Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
Seeing Ying Luozha, Zhao Huan, Sun Xue’er and the rest looking weirdly at him, Yang Tie laughed bitterly, “Senior Shaolan is very stubborn. Before the War of the Two Worlds even started, we were pursuing some cultivators from the Hall of the Dead. Then, Senior Shaolan overhead some of the random chatter by the disciples of other sects.”
Sun Xue’er was a little surprised, “What random chatter?”
Ying Luozha thought for a moment and laughed coldly, “Words that demean Comrade Fang? Ha, she shouldn’t be too bothered about such words.”
Zhao Huan and Ying Luozha looked at each other and their expressions turned weird.
Both of them were the first batch of disciples to join the Celestial Sect of Wonders, unlike Sun Xue’er and Yang Tie. They all attended the first Sect-Opening Ceremony.
The Celestial Sect of Wonders was not so powerful then as they were today. The friendlier forces that came to visit the sect at most sent Nascent Soul Stage cultivators. It was rare to see Immortal Soul Stage cultivators.
To many in the Divine Lands then, they did not realize the potential of the Celestial Sect of Wonders. Even for those who did so, they didn’t expect that such a relatively new power could reach this level today.
At least no one could have predicted such a rapid rise of the Celestial Sect of Wonders in such a short period of time. In slightly more than 10 years, the Celestial Sect of Wonders had grown from a newly founded sect to a force that could rival the Great Void Sect.
At that point in time, no one would have expected the disciples of the Celestial Sect of Wonders to be the superior partner when they teamed up with the descendants of the other sects and powers.
Prince Anliang, Shi Zongyue, of the Great Qin Empire once proposed marriage between Yue Hongyan and his grandson, Shi Shaogan, to Lin Feng. However, Lin Feng did not let this marriage proceed if Yue Hongyan was unwilling.
And now, no one naturally mentioned this matter anymore. During the Spiritual Conference of Huanghai, some of the behavior and mannerisms of Shi Shaogan were hilarious but no one bore them to mind anymore right now.
However, things changed. The Celestial Sect of Wonders was no longer the same as before. Their switch of position and status with the other powers was also a lamentable fact to the others.
As the First Disciple in the Heavenly Temple, Yang Tie was slowly taking over the daily administration of the Heavenly Temple. His status within the Celestial Sect of Wonders was growing too.
Although his style was less offensively-inclined, his cultivation was recognized as the best among the successive disciples in the second generation of Celestial Sect of Wonders’ disciples. His stability was among the top 10 and perhaps could even break into the top 5.
At this stage, there were many people in the Divine Lands who already believed that the top 10 disciples in every generation of the Celestial Sect of Wonders were probably the top 10 cultivators in the same generation of the Divine Lands.
Only the truly exceptional talents of the other powers could be mentioned in the same class as them.
This was a viewpoint that many did not adhere to. But more and more people acknowledged this viewpoint in recent times. Especially following the more frequent appearances of the disciples of the Celestial Sect of Wonders in the Divine Lands, the performances that they achieved further added weight to the legend about them.
Hence, the problem of Daoist couples formed by the disciples of the Celestial Sect of Wonders was slowly gaining the attention of others at times.
The Purple Clouds Sect had always been the ally of the Celestial Sect of Wonders. The relationship between both parties had always been very tight. The Master of Fang Shaolan, Gu Lei, was a good friend of Yang Tie’s Master, Zhu Yi. The wife of Gu Lei, Li Kuiyin, also shared a close relationship with Shi Tianhao.
Fang Shaolan was also the most outstanding character among the younger generation cultivators in the Purple Clouds Sect. Not only Gu Lei and Li Kuiyin, the elders of the Purple Clouds Sect were also hopeful of Fang Shaolan. They believed that her potential might even render her more successful than Gu Lei.
From the perspective of the entire Divine Lands, Fang Shaolan was also a budding talent among the younger generation of cultivators.
But the problem was that the difference became obvious when she was compared to Yang Tie or the most outstanding batch of disciples from the Celestial Sect of Wonders..
There were many busybodies outside that joked around privately that for Yang Tie, Zhou Yuncong and the others, it’s fine if they did not form Daoist couples. But if they really looked for a partner, they could only look to the Great Void Sect if they did not fancy anyone from the Celestial Sect of Wonders.
They could also look towards Mount Shu, the Great Zhou and Great Qin Empire. But cultivators of the same generation from other sects or powers might be too far inferior to them.
Generally speaking, Daoist couples could be husband and wife. But as time passed, they would slowly turn into partners that relied on each other and discuss about the Dao in their long path of cultivation.
Yang Tie’s unison with Fang Shaolan was destined to be a one-sided affair where Yang Tie would most certainly be responsible for helping Fang Shaolan to improve.
Those who engaged in the random chatters were mostly female cultivators. There were many of them whose intentions were sparked by jealousy.
After hearing Ying Luozh’s words, Sun Xue’er also understood and a bitter smile flashed across her face.
Zhao Huan creased his brows and said, “This is also subjective question. Just because of his words, we’ll let him remain stagnant because of his worries? I’ve seen Senior Shaolan before. She’s not such a petty person.”
In fact, besides Yang Tie and Fang Shaolan, there existed Daoist couples between the disciples of the Celestial Sect of Wonders and Purple Clouds Sect. They met when they were young and were romantically involved. When their Dao foundations were stable, they wedded.
However, that Celestial Sect of Wonders’ disciple was not that outstanding in the Celestial Sect of Wonders although he was recognized as a talent in the external world. He did not draw so much attention like Yang Tie.
Yang Tie sighed and did not speak. Ying Luozha said calmly at one side, “No matter how deep one’s love for the other is and no matter how willing one is to sacrifice his or her life for the other, there are very few who will be satisfied to become a vassal to their partner. The more ambitious one is, the more it’ll be so.”
“She can ignore the words of others. But her own barrier, which is her pride, can’t be put down so easily. She may not pursue superiority, but at least she’ll need equality.”
Sun Xue’er also sighed as she said, “There are some who are willing to sacrifice themselves for love, while there are those who are unwilling. It’s not that the latter possessed shallower love. It’s just a difference in personality. Like what Senior Ying Luozha said, even if one is willing to sacrifice his life for his partner, it doesn’t mean that he or she is willing to be inferior to his or her partner.”
“Senior Shaolan wants everyone around her to call her the Bi Huan Priest now and the Bi Huan Master or even the Bi Huan Holy Woman in the future. She doesn’t want to be known as the wife of the Tian Tai Master, or Madam Yang.”
Bi Huan Priest was the current Daoist name of Fang Shaolan.
Sun Xue’er looked at Yang Tie and laughed bitterly, “Senior Shaolan must already have had her own opinion? With her personality, she can’t be affected by the words of others so easily.”
Yang Tie laughed bitterly, “She’s already under a lot of pressure. That might have been the breaking point.”
“She can still stabilize herself during her cultivation process and is not anxious to achieve instant success. I am very happy that she can do that.”
Ying Luozha and Zhao Huan also shook their heads as they heard him.
Although they did not express it out, Ying Luozha, Sun Xue’er and the rest all sighed in their hearts.
This might sound very hurtful, but it was almost impossible for Fang Shaolan to reach Yang Tie’s cultivation unless there was any major accident.
As mentioned before, the gap between the both of them was not just because of their personal qualities. The difference in their backers was also present.
It was pertinent to note that Fang Shaolan started cultivating much earlier than Yang Tie. But right now, she was already lacking behind Yang Tie.
Zhao Huan said gradually, “I still think that it’s not that necessary.”
Yang Tie’s smile looked very bitter and he shook his head. He did not speak any further. Everyone also remained silent. For such a personal matter, it’s not very good for them to interfere.
The bunch from the Celestial Sect of Wonders advanced forward quickly. They broke through void space and travelled towards the distance.
After a brief moment, the expressions of everyone changed slightly. Yang Tie, Ying Luozha and Zhao Huan turned to their right and only saw void space being broken open over there. A few human figures appeared.
Ying Luozha scanned, “They are from the Great Qin Empire.”
The relationship between the Great Qin Empire and Celestial Sect of Wonders was rather good. Although the relationship between both parties dipped a little after the Celestial Sect of Wonders rose in reputation following the Battle at Mount Shu, they still remained as allies.
Now that they met, neither Yang Tie and the others nor the Great Qin Empire cultivators spared the formalities. They greeted one another before proceeding together.
The one leading this bunch of Great Qin Empire was a lady decked in yellow. Yang Tie and the others were also familiar with her. She was the daughter of Shi Yu, Shi Xingyun.
“Princess Xingyun, greetings to you.” Yang Tie and the rest greeted her. Shi Xingyun smiled back and replied, “All of you can spare the formalities.”
From Princess Xingyun, Yang Tie and the rest learned that the Great Qin Empire also retreated after receiving Lin Feng’s warning. They wanted to gather their forces together first.
Including Shi Yu, the Great Qin Empire cultivators gathered towards Mount Guxing. After meeting with the Celestial Sect of Wonders and Purple Clouds Sect, they would decide their next plan of action after considering the detailed situation.
However, Shi Xingyun was indeed summoned by Shi Yu and came from the Divine Lands.
As the bunch of them travelled together, Zhao Huan communicated with Yang Tie using his powers, “Yang Tie, Princess Xingyun doesn’t seem right.”
Yang Tie nodded his head silently. While Princess Xingyun looked as calm as usual, her gaze subtly contained a hint of worry.
When they finally arrived near Mount Guxing, they did not get close to the mountain. Yang Tie and the rest received the instructions of Zhu Yi suddenly.
They should not go to Mount Guxing but the passageway between the Divine Lands and the Barren Expanses. They had to return to the Divine Lands as quickly as possible.
This sudden news left Yang Tie and the rest at a loss, “The Hades tribe is coming to Mount Guxing?”
“Even worse.” Zhu Yi answered in a low voice, “The Earth Celestial Dragon and Azure Sky Dragon King left the Black Sea without any warning and approached towards the headquarters of Shi Yu. The Great Qin Empire cultivators are retreating near to Mount Guxing while the dragons are hot on their heels.”
“The Origins Celestial Dragon is recovering far faster than expected. He has already recovered from the Weakened State after overcoming the tribulations. Whereas the Yellow Plains Dragon King managed to reach the Vipralopa Stage and changed his name to the Shen Celestial Dragon.”
A series of bad news arrived and left Yang Tie and the rest stunned. The deeper message behind caused a chill to run down their spines.
And almost at the same time, the Great Qin Empire cultivators were summoned by Shi Yu again. They were supposed to escort Shi Xingyun to their headquarters as soon as possible.