Chapter 7: The Great Fortune Imperial Dynasty
Although he was surprised why the other party would prepare two copies, Ye Yang still accepted it.
“Junior Sister, I naturally trust you. There’s nothing to check,” he said.
Zhu Mange was secretly delighted. These three hundred Spirit Stones were personally given to Ye Yang by her, and even if her father were to ask about them later, she wouldn't admit that she embezzled them.
In this way, it was equivalent to gaining the help of a first-tier Senior Brother for three hundred Spirit Stones. All things considered, it was a sure profit.
The scene of Ye Yang striking Wang Dong with a single blow still echoed in her mind.
After bidding farewell to Zhu Mange, Ye Yang, carrying his packed luggage, set off towards the Fork Zhang Family’s stronghold, taking advantage of the morning sun.
The nascent morning light pierced through the gaps in the dense forest leaves, shone through the early mist, and illuminated his hair. A gentle breeze arose, making it shimmer with a golden luster.
The Fork Zhang Family had risen to prominence only a few decades ago. The Clan Chief, originally named Zhang Dali, was a robust fisherman who also practiced martial arts. He was skilled with a pair of fishing forks and called himself the “Wave Warrior.”
It was said that he could scrape a piece of mud from the sole of his shoe and throw it to kill a ten-pound carp in the water.
Later, he embarked on the path of cultivation, and his Family continued to prosper and flourish.
From the Flying Heaven Gate to the Fork Zhang Family’s Bihu Marsh, it was approximately three hundred li of official road and twenty li of mountain path.
The Tuo Yun Horse was strong and robust. It resembled a horse but had deer patterns, a pair of golden horns on its head, and four snow-white hooves, as if it were treading on snow, hence its name Tuo Yun (Cloud Carrier).
Besides being able to leap over mountains and streams, the golden horns on its head could also manipulate wild grass and bushes, clearing small paths for long journeys.
Therefore, Ye Yang’s speed was extremely fast. By noon, he had already covered half the distance.
The official road was bustling with people, including many mule carts transporting goods and a continuous stream of travelers and merchants, which slowed down his speed.
It wasn't until the sun began to set, at four o’clock in the unitary hour, that Ye Yang had covered seventy percent of the official road. It was almost dark.
The weather was cold, the journey long, the mountains high and mysterious. At night, strange creatures often appeared, and bandits ambushed travelers. Ye Yang originally wanted to find an inn to stay overnight and set off again the next morning when the weather cleared.
However, looking around, he saw only the green mountains and the main road, with no sign of human habitation. So, Ye Yang found an open area, gathered some dry branches and fallen leaves, built a fire, and prepared to sleep in his clothes.
At this moment, he heard a faint, chaotic, yet powerful sound of horse hooves from outside.
Ye Yang led the Tuo Yun Horse and hid behind a large tree. With the faint light, he saw the source of the hoofbeats.
It was a troop of dozens of cavalrymen, wearing black and red tiger-head chainmail armor, high-brimmed helmets, and black masks.
Each of them held a black Dragon spear as thick as an egg.
The leading figure was tall, holding a banner embroidered with the character “transport” (Yun, meaning Luck or transport).
“People from the Great Fortune Imperial Dynasty?” Ye Yang was surprised.
Yalong Ridge was known for its Sects and Families, with few nations existing.
East of Yalong Ridge, ten thousand li away, there was a nation called the Great Fortune Dynasty, which cultivated with the Luck of humanity, achieving spiritual enlightenment through Qi. It possessed countless elite soldiers and powerful crossbows, and was established as a nation.
That Great Fortune Imperial Dynasty was originally a place where various feudal lords coexisted, but then an emperor named Ren Taxian emerged, quickly unifying the six directions and the entire realm, achieving a great unification.
He dug canals to connect all directions, built the Great Wall to resist barbarians, unified the writing system, standardized weights and measures, destroyed mountains and temples, attacked Sects and annihilated Schools, and established the Immortal Catching Division and the Demon Control Division.
Consequently, many Cultivation Schools were either destroyed, incorporated, or forced to withdraw.
Some time ago, the old Sect Master of the Great Fortune Imperial Dynasty’s Cultivation Holy Land, ‘Lietian Sword Sect,’ along with the contemporary Innate experts of ‘Tai Xu Dao Sect’ and ‘Rebirth Zen Temple,’ fought a great battle against Ren Taxian.
Innate is an honorific title, meaning a person who has returned to their true self, which shows their terrifying strength, but the three of them were suppressed with a backhand.
Subsequently, they led a group of Sect Disciples and established their forces deep within the Ten Thousand Mountains of Yalong Ridge.
Before leaving, they declared, “Controlling Immortals with humans is a capital crime. The blood feud will not be forgotten. We will surely return to kill again.”
This was big news in the Cultivation World, known to everyone.
The appearance of these Great Fortune Imperial Dynasty cavalrymen in Yalong Ridge must have an unknown reason.
Just as Ye Yang was observing, sounds of fighting erupted within the dozens of cavalrymen. The fighting lasted for a full half an incense stick of time before gradually ceasing.
A moment later, the cavalrymen left one by one, disappearing onto the official road.
On the ground, however, lay some dismembered corpses, holding swords and blades, dressed in luxurious clothing.
“From the looks of it, it seems like they were pursuing the noble children of the former feudal states.”
Ye Yang guessed that the noble children of the ancient feudal states, whom the Great Fortune Imperial Dynasty had previously annihilated, had escaped, and these cavalrymen must have come in pursuit for this reason.
Although the Great Fortune Imperial Dynasty was powerful, it had just suppressed its internal conflicts, and the voices of opposition had not yet subsided.
The former noble children of the feudal states and Sect Disciples would naturally not surrender. They would even secretly accumulate strength to avenge this deep blood feud.
“I hope this matter doesn’t affect the Flying Heaven Gate.”
“Once war breaks out, chaos will reign, thousands of miles will be desolate, blood will flow like rivers, and at the moment of life and death, Sects will be destroyed, and the common people will become bandits. At that time, it will be the time of Family destruction and personal ruin.”
Among the various Sects in Yalong Ridge, the Flying Heaven Gate's strength was still far from sufficient.
Ye Yang’s eyes showed worry.
With this incident, Ye Yang naturally couldn't sleep. So, under the moonlight, he secretly approached the bodies.
The wounds on these bodies were mostly caused by Talismans, spears, and crossbows. Most people died with a single blow, indicating that the attackers were extremely powerful.
All their belongings had been taken away, so there was no way to salvage anything from the corpses.
Sleeping in his clothes for a night, Ye Yang was preoccupied with worry.
...
After sleeping for a while, Ye Yang turned over and saw the sky dotted with stars.
Suddenly, he seemed to see something, and he was startled. He then realized that on a branch in front of him, a woman in white was sitting.
Her hair was disheveled, and her neck was tied with a rope, hanging from the big tree, her feet swinging back and forth.
Under the starlight, Ye Yang clearly saw the woman’s face.
White clothes, red shoes, hair dancing in the wind, and when she opened her mouth, a mouthful of toothpick-like fangs were revealed.
Ye Yang’s hair stood on end, and cold sweat streamed down. The deep mountains were mysteriously dark, and inexplicable natural phenomena often occurred. He knew he had encountered a strange creature!
People say that there are demons, devils, ghosts, and monsters. Demons are animals that swallow a mouthful of Spiritual Qi into their bellies and transform into spirits.
Devils are one of the myriad races, fierce and cunning. There are also those who specialize in cultivating demonic thoughts, feeding their bodies to devils, and transforming into Devil Heads.
Ghosts are a special state of living beings after death, where a spark of spiritual light does not extinguish, neither living nor dead, neither human nor object.
And monsters are the most bizarre, the most inexplicable natural phenomena and mysterious pasts in the vast myriad realms.
They cannot be killed, cannot die, and are inconceivable.
Ye Yang felt his teeth chattering and his feet turning cold. He turned the Tuo Yun Horse around and fled down the mountain path.
“My dear lover, can you see my legs?”