Chapter 81

Chapter 81: Yang Xuanzhan Attains Sainthood, and the Qian Imperial Household Arrives

Heaven’s Secret Pavilion.

Ye Xu opened his eyes, his gaze shimmering with divine radiance, while a faint Dao rhythm flowed around his body.

During this time, he had spent a hundred thousand heavenly secrets points to acquire the Saint realm cultivation method of the Creation Heart Sutra, then progressed directly from the peak of the Divine Catastrophe stage to the peak of the Complete Divine God realm.

Heaven’s Secret Pavilion formed its own isolated world, impervious to the Heavenly Dao’s perceptions, so even when Ye Xu advanced to godhood, no heavenly tribulation manifested.

However, this didn’t mean Ye Xu had escaped the heavenly tribulation.

The moment he stepped outside Heaven’s Secret Pavilion, both the heavenly tribulation and divine retribution would strike simultaneously.

"Yang Xuanzhan has become a Saint."

At this instant, Ye Xu sensed a transformation in the depths of Time and Space.

After obtaining the complete Nine Revolutions Nirvana Sutra cultivation method, Yang Xuanzhan trained diligently for days and finally attained the Saint level.

His talents were extraordinary, which was why he and Ye Hongchen were once known as the Twin Pillars of the Southern Wilderness.

Moreover, Yang Xuanzhan had already cultivated to the peak of the Complete God King realm, making that final step far from difficult.

With a mere thought from Ye Xu, Yang Xuanzhan was propelled out of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion from the depths of Time and Space.

Boom!

In the blink of an eye, a thunder domain spanning thousands of miles formed above Linglong City, its rolling thunder and heavenly might terrifying the city’s cultivators into trembling fear.

"Someone else seeks Sainthood."

A semi-saint gazing at the clouds of tribulation above felt overwhelming envy.

"It’s Yang Xuanzhan."

A God King stationed in Linglong City from the He Huan Sect solemnly stated, "With Yang Xuanzhan achieving Sainthood, I must report immediately to both sect masters."

In that moment, cultivators sent to Linglong City by major Southern Wilderness sects scrambled to relay updates about the city’s situation.

The City Lord of Linglong shivered in dread.

A saintly heavenly tribulation was unfurling right over his head.

Whoosh!

Suddenly, a beam of divine light shot out from Heaven’s Secret Pavilion and landed in Yang Xuanzhan’s grasp.

Yang Xuanzhan reached out and caught the light firmly.

It was a broken blade.

A saint king divine weapon.

Yang Xuanzhan’s heart swelled with gratitude—penniless and unprepared for a heavenly tribulation, this weapon boosted his confidence by fifty percent.

Crash!

The first heavenly tribulation descended.

Yang Xuanzhan met it head-on, channeling the Nine Revolutions Nirvana Sutra as he cleaved the Divine Thunder apart in a single stroke. Then came the second heavenly tribulation…

…

Yang Xuanzhan shattered all four thunder tribulations.

The fifth heavenly tribulation was the inner demon tribulation.

Yet empowered by the Nine Revolutions Nirvana Sutra, Yang Xuanzhan’s Dao heart remained supremely resilient. He passed this inner demon tribulation almost effortlessly, advancing to the sixth tribulation.

The merging with the Dao tribulation presented a terrifying challenge for most cultivators.

But Yang Xuanzhan cultivated the Nine Revolutions Nirvana Sutra, which emphasized personal strength and independence from the heavens. Due to this contrasting philosophy, the merging with the Dao tribulation’s effects were vastly diminished for him.

Merely the time it took for two incense sticks to burn later, Yang Xuanzhan successfully passed the saintly heavenly tribulation.

Heaven’s Secret Pavilion had finally welcomed its first Saint.

"This person passed the tribulations far too swiftly!" Someone exclaimed in awe.

"This one serves as the master of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion’s servant,"

Another Saint remarked with a chuckle, "He was once the ruler of Xuanfu Palace, second only to one and above ten thousand. Now, he is but a servant. Truly, fate plays cruel jokes."

"Congratulations, Senior!"

The City Lord of Linglong approached, bringing Zhao Cheng along to offer felicitations.

"The City Lord honors me excessively," said Yang Xuanzhan, now a Saint, his demeanor humble and approachable as if cleansed of worldly pretenses. "I am now the Master’s servant. In terms of position, it is I who should address the City Lord as ‘My Lord’."

"Senior, please do not humble me so!" The City Lord of Linglong responded nervously.

"I must report back to the Master now. Another day, we shall gather again,"

Yang Xuanzhan bid farewell and returned to Heaven’s Secret Pavilion.

"This humble servant greets the Master. My deepest gratitude for the Master gifting me the treasure, aiding this humble servant in overcoming the tribulation," Yang Xuanzhan knelt, presenting the broken saber with both hands, kowtowing as he expressed his thanks.

"What I give you, you keep," Ye Xu stated lightly.

"You managed to break through that barrier in such a brief time. At the very least, you haven’t disappointed my expectations."

"It is all the Master’s merit," Yang Xuanzhan declared. "Had the Master not granted this humble servant the complete scripture, never in this lifetime could this humble servant have achieved Sainthood."

"Yang Xuanzhan."

"This humble servant is present."

Ye Xu spoke, "My taking you in was never just to have you be a servant.

You are part of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion. There will come a day when you will be needed."

Yang Xuanzhan felt a profound shock within his heart.

"This humble servant shall face any hardship without hesitation!"

"Rise,"

Ye Xu said lightly. "Your realm still requires consolidation. Once fully stabilized, I will have another task for you."

"Yes."

Yang Xuanzhan immediately withdrew and sat cross-legged to cultivate.

Ye Xu reclined on his armchair and addressed Ye Xian’er.

"Has there been any word from your Master during this time?"

"No,"

Ye Xian’er replied.

She also felt a bit odd why the senior cared about Qi Qingsi.

Could it be…the senior had feelings for the Master?

Thump!

Ye Xu knocked a hard flick on Ye Xian’er’s head and said in disappointment, "Not focusing on cultivation, just imagining nonsense all day."

"Senior, I’ve been working very hard," Ye Xian’er protested.

"Go practice at once."

Ye Xu threatened, "If you don’t reach the divine realm, I’ll send you back to Tianxin Sect."

Ye Xian’er pouted with a look of resentment and unhappily walked into a quiet room.

"Dare I ask, is the master of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion here?"

Suddenly, a voice came from outside the door.

"I am he."

Ye Xu’s voice sounded, "Come in."

The words fell.

A group of three walked into Heaven’s Secret Pavilion.

They were one old, one middle-aged, and one young.

The old man’s beard and hair were all white, in old age, and his cultivation had reached Saint level.

The middle-aged man wore a brocade robe with a majestic aura and had achieved semi-saint cultivation level.

The young girl had a crafty look in her eyes, obviously a sly one, and after entering Heaven’s Secret Pavilion, she looked left and right, clearly not a docile type.

"Milord, are you the master of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion?" the old man asked with a hint of doubt.

Ye Xu nodded.

"Are you people from the Da Qian royal family?"

The moment the three stepped into Heaven’s Secret Pavilion, all their past and memories appeared in Ye Xu’s mind.

Naturally, their identities couldn’t hide from Ye Xu.

Ye Xu felt inwardly amused.

The release of the Hidden Dragon List had the greatest impact on none other than the Da Qian royal family.

It was known that the top spot on the Hidden Dragon List was held by Nangong Zhandao of the Da Qian royal family.

But back then, the Da Qian royal family, pressured by the Hunyuan Sect, expelled Nangong Zhandao from the royal family, and now they surely regretted it deeply.

"If they had known today, they wouldn’t have done it then," Ye Xu said with a laugh.

The old man and the middle-aged man smiled bitterly.

If they had known earlier that Nangong Zhandao had such extraordinary talent, even at the cost of dying with the Hunyuan Sect, they wouldn’t have made such a foolish move.

Now they regretted it, but didn’t know if it was in time or not.

"Master of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion, frankly speaking, we came today specifically to inquire from you about the whereabouts of Nangong Ling." said the old man solemnly. "No matter the cost, as long as we find him, we can bear it."

Nangong Zhandao was originally named Nangong Ling.

He changed his name to Nangong Zhandao after being expelled from the Da Qian royal family.

Ye Xu thought to himself.

This matter should be able to bring in a lot of profit.

"Heaven’s Secret Pavilion has always done business fairly and justly. Rest assured, I will set the price based on the value of the information." Ye Xu said.

The old man and the man exchanged a glance.

Who didn’t know that the master of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion was greedy for money, and it was now notorious throughout the entire Yuan Realm.

Ye Xu was speechless.

Which bastard spread this rumor?

It was simply ruining my reputation!

"Last time, people from various major forces asked about Nangong Zhandao, and each paid two saint king divine weapons."

"Since I’m profiting from your group alone, I’ll add one saint king divine weapon. What do you think?"

The old man’s face twitched; he was indeed a black-hearted merchant.

"Deal!" the old man said.

Enduring the heartache, the old man took out three saint king divine weapons.

This trip, he was carrying out imperial orders and must obtain the whereabouts of Nangong Zhandao.

Three saint king divine weapons were still within acceptable limits.

"System, look into Nangong Zhandao’s whereabouts," Ye Xu said.

Last time, the cost was ninety thousand heavenly secrets points, and this time it certainly wouldn’t exceed ninety thousand.

"Congratulations, Host. You spent sixty thousand heavenly secrets points, and the inquiry succeeded."

【Nangong Zhandao: Currently at the Red Dust Demon Sect in the southern wilderness.】

【Next step, he will soon head to Linglong City and visit Heaven’s Secret Pavilion.】

Ye Xu looked surprised; had Nangong Zhandao really returned to the Yuan Realm and was still at the Red Dust Demon Sect?

What was his relationship with the Red Dust Demon Sect?