Chapter 325: A Visit in the Dead of the Night
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Yun Yang had decided to venture closer, and his movements were absolutely light and gentle, almost leaving no trace, but despite his precautions, the man in white had still sensed his presence. Not only that, he had savagely torn the air around him into a vacuum and destroyed it entirely!
Yun Yang had almost been caught red-handed.
Yun Yang had immediately divided his wind manifestation power, just in the nick of time, leaving the smallest gust of wind possible, including his deific consciousness and had soared all the way up. He had only traveled for fifty feet when he felt the spot he had vacated become a black hole!
His manifested wind, without the maneuvering of deific consciousness, had dissolved immediately.
To be able to strike out with just a thought and to crush the air with a gesture was both amazing and terrifying. It was an impressive skill indeed!
Venerable Lord Saber chuckled, "With second elder brother here, how could Supreme Wind dare come? Second brother is overly worried."
The man in white scoffed and said, "One can never be too careful, all the more so for cultivators like us. The journey of cultivation is arduous; one careless mistake is enough to wipe out a legacy. It was so for the Nine Supremes then, it is so for He Hanqing now. It applies to you too. If you continue to have this state of mind, you might end up the same sooner or later!"
His gaze was still doubtful and questioning, staring long and hard into the dark sky, unsettled. After a long while, he said faintly, "You asked why I did what I’ve done. A cultivator’s instinct towards danger is more important than his knowledge, experience and cultivation base. I feel that the aura hasn’t entirely vanished yet."
"Pardon?" Venerable Lord Saber was shocked.
Yun Yang’s shock was even more apparent when he heard him, as he rose immediately up into the air. At such a critical moment, he could no longer care about covering his tracks. He could already acutely tell that there was a terrifying force that was rapidly forming around the man in white!
Once the huge force was generated, he would not be able to save himself at such a close distance even if he was manifested as wind or any other natural phenomena.
Although the man in white could not precisely pinpoint his exact position, he could deal a huge damage or even kill him outright if he executed a mass area attack on the entire space that surrounded him.
Desperate times called for desperate measures. It was of utmost importance for him to leave this dangerous place as the gust of breeze. Almost as soon as Yun Yang was about to move again, an extremely chilling aura formed all around him. Ice and snow covered an area of a thousand feet at once, filled with iciness within the snap of a finger.
Even the air within this area was entirely locked in this force of extreme cold. Fortunately, as soon as the extremely chilling force arose, a tornado broke through the engulfed area of iciness and soared thousands of feet into the air. It swirled like a dragon, vanishing into the inky night.
Pop, pop, pop.
A series of crackling sounds greeted the ears while the extreme iciness slowly shrunk, revealing the ominous anger of the man in white and Venerable Lord Saber’s faces.
Venerable Lord Saber’s eyes were wide as he uttered. "There really was someone else besides us here!"
The man in white returned to observing the night sky cautiously, not speaking for a long, long time. Afterward, he scoffed coldly and said, "This mission won’t be as easily completed as you’ve thought!"
Venerable Lord Saber was ashamed then. He had not sensed anything at all and he was the one who had battled with Supreme Wind!
On the other hand, not only had Venerable Lord Snow noticed the abnormality first, he had also executed the attack.
If it had only been him, he might not have died, but he would leak even more secrets if he had continued speaking. Thinking of this, Venerable Lord Saber shuddered in fear.
Obviously, Supreme Wind’s cultivation base had been refined even more compared to when he had ambushed He Hanqing. Otherwise, this would not have happened!
The man in white stood on the rooftop. After a good quarter of an hour, he sighed futilely and said, "The wind has dissipated into nothing. It has been destined that we can’t track it."
A frown formed between his brows slowly as he spoke, "Has the Nine Supremes’ strength gotten so powerful?"
"This is only Supreme Wind alone," Venerable Lord Saber said.
The man in white said faintly, "So what if he was alone. Is he not one of the Nine Supremes?"
"We’ve gathered so many top-notch combatants in the fight at Tianxuan Cliff then and were even assisted by the formation to severe the Nine Supremes’ escape routes. Even when the set up was impeccable, one of them has still managed to escape. As long as it involves the Nine Supremes, nothing should be taken as granted; it’s not an exaggeration, no matter how cautious we are," he spoke slowly.
Venerable Lord Saber replied respectfully, "Second brother is right, this young brother has learned his lesson."
He had been assuming out of habit that the difference among the five Venerable Lords was not distinct. Even when he was far more inferior than the other four, there would be a limit to the difference and he needed not be too anxious. However, from what had happened today, second older brother Venerable Lord Snow’s cultivation base had been much stronger than his – the difference had become obvious.
The truth was plain and loud.
Venerable Lord Saber suddenly felt a critical sense of urgency which could hardly be suppressed.
Initially, Mr. Nian had warned Venerable Lord Saber about the differences in the cultivation base. Yet none of that stung harsher than having the truth dished out right in front of one's self. He was actually lacking in so many aspects!
"Second brother, what stage has your cultivation base gone to?" Venerable Lord Saber asked in a simpering tone.
A sense of forlornness surfaced on the man in white’s icy face. "Eighth heaven. I’ve halted right before the eighth heaven pinnacle for some time now, about a year and a half… I can’t find the chanced encounter for a breakthrough."
He sighed, "Since the attack on the Nine Supremes, my cultivation base has never moved forward an inch!"
"Eighth heaven!"
Venerable Lord Saber’s facial muscle could not help but twitch. He was only third tier heaven but his second elder brother was already in eighth heaven? Yet, by hearing his tone, he seemed to be lamenting over the snail's pace of his improvement. How fast should he be improving to be considered fast?
The question should perhaps be, what standard or stage was ideal for your desired improvement? The cultivation journey was far and long, but there should be limits to it.
"Second brother’s improvement is swift. The day of Dao is near…" Venerable Lord Saber instinctively felt himself being on the shorter end, so his intentions shone even clearer.
"If you hadn’t been so nosy, your own improvement wouldn’t be as slow."
The man in white said coldly, "You’re so busy every day, of course, your improvement is slow as a tortoise. This is simply logic!"
"Right, well..."
Venerable Lord Saber’s face flushed, like a red hot coal was being pushed into his throat – he could neither swallow nor spit it out. The feeling of being choked was real.
They were brothers, but did he have to be so blunt?
The man in white gave Venerable Lord Saber a side eye and said slowly, "Are you angry that my words aren’t a song to the ears? No matter how bad they sound, they won’t be any more brutal than the reality. If your improvement can't keep up and your cultivation base stayed stagnant, the Venerable Lord’s status is most probably none of your business when the next election for Four Seasons Deities begins. Do you think you still have a lot of time to waste?"
Venerable Lord Saber wore a bitter expression, at a loss for words. He did not know what to say. Any argument or an attempt to justify himself would only be excuses. Even if he announced his determination and gave a guarantee, there would be no meaning to it. Just like what Venerable Lord Snow had said, no matter how bad the words sounded, they were not as brutal as the truth. The fact was as it was, tangible and near – it could only be faced by him alone!
"Go down." The man in white waved his sleeve and said faintly, "I’m telling you for the last time. Think this through. No one can help you if you want to steep yourself in self-abandonment. Maybe when we meet the next time, you no longer have the right to call me second older brother. If the day comes, don't blame anyone else. It was all your own choice…"
Venerable Lord Saber’s expression was mixed and continued to change. The bitter taste had never been as distinct as it was today.
…
Yun Yang managed to escape in time, successfully avoiding the fatal threat and feeling utterly lucky.
He had set his expectations for this trip, tried his best to overestimate the other party’s strength, but never had he expected the person’s capability to be so mighty and to possess such shocking power. He had tried to destroy him twice, and it only took a snap of his fingers!
It was impressive, terrifyingly so!
After traveling further, Yun Yang suddenly recalled that this was not the first time he had experienced such an aura!
On the day of the Tianxuan Cliff battle, there was a surging air of ice since the beginning of the fight… There was also a faint layer of snow that fell…
The feeling was extremely similar to today's encounter! The extremely chilling aura was terribly familiar too.
Was the man in white also one of the killers that day at Tianxuan Cliff?
A murderous intent flashed in Yun Yang's eyes. After such a long time since He Hanqing, there was finally another one of them!
I’ve finally found another one of the killers!
No matter who you are and no matter what cultivation base you have, since you have arrived at Tiantang City… there is no need to return!
You can just repent in the underworld!
…
Lei Dongtian submerged himself in the dream of imaginary love he had created for himself. After multiple rounds of hypnosis, he felt that he had truly loved these two ladies, that he would give up anything for them and that his devotion would never change.
If it were not for the route of cultivation, he was even willing to die for these two girls!
Although he was only looking at two portraits, it felt like he had been staying with the girls for a very long time. He wanted to have them for life, to never part with them ever again!
It was simply too bad.
I am sorry! I love the both of you, but I have to destroy you two with my own hands! I have to tear you both down and make you suffer the worst of pains.
I have no choice…
There was no way one can get the best of both worlds on this earth, it was either cultivation or love! Lei Dongtian lamented, feeling his insides twist and churn; he was deep in his thoughts, in a literal daze.
He was a saint for love!
It was at this time that the wind got stronger outside of the window. As the gale thumped and broke through the window in Lei Dongtian’s room, he was not at all frazzled by the sudden intrusion. His arms circled as green fumes appeared, engulfing everything in his room.
Following with a roar, he waited to counterattack.
Surprisingly, the gale disappeared suddenly, leaving a vague silhouette that hovered outside the window. It was floating in mid-air, and had an ethereal look to it.
"Young Master Lei?" an oddly disjointed voice spoke out.
Lei Dongtian immediately knew who the newcomer was. He gritted his teeth.
"Do I have the pleasure of meeting Lord Supreme Wind, whose reputation awes the entire Tianxuan Continent?"