HSSB72: Late outer aura stage—stepping into the air!
Because of the matter with Feng Yunsheng, the relationship between Broad Creed Mountain and the Sacred Sun Clan had been very strained in recent days.
In the land of the Eastern Tang, the tension between the two sides completely came out into the open—sparks flew as the two sides clashed on all fronts constantly.
From the viewpoint of the outside world, if there hadn’t been the unceasing abnormalities in the Sealing Dragon Abyss on the side, the two Sacred Grounds might already long since been at blows.
Having left Jingyang City, Elder Qin and the Sacred Sun Clan’s East Rising Lord clashed once again in the vicinity of the Sealing Dragon Abyss.
The result was that neither side was able to do anything to the other, because their fight could have affected the nearby Sealing Dragon Abyss. Adding on the fact that the abnormalities there had intensified, the two sides finally decided to end things for now.
As the focal member that everyone was debating over, Yan Zhaoge had been extremely low-key these past few months, holing up at home and seldom coming out.
Still, the life that Yan Zhaoge passed was as fulfilling as before—cultivating to improve himself, working on his alchemical skills, and performing Internal Crystal Furnace research.
Other than that, Yan Zhaoge also kept track of what he had asked Ah Hu to take note of earlier.
“Young Master, it is indeed as you expected,” Ah Hu said, standing before Yan Zhaoge. “Rumours have now begun spreading that Ye Jing and Miss Lin had still held feelings for each other. You were shocked and angered because of it and accidentally beat Miss Lin to death as a result.”
“Before this, what happened to Ye Jing in the Sealing Dragon Abyss was also because of you having secretly harmed him due to your burning jealousy.”
Ah Hu looked towards Yan Zhaoge. “Young Master, as you said earlier, does this means that Ye Jing has fallen into Yan Xu’s hands?”
Sitting on his chair, Yan Zhaoge’s fingers gently rapped on the table surface as his eyes narrowed into slits. “The possibility of that is very high.”
“He definitely won’t let me have the chance to confront Ye Jing directly.” Yan Zhaoge propped up his leg. “I’m afraid that he really wants to kill me this time.”
From when the Sacred Sun Clan had come knocking up till now, for a very long period of time, Yan Xu had been very well-behaved.
While he wouldn’t go out of his way to be tolerant to Yan Zhaoge, he also wouldn’t come finding trouble for him, appearing perfectly normal.
Some would think that this was because Elder Qin remained in the Eastern Tang, while others believed that it was because the pressure Elder Qin had previously placed on Yan Xu had deterred him sufficiently.
As Yan Zhaoge saw it, however, this was the calm before the storm.
What was coming were wild winds and violent storms that would be even more ferocious, like when a person’s attack increases in ferocity upon retracting his fist to prepare for a next strike.
Ah Hu drew back the corners of his mouth. “He’s waiting for a chance to fish in troubled waters, but there might not actually be such a chance.”
Yan Zhaoge shook his head, “The Sacred Sun Clan has always been watching hungrily from the side, while Infinite Boundless Mountain is also watching us sneakily. What we see now is actually a very fragile peace.”
“Everyone is just waiting for an opportunity.”
After considering the matter for a bit, Yan Zhaoge turned his head to look at Ah Hu. “Elder Qin will be staying here at Overlooking Abyss City over this period of time?”
Ah Hu replied, “The abnormalities in the Sealing Dragon Abyss have been showing signs of intensifying. If nothing else especially big happens, Elder Qin will be remaining here.”
“The Sacred Sun Clan’s East Rising Lord is also nearby. However, he hasn’t come to find trouble again, probably because of his concerns regarding the Sealing Dragon Abyss.”
Yan Zhaoge nodded. “I will be going into seclusion for a period of time. Unless Elder Qin moves, do not disturb me.”
Ah Hu scratched his head. “What for, Young Master?”
Yan Zhaoge only smiled, not speaking.
The others were all a little surprised by Yan Zhaoge’s decision.
At first, they thought that Yan Zhaoge was intending to forge some artifacts with his Internal Crystal Furnace. Later, they guessed that he wanted to cultivate in some martial art.
But as time passed, they suddenly found that Yan Zhaoge’s seclusion had exceeded a dozen or so days.
“It can’t be that he is planning to break through into the late outer aura Martial Scholar realm?” Someone couldn’t help but guess.
As these words were spoken, everyone else was so shocked that they all jumped before shaking their heads. “How is that possible?! It was only half a year ago that he stepped into the mid outer aura Martial Scholar realm. How would it then be possible that…”
As they continued, they suddenly all fell silent.
They had suddenly realized that it was just like this that Yan Zhaoge had stepped into the mid outer aura Martial Scholar realm not even a month after he had reached the early outer aura stage.
Such a speed was already not something that terrifying would be enough to describe.
From that angle, taking half a year to go from the mid to the late outer aura stage, didn’t really seem like it would be that hard for people to accept?
…accept your mother, who would be able to accept it!
Everyone couldn’t help but want to break out into curses.
“Who knows what special means he used initially when breaking through from the early to the mid outer aura stage in order to hurriedly see short-term gains?” Someone said in a low tone, then snorted.
After everyone had clearly seen who that person was, their expressions were all a little complicated.
It was the previous Acting Elder of the Spirit Wind Canyon, Wen Ningzhi.
Earlier, when the investigation had ended, Wen Ningzhi had finally still managed to pass through it by the skin of his teeth, only having been punished for neglecting his duties, but at least having finally been cleared of having consorted with the enemy.
However, while he was still an Assignment Hall Elder now, he didn’t have an actual position to act in, thus being an idle person who just followed by the Eastern Tang Principal Elder Yan Xu’s side, waiting for his orders.
The Acting Elder positions with actual power in the various lands were always occupied, without having any extra spots.
With Elder Qin there watching over them, Yan Xu also couldn’t really make arrangements for Wen Ningzhi now. Therefore, Wen Ningzhi could only stay idle there.
It was even unclear whether he would still be able to continue staying on in the Eastern Tang after this.
Perhaps the faction of Yan Zhaoge’s second apprentice-uncle Fang Zhun, Yan Xu included, still trusted Wen Ningzhi, but he had inevitably been tagged with the ‘incompetent’ label.
The future ahead of him was totally dark.
Wen Ningzhi said in a heavy tone, “The Sacred Sun Clan has the method of sending the Divine Sun Needle into the body. While such techniques are few and far between within the Eight Extremities World, there are still a number of them.”
“Perhaps faced with the pressure of the late outer aura Martial Scholar Xiao Shen at that time, Yan Zhaoge chose to employ a method which would see him making quick but short-term gains, being like drinking poison to sate thirst. That would also be a very normal thing.”
“Just that like this, his future cultivation will definitely be affected as a result!”
“The heavens are balanced—how could all the good things be enjoyed by one person?”
Some people gazed at Wen Ningzhi mockingly, feeling that he probably loathed the sight of Yan Zhaoge because of what he had suffered at his hands before.
Many others, though, had the same thought well up within their minds.
Otherwise, only taking a month to break through from the early to the mid outer aura stage indicated a cultivation speed that would really be a piece of extremely shocking news which completely went against common sense.
And it was also not an ordinary person’s common sense. Even in the world of geniuses, this was also an impossible feat.
Someone sighed lightly by the side, “Even if such is indeed the case, there was nothing that could have been done about it, right? Even having to face troubles later on, it would still be better than having been killed or wounded by Xiao Shen right on the spot.”
Between his words, everyone’s hearts suddenly moved.
Looking over, they saw someone walking in—that person was precisely Yan Zhaoge.
“What is everyone conversing about so happily?” Yan Zhaoge asked with a smile on his face.
Someone went up to meet him, “Zhaoge, you’ve left seclusion? It sure took you long enough…”
His words suddenly broke off mid-way, as though his voice had been cut in half by a pair of scissors.
Some others looked over and were also immediately frozen, their mouths unconsciously gaping wide and their eyes staring till they turned round.
Wen Ningzhi frowned. Looking over from the back row, he only felt that Yan Zhaoge’s height seemed to be somewhat higher than before.
After struggling his way through the stunned, dazed crowd, making it to the front row, and clearly seeing what was going on, he nearly lost it and fainted right on the spot.
Yan Zhaoge’s height had not actually increased. It was only that he was currently suspended in the air, with more than a foot between his feet and the ground.
“Having broken through successfully, I naturally left seclusion,” Yan Zhaoge said carelessly as he walked towards the crowd.
The distance of a foot was naturally not Yan Zhaoge’s hovering limit. However, in this type of occasion, it was already enough.
If his body could hover temporarily within the air, he would also be able to keep himself moving continuously airborne with the help of his qi.
This was precisely the trademark of a late outer aura Martial Scholar!
TN: Boom! Come on, who was surprised? Admit it!