HSSB1008: The Yan Family’s wives
When Yan Zhaoge had just arrived in the Royal Reed Sea that year, his cultivation base had still been low as he possessed meagre strength.
There had been the threat of their major enemy, the Radiant Light Sect. It had seemingly hung over the Eight Extremities World like a butcher’s blade, seeming like it could descend and sever them at any moment.
Back then, Yan Zhaoge had moved amongst the powers of the Royal Reed Sea in order to expand space in which he could be active.
During this time, he had wrecked the Grand Xuan Dynasty’s setting up of the Heaven Bearing Efficate Formation and slain many of their people, thus having sowed increasingly greater enmity with them to the point where they were irreconcilable enemies.
Back then, Yan Zhaoge had not been concerned about why the Heaven Emperor had secretly dispatched Shen Lingzi’s lot to the Royal Reed Sea to establish the Heaven Bearing Efficate Formation, also having been unconcerned about why that Emperor was so persistent on seeking the legendary Earth Queen, one of the Four Imperials of Daoism.
That was a problem for the Southeastern Exalt Cao Jie to consider.
Yan Zhaoge had just needed to worry about how to raise his own strength so as to face the threat of the Grand Xuan Dynasty.
However, now that Yan Zhaoge would have to directly face the Heaven Emperor, matters regarding the Heaven Bearing Efficate Formation that he had previously been unconcerned with had become significant for him again.
Why had the Heaven Emperor dispatched people to establish the Heaven Bearing Efficate Formation in secret?
Why had he seemed adamant on doing so in the southeastern Yang Heaven Territory’s Royal Reed Sea?
Why was it that after having been obstructed, this great Emperor of Daoism had been so put off, finding it so difficult to accept it?
The Heaven Emperor aside, others had acted rather strangely as well.
While the Southeastern Exalt Cao Jie was a sword cultivator, he was very moderate most of the time as he seemed to have an attitude of letting others do whatever they wanted.
Still, as the ruler of a Territory and a sword cultivator, if he were really to be provoked by someone, he would definitely hold steadfast and resolute to the end.
He would not give in even if he was facing a true Immortal.
However, after he had first learnt of the existence of the Heaven Bearing Efficate Formation, Cao Jie had still silently allowed Kang Ping and the others of the Grand Xuan Dynasty to remain in the Royal Reed Sea, continuing to maintain it.
It was simply because of Broad Creed Mountain and Yan Zhaoge that the Grand Xuan Dynasty had ultimately been hard pressed to succeed.
Yan Zhaoge was on good terms with Golden Court Mountain, who leaned towards him and Broad Creed Mountain to some extent in secret.
It just so happened that a battle between the southeastern Yang Heaven Territory and the southern Blazing Heaven Territory had been set to commence, with Phoenix Ritual Mountain’s Wutong Slope also seeking to destroy Yan Zhaoge to vent their anger.
In the end, the Heaven Emperor had tied down the Southeastern Exalt Cao Jie when the battle between the south and southeast had broken out, borrowing the hand of Zhuang Shen to deal with Yan Zhaoge and Broad Creed Mountain even as he took care of the martial practitioners of the southeast.
This had instead enraged the Southeastern Exalt Cao Jie, who had borrowed the assistance of the Brocade Emperor and ultimately repelled the Heaven Emperor and the Southern Exalt Zhuang Shen.
The other peak experts of the World beyond Worlds had neither supported nor intervened in this.
Logically speaking, finding information on the Earth Queen who had not been heard of ever since the Great Calamity should be a major matter for the whole of Daoism.
Yan Zhaoge believed that Daoism’s peak experts would all attempt to do so if they had a method to.
Yet, as seen by the other peak experts of the World beyond Worlds, the Heaven Emperor’s actions were viewed more as his own private affairs.
As a result, there was only the Brocade Emperor who had intervened in this matter due to his personal friendship with the Southeastern Exalt.
Since it was a private matter, what sort of a reason could there be?
Having to face the wrath of that Emperor head-on now, Yan Zhaoge was very interested in this.
“I will personally take charge of this matter,” Yan Di gained interest as well as he kept the jade slip.
Yan Zhaoge stood up, “In that case, father, I will be going down to the Vast Ocean World now then.”
Yan Di nodded, “Yes, rest assured and go.”
“To be honest, I can’t rest assured, though not for things over here,” Yan Zhaoge forced a smile, “Miss Guan Yuluo sent news over from the north that there will only be a chance for that ‘door’ Yunsheng entered to reopen a few years later.”
Feng Yunsheng had effectively cut off her own path of retreat to some extent with this.
With that, Yan Zhaoge was unable to determine how she was currently doing.
Even though he knew that this was actually a normal thing for ambitious, resolute martial practitioners, with Feng Yunsheng being supremely talented as she also possessed two mighty weapons, the Extreme Yin Crown and the Cold Sun Divine Sabre, it would really be impossible for Yan Zhaoge not to be worried at all however confident he was in Feng Yunsheng.
“As the Chief of a sect, I would rejoice greatly at how we have a descendant such as this,” Yan Di said, “Still, I can understand your mindset too.”
Yan Zhaoge sighed soundlessly towards the heavens, “Oh father, these wives that we men of the Yan Family find really make one worry indeed!”
Yan Di replied exasperatedly, “Why do you say that?”
“Let alone how your hair’s nearly turned white looking for your wife, with the search still yet to see any success, even mine’s missing now,” Yan Zhaoge shrunk his neck back, but still muttered softly.
Yan Di was aggravated by his lackadaisical look as he just pointed at him, unable to say anything at all. He raised a hand as if to hit him, but Yan Zhaoge had already scampered away from the secluded chamber by now.
Looking at the fleeing figure of his son, Yan Di did not know whether to laugh or to cry.
A few moments later, Yan Zhaoge peeked back into the room, “Right, father, how’s that junior apprentice-brother Xia doing?”
Five years ago, Xia Guang who had returned to the southeastern Yang Heaven Territory along with Yan Zhaoge had successfully become a disciple of Broad Creed Mountain just like he wished.
To him, the various tests had not been difficult to pass.
While he had started out as a white-clothed disciple as per sect rules, he had quickly donned a blue robe and afterwards one which was black-bordered as he thus became a core disciple of Broad Creed Mountain.
Also, the master whose tutelage he had gone under in the end was Yan Di.
“Shocking talent, unordinary comprehension, painstaking diligence,” Yan Di evaluated.
As for Xia Guang’s easy-to-flare up temper and unswerving personality that might make it easy for his path to be impeded, he was not too concerned with it.
Yan Di was actually someone with a similar temperament as well, just that it was not exhibited as outwardly as Xia Guang.
Yan Zhaoge asked, “Has he not found his kin yet?”
Yan Di shook his head, “Not yet.”
Besides Xia Guang, two other descendants of the Listening Thunder Peak’s Xia Family had been out adventuring back then, thus having survived the tragic decimation of the family in the Consecutive Drum Mountain Range.
After returning to the southeastern Yang Heaven Territory with Yan Zhaoge and becoming a disciple of Broad Creed Mountain back then, he had returned to the Consecutive Drum Mountain Range to look for them as soon as he could.
Yet, he had received news that his elder brother and sister had both not returned from their trip.
Over the past five years, Broad Creed Mountain had secured Golden Court Mountain’s help and searched within the domain of the southeastern Yang Heaven Territory but to no avail.
Xia Guang had originally feared that the two had fallen into the hands of Three Foot Mountain.
Still, investigations from many sources had gradually confirmed that Three Foot Mountain too possessed no hold on their whereabouts.
Xia Guang could only temporarily quell his anxiety. He thought that the two of them might have heard about what had happened with the family back then. Being worried about being silenced by Three Foot Mountain, they were temporarily hiding outside, having changed their names and altered their identities.
Therefore, after settling down in Broad Creed Mountain, he had constantly ventured outside from time to time.
The fame of ‘Blood Thunderbolt’ Xia Guang was currently also not just limited to the Royal Reed Sea as he had become yet another rather renowned martial practitioner of Broad Creed Mountain after Yan Zhaoge and Yan Di who had been cultivating and not moving around outside in recent years.
Xia Guang had no desire to spread his fame, just wishing that his kin could hear of him and come seeking him in the Royal Reed Sea.
“Junior apprentice-brother Xia is exerting great pains indeed. I hope that his elder brother and sister were blessed by fortune and can reunite with him soon,” Yan Zhaoge sighed, Yan Di nodding as well.
This newly entered disciple could be considered as being afflicted with similar sad circumstances as they father and son.
After drifting about momentarily, Yan Di’s gaze became resolute once more, “Human Exalt stage…”