Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
From the Pavilion Master of the Imperial Tutor Pavilion’s point of view, becoming a Three Talents Celestial King within thirty years was an amazing feat, but Duan Ling Tian felt that his progress was too slow.
‘Even with the resources provided by the Profound Nether Mansion, it still took me thirty years to break through and become a Three Talents Celestial King. If things continue this way… don’t tell me it’s going to take me at least 200 years before I become a Nine Palaces Celestial King. What about when I want to break through and become a Celestial Lord? It would get increasingly difficult to break through once I become a Celestial Lord, let alone a Celestial Emperor. Moreover, although a Ten Directions Celestial Emperor is powerful and comparable to the Heavenly Emperors, it might not be enough to rescue Ke’er and the others from the Divine Offering Land.’ With this thought in mind, Duan Ling Tian felt the weight on his shoulders grow heavier.
If Duan Ling Tian was given 10,000 years to raise his cultivation base, he would not be worried at all. However, as it was, he only had 900 years left; the time he had was too short. For this reason, he was determined to enter the upper realm of the Southern Heaven Ancient Realm because it provided him with the chance to improve his strength tremendously.
‘The upper realm holds rare fortuitous encounters that can’t be found in the Ten Major Clans and Top Five Sects.’ These were the Pavilion Master of the Imperial Tutor Pavilion’s words to Duan Ling Tian a few years ago. Hence, he was more eager to enter the upper realm than to join the Ten Major Clans and the Top Five Sects. Although he was only a Three Talents Celestial King now, his comprehension of the law of space was remarkable. Therefore, he was confident he would be able to protect himself in the upper realm. Moreover, he would not be alone in the upper realm.
Before entering the upper realm of the Southern Heaven Ancient Heaven, the pavilion master solemnly reminded Duan Ling Tian and Huan’er, “Remember to always be on your guard. Crush your Identity Jade Token if your life is at risk.”
Duan Ling Tian nodded slightly as he took Huan’er with him to enter the upper realm with the formation compass. Since the formation compass was tethered to the Imperial Tutor Pavilion, they would enter the upper realm from the pavilion and would be sent out from the upper realm to the pavilion as well. Even if they crushed their Identity Jade Tokens, they would be sent out of the upper realm to the pavilion.
As Duan Ling Tian and Huan’er were transported to the upper realm, everything went dark in their surroundings before light flooded their vision again.
Duan Ling Tian discovered he and Huan’er were now standing on a stone platform. When he looked up, he discovered the stone platform was rather vast.
As soon as the duo appeared, Huan’er began to attract the attention of a few Celestial Kings who had just arrived in the upper realm as well. They stared at her blatantly as though they were in a trance. After all, it was almost impossible to find another woman who was as beautiful as Huan’er. How could ordinary men not be entranced by her beauty?
“Look at that beauty!”
At this moment, an ordinary-looking young man stepped forward and said, “Beauty, I’m Hong Man Qiu, a direct disciple of the Hong Clan, one of the Ten Major Clans in the Southern Heaven Territory. Why don’t you leave this pretty boy behind and come with me instead?”
Alas, Huan’er did not even spare Hong Man Qiu a glance. Her gaze remained fixated on Duan Ling Tian from the beginning until the end. The smile on her face blossomed like flowers in spring as she looked at him.
Upon seeing Huan’er’s smile, the men in the surroundings feel deeper into their trance. In just a few moments, a few more people tried to strike up a conversation with her. Similar to earlier, she ignored them completely.
With this, most people began to shift their attention away from the cold and aloof Huan’er to Duan Ling Tian.
“Boy, who are you? What makes you think you’re deserving of this peerless beauty?”
“Boy, I’m a core disciple of the Wind Thunder Dao Sect, one of the Top Five Sects in the Southern Heaven Territory. What’s your background? Which force are you from?”
The group of people glared at Duan Ling Tian resentfully as though they had great enmity with him even though this was their first meeting. Naturally, the source of their hostility was Huan’er.
“Idiots!” The corners of Duan Ling Tian’s lips curved into a sneer as he swept his eyes across the group of people.
Upon hearing Duan Ling Tian’s words, the group of men was, naturally, infuriated. Since they were in the safe zone, no one dared to act recklessly in fear of triggering the killing Formation in the safe zone. After all, they would surely die a horrible death if they were killed by the killing Formation. For this reason, despite their boiling anger, none of them dared to attack Duan Ling Tian.
A core disciple of the Wind Thunder Dao Sect said indignantly, “Boy, if you have the guts, don’t trigger the Invisibility Formation in your Identity Jade Token before you leave the safe zone!”
After entering the upper realm of the Southern Heaven Territory, everyone would be given an Identity Jade Token. Apart from the Transporting Formation that would be triggered once one shattered the Identity Jade Token, it also contained an Invisibility Formation that could only be triggered in the safe zone. This was to prevent one from being targeted as soon as one arrived in the upper realm when leaving the safe zone.
After the core disciple of the Wind Thunder Dao Sect threatened Duan Ling Tian, a few people chimed in one after another.
Duan Ling Tian did not pay any attention to these people and brought Huan’er to collect their Identity Jade Tokens. One could choose to engrave one’s real name or fake name on the token.
“Duan Ling Tian.” Duan Ling Tian, naturally, had no plans of using a pseudonym so he engraved his real name on the token.
Similarly, Huan’er engraved her real name on the token as well. Although she was not formally educated, she knew how to write her name because of the memory she had inherited as a Thousand Phantoms Ice Fox.
After the duo dripped their blood on the Identity Jade Tokens, they felt a connection to their respective tokens immediately.
“Huan’er, let’s go.” Duan Ling Tian beckoned to Huan’er before they flew out of the safe zone.
No one knew how many safe zones there were in the upper realm. The location of the safe zones would change from time to time. As the Pavilion Master of the Imperial Tutor Pavilion had said before, they would have to return to this particular safe zone if they wanted to leave the upper realm without crushing their Identity Jade Tokens. Naturally, unless it was absolutely necessary, they would not crush their Identity Jade Token since doing so would cause them to lose their points and all their efforts would go to waste.
Upon seeing Duan Ling Tian and Huan’er leaving the safe zone without triggering the Invisibility Formation in their Identity Jade Tokens, the group of people watching them were stunned.
“Where did they get their courage from?”
“Even those powerful Ten Directions Celestial Kings wouldn’t be so bold, right?”
“Is it possible that they’re really powerful?”
“I don’t think I’ve seen them or heard of them before this. That woman is such a peerless beauty. If she has entered the upper realm before, there’s no way Ouyang Yu Wei, the true disciple from the Hundred Flowers Celestial Sect, would be hailed as the most beautiful woman in the upper realm of the Southern Heaven Ancient Realm!”
“That’s right! I’ve met Ouyang Yu Wei once and was stunned by her beauty. However, her beauty is slightly lacking compared to this woman.”
“Those two unknown people left the safe zone just like that? Aren’t they worried about being eliminated as soon as they leave the safe zone?”
“Perhaps, they’re just really confident of their strength.”
“They concealed their auras with some techniques so I can’t find out their cultivation bases.”
The safe zone that Duan Ling Tian and Huan’er were transported to was a vast stone platform suspended in the air. It was located in a place where the air was heavy and the ground was red, looking as though it had been stained by blood.
‘The middle realm isn’t a match for the upper realm at all… It’s obvious the former Southern Heaven Celestial Lord who created the realm expended a lot of effort when creating the upper realm,’ Duan Ling Tian thought to himself. Although the middle realm was rather life-like, it was a far cry from the upper realm. In the upper realm, he could even feel the atmospheric pressure from the heavens and earth when he flew.
As Duan Ling Tian traveled and surveyed his surroundings, a sense of desolation swept over him. He felt as though he was in an ancient war ground.
At this point, Duan Ling Tian and Huan’er had traveled rather far away from the safe zone. It would take them quite a while if they wanted to return to the safe zone.
“Huan’er, there are people following us,” Duan Ling Tian said at this moment.
After they had left the safe zone, Duan Ling Tian had sensed some people trying to probe him with their Divine Consciousness. Some of them were people who had just left the safe zone and some were from people who were lurking outside the safe zone. These people were like predators hunting for prey. Although some of them had stealthily followed the duo, none of them dared to recklessly make a move since they could not detect the duo’s cultivation bases.
At this moment, a group of three men lurked in a corner as they watched the duo.
“Hey, that woman isn’t even 100 years old!”
“Not even 100 years old?”
“It’s true!”
The three men were shocked when they discovered Huan’er’s age. They regained their senses when they heard a loud scoff ring in the air.
Soon after, a figure appeared out of thin air and blocked Duan Ling Tian and Huan’er’s path.
Upon seeing the newcomer, the trio cried out in unison, “It’s Jun Wang Cheng, the core disciple of the Wind Thunder Dao Sect!”