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Chapter 783 – First Appearance On The Destiny Decree
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There were a total of 360 Life Destruction powerhouses ranked on the Destiny Decree. Those that could make the list on the Density Decree all had a certain degree of hope that they would one day reach the Divine Sea. Thus, most of those on the Destiny Decree were devoted cultivators and spent the majority of their life closed up in seclusion, rarely seen in public.
Many major forces hoped to win over a few Destiny Decree masters to act as foreign patrons that could assist them. However, besides a few top national level forces, even the countless organizations as wealthy as the Heavencraft Trading Company could not ever hope to win over one.
Each Divine Kingdom only had a few dozen Destiny Decree powerhouses at their disposal. Moreover, for someone at their boundary, their main pursuit in life had become breaking through to the Divine Sea realm. Besides training and seeking out lucky breaks, they simply didn't care for dueling others. As for the struggles of wealth and power in the world, those were even more boring and worthless in their eyes.
The only reason some Destiny Decree powerhouses were even willing to join top national influences was because of the vast amounts of resources that these organizations could provide.
Because of how influential the Destiny Decree was, every major player in the world paid close attention to this list. Through this list, they could understand an approximate situation of the powerhouses in the Four Divine Kingdoms, and at least understand the strength they showed to the public.
The entire Destiny Decree was written in paper and then bound into a book. Every Life Destruction powerhouse occupied their own page, and thus every single issue of the Destiny Decree had 360 pages; no more, no less.
Within these 360 pages, some characters that were currently attracting attention would be written in the Decree using red ink.
At this time, the one who was written down in red ink was Lin Ming.
The 320th page had a name that was written down with large, blood red characters.
Lin Lanjian.
The back of that page introduced a variety of information, including Lin Ming's fighting style; his moves, weapons, and current accomplishments.
"Lin Lanjian: Weapon – Spear. Killed the ranked 330th ranked Destiny Decree master, Corpsemancer. Cultivation at the late Revolving Core realm. An eternally rare talent."
The Destiny Decree was generous with its praise. This ranking list had already existed for several thousand years, and there had been far too many geniuses recorded in its pages. Many of them had even gone on to become Peerless Emperors. However, to enter the Destiny Decree at just the Revolving Core realm, Lin Ming was actually the first person to accomplish this in all these millennia.
Just this point alone was enough to stir up a storm.
A massive number of Witch Creek City's martial artists rushed over to Heavencraft Trading Company for a visit. For a time, the entire Heavencraft Trading Company was packed to the brim with business.
Many of them wished to inquire about the news, and to also meet Lin Ming. There were also some representatives from major forces that wished to win over Lin Ming. If even this was impossible, then testing the waters didn't do any harm.
In turn, this caused the recently struggling Heavencraft Trading Company to be booming with business. This was truly a serendipitous accident. At this time, Xiaoxiao no longer needed to accept the ruling of the family, and had more or less won the struggle for the position of Family Head in advance.
At this time within the Heavencraft Family, Xiaoxiao's two great uncles were looking at the scarlet letters emblazoned on the Destiny Decree. It was as if the letters had been written in fresh, glistening red blood.
Corpsemancer had died!
Furthermore, he had been killed by Lin Ming!
"How could this be…" Heavencraft Xiao muttered to himself, unable to believe that this was believe that this was true.
"Big Brother, what do we do?" The sudden change in the current situation had rendered Heavencraft Yun listless. He would have absolutely never imagined that the random, young boy that Xiaoxiao drew in from somewhere had actually managed to kill the Destiny Decree ranked Corpsemancer.
"What can we do!?" Heavencraft Xiao harshly exhaled in a panic. However, he was also at a loss at the time. Paper could not wrap up fire; the truth would eventually come out. They couldn't depend on finding asylum in their family by arguing they had nothing to do with Corpsemancer.
They were in the wrong to begin with to involve that Corpsemancer. If Xiaoxiao had been killed then everything would have been fine. However, now that Corpsemancer had died, this would cause all the anger to be directed at them. Since Xiaoxiao also now had Lin Ming's support, she was in an invincible position. It would be impossible to find another Destiny Decree master that could contend with Lin Ming in a short period of time.
As for the Crown Prince, Heavencraft Xiao had no expectations that he would help. The Heavencraft Trading Company was only a potential boost to the Crown Prince, and now that things had come to this, the result was already foreseeable. There was no way that the Nine Furnace Crown Prince would be willing to link himself with some dastardly villain like Corpsemancer.
"We can only take advantage of this time while Lin Lanjian is recuperating from his injuries to immediately leave through the secret transmission array to look for that sir. The changes within the Heavencraft Trading Company have already gone beyond our control; there is nowhere else we can go." Heavencraft Xiao painfully sighed. He no longer had any other choice.
Once they made this decision, the two of them fled from the Heavencraft Family under the cover of night. In a family like the Heavencraft Family, they naturally had a special transmission array specifically used for escaping. If they left through this transmission array they wouldn't need to be afraid that Lin Ming would chase them down and kill them.
They no longer entertained the hopes of becoming the Heavencraft Family Head.
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At this time, at the Nine Furnace Divine Kingdom's Phoenix City, a young man wearing a five-clawed dragon royal robe was flipping through the new issue of the Destiny Decree, a thoughtful expression on his face.
"Crown Prince!" A man wearing a green mask appeared in the great hall, respectfully bowing to the young man.
This young man was the Nine Furnace Divine Kingdom's Crown Prince. He was in his forties, but appeared as if he were in his twenties. This wasn't because he consumed a part of his cultivation to restore his youthful appearance, but because he had stepped into Life Destruction at a mere 30 years of age. After his physical body had been transformed and reborn, his appearance maintained the look of himself in his twenties, something that wouldn't change for thousands of years to come.
Even men were pretty willing to maintain their youthful looks for as long as possible. However, if they were stranded in the Revolving Core realm until their thirties and forties, there would still be a few traces of their age left on their faces, giving off the feel that they were middle-aged in appearance.
If one wanted to keep the vivid vibrancy of youth, one would have to step into the Life Destruction realm at around 30 years of age. However, this sort of person would be a monstrous genius of their era. Without accident, they would inevitably step into the Divine Sea, and would even grow to become an astounding character amongst all Divine Sea powerhouses.
"Fleeting Dragon, what's the matter?" The Nine Furnace Crown Prince quietly said as he closed the Destiny Decree. Reporting to Your Highness, the two chess pieces that your subordinate has arranged in the Heavencraft Family have arrived at the Royal Palace overnight. They wish to seek an audience with the Crown Prince. Does Your Highness wish to grant them a meeting?"
To the green masked man, Heavencraft Xiao and Heavencraft Yun were both unimportant characters that didn't have the qualifications to seek an audience with the Crown Prince. It was only the fact that Lin Lanjian had killed Corpsemancer that would pique the Crown Prince's interest, and then submit this report.
Indeed, the Nine Furnace Crown Prince nodded and said, "Let them see me. In addition, Fleeting Dragon, I had you investigate the three great trading companies, the two great banks, and the Hundred Treasure Auction House. How have you done so far?"
"Reporting to Your Highness, the Nine Furnace Guard is currently secretly investigating these groups. There aren't any major omissions with the two great banks and the Hundred Treasure Auction House, but the three great trading companies all have a few existing problems."
"Oh? What about the Heavencraft Trading Company?" The Nine Furnace Crown Prince nodded with satisfaction, a smile touching his face.
"We've already obtained precise evidence on the Heavencraft Trading Company. The Heavencraft Trading Company's previous head and the one before him had all made transactions in violation of the Divine Kingdom's laws. There were even some secret transactions done with the Asura Divine Kingdom that we can use to charge them with colluding with an enemy power!"
The green masked man indifferently said. He was the chief commander of the Nine Furnace Guard.
The so-called Nine Furnace Guard was a military faction under the direct control of the Divine Kingdom. They governed the nation's prisons and held great power in all other aspects.
Their power and influence were terrifying, and they even had five Destiny Decree masters in their ranks. This green masked man was one of them, and also the strongest amongst them. His code name was Fleeting Dragon.
All of the members of the Nine Furnace Guard wore embroidered robes and green masks. These masks were not for decoration, and were actually tools carved from wood spirit jade. Wood spirit jade had the special characteristic of isolating all external perception. Even a Divine Sea powerhouse could not pierce his perception even half of an inch into the wood spirit jade. Thus, as long as they wore these masks, then no one would ever be able to see the true expression of the Nine Furnace Guard martial artists.
The entire Nine Furnace Guard had a total of 9000 individuals, and their combat strength was just as fearful. They were under the direct jurisdiction of the Nine Furnace Crown Prince and could be considered as his right hand.
Excellent. Organize all the evidence as soon as possible and bring it to me." The Nine Furnace Crown Prince said with a smile. Although this was a secret investigation, the truth was that the investigation had already been carried out for an entire two years thus far.
As Fleeting Dragon heard this, he was secretly startled. He didn't know just what the Crown Prince was plotting, but the three great trading companies, the two great banks, and the Hundred Treasure Auction House summed up to be a total of six major commercial organizations. They grasped nearly 10% of the entire Nine Furnace Divine Kingdom's economy.
Was the Crown Prince really preparing to swallow them all up?
It had to be known that, for a trading company to develop to such a massive scale, it was impossible for them to wipe their asses clean of all the dirty deeds they committed. As long as one had the mind and resources to search, they absolutely could find some problems. In fact, this was a matter that everyone was aware of.
Even so, all of the previous Divine Emperors of the four Divine Kingdoms tacitly consented to the existence of the economic oligarchy, because they could help manage the country and create wealth for all. Moreover, over one-third of their profits were collected into the Divine Kingdom's treasury.
If one wished to annex these economic organizations then it would be possible with the absolute suppressive strength of the Nine Furnace Divine Kingdom's state power. If one didn't care for public opinion, then this was a simple matter. But, this had already been tested by another Divine Kingdom once, and the truth had proved differently. After the great economic organizations were also taken under national country, it was easy for corruption to grow in management. This then led to a decline in efficiency and profit, eventually leading these organizations to close down in several years. This was simply not a wise move.
The state machine was mostly able to grasp spirit essence stone mines, wood spirit jade sites, and other similarly simple resource-based industries. It was difficult to become involved in anything else.
If a normal Prince were to have these sort of thoughts then Fleeting Dragon would have thought that he had delusions of grandeur and had become completely incompetent.
But now, the one making this decision was the Nine Furnace Crown Prince. Fleeting Dragon was well aware of just how great the Nine Furnace Crown prince's hidden strength was; he certainly wasn't an idiot that would make such an addled decision. Then, just what was he planning on doing? Was he really preparing to annex these six great economic organizations? That would definitely cause some level of turmoil in the Divine Kingdom.
Fleeting Dragon imagined all these things but he didn't question his orders. As the chief commander of the Nine Furnace Guard, his only duty was to obey orders.
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Three days later, Heavencraft Trading Company –
"Mm? An invitation to the Nine Furnace Divine Kingdom's Divine Palace?"
At the Heavencraft Trading Company, Lin Ming had received a jade slip made from wood spirit jade. It was marked with an invitation to the Nine Furnace Divine Kingdom's Royal Palace. Additionally, the one who sent this invitation was surprisingly the Nine Furnace Crown Prince!"
"The Nine Furnace Crown Prince wishes for me to come to the Divine Palace as a guest and also bring Heavencraft Xiaoxiao?" Lin Ming frowned as he repeated the message on the jade slip.
Chapter 784 – The Crown Prince's Invitation
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In the past few days, Lin Ming had come to understand what sort of person the Nine Furnace Crown Prince was.
His name was Yang Yun, and his martial talent was extraordinary. It seemed as if he had come across an immense fortuitous encounter when he was young, and had now broken through to Life Destruction at a mere 30 years of age.
Yang Yun was a character that wielded alarming power throughout the entire Nine Furnace Divine Kingdom. He wasn't on a level that the likes of Li Yifeng could even compare to.
Although Li Yifeng was a Prince, there was a vast difference in their respective influence. Putting aside the disparity between the Seven Star Divine Kingdom's strength and the Nine Furnace Divine Kingdom's strength, just Yang Yun and Li Yifeng's respective status in their Divine Kingdoms alone was incomparable.
Li Yifeng could at best be considered a playboy, and had a natural disposition towards laziness and fun. His finances were all controlled, and he had even been punished with confinement before.
As for the Nine Furnace Crown Prince, he had at least five subordinates that were all Destiny Decree masters, and he himself was also ranked on the Destiny Decree. It was just that his ranking had been omitted from the Decree, and there hadn't been any information dispatched about him for many years. The depths of his strength were a complete mystery to all.
Compared to Yang Yun, Li Yifeng was just a little baby that hadn't grown up.
It was impossible for Lin Ming to be at ease when facing such a character. Yang Yun was nearly twice his age, and even the power of his subordinates wasn't something Lin Ming could ever hope to contend with.
For the Nine Furnace Divine Kingdom, Yang Yun represented the peak of strength outside of the Divine Sea powerhouses.
Despite the fact that Yang Yun had no enmity or grudge with Lin Ming, and that he shouldn't even have a reason to harm Lin Ming to begin with, Lin Ming didn't want to enter a place like the Nine Furnace Divine Kingdom. That could truly be described as a dragon's lake or a tiger's cave; a truly dangerous zone!
Most of the Destiny Decree masters of the Nine Furnace Divine Kingdom were subordinates of the Divine Kingdom. After all, the Nine Furnace Divine Kingdom was not just a nation, but a quasi sixth-grade super Holy Land!
The Divine Kingdom's three great Imperial Scholars, twelve Great Officials, and five Nine Furnace Guard Captains were all Destiny Decree ranked characters, and were also ranked extremely high on the Decree.
In addition to that, the Divine Kingdom had Emperor Uncles and High Princes that had lived for several thousand years and had gone into seclusion. These people were even more terrifying!
They had most likely entered into the Divine Sea. In a sense, the current Nine Furnace Divine Kingdom could compare with the Demon God Imperial Palace to a small degree. The Demon God Imperial Palace had once been a great sect that ruled the world, the most terrifying power in the entire Sky Spill Continent!
In front of these people, Lin Ming simply didn't have any strength to resist. Once he entered the Divine Palace, he would be at their disposal.
Directly refusing Yang Yun wasn't a good idea either, however, as it might anger him. This way, Lin Ming could only sidestep this invitation by saying he still hadn't recovered from his wounds after his fight with Corpsemancer, and needed more time to recuperate.
This was a tactful method of rejection.
After Lin Ming passed out the message, he continued to train and practice alchemy.
Just yesterday, Xiaoxiao had delivered the dragonspine grass that she had promised, and two tufts of them at that.
She had also delivered a considerable amount of spirit essence stone and wood spirit jade to him.
This wasn't all Xiaoxiao's doing, but also the gifts that the Heavencraft Trading Company saved up to win over Lin Ming.
Within the entire Nine Furnace Divine Kingdom, including the three great trading companies, two great banks, and Hundred Treasure Auction House, the only business giant that had a Destiny Decree Master serving them was the Hundred Treasure Auction House.
This guest had also only lent his name, and wouldn't act unless there was a great event occurring.
While this Destiny Decree master was ranked somewhere similar to Lin Ming, he was already over 1500 years old. He was far from comparing to Lin Ming's potential.
If the Heavencraft Trading Company could be on good terms with Lin Ming, then the future returns would be inestimable.
Who knew what the future held? Perhaps Lin Ming might even break through to the Divine Sea realm. The Divine Sea realm! A Supreme Elder that could awe even an entire Divine Kingdom!
The top 100 ranked masters of the Destiny Decree were already characters that people couldn't even look up to. Then, what sort of existence would a Divine Sea Supreme Elder be?
Even the Elders of the Heavencraft Trading Company were unable to imagine this.
If they could be on good terms, or even merely know of a Divine Sea Supreme Elder, that would make their family's status skyrocket. The Heavencraft Trading Company was a great power that didn't lack wealth; what they lacked was strength to take matters into their own hands. Underneath the absolute suppression of the Divine Kingdom, they were no different from defenseless pigs that were being raised up. They could be taken out of their pens and slaughtered at any time.
Now, because Xiaoxiao was on good terms with Lin Ming, her status in the family had advanced by leaps and bounds. With her two great uncles escaping from the family under the cover of night using the transmission array, there was no longer anyone that was able to threaten her position as Family head. The Council of Elders had already passed a resolution, and after another two months, an auspicious day would be chosen. Heavencraft Xiaoxiao would then complete the grand ceremony of family succession.
Recently, Lin Ming's alchemical skills had also been constantly increasing. If he wished to refine the Fivefade Void Pill to open the third of the Eight Inner Hidden Gates, though, he was still far from being able to do so.
Lin Ming looked at the Cosmic Melting Furnace alchemy materials that were floating in front of him. There was the Five Color Fruit, Void Tempered Root, dragonspine grass, skyflower stones, as well as three jins of 200,000 year old wood spirit jade.
"This wood spirit jade quality is a bit too poor. If I had million year wood spirit jade, then my chances at successwould be much higher. Unfortunately, wood spirit jade that old is just too rare; even the Heavencraft Trading Company would have difficulty finding it."
As Lin Ming was murmuring to himself, he suddenly felt a cold air rise up inside his chamber.
Killing intent?
Lin Ming's mind went cold. His training chamber had protective array formations surrounding it. If one didn't destroy the array formations, and only had their killing intent seep in, then that proved that this person's killing intent was unimaginably condensed.
Lin Ming quickly put away the Cosmic Melting Furnace and opened the protective array formation, exiting the training chamber. As he stepped outside, he saw that just 200 feet away from him stood a passive, green masked man, whose ice cold mask gave off a heartlessly indifferent feeling.
"A wood spirit jade carved mask?"
Lin Ming's mind stirred. With his understanding of wood spirit jade he immediately understood the use of this mask.
Wood spirit jade was able to isolate away all external perception. Because of this, a mask made of wood spirit jade was the most effective and simple method to hide one's own appearance. Even if a Divine Sea Supreme Elder stood here, they still wouldn't be able to identify who this person was. As for normal appearance changing techniques, they could only fool with people similar cultivations. Anyone with sharp enough eyes of high enough cultivation would instantly see through that type of disguise.
"I could borrow this method later." If Lin Ming hadn't seen this man in front of him, then he would never have thought wood spirit jade would also have this sort of function.
"You are…." As Lin Ming looked at this green masked man's cultivation, he didn't know just what sort of arcane ability this man practiced. Since his dantian had also been hidden in a deep fog; it was impossible to see through his cultivation.
But, just from the aura that emitted from his body, Lin Ming could feel his own heart reacting by beating faster. Without a doubt, this person was a master among masters.
He had come to Heavencraft Pavilion, but hadn't disturbed the guards. That killing intent he released just now also didn't have any malice behind it; this man had simply used this method to inform Lin Ming of his arrival.
Thus, Lin Ming was able to approximately guess just what sort of status this man had.
"I am the Nine Furnace Guard's Chief Commander. You may refer to me as Fleeting Dragon."
The Nine Furnace Guard Chief Commander was under the direct control of the Crown Prince. Lin Ming wasn't surprised at all.
"When his Highness the Crown Prince invited Sir Lin for an audience, Sir Lin hadn't yet recovered. Now, a month has passed and his Highness the Crown Prince has specifically sent me here to inquire into Sir Lin's state and also send a miraculous healing pill. If Sir Lin's wound is cured, then please follow me ba
back for a visit to the Nine Furnace Divine Palace. If Sir Lin still isn't feeling too well then I shall wait at Heavencraft Pavilion until Sir Lin's wounds are healed.
As the Nine Furnace Guard Chief Command said these words, Lin Ming no longer had any reasonable argument he could use to refuse. He could only reluctantly agree.
He didn't wish to involve himself in the high level battles of the four Divine Kingdoms. However, just seeing the Crown Prince might not be too bad either. For instance, the million year wood spirit jade he needed may be very difficult for the Heavencraft Trading Company to find; however, the Nine Furnace Divine Palace should definitely have it or find it.
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The Nine Furnace Divine Kingdom was divided into nine provinces. The Nine Furnace Divine Palace was located at the largest and busiest province – the Central Province.
The area of just the Central Province was larger than ten South Horizon Regions combined.
Around the Central Province, the other eight provinces surrounded it. As for the back of the Central Province, that area extended to the edge of the Sea of Miracles.
The Sea of Miracles was the greatest life forbidden zone of the entire Sky Spill Continent. The four Divine Kingdoms surrounded the Sea of Miracles in a giant circle. And, far behind these four Divine Kingdoms was the South Sea, Fog Sea, North Sea, and Crimson Sea. At the very center of everything was the Sea of Miracles. This made the Sky Spill Continent to look like the shape of an irregular donut.
The Sea of Miracles was also known as the Sea of No Return, and also the Ocean of Endless Storms. It was rumored that the entire sea was pitch black and covered with infinite lightning storms. To enter was to walk into certain death. Even a Divine Sea Supreme Elder was no exception.
As for the Nine Furnace Divine Kingdom's Divine Palace, that was only 10,000 miles from the shores of the Sea of Miracles.
As Lin Ming arrived at the foot of the Nine Furnace Divine Palace, he looked up to see a 100,000 foot high snow-capped mountain rage. The Nine Furnace Divine Palace was actually established above these mountains.
This wasn't strange at all, as most sects were built above mountains or spiritual islands. This was because these types of places often had extremely high quality spirit veins.
The Nine Furnace Divine Palace was also the same.
Just by arriving at the base of the mountains, Lin Ming could feel a rich heaven and origin energy rushing over him like a never ending tide, submerging him within. With every breath he took, he could feel all traces of this energy seep into his own dantian, subtly raising his cultivation.
If just standing at the base of these mountains had such an effect, then the origin energy density at the summit could be imagined.
This was also the reason that so many Destiny Decree masters were willing to join the Nine Furnace Divine Kingdom. If they could close up and train in the Nine Furnace Divine Palace, then that would be far better than any other place they could go to.
"These are sixth grade spirit veins, or maybe even higher…"
Lin Ming had never seen a higher spirit vein before, and was thus unable to estimate the level of this land's spirit veins.
Beside Lin Ming, even the normally silent Fleeting Dragon revealed a trace of pride in his eyes as he saw the Nine Furnace Divine Palace.
He said, "This mountain is named the Nine Furnace Divine Mountain and the Nine Furnace Divine Kingdom's name originates from this mountain. The founding ancestor of the Nine Furnace Sect established his sect on the Nine Furnace Divine Mountain. A it grew from there, it finally becoming the Nine Furnace Divine Kingdom. The Nine Furnace Divine Mountain came first, and the Nine Furnace Divine Kingdom followed after.
"Sir Lin, Miss Heavencraft, please follow me up the mountain!"
When the Crown Prince invited Lin Ming, he had also conveniently invited Xiaoxiao. This caused Xiaoxiao to be terrified. Just what so sort of legendary existence was the Nine Furnace Crown prince? She had no idea why someone like the Crown Prince would invite her. Was it just to accompany Lin Lanjian here?
Chapter 785 – Let Me See Your Armor
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The Nine Furnace Divine Mountain reached 100,000 feet high. The summit was covered in pure white snow all year round. Within the endless expanse of snow and the deep blue glaciers, countless towers of jade soared high up into the skies. Every tower was supported by array formations. Ancient snow fell outside, but within the tower, under the effect of these formations, rare flowers from all seasons blossomed in all their splendor, full of life and vitality. It was truly a sight to behold.
While one side was covered in endless snow and ice, the other side was filled with lush green spiritual plants. Such a sharp and clear contrast was like a heavenly paradise on earth.
At the summit of the Nine Furnace Divine Mountain there was a beautiful lake that displayed all four seasons. This lake was named the Nine Flower Lake. This entire lake was covered in a dense fog, and at its center was a pavilion carved from jade.
Within this pavilion was a young man that was lightly playing a zither. The zither's melody that thrummed in the air was pleasant to the ears. In the Nine Flower Lake, snow lotuses bloomed all around. As this jade-like handsome young man played his zither, he appeared even purer and loftier than a woman, as if he were an immortal that had descended down from the heavens.
As the young man saw Lin Ming and Xiaoxiao arrive, he faintly smiled, "Brother Lin, welcome to the Nine Furnace Divine Kingdom as my honored guest."
The young man's voice had a strangely pleasant lilt to it; it made one feel very comfortable listening to him.
"Is he the Nine Furnace Crown Prince?"
The Divine Kingdom Crown Prince in front of him was completely different from what he had imagined.
"Lin Lanjian greets his Highness the Crown Prince."
Lin Ming simply cupped his hands across his chest. As someone who wasn't from the Divine Kingdom, there was no need for him to be overly courteous.
"Brother Lin is too polite." Yang Yun similarly cupped his hands across his chest. This was a ritual exchange from those of the same generation; there was no hint of the status of the Nine Furnace Crown Prince behind it. "Fleeting Dragon, guide Brother Lin to the reception hall. I shall head there soon after."
Yes," Fleeting Dragon respectfully said. Lin Ming could feel from this respect that the Nine Furnace Crown Prince was an extraordinary character. Otherwise it would be impossible to sincerely convince a master like Fleeting Dragon.
The Nine Furnace Crown Prince's dantian was also covered in a thick fog; it was impossible to see his cultivation.
"I heard that Yang Yun crossed into Life Destruction at just 30 years of age. Ten years have passed now. I wonder what stage of Life Destruction he has reached now…"
Lin Ming didn't doubt that Yang Yun could even jump ranks to fight. If so, then his strength was terrifying.
After arriving at the reception hall, Yang Yun arrived in just half an incense stick of time. At this time, he had changed his clothes and was now wearing a purple gold robe as well as a purple gold crown. The robe he wore was embroidered with the image of a five-clawed golden dragon. Whether consciously or unconsciously, he emitted a noble air around him that made others want to fall to their knees and worship him.
This sort of aura that made one wish to bow before him was called the legendary Breath of the King. This so-called Breath of the King was similar to a force field, the only difference being that it was far weaker in intensity. To a martial artist on the level of Lin Ming, this sort of aura had absolutely no use. But Xiaoxiao was different. She felt a great pressure just from standing in front of Yang Yun.
That previously jade-like handsome, ethereal Yang Yun had now overlapped with the current Yang Yun that released the Breath of the King. It was impossible to distinguish just which one was the real Yang Yun.
Yang Yun realized that Xiaoxiao's complexion had paled. He gently smiled at her and then purposefully restrained his energy. Xiaoxiao immediately felt the pressure on her lighten and her face flushed red again.
"I apologize Miss Heavencraft. Cuicui, please brew a pot of jade tea for Miss Heavencraft."
The last few words were spoken to a palace maid. Xiaoxiao gratefully smiled, flattered that someone like Yang Yun would care about such an unimportant person as her. As for the jade tea, as the Young Mistress of the Heavencraft Trading Company, Xiaoxiao was well aware of just what that was. That was an extremely precious Yin-attribute tea. It was said that if a mortal woman drank a cup of it she would become one year younger, and if she drank an entire pot she would become ten years younger.
This was no exaggeration. Only after stepping on the path of cultivation would one's life potential develop. Hence, as a mortal, it was relatively easier to extend their life..
But for a martial artist, especially Life Destruction martial artists, because they had trained themselves to the limit, they had to completely unearth all of their life's potential. Thus, wanting to extend their life was far too difficult.
The maid named Cuicui respectfully served tea to everyone. Her appearance was exquisite and with her young age she still had a Xiantian realm cultivation. For such a heavenly gifted girl to be a palace maid, this was obviously proof of the Nine Furnace Divine Kingdom's legacy.
She poured the jade tea in Xiaoxiao tea cup and also served ice lotus tea to Lin Ming and the Nine Furnace Crown Prince. This sort of tea was even more precious than jade tea. It was produced from the dried petals of the ice lotuses that grew around the Nine Flower Lake. As for the ice lotuses of the Nine Flower Lake, they could be called heavenly treasures.
The Nine Furnace Crown Prince smiled and said, "Brother Lin is truly an astounding person. You are just over 20 years of age and yet you've managed to step into the pages of the Destiny Decree with just a late Revolving Core cultivation. When I was Brother Lin's age, the difference was simply far too great!"
The Nine Furnace Crown Prince ruefully smiled. Lin Ming didn't respond, only waiting for the Nine Furnace Crown Prince to state his intention for inviting him over here.
However, the Nine Furnace Crown Prince had no intention of doing so. Instead, he and Lin Ming talked about the customs and policies of the four Divine Kingdoms, as well as relating to him the various large sects and influences, and all sorts of other strange information.
Yang Yun was an eloquent individual and extremely well spoken. His manner of speaking was charming and light, make him very comfortable and disarming to talk too. Even Xiaoxiao couldn't help but have a favorable impression of him.
Finally, after an hour of conversation had passed, Lin Ming asked, "May I ask why Your Highness has requested my presence here?"
"Haha, Brother Lin need not worry, I merely like to befriend the heroes of this world. Also, Brother Lin, there's no need to be so polite. Please, call me Yang Yun."
Yang Yun's words were well said and Lin Ming didn't speak further. The truth was that he knew that the so-called 'befriending heroes of this world' and winning over the will of people all meant that he was recruiting others for his own purposes. Yang Yun's cleverness lay in the fact that he didn't directly mention this matter. Instead, he first wanted to be friends with Lin Ming. Friends first, leader after. Otherwise, it would be too easy to be turned at the start.
Even though Lin Ming had guessed Yang Yun's true intentions, he still didn't refuse him.
"Brother Yang's skill in fine arts and military expertise is renowned throughout the world. In the future, you'll likely become an unrivalled Divine Emperor. For Brother Yang to value me so highly is truly flattering."
"Haha, Brother Lin is too modest. I wonder which force Brother Lin originated from? With Brother Lin's talent I fear you'll become the top powerhouse of the Sky Spill Continent in the future. When that time comes, I might need to rely on Brother Lin."
The two young men complimented each other. Lin Ming smiled, not responding to Yang Yun's inquiry of his background. In response, Yang Yun tactfully didn't ask again. "Brother Lin, I happened to have invited some astounding young elites from the Sky Spill Continent here today for a banquet at the Nine Flower Lake. Would Brother Lin like to join me to the lake and share in some wine whilst meeting the heroes of this world?"
To be considered an astounding young elite by Yang Yun, they must have the most extraordinary prides of heaven within the entire Sky Spill Continent. Not only would their strength and talent be extraordinary, but they should also be greatly influential. For instance, the successor of a great sect or perhaps an extremely powerful Divine Kingdom Prince.
Lin Ming hadn't replied yet when a maid came in to report on some news. "Your Highness, the White Clan Princess has arrived."
"Oh? Then I shall immediately go to receive her. Brother Lin, how about going with me?"
"Mm, alright." Lin Ming nodded.
Yang Yun had indeed invited heroic young elites that stood at the very peak of the Sky Spill Continent. These people all ranged from their twenties to their fifties.
For the Xiantian realm, someone 50 years old would be considered middle-aged. But if one could step into the Life Destruc
Destruction realm in their thirties, then they would appear in their twenties even if they were 50 years of age. In addition, Life Destruction powerhouses lived for thousands of years. Thus, a 50 year old Life Destruction powerhouse could also be considered someone of the younger generation.
The White Clan Princess, the Great Smelting Kingdom Prince, and the Seven Star High Prince Successor, each of them were eminent characters.
For instance, that White Clan Princess. The so-called White Clan was a family clan that lived at the borders of the Nine Furnace Divine Kingdom in a hidden world. This Family Clan had a very special bloodline; they had a bloodline seal. A bloodline seal was a special ability inherited through the bloodline of that family clan. This sort of ability could only be inherited by direct descendants.
Two thousand years ago, a Divine Sea Supreme Elder was born in the White Clan, thus they became worthy of being a true Holy Land level power. And now, their current Family Head also had a high chance of breaking through to the Divine Sea. At that time, their White Clan would have two Supreme Elders backing them. Although that was far from being able to match with the four Divine Kingdoms, it was still a focal super power. The White Clan Princess was the future successor to the Family Head. Thus, her prominent status could be imagined.
There was not much to say of the Great Smelting Kingdom Prince. He had already earned a similar reputation to the Nine Furnace Crown Prince a long time ago. Within the Sublime Smelting Divine Kingdom, the title of Crown Prince was an empty position. Currently, there were several powerful competitors vying for this seat, and this Great Smelting Prince was one of them. He was currently 45 years old and also ranked on the Destiny Decree. Although the combined power of his subordinates was weaker than Yang Yun, he was still extremely terrifying.
As for the Seven Prince High Prince Successor, his status was a bit poorer. However, his grandfather was ranked in the top two Divine Sea powerhouses of the entire Seven Star Divine Kingdom. That grandfather's status was absolutely terrifying. If other Divine Sea Supreme Elders ran into him, even they had to greet him as if they were a junior.
This group of people consisted of some of the most illustrious characters of the Sky Spill Continent, princes amongst princes.
Because Xiaoxiao accompanied Lin Ming, she also followed him to this banquet. As she faced this crowd of young people that stood at the very peak of the Sky Spill Continent, even she, who she felt was worldly and had seen the 'great world', felt breathless.
Compared to these people in front of her, everyone she had ever come into contact with was nothing at all.
As the host, Yang Yun introduced everyone one at a time.
As every person was introduced, Xiaoxiao would be increasingly shocked every time. But as for Lin Ming, he remembered their appearance and background as well as silently estimating their strength. In the four Divine Kingdoms, it was inevitable that he would encounter these individuals in the future.
As Lin Ming was introduced, Yang Yun only used a few simple words to describe him, "The only Revolving Core talent to enter the Destiny Decree in a thousand years – Lin Lanjian."
"Mm? He is Lin Lanjian!?" The Great Smelting Prince looked at Lin Ming, a bit astonished. He had also been wondering who Lin Ming was and why he was standing here. Now that the Great Smelting Prince knew that he was Lin Lanjian, even with his high and prominent status, he still held a deep respect in his heart when facing this sort of top talent that couldn't be judged by common sense.
"You are Lin Lanjian?" In the pavilion, a black-clothed youth stood up. He was an Asura Divine Kingdom Prince.
I am." Lin Ming cupped his hands across his chest. He was a bit puzzled as he felt this black-clothed youth's blazing eyes locked onto him. Just what problem did this fellow have with him? Was it related to Corpsemancer?
Or was this fellow one of those battle crazies that challenged every powerhouse they saw and now wanted to fight him?
However, Lin Ming never imagined that this black-clothed youth would suddenly step forward and point at Lin Ming's clothes. "Lin Lanjian, I want to take a look at the armor you're wearing. How about it?"
"Mm?" Lin Ming frowned. Randomly asking to view another's treasure was extremely rude.
He didn't expect the following explanation either. "Lin Lanjian, I suspect that your armor is the sacred relic of my clan, the Demon Emperor's armor!"