Free Web NovelChapter 103: Chapter 103: Nantian Country (Part 1)
A Great Sage Treasure. It was a treasure that could make anyone tremble. In any era, a Great Sage was a figure who could command the winds and clouds, a master of the Eight Desolations. Becoming a Great Sage was no simple feat.
A Great Sage could not only establish their own sect, but they could also found a legacy with a deep and profound heritage.
Though the Xiyan Ancient Sect had lost its Emperor’s Soldiers, it still possessed three to five Great Sage Treasures. These were the last vestiges of the sect’s profound heritage.
For many Great Teaching Territories, Great Sage Treasures and Great Sage True Artifacts were treasures used to protect the entire sect or country. Yet the Xiyan Ancient Sect still had a few of these Great Sage Treasures. This was a perfect example of how a starved camel is still bigger than a horse.
Normally, Gu Tieshou wouldn’t dare to use a Great Sage Treasure lightly. He didn’t even call upon one when he was trapped by Marquis Liezhan. But this trip to Demon’s Back Ridge was fraught with peril, so Gu Tieshou had specifically brought one out.
For the Xiyan Ancient Sect of today, both Emperor Techniques like the Kunpeng Six Transformations and items like Great Sage Treasures could invite a sect-destroying calamity. Such things were simply too coveted by others!
In the past, Gu Tieshou hadn’t dared to use Emperor Techniques or Great Sage Treasures, fearing the envy of others. But today, his demeanor was aggressive and imposing. First, he demonstrated his might with an Emperor Technique, then he ruthlessly struck down Marquis Zhenwei with a Great Sage Treasure.
The Great Sage Treasure descended. Even if Gu Tieshou couldn’t unleash its full power, the single strike was still terrifying beyond measure. Marquis Zhenwei was completely unable to block it. The sound of cracking bones rang out as his body slammed heavily into the ground, shattering a mountain peak.
Marquis Zhenwei’s blood stained the earth red. He lay in the massive crater, unable to even twitch. Even if he wasn’t dead, his injuries were so severe they would be nearly impossible to heal.
The entire cliff fell silent. Everyone held their breath. When a Great Sage Treasure appeared, everyone had to reconsider their own strength. A veteran Prince, enraged and wielding a Great Sage Treasure—such a figure was not someone just anyone could withstand.
At this moment, Gu Tieshou wielded the Great Sage Treasure, his killing intent piercingly cold and his presence majestic. Even he couldn’t help but feel a surge of exhilaration.
The Xiyan Ancient Sect had been weak for a long time and had always projected an image of weakness, not even daring to make enemies. As the Great Elder of the Xiyan Ancient Sect and its longest-standing disciple, Gu Tieshou had always been cautious and reserved. Whether interacting with other sects or dealing with outsiders, he trod carefully, terrified of making enemies on all sides and inviting a sect-destroying disaster. He had never once acted arrogantly.
However, today he had gone on a rampage, suppressing an old-generation Prince of the Treasure Sacred Upper Country, Marquis Zhenwei. The appearance of the Emperor Technique had stunned the world, and the emergence of the Great Sage Treasure had terrified all onlookers. It made Gu Tieshou feel utterly exhilarated. It made him imagine how satisfying it must have been in the old days when the Xiyan Ancient Sect intimidated the Nine Realms and swept through the ten firmaments. How proud and vindicated they must have felt!
This battle further solidified Gu Tieshou’s resolve to see the Xiyan Ancient Sect rise again. ’Only when the Xiyan Ancient Sect is strong will we no longer have to cower before others!’
Gu Tieshou’s gaze turned cold. Decisive and resolute, his killing intent surged as he strode toward the immobile Marquis Zhenwei on the ground. Without a doubt, the normally peace-loving Gu Tieshou was now intent on murder.
Seeing this, the hearts of the Treasure Sacred Upper Country’s Princes who were present jolted. Princes like Mixed Element Marquis wanted to save Marquis Zhenwei, but facing Gu Tieshou and his Great Sage Treasure, they had to reconsider their own strength.
"Brother Gu, stay your hand!" At that moment, a great shout echoed as a figure crossed the sky. From a distance, he called out to Gu Tieshou.
Everyone turned to look. The figure traversed the void, his arrival heralded by an aura like purple qi flowing from the east. As he approached, he held a Holy Decree high and shouted, "Brother Gu, stay your hand! I have the Human Emperor’s Pardon here!"
It was Purple Mountain Marquis, the very same one who had come to the Xiyan Ancient Sect last time to rescue his men. This time, he had returned with an Emperor’s Handwritten Decree!
Upon hearing the words "Emperor’s Handwritten Decree," many people drew a sharp breath. Seeing the character for "Pardon" on the Holy Decree, which pulsed with the Human Emperor’s rolling divine might, was even more shocking. All the Princes from the Treasure Sacred Upper Country present couldn’t help but bow in reverence.
The Human Emperor of the Treasure Sacred Upper Country was a peerless figure. During the Tough Dao Era, the cultivation of countless geniuses stagnated, yet he had continued to advance triumphantly. It was said that he and the Sun Demon Emperor of the Nine Saints Demon Gate were the two most remarkable Emperors of this generation in the Great Middle Realm!
Purple Mountain Marquis held the decree high, the power emanating from the word "Pardon" moving even the other Princes. He spoke quickly, "Brother Gu, this was all a misunderstanding on Marquis Zhenwei’s part. Your esteemed sect has a share in this venture into Demon’s Back Ridge. We all share this land. Demon’s Back Ridge is treacherous; we should work together to secure its treasures."
The last time he came to the Xiyan Ancient Sect, Purple Mountain Marquis had been aggressive. But today, arriving with a Holy Decree for the second time, his attitude was markedly more humble.
Moreover, as Purple Mountain Marquis spoke to Gu Tieshou, his eyes couldn’t help but dart toward the leisurely and carefree Li Qiye. The last time, with a single word, Li Qiye had shattered a holy decree, and with a flash of anger, he had extinguished the Human Emperor’s will. He couldn’t help but feel wary of this supposedly ordinary third-generation disciple of the Xiyan Ancient Sect, this young man with the legendary Mortal Body, Mortal Wheel, and Mortal Fate.
As an old-generation Prince, Purple Mountain Marquis had weathered many storms and possessed a talent for adapting to circumstances and reading people’s intentions.
Many of the cultivators and Sect Inheritances present were stirred by this. Ever since the Xiyan Ancient Sect’s kingdom fell, they hadn’t been allowed to enter Demon’s Back Ridge. Yet this time, the Treasure Sacred Upper Country had made a special concession, granting the Xiyan Ancient Sect entry!
’Could it be that the Xiyan Ancient Sect is truly on the rise?’
A Prince who knew some of the inside story sighed quietly and murmured, "It seems the Nine Saints Demon Gate is putting its full support behind the Xiyan Ancient Sect."
At this, Gu Tieshou couldn’t help but look toward Li Qiye. The decision to kill or not to kill now rested on a single word from him. As for Marquis Zhenwei, lying motionless, he was already a fish on the chopping block, ready to be carved up.
"His Majesty has declared that for this expedition to Demon’s Back Ridge, all sects, Princes, and Heroic Heroes of the Treasure Sacred Upper Country should coexist in harmony and work together to obtain treasures." Seeing Gu Tieshou look to Li Qiye, the clever Purple Mountain Marquis quickly spoke, adding in a few good words for the Xiyan Ancient Sect.
As for whether the Human Emperor of the Treasure Sacred Upper Country had actually said anything about "coexisting in harmony" and "working together," no outsider could possibly know.
Purple Mountain Marquis wanted no more trouble this time. Last time, he had only been able to bring back the heads of Dong Shenglong and Marquis Liezhan. If something went wrong again, forcing him to return with Marquis Zhenwei’s head, not only would he be unable to face His Majesty, but he would also lose all face within the Treasure Sacred Upper Country.
"Since everyone agrees it was a misunderstanding, and now that it’s all cleared up, nothing could be better," Li Qiye said with a lazy smile. He stood there, completely at ease, as if he were simply standing in his own backyard.
Without a word, Gu Tieshou put away the Great Sage Treasure and retreated silently to his original position.
As for Purple Mountain Marquis, he could only force a bitter smile. He had to swallow this bitter pill himself. Given the situation, this was the only way to resolve things. His intuition told him that the most terrifying person here wasn’t Gu Tieshou, the so-called number one expert of the Xiyan Ancient Sect. It was this seemingly insignificant young man with his shallow Dao Practice—Li Qiye!
Purple Mountain Marquis had no other choice. In the current situation, unless a True Master or an Ancient Saint personally intervened, no Heroic Hero or Prince could hope to turn things around. His instincts screamed that if he dared to make a move, this young man would devour him whole—the kind that didn’t even spit out the bones.
Marquis Zhenwei was severely injured and over a hundred experts had been devoured, yet it was all being brushed aside with a simple "misunderstanding." For a Prince like Purple Mountain Marquis, it was like swallowing a fly. But if he didn’t handle it this way, he knew that perhaps it wouldn’t just be Marquis Zhenwei’s head that needed to be carried back—it might be his own as well.
Many of the cultivators present exchanged glances. ’Isn’t the Xiyan Ancient Sect being too arrogant this time? Could their backer really be so powerful that everyone has to back down?’
BOOM—BOOM—BOOM— Just as everyone was looking at each other in dismay, a thunderous roar echoed through the air. It sounded like ten thousand horses stampeding, like the ceaseless beat of war drums!
At that moment, many people looked up. They saw ancient War Chariots shattering the Void as they tore through the sky. The chariots came to a halt like a flash flood of steel, their wheels leaving two tracks of golden light in the fractured space behind them.
There were not many of them—only a dozen or so War Chariots. Yet, they arrived with a deafening roar, carrying the momentum of ten thousand stampeding horses. Forged from what looked like Divine Gold, they charged forward at extreme speed like a torrent of steel. For a moment, those dozen chariots gave the illusion of a ferocious army ten thousand strong.
The War Chariots screeched to a halt in the air above the cliff. Each ancient chariot emanated a grim, cold aura. They were covered in scars and dents—these were clearly not decorative carriages, but true instruments of war, fresh from the battlefield.
Previously, Marquis Jiangzuo’s Jiangzuo Family had arrived with a thousand horsemen, an imposing sight. And yet, the momentum of these dozen or so War Chariots was even more overwhelming than that of the Jiangzuo Family’s thousand-strong cavalry.
"The Nantian Family—" someone cried out involuntarily upon seeing the banners on the War Chariots.
"It’s the War Chariots of the Nantian Ancient Country! Which Crown Prince has arrived?" Seeing the powerful display, even the old Daoist from the Purple Mist Temple paled and murmured, "An escort of a dozen War Chariots... only a Crown Prince would command such a procession."
Hearing the name "Nantian Family," the expressions of many cultivators present changed. Marquis Jiangzuo’s Jiangzuo Family also called itself an Ancient Family, but they wouldn’t dare make such a claim in the presence of the Nantian Family.
The Nantian Family was immeasurably older than the Jiangzuo Family. Its history could be traced all the way back to the Pioneer Era. In that age, when Celestial Beasts and Longevity Spirits ran rampant, the Nantian Family had already carved out a domain for itself, hacking a path through the desolate and dangerous lands!
