“Dream on!” Zhu Hongxue shouted. He leaped into the air with a rush, aimed at the falling Yang Dingtian, and abruptly struck out with an overhead palm.
The first palm he threw did not kill Yang Dingtian because of Dongfang Bingling’s words.
He planned to kill Yang Dingtian with this current palm.
A blazing blade of blue flame descended from the sky. It enveloped the falling Yang Dingtian and slammed into him violently.
Immediately, his body was like a leaf in the wind. The strike was so ferocious that he couldn’t help but curl inwards and spew blood. A blood mist spurt out from his mouth, nose, ears, and every other part of his body.
Soon, Yang Dingtian’s entire body was covered in blood as he fell rapidly down the cliff.
Dongfang Bingling stepped forward and looked at Yang Dingtian who was surrounded by the blood mist. Gritting her teeth, she said, “I didn’t want to kill him.”
“A man inferior to pigs and dogs like him doesn’t deserve to live. Don’t mind it,” Zhu Hongxue replied flatly.
“What he is carrying is the Flame Ring, correct? That won’t break. The only concern we should have now is that Xuan energy cannot be used at the bottom of the cliff. However, we can simply fetch his body from below and retrieve the Flame Ring.”
Hearing Zhu Hongxue’s words, Dongfang Bingling’s face changed slightly.
Zhu Hongxue’s proud face showed a rare tenderness. “Master Dongfang is no longer alive, correct? My father already guessed it earlier. Your father is gone, but you still have me and the Xuan Sky Sect. I will not let you suffer the least bit of grievance.”
Her beautiful complexion changed, and her teeth were clenched tightly. She did not like to hear such words. She did not want to rely on anyone else. She did not want to be controlled by anyone.
******
Yang Dingtian seemed to have entered a world of darkness. He felt no pain throughout his body and could only feel endless emptiness. His entire body and soul seemed to fall into the abyss, sinking ever deeper…
The dark abyss underneath did not seem to have a bottom. As he fell, his vitality seemed to leak out of him bit by bit!
“Wake up!”
“Wake up!”
“Wake up!”
…
The deep and vigorous voice sounded as if it were coming from beyond the clouds. A warm and hot force enveloped his soul, causing it to fall slower and slower. Yang Dingtian’s surroundings seemed to be getting brighter and brighter as well as clearer and clearer.
In the end, he opened his eyes and saw a familiar face. Countless emotions surged through him when he recognized who it was.
It was Ximen Wuya. He had saved Yang Dingtian again. He placed his palms against Yang Dingtian’s back and constantly transfused Xuan energy to support his life. Even though he was a Guru, his body was drenched in sweat as if a rainstorm had just passed by.
“Fortunately, I finally managed to drag your life back from hell,” Ximen Wuya said with a laugh. His face showed a hint of his fatigue.
As a Guru, he normally would not ever become exhausted. It could be seen how much Xuan energy he used in order to save Yang Dingtian’s life.
“We were preparing to leave by ship. Unexpectedly, we saw someone covered in blood drifting away from the sea. We thought he was dead, but due to a moral obligation, we planned to pick him up and bury him. We were shocked to discover that the bloody man was you,” Ximen Wuya explained.
“If it had been anyone else, even if his martial cultivation were a few dozen times higher than yours, he would have been killed by such a heavy blow. However, your extremely powerful Xuan veins have kept you alive and absorbed the blow’s impact. Even though your veins have cracking everywhere, they still allowed you to retain a trace of vitality. Furthermore, your Sea of Energy hadn’t burst at all. I really can’t imagine what sort of Xuan veins you have.”
“Ximen City Lord, where am I now? How long have I been unconscious?” Yang Dingtian asked.
“We’re on a ship. You’ve been unconscious for three hours, and we’re en route back to Cloud Sky City,” Ximen Wuya answered.
Then, Ximen Wuya swallowed his anger and asked, “What happened? Who hurt you? You just passed the period of enlightenment and are not even a student of martial arts. Who had done this to you?”
Yang Dingtian stayed silent for a long time. Eventually, he said, “Ximen City Lord, do you still remember that flame ornament?”
Ximen Wuya nodded.
“If it had been anything else, I would have given it to Miss Ximen, but this item is too special. It’s a token representing the love between my Master and his wife. I needed to deliver the flame ornament to my Master’s wife in the Yin Yang Sect.” Yang Dingtian continued, “I am just an ordinary person. I accidentally fell into a cave and found a frozen and dying old man. I saved him.”
“The cave was very deep so we couldn’t get out. I stayed with the old man and we came to regard each other as family. Two years later, he told me that he was called Dongfang Niemie, the Head of the Yin Yang Sect. He asked if I would like to become his disciple. I regarded him as my nearest and dearest person, so of course, I agreed.”
“Not only did he accept me as his disciple, but he also betrothed his only daughter, Dongfang Bingling, to me. Master told me that I was his only direct disciple, which makes me the future head of the Yin Yang Sect. He gave me the Flame Ring, the ring representing the Head, in order to prove my identity. He also gave me the flame ornament in order for me to deliver it to his wife in the Yin Yang Sect. This ornament was a love token and also contained his final words to his wife. After receiving it, she knew who I was and knew what to do.”
“After that, Ximen City Lord should be able to imagine what had happened,” Yang Dingtian concluded.
“Of course,” Ximen Wuya replied. “Apprentice Brother Dongfang hadn’t seen his daughter for ten years. He didn’t even know that his daughter had changed. However, even if she was too picky or had set her sights too high, she could have just canceled the engagement. I don’t believe that you would have harassed her repeatedly. Why did she want to kill you?”
“She wanted me to hand over the Flame Ring, but my Master gave it to me so I couldn’t. I wanted to escape, but she and Zhu Hongxue forced me into a dead end. I would rather die than hand over the Flame Ring, so I jumped off the cliff…”
“Got it, I got it…” Ximen Wuya clenched his fists and suppressed his anger.
Then, he grabbed Yang Dingtian’s right hand. After injecting Xuan Energy, a fire emerged. At that moment, the beautiful Flame Ring appeared on Yang Dingtian’s right-hand ring finger.
“Is this it?” Ximen Wuya asked. He then let go of Yang Dingtian’s right hand, and the Flame Ring slowly disappeared, becoming invisible again.
“It’s unfilial to disobey one’s parents. It’s disrespectful to despise one’s future husband. It’s unfaithful to be with other men. It’s a great crime to conspire with other men to kill one’s future husband. Apprentice Brother Dongfang was the hero of his generation. His wife is gentle and virtuous. How could they have given birth to such an unfilial, unscrupulous, unfaithful, and shameless daughter?” Ximen Wuya mused coldly. “Moreover, doesn’t she know about Xuan Sky Sect’s Zhu Qingzhu’s wild ambition? Doesn’t she know that Zhu Qingzhu played a very suspicious role in the disappearance of Apprentice Brother Dongfang ten years ago, which resulted in his tragic end?”
“One day, the Yin Yang Sect will be destroyed by this ambitious yet unwise woman,” Ximen Wuya lamented.
“Son, Yin Yang Sect belongs to you and your Master. You cannot do nothing,” Ximen Wuya continued. “I’m also someone affiliated with the Yin Yang Sect. We cannot idly watch the millennium-old foundation of the sect be destroyed in Dongfang Bingling’s hands.”
“You can’t stay at Yin Yang Sect for the time being. Would you come back to Cloud Sky City with me?” Ximen Wuya offered. “Last time, I said that whatever the Yin Yang Sect can give you, Cloud Sky City may also be able to provide.”
“I, I already have a Master, and I will never replace him,” Yang Dingtian stuttered.
“My Cloud Sky City is also part of the Yin Yang Sect. In your opinion, is Cloud Sky City a traitor of the Yin Yang Sect? A few hundred years ago, Patriarch Yang Yunxiao Leng Wuyan was the traitor. As for us now, it is hard to say.”
“Yes, I wanted you to be my heir, to be the new Lord of Cloud Sky City,” Ximen Wuya said. “But, since you are the disciple of Apprentice Brother Dongfang, the person I respect most in my life, I’ve stopped wishing for it.”
“I won’t let you change your Master. Your Master is still Apprentice Brother Dongfang Niemie. I am only your Uncle. Cloud Sky City will do its best to cultivate you. You don’t have to do anything. You don’t even need to join Cloud Sky City, and won’t need to return anything you receive. Once you become strong enough, you can return to the Yin Yang Sect and recapture the position of Head.”
“Of course, I only have one request for you. When you become the Head of the Yin Yang Sect…” Ximen Wuya sighed. “After you become the head of the Yin Yang Sect, you have to absolve Cloud Sky City status as a traitor and let Cloud Sky City return to its family.”
Yang Dingtian hesitated for a while before asking, “Ximen City Lord, is it not good for Cloud Sky City to be the dominant faction? Why should you depend on others?”
Ximen Wuya shook his head. “Son, if you were my heir, you would be the next generation City Lord of Cloud Sky City. Of course, I would like to make Cloud Sky City the dominant faction or even defeat the Yin Yang Sect to regain orthodoxy. I could even go completely independent and make Cloud Sky City the best in the world in martial arts. However, you are already Apprentice Brother Dongfang’s disciple. I can’t take you away from him.”
“Cloud Sky City has been weak for hundreds of years. I am its only Guru. For the next generation, I really can’t find a good heir. If we don’t remove our status as traitors and acknowledge our ancestors, Cloud Sky City will be doomed,” Ximen Wuya explained helplessly. “In recent years, Cloud Sky City has offended many people due to my prestige. I’ve stepped on the heads of many factions. If I vanish, that would spell the end of Cloud Sky City.”
“Son, follow me to Cloud Sky City.” Ximen Wuya’s eyes were full of sincerity and anticipation. “I will treat you like how Apprentice Brother Dongfang Niemie treated you. I’ll let you grow into the most powerful person in the world.”
“Well, well…,” Yang Dingtian stuttered. “Thank you, Uncle Ximen. However, don’t force Yanyan to marry me. She doesn’t like me very much. After this most recent incident, I’ve come to recognize that I can only get what I want with my own strength and not through the strength of others.”
“Well said…,” Ximen Wuya praised. “Uncle promises you. Within ten years, you will be able to get revenge for today. Within ten years, you will be able to force Dongfang Bingling to taste the shame she brought upon herself today and cause her to live in regret for the following few decades!”
“As for Yanyan, I will not force her to marry you. But, maybe you two really will come to like each other after spending enough time together.” Ximen Wuya laughed. “Therefore, I can’t die yet.”
Ximen Wuya stood up suddenly. “We must speed up and return to Cloud Sky City as quickly as possible. When the people from the Yin Yang Sect fail to find your body, they will come out to sea to search for it. It’s possible that they will catch up to us very soon.”
