Nine Astra Skies

"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?

"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.

"Stop blabbering and wasting our time. If you want to send us packing just like that, you're out of your mind! Since you don't agree, don't blame us when we attack!" Xiang Xiong said darkly with a cold snort.

"You came all this way just to rob something from the younger generation, yet you can act so righteously. Old people are shameless! If you attack, would I, Mingwu, be afraid that I can't handle you?" Great Emperor Mingwu's expression remained the same as he slowly drew a long sword from his Heaven-Earth Pouch. There was a clear, melodious "humming" sound that reverberated in the air for a long time.

When Xiang Xiong and Yan Fengcheng heard this sound, their eyes nearly popped out of their heads. This sword was a spirit artifact above Tier Three. Mingwu had no shortage of treasures indeed!

"It looks like we won't be able to settle today's matter amicably!" Yan Fengcheng and Xiang Xiong exchanged a glance. Either of them was no match for Mingwu. The only way was to join forces!

At the distant lakeside, there was a clash of men and horses. The battle had started. The Tenth Level and Earthly Venerable Rank fighters from the two major sects were clearing a bloody path through the gold-armored imperial guards who were guarding the sides of Lake Ming. Bounding across the lake's surface, they were swiftly making their way here.

"Mingwu, the powerhouses of the Xiwu Empire are few and far in between. The Nanman Kingdom is watching closely. If you start a fight with our sects, you'd better know what the consequences are! If you retreat now, we'll drop the matter. If you don't…" Xiang Xiong narrowed his eyes and glared menacingly at Great Emperor Mingwu.

"A clumsy clown like you dares to make a big fuss here. With just your two sects, you want to affect the foundation of my Xiwu Empire? You're lacking by far!" Great Emperor Mingwu lightly stroked the sword in his hand. In the distance, the energies of a few Earthly Venerable fighters had rushed toward the people from the two sects. Those were Earthly Venerable fighters under Great Emperor Mingwu's command!

Clash clash clash. A chaotic fight had erupted over the lake.

Master Apothecary Xuanyi still had seven Earthly Venerable Rank fighters with him but they were guarding the door of the alchemy room for now without moving a single step. It was still difficult to tell which side had the upper hand.

At once, Yan Fengcheng and Xiang Xiong changed their expressions.

"We'll join forces to defeat Mingwu first, then those medicinal pills are ours!" Yan Fengcheng said to Xiang Xiong.

Ye Chen's Astral Body was observing the sky and he frowned slightly. In terms of cultivation talent, Great Emperor Mingwu had surpassed both Yan Fengcheng and Xiang Xiong by far. However, the two of them had been cultivating a few decades longer than Great Emperor Mingwu had! If the two Heavenly Venerable Rank powerhouses teamed up, Great Emperor Mingwu would be no match for them!

"Mingwu, let's have a taste of your Way of Military Conquest. Let's see what Attainment Level you've cultivated to!" Yan Fengcheng and Xiang Xiong flared up suddenly. The long mace in Yan Fengcheng's grip burst with a chilly glow and a wave of overwhelming Ice-type Celestial Chi swept across the place. The surrounding temperature instantly plummeted by a few degrees!

Three-feet Ice Seal!

The air seemed to be frozen and frost started to form in the sky.

Xiang Xiong drew his long sword and slashed it down from high up. The sword in his hand turned into golden beams. This golden light was transformed from Metal-type Celestial Chi and was incomparably sharp. If this light shone upon ordinary metal, the metal would be split into two in a flash.

Taiyi Sword Technique – Celestial Golden Slash!

The two powerful Heavenly Venerable Rank fighters struck at once and the sky color changed.

When Great Emperor Mingwu saw this, he could not help but turn more serious. The sword in his hand trilled like a bird, emitting a clear hum. Although it was very soft, the sound surged like muffled thunder in one's ears as if thousands of troops and horses were galloping. There was a force to it that could engulf the world.

The Royal Sword Technique – an Army-shattering Strike!

The sword flashed like racing thunder and cold lightning, piercing the golden beams and aiming directly for Xiang Xiong's throat.

Xiang Xiong had sensed that the flash from Great Emperor Mingwu's sword had pierced through his Metal-type Celestial Chi and he looked horrified. He knew that he was in a dangerous position and flung his head back violently. The flash of light from the sword had sliced past his ear. His white hair was cut loose and a bloody scar was left on his neck.

Yan Fengcheng turned pale with fright and brought down his mace, preventing Xiang Xiong from being beheaded on the spot.

Boom boom boom!!!

The light from Great Emperor Mingwu's Royal Sword had cut across Yan Fengcheng's Ice-type Celestial Chi, causing icicles to scatter in all directions.

"What a sharp sword!" The mace in Yan Fengcheng's hand, which he brought down upon Great Emperor Mingwu's sword, was now scarred by deep notches.

The three Heavenly Venerable Rank fighters fought a violent battle in the air. Now and then, streaks of Ice-type Celestial Chi would descend. Some of the trees on the island were immediately turned into ice sculptures. Furthermore, the water of the lake occasionally erupted into fierce waves due to the passing sweep of the sword's movements.