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Chapter 389: Creation and Legacy

Translator: DavidT Editor: DavidT, Rock

Amid the brilliant sword lights, Ling Tian let out a hearty laugh, "Justice, how does this move taste? May you bestow me your teachings!" Following that, the sword lights spun around and had actually changed directions without any difficulty. Despite making a sudden change in direction, the might of the sword was actually not reduced in the slightest and even increased by a good 30%! It charged towards Justice's ascending figure and chased after him closely!

What a frightening and tyrannical sword! If Justice didn't deal with it properly, there probably wouldn't be a Justice in the world after today!

However, there are no 'if's' and Justice was fully prepared for Ling Tian's attack. Before he had reached his maximum altitude, Justice had already adjusted his breathing and said with a calm smile, "The taste of your attack is wonderful indeed! It is a pity that this sudden attack of yours isn't anything new! For you to use the same attack over and over again, it is getting boring!"

Stretching out his arms, a sword appeared in his right hand and as he spun it around like a pinwheel. In the skies, thousands of swords suddenly appeared and formed a glowing ball of light, trapping Justice within it. Being trapped in the ball of light, Justice flipped around and faced the ground instead, with thousands of sword shadows gathering together like a hundred streams blending to form a river, condensing together to form a gigantic sword! The majestic sword smashed down towards Ling Tian's ball of sword light with a grandeur that wanted to sunder the heavens! The might of the sword strike seemed as though it would split a mountain cleanly into half!

As both the sword lights came into contact, a 'bo bo' sound was heard, as though bubbles were being burst. Who would have thought that the collision of these two earth-shattering moves would make such a small commotion? It could not even be compared to the sound two children made when bickering!

The round ball of sword light rose up again and shot towards the skies, assaulting Justice from all directions and chasing after him mercilessly!

Ling Tian's figure shot towards a huge tree and he lightly tapped on the body of the tree. He then sprung off the tree and did a somersault in the air. Then, a splendor of sword lights suddenly exploded forth from his body and extended thirty feet in all direction! It was as though a huge golden lotus had bloomed at that very moment!

With a flash of green light, Justice charged forward with his sword and arrived like a shooting star, charging right into Ling Tian's sword net without a single trace of wariness!

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!...

Both their swords clashed consecutively as the sound of metal ringing filled the air. With a sudden loud bang, their palms struck each other and they both let out a low grunt! The sword lights were immediately dispersed as the two figures separated in two different directions!

Right at this moment, a huge explosion sounded at the place where they had crossed swords and the fallen leaves were sent flying in all directions! After they had exchanged blows, their inner qi was suspended in mid-air without being unleashed and had only exploded forth at this moment!

With the sword in his hand, Ling Tian stood on top of a branch steadily with a trace of blood trickling down the corner of his lips. At the same time, his clothes had been cut up in at least seven to eight places and while his skin wasn't injured, inner qi had invaded his body and the meridians all over his body were aching. But despite all that, his gaze was still sharp and expression calm.

Fifty feet away, Justice stood atop a small branch barely the thickness of his pinky. As the branch swayed slightly in the wind, Justice's body also rose and fell rhythmically. At the same time, his face was filled with a tinge of appreciation and shock!

The progress of Ling Tian's martial arts was largely out of his expectations! After not seeing Ling Tian for a mere three days, Ling Tian had actually forced him to use 80% of his strength! He even had to use the first strike of the 'Three Extinguishing Strikes of the Universe' that he created!

Despite that, he was only able to force Ling Tian into a retreat. While he had the absolute advantage in this exchange and had even injured Ling Tian with his sword qi, he wasn't able to kill Ling Tian with that attack! Furthermore, despite Ling Tian looking as though his injuries were severe, he definitely had the strength to put up a final fight!

This little fellow isn't simple indeed! He does indeed have the chance to fulfill my wish!

After a few exchanges, Justice had already discovered a shocking truth. Be it Ling Tian's sword skills, palm strikes, movement techniques or cultivation method, they were all extremely mysterious and mystical! They were all at the very peak of the world and were even slightly more powerful than his own. The most baffling thing was without a doubt Ling Tian's strange cultivation method. Their Beyond Heavens cultivation method had always been at the peak of the world, and after listening to Ye QingChen's previous description, Justice had thought that it was just Ye QingChen overly praising the younger generation. But now that he was facing it himself, he could truly feel just how exquisite Ling Tian's cultivation method was. Just the exquisiteness of Ling Tian's martial skills was already far above the thousand-year legacy of their Beyond Heavens! This was an undeniable fact!

Justice was certain that the foundation of Ling Tian's mystical movement techniques was definitely based on his cultivation method. Both the movement techniques and cultivation must have supplemented each of their weaknesses, resulting in such a mystical effect. As for himself, if not for his many years of combat experience, dense inner qi, one of a kind movement technique, and mystical feeling after breaking through into the Martial Way realm, it would have been impossible for him to chase after Ling Tian successfully!

The thing which Justice felt the strangest was the fact that Ling Tian's cultivation method wasn't in their Beyond Heaven's records! After ruling over the pugilistic world for a thousand years, Beyond Heavens had a clear grasp of all the various cultivation methods in the continent! Not to mention such a mystical cultivation method like Ling Tian's, as long as there was something slightly special about a cultivation method, Beyond Heavens would have a detailed explanation of it!

As long as a cultivation method had appeared in the pugilistic world before, traces of it would definitely be seen in the records of Beyond Heavens! Even the Violent Devil Formula that Ren PingSheng cultivated was in the records of Beyond Heavens! If Beyond Heavens did not have the records of a particular cultivation method, there could only be two explanations for it. First, there wasn't anything special about it. Second, the cultivation method had never appeared in the world before! As for Ling Tian, his case was obviously the second!

Justice had never paid much attention to this point before and now that he thought about it closely, he was in shock! He then thought about Ling Chen's palm strike when he was back in the Ling Residence! That bone-chilling palm strike that wanted to freeze up his meridians was very possibly a variation of Ling Tian's ever-changing cultivation method!

To think that such mystical martial arts had never been seen in the pugilistic world before! What did this signify? Furthermore, since such a cultivation method had never appeared in the pugilistic world before, how could Ling Tian's mystical sword skills and palm strikes be explained? It might be explained that Ling Tian's cultivation did not appear in the pugilistic world because of it being a concealed inheritance. However, those mystical martial skills of Ling Tian could never achieve such heights without hundreds of years of evolution.

Just what exactly was Ling Tian's origin? Everything about him was always filled with oddity and covered in a layer of mystery!

Could there be another mysterious sect hidden in the world? Justice's gaze towards Ling Tian had changed again.

No matter what, killing Ling Tian was the mission of the Martial Order Medallion and even if killing Ling Tian would incite the furious revenge of the mysterious power behind him, Justice had no choice but to do so!

Furthermore, it might not be a bad thing for such a powerful enemy to seek revenge on him!

Ling Tian would naturally not know of the many thoughts that had passed through Justice's mind. He wiped off the blood by his lips and circulated his inner qi slightly. Feeling the unobstructed flow of his inner qi, Ling Tian could not help but be elated! Even if he did not dare to believe it, Ling Tian knew that his martial arts had made a huge improvement! Just three days ago, he had made use his environment and timing to launch an ambush against Justice but was injured in a single exchange. Now, he was able to fight Justice for such a long time. Despite being on the losing end and even spitting out a few mouthfuls of blood, he was able to fight Justice head-on!

Originally, Justice had the strength to kill him in a single blow. But now, he could fight Justice at the very least!

Ling Tian could clearly feel that despite not breaking through into the tenth stage, he had broken through in his martial arts realm! He was like a monk who had just achieved sudden enlightenment!

Such a realm was something that he had never experienced in his previous life!

Both of them stood opposite each other with various thoughts in their mind. However, none of them realized that a blue figure had already approached their battle and hid behind a huge tree. As the figure looked towards Ling Tian, a complicated expression could be seen in her eyes and that gaze of hers seemed to have pierced through samsara!

Ling Tian's gaze shot towards Justice like two bolts of lightning as he said with a bright smile, "Justice, it seems like it isn't too difficult for me to fulfill your wish."

"I would love to agree with you, but I have to tell you that you are still lacking!" Justice said with a sneer, "Your mystical cultivation technique, movement technique, and sword skills may be your advantage but they are only enough for you to preserve your life! However, this is also where your weakness lies! In the world, an advantage would definitely come with a disadvantage. While such a mysterious cultivation method would help you to rank amongst the experts of the world, it has also restricted your talents! No matter how mystical your cultivation method is, it still isn't yours after all! No matter how mystical your sword skills are, they aren't yours! No matter how deep your comprehension of them is, they belong to your senior but not you! You have only inherited the wisdom of your senior but have not truly created your own!"

"As for me, I have melded together all the martial arts in Beyond Heavens to create a new path! A path that belongs to me! With my self-created cultivation method and you sticking to your old ways, your death would be certain if this battle were to continue!" Justice said proudly, "If I want to kill you, it would still be an easy task!"

Chapter 390: Frontal Clash

Translator: chuchutrain Editor: DavidT, Rock

Ling Tian paused in shock. If someone else had said this, Ling Tian would have shown him disdain and snorted at him. However, the person speaking was the top expert of this world, Justice! Ling Tian could not be indifferent to his words, and neither did he think that Justice would speak thus in order to sway his confidence, as there was no need!

Just this simple sentence caused Ling Tian to feel as though one of his inhibitions had suddenly collapsed, opening up a wide new panorama. He laughed out loud, "Interesting! Hahaha… Justice, you're indeed the leader in this present, indeed a grandmaster in the martial arts! Just a simple sentence from you could actually solve a problem that has been plaguing me for a long time! I only have the word 'admiration' for you. I really have to thank you for this, hmm, that's it! To repay you for your words, I'll do all I can to fulfill your dream!"

Justice did not know whether he should laugh or cry. He could hear the joy and gratitude in Ling Tian's words, but his last sentence made him want to go ahead and wring his neck. What fulfill my dream, it's more like you're trying to protect your little life!

"Since that's the case, then show me your full capabilities, how much you've improved! Let me see what kind of strength you have to help me achieve my dreams!" Justice coldly remarked as he brandished the sword in his hand. He was just about to charge ahead when his facial expression changed, and his body froze rigidly on the spot.

At this moment, the longsword in his hand fractured into tiny pieces and fell on the ground with clear tinkling sounds.

Justice's sword was originally cast from steel that had been reforged a thousand times and was extremely tenacious. All these years, it had remained unblemished, but facing Ling Tian's sword that was wrapped with a layer of black iron, it of course lost in terms of sharpness! If it wasn't for the density of Justice's internal energy, his sword would have long ago been sliced in half. However, to have exchanged so many blows, the old wounds of the sword earlier on had been aggravated, and it finally shattered!

"While I have no sword in hand, it is still not a difficult matter to take a life!" Justice stared at his treasured sword of many decades, strong emotions surfacing in his eyes, but he spoke to Ling Tian with a voice devoid of emotion.

Ling Tian laughed out, "Feeling the heartbreak? A perfectly fine treasured sword, how many years has it already accompanied you?" In Ling Tian's eyes, a blazing sharp radiance could be seen. He had accurately caught the intensity of Justice's emotions in that instant, and he felt as though he had witnessed something, causing his heart to palpitate!

From the intense emotions he perceived from Justice upon seeing his broken sword, Ling Tian could acutely sense the realm Justice was currently at, and also immediately saw clearly the mysterious realm that Justice wished to obtain. You could even say that a single sentence from Ling Tian would be enough for Justice to become a Buddha on the spot, achieving enlightenment! However, Ling Tian would never say that sentence!

Justice pointed out the flaws in Ling Tian's martial arts because he was confident that no matter how much Ling Tian could improve, he was still unable to be his equal in this short time. He was full of praise for Ling Tian's innate talent and could not wait for even a second for Ling Tian to grow even stronger, at a faster pace!

However, if Ling Tian were to guide Justice in his martial arts, that would be helping to hammer the nails in his own coffin! Justice now was already someone far above him, and if he was allowed to break through further, then Ling Tian would not even have half a chance of surviving! Thus, instead of pointing out his flaws, Ling Tian might as well just use his sword to slit his throat! That was why he remained silent all this time.

"Ling Tian, you could speak for your own sword!" Justice coldly stared at him. "So it turns out that the Smoky Thea Tower in Sky Bearing is also your subordinate, and you even have the ability to smelt the mysterious black iron! While it is your ability, but… do you think the sword in your hands can still endure your internal energy? While it is wrapped with black iron and far outstrips ordinary steel, it is in the end not fully integrated with it!"

Ling Tian replied with a cheery smile, "However, if my sword had a spirit, I believe it would be incomparably honored to be treated as such! This is because it was able to end in mutual destruction with the Martial Head's treasured sword! Isn't this the case of being with us in spirit?"

Justice's face grew cold as he hollered, "Then you can accompany me in spirit as well!" He flew over, just like a primordial roc spreading its wings, covering the entire sky!"

The Heavens and Earth shall be Extinguished!

At this moment, Justice finally poured forth all his true abilities! The might and power of this strike were far above that of the 'Three Extinguishing Strikes of the Universe' that he had used previously. It gave off the feeling of being pressured by the surrounding mountains and tributaries! While the sun still blazed ardently in the sky, Ling Tian felt as though the entire heavens and earth had been suppressed, losing their original colors! The palms of Justice were enlarged manifolds, and rushed forwards, filling up every inch of space as they compressed together. Every single palm shadow brought only one news, that of death!

The surrounding atmosphere seemed to have been held in place and Ling Tian felt as though he was being suffocated! This divine skill seemed to have directly robbed all of present creation!

Justice did indeed live up to the name of being the Martial Order Medallion owner!

Ling Tian's face turned solemn as he flicked his wrists and gathered his inner qi. With a 'kacha' sound, the sword in his hand exploded into numerous fragments and shot towards Justice's body like a thunderstorm! At the same time, his right shoulder jerked and three silver needles shot out towards Justice's chest. With the flash of a silver light, the silver needles then shot towards Justice's eyes as though the silver needles had eyes of their own!

Justice did not avoid Ling Tian's attack at all and sent out both his palms to welcome Ling Tian's attack. Before the broken sword pieces could even reach his clothes, they were already sent flying in all different directions! Justice's inner qi-filled palms were about to come into contact with Ling Tian's body and once his attack connected, all of Ling Tian's abilities would be rendered useless! However, Ling Tian actually recklessly lifted up his palms and welcomed Justice's attack without avoiding it in the slightest! At the same time, a profound smile could even be seen on his face! In the face of Justice's tyrannical attacks, Ling Tian's actions were no different from suicide!

Right at this moment, Justice's face changed completely and he retracted his palms quickly as he cursed, "Ling Tian you despicable brat! Another devious trick of yours!" Justice actually did not dare to meet Ling Tian's palms and he retreated back thirty feet. Turning around, Justice waved his inner qi-filled sleeves and he actually looked slightly frantic!

Three 'ding' sounds could be heard and Justice glared at Ling Tian with a solemn expression. "Where did you get all these sinister hidden weapons from?" Traces of exasperation could actually be heard in his tone! At the same time, Justice's forehead was also filled with beads of sweat. Facing that attack, Justice could feel a sense of lingering fear!

"How about that? It doesn't feel good, right?" While Ling Tian was chuckling on the surface, he was astounded in his heart! Only Ling Tian knew just how tyrannical the hidden weapons he just used were! Furthermore, he caught Justice off-guard, and Justice was still able to avoid it!

Ling Tian had previously used silver needles to ambush Justice more than once before but Justice had always taken care of the needles easily. However, these three silver needles that he had just used almost caused Justice to lose his life. It forced Justice to exhaust a large amount of inner qi and use all of his capability before he could narrowly avoid the three silver needles!

These three silver needles were extremely different from the ones he used in his previous life! Ling Tian had formed them by extracting the essence of the Ice Soul Jade and forged it into a very special arc. They were made specially to break through the inner qi of a martial arts expert! If a person were to use his inner qi to deal with the silver needles, the needles could flow along the inner qi and penetrate the source of the inner qi. The stronger the inner qi used against it, the faster the speed of the needle! As long as the needle could pierce through the skin of an individual, it would be able to enter into one's bloodstream and pierce through his heart!

Even if you were a peerless expert, death was the only outcome when being hit with this silver needle! Even with Ling Tian's wealth and manpower, he was only able to forge ten of these vicious silver needles! It can be seen just how difficult a task forging them was!

Exerting force on his palms, the silver needles suddenly seemed to be alive and pierced through his inner qi seal, with their speed increasing three times! They had actually ignored Justice's peerless inner qi! Justice was shocked in his heart and immediately understood what was special about these silver needles. Despite retreating quickly, the silver needles still charged at him mercilessly with their speed even faster than his own!

Knowing that the silver needles were created to deal with an expert's inner qi, Justice no longer dared to use his palms to receive the needles. Instead, he gathered his pure XianTian inner qi on his sleeves and swung it out like a sheet of metal. At the final moment, the three silver needles finally turned slightly, brushed past his arm and were nailed to the ground!

In just this short instant, the Martial Order Medallion owner had almost entered the gates of hell!

Justice could feel that he had just brushed past the god of death as a sense of lingering fear filled his heart! This was the first time in many years where he could feel the feeling of death so near him!

This little brat is just too vicious!

A ball of anger rose in Justice's heart and he wanted to pounce at Ling Tian again. But before he could do that, Ling Tian let out a loud roar and made a preemptive strike instead! He had launched his attack at this number one expert in the world, the Martial Order Medallion owner of Beyond Heavens!

Ling Tian's left hand grabbed towards his waist and his right towards his bosom. The next moment, the sky was filled with a white shadow, and Justice was surrounded by Ling Tian's attacks!

In Ling Tian's left hand, his belt was held firmly and as he brandished it, a flurry of white shadows filled the place. In his right hand was another short sword gleaming menacingly at Justice. In the white shadows, another thousand brilliant rays of sword qi were added!

Concerning the weapons, one was firm while the other soft and it was as though there were two Ling Tian's attacking with the might of his attacks doubling!

As Ling Tian's figure danced around in the sky, his white robes looked as though they were white clouds that covered the sky! The prestige of Ling Tian's tyrannical attack was even slightly above Justice's previous attack!

Chapter 391: Many Tricks Up His Sleeves

Translator: chuchutrain Editor: DavidT, Rock

Justice's face changed as he charged in and struck out his palm in the midst of Ling Tian's all-encompassing attack. His attack was like a gigantic ax cleaving through the mountain without showing a single trace of mercy! Each of his attacks was out for Ling Tian's life, but because he just used his killer move and had to avoid the three silver needles, he had exhausted a great deal of his inner qi and thus the strength of his attack was reduced! For a moment, Justice was actually on the losing side while facing Ling Tian's attacks!

With two 'pa pa' sounds, Justice's palms connected with Ling Tian's belt and with a rush of his inner qi, he felt his palms turning numb! Ling Tian's belt actually contained a trick! It looked like silk but wasn't silk. It looked like gold but wasn't gold either. While it was as soft as an ordinary cloth, its tensile strength was extremely high and was able to absorb impacts extremely well! Justice's powerful palm strike was easily neutralized by that soft belt and even rebounded to him! Ling Tian was actually using his own strength against him!

However, how would Justice be able to know that while the belt looked extremely harmless on the surface, Ling Tian had used a full five years to search the entire continent and slowly collected heavenly silk to weave his belt! It was immune to water and flame, and weapons would not be able to slash through it. It was able to be firm and soft and was extremely unpredictable! Furthermore, the three silver needles which were meant to break through one's inner qi were also his final trump card!

Ling Tian's belt was brandished around like an agile snake. At the start, Ling Tian's belts made 'zu zu' sounds and at the very end, the sounds joined together and created a loud whistling sound in the sky. It was as though the gates of hell were opening up and millions of ghosts were crying out together! As Ling Tian brandished his belt, the originally sunny and bright space turned ghastly and eerie like the yellow springs of the underworld!

His full strength strike!

This was Ling Tian's full strength! The first time in his life where he used his full strength!

His strange cultivation technique, his strange movement techniques, his strange weapon and his vicious hidden weapons displayed their full potential! It formed an inescapable net of attack and was like the waves of a huge ocean surging endlessly with each wave being higher and more ferocious than the previous.

Justice's face regained his calm, and his slim figure was like a pool of still water, standing straight without any motion. His eyes were shining clearly as he countered Ling Tian's attacks calmly and without being flustered.

Ling Tian's attacks were strange and unfathomable, but Justice's defense was upright and frank!

Despite Ling Tian looking extremely majestic at the moment and looking as though he was the attacking party, he was actually crying out bitterly in his heart. Under such attacks, be it the attacking or defending party, none of them could let down their guard for even the slightest of instant! They could only give it their all but both were extremely clear that they wouldn't be able to keep this up for long. It was impossible for Ling Tian to deal with Justice in a single breath and the price for Ling Tian's current advantage was the exhaustion of his inner qi and physical strength! It was impossible for Ling Tian to keep this up for long, and the moment he exhausted himself and allowed Justice to go on the offense, his loss would be certain and his life would be on the line! If Ling Tian wanted to escape in such a scenario, he would have to pay a heavy price!

In the midst of their ferocious battle, Ling Tian suddenly let out a roar and his originally pale shadow sped up further and disappeared in absolute speed. Justice suddenly felt the pressure around him increase further and it was as though a dragon had descended from the skies and surrounded him. At the same time, Ling Tian's seemed to have turned into a sword, ax, hammer, and more, altogether eighteen different weapons!

With Justice's abundant combat experience, he was extremely clear that while Ling Tian's attacks were suddenly more powerful, Ling Tian was beginning to feel exhausted and could not hold on for long! As long as he could hold up his defenses for a while more, it would be Ling Tian's turn to be in trouble. However, Justice did not want to do that because the best defense would always be a good offense!

Defeating power with power! Defeat Ling Tian when he launches his strongest strike! Let this little brat know that there will always be someone more powerful!

Justice let out a low roar and the crisp roar sounded like the roar of the dragon emperor. It was continuous and dense, prolonged and powerful as it rose up to the skies. Following the dragon-like roar, a thin figure made his move and the next instant, nine clear images of Justice appeared. They each had the same appearance, same action, and same demeanor. Each of them had crouched down slightly and sent out both their palms at the same time!

Beyond Heaven's supreme palm art, Nine-nine Lotus Seats!

The moment this move was unleashed the skies seemed to have split apart with the weather changing!

Ling Tian's figure had split into thousands of them before finally disappearing. However, Justice had transformed into nine identical images with each and every figure unleashing a palm strike capable of shattering the earth! Each of these nine figures was definitely not an illusion but a physical entity! This was an almost unbelievable miracle!

With a 'zu' sound, the countless figures of Ling Tian were destroyed and Ling Tian's true figure was revealed. Facing Justice, his face was solemn and the heavenly silk belt in his hands swung around like the tail of a dragon. At the same time, Ling Tian's figure retreated swiftly like a formless ghost.

All of a sudden, one of Justice's nine figures disappeared and a violent palm strike shot out towards Ling Tian's belt. Like a snake being struck, the belt curled up lifelessly and Ling Tian's face first turned red before turning pale. Following that, Ling Tian retreated swiftly!

The second figure disappeared! Another powerful blow landed and Ling Tian retreated further!

The third figure…

Ling Tian had already retreated eight times, and blood was flowing down the corner of his lips. The bones on his body were all fractured and his gaze turned confused. Ling Tian's injuries were obviously heavy!

Justice let out a long sigh and said with a trace of pity, "Ling Tian, now that things have turned out like this, give up!"

The last figure did not disappear but charged towards Ling Tian like a shooting star. Before Justice arrived, Ling Tian could already feel the pressure from the palm strike!

The might of this palm strike was at least three times of the previous eight!

A sure-kill palm strike!

Ling Tian straightened his body, and his eyes became clear! Ling Tian had fully grasped the difference between both their martial arts from this battle, and the following moment would decide whether or not he could retreat!

The road to life is found from death!

Ling Tian's retreating figure suddenly halted in mid-air and he began spinning both his arms around. Then, with the force of thousands of kilograms, he shot his palms out!

After Ling Tian had unleashed his palm strike, the temperature of the surroundings suddenly shot up and all the vegetation in the surrounding 50 feet withered from the heat!

Ling Tian had transformed his Divine Shocking Dragon Formula into a pure Yang energy and charged towards Justice with his killing blow!

At the same time, the golden crown tying Ling Tian's hair together shattered with a 'peng' and Ling Tian's black hair stood up straight. Among the dense black hair, three golden lights flickered and shot towards Justice!

To think that such a sinister hidden weapon would be hidden in Ling Tian's hair!

Justice's eyes flickered and a violent gaze shot out from his eyes. He had kept his guard up towards Ling Tian's numerous and strange hidden weapons and already left 30% of his strength to deal with it. Justice's figure suddenly spun around in mid-air and a strong cyclone was created, pulling the surrounding vegetation up from their roots as they spun around him protectively, forming a thick barrier! In the powerful cyclone, not to mention three golden needles, even if there were thousands of javelins being thrown at him, they would definitely not be able to puncture it!

At the same time, Justice's palms did not pause and shot out towards Ling Tian!

His first two palm strikes were obviously heavy and Justice could clearly feel Ling Tian's scorching inner qi. However, Justice's next few palms had missed completely as though he was hitting air and had no resistance at all. At the same time, the surrounding temperature grew higher and higher as though Ling Tian was still attacking!

The sole purpose of Justice for creating such a powerful cyclone was to block the three golden lights that Ling Tian had sent out. Justice was certain that those three golden lights were definitely sinister hidden weapons created specially to break through the inner qi of an expert. For an expert like Justice, he had always considered all possibilities for a loss before considering his chance to win. However, Justice felt that something was extremely strange at this moment, and even with his steady character he was beginning to lose his cool! Together with the rising temperature of his surroundings and the fact that he didn't know what Ling Tian's plan was, Justice finally revealed himself!

Seeing the scene in front of him, Justice was angered to the point he began to let out steam!

His surroundings had actually turned into a sea of fire! The reason why Ling Tian had escaped here was because this place was filled with pine and cypress trees. Both trees were abundant in oil and were extremely flammable. Under the heat of his pure Yang inner qi, it was like adding oil to a fire and the flames rose to more than 30 feet high!

As Justice looked at a branch near his feet, he saw it glittering slightly and almost puked blood from anger! Three normal golden needles were stuck there harmlessly and were completely different from the vicious hidden weapons he was thinking about! As they glimmered in the heat, it was as though they were mocking Justice for his stupidity! As for Ling Tian, he had already disappeared completely!

The only thing that consoled Justice was the large puddle of blood where Ling Tian was originally standing! Under his earth-shattering attacks, Ling Tian had suffered serious internal injuries! Under his sure-kill Nine-nine Lotus Seats, Ling Tian could not avoid damage!

Justice stood there silently and stretched out his senses. In just a single moment, he had locked onto Ling Tian's escaping direction and wanted to give chase.

But just at this moment, Justice suddenly felt a strong killing intent with a bone-chilling frost. As though it wanted to freeze the heavens and earth, it approached Justice from behind him!

The whole earth was frozen! The meridians in Justice's body were almost all frozen!

Chapter 392: Tricked

Translator: DavidT Editor: DavidT, Rock

At this point, a wave of piercingly sharp killing intent could be detected behind Justice, carrying a bone-chilling cold as though it wished to freeze the heavens themselves, rushing forward!

In that instant, the area turned into a winter wonderland!

If Justice were to maintain his current posture in purely attacking, then without a doubt, he would end up suffering the attack of his life! Such an attack would not be easy for Justice to handle, having just gone through a tough battle, and would inevitably lead to injuries!

The person behind, based on his perception of danger, gave off a vibe no less than Ling Tian himself!

To think such a person actually existed?

Could it be the intermediary for Ling Tian's sect?

Justice paused in that split second, and with a solemn expression, landed as he spoke, "May I know which expert is present at seven yards behind me? Since you have already made a move, please show yourself!"

At that moment, Justice had already turned to face behind him. Originally in front of him was a blazing fire, its heat waves stretching to the heavens, but behind him, it was a wintry wonderland! One hot and one cold, the extremes clashed!

His front and back both suffered from an extreme temperature of ice and fire!

Amidst the frosty landscape, a lady dressed in pale blue clothes with her face covered in gauze appeared like an apparition. Standing silently in the frozen ground, she looked as though she was a celestial being who was walking in the large expanse of the Moon Palace!

"One must know when to take a step back, and pardon someone when needed. Sire, you are an expert of your generation, and since you've already taken the advantage, why would you sentence such a perfectly fine person to death? You're purposely making things difficult!" The blue-robed lady spoke in a cold tone, her expression cold as though she was in an incomparably lofty position. Her voice when heard would make one believe as though whatever she said was a matter of fact!

"I have always done things based on my own desires, and no one has ever questioned once, so who are you to do so? Why are you obstructing me from killing Ling Tian?" Justice forcibly swallowed the fire in his heart and asked in a cold voice. If it wasn't a lady standing in front of him, he would have long ago used his fists to solve the problem. However, the motto of a gentleman does not fight with a lady was still ingrained in his head! Justice might be a ruthless individual and had taken action against ladies before, but he wouldn't start a fight with one! "Just a small lass like you, why would you want to involve yourself in the affairs of the pugilistic world?"

"Little lass? So what if I'm a little lass?" The coldness in her eyes intensified as she spoke in a provocative tone, "To think that in this world, there would still be someone who is as chauvinistic as you; all crows are indeed as black as each other! You self-conceited hateful man, you're as bad as that Ling Tian behind you! No, you're even more abominable!"

While her words were piercing, the strange thing was, her face remained impassive throughout, and such furious words were actually spoken in such a calm voice. She coldly looked at Justice, as though she was gazing at empty air, without the slightest emotions.

"...What did you… say? What are you saying?!" This was the first time Justice felt so ignorant and confused. He had merely spoken a single sentence, but to think that this otherworldly lady would have such a huge reaction! Furthermore, her words were weird and seemingly unintelligible! But to speak thus with such an impassive expression, it was obvious that her mental state was still as stable as ever! Justice felt as though he was facing a supernatural situation with the paradox he was seeing.

"Weirdo!" Justice only snorted before ignoring this unfathomable woman. He extended his hands and pushed out, creating a path through the part of the forest that was still ablaze.

"Weirdo? You're the real weirdo! Are you still going to pursue Ling Tian?" The blue-dressed girl suddenly asked. In an instant, her expression seemed to turn deathly cold, with a hint of teasing in her voice.

"So what if I am? Don't tell me that you still want to stop me, despite your current strength? While your strength is enough to show disdain for your generation, it's not enough to enter my eyes!" Justice turned back abruptly, a killing intent in his eyes! Time was of the essence, with every second that passed by, Ling Tian would extend the distance between them. If this continued, even with his tracking skill, Justice would not be 100% confident in catching up to him. But this lady was still trying to be an annoying troublemaker, which caused Justice to feel incomparably vexed.

"Nothing, I just wanted to say that you cannot hope to catch up to him anymore, not now, not forever." The lady looked at him with pitiful eyes. "If you didn't bother to exchange so much nonsense with me, and continued tailing him, then with your current strength, you had over an 80% chance of succeeding. As of now, there's not even a slight chance left."

Justice snorted heavily, extremely depressed and annoyed. You think that I wanted to speak nonsense with you? If it wasn't that you released killing intent towards me, do you think I would let Ling Tian escape? However, speaking to this girl would only be inviting a headache for himself, so Justice swallowed down his words and prepared to leave.

Justice originally thought that with her imposing manner, she wanted to battle it out with him, and while her strength was slightly lower than Ling Tian's, she wanted to borrow the fact of Justice being weakened to compensate for her deficiency. However, she did not seem to have this intention at all, and given his identity, how could he lower himself to make a move against her? He could only leave in disappointment.

However, he surprisingly heard the lady sigh and blandly continue, "If Sire wishes to continue to pursue Ling Tian, that's still an option. However, those who do not understand Ling Tian would most likely never have the chance to actually capture him. This is true no matter how strong or how smart they are."

Justice was moved and immediately turned around once again. "It seems like Miss is well acquainted with Ling Tian?"

The lady only lightly smiled, but in her eyes one could see some worry and bitterness hidden within. She mumbled to herself, "Maybe, in this place, only I alone will understand him, and only he would be able to understand me." At this point, Justice detected something from the lady that was extremely similar to Ling Tian. This sort of temperament was like… solitude! Loneliness!

"Oh?" Justice could not help be interested. Could it be that both of them were actually connected telepathically? "Would Miss be willing to explain further? From your words, you seem to mean that you and Ling Tian are different from the rest of us? I find it hard to believe."

"Ling Tian this person, is actually a complex one." The blue-robed lady frowned as though deeply pondering a problem. After deliberating for a time, she slowly spoke, "I've actually observed him for a very long time. Recently I've managed to come to a conclusion, but this is a surprising conclusion that shocks even me because it is just too unbelievable! Before this, I never thought that such a person like Ling Tian could actually exist!"

"I'm all ears, would Miss explain in detail of what sets him apart?!" His curiosity won over as Justice begun to listen in interest. He, of course, realized that Ling Tian was slightly different, but upon hearing the graveness in her tone, with every word seemingly gone through rigorous thinking, and he could not help but wait with baited breath. As for chasing Ling Tian, just like how the lady had described, with his movement techniques he had already lost him. As such, he could afford to be more relaxed and listen to something that at least interested him. Those matters were not many, and Ling Tian was one of them!

The blue-robed girl seemed to remain in deep thought for a long while, before pacing a few steps and letting out a long sigh. A few more paces and she finally lifted her head up, a mischievous look in her eyes as she used that same grave tone to reply, "I've actually found out that Ling Tian, he, he is not a woman after all!"

After finishing her sentence, she let out a light laugh and fled off at full speed. In an instant, it was as though a phoenix had taken off, and she completely disappeared from Justice's sight!

A clear voice floated from afar, "Actually, Ling Tian was injured, so if you did not listen to my final talk, you would have definitely caught up to him. A pity that right now, hehe…"

Never in his dreams did Justice expect that after hanging on her words for half a day, what he got in the end was a nonsensical answer! If it was the normal Ling Tian, he would have long lost him as he wouldn't have tarried; but the Ling Tian of today had gotten into a huge battle with him and suffered from grievous injuries. By all means he would not have escaped, but because of the meddling of this lass here, it would be odd if Ling Tian could not escape!

The originally unflustered Justice could not help but become angry at this point! His eyes darkened, and he almost passed out from anger! Under his extreme anger, he even forgot to express his rage, just blankly staring at the same spot for a long time. Likely, he was completely angered silly by the little lass. The flames behind him slowly went out, and the ice surrounding him also quickly thawed, giving people the impression that what just happened was merely a dream.

Justice suddenly recalled something as he snapped out of his reverie. The last movement technique that the lass used as she fled, wasn't it the same consummate skill of Ling Tian's, the 'Myriad Changes of the Dragon'? It turns out that they were actually from the same sect!

Justice let out a long howl of anger, rising up and dashing towards the direction Ling Tian had vanished. Ling Tian, do you really think you have the ability to escape from my hands? Let me contest with you then! If you escape to the heavens, then I'll chase you to the Firmament Palace; if you escape through the oceans, I'll chase you till we reach the Crystal Palace! From today, I'll use the methods of a true killer to go against you. It's not just you who is capable of wicked schemes, I'll let you understand what it really means by a person above another, a heaven above the heavens!

I see, I kill!

Just as Ling Tian continued to play hide-and-seek with Justice, Ling Jian and the others carried a biting-cold killing intent as they infiltrated the Northern Wei capital, meeting up with the intelligence group stationed there.

Of course, they were here as another identity, the mysterious and frightening First Pavilion!

As for the pavilion owner, Ling Jian, the moment he stepped into the Northern Wei capital, he received a piece of news that drove him wild with joy.

This was a personal missive crafted by Ling Chen. In it was a letter that Ling Tian had directed Ling Thirty to write and pass it to him. The contents were: Annihilate the Northern Wei Imperial Family, and throw the Yu Family into chaos!

Chapter 393: Destruction of Northern Wei

Translator: DavidT Editor: DavidT, Rock

"Young noble is safe!" Before he even saw the contents of the letter, Ling Jian shouted out gleefully when he saw the inscription on it! As compared to the contents of the letter, Ling Jian was more concerned about his young noble's safety!

Ever since Ling Tian began his cat and mouse chase with Justice, they didn't have a single piece of news of Ling Tian. While not having news was good news, Ling Jian couldn't help but be anxious. He could no longer maintain his usual cool demeanor and was filled with anxiousness and self-blame. He hated the fact that he couldn't replace his young noble. These few days felt like years to him, and his temper became more and more unstable. Even his brothers from the First Pavilion were all silenced by their fear in the past few days. Now that he had finally received Ling Tian's personal letter that proved Ling Tian's safety, Ling Jian felt a wave of elation and almost cried on the spot.

Hearing Ling Jian's cry of joy, everyone was first stunned. But after hearing what Ling Jian said next and seeing him wave the letter around excitedly, all of them burst out into cheers!

"Destroy Northern Wei, throw the Yu Family into chaos, and create chaos in the world! This is the young noble's latest orders." Ling Jian held onto the letter on his hand as he paced about with a frown. Destroying Northern Wei was something that they definitely had to do, but creating chaos in the Yu Family was an extremely vague and difficult to accomplish order. Since Ling Tian didn't specify how he should go about doing it, it meant that Ling Tian was leaving it all up to his decision!

The moment these two tasks were accomplished, it would definitely throw the continent into chaos!

However, just what would be considered messing up the Yu Family? Ling Jian thought to himself bitterly as he thought about Ling Tian's orders over and over again. All of a sudden, Ling Jian gradually began to remember the many missions that Ling Tian had given to him since he was young. Each and every mission was a test of his intelligence, character, and martial arts. It was only after he had taken over the First Pavilion that these tests were reduced.

Facing Ling Tian's extremely vague orders, Ling Jian began to reminiscence about his past training and could feel that this was probably a new test from his young noble.

All of a sudden, Ling Jian began to burn with battle intent! Ling Jian had always firmly believed that as long as it was a test given by his young noble, his young noble would definitely think that it was one which could be accomplished!

Since young noble has such confidence in me, how can I let young noble down? Ling Jian gripped onto the letter tightly as his arteries began to bulge and his killing intent grew dense…

On the table, there was another piece of paper with the defense map of the Northern Wei palace and details of their patrol routes.

Ling Jian took it up and began to read, "Northern Wei imperial palace. The empress has passed away, the emperor is sickly, six imperial concubines, four sons, nine daughters, three hundred and thirty-three eunuchs, four hundred and sixty-eight maids, and one thousand eight hundred and eighty-eight guards on duty every night."

With a flick of his wrist, the piece of paper floated to the oil lamp and was burnt into ashes. Under the glow of the burning flame, Ling Jian's face contorted into a ferocious glare as a dense killing intent was emanated from his body.

By his side, the person in charge of the Northern Wei information net felt his body turn cold with a gust of cold air rising from his feet all the way to his head.

It was in the night and seven black figures infiltrated the Northern Wei palace! As the person in the lead waved his hands, the seven of them spread out in seven different directions and threw segments of burning incense into the outer walls of the palace. After an hour, the seven figures flipped over the wall and stealthily entered.

In the darkness, an extremely soft 'pu pu' sound sounded as though someone was brushing off the dust from his body…

A bloody smell filled the place…

In the chambers of the crown prince, a maid was seated in the alley and as though she heard something, she muttered to herself, "What's that sound? Strange…" Just when she wanted to turn around to investigate the source of the sound, her mouth was covered by a large palm and she couldn't help but be flustered. A chilly tone then sounded gently in her ears, "Where is Wei ChengPing?"

That seemingly gentle yet chilly tone seemed to carry with it a mysterious power, and one couldn't help but obey the voice. The maid then pointed her finger in a direction as she said with a trembling voice, "The… crown prince is… there…"

"Thank you, have a safe journey." That big palm then twisted and a crisp sound could be heard. Following that, the neck of that maid was snapped, and she lifelessly collapsed.

A ghost-like figure then appeared behind her and muttered, "I am sorry but you should not have worked in the Northern Wei palace. This is your only mistake! While it may be because you didn't have a choice, I also don't have a choice but to kill you!" After placing the corpse of the maid onto the floor, the black figure continued his journey into the palace. Along the way, dozens of maids and guards had fallen under his hands and into puddles of their own blood.

Alarm drums then sounded from all over as a commotion broke out all over the palace. At the same time, many people were shouting at the top of their lungs, "Assassins! Assassins have infiltrated the palace! Guards…"

"Men, protect the emperor… protect the consort…"

"Ah… this is Captain Wei, Captain Wei has died… save me!!"

"... there are corpses everywhere… where have all the guards gone to? Protect the emperor!"

"..."

"..."

Following that, miserable shrieks sounded one after another without a single gap between them! It could be understood just how quickly the assassin was killing and how heartless he was!

They were finally found. The seven of them had never intended to wipe out the Northern Wei palace in secret. Even if the sedative that their young noble created was tyrannical, it was impossible to knock out everyone in the palace! Now that they were finally found, the seven of them felt as though a burden was lifted off their shoulders and they could finally unleash a massacre without holding anything back!

Was there really a need for them to be so careful when dealing with these imbeciles?

Furthermore, this battle was to build up the prestige of the First Pavilion!

As such, the seven of them grew more and more excited as they killed!

Ever since their huge loss, all the Shui Family experts who had been concealing themselves within the Northern Wei palace had disappeared completely. From the very start, their identities were extremely well concealed, and they naturally couldn't be found when they had disappeared. But due to their outstanding martial arts, all of their initial positions were of great significance and it can be imagined just how big an impact their departure had on the Northern Wei palace's defense!

Thus, the Northern Wei palace was like an empty courtyard to Ling Jian and the rest! There wasn't anyone who could resist them!

Knowing that there were a 'large number' of powerful assassins unleashing a massacre in the palace, Wei ChengPing hid under his blanket trembling as he shouted, "Go out! All of you quickly capture the assassins, and I will definitely ensure riches! In the face of an enemy, all of you only know how to hide like turtles! You guys are even worse than the dogs I rear! If you guys can't block the assassins, all of you can just go and die!"

The surrounding guards lowered their heads down in guilt with their faces pale and fear in their eyes. The miserable shrieks of their fellow guards dying on the outside were like a huge boulder weighing on their chests. They were also human and would also feel fear towards the unknown. Thus, many of them lowered their heads as they scanned the place in search for a path to survival.

Wei ChengPing finally cracked under the pressure and he jumped up with his whip clutched firmly in his hands. Whipping his guards on the face, he began to shout with spittle flying all over, "The assassins have already found their way in! What use will it be for all of you to surround me like that? A bunch of trash! Go out a kill them! Kill them! KILL THEM!!! What's there to be afraid of?! GOOOOOO!"

Just as he was hollering at the top of his voice, a loud bang sounded and the door to his chamber exploded into smithereens. A black-dressed figure holding onto a sword then walked in calmly with blood dripping down from his sword.

While it was only a single person, this single individual was like a demon from hell and all of them could only feel a single thing: death!

As this black-dressed figure walked in, the temperature of the place dropped as though he carried with him chilly winds from hell. Everyone present felt as though they were suddenly in winter as a chill ran down their spine. Then, they saw the death god in front of them reveal a malevolent smile on his face!

As the few guards saw the black-dressed figure walk in, they were stunned for a moment before letting out a unified roar and charging at him while brandishing their blades. A chilly glare flashed past the black-dressed figure's eyes and he waved his hands. Then, everyone witnessed a brilliant splendor and they were all covered by a sword light. Before they could even see the actions of the black-dressed figure, everything had ended! The black-dressed figure held onto his sword and stood there as though nothing had happened.

The few guards who had charged forward seemed to have been frozen in mid-air before they suddenly lifelessly collapsed onto the ground. The moment their bodies hit the ground, their corpses were all dismembered into many pieces! That single lightning-fast sword had reaped their remaining life and dismembered them into pieces!

The black-dressed figure held onto his sword and walked forward calmly. As the hundred-plus guards saw the blood of their comrades dripping down from his sword, they were all frightened out of their wits and took a few steps back in retreat. Despite more than a hundred of them being present, not a single one of them dared to even ask him to stop!

The death god black-dressed figure lifted his head up slowly as his sinister gaze swept past the faces of everyone present as though he was staring at a bunch of lifeless corpses. Finally, his gaze stopped on Wei ChengPing and a flicker could be seen in his eyes as he asked, "Wei ChengPing?"

Chapter 394: Ruthless Character

Translator: chuchutrain Editor: DavidT, Rock

The masked man in black slowly raised his head in a manner that resembled a death god, his chilling gaze cast towards the faces of those present, as though analyzing corpses. Finally, it landed on Wei ChengPing's body, and after pausing for a while, it seemed to recognize the owner as it slowly asked, "Wei ChengPing?"

That person's voice was full of arrogance, as though he was a god high above all of them, holding their lives in the palm of his hand. Within the great hall, a hundred-odd people huddled with a look of extreme fear in their eyes. While they all held weapons in their hands without exceptions, there was no one who even dared to breathe loudly, let alone step forward!

Under the pressure of the masked black-robed man, all of them seemed to have turned into docile little sheep!

"You… who are you? What are you trying to do?" Wei ChengPing was still the crown prince of a nation, so while he was scared, he consciously controlled the tone of his voice, putting on a tough front. However, his body betrayed him by shivering continuously, unable to control his retreat.

The sword in the masked man's hand vibrated, and the last drop of blood on it was shaken off, flying with great speed and splashing onto Wei ChengPing's face. The scent of blood almost caused him to retch, but then he heard the masked man icily saying, "Wei ChengPing, I had originally thought you were a capable person, but to think that you would ask such a childish question. Having done something that you shouldn't, you would of course have retribution. Offending someone you cannot afford to offend will also have the same consequences. Today is your doomsday, but before that, let me tell you a piece of good news…"

The screams from the outside started to intensify, followed by a loud scream. "Him, that's him! He killed the Emperor! The Emperor has been sent to heaven!"

"Your Majesty! The Emperor has died!"

"Catch them, capture the murderers!"

"Ah! That's the concubines… this hoodlum, he actually… ah!" Another cry sounded, and obviously the previous speaker had also followed his master on the eternal journey...

"You heard that, didn't you? Your father is already dead, which means that you're the monarch of Northern Wei now! This is something you wished for, so are you happy?" The tone used by the masked man was much like a cat playing with a mouse!

"What… what sort of people are you? Why? Why do you have to do this to us? Who instructed you? Now that my Imperial Father has passed away, I'm the monarch of Northern Wei. No matter what your conditions are, I can promise to fulfill them!" Under the extreme stress, Wei ChengPing miraculously grew calmer, the despair in his eyes clearing up to form a small ray of hope!

Would he be able to persuade his assailant?

The answer would be a resounding no!

"The lives of the people in the world lie in our hands, the First Pavilion under the heavens themselves!" The masked man slowly recited a cold gleam in his eyes. "Your words are simply too childish and too laughable. Let me tell you this. You, the new monarch, are the actual target of our mission this time! Prepare to enter the Yellow Springs, Wei ChengPing! The name of First Pavilion will use the demise of your entire Northern Wei to once again shake the lands!"

The manner in which the latter spoke could be summed up in two words, Definite Death!

The imperial palace of Northern Wei turned into a sea of fire in a night, raging for three days straight. Everything was turned into ashes! On the first day the palace caught fire, the fire rushed up over ten feet into the air, heatwaves radiating from the source as the smell of corpses burning spread all over a few hundred miles around the area!

Of the close to three thousand people in the Imperial Palace, those who were lucky enough to survive numbered less than 500! Of those with the lineage of the Imperial Family, none remained! The crown prince Wei ChengPing was dismembered of all limbs and left hanging naked in front of the city gates, not a single piece of skin left intact! The people who executed this plan were all ruthless to the point the citizens were shocked!

The reputation of the First Pavilion spread throughout the entire Heavenly Star Continent once again, maybe even to all under the skies! Everyone trembled in fear upon hearing this group acting once again after going underground for a year! Furthermore, with such an earth-shattering entrance! Under their sharp swords, the hegemon like the Northern Wei actually had no resistance at all, and was completely eliminated!

What kind of strength was this?!

At the same time, rumors spread throughout the continent that this was the plan of the number one family in Northern Wei, the Yu Family, hiring the First Pavilion to annihilate them so as to dominate the area and the continent! Some rumors spoke instead of the Water of Heavenly Wind hiring those in the First Pavilion to take action, in order to remove the support of the Yu Family, so as to deploy their troops into Heavenly Star!

There were even people who said that only with the Xiao Family's resources that they were able to employ a behemoth like the First Pavilion to perform such a monumental task. Of course, some guessed that because Northern Wei had once offended the Ling Family by trying to kill Ling Xiao, thus this was a revenge hired by the Fortune Deity, Madam Chu Ting'er...

But no matter what people said, other than those involved, no one knew the actual truth. After this incident, the entire Heavenly Star turned into a real boiling pot of chaos!

The sudden demise of the Northern Wei imperial court, without leaving behind any descendants, left behind the country like a headless dragon. The country immediately became akin to a fat sheep in the eyes of the other powers, and all of them began to restlessly move. However, due to the influence of the Yu Family in the country, none of the powers dared to recklessly jump out, and take the first step into Northern Wei.

Swords drawn and bows bent, desiring for mountains and rain!

But at this sensitive time, the Yu Family also took a huge move!

It was only after the two elders of the Yu Family had entered Sky Bearing that Yu ManTang found out about the operation of the Yu Family. It was actually to help his own daughter to affirm her marriage betrothal, the only problem being that the groom was inevitably going to die! And for her own parents, they were actually kept in the dark this whole time! This caused him to become furious, and the most honest man in the Yu Family finally revealed a hint of his fury.

...

Yu Family, in the Directing Mountains Pavilion.

"Elder brother, I would like to know, what's this about BingYan's marriage?" Yu ManTang rushed to the scene, leaving behind a wake of screaming guards as he appeared in front of Yu ManLou like a whirlwind. "I'm BingYan's father, how could I be left unaware of anything to do with her marriage? My only daughter is getting married, and I had no idea! You owe me an answer!"

"Ling Tian is not bad, and besides, isn't he the son-in-law that you have chosen yourself? Was it wrong for me to have made the decision on Yan'er behalf? Don't tell me that you want to deny this marriage because Ling Tian is being pursued by the Martial Order Medallion owner, Justice?" Yu ManLou slowly raised his head, overlooking his brother. "The Martial Pointer Pavilion is the sacred grounds of our clan, and without my permission, nobody is allowed to come in on their own accord. Since you barged in today, how should you be punished?"

"Elder brother, a straightforward person does not resort to insinuations. Ever since you handled Yu BingYan's matter, you've holed up in the Martial Pointer Pavilion. Wasn't it just to avoid my questioning?" In the eyes of Yu ManTang, a heartfelt pain could be seen. "Ling Tian and Yan'er are each other's sunshine, and allowing them to be together is indeed a good thing. But now Ling Tian is being pursued by Justice! Of all people, we know how frightening is the strength that Justice possesses. Even our previous generation elder, the top exponent Yu ChaoChen died under his hands! At this critical juncture, to talk about marriage is not very suitable!"

Yu ManLou's eyes flashed as he retorted, "Second brother, you also feel that they're a match made in heaven, but now you want to break them up?"

Yu ManTang laughed coldly at his words, "Elder brother, the same sentence still applies, a straightforward person does not resort to insinuations. How Yan'er is like, as her father, I'm the clearest. Since she is already deeply in love with Ling Tian, then she would be unchangingly faithful. Even if Ling Tian were to die, she would have no regrets. However, the part that pains me the most is that you used this fact to hit her while she's down. Elder brother, isn't that going too far?!"

"All that I've done, is for the clan! I have a clear conscience!" Yu ManLou slapped the table as he stood up, his eyes flashing dangerously like lightning bolts. "As a disciple of the Yu Family, when it comes to your turn to sacrifice, one must have the awareness to proceed onward with it! If one continues to hold on to their feelings, then they will never amount to anything big! Second brother, I've already said this many times. If you're to continue to be affected by your feelings, then it will affect the thousand-year foundation of my Yu Family!"

"If holding on to familial feelings cannot amount to anything big, then will cutting off all ties ensure that one can dominate the world?" Yu ManTang refused to budge. "Elder brother, these few years, under your viewpoint, we in the Yu Family have continuously sacrificed and strangled many of our Yu Family geniuses. Don't tell me, you don't feel the heartache? Our ancestor's wishes were to continue to pass on our heritage even to the future, and not to ask us to dominate the world! Elder brother, do you really have a clear conscience?!"

"In these troubled times, if one does not use a cold-blooded method to unify the world and continuously endure, then what does it count for? It would be a joke!" Yu ManLou put his hands behind his back, staring straight at Yu ManTang, "A man should strive to be as imposing and inspiring his whole life! The heavens have given me a chance to unify the world, if I turn down my destiny to stand at the peak of all power, then wouldn't I have lived for nothing? Just like a blade of grass or tree? I have a clear conscience, I feel no guilt!"

"Summoning the winds and clouds with the palm up, and hailing rain and snow with the palms down! To allow for universal celebration when you're happy, and causing tens of thousands of corpses when one is angry! The ambition, the energy, the bloodrush! Why should I regret, why should I feel guilt?"

"The victors are crowned as Kings, the losers vilified! To achieve such lofty goals, what are a few underhanded methods?" Yu ManLou suddenly turned and pointed at the picturesque landscape of mountains behind him, a ferocious look on his face as he said, "What do you see? Mountains that look like art masterpieces! Second brother, if one could trample all these ancient mountains under one's footsteps, causing them to lower their heads, what more could a person want with their life?"

Yu ManLou eyes flashed like lightning in a thunderstorm as he continued, "In order to reach this objective, so what if I have to cause utter misery, or flood the three continents? In contrast, I'm only sacrificing a little lass, a small group of people! Let's not talk about the fact that Yan'er is my niece; even if she was my own daughter, I would have no hesitation! I would have long done so. Sacrificing a few to gain immense benefits, worth it, it's too worth it! Hahaha…"

Chapter 395: Changes in the Yu Family

Translator: DavidT Editor: DavidT, Rock

"Crazy, you are crazy!" Yu ManTang shook his head desolately. The big brother whom he had respected all his life suddenly seemed so foreign to him! His heart was filled with sorrow as he said, "Big brother, you have always been a huge hero in my heart! A hero who can support the heavens and earth. But today, you have truly disappointed me greatly."

Yu ManLou let out a mellow sneer, "Crazy? Second brother, you are the one who is wrong. Hahaha, of the many founding fathers of an empire, all of them also walked this path before! If we aren't ruthless, how can we accomplish great things?! If we are trapped by our feelings of kinship, how can we fulfil our ambitions? Gentleness is the grave of a hero! A hero? Hahaha, that is the biggest joke. From the ancient times until now, how many heroes were able to lead a peaceful life? Second brother, let me tell you something: The only ending of all those so-called heroes was death! How many heroes are able to stay alive? As a member if the Yu Family, how can you be trapped in such an old-fashioned thinking! You are the one who has truly shocked me!"

As Yu ManLou said that, he didn't know that just a short time ago, his young opponent had also said that same words in the Smoky Thea Tower. However, as compared to Ling Tian, Yu ManLou's thinking was far more extreme and crazy!

"Big brother, how can you say that? While the Yu Family's ambitions are important to you, what will become of the prestige that we have built up over a thousand years?" An uncultured voice sounded with an obvious tinge of frustration within it. Third Master Yu had arrived.

Just when Yu ManLou was quarreling with Yu ManTang, Yu ManTian had also returned from Sky Bearing and barged straight into the Martial Pointer Pavilion. The guards were just beaten up by the usually amiable Second Master and now that the hot-headed Third Master was charging over, how would they dare to block him? The first thing Yu ManTian heard upon entering the pavilion was what Yu ManLou had said and thus could not help but retort.

"What would an uncultured person like you know? Leave immediately! Men, why isn't anyone adhering to the rules here!" Yu ManLou glared at Yu ManTian and scolded. Not just his second brother, but even his third brother had returned at such a precise moment.

"What do I know? I know that I am an uncultured individual but this uncultured individual sincerely proposed a marriage under your orders. To think that I would have harmed their family in the end! I may not be a cultured person but I still understand what it means to be a person!" After Yu ManTian found out about the true reason of the proposal, he was already fuming with anger. Now that he was scolded by Yu ManLou, he burst out in fury, "I would like to ask you! I want an explanation! Just how did you make such an unscrupulous and despicable decision? You first destroyed the thousand-year reputation of our Yu Family then sacrificed BingYan's chastity! The worst part was the fact that you ordered Yu ZhanShui to harm BingYan! Yu ManLou, let me ask you, Yu BingYan is our biological niece and you know that she has an incurable disease and will not live for long. How can you have the heart to sacrifice the only happiness she had in her life? How can you bear to do such a thing?!"

The moment that Yu ManTian flew into a rage, he could not even be bothered to call Yu ManLou 'big brother' and began shouting his name instead. With his spittle flying in all directions, Yu ManTian hollered in agitation.

"B*st*rd! What did you say?!" Yu ManLou was angered to the point his body trembled, "Are you talking to me like that? Have you gone crazy after going out for a few days? When was it your turn to question the decision of the family?"

"What? If you make a mistake, I will question it! What bullsh*t family decision? Isn't that just your decision?!" Yu ManTian cursed, "Even if you are the Family Head, can you chew me out? Even after making a mistake you still don't allow me to say a thing? What kind of a rule is this? This daddy here has never heard of such a rule in the Yu Family!"

With a lightning-fast speed, Yu ManLou slapped Yu ManTian and roared, "Are you revolting?! You dare to call yourself my daddy?! Shut your mouth! If you dare spout another word of nonsense, this daddy here will punish you with the family laws!" In his agitation, Yu ManLou also began to call himself 'daddy' but did not notice it.

"In such a time when storms are brewing in the world and the Yu Family is in peril, the both of you still dare to cause internal strife within the family? Incurable idiots! Both of you go and kneel down in the ancestor hall and reflect on your wrongdoings! If the both of you can't think things through, there isn't a need for you two to come out! Scram! What are you two waiting for?!"

"Not good, not good… Family Head, Second Master, Third Master, there's trouble..." A white jade expert dashed in flusteredly.

"What's the matter? Acting in such a flustered manner, outrageous!" Yu ManLou shouted and his roar of anger shook the whole Martial Pointer Pavilion! However, the three brothers could feel that something was definitely wrong. Right at this moment, a slight trace of blood traveled in from the front of the courtyard. The three of them could not help but feel their hearts sink and knew that something big must have happened. However, who would dare provoke them when they were in their territory?

As old and experienced individuals, the three brothers quickly calmed themselves down. If they were to panic at such a moment, the consequences would truly be dire!

Hearing the White Jade expert stutter and explain what had happened, Yu ManLou, Yu ManTian, and Yu ManTang felt their vision blacking out! Especially Yu ManLou, despite his usual calmness, he almost collapsed on the ground.

In the front of the Yu Family courtyard, there were over a dozen corpses neatly placed. Surrounding the corpses was the sound of people weeping and a middle-aged lady could be seen bawling her eyes out.

"What are you crying for?! Stop crying!" Yu ManLou shouted as he walked forward. However, none of them knew that Yu ManLou had used all of his cultivation to stop his body from trembling. However, he was already on the verge of blacking out at this moment. Among the pile of corpses, there was the corpse of a teen. It was Yu ManLou's only son, Yu LiuYun!

When the young noble of the Yu Family was returning from his vacation, he was ambushed right in front of the Yu Family's doorstep by two unknown blue-dressed individuals. His corpse was in many pieces, and it was an unbearable sight! None of the guards accompanying him were spared and they were all massacred!

"Big brother… you must hang in there…" Yu ManTang and Yu ManTian had already forgotten about their grievances and supported their big brother as they comforted him. At the same time, tears also welled up in their eyes.

As Yu ManTang stared at the still warm corpse of his nephew, a tear rolled down from his cheek and he had forgotten that he was seeking justice for his daughter. At the same time, Yu ManTian's huge figure also began to tremble! This was the precious nephew who he had doted on but was lying coldly on the ground at this moment! The both of them could not help but feel their hearts ache!

Yu ManLou struggled free from the support of his two brothers with a shrug and straightened his back with a cold glare in his eyes. But in the eyes of the others present, they felt that their family head had aged greatly in this short moment!

"Living in such chaotic times, it is either kill or be killed! Is there a need to doubt such a saying?! Now that he has passed away, his weakness is to be blamed! There isn't a need to feel sadness or heartache! The important thing to do now is to find the culprit to take revenge! Men!"

Yu ManLou's words were extremely chilly and his words shook the whole city!

"Here!" Yu ManTang and Yu ManTian stood forward with their fists cupped together. Even though they were dissatisfied with their big brother previously, when their Yu Family was facing trouble, they were still brothers after all! No matter the grievances they felt, that would have to wait until the storm was over! Yu ManTang only had BingYan and Yu ManTian didn't have a family. They had long treated their big brother's son as their own. Now that Yu LiuYun was ruthlessly murdered, it was no different from their own son being murdered!

Yu ManLou looked at both his younger brothers and saw the look of grief on their faces. At that moment, his grief-filled heart felt an unknown sense of fatigue and a wave of warmth. At this moment, it was as though the hearts of the three brothers were connected again.

For the young noble of their Yu Family to be murdered in their very own territory, this was a huge disgrace! Yu ManLou immediately gave the order to check every inch of Bright Jade City. He would rather kill the innocent then let the murderer go scot-free! With a command, the experts of their Yu Family flew into action. However, a short while after the order was given, the warehouse of the Yu Family had caught on fire. The huge blaze spread across almost half of the Yu Family estate and when the fire was finally put out, the largest warehouse of the Yu Family was reduced to ashes!

As news of Northern Wei's destruction spread, the matters of the Yu Family also spread across the world!

The continuous attacks on the Yu Family made the many powers on the continent understand something. It was as though the enemy of the Yu Family that had not appeared for a thousand years had finally appeared. Furthermore, they had ruthlessly launched their attacks on the Yu Family. With the forces of the Yu Family spread out thinly and over half of their forces in Sky Bearing, this was without a doubt the best time to take action.

Everyone knew that the thousand-year-old Yu Family was the biggest opponent in the war for hegemony. The moment war broke out, the Yu Family would have the biggest chance of ruling the world! Thus, while the various families seemed extremely respectful on the surface, they had quickly made their moves when they received news of the Yu Family being targeted!

The heads of the various powers were all ambitious characters and would definitely not bow their heads in front of anyone!

Chapter 396: A Great Storm

Translator: DavidT Editor: DavidT, Rock

The 200,000 Eastern Zhao army guarding their borders had advanced by two hundred miles and invaded the Northern Wei territory on the pretext of a training exercise. At the same time, the Eastern Zhao imperial family also sent a thousand elites to Northern Wei with the excuse of mourning over the Northern Wei's demise and expressing their regret over the happenings in the Yu Family.

The Western Han made its move as well and General XiMen ChongTian, who was anxious for merits, led 200,000 soldiers towards Northern Wei!

The Wu Empire and Southern Zheng also stopped the war between their empires and adjusted their forces with the intentions of proceeding up north!

The south-east Xiao Family suddenly tightened its security and began to gather their army as well. According to some informants, the elites of the Xiao Family numbered at least 300,000!

The Heavenly Star Continent was like a bow pulled taut with the arrow being launched at any moment!

In Sky Bearing, as the two Yu Elders noticed that the Ling Family seemed to have the intention of backing off, their actions grew even more unbridled. They began to act as though they were planning to set up base in Sky Bearing and were the ruler of the empire!

Before seeking the opinion of the Ling Family, the Yu Family mobilized a huge amount of wealth and bought the old residence of the Yang Family and the surrounding hundred mansions. Only after the purchase had gone through did they explain to Old Madam Ling that while both their families were in-laws, the Yu Family couldn't possibly stay in the Ling Residence for free as it would be unbecoming of their Yu Family. Furthermore, they intended to wait for Ling Tian and Yu BingYan's wedding and would definitely need a place to stay in the meanwhile.

Old Madam Ling cursed them in her hearts, So you finally remember that you are a thousand-year-old family and remember the right rules and conduct? It is obvious that you only want to build up a base of operations in Sky Bearing. However, Old Madam Ling had already received Ling Chen's hints and thus did not mind the actions of the Yu Family and agreed to it happily without questioning the matter further. In fact, she even provided some assistance towards the Yu Family from time to time. Despite the strength of the Yu Family, they would still face some difficulties in purchasing the properties, and the deals only went through smoothly with the aid of the Ling Family.

With the Ling Family giving way intentionally, the Yu Family had easily built up its prestige in Sky Bearing in just a few days. If they had sufficient time to hire guards and purchase resources, they would definitely be able to exceed the prestige of the Yang Family in a short time! Not to mention other things, just the headquarters of the Yu Family in Sky Bearing City was already a few times larger than the previous Yang Residence!

With the reputation of the Yu Family, the few small families in the city had begun to approach the Yu Family with the intention of fawning over the Yu Family. Through the aid of these families, the Yu Family gradually began to control some of the local gangs in Sky Bearing and gradually spread their influence. As for the underground force of Sky Bearing, the originally prospering Violent Wind Gang began to pull back their forces under the pressure of the Yu Family. No matter how the Yu Family provoked them, there actually wasn't a single drop of blood spilled between these two powers! According to the estimates of the two Yu Elders and the information they had received, even if the Yu Family wanted to exterminate or subdue the Violent Wind Gang, they would definitely suffer a huge loss! However, the intentional retreat of the Violent Wind Gang further fueled the arrogance of the Yu Family.

In the Sky Bearing City, a huge change of power seemed to be happening behind the scenes, and the daily atmosphere was extremely stifling. It was as though a single spark would cause a huge explosion!

Was the prestige of this thousand-year-old family really that huge?!

As though there was an invisible hand controlling them, the original powers of the city seemed to be making a retreat! Even the famous Smoky Thea Tower also became much more low profile than before.

As though they were receiving the approval of all the other powers, Yu ZhanShui and Yu ZhanKong's ambitions had inflated up to the extreme. They did not even report the many peculiarities to the family and had ordered the troops they brought to the Yu Family to come into contact with all the various powers in the city. Regardless of the market or sector, the Yu Family would definitely place their hands on it. As such, the Yu Family expanded extremely swiftly and the 1000 experts they had brought over gradually became insufficient. While these experts were able to take ten people on at the same time in a fight, their capabilities in ordinary affairs were not that much different from an ordinary individual. Thus, the elites of the Yu Family that could easily hold off a ten thousand strong army were truly inferior to ordinary management staff!

With great confidence, Yu ZhanShui sent a message to their Yu Family headquarters and requested additional manpower so that they could create a second Yu Family in Sky Bearing. In this delicate situation, the Yu Family, or more accurately, the whole Northern Wei was thrown into chaos!

Just when Yu ManLou was searching for the murderer of his son and feeling extremely frustrated, he received Yu ZhanShui's report. After reading through the contents of the report, Yu ManLou felt his vision blacking out and had almost passed out from anger!

Before you guys left, I reminded all of you again and again that your mission is only to deal with the Ling Family. If things turn out bad, you can also choose to wipe out the Ling Family. If not, why would I allow you two to bring over 70% of our Yu Family's troops?! However, Yu ZhanShui's actions were no different from attempting to swallow Sky Bearing! Regardless of the strength that their Yu Family had, they couldn't swallow up Sky Bearing so openly! Despite Yu ManLou reminding them over and over again that they had to act under the radar and in secret, both the Yu Elders had actually tried to openly swallow Sky Bearing! Furthermore, both the Yu Elders had actually sent the Yu Family's experts to perform those menial tasks. Not to mention the fact that it was a waste of talent, the Yu Family's experts were completely unsuited for such tasks.

While taking over Sky Bearing now would definitely bring them a huge source of income, it would inevitably thin out the experts of the Yu Family. Furthermore, all of these things could be slowly acquired when they took over Sky Bearing in future, and there would be experts who specialized in this field to be placed in charge of this matter. The situation would definitely not be as it is now, having the untrained run the show!

In this instant, Yu ManLou had the urge to strangle Yu ZhanShui to death!

If it was only the affair in Sky Bearing, the Yu Family would be able to forcefully suppress the matter with their prestige. However, the Northern Wei imperial family was actually wiped out by the most frightening assassin organization at this moment! This was no different from meeting a thunderstorm with a leaking roof, or facing a huge gust with a broken sail!

With the coincidence in the timing, some imaginative individuals would definitely think that they were trying to take over Sky Bearing and that the Northern Wei imperial family must have been wiped out by them as well. It would definitely seem like the Yu Family intended to unite the entire continent and the various powers would certainly grow wary!

If only a single one of the two events occurred, while it would shock the continent, the prestige of the Yu Family would definitely be sufficient to suppress the matter and it would be no more than a tremor to the Yu Family. But for both the events to happen back to back, the Yu Family was immediately thrown into the spotlight! The attention of the whole world was definitely on the Yu Family! The various powers were thinking, Even if you are a thousand-year-old family, I will definitely not wait for my death if you want to wipe me out!

Everyone had originally thought that even if the Yu Family wanted to fight for hegemony, they would definitely lay in wait until the final moment before taking action. However, none of them expected that the Yu Family would be the very first party to spring into action!

Originally, Ling Tian had become the focus of the world because of the Martial Order Medallion and the Ling Family was a piece of fat meat in the eyes of all the various powers. However, the sudden appearance of the Yu Family had made the various powers feel as though there was a blade hanging above their heads! If the Yu Family were to succeed, all of them would definitely be facing their demise! At such a moment, how could anyone of them be interested in the piece of fat meat?

In just a short few days, the Yu Family had replaced the Ling Family and became the focus of the entire world!

Right at this moment, an even more terrifying news was spread across the continent that had truly placed the Yu Family on the opposing side of all the powers in the continent!

The XiMen Family of Western Han had suffered from an ambush from Ling Tian, and countless of experts were killed with the family head seriously injured. The hundred-years-old great family was completely destroyed! The one in charge of the XiMen Family was now the foster son of XiMen WuYi, the young XiMen Sa!

After XiMen Sa took over the XiMen Family, the first decision that he made was to swear that he would take revenge for his family and would never let Ling Tian go! In order to take his revenge, XiMen Sa sent a letter to Yu ManLou, expressing his willingness to submit to the Yu Family. As long as the Yu Family was willing to aid the XiMen Family to take their revenge, the XiMen Family would submit to the Yu Family for all the generations to come!

While this should have been a top-secret affair between the families, there was a leak from an unknown source that caught the whole world off-guard! When the imperial family of Western Han questioned XiMen Sa, the new family head first stuttered and refused to admit it. After that, he actually flew into a rage, kicked the emperor's ambassador out of the XiMen residence and said, "Why is there a need to kick up a fuss about alliances between aristocratic families? Why can't the XiMen Family form an alliance with the Yu Family? If anyone dares to have an opinion, they will be going against both the XiMen and Yu Families!" At the very end, the young family head had actually made an extremely arrogant remark, "If there is anyone who is dissatisfied, he can step out for this daddy!"