Translator: Jon
Editor: Silavin
The three hegemons had been around for a thousand years, which meant that they used to have Divine Ocean Realm Masters and Real Lake Realm Masters.
They were aware of the secrets to shattering the shackles of Cloud River Realm, which was something the other Sects in Soaring Dragon Boundary didn’t have.
However, the collective power of the cultivators from these three Sects had gradually weakened over the generations since the Heavenly Gully’s appearance.
Li Sa from the Imperial Sect had ascended to the peak of the Cloud River Realm around two hundred years ago. He had been trying to find out the secrets to ascending to the Real Lake Realm over the years. He didn’t only do it for himself. He also wanted to find a way out for the cultivators in Soaring Dragon Boundary. However, his attempt was futile.
Since his time was up in this world, he finally passed away. His death was a huge loss to Soaring Dragon Boundary. Upon learning the news, all the cultivators were shocked.
“After Senior Li Sa passed away, I’m worried Master Fa Hua from Vajra Temple won’t live long either.” Someone sighed.
Master Fa Hua was even older than Li Sa, and he had witnessed the powers of the Real Lake Realm Masters. When he was born, Real Lake Realm Masters were still around in Soaring Dragon Boundary.
The reason he could live longer than Li Sa was that the cultivation technique of Vajra Temple focused on body-tempering. With ample vitality, he could naturally enjoy a longer life.
However, he was supposedly about to reach the limit as well.
As these Seniors passed away, it didn’t only mean temporary losses for the martial world; it also meant the disappearance of the heritage in Soaring Dragon Boundary.
The Imperial Sect, Vajra Temple, and Grandeur Academy all had such figures. As cultivators, they hadn’t reached their limits, but they had come to the end of their martial journey due to the limit in this world, which was a sorrowful notion.
If the anomaly in Soaring Dragon Boundary went on, there would come a day when there would be no more cultivators.
“To Senior Li Sa!” Someone rose from the chair and lifted his cup. Then, he saluted in the Imperial Sect’s direction and poured the wine onto the floor.
“To Senior Li Sa!” Many people did the same as the atmosphere in the restaurant turned solemn.
Li Sa had been meditating for over two hundred years just to find a way out for the cultivators in Soaring Dragon Boundary. Although he eventually failed in his attempt, his insistence was worth their respect.
The solemnity didn’t last long. Cultivators were generally optimistic. As someone’s voice sounded, the atmosphere in the restaurant turned lively again.
“Guys, have you heard that Tyrant Blade Manor in Feng Zhou was destroyed half a month ago? Ye Ying was killed, and even his family members were murdered. That’s horrible.”
“Who did that?” someone asked.
“I’m not sure, but it’s said that it’s the Divine Will Sect’s doing.”
“They have always been on bad terms, so it’s not surprising that those from Divine Will Sect made a move. It’s a shame that Tyrant Blade Technique is now gone. I heard that it’s an incredible blade technique. Since the Ye Family is gone, the blade technique is lost as well.”
They talked about Tyrant Blade Manor all of a sudden. Lu Ye only listened in silence while Ye Liuli remained impassive.
Nevertheless, their conversation showed that most people were only aware that Tyrant Blade Manor was destroyed, but they didn’t know that Ye Six and Ye Liuli were still alive. They were also unaware that those from Divine Will Sect had suffered a setback, and even Pang Wanhai and two Elders were killed.
That wasn’t surprising, for Tyrant Blade Manor wasn’t Divine Will Sect’s only enemy. After suffering such huge losses, those from Divine Will Sect wouldn’t spread the news, and Lu Ye wouldn’t tell everyone about it either. Therefore, the incident had been concealed for the time being.
The cultivators conversed loudly and changed topics frequently. After all, they hadn’t experienced those incidents. They were merely chit-chatting.
After they were done talking about Tyrant Blade Manor, they shifted their attention to the unusual phenomenon in Nan Zhou the other day. A divine weapon appeared and caused countless cultivators to fight for it, which resulted in many people losing their lives. Even those from Grandeur Academy were shocked.
No one knew who had acquired the divine weapon in the end.
Then, they talked about the anomaly in the Heavenly Gully in the north. Several people saw some rolling shadows in the Heavenly Gully.
Since eight hundred years ago, there had never been a lack of rumours about the Heavenly Gully.
That was because the transformation in Soaring Dragon Boundary started when the Heavenly Gully appeared out of nowhere. Over the past eight hundred years, the limit for the cultivators dropped from the Divine Ocean Realm and Real Lake Realm to the Cloud River Realm. The spirituality in this world seemed to be constantly weakening following the Heavenly Gully’s appearance.
Although the Heavenly Gully had been around for eight hundred years, it was always hung in the sky in the north without any changes. That attracted a lot of cultivators to go over and have a look. Eventually, a great force named Heavenly Gully Cult was born.
The headquarters of Heavenly Gully Cult was located in Xue Zhou, which wasn’t far away from Heavenly Gully. The Cult’s members believed that the Heavenly Gully was a gift from the Heavens. By finding out the secrets behind the Heavenly Gully, they would be able to get to the path beyond the Cloud River Realm.
Many cultivators in Soaring Dragon Boundary dismissed the idea. However, many people, who had reached their limits, wanted to give it a try and find out the secrets behind the Heavenly Gully.
It was for this reason that the cultivators from Heavenly Gully Cult came from all walks of life. Undeniably, there were many powerful cultivators in the Cult. Many of them were old Ninth-Order Masters. Some people even believed that the Cult’s heritage was comparable to those of the three hegemons.
While the cultivators in the restaurant were still conversing, Lu Ye footed the bill and left the city through the northern gate along with Yi Yi and Ye Liuli. Then, he fished out his Spirit Boat and continued heading north.
…
A ray of light flashed across the air. It was a Flight-Type Artifact that looked like a shuttle. A short man with a pale face was seated on the artifact. The fluctuations of his aura showed that he was a Ninth-Order Master.
However, he seemed to be badly injured as his breathing was weak. During the flight, he sprayed out a mouthful of blood as the artifact wobbled and almost fell from the sky.
“Damn it! Argh!” he cursed after spitting out some blood.
He initially thought it was a great opportunity for him, but it turned out to be a disaster. [What kind of opportunity was that? It almost killed me!]
There were times when he wanted to toss away the thing he had risked his life to acquire. He fell into such a state because of that thing.
However, whenever he took it out and was ready to throw it away, he didn’t have the heart to do so.
Although the item was dangerous, he could feel the immense power within it. That was a power that a Cloud River Realm Master could never possess.
That was indeed a rare treasure. As such, he was reluctant to toss it away.
He had gone looking for many famous Medical Cultivators recently, but no one could cure him.
Now, the Divine Healer in the Valley of Medicine in Xue Zhou was his last hope. Therefore, he was heading north at the moment.
…
The atmosphere in the Imperial Sect had been solemn as of late. The death of Li Sa was a huge loss to the Sect. Cultivators were usually optimistic and understood that life and death were part and parcel of life. Therefore, they wouldn’t be mournful over a person’s death. There wasn’t even a grand funeral. Only some Managers in the Sect found a hidden place and buried the corpse.
The Sect Master, Huang Liang, had been dealing with this matter. It wasn’t until now that everything was settled.
He left the tomb where Li Sa was buried and said gently, “I’ll set off now. Please take care of the Sect when I’m not around.”
The Deputy Sect Master, Kui Yuanshan, said, “Sect Master, why don’t I go over there instead?”
The other Elders also offered to take over the task.
No one knew why Huang Liang wanted to head to the Heavenly Gully and take a look at this point.
Huang Liang shook his head. “I won’t be at ease if I don’t take a look personally.”
He didn’t let them in on the details.
He was by Li Sa’s side when the latter passed away because he was the disciple closest to him.
At that time, Li Sa realised that his days were numbered, so he was ready to tell him his last words.
However, when he was doing that, he suddenly looked in the north and fell into a dazed state. Soon, his gaze was filled with horror, and he passed away the next moment.
As Huang Liang recalled the incident, he believed that Li Sa must’ve realised something in the last moments of his life.
Li Sa was most concerned about the Heavenly Gully’s presence in the north. Therefore, after Huang Liang was done with his Master’s funeral, he decided to head to the Heavenly Gully.
He wanted to find out what Li Sa had realised before his death.
Then, he fished out his Spirit Artifact and shot into the sky.
…
In Vajra Temple, the chanting and the knocking sounds of temple blocks intertwined. As a Sect that had been around for a thousand years, the atmosphere in the Temple was solemn.
In the deepest part of Vajra Temple where the forbidden area was located, a young monk was sweeping the leaves on the floor when he felt something and looked up, only to be shocked by what he saw.
A skinny figure was standing in front of him all of a sudden. The person looked like a skeleton that was covered in a thin layer of skin. His face was full of wrinkles and dark spots. Nevertheless, his eyes were as bright as Stars.
The young monk had no idea when the person had appeared in front of him. Presently, the old man looked in the north and furrowed his long white brows, which twitched suddenly.
“Martial… Ancestor?” The young monk finally recognised who the person was, so he quickly saluted him.
The person was none other than Fa Hua, who had been meditating for over three hundred years in Vajra Temple’s forbidden area. Although the young monk had never seen him before, he reckoned that only the Martial Ancestor would appear in the forbidden area at this point.
However, when the young monk looked up again, the person was nowhere in sight.
The old frail man, who was in front of him earlier, had vanished into thin air.
“Did I just see a ghost or something!?” The young monk’s face turned pale as he was flabbergasted. He dropped the broom and ran away while shouting, “There’s a ghost here!”
Soon, a group of monks arrived at this place. They were all burly men who were full of vitality.
After some inspection, they confirmed that the Martial Ancestor was missing.
All of them were puzzled as to why the Martial Ancestor had left his room and disappeared without informing them.