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Chapter 381: Master and Guest Changing Place

Translator: DavidT Editor: DavidT, Rock

Originally, with Ling Tian's strength and the fact that the both of them were not in their territory, the leader of their alliance was already set in stone. It was useless for them to deny that! But at such a delicate moment, an unexpected incident occurred and would the Ling Family without Ling Tian be able to have sufficient strength to form an alliance with them? Furthermore, would the Yu Family be their only opponent? Would there be other powers attacking the Ling Family when they were down? This was something that they had to guard against! For such a complicated matter, it was impossible for it to be settled with a single statement and a meeting between both parties was important. Thus, both Shui QianHuan and Shui QianRou had no choice but to accept the meeting even if there were risks involved!

The next morning, Shui QianRou and Shui QianHuan left the city like a young noble and young miss going out for a vacation. In the scorching hot sun, they sat in a tightly sealed carriage and went out of the southern gates with their ten-plus followers.

In front of them was a large willow forest swaying gently in the winds. After passing through this willow forest, they would be at the Ling Family Courtyard. As soon as they had left the city, both the Shui siblings immediately exited the sweltering hot carriage.

"Rou'er, do you think that this Ling Chen is really just Ling Tian's maid? Don't you think that it is too incredulous?!" While he had heard Shui QianRou talk about her, Shui QianHuan still couldn't believe it. He had never seen Ling Chen before and did not believe that a maid would be able to grasp such a huge amount of authority! Furthermore, she was actually able to command an expert like Ling Chi despite Ling Tian's absence!

Shui QianRou let out a sigh as she rubbed her head helplessly. "Brother, you have already asked me this question umpteen times. Yes, she is indeed Ling Tian's maid but it is very likely that she is also his concubine! That's all!" As she said that words 'Ling Tian's concubine', Shui QianRou's teeth were clenched tight and she naturally didn't forget to add, "All guys are indeed b*st*rds!"

Shui QianHuan rolled his eyes and said, "My dear sister, you have already said this three times! Your brother is also a man! How can you talk about your older brother like that?!"

"Would I say that if you didn't ask? Do you think I want to talk about it?" Shui QianRou said with a depressed look.

"Both the Shui siblings are indeed trustworthy." A white figure suddenly appeared in front of the forest. It was Ling Chi. "My big sis is already waiting in the forest. Oh, since there are so many of you, it is best that some of you stay outside. After all, my big sis is a lady, and she will easily feel shy."

As Ling Chi said that, the members of the Shui Family rolled their eyes in unison as they thought, It is not as though we don't know the rules. If you don't want to let us in to hear the contents of the meeting, you can just say it openly and we will definitely oblige. Why do you need to come up with such a ridiculous reason?

Shui QianRou smiled and gave a few instructions before following Shui QianHuan in with Ling Chi.

If the other party wanted to deal with them, it definitely wasn't anything difficult for the other party to do so. Since the other party didn't attack them despite having such a good opportunity yesterday, it was highly unlikely for them to do so today. Thus, Shui QianHuan didn't have any worries about their safety at all.

The moment they entered the forest, Shui QianHuan felt his soul shake and his mouth become dry!

In the huge clearing of the forest, a white-dressed beauty stood there silently. Her face was filled with a cold sacred perfection and a frosty aura emanated from her body. In front of her elegance, even the afternoon sun had lost its splendor!

What an outstanding beauty!

There was actually only Ling Chen alone!

In front of her, there were two bamboo chairs with white cushions on them.

"Ling Chen, it is indeed you." Shui QianRou's face turned red as she thought about how this lady was always watching when Ling Tian dealt with her. At the same time, she could not help but feel a strange feeling of defeat in her heart.

"Miss Shui, young noble Shui, it is my honor." Ling Chen said calmly, "Please, take a seat." She then flicked her sleeves and took a seat first. She had obviously treated herself as the host.

"Nice… to meet you…" Shui QianHuan stuttered with his intoxicated gaze fixed on Ling Chen's beautiful face. As a member of the Shui Family, he should not have lost his composure completely with the upbringing he had. However, Ling Chen's appearance was just too outstanding and mesmerizing. Her appearance was outstanding to the point it was difficult to describe with words and impossible to replicate in a painting!

Shui QianRou was both embarrassed and angry as she pinched her brother's waist. You are the young noble of Water of Heavenly Wind! Haven't you seen pretty girls before? Why are you being intoxicated by beauty at such a critical moment?! Too disappointing! After staring at a beauty like your younger sister every day, don't you have any form of resistance to pretty girls?!

It definitely wasn't that Shui QianHuan hadn't seen beauties before and he did indeed have a strong resistance towards ordinary beauties. However, a beauty like Ling Chen was extremely rare. While a beauty like Ling Chen was rare, they weren't nonexistent. With Shui QianHuan's status, he naturally had seen a few of such beauties before. In fact, his own sister, Shui QianRou, was a beauty at the same level as Ling Chen. Thus, it was naturally rare for Shui QianHuan to lose his composure in front of a beauty!

But no matter how many beauties he had seen before, including his sister, there wasn't a single one of them who had the natural charisma that Ling Chen had displayed!

She was like a lotus in the clear waters, a beauty who was carved by nature!

This was the result of Ling Tian's special grooming. He perfectly combined the independence of a 21st-century lady with the gentleness of a lady in this generation. Apart from when she was in front of Ling Tian, the arrogance, indifference, elegance, and confidence given out by her melded together perfectly into a complete picture. Her exquisite features and gentle curves gave off an independence that rejected one from a thousand miles away. The Divine Ice Formula that she cultivated gave her a chilly and almost threatening atmosphere. However, the most eye-catching part about Ling Chen was her fairy-like demeanor and sacred, inviolable elegance! Especially the fact that she was worrying about Ling Tian presently, her brows furrowed slightly with a trace of sorrow!

Such a beauty was more than capable of capturing any man's soul! She could definitely make a man go crazy for her!

Even if Shui QianHuan was extraordinary, he was no exception! Even a proud individual like Shui QianHuan was completely entranced by Ling Chen's country-toppling beauty!

Feeling Shui QianHuan's rude gaze, Ling Chen's brows wrinkled slightly. Despite not making any special actions, one could clearly see that she had hated someone to stare at her like that!

Almost instantly, Shui QianHuan lowered his head as he felt a sense of disappointment in his heart. At this moment, he could clearly feel that this beauty in front of his eyes had completely disregarded his presence! Perhaps, it could even be said that she had hated him completely. However, Shui QianHuan wouldn't question Ling Chen but only lament to himself for being so rude and making the beauty in front of him disappointed!

"I invited the both of you here today to ask a single question. The Yu Family has stationed themselves in Sky Bearing and I wonder if the Shui Family has any plans?" Ling Chen said in an unhurried manner.

Hearing the beauty's voice, Shui QianHuan raised his head up swiftly but being trapped in remorse for his actions, was unable to react.

Shui QianRou snickered and asked, "Miss Chen, the Yu Family has stationed themselves in Sky Bearing and is eyeing covetously on the Ling Family. I wonder what the Ling Family's plans are?"

Ling Chen responded with a calm smile, "How can our Ling Family have any plans? Before his departure, the young noble said that while our Ling Family may seem glorious in the past few years, we do not have deep foundations after all. Thus, it would be impossible for us to be compared to thousand-year-old families like the Yu or Shui Family. In fact, we wouldn't even have the strength to consider fighting them. The only choice we have would be to protect our family members. This would depend on what attitude the Shui Family has towards us."

It was as though she was talking about something irrelevant to herself, "If the Shui Family can give us conditions which are attractive enough, we would naturally choose the Shui Family. After all, the actions of the Yu Family have made us feel extremely uncomfortable. If the Shui Family cannot satisfy our Ling Family, we would naturally pick the Yu Family. With sister BingYan and Third Master Yu around, I believe that the lives of our Ling Family members wouldn't be too horrible. With the world watching them, I believe that the Yu Family wouldn't make things difficult for our Ling Family if we were to submit to them."

As Ling Chen said that, Shui QianHuan and Shui QianRou were both dumbfounded! Only at this moment did Shui QianHuan finally walk out from his entranced state. After hearing what Ling Chen had said, he felt as though his thoughts were thrown into a mess.

At this moment, both the siblings realized that things were completely different from how they had envisioned it to be! They originally thought that without Ling Tian being present, the Ling Family would have lost an important pillar. Facing the pressure of the Yu Family, they would definitely be extremely flustered and anxious. If their Shui Family were to offer an alliance at such a moment, the Ling Family would definitely feel gratitude and everything else would flow smoothly after. After that, the position of the master and guest would change and they would be able to do whatever they wanted to!

Both of them felt that since Ling Chen was the one who initiated this meeting, they would definitely have the upper hand and initiative! Ling Chen would definitely be the one asking for a cooperation, and the benefits would all be in their hands. But right when they had just met, Ling Chen had used a few sentences to truly cause the position of the master and guest to change!

The initiative was held completely in Ling Chen's hands!

Chapter 382: Bitter Negotiation

Translator: DavidT Editor: DavidT, Rock

But at this moment, they had no choice but to fight back! Even without Ling Tian's presence, the strength of the Ling Family was not something to be underestimated! Just the two people in front of them, Ling Chen and Ling Chi, were not weaker than the two of them! Furthermore, the Ling Family still had the huge Ling Family Courtyard behind them, and it was definitely brimming with talents within!

If such a powerful force were to submit to the Yu Family, then the conclusion of the fight between both the Yu and Shui Family was without question. The Shui Family, who was already on the losing end at this moment, wouldn't have any hope to win! The disparity between both the families at that time would be far too great. Now that the siblings had the chance to succeed and prevent something like that from happening, if they were to let this opportunity slip away and cause their family to be on the losing end or even worse… then they would definitely become the sinners of the Shui Family for the next thousand years!

However, if they were to allow Ling Chen to continue to have the upper hand and do as she wished, wouldn't they end up suffering a huge loss? How could they let Ling Chen climb on their heads and do as she wished? How could they allow Ling Chen to extort them as she pleased?

In that instant, both Shui QianRou and Shui QianHuan were filled with a strong fighting spirit!

Ever since she was born, Shui QianRou felt that she was a wise individual and had never suffered any losses. The only time she suffered a loss was in Ling Tian's hands. However, she had only lost to Ling Tian before, and he was still the guy who she had feelings towards. Losing in Ling Tian's hands was something that she was still willing to accept.

But now that she was facing Ling Chen, Shui QianRou suddenly felt as though she wasn't having a negotiation at all. It was as though she was a lamb who didn't have a choice but to be slaughtered! At the same time, she felt as though the person seated in front of her was the hateful Ling Tian! The Ling Tian who she was helpless against!

Such a feeling made her extremely depressed. She felt as though she had the strength but was unable to display it! She felt as though her thoughts were being completely seen through and such a horrid feeling was something she was extremely familiar with!

It was really like master like servant! Shui QianRou was speechless!

She would still be able to accept it if Ling Tian was the only one who was so outstanding. However, there was now another with Ling Chen! The feeling of helplessness all over again! The same crafty plans that were so difficult to deal with!

"I wonder what Miss Ling has planned? I do not believe that with Miss's intellect, you will be willing to submit to others. Since there isn't any outsider at the moment and we have the intention to cooperate, everything can be discussed. There isn't a need to be so absolute." Shui QianHuan laughed dryly. He no longer dared to look down on the lady in front of him and already treated her as a worthy opponent.

"I would like to know how much strength the Shui Family has in the Heavenly Star Continent at this moment. Where are they distributed at? When would the experts of the Shui Family be able to arrive at Sky Bearing? Both of you should know that without the aid of the Shui Family experts, even if we were to join hands, there wouldn't be a way of dealing with the Yu Family's attack!" Ling Chen looked at Shui QianRou and ignored Shui QianHuan completely.

Shui QianRou snickered, "Miss Chen must be kidding. Such things could have been said originally, and honesty would lay the foundations for our cooperation. However, isn't Miss Chen's question about our Shui Family's strength in Heavenly Star a little too unreasonable? Would Miss Chen tell me about the distribution of your Ling Family's strength if I were to ask?"

A sparkle could be seen in Ling Chen's eyes as she said, "Well said, Miss Shui. Honesty would indeed lay the foundations for our cooperation, but the strength of my Ling Family is the foundation for us to preserve our lives. Both the Shui and the Yu Families are existences that we have to be wary of and guard against! Even if I were to conceal the strength of my Ling Family, it wouldn't be anything in the eyes of both your families! However, the number of troops the Shui Family can muster in this fight is the basis of our cooperation! With Miss Shui's intellect, you would definitely understand that, right? If the Shui Family cannot give us enough assurance, then it wouldn't matter if we don't cooperate!"

Shui QianRou was once again shocked by Ling Chen's forceful stand. Apart from considering the interests of her family, the reason why Shui QianRou would make such a forceful rebuttal was also because she was angry that Ling Chen was Ling Tian's ambassador. However, the question that Ling Chen had asked was something that she could not answer at the moment. She had just met up with Shui QianHuan not too long ago and there are many things which she was still unsure about. After hearing what Ling Chen had said, she turned to look at her brother, obviously wanting to let him make the decision.

As Shui QianHuan saw both the ladies cross swords with each other, he stood by the side refusing to include himself in the fight. In his memory, his younger sister had never been on the losing end when engaging in a verbal spar with someone else. Thus, he could not help but let out a bitter laugh and rubbed his nose awkwardly, "We have just sent news back to our family, but our family would need time to arrange manpower and formulate a plan. According to my estimates, they would arrive in another ten to fifteen days. Rest assured Miss Ling, as long as I have news from the family, I will definitely send someone to inform Miss. Our Shui Family is extremely sincere to cooperate with your Ling Family."

"Sincerity? I don't see that at all. While young noble Shui seems to be extremely honest, it is as good as saying nothing at all. While ten to fifteen days doesn't seem like much, in such a critical and delicate situation, many things can happen in this period of time! The Shui Family may not be concerned about any changes because there aren't many of your Shui Family members present. However, our Ling Family cannot be indifferent as a small change can be earth-shaking to us! If our cooperation is going to be built upon such a foundation, then it is impossible for my Ling Family to accept it! I believe young noble Shui can understand what I mean!" Ling Chen said in a calm manner.

Shui QianHuan was at a loss for words. Ling Chen's words had hit the nail on the head as time was indeed a scarce resource. However, their Shui Family truly didn't have any way to solve this problem. Shui QianRou then said, "Miss Chen is being too overbearing. My elder brother has only told the truth, and this is something that we are also helpless about. Besides, Miss Chen is already familiar with our party's strength, and we can also admit that we have hardly any more strength left in Heavenly Star. Is such sincerity insufficient?!"

"It isn't enough. Of course it isn't enough. Sincerity is the foundation of our cooperation but without strength, there isn't even a need to talk about cooperation!" Ling Chen said coldly.

"This is the first time in my life I have heard someone saying that the strength of my Shui Family isn't sufficient! Isn't Miss's words a little too much?" Shui QianRou retorted.

"I am not doubting the strength of the thousand-year-old Shui Family. I am doubting the strength that both of you have displayed presently. Such a strength makes it difficult for a cooperation to go forward! Do Miss Shui and young noble Shui agree?" Ling Chen's voice was still calm.

A cold glare flashed past Shui QianRou's eyes as she said, "Then what do you want? I believe you already have your plans. Why not be frank and tell us your true intention?!"

Ling Chen looked towards Shui QianRou and smiled, "Miss Shui, if both our families were to cooperate now, it would be to both our benefits. If we were to separate, we would only end up becoming the food of others. However, your family's strength is still insufficient for a cooperation, and it is best for you to contact your family first. Since your Shui Family has the sincerity to work with our Ling Family, I wonder if you can give some conditions and compensations?"

"I wonder what kind of conditions Miss Chen wants?" Shui QianRou frowned, "Since we have already decided to cooperate, then please forgive me for my frankness. Even if my family's strength is currently insufficient, the Ling Family is already in peril and the situation is extremely unstable. Of course, I believe Miss Chen can see that if the Ling Family supports the Yu Family, our Shui Family will definitely be on the losing end in the war against the Yu Family in the future! For our Shui Family to cooperate with the Ling Family, we would not be interested in merely solving the Ling Family's crisis. Cooperation is formed on the basis of mutual benefits and if we do not have any benefits, we wouldn't be interested either. Even if the Ling Family has some conditions, I hope that your conditions will not be unreasonable. If your conditions are too much, there won't be a reason for us to cooperate any longer."

Shui QianHuan beamed with joy as he heard what his sister said, almost wanting to stand up and give her an applause. Shui QianRou's words were neither servile nor overbearing and were like a needle concealed in silk floss!

She had openly pointed out the reason why Ling Chen could gain the upper hand to ask for conditions and had also blocked Ling Chen from extorting their Shui Family as well! It was akin to Shui QianRou saying, "As long as your conditions aren't too ruthless, we can definitely cooperate. But if your so-called compensations are too much, then our Shui Family would rather be destroyed then be taken advantage of!"

Ling Chen was taken aback for a moment and she looked at Shui QianRou with a profound smile. "Miss Shui does indeed think for your family. Such a charisma is something that Ling Chen truly admires!"

Shui QianRou's face turned red as she remembered how Ling Tian had mercilessly reprimanded her back then. Ling Chen was obviously making use of Ling Tian's words to ridicule her! Thus, she could not help but clench her teeth and said, "The Shui and Yu Families have been present for a thousand years and have always been enemies. The Shui Family may not necessarily lose to the Yu Family! Furthermore, aren't Miss Chen's actions also for the Ling Family? Why do you have to mock me as such?"

Ling Chen let out a smile as she said with a tender look in her eyes, "No! Miss Shui is wrong. I am not doing this for the Ling Family! I am only doing this for a single person. I will live for him and die for him only. Even if I have to die a hundred times for him, I will have no regrets! I will endure all hardships for him gladly! This is also the greatest happiness a lady could have!"

Ling Chen then paused for a moment before continuing, "Besides, the young noble is already in a precarious situation and there is no one in this world who can save him! To me, my young noble's safety is the most important, and I will ensure that my young noble can deal with the Martial Order Medallion owner without any worries. Presently, supporting the Yu Family can ensure decades of safety for our Ling Family as it is impossible for them to kill one of their supporters. To the Yu Family, a Ling Family without Ling Tian only has benefits and does not have any risks! But to consider for the young noble's plans in the future, I cannot submit to the Yu Family at this moment and thus the meeting between the both of us today! What does Miss Shui think?"

Shui QianRou was at a loss for words.

Ling Chen then shook her head and said, "As for Miss Shui, you are completely different. How can the two of us be compared?!"

Chapter 383: Bloody Storm

Translator: DavidT Editor: DavidT, Rock

Shui QianRou's face flushed bright red before it turned snow-white as her state of mind was thrown into disarray. If not for Shui QianHuan being beside her, she would have definitely shouted back at Ling Chen, "I also want to have someone like that! I also want to give my all for a single person! Am I not also a lady in love? I also understand the joy of having someone in my heart! But who would give me such a chance? Where would my chance come from? How would you understand the pain of being born in a thousand-year-old family? If you were being brainwashed to be loyal to your family since young, you would definitely turn out like me as well!"

"Miss Chen, I am also someone like you." Shui QianRou suppressed the bitterness in her heart as she said, "You were taken in by young noble Ling since you were young and have been brainwashed to have absolute loyalty to him. How can you be so sure that I wouldn't understand the feeling of accompanying someone in life and death? I was educated by the rules of my family since young and those rules have long taken root in my heart and are unshakable! The only difference between us is that you are luckier than me. The young noble who you have pledged your loyalty to can become your beloved man after you grow up. Thus, you are able to give your all for your beloved with even more sincerity and passion! This is because the one who you love is also the very person you are loyal to! There aren't any conflicts! This is your luck! Your greatest luck! But what about me?"

A tear rolled down from Shui QianRou's face, "Do I have such luck? Do I have a choice?"

Ling Chen went silent for a while as she said apologetically, "Please forgive me, Miss Shui, perhaps I had not placed myself in your shoes."

Shui QianRou had a firm personality since she was young and it was extremely rare for her to cry. However, she could not help but sob as she heard what Ling Chen had said! With her hands covering her face, she sobbed to the point that her body began to tremble.

Why can all others choose their own happiness except for me?! The first person for me to fall in love with is actually the enemy of my family and a target for me to kill! My heart is also filled with contradiction! On one hand, I had to kill him but on the other hand, I cannot keep myself from thinking of him! For the mission to fail, while I do feel a sense of disappointment, I also felt a great sense of relief! However, the next thing I have to face is the interrogation of my beloved man and a great deal of sarcasm! In fact, he personally fed me poison!

How pitiful!

I am also a lady! A lady who longs for love! Why can't I gain what a normal lady has? What is the use of glory, riches, and authority in the world? Why can't the heavens be fair to me?

Being overwhelmed by grief, Shui QianRou's heart collapsed as the pent-up grievances in her heart exploded forth! She burst out crying until the point she almost fainted. Thinking about how that person's life and death were unknown, she felt a stronger sense of grief in her heart but this grief was one that she couldn't speak of to anyone and could only be vented through her tears!

Ling Chen let out a gloomy sigh and stood up, hugging Shui QianRou into her embrace and gently stroked Shui QianRou's back. At this moment, there weren't any enmities or benefits, there were only two maiden's hearts!

A long while later, Shui QianRou's crying slowly stopped and she lowered her head while clutching the corner of her shirt in embarrassment.

Shui QianHuan looked at his sister with tenderness before saying to Ling Chen, "Miss Ling, Rou'er had already said what has to be said. I wonder what Miss Ling's plans are?"

Ling Chen glanced at Shui QianHuan coldly and said, "If that's the case, there isn't a need for us to hide anything from each other. Why don't we talk openly and be straightforward with each other? I shall be straightforward with you; we never expected any benefits from your Shui Family from the start. However, we need you to ensure the safety of our Ling Family! As for the fight between the Shui and Yu Families, that will be none of our business outside of Sky Bearing! But in Sky Bearing, the plan to deal with the Yu Family will be crafted by our Ling Family and your Shui Family will have to aid us fully!"

"For the troops being sent from the Shui Family, apart from competing with time, they need to be a sizeable force! If your Shui Family is only going to send a few sidekicks, we will never be crazy enough to accompany you into death! All of the plans will be determined after your Shui Family reinforcements arrive!"

After saying those words, Ling Chen looked as though she was considering something before adding on, "It isn't convenient for our Ling Family to make an appearance at the moment, so we have hired the 'First Pavilion'. At that time, the First Pavilion will send out a couple of top-notch assassins to work together with you! As for our Ling Family, we will be in charge of the information in Sky Bearing! What does young noble Shui think about this suggestion?"

Shui QianHuan looked towards the sky as he carefully considered everything Ling Chen said. Every single condition of hers did not have any flaws and after a long while, he said, "The only thing that this young noble thinks isn't appropriate is the Ling Family being in charge of the plans to deal with the Yu Family! As for all other things, there isn't a problem!"

A smile curved up on Ling Chen's lips before it quickly disappeared without a trace. "This can be discussed. Since this is the cooperation of both our families, we can discuss the plans after our Ling Family has gathered information! How about that?"

Shui QianHuan replied with a smile, "That would be the best." As long as anything was to go wrong, he would be able to make adjustments quickly and prevent himself from falling into a trap. After making that decision, he could not help but look towards Ling Chen's face again and he was yet again entranced.

Ling Chen's face turned chilly as a cold glare shot out from her eyes, "Young noble Shui, you have to be clear about one thing."

Shui QianHuan replied calmly, "May Miss Ling instruct me."

A killing intent flashed in her eyes as Ling Chen said, "It is only a small matter. I hope that young noble Shui will respect himself! I already have a husband, and if young noble Shui cannot control his eyes, I will not hesitate to help dig them out for you! This is definitely not something difficult for me to do!"

As Ling Chen said that, a powerful killing intent gathered and pressured Shui QianHuan from all directions! While it was formless and without substance, it filled the whole forest in that instant!

Shui QianHuan immediately felt at least three experts unleashing their aura on him! Each and every one of them had a cultivation superior to him! At the same time, Ling Chi who was standing behind him was like a cold unsheathed sword!

Shui QianHuan immediately circulated all of his inner qi to protect himself but was still unable to withstand the pressure from a single expert! His face turned pale as he spat out a mouthful of blood and shook unsteadily!

"Miss Chen!" Shui QianRou became flustered as she looked at Ling Chen with pleading eyes, "It is normal for an individual to love beauties. Why does Miss Chen have to be offended?"

With a wave of her hand, peace returned to the forest as though nothing had happened. Ling Chen then smiled at Shui QianRou and said softly, "I hope Miss Shui will forgive me. My face is only for young noble to admire. If young noble knew that someone else was staring at me, he would be angry for sure." Ling Chen smiled brightly and said in a shy manner, "I can't bear to let young noble be angry on my behalf."

Shui QianRou looked at Ling Chen blankly for a moment before sighing and saying with sincerity, "Miss Chen, I am really envious of you."

A look of happiness and satisfaction could be seen on Ling Chen's face, "That's right, I have my young noble and there aren't any more regrets in this lifetime of mine! So, I do truly believe that I deserve your envy."

Ling Chen had already left, but Shui QianRou was rooted to the spot and still in a daze as Ling Chen's words resounded in her ears.

"That's right, I have my young noble and there aren't any more regrets in this lifetime of mine! So, I do truly believe that I deserve your envy."

What about me? What do I have? With the willow forest swaying in the winds, Shui QianRou began to tear...

Despite having the upper hand throughout the negotiations, Ling Chen was not complacent in the slightest. The moment she returned to the courtyard, she instructed for Ling Jian to find her and she ordered in a stiff manner, "The time is ripe, wipe out Northern Wei!"

After Ling Jian had heard that, he turned solemn as a dense killing intent shot out from his body, "To what extent?"

Ling Chen replied calmly, "You can decide that on your own! My only restriction will be a time limit. I can only give you eight days. You can arrange the relevant manpower on your own and I have only two requests. First, you have to complete the mission in the designated time. Second, everyone must retreat without injuries."

Ling Jian replied with a confident smile, "Alright! I promise you! I have been waiting for this order for a long time. I will bring Feng, Yun, Nineteen and his brothers, a total of seven people. All seven of us will definitely come back safely! We will definitely turn the Northern Wei imperial palace into hell! We will wipe out all life in that place! It has been too long since the First Pavilion last had a mission and I believe the world has begun to forget about us!"

Ling Jian's words were laced with a strong sense of hatred. In the past few days, as long as he talked about Northern Wei, he would be exploding with killing intent. If not for the fact that he had promised Ling Chen to wait for the right time, he definitely would have already taken action! Now, the time had finally come for him to vent his anger!

This pavilion head of the First Pavilion, a world-famous killer, who knows how he will shock the world this time!

Ling Chen nodded his head and said, "After the mission, none of you are allowed to interfere in anything else and you must return immediately! None of you are allowed to disturb the young noble! If not, they will be kicked out of the courtyard and executed on the spot! They will never be young noble's brother anymore!" Ling Chen suddenly turned around and glared at Ling Jian, her powerful gaze looking as though she could see through Ling Jian's soul!

Chapter 384: Operation Begins

Translator: chuchutrain Editor: DavidT, Rock

Ling Jian coughed out twice in embarrassment, sounding like a chicken whose neck was being wrung. His plan had been completely seen through by Ling Chen. It did not matter to him if he would be sentenced to death for breaking the rules or be canceled off the name list of the First Pavilion, but if he lost his title as a brother to the young noble, that was unacceptable! This was also the cruelest punishment for him!

On that night, the doors of the Ling Family Courtyard silently opened, and seven great steeds silently left the compound, each carrying a person clothed in black. The soft clopping of horse hooves broke the serenity of the night, as these seven figures full of killing intent rushed towards the north!

In the distant skies of the north, the clouds lazily drifted by, and under the light of the moon, they turned into a weird shade of red, almost like blood...

***

After sending the specialized secret missive to Ling Thirty, who was also known as XiMen Sa, Ling Tian began to slowly walk into the Western Sky Restaurant! Western Sky Restaurant, the biggest restaurant in Celestial Gathering City and was just beside the grand and magnificent main entrance of the XiMen Family! It was not yet lunchtime, so there were not many people inside the restaurant. Only a sparse scattering of tables were filled which made the place seem even more spacious.

Right now, Ling Tian's current image was similar to Ye QingChen's fortune teller image, and he had even pasted a beard to his face. Clad in a handsome set of robes, he displayed a demeanor that looked as though he had descended from the high heavens!

After asking for a seat by the window, Ling Tian leisurely took a seat, a heavy look on his face as his mind started to work. While he believed that he had temporarily put down the terror that was Justice, but having accidentally caused such a big event in Celestial Gathering City, it would be bound to attract Justice back here in a short while! By then, how could he resolve this matter? Was he wrong in making a move?

The sound of footsteps was heard, and following that was a respectful voice saying, "Nice to meet you, Young Noble XiMen." After the standard greetings had been exchanged, a set of light footsteps were heard as a person walked towards Ling Tian. The footsteps sounded rushed and hurried, apparently the person was quite excited.

"Mister, young noble here has been facing some problems recently, could I beg Sire to divine for me my road in the near future?" A light-hearted voice sounded from beside Ling Tian.

Everyone was originally surprised as to why their youthful and pleasant little young noble XiMen Sa immediately walked towards the fortune teller when he came in. However, upon hearing his words, they immediately understood; how could it be just facing some problems these days? They were literally in the dumps! No wonder this young noble XiMen was leaning on spiritual support right now!

In a flash, Ling Thirty had already taken a seat opposite of Ling Tian, and on his handsome face there was a slight flush and a fiery excitement hidden in his eyes, full of respect and admiration!

"Haha, I'm not sure, what matter would this Young Noble want to consult me about?" Ling Tian only indifferently laughed in response, but his eyes shot out a warning look.

"This young noble would request Sire to look into my life in the future! How will my luck be like? Will my house be in any danger, and would this danger be able to be solved?" While Ling Thirty still looked a bit unnatural, but at least he appeared more at ease right now.

"Haha, all of these are actually secretive matters. As the saying goes, 'The sayings of Heavens cannot be revealed, and the teaching of the Ways will never pass through six ears'. Under such a large audience, how could I reveal so many things?" Ling Tian purposefully increased his volume as he smiled.

Indeed, the moment he finished speaking, an attendant quickly ran over, stammering, "Young Noble XiMen, how about I get you a private room to continue your conversation with this esteemed Sire, would you be okay with that?"

Ling Thirty carelessly waved his hands, completely displaying his bearing as an aristocratic child, "Lead the way!" After that, he turned to Ling Tian and replied, "Sire, please!"

"I wouldn't dare, Young Noble please go ahead!" Ling Tian smirked inwardly as it seemed like his gamble in choosing this kid had paid off! There was no hint of any of his thoughts on his expressions. He had originally thought that this kid was just a loyal follower who idolized him, but now it seemed like he was also good at acting!

"Thirty pays respects to the Young Noble!" The moment they entered the private room, the proud air present on his face dissipated, and with a 'putong' sound, he kneeled on the floor, tears of joy already springing up in his eyes. He continued in a trembling voice, "The moment I heard that Young Noble was made a target using the Martial Order Medallion, Thirty felt that every day spent here was like a year, constantly worrying about your well being! To be able to finally see young noble today, it is a matter worth celebrating! With your miraculous ways of killing, how could a mere Martial Order Medallion owner be able to match up against you?!

"Come on, get up. You're already so old, why are you bawling so much for!" Ling Tian smiled as he stooped down to pick him up. "If anyone were to see the grand young noble XiMen actually kneeling like a servant, there would be unwanted gossip. How's your side so far, is everything successful?"

Ling Thirty happily sat back down, and smiled bashfully, "I just knew it, with young noble's peerless skills, the Martial Order Medallion owner would not be able to trump over you. However, I was still extremely unsettled at heart, please forgive me."

Ling Tian nodded his head, but gravely spoke, "That Martial Order Medallion owner, Justice, is extremely pedantic, and his martial skills are also at the top of the upper echelon. While I typically do not look up to anyone, but for this person, I can't help but admire and respect him!"

Ling Thirty replied nonchalantly, "But despite how high his skills are, he still cannot compare to my young noble!"

Ling Tian bitterly laughed, "If he was just good at martial arts, do you think that I would bother running for such a long distance, and avoid clashing with him for the past thousand miles? If he could be dealt with using pure strength, then why would I leave Sky Bearing and not just try to overwhelm him with numbers? Without a doubt, his capability is the highest I've ever seen in my entire life! We exchanged a few moves, and every time I had to use up my treasures, even gambling with my life. The last exchange we had, if I did not resort to betting my life, I definitely would not have been able to escape from his hands!"

Ling Thirty was tongue-tied, "Before I met you today, I heard rumors that he was in pursuit of you, and it was such exciting gossip that almost every person in the pugilistic world was aware of it. I had merely thought it was someone deliberately spreading falsehoods, but to think that there was really such a person under the heavens! I even wanted to use the strength of Celestial Gathering City to entrap him..."

"Thank goodness you didn't try anything. This person's strength cannot be suppressed through numbers. If you were to forcefully attempt it, you would just be sending people to their deaths! However, you don't need to worry about this currently, because he has already been lured away by one of my tricks, and I believe that he should currently be quite a distance away from the city! Alright, let's not talk about him first, explain to me about the situation here. Is everything going well?"

Hearing Ling Tian's question, Ling Thirty perked up and bowed as he replied, "Everything is going as in young noble's plans, still relatively successful. After I brought the whole stack of war spoils into the Celestial Gathering City, my position was elevated, and right now, I'm the only successor in line for the head of the XiMen Family. However, that being said, all matters in the family still have to go through a group of old fogies, so for the time being, we can't change the situation."

Ling Tian frowned, "Stupid! I've spent so much effort to eliminate all those potential candidates from the direct line of descent in the XiMen family, don't tell me you still have to wait for a bunch of old men to die on their beds before you can receive the authority?"

Ling Thirty lowered his head and spoke with grief in his tone, "Young noble, actually those weaker elders have already been eliminated by me, but there are still four of them that I'm not confident of with my current strength, thus…"

"There are four of them? Which four?" Ling Tian's face grew heavy.

"XiMen WuYi, XiMen Sheng, XiMen Kuang and XiMen ChongTian. These four have stronger martial skills than mine, and they all have their own trusted aides, thus…." Ling Thirty hemmed and hawed, his face turning pale with fright. Thinking about Ling Tian's anger and dissatisfaction, the stress he felt increased even further, to the point that he was literally sweating.

Instead of being afraid that Ling Tian was going to punish him, he was more afraid that Ling TIan was disappointed in him!

"If that's the case, then I'll tell you a piece of good news, out of the four, only three are left." Ling Tian indifferently spoke. "XiMen Sheng died in my hands just earlier today. XiMen Kuang has an arrogant attitude, and I believe getting rid of him will not be a big matter. The main point is that XiMen ChongTian cannot die right now! We still need him in the Western Han army, curbing the strength of Han TieXuan and indirectly the Yu Family. However, as for the Family Head XiMen WuYi, it's better to leave him with a breath to struggle at death's door. If you really want to take over official control of the XiMen family, then you will definitely require some support. Thus, before you can take over the family, you must leave him barely alive!"

Ling Tian coldly laughed, a chilling gleam in his eyes as he said, "Give me all the information about XiMen Kuang and XiMen WuYi. Since I'm already here at Celestial Gathering City, then I might as well leave my mark!"

Before Ling Thirty left, Ling Tian had indifferently commented, "After those XiMen guys get into trouble, you must, in the shortest time, create as much chaos as you can in the Western Han Empire. The bigger the better, the best would be to attract all the different countries to come and participate! This would help us with our plans in Sky Bearing! However, your safety remains the utmost priority, this is my rule! I do not want to see years down the road, that a Thirty is not by my side!"

The two of them exchanged words of farewell, each leaving their separate ways!

In the darkness of the night, Ling Tian borrowed the force of his movement technique to silently soar out from the window of his inn, flying like a shooting star towards the west side of the city. A cool breeze lingered on his face, and there seemed to be a hint of a fishy smell. Was it an indication that tonight going to be one full of blood and slaughter?

Outside the Celestial Gathering City, the elder of the XiMen Family, XiMen Kuang, had brought over twenty of his personal guards and direct line descendants and was making merry in a tent.

"Elder, the family head wants us to search for the location of Ling Tian, but instead we're… Anyways, this place also isn't too far away from the city, but not exactly near either. Even if we were to search for Ling Tian, because of his need to hide from the Martial Order Medallion owner, he would either be hiding in the deep forests or in the city. How would he be in such a location? If the great elder finds his traces before we do, then the gains will not make up for the losses. There has been no signal from them for the whole afternoon, so maybe they've already found Ling Tian!" One of the men was slurring as he daringly spoke, possibly because of the alcohol.

"Idiot!" While XiMen Kuang seemed like he was scolding, his eyes had already narrowed to slits as he continued, "Let me ask you all, what do you think of the Martial Order Medallion owner's skills?"

"I've heard that he is the publicly acknowledged number one person, but I'm unsure if that's the truth!" The same man looked up with squinty eyes and let out a belch. "If the legends are true, then half of his skill would allow one to roam the world unhindered."

Chapter 385: Unprecendented

Translator: DavidT Editor: DavidT, Rock

"With just you? Stop dreaming. The Martial Order Medallion owner has a nickname: sending justice. While there aren't many people that he sends justice to, each and every one of them were all top-notch experts! Even if you have only 30% of his abilities, it is enough for you to be one of the top few experts in the world!" XiMen Kuang picked up a roasted chicken and bit off a portion, "Let me ask you, how are Ling Tian's martial arts?"

"Ling Tian is, of course, an extraordinary character as well." That burly man said with a look of admiration, "He was actually able to charge into the 400,000 strong Northern Wei army alone and was not injured at all! Furthermore, that number one expert has been chasing him for so long and news of his death hasn't spread yet! From this, it can be seen that even if Ling Tian is weaker than the Martial Order Medallion owner, he shouldn't be too far off."

"Hmph! If that's the case, can any of us be a match for Ling Tian or the Martial Order Medallion owner?" XiMen Kuang said with a gloomy expression.

"Haha, Elder, are you kidding? If we were to face either of them, our deaths would be certain!" That burly man gave a thumbs-up to XiMen Kuang, "Brilliant! Elder, you are truly brilliant! This plan of yours is brilliant indeed. Letting First Elder run into a wall! Perhaps he will meet his end."

XiMen Kuang stroked his beard and smiled delightedly, "If we were to put an effort to search for Ling Tian's whereabouts, with the size of our XiMen Family's information network, it would be impossible for us to not have a clue at all. However, have you thought about what will happen if we were to find them?"

That burly man trembled slightly as he sobered up a little. The moment they were to meet with those two jinxes, they would be dead for sure!

XiMen Kuang snorted, "Let us not talk about whether or not we can block Ling Tian first. Even if we can block him, by the time that the Martial Order Medallion owner arrives to kill him, how many of us would be left alive at that time? If we don't meet Ling Tian but the Martial Order Medallion owner instead, what should we do?"

All of their faces turned pale as beads of sweat rolled down their faces and they let out a heave of relief. They all looked at XiMen Kuang with gratitude and said, "Our lives were all saved by Elder."

XiMen Kuang let out a strange laugh and said mockingly, "Only an idiot like XiMen Sheng would put in all his effort to find those two jinxes. For him to not send back any news after so long, he probably met both of them already and has been buried underground! Haha."

"Brilliant, brilliant! Elder XiMen Kuang truly has incredible foresight," a clear voice sounded.

"That's right!" XiMen Kuang raised his head up proudly, "When this old man was roaming around the pugilistic world back then, my friends gave me a nickname: Mr. Smart! Hmph hmph, you bunch of…" As he said that, XiMen Kuang suddenly realized that something was wrong!

That voice did not belong to anyone of his XiMen Family members! Thinking about that, XiMen Kuang could not help but be alarmed as he shouted, "Who? Who dares to make a fool out of your granddaddy XiMen!"

A white flash could be seen, and a charismatic youth suddenly appeared in their tent and in front of XiMen Kuang! He looked at XiMen Kuang with a carefree and cordial smile as though he was meeting an old friend.

XiMen Kuang was completely dumbfounded! This is because he realized that the oil lamp in front of him did not even sway when this white-dressed youth entered! To think that this white-dressed youth was able to enter at such a speed without bringing a single gust of air with him! What kind of a movement technique was that?! How many people in the world were able to have such an exquisite movement technique?

"You… friend, who are you?! This old man is XiMen Kuang from the XiMen Family!" XiMen Kuang's face began to contort, his beard trembling as he took a few steps back.

"I do not believe that the world-famous Mr. Smart will not know who I am." The white-dressed youth squinted his eyes and said with a chuckle, "Since Elder XiMen has the nickname of Mr. Smart, if you can't guess my identity, then… I will be extremely disappointed."

XiMen Kuang looked as though he was about to cry as he said with a hoarse and trembling voice, "How… how would I know who this friend is?"

"Oh? You don't know who I am? Really?" The white-dressed youth said with a benevolent expression, "Then you should think carefully. Mmm, think again carefully. Eh, with your body trembling and face turning pale, it looks like you are very afraid. How strange," the white dressed youth turned around and said with a puzzled expression, "since you don't know who I am, what are you afraid of?"

The white-dressed youth said with a look of concern, "XiMen Kuang, do you have epilepsy?"

XiMen Kuang's knees buckled as he nodded his head vigorously, "Yes… yes… I have epilepsy… epilepsy…"

"Oh, no wonder." The white dressed youth said with enlightenment, "So you have epilepsy!"

XiMen Kuang's face turned ashen as he said softly, "Yes yes yes. I have epilepsy… on account that I did not have a good life, will young noble…"

The white-dressed youth then let out a long sigh of regret, "I originally didn't have the intention of killing you, but since you have epilepsy, you wouldn't be able to have a good life anyway. If that's the case, there isn't any reason for you to be kept alive. I shall perform a good deed and send you along then!"

With a strong sense of humiliation, XiMen Kuang almost wanted to let out a roar. However, his fear still took the upper hand and he began to plead instead, "Young… young noble Ling, you are a benevolent senior and I have never provoked senior before. Senior, may you treat me like a fart and let me off easily. This old man is already in my old age, and I don't have many more years to live. The heavens will reward the kind, wuwuwu…" At the very end, this Third Elder XiMen actually began bawling!

Ling Tian was dumbfounded!

"What the f**k! This is an elder of the XiMen Family?!" Ling Tian spit and was filled with disdain, "How frustrating! To think you are called XiMen Kuang! The world famous 'Mr. Smart'?!"

Ling Tian could not help but feel depressed! Originally, he intended to come here for a massacre. However, he never imagined such a scenario would occur and that XiMen Kuang was actually such an individual. Ling Tian suddenly felt that killing such a person would be dirtying his hands! However, Ling Tian had no choice but to kill XiMen Kuang because of his mission and could not help but be extremely depressed!

What is this? If I kill him, I will dirty my hands! If I don't, I will fail my mission! If I were to let this elder remain alive, it would definitely be a huge wildcard for Thirty! For him to be all the way out here alone, I can't afford for anything to go wrong!

As XiMen Kuang saw Ling Tian's face turning uglier and uglier by the second, his knees gave way from fear and they could no longer hold up his own bodyweight. With a 'putong' sound, he knelt down on the ground as he trembled, "May young noble be benevolent and let me off…"

For the very first time in his life, Ling Tian fell into a dilemma!

As for the other twenty people, their faces were all pale and not a single one of them dared to place their hand on the hilt of their sword! It was as though they were twenty pillars rooted to the ground with fear in their eyes. Not to mention fighting, they probably didn't even have the guts to move their legs in the slightest!

Could they still be called men?!

Ling Tian finally gave out a sigh and waved his hands with a deflated attitude, "All of you cripple your cultivations. This young noble doesn't have the mood to touch any of you! Don't create any trouble for me!"

XiMen Kuang's body began to tremble with his face filled with despair. To a martial arts cultivator, losing his cultivation was no different from death! He just could not understand why Ling Tian wouldn't let him off despite him kneeling on the ground and pleading for his life!

XiMen Kuang's lips trembled for a while and he pleaded, "I hope young noble will be benevolent. This old man is willing to cut off my arm to gain the chance to survive. This old man does not want to lose the martial arts that have accompanied me all my life during the final few years of my life. I hope young noble will fulfill my wish."

Ling Tian waved his hands impatiently as he shouted, "Since I asked all of you to cripple your cultivation, hurry up and do so! Why are you guys still acting in such a wishy-washy manner? Do you really want me to take action personally?"

XiMen Kuang continued to struggle, "Ling Tian, you are also a martial arts cultivator and should understand what it means to lose your cultivation! Why do you have to be so overbearing? If you show us some mercy, we will be able to meet each other happily again in the future! Why does young noble Ling have to be so overbearing and force us to our deaths?!"

Ling Tian could not help but feel disgust in his heart! At this moment, Ling Tian suddenly thought about the traitors in his previous life during the war against Japan! He could not help but be filled with disdain as he thought, Such a b*st*rd! If he were to be born in that generation of my previous life, he would definitely be a traitor! How many people will be harmed because of him! Thinking about that, killing intent rose from his heart!

As XiMen Kuang witnessed the rising killing intent from Ling Tian, he thought that Ling Tian was about to launch his attack and was overwhelmed with despair. Thus, he could not help but let out a roar, "I will fight you to the death...wuwuwu…" He then pounced forward and let out a palm strike!

Ling Tian let out a sigh and sent out his own palm strike! A miserable shriek sounded…

***

As Ling Tian traveled in the night sky, he felt a strange sense of frustration!

Since the ancient times, there have been many different kinds of people. Some killed because of fear, some killed to the point they were numb to it, some got more excited as they killed and some puked after killing someone. However, there was no one like Ling Tian who felt gloomy from killing someone!

From the ancient times until now, Ling Tian would probably be the first and last one!

Chapter 386: Ruining XiMen

Translator: DavidT Editor: DavidT, Rock

Feeling that he had yet again created another extremely frustrating and depressing world record, Ling Tian accelerated to his maximum speed! He openly charged to the XiMen Family! With such a frightening speed, Ling Tian's clothes created 'zu zu' sounds as he cut through the air.

With a loud bang, the gigantic door of the XiMen Family was smashed to smithereens by Ling Tian and a huge dust cloud was formed. Then, Ling Tian's body shot out like an arrow and dashed straight towards the middle courtyard where the Family Head, XiMen WuYi, was staying at! After his conversation with Thirty today, Ling Tian had fully grasped the internal situation of the XiMen Family and the locations of all their courtyards.

"Who is there? Stop!"

"Assassin!"

"Stop him!"

A loud commotion sounded from all directions and Ling Tian had already arrived at the entrance of XiMen WuYi's courtyard. With his palm imbued with inner qi, he blew away the whole roof of XiMen WuYi's house!

The sound of someone cursing sounded and XiMen WuYi's figure appeared from within the dust cloud with his face ashen from anger. He then hollered with inner qi imbued within his voice, "What scoundrel dares to create trouble at my XiMen Family! Report your name!"

"Report your grandmother's name!" With the frustration he felt in his heart, XiMen WuYi was the best target for him to vent his anger on. Seeing XiMen WuYi exit his courtyard, Ling Tian pounced forward and exchanged a few blows with him, with both of them tangling together in a mini tornado.

With another loud bang, both of their palms met and their figures were separated. With the walls crumbling and a huge dust cloud rising, XiMen WuYi who was still in mid-air let out an appalled scream, "Ling Tian? You are Ling Tian?!"

Ling Tian's figure suddenly paused in mid-air and he began to spin like a top, actually changing his direction and dashing at XiMen WuYi again. With a cruel smile on his face, he said, "It is your young master indeed! Didn't you send many people to come and find me? Family Head XiMen, I am now following your wishes and have appeared in front of you!"

After exchanging a few palm strikes with Ling Tian, XiMen WuYi felt his innards trembling and knew that he had suffered internal injuries. Just when he was still in shock, he saw Ling Tian dashing right in front of him and could not help but be frightened out of his wits!

Ling Tian's movement techniques just went against common sense! While being blasted away from the force of their palm strikes, he was actually able to go against common sense and change his direction in mid-air! Such a movement technique was something that XiMen WuYi had never heard about before!

Before the surprised XiMen WuYi could react, Ling Tian had already appeared in front of him! With his guard down, XiMen WuYi let out a roar and gathered all his inner qi, forcing his body to descend immediately. However, the forceful circulation of his inner qi worsened his injuries, and blood flowed down from the corners of his lips!

Ling Tian's figure bent slightly in mid-air and he had also charged down with a cold and cruel expression! Around him, a wave of densely packed arrows shot towards him like a pack of locusts! As one of the Eight Great Families on the continent, the quality of their elite disciples was definitely without question, and their ability to react to a situation was shown at this moment!

However, it was a pity that Ling Tian did not even place them in his sight. With a cold snort, his figure did not slow down in the slightest as his palms formed a circle in front of his chest. With a loud roar, his inner qi shot out in all directions and the incoming arrows were all sent back to where they came from!

Miserable shrieks sounded from all around and the disciples of the XiMen Family all began rolling down from the rooftops with their blood shooting out in all directions! At the same time, Ling Tian's figure had also appeared in front of XiMen WuYi like a ghost. He raised up his right hand, forming a blade with his palm, and swung it down like a huge ax!

With a mouthful of blood being spat out, XiMen WuYi sent out both his palms as he tried to make a retreat.

With their palms colliding, another huge bang sounded and Ling Tian descended down like a devil, giving chase to XiMen WuYi. XiMen WuYi's figure was like a bottle gourd, rolling on the ground without the disposition of an expert left behind. After crashing through many walls, XiMen WuYi's body finally stopped rolling and he began coughing out mouthfuls of blood!

Before he could even stand up, Ling Tian's white figure appeared in front of him again! At the same time, the nearest XiMen Family expert was at least 50 feet away! If Ling Tian really wanted to take XiMen WuYi's life at this moment, even the immortals would not be able to save him!

With one hand, Ling Tian picked up XiMen WuYi's shirt, and with his other hand, 'pa pa pa pa' sounds sounded in the courtyard. In just a short few moments, Ling Tian had already slapped XiMen WuYi over ten times!

XiMen WuYi's head flung around uncontrollably in Ling Tian's hands and his teeth were all sent flying with his mouth filled completely with blood!

"Ling Tian! Don't you dare harm my foster father! I will fight you to the death!" A loud cry sounded and a brilliant sword light cut through the air. Ling Thirty had arrived here 'in the nick of time'.

With a 'peng', Ling Tian struck XiMen WuYi's chest one last time and ruptured all of his meridians while preserving his life! With a loud laugh, Ling Tian said, "What a filial foster son! Since you want him so much, you can have him back!" Raising XiMen WuYi's body up, Ling Tian threw the body over to Ling Thirty like a basketball!

Ling Thirty was dashing forward with his sword at the moment and seeing Ling Tian throw XiMen WuYi at him, he threw his sword aside and spread out his arms to catch the dying XiMen WuYi. The resulting force had sent him five steps back and he spat out a mouthful of blood!

Ling Tian darted into the air as he sent a concealed eye signal to Ling Thirty. He then burst out laughing as his white figure disappeared into the night sky with an arrogant laugh, "How can the XiMen Family be worthy of being part of the Eight Great Families! Ha!

Arrows and concealed weapons filled the sky and shot towards Ling Tian but with a slight shake, Ling Tian's figure disappeared completely! It was as though he had become a part of the night sky without a trace left behind!

The heavily injured XiMen WuYi gasped for air as he heard Ling Tian's parting words of insult. Those words had pierced right into his soul! The few hundred years of foundation passed down to him from his ancestors had declined in his hands! He felt his heart clench in heartache and spat out another mouthful of blood before losing his consciousness!

The whole Celestial Gathering City was thrown into a mess! It was filled with soldiers carrying torches or the experts of the XiMen Family searching the streets!

With his anger vented and mission accomplished, Ling Tian had a bright smile on his face!

"Good martial arts! A voice sounded behind him, "I never imagined that after not seeing you for a few days, you would have made such progress in your martial arts. How rare!"

Ling Tian was startled as he jumped up a pavilion before turning around to take a look.

Justice was clad in green robes with his expression calm as he said with a pair of praising eyes, "Ling Tian, in just a short few days, you have entered the realm of melding energy into spirit. The speed of your advancement can only be described as a miracle. Ling Tian, you are the greatest martial arts genius that I have ever seen! Your talents have even exceeded mine! No wonder you dared to say that you would defeat me in ten years!"

"Really?" Ling Tian twitched his lips and said calmly, "It is a pity that you won't give me the chance to grow to your strength or even exceed you! If not, when we both stand at the apex of martial arts and have an all-out fight, it would definitely be a battle recorded in the annals of history! It would definitely become a legend!"

Justice's face gleamed as a look of excitement shone in his eyes!

After his initial shock, Ling Tian quickly regained his composure and immediately said the words most effective in dealing with Justice.

In this world, there might not be anything that Justice could be bothered with because he was already above all things! However, it was also because of that that he felt a sense of loneliness! No matter how high his achievements were, there wouldn't be a second person who could admire the heights he had reached!

It was just like if a person spent all of his effort to ascend to heaven only to realize that he was the only celestial! Apart from the initial satisfaction, the emotion that would follow would be endless loneliness! Furthermore, such a loneliness was not something that anyone could endure!

At their realm, they could no longer be measured by common sense. They did not need someone to accompany them on their path. In fact, as long as they knew that there was someone else in the world like them who was just as lonely and walked the same path, it was enough to satisfy them!

However, there wasn't anyone like that!

The road to the peak was destined to be like the loneliness of the desolate autumn winds and the cheerless ice and snow!

Now, there was a suitable character in front of him whose talent was enough to accompany him to the end! As long as he gave Ling Tian enough time, Ling Tian would definitely grow to a height capable of standing beside him!

This was something that not only Ling Tian was confident about! Even Justice believed that! In fact, Justice believed that as long as he gave Ling Tian enough time, Ling Tian would definitely be able to surpass him one day!

Right now, the choice lay in his hands! As long as he willed it, he would no longer be lonely in the world from now on! At the very least, he would no longer be lonely as he waited for Ling Tian to grow!

However, Ling Tian's life was a request of the Martial Order Medallion!

The Martial Order Medallion which had existed for a thousand years! Beyond Heavens which had lasted for a thousand years! The highest honor and glory! Generations of hard work and a thousand years of persistence!

Should he give him such time?

Chapter 387: Justice's Dream

Translator: chuchutrain Editor: DavidT, Rock

Ling Tian clearly felt the hesitation coming from Justice. His eyes lit up and he spoke in a heavy voice, "Justice, based on your current martial realm, you've already reached the peak of your martial arts. In this world, there is no longer anyone who can surpass you! As such, you've already lost the driving force to proceed further! While you still want to do so, you found out that you cannot break through any further. While you have the goal, you don't have the pressure!"

"However, if I remain in this world, then you would definitely have the chance to break through! With me accompanying you along in the Martial Way, you will definitely no longer feel lonely! Being apprehensive every day as to when I will surpass you, under this sort of mental pressure, only then will you be able to surpass your limits! Justice, what you need now is exactly this sort of person, and other than me, you will not find another!"

Ling Tian had a burning gaze as he stared straight at Justice. "Don't you desire to know what is behind the closed door to the next realm? Is the so-called peak of martial arts the true peak? Have you ever thought that, after breaking through this current realm, that it might actually be a completely new start? Has it ever crossed your mind?"

"At your current strength, there is no one that can threaten you! Are you still unclear? A person will burst forth with his fullest potential only when he stares death in the face! It's that split moment when a person knows that he is likely to die that he puts forth all his strength! That sort of intense feeling, do you understand how inspiring that is? I'll have you know, that in just a few more years of time, I can squeeze out every single bit of that potential in you! Would you rather carry your dreams of reaching the peak into your grave with you? Is this your so-called justice?!"

"What exactly is the Way? What is the realm? And what constitutes justice?! Do you really not want to know? Are you not the slightest bit curious about the greatest secret since the ancient times?"

Ling Tian finally threw out the biggest bait thus far! The greatest temptation to Justice, a deal so good he could not refuse!

This was also Ling Tian's attempt to test the waters! To see exactly which state Justice had obtained, was it in accordance with his assumptions?

Which choice Justice made in the end was not important. The main thing was that Ling Tian would be able to, from his expressions and tone, predict what realm Justice was currently in!

An intense struggle was taking place on Justice's face! Even for someone with a sturdy mental state like Justice, the fact that Ling Tian's words could make him show such hesitation was proof that his suggestion could not be rejected!

Even after a long period of time...

Justice still had not moved!

On the opposite side, Ling Tian carefully scrutinized his expression, also not moving a single muscle!

All of a sudden, Justice broke the stalemate by smiling bitterly and saying, "Ling Tian, I must admit, your suggestion is something that I have no way of rejecting! This sort of temptation cannot be resisted!"

"But you still rejected it in the end, you still resisted my temptations! I'm disappointed, truly disappointed! But it's not because I didn't manage to move your heart. I'm sure you understand my meaning!" Ling Tian let out a pained smile. The moment Justice had opened his mouth, Ling Tian's heart sank. This was because if Justice were to accept the suggestion, he would have long ago left the place, instead of spending time talking nonsense with him!"

"Yes! The millennium-long reputation of Beyond Heavens resides in these tiny pieces of Martial Order Medallions, and I am the one in charge of all the Martial Order Medallions! I have no other recourse, and if I could, I would also wish that you be able to escape from my hands today!" Justice said with a tinge of regret.

"I really, really, wish to keep you alive," He continued, "Even more than you yourself wish for! You know me, just as I understand you!"

"I know and also understand!" Ling Tian smiled displaying the same sincerity that Justice had shown. "As such, let me fulfill your wish today."

Justice jolted up in shock and started laughing, true and genuinely laughing as he happily replied, "That's right, only by living now can you fulfill my dream, but my objective now is to use my full strength to cut down my dreams! But it turns out that your objective is to help me to realize it instead, hahaha…"

Ling TIan also began to laugh, "A pity, you're doing your best to destroy your dreams, but I as a person unrelated to you, am actually trying my best to salvage the situation! The ways of this world are indeed miraculous."

Justice laughed so hard, that he bent over, "That's right, hearing you put it like this, the ways of the world are indeed miraculous! All sorts of matters, no matter how incredulous, can happen and are taken for granted! The world is indeed mysterious!"

Ling Tian also guffawed, to the point tears were streaming down his face as he howled, "That's why you need to watch out from now on. If my mood is bad one day, I'm afraid you wouldn't even need to make a move, just I myself would be enough to shatter all your dreams!"

"I'm very afraid of that, but I believe you won't do so!" Justice let out a relaxed snort. "I know that you're a person who is unmoved by adversity, how would you be willing yourself if you don't fulfill my wish and my hopes towards you?"

Hearing this, Ling Tian laughed again as he replied, "Funny, really funny! This whole thing is too amusing!"

Justice also let out a loud laugh, "Interesting, very interesting! This is indeed fascinating!"

At the moment, there was already countless Western Han soldiers as well as the XiMen Family's experts all gathered under their feet, but no one dared to make a move!

Everyone present knew what sort of people these two were! Either one of them, if angered, would be enough to plunge the entire Western Han into perpetual misery!

Everyone was puzzled, what exactly were they talking about? Why couldn't they make head or tail of it?

If they were to hear that Ling Tian would want to fulfill Justice's dreams, and that was to preserve his life, but Justice was hell-bent on destroying his own dreams, chances were that they would be hugging their heads in pain at this concept! They would think that these two were not geniuses, but madmen!

There really only exists a thin border between being a genius and being a madman!

The targets in question apparently realized that the people below them were full of questions. Tilting their heads down to look at the crowd, they started laughing even harder!

With their continuing laughter, Ling Tian's body started to gently float, and he spoke, "Justice, I'm now going to start fulfilling your dreams. If you have the capability, then come after me! It's too chaotic here, and if you want to make a fool of yourself, that's up to you!"

Justice heartily responded, "Good, then I'll follow you. Find a place with good fortune, and I'll see whether you really can fulfill my dream, or whether I will end up killing this dream of mine!"

Ling Tian's laughter traveled from afar, "Fantastic!"

With a laugh, Justice's figure blurred and disappeared under the watchful gazes of all below!

The duo appeared like wisps of smoke, flying out of the city gates at a rapid speed, dashing across the desolate plains!

While Justice had not reached the absolute limits of his speed and only leisurely kept a small distance between him and Ling Tian, he was already using about 80% of his current strength. This was an unprecedented case for him, to use that amount against a single target! His sixth senses were all activated so that even while speeding along, his perception remained locked onto Ling Tian!

In his heart, not only was Ling Tian better than everyone else in martial arts but also full of plots and schemes. Thus, the city was not a good place for him to take action. The moment Ling Tian used his movement techniques before him, he would have already fallen into a disadvantage, and that kid would immediately take the chance to pull away from him and escape from his sight!

He would never allow such a matter to happen again! Thus, he maintained an absolute distance between them, never to overtake him but not lagging so far that he could not react in time! He wanted to see what Ling Tian was up to, but the moment Ling Tian pulled a trick, he would display his maximum speed and settle the score!

To be able to allow Ling Tian to escape from his clutches, and accompany him to reach the pinnacle of martial arts was probably the only dream for Justice right now, and also his only hope! However, Justice would not give up the mission of the Martial Order Medallion just for his own desires! And even more so, would not be lenient on Ling Tian for this sort of 'chance' for him to reach the peak! Even if Ling Tian survived this, he still had to rely on his own strength, or find a way to counter Justice's killing art, to avoid him for another half a year!

However, for Justice's killing art, there was no way right now that Ling Tian could attempt to counter it! Even if he had broken through his previous realm, it was still merely a pipe dream. Thus, even if Ling Tian could hide from Justice for awhile, he could not hide forever!

Thus this time, it was obvious that Ling Tian had a chance to escape from the clutches of Justice! It was a chance that Justice was giving to Ling Tian!

The only chance he would ever give!

However, Ling Tian's actions puzzled Justice to no end!

While Ling Tian's speed was fast, there was no urgency behind it, and he even merely ran in a straight line, without any effort to throw off his pursuit, as though he was leading Justice to a location!

What was he playing at? Looking for death? To speed on like that, sapping on each other's strength, the final victor would definitely be Justice! The longer this took, the more unfavorable it was to Ling Tian. Since he was smart enough to know this, then it did not make sense that he would proceed in such a leisurely fashion. A hint of anger appeared in Justice's heart! Did you think that I would be lenient just because of my dreams? If you're thinking along this line, then you're horribly wrong! This mistake will make you end up in the yellow springs, stepping onto the path of no return!

The two of their respective movement skills had already reached a startling level, with only blurred images flashing by. Very soon, they had left the vicinity of Celestial Gathering City, entering the nearest forest!

Beautiful hills, lush green growth, and verdant pine trees were everywhere!

On a small road in the forest, the slim figure of a woman dressed in blue could be seen, leisurely strolling onward. Her face was covered by a mask, but her eyes revealed her graceful temperament and charm. It was just that hidden deep inside was a bone-chilling cold that flashed from time to time!

Chapter 388: Counterattack

Translator: chuchutrain Editor: DavidT, Rock

The delicate figure suddenly bent her waist and stretched out her hand, picking up a faint purple colored grass. A hint of a smile appeared on the corners of her mouth as she muttered to herself, "Seems like these should be enough. I've already left the house for such a long time. I guess it's time to return."

She had barely finished speaking when her expression changed. Her entire body stiffened, and she suddenly leaped up to a tree branch, staring into the distance.

A snow-white figure drew a beautiful arc in mid-air, cutting through the air! Close behind him was a faint blue figure, almost sticking to him, but his posture appeared relaxed and lazy. However, both their speeds were like lightning itself!

"To think that this land could actually give rise to such experts!" The female spoke to herself once again. She suddenly had the urge to go over to see the commotion, as though the warrior's spirit inside her had suddenly awoken. Her strong spiritual sense retracted, and two rays of ice-cold light shot forth from her eyes!

The world really was not how Ling Tian had envisioned it to be. The heavens and earth would definitely produce generations after generations of outstanding people. Just her movement technique was enough to place her in the realm of the experts, although movement techniques were not everything in martial arts!

However, she suddenly shook her head mockingly, as she whispered to herself, "Whatever they are doing is not my business. Why should I create trouble for myself?" With a light laugh, she prepared to hop down out of the tree.

The moment she sent her spiritual sense over, both Justice and Ling Tian immediately perceived it as well. Both glanced over in her direction, as they could feel that there was a person hiding there who was another peerless expert!

However, their thinking was completely different!

Justice's thinking was that Ling Tian had, according to his expectations, found an outstanding expert to assist him. The person also felt like the white-robed female who had exchanged a few moves with him back at Sky Bearing, but the current person was much stronger! If she were to assist Ling Tian, then the chance of him escaping would be much higher! The only problem was if Ling Tian had already arranged an ambush with an assistant in advance, then he would no longer have the capability to become his opponent in the future, and he could also put forth his full strength to silence Ling Tian without any concerns! Thus, he was in a sense hoping for Ling Tian to have set up this ambush, but also disappointed in his future rival!

And in Ling Tian's thinking, based on how Justice had his pride as a pinnacle expert, he would not stoop so low as to find an assistant to stop him! He could feel that the person, while not having strength on par with Justice, was actually approaching him. This was really the case of the heavens and earth will produce experts every generation. He had thought himself all high and mighty, but then along came a Justice, and now this mysterious expert. With such strong spiritual sense, how could it be an ordinary senior?

If that person was in league with Justice, then it would not be good for him at all. However, Ling Tian thought some more, and immediately rejected this idea. With Justice's pride, he would never stoop to let another person handle his work! If he really had this idea, then he would never have reached his current heights! Thus, this could only be attributed to… coincidence!

Both individuals had their own thoughts and immediately made their own decisions in a split second. Ling Tian made the first move, passing by a tree, he suddenly twisted his body, his movements resembling a soaring dragon as he casually turned towards the source!

Facing this person with such godly spiritual sense, Ling Tian would of course not attempt to provoke her if they did not present themselves as the enemy. The farther away he was, the better! However, he believed that the same concept did not apply to Justice, as given his boredom and search for the martial pinnacle, such a person would be like a traveler seeing water in a desert, and he would not give up the chance to make a new friend!

Thus, Ling Tian chose to dash toward that particular direction! So long as Justice developed an interest towards the person, even just a little, Ling Tian could take the chance to escape from his grasp!

Ling Tian's original goal was simply to treat Justice like a whetstone, to see how much he had improved since the last time! However, he, of course, had a backup plan! Even if he was not a match for Justice, Ling Tian had an absolute guarantee to preserve his life!

However, the events that just unfolded made Ling Tian change his mind completely! While the person wasn't Justice's friend, friends and foe are not easily distinguishable. While Ling Tian was far away from his home ground, his figure and name was already a focal point, with the pursuit of the Martial Order being placed on him. This would cause many powers to covet what he had, and they all planned to take advantage of him while he was down! While the woman he sensed might not know whom he was, but after she found out, what she would do to him would be another question altogether!

Thus, he could not take the danger right now! This wasn't the time to take risks either!

The figure in question watched coldly as Ling Tian flitted from far away over and past her, however, when Ling Tian dashed past her using his movement techniques, her figure trembled, and she almost fell from the tree.

"Divine Shocking Dragon Formula!"

The female lost her composure and almost shouted these words out! Astonishment was written in her eyes as her body stiffened. Many thoughts ran unbidden through her mind, of happiness, disappointment, regret, reminiscence… her body swayed along with the wind created by Ling Tian, as she stared at the direction he was headed, feeling very much emotional!

Ling Tian's sudden increase in speed left Justice startled. Justice did not take any interest in the woman at the tree, contrary to Ling Tian's belief!

However great her martial skills were, she was still a woman! A gentleman should never pick a fight with a lady! This was the thinking ingrained inside of Justice, so he did not stop in the slightest, as he found Ling Tian more worthy as compared to the woman! Thus, he turned a blind eye to the woman and rushed after Ling Tian without the slightest deviation!

Seeing Ling Tian rushing forward rapidly, Justice laughed out, "Ling Tian, so you finally can't take it anymore?" His laughter resounded around the forest, like a gale tearing through! Justice's body blurred in an instant as he increased his speed to the maximum!

"Ling Tian… what a coincidence… it seems like this really is him…" On hearing the name, another tremor ran through the female, and faint watery sparkles dotted her eyelashes and eyes. She bit her lip as she watched the duo disappearing in the distance. Finally, she could not control herself any longer and rose up from where she stood, floating after the two of them. Under her movement technique, every single branch she stepped on along the way turned into an ice sculpture, with the leaves attached all falling to the ground!

This sort of strange yet potent martial art resembled the Divine Ice Formula that Ling Chen used, however, comparing Ling Chen's skills to hers was like comparing an ant to a giant!

Seeing Justice persistently locked onto him, Ling Tian smacked his head in frustration. Seeing how Justice operated, he should have been clear that Justice was a male chauvinist at heart, so how would he develop an interest in a lady expert without any background? What a failure of a plan!

Ling Tian had no other choice. His movement techniques suddenly took on another change, suddenly speeding up and slowing down, burst movements and stationary at times, with a myriad of changes! This was his trump card used against Justice, the pinnacle level movement technique of the Divine Shocking Dragon Formula, "Movement of the Nimble Dragon"! It was by using this mysterious technique that he had avoided Justice at the start!

Justice laughed coldly at this. He was extremely clear that this set of skills caused him to suffer a great disadvantage the last time he pursued Ling Tian. It was a huge headache for him to counter Ling Tian the last time. But this time was different! Ling Tian was firmly fixed in his sights, and like how the same scheme would not work on a person twice, the same skill would not be as effective the second time!

The duo exchanged in a lightning speed race, both sides unable to shake off the other. Ling Tian blew across another mountain area with his Nimble Dragon technique, and Justice immediately frowned when he saw that, increasing his speed up by another notch! He was well aware that in such complex terrains, the chances of Ling Tian escaping were much higher, and if he was tardy, then Ling Tian would immediately vanish from his sight! Justice had full confidence that this time, Ling Tian was unable to extricate himself!

Ling Tian now was one who had abandoned everything in order to escape!

Thus, Justice threw in his all to chase!

The very instant Justice lurched forward, he found himself looking at the cold and merciless beam of a sword, indomitably pressing towards him, as though nothing could stop it!

Hidden within the sword beams was an intricately designed Ten Millennia, Thousand Petaled Chrysanthemum in full bloom! Justice could clearly see every petal within the forest of sword beams. This flower was extremely dazzling, blooming in its full glory!

Behind this breathtaking scene was the life-extinguishing killing intent! Black Iron Sword!

Justice's figure seemed to have been completely devoured by this startling sword strike! At this point, a loud shout came from Justice's mouth as internal energy poured out of him. At the same time, he raised both his palms and slapped with a mountain shattering strength! At the same time, the tips of his feet that were originally propelling him forward suddenly changed directions, kicking up a pile of dirt towards Ling Tian!

Under this show of power, Justice attempted to rapidly propel himself back, but he had only taken two steps back, and was unable to avoid the sword strike! He borrowed on the momentum gained while retreating, rushing up to the sky like a white crane, soaring towards the nine heavens!