Nine Astra Skies

The burning ashes of the Xiwu Empire filled the air.

Even though the Capital City was not directly hit by the war, its river was stained a bloody red.

In the entire Capital City, a total of sixty-three families were wiped out for being traitors and countless significant members of the Imperial Court were also killed. Since there was concrete evidence of their betrayal, nobody spoke out on Great Emperor Mingwu's ruthless method. They knew that every one of them was in danger. The Capital City was still under the rule of Yin Clan of the Royal Tribe hence, nobody dared to make any reckless move for now.

Great Emperor Mingwu had gathered the elite forces from all counties and assigned them to the Capital City. The gold-armored imperial guard alone numbered ten thousand. Meanwhile, the other armies were as large as hundreds of thousands.

In a war between two kingdoms, the most critical factor was the battle between their most powerful fighters. Still, if the size of the army was large enough then it could still pose a significant threat, especially considering that they were armed with unique hidden weapons. Even Earthly or Heavenly Venerable Rank fighters would not dare to carelessly step into the massive army's formations.

Great Emperor Mingwu and the rest of them secluded themselves and spent their time cultivating, waiting for the final battle. The Nanman Kingdom had been wiping out the counties of the Xiwu Empire one after another. They had yet to launch a direct assault on the Capital City. It was still unknown exactly what they were waiting for.

When two kingdoms conflicted against each other, the martial art sects of the kingdom also played a significant role. Unfortunately, the ones backing the Xiwu Empire had mostly fallen while those on the side of the Nanman Kingdom were constantly on the rise. This was not going to be a war fought on equal footing.

Donglin County, Ye Clan Valley.

The flames of war continued to rage on outside but the atmosphere within the Ye Clan Valley was still tranquil. The valley stood still like a haven closed off to the outside world as the fragrance of the Spirit Tree filled the entire valley.

Under the effects of the Spirit Tree's fragrance, the Ye Clan members were put in a refreshed and calming mood. This fragrance seemed to have a positive effect on one's cultivation. Furthermore, mystical beasts also had an affinity for the Spirit Tree as they continuously circled it. The fragrance spread to the forests nearby. As a result of the fragrance, even the Lingzhi in the forests also seemed to grow fresher.

The origin of the Spirit Tree was still unknown. After it had grown for several months, it began sprouting small fruits. These fruits were not ripe yet and they were only the size of a fingernail. These green fruits were crystal clear like pieces of emerald.

Ye Changxuan, Ye Zhantian, and the rest gathered in the Ye Clan hall. All of them furrowed their brows and were in a tense mood.

"What's the situation outside like?" asked Ye Changxuan. Even though the Ye Clan was very safe inside the valley, they still routinely sent men out to ambush the Nanman Kingdom's forces. They had saved plenty of civilians but had also lost several of their men in the process. Fortunately, with the help of the mystical beasts, they were able to kill many Nanman Kingdom fighters without suffering large casualties.

"The Nanman Kingdom had already taken over six counties. The other counties are up in flames," Ye Zhantian replied. Logically speaking, the Ye Clan should not be in any danger and they could choose to not be involved with it. However, Ye Zhantian and the others clearly understood that the Ye Clan had their history with the Nanman Kingdom. If the Xiwu Empire was brought down, then they would be in trouble too for a body cannot survive without its head.

Up till now, the Nanman Kingdom was still unable to find out the whereabouts of the Ye Clan, but they were sure to find them eventually! Once the Nanman Kingdom started sending several Heavenly Venerable Rank fighters to search in the Lianyun Mountains, it would only take several months for the Ye Clan Valley to be discovered. The only reason the Nanman Kingdom had not done that was that they were short of hands at the moment!

The members of Ye Clan were aware of the dangers they faced. They had already contacted several large families to join them in opposing the Nanman Kingdom.

"Xiwu Empire is in a precarious situation now. I'm afraid Donglin County cannot hold on much longer. We can only try our best to do our part. If we still cannot turn the tides of the battle, then so be it." Ye Changxuan sighed. If Donglin County had fallen, where was the Ye Clan supposed to go? Remaining in the valley might not be the safest course of action.

"We just received news that the Nanman Kingdom army had wiped out twenty-seven towns in Donglin County. Tens of thousands of people were slaughtered!" Ye Zhanxiong informed. He had his fist clenched, trying to suppress the raging anger inside him. "Granduncle, Brother, are we supposed to sit idly and watch?"

The crowd was silent. In wartime, the lives of people were like loose straws in the air. For Ye Clan's strength, it was an extremely tall task to try to turn the tides of this battle. If the Ye Clan risked it all in a battle, they would end up being crushed by the mighty forces of the Nanman Kingdom.

It was either they save themselves or be massacred in a moment of anger.

Most people in this situation would choose to save themselves first. No one else would blame them for choosing to do so. However, one day, they would find themselves waking up in the middle of the night with guilt, knowing that they had stood by and watched as countless civilians were slaughtered.

"Zhantian, what do you think?" Ye Changxuan asked, looking at Ye Zhantian. "Since Little Chen isn't here, that makes you the chief. Whatever decision you make, the Ye Clan will follow you until their deaths."

Ye Zhantian stayed silent for a long time. After much contemplation, he seemed to have come to a final decision. He said firmly, "Even though our Ye Clan may not be the most powerful, we're no cowards either. We mustn't abandon our integrity, else we'll lose face when we meet our ancestors. We of the Ye Clan can account for the heavens above and also account for the common people in our lives. I, Ye Zhantian choose to risk it all if it means that I can live up to the name of the Ye Clan!" Even though they would not swear fealty to the Yin Clan of the Royal Tribe, this was the land they were born and raised in!

"I, Ye Zhanlong, am willing to follow Brother until my death!"

"I, Ye Zhanxiong, am willing!"

"The men of Ye Clan aren't cowards. We're willing to follow you until our deaths!" the men of the Zhan Cohort rose, proclaiming one after another.

"Zhantian, since you have made your decision, I, Ye Changxuan will also give you my full support. From here on, you're in charge of the Ye Clan," Ye Changxuan declared solemnly.

"Even though we have decided to face the Nanman Kingdom with our lives on the line, we still have to discuss strategy. Even if we were to lose our lives, we must make sure our death was worth something. Little Chen is still in the Capital City, Third Brother, you'll head to the Capital City and get in contact with Little Chen. If he faces any danger, escort him out of there. Second Brother, you take Ye Meng and the other young ones to the Central Empire, find them a safe place to stay in. If any sect is willing to take them in, then you let them do so. We of the Zhan cohort may lose our lives in battle but the blood of the clan must be preserved!" Ye Zhantian ordered. He felt the weight of his every decision upon his shoulders. Every single decision he made would decide the fate of the Ye Clan.

"Yes, Brother," both Ye Zhanlong and Ye Zhanxiong replied and nodded their heads.

Although some people in the crowd were despairing, the majority of them stood tall with pride and honor. One day, when their descendants spoke of their ancestors, they would remember them with pride.

"No matter what, this valley mustn't be discovered by outsiders," said Ye Zhantian.

The crowd agreed on this matter. Everything in this valley served as the foundation for the Ye Clan to rise again one day. They would pass it down to their descendants and it could not be exposed. Even if they had to confront the Nanman Kingdom army head on, they would willingly do so.

Despite them having decided to risk their lives to battle the Nanman Kingdom army, there were still some tasks they needed to accomplish. One of them were to protect the commoners of Donglin County while they were relocated to the Central Empire. This was going to be a large-scale and dangerous mission.

On the island in the Northern Sea, Ye Chen and Little Wingsy were still hard at work cultivating. As time went on, Ye Chen started to become more familiar with the Celestial Martial Chi.

The entire island was covered in ruins of the destruction left behind by Ye Chen and Little Wingsy during their training.

Following each battle, Ye Chen's cultivation base improved significantly. He was only a short step away from reaching mid-Heavenly Venerable Rank. As for his Astral Body, he was close to mid-Mystique Venerable rank.

After Ye Chen had received confirmation from Elder Tuntian that the Celestial Martial Chi was safe to use and would not implode, he spent the next month taking in a large amount of Celestial Chi from the Celestial Martial Chi. It was enough to rival the volume of Celestial Chi of a Godly Venerable Rank fighter. When he cast the Black Turtle Guard technique, it was extremely powerful.

Ye Chen entered the Heavenly Astra Seal with his Astral Body. He noticed that the Purple-fire Astra Lion was awake.

"Master Lion, you're awake?" Ye Chen asked from the outside.

"This seal is irritating me as it has sealed so much of my strength," the Purple-fire Astra Lion said frustratingly.

Under the suppression of the Heavenly Astra Hidden Magic Formation, the Purple-fire Astra Lion could only preserve a small portion of its energy. Once it had exhausted this small portion of energy, it had no choice but to remain under the suppression of the Heavenly Astra Hidden Magic Formation for some time.

"Master Lion, do you want me to help you break a part of the seal?" Ye Chen asked.

"No need, I mean what I said. As for you, you don't have to break the seal but you better fulfill your promise as soon as possible. Return to the mainland and find me the lionesses," the Purple-fire Astra Lion said lazily.

When Ye Chen heard the Purple-fire Astra Lion's words, he had a strange expression and responded, "Alright, after a few more days. When the Golden Sun Condor returns, then we can leave the Northern Sea and return to Xiwu Empire."

Ye Chen had sent the Golden Sun Condor to survey the situation in the Xiwu Empire. After staying on the island for so long, Ye Chen was worried about the situation at Xiwu Empire.

"I didn't expect you to be able to use the Celestial Martial Chi to cast martial arts techniques. Not bad, not bad. But brat, how is it that you're still stuck in beginner Heavenly Venerable Rank?" the Purple-fire Astra Lion asked.

"I'm about to advance to mid-Heavenly Venerable Rank." Ye Chen was quite satisfied with his progress.

"Idiot, are you satisfied with this progress? You have the Celestial Martial Chi with you and yet you don't know how to utilize it. It's like knowing where the treasures are but not knowing how to dig down for it!"

"What makes you say so?" Ye Chen was intrigued. Was there some other way to train with the Celestial Martial Chi?

"Try channeling the Celestial Martial Chi for thirty-six cycles." After the Purple-fire Astra Lion finished, he lazily lied back down and fell asleep.

Ye Chen raised his eyebrow. He proceeded to sit down on the flatland and started channeling the Nine Astras within his dantian. The Celestial Martial Chi turned into chi flow and flowed through his veins. Wherever the Celestial Martial Chi had passed through, his veins felt nourished and it was very comfortable.

As Ye Chen was channeling the Celestial Martial Chi, a ray of Celestial Martial Shadow formed around him again.

After channeling a cycle of the Celestial Martial Chi, it entered the dantian like a sea turtle diving into the ocean. The Celestial Chi within his dantian surged fervently.