Celestial Dragon Sword Venerable-Chapter 114: Ye Tianling Must Die Within Ten Days
「Half a month later.」
Deep within the Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain Range.
Ye Tianling had slain a great number of Demon Beasts. Using their Essence Blood and Beast Pills in conjunction with his own Bloodline Power, he had finally recovered completely from his recent exertion.
’Tianyu said my Battle Power was only at the level of Breaking Three? That must have been his assessment when my power was completely drained. After my Soul mutated, my Samadhi True Fire Celestial Dragon Sword Soul has become incredibly powerful. Now, I wouldn’t be afraid to face even Ouyang Ruoxue of the Sword Spirit Realm... I could probably even kill her in an instant...’
’There’s no way that’s only the strength of Breaking Three.’
’But then again, it’s too early to be talking about Battle Power before I’ve reached the Sword Void Realm.’
Ye Tianling thought for a moment but decided not to dwell on the matter.
’Three months... I still have almost fifty days. I’ll just focus on accumulating power during this time.’
Ye Tianling mused to himself, planning to lay low for a while. He would kill some more Demon Beasts to continue consolidating his Battle Power and tempering his Realm.
...
As evening fell, a hook-like crescent moon hung in the sky, accompanied by a smattering of stars.
Lin Qingxi stood on a lone peak in the Celestial Sword Sect, gazing at the blood-colored crescent moon on the horizon. A hint of bewilderment clouded her beautiful eyes.
"What’s wrong? Thinking about that little guy again?"
Xiao Qingzhu’s figure appeared behind her, her tone teasing.
"Master, do you think... do you think Granny Qinglian will be ruthless to him?"
Lin Qingxi turned around, her shimmering eyes fixed on Xiao Qingzhu.
"She won’t, don’t worry. I already invoked the name ’Xiao Jiutian’; how could she not show me that respect? You know, if you really like him, just go to the Nine Swords Sect and find him. It’s not a big deal. It’s a simple matter of mutual affection."
Xiao Qingzhu said with a sigh.
Lin Qingxi blushed slightly but shook her head. "I’m just worried, that’s all. I wouldn’t say I like him. I’ve been learning about his past these last few days... He’s been through so much hardship."
Xiao Qingzhu seemed to drift off for a moment, her thoughts turning to the Ye Fengyang of years past. She sighed wistfully. "Isn’t that the truth."
Lin Qingxi glanced at the blood moon in the sky again. "Master, I want to undergo the Talent Awakening."
Xiao Qingzhu was visibly moved. "Are you sure? If you fail, there’s no turning back. You’ll lose what makes you special and become just like everyone else."
Lin Qingxi bit her lip. "That’s better than being as weak and helpless as I am now, unable to even protect the one I... care about."
A tremor went through Xiao Qingzhu’s heart.
Lin Qingxi’s words struck a chord with her.
’For instance, she had loved Ye Fengyang, but she lacked the courage and the ability to protect him.’
’How similar was that to Lin Qingxi’s feelings for Ye Tianling now?’
"I will take you to the Cyan Moon Sword Sect to awaken your Talent!"
In that moment, Xiao Qingzhu abruptly made her decision.
For Lin Qingxi, and... for herself.
...
「Thousand Tribulations Sword Peak.」
With a long exhale, Ye Cangqian expelled a breath of turbid air. After fifty days in seclusion, he had finally condensed his Fiery Sun Sword Spirit.
With his Sword Spirit formed, his Fiery Sun Sword Body had reached its apex. From the pinnacle of yang, yin was born.
Yin and Yang were in balance, returning to a state of primordial unity.
Ye Cangqian manifested his Sword Spirit Power. A Fiery Sun Sword appeared behind him—a ten-meter-tall phantom of an ancient sword, radiating an overwhelming presence.
’Ye Fengyang’s bloodline contains such a powerful, ancient energy. The more I refine and comprehend it, the more I realize how profound its foundation is.’
A strange glint flickered in Ye Cangqian’s eyes.
He muttered to himself, the greed in his eyes intensifying.
"Uncle Qingfeng, what’s the situation?"
Ye Cangqian formed a Communication Jade Scroll and shot it out with his Sword Spirit Power.
However, the streak of light from the Communication Jade Scroll suddenly halted, freezing in mid-air for a moment.
A bloody light flared on the Jade Scroll, and then, with a PUFF, it exploded into dust.
Ye Cangqian’s expression changed instantly. His pupils contracted, and his face grew grim.
’He’s dead.’
Ye Cangqian’s heart sank, and his expression became exceptionally sinister. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞
He clasped his hands behind his back and paced back and forth, his expression dark and turbulent.
’Ye Tianling is hard to kill. Not counting the assassination attempts by others, I myself have already failed to kill him once. Sending Uncle Qingfeng to kill him also failed, making that the second time. If I fail to kill him a third time, I will surely be bound to him by a great karmic tribulation.’
’The Celestial Dao is governed by cause and effect. If this karmic tie isn’t severed, I will surely suffer the consequences. I can’t let him live any longer. The Essence Blood I have from Ye Fengyang is enough for me to study for a long time. I shouldn’t be greedy; I need to be focused.’
’This brat is growing too quickly. I absolutely cannot allow him to successfully condense a Sword Soul!’
A vicious glint appeared in Ye Cangqian’s eyes, and his expression grew even more resolute.
Ye Cangqian opened his Qiankun Ring and took out a gold-red, withered branch. On the branch was a single leaf of the same gold-red color.
The leaf was shaped like that of a willow, but it contained an incredibly powerful and ancient aura.
Ye Cangqian closed his eyes, and a bloody light manifested on his eyelids.
A moment later, he took out a square, blood-colored token. Engraved on it was a blood-drenched skull, wreathed in golden flames.
Ye Cangqian touched a finger to the spot between his eyebrows and, using the power of his blood, activated the golden flames on the token.
Within the flames, the skull let out a ghastly laugh. As it laughed, the skull split open, forming the threshold of an ancient gate.
From within the gate, a blood-colored figure suddenly manifested, hovering in the air.
"Speak."
The blood-red phantom looked down, its gaze fixed on Ye Cangqian, cold and merciless.
"Your Excellency, the Blood Killing Envoy."
Ye Cangqian bowed, his voice deferential.
The blood-red phantom gave a slight nod but did not reply.
Ye Cangqian presented the gold-red, withered branch. "This is the payment."
"A Celestial Dragon Ancestral Tree Broken Branch from the Celestial Dragon Sword Tomb? You are Duan Qianji’s disciple. State your request."
The blood-red phantom recognized the origin of the gold-red branch at a glance. It seemed somewhat impressed and immediately asked for the request.
"Kill Ye Tianling. Extract his Essence Blood, preserve it, and bring it to me. He is Ye Fengyang’s son, the one who caused a huge stir in the Nine Swords Sect fifty days ago. I previously dispatched my uncle, Ye Qingfeng, to assassinate him, with Ouyang Ruoxue’s cooperation..."
Ye Cangqian hesitated for a moment before giving a detailed account of the situation.
The blood-red phantom mulled it over for a moment before speaking. "For the price you are paying, this is sufficient even if the target were at the Sword Tribulation Ninth Refining Realm. We accept your request. The mission will be completed within ten days. Ye Tianling will die!"
Ye Cangqian breathed a sigh of relief. He tossed the gold-red branch toward the ancient gate in the void and bowed deeply once more.
The gold-red branch quickly vanished into the gate.
The blood-red phantom vanished soon after.
As the phantom dissipated, the ancient gate slammed shut, and the blood-colored square token instantly returned to normal.
Ye Cangqian put the token away, sighing to himself. ’I’ve felt uneasy ever since I broke through to the Sword Spirit Realm. It’s either because Master is in danger, or it must be because that Ye Tianling has had some sort of fortuitous encounter. How could a boy with such an Innate Deficiency rise so powerfully? How could he survive having his Soul crushed by my Sword Soul? It’s truly unimaginable.’
’Ancient ancestral teachings and old legends all say that a true, peerless genius cannot be killed, cannot be destroyed... I hope that’s not what’s happening here.’
’This time, I paid a tremendous price and even mentioned Uncle Qingfeng’s death. The assassin sent by Blood Killing Heaven should be incredibly strong. I shouldn’t need to worry anymore. Even if he can escape once or twice, knowing the methods of Blood Killing Heaven, how many times can he possibly run?’
’A Void Realm expert is already dead. What about one from the Tribulation Realm? And if even that’s not enough, if Blood Killing Heaven sends out one of their Half-step Saint Sons or Saintesses, what chance would he possibly have?’
Ye Cangqian murmured, and his restless heart finally settled down.
...
