Chapter 452: The Awakening of Yuanba
To the Phoenix God Sect, the Four Sacred Grounds were naturally the most honored of guests. Thus, the accommodations arranged for them were luxurious to an extreme degree, even causing Yun Che, who had lived in the imperial palace for several months as the imperial son-in-law of Cangfeng, to secretly click his tongue in amazement.
After they were settled in, Xia Yuanba found some excuse to forcibly send Gu Cang True Person away. Earlier, under the watchful eyes of so many, Xia Yuanba's excitement had nowhere to vent. Now that there were finally no outsiders, his emotions lost control once more: "Brother-in-law, for these two years, I always thought you were dead. And for those two years, I've been living half-dead myself. Every time I thought that I was the one who caused Brother-in-law's death, I... I wished I could kill myself... But this life of mine was bought with Brother-in-law's own life. If I died, I'd be even more sorry to Brother-in-law, so I desperately forced myself to live... Just this morning, I ran into Dad. He told me you were still alive, and I couldn't believe it. I never thought... never thought..."
As he spoke, his voice choked up, and his imposing tiger eyes welled with hot tears.
Yun Che could imagine how Xia Yuanba had spent these two years. He sighed inwardly and said, "You've seen Uncle Xia?"
"Mm, mm." Xia Yuanba hurriedly nodded. "After Master and I arrived at Phoenix City, the first place we went wasn't Phoenix City itself, but the Black Moon Merchant Guild. Because Master had a few old friends there, and I also wanted to check it out myself. Then, on the first floor of the Black Moon Merchant Guild, I actually ran into Dad. He told me that back then, Brother-in-law didn't die at Tian Jian Villa. He came out alive over eight months ago, and it seems... heh heh... he married Princess Cang Yue. Hoo... If I'd known, I wouldn't have gone to the Huangji Sacred Domain. Otherwise, I wouldn't have had to wait until today to find out Brother-in-law is alive and well."
"..." When Gu Cang True Person arrived, he told the people of Phoenix God Sect that his disciple had run into an old acquaintance and thus hadn't come. At that time, he certainly never imagined that the "disciple" Gu Cang True Person referred to would be Xia Yuanba, and the "old acquaintance" he ran into would be Xia Yuanba's father—also Yun Che's father-in-law—Xia Hongyi.
Fate—sometimes it really is the most wonderful thing in this world.
Xia Hongyi also indeed knew about his marriage to Cang Yue five months ago. That was a little... ahem...
One thing Xia Yuanba said deeply caught Yun Che's attention: Gu Cang True Person went to the Black Moon Merchant Guild to visit a few old friends. And people who could be considered "old friends" of Gu Cang True Person would basically be figures of similar or even the same level!
The foundation and background of the Black Moon Merchant Guild were truly terrifying beyond measure!
"When I first arrived at Phoenix City, I also heard that Uncle Xia was at the Black Moon Merchant Guild. But at the time, I felt too ashamed to face Uncle Xia, so I didn't go to visit him... After the Primordial Mystic Ark excursion tomorrow, we'll go to the Black Moon Merchant Guild together," Yun Che said.
"Good!" Xia Yuanba nodded vigorously. "Dad has been very worried about you these past few years. Even after arriving at Phoenix City, he kept inquiring about any news of you through the Black Moon Merchant Guild. Dad and I talked all day today, all about you... He said that after you miraculously escaped from Tian Jian Villa, your strength skyrocketed, you ruined Fen Juecheng's wedding procession, saved the Cangfeng Emperor who was about to die, and then... single-handedly wiped out the entire Fen Tian Gate! Later, you even defeated Ling Tianni, the Supreme Villa Master of Tian Jian Villa... Now you are the number one person in Cangfeng, elevating the prestige and status of the entire Cangfeng Imperial Clan to an unprecedented peak, with no one daring to disobey..."
As Xia Yuanba spoke, his eyes burned with fervor, his face full of adoration, completely unaware that with his own current abilities, wiping out a Fen Tian Gate would be as easy as playing.
However, from Xia Yuanba's description, Yun Che knew that Xia Hongyi had indeed been paying close attention to everything about him all these years. After all, he was the husband of his daughter. From childhood to adulthood, aside from his grandfather and little aunt, among the elders, it was Xia Hongyi who cared for him the most. He never looked down on him because of his crippled profound veins, and never once regretted promising to marry his daughter to him.
"Brother-in-law, how exactly did you get out from under the seal of Tian Jian Villa? Dad said that the sealed demon died, so the seal was lifted directly. But that demon had been sealed for over a hundred years and hadn't died. When I saw him that day, he looked so terrifying, nothing like someone about to die... Dad said that maybe the demon felt Brother-in-law wasn't a threat, so he didn't kill him but kept him there for company. Then Brother-in-law trained hard inside and finally found a way to kill him... Is that how it was?"
As soon as Xia Yuanba finished, he saw Yun Che's expression darken. He quickly stopped talking and asked cautiously, "Uh... Brother-in-law, did I say something wrong?"
Yun Che shook his head and forced a smile. "This matter, after I finish certain things in a few years, I'll tell you about it."
Xia Yuanba nodded blankly. Looking at Yun Che's expression, he instinctively felt that the matter was definitely not simple, so he didn't ask further.
"Yuanba, what's the deal with your profound strength? How could it have increased so dramatically in just two years!" Yun Che stared at Xia Yuanba as he asked. Although Mo Li had told him long ago that Xia Yuanba possessed the "Overlord Emperor Divine Meridian," he still wanted to hear the reason from Xia Yuanba himself.
"This..." Xia Yuanba scratched his head and said sheepishly, "Actually, I'm not quite sure of the reason either."
"Two years ago, after I thought Brother-in-law was dead, I hated myself so much. I cried my eyes out, then resolved that I could no longer be a useless waste. Otherwise, this life I bought with Brother-in-law's life would only continue to burden others. So I decided to go train alone... I heard that the people of the Shenhuang Empire were the strongest, so I traveled while training, heading toward the Shenhuang Empire."
"How did you get to the Shenhuang Empire all alone?" Yun Che asked in astonishment. The journey from Cangfeng to Shenhuang was not only extremely long but also filled with countless dangerous areas and fierce beasts. At that time, Xia Yuanba only had Initial Xuan Realm profound strength. For him to reach Phoenix City alive... was theoretically impossible!
Xia Yuanba said, "Along the way, I encountered many fierce profound beasts and bandit groups... Sometimes, in the desolate mountains, I couldn't find food and was about to faint from hunger when I ran into profound beasts and was mauled by them... But for some reason, every time I was on the verge of death and thought I was about to die, a strange power would suddenly erupt from within my body, knocking down the profound beasts and everything else. Then I'd faint... When I woke up, I'd feel that my profound strength had increased by a large margin..."
Yun Che: "..."
"After I discovered this, once I reached Phoenix City, I frantically challenged all the famous sects. Every time, I'd be beaten half to death, and several times I really seemed about to die. But then I'd quickly recover, and my profound strength would surge again..." Xia Yuanba scratched his head again. "I don't know what was going on. At the time, I felt like I had turned into some kind of monster... Then one time, I was beaten until I was barely breathing and thrown into the ruins outside the city. I seemed to be unconscious for a long time. When I opened my eyes, an old man—oh, my current master—was standing beside me. He said my profound veins were the Overlord Emperor Divine Meridian and wanted to take me as his disciple... Then he brought me to the Huangji Sacred Domain. After that, I trained desperately, and now I'm like this."
"Overlord Emperor Divine Meridian? The people of Huangji Sacred Domain also know about the Overlord Emperor Divine Meridian?" Yun Che said in surprise.
"Yeah... Uh, Brother-in-law, you also know about the Overlord Emperor Divine Meridian?" Xia Yuanba's eyes went wide. "Master said that in the history of the Tian Xuan Continent, only two people have possessed the Overlord Emperor Divine Meridian. I'm the third. Only the Four Sacred Grounds know about it. He also told me never to tell anyone about this. But Brother-in-law actually knows!"
Yun Che was silent for a moment, then asked, "Did your master say what the highest realm you could reach in the future might be?"
"This, Master didn't say. But Master did say that my Overlord Emperor Divine Meridian has only been initially awakened. When it fully awakens, I can be invincible under heaven, and might even be able to break through the limits of this world... Hehe hehe, although Master probably wouldn't lie, it sounds... a bit hard to believe." Xia Yuanba said with an embarrassed grin.
Overlord Emperor Divine Meridian... Invincible under heaven... Break through the limits of this world!?
Yun Che's brows twitched sharply.
Xia Qingyue's Nine-Xuan Exquisite Body and Ice Snow Crystal Heart... Xia Yuanba's Overlord Emperor Divine Meridian...
What exactly was the deal with this pair of siblings' physiques and talents!?
At this moment, an absurd thought flashed through Yun Che's mind... Xia Yuanba and Xia Qingyue—it was as if they didn't belong to this world at all.
"Oh, right, right! Brother-in-law, how is big sister now? Why didn't she come with Brother-in-law this time?"
"Your big sister is doing very well. She is now the Young Palace Master of the Bing Yun Fairy Palace and ranks first among the Ice Cloud Seven Immortals. I thought she would come with me, but the Supreme Palace Master of the Bing Yun Fairy Palace forbade it."
"Oh! When you married Princess Cang Yue, was big sister angry... hehe."
"...Probably a little." Yunche rubbed his nose.
………………
Yun Che did not know that in the more than two years since he and Xia Yuanba parted, Xia Yuanba had never smiled. Even after joining the Huangji Sacred Domain, something he had never dared to dream of before, there was not a trace of joy or smile on his face. Aside from desperately making himself stronger, he lived each day like a walking corpse. His body and soul were filled only with self-hatred and a mad craving for power.
And in one evening, he made up for nearly all the smiles of those two years.
The two talked until night fell. Then they walked out of the courtyard together, planning to take a stroll around Phoenix City. Soon after leaving, beneath a phoenix tree full of blooming phoenix flowers, they spotted a figure impossible to ignore.
If a man's figure was pleasing to the eye, people usually described it with words like "ethereal and otherworldly," "handsome beyond compare," or "jade-like grace." But this man's figure inspired thoughts of... beauty!
And allure!!
He was standing under the phoenix tree, his fingers—even whiter and more delicate than a woman's—pinching a single fiery phoenix blossom. His snow-white robe was sparsely decorated with a few fallen phoenix petals. He was so beautiful it was almost demonically enchanting.
[These chapters are transitional! Transitional! Transitional! Important words said three times!]