Book Five — Fearless Under The Heavens (Part 2)
Chapter 197 – Tantai Hong
A Heavenly Immortal!
An existence of legend that had survived to overcome nine waves of Heavenly Tribulation and ascend into a Heavenly Immortal that controlled the laws of the Heaven Dao and stood proudly above the myriad of beings, an eternal overlord, and every single cultivator dreamed of this supreme realm!
Qing Xiuyi actually being a reincarnated Heavenly Immortal was indeed staggering news that caused endless astonishment. Moreover, her ident.i.ty was so respected that it had already surpa.s.sed every single person that Chen Xi knew, and even Bei Heng’s background wasn’t as great as hers.
Because one of them was an Earthly Immortal, the other a Heavenly Immortal. One in the heavens, yet the other on earth. A distance that was like a natural chasm existed between the two, and they were utterly unable to be compared.
Although Qing Xiuyi was only a reincarnated Heavenly Immortal now, and her strength wasn’t even a ten thousandth of the strength of a Heavenly Immortal, but along with her cultivation growing deeper, her consciousness and inheritance related to her being a Heavenly Immortal would awaken. The Dao comprehension experience that came from the Heavenly Immortal Realm was sufficient to allow her to attain a height that ordinary people were unable to reach. She was like the brilliant sun, and no one dared look down upon her.
Just like now, as the Master of the Treasure Heaven Pavilion, Feng Junhe’s cultivation was at the Nether Transformation Realm, yet he could only watch idly by as she left and didn’t dare stop her.
Since she was able to reincarnate and cultivate once more, she’s surely a formidable figure amongst Heavenly Immortals. So long as I cultivate with great effort, it isn’t impossible for me to surpa.s.s her. Chen Xi secretly clenched his fist and awoke from his shock. Not only did Qing Xiuyi’s background not cause him to feel discouraged, it instead stimulated his infinite will to fight.
“Young Master, for the sake of reparation, my Treasure Heaven Pavilion’s Sword Pavilion has specially presented a gift for you. Please accept this gift.” Right at this moment, the beautiful female attendant walked over once more, and she held a jade box in her hands as she spoke respectfully.
“There’s no need, I didn’t do anything to deserve this. You can return it.” Chen Xi shook his head as he spoke, and when he raised his head to look, he noticed that the Treasure Heaven Pavilion’s Master, Feng Junhe, had vanished.
“Young Master, the top-grade profound-rank swords in here are respectively a set of five elemental swords, a pair of Yin and Yang composite swords, a pair of wind and lightning swords, and a Starverse Sword. All of them are precious Magic Treasures personally selected by Madam Shui Hua for you. She said that if you don’t accept it, then keeping these Magic Treasures would be useless as well, and I should toss it onto the streets for others to pick up.” The female attendant explained with a pitiable expression.
Chen Xi instead felt cold in his heart when he heard this. These ten swords just happened to correspond to the ten types of Dao Insights he’d comprehended. Obviously Madam Shui Hua understood as well that Chen Xi had comprehended ten types of supreme Dao Insights, so she went through a lot of trouble to help him select these ten top-grade profound-rank swords. Moreover, she didn’t appear personally, so he couldn’t even refuse.
I wonder exactly what this woman is planning. But if it goes against my own intentions, then I’ll be absolutely unable to agree to it. Chen Xi thought for a moment and received the jade box in the end.
“Young Master, the Madam also said that you’re surely heading to the Oceanic Desert this time for the sake of absorbing the Nine-Yang Profound Qi, so you ought to lack Nine-Ying Profound Qi. Thus, she acted on her own and gathered a bottle of Nine-Ying Profound Qi for you. I hope that you can accept this.” Right when Chen Xi intended to turn around and leave, the female attendant withdrew a sheepskin bottle that was completely like jade and spoke respectfully.
This woman is really capable of considering everything accurately. The two gifts she gave are both things I need urgently, and I’m utterly unable to refuse. Chen Xi sighed in his heart, and he completely didn’t have the joy of obtaining a pile of precious treasures.
He thought for a moment, and then a flash of inspiration arose in Chen Xi’s mind. His Divine Perception entered into the Buddha’s PaG.o.da and gathered a large pile of the various materials that were piled into a mountain, and then he placed them into a Hundred Treasure Bag and pa.s.sed it to the female attendant as he said, “Gifts require reciprocation. This is an expression of my goodwill, I hope you can pa.s.s it to Madam Shui Hua.” As he spoke, Chen Xi withdrew another jade bottle that contained 500 kg of spirit liquid and smiled. “Thank you for the trouble, this 500 kg of spirit liquid is a little token of my thanks, I hope you can accept it.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Xi didn’t stay any longer, and he turned and left. He was afraid that if he continued staying here and received more precious treasures, then he would truly be unable to take it.
But when he’d only just walked out of the door to the Treasure Heaven Pavilion, he encountered a familiar person right before him, Tantai Zixuan and a middle aged man with a cold expression and greyish hair stood by her side.
This middle aged man stood with a proud bearing and had his hands behind his back, and the surroundings of his body faintly seemed to flow with a shapeless field of energy, as if a casual move of his was able to shatter s.p.a.ce and control the surroundings.
This was the sight of someone who was soon to advance to the Rebirth Realm, and it was called Half-step Rebirth Realm!
Chen Xi didn’t have to guess, this middle aged man was Tantai Hong, the father of Tantai Zixuan and the Patriarch of the Tantai Clan who was also the Master of the number one trading company in Oceanic City, the Treasure Control Company.
“You’re Chen Ke? Sure enough, you’re an extraordinary young hero. Thank you for lending a hand and allowing my daughter to safely return to the city.” Tantai Hong’s gaze swept Chen Xi from head to toe, and his cold expression became much more relaxed.
Hmm? Could it be that Tantai Zixuan told him about the matter of my annihilating Han Guyue and the others? Chen Xi was stunned and looked at the nearby Tantai Zixuan.
“Fellow Daoist Chen Ke, don’t misunderstand. I only reported to my Father that Han Guyue and the other Han Clan elders were killed by a mysterious senior, whereas you only pa.s.sed by and sent us back to the city. My Father came here this time to thank you.” Tantai Zixuan swiftly explained via voice transmission.
Only now did Chen Xi come to a sudden understanding. He wasn’t a person that fussed about everything, but it was because this incident involved the Sickle of Slaughter and his Buddha’s PaG.o.da, so he had to be slightly vigilant.
“Chen Ke, come be a guest at my Tantai Clan. Even though I didn’t step into the Rebirth Realm from my closed door cultivation this time, I’ve instead befriended some young geniuses. You’re at the Golden Hall Realm now, it’s a good thing for you to communicate more with some young experts.” Tantai Hong smiled as he spoke and had an appearance as if he’d considered himself to be a senior of Chen Xi’s.
“My Father dotes on me the most. He doesn’t have any other intention and just wants to entertain you for some time and help you get to know more people, and it can be considered to be returning a favor to you.” Tantai Zixuan explained via voice transmission. She knew how terrifying Chen Xi’s strength was, and when she heard her Father take Chen Xi to be an ordinary junior, she felt both amused and worried that Chen Xi would misunderstand, so she hurriedly explained.
“It’s alright. I am young.” Chen Xi smiled, and then he cupped his fist towards Tantai Hong. “Thank you Uncle Tantai for your good intention, but I want to head to the Oceanic Desert to gain experience and tempering today. I’ll come disturb you when I have the chance next time.”
“Oceanic Desert?” Tantai Hong frowned as a trace of suspicion flashed past the depths of his eyes, and then he went silent for a long time before saying, “Chen Ke, I’ll be candid with you. I’m heading to the Oceanic Desert today as well, so how about you come with me so that I can look after you?” As he spoke, his gaze locked tightly onto Chen Xi as if he was extremely antic.i.p.ating Chen Xi’s agreement.
But Chen Xi faintly noticed a trace of unusualness. It was as if when Tantai Hong heard him mention heading to the Oceanic Desert, Tantai Hong aroused suspicion towards him and revealed a trace of a probing intention in his words.
“There’s no need. I’m going to the Oceanic Desert for the sake of tempering myself, and it would lose its meaning if I have Uncle Tantai protecting me.” Chen Xi shook his head and refused, yet he was pondering the meaning within Tantai Hong’s words in his heart.
Tantai Hong seemed to have secretly heaved a sigh of relief, and he pondered for a long time before saying, “Chen Ke, I’m unable to repay your kindness of escorting my daughter all the way to return safely, so I’ll give you an extremely great fortuitous encounter. How about it?”
A fortuitous encounter can be given? Chen Xi didn’t know whether to laugh or to cry.
“Follow me, I’ll first bring you along to meet a few people.” Tantai Hong smiled mysteriously and utterly didn’t allow Chen Xi to refuse before heading towards the distance.
“What does your Father want to do?” Chen Xi looked towards Tantai Zixuan and asked.
“Fellow Daoist Chen Ke, to tell you honestly, my Father possesses an incomplete map, and the diagram atop this map is some clues to search for Qian Yuan’s Treasure Vault. Moreover, the reason the Han Clan attacked my Tantai Clan was exactly for the sake of this map.” At this point, Tantai Zixuan felt there was nothing to conceal any longer, and she revealed this secret.
A map to find the Qian Yuan’s Treasure Vault?
Chen Xi was instantly shocked in his heart. He’d found out from Xue Chen and Pei Zhong that this Qian Yuan’s Treasure Vault was left behind by a Heavenly Immortal, and it contained boundless precious treasures and the inheritance of this Heavenly Immortal Realm expert, causing it to draw the attention and covetous intentions of many great powers of the central plains. But even Pei Zhong and Xue Chen didn’t know the location of this Qian Yuan’s Treasure Vault. Supposedly, it was deep within the Oceanic Desert, and it would descend onto the world in the near future.
However, at this moment, Tantai Zixuan had instead said that her Father possessed a map related to Qian Yuan’s Treasure Vault, so how could Chen Xi not be shocked?
If this is true, then following Tantai Hong into the Oceanic Desert is indeed an extremely great fortuitous encounter. Chen Xi thought to himself, and then he recalled a matter and said via voice transmission, “Right, didn’t Han Guyue say that he’d sent a Rebirth Realm cultivator to a.s.sa.s.sinate your father? Did something happened while this was carried out?”
“Yes, that Rebirth Realm cultivator was forced into retreat by an extremely strong mysterious female cultivator. Her two disciples are guests at my clan now.” Tantai Zixuan replied casually.
“Mysterious female cultivator?” Chen Xi spoke with astonishment, and he kept having the feeling that this incident was slightly fishy.
“Yeah, it’s all thanks to her lending a hand in time, otherwise, my Father would probably have really been killed.” Tantai Zixuan nodded.
Chen Xi nodded and didn’t ask any further.
——
“He accepted everything?” At the top level of the Treasure Heaven Pavilion, Madam Shui Hua lay lazily on a crystal bed, and her voluptuous body drew out an attractive outline that stirred one’s soul.
“Reporting to Madam, he accepted it. This is what that Young Master asked me to pa.s.s on to you.” The female attendant held up a Hundred Treasure Bag with both hands as she spoke respectfully.
“Oh.” Madam Shui Hua stuck out her hand and the Hundred Treasure Bag fell into her hand, and then she swept its contents with her Divine Sense, causing her to be stunned instantly. After a long time, she muttered. “The wings of Snowshadow b.u.t.terflies, the sh.e.l.ls of Darksoul Beetles, Glittering Cyan Herb… What a fellow! Every single one of these materials is more precious than the other, and their worth is more than double the gifts I gave him. Looks like he’s unwilling to owe me a favor. But the more you act like this, the more I won’t let you off. I don’t believe I’m unable to subdue a little dummy like you…”
As she spoke, Madam Shui Hua’s starry eyes became misty, and the corners of her delicate and charming lips were suffused with a trace of an inexplicable smile that was filled with allure.