True Martial World - Chapter 356: Blood

"Right, a blood test would be sufficient!" People began saying.

Yi Yun's heart nearly jumped out of his chest. After coming into this world, he had no memories from the original body.

Yi Yun had never seen Jiang Xiaorou bleed since he came here, so he did not know the color of Jiang Xiaorou's blood.

"Yi Yun, I never expected that you would encounter such a thing. I really pity you, Keke..." A voice filled with schadenfreude rang. Yi Yun looked up and saw that the person who said it was Yang Dingkun.

The two brothers, Yang Dingkun and Yang Yuefeng had appeared in the crowd. As the younger generation of the Chu royal residence, they were the masters here.

For the past few days, as everyone had temporarily taken up residence in the Chu royal residence, the status of the two of them clearly increased amongst the Tai Ah Divine City's elites.

Of course, they were still far below Yi Yun. In the Tai Ah Divine City, people respected the mighty ones more. Yi Yun's stature was obtained through his hard work, which was different from the two Yang brothers.

So even though they had returned to the Chu royal residence, Yang Dingkun and Yang Yuefeng would usually hide if they saw Yi Yun. Today, seeing that Yi Yun's sister was likely a member of the Desolate race, they were pleasantly surprised. They had never expected this to happen to Yi Yun.

If this matter turned out true, then it would be interesting.

Just from Jiang Xiaorou's identity, they could kick Yi Yun while he was down.

Yi Yun's gaze turned cold. These two fellows and that one-armed Yang Haoran were like snakes hiding behind him. They were ready to bite him at anytime.

Unfortunately, Yi Yun could not do anything to them in such an environment.

At that moment, the crowd made way as an invisible aura approached.

Yi Yun stood up. He saw that amongst the group of people, Shentu Nantian had slowly walked over.

Shentu Nantian was still in his green clothes. He gave people the feeling of a gently breeze. He had a mild temperament of pale clouds and a light breeze and he did not seem sharp at all.

However… against Shentu Nantian, Yi Yun did not know why he felt a pressure.

"You found a Desolate race spy here?" Shentu Nantian asked as he looked at Jiang Xiaorou, "Is it you?"

Shentu Nantian smiled. Jiang Xiaorou held her breath in front of the green-dressed man. She hid behind Yi Yun as she did not know why she felt extreme fear in front of Shentu Nantian.

Yi Yun frowned. Shentu Nantian had arrived too quickly.

If it wasn’t for Shentu Nantian, Yi Yun felt that he could use his status to protect her without a problem, even though Jiang Xiaorou's identity was still not clear. After all, Jiang Xiaorou was a real mortal girl. It would be the same even if a Sage used the Heaven's Eye to investigate her.

A mortal girl should not be faced with such difficulties.

However, Shentu Nantian was different. Yi Yun did not know him, and he had a great feud with the Desolate race.

"Yes, it's her! We used the Desolate Mirror Stone to test her and it turned so red that it nearly turned purple. There's definitely something wrong with her. But someone is trying to shield her."

That guard was obviously referring to Yi Yun.

Shentu Nantian lightly smiled and looked at Yi Yun, "This girl seems to have some abnormal relationship with you?"

"She's my elder sister!" Yi Yun said seriously. He had said this several times today.

"Blood sister?" Shentu Nantian retorted.

Yi Yun hesitated for a while before shaking his head, "No!"

"Then she was adopted by your parents?"

Hearing Shentu Nantian's questioning, Yi Yun's heart sank. Although he was completely reluctant, he eventually nodded his head, "Yes!"

"Where was she adopted?" Shentu Nantian asked again.

Yi Yun's heart was growing colder, "The Cloud Wilderness!"

Jiang Xiaorou's origins was extremely disadvantageous to proving her identity. However, Yi Yun could not lie about them as there were many people who knew about his family background.

"Cloud Wilderness is a barren place with lots of desolate beasts! There are Desolate race deeply hidden in the Cloud Wilderness! You adopted a girl of unknown origin in the Cloud Wilderness, then it is possible that she is from the Desolate race!"

As Shentu Nantian said this, Yang Dingkun and company were gloating as it now seemed more and more likely!

Yi Yun clenched his fists. He knew that with his present strength, he was absolutely no match for Shentu Nantian. If Shentu Nantian wanted to do anything to Jiang Xiaorou, Yi Yun did not know what he could do.

Making a move against Shentu Nantian was like hitting a rock with eggs. Doing that would likely anger Shentu Nantian and result in the opposite effect!

Seeing Yi Yun's reaction, Shentu Nantian gently laughed, "Looks like you really care for your sister. Take it easy. Even if she really was a Desolate race, as long as she does not know anything about the Shepherd Boy and she is just a Desolate race commoner that was accidentally adopted by you, then I might let her off this once because of you. However, I will put some restrictions on her!"

When Shentu Nantian said this, Yi Yun felt relived. He never expected Shentu Nantian to back down.

Was it because of his reputation?

Yi Yun found it a bit incredulous. He may be considered someone in the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom, but in the eyes of Shentu Nantian, he was probably nothing.

"Someone, check her blood." Shentu Nantian wiped his smile and gave the order.

A sharp knife was presented and a Chu royal residence guard grabbed it.

"Hold on, I'll do it myself!" Yi Yun stopped the guard who was itching to do so. How could Yi Yun be assured letting someone slice Jiang Xiaorou's body? Besides, this person had qualms with him, and Yang Dingkun might even transmit some instructions to cause trouble.

"Let him do it." Shentu Nantian said. He gave a deep glance at Jiang Xiaorou and no one knew what he was thinking.

Yi Yun did not grab the knife, but he simply grabbed Jiang Xiaorou's hand. "Sis Xiaorou, I'm going to do it. It won't hurt."

"Alright!" Jiang Xiaorou nodded.

Yi Yun extended his index finger and gently stroke Jiang Xiaorou's palm. The knife he made out of Yuan Qi was extremely sharp.

With almost no pain, a tiny gash opened in Jiang Xiaorou's palm.

Blood slowly dripped from the wound.

At that moment, Yi Yun held his breath! He was very afraid to see the lethal silver.

Everyone else focused their attention on Jiang Xiaorou's palm.

"Pa Da!"

A drop of blood dripped out onto the granite pavement. It broke up and reflected the light of the setting Sun. It was like a red colored gem.

"Red colored blood!" Yi Yun let out a long sigh of relief. He had never found the color of blood to be so bright and beautiful!

Jiang Xiaorou, was after all, his sister, not a member of the Desolate race!

Although her identity seemed problematic, Yi Yun could not care less. No matter what Jiang Xiaorou's background was, he only knew that they had spent the toughest days in the Cloud Wilderness. That kind of blood thicker than water feeling could not be compared to anyone else's.

Although Yi Yun now had many relations with all sorts of people and was an elite of the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom, back in the Cloud Wilderness, he was just a mortal. In fact, it should be said he was a burden.

However, Jiang Xiaorou did not abandon him and they depended on each other.

"It's actually red, what the heck… ?!" The two Chu royal residence guards could not believe it. They had managed to arduously find a Desolate race spy, but it resulted in them being wrong.

"F**k, this kid sure has good look for him to escape unscathed. However, it's strange. Since the girl's blood is red in color, why does she cause the Desolate Mirror Stone to shine red?"

Yang Dingkun and Yang Yuefeng were feeling unhappy. They thought they had found Yi Yun’s weakness. Although they could not use that to shake Yi Yun's position, they could at least cause his sister to die, making him grieve. That was something they were very happy to see.

However, now all had come to naught.

"So there shouldn't be a problem, right..." A person asked Shentu Nantian.

"As I said, how can Yi Yun's sister be from the Desolate race?" Tai Ah Divine City cultivators who revered Yi Yun began supporting Yi Yun.

Shentu Nantian gently stroked his chin as he looked at Jiang Xiaorou silently. No one knew what he was thinking.

"Young Master Nantian, can we go?" Yi Yun placed Jiang Xiaorou behind him as he asked Shentu Nantian. He was still alert. As long as he did not leave their vision, he felt like he had beams stabbing his back, it was impossible for him to feel at ease.

However, Shentu Nantian did not respond. He seemed to recall something and was lost in thought.

Suddenly, he began slowly walking towards Jiang Xiaorou. Jiang Xiaorou's heart contracted as she subconsciously retreated a few steps.

However, Shentu Nantian did not force himself and stood not far from where Jiang Xiaorou previously stood. He had a smile on his face as he squatted down. He was looking attentively at the drop of blood on the ground.

It was the blood Jiang Xiaorou bled.

After a few seconds, Shentu Nantian stretched out his finger and touched the drop of blood.

Suddenly, a strange smile appeared on the corners of his mouth. He raised his head and looked at Jiang Xiaorou. He faintly said, "Your surname is Jiang, right?"

Jiang Xiaorou's heart sank. Against Shentu Nantian's smile, her face turned pale in a flash, "You..."

Beside Jiang Xiaorou, Yi Yun was on high alert. In the previous conversion, no one had mentioned the name "Jiang Xiaorou", but Shentu Nantian had managed to guess Jiang Xiaorou's surname!

Shentu Nantian stood up and his smile became even more bright. It was so bright that it looked sinister. "I think I know who you are… I never expected that I would find you here!"

True Martial World - Chapter 355: Spy

The Chu Prefecture City was on lockdown. People began going door to door to search for the Desolate race’s spy.

A lot of Desolate Mirror Stones were handed out. The Shentu family clan and people from the Chu royal residence were also searching. However, not a single Desolate race was found after a few days.

Some people suspected that Shentu Nantian was being overly sensitive.

"If I said that they exist, then they exist! My intuition is not wrong. I have previously seen some Desolate race members with very pure blood and I have used the pureblood blood elixirs of the Desolate race, so I have a vague sense of the existence of a Desolate race. Now, I have already sensed them, so there must be a Desolate race lurking here. You must carry on searching!"

Shentu Nantian was extremely confident of his judgment. The Desolate Mirror Stone was not omniscient. When a Desolate race member's strength reached a certain realm, they would be able to hide their signature, as such it would not be surprising that the Desolate Mirror Stone was not able to detect anything noveltranslationweb.blogspot.com

And the stronger and purer the Desolate race's blood was, the more valuable it was.

This time, the Shentu family clan had sent several top experts. They were not afraid of the Desolate race's strength, they were only afraid that the Desolate race blood would be impure.

"Let me… extract a high-ranking Desolate race's life-giving blood to refine into elixirs. I will use their corpses as a sacrifice to my clansmen who died that year."

Shentu Nantian rubbed his interspatial ring as a cold beam flashed in his eyes. He had made it his life's goal to slaughter the whole Desolate race. As long as he killed the whole Desolate race, then the desolate beasts would not be able to form into a super beast horde, so it was insufficient to cause fear.

...

"Using the blood of a Desolate race member to refine into elixirs..." In a small courtyard in the Chu royal residence, Yi Yun was sitting on a long bench as he watched the leaves fall from a hundred-year-old tree.

This looked like one of the courtyards that one of the Chu royal residence's palace girls lived in. There was even a swing in the courtyard. However, no one knew where the girl had gone, so Yi Yun and Jiang Xiaorou were assigned to live in it.

There were too many people that had entered the Chu Prefecture City. Although the Chu royal residence was large, it was quickly filled up. It was extremely difficult to be assigned a residence with a courtyard for a single person like Yi Yun.

"Are you biased against using Desolate blood to refine into elixirs?" Chu Xiaoran was sitting opposite Yi Yun. These days against the beast horde, Chu Xiaoran would occasionally look for Yi Yun to chat with so as to relieve her stress.

She did not have many friends in the Tai Ah Divine City. Qiuniu was one, while Yi Yun was the second.

"There will be at least some. The Desolate race look no different to Humans, so to use the Desolate race's blood to refine into elixirs makes me somewhat uncomfortable with the thought..."

Yi Yun spoke with some deliberation, despite Shentu Nantian having previously said that members of the Desolate race should not be treated as humans, and instead, they should be treated like a type of desolate beast.

Chu Xiaoran said, "The Desolate race is cruel and they have killed countless numbers of people. The Shepherd Boy looks like a neighborly youth, but underneath his skin, he is extremely cruel. The ancients describe death feuds as 'wishing only to eat one's flesh and drink one's blood', so I don't think it's too much."

What Chu Xiaoran said was not unreasonable, but Yi Yun recalled a phrase from his previous life, "there, we shall feast on barbarian flesh and drink the blood of the Xiongnu". Now, Shentu Nantian's feud with the Desolate race was probably similar to the famous general Yue Fei...

"Right, you must be careful of Yang Yuefeng and Yang Dingkun. They have returned to the Chu royal residence and the Chu royal residence is their turf." Chu Xiaoran suddenly remembered Yi Yun's feud with the Chu royal residence's children.

"Yes...I know. I will be careful."

In the Tai Ah Divine City, Yi Yun could not do anything to Yang Yuefeng and company and vice-versa due to the Divine City's rules.

However, now in the Chu royal residence, Yi Yun had to be on the watch.

Thankfully, be it Yang Dingkun or Yang Yuefeng, they were just juniors in the Chu royal residence. They could not affect those who held power in the Chu royal residence with their own intentions.

As Yi Yun was thinking, he suddenly heard a commotion outside.

Oh? What happened?

Yi Yun focused and listened. He heard people shouting like they had caught a Desolate race spy and were prepared to submit it to Shentu Nantian to gain credit.

"They have caught a Desolate race spy?" Chu Xiaoran also heard the commotion. She was pleasantly surprised as she stood up.

However, beside Chu Xiaoran, Yi Yun's expression seemed to change. Why...

His body flashed as he rushed out of the small courtyard!

...

"This is the Desolate race spy? How can it be so weak… Didn't Young Master Nantian say that the Desolate race spy should be very strong?"

"Haha, who cares. The Desolate Mirror Stone is so bright, so it can't be wrong. Let's send the news now."

There were two Chu royal residence's guards. One of them lit a voice transmission charm and directly sent the information.

This had happened only about a hundred meters away from Yi Yun's tiny courtyard, so Yi Yun reached here in a flash.

And what Yi Yun saw made him freeze.

Two large and sturdy Chu royal residence's guards were surrounding a girl dressed in green. She was his sister, Jiang Xiaorou!

Sis Xiaorou… How is this possible!?

Yi Yun's heartbeat stagnated as he couldn't believe it!

"I… I'm not a Desolate race spy, I'm not..." Jiang Xiaorou was curled up in the corner of a wall. Beside her was the basket she had dropped. In it were fresh vegetables and eggs that were scattered all over the ground.

Originally, she had gone to the Chu royal residence to obtain some ingredients so as to prepare a meal for Yi Yun, but she was stopped by these two guards. The stone they had emitted a red glow, and they had insisted that she was a Desolate race spy.

"Hmph, you sure can act!" One of the guards grinned. As a Tai Ah Divine Kingdom warrior, and knowing the cause and effect of the beast horde, they hated the Desolate race to the bone.

Without the Desolate race, would they have been in such a state?

"Let me see how long you can act!" A guard raised his hand as he was about to slap Jiang Xiaorou's face.

This guard's cultivation level was in the Yuan Foundation realm. This slap of his was enough to fall a large tree.

Seeing the slap reaching her, Jiang Xiaorou curled into a ball as she closed her eyes. She was filled with panic and despair.

"Stop it!"

Yi Yun's body flashed and appeared beside the guard like lightning. He reached out his hand and grabbed the guard's hand.

"You...What are you doing?" Yi Yun had recently broken into the Yuan Foundation and his strength exceeded similarly-ranked warriors. Yi Yun's grab hurt the guard. The guard's expression changed slightly as he never expected the youth to be that strong. He struggled to free himself from Yi Yun, but Yi Yun's hand was like an iron cast. The more he struggled, the more his wrist hurt.

He was a bit afraid as he said cowardly, "Don't tell me you are trying to protect a Desolate race spy?"

"Yun...Yun'er!" Jiang Xiaorou opened her eyes and she saw Yi Yun standing before her. She cried tears of joy.

"Yun'er, I'm not a spy, I really am not..." Jiang Xiaorou's voice slightly trembled. She was a very ordinary girl. She had only been trying to get some ingredients before encountering this attack on her.

"You are… Yi Yun?" A guard recognized Yi Yun, whose identity was extremely shocking.

"So you are Yi Yun… So what if you are Yi Yun? She is a Desolate race spy, as if you can protect her!"

Although he knew Yi Yun's identity and was lacking confidence, his anger had caused him to verbally attack Yi Yun as his wrist was hurting badly.

Yi Yun stood in front of Jiang Xiaorou to protect her. His expression was not happy. At that moment, Chu Xiaoran had also arrived, "What is going on... ?"

She knew Yi Yun had a mortal sister and she had heard the commotion amongst these people. She found it hard to believe that Yi Yun's sister was a member of the Desolate race as it was too incredulous.

However, she also saw the Desolate Mirror Stone in the hands of the two guards shining the color of blood.

This meant that there was indeed a member of the Desolate race nearby, and it was extremely close!

Yi Yun looked at the Desolate Mirror Stone, and he found the red light emitted by the Desolate Mirror Stone extremely blinding.

He was silent as he turned his head around and looked at Jiang Xiaorou, "Sis Xiaorou..."

"Yun'er, I'm not a spy..." Jiang Xiaorou bit her lips. Her face was a bit pale. In Jiang Xiaorou's bright eyes, Yi Yun could see his clear reflection.

He was sure that the girl in front of him was the Sis Xiaorou who had followed him all the way. She was not a Desolate race member in disguise.

He grabbed Jiang Xiaorou's hand and that intimate and harmonious feeling was not something an unfamiliar Desolate race member could disguise.

"She is my elder sister." Yi Yun turned his head and looked at the two guards as he said unhurriedly.

At that moment, there were more and more people gathering. Many people had rushed out when they heard the commotion.

Many of them were the favored children of the Tai Ah Divine City. Amongst them were Yang Qian and Yao Dao.

One of the Chu royal residence guards clutched his wrist that had been grabbed by Yi Yun. He pointed at Jiang Xiaorou and said to the people that had gathered, "We caught a Desolate race spy. It's her!"

Everyone's gaze fell onto Jiang Xiaorou, causing her to subconsciously move backward.

Up to now, she had not figured out what had happened. Two fierce-looking stour men had waved a red stone around her body, and had insisted she was a spy.

"She's from the Desolate race?" Yang Qian frowned as he looked at Yi Yun. To Yang Qian, he did not mind Jiang Xiaorou, but he had to consider his attitude towards Yi Yun.

Yi Yun was silent. Jiang Xiaorou's background was mysterious and he did not know which family clan she came from either. He guessed that Jiang Xiaorou came from a huge background.

However… Desolate race?

Yi Yun recalled the bits and pieces of his interaction with Jiang Xiaorou before shaking his head, "Impossible!"

Back in the Cloud Wilderness, Jiang Xiaorou had previously told him of her childhood. Although she had lost a lot of her childhood memories, she still remembered certain scenes, which included her past life and her reading and writing.

The life she had described did not seem to be that of the Desolate race which lived with desolate beasts.

Besides, Jiang Xiaorou was literate. What she knew was language of humans, and Yi Yun knew that the Desolate race had their own language.

Jiang Xiaorou was the one who first taught Yi Yun's how to read and write.

If Jiang Xiaorou was from the Desolate race, then why would she learn the language of humans at a young age?

"Just because you say it's impossible, that doesn’t mean that it's impossible? The Desolate Mirror Stone can't be wrong. If no one believes me, then we can test it now. Previously, Young Master Nantian had said that the color of the Desolate race's blood is silver. Let's use a knife and see whether this girl's blood is red or silver!"

The man who had his wrist grabbed by Yi Yun suddenly had a brilliant thought. He suggested this method and everyone who heard this agreed.

Indeed, checking the color of one's blood was enough, wasn't it?

True Martial World - Chapter 354: Young Master Nantian

The grand Chu royal residence was filled with palatial towers everywhere. The main Hall was situated in the King Chu tower that stood magnificently high in the sky.

Currently, the Sun was setting in the West, enveloping the sky in a red glow. The tall King Chu tower was covered by a layer of golden light, making one feel like they were in an immortal paradise.

Before Yi Yun followed the law-enforcers into the King Chu tower, he saw the Shentu family clan's airship. It was docked in the square in front of the King Chu tower, and Shentu family clan guards surrounded it.

These guards looked strong and sturdy. Their breathing was restrained making it difficult to estimate their strength.

They stood there motionless like wooden poles. As they all uniformly wore the same type of Shentu family clan armor, it was majestic at a glance.

When Yi Yun and company walked past them, all of them continued looking straight, clearly following regimental discipline.

This made Yi Yun secretly surprised. He roughly estimated that these soldiers were no weaker than the Tai Ah Divine City instructors. However, in the Tai Ah Divine City, once people reached that amount of strength, they would have great freedom and a high status.

However, in the Shentu family clan, these people could only become soldiers and guards.

This was the difference between a large faction and a small faction. Although the people were of the same cultivation level and those in a small faction could lead a more comfortable life, they would lose more opportunities and resources. Their horizons were more narrow, so there were people who were willing to serve a large faction, even if they were to be a normal soldier.

"The Shentu family clan has such military prowess and such regimental discipline. It's much stronger than the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom." Yi Yun thought in his mind. He felt more confident of being able to withstand this beast horde.

Stepping through the King Chu tower's door, he was met with a solemn atmosphere in the main Hall. The ground was paved with inscribed stones. Not only they were harder than steel, they formed a very pretty pattern on the surface. It looked beautiful and noble.

Yi Yun saw that further in the Hall, there was a young man dressed in a traditional costume. His clothes were green in color, and there was a hair band on his head. His skin was white, and his forehead was revealed. His face had a healthy red shine to it. In a subtle way, Yi Yun could feel that in the middle of his eyebrows, there was a hint of purple air.

Purple Air Comes From The East was a symbol of innate royalty.

This youth's dress sense was simple and his breathing was very deep and composed. He did not seem to have any airs to him, and he seemed very amiable.

Sitting beside the youth were two elders who wore golden headdresses. They remained very respectful to the youth.

Yi Yun noticed that although the two elders were sitting on chairs, they only sat on a third of the seat. Their backs were upright, and this was a sign of humility.

Yi Yun did not recognize the two elders, but, one of the elders was wearing a golden python robe, thus Yi Yun recognized him.

A golden python could be said to be a python, but it actually resembled a dragon. It had four claws which were one less claw than a dragon, so a golden python could be said to be a four-clawed dragon.

In the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom, only those who were given the title of King could wear a four-clawed golden dragon robe. For example, Chu Xiaoran's father was a Defender Duke, which was one level lower than King Chu’s noble rank, hence he could not wear such a robe.

In other words, the elder wearing a golden python robe was King Chu himself!

For a young man to be able to receive such respect from King Chu made it certain that he was from the Shentu family clan. And amongst the Shentu family clan, he probably did not have a low status. Yi Yun noticed that King Chu was showing heartfelt respect to the youth himself, and not because of the faction behind him.

Other than those three people sitting in the great hall, the rest were left standing.

Yi Yun noticed that amongst those who stood, there were some teenage boys and girls wearing uniforms. These young people were clearly from the Shentu family clan, and they were likely the talented juniors from the Shentu family clan.

There were other older followers and family generals, but all of them treated the youth in green as their leader.

"Young Master Nantian, these are the young elites of our Tai Ah Divine Kingdom, please take a look."

King Chu pointed at Yi Yun and company. The youth in green casually glanced at them and his gaze stopped for a short while on Yi Yun.

"Not bad…" Shentu Nantian smiled and nodded, "When a country is in danger, being born in this chaotic times is unfortunate, but it is also lucky. If all of you can survive it, then this will be your fortuitous opportunity. Make sure to take advantage of it."

Shentu Nantian gave a simple evaluation. His voice was like powerful Spring pool, which made many of the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom’s favored children of heaven feel as if they were placed upon a pedestal.

These days, all these teenage boys and girls had slowly understood how vast the world was. They were located in a corner, and they had limited horizons.

Originally, as a figure of such stature, Shentu Nantian would not concern himself with a bunch of geniuses from a small country as they were nothing. Unexpectedly, Shentu Nantian had even given them a good evaluation, making them feel encouraged.

"This Young Master Nantian does not have any airs."

"Right, I never expected him to encourage us. What a pleasure." A few youths began discussing using Yuan Qi transmissions.

Some of the young girls even looked at Shentu Nantian with a hint of admiration and idolization.

For a favored son of Heaven from a powerful background to be this charming and strong, he easily moved the hearts of the young girls.

"My Chu royal residence's family generals, the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom's Sages and all these young proud children of Heaven will listen to Young Master Nantian's orders!" King Chu respectfully said. At that moment, the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom was struggling, so naturally, it was very courteous to the Shentu family clan, which was like a life-saving straw.

"Alright." Shentu Nantian responded lightly. "My Shentu family clan has come to the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom for two things. Firstly, it is to clear the beast horde set off by the Shepherd Boy to settle my feud with him. Secondly, it is to discuss some matters with the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom."

As Shentu Nantian spoke, he flipped his right hand slightly, and in his hand, a red stone appeared from out of nowhere.

He picked the gem out of his right hand and swiped it across all the people in the room. This gem emitted a light that put people in a dreamy state. If one looked at it, they would not even realize that their spirit was being sucked in.

Many of the favored children of Heaven were alarmed and hurriedly stop looking at it.

"This is…" King Chu was stunned, not knowing what Shentu Nantian was doing.

"Desolate Mirror Stone!" Shentu Nantian said calmly, "People from the Human race and Desolate race look no different. There is no way to distinguish them on the surface. Only this Desolate Mirror Stone can detect the Desolate race's signature. This is to prevent spies from the Desolate race being amongst us!"

When Shentu Nantian said this, King Chu’s expression changed. He smiled dryly, "How is that possible? My Chu Prefecture City is a long distance away from the Divine Wilderness. Besides, these are geniuses reared by the Tai Ah Divine City. We know their roots, so they can't be of the Desolate race…"

"Impossible?" Shentu Nantian chuckled and stood up. "How many people from the Desolate race have you interacted with before? You are just guessing. The Desolate race is cunning, cruel and bloodthirsty. On the way here, I have confirmed that there is more than one member of the Desolate race in the Chu Prefecture City!"

"My guess is that the plan to set off the beast horde to destroy the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom has been prepared by the Desolate race for a long time. Many years ago, the Desolate race might have sent numerous spies to infiltrate all corners of the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom!"

"This…"

Hearing Shentu Nantian saying it so certainly, the people in the great Hall looked at each other. The Tai Ah Divine Kingdom had been infiltrated by Desolate race spies? And there were that many?

Originally, their impression of the Desolate race was only that of the Shepherd Boy. It was synonymous with powerful, mysterious, bloodthirsty and cruel.

As for the other members of the Desolate race, they had never thought of them before.

"But…" Shentu Nantian's suddenly switched gears, "I'm curious. With the Shepherd Boy's strength, he can destroy the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom by himself. I do not understand why he sent spies out before hand. I'm afraid that his goal of attacking the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom is not that simple!"

Shentu Nantian sighed slightly as he seemed to be in deep thought.

Yi Yun's mind began cranking when he heard this. When he was in the Tai Ah Divine City, he had seen the Shepherd Boy lead the beast horde to attack the city with his own eyes. Back then, the Shepherd Boy had indeed said, "I have something to do… I do not truly want to destroy the Tai Ah Kingdom, but unfortunately, the few countries around the Divine Wilderness are hindering me from doing what I want to do. As such, I can only annihilate them!"

The fact that Shentu Nantian had managed to reach this conclusion from all sorts of small clues showed how capable he was.

Shentu Nantian carried on, "Everyone, remember this. The Desolate race's blood is silver in color! If you detect any people with silver blood, you are to immediately report it to me!"

"The Desolate race may look human, but they are in fact not human. In essence, they are desolate beasts. The Desolate race is innately cruel and prone to killing. They do not have any concept of mercy. They kill people like they are cutting grass!"

"Hence, do not treat the Desolate race as humans. Desolate race and Humans are arch-rivals, just as humans are arch-rivals with desolate beasts. You can say that we are irreconcilable!"

"The Desolate race's silver blood is of great use to Humans. The corpses of high ranked Desolate race members are much more valuable than primordial strains. And moving up, the blood of King-ranked Desolate race members are far superior to primordial true spirits! And King-ranked Desolate race members are not the strongest amongst the Desolate race!"

"The most important point is that the blood of Desolate race members has mild energies. They are not like the blood of primordial strains that can cause damage to one's meridians. If… anyone of you discovers a Desolate race, and report them to me, I will give you a portion of the Desolate race's blood. Therefore… I had previously mentioned that this war is a fortuitous opportunity for all of you. Now, you should understand why!"

After Shentu Nantian said all this, the young elites present were moved.

The value of a high ranked Desolate race member's blood exceeded that of primordial strains.

Furthermore, there were even King-ranked Desolate race members that exceeded primordial true spirits.

The concept of a primordial true spirit had been deeply engraved in their hearts. Back when the Shepherd Boy led the beast horde to attack the city, the giant turtle that shocked many was a primordial true spirit!

Then, what sort of value did the blood have that even a primordial true spirit paled in comparison?

"Alright, that will be all for today. There are no spies amongst us. From now on, the city gates have to be closed as we first find the spy!" Shentu Nantian said as his mouth suffused a confident smile.

The Shepherd Boy, who had previously stirred up a bloody storm in the western regions, was an arch-enemy that had nearly killed his parents and himself.

Now, he wanted to make the Shepherd Boy know what it meant to atone with one's blood!

True Martial World - Chapter 353: The Glimmer of Hope

Yi Yun set up a simple sound isolation energy barrier in Jiang Xiaorou's boudoir. He then told her everything about the beast horde.

The more Jiang Xiaorou heard, the more alarmed she became. What Yi Yun was telling her was truly unbelievable.

A 100,000 feet tall Long Gui behemoth? How big was that?

Jiang Xiaorou had heard of beast hordes more than once while they were living in the Cloud Wilderness. However, she had never encountered one. Today, the beast horde Yi Yun told her about was unexpectedly a super beast horde that could wipe out the entire Tai Ah Divine Kingdom.

Jiang Xiaorou had gotten a clear idea of how big the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom was over the past year. Such a vast country could actually be destroyed? It sounded incredulous.

"Sis Xiaorou, you cannot tell others of what I told you. Follow me to the army campgrounds and bring Zhou Xiaoke, Aunt Wang and Uncle Zhou with you… This is probably the largest number of people I can take with me."

Yi Yun believed the law-enforcer would accommodate him bringing four people along.

Yi Yun did not know what would await him in this trip back to the Cloud Wilderness. For such a large divine kingdom to hole up in a barren land like the Cloud Wilderness, was it planning to become a Cloud Wilderness tribe in the future?

For the large divine kingdom to become a tribe was just ironic.

"Only four people?" Jiang Xiaorou could not bear it. What about the people who were left behind?

However, she knew she was unable to change anything and could only nod, "I… got it…"

Jiang Xiaorou followed Yi Yun and stayed within the Jin Long Wei campground. Now, the Jin Long Wei campground was the temporary residence of the Tai Ah Divine City's elites.

With the looming presence of the beast horde, Yan Menglong and the other Jin Long Wei superiors of Yi Yun had all been deployed to the front lines.

For days, the campground's atmosphere was extremely depressing. Everyone was waiting for the order to come down as if they were waiting for the decree of Fate.

And today… the order finally came. However, they were not to head to the Cloud Wilderness, but… to rush to the Chu Prefecture City.

To the Chu Prefecture City?

People were confused as they did not know why they were going to the Chu Prefecture City for at that moment.

The Chu Prefecture City was not near the Cloud Wilderness, it was actually closer to the Divine Wilderness. Could it be that the Tai Ah Divine City had been successfully defended?

People could not help but have such thoughts as this was the outcome they wished to see the most.

When Yi Yun learned of their destination, he slightly frowned. He had heard of the Chu Prefecture City. It was the fief of the Chu royal residence. It was also the Chu royal residence's largest city in the Chu Prefecture.

Yi Yun did not have a good impression of the Chu royal residence. Previously, his enemies, Yang Yuefeng, Yang Dingkun, and company were all from the Chu royal residence.

Regardless of that, an order was an order. Yi Yun followed everyone as they flew towards the Chu Prefecture City.

Jiang Xiaorou and company were also brought along by Yi Yun.

Following that, it was another boring journey. Through these days, they were constantly on the move, not knowing what their future fate would be…

The airship went through one teleportation array after another, slowly closing in on the Chu Prefecture City.

However, at that moment, people on the airship’s deck saw another airship fly alongside them in the air.

This was an airship they had never seen before. It did not belong to the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom, nor any of the other large factions.

This airship was black in color and its surface was engraved with complicated red runes. As the airship flew, these runes shimmered with a rhythm. They exuded a mysterious and ancient feeling.

Clearly, the red runes were some form of esoteric array; but the law-enforcer in charge of the journey from the Divine Capital, who happened to be proficient in arrays, did not understand it at all.

The airship was about a thousand feet long but its volume was not too ludicrous in size. However, when the airships keel came in sight, a law-enforcer who was proficient in the Desolate Heaven technique became greatly alarmed.

"The heel is made of primordial strain ribs!"

The keel of an airship's main backbone was a straight beam. Along the beam were several crescent-shaped bones that formed the curvature of the keel.

This shape was, in fact, similar to a human's sternum and ribs.

If a large primordial strain's sternum and ribs were used to construct an airships keel, then the quality of that boat would be obvious!

However, in practice, the corpses of primordial strains are extremely precious. The precious bones of the species were usually used to refine desolate bone relics, so who would be willing to use them to construct an airship?

Besides, for an airship of this size meant that the primordial strain must have exceeded a thousand feet in size. It was definitely a horrific existence that could cast away mountains and upset the sea, bringing about Armageddon. Even a peak-Sage might not be able to kill such a beast!

"Such precious bones were used to construct an airship?"

A few law-enforcers became extremely alarmed. The Tai Ah Divine Kingdom had a few similar grade primordial strain corpses, but they were all placed in the Wilderness Divine Hall for the Tai Ah Divine City cultivators to use for cultivation.

How could they be so extravagant and use them to construct an airship?

"What faction is this?"

People started wondering. However, in times of peril, no matter what mysterious power it is, it will certainly bring imagination and hope to people.

At that moment, the black airship accelerated as it flew towards the Chu Prefecture City, leaving them behind.

"They too are going to the Chu Prefecture City?"

"Look, there are words on the back of the airship!'

People focused their gaze and saw ancient characters on the back of the airship. Two large blood-red words were written, Shen Tu!

The Shentu family clan!?

Could it be…

When people saw this surname, they all held their breaths.

If this was a few months back, no one on the airship would have known who the Shentu family clan was.

However, now, because of the Shepherd Boy, they all knew it clearly!

The Shentu family clan was an ancient family clan in the western regions. Their heritage was unimaginably deep that far exceeded that of the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom.

And when the Shepherd Boy first appeared, it was in the western regions. He had once stirred up a vast beast horde in the western regions, and at that time, the Shentu family clan had resisted against the beast horde.

Although the Shentu family clan was greatly weakened after the beast horde, they still managed to hold on!

A family clan which had been able to defend against the Shepherd Boy!

"It really is the Shentu family clan!"

"People from the Shentu family clan have come. Right, they have a feud with the Sheperd Boy. We might be saved!"

Thinking of this history, people were overjoyed. It could be said that the Shepherd Boy and the Shentu family clan would fight to the bitter end. Now, with the Shepherd Boy appearing once again, the Shentu family clan had taken the initiative to send someone!

The enemy of my enemy is my friend. For the Shentu family clan to appear now, it undoubtedly brought a glimmer of hope to the despairing Tai Ah Divine Kingdom!

"Hahaha, this is great! Looks like our orders to head to the Chu Prefecture City is likely because of the Shentu family clan!" A law-enforcer, who was usually serious, became excited and started to cheer.

Even with the Shentu family clan joining, the war would still be extremely difficult with obscene amounts of bloodshed. However, it gave them hope of winning the war.

On the airship, Yi Yun gave a sigh of relief. It was best if they did not need to flee into the Cloud Wilderness.

"Disembark the airship!"

No one had time to appreciate the magnificence of the Chu Prefecture City after they landed. They had received orders to immediately head to the Chu royal residence's main hall.

And this time, they received precise information that stated that the people from the Shentu family clan had arrived. They were planning to assist the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom in withstanding the beast horde.

"There are kindred spirits to be found in the human world. In this savage world, human forces have to be united!" A law-enforcer said from the bottom of his heart.

"Who can refute that. We humans are weak, so we need to unite to prosper. Things are now great!"

The law-enforcers leading the group were overjoyed. They brought the young Tai Ah Divine Kingdom elites to meet the Shentu family clan's ambassadors.

Not every elite had this qualification.

It was only limited to Yi Yun, Yao Dao, Yang Qian, Chu Xiaoran, and company.

Many of the others looked at Yi Yun and company with envy. To be able to meet the ambassadors of an ancient yet powerful family clan was an extremely glorious matter.

Not only did it broaden one's views, but getting to know mighty figures, and gaining the appreciation of the mighty figures would allow one's path to turn smoother in the future.

There were all sorts of unexpected benefits!

Of course, they were only envious, they had no contempt. Only people like Yi Yun and company had the right to represent the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom. If they were sent, they would only be humiliating themselves in front of the ancient family clan.

"In a while, rouse yourselves up. The higher-ups have instructed that you are to seriously handle the Shentu family clan if they are to question you. You must not let down the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom's reputation!" A law-enforcer ordered. The higher-ups had just sent down the command. Yi Yun especially, for he was the most presentable talent the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom had to offer noveltranslationweb.blogspot.com

They had to leave a good impression on the ambassadors from an ancient family clan. The ambassadors had to know that the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom was thriving with strong warriors in every generation. Only by letting them know that the younger generation of elites was extraordinary in strength could they show them the value of cooperation.

"Yes, I got it."

Yi Yun nodded. He knew very well that this meeting between the Shentu family clan and the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom in the Chu Prefecture City was extremely important. The fate of the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom relied on it!

Whether the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom could survive this ordeal relied on the attitude of the Shentu family clan to a great extent.

True Martial World - Chapter 352: Divine Capital

The Divine Capital City was the largest city in the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom's Jing state.

It was situated close to the Cloud Wilderness. Back when Yi Yun first came out of the Cloud Wilderness, his first stop was the Divine Capital.

When the airship floated above the Divine Capital’s airspace, Yi Yun stood by a window, looking down at the bustling city.

When he left the Cloud Wilderness he never expected that he would go to the Tai Ah Divine City, using the Divine Capital as a stopover. Now, one and a half year later, he was returning to the Divine Capital to use it as a stopover to return to the Cloud Wilderness.

This really was returning back to the starting point.

The only difference now was that Yi Yun's strength was completely incomparable to last time.

However, it was a pity that Yi Yun was powerless against the vast beast horde that could destroy several Divine Kingdoms.

The airship landed on a platform in the Divine Capital City. Such a large airship was not often seen even in the bustling Divine Capital. People stopped to look as they found the sight of the huge airship fascinating.

The Divine Capital looked like it was still thriving. It was early in the morning, so Yi Yun could see the morning bird merchants shuttling through the streets. He saw store owners preparing to begin their businesses. He saw bearded, old men sitting under a tree to avoid the sun.

More and more citizens of the Divine Capital walked onto the streets. Some were walking leisurely while others were in a hurry. They all began their day's life.

They still had not heard the news of the impending beast horde.

Not to mention the Divine Capital, even the Imperial City had not been informed of this.

Those that knew that there was a beast horde outbreak which the divine city was incapable of resisting were limited to the royal family, the imperial capital's family clans and several reclusive family clans.

This information could not be made public, or there would be utter chaos.

The Tai Ah Divine Kingdom had a trillion citizens, so it was impossible to evacuate them all. In desperation, they might even attack the army, mobbing the administrative offices and the teleportation arrays between the larger cities.

If that were to happen, not to mention that the citizens would not be able to escape, this would also cause the Divine Kingdom to become paralyzed.

Currently, the only thing the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom could do was to defend against the beast horde at all costs. If they could not defend against it, they could only send the Divine Kingdom's future hope, the Divine City's elites, into the Cloud Wilderness.

As for the Divine Kingdom's citizens, they could only be left behind.

"Yi Yun, I am leaving…"

Luo Huo'er said to Yi Yun after the airship landed. She had received news from her family clan's branch. She was to leave the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom.

"Take care." Yi Yun nodded.

"Let us meet if we are fated." Luo Huo'er looked at Yi Yun while contemplating if she should say something. In the end, she only said those words. Beside her was her maidservant Dong'er. Dong'er stared at Yi Yun with her pair of dark eyes.

"Elder brother Yi Yun, you must survive."

Little Dong'er said.

"Yes, I will." Yi Yun revealed a smile.

The present situation was really quite depressing for him.

With old friends departing, the country being on the brink of disaster, and the fates of his masters and seniors unknown…

…

After Luo Huo'er left, Yi Yun wandered the Divine Capital’s streets alone. He stepped on the thick granite-paved streets. The morning dew was still on the granite. Between the slabs’ crevices, there was green moss that made it look like lush greenery.

These granite slabs had witnessed all sorts of people. They had witnessed prosperity and hardship, joys and sorrows. Every stone was like a thick history book that encompassed the long history of the Divine Capital City, ever since its creation.

However… this history might shortly cease to exist.

There would no longer be laughter and talking in these streets. The flowers and greenery would no longer exist.

Just thinking about it made Yi Yun sigh.

There were more and more pedestrians out on the streets. Yi Yun saw an old woman pushing a pancake cart as she sold pancakes. He saw a young girl tip-toeing to choose candy.

It was hard to believe that all of these honest people would turn into a pile of bones in just a few months…

They were pitiful. They still did not know that a disaster was looming. It was definitely a tragedy, a sorrow of the masses.

"I want to take a trip home. My home is here."

Yi Yun said to a law-enforcer not far behind him.

"Oh?" The law-enforcer hesitated for a while. He never expected that the Divine Capital City would be Yi Yun's home. There was military discipline in the military, and at that moment, they had received orders to be on standby. Waiting to stay behind and defend, or evacuate to the Cloud Wilderness.

If the army was dispersed, there might be incidents or even leaked news.

Initially, the law-enforcer did not want to agree. However, Yi Yun's status was special. After some thought, he said, "Return as soon as possible. Remember, you are not to leak the news of the beast horde! This is a military order!

"I know." Yi Yun nodded. Although he could not bear to see these common citizens die from ignorance, telling them would not help. The divine city had not abandoned them. Many Sages and Human Lords were fighting for them, sacrificing themselves. Unfortunately, there were plenty of times when human power lacked the ability to defy Heaven!

"Lord law-enforcer…" Yi Yun hesitated for a while before saying, "If we are to evacuate to the Cloud Wilderness, can I bring a few people…?"

Yi Yun could not abandon Jiang Xiaorou. There was also Zhou Xiaoke. He could not bear to let such a cute young girl die in the belly of a desolate beast.

The law-enforcer slightly frowned, "Are you bringing a warrior or a mortal?"

He had roughly guessed that Yi Yun likely wanted to bring along his family members.

"Mortals."

"Alright…" The law-enforcer was not surprised. As a person with a commoner background, Yi Yun's family was naturally made up of mortals.

"You can bring some, but… it will be limited to a very small number. You should know that it will be very troublesome to evacuate to the Cloud Wilderness while bringing along mortals."

"Yes… Thank you."

Yi Yun thanked him as he rushed towards the Soft Clouds Mountain Manor.

Yi Yun was extremely anxious about being able to meet Jiang Xiaorou shortly.

Jiang Xiaorou was the first family member he had ever since he came to this alternate world. In the Cloud Wilderness, when Yi Yun was still lacking in strength, he and Jiang Xiaorou had spent those tough days together, with only each other as kin.

The Soft Clouds Mountain Manor was about fifty kilometers away from the Divine Capital, so Yi Yun arrived there in fifteen minutes.

When he saw the big manor, it appeared to be even more glamorous than when he left.

The red lacquer door, with the shiny bronze ingots and the two large stone lions in front of it, made the place look substantial.

"Stop, who is there?"

Two servants who were guarding the door did not recognize Yi Yun at all. They tried to stop Yi Yun, but Yi Yun did not even bother to answer them. With a flash, he entered the mountain manor.

The two servants were still standing at the entrance with their mouths agape. The person in front of them had instantly disappeared. They looked at each other, wondering if they had seen wrongly.

The inside of the manor was lined with red bricks and green tiles. Several hundred-year-old trees blocked the Sun, and between all the pavilions were rockery and greenery. It was a very beautiful landscape.

Yi Yun was in no mood to see this. He knew where Jiang Xiaorou stayed and focusing his hearing so that, within a hundred meter radius, he could hear even a worm burrowing in the ground.

Soon, he locked onto Jiang Xiaorou's position. With a flash of his figure, Yi Yun arrived in an exquisite garden.

In this small courtyard, Yi Yun saw a girl in green holding a watering can as she watered the flowers.

Yi Yun immediately recognized this young girl in green as it was his elder sister, Jiang Xiaorou.

After not having seen her once in the last one and a half year, Jiang Xiaorou, who had now eaten exquisite and nourishing food in the Soft Clouds Mountain Manor, now looked even more graceful. She no longer looked like her undeveloped self from back then. Her skin had become even smoother and delicate, like creamy jade. Her figure was slim but curvy. She gave off a spring-like feeling.

"Sis Xiaorou!"

Yi Yun loudly shouted. At that moment, his heart was filled with emotion. He had thought that after he went to the Tai Ah Divine City, he would become a dragon amongst men and then have a glorious homecoming. He thought he could give his sister a title of first-grade princess, or some title of Lady, allowing her to live the life of a noble young mistress in the future. If he had a chance, he would get her some magical elixirs, allowing her to reach a certain martial arts realm and gain eternal youth.

However, he never expected that, although he had been outstanding in the Tai Ah Divine City, he could not have a glorious homecoming. He returned to the Divine Capital as a refugee.

Indeed, the phrase "the god of destiny makes fools of the people" was true.

"Yun… Yun'er?" Jiang Xiaorou looked in disbelief at the sudden appearance of this youth that was taller than her by a half a head.

Although Yi Yun had grown taller and his body had become more muscular, they had spent every day together since they were young. No matter how much Yi Yun changed, Jiang Xiaorou could recognize him immediately.

However, she could not believe that Yi Yun would so suddenly return home. She had not received any prior news to this.

"It really is Yun'er!"

Jiang Xiaorou was so overjoyed that she dropped her watering can and scurried forward to stand in front of Yi Yun.

"You have grown tall."

Jiang Xiaorou touched Yi Yun's face while her eyes became moist. When Yi Yun left, he was shorter than Jiang Xiaorou, but now, other than looking slightly boyish, he completely looked like an adult.

To Jiang Xiaorou, she did not care if Yi Yun obtained many achievements or reaching whatever cultivation realm. As long as he returned home safe and sound, allowing her to see more of him, she would be satisfied.

"Sis Xiaorou, I have something to tell you." Yi Yun said hurriedly.

"What is it? What is the rush?" Jiang Xiaorou was a very sensitive woman. She was overjoyed upon seeing Yi Yun's sudden return. However, with some thought, how could Yi Yun suddenly traverse millions of kilometers back home before finishing his training in the Divine City? There was no prior news to this which made it somewhat unusual.

And from Yi Yun's expression, it seemed as if something had happened. Jiang Xiaorou's expression turned solemn.

"We will talk in the house." Yi Yun pulled Jiang Xiaorou's hand. Yi Yun could not bring everyone from Soft Clouds Mountain Manor. He could only bring a few along…

True Martial World - Chapter 351: Leaving

Cang Yan was certain that Luo Huo'er came from an impressive background. And Luo Huo'er seemed to be someone of importance in her family clan.

Under these circumstances, it was unlikely that Luo Huo’er’s family clan would leave her completely unprotected by letting her go to the Tai Ah Divine City alone.

It was likely that Luo Huo'er had some method that could save her life. If this life-saving method could not rival the Shepherd Boy, then under normal circumstances, Luo Huo'er would have secretly informed her family clan several months ago to request for protection.

Now, the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom was like a drowning person. Any hanging blade of grass that could save it would be grabbed on.

Although the chances of relying on Luo Huo'er to save the Tai Ah Divine City were extremely minute, it was better than having no hope.

It was extremely difficult for a Tai Ah Divine City Sage, such as Jian Ge, to raise this issue with a young lady like Luo Huo'er as they could not bear ripping off their face to do so. Hence, this task fell gloriously onto Cang Yan, who had the thickest skin.

"Family clan? What family clan?" Luo Huo'er's eyes rolled her eyes, as if she was clueless about it.

Yi Yun also stopped his steps. He looked behind him at Luo Huo'er and Cang Yan. Cang Yan clearly had expected Luo Huo'er to feign ignorance. He coughed drily and rubbed his hands, saying, "Miss Luo, don't joke around with this old man in such a time of need. We are gambling the numerous lives of the Tai Ah Divine City’s residents on this. If we had any other options, this old man would not have put up this old face to mention this to you..."

"Lives are precious. All of us old fellows do not have many years left to live, so it's fine if we lose our lives. However, behind us, there are trillions of citizens. Amongst them are newly-wed couples, newborn children..."

"I don't think you want to see these citizens die in the beast horde. When that happens, how great a human tragedy would that be..." Cang Yan said earnestly.

Yi Yun, who was eavesdropping, could not help but admit that Cang Yan was very good at speaking. If Luo Huo'er were to turn away and leave now, she would be a heartless person.

Besides... the Tai Ah Divine City's teleportation array needed the control of two law-enforcers to activate it. If Luo Huo'er did not make any affirmation, Cang Yan would probably not let her leave.

If Luo Huo'er was forcefully left in the Tai Ah Divine City, then her family clan would probably not turn a blind eye.

Luo Huo'er clearly also understood this. She bit her lips and said, "Senior Cang Yan, it isn't because I don't want to help you all… but… I can't be of help. Your guesses are right, I do come from a very large faction. However, if you think that there is some expert protecting me nearby, then you are wrong..."

"Why do you think that with my large faction background, I would come to a place like the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom?" Luo Huo'er answered with a question. Yi Yun was shocked as he too was curious over this point.

"Actually… I'm here as a refugee. My family clan is in the midst of a war with it being in a precarious position. As a result, for the past few years, the children of my family clan have been sent to the family clan's branches all around the world to prevent the annihilation of the family clan, and ending our bloodline."

"As for the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom, it happens to have a branch of our family, that's why… I was sent here. If my family clan was at its peak, I might have had experts protecting me when I went out training. However, now… How could there be any one available? As for the secret family clan branch in the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom, they are likely helpless against such a beast horde even if they were willing to reveal themselves..."

When Cang Yan heard all that Luo Huo'er had to say, he was completely stunned.

After more than 30 seconds, Cang Yan let out a long sigh, it looked like he had grown older.

"Is that so…? If that is the case, then the Heavens really wants my Tai Ah destroyed..." Cang Yan shook his head. Although he did not hold much hope with Luo Huo'er, Cang Yan still felt his heart sink when he truly realized that Luo Huo'er could not help at all.

If the Tai Ah Divine City was lost, Cang Yan did not dare to think what would happen to the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom. Would the majestic Royal Capital and the bustling state cities be void of all life, eventually becoming a part of the Divine Wilderness?

Cang Yan's heart sank even more when he thought of this.

"Leave." Cang Yan waved his hand, as he stopped making it difficult for Luo Huo'er to leave.

Luo Huo'er bit her lips and strangely felt sorry. Although this matter had nothing to do with her, she still felt responsible for it.

After some thought, Luo Huo'er seemed to make up her mind. She took a jade scroll out from her interspatial ring and placed it into Cang Yan's hands.

"Senior Cang Yan, this was given to me by my father. It is an embodiment used to protect my life in times of danger, you might be able to make use of it. I'm leaving and now with the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom in danger, my family clan's branch would most likely take me away..."

Luo Huo'er's family clan was originally a passing guest in the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom. It was a migratory bird that landed on a tree. noveltranslationweb.blogspot.com

Now with the tree toppling, it was impossible for the migratory bird to support the tree, it would now just fly away.

As the teleportation array flashed, Yi Yun's heart felt heavy as he was leaving.

He did not know what would happen to the Tai Ah Divine City. Cang Yan, Jian Ge and the City Lord, what did their fates entail with them staying behind?

As for Yi Yun himself, although he was returning to the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom, where would it be safe when the Tai Ah Divine City falls?

Yi Yun knew clearly that his present strength was like a tiny bubble in a large tidal wave that was the super beast horde which was sweeping through several countries. He was not only helpless, but he could be destroyed anytime.

It seemed like… he was out of options...

Yi Yun and Luo Huo'er walked through the teleportation array together. There was already an airship docked at the other end. Many of the young elites had long boarded the airship, waiting to retreat back into the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom.

Yi Yun saw Yang Qian, Yao Dao and company.

No one spoke a word. The atmosphere was very solemn.

In a corner, Luo Huo'er sat in a daze. She seemed to be lost in thought.

Yi Yun sighed lightly as he sat beside Luo Huo'er.

The airship was started up and as it flew, it trembled in the turbulent air. Luo Huo'er's body was swaying with every tremble of the airship.

"Yi Yun… why do you think… war exists?" During the flight, Luo Huo'er suddenly asked faintly. She was looking out the window at the Divine Wilderness with a dazed expression.

If it was not for war, she would not have left her family clan. And if was not for war, lives would not be lost.

Yi Yun stayed silent for a while before saying, "The fighting between humans is the same as animals hunting each other for food. It will always be this tragic. Maybe real peace will never exist. This is because for Life to exist in this world, it has to continually hunt for food. Only through non-stop killing can Life carry on. Those are the Heavenly laws."

"Either we become the hunter or we will become the prey. There is no way to escape this cycle. Even in death, our corpses might become food or nutrients, continuing on this cycle… This is probably the hallmark of Life..." Yi Yun sighed, but when Luo Huo'er heard this, she was slightly shocked. She had just said it in passing, as if she was speaking to herself, but she had never expected Yi Yun to give her such an answer.

She never expected that a fourteen-year-old youth like Yi Yun could say such things.

"It wasn't serious." Yi Yun shrugged as he carried on, "Instead, we should now think about how we are going to carry on living."

"Carry on living?" Luo Huo'er pursed her lips, "I should… be leaving… Actually… I can put in a word with my family clan, to bring you along..."

Luo Huo'er did not have any friends in the Tai Ah Divine City, other than the dim-witted Dong'er.

Yi Yun was originally a person that Luo Huo'er found very irritating, but now with life and death on the line, Luo Huo'er no longer found him irritating.

"Leave?" Yi Yun was shocked. At that moment, he felt somewhat tempted.

If he could leave the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom with Luo Huo'er, then he would naturally be safe.

However… once he left the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom, he would not know when he would ever return.

Just thinking of Cang Yan and the words that the City Lord had said to him, Yi Yun felt that it was impossible for him to do such a thing no matter what.

He was able to accomplish everything he had done because of the resources the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom provided.

He had already accepted the fact that he had no other choice but to retreat back into the Divine Kingdom. However, if he escaped by himself, while people risked their lives by staying behind, then he would be an ungrateful brat.

Furthermore, Yi Yun still had his elder sister, Jiang Xiaorou, still in the Divine Capital City. There was also Zhou Xiaoke, Aunt Wang and all those people he had close relations with. It was impossible for Yi Yun to abandon them, leaving them to die in the beast horde.

Returning to the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom meant that there was a chance to reverse the tide. After all, with so many people working hard at it, how could he choose to escape?

"No, I'll be staying behind." Yi Yun eventually rejected the tempting offer. Luo Huo'er pursed her lips and did not say anything else.

She knew that the people in her family clan branch were definitely aware that the beast horde conjured by the Shepherd Boy was much more horrifying than they had previously estimated.

Under these circumstances, her family clan branch would most likely to send someone to get her.

The airship traversed through Divine Wilderness with the atmosphere in it of complete silence. It flew towards the territories of the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom.

While it flew, it continuously went through many large scale teleportation arrays. One bustling city after another was left behind by the airship.

Yi Yun knew that once the beast horde came, these cities would all turn to ruins.

And the residents of these cities had basically no hope of retreating. Sending away tens of millions of citizens through the city teleportation arrays needed energy that they could not afford.

"Where are we going?" A person could not help but ask when a law-enforcer walked past.

"The Divine Capital City!" The law-enforcer answered.

"Divine Capital? Why are we going to the Divine Capital?" People had originally assumed that they would head to the Imperial City.

The Imperial City was the city that had the greatest defense in the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom, other than the Tai Ah Divine City.

The law-enforcer said, "The Divine Capital is the largest city closest to the Cloud Wilderness. If the Tai Ah Divine City falls, the Imperial City will naturally fall too. At that moment, we can only send all of you into the Cloud Wilderness, to hide in some barren lands. Compared to the Divine Wilderness, the Cloud Wilderness is much safer."

Escape into the Cloud Wilderness?

Yi Yun was shocked. This was probably the last resort.

However, with beast hordes erupting everywhere, and the Cloud Wilderness being one of the gathering spots of desolate beasts, was it really much safer?

Regardless of this, he could at least see his elder sister, Jiang Xiaorou, once again if he were to return to the Divine Capital.

His fiefdom was after all located in the Divine Capital City.

To be able to meet Jiang Xiaorou once again in this time of chaos was a blessing.

True Martial World - Chapter 350: I cannot dodge what is mine

The fierce winds howled as the Tai Ah Divine City's City Lord looked at the Shepherd Boy from a distance while floating above the vast wilderness.

The City Lord was situated beside the nostrils of the divine turtle. He felt as if the nostrils were two large volcano openings, spewing out hot air.

The middle-aged scholar sighed. He had spent 90% of his life in the Divine Wilderness, yet he did not even know of the existence of such a terrifying behemoth being in the Divine Wilderness. It was quite tragic.

"Human, you seem to have something to say to me?" The Shepherd Boy stood up from the divine turtle's head, with the piccolo in hand, smiling at the middle-aged scholar. "You are pretty good. Even under the pressure of the Long Gui 1  True Spirit, you are still able to remain unruffled. For your cultivation level, it is extremely rare!"

At that moment, the middle-aged scholar held his saber as his clothes started fluttering violently in the turbulent winds.

"Long Gui True Spirit…" The middle-aged scholar gently shook his head, "I see. When I traversed the Divine Wilderness, I did hear of people mentioning primordial spirits."

"Primordial strains have a trace of the bloodline of an ancient divine beast, but it is extremely dilute, as such it is only known as a species. As for primordial spirits, the bloodlines they have inherited is much thicker than those of the primordial strain. They can even manifest the shapes of the ancient sacred or divine beasts, hence they are called True Spirits."

"Long Gui True Spirit should be a descendant of Long Gui…"

The legendary Long Gui was a divine beast. It had a dragon’s head and a turtle's body, and it was one of the nine sons of the True Dragon.

The body of a Long Gui was huge, and its strength was limitless. It could even carry a star!

"Not bad, although you are born in this remote land, your knowledge is not lacking." The Shepherd Boy was smiling even now.

"You… are not human?" The middle-aged scholar asked as he looked at the Shepherd Boy. He had always suspected so.

The Shepherd Boy gently shook his head. "No, I was born from the Desolate race. My appearance may look no different from a human, but the difference is our sole ability to communicate with desolate beasts."

Desolate race! Able to communicate with desolate beasts!

Many of the warriors above the city walls had never heard of such a race.

However, the middle-aged scholar knew. This world was not limited only to the human race. There were other races as well. And amongst those races, there were some whose numbers exceeded that of humans!

"The Desolate race… I see. May I ask you why you are annihilating my Tai Ah Divine Kingdom?"

"Because I have something to do…" The Shepherd Boy gently shook his head, "I do not truly want to destroy Tai Ah, but unfortunately, the few countries around the Divine Wilderness are hindering me from doing what I want to do. As such, I can only annihilate."

When the Shepherd Boy said words that played down on the matter, the hearts of the people on the Divine City's walls jumped. You want to destroy a few countries just to do something!?

One had to know that there were trillions of lives in the countries surrounding the Divine Wilderness! He wanted to kill all of them with just a few simple words!?

"You want to destroy trillions of lives just to do one thing?" The middle-aged scholar's voice sank as he tightly clenched his saber.

"So what?" The Shepherd Boy stroked his piccolo. "All sorts of natural living things support the survival of humans, yet humans have never reciprocated that to the Heavens. Humans have accepted the gifts from nature, but what they consider is forever their own interests."

"You have extracted from nature without constraint, and with your trillions of people, you have extracted even more. To survive, are you not killing living beings every second and every moment? And the numbers you kill are far greater in number than the number of humans.

"The world is heartless, it treats everything as lowly beings. In front of a stronger power, humans are no different from pigs and dogs. You can kill other living beings because you are strong. If other living beings kill you, it is because they are stronger. You can say that this is part and parcel of the Heavenly Dao, survival of the fitness."

"Not only you, even large worlds can collapse… formation, existence and then destruction, it is all a part of the Heavenly Dao."

When the Shepherd Boy said all this so frankly, the middle-aged scholar felt a chill. Although he did not wish to admit it, he had to agree that what the Shepherd Boy said was reasonable.

With a higher Heavenly Dao in front of them, so what if it were to destroy a trillion lives? When two stars collide, it too would kill trillions of lives!

However, who would say that the stars were cruel?

"If that is the case, then there is nothing for us to negotiate on." The middle-aged scholar let out a long sigh.

"What should be destroyed will eventually be destroyed." The Shepherd Boy faintly said, "If you and your kind will leave this place, you may still survive. I appreciate you and you should not be fated to die here."

"It is impossible for me to leave… I cannot dodge what is mine." The middle-aged scholar unsheathed his saber. The cold beam of the four-foot long saber seemed to freeze even the sunlight.

On the Divine City's walls, the Seven Star Pagoda Owner also let out a long sigh as he took out a spear from his interspatial ring.

Everyone could feel the difficulty of the upcoming battle. This was a battle to the death. It was fated that many of them would die here!

"Yi Yun, I'm taking you away!"

At the moment when swords were drawn and bows were strung, Cang Yan's Yuan Qi transmission entered Yi Yun's ears.

"What?" Yi Yun was shocked. And at that moment, Cang Yan's hand had already grabbed Yi Yun's shoulder. It was not only Yi Yun. Yao Dao, Yang Qian, the Yun Long Divine Kingdom's Bai, Feng Lin, Qianshui and company all had law-enforcers and Elders prepared to lead them away.

"We… are not fighting?"

Fatty Qianshui trembled as he spoke. His voice clearly shook. He was after all young, how could he have ever experienced a scene such as this?

Against the Shepherd Boy and the humongous Long Gui, it would be a lie if Fatty said that he was not afraid. This level of existence could easily turn him into ash with the mere flick of its hand!

Fatty was now in a dilemma.

On one hand, he did not wish to stay in the Tai Ah Divine City. If he could run away with his foot lubricated, that would be the best.

However, he just found it too shameful to run away in the face of danger. After all, there were still plenty of people left defending the city!

"You are just sending yourselves to your graves by participating in the battle. It is completely meaningless. The City Lord had previously instructed me to send all of you out of here in the event that the Tai Ah Divine City cannot be secured!"

No matter which faction it was, their younger generations were their future. They could not be sacrificed for nothing. noveltranslationweb.blogspot.com

If their countries were to collapse, then their countries might still have a chance to reconstruct in the future when the younger generation grew up.

Yi Yun, Bai and Feng Lin were silent. Everyone was always in a balance between id and super-ego. They did not wish to escape in the face of danger, but they knew that it was meaningless to stay behind and die.

Only Fatty Qianshui seemed to be fearless. He gritted his teeth, "We are warriors! How can we leave our seniors here to fight while we leave!?"

Cang Yan rolled his eyes unhappily at Fatty Qianshui's righteousness and awe-inspiring speech. He was wise at his age, so how could he not have noticed that Fatty's face had turned white with fear previously?

"Then you can stay behind while the others leave."

Cang Yan could not be bothered to speak nonsense with the cowardly Fatty. At that moment, time was of the essence; if not, these elites would never be able to leave.

Fatty Qianshui immediately shut up. His mouth gaped but he could not utter a single word.

Yi Yun's expression turned solemn. At that moment, he was in no mood to ridicule Qianshui. He said worriedly, "Senior Cang Yan, letting us escape, are all of you already prepared to…"

"Pui! Pui! Pui!" Cang Yan interrupted Yi Yun's speech midway. "What a foul mouth! If one can live, who the f**k would want to die?"

"In all of these years, the Tai Ah Divine City has accumulated large numbers of relics and strategic reserves. With the sword and saber tombs' large array, it can still defend for a while. We Sages and Human Lords cannot retreat. The Tai Ah Divine City is a stronghold that holds off the beast horde. If this city falls, then the beast horde will enter the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom. Then there will be nothing to stop the horde as it goes straight ahead."

"Although I too want to run, I have already lived a long life. So, I still want my face. The Divine Kingdom has allowed me to reach the Sage realm, so repaying them with my remaining few years of lifespan is not a loss on my part! However, all of you are different. Your survival is of the greatest value to the Divine Kingdom!"

When Cang Yan said this, he suddenly let out a hearty laugh, "****. What is yours will always be yours, what is not yours will never be yours no matter how hard you fight for it. Besides, I might not even die!"

As Cang Yan spoke, he found that the words he said sounded like a will. He slapped his mouth, "F**k, why are my words becoming more and more ridiculous. By following the City Lord's plan, we might even survive! Now, all of you, quickly leave!"

As Cang Yan said this, he and another Yun Long Divine Kingdom Elder began preparing to send the young cultivators away.

Now was really not the time to be hypocritical. Although the divine city had a large protective array, who knew if this large array could withstand the attack from the Long Gui True Spirit?

Staying behind could even cause the Tai Ah Divine City's City Lord and the Seven Star Pagoda Owner to be distracted. If they had to take the time to protect them, then it would not be worth it!

"A short distance teleportation array has been prepared on the first floor of the central divine tower. After you are sent away, there will be an airship waiting for you there!"

Other than Yi Yun, Bai and the other elites, even the other Tai Ah Divine City cultivators were arranged to evacuate. More than 95% of the people like Wen Yu and other first year cultivators had already been evacuated a month ago.

Originally, Yi Yun, Bai and the other elites were left behind in the hope of them being able to behold the scene of a beast horde to gain some experience.

However, the developments had far exceeded the original expectations of the Sages from the four large factions. Training in the beast horde was now something deemed impossible.

The teleportation array was right in front of them as the cultivators that were left behind began walking towards it. Luo Huo'er sneaked into the crowd with her maidservant Dong'er, hoping to sneak through the teleportation array with her head lowered.

And at the moment she walked before the teleportation array, she suddenly heard a dry cough.

"Miss Luo, please hold on."

Eh?

Luo Huo'er jumped with fright as she turned around only to see Cang Yan smiling at her.

"Wh… What?"

Luo Huo'er felt that this old man's smile was sinister.

"Sorry, the City Lord has especially instructed that Miss Luo is not to leave."

"Why?" Luo Huo'er was rendered speechless. Everyone could leave except her?

Cang Yan was also helpless. If not as a last resort, would a group of Sages make it so difficult for a young lady?

"Miss Luo, I am also forced to do this. About this… Miss Luo, you should have a way to request help from your family clan, right…?"