Vacant in the East
Vacant in the East
Shui ManKong chuckled and came out to smooth things over. "Since brother Yu says so, we should investigate the matter carefully to see who is so bold as to provoke the four of our families together! Brother Yu came here from afar and this little brother has already prepared a residence for brother Yu. I shall guide brother Yu to the residence now."
He then held his arm out to invite Yu ManLou.
Yu ManLou chuckled and walked along with Shui ManKong.
As HuangFu YanHan and Song TianQiao saw Yu ManLou coming their way, they could not help but feel a sense of inferiority. They actually did not dare to block the way or say a single word and could only watch as Yu ManLou passed by them.
The members of the Yu Family unloaded from the boat and followed behind Yu ManLou. When they passed by the two family heads, they would glance at the two family heads with a cold gaze filled with killing intent. If their looks could kill, the two family heads would definitely be reduced to dust by now!
A white-dressed peerless beauty appeared on the deck of the boat as though she was a weak flower. She walked off the boat slowly with her skirt fluttering in the wind as though she was a fairy who just came out of the sea. From top to bottom she was not emanating a single tinge of anger. She was Yu BingYan!
Behind Yu BingYan, there were two black-robed warriors following behind her. However, besides the two black-robed individuals, there were two troops of white-robed individuals. Their expression was stern and they were all robust and well built. Their snow-white robes were an obvious contrast to the black-robed warriors behind Yu BingYan.
While there weren't many warriors in the two troops of white-robed warriors, with a mere thirty or so people in each troop, they formed a tight formation around Yu BingYan, guarding every single direction around her.
With these people around Yu BingYan, even if the Shui Family sent all of their forces or even if Justice personally came to assassinate Yu BingYan, these white-robed warriors would definitely be able to protect Yu BingYan for a short period of time!
The two troops of sixty white-robed warriors seemed to be melded together with their auras joined together as one.
As Shui ManKong took a glance back, he was shocked by the sixty white-robed warriors! Since when did the Yu Family have such a batch of young experts? Furthermore, not a single one of them seemed weak and they seemed to specialize in fighting in a formation. If these people participated in the upcoming generational battle, their Shui Family was sure to suffer a heavy loss!
However, what Shui ManKong did not see was the gleam in the eyes of four individuals when Yu ManLou and the two family heads of the Song and HuangFu Families mentioned the Sky Alliance. There seemed to be a look of disdain, a look of pride, and various other emotions during that instant before their eyes quickly regained their chilly appearance.
With the infamous assassins of the First Pavilion gathering in Heavenly Wind, just what kind of a storm would they stir up?!
"The Yu Family has arrived in Heavenly Wind. Feng, Yun, Lei, and Dian together with 56 guards have settled down in the Shui Family guest house. The Song and HuangFu Families think that the Yu Family is behind the kidnapping incident and a small conflict broke out at the pier. The Song and HuangFu Families backed down before Yu ManLou's prestige but the seeds of enmity have already been sown."
Looking at the stunning news on the strip of paper, Ling Tian could not help but be dumbfounded for a moment. He then burst out into soundless laughter. Ling Tian was currently at the peak of Mount Vacant and could naturally not let out a sound. However, it was truly far too hilarious and Ling Tian laughed to the point his sides ached...
Who knows what the HuangFu and Song Family Heads were thinking about? They actually thought that the mastermind behind the whole affair was the Yu Family! Such an unbelievable imagination was truly something that left Ling Tian in complete admiration. In any case, Ling Tian just could not understand what these fools were thinking!
After calming himself down and pondering for a while, Ling Tian then realized that there was some logic to pinning the incident on the Yu Family. At the very least, it made more sense than to pin the blame on someone else like Ling Tian. Regardless of the timing of the incident or the benefits gained from the kidnapping, all the arrows truly seemed to be pointing at the direction of the Yu Family. If someone were to tell the Song and HuangFu Family Heads that this matter wasn't instigated by the Yu Family but Ling Tian instead, these two individuals probably wouldn't believe it and would instead ask who Ling Tian was.
Ling Tian could clearly imagine the look on Yu ManLou's face when he found out that he took the rap for Ling Tian. Imagining the frustration and black lines on Yu ManLou's face, Ling Tian was filled with ecstasy. The HuangFu and Song Families, the number two and three families in Heavenly Wind, they are truly interesting and talented. Ling Tian hated the fact that he could not give these two family heads a kiss on the cheek to thank them for their deeds.
After having a good laugh, Ling Tian began to wonder if he could make use of the false judgment of the two families to create some 'interesting' trouble.
After a series of serious considerations, Ling Tian finally came to the conclusion that it was best to maintain the status quo for the moment. After all, Yu ManLou wasn't like the other two imaginative Family Heads. While the other two might not know who he was, Yu ManLou was completely aware of who he was. Yu ManLou was clear that his biggest opponent wasn't the HuangFu or Song Families, or even the Shui Family but Ling Tian and the Ling Family. The only reason why Yu ManLou had not connected the matter to Ling Tian yet was that Ling Tian truly did not intend to drag the Yu Family into this incident when he planned it. But the moment Yu ManLou guessed that the Sky Alliance actually belonged to Ling Tian, Yu ManLou would probably start stirring up trouble and might even gather the four families to deal with Ling Tian. Not to mention the fact that Ling Tian would not be staying for a long time on Heavenly Wind, his forces and information net on Heavenly Wind weren't as well developed as the ones on Heavenly Star. If Yu ManLou gathered up a force to ambush him, it would be too late even if he wanted to summon aid.
Of course, Ling Tian could also attempt to wipe out all of the Yu Family members in Heavenly Wind. However, the members of the Yu Family who came to Heavenly Wind were all elites and numerous. After weighing the odds, Ling Tian just did not have the confidence of wiping out the Yu Family. Besides that, the people from Beyond Heavens were also present and they might not stay out of the affair as his methods were pretty underhanded. Thus, after pondering for a long while, Ling Tian decided to ignore the huge temptation in front of him. After all, he was treading on a thin line and the slightest mistake would turn the currently good situation around.
Since the confusion was already created and it was to his benefit, it would be already ideal if the confusion could be maintained.
Since the Yu Family was here, BingYan should be here as well. Ling Tian suddenly felt his heart warm up as the image of the gentle Yu BingYan appeared in his mind. Ling Tian was truly fond of her her weak-looking appearance along with her resolute heart that could only contain him. That lady was weaker than most others yet had fought her illness for a full seventeen years! Furthermore, she was always be thinking on behalf of others. Just how rare was such a lady? If it was anyone else who had to spend such a long time being tortured by pain and misery, the person would probably be driven insane! However, Yu BingYan had lived through all that! The seventeen years of torture and facing life and death at every moment had not tainted her in the slightest and she was still able to maintain her purity!
In front of Ling Tian, Yu BingYan would never fight for his favor and would always submit to Ling Tian in everything with complete trust in him. She would never disobey his words and this was true even in bed. Even though she would always be extremely shy, she would still follow Ling Tian's request and perform whatever Ling Tian requested...
For a man to have such a wife, what else could he ask for in this life?
Yu BingYan's personality was extremely similar to Ling Chen in many ways and this was also the reason behind why Ling Tian would show an exceptional amount of care for her. Thus, apart from Ling Chen, Yu BingYan was the second lady that Ling Tian accepted.
Perhaps I should find some time to visit this lass, Ling Tian thought to himself.
Following the arrival of the Yu Family, the defenses of Mount Vacant were indeed loosened up in the east and west and the Shui Family moved its defenses to the middle of the mountain. They had truly surrounded the middle of Mount Vacant and created an air-tight defense. This also made it easy for Ling Tian to go searching for his treasure. He snuck in early in the day and not a single person noticed his presence.
Sitting on top of the branch of a pine tree, Ling Tian closed his eyes with a frown. He had searched the entire east peak for a few times over the last few days and he had even traversed the ten thousand feet cliff up and down a few times but was unable to find a single clue. This made Ling Tian feel extremely helpless. However, it wasn't anything strange either. If it was truly that easy to find the treasure, the Yu and Shui Families would have probably found it already.
Vacant in the East, Heaven and Earth Essence, Sharpness of Heaven Splitter, It Can Be Fought! Just what did these words mean?
If the 'Heaven and Earth Essence' refers to the essence energy of heaven and earth... all of a sudden, Ling Tian's body shook and a look of revelation could be seen on his face.
Essence energy of heaven and earth? What was considered the essence energy of heaven and earth?
Ling Tian's thoughts sunk into his memories as he slowly filtered through any useful information he could find. The human body and spiritual fruits can only be said to be born from absorbing the essence of heaven and earth but cannot be said to be the essence of heaven and earth.
The true essence of heaven and earth is formed by the condensation of the essence energy of heaven and earth!
"I know what to find! The essence of heaven and earth would only exist where the spiritual energy is the densest. It should be where the vegetation is lush with spiritual herbs abundant!"
As long as he finds this place, Ling Tian wouldn't be far from solving the mystery. At that time, as long as he narrowed his area of search, it shouldn't be too difficult for him to find this secret with his cultivation!
Having come to this conclusion, Ling Tian felt his body relax.
Ling Tian's body shot out like an arrow and his gaze was fixed on the vegetation on the mountain. As long as he could find the place where the vegetation was lush, or perhaps different from the others, it may be where the essence of heaven and earth was located!
Ling Tian's movement techniques could be said to be at the peak of perfection and he was like a light gust of wind with every step he took. In just a short while, he had already searched half the mountain. Unknowingly, he had passed by a cliff that was covered in a white fog. This place was also at the highest peak of the mountain. Ling Tian was no stranger to this thousand-foot cliff and he had paid a visit to this place more than once already. However, he wasn't able to find anything strange about this place and this time wasn't an exception either. After studying the place in detail, he just could not find anything strange about this place.
Sighing with disappointment, Ling Tian was about to turn around to walk away. But right at that moment, Ling Tian suddenly found something! Something extremely strange!
There seemed to be something growing on a smooth mountain wall opposite the cliff and under the cover of the fog. It was extremely blurry and looked like a ball of shadow. Apart from that ball of shadow, the other parts of the wall were completely clean.
In his past few searches, Ling Tian had only been searching for caves or any place that could hide something. Thus, he naturally wasn't interested in this smooth mountain wall. But at this moment, it was as though he had discovered a new territory.
Ling Tian immediately felt a wave of excitement and began gauging the distance. It was about 300 feet away and even with his movement techniques, it was impossible for Ling Tian to leap over in a single jump. Sighing helplessly, Ling Tian turned around and sped away. Since he could not jump over, he could only find another way.
After making a large trip around, Ling Tian finally arrived at the opposite cliff. Ling Tian bent down to take a look and saw some small leaves fluttering in the wind. They were similar to willow leaves but it was a vine rather than a willow tree.
Ling Tian tightened his belt and jumped off without any hesitation. Like a gigantic lizard, he slid down the smooth mountain wall.
This was the lizard wall scaling art! If it wasn't Ling Tian, it would be impossible for others to 'scale' such a smooth wall!
Beneath his feet was the bunch of leaves that he saw, gleaming in the afternoon sunlight. Ling Tian's figure suddenly stopped abruptly and his inner qi gathered in his hands. He then clawed at the mountain wall and his five fingers were lodged into the wall with his body hanging from the mountain wall.
What a close shave! The hardness of the wall exceeded Ling Tian's expectations. Ling Tian thought that his whole right hand would have been stuck into the stone wall but he never expected that only his fingers would be lodged within it! If he used slightly less strength, he would have probably slid down the mountain wall. The biggest taboo of the lizard wall scaling art was making an abrupt stop. Furthermore, he was in the middle of a tall cliff and if he were to fall down by accident, even if Ling Tian was able to save his life with his cultivation, he would definitely be severely injured.
Regaining his cool, Ling Tian took out the Heaven Splitter with his left hand. With a 'shuah' sound, the blade was stabbed into the wall. Even if the hardness of the wall was out of his expectations, it wasn't a match for the sharpness of the ancient sword! However, if it wasn't a divine weapon like this, other ordinary weapons may not be able to leave a mark on the mountain wall. With a casual flick of his hand, he made a circle with the sword on the mountain wall.
He then returned his sword back to its sheath and slapped the mountain wall with his inner qi imbued in his hand. With a flick of his sleeve, a gentle whirlwind was sent out, bits of rock flew in all directions, and a three-foot-deep cave could then be seen in the mountain wall.
Being in the territory of the Shui Family, Ling Tian would not dare to create too big of a commotion. If he ended up attracting the Shui Family, while it wouldn't be difficult for him to escape, the treasure that he had been looking for would end up belonging to the Shui Family. How could Ling Tian do something as foolish as that? Thus, it was best for him to ensure that he didn't make a sound.
After a few rounds of digging, the size of the cave was large enough to hold a person. Pulling his right hand out from the mountain wall, Ling Tian entered the cave.
The lush green leaves were in front of his eyes but were currently covered with stone bits. Ling Tian stretched his arm out and wiped the dirt off the leaf before taking a close look at it. All of a sudden, Ling Tian let out a gasp of shock, "King Solomon's seal?! How can this thing grow out of such a hard rock wall?"
While King Solomon's seal usually grew in the mountains and wasn't particularly rare, it usually grew in the cracks of rocks or underneath rocks. Ling Tian never imagined that King Solomon's seal could even grow in this place where the rock wall was even harder than steel. Ling Tian really could not help but be startled.
Following the vines, Ling Tian realized that another small crack could be seen at the edge of the stone wall and Ling Tian's interest was piqued. With the King Solomon's seal growing deep within the mountain wall, it probably wouldn't have been discovered by anyone for a few thousand years. If that's the case, these King Solomon's seals probably wouldn't be very young. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that they were a thousand years old at the very least. Such an item was a divine medicine that one could only hope for! Even if he did not have any other harvest from this trip, just this harvest alone would make the trip worthwhile!
An ordinary King Solomon's seal that is three to five years old could be considered to be an ordinary supplementary herb and it was extremely bitter in taste. But once it grew for more than a hundred years it would turn slightly yellow and the taste of it would become sweet. After a thousand years of age, it could be considered to be a divine medicine. Even with his two lifetimes, Ling Tian did not have the fortune to witness such a divine medicine.
Ling Tian unsheathed his Heaven Splitter again and carefully cut off the rock wall surrounding the King Solomon's seal. He then smashed the rocks into dust before throwing it out of the cave. Unknowingly, Ling Tian had already dug out a tunnel by following along the King Solomon's seal and the King Solomon's seal that was revealed on the outside was the thickness of an arm and four to five feet long. There were obviously more on the inside but Ling Tian's sword could no longer reach it.
With a 'pa' sound, Ling Tian sliced off the King Solomon's seal and backed out to the cave he dug. After studying the cave for a while, he began expanding the cave's breadth.