Free Web NovelChapter 346: Causing Trouble
Boom, boom, boom!
Wang Yufan and Han Ba’s attacks collided, and with that collision, the several Fire Phoenixes Han Ba had unleashed instantly transformed into a sky full of scattered sparks.
By this point, Han Ba had already realized that the divine fire Wang Yufan used was stronger than his own.
Han Ba looked at Wang Yufan, took a deep breath, and then said, "Kid, you’re very good. I will remember the humiliation you brought me today."
Hearing Han Ba’s words, Wang Yufan raised an eyebrow.
The next second, Han Ba’s figure disappeared from his original spot.
Everyone who witnessed this scene was stunned. Shangguan Nan’s eyes looked at where Han Ba had vanished, and at that moment, he finally realized something.
Then, before everyone could fully recover, he spoke to Wang Yufan, "Your name is Wang Yufan, right? Han Ba has already left, so you have won this match."
When Wang Yufan heard Shangguan Nan’s words, he knew that today’s competition was over and he had become the victor of the Mingyue Empire’s Genius Grand Competition. As for Wang Gang, when he saw that the adjudicator was Shangguan Nan from the Tianyu Divine Sect, he stood aside and said nothing.
In response to Shangguan Nan’s words, Wang Yufan said, "You are correct, my name is Wang Yufan. You said I won, so shouldn’t my competition reward be issued now?"
Hearing Wang Yufan’s words, Shangguan Nan smiled and said to Emperor Huang Wuji, who was sitting not far away, "Fellow Daoist Huang, please arrange for the rewards to be distributed quickly."
Emperor Huang Wuji heard Shangguan Nan’s words and said, "Hahaha, no problem. I see that Wang Yufan is such a talent, having won first place in this competition, so we will certainly give out the rewards." After Emperor Huang Wuji finished speaking, he looked at Wang Gang, who was beside him, and said, "Quickly announce the reward mechanism for this time, and then issue the rewards."
Hearing Emperor Huang Wuji’s words, Wang Gang bowed respectfully, then ascended the arena, looked at Wang Yufan, and said, "This Genius Grand Competition has concluded. Next is the time to award the prizes. The top five of this Genius Grand Competition will all receive favor from mid-to-upper-tier sects. In addition, our Mingyue Empire will give the top five one to five Promotion Pills respectively. Of course, besides that, the top five will also receive between one hundred and one thousand Yuanshi, and the top fifty participants will all receive corresponding Yuanshi."
Upon hearing this, everyone’s eyes widened. They hadn’t expected the Mingyue Empire to be so generous; those Promotion Pills were something ordinary people could only dream of obtaining.
In the time that followed, Wang Gang distributed all the rewards to their respective recipients as instructed by Emperor Huang Wuji. Wang Yufan also smiled as he looked at the rewards in his hand.
All participants received their corresponding rewards, with the only exception being Han Ba, who placed second.
After everyone had settled down, Emperor Huang Wuji also offered his evaluation of the competition, but from beginning to end, he did not say a single word about Han Ba, instead showing great kindness towards Wang Yufan.
"Wang Yufan, congratulations on winning this competition. All the rewards you wanted have been given to you. How about it, do you want to join my Imperial Family or one of the Upper Sects now? These esteemed adults from the Upper Sects are all here," Emperor Huang Wuji said.
Hearing Emperor Huang Wuji’s words, Wang Yufan also raised his head and looked at the few people from the Upper Sects sitting in the VIP section.
Wang Yufan had originally thought that by winning first place, he could choose the sect he wanted to join. However, when he looked over, Shangguan Nan, the Elder of the Tianyu Divine Sect, one of the Four Super Sects, as well as Zhang Dao, the Vice Sect Leader of the Shanhe Sect, and Sima Chun of the Demon Shadow Divine Sect, all had displeased expressions on their faces.
When Emperor Huang Wuji saw this, his heart skipped a beat. He didn’t know what had happened. He remembered that Shangguan Nan had previously praised Wang Yufan’s astonishing talent and wanted him to join the Tianyu Divine Sect, but now their expressions did not seem welcoming at all.
"Esteemed sirs, what is the meaning of this...?" Emperor Huang Wuji began to say.
However, after Emperor Huang Wuji finished speaking, Sima Chun of the Demon Shadow Divine Sect snorted coldly and said, "What reason do you still want us to explain?" After Sima Chun finished speaking, he looked at Wang Yufan and said, "It’s not that we suddenly changed our minds, but rather that you have caused trouble. As the first-place winner of this competition, we have given you all the glory and rewards you deserve. However, we cannot accept you into our sects."
Hearing these words, not only Wang Yufan but also all the onlookers were stunned, their hearts filled with great questions.
"May I ask why? Did I do something wrong?" Wang Yufan asked.
Hearing Wang Yufan’s words, Zhang Dao of the Shanhe Sect said, "You are mistaken. Among your generation, you are already very strong, but you truly should not have defeated Han Ba."
Upon hearing this, everyone began to discuss animatedly.
"Why is that? Didn’t Wang Yufan win first place? Why couldn’t he defeat Han Ba?"
"Yes, didn’t Han Ba quietly leave after being defeated by Wang Yufan?"
Among the onlookers, someone seemed to have figured something out and then said, "I think that for these Upper Sects to suddenly change their expressions, I believe Han Ba is definitely not simple. His background must not be so simple."
Just after this person finished speaking, an old man with white hair in the crowd stood out and said, "You all saw the fifth divine fire that Han Ba displayed during the battle, didn’t you?"
"Yes, yes. That was indeed the Youming Flame Fire, ranked fifth on the divine fire ranking. Is there something we don’t know?"
The old man stroked his beard and continued, "Hehehe, it’s normal that you don’t know, because this matter is only known to the older generation or to great figures with supreme strength."
"Please tell us quickly. Don’t keep us in suspense." Someone in the audience urged. As soon as this person finished speaking, everyone else also showed expressions of eager curiosity.
The old man continued, "Have you heard who the strongest person in the Netherworld Divine Sect, one of the Four Super Sects, is?"
"That goes without saying, isn’t it Lord Soul Reaper, one of the Four Prime Ancestors?" someone said.
The old man nodded upon hearing this and said, "You are correct, the strongest in the Netherworld Divine Sect is Lord Soul Reaper, and this Lord Soul Reaper is one of the Four Prime Ancestors. And it is said that this Lord Soul Reaper also possesses a divine fire. The name of this divine fire is Youming Flame Fire."
Upon hearing the old man’s words, the surrounding crowd was stunned for a moment. But someone immediately reacted and shouted, "Wasn’t the divine fire Han Ba used earlier the Youming Flame Fire?"
When this sentence was spoken, the crowd suddenly burst into an uproar. Wang Yufan, standing on the arena at this moment, also heard what they said, but his heart remained calm.
"That’s right, perhaps some of you have already guessed it. The Youming Flame Fire used by Han Ba is that of the Soul-Reaping Ancestor of the Netherworld Divine Sect. And you also saw that the Han Ba from before also used the Youming Flame Fire, so the three of us unanimously deduce that Han Ba is very likely a person from the Netherworld Divine Sect. As for his specific identity, we cannot yet confirm it, but what can be deduced is that he definitely has an inseparable connection to the Soul-Reaping Ancestor.
And today, you defeated Han Ba, and Han Ba left directly. Our three sects cannot take you in. If Han Ba truly has some connection with the Soul-Reaping Ancestor, then we will not be able to resist him." Upon hearing this, Wang Yufan smiled.
"Hmm? What are you laughing at?" Sima Chun said with a displeased expression.
"I’m laughing at how this so-called Genius Grand Competition turns out. We martial artists must be invincible and fearless. Even if the Soul-Reaping Ancestor is one of the Four Prime Ancestors of the Primordial Spirit Realm, and even if Han Ba is his disciple, what of it? His defeat at my hands simply means his strength was insufficient, and it is not my fault. Since he chose to participate in this genius competition, he must have come prepared for failure.
There is no one in this world who never fails. The so-called undefeated are those who have been tempered by countless failures. Since you are not prepared to take me in, then I have no need to join you either." After Wang Yufan finished speaking, he looked at Emperor Huang Wuji.
Then he bowed slightly and said, "Emperor, I never participated in this Genius Grand Competition to join these Upper Sects. I only did so for a promise. Now that my promise has been fulfilled, I can leave."
Upon hearing Wang Yufan’s words, Emperor Huang Wuji’s expression also changed.
Although Wang Yufan was speaking to him, Wang Yufan’s disregard for Sima Chun, Zhang Dao, and Shangguan Nan of the Tianyu Divine Sect, one of the Four Super Sects, would inevitably provoke them.
As expected, just as Wang Yufan was about to leave, Sima Chun said, "Wait."
Upon hearing Sima Chun’s words, Wang Yufan had just taken a step. Hearing Sima Chun speak like this, Wang Yufan felt that leaving here smoothly today might not be so simple.
Wang Yufan knew he was not at an advantage here, so he stopped and said, "May I ask why Lord Sima is calling me? Haven’t my matches already ended? I should be able to leave, right?"
Wang Yufan’s words directly made Sima Chun sneer, "Leave? Although you won first place in this Genius Grand Competition, I think it would be better for the people of the Mingyue Empire if you don’t leave so hastily."
Sima Chun’s words stunned everyone.
"What does Lord Sima mean by that? Will something happen to our Mingyue Empire because of Wang Yufan?"
"That goes without saying. It must be because Wang Yufan provoked Han Ba. If Han Ba is truly from the Netherworld Divine Sect, then when they come looking for Wang Yufan and can’t find him, they will definitely take out their anger on the people of our Mingyue Empire."
Hearing someone’s analysis, everyone nodded, while Wang Yufan smiled once more.
He turned his head, not looking at Sima Chun, but at Emperor Huang Wuji, and said, "I would like to ask if the Emperor of the Mingyue Empire thinks the same way?"
After Wang Yufan finished speaking, he quietly looked at Emperor Huang Wuji, awaiting his answer.
Emperor Huang Wuji felt very helpless upon hearing Wang Yufan’s words. He could see Wang Yufan’s talent; if such a genius were in his Mingyue Empire, then the Mingyue Empire would surely rise powerfully in the future. But if he lost such a genius as Wang Yufan, then the Mingyue Empire might lose the hope of the empire’s rise.
All sorts of thoughts intertwined in Emperor Huang Wuji’s mind. He didn’t know how to answer Wang Yufan, and finally, he sighed and said, "Wang Yufan, for the sake of our Mingyue Empire, please stay for now. If nothing happens, then you can leave. If the Netherworld Divine Sect truly comes to trouble our Mingyue Empire, then we can only ask you to help us answer them."
Hearing Emperor Huang Wuji’s words, Wang Yufan said, "Emperor, if such a thing truly happens, I, Wang Yufan, will bear the consequences of my own actions. But this also proves that these so-called Four Super Sects are nothing special; they just can’t stand to lose."
As soon as Wang Yufan finished speaking, from the VIP section, Shangguan Nan suddenly shouted, "Presumptuous! What did you just say?"
Upon hearing this, everyone felt that Wang Yufan, who had just risen in the Mingyue Empire’s Genius Grand Competition, had now angered several major Upper Sects, and his path might just end here.
Everyone discussed ceaselessly.
After Shangguan Nan finished speaking, he felt a power exceeding the Yuankun Realm cultivation coming towards him from the VIP section. Wang Yufan knew that this power was far beyond what he could resist. And when Shangguan Nan saw that Wang Yufan could remain expressionless under the pressure he released, his eyes lit up. Wang Yufan was indeed a genius, and he didn’t want such a genius to miss out on their Tianyu Divine Sect. But at the same time, Wang Yufan was very likely to have provoked Han Ba of the Netherworld Divine Sect. If that were truly the case, according to the Netherworld Divine Sect’s usual practice, they would surely come knocking.
Although their Tianyu Divine Sect also had Yang Xiu Ancestor overseeing it, Soul-Reaping Ancestor’s strength was a level higher than their own Prime Ancestors’s.
Thinking of this, Shangguan Nan’s expression was no longer as optimistic about Wang Yufan as before.
"Lord Shangguan, what do you mean by this? Did I say something wrong? You don’t distinguish right from wrong, you bully the weak and fear the strong, and you still think I’m at fault? Hahaha, that’s truly laughable," Wang Yufan said.
Shangguan Nan was now enraged by Wang Yufan’s words and then said, "Shut up! I admit that your strength and talent make you an outstanding figure among your generation, but you must know that there is always a higher heaven, and there are always people stronger than you." After Shangguan Nan finished speaking, his aura intensified once again, pressing down on Wang Yufan. He wanted to teach Wang Yufan a lesson, to make Wang Yufan realize that he had spoken wrongly just now.
But how could Wang Yufan be suppressed by the aura released by Shangguan Nan? Although Shangguan Nan was very strong, Wang Yufan was not someone who could be easily controlled by anyone.
