The sky was dark, but the golden hall was brightly lit like the day. Four people stood at the front of the hall. The East Cardinal King, Jun Dongyao, stood at the center, the attractive Onyx Emperor and enchanting Onyx Empress on the left, and Sikong Jiansheng on the right.
Up to this moment, Sikong Jiansheng’s face was gloomy with rage burning wildly in his chest, especially after witnessing how Fan Wutian’s hand had been chopped off. To make things worse, there weren’t any disciples from his Cloudmist Sword School among the ranks. It was something that had never happened before over the past few hundred years. If people who didn’t know better saw this scene, they would think that the Cloudmist Sword School no longer had any geniuses.
Of the eight disciples, six were elysian children, while the remaining two were the onyx disciples, Li Wusheng and Li Jiusi. The elysian child, Jun Tianyi, stood together with the two onyx disciples with their arms around each other. Jun Tianyi didn’t feel bad about having his title as the strongest in Grand-Orient Realm snatched away from him, since they were from the same side, not to mention that a woman took it.
“Tianyi, Long'er hasn’t come back?” Jun Dongyao questioned.
“They’ll be here soon, so don’t worry about it, Dad. Uncle said that they’d be back on time. But we already have enough even without her,” said Jun Tianyi.
What can’t we, six elysian children and two onyx disciples, handle? His eyes were flickering with a golden splendor.
“It’s best if they’re here. We don’t know if the Theocracy of the Ancients has anyone supervising,” replied Jun Dongyao. But he didn’t take it too seriously. Even if they missed it, he wouldn’t be the one punished for it.
“Listen up. I’ll first speak of the few requests.” Jun Dongyao’s words immediately caused the eight disciples to become silent. They stood solemnly as they waited.
“The first is to protect the Grand-Orient Sword. We’ve been holding it for six hundred years—over six generations of disciples! If it’s lost, you guys will all be branded as sinners!”
“Got it!” The six elysian children all had their blood boiling. As for the two onyx disciples, they were just listening in. Their task was only to support the elysian children, anyway.
“Secondly, according to the usual practice, you guys are to teach those five impudent fools a lesson. This has always been the custom. There’ll be three hundred thousand audience members tomorrow, so don’t disappoint them.” Jun Dongyao smiled.
“Don’t worry about it, Dad. We’ve looked into the playstyle of at least eighty generations of elysian children. We’ll definitely make it innovative and give them an unforgettable lesson. I even asked the two brothers of the Onyx Sect here to join us. They have tons of ways to torture someone. Just listening to them was electrifying. We’ll give them a taste of a whole new level of humiliation tomorrow. Things like feeding them feces and ripping off their clothes are old school now,” Jun Tianyi boasted.
“I heard you two used poisonous insects to torture a southsky disciple in the Throughgate?” Jun Dongyao smiled.
“Elysian King, it’s just a small trick.” Li Wusheng smiled. But his smile was so unsightly that he looked like crying instead.
“Elysian King, torture is the Onyx Sect’s forte. As long as time allows, we can even torture someone for ten whole days. Furthermore, we guarantee that they’ll still be alive after that,” the Onyx Empress chuckled.
“I never doubted that. Then I’ll have to depend on them for the show.” Jun Dongyao smiled.
“Count on it,” Li Wusheng and Li Jiusi both guaranteed.
“Furthermore,” Jun Dongyao looked around and raised his voice, “take additional ‘care’ of the two from the Weisheng Clan, especially Weisheng Ruosu. She’s the beloved daughter of Weisheng Tianlan, so use everything you guys have up your sleeves on her! I want to see Weisheng Tianlan cry! Can you guys do that?”
“Yes!” the eight disciples chorused, voices brimming with confidence.
“Dad, are we allowed to do ‘that’?” asked Jun Tianyi. He was filled with excitement. After all, Weisheng Ruosu was known for her beauty; she had a unique temperament that no disciples in Heaven's Elysium had.
“Do as you wish. As long as she’s not dead,” said Jun Dongyao.
Having his father’s approval, Jun Tianyi’s eyes sparkled and an arc rose on his lips.
…..
The countless stars in the bright starry sky shone down their brilliance, dyeing everything a soft silver. Even the ground looked like a long stretch of a silvery milky way.
The chuckles that sounded like bells illustrated pure happiness. Mixed with the lingering affection of a young lady, the laughter became even sweeter. Even a passerby listening to their voices would smile, becoming envious at the same time.
The girl wore a long orange dress with spirit stones embedded on it under the starry night, complementing her gorgeous face well. She was a gorgeous woman. Her eyes were like the stars at night, blazing with heated passion. Even while she was hugging the boy beside her, she would exert more force that made the boy feel suffocated.
The boy beside her wore a long white robe with a black belt tied on his waist. He was a gentleman, just like a piece of jade under the starry night; elegant, yet not aloof. Just his smile alone was cleansing to the heart, and his eyes were like two sparkling gems. When he looked at the young lady, his eyes were permeated with sweet affection.
The girl in his embrace was like a fairy messing around beside him, and the smile on his face never disappeared. His eyes were clear, but deep like the abyss at the same time.
“Long'er, stop messing around. We have to hasten our journey or we won’t be able to make it back before dawn.” The boy smiled bitterly, shaking his head.
“No way! I don’t want to return yet! I want to have more fun with you, because it’ll be boring when I return,” the girl chuckled.
“My big brother is already rushing me. Although there aren’t any decent opponents in the Realm War, it’s still a grand event. We can’t miss it, or my dad will punish us,” said the boy as he caught up to her.
“Why would he punish us? We’re not out here to play around. If they know that Big Brother Niancang got me three mid-tier celestial manna, allowing my lifebound beasts to evolve into fifth-order saint beasts and helping me make a breakthrough, they’ll only be filled with praises for you,” the girl pouted.
“Long'er, you should call me Uncle, according to seniority.” The boy smiled.
“No way!” The girl winked, showing a pampered side to her.
“I finally caught you! Now, go back with me.” The boy suddenly sped up and grabbed the girl by her waist. The next second, he increased his speed and transformed into a white blur, traveling like a phantom.
“Hey! You’re bad!” People tended to change in love, and she wasn’t an exception.
“Long’er, I intend to bring you to the Theocracy of the Ancients for further training, since your lifebound beasts evolved along with the breakthrough in your cultivation. What do you think?” The boy asked.
“But Big Brother Niancang, your father said that going to the Theocracy of the Ancients might not necessarily be beneficial to us. Why don’t we stay in Heaven's Elysium instead? We might not be any worse here than we would be in the Theocracy of the Ancients,” said the girl.
“You don’t understand. It’s a whole new world over there. Perhaps cultivating might be the same, but you’ll be exposed to a grander world,” the boy replied.
“Yeah, I don’t understand. But at least for now, I have no intention of going on an adventure.”
“Alright. You have your own view.” The boy had a headache.
“Big Brother Niancang, we have to take things one step at a time. We can’t go beyond our reach and yearn for the sky right away. Listen to me. Let’s head to Heaven's Elysium first, and replace your father. Become the next Elysian Emperor.
“I’ll assist you when you become the Elysian Emperor. After we unify the Grand-Orient Realm, we can go for an adventure in the Theocracy of the Ancients.” The girl’s eyes glowed with passion as she spoke. It was as if she had transformed into a completely different person.
“But I have no interest in becoming the Elysian Emperor,” the boy replied woefully.
“I know that you’re worried about those trifling matters. Don’t worry about it. I’ll deal with it for you. So you just have to assist me.”
“Long'er, cultivators should be free and unfettered, leaving footsteps behind in the world. Why let a name drag you down? I want to transcend the Theocracy of the Ancients and find the path of gods. And it’ll be better with you around,” said the boy with yearning in his tone.
“In my opinion, why are you trying to reach for the sky when you can’t even manage the Grand-Orient Realm?” She wasn’t in favor of going on an adventure and wandering around. She wanted all living beings to cower before her feet, and to dictate the life and death of others.
Looking at her, the boy smiled and shook his head.
“You don’t acknowledge my thoughts?” asked the girl in a sad tone.
“That’s not it. Long'er, people change over time. You’re still young, and I can stay in Heaven's Elysium, waiting for you to grow up.”
The wind blew, covering the girl’s face in her own hair.
“True cultivation should lie above power,” said the boy with stars reflected in his eyes.
“Above power?” The girl didn’t fully understand what the boy meant. She reached around his neck and said, pampered, “Alright then. That’s a promise. You’re not allowed to leave me before I change my mind.”
“I won’t.”
“Big Brother Niancang, I have a question for you.”
“What is it?”
“What’ll you do if your big brother hurts me because he’s afraid of us?”
“He won’t….”
“I want an answer.”
“Long’er, no one can harm you as long as I still have one last breath remaining,” the boy declared with resolution.
“You’re the best!” The girl had tears flickering in her eyes and curled up in his embrace. When she raised her head once more, the two had already arrived at Heaven's Elysium.
“Thank goodness we made it in time. We won’t have to be scolded anymore!” the girl laughed.
When they came to the Throughgate, the guards all dropped to their knees. The reason was simple: the boy in white was the youngest son of the Elysian Emperor, Jun Niancang.
“Elysian Long!” Three people suddenly appeared beneath the Throughgate, with Ling Yichen in the lead.