Chapter 1992: Startled Awakening
Ye Futian was in front of Lin Yuan, and he, too, felt an invisible force. He turned his head to glance at Lin Yuan and saw that Lin Yuan was soaking wet. There was a look of pain on his face. Obviously, someone was exerting great pressure on him.
Lin Yuan’s realm was too far below Renhuang, and spiritual coercion released by a powerful Renhuang was enough to crush his spirit.
Because of something he said, the other party had actually released the coercion of the Great Path on Lin Yuan.
Ye Futian frowned and turned back to look at the other man; however, the man had already withdrawn his breath, with a small smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. He glanced at Lin Yuan, and that small smile seemed to be mocking them, or rather, expressing his deep disdain.
Although Lin Yuan was angry when he saw the look in the other man’s eyes, he remained silent. Indeed, his realm, in the eyes of the other man, was as insignificant as that of an insect; what right did he have to dialogue with him?
That scornful look was the response to him.
In reality, Lin Yuan had not said anything other than asking the other party not to take different views too seriously, nothing more.
Seeing the other man turned around, Ye Futian was a little displeased. He could see that Beigong Shuang did not mean to provoke anyone intentionally. It was just her personality. Perhaps, because the other side had expressed their own analysis first… So, when Beigong Shuang disagreed, it was regarded as critical or bellicose?
Anyone with the cultivation of Renhuang Realm should be a lot more tolerant than this. Perhaps there were other reasons…
Ye Futian saw the goddess-like cultivator next to him; perhaps it was because of her.
He could tell that this young man wanted to get close to the woman.
“You are both right. These patterns and marks were carved impromptu by Thunder Punishing Skylord. Each mark on the pattern was independent of each other without any connections,” Ye Futian suddenly said to Beigong Shuang and Lin Yuan.
“Elder…” Lin Yuan looked at Ye Futian. At the Sage level, his cultivation was not weak, depending on with whom he was compared. He had a feeling that Ye Futian deliberately said what he said because he was displeased with the other fellow’s attitude.
The other man’s attitude was clearly enough; he was unhappy with their opposing view, so what happened just now was a warning.
If Beigong Shuang was not in a confrontational mood before, then Ye Futian’s comment at this moment was definitely intentional and could start a dispute.
Although Lin Yuan was angry, he didn’t want there to be an argument that both parties were no ordinary folks. He could see that Ye Futian and the other man were unusual characters from their extraordinary temperaments and realms. It would not be worth it if they got involved in some conflicts because of him.
In the world of cultivation, many disputes were caused by minuscule matters, and these unimportant matters were not worth the price.
Lin Yuan didn’t want to see that happening here.
Ye Futian’s words stunned the young man who had already turned around, and he slowly turned back around again, his eyes landed squarely on Ye Futian. However, Ye Futian did not pay any attention to him. Instead, he said to Lin Yuan, “I will take you to go with me to Turtle Deity Island.”
Lin Yuan wasn’t overjoyed when he heard what Ye Futian said. He was actually a little worried about him. After all, the other person was from a principality that even Thunder Punishing Skylord would have to reckon with, which only demonstrated the extent of their power.
Ye Futian’s attitude worried him a little.
This kind of talk could easily intensify conflicts, and this trivial matter may become a fuse.
“Elder…” Lin Yuan wanted to say something but didn’t know quite how to say it.
“Then it’s decided.” Ye Futian smiled and cut off whatever it was that Lin Yuan wanted to say.
“I have already said that she was wrong.” At this moment, the young man spoke. Looking at Ye Futian, his eyes were sharp.
Ye Futian turned his attention on the man. Things that happened before were just a small matte. Like Lin Yuan stated, different perceptions yielded different opinions, and each was entitled to their own opinions. That was all, and they need not interfere with one another.
However, if the other insisted that they were in the wrong when Beigong Shuang had already made a concession, did the other party mistake their courtesy as weakness?
“She’s right,” Ye Futian stared into the other person’s eyes and responded without fear. If they wanted to fight, he would gladly oblige.
If Beigong Shuang was not qualified to be in discussion with him, was he qualified himself?
“Based on what?” the other questioned.
“I think she is right, so she is right. What other reason do you need?” Ye Futian’s voice was indifferent; his own opinions didn’t need to have a reason.
The man suddenly smiled a little sarcastically.
“So, you think you understood the secret of the cliff?” he sneered.
“And you think you have?” Ye Futian retorted.
“No,” the other responded readily.
“Since no one understands it to prove me wrong, then I am still right in what I think. Unless you can comprehend a set of ax techniques from it, what else can you use to question the opinions of others?” Ye Futian asked, still refuting the other’s view.
The Will of the Great Path pervaded from the other man, as he smiled at Ye Futian and said, “Where are you from, and from which principality?”
“Does this have anything to do with cultivating on the cliff?” Ye Futian replied with a question instead.
The man stared at Ye Futian and said, “No, it does not.”
“If not, then why did you ask?” Ye Futian replied, just like how the other man had responded to Beigong Shuang and Lin Yuan before, with an unrelenting tone that was aggressive in nature.
The coercion of the Great Path started to permeate from the other man, but his eyes always stayed on Ye Futian.
“What they said isn’t unreasonable. These marks may have nothing to do with each other. Before this is confirmed, it is better not to make rash conclusions.” At this moment, the woman in front of them, who was looking at the cliff, spoke softly, startling the young man. Then he moved his sight away from Ye Futian back to the woman who spoke and said with a smile, “That makes sense.”
These were the same words spoken by a different person, and his attitude seemed completely different.
“Any definite conclusion is unreasonable in itself unless you already understood the secret of the cliff. Rather than arguing about it, it is better to confirm it in cultivation,” the woman continued, as she turned her head to glance at Ye Futian.
Ye Futian met her eyes. As an empress, this woman possessed a noble temperament; her calm and beautiful eyes revealed a touch of confidence and pride.
But Ye Futian merely smiled.
“Is something funny?” the woman asked.
“No.” Ye Futian responded, “It’s just that I am not wrong. At least today, I am not wrong.”
He may not be right, but he was definitely not wrong because even he could not make these connections and comprehend it, so none of the others could do it either.
Since they couldn’t do it, it could not be proven, so naturally, he couldn’t be wrong.
The woman took a serious look at him, and it was unclear if she really understood the meaning of Ye Futian’s words. She turned her eyes back at the cliff and continued to comprehend in earnest.
After she spoke, that young Renhuang also quieted down. Just like her, he was quietly comprehending, wanting to prove something and confirm that he was right, after all.
Since the other man did not persist, clearly Ye Futian would not deliberately antagonize him. Likewise, he looked at the cliff once again.
Although he supported Beigong Shuang before, the truth was that he couldn’t decide either. Beigong Shuang’s analysis had a certain logic with which he agreed, but the other man’s words were not entirely unfounded.
Thunder Punishing Skylord had gone to the other man’s residence, so he knew something about this. Judging from the previous conversation from the other man, in conjunction with certain rumors about Thunder Punishing Skylord, it was highly probable that treasures were hidden inside the cliff.
So, what kind of connection was hidden within?
When his thought turned to this, Ye Futian quieted down to comprehend. After a while, he closed his eyes and was immersed in comprehension once more.
Inside his Life Palace, patterns appeared again, and he seemed to be observing the former Thunder Punishing Skylord engrave the Way.
This time, he watched for a long time. Those ax techniques were like beams of light that kept echoing in his mind, but still, they were the same as before, each independent of the other. Though they could be linked to each other, it seemed forced and unnatural.
After a long while, the ax techniques in Ye Futian’s mind continued to appear, like pictures, jumping back and forth. Each technique was very powerful in itself, but still, he could find no connection between them.
What was the mystery of this cliff?
He opened his eyes and saw Beigong Shuang walking in front of the cliff, observing the cliff at close range. Sometimes she even reached out to touch it.
“How come you are so serious?” Ye Futian asked her.
“Strange,” Beigong Shuang murmured while turned to walk back next to Ye Futian. As if she was thinking, she raised her head to look at Ye Futian and asked, “Why are those marks without Will of the Way hidden in them, seemed to be deeper than those ax marks that contained Will of the Way? And their artistic conception was stronger also.”
Ye Futian suddenly raised his head to look at the cliff, and the countless marks on the cliff were imprinted into his mind in a flash. They now appeared inside his mind.
In his mind, a flash of lightning sailed across, as if he had caught something in the depth of his memory, and there was a touch of excitement in his eyes.
Yes, the ax marks that didn’t contain Will of the Way were deeper than those that contained Will of the Way. What did this mean?
He thought of the rumors about Thunder Punishing Skylord, which Emperor Xi had him engrave the Way for decades. Eventually, he was enlightened and transcended.
How did he do it?
When Ye Futian looked up at the pattern again, his mentality was quite different. He was very certain that this engraved pattern and each mark on it existed separately, and they had no relationship with each other.
His random guess turned out to be correct!