Nightfall

Ye Hongyu silently thought about the earlier two fights.

In terms of divine skills, she was the most powerful person in the West-Hill. But she was surprised to learn that Zhao Nanhai, a descendant of the former Great Divine Priest of Light six hundred years ago, was even more powerful than her.

She also felt that the fight between Leibu and the thin man from the South Sea was somewhat similar to the battle between Tang and Xia Hou years ago. Leibu was after all the best martial art master from the Golden Tribe. But how did that thin man reach such a high level?

While she was deep in thought, her subordinates were waiting for her order outside her sacred sedan. The arrays shielding the Peach Mountain had been activated and the two thousand Papal Cavalrymen had assembled, ready to fight. Similarly, hundreds of black-robed deacons prepared to collect the dead bodies of people from the South Sea.

Right then, that girl’s voice sounded out. Standing in front of the altar, her voice was calm but arrogant, as though what she was saying was perfectly natural. Hearing it made Ye Hongyu frown.

The divine priests of the Judicial Department and black-robed deacons were getting impatient and annoyed. They were just waiting for an order from their master to activate the formation arrays and kill these arrogant people from the South Sea.

Looking at the girl, Ye Hongyu couldn’t help recalling herself being as proud many years ago. She did not give any order to her subordinates. Instead, she was planning to kill them herself.

Chen Pipi had been sitting on the altar all this time. Due to the arrival of the South Sea branch, attention had shifted away from him. He was satisfied by this episode turn of events. He had no idea why his father had sent these people back to the Peach Mountain. But it felt good to still be alive.

He had attempted to get the Divine Guard watching over him to fetch him tea and fruits, but naturally, no one had bothered. Still, he was contented with watching the fight until he heard the girl’s request.

He found the South Sea girl pretty and felt it would be a pity if she just got herself killed by challenging Ye Hongyu.

The South Sea girl did not pay any attention to him, and continued with Ye Hongyu, “I have been practicing since I was a child, and reached the Knowing Destiny State at the age of seventeen. I’m the youngest among all Knowing Destiny State cultivators, with the exception of my cousin. I heard that you only reached this state after twenty years. What qualifications do you have to sit on that seat?”

It was already shocking enough for the audience to hear her talking to the head of Judicial Department with such disrespect. But they were more shocked to know that she reached the Knowing Destiny State at the age of seventeen. Still, they looked at this South Sea girl with some pity and mockery, wondering who that genius cousin she mentioned was.

Aside from the Academy and Zhishou Abbey, it was very rare for a cultivator to reach the Knowing Destiny State at the age of seventeen. This girl deserved to be proud of herself.

However, everyone also knew that Ye Hongyu was not unable to reach the Knowing Destiny State at the age of seventeen. Rather, she had been using her strong willpower to limit her level to the Seeing-through State, only to wait for a perfect moment to make the leap. What a horrifyingly strong mind and willpower she possessed!

It was because of her fixation with becoming stronger that allowed Ye Hongyu to surpass all the other young genius in the cultivation world, reaching the highest level in Knowing Destiny State and becoming the respected Great Divine Priest of Judgement.

The world of cultivation did not lack geniuses. But how many of them could have accomplished what Ye Hongyu had? How could a regular young genius stand up to someone like her?

The girl from South Sea felt a bit confused upon their stare, wondering why they would be sympathizing and mocking instead of praising and worshiping her.

She figured it was because they were afraid of Ye Hongyu’s power and wanted to make her lose her focus. This had only infuriated her even further. She was about to call out her natal sword.

At the beginning Zhao Nanhai did not stop her from mocking Ye Hongyu because he knew his daughter was a genius for cultivation. And he also thought that it was not necessarily because of Ye Hongyu’s capability that she had become the Great Divine Priest of Judgement at such a young age, but rather another testament of the declining power of West-Hill.

The South Sea branch had been secluded in the South Sea and was not fully aware of what happened in West-Hill. Only after seeing the audiences’ faces did he feel that something was amiss.

He reached out to stop his daughter and spoke to Ye Hongyu in the sacred sedan, “Your highness, please forgive my little girl. She is too young and naive.”

Unexpectedly, he continued, “If I did not remember wrongly, according to the rules of the Divine Halls, the title of Great Divine Priest of Judgement is usually decided based on a duel to the death.”

Ye Hongyu had been sitting in the sacred sedan while resting her cheek on her hand. Hearing Zhao Nanhai’s words, she perked upright and replied, “If you could kill me, the Seat of Heavenly Black Jade would be yours.”

Inheriting the seat of heavenly black jade in the Divine Hall of Judgement had always been associated with life and death. Every round of passing-on of the position was a brutal and bloody story.

Ye Hongyu was able to become the Great Divine Priest of Judgement only because she had killed her predecessor. Of course, she could have ignored Zhao Nanhai’s challenge. But that was not her style.

She was Ye Hongyu, someone who was most fond of challenging the powerful. She had just witnessed Zhao Nanhai’s superior skills prior to this, and given what she had seen from his skills, she was more than willing to battle him.

Yet the one who stepped out to confront her was not Zhao Nanhai. but a middle-aged male figure who looked like he was a fisherman. As observed by onlookers, he was ranked fourth among Zhao Nanhai’s followers.

Even a fourth ranked person dared to seek for the Seat of Heavenly Black Jade? The audience looked at the dark-skinned, thin and short middle-aged man, and frowned at his overconfidence.

Yet as he stepped out of the line, his skinny right hand reached into his sacred red gown, and all of a sudden, a sword appeared out of thin air.

Wielding his sword, the skinny, dark and short middle-aged fisherman now appeared more menacing. With his sleeves floating in the autumn wind, he looked like a master.

The audience no longer thought that he was being too bold. Liu Yiqing felt his sword buzzing inside its sheath. He sensed the killing intent of that sword and realized even he himself could not defeat this man.

Ye Hongyu saw from her sacred sedan that her challenger was not Zhao Nanhai. Although she frowned slightly, she did not bother asking the middle aged man to step back.

People like Ning Que and her never wasted a single word before starting a match. She casually waved her hands and sent off a light of sword directed to that man.

It was a sudden strike. “A shameless sneak attack!” The South Sea girl cursed. On the other hand, wearing a solemn look on his face, the middle aged man started dancing in front of the altar!

Ye Hongyu’ sword was as swift and fierce as ever. It flew directly to the man and brought with it a deafening buzzing sound.

The middle-aged man was still dancing. He was dark, skinny, short and hence looked funny when dancing. But he looked no less powerful. His thin sword was hanging and dancing with him in the air, but all of a sudden, it disappeared and took an unexpected curve to the front of the sacred sedan.

His swordsmanship was very strange. It was neither going straight nor turning, but it swam in the air like a fish in water. There was no way to predict where it would be going next.

This was probably the sword skill the South Sea branch had invented after years of living by the sea.

Ye Hongyu also did not expect that the man would have such a mysterious way of swordsmanship. She frowned and used her psyche to call back her sword immediately, barely warding off her enemy’s sword.

Nonetheless, a very slight sound was heard when her enemy’s sword made a tiny cut on the blood-colored cloth donning her sacred sedan. Although it was tiny, it was no less obvious that she had failed in this round.

The sword flew back to hover above the head of middle-aged man, getting ready for another strike.

Ye Hongyu sat upright slowly in her sacred sedan.

She was the Great Divine Priest of Judgement. It was unbelievably embarrassing to lose even a single round. This tiny cut was shameful.

Ye Hongyu stared intently at the man outside, with an increasingly chilling look. It was not because she saw him as a close enemy, but rather she had decided to kill him with no mercy.

The girl from South Sea sneered, “The Great Divine Priest of Judgement is only worth this much.”

Previously, her father, Zhao Nanhai, was unable to win the national master of the Golden Tribe, while her Sixth Brother had lost to General Bule. General Bule mocked that that was all they had learnt from the former Great Divine Priest of South Sea. Hence, she had to take advantage of Ye Hongyu’s embarrassment this time round to deride the West-Hill.

Ye Hongyu did not pay any attention to her. She closed her eyes again, letting her sword fall back down in front of her knees. Instead of staring at that middle-aged man or sending her sword out in the air, she was getting prepared for her next round.

Everyone at the front yard was aware of her next step.

That middle-aged man frowned.

Right then, there came a sudden storm in the front yard of the Peach Mountain. But it was not a real storm for there was no rain. Only the sound of howling winds and pouring rain was heard.

The wind came from Ye Hongyu’s sword, while the sound of rain arose because of her sword rushing forward.

Ye Hongyu was still seated inside the sedan with her eyes closed, and her sword was still lying in front of her. But thousands of lights flew out from the blood-colored sacred sedan and rushed directly toward the middle-aged man in front of the altar.

Every ray of light was a sword sent by her psyche.

She did not open her eyes, but under her closed eyelids, they were shining with divine lights. She had already integrated with the Qi of Heaven and Earth in the front yard of Peach Mountain. Therefore, even if she did not actually move her sword, she could cause thousands of swords of lights to rush out.

With thousands of swords of lights being sent out, a soft glow shrouded the Peach mountain. This was the shield over Peach mountain and its automatic activation was a strong testament to the power of Ye Hongyu’s swords.

The middle-aged man harrumphed, and his very thin sword started dancing around him. Radiant lights appeared that formed a shield around him.

Deafening sounds reverberated from the thousands of swords of lights attacking the middle-aged man. Yet the lights around him from his own sword never faded.

He had incorporated his divine skills into his swordsmanship!

The audience were again shocked. They were surprised that the descendent of the South Sea could hold up to such a furious attack by the head of Judicial Department without showing any signs of losing.

The South Sea girl mocked again, “They say you are powerful. Yet, this is all you can do?”

Ye Hongyu was still sitting inside with her eyes closed. She was not paying any attention to the girl, nor did she need to look at that middle-aged man. Because she knew that he was doomed.

Ever since she reached her current level of swordsmanship, this was only the second time she had used this attack. The previous one was at the Verdant Canyon when she sent out tens of thousands of swords but was only able to trap Jun Mo for a few seconds. This time, she had merely sent out a tenth of what she had previously.

But was there really another Jun Mo in this world?

…