Evil Venerable of the Sword Dao-Chapter 643 - 076: Ye Sha Ancestor Star, Divine Dynasty Princess

"The Ye Sha Ancestor Star will soon commence the Endless Combat Trials, mainly in preparation for the conquest of the Nine Origin Universe. Our Heavenly Emperor Universe abounds in resources, and I truly wonder what’s so desirable about that dilapidated Nine Origin Universe." 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

"Under the heavens, all lands belong to the Emperor. A decision made by the Supreme Saint, the Unborn Saint, must be wise. We don’t understand because we are not yet qualified to comprehend. A Saint’s words are to be followed—that’s all."

"I heard that the Divine Dynasty Princess of Wansheng Divine Dynasty has emerged from her retreat and will be going to the Ye Sha Ancestor Star. If the Princess takes a liking to you and you become her guard, that would be quite wonderful indeed."

"You dare long for the Divine Dynasty Princess? Do you think you are still the Divine Fist Saint from the past? Do you have the daring to outrageously disrespect the Holy Mother of Wansheng Divine Dynasty?"

"Hiss—Cheng’er, you dare to speak such words? Are you looking for death?"

"Hehe, you’re making a mountain out of a molehill, Cheng’er. The Divine Fist Saint’s fate was indeed tragic, his soul shattered in the Desolate Land of the Endless Trials. This is no secret, known to all under the sky, nothing to fear. Moreover, the Palace Master of that era has ascended, and the Holy Mother has passed away. What’s there that can’t be spoken of?"

"Such audacity, I didn’t expect you to be so open-minded. Nevertheless, Cheng’er, what you said is true. However, it’s curious why the Wansheng Divine Dynasty has now relocated and chosen the Heavenly Snow Palace as their new site. Although the Heavenly Snow Palace has a long and ancient past, it has always been shrouded in mystery."

"Who knows? Let’s not talk about this anymore. To undergo star domain transfer to the Ye Sha Ancestor Star, we need to earn enough Heavenly Crystals to hand over to the Hall Master, otherwise it’s all just empty talk. I think we’d better do less talking and more action, that’s the solid way to go."

...

Within the sensing reach, in a huge ancient city, Zhou Yan brushed past a group of six men dressed in white robes with feather trims on a bustling street and faintly overheard their conversation about the Ye Sha Ancestor Star.

Having arrived at this ancient city, Zhou Yan had successively heard a good deal about the ’Ye Sha Ancestor Star’, gradually learning also about the ’Wansheng Divine Dynasty’, as well as the Heavenly Snow Palace.

At the same time, for his brother, Divine Fist Li, this universe seemed to have more legends, with far richer information than in the Nine Origin Universe.

Zhou Yan moved calmly through the ancient city, sifting through the hustle and bustle of the crowd for various pieces of news and after filtering them, he analyzed and extracted the useful information.

For two consecutive days, this was what he did.

This ancient city was very old, and its people were simple and honest—at least, Zhou Yan had not seen any brutal acts like murdering and looting, or people fighting over treasure, happening openly.

During his travels here, no careless person dared to provoke him, nor did he witness any quarrels or intense fights.

Through understanding, Zhou Yan renamed himself ’Wei Li Zhou Yan’, as the cultivators in this world all began their names with ’Wei’. The second character represented the glory of one’s clan, followed by the personal name.

Names like ’Wei Li Cheng’er’ and ’Wei Li Chengzhe’ he had heard before.

At the same time, Zhou Yan came to know that the currency of this world was mostly in the form of ’Heavenly Crystals’. The value of Heavenly Crystals vaguely matched that of Low Grade Soul Crystals, and they were quite valuable.

And to transfer from the current planet—Luo Stone Ancestor Star—to Ye Sha Ancestor Star, required a huge sum of eighty thousand Heavenly Crystals!

This was the one-time transfer fee, and one transfer could carry a maximum of only twenty people...

These were the most basic pieces of information, yet for those who were unaware, obtaining this knowledge could be remarkably difficult.

Without drawing attention, Zhou Yan occasionally made casual conversations to extract such details from others, finally managing to comprehend the full picture.

Having grasped the information, Zhou Yan could then act freely.

...

"Honored guest, please come in. May I know if you are here to buy a Soul Device, or perhaps to sell antiques? Our shop may be small, but it belongs to the Treasure Pavilion, a branch of the Wansheng Divine Dynasty, and our reputation in the Divine Dynasty is spotless—you can trust us completely," said the shopkeeper as Zhou Yan entered a treasure pavilion.

The shopkeeper, wearing a grey velvet cap that covered most of his hair and showing some signs of aging on his face, revealed a relaxed expression. This subtlety suggested that life here was quite comfortable, without any wars or life-and-death battles.

Watching everything around him closely and absorbing all sorts of information, Zhou Yan kept his findings to himself.

He sighed softly, remarking, "Such chaos beyond the realm, returning to Luo Stone Ancestor Star feels like coming home to comfort, truly poignant. It’s been many years since I last visited."

"Indeed, seeing your cautious manners and the ancient air about you—though you appear indifferent on the surface, you are always vigilant—I can tell you must have spent a long time on the Outer Realm Battlefield, developing unique habits as an Ancient Sword Cultivator. Actually, such habits are good. Although Luo Stone Ancestor Star is peaceful and tranquil, it also lacks competition, earning it the label ’Land of the Forsaken’. Ah, I have spoken too much. Do you have any plans, honorable guest? Are you looking to purchase a batch of Soul Devices?" asked the shopkeeper with a tone aiming to please.

His casual lament seemed to bridge the gap with Zhou Yan subtly, smoothly building rapport with his customer and gaining the customer’s trust.

The shopkeeper’s handling of business was indeed adept.

Zhou Yan shook his head slightly, saying, "Indeed, I am an Ancient Artifact Sword Cultivator intending to go to Ye Sha Ancestor Star, but I’m short on Heavenly Crystals, so I plan to sell a Top-grade Soul Artifact to raise the necessary amount."

"Ah—Top-grade Soul Artifact? That is indeed a good deal... but the matter of going to Ye Sha Ancestor Star could be problematic..."

The shopkeeper first looked surprised, glancing at Zhou Yan with a bit of shock, then continued with a complex expression, "It’s not that your item isn’t valuable, but now, even if you have enough Heavenly Crystals, you no longer qualify to use the Transmission Array.

The Wansheng Divine Dynasty is about to attack the Heavenly Snow Palace, aiming to seize the Heavenly Soul Mountain to lay down the Heavenly Heart Supreme Dao, all to win the favor of the Netherworld Goddess, an Extraordinary Woman from the Ten Thousand Realms. Therefore, all Void Ancient Arrays leading to Ye Sha Ancestor Star will be temporarily sealed to prevent any escapees from the Heavenly Snow Palace."

Zhou Yan’s heart skipped a beat upon hearing the shopkeeper’s explanation.

He had been seeking high and low without success, just to come across the information effortlessly—it was truly fortunate. He had even planned to spend considerable effort to find Heavenly Soul Mountain, never expecting to hear about it so soon.

However, this news was rather troubling.

Yet, it made sense, since the Lei Yan King had derived the Heavenly Soul Mountain, appearing like a Secret Realm, it must be a place with continuous extraordinary encounters, much like ’Ancient Ruins’. How could such a place not be famous?

Zhou Yan had originally planned to delve deeper step by step and explore gradually, but he unexpectedly obtained the answer right away.

He felt somewhat dismayed in his heart, yet he concealed his emotions well and displayed a troubled expression, saying, "What, what should I do now? I’ve come to the Luo Shi Ancestor Star just for this Transmission Array, and now I find I’m not qualified to use it? I’m not sure if your Wansheng Divine Dynasty Treasure Pavilion could lend a hand? Rest assured, I’m definitely not from the Heavenly Snow Palace, and my background is quite clear, which you are absolutely free to investigate. And should you be able to help me, we can surely negotiate a fair price."

"Sir, how about this instead? There’s a big battle team heading to Ye Sha Ancestor Star soon, why don’t you join a battle squad? That way, you can go along with the Battle Hall.

The Hall Masters of the Battle Hall are all Sword Void Nine Transformation Realm and Combat Power breaking seven Prohibition Geniuses, recognized and recorded as significant figures. If you could join them, follow them, there would be no problem—you could even save on the Heavenly Crystals."

The shop assistant pondered for a moment, a fierce gleam of greed flashed in his eyes but was well concealed. Then, the shop assistant’s eyes suddenly lit up as if he had thought of something.

"Right, how could I have forgotten about this!"

Zhou Yan ’suddenly realized’, immediately smacked his forehead as if he, too, had just thought of this.

"Shop assistant, in that case, I truly thank you for the advice."

Zhou Yan bowed slightly, expressing gratitude.

"Sir, there’s no need for manners. Hmm, I wonder if the Soul Device you mentioned is still for sale? If it is, I’ll have the shopkeeper discuss it with you," the shop assistant said with an unusual and enthusiastic gaze.

"Of course."

Zhou Yan smiled.

Although the Heavenly Crystals couldn’t come in handy, they were the currency here, and having some on hand was more convenient.

As for a transaction with ulterior motives... Zhou Yan had never worried about that. He could keep a low profile, but being low-key was never the same as being incompetent.

"Sir, right this way, please."

The shop assistant was all smiles and immediately led Zhou Yan respectfully to a private room inside.

...

In a quiet and secluded courtyard, surrounded by ancient pines and fragrant flowers and plants.

"Princess, the ’Heavenly Heart Soul Stone’ should originate from Heavenly Soul Mountain. I did indeed see it once three years ago, but after it disappeared that time, there has been no news of it. Over the years, I have also paid attention to the Artifact Sword Cultivators on the Luo Shi Ancestor Star, and have found no one suspicious. So, in my opinion, it might be someone deliberately releasing false information, aiming to draw people’s attention to the Luo Shi Ancestor Star and divert their focus."

Under the ancient pines, a black-clothed, venerable elder explained to the purple-clothed woman beside him.

"Branch Leader Wei Li, do you know the purpose of my visit here?" the purple-clothed woman asked softly, her tone undoubtedly cold.

"Please enlighten me, Princess... I do not know." The elder’s body trembled.

"Abusing the name of the Divine Dynasty, committing fraud, cheating, and deceiving... if it weren’t for your many years of service, you would now have become a sacrificial lamb to the Soul Killing Blood Path."

The purple-clothed woman said coldly.

"Ah... this is a misunderstanding—"

"You need not be so flustered; since I’ve specifically mentioned this matter, it means the Father King doesn’t intend to pursue it anymore. You just need to take this as a warning. Hmm, your colleague has arrived, I’ll step aside for a moment."

The purple-clothed woman said indifferently.

As she spoke, her figure immediately became a bit hazy, as if she had blended into the void.

"Shopkeeper, there’s an Artifact Sword Cultivator who has returned from the Outer Realm outside, and he looks very much like an Ancient Sword Cultivator—that’s a big fish... He is keen on selling a top-grade Soul Artifact to exchange for Heavenly Crystals. Shopkeeper, you—"

Before the shop assistant finished speaking, his eyes suddenly widened, because he saw the figure of a breathtakingly beautiful purple-clothed woman highlighted in the space before him, then this woman actually walked out from the void!

"Princess..."

The venerable elder did not attend to the shop assistant but instead respectfully bowed to the purple-clothed woman and called out respectfully.

At his calling, the shop assistant was completely stunned.

"With such a person, I will meet him in the capacity of ’shopkeeper’ then. Just now, I sensed that this person’s cultivation is quite exceptional, his Combat Power astonishing—if you all want to cheat him, I fear not everyone going into action would be enough to escape his Ancient Sword Technique slaughter! But I didn’t expect that on this run-down Luo Shi Ancestor Star, there could also be such a character... Right, don’t go around talking about my business. Have my maid Cheng’er recruit three battle teams and later escort me to Ye Sha Ancestor Star."

"Yes... Princess."

The venerable elder trembled but did not argue, instead responding even more respectfully.

Originally, the elder had some disdain, but upon hearing the Princess’s evaluation of the cultivator outside, he became frightened with horror.

The Princess would not scare him on this matter, which meant that the person outside, seemingly unassuming, was extremely formidable!

Thinking of this, the elder’s previously restless heart immediately settled down.

No one saw the thick cold sweat that had broken out all over his body. Especially after being pointedly exposed by the Princess for his years of misdeeds, he was even more uneasy and fearful.

Never would he have expected that after being exposed, the Princess would not hold it against him, even helping him avert a major calamity—this feeling was truly as profound as living through life and death.

The venerable elder thought to himself that for the rest of his life, he would no longer harbor any dissent and would definitely remain loyal to the Princess. A person like the Princess, indeed, was a true exponent of grand strategy and talent!