Chapter 36: Duel Day, the Might of the Emperor!
Night.
The moonlight shines bright, but the stars are sparse.
Ye Xi bids farewell to Ye Qingge and steps outside, greeted by the cool breeze of the darkened evening.
Looking around, the mountain ranges are dotted with flickering campfires.
Some places are brightly lit, not with campfires, but with the glowing of magical artifacts.
These artifacts shine like full moons, hanging in the sky and radiating brilliance.
The commotion is due to a diary written by the Eternal Emperor, attracting a crowd from within a hundred miles of Cangwu Mountain.
It’s quite a lively scene!
“Two days from now is the day of the showdown with the An Family!”
Ye Xi whispers to himself, feeling somewhat hesitant, before zipping off into the darkness.
In an instant, he finds himself atop a towering peak, cupping his hands together and saying, “Master’s Wife! Disciple Ye Xi has come to seek an audience!”
The mountain wilderness is eerily silent.
The only response is the chirping of insects and the rustling of branches swaying in the wind.
Ye Xi, feeling a bit helpless, tries again, “Master’s Wife…”
But before he can finish, the ground beneath him quakes violently and splits open with a loud crack.
Billowing black mist billows from the fissure.
Within the black mist, a pair of sharp eyes fixate on Ye Xi, and a voice emerges:
“I told you long ago, I’m not your Master’s Wife!”
“Are you wanting to get yourself killed, huh?”
Ye Xi chuckles at this, unfazed, and continues, “Master’s Wife, I often hear Master speak of you…”
“He says you’re the kindest and most understanding person he’s ever met. Despite your tough words, your heart is as pure as they come.”
Ye Xi pauses for effect and adds, “He also said you have a tough exterior but a soft heart…”
In the black mist, the hazy figure sways slightly.
Her lavender eyes soften, if only a smidge at that moment.
“Enough! Stop talking!”
The Purple Paulownia Great Emperor bluntly asks, “What do you want me to do?”
Ye Xi beams, thinks for a moment, and lays out some of his plans.
Half an hour later.
As Ye Xi prepares to take his leave, he pulls out a box and hands it to the Purple Paulownia Great Emperor, saying, “Master’s Wife!”
“This is a gift Master prepared for you before leaving, and he insisted I deliver it to you personally!”
The Purple Paulownia Great Emperor is silent, and there’s no response from the black mist for a long time.
After a moment, she takes the box, opens it, and finds a single red bean seed inside.
The Purple Paulownia Great Emperor looks puzzled, “Why is he giving me a random red bean seed?”
Ye Xi simply smiles and softly recites:
“Red beans grow in the southern land, blooming branches come with spring; I hope you gather more, for this is the most longing thing.”
As soon as he finishes, two tears trickle down the Purple Paulownia Great Emperor’s cheeks.
She murmurs, “I hope you gather more, for this is the most longing thing.”
“But why did you…?”
Ye Xi waits a moment before responding: “Master’s Wife, I may not know what exactly happened…”
“I believe Master must have had his reasons. When he returns, he’ll explain everything to you.”
After finishing his piece, Ye Xi bows again and drifts into the night.
In his heart, he muses, “For the happiness of Master and the Mistress, I’m really giving it my all!”
After a long while, the Purple Paulownia Great Emperor gazes upon the red bean in her hand as if it were a treasure, and after quite some time, she snorts, “Well then, let’s see how you’ll squirm later!”
————
Three days pass in the blink of an eye.
Morning breaks, and with the first hint of dawn on the eastern horizon, the three ancestors of the An Family emerge from their secret chamber.
An Shanyuan leads the strongest cultivators of the An Family, all standing at the ready.
In less than half an hour, they will head to a life-and-d*ath duel.
The outcome of this battle will determine the survival of the entire family!
An Yujun, dressed in a dark robe, scans the surrounding area calmly and smiles, “Let’s go, since we from the An Family dared to propose this duel, don’t keep your fellow Daoists waiting.”
Above the ancestral grounds of the An Family, figures sh**t out like arrows.
Then, like a horde of locusts, they fly towards the distant mountains.
The duel’s location is set a few hundred miles away from Cangwu Mountain, in a vast plain fit for spectators and displays of power!
At this moment, the once spacious plain is now packed with people, with various factions gathering.
Yuan Ruoyu and Ye Qingge are among the crowd.
The Jade Pool Sacred Land and the Liyue Celestial Dynasty occupy the core area.
As they move further back, they’ll have to rely solely on their magical energies to see.
After all, in battles of this scale, getting too close comes with certain risks.
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As the Great Ascension Period cultivators unleash their full power, even the residual waves of their battles are beyond what ordinary cultivators can withstand.
Whoosh!
Far away, a piercing whistling sound cuts through the air.
Everyone looks up, their faces alight with excitement.
The An Family has arrived; the duel is about to begin!
There are many cultivators looking at the An Family members with a sense of admiration; under such circumstances, they truly dare to accept the challenge.
Many had speculated if the so-called duel was just a trap set by the An Family, merely to waste time and divert attention from the secrets of Cangwu Mountain…
But at this moment, everyone believes that the An Family is genuinely ready to challenge all the factions present with their clan’s might!
This show of audacity is truly commendable.
On one side of the vast plain, the An Family members slowly descend, each with serious expressions as if facing a great enemy.
An Shanyuan steps forward and, with a voice infused with magical energy, proclaims:
“Today is the agreed-upon date for the duel. The An Family stands by its words and has come to fight!”
He takes a deep breath and continues, “It’s a fair duel, no holds barred!”
“At the same time, I hope all fellow Daoists remember, if the An Family happens to win against you lot, you must leave quietly and never speak of this again!”
With his words, most of the ‘allied forces’ nod in agreement.
If such powerful leaders from so many factions were to lose to the An Family, how would they still have the face to demand the secrets of Cangwu Mountain?
“Then let us begin!”
An Shanyuan steps back, and an ancestor of the An Family rises into the air.
A powerful aura erupts as An Yuheng shouts, “An Family, An Yuheng, who dares to challenge?”
Que Ruyi narrows her eyes, sizing up An Yuheng with a serious expression.
The three ancestors of the An Family were once renowned figures in the cultivation world.
They led an era, becoming the pride of many.
But in recent years, as the An Family has risen, the three ancestors have mostly been in seclusion, allowing many to forget their names.
Moments later, the Grand Elder Cangyuan also rises into the air, his aura climbing higher.
“Cangyuan of the Jade Pool Sacred Land is here to meet you, Daoist friend of the An Family!”
The two figures hover in the air, separated by dozens of yards, their gazes locking in a fierce stare.
It was decided that Cangyuan would be the first to battle.
At this moment, the previously noisy crowd falls silent.
A silence so thick, it’s almost suffocating!
Everyone in attendance instinctively holds their breath, their eyes glued to the two figures in the sky.
This is the first duel, and it carries significant weight!
“Who do you think will win?”
“It’s hard to say!”
“I lean towards Cangyuan; after all, he’s the Grand Elder of the Jade Pool Sacred Land, with countless resources for cultivation, plus he’s exceptionally talented!”
“Don’t say it so definitively; each of the An Family’s three ancestors was once an extraordinary figure!”
“Moreover, the An Family has risen swiftly, gathering plenty of resources too!”
After a brief moment of calm, the crowd erupts like a boiling pot.
Instantly, the noise resumes, chatter ringing in the air.
Ye Qingge’s expression is icy as she stares intently at the two figures, lost in her thoughts.
Que Ruyi wears a similar expression of seriousness.
Meanwhile, in one corner of the sky, on a leaf, Ye Xi sits nonchalantly, indulging in hot pot, seemingly unconcerned about the upcoming duel.
Qiao Xi glances at him, exasperated, “You are involved in this too and are about to take the stage, yet you’re still thinking about a feast?”
Ye Xi replies nonchalantly, “How can I fight if I’m not full?”
“…”
Qiao Xi is left speechless. Are you really at the Great Ascension Period? You need to be full for energy? What about everyone else? Might as well let them drop dead!
She looks at Ye Xi, complex emotions flashing in her eyes…
At first, Qiao Xi thought Ye Xi was just a junior from some cultivation clan, but later she realized he was an actual powerhouse at the Great Ascension Period!
And when she checked the records, she found no cultivation clans had the surname Nicholas among their ranks.
Qiao Xi could see through him less and less, like trying to unravel a mystery, leaving her flustered.
Ye Xi looks up at her and says, “Eat up! Why aren’t you eating? If it’s overcooked, it’ll be old! You must eat it tender!”
At this moment, the two figures facing off on the plain finally spring into action.
An Yuheng sneers, shakes his head, and says, “Cangyuan Daoist, be careful!”
Boom!
With that, his aura spikes again!
An incredible pressure crashes down like a tidal wave.
In that instant, everyone is stunned!
This pressure is that of an Emperor!
An Yuheng of the An Family isn’t a mere Great Ascension Period cultivator; he is a Tribulation Period Emperor!
————
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