True Martial World - Chapter 1262: Besieged on all sides

Yi Yun knew the secret of the Ascending Dragon Cauldron; therefore, he needed to consider the Myriad God Patriarch's every action carefully. He thought of the possible traps that might be waiting, and what ultimate goal the old fellow had.

As for the red-dressed boy's talk of being near the end of his life and the bullshit about him seeking someone to pass his mantle to, Yi Yun would be a fool to believe it.

He was acutely aware how ambitious the old fellow was. Hints could be seen from the way he handled the Ascending Dragon Cauldron. How could such a person give his everything to pave a way for his descendants?

"This disciple he took in…"

Yi Yun looked at Feng Yunyang silently. There was likely something special about the youth.

Yi Yun had complicated thoughts, but the other Myriad God Ridge disciples did not ponder over the matter. To them, the patriarch’s offer was their greatest opportunity.

The patriarch's heritage was something they constantly dreamed of.

"Patriarch!" A personal disciple prostrated himself. "If the items on this list can be obtained, will there be a chance to cultivate in your Myriad God Manual?"

The Myriad God Manual was famous in Myriad God Ridge. It was the supreme knowledge of the Myriad God Patriarch. Typically, Myriad God Ridge personal disciples only had the chance to cultivate in the first three volumes of the Myriad God Manual. As for the second three volumes, they could only be obtained by exchanging sect contribution points at appalling rates.

And the list that the patriarch produced was no doubt a fantastic way to contribute.

The red-dressed boy said, "The Myriad God Manual is nothing. If you gather these items, not only will you see the full Myriad God Manual, but all of my array formations, alchemical skills, and enchanted artifacts that I have tempered for millions of years can be yours!"

As the red-dressed boy said those words, everyone turned extremely excited.

They guessed that the patriarch was likely refining an extremely important pill for him to pay such a heavy price. They had to grasp the opportunity before them.

The family clans they were from had been entrenched in the Calm Sea for millions to tens of millions of years. The deep roots of these family clans naturally meant that they had a deep and complex web of connections. There was always a way to find even the rarest of items.

"Thank you, Patriarch! My wish is that the Patriarch would share the same age as the Heavens and Earth, and be as lustrous as the sun and moon!"

Everyone bowed deeply. The red-dressed boy waved his hand. "All of you are dismissed. If there is any information, simply report it to the sect master or inform Yunyang."

Inform Feng Yunyang?

Everyone looked at Feng Yunyang with mixed emotions. At present, Feng Yunyang was only the successor to the sect master but his status was supernatural. He lorded over the personal disciples and core Elders!

Without a doubt, Feng Yunyang would become the third most important person in the Myriad God Ridge thanks to the patriarch’s backing, whether the others were agreeable to it or not.

Upon noticing the envious and disgruntled looks the crowd was giving him, Feng Yunyang stood forward and spoke loudly, "Fellow sect members!"

"It's all thanks to Master's nurturing that I, Feng Yunyang, can reach what I've attained today. I haven't been cultivating for long and many of you here are my senior brothers or sisters. However, the martial path does not consider age. In this world, the strong are almighty! Other than cultivating in the martial path, I have some minute accomplishments in array formations! If any senior brother or sister has any thoughts to share, I'm willing to take the advice!"

Feng Yunyang's tone sounded amiable, particularly the part about him willing to take in advice, but everyone knew that Feng Yunyang was putting on a show of force.

As the last disciple of the patriarch, he was definitely extraordinarily talented. With the patriarch's nurturing, the resources he enjoyed were far superior to anyone else’s. In such a situation, who would dare give him any advice?

And of course, no one present spoke. The corners of Feng Yunyang's lips curled up for he was very satisfied with the reaction from the crowd.

As an outsider, he had suddenly become the successor to the sect master. He obviously knew the people were unconvinced, but so what? It only increased the superiority complex of holding the position!

"Cang Wu, it's Martial-nephew Yunyang's first time in Myriad God Ridge. Help him to settle into his board and lodging." The Myriad God Ridge's sect master spoke. Towards this successor that would replace him, he continued beaming. But it was unknown what he was truly thinking.

"Yes, Master!" Cang Wu received the order.

The gathering came to an end and, after the patriarch left, everyone began to leave the hall.

When Yi Yun left, he could clearly sense a large amount of killing intent lock onto him. The killing intent came from the Song and Zhang family.

With the patriarch and sect master present, they didn’t dare to try anything. But that did not mean Yi Yun was off the hook.

Yi Yun ignored them and returned to Sunken Moon Tower. After entering his cultivation chamber, he activated the array formation to insulate him from the Myriad God Ridge sect master's monitoring. Following that, he placed the Great Traversal Spirit Ship and other items in his interspatial ring into the God Advent Tower and sealed it up.

Although it was impossible for Yi Yun to hand his interspatial ring to the Zhang and Song family for investigation, it was still best to hide the suspect items away.

After he finished all of this, Yi Yun began meditating in cultivation. In Myriad God Ridge, he was facing a situation that could be described as being besieged from all sides.

Yi Yun could already tell that, thanks to his failure to awaken the Ascending Dragon Cauldron, the sect master thought nothing of him.

With the Song and Zhang family guessing that he was the one responsible for killing Zhang Wuchen and Song Bowen, he was in a dire situation.

Now, he had to grasp at every opportunity to cultivate and wait for Old Snake to take action. Then, he could employ a concerted attack with him from inside and outside.

At that moment, an array voice transmission from Qingwen came from outside the cultivation chamber. "Young Master, quickly come out. There's someone here who wants to speak to you."

"Oh?" Yi Yun pricked up his brows. Typically, Duanmu Qingwen would not disturb him once he entered the cultivation chamber. Could it be that the Zhang and Song family were here for him?

He deactivated the cultivation chamber's array and stepped out. When he did, he saw men wearing steward garb outside.

The one leading the group was a mustached middle-aged man. He looked like a manager of a store with his thin mustache.

His cultivation level wasn't high but from the way he was smiling, he did not appear to be from the Zhang or Song family.

The mustached middle-aged man bowed at Yi Yun and it was obvious that it was a perfunctory motion. He said, "Young Master Yi, I'm here to pass you a message. If it's possible, would you move out of Sunken Moon Tower at your earliest convenience?"

"Oh?" Yi Yun frowned. "What!?"

The mustached middle-aged man wrung his hands in an embarrassed manner. "I'm only following orders. A while ago, the sect master informed Lord Cang Wu to allocate Sunken Moon Tower as Young Master Yunyang's residence. Lord Cang Wu had mentioned that in the entire personal disciple zone, the best residence is Sunken Moon Tower and asked if Young Master Feng was willing to stay here. Young Master Feng nodded so Lord Cang Wu has arranged for this to be his residence."

"He ordered me here and I can't do anything about it. I can't exactly clone another Sunken Moon Tower either. Do you think… you can make it easy for me by moving out?"

The mustached middle-aged man said the last bit with a smile. Although he was smiling humbly, Yi Yun could tell that his smile had a derisiveness to it.

From the looks of it, Cang Wu had informed him of certain things. He also knew that, although he was still the sect master's disciple, he was no longer going to enjoy any beneficial treatment from the sect master.

True Martial World - Chapter 1261: Myriad God Patriarch

The aura was not only sensed by Yi Yun. Many people present also shuddered because of the aura. The tense atmosphere of two parties about to jump at each other's throats was naturally and instantly calmed.

In front of the Myriad God Patriarch, no one dared to act impetuously.

A few seconds later, the large hall that everyone was in suddenly changed. What was once a palatial hall was now transforming into a completely open world.

A huge cauldron fell from the sky. It was engraved with a black dragon and it was extremely heavy. It effused a might that seemed like it could hold down mountains and rivers.

"Ascending Dragon Cauldron?"

A personal disciple said loudly. To the members of the sect, the Ascending Dragon Cauldron was the cornerstone treasure of the Myriad God Ridge. It was also a treasure that belonged to the Myriad God Patriarch.

However, Yi Yun knew that the Ascending Dragon Cauldron belonged to no one. The cauldron in front of them was not the real Ascending Dragon Cauldron, but a replica. Although it was a high-quality replica with a formidable aura that left the hearts of people palpitating, it was still quite inferior to the true Ascending Dragon Cauldron.

The real Ascending Dragon Cauldron would exude the feeling of facing the world to those who stood before it.

Above the cauldron stood a red-dressed boy. He had small eyes and his body was tiny. However, his face did not look young. There were minute wrinkles on his face that were inexplicably odd.

And standing on either side of the red-dressed boy were two people. One of them was an elder that Yi Yun recognized. He was none other than the Myriad God Ridge's sect master!

The other person was a handsome youth. He looked like a sixteen or seventeen-year-old mortal. He was dressed in white and there were purple patterns embroidered on his sleeves. He was tall and he had nice facial features. He had an outstanding bearing.

From the way the three people stood, one could easily tell who was the Myriad God Patriarch. It was the red-dressed boy standing front and center!

"He is the Myriad God Patriarch?"

Yi Yun stared at the queer-looking red-dressed boy. Upon first glance, he looked rather normal. However, the more carefully Yi Yun looked, the more uneasy he felt. He even felt a little disgusted. It was unknown what cultivation techniques he cultivated in for him to be in the form of a boy at such an advanced age.

"Greetings, Patriarch!"

The gathered crowd wasn't full of dumb people. Although this was the first time most of them were meeting the Myriad God Patriarch, they were able to instantly guess at his identity. Just his immense aura was confirmation enough.

The red-dressed boy languidly swept his glance at the people beneath him and said, "Dispense with the formalities. I summoned all of you here today to make a few announcements."

The red-dressed boy's voice was hoarse, unlike a child's voice at all. Every sound he produced made one feel as though their ears were burrowing into their brains.

"The first matter is in regards to the successor of the sect master!"

The sect master's successor!?

Everyone gasped. It was the major matter of the succession of the sect master. No wonder the Myriad God Patriarch was there to personally announce it!

The Myriad God Ridge's sect master had been in power for millions of years. The people of the Myriad God Ridge had nearly forgotten the need to change sect masters. Many of the personal disciples cultivated arduously with the sole goal of becoming a core Elder. None ever entertained the thought of becoming the next sect master.

No one imagined that the candidate for the next sect master would be decided today. Many people present could not help but be excited. However, they also knew that the chance of such a great thing befalling them was too minute.

Who could it be?

People waited with bated breaths. At that moment, the red-dressed boy continued, "All these years, I have been touring the Sinkhole in search of opportunities to enhance myself. In the end, my potential has run out and the chances are too few and far between. Therefore, I turned my thoughts to finding a person to take over my mantle. While traveling the Seven Desolates, I found a truly suitable young man. I have already taken him in as my last disciple. Yunyang, greet your fellow disciples."

When the red-dressed boy spoke, the youth behind him stepped forward. He casually cupped his fists at the crowd and said proudly, "I'm Feng Yunyang. I was lucky to be discovered by Master and, today, I come back to the Myriad God Ridge with Master. I wish for all my senior brothers and sisters, and junior brothers and sisters, to take good care of me!"

What? The patriarch had taken in a disciple!?

Everyone present was dumbfounded. They had been in the Myriad God Ridge for years but they had never heard of the patriarch taking in a disciple. They never expected him to bring a disciple back from his travels!

Who was this Feng Yunyang? How was he recruited by the patriarch to be his only disciple?

Without a doubt, the successor to the sect master was Feng Yunyang!

When they originally noticed the young man, many believed that he might be an old freak whose true age was beyond guessing. They never expected that he was really a young man and that he was the only disciple of the patriarch!

Instantly, many personal disciples were exceedingly disappointed. Although they knew they had no chance of becoming the successor to the sect master, they still felt displeased that an outsider would suddenly take that spot. noveltranslationweb.blogspot.com

"The sect master's successor…"

Yi Yun looked at the red-dressed boy and the high-spirited youth who was standing beside him. He felt that something was a little off. From his point of view, the red-dressed boy's thoughts were only on the Ascending Dragon Cauldron. Why would he affirm the successor to the Myriad God Ridge's sect master at this point in time?

"There's one more thing." The red-dressed boy spoke again. "I realize that some of you are unimpressed by Yunyang and wish to vie for the spot against him. In fact, it is an equal opportunity. I might have made Yunyang my last disciple but all of you present are similarly my disciples. If you perform excellently, my heritage and treasures can be given to you. I'm old and I don't have many days left. The items I leave behind have to be handed down to my descendants, after all. How much you obtain will depend on your capabilities."

"I have here a list of natural treasures. If any one of you can find the materials on this list, I'll give you corresponding rewards."

The red-dressed boy waved his hand and the list transformed into a stream of light that stretched out hundreds of feet, presenting itself to the people in front of him.

The words on the list were written in a large golden font. Each word was the size of an inkstone. Everyone could read it clearly.

"Oh? These materials…"

Yi Yun's gaze zoomed in. Many of the materials were the bones and blood of Fey beasts. Herbs only made up a tiny portion of the list, and the names of the Fey beasts also caught Yi Yun's attention…

Heaven Devouring Wyrm!

Four-track Snake!

Dragonbone Whale!

Crimson Blood Heavenly Silkworm!

Li Fire Hornless Dragon!

Nine-winged Golden Dragon!

…

These ancient Fey beasts seemed unrelated from just their names. However, Yi Yun was well-versed in the divine alchemist's notes. He was acutely aware of every attribute of the Fey beasts written on the list. These particular Fey beasts had one thing in common: They more or less possessed the bloodline of the True Dragon.

There was no need to elaborate on the Heaven Devouring Wyrm. Back when Yi Yun was in the Luo clan, he had obtained the tailbone of a Heaven Devouring Wyrm after gaining the acknowledgment of the twelve ancient Fey columns. In terms of quality, the Heaven Devouring Wyrm tailbone was greatly inferior to the backbone that contained rich bone marrow. But even so, Yi Yun had obtained great benefits from the Heaven Devouring Wyrm tailbone.

The Four-track Snake was a gigantic python that could transform into a dragon according to legend. The reason why it was called a Four-track Snake was that its tummy could grow four legs.

The Dragonbone Whale was a manifestation of the legendary Dragon King of the seas. It was also called Dragon King Whale, a behemoth of the sea. Transforming into a dragon gave it the name whale, and transforming into a Peng gave it the name Kun.

As for the Crimson Blood Heavenly Silkworm, it was one of the legendary nine transformations of the Heavenly Silkworm. After the ninth transformation, it would become a golden dragon…

…

Yi Yun finished reading the entire list. There were a total of nineteen Ancient Fey beasts listed, all related to dragons.

There were three herbs that were also related to dragons.

Things like the Fey Blood Orchid were guarded by Ancient Fey like the Massive Desolate Grand Python. It took millions of years to grow and it grew by absorbing the breaths of the Massive Desolate Grand Python. And it so happened that the Massive Desolate Grand Python also had the bloodline of the True Dragon!

These materials were priceless. The Myriad God Patriarch had drafted all the personal disciples and Elders of the Myriad God Ridge to search for them. Many of them were from illustrious family clans but even so, it would be extremely difficult to gather all the materials!

What was this old fellow up to? By producing such a list, with every item related to the True Dragon, his goal was likely related to the Ascending Dragon Cauldron. Was he trying to refine some pill?

True Martial World - Chapter 1260: Betrayal

The entire Myriad God Ridge had a few dozen personal disciples, but the number of Elders far exceeded the number of personal disciples.

In Myriad God Ridge, anyone whose cultivation level reached the mid-stages of Supremacy could become an outer-sect Elder. Nearly all personal disciples had the potential to achieve that cultivation level; therefore, in terms of status, personal disciples were equivalent to outer-sect Elders. However, they were far inferior to core Elders.

Due to the gathering notice, many of the core members of the Myriad God Ridge had arrived one after another in Jade Emperor Palace, awaiting the patriarch's arrival.

Soon, the vast hall was filled with several hundred people. Yi Yun was naturally among the crowd.

After he arrived in Jade Emperor Palace, he sensed that someone was watching him. He looked up and saw a middle-aged man with a pale face walking toward him.

The middle-aged man's cultivation level was probably in the mid to late-stages of Supremacy. The way he looked at Yi Yun barely masked his bloodlust.

"Are you Yi Yun?" The middle-aged man asked with a voice filled with coldness.

Yi Yun frowned slightly. He did not know this person.

"That is me!"

"Great! Let me ask you, where did you go in the past two days?"

The middle-aged was interrogating him. Such a questioning tone made Yi Yun feel extremely uncomfortable. "Who are you?"

"I'm Song Zhanchen!" The man's voice had bold undertones. Yi Yun's eyebrows pricked up. With that surname, he was undoubtedly from the Song family.

"So it's Elder Song. Nice to meet you." Yi Yun put on a polite tone but cupped his fists languidly. He did not have a good impression of the Song family at all. "Elder Song, it seems you aren't my master. Therefore, I don't think I need to report my whereabouts to you, right?"

"Hehe!" The middle-aged man chortled sinisterly twice. "It's true that I'm not your master. It's fine if you do not tell me where you were. I'll say it for you. Yesterday, you left the Myriad God Ridge and traveled millions of miles away. Then, you returned within a day. At the same time, my son that was out for experiential training millions of miles away was murdered. Not only did you kill my son, you even killed Zhang Wuchen!"

The middle-aged man's voice rang out loud and clear. Instantly, many people present heard him and reacted.

"What? Yi Yun killed Song Bowen and Zhang Wuchen!?"

People were shocked. They previously knew that Song Bowen and Zhang Wuchen had perished while out on experiential training, but they did not know that it was related to Yi Yun.

If that were truly the case, then Yi Yun was truly audacious. Assassinating a personal disciple of the sect was a heavy crime in Myriad God Ridge!

Yi Yun narrowed his eyes as he looked at Song Zhanchen. Just two hours ago, he learned that the Myriad God Ridge sect master had guessed that he was the one responsible for killing Song Bowen and Zhang Wuchen.

However, to the sect master, the Song family was but one of the many family clans in Myriad God Ridge. With the sect master's status, it was beneath him to inform the Song family of the matter. As such, he never expected the Song family to know of it almost immediately!

Was it Cang Wu?

Yi Yun recalled the seductive man that was responsible for communicating on behalf of the sect master. When he was gone, the sect master had tried contacting him through Cang Wu. In other words, Cang Wu also knew that he had traveled far away the past two days.

If Cang Wu had a good relationship with the Song family, it was very likely that he would inform the Song family!

Upon thinking of this, Yi Yun scanned the hall. Instantly, he saw a man dressed in white with looks as beautiful as a woman's standing beside a pillar. He was casually chatting with a blue-dressed woman.

He appeared oblivious to Song Zhanchen's interrogation of Yi Yun. He also ignored the gaze Yi Yun was casting at him. He continued chatting with the blue-dressed woman, his every word and action refined and courteous, as if to showcase his modesty and gentleness.

Cang Wu…

Yi Yun took a deep breath. If Cang Wu had truly informed the Song family, then this matter must be known to the sect master.

However, Cang Wu appeared to pay no attention to it. That meant that the sect master had lost all concern for a so-called 'disciple' like him.

In other words, due to his failure to awaken the Ascending Dragon Cauldron, he was probably of no value to the sect master.

This was why Cang Wu felt so confident in delivering the news to the Song family. The sect master wouldn’t care, and he would be doing the Song family a favor. In those circumstances, why wouldn’t he inform them?

"Yi Yun! You killed Song Bowen and Zhang Wuchen, two personal disciples! According to the sect's rules, your cultivation will be crippled! You will be imprisoned for life!"

Song Zhanchen's voice was filled with killing intent. Song Bowen's death left him unsettled. Now, the murderer was finally found. However, Song Zhanchen was still puzzled as to what method Yi Yun had used to infiltrate the Great Traversal Spirit Ship.

Cripple his cultivation and give him life imprisonment?

Yi Yun sneered and said, "It's true that I wasn't in the sect the past two days. However, I was constantly in seclusion prior to that. How, then, was it possible for me to know where Song Bowen and Zhang Wuchen went? You keep insisting that I killed the two of them. But where's the evidence?"

"You want evidence? Then hand over your interspatial ring. Let me search it in public and I'll find you the evidence you want!"

As Song Zhanchen spoke, he locked his perception onto Yi Yun. It seemed as though he would snatch the ring away from him at any time!

"Search my interspatial ring?"

Yi Yun's gaze turned cold. To warriors, the only thing more important than their interspatial rings were their lives. Typically, all the wealth a warrior had was carried with them. Unless they were killed, no one would ever be allowed to freely probe one’s interspatial ring. It carried a lot of a warrior's secrets.

Although Yi Yun could hide the Great Traversal Spirit Ship in the God Advent Tower, it was absolutely impossible for him to let others see what was in his interspatial ring.

"Elder Song, if you want to attack me, just say so directly. Why do you need to raise a request such as searching my interspatial ring!?"

"Attack you?" Song Zhanchen guffawed. "Do you think a junior like you is worth the effort of me attacking you? Yi Yun, don't think that just because you are the sect master's disciple I wouldn't dare do a thing to you. You can't escape if you violate the sect's rules!"

Song Zhanchen threatened coldly.

And at that moment, a few people appeared behind Song Zhanchen.

"Brother Zhanchen, are you sure this punk killed my grandson?"

A woman spoke. She was from the Zhang family and, just like the Song family, Zhang Wuchen was the most outstanding person among the Zhang family's younger generation.

The Song and Zhang family had been important members in the Myriad God Ridge for years. They had six Elders who, if they joined forces, were a mighty force that would have no trouble destroying Yi Yun.

Had Yi Yun not been the sect master's disciple, it was very likely that these people would have already attacked.

Very quickly, the atmosphere in the hall was all set for a showdown. Many people were watching the buzz in a schadenfreudian manner. Up until now, Yi Yun had enjoyed too much special treatment, so there were many who wished ill on Yi Yun. If the crime of killing personal disciples was confirmed, even the sect master could not protect him.

The situation turned increasingly tense. The number of family members of the Song and Zhang family standing in front of Yi Yun increased, but at that moment—

A cold aura emanated through the entire hall!

The aura felt like it was blown from the deep abyss of the netherworld. It simultaneously gave people a shudder and an unfathomable feeling.

Yi Yun's heart palpitated. Such a terrifying aura… could it be that the Myriad God Patriarch had arrived?

True Martial World - Chapter 1259: Patriarch Returns

An hour later, at Sunken Moon Tower.

Ever since Yi Yun met his so-called master, he had been plagued by a sense of unease. That old man gave off an extreme sense of danger to Yi Yun.

Yi Yun was not accustomed to placing himself in a land of peril but due to the 'Dragon Emperor Technique,’ and with Old Snake around, he could only choose to continue staying in Myriad God Ridge.

"Young Master, the desserts are ready. Shall I serve them to you?" Duanmu Qingwen bowed and said gently.

"There's no need. I'll be entering seclusion in the cultivation chamber. Do not disturb me."

As Yi Yun spoke, he walked straight into Sunken Moon Tower's cultivation chamber.

Duanmu Qingwen could only nod. Having been in Sunken Moon Tower for a few days, she came to learn that she had no chance of serving Yi Yun in his day-to-day life. Ignoring her serving Yi Yun, even meeting him was rare. Every time she managed to catch a glimpse of him, he would be rushing into the cultivation chamber.

"Young Master sure is hard-working…"

Duanmu Qingwen had such a thought. However, she did not know that Yi Yun had an ugly expression in the cultivation chamber.

The Sunken Moon Tower's cultivation chamber was problematic!

Logically speaking, once the cultivation chamber's array formations were activated, the interior would be isolated from the outside world. No one should have been able to know the situation inside the cultivation chamber. However, the Myriad God Ridge sect master knew of his whereabouts. There was likely some form of backdoor within the cultivation chamber's array formation that allowed the old man to easily monitor him.

Thankfully, upon reflection, Yi Yun knew that he had not done anything that would expose his secrets during his past few days of cultivation. If he had, the outcome would be disastrous. noveltranslationweb.blogspot.com

"This Myriad God Ridge doesn't even have a private space for me. I really can't stay here much longer."

Who would wish to be monitored daily? Yi Yun did not know if the other personal disciples dealt with such conditions, but perhaps due to his special status of having the ability to trigger the Ascending Dragon Cauldron, he had been given unique treatment.

As Yi Yun pondered over the matter, he caught a shadow in his peripheral vision standing in the room's corner.

The shadow had appeared silently, as though it had always been there and Yi Yun had only just now noticed it. This gave Yi Yun a fright. When he focused on it, he realized that it was in the shape of an old man with a small figure. His face was wrinkled and there was a somewhat familiar grotesque smile hanging from it.

"Old Snake!"

Yi Yun was rendered speechless. The old fellow had suddenly appeared without even notifying him of his existence. He was like a ghost. If Yi Yun wasn't mentally prepared, he would truly have been given a great fright.

"It appears that you’re being monitored."

The elder stroked his beard as he looked around Yi Yun's cultivation chamber.

"You still came here despite knowing that?" Yi Yun said with exasperation. However, he also knew that for Old Snake to dare do it, he must have had confidence in avoiding detection.

Although Old Snake did not appear proper in any way, his strength was not to be doubted.

"Hehe, it's because I knew it that I appeared here. I have already taken care of the monitoring array formation for you. There's no need to thank me. After all, you don’t want someone peeping in when you’re doing naughty things with that maidservant of yours!"

As he spoke, Old Snake clapped his hands and gave a 'you know' look.

Yi Yun was at a loss for words when he heard that. The old fellow was already so advanced in years, yet he spoke in such a licentious manner.

"How did you take care it? Since that old fellow went through the trouble of setting up an array formation, he clearly meant to monitor me. If he discovers that the array formation has been altered, wouldn't that make me look suspicious?"

"Haha! How could I make such a careless mistake? That Myriad God Ridge sect master thinks highly of his skill in array formations and had set up a hidden monitoring array formation, but his array is only trivial in my hands. I installed a new array formation to override it. When the time comes that you do not want to be monitored by the old fellow, just activate my array formation. All he will see is you meditating in cultivation. You can then do whatever you want to do. That old fellow wants to compete with me? He's way too inexperienced for that,"

Old Snake said ostentatiously, thinking absolutely nothing of the Myriad God Ridge's sect master. Although Old Snake came off like a shameless braggart, Yi Yun knew that the old man was still someone to rely on during critical moments.

As such, Yi Yun could finally rest knowing that he was not constantly monitored. Thankfully too, as he was getting to the point where he could not stay a day longer in Sunken Moon Tower.

Yi Yun asked, "Didn't you say we would take action soon? This Myriad God Ridge's sect master has malicious intentions. I don't want to continue risking my life by staying here."

"That's what I hoped but… Myriad God Ridge's patriarch is returning soon. As for taking action, we will probably have to postpone it."

"Myriad God Ridge's patriarch?"

Yi Yun's breathing faltered. The Myriad God Ridge sect master was enough to make him feel in danger and that he couldn’t handle the situation. As for Myriad God Ridge's patriarch, he was even more mysterious and powerful than the sect master.

He could not help but look Old Snake suspiciously in the eye. This old fellow should be able to deal with the Myriad God Ridge's patriarch, right?

Old Snake could tell what was on Yi Yun's mind. He scowled disdainfully. "Why, kid? Are you doubting me? It's only a Myriad God Ridge patriarch. With me here, you can feel at ease."

As Old Snake spoke, he patted Yi Yun on the shoulder with a chuckle. "For that lass Chenxue to hand you over to me, I must be trustworthy, right?"

Yi Yun had a look of disbelief. His attempt to trigger the Ascending Dragon Cauldron was going to be a highly risky endeavor. He had to be wary or he might end up as cannon fodder for the old man.

As Yi Yun was pondering over the matter, his personal disciple token suddenly flashed. There was a voice transmission coming from the token.

A call to gather!

Two hours from now, all personal disciples and Elders had to head for Myriad God Ridge's Jade Emperor Palace to await the return of Myriad God Ridge's patriarch!

The patriarch was truly returning. Yi Yun gave Old Snake an odd glance. He called it. However, how did he know of the patriarch's whereabouts?

Old Snake stroked his beard and said smugly, "If I put my mind to probing anyone in Myriad God Ridge, no one can hide from my eyes."

Yi Yun was impressed by Old Snake. With such an ally, he could feel even more assured.

However, he was somewhat curious. The gathering notice did not seem reminiscent of the patriarch's past actions.

Although he had just entered Myriad God Ridge, he had heard about the patriarch's character from many people. The patriarch was an extremely mysterious person with his whereabouts often unknown. Many Elders and personal disciples had never even seen the patriarch before. In fact, not only had they never met him, they had heard little news concerning him.

In Myriad God Ridge, the sect master was already a lofty existence, while the patriarch was equivalent to a legend.

But today, the Myriad God Patriarch was returning. He was even gathering all personal disciples and Elders to receive him. This matter alone was abnormal. Was there a reason why he was gathering all of them?

In fact, as Yi Yun was puzzling over the issue, many other personal disciples and Elders were similarly puzzled by the news.

Of course, more of them were pleasantly surprised!

Myriad God Patriarch was a godlike existence in Myriad God Ridge. Having a chance to meet him was definitely an opportunity. If they could gain a tiny bit of favor from the Myriad God Patriarch, they would have a meteoric rise and obtain countless more opportunities.

This made many people begin to greatly anticipate the Myriad God Patriarch's return.

True Martial World - Chapter 1258: Outcome

Under the elder's control, the three drops of blood finally fused into a single blood bead the size of a grape. The blood bead was crystalline, and it reflected the Myriad God Ridge's sect master's face.

His face had a feverish look as he gazed at the blood bead.

Upon seeing the elder's expression, Yi Yun's heart thumped. On careful thought, he began to wonder exactly what the drop of blood that the elder produced was. For him to place so much weight on the drop of blood, it was definitely not easily obtained.

Was it possible that the drop of blood was left behind by past disciples with 'wisdom roots' that had once joined the sect after triggering the Ascending Dragon Cauldron?

But where were those disciples now?

For many years, the Myriad God Ridge had recruited disciples in a clamorous fashion, so it should have accumulated quite a number of disciples with 'wisdom roots!' But Yi Yun had not heard of many disciples with 'wisdom roots' actually existing in the sect. Other than Snake Girl and himself, there weren't many others.

Upon realizing this, Yi Yun had an ominous feeling.

"Let's begin…"

The elder focused on controlling the drop of blood, sending it flying towards the Ascending Dragon Cauldron. The elder looked on with an awed expression, as though he was witnessing the birth of a new world.

At last, the drop of blood entered the Ascending Dragon Cauldron, landing right on the eyes of the black dragon sculpture.

The drop of blood gradually fused with the sculpture as the black dragon's eyes turned increasingly bright. The silent Ascending Dragon Cauldron seemed to come alive momentarily!

"Boom!"

The Ascending Dragon Cauldron blasted out immense energy as a terrifying wave of aura flew out in every direction. Snake Girl, who had a relatively weaker cultivation level, could not withstand the blast at all as she spewed a mouthful of blood and was sent flying backward.

Yi Yun's strength was much greater than Snake Girl's so he was able to withstand the aura. However, to not stand out, he feigned a look of also not being able to withstand it.

And at that moment, amid the squall, the Myriad God Ridge's sect master's hair was disheveled and his eyes were filled with a maniacal glimmer.

"Open! Open!"

The elder cried out crazily with all his heart as the dragon vibrated violently. A flickering black dragon soul peered out of the cauldron's mouth as though it was about to escape!

"It's out, the Dragon Emperor's soul!"

The elder's eyes were filled with excitement but he wasn't surprised. He had witnessed this very scene many times in the past. Several attempts to awaken the Ascending Dragon Cauldron with the Dragon Emperor's bloodline had been made, and there were times that he would trigger the dragon soul only for it to ultimately fail.

The elder held the greatest hope for this attempt, and it was also the strongest reaction up to date!

However...

The black dragon's phantom only appeared for less than a minute and did not grow any stronger. After that, the energy produced by the Ascending Dragon Cauldron no longer increased, and instead began to gradually decrease. The black dragon phantom also turned increasingly blur as it began to shrink away.

"What!?"

Upon seeing this happen, the elder's heart was seized with anxiety!

It had failed!?

The dragon soul weakened and disappeared eventually. The energy squall came to a rest and the Ascending Dragon Cauldron became still, standing in the middle of the hall as though nothing had happened.

The elder was battered out of his senses when he saw how things had played out. He stood silently for a long time, continuing to stare at the Ascending Dragon Cauldron as though he was waiting for a miracle to happen.

However, the cauldron continued to show no sign of activity.

It had truly failed!

The elder took a few steps back. And when he turned around, he appeared to have aged even more.

A rich air of death effused from his entire being as though he was about to walk into a tomb. He had attempted about eight times, all of which ended in failure. Yet, his time was nearly up!

The elder slowly turned his head around to look at Yi Yun. This look made Yi Yun's heart clamp up. It was an indescribable look. The look contained disappointment, disgruntlement, and ferociousness…

"Your blood…"

The elder’s voice was heavy. The effects of Yi Yun's blood were a lot worse than he had originally expected.

He believed that Yi Yun's appearance could very well be the chance for him to awaken the Ascending Dragon Cauldron. However, it failed yet again. He had also wasted a precious blood catalyst.

The blood catalyst consisted of blood marrow from draconic Ancient Fey, fused with the bloodline essences of multiple disciples with 'wisdom roots,' finally taking a new form.

The wastage of every drop of this blood catalyst pinched the elder's heart greatly.

And the reason for such an outcome was that Yi Yun had given him inaccurate expectations.

It was a fact that Yi Yun had triggered the Ascending Dragon Cauldron's soul dragon previously, but this time the quality of the bloodline was exceedingly bad. Bloodline of such quality would never be able to trigger the Ascending Dragon Cauldron's dragon soul. Was there a hidden reason behind this?

The elder watched Yi Yun intently. His deep gaze was like a keen blade that appeared to be penetrating Yi Yun. But from beginning to end, Yi Yun did not betray himself with any expressions. He wore a calm expression but he was sneering in his heart.

The failure to awaken the Ascending Dragon Cauldron was perfectly aligned with his wishes. For using him as an experimental subject and taking his blood on a whim, the old man deserved to die from anger.

"Senior Brother, what do we do?"

Seeing the attempt to awaken the Ascending Dragon Cauldron fail, the old woman beside Snake Girl appeared extremely disappointed.

With that, she also began to hate Yi Yun and Snake Girl.

Noticing how the elder was quietly watching Yi Yun, she could not help but curse, "It's all because of you two good-for-nothings. The Myriad God Ridge made an exception to accept the both of you and gave you such great treatment, but your 'wisdom roots' are so terrible. You have wasted a blood catalyst for nothing. Useless trash!"

The old woman spoke harshly. In fact, Snake Girl was under her jurisdiction.

"Grandmaster, what did I do wrong…"

Snake Girl was completely puzzled. She did not know what she could have done to be scolded in such a vicious manner.

"Forget it." The Myriad God Ridge's sect master waved his hand. "I probably made a mistake in my judgment. Let them take their leave."

"Then, I'll take my leave."

Yi Yun bowed with a deadpan expression as he turned to leave with a baffled Snake Girl.

The old woman watched Yi Yun leave and when she saw his figure disappear, an abhorring glimmer flashed in her eyes. "That punk. I really want to kill him with a strike! That look in his eyes, that demeanor. He shows no fear or respect for the two of us. He knew that the awakening of the Ascending Dragon Cauldron had failed because of his impure bloodline, and that he wasted a drop of blood catalyst. But look at him. Not only was there no hint of guilt, he nearly gloated at our misfortune!"

The Myriad God Ridge's sect master remained silent. He looked at the door through which Yi Yun had disappeared.

"This Yi Yun is not simple. I can see through many people from the younger generation, but he makes me feel as though he is hiding certain things…"

"What things?" The old woman's face turned cold. "The awakening of the Ascending Dragon Cauldron is of utmost importance. How can we permit this punk to do as he pleases? I'll have him forcibly brought here for interrogation. Let's see what secrets he can possibly have!"

"No, do not act rashly." The elder shook his head before turning to look back at the Ascending Dragon Cauldron. He recalled the process by which the Ascending Dragon Cauldron was awoken a moment ago.

"What could be the problem?" The elder muttered to himself…

True Martial World - Chapter 1257: Meeting the Ascending Dragon Cauldron Again

Yi Yun's expression sank when the elder mentioned Song Bowen at that moment.

His murder of Song Bowen yesterday was executed flawlessly. Anyone in Myriad God Ridge, no matter how imaginative they could be, would not have guessed that Song Bowen was killed by Yi Yun.

Yet, this elder that he had never met before apparently saw through everything. Just a voice transmission charm was sufficient to incur his suspicions.

"Have some tea. This is excellent Skyrain Tea. It was prepared by Lanqin."

As the elder spoke, he tapped his finger gently. The tea set he placed on the table automatically flew up and poured Yi Yun a cup of tea.

Yi Yun silently drank the tea and waited for the elder to continue.

The elder said with a smile, "There's no need for you to worry. I'm not going to investigate your whereabouts yesterday. I called you here to ask you something. On the day you entered the sect, during the test of the Ascending Dragon Cauldron, did you feel anything special?"

As the elder spoke, his turbid eyes seemed to emit a glow. He stared at Yi Yun's face as though he wanted it to reveal something to him.

"I did not feel anything special."

Yi Yun truly did not have much of a sensation. If there was anything to speak of, it was that he sensed an energy fluctuation coming from the Purple Crystal. But that should have been impossible for the elder to perceive even if he could see through everything.

"Follow me."

The elder got up and led Yi Yun into the deeper sanctums of the hall.

They passed through a dark corridor and went down a staircase. After more than a hundred feet of stairs, the room opened up to a wide stone chamber.

In the middle of the stone chamber was a bronze cauldron the size of a house!

The cauldron was engraved with a coiling dragon. When standing in front of it, one could sense the inundations of a boundless and majestic aura!

Ascending Dragon Cauldron!

Yi Yun held his breath.

"This is the second time you are seeing this cauldron. You might not know it, but this Ascending Dragon Cauldron holds the fate of infinite generations of our Myriad God Ridge."

As the elder gazed at the Ascending Dragon Cauldron, his eyes flashed with a mesmerized look.

"If you are able to awaken the Ascending Dragon Cauldron, you would be the one to render the greatest service to the Myriad God Ridge. It's even possible that you could become the next sect master."

The elder patted Yi Yun on the shoulder as he hung an encouraging and genial smile on his face.

However, this form of encouragement only left Yi Yun sneering secretly. Next sect master? Did he think that he was a child? Ignoring the fact that he could not become one, he didn’t want to be bothered with being one.

Yi Yun said in a deadpan manner, "Master, I'll probably disappoint you. During the test, Martial Uncle Mo Shanqing had me make a second attempt at triggering the Ascending Dragon Cauldron but I failed."

The elder shook his head with a smile. "You don't have to worry about that. No matter how great a person's wisdom root is, it pales in comparison to a god's. And the Ascending Dragon Cauldron is a divine item. It's already very impressive that you managed to trigger it once."

"As your master, I naturally have means to awaken the potential in your blood. I'll make your blood truly trigger the Ascending Dragon Cauldron!"

Just as the elder finished speaking, there was the sound of footsteps coming from the stone stairwell. Yi Yun turned to look and his heart sank slightly. He saw an old woman bringing a young girl down the stairwell. And that girl was none other than Snake Girl!

"Yi Yun, you are here too?"

Snake Girl was somewhat surprised to see Yi Yun.

Yi Yun frowned. "Master, what is this about?"

"Nothing. Light has shone down on our Myriad God Ridge for us to recruit both you and Snake Girl in the last recruitment test!"

"If the both of you can completely awaken the Ascending Dragon Cauldron, your names will be recorded in the history books of the Myriad God Ridge, immortalizing you. Isn't this something to be proud of and look forward to?"

The elder smiled. However, his words only left Yi Yun with a sense of disgust.

Whatever the elder said at that moment came across to Yi Yun as excuses to obtain the treasures within the Ascending Dragon Cauldron. His talk of meritorious achievements sounded like a joke to Yi Yun. noveltranslationweb.blogspot.com

No matter how powerful the old man was, he did not know of the existence of Old Snake. It was even more unlikely that he could guess that Old Snake knew more about the secrets of the Ascending Dragon Cauldron than he did, and that he had already told Yi Yun everything.

"Stretch your hand out."

As the elder spoke, his jaundiced eyes flickered.

"What for…?"

Snake Girl asked in a daze.

"You were instructed to stretch your hand out, so do it. Why do you ask so many questions!?"

The old woman behind Snake Girl urged her impatiently.

Snake Girl had no choice but to stretch out her hand.

Yi Yun had a heavy expression. He had guessed what the old man was trying to do but he was not sure. The old man made him feel extremely uncomfortable. He was like a venomous snake that lurked in the dark.

Compared to him, the man actually named 'Old Snake' was like an angel.

Speaking of that old man, who knew where he was? With the Myriad God Ridge's sect master summoning him, Old Snake should have stuck around to protect him in secret. Without his help, Yi Yun’s life was truly not his own.

Despite these thoughts running through his head, he still extended his hand.

"Cha!"

A cold beam streaked and, with a tiny bit of pain, Yi Yun's wrist was lacerated.

Yi Yun frowned slightly. He strongly disliked having his life determined by others.

The elder that was standing in front of him was his master in name but, in fact, Yi Yun was just a valuable experimental subject to the old man.

"Fill it to the brim."

The elder said without any expression. Out from his interspatial ring, a three-inch-tall bronze tripod flew out. It had three legs and a handle and resembled a miniaturized bronze tripod.

"And you too."

Snake Girl's wrist was cut open as well.

The vessel used for Snake Girl was many times bigger than Yi Yun's. It was the size of a small basin.

"So much blood is needed?"

Snake Girl was dismayed. Yi Yun only had a cup of blood but she had to fill a small basin.

"Compared to the things you are going to do, this bit of blood is nothing!"

Although Snake Girl was unwilling to do so, she still let out her blood.

And at that moment, Yi Yun closed his eyes to focus. He converged the Purple Crystal aura within his body as much as he could. He tried his best to make the blood that flowed out of him turn into ordinary blood.

However, the elder clearly did not sense that. He was oblivious of the Purple Crystal's aura.

He watched the blood that flowed out of Yi Yun with a blatant flash of excitement.

When the blood filled up the bronze tripod, the elder took out a jade bottle.

He opened it and poured out a drop of red liquid, which seemed to be a drop of blood.

The elder appeared to cherish the drop of blood immensely, as though the blood was a most precious treasure.

"There are only six drops left… There is one fewer drop with every drop used…"

The elder muttered to himself as he gently tapped the bronze tripod in Yi Yun's hand. The blood immediately flew out and formed a spherical ball of blood.

The blood sphere constantly shrunk and, in moments, it reduced to the size of a drop of blood.

Yi Yun watched from the side. He knew that the elder had the concentrated all the blood essence in his blood into that drop of blood.

Moments later, the elder repeated the sequence of events for Snake Girl. He reduced the basin of her blood into a drop of blood.

Yi Yun was somewhat enlightened. The amount of blood extracted was determined by the purity of the blood according to the elder's standards. All of this was done to refine a single drop of blood.

As such, the elder had three drops of blood to attempt an awakening of the Ascending Dragon Cauldron!

This was the purported method of awakening the potential in their blood.

True Martial World - Chapter 1256: Myriad God Ridge Sect Master

Yi Yun was fascinated by the mystery of why the Ascending Dragon Cauldron triggered for him. Why was he capable of triggering it? He definitely wasn't a descendant of some ancient race. Could it be… due to the Purple Crystal?

The Purple Crystal Origins had existed in Yi Yun's heart for about a hundred years.

Over the past century, every beat of his heart would be accompanied by an energy fluctuation from the Purple Crystal. With the innumerable beats of his heart, an immense amount of blood had flowed through the Purple Crystal. Therefore, Yi Yun's blood was no doubt infused with the aura of the Purple Crystal.

The Purple Crystal was one of the twelve Dao Ancestors, for sure. As for the Ascending Dragon Cauldron, it was only an artifact related to the Dragon Emperor. From that perspective, the Ascending Dragon Cauldron was naturally on a lower level than the Purple Crystal. It was understandable for it to be triggered by the Purple Crystal.

These thoughts flashed through Yi Yun's mind. Suddenly, he saw Old Snake looking at him with a cheeky smile. He resembled a weasel.

"Uh… Why are you looking at me like that…" Yi Yun stroked his chin. The old man was a miserly slippery one, to begin with. So the way he looked at Yi Yun gave him a sudden realization. "Don't tell me you that you want me to get the 'Dragon Emperor Technique' out for you?"

It was no wonder the old man had given him the information. Perhaps even from the moment he entered the sect, watching as he triggered the Ascending Dragon Cauldron, Old Snake had already had such a thought in mind.

Back then, Old Snake had forcefully severed the connection between Yi Yun's blood and the Ascending Dragon Cauldron, preventing Yi Yun's blood from causing too great a stir. Now, although Yi Yun had become a personal disciple, he was not given much attention from the Myriad God Ridge.

Old Snake said, "I obviously hope that you can retrieve the 'Dragon Emperor Technique' from the Ascending Dragon Cauldron. Your triggering of the cauldron's dragon soul has greatly sparked my interest."

Yi Yun wavered on this. If he could obtain the 'Dragon Emperor Technique,’ it would definitely be a huge opportunity for him.

However, could he pull out the 'Dragon Emperor Technique' with just the Purple Crystal? Yi Yun wasn't so sure.

Besides, the Ascending Dragon Cauldron was still in the Myriad God Ridge. Although Old Snake had said that the Ascending Dragon Cauldron was not the private property of the Myriad God Ridge and had chosen to stay there of its own will, the Myriad God Ridge obviously thought otherwise.

If he was able to obtain the 'Dragon Emperor Technique,’ the Myriad God Ridge would definitely take it away. Not only would Yi Yun miss his chance to look at it, but he would be lucky just to leave without being permanently silenced.

There was a complex and intricate battle for interests unfolding, and it was obvious that Yi Yun could not face it alone. He needed Old Snake to back him.

Yi Yun could still negotiate certain terms with Old Snake.

Although Old Snake was much stronger than he was, Yi Yun trusted Huan Chenxue. Since she had recommended Old Snake, his character wasn’t in question. This was the premise for Yi Yun's ability to negotiate with him.

Yi Yun said, "The Ascending Dragon Cauldron has been placed in the Myriad God Ridge and will definitely be heavily protected. If I approach it and trigger it, it will be discovered by the Myriad God Ridge Patriarch, right?"

Old Snake chuckled and said, "Being discovered is a certainty. However, the true matter is if he can react in time. When that time comes, I'll arrange everything. It will take at most five days before I can let you make an attempt. When the time comes, all you’ll need to do is give some of your blood."

"That fast!?" Yi Yun was astounded. He originally believed that a lot of planning would be required, allowing for the scheme to slowly play out. He never imagined that Old Snake would suggest five days.

He nodded and agreed to it. He naturally wanted to vie for such an opportunity!

"Come, let's continue drinking." With their business done, Old Snake lifted another jar of wine. "I say, Kid. Why don't you be my disciple," said Old Snake while licking his lips.

Yi Yun rolled his eyes at Old Snake. "With a master like you, I think I'll pass. I don't think I deserve it."

Seeing the terrible state Snake Girl was in, one could tell that being a disciple of the old fellow wasn't beneficial.

Everyone had their own lifestyle. Yi Yun guessed that the old fellow had lived for too long and was sick of living a lofty lifestyle. This was why he treated life like a game.

Although Old Snake appeared libertine, there was one thing he was still set upon. He still pursued the martial path.

That was the reason why Old Snake sought the 'Dragon Emperor Technique!’

…

The meal lasted from noon to the evening. They drank two jars of Immortal Inebriation and ate more than thirty signature dishes. Even after the twenty percent discount, it still cost Yi Yun four million Spirit Jade. It also made Yi Yun instantly become the most preferred customer in Myriad God Restaurant.

When Yi Yun left, the eyes of the few girls that waited on him were filled with a wistful look. All of them wished that Yi Yun would come again. After all, even in the Myriad God Restaurant which was patronized by distinguished customers, few would spend so freely. Just the service charges earned from waiting on one table were extremely sizable.

However, Yi Yun felt that the meal was only average. Although he had eaten a lot of natural treasures, the benefits they gave to his cultivation level were greatly inferior to those of the meal cooked by Elder Lanqin.

"Phew–"

Suddenly, a flame ignited in front of Yi Yun.

It was a voice transmission charm. The Myriad God Ridge personal disciple token had a voice transmission mark that could be used for communication.

Upon hearing the content of the voice transmission, Yi Yun's heart thumped.

The Myriad God Ridge's sect master had come out of seclusion!

If Yi Yun was only an ordinary personal disciple, then the sect master would not mean anything special to him. However… Yi Yun was the sect master's disciple!

Days ago, the sect master he had never met had taken him in as a disciple due to the appearance of the Ascending Dragon Cauldron's dragon soul.

Although Yi Yun was not afraid of his freebie master, he still had to be careful!

Yi Yun responded and headed straight for Myriad God Ridge. Fifteen minutes later, he arrived at the sect master's seclusion zone.

Standing outside was the seductive-looking man—Cang Wu.

"My master is waiting inside for you," Cang Wu said as he gave Yi Yun a meaningful glance.

"Yes, Martial Uncle."

Yi Yun bowed.

"There's no need to call me Martial Uncle. Although our Myriad God Ridge determines seniority based on cultivation levels, you are my master's disciple. Just call me Senior Brother Cang Wu," Cang Wu said with a smile.

He tapped his fingers gently and behind him, a previously-restricted array formation opened up, forming a long corridor that led to the inner sanctums behind him.

As he looked at the long corridor with an unknown entity at its end, Yi Yun calmed his heart and walked in.

"This freebie master wouldn't harm me, right…"

As Yi Yun walked, he used his mental powers to repress the Purple Crystal's energies. He wasn't worried that the Purple Crystal would be exposed. However, having fused with the Purple Crystal over many years, its aura had subtly infused itself into Yi Yun's bloodline.

When facing the unfamiliar Myriad God Ridge sect master, it was best he remained vigilant. Yi Yun converged all his energy and soul power into the Purple Crystal. He also reduced the Purple Crystal aura in his bloodline to a minimum.

The corridor wasn't that long but Yi Yun walked very slowly. After about three minutes, he came in front of a large door that seemed to lead to a palace. He pushed open the door and entered.

What entered his vision was a pale-red hall.

The tiles at his feet seemed like they had been burned by flames before. They were red hot. Yi Yun knew that the production of such tiles required the injection of Fey beast blood, giving the tiles the ability to naturally possess heat. Weaker warriors would feel intolerable pain, as though their souls were burning, while walking across these tiles.

However, a person with a powerful soul would find their soul being tempered while walking over the tiles. Staying in such an area for prolonged periods of time had various benefits.

Yi Yun stepped on the tiles and looked straight ahead. He saw an old man that looked weighed down with age. He was languidly slumped onto a long chair and was watching him without much strength.

"You have come. Have a seat."

The elder spoke indifferently. His voice sounded extremely weak. Yi Yun could even sense a faint aura of death from him.

This was the Myriad God Ridge's sect master?

Yi Yun was alarmed. He would not have found it odd if the Myriad God Ridge's sect master was an elder nearing the end of his life. However, typical warriors would appear spirited from their Yuan Qi enrichment even as they approached their end.

One would have to truly be on death's doorstep to produce such an aura of death.

Could it be that the Myriad God Ridge's sect master was about to die?

Yi Yun did not sit. Instead, he bowed first. After all, he was the sect master's disciple, even if only in name.

"What is it? Are you surprised to see me like this?" asked the elder in a self-deprecating tone.

Yi Yun fell silent. He was truly surprised.

"You are rather honest…" The elder smiled as he straightened his back. He asked, seemingly without any undertones, "It appears you were not in Myriad God Ridge… last night?"

The elder's question alarmed Yi Yun.

Before he left that night, he had returned to his seclusion chamber. The chamber had a restriction that could insulate him from others’ perceptions. Even Snake Girl and Duanmu Qingwen did not know that he had left through a long-distance array.

However, the old man knew. This immediately made Yi Yun uncomfortable.

"I wasn’t," Yi Yun replied honestly.

"You must have gone somewhere very far, right?" asked the elder faintly.

Yi Yun's heart skipped a beat but he did not reply. Logically speaking, even if the sect master knew that he had left Myriad God Ridge, he should not have known how far he had gone or to where, unless he had put a tracing mark on him.

However, Yi Yun was confident that, thanks to the Purple Crystal, it was very difficult for someone to plant anything on him without him being aware of it.

"Don't be nervous. I realized that, after you left, you exceeded the range of my perception. I got Cang Wu to use a long-distance voice transmission charm to contact you. It has a range of five hundred thousand kilometers. If you had received it, you should know of its contents."

So it was a voice transmission charm. Yi Yun exhaled lightly. He never expected that a simple voice transmission charm had allowed the elder to infer how far he was from the Myriad God Ridge. How could he have received the voice transmission's contents?

"I didn't receive it!" Yi Yun had no means of hiding. He felt like the elder's listless eyes were like a deep lake that could see through everything.

"Yes…" The elder nodded. "It's good for you to travel out of here. Staying in Sunken Moon Tower all the time will be boring, after all. However, you have to mind your safety. It's extremely dangerous deep in the Calm Sea. A few days ago, your senior brothers, Song Bowen and Zhang Wuchen, must have felt that cultivating was just too boring. They applied to go on an experiential training trip outside, but experienced a mishap. Even as of now, their corpses haven't been found. They vanished into thin air just like that."

The elder spoke calmly. His voice sounded genial, like any elder speaking to a disciple, as though he was exhorting Yi Yun to be extra careful.