HSSB137: The Central Heaven Region Yans and the Zhao Region Yans
Within the icy wind, on the snowy ground, a single spirit flower bloomed, its flower petals stacked layer upon layer till it resembled a flower of clouds as a fragrance was emitted.
On the surface of the flower petals, numerous sigils of light flickered, as though coming together to form an intricate array.
It was precisely Yan Zhaoge’s target this time, the Cloud Array Spirit Flower.
However, Yan Zhaoge’s attention was currently not on that spirit flower, as he was instead smiling coldly at those opposite him.
There stood a crowd of people with a youth at their head, his clothes and accessories somewhat bearing the style of the north.
Yan Zhaoge needed only a glance to know where they hailed from. The Thunder Domain’s Yan Family, their ancestral ground in the Zhao Region of the Thunder Domain, one of the numerous powers under the Heavenly Thunder Hall as well as one of the most major families with the longest histories in the Eight Extremities World following the time of the Great Calamity.
The Yan Family of the Heaven Domain’s Central Heaven Region had split off from this very Yan Family of the Thunder Domain’s Zhao Region that year.
However, that year, the relationship between the two had been extremely terrible.
Following that, when Yan Zhaoge’s family had set off on the road to the Heaven Domain for good, they had even met with a huge disaster which was also partly related to these Zhao Region Yans.
At that time, Yan Di had still been young, and it was in that huge disaster that his parents had died.
Thus, meeting each other now, both sides were not like old friends from the same village reuniting with one another and renewing their blood ties once more, rather it being a situation of enemies meeting with exceptionally bloodshot eyes.
Having crossed over to this world, he did not particularly have any special feelings regarding these Zhao Region Yans. It was only that them having ignored ties of blood and tried to exterminate them permanently, he naturally wouldn’t feel that it would be a problem coming into conflict with them.
Moreover, Yan Zhaoge’s current identity had already decided on his stance for him.
And with these Zhao Region Yans before him evidently here with ill intentions, there was even less need for him to be polite to them.
“Young Master, they attempted to snatch the spirit flower. This subordinate is incompetent, failing in guarding it; if you, Young Master, had not arrived in time, we would not have been able to stop them,” A collapsed black-clothed martial practitioner stood, wiping the blood off his mouth.
Yan Zhaoge said, “It’s fine. You have performed well in guarding, and sustained injuries from your duties; there is no need to blame yourselves.”
“As for them…” Yan Zhaoge chuckled, putting his hands behind his back as he strode forward.
As he strode forward, those opposite him could only feel as though a large mountain was moving closer and closer to them.
The people of the Zhao Region Yans all felt somewhat of a headache coming on, not having expected Yan Zhaoge and Ah Hu to arrive so quickly.
The leading youth said, “I recognise you, Yan Zhaoge.”
“This spirit flower is an ownerless object, not something cultivated by your Broad Creed Mountain. If you want to obtain it, we will not stop you. However, the two of them are not of Broad Creed Mountain, only being the retainers of your Central Heaven Region Yans-what right do they have to stop us from harvesting the spirit flower?”
“A retainer of a branch family being disrespectful towards a member of the main family; I disciplining them is only proper. Or could it be that you want to start a fight with me due to them?”
Hearing his words, Yan Zhaoge shook his head, finding it a little funny.
Not seeing him move, the crowd could only see a blur as the sound of the wind suddenly resounded, with the youth flying uncontrollably backwards the very next instant.
On that youth’s face, a ‘Five Finger Mountain’ imprint shocking to the eye had appeared.
The imprint was the crimson of blood, resembling a permanent birthmark as it clearly told everyone exactly how he had been sent flying.
Yan Zhaoge said mildly, “If you are not awake, I will help to wake you up. The Zhao Region Yans and the Heaven Region Yans have long been two different families, and not the so-called main and branch families that you so speak of.”
“If you hit my people, I’ll hit you; what do I care about what main family?”
An old man hurriedly supported the youth up, swivelling his head to stare at Yan Zhaoge, “Yan Zhaoge, you forget the teachings of your ancestors; we’ll have to see what Yan Di says about that!”
“Don’t forget; within your very name, lies your roots!”
Yan Zhaoge laughed. He indeed hadn’t previously guessed that in this world, there was also the saying of ‘The lands of Yan and Zhao[i] are generous with the mournful Ge(songs) of fallen heroes.”
The Eight Extremities World’s ‘lands of Yan and Zhao’ were the Zhao Region and the You Region of the Thunder Domain’s six regions, with the You Region also being known as the Yan Region.
“And since when has the Zhao Region’s Yan Family been representative of ‘the lands of Yan and Zhao’? In all actuality, it is more like you have embarrassed the term.”
Yan Zhaoge raised his brows high, “If my Central Heaven Region Yans really do want to make a trip to lands of Yan and Zhao, it would not be to visit relatives, but to get back some debts.”
“That year, what you Zhao Region Yans did-you may not be clear on it, but the higher-ups within your family all know it full well.”
His hands behind his back, Yan Zhaoge said mildly, “If I settle these debts with you, you might not even understand the meaning behind it; I can’t be bothered to take it up with the likes of you.”
“However, having attacked my people, you think to leave so easily? Those who used your hands leave your hands behind; those who used your legs leave your legs behind. If you won’t do it yourself, there are more than enough people waiting to help you.”
Ah Hu bared his teeth, his expression a little savage, resembling a ferocious tiger that hungrily devoured all it saw, causing people to involuntarily shiver in their boots.
The surrounding area flashed with figures as numerous black-clothed martial practitioners appeared.
That old man called out hatefully, “Who do you think you are attacking? This is the direct lineage of our Family Head, Young Master Min!”
Yan Zhaoge chortled, “Someone with that sort of character[ii] in his name ah, should indeed be of the direct lineage of this generation of the Zhao Region Yans. However, this level of ability is really too low. Before speaking, shouldn’t he at least first see the situation and the environment he is in?”
“However low his level of ability, it also isn’t something that you as a member of a branch family can discuss; before you speak, best be clear of your own identity first.”
Now, a voice resounded over from the distance.
Yan Zhaoge asked lazily, “Yan Shan, is it?”
While Yan Min still remained semi-conscious with a blood-red palm imprint on his face, the old man and the other Zhao Region Yan Family martial practitioners beside him all revealed expressions of joy, “Young Master Shan is here!”
As a flash of lightning streaked by, on the snowy peak suddenly instantly appeared a youth who looked to be around twenty-six or twenty-seven years of age, his features a bit similar to Yan Min’s, but the aura around him much, much stronger.
A sharp expression on his face, this youth’s gaze was like lightning as above his head was an illusory spiritual light that connected straight into the horizon. He was a Xiantian Martial Scholar.
No ripples could be seen in Yan Zhaoge’s expression whatsoever as he looked carelessly at the other party, “Yan Shan, it seems like you’re not really awake as well, making it hard for me to connect you to your lofty name.”
Although this was his first time meeting him in person, unlike Yan Min, Yan Zhaoge was very familiar with this Yan Shan before him.
The Zhao Region Yan Family’s most outstanding martial genius of this generation.
Not only was it his Yan Family that spent much effort in grooming him, he was also a direct disciple of the Thunder Domain’s Heavenly Thunder Hall, an elite of their current younger generation.
The Heaven’s favoured son of the Heavenly Thunder Hall, the Thunder Rumbling Young Master Lin Zhou who was hailed alongside Yan Zhaoge as one of the Four Young Masters of the current era, was known alongside Yan Shan as ‘Lightning Flashing Thunder Rumbling’, dominating all the other martial practitioners of the Thunder Domain of their generation.
Yan Shan stared at Yan Zhaoge.
Snatching the flower and launching an attack was actually something that he had instructed Yan Min and the others to do, just that he himself, having had something to do, had left for a short moment.
Being much older and correspondingly having cultivated for much longer, Yan Shan’s cultivation base had originally far exceeded Yan Zhaoge’s, thus never having put him on his mind at all before.
However, in recent days, Yan Shan had felt very stifled by the fact that the Thunder Rumbling Young Master Lin Zhou who had always been progressing at the same pace as him with neither being the superior had suddenly improved in his cultivation, actually throwing him behind. This made Yan Shan feel despondent to the extreme.
But it just had to be that Yan Zhaoge had also increased greatly in fame over the past year as his cultivation abruptly progressed by leaps and bounds, also having achieved some glorious achievements in battle.
Having learnt that Yan Zhaoge had sent people to stand guard over the Cloud Array Spirit Flower, the demon within Yan Shan’s heart could no longer be suppressed as he instructed Yan Min to wreck Yan Zhaoge’s plans.
Because of the news that Infinite Boundless Mountain had let out, the Heavenly Thunder Hall had already long since viewed Yan Zhaoge as a thorn in their flesh.
As both a direct disciple of the Heavenly Thunder Hall and a member of the direct lineage of the Zhao Region Yans at the same time, Yan Shan naturally saw Yan Zhaoge as even more of an enemy.
Looking at Yan Zhaoge, Yan Shan said coldly, “That year, we exiled your branch of the Yan Family, but a single pen cannot write two ‘Yan’ characters. Your Central Heaven Region Yans, will forever be a branch of our Zhao Region Yans.”
“Let alone you, even if it is your father Yan Di, even if he succeeds the position of Broad Creed Mountain’s Chief, he would also be an exile of the Zhao Region Yans.”
“The main clan and a branch clan are worlds apart; seniority has to be ordered. Going against social morals and defying your superior; forgetting the teaching of your ancestors-you rightly deserve the taste of our ancestral shrine’s familial laws!”
[i] Basically Crown Prince Dan of the Yan Kingdom, and King Huiwen, Zhao He, of the Zhao Kingdom(real history)
[ii] Basically, Yan Min has this ‘Door’ character门 in his ‘Min’ character闵. Chinese stuff.