Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
During the Donghai City battle, the mysterious emperor’s intent appeared within Ye Futian. It helped him kill someone of the Arcana Plane but this power didn’t belong to him. However, that emperor’s intent gave him the Imperial Tactics. After that, he was able to use the Imperial Tactics to activate the emperor’s intent hidden within him. Ye Futian knew that the Imperial Tactics could raise his fighting to another level but he never fully used it before or push the Imperial Tactics to the extreme.
Today though, faced with the bombardment of all the noble intents, he knew that he couldn’t succeed even with the emperor’s intent. Thus, he broke out all the power within him. He urged the Imperial Tactics to the limit without holding back at all.
The familiar feeling from the Donghai City was back. Last time, the mysterious intent was controlling and guiding him. This time, it was completely his power though it was far less powerful than at the Donghai City.
If the opponent was a true Noble figure, Ye Futian would die without a doubt. He would die even if the opponent was in the Arcana Plane, let alone the Noble Plane. Intent power could greatly magnify a cultivator’s combat ability but he still couldn’t overlook the difference in plane.
It was different in the Loulan Relic though. The opponent wasn’t a true Noble and was just the physical incarnate of the intent. In the lower Ancient Barren World, even the strongest intent was restricted to the Dharma Plane. Since the opponent’s body was formed by intent, Ye Futian only had to repress it from that aspect to defeat it. That was why Ye Futian was so confident. He didn’t perceive a true noble intent yet but by fully activating the emperor’s intent, fusing it into his guqin to attack, he believed he could surpass the opponent with his strong intent.
The emperor’s mark burst inside him. Ye Futian’s body seemed to morph. Behind him, Ye Wuchen watched his changes in shock. He could sense that perhaps, this was the true undisguised Ye Futian. He was like a natural-born emperor. The Nobles before him were stunned as well. Thye stared hard at Ye Futian’s body. What level of intent was this?
At this moment, a handsome figure stood before them. He was too beautiful. Even as Nobles, they wanted to worship him. He was high and mighty and should be loved by all. This kind of temperament and intent was not learned—it was something he was born with.
“It seems that you really aren’t from Loulan,” the emperor sighed as he studied Ye Futian. Ancient Loulan wouldn’t have someone like him.
“Senior, are you planning on giving up now?” Ye Futian asked, studying the other.
The emperor gazed at him and then into the distance. His eyes seemed tired. He was obviously discontent to exist in this relic for so many years as intent, turned into a chess piece for testing the descendants of Ancient Loulan for his opponent. Thus, he would kill anyone who stepped foot in here. If he had to be a chess piece, he would kill all Loulan descendants. He was long tired of this and survived through persistence.
“No.” He looked away and said to Ye Futian, “If you lose, you die. If you win, you can have anything you want.”
“Alright.” Ye Futian lowered his head and didn’t say anything else. His music continued to rise. In a moment, a burst of violent intent accompanied the music and swept out. The armored soldiers in its path were all pulverized.
The emperor waved his hand. Various Noble shadows charged forward with extremely terrifying noble intent, pressing towards Ye Futian. But Ye Futian, playing his instrument, was still calm as ever. There was a tinge of heroic tragedy in the music, just like grandmaster before the Nandou Clan before. However, this tragic feeling was for the opponent rather than himself.
He would fully restrict the Nobles existing as intent. They weren’t even as threatening as the prides of the Barren City. After all, they were at the pinnacle of the Dharma Plane and possessed noble intent, rather than being created by pure intent.
Just as Ye Futian had predicted, the music seemed to be branded by the emperor’s mark. It passed through the Nobles’ bodies, instantly marking them with destruction. The charging Nobles looked down dazedly at their bodies.
Boom, boom… Various holes appeared in their bodies. There wasn’t any blood but they could feel death approaching. Of course, they’d already died once but this time, they might disappear completely.
The emperor watched all this quietly. His expression was extremely calm. Was the heroically tragic music played for them?
He walked forward, standing before the Nobles. He surrounded himself and whistling swords appeared. They seemed real. As he walked, the tens of thousands of swords followed. At that moment, he was like a Noble of swords.
The countless swords flew to Ye Futian at once. In a straight line, they destroyed everything in their way. Ye Futian continued playing his instrument quietly. The music was like heavenly cranes crying. The music storm swept out; the swords in its path were obliterated and turned to dust.
At the same time, rays of music ignored everything and bombarded the emperor. The most terrifying thing about musical sorcery was that it was difficult to defend against. The dazzling emperor’s marks seemed to burn on his body. Like golden flames, they were beautiful.
“Intent restraint?” he muttered. He didn’t expect that someone in the relic could restrain his intent but anything was possible. Someone in the First level Dharma Plane could restrict his intent.
As the physical form of intent, he was suffering from intent restraint. How could he continue fighting? He wasn’t even as strong as a slightly more powerful Dharma Plane cultivator.
The solemn music continued. The storm blew past, submerging everything. The various Nobles all burned from the emperor’s intent. After that, their bodies grew illusory until they finally turned to dust and disappeared. It was as if they’d never existed before.
Ye Futian didn’t continue. His music slowed and he looked up. His clear eyes gazed at the figure in the sky.
“Is his talent really as powerful as you say?” the emperor asked. His tone was calm, no sign that they had been intent on killing each other earlier.
“He received recognition by a noble ritual implement while in the Fourth level Dharma Plane,” Ye Futian said. “He would definitely not stop at the Noble Plane in the future.”
“Well, you’re confident,” the emperor said. He was a powerful Noble and knew how difficult it was to advance further.
“Then senior, do you believe me?” Ye Futian asked.
The figure in the air fell silent. He looked at Ye Futian, understanding what he meant. Looking to Ye Wuchen, he said, “Do not fight back.”
Ye Wuchen looked at the figure in the air and nodded. After that, the figure slowly turned transparent as if transforming into a boundless yet illusory sword shadow. It shot toward Ye Wuchen and dug into the spot between his brows. At that moment, Ye Wuchen closed his eyes tightly. Terrifying sword intent flowed across his body, strengthening by the second.
Ye Futian watched this scene with a smile. His emperor’s intent disappeared. He felt extremely weak, devoid of any strength. By fulling using the Imperial Tactics, he’d used all his strength. Earlier, he’d supported himself with pure will. The figure in the air grew more and more insubstantial. The emperor’s figure could disappear at any moment.
“What is that?” At that moment, Ye Futian’s eyes flashed. When the emperor grew less substantial, a beam of light appeared from his body. Within it, there was a thread of coldness.
“I said earlier that if you defeat me, you will receive what you want,” the emperor said to Ye Futian. As soon as he finished, the apparition scattered in the sky, all going towards Ye Wuchen. A voice sounded in the air. “Dying with Loulan back then was not due to war.” With that, he disappeared completely. Half a scroll of a valuable book hovered in the air. It radiated with shocking coldness.
Ye Futian now understood what those words meant. The book was inside the emperor’s body. He could only receive it if the emperor died.
“Such strong intent.” Ye Futian couldn’t help but shudder at the coldness. He used Freedom Meditation and instantly, Ye Futian felt even stronger intent seep from the book. With his emperor’s intent, he could faintly feel that this scroll might contain intent above the Noble level. It was for cultivators above the Noble level.
The coldness spread and frost appeared, covering the world. Soon, Ye Futian’s long hair and eyebrows were all covered in white. He saw a beautiful and mighty picture in the book. It was of a boundless snowy peak. Snowflakes floated in the sky, falling down. It gave one the feeling of absolute coldness at a glance. In the sky, an icy moon hung in the air. It was even colder than the snowy mountain.
This was a picture of loneliness and coldness.
It snowed around Ye Futian as well. The snowflakes melted into his body and endless water elemental Spiritual Qi flooded towards his body, streaming in. In his Life Palace, the World Tree rustled. It seemed to be covered in a layer of frost as well. Above it, a cool moon formed gradually, hanging in the sky. On the other side, the sun life spirit hung high.
The sun and moon shone in turn; the sun was yang and the moon was yin. Fire and water, yin and yang, they represented life.
In the outside world, Ye Wuchen accepted the intent’s inheritance. When he opened his eyes, he was covered frost. He looked around and saw that the army up ahead was was all sealed in ice, looking like various ice sculptures. The entire world seemed to be about to turn into a world of ice.
Even the faraway Virgin Loulan could feel the iciness spreading to them. She reached out and a snowflake floated down. She trembled inwardly.
“Let’s go.” She flashed and charged forward hurriedly. The half scroll might have been found!