HSSB1052: Things still aren’t over yet
While Yan Zhaoge and Broad Creed Mountain had successfully alleviated the crisis of the battle at their opening ceremony, even causing their enemies to retreat hastily and fear returning because the Sword Sovereign had intervened, it was still very strange that the Brocade Emperor Fu Yunchi who had agreed to personally attend Broad Creed Mountain’s opening ceremony to congratulate them had completely failed to turn up.
Actually, for an Emperor to personally descend at a power that had only two measly Immortal Bridge Martial Saints was undoubtedly giving them a great deal of face as it should be considered a real big favour.
Even if he changed his mind and decided not to come, no one would think that there was anything wrong with it.
With the gap in their statuses having surpassed a certain level, many rules and manners were no longer applicable.
However minor the private affair of an Emperor, it would still be major for those of the human realm.
It was only natural to prioritise things that were more important.
If it was another power and the Brocade Emperor did not come, everyone would generally still find it to be perfectly acceptable rather than rude and wrong.
Still, the problem was that Yan Zhaoge and Broad Creed Mountain had already proven themselves as they could not be evaluated by ordinary standards at all.
They had proven this yet again in how they had withstood the Heaven Emperor during their opening ceremony and slain the Southern Exalt.
Although they had been able to repel the Heaven Emperor, this did not mean that they could do the same with the Brocade Emperor.
Still, the potential and strength displayed by Yan Zhaoge and Broad Creed Mountain were already so great that even Emperors would not overlook and underestimate them.
With how the Female Emperor Jie Mingkong had personally descended upon Broad Creed Mountain without any prior indication and helped them out, the Brocade Emperor’s failure to arrive appeared even more conspicuous.
The representatives of Ingenious Flying Peak who had come to offer their congratulations at Broad Creed Mountain’s opening ceremony all felt as though they were sitting on needles.
After the ceremony had ended, seeing how the Brocade Emperor had still not arrived, they were virtually mortified as they dared not linger, hurriedly offering their congratulations before leaving.
It was they who most wanted to get to the bottom of where the Brocade Emperor currently was at.
While the Brocade Emperor had a casual, carefree personality, he was never someone to go back on his word.
This time’s matter was clearly abnormal.
Yan Zhaoge, Yan Di and Yuan Zhengfeng did not feel dissatisfied and unhappy over this.
“It is not that the Brocade Emperor broke his promise and failed to come. It is probable that there is some other incident which is involved here,” Yan Zhaoge stroked his lower chin, “Zhuang Shen, Lang Qing, Daoist Oneheaven and Lian Zulin were filled with confidence and acting rampantly and without reservation from the start. From some things they coincidentally said and their attitudes at the time, it seems that they were completely certain that the Brocade Emperor would definitely be unable to arrive. He would not be able to make it in time for sure, at least.”
Yan Di nodded, “With the Brocade Emperor having openly voiced out that he would be attending our opening ceremony, they would naturally have viewed him as the greatest hindrance to their plans. Although the Heaven Emperor would be coming too, if the Brocade Emperor could not show up, they would see it as meaning that their victory was assured with no one being able to stop the Heaven Emperor.”
“They had no way of knowing that you had prepared the Earth Mother Dao Ritual, much less the fact that senior apprentice-brother Yue had made arrangements. If they were going to do something, their foremost target would naturally have been the Brocade Emperor. I fear his no-show was induced by their schemes.”
Yan Zhaoge spread his palms apart, “I initially thought of two possibilities.”
“Firstly, something came up with Fu Ting who went to the Immortal Court with me and is forced to be in secluded cultivation at Red Lotus Cliff now. Thus, the Brocade Emperor was forced to return to Kunlun Mountain.”
“Secondly, maybe Zhuang Shen and co contacted Mars Halberd, requesting that he help to intercept and obstruct the Brocade Emperor.”
Still, news from Ingenious Flying Peak after the opening ceremony was that the Brocade Emperor never returned after having left while there were also no abnormalities with Fu Ting in the least.
If the Brocade Emperor had been intercepted by Mars Halberd, with so much time having passed, there should have been news on this by now even if the Brocade Emperor had failed to make it in time for the opening ceremony.
After all, the Brocade Emperor’s strength surpassed that of Mars Halberd with the Immortal Artifact that he possessed.
Mars Halberd might be able to obstruct him for a while, but doing so for so long a time would simply be impossible.
Father and son exchanged looks as they were only able to helplessly shake their heads.
Yan Zhaoge’s gaze flickered slightly as he thought to himself, “Maybe there is still a third possibility…”
“We finally know now why the Roving Jade Heavens sent over the Immortal Trapping Sword Manual that year,” Yan Di changed the topic.
Back then, Yan Zhaoge’s and Broad Creed Mountain’s main opponent had been the Grand Xuan Dynasty.
The Grand Xuan Dynasty’s number one expert had been Shen Lingzi.
While no news had been heard of him for many years, news of his death had never spread as well as he would definitely return to the Royal Reed Sea for the final battle between their two sides.
Meanwhile, the Immortal Trapping Sword precisely countered his lineage’s Time Flowing Sword.
In the end, Shen Lingzi, Daoist Shi and King Xuancheng had indeed returned to the Royal Reed Sea.
The Immortal Trapping Sword had been vital as Yan Zhaoge had slain Kang Ping and Shen Lingzi, both of whom had been Immortal Bridge Martial Saints.
Through Nie Jingshen and Bai Tao’s group, Yan Zhaoge and Yan Di finally learnt of their relationship with the Roving Jade Heavens now.
The Dragon Spring Emperor Long Xingquan who had resided in the Roving Jade Heavens for several thousand years was precisely the junior apprentice-brother of Yan Di’s father, the late Exalted Gold Luminary Yan Xingtang.
Meanwhile, one of the Roving Jade Heaven’s two Sovereigns, the Profound Sovereign Gao Qingxuan who was also the wife of the Dragon Spring Emperor and the great-grandmother of Gao Qing whom Yan Zhaoge had once met, was precisely the senior apprentice-sister of Yan Di’s mother, the late Sword Emperor Di Qinglian.
Thinking of the legend of how eldest apprentice-brother had married little apprentice-sister and how little apprentice-brother had married eldest apprentice-sister, Yan Zhaoge and Yan Di smiled inwardly as they felt rather admiring of this.
Unlike the Sword Sovereign Yue Zhenbei who was often away from the World beyond Worlds, the Profound Sovereign and the Dragon Spring Emperor generally resided in the Roving Jade Heavens.
The two of them clearly knew of the arrangements that Yan Xingtang and his wife had made that year.
Therefore, after discovering that Yan Di had appeared in the World beyond Worlds, they had been paying attention to them in secret, even having sent the Immortal Trapping Sword Manual over back then and helped out them father and son along with Broad Creed Mountain greatly.
It was just that as the Heaven Emperor had come to attack Broad Creed Mountain at their opening ceremony this time, it was inconvenient for them to openly lend their assistance.
The World beyond Worlds and the Roving Jade Heavens did not share a harmonious relationship. Were they to act, it would easily cause the World beyond Worlds to be united against a common external foe, placing Broad Creed Mountain in even more dire straits.
Still, the Dragon Spring Emperor and his wife had had no need to worry with the Sword Sovereign around.
The Southwestern Exalt Bai Tao, though, had discreetly hinted that he hoped Yan Zhaoge and Yan Di would avoid associating with the Roving Jade Heavens as much as possible.
“Even if we do not mention the pre-existing ties between us, we must still thank senior apprentice-uncle Long for the Immortal Trapping Sword Manual from back then,” Yan Di said, “As he and his wife have been thinking greatly for us, we should find a chance to pay a visit to the Roving Jade Heavens and thank them sometime. As for anything else, we can talk about that afterwards.”
Yan Zhaoge said, “You’re right. That’s exactly how it is.”
While things were tense between the World beyond Worlds and the Roving Jade Heavens, it was still not at the point that they were bitter, irreconcilable enemies.
That one descendant of the Dragon Spring Emperor could conceal his identity and reside in the World beyond Worlds at any one time was proof of this.
“It is not easy for you to move about with how you have to lead the sect,” Yan Zhaoge said after thinking for a moment, “Whereas I am comparatively freer. I will find a way to contact those of the Roving Jade Heavens, then go take a look. The Shadow Mountain Sword King did also take care of us quite a bit that year.”
It was not that it was absolutely forbidden to travel from one side to the other. Still, this had to be done with the utmost discretion.
Yan Di nodded, “Yes, just keep that in mind.”
……
In the central Jun Heaven Territory, atop Kunlun Mountain’s Southern High Peak’s Qilin Cliff, an old man was currently gazing calmly in the direction of the southeast.
He was none other than the Earth Exalt, Wang Zhengcheng.
He nodded slightly, saying slowly, “Off you go then.”