HSSB320: Advancing together, I am the victor
To Jade Sea City, the increase in strength of their longtime enemy, the Sacred Sun Clan, was inevitably incomparably terrible news to them.
Meanwhile, while the increase in strength of their ally, Broad Creed Mountain, benefited them, it also brought them pressure.
To the Heavenly Thunder Hall and Infinite Boundless Mountain, a similar problem actually also existed.
Even Turbid Wave Pavilion, having always remained strictly neutral with an isolationist stance, faced with the clearly increasing superiority in strength of Broad Creed Mountain and the Sacred Sun Clan, also had to pay attention to it.
If they wanted to remain neutral and at the same time completely independent, either they must possess no value in the eyes of others to pay any attention to them, or they must have strength that people would not dare to threaten lightly.
Turbid Wave Pavilion definitely didn’t satisfy the first condition.
And if they always remained where they were, not advancing in strength, whilst the Sacred Sun Clan and Broad Creed Mountain continued progressing, that the second condition would be unable to be fulfilled was also a matter of sooner or later.
With it already being so for the neutral Turbid Wave Pavilion, it was even less of a question for the other three Sacred Grounds, Jade Sea City, Infinite Boundless Mountain and the Heavenly Thunder Hall.
If they could not keep up with the footsteps of Broad Creed Mountain and the Sacred Sun Clan, they would gradually fall behind, losing the initiative in the Eight Extremities World’s greater scheme of things, only able to helplessly go where the waves took them.
To Infinite Boundless Mountain, their most pressing need was like that of Broad Creed Mountain previously, as they urgently required the emergence of a Martial Saint expert.
Like this, wielding the Heaven Cleaving Axe, they would be able to gain a supremely stable foothold in this world.
And for Jade Sea City and the Heavenly Thunder Hall, gaining another Martial Saint would definitely be best. But if they could not do so, they had to obtain a Sacred Artifact of their own!
On Broad Creed Mountain, while retrieving the Unfalling Ghost Rock from his Shadow Shrinking Pouch, Yan Zhaoge pondered, “Forging a Sacred Artifact is not a simple thing.”
“Even in the pre-Great Calamity era, where forging Sacred Artifacts and spirit artifacts was much easier than it is now, Sacred Artifacts were also not so easily obtained.”
There were two reasons for the rarity of Sacred Artifacts. First was the immense difficulty of the forging process, and the second was the extreme rarity of the required materials.
Yan Zhaoge appraised the Unfalling Ghost Rock, “This definitely shouldn’t be the main material. It should instead be a rather critical supplementary material.”
“Only having the main material can one determine the forging method, gaining a clear plan and thoughts on the forging of one’s Sacred Artifact. And only after that would be the gathering of supplementary materials.”
“From the looks of it, Jade Sea City already has the main material. What kind of precious treasure would it be?”
Yan Zhaoge stroked his lower chin. In the current Eight Extremities World, the main materials of Sacred Artifacts were basically one-of-a-kind, with no other treasures that were the same.
Because of the forging method and process, the forged Sacred Artifact would generally be rather more compatible with the martial arts of the one who forged it.
But generally speaking, the compatibility of the main material was also very important.
For example, if Jade Sea City used a fire-type or earth-type treasure to forge their Sacred Artifact, it was not that it was impossible, but the difficulty of the forging process would be extremely immense.
Yan Di said, “As we are diligently advancing forward, the others have also never been standing still on the spot. Everyone is also striving for greater heights.”
“I’ve heard that Infinite Boundless Mountain’s Chief Chu Yan has the intention of entering secluded cultivation once more, attempting a breakthrough into the Martial Saint realm.”
“Other than diligently cultivating, the martial practitioners of the Heavenly Thunder Hall have definitely also been planning for the forging of their own Sacred Artifact, and this would not be a matter of a few days or even generations, rather being something that they have been striving for all along.”
“Even Turbid Wave Pavilion should never have gone lax in searching for fortune as well as materials with which to forge a Sacred Artifact of their own. If they want to remain independent and neutral, the more firmly they want to do so, the clearer they must be on the need to themselves be powerful,” Yan Di said quietly, “We and the Sacred Sun Clan are ahead by a step, but if we do not continue progressing, there will definitely come a day where our advantage no longer exists.”
Yan Zhaoge suddenly laughed, “Then, do you think that we should still give away this Unfalling Ghost Rock?”
Yan Di similarly laughed, pointing towards Yan Zhaoge, “Give it, why not?”
“Right, why not?” Yan Zhaoge smiled, “Now, we are still allies at the end of the day, having common enemies, the Sacred Sun Clan and the Heavenly Thunder Hall, who are also not that easy to deal with. Jade Sea City should understand this point. Even if things change in the future, it should also only happen after these two have been taken care of.”
“With everyone running together, and us even in the lead, what is there that we have to fear.”
Yan Zhaoge patted the Unfalling Ghost Rock, “Advancing together, my Broad Creed Mountain’s advantage will only grow greater and greater.”
Yan Di smiled, “Matters of the world are hard to predict, and no one dare say that they would surely be able to laugh to the last. Still, working against our enemies is a sure thing, while working against our allies-does our clan even lack that bit of self-confidence?”
Yan Zhaoge spread his hands apart, “Of course, the precondition is that this ally doesn’t have any foolish thoughts.”
Yan Di said, “As the youngest Martial Saint of the current Eight Extremities World, Song Wuliang is not that foolish, let alone the fact that the hatred between them and the Sacred Sun Clan is not inferior to the tensions between us and the Sacred Sun Clan in the least.”
Of the current known Martial Saint experts of the Eight Extremities World, the newly ascended Yuan Zhengfeng and the recently deceased Devil Saint Yuan Tian included, of those seven, Jade Sea City’s Lord, the Jade Sea Martial Saint Song Wuliang, was the youngest of them all.
Of course, this youngest was in comparison to those like Yuan Zhengfeng and Huang Guanglie. Song Wuliang’s actual age was not that low, with him being much older than those like Shi Tie and Fang Zhun.
However, strictly in terms of seniority, Song Wuliang was actually of the generation after Yuan Zhengfeng’s, being counted of someone as the same generation as Shi Tie and Yan Di.
On the other hand, Song Wuliang had borne a son rather late, the ‘Seven Seas Young Master’ Song Chao still not being very old.
Yan Zhaoge suddenly thought of something as he looked at Yan Di, “Right, father, the news that spread over at our Family…”
The matter he was referring to was the rumour that Yan Di was not truly descended of the Central Heaven Region Yans.
While it had been suppressed with Yan Zhaoge’s thunderbolt-like methods, the truth of the matter was still a little hard to say.
The words that Yan Di’s grandfather had left behind were the greatest problem.
The identification of his Third Granduncle Yan Wenzhen was that the letter was real, and not faked…
At least, with Yan Wenzhen’s vision, he was unable to tell that it had been falsified.
With this, the matter was actually a considerably major one.
In truth, Yan Zhaoge himself was not especially mindful of this matter, but it was hard to say what Yan Di might think.
Yan Di looked calmly at Yan Zhaoge, “I count myself as a member of the Yan Family, and the people of the Family also count me as family. That is already sufficient.”
Hearing his words, Yan Zhaoge silently nodded.
Yan Di said, “The fifth Extreme Yin Bout is soon to come.”
“This time, we can let junior apprentice-sister Feng participate. She needs to personally experience the portion of the Extreme Yin Bout that requires establishing communication with the Extreme Yin Crown, as well as increase her combat experience against other Maidens of Extreme Yin,” Yan Zhaoge stroked his temple, “Still, if no major unforeseen circumstances occur, there is not much hope of obtaining victory this time.”
“My original plan was for junior apprentice-sister Feng to make a full out bid for the Extreme Yin Crown in the sixth Extreme Yin Bout. However, with the Sacred Sun Clan also cultivating their Maidens of Extreme Yin with the Yin-Yang coexisting technique, their strength has improved even further. Despite junior apprentice sister Feng’s extreme efforts that far surpass the norm, patience is still required for her to make up for the time she has lost.”
Hearing his words, Yan Di nodded, “Since this matter has been fully handed over to you, you should handle it as you see fit. Since she is to participate in the upcoming fifth Extreme Yin Bout, you should accompany her there this time.”
Yan Zhaoge said, “Precisely my intentions.”