Chapter 458 - 454: The Changed Future
In Scorched Skies of the Four Extreme Continent, two figures lifted their gazes to observe the newly constructed screen. When the screen reflected the image of that dashingly radiant holy figure, they both exclaimed!
"How could it be him?!?!"
"What the...?!"
Ming Shufeng stared at the projected screen with eyes wide, mouth agape, and heart racing. She asked herself once more in a softer voice, "...How could it be him?" Her ocean-blue eyes contained a heavenly glow, fate energies effused without end. Within those eyes of hers were numerous fleeting and ghostly images, vague yet also clear.
The cloaked woman beside her went silent, a solemn air emitted from her body. "How did the Ascendant Emperor become a Holy Son? Has it changed so much already?" The ’it’ she mentioned shook Ming Shufeng out of her bewilderment and search.
"You didn’t know this would happen?" Ming Shufeng asked with an aghast expression, feeling an idea had been confirmed. Since she started to travel with this cloaked woman, she had suspicions that she knew details of the future.
There were clues from how she acted or what she said in careless passing, but it revealed that she had detailed knowledge of events and people yet to happen. For example, that True Elemental Emperor that should be the young handsome youth with grey eyes and a penchant for causing trouble. That title hadn’t been given to him yet but she kept referring to him as that.
The cloaked woman had entered the cache as if she had been there before. But there were also inconsistencies, such as not knowing the location of the cache beforehand. It gave her pause on if she really knew the future or not. Even Seers like herself couldn’t glimpse into the flow of heavenly fate without certain restrictions.
Ming Shufeng added with hesitation, "I had gleaned into heavenly fate earlier, and the handsome youth from before should’ve been the first and only Holy Son. How did this happen?!"
The cloaked woman’s crimson eyes glowed faintly beneath her hood, ’ The True Elemental Emperor should be the first, and that shouldn’t happen for two more years. As for the Ascendant Emperor, he shouldn’t have this capability. He wasn’t a fighter before, just an Emperor Alchemist. How did he overcome the Holy Ceremony’s three tests?’ Her thoughts weren’t said aloud, merely glancing at the projected image with an indeterminate gaze.
Knowing her question would remain unanswered, Ming Shufeng pouted her soft lips. She also kept a few secrets to herself, such as Wei Wuyin’s interfering with Heavenly Fate a few times, being wildly outside her predictions. She hadn’t mentioned to anyone, not even to the cloaked woman, about how she was kidnapped and forced to reveal secrets.
Wei Wuyin was an enigma, and Ming Shufeng tried to stay as far away as possible from him because determining his future or path on the flow of heavenly fate caused too many inconsistencies, too many uncertainties. While his fate was easily seen, even easier than most, the accuracy wasn’t reliable at all!
After a long moment of mutual silence, a grand announcement from voices of the sky resounded!
"The Holy Son of Grand World Earth has been CHOSEN!"
The image of Wei Wuyin garbed in white robes had been revealed and shown throughout the entire continent! With his handsome visage, imposing physique, and silver eyes that exuded boundless confidence, he truly seemed to depict the mental image of a Holy Son.
The cloaked woman mumbled a few things, her mind a little chaotic at the moment. She tried to recall all the information she had on Wei Wuyin, on the Ascendant Emperor of Neo-Dawn.
’ The Ascendant Emperor of Neo-Dawn helped birth the first natural Realmlord—Grand Sage Tuo Bihan. He had outstanding talent in the Alchemic Dao without possessing an Alchemic Astral Soul. Claimed uncontested victory in the Grand Spirit Trials. Had a rivalry with the Grand Monarch Long Chen. But, after his unexpected tie with the Princess of Everlore... ’ Her thoughts immediately screeched to a halt, recalling the present details with Wei Wuyin.
"He won, not tied!" This piece of information caused her to tremble faintly, unsure how this came about. She hadn’t even acted at that time, roughly half a year had passed and she couldn’t have changed the timeline so much, right?
When she decided to peer into the rest of his information, seeming to pull it out from elsewhere, if Ming Shufeng could see her current expression, she would notice it was quite twisted, completely marred with confusion and disbelief.
There wasn’t a single mention of becoming a Holy Son. But what changed? How did she change the destined timeline of someone she had never met? Was that even possible?
Ming Shufeng, however, was staring at Wei Wuyin’s projected image in an absentminded daze. Their original plans were centered around the handsome youth, and they’ve been trekking towards a specific area that should contain a unique treasure for cultivation. But Wei Wuyin had broken both of their predictions, leaving her uncertain if this would lead to further consequences.
After a very, very long moment, the cloaked woman’s ambient aura became more relaxed. "Let’s go. With a Holy Son chosen, a few events will happen. We have to move or else we’ll miss it."
Ming Shufeng started, "What about the Scorched Jade Spatial Crystal?" They had taken several steps in locating the pearl, and it was their best way to reach the Spatial Resonance Phase with the best spatial affinity! Could they simply abandon it?
The cloaked woman thought for a moment, "We’ll have to move faster. Fortunately, the Season of Regression will still last for two more years. We have some time." The end of the Season of Regression was a week after Lin Ming’s ascent to a Holy Son. After all, killing a Realmlord without the suppressive effects of the Season of Regression was extremely difficult, nigh-impossible! It was the only time any cultivator on this continent could overcome the outrageous test of martial power.
Ming Shufeng frowned as the cloaked woman grabbed her shoulder, carrying her along. A wisp of worry in her heart as she gazed at the image projected above. The enigma that was Wei Wuyin had emerged once again. Why did she have such a bad feeling about that?
-----
As the images of Wei Wuyin projected across the continent, revealing his existence to all the inhabitants that lived, thrived, struggled, and fought within, a single person was huddled in the corner of a cage in the outside world. The cage wasn’t merely holding that person, but several others alongside it, placed on a city platform with heavy traffic.
Captured and bound by shackles, the person was stark naked and had abrasions littered their once delicate body alongside some scabbed cuts. The others beside them were listless, limp and nearly lifeless.
A pair of sapphire eyes looked up, tightly gripping her body to shield her private areas from the view of outsiders and those within the cage. When that image emerged, containing that faint smile that was unforgettable, the female figure exclaimed in surprise. Dumbstruck, her eyes trembled ceaselessly.
Soon, a bitter smile tugged at her lips.
If Wei Wuyin saw this female’s current state and predicament, he would be mildly shocked. Because this female figure entered an unknown world without a strong cultivation base, with exquisite beauty, and a strong will.
It was Lian Yu!
"He’s truly an outstanding figure no matter what he goes!" She softly breathed out those words with bitterness and sadness as she lowered her head into her ample chest.
"...What did you say?" A passerby had halted by the cage at the moment the image had appeared before. They turned after hearing Lian Yu’s words. "You know his Majesty?" The question was abrupt, causing the chained and shackled Lian Yu to be startled.
She lifted her head to see a woman.
The woman was shocked after a brief moment from seeing Lian Yu’s appearance. "It’s you?!"
But Lian Yu was unfamiliar with this woman, only noting that her auburn hair was quite gorgeous.
The woman was silent for a moment, turning to the male slave trader that was reading from a scroll. His eyes reflected the perverted contents within, betraying his arousal.
"Yo! I’ll buy this one." The auburn haired woman shouted, throwing a storage ring to the perverted slave trader. With a shocked reaction, he was a little pissed after being disrupted, but after subconsciously inspecting the storage ring’s contents, his expression changed. He put on a congenial smile and lauded his other wares to the generous woman, attempting to get her to purchase a few more.
The auburn haired woman snorted, revealing a trace of aura that caused the slave trader to go silent out of fear. He quickly went about bringing Lian Yu out of the cage with a placating smile.
Lian Yu paled at seeing the man approach, not wanting this disgusting man to touch her skin again. Ever again.
"Don’t touch her!" The auburn haired woman demanded. But the slave trader frowned and scoffed dismissively. Did this woman truly think she could treat him with disrespect? His cultivation base wasn’t lower than hers, but he just didn’t want to create trouble. If she was dissatisfied, she could leave. Of course, he didn’t intend to give her the product or her money back in that case.
He ignored her, trying to get one last sly squeeze of Lian Yu’s beautiful body before she was bought, knowing his duties were still to complete sales, not cause trouble. But he hadn’t realized he had signed his own warrant.
A sword howl resounded!
The slave trader felt his body become lighter, the angle of the world shifting little by little until he soon saw a familiar body dressed in extremely familiar clothes in his view. Wasn’t those the clothes he bought? His last thought ended abruptly as a ray of sword light turned his head into mincemeat.
"Filth." The auburn haired woman approached Lian Yu’s cage, using sword force to sever her bindings. She threw a set of clothes to her, "Get dressed. Since his Majesty thought you were worth saving before, he’ll be bothered if you were buried in some unnamed ditch." Her voice was a little cold.
"Y-you are...?" Lian Yu was shocked by the woman’s actions. She didn’t really trust anyone at the moment, unsure if leaving with her was better than her current fate.
The auburn haired woman grinned, glancing towards the surging auras of the reinforcements in this slave trading company. She grasped her sword hilt as a faint howl of Sword Intent flared from it.
"Hong Chunhua, First Commander of the Ascendants."