Chapter 624 - 623: Persuasion

Chapter 624: Chapter 623: Persuasion

A murderous aura enveloped the entire room. Outside, many of the villagers calmly went about their business, oblivious. What was happening here had nothing to do with them.

In fact, they hadn’t the slightest inkling. Who could have possibly imagined that the old man living next door was a supreme expert?

In the entire village, only this one family consisted of Cultivators; the rest were ordinary fishermen. The reason this place was always so safe was largely due to the Guardian’s help, which kept it completely secure. Not a single Demon Beast ever managed to attack.

Even violent storms rarely passed through. With a Half-step Saint King Level expert present, what could possibly disturb them? Natural disasters and tempests were trivial matters for a supreme expert, things that could be obliterated with a single punch.

Facing such terrifying killing intent, Yi Tianyun simply took a light sip of his fine wine and said nonchalantly, "No need to be so tense. Do you really think the Celestial Rock Town Ancient Stele would casually give its memories to just anyone?"

’This killing intent is impressive,’ he thought, ’but it’s completely meaningless to me. If an enemy had unleashed such a potent killing aura, I would have already slapped them to death.’

"This..." The old man froze. A moment later, his killing intent rapidly receded, and he sat back down. He continued to stare fixedly at him, however, asking, "Could it be that you are connected to the Master?"

He quickly calmed himself, realizing the implications. ’Very few people know that we are Guardians,’ he thought. ’Even back in the days of the Flying Heaven Divine Kingdom, almost no one was aware of our existence.’

This was mainly because they were stationed in the Mortal Realm, not in places like the Netherworld, so naturally, their existence was not widely known.

"You guessed correctly. I am the Inheritor of the Creation Celestial Divine King." With a flick of his finger, Yi Tianyun manifested a familiar aura, causing the old man to tremble with excitement.

"You... You are the Young Master!"

Overcome with emotion, the old man shot up from his chair. Just as he was about to kneel, a force held him up.

"There is no need for such ceremony," Yi Tianyun said, not allowing him to kneel. "You have served silently for so long. Even if my Master himself were here, he would be filled with admiration for you. To have guarded this place for so many years is truly moving."

’If he were one of my own men,’ Yi Tianyun thought, ’how could I not be moved by such enduring loyalty? The most admirable part is that the Creation Celestial Divine King has been gone for who knows how long, yet this man has never wavered in his duty. How could anyone not respect that?’

’A less steadfast person would have fled long ago. But for the Creation Celestial Divine King to choose them as Guardians, they must have had their own admirable qualities.’

"No, no! The Master gave our family a new life," the old man said with a sigh. "He enlightened me once when I was a child; otherwise, I could never have achieved what I have today. My father received even greater opportunities from him. If not for the Master, our entire family would have perished long ago."

Yi Tianyun nodded. This truly showed how long the Creation Celestial Divine King had been away. The Guardian before him had to be at least several hundred, if not a thousand, years old.

The maximum lifespan for a Spirit King Stage Cultivator was about a thousand years, while the Saint King Stage limit was around three to four thousand years. A Divine King could likely live for over ten thousand years. But ultimately, everyone had a limited lifespan; no one could truly live as long as the heavens and the earth.

Yi Tianyun then learned more about the old man’s situation. His family had four members. His son and daughter-in-law were currently away, leaving only him and his grandson here. In terms of cultivation, his son and daughter-in-law were quite powerful, having reached the Spirit King Stage and Void Spirit Stage, respectively.

The entire family was astonishing. Having two Spirit King Stage experts was enough to prop up an entire nation. Yet here they were, serving as Guardians, with no desire for the power and influence of the outside world.

The Creation Celestial Divine King had also passed down many Martial Arts to them, which was how they managed to achieve such formidable cultivation levels. Great talent, after all, is a waste without powerful Martial Arts to cultivate.

The Martial Arts bestowed by the Creation Celestial Divine King were undoubtedly top-tier, Heaven-rank techniques, so their effectiveness was guaranteed.

"I came here this time primarily to discuss one matter," Yi Tianyun said, his smile vanishing, replaced by a solemn expression. "It concerns the Celestial Rock Town Ancient Stele."

"Is the seal about to be broken?" Ren De immediately voiced his suspicion. He had already vaguely guessed as much.

"Yes, the seal is indeed about to break," Yi Tianyun said gravely. "If I hadn’t repaired the Divine Runes, it likely would have been shattered in less than fifty years. I have since repaired the sealing Divine Runes, so it can now hold for a little less than a hundred more years. And that time will only grow shorter, not longer."

"Less than a hundred years..." Ren De’s gaze turned cold. "I can hold on until then. If something truly breaks through that seal, I will be the one to charge to the front lines!"

Although he was advanced in years, his eyes were still filled with a fighting spirit that was just as intense as in his younger days.

"That was the first matter," Yi Tianyun said gravely. "The second is that I need you to come out of seclusion and help defend my Empire."

"This..." Ren De looked troubled. "Young Master, we have sworn an oath to serve as Guardians for all generations. We cannot leave this place at will."

Yi Tianyun wasn’t surprised. He continued to explain, "Currently, a Divine Country Power from the Netherworld has taken an interest in this Treasure. As it happens, I have a feud with them, which means I can work to stop them from finding the Celestial Rock Town Ancient Stele. The problem is, my Empire’s foundation is relatively weak and it will be difficult to fend them off. If my Empire can’t stop them, they might proceed to break the seal themselves!"

"As Guardians, your duty is not just to protect the passage, but more importantly, to protect the safety of the entire Mortal Realm, correct?"

"In that case..." Ren De fell silent. This did change the meaning of his duty. If the passage itself was not in immediate danger, then there was no issue with choosing to go out and help.

After all, their fundamental responsibility was to protect the Mortal Realm, so resisting these invaders did not conflict with their oath.

"Very well! Since the Young Master has put it that way, we will go and help defend it!" Ren De agreed without further hesitation. "May I ask which Imperial Influence the Young Master belongs to?"

As Yi Tianyun was the Young Master, they were still bound to obey his commands.

"The Celestial Cloud Empire," Yi Tianyun replied, very satisfied with Ren De’s answer. "Have you heard of it?"

"The Celestial Cloud Empire..." Ren De was utterly shocked. "Can it be that the Young Master is the Great Emperor of the Celestial Cloud Empire? The young man before me, who doesn’t look much older than my own grandson, is the Great Emperor who overthrew the World Dragon Empire?" The thought was staggering.

There were many rumors circulating. Most claimed that the Great Emperor of the Celestial Cloud Imperial City was extremely young, though some whispered that he was an old monster in disguise. Seeing how young Yi Tianyun was, and knowing he was the Inheritor of the Creation Celestial Divine King, Ren De immediately came to his own conclusion.

"Yes. It seems you’ve heard of me," Yi Tianyun said with a smile.

"The Celestial Cloud Empire’s foundation is indeed weak," Ren De said in a deep voice. "As soon as my son returns, we will head there to lend our support!"

Yi Tianyun smiled. This trip had not been in vain after all. He had come here for the express purpose of requesting the Guardians’ help, not simply to exchange a few words.

The Celestial Cloud Empire’s foundation was too shallow. Without powerful experts to protect it, it would be incredibly difficult to survive. If he were unable to return for a period of time, it would spell big trouble.

Although he was about to descend to the Netherworld to carry out a great purge, he knew that even if he could guard against threats from the Netherworld, that didn’t mean he could guard against threats from within the Mortal Realm!