Chapter 178 - The Sect Leaders from the Two Major Sects! (1/2)

“That tanuki with you – what level is that mystical beast?” Great Emperor Mingwu’s gaze landed on Ye Chen’s shoulder.

“Tenth Level,” Ye Chen replied. In truth, Little Tanuki was Earthly Adept Rank and she was a Celestial Beast, not a mystical beast. Nonetheless, Great Emperor Mingwu could not detect Little Tanuki’s level anyway. Concealing the full truth was fine.

“Tenth Level?” Great Emperor Mingwu was somewhat speechless. He had never seen such a frail Tenth Level mystical beast! In most cases, the tanuki in the wild were merely ordinary creatures. However, tanukis which were true Celestial Beasts would never appear before a human. Even if they did, they would have taken on a human form. Great Emperor Mingwu, who was so worldly and knowledgeable, had only heard of a type of Celestial Beasts called the Demon Fox but had never heard of tanuki being Celestial Beasts.

Great Emperor Mingwu had only asked this casually and did not inquire further.

Master Apothecary Xuanyi was refining pills at one side with Li Xu helping beside him. Ye Chen and Great Emperor Mingwu each sat on a cattail hassock and cultivated. Time passed by silently.

They did not speak throughout the night. The next day, the sun had started to rise and a beam of sunlight shone into the alchemy room.

Ye Chen suddenly opened his eyes and said softly, “Two Heavenly Venerable Rank fighters have arrived. Master, when will the medicinal pills be done?”

“Three more hours.” Master Apothecary Xuanyi frowned slightly.

By one side, Great Emperor Mingwu was about to ask, if a Heavenly Venerable Rank powerhouse like him had not sensed anyone coming. How did Ye Chen know that they had started their attack? After a few breaths, Great Emperor Mingwu’s heart trembled. He had sensed two tyrannical presences rushing through the sky. He looked at Ye Chen meaningfully. Ye Chen was able to detect the presence of those two Heavenly Venerable experts before Great Emperor Mingwu. Could he have some secret methods or had Great Emperor Mingwu simply been underestimating Ye Chen’s cultivation base?

“Shall we go and meet them?” Great Emperor Mingwu asked as he cast a glance at Ye Chen.

Ye Chen shook his head. “I can’t participate in a battle between Heavenly Venerable Rank powerhouses at all.” Unless he had no other choice, Ye Chen would not reveal his Astral Body. In terms of strength, Ye Chen’s cultivation base was merely at the beginner Earthly Venerable Rank. He could just about defeat a mid-Earthly Venerable One but compared to Earthly Venerable Rank fighters, the difference was too immense.

Ye Chen did not seem to be lying. It made sense – how could a seventeen-year-old youth reach the Attainment Level of the Heavenly Venerable Rank? That would be too perverse!

It appeared that Ye Chen had used some secret method to detect the two fighters’ presence before Great Emperor Mingwu did. Great Emperor Mingwu had considered Ye Chen’s magical beast-taming ability. Could Ye Chen have come from an ancient, powerful sect, where he had learned these mysterious techniques? Although Great Emperor Mingwu had once sent people to collect information related to the Ye Clan, Ye Chen still seemed shrouded in layers of fog, being impenetrable.

Great Emperor Mingwu shot Ye Chen a long, hard look. “Then, let me handle this.” He sauntered out of the alchemy room. Ten steps later, the door of the alchemy room creaked open and a burst of aura from the Heavenly Venerable Rank fighter soared into the air.

“How did those from the Taiyi Sword Sect and the Stalwarts of the Heavenly Stars Sect come just in time?” Li Xu frowned.

“Yesterday, Master was in a hurry to invite Great Emperor Mingwu. Anyone could have guessed that the medicinal pills are almost done. If someone from this island discloses this to anyone outside, it’d be difficult to stop the news from spreading.” After some thinking, Ye Chen understood what had happened.

Master Apothecary Xuanyi was so angry that his beard was trembling. “Those evil apprentices!”

As Ye Chen spoke, his Astral Body was already spying on what was happening outside.

The three Heavenly Venerable Rank fighters stood in mid-air, facing off at a distance.

“Sect leader of the Taiyi Sword Sect, Xiang Xiong, and sect leader of the Stalwarts of the Heavenly Stars Sect, Yan Fengcheng, I trust that you are well.” Great Emperor Mingwu’s golden armor appeared with a turn of his hand. A severe, cutting aura exploded from him.

“Mingwu, to think that you and Xuanyi got the Purple-gold Divine Fish. I’ve heard that the fish is thirty catties at least. If you refine it into medicinal pills, you won’t get fewer than several hundred pills, right? Both of you can’t possibly use so many medicinal pills. We’re all old friends here. How about you share some with us?” The one who spoke was an old man in a gray robe. He was skinny and had snow-white hair, two long locks of which hung down to his chest. His face was filled with wrinkles and when he smiled, his eyes were marked with crow’s feet. Moreover, a gold sword hung at his waist. He was Xiang Xiong, the sect leader of the Taiyi Sword Sect!

The sect leader of the Taiyi Sword Sect, Xiang Xiong broke through to the Earthly Venerable Rank when he was fifty, and reached the Heavenly Venerable Rank when he was seventy. When he was seventy-five, he had cultivated until he was a mid-Heavenly Venerable One, only a hair’s breadth away from the top Heavenly Venerable Rank. By that point, it was difficult for Xiang Xiong to progress further. Later, he took over as sect leader of the Taiyi Sword Sect and the sect gradually grew stronger under his guidance and support. He could be considered a formidable character of his generation.

“Mingwu, if you agree to share the medicinal pills today, in the future, our two sects won’t cause any more trouble for you, and we’ll help you fight off the Nanman Kingdom. How does that sound?” On the other side, the sect leader of Stalwarts of the Heavenly Stars Sect, Yan Fengcheng, spoke as well. He wore a long robe that was embroidered with seven stars and held a long, gray mace in one hand. He stood proudly for his power was slightly greater than Xiang Xiong’s. Two years ago, he had recently advanced to become a top Heavenly Venerable One.

“I didn’t expect that the two of you would hurry here with no regards for the distance, all for a few Human Tier medicinal pills. If I refuse, that would be discourteous of me. I wonder, how do you think the medicinal pills should be divided?” Great Emperor Mingwu gave a humorless smile as he stared at Xiang Xiong and Yan Fengcheng.

“Divide them up into three equal portions. We’ll each get one portion,” Yan Fengcheng said in a low voice as he glared at Great Emperor Mingwu coldly.

“So, both of you want thirty percent each. Hmm, that’s rather inconvenient. This Purple-gold Divine Fish belongs to a young kid, who has entrusted Master Apothecary Xuanyi to refine and produce the pills while I stand guard. Master Apothecary Xuanyi and I will each receive ten percent, yet the two of you want thirty percent right off the bat. I’m afraid that would be inappropriate. How about this – we’re all old friends here, so I’ll divide my ten percent into three parts, and each of us shall take one part. Is that okay?” Great Emperor Mingwu smiled winningly.

The expressions on Xiang Xiong and Yan Fengcheng faces fell suddenly and they thundered coldly, “Mingwu, you’re mocking us!” Ten percent divided into three – how little was that?Read more chapter on novelhall.com

“Oh, I wouldn’t dare to mock two sect leaders like you. I’m giving up my portion to share with both of you. Isn’t that sincere enough?” Great Emperor Mingwu’s expression slowly turned icy and a subtle, taunting look flitted across his face.