Chapter 34
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Chapter 34: Father and Son (Part 1)
"Senior… senior…"
Seeing Ye Xu lost in thought, Elder Huang called out softly.
"Ahem…" Ye Xu snapped back to reality and looked at Elder Huang, dissatisfaction evident in his voice. "Do you doubt my ability?"
"I wouldn’t dare."
Elder Huang apologized at once, flustered and fearful, though unease still churned within him.
It wasn’t that he distrusted. But Godfall Ridge was notoriously perilous; even great sages and quasi-emperors faced the risk of falling there, let alone a mere semi-saint like himself?
"You only need to remember my instructions clearly to safely reach your destination," Ye Xu said lightly. "Remember well, do not stray from the route. Otherwise, even I cannot save you."
"I will heed your words carefully, Senior," Elder Huang said solemnly.
"Well then, why aren’t you leaving?"
Ye Xu glared at him. "Hesitating at every step—no wonder you were plagued by inner demons. Keep this up, and even if you become a Saint this time, you’ll get no further."
Elder Huang felt these words strike his heart like a thunderclap; he was struck by sudden realization. "Senior, your admonishment is absolutely correct."
"Young master, please wait here for this old man’s return. When I return, I will indeed be at the Saint level. I will not fail your expectations."
Ao Lie nodded. "Elder Huang, travel safely."
Swoosh!
Gripping the jade slip tightly, Elder Huang flew out of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion.
"Ao Lie, it’s your turn now," Ye Xu said.
Ao Lie glanced at Ye Xian’er.
Ye Xian’er was startled.
He hadn’t asked her to leave even when discussing the opportunity to become a saint. Now, Ao Lie wanted her excluded?
But before she could react, Ye Xu had already transported her into a separate pocket of spacetime.
Ye Xian’er puffed out her cheeks, feeling deeply wronged.
To Ye Xu, making money was undoubtedly the most important thing.
"Senior, actually, there’s a matter I’d like to inquire about," Ao Lie said with a chuckle. With Elder Huang gone and Ye Xian’er out of sight, he shed his usual cold, dignified demeanor, seeming more like a street thug with a lewd look on his face.
Ye Xu smiled.
"Speak."
Ao Lie cleared his throat, trying to sound serious, but his very next sentence betrayed his true nature.
"Senior, I want to know the specific information about a disciple in the Pure Land. Her preferences, her temperament… anything and everything related to her, I want to know."
"It’s a female disciple, isn’t it?" Ye Xu’s smile deepened.
"Senior perceives all things; naturally, nothing escapes your sight," Ao Lie fawned.
The Pure Land was one of the supreme powers of the Eastern Region, on par with the Eastern Sea Dragon Palace.
Moreover, the Pure Land’s disciples were almost exclusively female. For over a million years since ancient times, it had amassed profound heritage, having produced more than one Great Emperor. In terms of ancient foundations, it might even surpass the Eastern Sea Dragon Palace.
The person Ao Lie had in mind was Ji Xinyu, a disciple of the younger generation in the Pure Land, who had cultivated for dozens of years yet had already reached the Complete Divine God realm.
Even within the Pure Land, she was considered a top-tier genius.
Since catching a glimpse of Ji Xinyu once in the Haotian divine city, Ao Lie had been captivated by her aura and beauty, often daydreaming about her.
Earlier, his reason for obtaining an opportunity for Elder Huang was partly because Elder Huang was fiercely loyal, and partly because he wanted to send Elder Huang away.
Otherwise, as the Ninth Prince of the Eastern Sea Dragon Palace, a super deity scion, acting so deferentially would damage his image of authority in Elder Huang’s mind.
Ye Xu chuckled lightly, "A fair maiden is a gentleman’s desire; it’s perfectly normal, so you have no need to hide it."
"Just as you say, Senior," Ao Lie’s gaze flickered, and he grinned, "That’s why I need to trouble you for some help."
"System, query Ji Xinyu’s specific information."
Ding!
[A cost of ten thousand heavenly secrets points; the query was successful.]
[Ji Xinyu: A true disciple of the Pure Land, possessing the Xuandu Cosmic Radiance sacred physique; orphaned with both parents deceased; taken in as a direct disciple by Pure Land’s seventh elder, Liu Ningmei, from childhood; character is resilient and gentle; cultivated for forty-six years, currently at the Complete Divine God realm.]
[Techniques: Cosmic Radiance Heart Sutra.]
[Divine abilities: Cosmic Radiance Field of True Freedom (unified divine ability), Thousand Threads Sword Art…]
[Companion: None.]
[Potential: The bearing of a Great Emperor.]
Ye Xu silently clicked his tongue; the Golden Toad Demon God from the Celestial Demon Hall was also at the Complete Divine God realm, yet querying his information cost only five thousand heavenly secrets points.
For Ji Xinyu with the same cultivation level, the cost had doubled.
It truly seemed that the greater one’s potential, the higher the query cost.
"Senior, any news?" Ao Lie asked eagerly.
"Same as before," Ye Xu stated, "Payment first, then the goods."
"Senior, this sacred artifact—a zither refined from a Saint King’s dragon bone, radiating blazing energy—wasn’t sure if it was enough," Ao Lie produced another ancient zither.
[Congratulations, Host, you’ve gained fourteen thousand heavenly secrets points.]
"Barely acceptable," Ye Xu sighed; considering Ao Lie had contributed a hundred thousand heavenly secrets points on this trip, Ye Xu decided not to demand too much.
"Thank you, Senior," Ao Lie expressed his gratitude.
Ye Xu took out a blank jade slip, wrote all the information on it, and tossed it to Ao Lie.
Ao Lie treasured it like a priceless treasure.
"Ao Lie, don’t blame me for not warning you—if this woman’s cultivation proceeds without mishap, she will undoubtedly attain the Dao and become an emperor in the future," Ye Xu’s gaze was profound, "Catching Ji Xinyu’s favor won’t be simple."
"Ji Xinyu, what a lovely name…" Ao Lie was lost in happiness.
"Wait…"
"Senior, you just said she could attain the Dao and become an emperor in the future?"
Ao Lie abruptly looked up, filled with shock and excitement, along with a hint of bewildered panic.
As far as he knew, even in the current Eastern Sea Dragon Palace, there was no existing Great Emperor.
A living Great Emperor was a figure standing at the peak of the Yuan Realm.
Ye Xu nodded, smilingly looked at Ao Lie, and said, "The future is still very long; you need not worry so much. Although Ji Xinyu has exceptional talent, you are not inferior."
"Moreover, if you are willing to do business with me, I would be pleased to see lovers united in the end."
Hearing this, Ao Lie slapped his head, excitedly saying, "That makes sense."
"As an elder who understands past, present, and future, with your help, how could I fear not catching her?"
"Elder, can you truly know the future?"
Ao Lie looked at Ye Xu with hopeful eyes.
Ye Xu remained expressionless. "The cost is beyond what you can bear."
What Ye Xu could see of the future was actually static.
Under unchanging circumstances, the future he predicted was correct, but his interference disrupted the way of heaven, breaking the static timeline.
Thus, only if Ye Xu did not engage in business would the future return to normal.
But that was impossible.
Immediately, Ao Lie deflated like a punctured ball.
"It’s alright."
After a few breaths, Ao Lie quickly regained his spirit. "With the guidance of the elder, how could I not surpass her?"
"The boy is worth teaching," Ye Xu thought in his heart.
He internally concluded that Ao Lie was a long-term client.
"It seems I must cultivate clients like Ao Lie and Du Yueheng to sustainably exploit them like draining a pond for fish," Ye Xu thought inwardly.
Ye Xu waited quietly for Ao Lie to speak up.
However, the fellow was immersed in the jade slip information, taking up to a stick of incense’s worth of time, and still kept laughing foolishly.
With a mental command, Ye Xian’er appeared in Heaven’s Secret Pavilion.
The little girl was still angry.
Lately, she had been frequently confined, so Ye Xian’er looked wronged.
Suddenly, seeing Ao Lie’s expression, Ye Xian’er puzzledly said, "Elder, what’s wrong with him?"
"He’s gone mad."
Ye Xu shook his head and sighed. "What is love that drives men and women to live and die for each other…"
"Elder, did you compose that poem?" Ye Xian’er’s grievances vanished instantly; she propped her chin with both hands, leaned on the table, her eyes bright as she stared intently at Ye Xu.
"No."
Ye Xu shook his head.
…
Celestial Demon Hall.
In the Southern Wilderness, there were countless spirits and monsters. The Celestial Demon Hall was a place gathering demons, formed by the demon clan, ghosts, and spirits, without any humans present.
To the great powers, the Celestial Demon Hall was an outlier.
But the Celestial Demon Hall had to remain.
Only with the Celestial Demon Hall could the Southern Wilderness monsters be better managed, to prevent them from causing chaos everywhere.
Amidst the mountains, a towering mountain gate stood.
Behind the mountain gate, stood structures in a primeval style, savage and simple, completely different from human cities.
The entire Celestial Demon Hall stretched for tens of thousands of miles, vast and disorganized.
Ning Wudao flew over the mountain gate, heading toward the great hall of the Celestial Demon Hall.
In the sky and on the ground, members of the demon clan were fighting, the scent of blood lingering in the air.
This was the usual state of the Celestial Demon Hall.
Since Ning Wudao had arrived, that smell of blood had hardly ever faded.
He strongly disliked this scent and couldn’t help but frown.
A quarter of an hour later, Ning Wudao entered the core building cluster of the Celestial Demon Hall. The architectural style there was refined and splendid, similar to human cities.
Only members of the demon clan who had practiced to the Transformation stage could reside there.
"Sacred Son, you have finally returned."
A Divine Catastrophe stage old man approached and spoke worriedly: "Jiao Qingshan was killed by someone, and you didn’t return for so long. Old I thought… thought that you…"
"I killed Jiao Qingshan."
Ning Wudao looked at the old man and spoke lightly.
The chattering old man, upon hearing this, stared at Ning Wudao in shock.
"Where is the adoptive father?"
Ning Wudao spoke lightly, "I need to talk with him."
The old man keenly sensed something abnormal. Facing Ning Wudao’s question, he held nothing back, saying: "The hall master is at the Celestial Demon Divine Temple. He gave orders long ago that once the Sacred Son returns, you should go to the Celestial Demon Divine Temple."
"You go down first."
Ning Wudao walked toward the Celestial Demon Divine Temple.
"Sacred Son!"
Walking on the wide avenue, where pedestrians were weaving thickly, all core disciples of the Celestial Demon Hall, upon seeing Ning Wudao, bowed respectfully one after another.
Ning Wudao ignored them impassively.
Today, the atmosphere at the Celestial Demon Hall was unusually oppressive.
Dark clouds blocked the sky, hiding the sun; wind and rain were about to arrive.
A short while later, Ning Wudao arrived at the Celestial Demon Divine Temple.
Inside the Celestial Demon Divine Temple, a middle-aged man in a golden robe, tall and robust, sat in the high seat.
He watched Ning Wudao quietly.
In his eyes were joy, astonishment, and mostly greed.
"Adoptive father, I am here."
Ning Wudao looked straight at the Golden Toad Demon God, without a trace of fear.
"Hahaha… good son, over two hundred years, I have waited a full two hundred years, and you finally broke through to godhood." The Golden Toad Demon God stood up, his gaze filled with bare greed.
His expression was ferocious as he laughed wildly.
"As long as I devour you and refine the Celestial Demon bloodline, I can break through to God King in a single step. Then, by seizing the Celestial Demon essence aura, even becoming a Saint isn’t out of the question."
"You saved me back then, just for this purpose?" Ning Wudao looked at the nearly insane Golden Toad Demon God. He still clutched a final shred of hope.
Even if the Golden Toad Demon God had once shown a hint of compassion and care, it would have been some comfort to Ning Wudao.
At least it could prove he wasn’t just a tool.
"Exactly."
The Golden Toad Demon God nodded.
Ning Wudao smiled, bitterly and coldly.
From Ning Tiannan to the Golden Toad Demon God, both treated him only as a tool.
One sold him dirt cheap, the other used him as a supplement.
Was his life truly so worthless?
"Wudao, I have raised you for over two hundred years. If you cherish our father-son bond, then obediently surrender and let me eat you, fulfill my wish."
The Golden Toad Demon God fixed a fiery gaze on him, licking his lips.
