Library of Heaven's Path - Chapter 272: I Understand

"Are you asking if it's convenient for... him to pass out once more?"

Butler Lu and Mo Yu's mouths twitched.

The Great Herb King shook his head vigorously.

No one liked to be knocked out, so who would possibly agree that it's convenient for them to pass out?

Hearing those words, the Great Herb King would have struck first if not for his physical disability, needless to say, to allow the other party to knock him out.

"Physician Bai Chan, this..."

Seeing the objection in the old master's eyes, Butler Lu hurriedly spoke up. However, before he could finish his words, the middle-aged man before him seemed to have come to an epiphany, "Forget it, there's no use asking you about it. It's best that I do it myself!"

Thus, he stretched out his arm.

Padah!

With tears brimming in his eyes, the Great Herb King passed out once more.

Having knocked out the Great Herb King, Zhang Xuan noticed that Butler Lu was in the middle of his words and turned to look at him with a doubtful expression, "What's wrong?"

"I... That... Nothing!"

Butler Lu smiled awkwardly.

He had intended to stop the other party and to see if there was a way to treat the old master without knocking him out. However, since the daylights had already been knocked out of the old master, there was no longer any need for him to speak up.

"Un, I'll continue on with the treatment then!"

With the Great Herb King now unconscious, the book in Zhang Xuan's hands jolted the moment he came into contact with the other party's body.

The location of the gu worm was refreshed.

Having ascertained the location, Zhang Xuan's hands jerked, and a silver needle was pierced into the other party's body.

"Hm? I missed it..."

Checking the area with his zhenqi, he realized that the gu worm had escaped once again.

"Looks like killing the gu worm is much more difficult than I have expected!" Zhang Xuan's expression was grim.

He thought that it would be easy for him to eradicate the gu worm with the Library of Heaven's Path providing him its location. However, from the looks of it, he had underestimated the gu worm.

Even though the delay between browsing the book in the library and the piercing of the needle was extremely short, it was more than sufficient for the gu worm to escape from its original position.

Zhang Xuan touched the Great Herb King once more and pierced a silver needle into the other party's body.

Puhe! Puhe! Puhe!

Under the numerous assaults by the silver needle, the gu worm seemed to have realized that it was in danger, and it escaped furiously through the other party's blood vessels.

"The blood vessels within a human are complicated, and countless small capillaries spread out across the entire body. If this goes on, I won't be able to catch it even after a day of effort. I have to find a way to corner it before I can destroy it!"

After inserting a few needles in quick succession, he noticed that the gu worm moved faster and faster, and its movements were erratic without any specific pattern. Troubled, a deep crease emerged on Zhang Xuan's forehead.

"Is it dead yet..."

After a dozen of consecutive needles, Zhang Xuan eventually managed to force it to a corner and just as he was about to deal the final blow, a weak voice sounded. Turning his head to take a look, he saw that the Great Herb King had roused from his sleep.

Him becoming awake meant that the location of the gu worm on his book in the library couldn't be refreshed.

Knowing that there was no time to be wasted, Zhang Xuan didn't even bother to speak this time. He stretched out his hand immediately and 'padah!', the other party was knocked out once more.

"Not good! That fellow has escaped again..."

By the time the book was updated, the gu worm had already escaped. Zhang Xuan's expression darkened.

The other party's awakening had hastened his blood flow, allowing the gu worm to escape far away from Zhang Xuan's encirclement.

"Damn it!"

He didn't expect that a small gu worm would be that sly. With his eyebrows shot up, he turned to Butler Lu.

"Come here. Knock out the old master the moment he awakens..."

The Great Herb King's cultivation had reached Zongshi realm pinnacle. Even though his body had been driven to the brink of death under the torture of the gu worm, the defensive mechanism from the zhenqi in his body remained functioning, allowing him to recover swiftly from his unconscious state.

On the other hand, in order not to worsen the dying Great Herb King’s condition, Zhang Xuan couldn't exert too much force when knocking him out.

In order to prevent the gu worm from getting away again due to him awaking, it was best to make preparations beforehand.

Thus, Zhang Xuan decided to render Butler Lu’s help. With someone to knock the Great Herb King out, Zhang Xuan would be able to direct his undivided attention toward killing the worm.

"Knock the old master out the moment he awakens..."

Butler Lu's body trembled in agitation, and he was on the verge of tears.

The man before him was his old master. If he were to do this, he could imagine the kind of trouble that would await him if the old master were to choose to pursue this matter in the future...

"Can I turn down your request..."

"Don't waste my time, hurry up!"

Seeing a conflicted expression on the other party, Zhang Xuan frowned. "If you don't want to save the old master, feel free to reject my request!"

"I..."

Even though Butler Lu was torn, he knew that the priority was to save the old master. Thus, he walked over and stretched out his hand.

Just as his heart was in turmoil, Mo Yu's voice suddenly sounded.

"That... Physicians often use [Soul Numbing Powder] to knock their patients out. With a single whiff, one should stay unconscious for a significant period of time. Furthermore, it doesn't hurt one's body... Will that work?"

"Soul Numbing Powder? Is there such a thing? Of course, it will work!"

Zhang Xuan was taken aback.

His goal was just to keep the other party in an unconscious state. It didn't matter whether the other party was knocked out through physical means or through medicine.

"The Soul Numbing Powder works as well?"

Hearing Zhang Xuan's reply sent tears flowing down Butler Lu and Mo Yu's face.

The Soul Numbing Powder was a common medicine used by physicians, and it was often utilized on the less courageous patients. There wasn't a single physician who hasn't heard of it, and most would carry several doses with them wherever they go...

Yet, this fellow has never heard of it...

The heck!

If not for the incredible skills he has displayed, we would really doubt if he is a physician!

Otherwise, how can he possibly not know the basics?

If Zhang Xuan had used this earlier, the Great Herb King wouldn't have to be smacked on the head so many times. If this continued, even if he successfully treated the other party, it was likely that the Great Herb King would become dumb from the multiple impacts on his head...

"We have the medicine here, I'll fetch it right now..."

Fearful that the old master would be struck once more, Butler Lu rushed out in a hurry.

The Great Herb King dealt in medicine, and it was absurd to think that they wouldn't possess such an elementary herb in their storage. In no time, Butler Lu arrived with several sacks.

Zhang Xuan grabbed a sack casually and placed it before the Great Herb King's nostril. As expected, the medicine quickly sent the latter into a deep sleep, and it didn't seem likely that he would regain consciousness so soon.

"To think that you would have such a good stuff. You should have taken it out earlier!"

Seeing how amazing the medicine was, Zhang Xuan glared at Butler Lu.

"I..."

Butler Lu felt wronged.

As a physician, you brought a cleaver into the surgery room. Naturally, I thought that you specialize in using it. Who in the world would expect that... you don't even know what a scalpel is...

Mo Yu shot a look of sympathy at Butler Lu as well. If not for her having gotten used to Zhang Xuan’s bizarre actions, she herself would have thought that he was doing it on purpose.

Under the potency of the Soul Numbing Powder, the Great Herb King fell into deep sleep. Zhang Xuan continued with his treatment; leaving a single hand in constant contact with the other party's body while having the other hand pierce needles into the other party swiftly, forcing the gu worm to a corner in the bloodstream.

This time, his operation went successfully and the gu worm was entrapped shortly.

"Go!"

With a jerk of Zhang Xuan's fingers, a silver needle immediately pierced straight into the Great Herb King's body.

Jijiji!

In that instant, a piercing shrill sounded from the Great Herb King's body and the worm could be seen to be struggling about in his blood vessel.

"Die!"

With a tap of his finger, a surge of pure zhenqi flowed into the other party's body through the silver needle. And in the next instant, the worm, as though meeting with its nemesis, thrashed for awhile longer before falling motionless.

Just like any other poisonous substances, the Heaven's Path zhenqi, which was reminiscent of pure water, was the gu worm’s greatest nemesis. Upon contact, that resilient lifeform crumbled immediately and died on the spot. noveltranslationweb.blogspot.com

"Come on out!"

Exerting pressure on the other party's blood vessel, Zhang Xuan sent a burst of zhenqi into the other party, and the silver needle and gu worm flew out simultaneously.

Padah! The two landed on the floor.

"Is this the so-called Contract Gu?"

Butler Lu and Mo Yu walked over immediately.

The gu worm on the floor was the size of a firefly. There were unique runes scribbled on its dark green body, and it looked so disgusting that it could send a cold chill down one's spine.

"Un!"

Zhang Xuan exhaled deeply.

The greatest problem that plagued the Great Herb King's body was this gu worm. With this little fellow extracted from his body, his languishing body should recover with time.

Moments after removing the sack of Soul Numbing Powder from the other party's nostril, the Great Herb King slowly awoke.

"Old master..."

Butler Lu walked forward.

"Do I... still need to be knocked out?"

After waking up, the Great Herb King glanced at Zhang Xuan and his lips quivered uncontrollably.

He was traumatized after getting knocked out continuously.

He was afraid that a fist would be awaiting him the moment he awoke.

"There's no need for that anymore. The gu worm has already been killed!"

Butler Lu pointed to the worm on the floor.

"It's dead?"

The Great Herb King was taken aback. Glancing at the corpse of the gu worm on the floor, his face reddened in agitation.

After being afflicted with the Contract Gu, his life and death became something beyond his control. The reason why the Contract Gu was used to gain another's trust was that even the most incredible poison masters were unable to cure one of it. Yet, the physician before him was able to kill it easily. Even though he had witnessed the event personally with his own two eyes, he found the situation hard to believe nevertheless.

"Physician Bai, thank you for saving my life!"

Standing up from the reclining chair, the Great Herb King knelt to the floor.

Initially, he thought that it was his fate to die from the Contract Gu. Never in his dreams did he expect that he would be saved by the man standing before him!

In order to be rescued from his despair, not to mention three times, even if he were to be knocked out ten times or hundred times, it would have been worth the suffering.

"Old master, you... you..."

Seeing the Great Herb King get up to kneel on the floor, Butler Lu grew agitated.

It was just awhile ago that the old master was unable to move or speak. Yet, at this moment, he had stood up and knelt down all by himself. This went to show that his body was already starting to recover.

"With the gu worm in my body dead, my strength is gradually returning to me. However, the trauma within caused by it isn't resolved yet. Physician Bai, I beseech you to treat me..."

Stopping Butler Lu from helping him up, the Great Herb King kowtowed to Zhang Xuan.

While the death of the gu worm had solved the root of the problem, that little fellow had been on a rampage inside the Great Herb King's body for the past few days, sapping his spirit and energy dry. He would still require the help of this physician to nourish his damaged body and rejuvenate his stamina.

Otherwise, now possessing the appearance of a person in his nineties despite not having reached even fifty, it was clear that he would not have long to live.

"You want me to solve your current problem?"

Reading through his book in the Library of Heaven's Path, Zhang Xuan frowned.

Tortured by the Contract Gu for numerous days, his body was severely injured. If not for the innumerable precious herbs he possessed as the Great Herb King, he wouldn't have been able to survive until this day.

His physical and mental frailty could only be gradually treated through the consumption of various tonics over a long period of time. However... Zhang Xuan was different.

Not only could the Heaven's Path zhenqi heal one's stamina and bring him back to his peak, it could also heal the Great Herb King's damaged blood vessels completely, simply by driving it through his bloodstream.

However, the Heaven's Path zhenqi was too pure. Previously, when Zhang Xuan was treating the other party, he was unconscious. Furthermore, by the time he awoke, the Heaven's Path zhenqi had already melded as one with the zhenqi in his body, making it impossible for the other party to detect any abnormality.

However, if Zhang Xuan were to treat him now, the other party would definitely realize the uniqueness of his zhenqi, and this could bring about unwanted trouble.

Zhang Xuan was unwilling to take this risk.

"I can treat you, but..."

After hesitating for a moment, Zhang Xuan spoke up. However, before he could finish his words, he realized that the Great Herb King was staring at him with incredible determination.

"Physician Bai, you need not speak any further. I understand!"

After which, he lifted his hand and struck his head.

Padah!

He fell limply onto the floor, unconscious.

Library of Heaven's Path - Chapter 271: Contract Gu

The guards were gritting their teeth and had tolerated the other party’s action of knocking the Great Herb King unconscious since he said that it was a secret art.

However, he went overboard and claimed that the Great Herb King reaped what he sowed. That was clear provocation, so how could they take it lying down?

"How dare you!"

"You're looking for death!"

The numerous guards glared furiously at Zhang Xuan, and a cold gleam flashed from the swords in their hands. The moment the command was given, they would immediately mince this braggart of a fellow.

"There must be something wrong with his head."

"I've known Bai Chan for a while, and while his character is so-so, his brain should be functioning normally. Why has he... become so dumb all of a sudden?"

Initially, everyone thought that Zhang Xuan would bring up some astonishing theory, so upon hearing those words, the physicians present nearly spurted blood. All of them stared at Zhang Xuan dumbfounded as if they had seen a monster.

Every single person who had been to Red Lotus City were all aware of the Great Herb King's might.

In this piece of land, he was no different from an emperor. Even if a prince of Tianwu Kingdom were to come here, he would have no choice but to lower his head before him. Zhang Xuan's action of smacking him unconscious was already provocative, yet he went a step further to say that he was 'suffering for his own deeds'...

Have you grown tired of living, or do you think that the Great Herb King has an amiable personality?

Physician Cheng Feng stared at Zhang Xuan as if he were looking at a fool.

Can it be that... this fellow's head had been kicked by a savage beast?

Otherwise, why would he say such preposterous words?

"Doomed. This time... we're really doomed..."

Mo Yu smacked her forehead. At this moment, she was on the verge of tears.

Zhang Xuan could explain his action of knocking the Great Herb King out as a requirement for his secret art, but the words he spoke afterward thoroughly offended the other party. There was no point of return.

If you want to die, go ahead. But why must you drag me down with you...

My purpose here is to gain some knowledge and worldly experience. Who did I offend to warrant this...

Forget it, since we came together, even if this fellow has suicidal tendencies, I shouldn't leave him in the lurch!

Even though she felt stifled, Mo Yu gritted her teeth and spoke telepathically to Zhang Xuan, "Zhang Xuan, inform the Howling Firmament Beast to come over right now. I have with me the formation plate that my father left behind for me. I should be able to buy some time with it, so hurry up. Perhaps, we might still stand a chance."

They might be in the depth of the enemy's base, but given the Howling Firmament Beast's Half-Zhizun cultivation and its ability to fly, there was a good chance that they could successfully flee.

However, the crucial problem was how they could survive until the Howling Firmamant Beast's arrival.

Grabbing her storage ring tightly, Mo Yu surveyed her surroundings warily. The moment anyone makes a move on them, she would immediately retrieve and toss the formation plate.

As the princess of a kingdom, she possessed several tricks for survival up her sleeves.

Formation plates were convenient tools on which a large formation was engraved through special means. Even if one wasn't a formation master, one could easily activate it in times of need by pumping their zhenqi into the plate.

While it was significantly weaker than true formations, it was portable and could be triggered instantaneously, making it a nifty tool for survival.

However, this object was expensive and was a one-off consumable. Only someone of her standing would be able to afford it.

"Why should I call for it? Don't worry!"

Seeing the anxiety on the other party's face, Zhang Xuan smiled.

"You..."

Seeing the fellow continue to act so calmly despite being in grave danger, Mo Yu was on the verge of exploding. "You've offended the Great Herb King, and if we don't leave right now, we might just die here!"

"Offended him? I'm explaining his illness to him, how will this offend anyone?" Zhang Xuan waved his hands casually as he assured her. "There's no need to worry, just stay here and wait patiently!"

"Explaining his illness?"

Mo Yu went insane.

How can gloating over the other party by claiming that he is suffering for his own deeds be considered as explaining illness?

I've been an apprentice physician for so long, but I've never heard of such a case.

Stay here and wait patiently? I would really be insane if I were to stay and wait patiently under such circumstances!

Mo Yu was infuriated, but she knew that it wasn't the time to throw a tantrum. She surveyed her surroundings and analyzed the ideal escape path.

If she had known that this fellow was so unreliable, she wouldn't have come adventuring with him.

"Physician Bai Chan, I've invited you over with goodwill to treat the old master, and yet, you spouted such derogatory words. If you don't explain yourself, you don't even have to dream about leaving this manor!"

Ignoring everyone's shock, Butler Lu flung his sleeves angrily and glared at Zhang Xuan.

If the other party hadn't treated his problem, he would have decapitated the other party with a sword before he had a chance to explain himself.

"There's no need to rush, I'll explain everything clearly. Just that... there are many people present. Are you sure that you want me to speak?" Zhang Xuan was nonchalant toward his threat, simply smiling in response.

"Stop putting on an act here. No matter how incredible your words may sound, the only thing that awaits you is death!"

"To dare to taint the Great Herb King’s honour, you deserve to die!"

"Butler Lu, why waste words on him? With just a single command, we will mince this fool who dares to insult the old master immediately!"

...

Seeing how the other party was unrepentant, the guards were on the brim of erupting. Not hiding their killing intent for Zhang Xuan, they bellowed furiously.

Every single one of these guards was Tongxuan realm experts, and with several dozens of them unleashing their cultivation at once, people in the room began to breathe heavily under the pressure and their hands became moist with perspiration.

Even the faces of the numerous Zongshi realm physicians turned pale. Unable to withstand the might, they retreated uncontrollably.

While Zongshi realm experts were far stronger than Tongxuan realm cultivators, the guards had been living together and had forged a strong teamwork. On top of that, they wielded various lethal measures that even Zongshi realm experts would find it hard to guard against.

"Enough!"

Seeing how the guards were on the verge of attacking Zhang Xuan, Butler Lu waved his hands and roared, "Step down!"

Then, he turned to Zhang Xuan and said, "Physician Bai, these guards are loyal to the old master. Your words have offended them, and if you don't explain yourself, even I will find it hard to stop them."

His words were laced with threat.

If Zhang Xuan failed to provide a reasonable explanation, these guards would destroy him in an instant.

"I'm fine with explaining yourself, but this involves a secret. My view is that I shouldn't speak of it before such a huge crowd!"

Even though he was standing on the edge of the cliff, Zhang Xuan didn't seem worried in the least. He walked leisurely to the Great Herb King and declared calmly, "How about this, I will just say two words. If you think that my diagnosis makes sense, we can talk about it. Otherwise, you can just kill me right away!"

After interacting with the Great Herb King, Butler Lu nodded his head, "Fine!"

"Alright then!"

Zhang Xuan smiled, "My two words are simple... Contract Gu!"

"Contract Gu? What's that?

Butler Lu was wondering what miraculous words Zhang Xuan would spout, and he couldn't help but fall into a daze upon hearing his words. Just as he was considering whether he should make mincemeat of the other party, an expression of shock suddenly appeared on the dying Great Herb King’s face. His murky and lifeless eyes suddenly gleamed in agitation.

"Get... get... the others out..."

Struggling with all his might, his hoarse voice echoed in the air.

"This..."

Seeing how Bai Chan had caused the withered Great Herb King to struggle so terribly to speak with merely two words, everyone turned to look at him as though he was a monster.

They thought that he was doomed and didn't expect such a twist.

Can it be that... these two words wield some kind of magic?

"Old master!"

Seeing the old master speak, Butler Lu rushed to him immediately. Then after a moment of conversation, he stood up and scanned the surroundings.

"I apologize, but the diagnosis ends here, so I'll have to invite all of you to leave! I will have my men send the compensation each of you."

After which, he couldn't help but glance at Zhang Xuan.

The Great Herb King's condition was critical and he wasn't able to say anything. Even so, Butler Lu had been serving the other party for numerous years, and he was able to understand the other party's intention just through his gaze.

The old master's intentions were simple.

Do as Physician Bai says! He's the only one who can save him!

Can such a brazen fellow, who seemed to be spouting nonsense, really be capable of saving the old master?

Can it be that it is as he said, that the old master is suffering for his own deeds?

"Alright!"

"Great Herb King and Butler Lu, we will be taking our leaves then!"

Seeing that Butler Lu had already invited them to leave, even though the crowd was baffled within, they turned around to leave without any hesitation. However, before walking out of the lounge, they couldn't help but send a confused glance at Physician Bai Chan.

With just two words, this fellow is able to get the Great Herb King to chase them out. Can his words be really true?

But... I don’t recall any illness that is called [Contract Gu]...

"You all should leave as well!"

Ignoring the bewilderment that the crowd was in, Butler Lu ordered for the guards to leave as well.

"Yes!"

Knowing that this was the intention of the old master, they answered and left the lounge quickly.

Upon seeing everyone leave, Mo Yu hesitated for a moment and, eventually, decided to remain.

Regardless of whether the fellow was right or not and whether he would be reduced to meat mince in a moment's time, she had come with him, and it wouldn't be right for her to leave alone.

Even though the prideful princess had an unpleasant mouth, she seemed to be a loyal buddy. Inconspicuously, Zhang Xuan nodded his head in response to her decision.

Soon, they were the only ones left in the room.

"Physician Bai Chan, now that everyone has left, can you explain the matter?"

Knowing that Mo Yu came along with Physician Bai, Butler Lu turned to Zhang Xuan and bowed respectfully.

"Un!" Zhang Xuan nodded. "Actually, I already had a rough idea of the situation when I first saw the Great Herb King earlier. After using my secret art, I have now ascertained his condition..."

At which, lamentation flashed through Zhang Xuan's eyes. "The Great Herb King isn't ill or poisoned. Rather, he's afflicted by something called [Contract Gu]! This was implanted in him when he made a deal with a specific someone, and now that the person is dead, under the effects of the Contract Gu, he, expectedly, will lose his life as well!"

"Contract Gu... What's that?" Butler Lu was still unable to comprehend the situation.

Despite coming into contact with physicians and medicinal herbs daily, he had never heard of this term.

The Great Herb King clearly knew what the other party was talking about, but it wasn't convenient for him to speak now. Even though Butler Lu could perform basic communication with him, it was impossible for the other party to express such a complicated matter.

"Contract Gu is a special practice used when making a deal with someone to win the other party's trust, and it is one of the means unique to a poison master. To summarize, it is similar to the life and death contract between beast tamers and their savage beast. Once established, it is equivalent to becoming a loyal subordinate of the other party. Once the master dies, the subordinate wouldn't live for long either, and he would soon follow the other party."

"This thing is normally used by poison masters to manipulate their subordinates. The moment one establishes the contract, his life and death are no longer within his control. If he were to disobey the will of his master, he would suffer the ache of thousands of bugs nibbling at his heart!"

With a grim expression, Zhang Xuan explained slowly.

"Is there... such a thing in this world?"

Butler Lu was astonished. He found the entire affair hard to believe.

If the other party hadn't spoken of it, he would have never believed that such a thing could exist.

At the same time, Mo Yu's eyes were about to pop out from her sockets.

She hadn't heard of Contract Gu, but she knew clearly what a life and death contract was.

With this kind of contract, the moment the master dies, regardless of how strong or where a savage beast was, it would also breathe its last.

From Zhang Xuan's descriptions, it seemed that the Contract Gu was much more potent than that. If that was truly the case, didn't that mean that humans could be commanded and tamed as though savage beasts?

That was an extremely terrifying thought!

"Can it be... that this Contract Gu is related to the old master's condition?"

Butler Lu recovered from the shock, but his face remained ghastly pale.

"Not only is it related, it is exactly the cause of it!"

Glancing at the Great Herb King, Zhang Xuan shook his head in lamentation. "As the Great Herb King and the sovereign of the Red Lotus City, he chose to become another person's subordinate and willingly allowed the other party to implant this kind of vicious gu into him. If this wasn't suffering for his own deeds, what else can it be?"

The emperor of Tianwu Kingdom dared not to offend the Great Herb King of Red Lotus City, and 3-star physicians willingly lowered their heads before him. His standing was far superior to the kings of Tier 2 Kingdoms. Despite possessing such prestige, he willingly consumed a Contract Gu to become another person's servant. If this wasn't courting his own death, what else could it be?

He couldn't blame anyone else for his own plight.

Upon hearing those words, the dried face of the Great Herb King turned slightly red. Regret brimmed in his eyes.

"Physician Bai, please save the old master!"

Finally knowing what the old master was suffering from, Butler Lu's body trembled, his knees bent, and he knelt to the floor.

Watching the old master grow weaker and weaker and being unable to identify the cause had left him distraught, but as the second-in-command of the manor, he couldn't cave in. Now that a glimmer of hope had finally appeared before him, he could no longer hold it in.

Having grown up in the Great Herb King Manor, he possessed absolute loyalty toward the Great Herb King.

On top of that, if the old master were to die, the other herb kings would make use of this opportunity to attack the manor and the Great Herb King Manor’s crumble would be absolute. As the butler of the manor, he would suffer the brunt of the impact, and it would be hard for him to live for long.

Regardless of whether it was for his loyalty toward the Great Herb King or for his own life, he mustn't allow anything to happen to the Great Herb King.

Since this Physician Bai was able to see through and treat his own affliction, as well as determine the root of the old master's frailty, he might have a solution for the matter.

"Get up first!" Zhang Xuan reached out to help the other party up. Shaking his head, he said, "Once the contract is established, the Contract Gu enters one’s bloodstream. It is extremely difficult to solve the matter!"

After establishing a contract, the gu worm dives into one's innards and moves along with his blood flow. It is impossible for it to be located and destroyed.

"As long as Physician Bai treats the old master, the Great Herb King Manor is willing to accede to any of your requests..." Butler Lu clenched his jaws.

"To save him, I'll have to find the location of the gu worm and extract or exterminate it!"

Zhang Xuan explained.

"However, the gu worm is alive, and it flows along with the blood. The moment it realizes that it is in danger, it will escape immediately. How can I capture it like that?"

The main reason for the Great Herb King's suffering was the gu worm living in his body. The solution for the problem actually sounded extremely easy; one merely had to extract or exterminate it. However, it was hard to put into practice.

That thing lives in one's bloodstream, and cannot be seen or felt. In addition, it is constantly moving about and knows how to avoid danger. How is it possible to remove and destroy it?

Before the gu worm can be killed, the person would have probably died first.

"Since Physician Bai is able to determine what the old master is suffering from, you must have a solution. I beseech you to save him!"

Butler Lu knelt down once more.

The many physicians that had examined the old master weren't even able to identify the illness. Bai Chan was their only hope.

"I can save him, but... I have a condition!"

After hesitating for a moment, Zhang Xuan said.

While others would be hard-pressed to look for the gu worm, Zhang Xuan was different. With the Library of Heaven's Path, Zhang Xuan could plainly see the location of the gu worm. Thus, it was still possible for him to treat the Great Herb King.

"Physician Bai, feel free to speak of your condition!"

Hearing that the other party could really treat him, Butler Lu clenched his fists tightly in agitation.

"I want to go to the Poison Hall. I hope that someone can bring me there after I cure the Great Herb King!"

Zhang Xuan glanced at Butler Lu.

"This..."

Butler Lu didn't expect the other party to come up with such a condition. "Currently, the Poison Hall isn't accepting any guests, especially physicians. It'll be extremely dangerous for you to head there now!"

Poison masters and physicians are at perennially odds. Aren’t you, a physician, courting death to want to visit the Poison Hall?

"Dangerous for me to head there now? What do you mean?"

Noticing a hidden meaning to the other party's words, Zhang Xuan stared at him doubtfully.

Glancing at the old master and seeing that the other party wasn't objectionable to him revealing the issue, Butler Lu gritted his teeth and said, "An internal conflict has broken out within the Poison Hall, and it is currently closed to outsiders. They refused all guests, and even the old master isn't allowed to enter. Heading there now... is truly an unwise decision!"

"Internal conflict?"

"Yes!" Butler Lu said. "However, if Physician Bai really wishes to visit the Poison Hall, the conflict should probably die down within a year. By then, it should be much safer..."

"A year? That's too long!"

Zhang Xuan shook his head.

In the first place, the reason why he chose to disguise as Physician Bai Chan instead of taking the physician examination at Tianwu Kingdom was so that he could get to the Poison Hall as soon as possible to resolve the poisonous aura that was lingering in his body. Since he was unwilling to wait even a month, how could he possibly wait a year?

What joke is this!

"As long as you bring me to the entrance of the Poison Hall, I'll settle the rest myself. If you promise to accede to my condition, I will save the old master now. Otherwise, let’s forget about everything!"

Zhang Xuan calmly said.

"However, I doubt that there's anyone else in the surrounding thirteen kingdoms who can save the old master!"

The other party seemed to be determined. Thus, Butler Lu turned to consult the old master, and upon seeing him blink his eyes, turned back to Zhang Xuan.

"Alright, the old master has agreed!"

"Un!"

Zhang Xuan nodded, "Place your old master horizontally. I'll begin my treatment now."

"Yes!"

Given that this was the Great Herb King Manor, Butler Lu wasn't worried about the other party doing anything foolish. Thus, he adjusted the reclining chair to place the old master in a lying position.

Knowing that the other party was about to remove the Contract Gu from his body, nervousness flashed on the Great Herb King's dry face.

Butler Lu and Mo Yu might have never heard of the Contract Gu, but as the person who had it implanted into his body, he knew that there was nearly no cure for it.

Yet, the person before him claimed that he was capable of treating it! Even though he didn't truly believe the other party's words, he, nevertheless, wanted to give it a try.

Hu!

Since he had already decided to treat the other party, Zhang Xuan immediately got on with it. With a jerk of his hand, a box of silver needles appeared in his palm.

Then, submerging his consciousness into the library, he flipped to the page where the flaws were listed (which reflects the location of the Contract Gu's worm).

He drove his zhenqi and immediately pierced a silver needle right at the spot where the worm was last located.

The silver needle which was infused with the Heaven's Path zhenqi would definitely be able to easily destroy the gu worm if it were to pierce through it.

"Hm?"

After piercing the needle into the other party's body, Zhang Xuan circulated zhenqi around the other party's body for a moment. Noticing the absence of the presence of the gu worm, Zhang Xuan's complexion darkened.

"The gu worm actually escaped..."

Time was wasted discussing the matter after the compilation of the book, and the gu worm in the Great Herb King was no longer at the position indicated in the book.

It seemed that the book had to be refreshed for him to pinpoint the new location of the gu worm.

Hesitating for a moment, Zhang Xuan turned to look at the Great Herb King sheepishly.

"Great Herb King, I'm sorry but... is it convenient for you to pass out once more?"

---

Gu is a venomous being used often in voodoo and black magic in the south China.

There are many methods of preparations depending on the custom, but the most traditional one is to keep countless poisonous animals into one jar and let them fight it out.

True Martial World - Chapter 860: Meeting Princess Purple Spirit

Yi Yun obviously heard the sentence that everyone heard.

He glanced at Ran Xueyi, and quietly placed his teacup down.

Yi Yun was not one to suffer silently. After being disparaged by someone in Luo Lucid Palace, he would not remain silent.

"Young Master Ran, I would want to consult you wholeheartedly... What sort of lesson does Young Master Ran plan on teaching me?" Yi Yun suddenly spoke out.

All the young elites present were taken aback as they immediately turned to look at Ran Xueyi and wait for his reply.

Ran Xueyi lightly said, "My Xushui Ran clan will not go overboard in seeking revenge. It only feels that it's right that debts are paid and how murder is paid for with one's life. The lesson you taught Ran Xueyi will roughly be the same lesson I give to you."

Ran Xueyi's words interested the surrounding young elites. This was no trifling matter. Yi Yun had crippled Ran Yu's bloodline, so Ran Yu's future was practically destroyed. The lesson that Ran Xueyi was planning to give Yi Yun was to cripple Yi Yun in the confines of the rules?

Such a lesson was tragic, but in the mouth of Ran Xueyi, it appeared as though it was nothing serious.

Just from Ran Xueyi's bearing, he did not exude a feeling of being overbearing, but the words he said were completely overbearing that ran deep into his bone.

"Oh? In that case, you, Ran Xueyi plan on crippling me. Very well. I, Yi Yun, will not go overboard in seeking revenge either. I too believe that it is only right that debts are paid and how murder is paid for with one's life. Whoever wants to cripple me, I will retaliate and might also cripple him."

What Yi Yun said was forceful as it echoed throughout the venue!

Everyone was dumbfounded when they heard this. They had commented that Ran Xueyi was overbearing, but Yi Yun was even more overbearing. He had used the same words that Ran Xueyi had said to strike back at him.

Ran Xueyi had made it difficult for Yi Yun in public because he disparaged Yi Yun, but it was because he had the Xushui Ran clan backing him. That was a large family clan ranked amongst the top ten in the Luo clan. Ran Xueyi's background was powerful enough, so no one dared to say a thing when he made such a declaration.

However, Yi Yun dared to say something similar.

He was only a human, without any foundation in the Luo clan. Yet, he wanted to be belligerent against Ran Xueyi? What was he basing this on?

If Yi Yun was said to have great talent, Ran Xueyi too had heaven-defying talent. Ran Xueyi was on a completely different level to Ran Yu. No one knew if Yi Yun could compete with Ran Xueyi when it came to talent.

As for other aspects, there was no need to discuss them any further. In nearly every aspect, Yi Yun was left in the dust by Ran Xueyi.

Ran Xueyi's sword-like brows pricked up as the cold beam in his eyes shot at Yi Yun's body like an arrow. "What did you say? I didn't hear it clearly. What do you want to do to me?"

"I just said that whoever wants to cripple me, I'll retaliate, and I might also cripple him!" Yi Yun did not mind repeating again.

What he said was the standards of the martial world. If this was any other time, no one would find fault with it. noveltranslationweb.blogspot.com

But in the present situation, if it were any other young elite present in Yi Yun's shoes, none of them would have the courage to say it.

Ran Xueyi suddenly laughed out. "It's been a while since a peer dared to say such things to me. Yi Yun, you probably think that some results at the collective training, the appreciation of Empress Xuan, and the invitation to this Luo Lucid Springs banquet means you are one step closer to the upper echelons of the Luo clan. You probably think that my Xushui Ran clan is nothing impressive. You are truly naive." Ran Xueyi derided relentlessly.

He obviously knew that Yi Yun was Empress Xuan's person.

Empress Xuan had drawn in a batch of geniuses in order to let Princess Purple Spirit successfully ascend to the throne. However, it would be a joke to say that these geniuses had any higher status. To put it bluntly, they were just chess pieces.

"You just obtained first in a collective training, which was just a few tiny states in the larger picture, and you are already this overbearing. Those who aren't in the know might even think that you have obtained the first place at the Luo Divine Hall trials! Furthermore, even if you were to obtain the first few spots in the Luo Divine Hall trials, so what? The Luo Divine Hall trials happen once every sixty years. In 60,000 years, there are a thousand of those, and you think that's impressive? What a frog in a well!"

Ran Xueyi drank his wine as he shook his head in disdain. He was not finished with his words, but everyone knew the meaning behind Ran Xueyi's words.

An ancient family clan like the Xushui Ran clan had existed for hundreds of millions of years!

In a hundred million years, the powerful family clans in the Luo clan had never changed.

And as for these young elites, there were numerous born, with numerous maturing and numerous dying!

In the history of time, they were already uncountable. Furthermore, the present Yi Yun was still not considered to be a genius of that level.

Compared to the behemoth like the Xushui Ran clan that had existed for a hundred million years, it was just a joke.

At that moment, Ran Xueyi had no intention of arguing with Yi Yun any further.

With his stature, arguing with Yi Yun was only demeaning of his identity.

"Brother Donglin, let's continue drinking. There's no need to mind an ignoramus."

Ran Xueyi's character was frank. Although he had argued with Yi Yun, it did not affect his drinking mood. He did not even put it at heart.

And indeed, he began drinking with Donglin Yu.

Immediately, everyone looked at Yi Yun as they broke out into a flurry of discussion.

Previously, Yi Yun's performance at the Mt. Azure Billow collective training was amazing, but at the Luo clan royal capital, there were few who knew about Yi Yun.

The Luo clan was just too big. Every clan would have their outstanding progenies, so Yi Yun was not worth paying any concern to. However, today, all of them got to know this young man.

A human, whose cultivation level was only at the early stages of the Heaven Ascension, had dared to enter into a conflict with the top scion of the Xushui Ran clan. This truly had the inkling of a rash move.

"That Yi Yun comes from the lower realm. He probably does not know the terror of a large family clan in the Ten Thousand Fey Empyrean Heaven. To dare to make such impertinent remarks with a low cultivation level and zero background, he will suffer sooner or later."

"Background is just too important. Yi Yun can only be considered to have barely clung onto Empress Xuan. Maybe he was lucky and won some recognition."

People began to discuss privately with Yuan Qi voice transmissions. They were not discussing Yi Yun's talent, but his actions. It was inadvisable to be provocative or be unable to be submissive and keep a low profile when one was still lacking in cultivation levels.

At that moment…

A sharp call resounded above Luo Lucid Mountain. People looked up and they saw a gigantic divine bird that was tens of thousands of feet long.

This divine bird looked identical to the legendary Phoenix. Its feathers were all lit up in flames, as it shimmered with seven auspicious colors.

An aura that belonged to an Ancient Fey beast engulfed the vicinity. Even though the people present were elites of the Luo clan, they still felt shortness of breath when they suddenly experienced the Ancient Fey aura that blanketed them.

"It's a Phoenix Bird! Our Luo clan's top grade mount. It is a divine beast that can shuttle through the spatial storms in the sinkhole!"

The Phoenix Bird possessed the bloodline of the ancient Phoenix. Furthermore, its bloodline was extremely rich, and it could be said to be a living Ancient Fey.

There were only two Phoenix Birds in the entire Luo clan, and they were part of the royal family’s mounts.

This Phoenix Bird was bestowed to Princess Purple Spirit by Emperor Luo as a mount. It also showed how much favor Princess Purple Spirit had from Emperor Luo.

"It's Princess Purple Spirit sacred mount's arrival!"

The young elites present immediately stood up, including Ran Xueyi and Donglin Yu. Although they were the four great young masters of the royal capital, they were incomparable to Princess Purple Spirit, be it background, status or talent. They had arrived at Luo Lucid Palace through a teleportation array, which showed how much higher in status they were compared to other geniuses. However, Princess Purple Spirit traveled from her own palace to the Luo Lucid Mountain, which had a flight ban, on her Phoenix Bird.

As the Phoenix Bird circled the skies, a rainbow bridge fell from the Phoenix Bird's back. Twelve maidservants accompanied the crowned Princess Purple Spirit on her descent.

The air of nobleness that belonged to a royalty spread out at the same time.

"Paying our respects to Princess Purple Spirit!"

The elites present bowed in unison in an extremely respectful manner.

Princess Purple Spirit was eminent. Ignoring her position as one of the heirs to the throne, just taking ten thousand steps back, even if she failed at ascending to the throne, she would still have a bright future ahead of her.

Although it was inevitable that Empress Xuan would lose power, Princess Purple Spirit herself had exceptional talent. With the elderly Emperor Luo protecting her, it was not difficult for her to become a Supremacy.

A Supremacy, regardless if it was the Luo royalty, would have a sublime status in the Luo clan.

When everyone bowed, Yi Yun was somewhat at a loss.

Yi Yun watched as Princess Purple Spirit descended from the sky. Even though he was mentally prepared, he was still unaccustomed when he truly saw the girl who had a screw loose and had previously accidentally exposed herself to him. She had transformed into an illustrious princess of the Luo clan, respected by billions of people.

This scene was too contrasting from before…

Seeing Luo Huo'er nonchalantly wave her hand at the elites to not stand on ceremony, her demure and elegant expression truly gave her the bearing of a princess. Was… was she still the same person?

"Stand up." Luo Huo'er said lightly. At that moment, Ran Xueyi came forward with a beaming smile.

"Your Highness, you are truly getting more and more beautiful."

Luo Huo'er was considered to be the best female elite in the entire royal capital, so Ran Xueyi naturally looked forward to being able to get closer to her. Even if he could be slightly closer to her while speaking, it would also be a great thing.

Of course, he was still maintaining the standard courtesies of a subject, so it was not offensive.

But at that moment, Ran Xueyi, who had come forward, slowly halted in his footsteps. He realized that the goddess, who had a high standing in his heart all this time, did not pay him any attention. At that moment, her beautiful eyes were looking straight at a corner of the grand hall, with eyes of disbelief.

Ran Xueyi was taken aback. What was the princess looking at?

He could not help but look back and trace Princess Purple Spirit's gaze. As a result… he saw Yi Yun at the corner of the hall. Yi Yun had just put down his teacup. Others had come forward to show their respects at the arrival of Princess Purple Spirit, but he clearly appeared to be one step slower.

Furthermore, he did not have a respectful expression on his face. Typical elites would bow their heads when they saw Princess Purple Spirit in a respectful manner. It was necessary to do so as royal subjects.

Even Ran Xueyi did not dare look Luo Huo'er in the eye. As for Yi Yun, he was just standing there, blatantly staring at Luo Huo'er's face. And what was most infuriating was the odd expression on his face. It was as though the number one princess of the Luo Clan looked somewhat odd.

True Martial World - Chapter 859: Four Great Young Masters

The Luo clan's royal capital covered an extremely extensive area. To the north of the royal city, there was a snow-covered mountain that was a hundred thousand feet tall. The mountain's peak was shrouded by clouds, and bluish snow capped it. There were vast swaths of snow that filled the area, making it look like an immortal's paradise.

And in this vast sea of snow stood numerous jade-carved palaces. Every palace was augmented by array formations, so even though the exterior environment was covered in snow, the palace's internal environment was maintained at a comfortable temperature all year round, with luxuriant grass and trees in blooming flowers. It was extremely beautiful.

In the middle of the mountain peak, there was a hot spring that did not freeze regardless of the season. The hot spring had the name ‘Luo Lucid Springs’ and its temperature was pleasant. Luo Lucid Springs was perennially covered in dense water vapor, and the spring water was like ambrosia from the heavens. It was filled with spiritual energy, so just drinking a mouthful would allow a mortal to become one year younger. A kettle of it allowed one to become ten years younger. The marvelous effects for mortals was no surprise, but even for warriors with relatively high cultivation levels, Luo Lucid Springs was still able to provide them with many rare benefits.

Even in the Luo clan royal compound that was filled with spiritual grounds, the Luo Lucid Springs was still one of the more famous ones.

The entire Luo Lucid Springs was surrounded by a palace with the name ‘Luo Lucid Palace’. And it was the venue where Empress Luo was hosting her banquet today.

The people invited to the banquet were important figures of the Luo clan.

There was Empress Xuan, Princess Purple Spirit, old subjects of the Luo clan's royal court, outstanding figures in the royal capital as well as those young elites who performed well at the collective training and who were expected to stand out at the Luo Divine Hall trials!

The standards for choosing these young elites were extremely high. There were certain states which did not have a single person chosen. For example, Yi Yun was the only person picked from the Fire Cloud State.

The young elites who were chosen were extremely excited. The banquet could be one of the most important opportunities in their lives. If they were lucky, they might gain the recognition of the upper echelons of the Luo clan, and enjoy a meteoric rise.

It was still two hours before the banquet began. With the invitation in hand, Yi Yun came to Luo Lucid Palace and he happened to meet Luo Tian, who also had an invitation.

Luo Tian from the Phoenix Firmiana State had been chosen to attend the banquet, but his seat was located at one of the big tables situated outside Luo Lucid Palace. He was just there to make up the numbers.

Sitting there gave him zero chance of being appreciated. He would not even get to see Empress Luo, while all the truly important people were seated inside.

After Luo Tian saw Yi Yun, he gave him an awkward smile. Ever since Yi Yun broke through to the Heaven Ascension realm and obtained a ninety-nine deca-feet Dao Tree, Luo Tian no longer had the mind to compete with Yi Yun. He acknowledged his own inferiority against Yi Yun.

Yi Yun gave him a gentle nod before walking into the palace. Upon seeing this scene, Luo Tian felt extremely envious. He also desired to enter the inner palace, but he was ineligible to do so.

The inner palace was filled with top figures. It was even rumored that Princess Purple Spirit would come today. If one entered the inner palace, one could catch a sight of Princess Purple Spirit's beauty.

Princess Purple Spirit was considered the most dazzling pearl in all of the Luo clan's royal capital. No heiress from the large families or the female elites from the various states could compete with Princess Purple Spirit. She was on a completely different level.

Ignoring her looks and family background, just her talent alone that was derived from the richness of her Ancient Fey bloodline was shocking. It was rumored that Princess Purple Spirit had inherited an Ancient Fey's bloodline as though she was a reincarnation of one. At the age of ten, she had awakened her Ancient Fey bloodline, and she had even greatly surpassed Prince Crimson Firmament!

It was also because of Princess Purple Spirit that Emperor Luo deliberated over the heir to the throne. If not, with the Luo clan's tradition of preference towards age, the forces that Prince Crimson Firmament controlled and the support he received that far exceeded Princess Purple Spirit’s would have easily ensured that he would ascend to the throne.

Despite Luo Tian knowing that his talent and status made it impossible for his life to have any intersection with Princess Purple Spirit, he would have been extremely satisfied just meeting her once.

Unfortunately… the statuses they enjoyed were realms apart. They were people from two different worlds.

Obviously, Yi Yun did not know what Luo Tian was thinking. In fact, even if Luo Tian had said it out loud, Yi Yun would find it difficult to imagine that the problematic girl that he met at the Tai Ah Divine City had an identity that was so far beyond one's reach.

The moment he stepped into the inner hall of the Luo Lucid Palace, the atmosphere changed suddenly. Taking a few steps forward, Yi Yun noticed the Luo Lucid Springs situated in the middle of the inner hall.

The Luo Lucid Springs was billowing with spring water, and above the pool, a pavilion carved in jade had been constructed. And on this pavilion, there were girls dressed in white who were dancing.

These girls were specially handpicked from the best in the world. They had Heaven Fey bloodlines, and their looks and figures were impeccable.

To be able to dance at the Luo Lucid Springs was also not a chance that any ordinary girl would receive.

At that moment, there were already quite a few people gathered by the sides of the Luo Lucid Springs. At a glance, there was no lack of young elites, but few elderly important figures had come.

Yi Yun did not know anyone, so he found a random seat, sat down and slowly began drinking tea.

Although Yi Yun looked aloof, everything that happened around him was within his perception.

He realized that not far from the Luo Lucid Springs, there was a small teleportation array. It was surprising that it was built right inside Luo Lucid Palace.

And at that moment, the teleportation array suddenly lit up!

Immediately, everyone in the grand hall looked at the teleportation array. It had to be said that the Luo Lucid Palace was situated on the hundred-thousand-feet tall Luo Lucid Mountain. The journey from the foot of the mountain to its peak spanned a distance of dozens of kilometers. Other than members of the royal family, no one was permitted to fly in Luo Lucid Mountain. They could only walk up, so although warriors could traverse distances quickly, under the limitations of brisk walking, the journey up the mountain still took a considerable amount of time.

Although there was a teleportation array built in the Luo Lucid Palace, only people of certain stature could use it to enter the palace directly.

"Someone impressive is coming. I wonder who it is… "

People began discussing as the teleportation array flashed, and soon, two people appeared side by side in the teleportation array.

The person on the left was simply dressed in azure-color clothes. He looked like a mortal scholar, and no energy fluctuations could be felt from his body.

And the other person stood in stark contrast from the scholar. He was covered in silk clothes and jade. The fabric in his clothes was woven from priceless Rainbow Silk produced by Rainbow Celestial Silkworms. The pair of boots he wore were made of leather from top-grade Fey beasts. And just the cost of his clothes and boots added up was impossible to be bought without a few thousand World Stones. Many of the elites present may have been invited to the Luo Lucid Palace's banquet, but they were not necessarily as rich. Just the man’s garb alone was worth more than the entire fortunes of a number of people.

The appearance of the duo immediately attracted the attention of all the elites present.

The duo, be it the silk-clothed youth or the azure-clothed scholar, exuded a natural air of nobleness. The heritage of ancient family clans in the Luo clan was manifested from their bearing.

"Donglin Yu! Ran Xueyi! Two of the four great young masters of the Luo clan royal capital!" Someone in the crowd identified them.

In the entire Luo clan royal capital, the people worthy enough to be given the title of one of the four great young masters were definitely the most outstanding figures amongst outstanding figures!

Donglin Yu came from the Donglin family clan, while Ran Xueyi came from the Xushui Ran clan. They were large family clans that ranked in the top ten family clans of the Luo clan.

The fiefs of these two family clans alone were about ten times the size of the Fire Cloud State!

The two family clans’ ancestors had previously fought alongside the founding emperor of the Luo clan. They had achieved illustrious military merits, so after the Luo clan was established, they were each bestowed the titles of king and their lineage had persisted to present day. They were as ancient as the Luo clan's royal family.

Furthermore, be it the Donglin clan or the Xushui Ran clan, every generation would nurture large numbers of talents. Some would be given important positions in the royal capital, while others would be assigned to one of the 196 states to become an official of a state.

As for Donglin Yu and Ran Xueyi, they were considered to be two of the most outstanding juniors from the two family clans. For such large family clans, the juniors they paid the most attention to would be nurtured in their own family clans. If Ran Xueyi was compared to Ran Yu, the differences in their positions were like Heaven and Earth. There was no way to compare them.

"Brother Ran, please."

The scholarly-looking azure-clothed man stretched out his hand. He was Donglin Yu.

"Brother Donglin, please." The silk-clothed youth said in response.

Ran Xueyi's outfit was extravagant, but he did not give off an arrogant demeanor. Every action and word from him felt like a gentle spring breeze, he truly deserved his title as one of the four great young masters.

At that moment, a burly man with a livid face and large fangs walked up and led the silk-clothed youth to his seat.

Seeing the burly man, everyone shuddered in their hearts.

"Fey Demon!"

The Fey Demon race in the Ten Thousand Fey Empyrean Heaven was a mixed hybrid between Fey and Demon. They were few in number, but they had long lifespans. Their bodily strength was extremely terrifying and they were born warriors.

If a Fey Demon was trained into a loyal soldier, he would be the most valuable protective force of a family clan. This Fey Demon was one nurtured by the Xushui Ran clan, and he was a follower of Ran Xueyi.

It was also obvious what sort of status that Ran Xueyi had for him to be able to bring a follower to attend the banquet.

Ran Xueyi sat at one of the seats of honor, which was not located too far from Yi Yun. At that moment, the Fey Demon whispered into Ran Xueyi's ear. Ran Xueyi was chatting with Donglin Yu, but after hearing the Fey Demon's words, he stopped and he turned his head slightly as his gaze landed on Yi Yun.

The teacup in Yi Yun's hand faltered for a moment before he continued sipping his tea slowly.

Ran Xueyi…

Just from the name, Yi Yun knew the person's identity as well.

"Brother Ran, I heard something happened recently to your Xushui Ran clan. It appears as though one of your direct descendant’s bloodline had been crippled."

The Fey Demon's whispers were not hidden from Donglin Yu, so Donglin Yu knew that the person that Ran Xueyi was looking at was Yi Yun.

A young disciple from the Fire Cloud State, even if he had obtained first in the collective training, was not someone that Donglin Yu would care too much for. If this was any other time, he would not have even given a glance.

However, this Fire Cloud State disciple had smacked the Xushui Ran clan in the face. It was a taboo for the bloodline of someone from an Ancient Fey family clan like the Xushui Ran clan to be crippled. The news of this small incident had proliferated.

Therefore, Donglin Yu had paid a bit of attention to Yi Yun, who dared to provoke the almighty family clan.

Such a person was usually rash and petulant. He might not understand how terrifying an ancient family clan was, and he had engaged in his reckless behavior because of his bit of talent. He was doomed to suffer sooner or later.

"I have incurred ridicule on myself, Brother Donglin. It had indeed happened. The disciple that had been crippled was one of the disciples that my Xushui Ran clan had assigned outside the family. The four Elders of my Xushui Ran clan have instructed me to simply teach him a lesson within the rules." Ran Xueyi said in a nonchalant manner.

He did not deliberately do so with a voice transmission. It made many people around him hear it.

They were secretly horrified at how Ran Xueyi truly disparaged Yi Yun. He had said such those words so casually, and it was unknown how far the so-called ’lesson’ would go.

True Martial World - Chapter 858: Empress Luo’s Banquet

"Yes, Mother… " Luo Huo'er answered with a clear lack of interest and she was rather reluctant to do so. Luo Huo'er also knew that the reason why her mother had requested for her to show up was to further draw in the geniuses, and show the world her love for talent. If she did not do so, how could more geniuses and the family clans behind them be willing to join their camp?

Empress Xuan glanced at Luo Huo'er and she sighed in her heart. Luo Huo'er might not put these matters at hard, but Prince Crimson Firmament had already established a massive force, and it was constantly expanding.

If they did not adopt vigorous measures, even those family clans and factions that stood on their side might even end up being convinced by Prince Crimson Firmament to switch camps.

The abdication of the throne was at hand, so Empress Luo and Prince Crimson Firmament were using every means possible.

At that moment, a flash of light appeared as a voice transmission charm appeared in front of Empress Xuan.

After hearing the information in the voice transmission charm, Empress Xuan frowned slightly.

"A voice transmission charm from Empress Luo?" Xuan Junyue inquired. Empress Luo had a unique voice transmission charm, so standing nearby, he could recognise it at a glance.

"Yes… " Empress Xuan nodded. "Empress Luo has set up a banquet and has invited us, as well as the geniuses partaking in the trials to attend it. It looks like she plans on showing a display of force."

"Then what are we to do?" Xuan Junyue found the matter somewhat tricky. Their present forces were naturally far inferior to Empress Luo's.

"We shall go. The geniuses we have attracted must have been invited as well. If we do not go, those geniuses might think that we are afraid of Empress Luo. When the time comes, they might end up being roped in by them."

Empress Xuan crushed the voice transmission charm and she looked at Luo Huo'er. "Huo'er, you are not to fool around at Empress Luo's place. A princess must act like a princess. Your nonsense can be ignored at home, but when you are out, if you were to embarrass yourself, no one knows how others will think of you. Please give me peace of mind!"

"Yes, Mother." Luo Huo'er spat out her cute tongue, but no one knew if she heeded Empress Xuan's exhortations.

...

"We are almost arriving at the Luo clan's royal capital." On the spirit cruiser, a Fire Cloud State disciple said excitedly.

Even Luo Fengling's eyes immediately flashed with a hint of excitement.

She had been arduously cultivating in pursuit of martial arts. She had rose up with difficulty, and now, she finally took that solid step forward, arriving at the holy land that she had always longed for — the Luo clan's royal capital.

The Luo clan royal capital was not a place that anyone could go to as they wished.

The numerous nebula bands revolving around the Luo clan royal capital were an array protecting the capital. Unless they received the permit to enter the capital, it was impossible to enter.

Normal disciples might never have a chance in their entire lives to enter the Luo clan royal capital.

"Right in front of us is the Luo clan royal capital. You will be directly sent to the Luo Divine Hall and you will stay there. However, don't be in a rush to be too happy. Look around you." The Fire Cloud State person-in-charge of leading them said coldly.

The disciples on the two spirit cruisers looked around and they saw many other spirit cruisers docked in the vicinity of the royal capital's nebula band along the perimeter.

They saw many spirit cruisers that came from other states.

These spirit cruiser had flags of different states.

“That's the Rain Immortal State’s spirit cruiser, and that spirit cruiser, it's the Earth Desolate State’s." A disciple said.

At a glance, they saw at least twenty state flags.

The numerous flags fluttered as more than a hundred spirit cruisers headed towards the royal capital.

Even though they knew that the Luo clan had a total of 196 states, and that some of the states were several times larger than the Fire Cloud State and the Phoenix Firmiana State, it still gave everyone a startling feeling. noveltranslationweb.blogspot.com

Other than the 196 states, there were also ancient family clans with deep heritage. For example, the Xushui Ran clan was one such family clan. It also independently nurtured geniuses from the family and sent them to the Luo clan's royal capital! These large family clans would typically nurture the truly exceptional geniuses themselves. Only the slightly weaker ones, like Ran Yu, were sent to other states for training.

Therefore, it was destined for the royal capital to be filled with outstanding elites!

Despite knowing this, the feeling that one got from truly witnessing the scene of densely packed spirit cruisers, so large in size that their ends could not be seen, was truly phenomenal.

The Fire Cloud State present could not help but sigh and realize their minuteness.

They knew that to compete with people like these, many of them were destined to be green leaves that only accentuated the flowers…

"Oh? That's the Heaven Fall State's spirit cruiser!" A disciple suddenly said.

The Heaven Fall State was one of the top five states ranked amongst the 196 states!

As for the Fire Cloud State, it was only ranked in the middle, so the disparity in strength between the two states was non-trivial.

Although the Heaven Fall State's spirit cruiser was a standard spirit cruiser, its size was several times bigger than the Fire Cloud State's. There was no doubt that the number of young elites that their spirit cruiser carried was many more than the Fire Cloud State's. It was only natural that such a large state would be given more spots.

Yi Yun looked at the Heaven Fall State's flag that comprised of a bursting flame. Its fiery redness was harsh on the eyes.

"At the Luo Divine Hall trials, the competition will be immense. The lot of you may be the best in the Fire Cloud State, but amongst the geniuses from 196 states, you might not attract as much attention. Besides, don't forget, there is still the strongest faction, the Luo clan royal capital! The Luo clan royal capital's strength far exceeds any state and family clan! You will have to depend on your efforts in order to obtain a good result at the Luo Divine Hall trials."

The person-in-charge of leading them said and with a wave of his hand, the two spirit cruisers passed through the nebula band and headed for the Luo clan's royal capital.

As the spirit cruiser passed through layers of nebula bands, it quickly approached an immortal mountain, which stood erect like a sharp sword.

Yi Yun looked down and he exhaled lightly.

This competition was truly intense!

However, this made Yi Yun feel a surge of emotions. He had just made a breakthrough and he was thinking of testing his own strength!

Phew!

As the wind howled, the spirit cruisers carrying the geniuses who were going to participate in the Luo Divine Hall trials from the 196 states had arrived at the royal capital.

They landed on a large mountain, which had a wide platform built on it. The platform was almost flush with the other divine mountains around it, as though it was a flat piece of land that suspended in mid air. Even a large spirit cruiser was like a speck of dust when it landed on the platform.

Around the platform, there were large and opulent palaces and Yi Yun was assigned to one of them.

The palace was bright and spacious with well-equipped facilities, and there were more than ten servants to serve him. And on a table in the middle of the palace, there was an invitation.

Upon opening it, Yi Yun realized it was a banquet invitation and it was signed by — Empress Luo!

Yi Yun pondered for a moment. He naturally knew that Empress Luo was Prince Crimson Firmament's biological mother. The reason why the Luo Divine Hall trials raged like a storm was mainly because of the competition between Prince Crimson Firmament and Princess Purple Spirit.

"Empress Luo did not only invite us to the banquet, she has also invited Empress Xuan… " Yi Yun read the introduction in the invitation and he was slightly surprised. However, regardless of anything, he was now a Luo clan disciple, so there was no reason for him to reject a banquet invitation from an Empress.

True Martial World - Chapter 857: Get him to Call me Master

"Why are you looking for me??" Luo Huo'er asked lightly.

Luo Huo'er's light tone was understood by Chun Ye, who was beside her. She knew that the meaning behind her Princess' words were: Say whatever you have quickly. Once you are done, leave. This Princess still isn't done with refining relics.

Xuan Junyue immediately brushed his robe, stood up and said, "Her Highness Empress Xuan invites Princess over. It’s an urgent matter, so it is requested that Princess proceeds with this lowly servant as soon as possible."

"What's Mother calling me for?" Luo Huo'er glanced at Xuan Junyue and she felt irritated. Xuan Junyue ran to her mother all day, as though he was treating her mother as his mother.

When she thought about this, Luo Huo'er had a headache. "If that's the case, I'll go visit Mother."

Fenghua Palace, Empress Xuan's palace. It was one of the two larger palace in the royal harem.

Empress Xuan and Empress Luo were both given the title of Empress, and both of them had Ancient Fey family clans supporting them. They were both extremely prominent in the Luo clan.

Empress Xuan entered the harem slightly later, but due to her outstanding talent, her cultivation speed in the palace was not any slower than Empress Luo’s, so she was quickly on par with Empress Luo, winning the trust of Emperor Luo.

However, Empress Luo's faction had been in operation for a long time and Prince Crimson Firmament himself had a powerful influence as well. Even though Luo Huo'er's talents were outstanding, and she was given a lot of help in various aspects by Empress Xuan, it was still extremely difficult for her to ascend to the throne.

What made Empress Xuan dispirited was her daughter's personality. She did as she pleased and she was dedicated to studying her martial arts and Desolate Heaven technique. She had no interest in vying for the throne.

"Arrival of Princess Purple Spirit!"

Following that, Luo Huo'er's figure appeared by the palace's door. A tiny frown immediately appeared on Empress Xuan's beautiful face as she looked like her mind was in pain.

"Mother, why did you have to call me over?" Before Luo Huo'er reached Empress Xuan, her pouty voice could be heard.

"You are actually willing to come." Empress Xuan said with a sigh and shook her head.

"Why wouldn't I come? I was planning on visiting Mother. Wasn't I just busy?" Luo Huo'er came to Empress Xuan's side like a gust of wind and sat down beside her petulantly.

"Busy? You should be busy, but what you should busy yourself over is proper matters. Huo'er, vying for the throne cannot be stopped once it begins. Once we are defeated, no good will come out of it for us. The Luo Divine Hall trials are about to begin, and our Luo clan will have the first Luo Divine Hall trials in decades after the war ended. At the war, our Luo clan lost too many mighty figures, and no one knows how many factions are waiting for the Luo Divine Hall trials to begin."

"Huo'er, you do not care about any of this, so you do not know that your Father thinks very highly about the upcoming Luo Divine Hall trials. If our performance at the Luo Divine Hall trials surpasses Crimson Firmament’s, you will become the more appropriate candidate for the throne in your Father and his subjects' eyes.

With that said, Empress Xuan took out a jade slip and said, "Just now, Prince Pingnan sent a Divine Swan back with information. It lists the geniuses who were recommended by us and are likely to have promising performances at the Luo Divine Hall trials. Take a look at it."

Luo Huo'er took the jade slip and as she probed it slightly, she immediately frowned silently.

So many!?

It's too long. I don't want to read it.

Luo Huo'er's eyes turned and looked at Xuan Junyue, "Doesn't Xuan Junyue know all of this very clearly? Why don't you simply summarize it?"

There were so many people with detailed information introducing them on the jade. Luo Huo'er could not even be bothered to read all of it.

"You brat!" Empress Xuan frowned. How could she not know what was going on in Luo Huo'er's tiny head?

"Forget it, Junyue, go ahead and tell her." Empress Xuan said with a headache.

"Yes, Your Highness, Princess." Xuan Junyue answered, "Actually, amongst the geniuses here, most of them are average in my point of view. A few are worthy of attention, especially Cloud Water State's Mo Sang, Heaven Fall State's Gu Qing, and Spirit Feathers State's Ling Wu. They all have Heaven Fey bloodline and they have cultivated for more than four decades. They have long acquired their fame and are the cream of the crop."

"Also, there is a person from the Fire Cloud State whose performance at the Mt. Azure Billow collective training was extremely outstanding. Also, worth mentioning is that he is a human." As Xuan Junyue said this, he also found it unbelievable. For a human to obtain first place, especially success in Black Wind Valley, it was extremely rare.

"Our Ten Thousand Fey Empyrean Heaven only has a few humans. In the other Empyrean Heavens, the humans aren't weak as well. Why would it be surprising to have a human genius?" Luo Huo'er said nonchalantly. She couldn't care if they were Heaven Fey or human. All she cared about now was the cauldron in her boudoir. A new batch of relics were being refined in there, and she did not feel at ease about letting her maidservant, Chun Ye, watch it.

"This human is truly different from the humans from other Empyrean Heavens. His name is Yi Yun, and he is a newly recruited disciple of the Fire Cloud State's Earth Fire Hall. As his performance in Fire Spirit Palace was outstanding, he was recommended to Prince Pingnan. He was not a member of our Luo clan prior to that, and he was rescued by a Fire Cloud State Heaven Fire Hall disciple." Xuan Junyue said.

Upon saying this, Xuan Junyue suddenly realized that Luo Huo'er's expression had apparently changed.

"Yi Yun?" Luo Huo'er was taken aback slightly. That name left a deep impression on her.

"It should be impossible that it's that darn rascal… " Upon thinking about this, Luo Huo'er ground her teeth hatefully.

As a princess of the Luo clan, one of the heirs to the Luo empyrean throne, she had been bullied by a country boy in a lower realm…

Once she thought about Yi Yun's mature ways beyond his age, and his composed look, Luo Huo'er was infuriated.

Xuan Junyue noticed Luo Huo'er's nasty expression and was greatly disturbed.

"Does Princess know of this Yi Yun?" Xuan Junyue asked.

Luo Huo'er said, "It's probably only a person who shares the same name."

That punk was definitely still in some corner in the lower realm like a frog in the bottom of a well. Back then despite losing to the punk, this princess was just being a dragon in a puddle of shrimps. If it wasn’t for Mother preventing me from using the Luo clan's cultivation techniques or mystic techniques, because she was afraid that my identity would be revealed, what sort of problems would there be!?

Luo Huo'er surmised that the punk, Yi Yun, was probably just at the Yuan Opening realm. At this realm, he was already considered a sage in the lower realm. However, in the Ten Thousand Fey Empyrean Heaven, he was barely a foot soldier.

Maybe she should find an opportunity to return to the Tian Yuan world and bring that rascal, Yi Yun, to the Luo clan to show him her prowess, letting him know how noble this princess' identity is.

She wanted to show the punk that to go far in martial arts, it was not enough to stay in those tiny worlds. There was a need to come to the Ten Thousand Fey Empyrean Heaven and rub shoulders with this princess. If he were to prostrate himself in front of this princess, this princess shall be kind and accept him as a lackey. When the time comes, he would understand that his strength was nothing at all.

"Hehe, that guy is obsessed with martial arts. He definitely would want to cultivate my Luo clan's cultivation techniques. When the time comes, I can get him to call me master! That would definitely feel good!"

With this thoughts in mind, Luo Huo'er could not help but reveal a sinister smile.

However, this smile surprised Xuan Junyue.

Even though it had a touch of sinisterness, as long as Luo Huo'er smiled, it would be like the blooming of flowers, dazzling others.

Obviously, this smile would not appear for no reason, so it was clearly because she thought of another Yi Yun…

"That Yi Yun, who is he?" Xuan Junyue suddenly felt alarmed and was wary.

Although he was extremely respectful to Luo Huo'er, he had already considered himself a suitor of Luo Huo'er in his heart.

In the future, if Luo Huo'er were to ascend the throne, as her husband, he would definitely be a dragon amongst people. And with Xuan Junyue being born into Empress Xuan's family, he was a top genius in the family, so he had cultivated with great effort.

No one knew who the person Luo Huo'er was referring to that could leave such an impression on Luo Huo'er. Just thinking of that smile, that person was probably a genius from a prominent family background. Naturally, it could not be the Yi Yun on the name list. Although he was talented, it was only decent. In terms of background, it was not worth mentioning at all.

Xuan Junyue felt an urgent sense of danger.

"Oh right, how did this Yi Yun perform?" Luo Huo'er suddenly asked out of curiosity.

"First at the Mt. Azure Billow collective training. He obtained the Dao Tree and Extreme Yang Illumination divine columns' rating of Hibernation Awakening in the Ancient Fey Edifice. At Black Wind Valley, he captured the Intermediary Spirit Blood Snake." Xuan Junyue answered.

"Oh, that's pretty awesome." Luo Huo'er nodded.

"Huo'er, This human's performance is already not bad. He came from a lower realm, but he has two Aspect Totems. And after he absorbed an Ancient Fey bone, he obtained a Heaven Devouring Wyrm bloodline. In my point of view, he is quite a diligent fellow." Empress Xuan said.

Xuan Junyue echoed, "It's not easy to have such performance for a human from the lower realm. However, his foundation is too weak, so he might not be able to amount to much in the future… "

Xuan Junyue was haughty, so he was naturally more reserved when he rated other geniuses.

Empress Xuan said, "The people who did quite well for the collective training are already on their way to the royal capital. Soon, I will be summoning them, and Huo'er, you should meet them when the time comes."

True Martial World - Chapter 856: Long-awaited Familial

In the Ten Thousand Fey Empyrean Heaven, one was considered to have matured when they reached the Heaven Ascension realm as they were qualified to train outside.

However, despite there being millions of Heaven Ascension realm warriors, the number of people who reached the pinnacle of martial arts was just a handful.

The rest would exhaust their potential on their road to Heaven Ascension, or be trampled upon by others, becoming the accumulation of bones beneath the Heaven Ascension Great Dao.

Yi Yun stood up and he sensed that the Yuan Qi in his body had increased by nearly 100%, as he clenched his fists.

With a breath, Yi Yun put his feet in line with his hip and with strength going from his hip to his back, he punched out like the sudden pouncing of a tiger. Before the fist reached its target, a whistling fist wind had torn through the air and slammed into a mountain wall.

Black Wind Valley's mountain walls had been immersed in black gases for hundreds of thousands of years, which made them extremely solid and as hard as diamond. Slashing down with a blade would not even leave a mark.

"Boom!"

All the oppressive forces in his body burst outward with that single punch as they slammed into Black Wind Valley's mountain wall. Large chunks of rubble blasted out and with gravel flying, Yi Yun's entire fist was lodged deep in the mountain wall!

Furthermore, the hard mountain wall had cracks that spread out like spider webs with Yi Yun's fist at its core.

The power of his fist was enough to cut into a mountain. That would have been nothing in the Tian Yuan world, but this was the Ten Thousand Fey Empyrean Heaven's Black Wind Valley.

The rocks in Black Wind Valley had been tempered by the black mist a prolonged period of time. They were extraordinarily resistant. And even if it was damaged by a fist, the mountain rock would slowly recover.

Despite that, Yi Yun was very satisfied with the power of his punch.

At that moment, Cang Mang looked at the time and suddenly said, "Alright, the collective training at Mt. Azure Billow is coming to an end. It's about time we end it."

Most people had reached the fifth level in the Black Wind Valley trial. Yi Yun, who was thought to be one of the failures, had become the biggest winner.

And the aspirant Ran Yu had ended up being crippled. It was truly a lamentable situation.

Two spirit cruisers landed to pick up the disciples.

"The trials at Mt. Azure Billow have ended. Following that, all of you will proceed directly to the Luo clan's royal capital! There, the Luo Divine Hall trials will be held. I wish that all of you will have good results." Cang Mang's gaze swept pass these disciples as he slowly said.

Luo Divine Hall!

Once the trials were mentioned, the disciples felt excited. It happened once every sixty years, and it brought honor to the family and the state they were in. There were also plenty of opportunities.

Even if they knew that they were destined to amount to nothing, they still wanted to give it a try.

"Junior Brother Yi, on our trip to the royal capital, just stay in the residence and do not go out. Cultivate in peace inside." Luo Fengling suddenly walked over and told him.

Yi Yun knew that Luo Fengling was worried about the Xushui Ran clan, so he nodded and said with a smile, "Don't worry."

"Alright." Luo Fengling did not know if Yi Yun was truly listening. He came from the lower realm and he lacked a background. It was extremely dangerous to face off against a behemoth like the Xushui Ran clan…

The spirit cruisers lifted off separately a day apart, carrying the Phoenix Firmiana State and Fire Cloud State disciples away towards the Luo clan royal capital.

...

In the endless starry cosmos, a vast continent was shrouded by numerous bands of light. Large spirit cruisers shuttled through the bands of light, and amongst these spirit cruisers, the smallest was the size of a mountain, with numerous pavilions on it.

There were also gigantic flying Fey beasts that were flying slowly.

On the continent, the geological features were precipitous, with a countless number of immortal mountains springing up from the ground. They were like sharp swords that reached the sky. Above the immortal mountains, clouds circled them, and there was no lack of opulent palaces.

This continent was where the Luo clan royal capital was situated. It was also the largest continent in the entire Luo clan.

The Luo clan royal family that had been passed down for more than a hundred million years had lived on this continent for generations.

Decades ago, they had entered a huge war with the enemy invading the entire continent all the way to the capital. They nearly succeeded in invading the capital. It also caused the royal heirs of the Luo clan to be evacuated.

But now, after the war was over, the traces of war had already disappeared.

At that moment, a Fey beast with a wingspan of more than ten meters suddenly called out sharply in the distance. It moved as fast as lightning, and in the blink of an eye, it transformed into a red shadow that sank into a nebula band and flew towards the tallest immortal mountain.

"It's the Luo clan royalty's Divine Swan." Someone on a spirit cruiser said.

A Divine Swan had nearly zero combat strength, but it was the fastest Fey beast in the Ten Thousand Fey Empyrean Heaven. It was used as a messenger beast amongst the Luo clan royalty.

Seeing the Divine Swan land on an immortal mountain, no one knew what important news had been passed from other states.

"Sou!"

The Divine Swan flew towards the immortal mountain and flew straight to the mountainside, where a huge palace was.

Princess Purple Spirit’s Residence.

This mansion was a residence that was second only to the Emperor and Empress' imperial palace in the Luo clan's royal capital. It was superior to many kingly residences.

It was located on the same stretch as Prince Crimson Firmament's residence, so its importance was obvious.

To the people in the Luo clan royal capital, these two people were important figures. One of them was bound to ascend and step into the empyrean palace.

But at that moment, Princess Purple Spirit, who was one of the heir candidates to the Luo clan throne and a proud daughter of heaven that numerous Luo clan citizens could not even look at in reverence, was baring her feet and busying herself in her boudoir.

"Bam!"

A loud explosion boomed, but the old servant outside the boudoir did not move, as though she did not hear a thing.

Amidst the black smoke, a yellow-dressed girl with a round face was coughing as she said, "Princess, how many times has it been!? If this goes on, you will blow up the entire building!"

"Hmph, there are array formations here, so how can it blow up? A little servant girl like you only knows how to speak nonsense," said another girl while waving her hand nonchalantly. Instantly, a refreshing wind blew over and swept the black smoke away.

The girl in the black smoke also revealed herself. If Yi Yun was here, he would immediately recognize her to be Luo Huo'er!

More than ten years had passed, and Luo Huo'er had a more refined look. She had an extremely noble air to her that flowed naturally from her brows. Most of the Luo clan royalty inherited good looks, and Luo Huo'er's beauty was considered stunning even in the royal family. She had the charm of her mother, Empress Empress Xuan.

Luo Huo'er was only wearing a tight-fit heavenly silk shirt. The light linen softly adhered to her skin, accentuating her figure perfectly. Her breasts were ample and she had a thin waist. Her legs were long and slender, while her black hair cascaded down her back, as though it was the most beautiful satin. noveltranslationweb.blogspot.com

"Princess, I heard that Prince Crimson Firmament has recently been roping in several family clans, aren't you worried? Why do you keep researching the Desolate Heaven technique? Her Highness Empress Xuan is worried to death. I heard that Her Highness Empress Xuan has delegated Prince Pingnan to rope in geniuses from everywhere to make preparations for the Luo Divine Hall trials. Princess, how can you not care?" The maidservant said with a pout.

"Why should I be anxious? I'm not the one who wants to ascend to the throne. If I was given the throne, wouldn't I have to write royal decrees daily? Just thinking of it irritates me to no end!" Luo Huo'er ran over to look at her Desolate Heaven Cauldron and said nonchalantly.

"But… "

"You dare to carry on!?" Luo Huo'er turned around and stared at the maidservant with her beautiful eyes. "Nice going, Chun Ye. Were you bribed by Mother? Look at Dong'er and how well-behaved she is. She doesn't nag."

When Luo Huo'er said this, she pointed at Dong'er, who was dozing at a corner. If Yi Yun was here, he would definitely be surprised that despite although more than a decade had passed, Dong'er still looked like a eleven or twelve-year-old loli. She did not grow up at all.

Upon seeing Dong'er, Chun Ye stared at her grumpily. "That rascal would do fine just having buns to eat. Other than that, all she does is sleep. How would she say a thing? She doesn't even have any thoughts, but Princess… "

"Enough, are you even done? If you keep continuing on, I will send you to watch the gates. And it’s perfect that you are a descendant of a primordial Fey beast, using you to watch the gates is quite classy."

"Watch… watch the gates? Princess, I've served you for quite a long period of time. I've done hard work even if I have not performed any meritorious deeds. To think you want me to watch the gates… " Chun Ye stared widely as she felt aggrieved.

Upon seeing that Chun Ye was about to cry, Luo Huo'er impatiently snorted and said, "Enough, enough. I knew you must have been listening to Mother. No wonder you have no end to it. Fine, I'll ask about it in the next few days."

"Thank you, Princess! Princess, I'm doing it for your own good. That Prince Crimson Firmament doesn't seem like a good person in any way. How can the Luo throne be given to him? It has to be yours!" Chun Ye said.

At that moment, the old servant's voice suddenly sounded from outside the door. "Princess, Young Master Xuan Junyue wishes to seek an audience."

Luo Huo'er frowned and wanted to reject him, but she noticed Chun Ye beside her looking pitifully at her.

Luo Huo'er took back her words as she said, "Then, let him wait."

With that said, Luo Huo'er knocked the dozing Dong'er’s head and said, "Stop sleeping. Your saliva is dripping onto the table. Hurry up and help me change. It's been so many years, and you have not improved at all. All you know is sleep and eat!"

Luo Huo'er rolled her eyes at Dong'er.

Dong'er rubbed her head and said in an aggrieved manner, "But I grow slowly… "

"Enough! That Xuan Junyue comes visit me every other day. It's so irritating. I wonder what's the matter this time."

"I heard that the Divine Swan just returned. There must be something important." As Chun Ye said, she dragged the slow Dong'er and helped Luo Huo'er change.

In the middle of a wide and grand hall, a man dressed in white was standing up straight, as he stood conscientiously.

His handsome face had sword like eyebrows and star-like eyes as he carried a sword on his back. He stood there, faintly exuding a sharp aura, as though he was a sword that was about to be unsheathed.

At that moment, extremely light footsteps could be heard outside the door. This sound was like a gentle breeze, and every step sounded like a beauty was dancing towards it.

Upon hearing this sound, the man's eyes flashed with a smile as he looked at the door.

Ding Ding Ding… As the sounds of jade being gently hit sounded, a stunning beauty came in from outside the door.

Princess Purple Spirit's beauty was known by everyone in the Luo clan, but few had the chance to glimpse her face.

The girl was dressed in a red dress, and her black and long satin-like hair reached down to her waist. Her skin was crystalline as though it was the highest grade of white jade. Her eyes were like water and her sharp nose gave her a radiant look. It was filled with an intense sense of dignity, that made one involuntarily feel ashamed of themselves.

This was not only because of her status as the Luo clan's royalty, but it was also because of the nobility of her Ancient Fey bloodline.

Under Dong'er's companionship, Luo Huo'er walked into the hall.

"Greetings to Princess Purple Spirit." Xuan Junyue hastily bowed.

Although he was part of Empress Empress Xuan's family, and he was considered to be Luo Huo'er's cousin, he was only a genius from a family clan, while she was a heir to the Luo clan throne. Xuan Junyue did not dare breach etiquette.

"Yeah." Luo Huo'er acknowledged tersely and sat down at the seat of honor. She then slightly frowned and said, "What are you standing for?"

"Thank you Princess Purple Spirit for conferring me a seat." Xuan Junyue said.

Conferring a seat? This Princess just finds you an eyesore standing!

However, Luo Huo'er would not say this out loud. Xuan Junyue was from her mother's family clan. He was one of the top geniuses in the younger generation that even Her Highness Empress Xuan thought highly of. For the sake of her mother, she could not be too nasty to him.