Chapter 675: A Disgraceful Departure
"G-... Grand Elder, please wait!!" Ye Guyin quickly moved to shield Ye Xinghan. "We will immediately comply with your instructions and withdraw from here, and will not disturb you any further..."
Ye Guyin's expression and eyes had lost all their previous calm and composure, and even his voice carried a noticeable tremor. His address for the black-clothed elder had changed from "Your Excellency" to "Grand Elder". Ye Shi... an elder of their Sun Moon Divine Palace, a Mid-stage Emperor Lord who looked down upon the world and held an extremely high status within the Sun Moon Divine Palace, had been reduced to nothingness by the small flame casually ignited in the black-clothed elder's hand. What terrifying power was this? What unparalleled strength...
His overwhelmingly oppressive aura could merely be aura, but the process of Ye Shi being turned to nothingness had been clearly witnessed by their own eyes within thirty meters. It was a power that completely surpassed their understanding and imagination! To reduce a Mid-stage Emperor Lord to nothingness with a casual wave of the hand — not even the four masters of the Four Sacred Grounds, the Holy Emperor, Sea Emperor, Heavenly Lord, and Sword Master, let alone the only Half-step Xuan God in the world, the Phoenix Divine Being, could possibly achieve such a feat!
Even if the Phoenix Divine Being had fully unleashed its sky-covering Phoenix flames, a Mid-stage Emperor Lord would not be left without any ability to resist.
Yet this black-clothed elder had merely cupped his hand and ignited a fist-sized cluster of ice-blue flames.
The energy density of that ice-blue flame must have been so powerful that it exceeded their very imagination. And the laws contained within it surpassed their comprehension by no less than one or two major realms!
Could such a terrifying person truly exist in this world?!
Thinking back now, when he had told them to leave earlier, it was not out of fear of the Sun Moon Divine Palace... but rather because he simply disdained to attack them!
"Hmph!" The black-clothed elder let out a faint cold snort, the ice-blue flame in his palm flickering slightly. "I let you leave just now, yet you insisted on provoking me, and even made me unintentionally break a precept I had upheld for ten thousand years. Now you want to leave? Hah, not so easily!"
The black-clothed elder's voice was no longer as calm as water before, but carried a hint of suppressed anger — clearly angered by the broken precept! The word "ten thousand years" in his words shocked everyone present... The lifespan of this terrifying elder was over ten thousand years!!
To possess such a long lifespan, just how terrifying must this elder's realm be?!
The ice-blue flame danced slightly in the black-clothed elder's palm, causing the hearts of Ye Guyin and the others to convulse violently. The horrific scene of Ye Shi's death replayed in their souls like a nightmare, and they were only a hair's breadth away from suffering the same fate!
"Grand Elder, please calm your anger!" Ye Guyin clasped his hands, bowed his body, and spoke with humble fear: "Even if we were utterly reckless, we would never dare to offend a senior of your stature. We only proposed a light sparring match earlier so that we could have something to report upon returning to the Sun Moon Divine Palace... Elder Ye Shi died by your hand, but it was due to his own lack of skill, and you are in no way to blame. I swear by my position as the Ninth Elder of the Sun Moon Divine Palace that if you graciously spare us and let us depart today, my Sun Moon Divine Palace will absolutely not pursue the matter of Elder Ye Shi's death, and all grievances with your disciple will be wiped clean..."
As a top-ten elder of the Sun Moon Divine Palace, Ye Guyin had not assumed such a lowly posture in who knows how many years. But faced with this black-clothed elder before him, how could he dare to display even a hint of his usual arrogance? He even wished he could prostrate himself on the ground. Because this person before him could kill them all with a mere flick of his finger! And he had already developed murderous intent! If he truly acted... Ye Shi had not even the strength to struggle under his hand, and neither would they! Not only would they all die, but their deaths would be utterly meaningless!
This was the most terrifying person they had ever encountered in their lives, and the first time they had ever faced the true threat of death. How could they dare to act presumptuously any longer? Even as Sun Moon Elders, under this shadow of true death, they could only beg with all their might.
"Heh, not pursue?" The black-clothed elder smiled disdainfully. "Do you think I care about the 'pursuit' of your Sun Moon Divine Palace? You are an unattainable sacred ground in the eyes of the mortal world, but in my eyes... to destroy your Sun Moon Divine Palace is nothing more than a flick of the hand!"
The calm words shook everyone's souls to their core. "To destroy your Sun Moon Divine Palace is nothing more than a flick of the hand" — such arrogant words, who in the world would dare to say them? If they had heard such words before today, Ye Guyin and the others would surely have taken them as a great joke. But at this moment, what they felt was not ridicule and disdain, but deep shock and fear... The terrifying image of Ye Shi being reduced to nothingness by a tiny spark appeared before them again, sending chills down their spines.
Ye Guyin hastily said: "Yes, yes... Grand Elder is a transcendent master beyond the mortal world; the Sun Moon Divine Palace is naturally nothing in your eyes. But... if the Young Master were to meet with misfortune today, even facing you, my Sun Moon Divine Palace would certainly not let the matter rest. Though we could not possibly do anything to you, you are a senior who has not sullied yourself with worldly dust for many years, and surely you would not wish to incur such 'minor troubles'. Moreover..." Ye Guyin thought quickly and maintained a composed tone: "Moreover, your anger arises because you unintentionally broke your precept. But the precept is born from the heart; if there is no true intention to kill, then the precept is not truly broken. You had no intention of killing Ye Shi; it was merely that his cultivation was insufficient and he overestimated himself by trying to receive your divine flame, resulting in the destruction of his soul... Thus, Ye Shi's death was caused by himself, not by you, and so you have not actually broken your precept.
"Now, if you were to develop the intent to kill us and actually destroy us, that would truly break your precept! You are an unparalleled master of this world, while we are mere mortals unworthy of your notice. Why would you need to break your precept and stain your long-unsullied pure heart for the sake of insignificant people like us?"
"Well said, Ninth Elder!" Ye Juanyun quickly chimed in: "We may have had a misunderstanding with your disciple Yun Che, but... over a dozen of us have been lost to your disciple's hand, yet we have not harmed a single hair on his head! Grand Elder has upheld your precept for many years, and must surely be a transcendent master with a vast heart and a mind as boundless as the sky..."
"Enough!"
The calm voice cut off Ye Juanyun's words. The black-clothed elder slowly withdrew his hand, and the ice-blue flame vanished from his palm. The murderous intent that had faintly permeated the air also dissipated, but the overwhelming pressure remained, pressing heavily on their souls: "What you have said, though spoken for the sake of survival, does hold reason. Very well, you may leave. From today onward, you are never to set foot in this place again!"
The people of the Sun Moon Divine Palace all raised their heads, as if hearing heavenly music. For the first time in their lives, they felt the sensation of "escaping death". Ye Guyin said with a trembling voice: "Thank you, Grand Elder, for your mercy in sparing our lives! My Sun Moon Divine Palace will surely remember this kindness..." He paused, steeled his heart, and said: "I humbly dare to ask you to bestow your great name! In the future, wherever your esteemed presence may travel, my Sun Moon Divine Palace will retreat ninety miles. We will also never offend any person associated with you."
Ye Guyin's words were by no means an attempt to learn the name and seek revenge — Ye Shi's death, and the black-clothed elder's completely incomprehensible terrifying power, had not even allowed the thought of retaliation to form in their minds. As for "retreat ninety miles", it was by no means a false statement! They only wished never to encounter such a terrifying existence again in their lives.
"My name?" The black-clothed elder said slowly: "What would you gain even if you knew it? In this world, my name has long ceased to exist. Had it not been for the fortune of accepting my final disciple, I would never have sullied myself with the mortal world again for the rest of my life.
"My name is Duotian! Duotian is my name!"
"Duo... tian..." Ye Guyin murmured. This was indeed a name he had never heard before, and also the most arrogant name he had ever heard! Just how arrogant, or how powerful, would one have to be to dare to use "Duotian" — "Seizing Heaven" — as their name!
"Grand Elder Duotian, we will take our leave now! If you ever have leisure in the future, we humbly invite you to visit our Divine Palace. The entire Palace will come out to welcome you!" As Ye Guyin spoke, his steps were already retreating faster and faster, his heart wishing he could fly away from this place immediately. Half of his words were to steady the black-clothed elder's mood, and half were naturally to try and establish good relations. Because with such a terrifying person, even if one could not become a friend, one absolutely must not become an enemy.
They quickly turned around, preparing to fly toward the Sun Moon Sacred Boat, when a voice suddenly rang out from behind them:
"Wait!!"
The one who spoke was Yun Che. His voice was unusually low, seemingly due to urgency and unwillingness. Ye Guyin and the others halted at this shout, their backs turning cold... This black-clothed elder had let them go, but that didn't mean Yun Che would spare them! If Yun Che strongly demanded that the black-clothed elder keep them all here...
"Che'er, say no more."
Before Yun Che could speak, the black-clothed elder's voice rang out calmly: "I know what you want to say. Do you truly think that I let them go because I disdained to act, or because I did not want to break my precept? Wrong!"
His voice turned slightly stricter: "I have taught you long ago that unless your life is truly in danger, you must never rely on my power, nor develop a dependency on it. I know well that because of the Bing Yun Fairy Palace, you hate these people to the bone and urgently wish to put them to death. But allowing them to retreat is my limit. If you want them dead, you must do it with your own strength!!"
"Six years ago, when we master and disciple first met, you were nothing but a cripple with ruined profound veins. I repaired your profound veins and trained you for three years, and there was no one among the younger generation of the seven nations who could match you! Three years ago, I tore through space and brought you back from the Primordial Mystic Ark. Now, your strength can already contend with Emperor Lords! Though you cannot yet kill them now, if you diligently cultivate under my guidance, in another three years, killing any one of them will be as easy as turning your hand! In another three years, you will be able to trample the entire Sun Moon Divine Palace underfoot. Why would you need to satisfy your thirst for vengeance today and damage your cultivation resolve?"
These words were spoken by the black-clothed elder to Yun Che, but every single one of the Sun Moon Divine Palace people who heard them was filled with terror.
Six years... from a cripple with ruined profound veins to strength that could contend with Emperor Lords... just six years!!
What a terrifying concept that was!!
And they knew clearly that this was by no means an exaggeration! Because based on their investigations of Yun Che over the past three years, six years ago, he truly had been a cripple with ruined profound veins. Everyone in the city where he had lived for over a decade knew this, and he had even become the laughingstock of the entire city!!
When he had displayed his divine might at the Fenghuang God Sect, he had only been cultivating for a mere three years!
This terrifying truth had now found its answer: behind him was a master so horrifying! A thousand times more terrifying than anything they had ever guessed!!
Six years from a cripple to the level of an Emperor Lord — though the Four Sacred Grounds looked down on the world, they knew they could never accomplish such a feat.
And there was another sentence that each of them heard clearly: The reason Yun Che was still alive was not, as they had guessed, that he had not been trapped in the Primordial Mystic Ark, but that this black-clothed elder had rescued him from it!!
That meant he could perform space travel between the Tian Xuan Continent and the Primordial Mystic Ark!!
Indescribable shock and awe trembled in their souls. As the most powerful Emperor Lords of the Tian Xuan Continent, they could not even begin to fathom the realm of this black-clothed elder... It was as if they belonged to two completely different worlds.
Yun Che lowered his head: "Master's lesson is well taken; this disciple humbly accepts."
His voice was very small and low. This arrogant and unbridled Yun Che, who dared to face the Fenghuang God Sect alone and even offend the Sun Moon Divine Palace, appeared exceptionally respectful and restrained before his master.
Ye Guyin grabbed Ye Xinghan's arm and shot up into the sky with lightning speed, not daring to linger for even a moment... Six years to match Emperor Lords... another three years to be able to kill any one of them... another three years to trample the entire Sun Moon Divine Palace... These words clung to his soul like a curse.
He began to feel that making an enemy of Yun Che — a young man they had not taken very seriously before — seemed to be the greatest mistake they had made in all these years!