AGM 335 - Gathering of the Nine Continents
Everyone below watched in silence as Qin Wentian descended. Without the Heavenly Stele, could this platform still be known as the Heavenly Stele Platform?
That Stele had actually been given to Qin Wentian as a present.
But naturally, these spectators all didn’t know what the Heavenly Stele was exactly. If not, the commotion caused would definitely shake the entire Grand Xia.
The Divine Stele, was the symbol of Grand Xia’s prosperity and its eventual decline. There was a time when countless heroes of Ancient Grand Xia could enjoy its baptism before.
The Divine Stele was like an ancient mirror, an annal of ancient historical records. The nine ultimate arts of Grand Xia were engraved upon it, but it had long been broken into nine pieces, and prevented from being united ever again.
If Qin Wentian was a little more familiar with the history of Grand Xia, he would have known that for the nine continents of this era, some of the transcendent powers possess ultimate arts or techniques that serve as the foundation of their entire sect or clan. The origins for all these arts and techniques, were all derived from the engravings on the Divine Stele.
And even though these remnant arts were still powerful, they were no longer as powerful as they were in the past.
The Ancient Kingdom of Grand Xia was many times stronger compared to the now fragmented Nine Continents of the current era. One could even say that even if all the transcendent powers joined their forces together, they would be unable to match the radiance and might of Ancient Grand Xia. If not, the Ancient Emperor wouldn’t have been able to conquer the world, gaining control of the incomparably vast territory which eventually came to be known as Grand Xia. Yet, why would it have fallen if it were all-powerful?
The old man with the broom started sweeping the steps once more. Perhaps this was the last time he would appear here.
“Boss, can you lend me the Heavenly Stele to play around with for a couple of days?” Fan Le’s eyes glinted as he grinned. Such a powerful artifact becoming the sole possession of Qin Wentian. It should be quite an interesting thing to use it on his opponents right?
Qin Wentian glared at Fan Le as he walked over to their group. Glancing around at his companions, he was gratified to find that their individual levels of strength had clearly improved. This time around, the Heavenly Stele Steps had proved to be of invaluable help.
Shifting his eyes, he turned his gaze onto Situ Po and Yue Bingying. Situ Po was also looking right at him, Situ Po then calmly stated, “I will see you in the Ginkou Continent.”
As the sound of his voice faded, Situ Po and Yue Bingying’s silhouettes flickered as they disappeared from sight. Qin Wentian’s eyes flashed with a glint of cold light, it was unknown what he was thinking about.
Situ Po was still emitting killing intent. Very well, Qin Wentian would put an end to this enmity between them in the Ginkou Continent then. Since the end of the year was already nearing, all these people should be making their way to the Ancient Kingdom soon.
“Xuan Xin, let’s return.” Those from the Mystic Maiden Palace prepared to leave. Xuan Xin’s beautiful eyes gazed at Fan Le as she smiled, “You will be going to the Ginkou Continent as well?”
“Mhm.” Fan Le nodded.
“We will meet there then.” Xuan Xin sweetly smiled before she left with Xuan Yan and her fellow disciples of the Mystic Maiden Palace.
Fan Le had a silly smile on his face even after Xuan Xin left. Qin Wentian couldn’t help but perspire when he saw that—was love really capable of turning people into idiots, even someone as shameless as Fan Le?
Nearby, the maiden clad in white also prepared to leave. However, Qin Wentian abruptly called out, “Yun Mengyi.”
Yun Mengyi halted her steps as Qin Wentian’s silhouette flickered, before appearing beside her. “I have some things I need to ask you.”
After speaking, he pulled Yun Mengyi along as he sped ahead. The riddle in his heart, maybe Yun Mengyi knew something that could solve it. Why did Princess Tianyu look exactly like Yun Mengyi?
Yun Mengyi’s brows furrowed slightly, she wasn’t used to being pulled along by others. But since she had lost to Qin Wentian, she silently allowed him to drag her away. This scene caused Ouyang Kuangsheng and Fan Le to stare in dumbfounded amazement.
“My boss is too fierce.”
“… indeed.” Ouyang Kuangsheng nodded in agreement. Where was Qin Wentian taking Yun Mengyi off to?
Qin Wentian walked beside Yun Mengyi, and after some moments he asked, “Who are you exactly?”
Yun Mengyi returned his gaze, as she icily replied, “Yun Mengyi.”
“Did you already know who I was before I even entered the Unmatched Realm?” Qin Wentian stared directly into Yun Mengyi’s eyes.
At this moment, Yun Mengyi shook his hand away. She knew that Qin Wentian had already seen the scenes recorded on the Stele. “I am Xia Tianyu.”
Qin Wentian’s countenance froze. “Impossible.”
“You don’t believe me?” Yun Mengyi stared at Qin Wentian, as a strange smile flashed past her eyes. “Would you believe me if I told you I’m your older sister?
Qin Wentian didn’t reply. The current Yun Mengyi gave him an extremely strange feeling. That smile on her face, felt like that of a stranger.
There was nothing to prove the credibility of her words. As to whether it was real or fake, Yun Mengyi was the only one who knew the truth.
“No,” Qin Wentian replied.
“Since that’s the case, why are you still asking me? I will look for you once you arrive in the Ginkou Continent.” Yun Mengyi leisurely walked away, the aura that exuded forth from her, was as icy as always.
“Hu…” Qin Wentian drew in a deep breath, he still couldn’t decipher the riddle. Was the woman whom that damned old fogey of a father rescued back then, Yun Mengyi?
What was the relationship between Yun Mengyi and Xia Tianyu exactly?
And why did the Heavenly Stele end up in his hands? Could the reason really be so simple, because he obtained the recognition of the old man sweeping the steps? There had to be something more to it.
That old man himself was already an extremely fearsome character, otherwise how could he have successfully guarded the remnant of the Divine Stele for such a long time? He said that he was following the orders of his master, in that case, who then and how powerful might his master be?
“What’s wrong?” Ouyang Kuangsheng and the rest walked over, seeing that Qin Wentian was standing there dumbly. Little Rascal dashed into Qin Wentian’s chest and snuggled there.
“Nothing’s wrong.” Qin Wentian shook his head. He wasn’t even sure of his own origins, nothing could be accomplished even if he revealed what Yun Mengyi had said. He wondered if this trip to the Ancient Kingdom would prove to be the key that unlocked this mysterious riddle he’d held close to his heart.
“It’s about time for us to set off for the Ginkou Continent. The majority of those from the Azure Continent have already set off, and the Ginkou Continent should already be definitely extremely bustling.” Ouyang Kuangsheng laughed, as hints of anticipation could be seen flickering in his eyes. A once-in-three-years journey to the Ancient Kingdom, how many talented geniuses would gather there? Almost every major power of Grand Xia would definitely send the members of their younger generations over to test their mettle.
“Right, there’s only a few months left.” Qin Wentian felt that time was too tight. With his current level of power, it was still impossible for him to contend against the the top three rankers on the Heavenly Fate Rankings.
The top three rankers stood at the pinnacle of Yuanfu within the entire Grand Xia, and without a doubt, their Mandates would definitely already be at the Perfection Boundary. Not only that, there may even be some who’ve already comprehended the second level of insights of their respective Mandate, while still in the Yuanfu Realm.
“Let’s go back to my Ouyang Clan first, I think there’ll be many members of my clan going on this journey as well,” Ouyang Kuangsheng added. Qin Wentian and the rest didn’t have any objections and thus followed Ouyang Kuangsheng back to the Ouyang Aristocrat Clan.
Ouyang Kuangsheng reported his findings/progress/activities to the upper echelons, who decided in seven days time, all those who were powerful enough to contend for a rank in the Heavenly Fate Rankings would journey together to the Ancient Kingdom of Grand Xia.
At this moment in Ouyang Kuangsheng’s residence, a three-sided Stele floated in the air as Qin Wentian, Fan Le and Chu Mang sat below it, feeling the pressure of that Ancient Will emanating forth from it.
“Strength, use my strength against me, attack my body.” Qin Wentian’s body trembled with the impact. He had concluded that the three-sided Stele did possess its own will, and the magnitude of the power it unleashed could be controlled by him.
“Stronger. I can still endure.” Qin Wentian floated into the air as a thunderous boom echoed. The terrifying energy of the Stele blasted into him, causing him to cough out blood.In spite of this, his eyes flickered with an unending thirst for more power and incomparable determination.
With such a heavenly treasure like the Stele, how could they afford to waste time? They had to use the power of its intense pressure to break through their own limits.
The Divine Stele that was used to baptise members of Royalty of the Ancient Grand Xia, was now being used by Qin Wentian to progress to further heights.
Ouyang Kuangsheng, Fan Le and the rest were happily enduring the ‘torture’ the Heavenly Stele was bestowing. Although the pain was terrible, they could feel their strength and will being strengthened as they endured it.
In the blink of an eye, seven days passed. Today, members of the Ouyang Clan who were eligible for the trip to the Ancient Kingdom all gathered at the main training grounds. Over here, several demonic beasts were being prepared to serve as mounts for the journey to the Ginkou Continent.
Qin Wentian’s gaze swept past the crowd. There were over several hundreds of cultivators present who had a cultivation base at the ninth level of Yuanfu.
As an Aristocrat Clan, they naturally wouldn't lack cultivators at any level of the Yuanfu Realm. But even with a few hundred cultivators at the ninth level of Yuanfu, the majority of these were still cannon folder. And with just this number from the Ouyang Aristocrat Clan, one could well imagine the sheer number of cultivators descending upon the Ginkou Continent.
“Let's go.” The clan lord of the Ouyang Aristocrat Clan personally went to send the cultivators off on their journey. Although this group of cultivators were all from the latter generations, if they could withstand the tempering of this journey and perform outstandingly, they would all have a chance to become core members of the Ouyang Aristocrat Clan.
The demonic beasts took off into the air, the demonic qi they exuded covered the skies as they flew towards the Ancient Kingdom of Grand Xia.
…………
In the Nine Continents of Grand Xia, the Ginkou Continent, Moon Continent, and the War Continent were situated in the shape of a triangle and were collectively deemed the core region of Grand Xia.
And among the three, the Ginkou Continent had always been considered a location of most importance, even back in the times of Ancient Grand Xia. Even the small countries bordering Ginkou, had overwhelming power compared to countries like Chu. The experts over there were as common as the floating clouds.
Although the Ancient Kingdom had effectively been destroyed, the Ancient Capital was still the most magnificent and luxurious capital in the entire Grand Xia. This capital represented the glory of Ancient Grand Xia, with countless streams of humans and demonic beast mounts flooding in without pause.
For the human experts, some of them travelled here alone or in small groups of three to five. They were chatting as they flew in the air, the blood in their hearts surging with excitement.While those that travelled on the ground, they were also filled with excitement as they gazed upon the Ancient Capital.
At this moment, a terrifying sharp aura sliced through the clouds, heralding the arrival of a group of sword cultivators. They were all clad in white-colored garments, each standing upon a flying sword in the air.
“Are they Swallow Swordsmen from the Yan Continent?”
“Look in that direction, so many demonic beasts. Are they from the Demon Continent? The Skydemon Sect and the Beast King Hall?”
“Hey, what about over there? What a powerful looking troop formation. They should be from a transcendent power.” The gazes of the crowd stared in another direction as they exclaimed.Only to see that among them, there was a single silhouette standing proudly in the air. The imposing aura he exuded could be felt even from several miles away, and it was as though no matter where he was, or no matter how many people surrounded him, his presence would overshadow everything in his vicinity.
“Hua Taixu. I've seen him before, he's from the Hua Clan in the Moon Continent. And as for the group of people beside the Hua Clan, from the looks of it, they seem to be from the Moon Continent as well—the Pill Emperor Hall.”
The gazes of the crowd raked through the air as they saw a few outstanding silhouettes other than Hua Taixu.
“That young man whose eyes seem to glitter with a golden light, is he Zhan Chen? I heard that he’s cultivating the cultivation art he inherited from an Ascendant, I wonder how much stronger he is now? I also heard rumors that he's intentionally suppressing his cultivation base. He didn't want to break through to Heavenly Dipper so early because he wanted to use this chance to obtain the position of the top ranker on the Heavenly Fate Rankings.”
“Oh, and who's that maiden? Such a transcendent beauty, her looks could even topple empires.”“That maiden should be the direct disciple of the Pill Emperor’s daughter, Luo He. Usually she keeps a low profile so no one knows much about her. But in spite of this, she's still extremely famous and popular in the Moon Continent.”
Countless voices whirled about from countless discussions that echoed throughout the air. To bear witness to this display of numerous heroes, each representing a major powers from all nine continents, to see them all gathered right here in the Ancient Capital of Grand Xia—it was a matter of course that there’d be a never-ending array of topics to converse on!