although for a short time he had wielded incredible power, it was likely that his Spiritual Will would collapse and he would either die or become disabled.

Douzhan did not want him to pay any price like that.

The Great Zhou Sacred King felt the same way. Why was Ye Futian able to mobilize such power twice? But now was obviously not the time to pursue this question. His eyes were extremely cold as he stared at Ye Futian.

The Great Zhou Sacred King said nothing. In these circumstances, nothing he said would carry any weight.

A threat? A command?

They would all be meaningless. He waited for Ye Futian to speak.

“If you return to the Great Zhou Sacred Dynasty, I will let them live,” the Divine Ape spat in a cold voice. He could directly kill Zhou Huang and the others. Under Emperor Xia’s rule, the Great Zhou Sacred King could not stop him. However, for Ye Futian, when comparing Zhou Huang and the others’ lives to that of his Master, there was no need to consider. Sooner or later, he would wipe out the Great Zhou Sacred King, but right now, he wanted the Master to live. And not only to live, but to be completely sanctified.

The Great Zhou Sacred King’s expression was extremely cold. When he heard Ye Futian’s words, he knew the place that Douzhan held in his heart.

“Are you afraid of death?” The Great Zhou Sacred King swept his gaze over Zhou Huang, Zhou Ya, and Zhou You.

Everyone went cold at the King’s words. He had asked his own son if he feared death.

Of course he was afraid.

In this world, there was no one who was completely unafraid of death.

If someone was so-called “unafraid of death,” it was because in their heart there was something more important than death that transcended their fear.

But it was clear that there was nothing like this for Zhou Huang and the others, so they were very afraid.

But when they saw the Great Zhou Sacred King’s piercing golden eyes, they did not say that they were.

The King had many sons. He was tyrannical and ruthless, but none of them could be unfilial to him. He would truly abandon any weak and incompetent son.

“If they also lose a cultivator of the Sage Plane, then this is no loss,” said Zhou Ya coldly. Although he spoke courageously, his heart trembled slightly. The Great Zhou Sacred King had not said it clearly, but he was hailed as the one most likely to inherit the throne. He very keenly understood his father’s intention. If his father acceded to Ye Futian’s threats, then he would have truly lost.

“If anything happens to you, Douzhan and the people of the Barren State will be buried with you.” The Great Zhou Sacred King’s gaze swept over to where Ye Futian was. The rules of the Great Path flowed between heaven and earth, and a terrible aura burst out from him. He reached out towards Douzhan below him without any hesitation, and the radiance of the Golden Phoenix shined through the void.

Douzhan roared and stepped into the sky as he launched his counterattack, but he saw the infinite light pierce through his body. His sturdy body trembled fiercely, and he spat out a mouthful of blood as the aura grew more fierce.

The Great Zhou Sacred King’s pressure became even more terrible. It covered the heavens and the earth and it wrapped Douzhan up within it.

When Ye Futian saw this, his heart grew cold. The most ruthless of the Imperial family, the Great Zhou Sacred King, could even not care if his own son lived or died?

And it wasn’t just one son.

Zhou Huang was a Sage of the Sages and Saints Ranking. Zhou Ya was known as the heir to the throne, and was thus highly regarded. These two sons could not have any value in his mind. And the Great Zhou Sacred King had said that if one hair on their heads was harmed, he would destroy the Master.

This meant that the Great Zhou Sacred King was not really ignoring them, it was just that he did not want to fall into passivity.

The Divine Ape’s hand suddenly clenched hard, and a crisp snapping sound rang out. The expression on the beast’s face was Ye Futian’s, cold and full of desire to kill.

A few miserable cries came out. Zhou Ya and the others wanted to resist, but a force penetrated into their bodies and crushed their bones bit by bit, like the cruelest form of torture.

“Any attack that my Master suffers, they will suffer twice as much.” A cold voice once more came forth from the Divine Ape. Ye Futian had not given in; he had joined the game.

The Great Zhou Sacred King stared coldly at the Demonic Ape. Ye Futian was more troublsome than he had imagined, and more ruthless.

“If you come back to the Great Zhou Sacred Dynasty with me, I’ll let him go.” The Great Zhou Sacred King’s radiance covered Douzhan as he raised this condition. If he had just directly agreed to Ye Futian’s offer and gone back to the Great Zhou Sacred Dynasty, that would be completely passive. Who would be able to guarantee if Zhou Huang and the others would survive? And even if they did live, would they become disabled?

How could he let Ye Futian threaten him?

“No!” Before Ye Futian could answer, he heard Douzhan’s categorical refusal. He looked over at Ye Futian. “There will be no discussion about this.” The Great Zhou Sacred King had initiated this holy war to get Ye Futian. Could they now trade him for Ye Futian?

He would rather die here.

The Great Zhou Sacred King glanced coldly at Douzhan. He had not really thought that Ye Futian would agree, he was just testing him.

“Then I want that girl, and the Sword Matrix of the Void,” he said coldly.

The girl that he was talking about was naturally Yaya.

This condition was also very demanding. Ye Futian would probably not agree to this requirement, but that girl’s position in Tombkeeper Village was a bit unusual. Plus, Tombkeeper Village had always guarded the Sword Matrix of the Void, so if Ye Futian wavered on this point, it would undoubtedly cause a rift between him and Tombkeeper Village.

At this time, the Village Chief of Tombkeeper Village was the most powerful force in the Barren State. If he let Douzhan go but was able to split up his opponents it would be even more to his advantage.

“I can’t do that,” spat the Divine Ape in a cold voice. Ye Futian did not hesitate. He really couldn’t do it. This question did not need to be considered at all.

The condition that the Great Zhou Sacred King had raised was the reason why the Village Chief had followed him into the Holy Zhi Palace. If he accepted the King’s offer, would the Village Chief still be the Holy Elder? If he was afraid to directly oppose him, how could he let someone else? Moreover, even if it hadn’t been for all that, trading Yaya for the Master was not something he could do.

“So you want him to die?” The Great Zhou Sacred King’s expression suddenly went cold, and his majesty filled the air.

“Master, your disciple is unfilial. If something happens to you, all I can do is destroy everyone here, and then mobilize all the forces of the Barren State and march them towards the Great Zhou Sacred Dynasty to avenge you.” Ye Futian’s voice rang out, revealing his solemn and stirring intentions.

Everything he did these days was to help his Master achieve the Divine Path and leave his body. But now he could not leave himself at the mercy of the Great Zhou Sacred King for him. He knew that the King was constantly testing him and playing with him.

“Good.” Douzhan nodded in agreement. His aura soared into the sky. His back was still quite straight as he said, “Futian, you’ve done all you can. As for me, I’m fortunate that I’ve been able to do all that I’ve done. I barely escaped death outside the palace, and moreover, now I fully understand the landscape of the Divine Path, so this is no loss. On the day when you level the Great Zhou Sacred Dynasty, remember to offer a sacrifice to me.”

“Of course,” Ye Futian said coldly. The dialoge between the two of them was far more tragic and heroic than the one between the Great Zhou Sacred King and Zhou Ya. Douzhan and Zhou Ya were different. In this holy war, the one who had experienced the greatest harm was Douzhan. He had indeed put all thoughts of life and death aside. In his heart, persevering in his beliefs was more important than life.

All was silent. In the vast space, everyone was in extremely low spirits. Countless people in Nine State City were watching the game between the two Saints.

The great game between The Great Zhou Sacred King and Ye Futian, Lord of the Holy Zhi Palace.

The wind blew with a sorrowful feeling, and a bit of coolness.

Then another figure stepped out, making everyone in Nine State City look at him. He was a cultivator of the Xia clan. He looked at everyone in the void and said, “The holy war has become so fierce, and you’ve come back to the same situation. Why don’t you sit down and talk?”

Anyone with a discerning eye could tell that they were at an impasse. They were sticking to their bottom lines and did not dare to break.

They didn’t want to pay the price.

The price that the Holy Zhi Palace would pay was Douzhan’s life, and the price that the Great Zhou Sacred Dynasty would have to pay was the lives of the King’s son and many others.

The Great Zhou Sacred King and Ye Futian said nothing, and the atmosphere was still tense.

“The holy lands of the Nine States all fight to the death under the Orthodoxy of Emperor Xia, and countless people have been killed. The Xia clan is willing to mediate this holy war, and moreover, invite a Nine State Supervising Inspector to guarantee that everything is aboveboard. Are you both willing to do this?” the old man from the Xia clan continued.

But in reality, everyone understood that since the holy war had reached this stage, mediation was useless.

The situation between the Great Zhou Sacred Dynasty and the Holy Zhi Palace would never end.

With the Great Zhou Sacred King’s personality, he could not let Ye Futian and the Holy Zhi Palace go, and Ye Futian’s way of doing things was also very ruthless. Also, he had displayed his talent; if he one day entered the Saint Plane, anything could happen!