Chapter 467: Return
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
“Inner world!”
As the words resounded in the air, Granny Hong Yan and the rest looked at each other. Strange looks flashed past their eyes.
Most of the people in the great hall were noteworthy within the ancient martial arts world, so they had heard of the Inner worlds. However, for them, these were things mentioned in distant legends.
According to the legends, in the land of Hua Xia, there were many hidden Inner worlds. They were called Inner worlds in order to differentiate them from the main space, as they were much smaller spaces.
These smaller spaces functioned independently, relying on the main space, but not interacting with it. Specifically, they were equivalent to two separate spaces.
Those who read The Land of Peach Blossoms would know all about them, as this text told the tale of a poet of the Cifu literary form, Tao Yuanming, who once accidentally trespassed into Shangri-la. The people there were simple and honest, as they had live separate from the rest of the world.
It was as though there were two completely different worlds. That Shangri-la was an Inner world of the legends.
In the land of Hua Xia, there were quite a few Inner worlds. It was said that, in ancient times, the people of the Inner worlds still had relations with the outside main spaces, coming and going between them frequently.
One such example was the legendary Isle of Peng Lai and Abbot Island, which would have emissaries coming out and making contact with people from the outside world. As they made these journeys of contact, many mysterious legends soon began to spread.
However, a few hundred years ago, for unknown reasons, a huge incident occurred in the land of Hua Xia. Those Inner worlds completely cut off their connections with the outside world. At that time, many ancient martial arts sects abandoned their foundations completely to move to the Inner worlds.
The current known ancient martial arts world now consisted of merely the martial arts practitioners and those ancient martial arts sects remaining in the main space. Compared to the ancient martial arts world a few hundred years ago, the current one paled in significance.
Specifically, there were almost no unparalleled strong practitioners, who were renowned worldwide, living and practicing there anymore. It was hard to even encounter a Golden Elixir realm martial arts practitioner!
Due to this shift, the Hua Xia ancient martial arts world had been quiet for a few hundred years. The martial arts practitioners from many small countries, who did not know the immensity of the heavens and the earth, were very arrogant, travelling far to Hua Xia to challenge the locals.
As for the western world, they thought that the Hua Xia ancient martial arts world was unsophisticated and far behind them. If it was not because of the Huatian Palace’s acting as a deterrent in Hua Xia, those western influences would most likely have expanded their domination into Hua Xia straightaway.
However, the current Hua Xia ancient martial art practitioners mostly stayed in their own country, seldom venturing out to other countries. For this reason, they gradually lost their prestige.
“Clan leader Hu Tianfeng, those are words that can’t be said lightly. Are you sure that those people are from the Inner world?” Yun Ling, the Taoist priest of Cangling Taoist Temple, asked with a frown.
These rumors about the Inner worlds have long existed in the ancient martial arts world. However, as many Inner worlds had now been closed off completely, there was hardly anyone left from the Inner worlds who was still active in the main space. Besides, even if the influences from the Inner worlds appeared, by right, their target would not be this remote corner of the three big mountain ranges.
“All of these rumors are merely conjectures. No matter where they are from, the key is to solve the crisis that is right in front of us,” Wang Yinru said plainly.
She was originally an executor from the Huatian Palace, so naturally, she knew much more than these ancient martial arts sects, which were conservative and complacent with their current progress. As such, she didn’t have much of an opinion about the Inner worlds.
Moreover, they were in imminent danger of coming face-to- face with their enemies. And if that happened, and they couldn’t defeat the powerful enemies, everything that they were saying now would be empty talk.
“I have ingested the healing pill from Elder Wang Yinru. But, my wounds have only halfway recovered.” Granny Hong Yan sighed.
Right now, her injuries had not recovered completely. As such, she had no confidence that she could hold off those people again.
Furthermore, her recovery this time was due to the generosity of Elder Wang Yinru from the Dafang Sect’s Cyan Spiritual Pills, which were for healing panacea. Otherwise, with her cultivation, she would never have been able to recover so much within such a short amount of time.
The faces of the surrounding people turned ugly one by one. In the match just before, almost all of the participants were injured.
Although a few elders, all of whom had high cultivations, were given Cyan Spiritual Pills by Wang Yinru to treat their wounds, in the short span of a day, it was impossible for their injuries to be completely cured. Regardless, it was an amazing outcome for Granny Hong Yan to be able to recover half of her internal injuries.
At the moment, Wang Yinru remained silent. She had already done what she could, even contributing the Cyan Spiritual Pills that Mo Wen had left behind.
“Those who are inside… All of you, come out!” A cold voice suddenly sounded from outside of the great hall, directly spreading into the great hall and echoing constantly throughout the surroundings.
“They have returned. That was fast.” Granny Hong Yan’s facial expression changed, turning sullen instantaneously.
Originally, she had thought that, after their battle yesterday, those people would at least wait a day before they returned again. To her surprise, they had returned quite quickly!
Everyone slowly crowded into the main hall. Outside, in the square at the entrance, there were already dozens of people gathering, all of whom had powerful auras. They were none other than the marauders, who were hated by all of the ancient martial arts sects of the series of the three big mountain ranges!
“Who is the sect leader of the Dafang Sect? Step forward so that I may see you.” Instantly, an elder in white robes gently flew up, while he looked at everyone on the opposite side.
His body emanated an unmatched, powerful pressure, which almost enveloped all of the ancient martial art practitioners in the series of the three big mountain ranges. This person was Old Man Wu! When the ancient martial art practitioners in the series of the three big mountain ranges realized this, they all looked at each other in amazement.
He had directly come to find the Dafang Sect’s youth sect leader! None of them could believe their eyes, and they started to wonder…
Could it be that they already knew that they had a powerful aid, so they had planned to kill him along with the others? But, sect leader Mo Wen hadn’t returned yet!
“What business do you have with our sect leader?” Wang Yinru stared at the elder in white robes coldly.
“I’m looking for the Dafang Sect’s sect leader. Who are you? You are merely a nobody, so how dare you even to speak to me?” Old Man Wu gave Wang Yinru an indifferent glance.
Then, with a wave of his hand, a terrifying gale stirred up like a wind dragon, directly crashing towards Wang Yinru. The horrifying force scraped the ground, leaving deep trenches as it passed.
Wang Yinru’s facial expression changed slightly and a white fog diffused out from her body. The white fog then turned into a cold fog and continuously spread out.
As the wind dragon crashed into the cold fog, its speed gradually slowed. Eventually, it was frozen, so it stopped completely, It was seemingly bound by the surrounding space.
When Wang Yinru was still a Qi Nucleation realm martial arts practitioner, her Cold Ice Domain had been astonishing. Currently, she had broken through to the Embryonic Breathing realm, so naturally, its impact would be even more amazing. Despite the fact that the elder in white robes had a high and profound cultivation, she could still block the wind dragon entirely.
“Humph. You have some ability. So, I reckon that you are qualified to speak at least a word or two to me. Since you are a member of the Dafang Sect, then I must will you, where is your sect leader?” Old Man Wu gave Wang Yinru an indifferent glance.
Then, with a slight clench of his fist, the wind dragon, which was trapped in the cold fog, exploded instantaneously, dispersing the cold fog right away. Raging, stormy waves swept through at that next moment, causing Wang Yinru to be blown three to four steps backwards!
The expressions on the faces of the surrounding people changed slightly, while they all subconsciously took a step backward. The elder in white robes was too powerful. No one present was a match for him!
“I am the Dafang Sect’s stand-in sect leader. If you have any business, you can discuss it with me. As for seeing our Lord Sect Leader, you are unqualified.” Wang Yinru spoke to him coldly, while slightly lifting her chin with pride.
The fact that this group of people had not only come to find their Dafang Sect, but had actually asked for Mo Wen by name, made a sense of extreme caution well up inside of her.
“Arrogant woman!” Old Man Wu was angered that a little bandit in this small corner of the world had actually dared to call him unqualified.
A terrifying power shot up to the heavens like a pillar of smoke. The next moment, the silhouette of the elder in white robes lept in the air and appeared in front of Wang Yinru in just a few short steps.
He then sent out a punch, and the surrounding space seemed to have sunk a few meters, forming a viscous swirl of air that firmly kept Wang Yinru sucked into it. Wang Yinru’s expression paled slightly, as she knew that, even if she could receive such a terrifying punch, she would most likely be severely injured. This punch clearly showed that the elder in white robes intended to kill her in one blow!
“You are a senior expert who is almost at the Golden Elixir realm, yet you actually use your cultivation to bully a junior who has just broken through to the Embryonic Breathing realm? Don’t you feel embarrassed?” An old voice sounded as a brilliant red glow lit up and a silhouette soundlessly towered in front of Wang Yinru, blocking her completely.
The dragon head staff in this figure’s hand was raised at the elder’s fist. It was Granny Hong Yan, the only practitioner in the series of the three big mountain ranges who was at the pinnacle of the Embryonic Breathing realm!
The two of them clashed and a terrifying wave spread from the center. Then, in an instant, a storm whipped up, sending dust flying everywhere. The marble tiles in the square were detached from the ground before being swept up into the air.
Granny Hong Yan’s figure shook and her silhouette was pushed backwards instantly. She could only stabilize herself after being pushed backwards for more than a hundred meters. Her face paled, and there was a trace of blood coming out of one corner of her mouth.
As for Old Man Wu, his body merely shook a little. He didn’t suffer any injury.
“Old woman, it’s you again. Could it be that you are tired of living? Yesterday, I didn’t kill you, but today, you seem to have actually come seeking your own death!” Old Man Wu said with a cold expression on his face.
As he spoke, he thought that it was strange that, just yesterday, this old woman had clearly been injured severely. He couldn’t figure out how she had recovered so fast when only one day had passed!
“Do you really think that the ancient martial art practitioners in the series of the three big mountain ranges can be so easily bullied? Even if I die, I will at least tear off a piece of your meat before I go,” Granny Hong Yan said calmly.
It was not her first time saying something close to this sentiment. Yesterday, she had made a similar declaration to threaten this elder in white robes. Only then did he and his minions retreat temporarily.
“Old granny, don’t you challenge my limits.” Old Man Wu narrowed his eyes.
His eyes were very cold. He knew that he would need to pay a price to kill this old woman, who was at the pinnacle of the Embryonic Breathing realm.
However, this time was different. If he could find the legendary Ming Cult’s heir, it would be worth it, no matter how big of a sacrifice he needed to make.
“All this while, you all have been taking things too far,” Granny Hong Yan said plainly.
If this group of people had not been so black hearted, they wouldn’t have retaliated without caring about their own lives.
“I can let you all go,” Old Man Wu said calmly.
“Let us go? Are you asking us to give you our most valuable inherited treasures?” Granny Hong Yan asked with a cold laugh. A sect’s most valuable inherited treasures didn’t refer to just a mere treasure item, but the roots and the heritage of an entire sect.
“It’s fine by me to not have any of your things. In fact, I will leave all of you alone in the future. I only have one condition, which is that you immediately leave this Dafang Sect right now. I am only interested in the Dafang Sect now. If any of you leave now, you can keep yourselves out of trouble and ensure your own safety,” Old Man Wu said plainly.
After all, the Ming Cult’s heritage was far more important than anything else. Naturally, he wouldn’t want many people to know about it. In fact, he didn’t want to cause anymore of a scene at the moment, in order to avoid the news from leaking out.