The elegant and quiet courtyard looked as though it had come out of a painting.
A middle-aged man with a fit body who was dressed in a blue and brown robe sat cross-legged in the air. His hair was long and gray, and his face was handsome. Apart from that, his bearing was extraordinary as well. His hooked nose what his most distinguishable feature.
“Master.”
“Uncle Sikong.”
Old Man Wen and Ding Yan greeted the middle-aged man at almost the same time.
Following that, Xue Hai Chuan and Xue Hai Shan stepped forward and cupped their fists together at the middle-aged man and greeted him in unison, “Greetings, Revered Elder Sikong.”
When Duan Ling Tian regained his senses, he quickly greeted the middle-aged man as well. Sikong Yue, whom he had met, did not resemble the middle-aged man much. There was only a slight similarity between the two; their ears and their lips were the same.
The middle-aged man was none other than Sikong Ye, a Revered Elder and a Black Dragon Elder of the Flying Dragon Sect. When he opened his eyes, unlike most people, his eyes were grayish-brown. If Duan Ling Tian were still on Earth, he would have thought Sikong Ye was wearing colored contact lenses.
A faint smile appeared on Sikong Ye’s face when he looked at Xue Hai Chuan and said praisingly, “Elder Xue, I’ve long heard of you. Long Qing Chong, that child, has mentioned you to me many times. Among the youngest White Dragon Elders, he thinks you have the highest chances of becoming an Emperor of Gods.”
Xue Hai Chuan was briefly stunned by Sikong Ye’s praise. Then, he quickly said, “Revered Elder Sikong, you’re praising me too much. I’m aware of my strength. It won’t be easy for me to become an Emperor of Gods.”
/ please keep reading on MYB0XNOVEL.COM
“You’re still young, unlike me, an old man. You have time on your side,” Sikong Ye said before he landed on the ground, “Just like how Kings of Gods will improve during the Imperial War Realm, it’ll be the same for you. I heard about what happened in the past. I don’t think you need to restrict your cultivation for your brother’s sake. I don’t think that he wants either.”
Then, Sikong Ye turned to Xue Hai Shan and said, “You can stay here to cultivate when Elder Xue goes to the Imperial War Realm. I have three empty courtyards. One’s for Duan Ling Tian, and one’s for you.”
“Thank you, Revered Elder Sikong,” Xue Hai Shan thanked Sikong Ye profusely.
At this time, Duan Ling Tian said through Voice Transmission, “Thank you, Ding Yan.”
Ding Yan looked at him in confusion and asked, “Why are you thanking me?”
“Didn’t you ask Revered Elder Sikong to let Brother Hai Shan stay?” Duan Ling Tian asked.
“No,” Ding Yan replied, “I mentioned Brother Hai Shan previously, but Uncle Siking didn’t say anything. I only heard about it earlier. I think he’s doing this because of Elder Xue.”
Duan Ling Tian nodded in agreement.
At this time, Xue Hai Chuan said, “Thank you, Revered Elder Sikong.”
Sikong Ye said, “Alright. I hope you’ll grow stronger from the Imperial War. Apart from cultivating and comprehending the law, you need experience to raise your strength as well. As for Xue Hai Shan, I suggest that you stay to cultivate. After stabilizing your cultivation base, you can form a group to enter the King Battlefield to gain experience.”
Upon hearing this, Xue Hai Shan seemed to have changed his mind.
“You’re right, Revered Elder Sikong,” Xue Hai Shan said before he turned to Xue Hai Chuan and said, “Hai Chuan, you can leave now. Don’t worry. I’ll stay here to cultivate.”
Xue Hai Chuan nodded in response before he bade farewell to the others and left.
After Xue Hai Chuan left, Sikong Ye said to Old Man Wen, “Please make the necessary arrangements for Xue Hai Shan.”
“Yes, Master,” Old Man quickly replied before he led Xue Hai Shan away.
Xue Hai Shan bade farewell to everyone as well before he left.
With that, only Sikong Ye, Ding Yan, and Duan Ling Tian were left in the courtyard.
Ding Yan said with a smile, “Duan Ling Tian, this is my Uncle Sikong, Sikong Ye.”
Sikong Ye, who was looking at Ding Yan with a doting gaze, shifted his attention to Duan Ling Tian and said with a smile, “Duan Ling Tian, I’ve heard many great things about you. Thank you for taking care of my nephew when he was in Skywind City’s Hidden Fog Academy.”
Duan Ling Tian hurriedly shook his head and said, “Revered Elder Sikong, you’re too polite. Ding Yan and I are friends. It’s only normal for us to look out for each other.”
Sikong Yue smiled as a hint of nostalgia flashed in his eyes. He chuckled and said, “How nice it is to be young. Both of you remind me of myself and Ding Yan’s father. So many years have passed in just a blink of an eye. It’s a pity he left us so soon…”
A sorrowful expression could be seen on Sikong Ye’s face as he sighed.
Duan Ling Tian said solemnly, “Revered Elder Sikong, I’m sure Ding Yan’s father is watching all of you from heaven. I’m sure he has no regrets having a friend like you when he sees how you treat Ding Yan like you would your son.”
Sikong Ye chuckled. “You’re much more eloquent than Ding Yan. How interesting. No wonder my daughter is so interested in you. She even wants Long Qing Chong to ask you to teach her alchemy.”
Ding Yan was stunned by Sikong Ye’s words. Then, a hint of gloom flashed in his eyes briefly.
Duan Ling Tian was also stunned. Then, he said with a wry smile, “In fact, my alchemy isn’t very good. Although I can refine king-grade Limit Divine Pills, it’s only because I’m very sensitive to the vitality energy in the Heaven and Earth Spirit Energy. In terms of skills, I can’t compare to the divine alchemists in our sect at all.”
A hint of helplessness could be heard in Duan Ling Tian’s voice when he spoke.
Sikong Ye looked at Duan Ling Tian with a profound gaze as he said, “While the drooping flowers pined for love, the river continued to flow heartlessly. If that’s the case, I hope you’ll make your intention clear the next time you encounter my daughter. That child is very proud, and she has never taken a liking to a man before. You’re the first person she’s interested in. I heard from Ding Yan that you already have a lot of wives and concubines. You even have children of your own. With your experience, I believe you know how to reject my daughter.”
Upon hearing this, Duan Ling Tian looked at Ding Yan with a speechless expression as he thought to himself, ‘When did I tell him I have a lot of wives and concubines? I only have two wives and three other women. How can these be considered a lot?!’
Sikong Ye continued to say with a serious expression, “In return for letting my daughter down gently, I’ll owe you a favor. I don’t consider letting you stay here a favor. I took you in because of Ding Yan so it has nothing to do with this matter regarding my daughter.”
Duan Ling Tian said helplessly, “Revered Elder Sikong, there’s no need to be so polite with me. You don’t owe me any favor for this matter.”
“I insist,” Sikong Ye said. Then, he did not wait for Duan Ling Tian’s response before he told Ding Yan to arrange a place for Duan Ling Tian to stay. Following that, he vanished into thin air as though he was never there at all.
Seeing that Duan Ling Tian was still in a daze, Ding Yan called out, “Duan Ling Tian, let’s go. You won’t be able to change Uncle Sikong’s mind. If you really don’t want him to owe you a favor, you can just not ask anything from him in the future. Naturally, I hope you won’t hesitate to ask for your help if you need it. After all, Uncle Sikong can help you with many things.”
Then, Ding Yan switched to Voice Transmission before he said, “Even if you ask Uncle Sikong to kill Xue Ming Zhi, I’m sure he’ll agree to it. Even if Xue Ming Zhi hides in the sect, Uncle Sikong can still kill him easily.”
Duan Ling Tian did not expect these words from Ding Yan. He was also surprised that Sikong Ye was capable of such a feat despite only being a Black Dragon Elder. Xue Ming Zhi was a Vice Sect Leader of the Flying Dragon Sect, after all; Xue Ming Zhi’s status was much higher than that of a Black Dragon Elder. Xue Ming Zhi’s status was only below the Sect Leader and the Golden Dragon Elders of the Flying Dragon Sect.
After listening to Ding Yan’s words, Duan Ling Tian wondered to himself, ‘How good is Revered Elder Sikong’s relationship with the sect leader to the point that he can easily kill a Vice Sect Leader without any repercussion? Or… Is he very strong?’
…
Time passed as Duan Ling Tian cultivated in Sikong Ye’s cultivation ground.
Duan Ling Tian did not personally gather the medicinal herbs that the Sect Leader of the Flying Dragon Sect had procured for him. Instead, Ding Yan helped him to collect them so that those with bad intentions would not be able to act against Duan Ling Tian.
Duan Ling Tian was naturally unaware of Ding Yan’s kindness. He was also unaware that the person who had ordered Xue Hai Chuan to go to the Imperial War Realm had connections to Xue Ming Zhi. After all, outwardly, the person had connections to Xue Ming Zhi or the 10,000 Devils faction.