True Martial World - Chapter 1252: Unexpected Discovery

Under the bright and clear moonlight, the black Great Traversal Spirit Ship shuttled through the night sky. It continued traveling away from the Myriad God Ridge, but Yi Yun was in no rush to return. His first stop was the Great Traversal Spirit Ship's control room.

The control room was equivalent to the Great Traversal Spirit Ship's heart. Here, the user of the spirit ship could use a bit of their perception to easily control the spirit ship and, at the same time, do whatever they wanted.

"The core array formation is here."

Yi Yun infused his perception into the ship, and indeed, he found a mental imprint within. Typically, owners would leave behind a tiny mental imprint on valuable enchanted artifacts like the Great Traversal Spirit Ship after successfully refining them for themselves.

This mental imprint had been repeatedly tempered and was fortified. It would not be easily removed unless the strength of the remover's soul was much stronger than that of the enchanted treasure's original owner.

Yi Yun inspected the imprint. Unfortunately, Yi Yun was only at the fifth-floor Dao Palace. His strength had improved, but he was cognizant of the fact that there was still a huge rift between him and Song Guangyan, especially in terms of their souls’ strength.

If he wanted to refine away the imprint's strength, it would take a day or two of slowly grinding it away. But if he tried, Song Guangyan would notice that something was amiss and immediately return to the spirit ship.

In fact, the very instant Yi Yun took action, it would be sensed by Song Guangyan.

One had to be fast while wiping out a mental imprint! But Yi Yun alone was incapable of being that fast.

"Xie'er."

Yi Yun gently called in his mind. At the next moment, a tiny tower flew out of Yi Yun's dantian. Plumes of black flames billowed above the tower as an adorable girl with some baby fat appeared out of the flames.

"Brother Yi Yun, is there something you need from me?"

Ling Xie'er had been sleeping for the past few years. Ever since she awakened and left the massive worldly array that bound her, her strength had not only been increasing, but her affinity with the Heretical God Fire Seed was getting stronger.

As it was, what Ling Xie'er lacked in combat strength she made up for in her control over the Heretical God Fire Seed. In that aspect, she was much better than Yi Yun. Just this alone afforded her the ability to deal massive damage.

Besides… When it came to the strength of the soul, Ling Xie'er, who was born of a natural treasure, was someone that typical warriors could not compare with.

In the Sun Burial Sandsea, she had existed alone in an incorporeal form for hundreds of millions of years. In that time, her soul’s strength had developed much more than Yi Yun's.

"Xie'er, are you able to burn away this mental imprint within fifteen minutes?" Yi Yun asked.

Ling Xie'er took a look at the disk array and nodded. "Sure."

As she spoke, Ling Xie'er walked out of the flames and transformed into a fair and supple-looking girl. She moved her tiny hands and produced seals. The Heretical God flames fused into her soul, becoming a flame of the soul that could burn through all mental imprints.

"Phew–"

The flames ignited over the disk array but produced no heat. However, if a soul manifestation was there, it would have been able to sense the terrifying flames that could rend the world asunder. This was a flame that specialized in immolating souls.

"Chi! Chi! Chi!"

The flames in the disk array crackled violently as the phantom face of an elder appeared out of thin air. He was struggling and bellowing as the flames covered him!

He looked at Yi Yun and Ling Xie'er as his face exuded ferociousness.

"You…"

He said through clenched teeth as though he was trying to use all his strength to transmit everything he saw before he was destroyed. However, Ling Xie'er obviously stopped him from doing so. Her tiny hands moved immediately, commanding the soul flames to form a prison that completely surrounded the elder!

"Peng!"

With a loud explosion, the elder's face burned to nothingness amid the flames!

Simultaneously, millions of miles away in a tavern—

"Boom!"

A loud explosion boomed as the entire room was blasted to smithereens.

An elder walked out of the room with disheveled hair, his face suffusing an abnormal paleness.

He was none other than Song Guangyan.

Just a moment ago, he sensed that the mental imprint he left on the Great Traversal Spirit Ship had been destroyed!

The time from the moment his mental imprint was attacked until it was completely vanquished was only about thirty seconds. Even the information about the destroyer failed to be transmitted!

This made Song Guangyan's actual body suffer a soul injury. The mental imprint was equivalent to a piece of his soul. So losing his mental imprint was equal to him losing a portion of his very soul. Without the nourishment of heavenly herbs, it would be impossible for him to recover.

"Who was it!?"

Song Guangyan had a hideous look on his face. He had the Great Traversal Spirit Ship in his possession for tens of thousands of years. He had fortified the mental imprint several times, and yet such robustness was destroyed in less than a minute?

This proved that the other party's soul was much stronger than his!

Song Guangyan was already a Divine Lord. That meant that the other party was likely an old monster that had lived for an unmeasurable period of time.

The person's strength probably exceeded his greatly. As such, not only did he not know who the culprit was, but, even if he did know, he was unable to seek revenge. The spirit ship had fallen into the hands of the other person, and it was impossible to recoup it.

He long knew that the deep depths of the Calm Sea were extremely dangerous, but he never imagined that his ship would fall after less than a day of being out at sea. That was just too fast.

"Darn it! Bowen has probably succumbed to harm."

Song Guangyan's expression was as ugly as it could be. He was feeling the pinch over his spirit ship as well as worry for Song Bowen.

Song Bowen was the only personal disciple that the Song family had in the Myriad God Ridge. He was the only son. There was also Zhang Wuchen. The Zhang family was the Song family’s ally by marriage, and Wuchen was the only personal disciple they had.

If the two perished, the Song and Zhang family would face the delicate situation of not having a successor. They would need to nurture another excellent junior within a thousand years. If they couldn’t, their positions in the Myriad God Ridge would plummet.

At that moment, Song Guangyan was in no mood to continue staying in the tavern. He rushed towards the Myriad God Ridge overnight to immediately hold a family meeting to discuss the important matter.

…

"Xie'er, you are really awesome!"

Yi Yun was truly astonished by Ling Xie'er's abilities.

Ling Xie'er smiled happily upon being complemented by Yi Yun. She knew that, over the past twenty-plus years, Yi Yun had spent a lot of time and effort to awaken her. To her, Yi Yun was the most important person in her life. Being able to help him naturally delighted her.

"Xie'er, I think we need to find you a mystic technique that focuses on cultivating the soul," Yi Yun said.

He had always known that Ling Xie'er's soul was very powerful since she was an incorporeal soul body. However, he never imagined that after she fused with the Heretical God Fire Seed, her transformation into a flame that burned at souls would only take less than a minute to burn a mental imprint left by powerful Divine Lords into ashes.

If he focused on nurturing Ling Xie'er's capabilities, wouldn't he be able to catch any enemy by surprise?

Soul attacks were also considered a martial path, but few people could go far using them. After all, the soul had the body protecting it. Annihilating it directly was no easy task.

However, if Ling Xie'er's soul strength was immensely high, it would be able to overwhelm. After all, Ling Xie'er had yet to cultivate in a cultivation technique that focused on the soul! If she cultivated it, she would only become stronger.

True Martial World - Chapter 1251: Destroying All Evidence

"Yi Yun, you… you will…"

Zhang Wuchen wanted to finish cursing Yi Yun by saying he’d 'die a horrible death' but his neck was clasped by Yi Yun. His mouth was agape but could not produce a sound.

Towards his antics, Yi Yun had a cold expression. Without a word, he injected Yuan Qi through his hand and broke Zhang Wuchen's neck!

Zhang Wuchen's eyes glazed over, instantly losing all their luster. Yi Yun grabbed Zhang Wuchen's interspatial ring while, at the same time, the Heretical God flames gathered together, burning Zhang Wuchen to ashes!

Upon seeing this scene, Song Bowen's face turned pale as he stood beside Zhang Wuchen’s charred remains. He had schemed together with Zhang Wuchen, and now his outcome would likely be the same as his brother-in-law’s.

Not only would he lose his life, but he would also die extremely horribly!

"Yi Yun… Yi Yun, you can't kill me. If you kill me, the Song family will pursue you until the end of your days! My second uncle has put a restriction on me. Once I'm killed, information about my demise will instantly be sent to the Song family, and you will be pursued by them. Also, killing me would violate the Myriad God Ridge's rules. Not even the sect master will be able to protect you!" Song Bowen exclaimed.

Yi Yun gave Song Bowen a glance. His eyes were filled with a bloodlust that sent a chill through Song Bowen's body.

Yi Yun showed no reaction to Song Bowen's words. He walked towards him and said, "Are you going to castrate yourself or do you want me to do it?"

"You… You… did you not understand what I said?"

Against the pressure Yi Yun put on him, Song Bowen was close to a mental breakdown.

"It looks like you are choosing the latter."

Yi Yun shook his head.

"Wait…Wait!"

Song Bowen yelled but at that moment, the Heretical God Fire Seed that permeated the destruction domain raged towards Song Bowen. The inferno burned through the void to the point that it was completely inescapable!

Back at the banquet, Song Bowen had no chance of defending himself against a mere wisp of the Heretical God Fire Seed, much less the large amount that presently filled the destruction domain. Song Bowen's Yuan Qi was repressed, so how was he to face the Heretic Fire's attack that seemed to blot out the world?

"Yi Yun, I'll fight it out with you!"

Song Bowen yelled maniacally, but all that could be heard were a series of howling sounds. The Yuan Qi that Song Bowen had gathered had been directly burned through by the Heretic flames.

At that moment, Song Bowen's eyes flashed with a grotesque look. He opened his mouth and spat out a round bead that flew straight for Yi Yun!

"Explode Destruction Blood Bead! Let's die together!"

This was a life-preservation artifact that his second uncle had given him. Once the Destruction Blood Bead was triggered, it would annihilate all lifeblood in a hundred-foot radius, reducing humans into desiccated corpses.

He could have used the Destruction Blood Bead to kill enemies but, with it being necessary to activate it at a close distance, Song Bowen himself would be trapped within the explosion of the Destruction Blood Bead. His death was no question.

Song Bowen infused his remaining energy into the Destruction Blood Bead in hopes of exploding it!

But at that moment, Yi Yun made the first move. The Destruction power formed a wall that could destroy everything between Song Bowen and the Destruction Blood Bead. Song Bowen's Yuan Qi dissipated immediately upon contact with the powers of Destruction.

Yi Yun had already used his energy vision to identify the energy fluctuations of the Destruction Blood Bead. A tiny trick such as this wouldn’t get past him.

"You are completely unaware of the gap between us. How do you expect a mere bead to be able to bridge that gap?"

Yi Yun clenched his hands into a fist as the Heretical God Fire Seed surged over in overwhelming fashion.

It burned Song Bowen's limbs to ash, and even his crown jewels were burned to a crisp.

"You… You're doomed… My second uncle will not spare you…"

Song Bowen endured the excruciating pain to babble his last words.

However, Yi Yun remained indifferent for he did not mind it at all. "I already said, you are completely unaware of the gap between us. A mere restriction can't escape my Destruction domain, so how can it inform others about your death?"

As Yi Yun spoke, he punched out and struck Song Bowen's forehead.

This punch was infused with Destruction energies. It shattered Song Bowen's soul sea instantly and, with intense hate and indignation, Song Bowen collapsed to the ground.

With a wave of his hand, the second interspatial ring flew into Yi Yun's hand. Along with the interspatial ring was the Destruction Blood Bead.

The bead was quite a good item, so Yi Yun naturally kept it.

After turning around, Yi Yun looked at Yan'er and Cuicui. The color in the two maidservants’ faces was completely drained by their horror. They could not comprehend that the two men who easily lorded over their fates had been killed by Yi Yun in such a manner.

He may have been a personal disciple, but Yi Yun blatantly ignored the powerful Song and Zhang family, as well as the Myriad God Ridge's rules.

"Don't… Don't kill me. I can serve you. I'll do anything you want…" Yan'er said with a trembling voice.

Unfortunately for her, Yi Yun had already flicked his finger, sending a stream of light straight into Yan'er's soul sea. Yan'er did not even grunt before her eyes lost their luster. As for Cuicui, she had been scared out of her wits. Yi Yun walked in front of her and, without waiting for her to say a word, he directly probed into her soul!

Yi Yun had not seen Cuicui attack Zuoyan Xiaoyu, so he was unsure of her character. However, upon searching Cuicui's soul sea, he saw more than enough dirty scenes and machinations.

"Those girls that you inflicted death upon were probably as afraid as you are now…"

As Yi Yun spoke, Yuan Qi burst out from his palm, causing Cuicui's body to slump downward. Following that, the Heretical God Fire Seed gathered and burned the two girls into ash.

The restriction that Song Bowen had used to threaten Yi Yun was burned clean as well. After ascertaining that he had not left any evidence behind, Yi Yun undid his Destruction Dao Domain. noveltranslationweb.blogspot.com

In a blink of an eye, Yi Yun and Zuoyan Xiaoyu were the only two left in the massive palace. The other four were dead and every trace of their existence had been wiped away. However, the palace remained intact. Even the beds were not destroyed, and in fact, maintained their original state.

"Young Master, I… I…"

Zuoyan Xiaoyu was at a loss for words. She had quickly gone from extreme despair to being snatched from the jaws of death. It left her emotions stirring in vicissitudes. She couldn't even construct a proper sentence.

On one hand, she was feeling excited that Yi Yun had suddenly appeared to save her. On the other hand, she felt deep remorse. In order to save her, Yi Yun had killed two personal disciples. If the Myriad God Ridge were to learn of this, it would absolutely not spare Yi Yun.

Yi Yun could read Zuoyan Xiaoyu's mind as he said, "There's no need to worry. They won't be able to connect it to me."

His coming here was all thanks to the teleportation disk array that Old Snake had secretly sneaked onboard the Great Traversal Spirit Ship. The disk array was something even the owner of the ship, Song Guangyan, did not notice.

As for when Song Guangyan left the spirit ship, Old Snake was perfectly aware of the timing.

Under such circumstances, even if the Song family had reason to suspect Yi Yun, they would not be able to figure out how Yi Yun could have been the one who killed Song Bowen and Zhang Wuchen. They would likely blame it on them being killed by others while they were out on an experiential training.

However, Yi Yun was truly baffled as to what Old Snake's cultivation level was. He seemed to come and go like a divine shadow.

On careful thought, it was about fifteen hours until the appointed meeting between Yi Yun and Old Snake. Yi Yun was beginning to feel a sense of anticipation over it.

"Xiaoyu, we are going back. You won't be able to reveal yourself for the time being," Yi Yun said. He had to immediately return to the Myriad God Ridge. As for the Great Traversal Spirit Ship, he naturally took it. It was a priceless enchanted artifact after all.

However, Yi Yun still needed to carefully examine the Great Traversal Spirit Ship and the two interspatial rings to prevent any restrictions from exposing him.

True Martial World - Chapter 1250: Life Worse than Death

"Ah!"

In the palace within the spirit ship, a girl screamed. It was a heart-wrenching cry.

"This is only the third one. I haven't even stabbed your bone marrow but look at you, your entire body is convulsing. I should let you drink some water. Perhaps, you might end up failing to stop yourself from urinating."

Yan'er cackled delightfully. Many times, women can be more ruthless than men. When it comes to the struggle for power and profit, many women will scheme in all sorts of ways and employ the cruelest of measures.

These situations often occurred in the royal palace's harem, large family clans, and large sects. Such situations gave rise to women with evil thoughts.

"For you to last this long under the Marrow Intrusion Needle, could it be that you are still clinging to hopes that your little loverboy will come rescue you? We are millions of miles from Myriad God Ridge. Ignoring the fact that your loverboy doesn't know that you are here, but even if he were to know, he won't be able to enter this spirit ship. As for you, I'll turn you into an obedient little bitch in an hour."

"In fact, you might not know this, but before we brought you over, Young Master had even sent a gorgeous and petite beauty to Yi Yun. Perhaps, he's currently enjoying the pleasures of sex with that beauty so much that he doesn't have the mood to even think about you!"

Yan'er was still envious that Yi Yun had given the food cooked by Elder Lanqin to Zuoyan Xiaoyu and was deliberately trying to provoke her.

Zuoyan Xiaoyu obviously knew that it was impossible for Yi Yun to save her. She did not count on that happening.

She had endured so long because she knew she was definitely doomed today. But even if she was fated to lose her life, she did not want to lose the last shred of dignity she had before dying.

"Yan'er, I got you to investigate this lass's family. Did you find anything?" Zhang Wuchen suddenly asked.

Yan'er giggled when she heard that. "Young Master, how can I forget your instructions? It only took me two days to find out a lot about her. This lass's father died a long time ago. She used her mother's surname and I think her name is Zuoyan Shu…"

When she suddenly heard her mother's name, Zuoyan Xiaoyu's body jolted vigorously. She looked up at Zhang Wuchen. The man on the bed was smiling but the smile looked as hideous to her as it could be!

Zuoyan Xiaoyu's heart was quivering. She believed that suffering all of it alone was enough. At most, she would die with dignity, but she never expected her mother to be implicated!

She had stepped out of a mountain village and into the martial path. Finally, she entered the Myriad God Ridge. Her initial motivation was to give her mother, who brought her up arduously, a good life. But she never imagined that she would implicate her mother in the end!

"Don't hurt my mother! No! I beg you!"

Zuoyan Xiaoyu knelt on the ground as she underwent a meltdown.

"How could I hurt your mother? You are overthinking things. Climb over here and obediently lick my feet clean. Then, lie down on my bed and beg me to enter your body. If your cries are arousing enough and you serve me well, I'll guarantee you that your mother will live a good life," Zhang Wuchen said smugly.

Everyone had a chink in their armor. How could Zuoyan Xiaoyu be his match?

"Haha, Brother-in-law, you are impressive. It looks like this lass will submit very soon. How about this: you can take her primordial Yin and, for the first after that, leave it to me. Let me enjoy her too," Song Bowen said with a chuckle.

He might have been worried over Yi Yun before, but now he had thought it through. He decided to indulge in pleasure first before considering anything else. Anyway, the experiential training would last several years. When he was done, his strength would probably increase significantly.

"Of course you can." Zhang Wuchen nodded with a smile before looking back at Zuoyan Xiaoyu.

"What are you waiting for? Aren't you coming over to lick? Do you not care for your mother's survival?" Upon seeing Zuoyan Xiaoyu kneeling on the ground without taking any action, Zhang Wuchen turned impatient.

Yan'er yanked Zuoyan Xiaoyu's ear. "Did you hear the young master's question?"

Yan'er gently held the silver needle as the other maidservant giggled. After many years of serving Zhang Wuchen and living with the machinations that filled Myriad God Ridge, her mind had turned somewhat twisted. She was eager to see a delicate girl degenerate into a nymphomaniac, just like her.

"Where should I stab next? Your ears look rather pretty. What would happen if I stab this into your ear?"

As Yan'er spoke, the needle slowly approached Zuoyan Xiaoyu's ear.

The mere thought of the pain left people shuddering. However, Zuoyan Xiaoyu did not seem to react at all. She knelt on the ground with her heart completely overwhelmed by despair. Not only was she going to die today, she would also lose all her dignity…

"Slut! Enjoy this!"

Yan'er thrust the silver needle with all her might in an attempt to rupture Zuoyan Xiaoyu's eardrum but at that moment, she felt her wrist turn cold as though an icy wind had blown across it. Following that, she felt her hand lose its sense of balance!

"Pa!"

The needle-wielding hand of Yan'er fell straight to the ground!

Upon seeing this scene, Yan'er was left confounded. She stared in a daze at her wrist that had been reduced to a stump as blood flowed out incessantly.

"My hand! My hand!"

Yan'er screamed sharply as she held her wrist while she broke out into a cold sweat.

"Who is it!?"

Zhang Wuchen was alarmed. He was onboard the Song family's top spirit ship. Its defensive and concealment array formations were top notch. How could anyone infiltrate the spirit ship and cleave off Yan'er's hand without being noticed?

Song Bowen also jumped up from his bed immediately and touched his interspatial ring. But at that moment, Song Bowen felt an intense killing intent lock onto him.

It was as though his head would fall off the moment he moved.

He saw a figure walk out from the corner of the hall's shadows. It was as though the hall led straight to hell, and the person was stepping out of hell while accompanied by hellish infernos.

He was dressed in black and there were gray flames lingering around his body. The flames crackled lightly and seemed calm, but the highly concentrated heat wave seemed to burn through the entire void.

When the person walked into the middle of the hall, everyone held their breaths.

"Young… Young Master…" Zuoyan Xiaoyu, who had been tormented to the point of feeling groggy, saw Yi Yun's face. She refused to believe what was happening. Was she having a dream?

"Yi Yun!?"

Upon discerning the figure, Song Bowen was frightened out of his wits.

"Impossible!"

Zhang Wuchen found it unbelievable. After seeing Yi Yun, his calm facade dropped and he became immediately flustered.

How could Yi Yun appear in this spirit ship? Before they set off, Yi Yun was still in seclusion. It should have been impossible for him to infiltrate the spirit ship. After all, the spirit ship had Song Bowen's second uncle, Song Guangyan, protecting it.

Song Guangyan was at the Divine Lord realm, and he was the strongest person in the Song family. Even if Yi Yun had secretly snuck onto the spirit ship, it should have been impossible for him to go unnoticed by Song Guangyan's perception.

As for chasing up to the spirit ship and infiltrating it, that was even more impossible!

They had traveled incognito and at very fast speeds. In addition, the spirit ship, Great Traversal Spirit Ship, actually belonged to Song Guangyan. It took him several years of saving to buy it. As he placed great importance on Song Bowen and Zhang Wuchen's safety, he had lent it to them for this journey.

Even if Yi Yun did possess immense ability, it was impossible for him to noiselessly come onboard.

Furthermore, the moment he appeared was too perfect. Song Guangyan had left the spirit ship an hour ago and, without any surprise, Song Guangyan had already passed through a teleportation array. He was now millions of miles away and it was impossible for him to come back and save them!

How was Yi Yun capable of this?

"Are you a ghost?" Zhang Wuchen bellowed sharply as his heart was gripped by horror.

"You don't have to be concerned about whether I'm a ghost or not, but it's likely you will become a ghost very soon."

Yi Yun's voice was fierce. He had practiced martial arts for so many years and had offended numerous people. However, few were like Zhang Wuchen. Despite not really provoking Yi Yun, his actions and how much of a scoundrel he was made Yi Yun think of squishing him to death like a fly.

Phew—

Just as Yi Yun's voice faded, an ancient and immense aura emanated from his body. It enveloped the surroundings into a black domain.

This was Yi Yun's destructive power. He had wrapped everyone in his destruction domain.

"What is it?"

Zhang Wuchen panicked when he saw that he was trapped in the destruction domain. He had never come into contact with such laws.

At that moment, the Heretical God Fire Seed within Yi Yun's body spewed out, lashing out at the surroundings as the heat waves left everyone stifled!

"Don't go thinking I'm afraid of you!" Zhang Wuchen bellowed. He was at the seventh-floor Dao Palace, two subrealms higher than Yi Yun. Furthermore, his strength exceeded Song Bowen, so although he did have some trepidation in fighting Yi Yun, he did believe that he had a chance of putting up a fight.

But just as he finished his declaration—

Whew!

Yi Yun's figure vanished like a ghost and instantly appeared in front of Zhang Wuchen. He was too fast!

"Ha!"

Zhang Wuchen roared as he pulled out a concealed saber and thrust it straight at Yi Yun's throat. But at that moment, the surrounding black domain transmitted indescribable powers that rapidly eroded his Yuan Qi. It instantly dissipated the strength that he had gathered!

Following that, Yi Yun forcefully punched Zhang Wuchen in the abdomen!

"Peng!"

With a loud explosion, Zhang Wuchen bent over like a shrimp.

"You…you…"

Zhang Wuchen held his abdomen as blood spewed out of his mouth. He was feeling horror and despair. He never felt so helpless before as he realized that, even though he had evaluated Yi Yun's strength to be very high, his evaluations were a far cry from Yi Yun's true strength!

The terrifying destruction laws prevented him from mustering any strength, nor could he gather the strength to resist at all.

Yi Yun extended his hand as his Yuan Qi materialized into a rope that bound Zhang Wuchen. He was held up with his limbs sprawled opened in front of Yi Yun.

Yi Yun looked coldly at Zhang Wuchen. "You seem to enjoy women?"

Yi Yun's words seemed to pummel him into an ice cavern. He suddenly felt a strong sense of unease. Could it be…

"Yi Yun… wait… wait!"

Before Zhang Wuchen could even finish his words, Yi Yun had kicked right at the spot between Zhang Wuchen's legs!

"Peng!"

With a rapturous sound that sounded like eggs being crushed by a sledgehammer, Zhang Wuchen let out a shrill scream. His family jewels had been obliterated by Yi Yun's kick!

To men, no other pain could be more excruciating than this. However, Zhang Wuchen's body was completely bound. Regardless of how painful his lower body was, he could not hold on to it. At that moment, Zhang Wuchen wished he could immediately die.

True Martial World - Chapter 1249: The Pleasant Surprise in the Ring

Above the vast Calm Sea, the night sky was without clouds. The bright moon hung high and, as the Calm Sea lacked waves, it reflected the bright and clear moon on its surface. It looked immense and distant, with infinite silent beauty.

At that moment, a humongous spirit ship tore through the calmness of the night. It was heading straight for the deep depths of the Calm Sea.

The Sinkhole's Calm Sea contained several islands. Having existed for hundreds of millions of years, they produced all sorts of treasures.

This spirit ship was heading for these islands in search of their treasures.

One thing that should be mentioned is that, even more than the treasures it was seeking, just the spirit ship itself was priceless!

This was a supreme-grade spirit ship that experts at the Divine Lord level might not possess. It traveled at very fast speeds and was extremely stable. There was a spatial array on the spirit ship, so it could make long distance warps without using a teleportation array.

The spirit ship was extremely expensive, yet there was little worry about it being robbed when used outside. Few people could chase up to such a spirit ship and secondly, there was a concealment array on the surface of the spirit ship. Even a person whose cultivation level had reached the late-stages of a Supremacy would hardly be able to sense the existence of the spirit ship.

If one went into the spirit ship, they would marvel at the luxurious and comfortable interior. There were spatial dimension laws engraved in its main cabin, making what was a hundred-feet long cabin bigger by more than a hundred times. It transformed into a luxurious palace.

Inside the palace's main hall, there were two large and soft beds. Each bed was currently being enjoyed by a relaxed man. Both of them were soaking their feet in a wooden pail.

They each had a maidservant attending them, washing their feet.

If Yi Yun was here, he would have recognized these people immediately. They were none other than the lanky youth and Song Bowen.

The lanky youth's name was Zhang Wuchen. Although he was not from the Song family, he was deeply affiliated with them. In order to rope him in, they had married off Song Bowen's cousin to him a decade ago.

With this connection, Zhang Wuchen and Song Bowen naturally became good friends. In fact, the idea of bringing Zuoyan Xiaoyu out on experiential training was Zhang Wuchen's idea.

"Brother-in-law, although most personal disciples wouldn't think too much of a maidservant's life, that Yi Yun is quite an exception. He even gave a portion of the food cooked by Elder Lanqin to that little slut. He will probably investigate this matter and, once he finds out that Zuoyan Xiaoyu was taken away by us, he will definitely not take the insult lying down."

Song Bowen was truly worried. He was truly afraid of Yi Yun deep down. It made him lack the courage to ravage Zuoyan Xiaoyu.

"Brother Bowen, you’re thinking about this way too much. Yes, you were defeated by Yi Yun, but you have only cultivated for one hundred and eighty years. Your cultivation level is only at the third-floor Dao Palace, a floor lower than Yi Yun. Besides, that little bastard, Yi Yun, has probably cultivated for four or five centuries and deliberately represses his cultivation level to study the laws. It's only natural that you can't beat him!"

"I know but… the difference is too great." Song Bowen, who was always competitive, had no choice but to admit that there was a huge gap between him and Yi Yun.

"Why are you so downtrodden!? We haven't tested Yi Yun's age yet. I doubt he's as young as he looks. He might be strong but, in the future, it's not like we won't be able to retaliate. Besides, we still have the Song and Zhang family backing us. That little bastard has no reason to try anything against us, especially over some mere maidservant. If he brings it up to the Table of Elders, they will at most get us to pay him with a new maidservant!"

"In fact, I'm quite looking forward to how that little bastard will pursue the matter. If he truly cares for Zuoyan Xiaoyu, all the better. I want to let him know what it means to be truly disgusted. I'll teach that bitch a good lesson and enjoy her company. I can tell that she has plenty of primordial Yin and should still be a virgin. That bastard's unwillingness to enjoy her has benefited me! I will do this bitch so good that the orgasm she enjoys will have her craving death. I want him so infuriated that his mind is never at ease. The best would be if his anger breeds a mental demon!"

Zhang Wuchen chuckled deviantly when he said that. "Cuicui, Yan'er, have you taught that bitch a lesson? Bring her to me. It's time I indulge in her!"

As he spoke, Zhang Wuchen took off his bathrobes, revealing the firm muscles of his upper body.

He was already bordering on impatience. The only reason he had held back this long was that Song Bowen's second uncle had been following them. He watched over them as they passed through the Waveless Continent, a territory of an opposing sect. His second uncle had gone with them to ensure that nothing bad happened.

Now that they were above the Calm Sea, there was no one around. With the spirit ship’s safety ensured, Song Bowen's second uncle naturally left. Now, he could do as he pleased.

"Yes, Young Master."

The two naturally endowed maidservants brought Zuoyan Xiaoyu over as they gyrated their hips.

The maidservant named Yan'er was the one who had tripped Zuoyan Xiaoyu at the banquet.

Yan'er and Cuicui had been with Zhang Wuchen for more than a year. He favored them greatly so he had brought the two girls with him. He could enjoy them at any time.

Zuoyan Xiaoyu was brought out. Her body was covered in bruises. She had been slapped in the face several times, leaving a few shocking red palm prints.

"Little slut, I'll dig out your eyes if you continue crying! Quick, go serve our young master!"

Yan'er yanked at Zuoyan Xiaoyu's hair and threw her heavily to the ground. She may have looked petite and adorable but in fact, she had an extremely vicious heart. She was envious that Zuoyan Xiaoyu was able to eat the spirit food prepared by Elder Lanqin and yearned to dig out the little bitch's eyes. Now, she finally had a chance for revenge. The death sentence had already been passed for Zuoyan Xiaoyu and it would be a gruesome end.

Previously, with the Song family's second uncle present, Yan'er wasn’t able to accompany Zhang Wuchen. And since she had nothing better to do, she would teach Zuoyan Xiaoyu a lesson from time to time. Most of the injuries on Zuoyan Xiaoyu's body were inflicted by her.

"Why did you do this to her. Look at her face, it's swollen because of your slapping. How am I to be in the mood for pleasuring myself with her in a while?" said Zhang Wuchen unhappily when he saw the originally petite Zuoyan Xiaoyu in such a dire state.

"Young Master, why do you say that? I have already prepared some healing medicine that can instantly treat her wounds, making her so beautiful that even her skin can tear from a gentle breeze. Young Master, feel free to enjoy her."

Yan'er said sweetly and deliberately lifting her garment up, revealing a large portion of her bosom before taking out a bottle of medicine.

Zhang Wuchen was sexually aroused as he watched Yan'er. This little bitch was truly unrestrained. This was the reason why he favored her so greatly. But on the other hand, a delicate flower like Zuoyan Xiaoyu was a fresh experience.

Zhang Wuchen got up from his bed and removed his legs from the wooden pail. Yan'er hurriedly took a cloth to wipe Zhang Wuchen's feet.

However, Zhang Wuchen waved his hand, indicating that there was no need. He stretched out one leg and said to Zuoyan Xiaoyu, "Kneel down and crawl over. Lick my feet clean. If you lick them to my satisfaction, I'll be gentle on you later. If not, I’ll be taking your primordial Yin, sucking you to the point of your cultivation level dropping! Although your cultivation level is nothing to me, I am well-versed in several bed techniques. Once I demonstrate them, it will be endless fun! Hahahaha!"

Zhang Wuchen laughed maniacally and in a somewhat perverted manner. He was greatly enjoying the feeling of freely ravaging Yi Yun's maidservant.

He hated one thing the most in his life—his woman being screwed by others. If that woman was someone he had not placed his hands on and was even a virgin, the hatred would only deepen!

Zhang Wuchen believed that most men would never admit it, but from his point of view, the best feeling was to have his enemies' women taken from them and ravaged. It would be even greater if the girl's primordial Yin was still intact!

He wanted to use the most vicious method to seek revenge on Yi Yun. As such, the mental demon that Yi Yun had given him would be reduced to its nadir.

"Kill me!"

Zuoyan Xiaoyu was pressed down to the ground by Yan'er. Her pretty face was filled with unyielding anger. It was alright if she could no longer have the joy of serving Yi Yun. All she needed was do well at the new job the Miscellaneous Chores Department gave her.

However, she never expected that the Miscellaneous Chores Department had someone from the Song family. He had directly arranged for her to accompany Song Bowen and Zhang Wuchen out on experiential training. This sudden, cruel twist was as though she had plummeted into hell. noveltranslationweb.blogspot.com

"You want death? It won't be that simple. I have sealed your cultivation powers, so there's no way you can kill yourself by severing your own meridians. I'll teach you well. I want you to submit to me, lying in front of me like a bitch. So you’re tenacious? Let's see how long you can last. Yan'er…"

As Zhang Wuchen spoke, he turned towards Yan'er.

Yan'er smiled in a seductive manner. "Yes, master. I'll teach her a good lesson…"

With that said, she pulled out a thin silver needle from her dense, long hair. The needle was a foot long and the glimmer the needlepoint effused left a chill down people's backs.

"This is a Marrow Intrusion Needle. Just being gently pricked by it will give a person a sensual orgasm. If it's pricked into flesh, the pain will be no less than being sliced by a thousand blades. If it's stabbed into the bone marrow, the soul will feel a pain like it's being torn apart. These are probably the most terrifying pains I can imagine. Enjoy it well."

As Yan'er laughed, another maidservant grabbed Zuoyan Xiaoyu. Her needle gently aimed at the back of Zuoyan Xiaoyu's neck…

…

At that moment, Yi Yun was still in Myriad God Ridge, millions of miles away!

He had already returned to his residence with Duanmu Qingwen. His mind was in chaos and could not calm himself.

Regardless of how he counted the time or thought of various methods, there was no way he could save Zuoyan Xiaoyu.

This left Yi Yun feeling extremely bitter.

He swore that if Zuoyan Xiaoyu was ravaged to death, he would destroy the entire Song family one day and have them accompany Zuoyan Xiaoyu in death. As for Song Bowen and that lanky youth, he would extract their souls and refine their marrows to conciliate the hatred he had!

"Young Master, I have caused trouble for Xiaoyu…"

Duanmu Qingwen was at a loss as to what to say. She was originally secretly delighted that she could replace Zuoyan Xiaoyu as Yi Yun's maidservant, but having learned of the situation, with Zuoyan Xiaoyu likely being tormented to death, her joy was gone. Only remorse was left.

She felt that her luck had been established on the cruelty Zuoyan Xiaoyu was suffering. This matter weighed down on her conscience.

"This has nothing to do with you," Yi Yun said coldly. He had no mood to care for Duanmu Qingwen's feelings.

He was still too weak. If he was sufficiently strong, he could storm the Song family and grab the patriarch. With his hands gripping the patriarch's neck, Song Bowen's location could be immediately obtained!

But now, with him in Myriad God Ridge amid even more powerful beings, he could not destroy the rules without having sufficient strength.

Even if this matter reached the Table of Elders, it would be advantageous to the Song family. What was a maidservant's life worth?

Then, suddenly…

*Knock* *Knock* *Knock*!

There was a series of knocks on the door. Duanmu Qingwen hurriedly opened the door while Yi Yun could not be bothered with the visitor's identity.

When the door opened, Yi Yun listlessly took a glance. Standing by the door was… Snake Girl?

Yi Yun had not seen Snake Girl in days. He was somewhat perplexed. "What are you doing here?"

Yi Yun had quite a good impression of the disciple Old Snake had randomly taken in. Although he was in a bad mood, he tried his best to repress his feelings when facing Snake Girl.

Snake Girl shrugged. "Can't I come? Master told me to remind you to not forget the alcohol treat tomorrow at Myriad God Restaurant."

"Alcohol?"

Yi Yun recalled that he had set up an appointment with Old Snake of five days after entering Myriad God Ridge. Tomorrow was the fifth day.

If this was a few days back, he would have looked forward to talking to Old Snake. He had many questions to ask him but now, he lacked that mood.

Yi Yun waved his hand with flagging interest and said, "Tell your master that I don't feel like drinking at the moment. Another day perhaps."

"Another day?" Snake Girl was taken aback as she looked oddly at Yi Yun.

"What's wrong?"

"Master told me that you would change the date when he told me to come to you. I refused to believe him, saying that you came all the way to Myriad God Ridge to look for him, so why would you change the date? Who knew that he'd actually be right? You are really changing the date."

"What?" Yi Yun was taken aback. Old Snake had guessed it?

"Master also said that he has a present for you. Once you see it, you won’t want to change the date, and you’ll even treat him to the best wine."

As Snake Girl spoke, she handed him an interspatial ring.

Yi Yun was baffled. He vaguely realized a possibility as he grabbed the interspatial ring. He touched it and took out an ancient and unadorned bronze circular disk.

It was a… disk array!!

Yi Yun looked at the various runes engraved on the bronze disk array. Immediately, he understood that it was a long-distance teleportation array that had a one-time use!

Yi Yun's master was Felicitous Rain Lord and so he had a deep understanding of spatial dimension laws. He quickly understood how to use the teleportation array.

There was only one pair of such one-time teleportation devices. If one teleportation disk array was used, one would immediately appear at the other teleportation disk array. There was no need for a fixed teleportation.

Could it be…

Yi Yun suddenly realized a possibility. His heart raced as he said, "Qingwen, take care of Snake Girl. I'll be entering my cultivation chamber for seclusion. Do not disturb me! Also, regarding this disk array, do not tell anyone. Do you understand!?"

After Yi Yun said those words, his body vanished like a gust of wind, leaving Duanmu Qingwen and Snake Girl with widened eyes. Both of them still did not know what had just happened.

"Why would Young Master suddenly be so spirited… What is up with… that disk array?"

Duanmu Qingwen murmured curiously. She obviously could not understand the disk array.

Snake Girl was also left blindly guessing. She had followed Old Snake for years but didn't learn much. Most of the time, she would watch Old Snake engage in the vices. As for the skills Old Snake taught her, it was only a crappy 'Old Snake Divine Skill.’ Just the name alone rendered people speechless.

Snake Girl did not have a good background, so she kept her hopes up and practiced the Old Snake Divine Skill properly. However, the crappy cultivation technique was exceedingly average. It was useless even after being honed for a long time.

Snake Girl could not detect anything special about the disk array Old Snake had given her. She even thought that the old man had picked up some garbage on the ground. Who knew that Yi Yun would be so excited after seeing the disk array?

At that moment, Yi Yun had already entered his cultivation chamber. He immediately activated the array formation, sealing the chamber. He took a deep breath and picked up the bronze disk array. He injected his Yuan Qi in as the runes lit up one by one. A spatial door slowly opened…

True Martial World - Chapter 1248: Evil Motives

"Use more strength. What did I buy you for!?"

The manager took another puff from his smoke pipe as he grumbled unhappily. He sensed the people entering but he paid them no mind. He had been a manager of the Miscellaneous Chores Department for centuries. It was a lucrative job and the outer-sect disciples that came to his department would always treat him respectfully. He was already accustomed to leading a life of a lord.

"Manager Song…" Qingwen spoke.

"Who’s there?" The middle-aged manager put down the smoke pipe and glanced at Duanmu Qingwen. Following that, he shot a glance at Yi Yun before lying down comfortably on his chair. He sucked a huge mouthful of smoke and languidly said, "Come back tomorrow. I'm not going to handle any matters now!"

Perhaps some outer-sect disciple was here trying to pull some social strings. Without sufficient benefits, he wouldn't even bother speaking, much less take part in a deal.

Yi Yun looked coldly at the middle-aged man and said, "Your surname is Song? You are a family member of Song Bowen?"

Yi Yun knew very well that in the Myriad God Ridge, there were many family clans with long heritages. When some of these family clans reached a place of influence, they would tend to commit nepotism, allowing their family clan to further entrench themselves in Myriad God Ridge and gradually grow stronger.

"Who are you?" The middle-aged man gave Yi Yun a displeased look. He did not know Yi Yun but, after seeing Duanmu Qingwen, he had a vague guess.

"This is my master, Yi Yun," explained Duanmu Qingwen.

"Ah? Young Master Yi?" He hurriedly got up with a grumble as his face scrunched into an obsequious smile. "So it's Young Master Yi that is gracing me with his presence. You should have told me earlier. I'm Song Yuanpin. Look at me, failing to recognize a great person. Young Master Yi, have a seat please."

Song Yuanpin bowed unctuously. His exceedingly sycophant gesture and acting irritated Yi Yun greatly. "Was it your Song family that had Zuoyan Xiaoyu transferred away?"

"Ah… Zuoyan Xiaoyu?" The middle-aged man's eyes flitted as he said ingratiatingly, "How could that be? The transfer of maidservants is decided by the Miscellaneous Chores Department's headquarters. How can the Song family intervene? The Miscellaneous Chores Department felt that if Zuoyan Xiaoyu could splatter food while carrying it, she was clumsy. Such a lass isn't fit for serving Young Master Yi so, naturally, she was transferred. Now, we have assigned a new maidservant to you. Not only is she beautiful and talented, she's also obedient. Look at how smart she looks, Young Master Yi. She's probably ten times better than Zuoyan Xiaoyu."

Song Yuanpin had been manning the Miscellaneous Chores Department for years and knew the proper way to deal with all sorts of people. He knew very well that most men would discard the old for something new. By giving Yi Yun such a petite lass, allowing him to indulge in sexual pleasures, it would be a great boon he could not resist. As for Zuoyan Xiaoyu, she was a mere girl, more like an ant than a woman. She would be forgotten by Yi Yun in less than two days. Therefore, Song Yuanpin thought nothing of transferring Zuoyan Xiaoyu away.

Her outcome was the least of his worries. Who did care about a lass like her? Then again, the lass was quite supple-looking. If only he didn't lack the status, he would have kept her for himself to enjoy.

While these thoughts flashed across Song Yuanpin's mind, he continued beaming. One did not smack a smiling person. Song Yuanpin was considered a slippery one, so even though he was facing Yi Yun, a person of much higher status than him, he was not worried. As long as he remained impervious to the questioning and pushed the blame, he could naturally dismiss Yi Yun with his smiling face.

"Oh? Your explanation seems rather reasonable."

Yi Yun nodded. Just as his voice faded, he suddenly punched out.

"Peng!"

With a boom, Song Yuanpin cried out tragically. He flew backward like a ball as the lounge chair behind him was flattened.

The maidservant that was massaging his leg was given a fright. She nearly thought that she was dead but, despite such a violent explosion, she was not injured at all.

"I… I… Cough…"

Song Yuanpin had been struck in the dantian by Yi Yun. His mouth was covered in blood and he was in a daze. All he saw were doubles, particularly of Yi Yun.

He never expected to encounter such a malignant star. He was struck before he could finish delivering his excuses.

"I left your dantian intact with this punch. The next one will cripple you. Go ahead and test my patience."

Yi Yun was overbearing. He knew he would offend the Song family, but so what? Everything he did at Myriad God Ridge boiled down to him finding Old Snake. And since he had accomplished that goal, he didn’t exactly need to stay in Myriad God Ridge. This was the reason why Yi Yun acted unbridled.

Since the Myriad God Ridge was an expedient measure, there was no reason for him to be bullied everywhere and suffer in silence. He might as well do as his pleased, allowing his mind to feel at ease!

"Don't… Don't do that. Spare… spare me." Upon hearing Yi Yun threatening to cripple him of his dantian, Son Yuanpin's face turned pale. He knew very well what sort of person Yi Yun was. He would definitely carry out his threat. He even dared to beat Song Bowen, much less a trivial Song family member like him. Crippling him was nothing!

Yi Yun was the sect master's personal disciple after all. The Song family could not attack Yi Yun, for the sect master wasn't from the Song family!

When the time came, he would sacrifice himself in the war. Who would mourn him? Even the Song family would abandon him like roadkill.

"Zuoyan Xiaoyu was taken by Song Bowen to be his servant," Song Yuanpin said through clenched teeth. Now that he told Yi Yun, if Yi Yun caused a big hooha over the matter, the Song family would learn it was him who leaked the news. He too would suffer greatly.

"What? He sure has guts. Does he have a death wish because of a servant?" Yi Yun's eyes flared with killing intent. "Where is Song Bowen!?"

"He… he went out on an experiential training expedition. He applied for the sect's permission the day before yesterday. He left early this morning. By now he must have traveled through a teleportation array and is millions of miles away. I'm telling the truth, nothing but the truth."

Song Yuanpin babbled on. He was afraid that Yi Yun would strike him again. It was not something he could withstand.

"Out on experiential training!?"

Yi Yun's gaze turned cold.

Song Bowen and that lanky youth had applied to go on an experiential training together. Song Bowen did not even plan on staying in Myriad God Ridge to recover from his injuries because of a malignant star like Yi Yun.

They had their faces smacked rotten by Yi Yun but could only suffer in silence. In the future, they would hardly be able to lift their heads in the personal disciples' zone. How could they stay? With all the talk and mockery from others, they could only choose to leave for an experiential training expedition!

But leaving in such a downtrodden manner was something they were unwilling to do. Since they could not deal with Yi Yun, they took their anger out on Zuoyan Xiaoyu.

From Song Bowen and the lanky youth's point of view, the lass had acted arrogantly because of Yi Yun's backing. It left them fuming with anger.

Now, bringing Zuoyan Xiaoyu out and ravaging her would give them a small spiritual victory.

If not, the sense of defeat Yi Yun had given them would be too immense. It was turning into a mental demon that plagued them. It could even affect their future breakthroughs. By venting their anger on Zuoyan Xiaoyu, it allowed them to redeem the situation slightly.

As for Yi Yun's wrath, it did not worry them. Firstly, Yi Yun knew no one in Myriad God Ridge. It would be difficult for him to find news of Zuoyan Xiaoyu. Furthermore, a maidservant he only got to know for a few days was unlikely important. He would probably forget about her if he failed to find her.

Song Bowen never imagined that Yi Yun would be that violent when questioning others. Neither did he think that Song Yuanpin would be so cowardly to instantly inform Yi Yun of Zuoyan Xiaoyu's whereabouts.

"Millions of miles…"

Yi Yun's heart sank. How was he to pursue them when they had flown that far?

"In which direction did they go?"

"I… I do not know. I really do not know." Song Yuanpin said in a fluster. He was only a Miscellaneous Chores Department manager, so how could he know the experiential training destination of personal disciples? In order to prevent opposing sects from harming personal disciples, such things were absolutely confidential. Typically, only the disciple's respective masters would know.

"Good, very good!"

Yi Yun was burning with anger as he stepped on Song Yuanpin's face. The sorry man let out a squeal like a pig in a slaughterhouse. His facial bones cracked and his facial features were rampaged into a mess.

Killing Song Yuanpin was pointless. He was only a useless figure in the Song family. The people that wanted to harm Zuoyan Xiaoyu was Song Bowen and the lanky youth. No matter how he dealt with Song Yuanpin, it would not be able to appease his anger. Instead, it would give the Song family an excuse to attack him.

"Song Bowen, I seldom get disgusted by trivial figures, but you have succeeded."

Having practiced martial arts for decades, Yi Yun's enemies were usually much stronger than he was. Occasionally, he would encounter an opponent of the younger generation, but he would step over them and overlook them in a lofty manner!

Song Bowen was nothing. He had been easily trampled by Yi Yun four days ago but now, he had disgusted Yi Yun greatly.

"Young Master, what do we do…" Duanmu Qingwen realized the gravity of the situation. Although she and Zuoyan Xiaoyu were competitors, they were both girls with the status of maidservants. She subconsciously treated Zuoyan Xiaoyu's experiences as her own. To a girl, that was completely unimaginable.

Yi Yun took a deep breath. He was out of ideas at that moment, but he could not sit idly by as Zuoyan Xiaoyu was destroyed by Song Bowen. However, it was easy to infer that Song Bowen and the lanky youth would not be back any time soon. They were deliberately avoiding him, so it would be difficult to kill them!

With millions of miles separating them and without any inkling of direction, how was he to pursue them? Now, the only person that knew Song Bowen and the lanky youth's destination was probably their master, Elder Taiqing. Unfortunately, it would be a joke to question Elder Taiqing.

True Martial World - Chapter 1247: Duanmu Qingwen

"Young Master… Young Master, are you dissatisfied with me?"

Duanmu Qingwen probed carefully.

Yi Yun did not reply to her. Instead, he closed his eyes and swept the Sunken Moon Tower's vicinity with his perception. He did not find a single trace of Zuoyan Xiaoyu.

Zuoyan Xiaoyu was gone!

Yi Yun suddenly felt an ominous foreboding.

Yi Yun naturally remembered Duanmu Qingwen’s name. Previously, Zuoyan Xiaoyu had mentioned that Duanmu Qingwen was an outer-sect disciple that had entered Myriad God Ridge together with her.

Back then, Duanmu Qingwen wished to be a maidservant in the personal disciple division as well. She had even tried to use her family ties but, in the end, the job landed in Zuoyan Xiaoyu's hands because of her slightly higher talent.

If there were shifts, Duanmu Qingwen still shouldn’t have been there. She was not a maidservant in the personal disciple zone at all.

Although he knew this, Yi Yun still held hopes. He asked her, "Do you maidservants also take shifts? Zuoyan Xiaoyu was serving me previously. Where is she?"

"Xiaoyu? She's been transferred away. It was the Miscellaneous Chores Department that instructed me to replace her," replied Duanmu Qingwen.

"She's been transferred!?" Duanmu Qingwen's answer sank Yi Yun's heart. Indeed, it was as he thought!

There was no question on the reason. It must have been due to the banquet four days ago.

Yi Yun was a personal disciple and, with his powerful strength, those people would not dare touch him. However, Zuoyan Xiaoyu was different. She was only an outer-sect disciple, lacking in both strength and background. She could be easily strong-armed!

Although the Myriad God Ridge rules prohibited disciples from killing one another, there was not much punishment other than paying some Spirit Jade if a personal disciple were to kill an outer-sect disciple!

Song Bowen and that lanky youth were clearly not magnanimous people. Having suffered at Yi Yun's hand, they knew that there was no way to turn the tables, so they vented their anger on Zuoyan Xiaoyu!

Back at the banquet, Zuoyan Xiaoyu had smacked Song Bowen and the lanky youth's faces at Yi Yun's request! As such, Zuoyan Xiaoyu's outcome could very likely be terrible!

And the worst thing was...this was all a result of Yi Yun’s own actions.

Upon realizing this, Yi Yun was seized with remorse. His negligence put Zuoyan Xiaoyu in trouble! If he had brought Zuoyan Xiaoyu into his seclusion chamber, such a situation would not have happened.

"Where's Zuoyan Xiaoyu? Where did she go!?"

Yi Yun's voice was rushed and unknowingly contained killing intent. It made Duanmu Qingwen frightened.

"I… I do not know…"

Duanmu Qingwen was truly startled by Yi Yun. She was only at the Yuan Opening realm, and being enveloped by Yi Yun's killing intent was like a mortal standing naked in the cold wind. She trembled in fear.

"You replaced her but you do not know where she is?"

Yi Yun took a step forward and glared at Duanmu Qingwen.

Duanmu Qingwen shrunk backward but, faced with Yi Yun's imposing stance, she was unable to endure. Unknowingly, she slumped into a chair and stared at Yi Yun with a face full of horror.

She had previously heard from sisters about Yi Yun. As a newly recruited personal disciple, Yi Yun was not only excellent in bearing, he was also very powerful and nice to servants.

When she was transferred to Sunken Moon Tower, she was the envy of many girls. She believed that being picked to serve Yi Yun was a stroke of luck that she accrued from several lifetimes. She wanted to diligently do her part. Everything she did today took her hours, and it was all done meticulously.

However, not only did she fail to obtain a compliment from Yi Yun, she was also hounded by Yi Yun with questioning that was filled with killing intent. She felt truly aggrieved at that moment.

"I… I really do not know…"

As Duanmu Qingwen spoke, she was feeling emotionally hurt. Back when she entered the sect, she did not mind losing to Zuoyan Xiaoyu. But now, having replaced Zuoyan Xiaoyu, she had done so much only to be questioned by Yi Yun in such a fierce manner about Zuoyan Xiaoyu's whereabouts. It was impossible for Duanmu Qingwen to feel any sort of good about this.

Upon seeing Duanmu Qingwen's reaction, Yi Yun took a step back. His remorse and anger towards Song Bowen had caused him to lose control of his emotions.

"Sorry…" Yi Yun said.

On careful thought, Duanmu Qingwen likely had nothing to do with the matter. The Duanmu family was only a small family clan with a seven-floor Dao Palace realm warrior at its head. There was no way they could have any relations with a personal disciple like Song Bowen.

Perhaps, after Song Bowen had Zuoyan Xiaoyu transferred away, the Miscellaneous Chores Department had casually selected another girl to replace her. And with Duanmu Qingwen having used her family connections previously, she was the next natural choice.

Upon thinking things through, Yi Yun held Duanmu Qingwen's hand and helped her up from the chair.

"I'm not going to hurt you. I'm only feeling anxious over Zuoyan Xiaoyu. Things have happened that you are unaware of. I'm afraid Xiaoyu is in trouble. Where is the Miscellaneous Chores Department? Bring me there."

Yi Yun repressed the pangs of fury in his heart and tried to speak calmly to Duanmu Qingwen.

He knew very well that it had been some time since Zuoyan Xiaoyu was taken away.

If Song Bowen and the lanky youth were bent on revenge, the odds were greatly against Zuoyan Xiaoyu.

Such a long period of time was enough for them to do anything to Zuoyan Xiaoyu.

Yi Yun had killed countless warriors in his many years of cultivation. However, he never harmed the innocent. He felt uneasy if a girl in her prime was destroyed because of him.

"There will only be people in the Miscellaneous Chores Department...early tomorrow."

"Bring me there now." Yi Yun's tone did not leave room for doubt.

"Alright… Alright…"

Duanmu Qingwen was filling a myriad of emotions. She never expected Yi Yun to be so worried over Zuoyan Xiaoyu. As a Myriad God Ridge personal disciple, even an emperor had to treat him respectfully and fear him. Yet, he was worried over a mere maidservant that had no background. This made Duanmu Qingwen suddenly envious of Zuoyan Xiaoyu. If Yi Yun could be this nice to her, she would be willing to brave any dangers for him.

There was more than one branch of the Miscellaneous Chores Department. Every region had miscellaneous chores that needed to be done, so a Miscellaneous Chores Department was set up in every region. noveltranslationweb.blogspot.com

Duanmu Qingwen led Yi Yun to the Miscellaneous Chores Department in charge of the personal disciples’ zone.

At that moment, the Miscellaneous Chores Department was deserted and quiet. There was only a manager on duty. He looked to be in his thirties and had his legs crossed as he sat comfortably on a lounge chair. Beside him, a girl that looked like a maidservant was kneeling on a mat, massaging him.

She was rather good-looking but she was only a mortal.

Although the Myriad God Ridge would choose virgin female outer-sect disciples with talent and excellent looks as maidservants, the selected were only used to serve personal disciples.

To put it frankly, the Myriad God Ridge had considered that some maidservants would be fancied by the personal disciples. Therefore, there was a strict requirement for the maidservants’ talent. Girls with great talent would be beneficial to the personal disciples' cultivation level after they extracted their primordial Yin!

As for the manager, he naturally did not get such preferential treatment. The servant beside him was likely one that he bought himself.

True Martial World - Chapter 1246: Newcomer

"What are you waiting for? Quickly pack your things!"

The steward impatiently said this when he saw Zuoyan Xiaoyu in a daze.

She was an outer-sect disciple, and as such her job was determined by the Miscellaneous Chores Department. Their orders were like a royal decree to her, so how could she refuse them?

To put it into perspective, outer-sect disciples were ranked lowest on the totem pole. They were too insignificant.

Zuoyan Xiaoyu bit her lip and accepted that indeed, with her status, she was not fated to serve Yi Yun, a powerful personal disciple who treated her well.

She smiled bitterly and said, "I'll leave with you… but when Young Master Yi started his seclusion, I stood in this spot to wait for him. At the moment, I still serve Young Master Yi in Sunken Moon Tower, so if I am to leave, I must wait for him to come out of seclusion to inform him that I'm leaving…"

The seclusion grounds in Sunken Moon Tower had its own array formation. Once it was activated, any information from outside could be transmitted in.

Unfortunately, warriors would sever their perception while in seclusion. They needed to be oblivious to everything that was happening around them, or they would not be able to focus their mind on breaking through. It was for this reason that warriors would seek expert guardians to protect them while they cultivated.

Under the current circumstances, Yi Yun would not be able to detect that Zuoyan Xiaoyu was leaving. Therefore, as his maidservant, she felt that she should not leave without a word.

However, the head steward became impatient when he heard Zuoyan Xiaoyu's words. He snorted coldly and said, "Who do you think you are? You are only a servant that usually serves tea and massages. The best you can hope for is to catch the eye of someone and become a concubine. If not, you will be forever a maidservant. Do you really think you are that important to a personal disciple? Bidding farewell? Quick, leave with us!"

The person who spoke was a dark-skinned steward. He looked like a mortal in his forties.

Zuoyan Xiaoyu was a mere outer-sect disciple and was unable to put up any resistance. She gave the tightly-shut door to the cultivation chamber a meaningful and longing glance before leaving with the dark-skinned steward.

…

A day later, in the cultivation chamber, a gray flame whirled around in mid-air. Amid the flowing flames was a gentle seven-colored light; and within it, one could vaguely make out a sleeping girl's face.

That girl was none other than Ling Xie'er.

Ever since she awoke, she became fused with the Heretical God Fire Seed. Now, while she slept, Yi Yun could sense that Ling Xie'er's soul power was constantly increasing. He guessed that when Ling Xie'er's soul power reached a certain apex, she would undergo a new metamorphosis. It was unknown what Ling Xie'er and the Heretical God Fire Seed would evolve into.

"My cultivation level has finally broken through to the fifth-floor Dao Palace realm. It's time to leave."

Yi Yun took a deep breath as the surrounding black flames and pure Yuan Qi rushed into his body as though he was a whale intaking water.

Yi Yun opened the array and walked out of the cultivation grounds. It was already night and there were orange-yellow lights lit in Sunken Moon Tower. There was a faint tea fragrance in the air that left Yi Yun feeling refreshed.

Yi Yun suddenly felt that a maidservant taking care of his daily tasks was quite a nice thing to have. In the past, he had been alone for too long and began to feel somewhat lonely.

Yi Yun pushed open Sunken Moon Tower's door and walked into the room, where he saw tea already prepared on the table. There were two plates of intricate desserts sitting beside the tea.

These desserts were another thing that the Myriad God Ridge gave solely to its personal disciples. Typical disciples had no chance of enjoying such perks.

A few of the desserts had been painstakingly chosen, with different colors and shapes placed together in an elegant and harmonious arrangement.

And on the table was a bronze heating stove. Hot air effused from it, maintaining the desserts' warmness and soft texture.

Yi Yun knew that Xiaoyu had no way of knowing exactly when he would finish his seclusion. As such, she must have freshly prepared all of this every day. She was quite thoughtful.

Just as he was thinking over the matter, he heard the maidservant room's door open from upstairs. A girl in a red dress stood by the door with an elegant posture. She was beautiful with her white skin effusing a healthy glow, making her look very endearing.

However… she was not Zuoyan Xiaoyu.

Yi Yun was taken aback. A girl had suddenly appeared in his Sunken Moon Tower and was living in the room on the second floor. This left him a little bewildered.

"Who are you?" asked Yi Yun.

The girl gave Yi Yun a poised bow and beamed. She said, "My name is Duanmu Qingwen, an outer-sect disciple that entered the Myriad God Ridge seven days ago. I was formerly tending the herbs in the southeastern herbal gardens. Yesterday, people from the Miscellaneous Chores Department instructed me to serve you, Young Master Yi."

"Young Master, you have been in seclusion for four days, am I right? You must be tired. I have made some Misty Flower Tea for you and have lit a stove of Sunken Water Fragrance. Young Master, I wonder if you like to drink alcohol? If you do, I'll warm a pot. You can take a bath first, and drink while soaking in it."

The red-dressed girl said all this as she arrived on the first floor like a gust of wind. She even pulled open the door to the bathroom on the first floor.

The bathroom in Sunken Moon Tower was extremely spacious. The bathing pool was made of superior suet jade and it was filled with water. There were flower petals of every color scattered across the water surface. Thick steam effused from it, blurring out the entire area. Just one look at it made one feel comfortable.

"I have filled the pool with Myriad God Ridge's main peak's ten-thousand-year-old Melted Ice Water. It has just been heated up and I have scattered petals from the Five-colored Flower. It has quite a refreshing effect. Young Master, are you satisfied with this? If you are, let me help you into the bath."

As Duanmu Qingwen spoke, she picked up the tray of tea. The tray made of softwood could float on the water. By placing alcohol and tea on it, one could imbibe it at any time during a bath. It was extremely convenient.

Duanmu Qingwen wanted to invite Yi Yun into the bath but it was not appropriate for her to pull Yi Yun's hand. Therefore, she stood by the bath's entrance, watching Yi Yun earnestly and with watery eyes.

At that moment, Duanmu Qingwen appeared poised and dignified. But in fact, she was feeling somewhat nervous. Although she came from the Duanmu family and enjoyed a particular status in the Wenyue Country, she knew how low her status was in the Myriad God Ridge. Compared to personal disciples, the difference was as stark as the difference between night and day.

Back when Duanmu Qingwen missed the opportunity to serve personal disciples, she had been somewhat disappointed. But despite abandoning hope, a twist of fate suddenly offered her such an opportunity.

As such, she cherished this opportunity even more.

Although her Duanmu family wielded great power, her patriarch was aged. His lifespan was coming to an end and if she could not hold up the family, the Duanmu family's position would be in extreme danger.

Now, she had been in Sunken Moon Tower for a day. Therefore, she was naturally meticulous and careful for there was no way she could neglect Young Master Yi—the person she needed to serve.

However, despite how much anticipation she had, she did not see any look of satisfaction on Yi Yun's face. Instead, she was panicked to find that he was frowning.