Nine Astra Skies

"Master Lion, train with me first," Ye Chen said. He felt that time was tight and wasting even a minute was a sin.

The Purple-fire Astra Lion lifted his head and gave Ye Chen a dirty look.

"We're still at sea, so I have no way to find young lionesses for you. How's this – you help me cultivate first. When we reach the land, I'll immediately look for lionesses," Ye Chen said sincerely.

"You're not allowed to break this promise." The Purple-fire Astra Lion was once again energized.

"It's a deal!" Ye Chen nodded.

"Very well. Seeing as you're so sincere, I'll help you train for a bit. The gold-armored soldier condensed from your Astral Body – although it would be almost unrivaled at your level, it's awfully weak." The Purple-fire Astra Lion stood up. As soon as he spoke, the purple flames on his body surged upward.

Ye Chen felt a harsh force assaulting his senses. His heart leaped in shock. The Purple-fire Astra Lion was impressive indeed. It looked like previously he had only been playing around when he was fighting Ye Chen. He had never been serious. One would become strong when one had a strong opponent. Therefore, Ye Chen looked at the Purple-fire Astra Lion excitedly, the fighting spirit blazing in him.

"See my Blazing Slash!" Ye Chen's mind gave the command and the gold-armored soldier rose into the air. Its saber was raging with purple flames too as it lunged at the Purple-fire Astra Lion.

There was a loud "bang" as purple sparks flew everywhere.

The Purple-fire Astra Lion growled and struck out with a paw. It was an extremely ordinary strike, appearing similar to his strikes in the previous battles but when one looked closer, this hit was filled with endless Secret. It made one feel as if one was in the middle of a vast starry sky.

"Of all the experts you've encountered, including that Mermaid, all their martial arts techniques are trash. Today, I'll show you what actual martial arts techniques look like!" The Purple-fire Astra Lion raised his head and puffed out his chest, saying proudly. In the span of a strike, it was like the starlight which filled the sky was crashing upon the gold-armored soldier. The gold-armored soldier was unable to budge at all. With a thundering "boom", the gold-armored soldier suddenly exploded at over ten points of its body and immediately vanished like smoke.

These ten or so points were each an acupuncture point of a human's vital organs. The gold-armored soldier had no vital points to speak of, but just by looking at this single blow, Ye Chen instantly realized the formidable might of this technique. It looked like an ordinary strike, but in fact, this strike had altered the surrounding chi movement, making it difficult to evade.

"This technique is called 'Palm Shattering the Milky Way'. It's one of the most basic martial art techniques of our Purple-fire Astra Lion Clan. It's a move meant for dealing with humans. If you can just understand a bit of it, you'll reap boundless benefits." The Purple-fire Astra Lion smiled mildly. "The bodies of you humans are like the Milky Way in the sky, with energy flowing. You just have to damage the vital points to cause death."

"Human bodies are like the Milky Way?" When Ye Chen heard what the Purple-fire Astra Lion said, he suddenly had a realization. Humans were spirits born of the earth with the stars above their heads. Naturally, they would be influenced by the stars. The composition of their bodies would change, influenced by the magnetic fields of star clusters.

What the Purple-fire Astra Lion said had opened up an entire new world for Ye Chen. He realized that the Martial Truth he had grasped was still lacking by far.

Ye Chen carefully recalled Palm Shattering the Milky Way demonstrated by the Purple-fire Astra Lion. This Form contained endless mystery and was not something he could comprehend in a short while. How should he channel the might of Palm Shattering the Milky Way in one blow? Ye Chen pondered this painstakingly, sensing the power from the drifting sparks of purple fire in the air.

When he saw that Ye Chen was closing his eyes with his head raised as if he was sensing something, the Purple-fire Astra Lion smiled slightly. Ye Chen's comprehension skills were rather decent. He understood that he had to perceive Palm Shattering the Milky Way through the chi flow in the air. Although Ye Chen was weak, he could be considered a prodigy in learning martial arts. Previously, in their Purple-fire Astra Lion Clan, no one could grasp the enigma of Palm Shattering the Milky Way technique that quickly.

Ye Chen stood there for a moment, then his eyes flashed with a peculiar glint as if he had understood something. He materialized the gold-armored soldier once more and cried out enthusiastically, "Again!"

The gold-armored soldier pounced upon the Purple-fire Astra Lion.

Boom boom boom, the gold-armored soldier started to battle against the Purple-fire Astra Lion once more.

It must be said that fighting against the Purple-fire Astra Lion was an extremely effective way of honing Ye Chen's Astral Body. Ye Chen could feel that his Astral Body had an obvious improvement compared to before. He experienced the power of Palm Shattering the Milky Way, again and again, slowly appreciating the enigma of this martial art technique.

…

The main hall of the Nanman Kingdom's Imperial Palace was decorated in dazzling splendor. A group of war generals and officials had gathered here. Tuoba Hongye sat in the hall's highest seat.

The groups of generals and courtiers were in spirited discussion because something momentous and unprecedented had just happened.

The Exclusion Zone had sunk!

No one was concerned about the reason behind the Exclusion Zone's sinking. This was not something they had to consider at all. The Tribunal Council would investigate that matter. However, the Exclusion Zone's sinking would cause a chain reaction among the surrounding ten or so countries. This was why Tuoba Hongye had summoned his generals and officials.

"Your Majesty, Zuoqiu Mingye has awakened. Should we bring him to meet Your Majesty?" a guard asked, bowing from a distance.

Zuoqiu Mingye had been grievously injured, floating in the sea for more than ten days. He was later rescued by the fisherfolk of a small nation nearby called Qiuyi. When those fisherfolk noticed the Nanman Kingdom attire, they hurriedly reported this to the local soldiers. Their grandruler took a look and discovered it was a general of the Nanman Kingdom. They dared not act carelessly and quickly sent Zuoqiu Mingye back to the Nanman Kingdom personally.

Zuoqiu Mingye was nursed for a few days before he recovered. Fortunately, he was a Heavenly Venerable Rank expert with a solid cultivation base. Otherwise, most people would have breathed their last after suffering such serious injuries and floating in the sea for so many days.

"Ask Mingye to come here," Tuoba Hongye said in a low voice. His expression was not a pleasant one. In truth, for the Exclusion Zone this time, the Nanman Kingdom had sent a Mystique Venerable expert, two Heavenly Venerable experts, and many Earthly Venerable combatants but all of them were wiped out. Only Zuoqiu Mingye came back alive. How could Tuoba Hongye not be fuming with rage?

In the imperial court, everyone was softly discussing, each guessing what really happened in the Exclusion Zone. Zuoqiu Mingye was the only one who knew the inside story.

After a moment, Zuoqiu Mingye was brought here by a few guards. He looked up at Tuoba Hongye and instantly burst into tears, sobbing as he said, "Your Majesty, the disgraced Zuoqiu Mingye pays his respects!"

"Mingye, try explaining what happened in the Exclusion Zone!" Tuoba Hongye asked.

"Your Majesty, the Duke, he…" Zuoqiu Mingye spluttered.

"Tuoba Yan!" When Tuoba Hongye heard Zuoqiu Mingye's words, he furiously hit the armrest of the imperial throne. "Could Tuoba Yan be the culprit?" He had sent a Mystique Venerable One and two Heavenly Venerable ones to the Exclusion Zone. Logically, they should not have lost, unless… Tuoba Yan revolted against them during the battle!

"It's not that." Zuoqiu Mingye quickly shook his head. He knelt on the ground and explained through his sobs, "We dug a hole for ourselves because of the Duke…" Zuoqiu Mingye narrated everything that had happened. "The Duke said that those Venomous Hornets would not attack us, but unexpectedly… My brother…"

The group of generals and officials looked toward Zuoqiu Mingye's face. The swollen bumps on his face had nearly faded but there were still some traces of them at dozens of spots. They could imagine how tragic Zuoqiu Mingye was before this. Some of the generals who had never gotten along with Zuoqiu Mingye wanted to laugh but dared not, and their faces turned red from the effort of holding in their laughter.

Tuoba Hongye would have never imagined such a situation. Usually, Tuoba Yan was astute and prudent. He would not make such an amateurish mistake. Someone must have played a trick on them. Great Emperor Mingwu of the Xiwu Empire had gone to the Exclusion Zone himself. The Xiwu Empire had no one else to send!

Tuoba Hongye's right index finger tapped upon the throne's armrest, his head bowed in deep thought.

"Mingye, do you know why the Exclusion Zone has sunk?" Tuoba Hongye asked.

"The Exclusion Zone has sunk?" Zuoqiu Mingye was stunned for a moment and looked up. "Your humble servant doesn't know why. After I fell into the sea, I swam with all my might to avoid being captured by Mingwu. After swimming for a few days, I fainted. As for when and why the Exclusion Zone would sink, I truly don't know."

Tuoba Yan fell silent. The Exclusion Zone had one entrance each at the east and west. There were two Mystique Venerable experts standing guard at each entrance. Considering the abilities of those from the Xiwu Empire, they could not possibly be the cause of the Exclusion Zone's sinking. To sink an island, only those powerhouses with Godly Venerable Attainment Level could just about pull it off. It was likely that the sinking of the Exclusion Zone had nothing to do with those from the Xiwu Empire. An island could sink for many reasons such as having an unstable foundation or an undersea volcano eruption.

The Exclusion Zone was destroyed. The Tribunal Council would certainly need some time to re-establish a new Exclusion Zone. At this time, they could bypass the Tribunal Council and seize this chance to conquer the Xiwu Empire. The Tribunal Council probably would not say anything. If they objected, Tuoba Hongye could pay a price in the form of a bribe, asking them to turn a blind eye.

This was a golden chance bestowed by the heavens!

As he thought of this, Tuoba Hongye waved his hand. "Mingye, go back and focus on recovering. I'll investigate this matter."

Zuoqiu Mingye lowered his head in respect and was led away by the guards.

"Wu Ma, Gu Liang, both of you lead the Black Flag Army to Yinnan. Sikou Zhunyu, advance to Yinbei with the White Flag Army. When you arrive, be on standby. Before you go, head to the Ministry of Works to receive twenty thousand sets of silver armor each," Tuoba Hongye said in a low voice.

Upon hearing these words, the eyes of the war generals brightened up. Were they preparing to attack the Xiwu Empire?

Tuoba Hongye swiftly made a series of arrangements and the war generals called upon by Tuoba Hongye all accepted his orders.

After the appropriate arrangements were made, Tuoba Hongye shut his eyes. It looked like he had to send a letter to the sub-council's sect so that they would speak to the Tribunal Council's sub-council for him.

A few days after the Nanman Kingdom had made preparations for a large war, a messenger hawk arrived at the Xiwu Empire's Imperial Palace. The Nanman Kingdom had planted countless spies in the Xiwu Empire and the Xiwu Empire had its informants in the Nanman Kingdom as well. Everything that happened in the Nanman Kingdom was soon learned by the Xiwu Empire.

The letter from the messenger hawk soon reached Great Emperor Mingwu's hands. Upon learning that the Nanman Kingdom was going to act against the Xiwu Empire, Great Emperor Mingwu promptly made his arrangements, mobilizing the troops for a final battle against the Nanman Kingdom. Although the Xiwu Empire's power paled in comparison to the Nanman Kingdom, he still would not easily surrender.

War! They had no other option.