CH 345

Since the battle in the Tongyou City had ended, the Martial Extermination Realm experts of the other institutions eventually decided to leave. 

However, many of them quickly discovered that the rose-colored bridge that was connected to the hole in the Tongyou Mysterious World’s protection barrier stood firm in mid air.

Yu Chengjin and the others realized that something was still happening and after a short discussion, they decided to pay a visit to Kou Chongxue to ask him about the Tongyou Institution’s plans for the immediate future.

Who would have thought that countless gates would appear in the void at that moment as the disciples of the institution started to make their way back into the institution. They started to clean up the ruined mess that stood before them.

By the time Yu Chengjin and the others arrived, Shang Bo and Yun Jing had recovered enough to receive them. They were waiting at the entrance of the Tongyou Mysterious World. However, both sides hadn’t exchanged greetings when a milky white pillar of light pierced into the air in the distance.

Both sides witnessed how the skies above were starting to fluctuate slightly as the white glow extended all the way onto the bridge.

“This…” An Baimei recognized the source of the white light immediately. The corners of his mouth arched downwards and he didn’t know whether he should continue talking. 

The milky white glow flowed along the bridge before entering the Tongyou Mysterious World, replenishing the energy it had lost.

Even though An Baimei didn’t say anything earlier, those present were Martial Extermination Realm experts. They could obviously feel the heaven and earth qi in their surroundings getting denser.

Naturally, the dots were quickly connected in their minds and they immediately identified what the stream of energy was. In fact, they could even guess where it came from.

The Martial Extermination Realm experts who were present felt their expressions changing slightly. Most of them communicated with their eyes and rueful expressions quickly appeared on their faces.

“Hehe… Patriarch Kou being injured and lurking about death’s door… I wonder how many of those old men are feeling their faces stinging right now.”

“Looks like the White Deer Paradise is going to suffer quite a bit this time. It’s the true manifestation of going out for wool and coming home shorn!” 

“Patriarch Kou really made a grand entrance this time. He even plotted against the White Deer Paradise… They’re going to be in some serious trouble now!” 

“...” 

Shang Bo and Yun Jing could only pretend to ignore the discussions they were having.

With the world origin pouring into the Tongyou Mysterious World, Shang Bo and everyone present took the chance to absorb whatever leftover energy they could to replenish the energy they lost during the battle that passed.

Too bad for them, Kou Chongxue only allowed a small portion of energy to leak from the Tongyou Mysterious World. Most of the energy was channeled directly into the Tongyou Mysterious World.

Watching the energy stream into the Tongyou Mysterious World seemingly without end, the Martial Extermination Realm experts from the other powers eventually turned impatient.

Yu Chengjin was the first to ask, “Brother Shang, Sister Yun, will we be able to be fortunate enough to meet Patriarch Kou today?”

“Apologies. Our patriarch’s injuries just took a turn for the better. However, he is unable to meet with you guys at the moment. Please forgive us.” Shang Bo replied.

All of them present wasn’t ballsy enough to irritate Kou Chongxue, and none of them dared to say anything in response. 

Yu Chengjin continued, “Does Patriarch Kou have any intentions of replacing the White Deer Paradise and taking control of the You Continent as the Tongyou Paradise?” 

Yun Jing chuckled in response. “Brother Yu, I know what you’re getting at. Our Tongyou Institution didn’t forcefully upgrade ourselves into a holy land with the energy from the origin tide, and we have no intentions of doing so with the energy obtained from the White Deer Paradise. Also, as a member of the alliance among our five border institutions, our Tongyou Institution will not forsake any one of you.” 

“Great. That’s good to hear.” Yu Chengjin cupped his fists together and heaved a sigh of relief. “The Tongyou Institution is truly honorable. All of us are very grateful to the institution’s stance.” 

An Baimei and the others seemed to have received the reply they wanted and they cupped their fists together in unison. “The Tongyou Institution is honorable indeed!” 

…

In a secret region in the Tongyou Mysterious World, Kou Chongxue stood side by side with Ji Wenlong.

The yells from the experts outside eventually entered their ears, and Ji Wenlong looked at Kou Chongxue and chuckled weirdly, “Are you really going to give up this chance to rise to the level of a holy land?” 

Coughing once, Kou Chongxue replied, “Do I look like such a short-sighted person? Why would I weaken the spatial barrier just to increase our strength slightly?” 

Evidently doubtful that the Madman of the You Continent was actually so selfless, Ji Wenlong continued, “Are you sure it’s not because the world origin from the White Deer Paradise isn’t enough to push us into the ranks of holy lands?”

“What nonsense are you spouting now? Hmph, those three assholes of the Ji Continent are nothing but a fart in this granddaddy’s eyes! I’ll beat them up whenever I wish! I…” Kou Chongxue snorted in contempt. 

Before he could complete his sentence, Ji Wenlong interrupted him, “Isn’t your clone about to be forced out of the Ji Continent?” 

Kou Chongxue’s expression sank and a helpless expression appeared on his face. “Well… I mean, my clone is fighting in their territory after all. Even if I want to beat them up badly, I have to show some restraint. Moreover, Xuan Lu might be coming back soon. He might even bring some other experts over to block off my path of retreat. I have to escape in case I get trapped in there!” 

“Hurry up and retreat then. We can’t help you with anything now.” Ji Wenlong sighed. 

“Hmph… Look at yourselves. I can’t put my hope in any of you! Heh… The three of you can’t even compare to a single brat at the Martial Intent Realm…” A shit-eating grin appeared on Kou Chongxue’s face as he gloated.

Ji Wenlong naturally wouldn’t bother himself with how Kou Chongxue spoke to him. After all, they had been working together for such a long time and Ji Wenlong wasn’t much of a cultured soul himself. After thinking about it for a second, he was still in a state of disbelief as he asked the question that had been bugging him for quite some time now. “So… Is it really true that the suggestion that you should use the water attribute to balance out the instability caused by your Primal Yang Copper Fate Dipper and your Eternal Spring Fate Dipper?”

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A helpless sigh escaped Kou Chongxue’s lips. “Of course it’s not that simple! The method the kid proposed was a little crude, but I can tell that he’s on to something. There’s a long way to go if I wish to truly fix the problem. If I’m a little careless, the imbalance will cause me to experience cultivation deviation! I can only say that I’m really lucky to be able to regain some combat capabilities now…”

“Even so, that’s shocking enough! You need to prepare yourself. After the battle today, those people from the Beyond Heavens Pavilion will probably come knocking. They definitely want to obtain your secret as to how you did it.” Ji Wenlong warned.

A cold snort left Kou Chongxue’s lips. “Wouldn’t that be better? This old man still has a lot of grievances I need to take out on them!” 

Ji Wenlong turned around and his expression sank. “You better control yourself a bit. All you’re doing now is to borrow the prestige you had before. Don’t overdo it. Our institution isn’t able to hold out in case another attack comes…” 

It would be better if Ju Wenlong didn’t say anything. Now that he mentioned it, Kou Chongxue flew into a fit of rage. “Look at yourselves! How am I supposed to rely on you? As long as one of you manages to refine a fate dipper and step into the Martial Dipper Realm, I won't have to deal with everything myself! Hmph…” 

Ji Wenlong wanted to refute, but Kou Chongxue simply waved his sleeves in annoyance. “What are you still standing here for? You derived the rest of my rank five advancement formula with the energy from the origin tide. The shattered fate dipper we obtained in the battlefield between the two worlds is almost fully restored too. I drew over the White Deer Paradise’s hundreds of years of accumulation. If you really wish to risk it and step into the Martial Dipper Realm, there’s no better time.” 

A smile appeared on Ji Wenlong’s face and he turned around to step into a sealed secret region in the Tongyou Mysterious World.

Looking at his fading figure, Kou Chongxue yelled, “Oi, don’t die!”

Ji Wenlong didn’t bother turning his head to look at the patriarch. The only thing he did was to gesture with his hands above his head.

…

In the spirit cave under the Changfeng City. Shang Xia spoke to Shang Pei through the mist. “Third Aunt, do you have some sort of misunderstanding with my Grandpa Bo?”

Shang Xia noticed the abnormality when she addressed Shang Bo as ‘your grandfather’ instead of Third Uncle. It wasn’t difficult to connect the dots especially since she addressed Shang Ke as ‘Fifth Uncle’.

Clearly, something happened between the two. 

Shang Pei paused for a moment before sighing, “Misunderstanding? If only it was that simple…” 

“Is your situation the same as Second Uncle, Shang Jian?” 

Shang Xia thought back to Shang Jian who returned to the clan recently. Ever since he was born, he hadn’t seen the man before. In fact, he didn’t know he had a second uncle until the other day.

Shang Pei was the same. He had no idea she existed until recently.

Shang Xia found it weird. The two of them were clearly core members of the Shang Clan. There was no way he would have no idea who they were!

Questions started forming in Shang Xia’s mind. What could cause Shang Jian and Shang Pei to run away from the family to the point where no one talked about them?

“I know what you wish to know. However, these are things that happened twenty years ago. It’s a grudge that’s between members of the older generation of the clan. You kids shouldn’t take part in it. After all, twenty years have passed. There’s nothing time can’t heal.” Shang Pei sighed. However, she quickly added, “Since Fifth Uncle is the patriarch of the clan now, I can go back whenever I wish! Hmph… Even if I do return, I’ll only go back for a short look!” 

Shang Xia frowned. “You don’t wish to stay? Second Uncle has a huge family. He has already returned and settled down in the clan. Oh, Ninth Uncle is back too!” 

A trace of anger could be heard in Shang Pei’s voice as she grumbled, “I’m not suited to remain in the Tongyou City. I’ve already gotten accustomed to my life as a bandit. I can do whatever I want without caring about the repercussions! I’m only going to go back for the rank four advancement formula. Actually, if not for the fact that I was looking for you, I wouldn’t have been caught by Yang Hu.”

“Looking for me?” Shang Xia gasped in shock. When he eventually snapped back to reality, he recalled the fact that he had been missing in the Thousand Leaf Mountain Range for some time now.

It seemed as though Shang Ke wasn’t able to send anyone out of the city to look for him due to the situation in the Tongyou City and he had to enlist some outside help. 

Well, that pretty much led to everything that happened after he went missing.