Chapter 1157: Detterence

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

He had destroyed a Saint with a single finger.

Saint Xihua watched the figure disappear in the air. His eye twitched slightly, but he was not as agitated or angered as one might imagine. He calmed down after a momentary flutter in his heart, and he looked at the magnificent figure before him.

When Rain Saint had become a Saint, Ye Futian was nothing more than a minor figure.

He remembered those days. That was when XIhua Sacred Mountain had held the Nine States Forum.

Ye Futian, who was still a Noble level cultivator, had brought the destitute people from the Holy Zhi Palace in the Barren State. After missing so many forums, they had finally come to participate in that one.

At that time, the group of people from the Barren State was tiny. As far as the people from the other holy lands were concerned, the people from the Barren State were unnecessary. He still remembered that they had been seated in the last seats, and they were very unhappy about this, feeling like they had been humiliated. The people of the Nine States had just laughed and not thought it was anything serious. But later, they had taken first place in the forum and made everyone else look at them with newfound respect.

But even so, the other holy lands still did not really worry about the Barren State.

How many years had passed since that Nine States Forum?

The one who was once a Noble had slain Rain Saint, upon whom he had once placed such high hopes and made Saint Xihua accept his fate. If he was not experiencing it himself, he would not have believed it.

The old man beside trembled with fear as he watched the scene unfolding in the sky. He and those with him were kneeling on the ground. Everything that had happened today went entirely against what they would have imagined.

Before, Saint Xihua had saved the from the storm, and he had seemed like a god then.

But in a flash, it seemed like this man, who they looked at as a god, would be killed!

What kind of person was the brilliant, incomparable figure in the air?

And that woman. Old Xi had even called her Princess. Was this the Princess of the Ninth Heaven?

Up in the sky, Ye Futian looked down on them all. He fixed his gaze on Saint Xihua.

Woosh! Another figure rose into the sky. It was Saint Xihua’s sworn brother, another Saint level cultivator of Xihua Sacred Mountain. He had been a Saint for a long time, but he was still stuck at the first tier of the Saint plane.

When they had fled from the Upper Worlds, they had realized that this day might come, and thus they had left a few people behind in the Upper Worlds.

The reason he had not returned and had hidden away in the Endless Ocean was so that his juniors would not be dragged into all of this.

Since the outcome of all this was already fixed, there was no reason to struggle. He could face it all honestly.

He had understood as soon as he saw Ye Futian kill Rain Saint. Although they were on the first tier of the Saint plane and had been Saints for many years, there was still a gap between them that neither time nor level could fill.

Some people were destined to stand out from birth. Although Ye Futian had not been a Saint for very long, the combat power that he could bring forth was not something that Saints from the Lower Worlds like them could match. After all, they had relied on outside power to become Saints.

But Ye Futian had been without match in the Upper and Lower Worlds even before he had become a Saint, save perhaps for Princess Xia Qingyuan.

They even suspected that even Xia QIngyuan was not as good as Ye Futian. That day at the battle at the Holy Zhi Palace, the divine light that he had called forth was like that of an Emperor as it covered the world.

Ye Futian saw his opponent shoot into the air, and a powerful airflow surrounded him. His sword will whistled as it shrieked through heaven and earth.

Xuanyuan stepped out, and the sky trembled. He pressed his finger forward, and 10,000 sword wills pierced the sky, shattering everything in their path. Looking down in it, it looked like an endless radiance descending. And right in the middle, there was a giant, holy sword that cut through the sky towards the Saint-level cultivator, who had rushed towards Ye Futian. It cut through him, killing him in mid-air.

The second Saint level cultivator had fallen.

And it had, once again, only taken a single attack.

Of the three Saints of Xihua Sacred Mountain, Saint Xihua was the last one left.

Saint Xihua was saddened by this. Once upon a time, Xihua Sacred Mountain had dominated the Nine States and was even slightly stronger than the Great Zhou Sacred Dynasty in the Eastern State.

But because of him, it had all been destroyed by one man.

It was a tragedy.

He raised his arms, and suddenly, there was an incomparably fierce airflow in the sky. A bunch of boulders was pulled out of the ground on the beach as loud booming sounds reverberated. The cliffs seemed to be uprooted, and in a flash, huge boulders were floating over a hundred-mile area. The old man trembled as he knelt. His heart went numb as he watched this indescribable scene.

Saint Xihua rose into the air, and the countless boulders rose with him, high up into the sky. Ye Futian and the others were still standing calmly in that infinite sky, with brilliant light shining from them. They watched this happening peacefully.

Several figures stepped forward, blocking the rest of the group.

Yaya’s long hair flew in the wind, and countless sword wills descended from her, cutting through the boulders. A huge sword matrix was formed that gave off a frighteningly bright light. Numerous sword shadows seemed to be reflected on Saint Xihua’s body.

The figures behind Glass Saint and Xia Qingyuan stepped forward, indifferently watching Saint Xihua far below them.

Saint Xihua was still moving forward, causing the heavens to tremble. He gave a great cry and shook his hand towards the sky. Everything seemed like it would be buried by his boulders.

“Take him,” ordered Xia Qingyuan coldly. As she said this, several Saint-level figures acted at the same time.

Saint Xihua was the last Saint of Xihua Sacred Mountain, so naturally, he could not be allowed to die.

There was a brief but violent burst of combat in the air above the little island, which made the whole island shake. Countless people looked up and watched the short but brilliant battle.

In the end, Old Xi, who had fished on the cliffs, was captured and taken away, leaving only ruins behind.

The man and his family pulled themselves out of these ruins. The waves were beating against the shore, making them shiver from the cold. They looked up into the sky and saw that everyone had disappeared. They were still trembling.

What had they just witnessed?

This was something they would probably never forget as long as they lived.

…

The Holy Zhi Palace in the Barren State could be called the most prestigious holy land of the Nine States at that time. There was none like it.

The Sacred War had shaken the Nine States. Ten holy lands had participated, which made it a spectacular event. Later, at the Battle of Proving Holiness, the palace had produced five Saints, which was another spectacular event.

This was in addition to Ye Futian’s fame. Countless heroes from around the Nine States had rushed to the Barren State, wanting to ask to cultivate at the Holy Zhi Palace.

Later it was rumored that Ye Futian had helped Emperor Xia achieve victory in the Battle of Empty Realm, making him a highly regarded figure. The Saints of the Holy Zhi Palace had brought ten sacred methods to the Lower Worlds and taught them to the core disciples of the palace.

Even Moon Saint of the Yue clan had sent the most talented juniors of his clan to the Holy Zhi Palace. This showed how outstanding they were.

Since there were too many cultivators who came seeking admittance to the palace, they had to raise the threshold for acceptance. Their disciples were getting more and more outstanding, and in these few short years, many heroes had emerged.

At that moment, the palace was bustling as many of the disciples were there cultivating.

In the air above the palace, a burst of divine power suddenly descended. Everyone faintly felt it and looked up into the sky.

Douzhan walked out of the palace and looked up as well.

He saw a brilliant light coming down, and then a group of figures descended from the sky.

The two people at their head were heroic and magnificent. It was Ye Futian and Xia Qingyuan.

There were many cultivators behind them, as well as a wounded Saint Xihua.

“The Palace Lord has returned!” Everyone looked up into the sky and called out greetings.

Ye Futian had become the symbol of the Holy Zhi Palace; the thing they set their hopes on.

“Welcome, Palace Lord.” Everyone bowed in Ye Futian’s direction, overlooking Xia Qingyuan beside him. In the past, this would have been unthinkable. Given her status, she should be the most respected person everywhere she went.

But Ye Futian was unequaled within the palace. None could match his prestige, not even Princess Xia Qingyuan.

He had once fought with everything he had to save the palace. He was undefeated in the Sacred War and had built up the palace’s current glory.

Ye Futian nodded to everyone, then walked towards Douzhan, calling out, “Master!”

Douzhan stared at Ye Futian for a bit, then smiled and said, “You’ve become a Saint, Palace Lord.”

“Mm.” Ye Futian nodded. Suddenly everyone in the palace was shaken.

The Palace Lord had become a Saint. No wonder his bearing was so magnificent. Many of his disciples had felt that something was different.

The Palace Lord had finally stepped onto the Divine Path.

And Saint Xihua, who had once launched a surprise attack on the Holy Zhi Palace, had been captured.

Everyone looked at the wounded, dejected figure behind Ye Futian, and their hearts were filled with many emotions. It was Saint Xihua, who had once been the lord of Xihua Sacred Mountain, and before whom the Holy Zhi Palace had once been insignificant and easily crushed.

Now he had been captured by the Palace Lord and brought back to the palace.

Such was the modern Holy Zhi Palace. Who could resist them?

“Keep doing what you were doing before,” said Ye Futian to the people of the palace. He brought those who had come with him into a hall. Saint Jiang’s figure flashed over, bringing Little Butterfly and Xu Chehan with him.

A bright smile appeared on Little Butterfly’s face when she saw that Ye Futian had become a Saint.

“Elder!” called Ye Futian.

“Palace Lord!” called Saint Jiang. “Greetings, Princess,” he said to Xia Qingyuan.

“Mm.” Xia Qingyuan nodded slightly.

Beside her, Ye Futian said, “I need you to help me interrogate someone, elder.”

Saint Jiang naturally knew what Ye Futian meant. He looked at Saint Xihua.

“Will you really humiliate me so, Ye Futian?” asked Saint Xihua.

Ye Futian ignored him, but Douzhan said coldly, “You must have forgotten what you did.”

“If he is not willing to talk, then make him wish he was dead,” said Ye Futian coldly.

If he didn’t talk, would that be enough?

“Please, Princess, grant me a boon,” said Saint Xihua to Xia QIngyuan. He was Saint Xihua; how could he be humiliated like this?

“I know that you have sons in the Upper Worlds, and I already have people watching him. I will do all I can to guarantee their safety. If someone is secretly threatening you, now they won’t dare to act against them,” said Xia Qingyuan. She guessed what Saint Xihua desired.

Saint Xihua’s face paled, and he felt powerless.

He sighed and said, “Princess, if I tell you all that I know, it will still be meaningless.”

He did not know the identity of the man they sought. He could only be sure that none of this was a coincidence. It had all been deliberately planned!