Ninth In the World

“Who is that?” Nai Yisheng suddenly turned his head but saw no one.

Everyone looked at Nai Yisheng in astonishment, as no one, except for Nai Yisheng, had heard that voice.

Nai Yisheng felt goosebumps all over. Did a cultivator like him live there?

Before Nai Yisheng could think though this matter carefully, a young man on crutches walked over. He seemed to be walking very slowly, but in Nai Yisheng’s eyes, the young man took only two steps forward to reach him.

Nai Yisheng suddenly had the misguided sense that the surrounding naturally-pure Heaven Earth Spirit Qi seemed to thin a little following the appearance of this young man.

“Why did you come here, Big Brother Di?” Gan Rou sensed that this king, and especially the State Teacher standing beside the king, did not have a good temperament. Di Jiu had actually come out just as she had started panicking.

Big Brother Di stayed silent most of the time. Only death would await him if he offended these people.

Di Jiu smiled. “The outcome will be the same regardless of whether I come out or not.”

Gan Rou understood. This place was evidently coveted by these nobles. Even if Di Jiu stayed inside, he would still be forced to leave this place eventually.

“I did not know that this friend was here. My apologies!” said Nai Yisheng humbly as he cupped his fists. He felt that Di Jiu was no simple man but he actually did not take him seriously.

Even if Di Jiu was a cultivator, it would not be easy to attain the Foundation Establishment Realm if he cultivated there.

At that thought, Nai Yisheng suddenly froze. It was truly impossible to cultivate to the Foundation Establishment Realm on the Black Luster Planet, but he recalled where he was currently.

If the other man’s cultivation level was higher than his, then…

At that thought, Nai Yisheng suddenly broke into a cold sweat.

Then, the fireball floating above Gan Rou’s head flew over at Cen Fa without a warning. It exploded, its flames enveloping everyone gathered by Cen Fa’s side. Cen Fa screamed in agony, begging the State Teacher to spare his life.

Nai Yisheng was shocked. What was happening? That was his fireball. He had not moved it using his Spiritual Force, yet the fireball had lost control all of a sudden.

Nai Yisheng soon discovered something even more shocking. Since he was the one who had created the fireball, he should still be able to control it even if it lost control. Contrary to his expectations, he could not regain control of it. Fortunately, the fireball did not attack him, allowing him to remain unharmed amid the flames.

Gan Rou was equally stunned.

The fireball that had been previously floating above her had exploded before her eyes. Not only had it enveloped that dead-faced fellow, but even the group of officials and guards surrounding him had not been spared.

If this situation had progressed naturally, then she and her father would have been engulfed by the fireball as well. That was not the case, however, as the two of them were completely unaffected.

She looked at Nai Yisheng, who was completely unharmed by the flames, and suddenly thought, “Did the State Teacher take a liking to me as well? Is that why he killed the rest of them so ruthlessly?”

She looked at Nai Yisheng, her gaze filled with terror. He possessed the abilities of a god, as he could float in the air and throw out fireballs.

The fireball exploded and disappeared quickly. When it suddenly disappeared, Nai Yisheng discovered in astonishment that every resident of the Chang Yuan Empire, all 1,000 plus of them along with around 900 guards, had been turned to dust by the fireball. The only one alive was him.

Two princes far away had seen this event unfold and frantically turned and fled.

They knew very well just how formidable State Teacher Nai Yisheng was. He could exterminate an empire with his strength alone. Now that the State Teacher had suddenly turned on them and killed their father, they would be next. They would be causing their own deaths if they did not escape now.

Nai Yisheng was paralyzed from fear, for he knew that all this had nothing to do with him. At the moment, he was certain that Di Jiu was a cultivator with a cultivation level way superior to his.

Di Jiu evidently had something to ask him and was keeping him alive. He knew that he would definitely end up like Cen Fa if he dared to escape.

While looking at the princes and guards that had escaped, as well as the unmoving Nai Yisheng, Gan Rou suddenly understood something. She looked at Di Jiu.

If the State Teacher was the culprit, he would have killed the people in Jia He Town as well. There was no reason to let anyone off. She was enlightened when she saw Di Jiu walking toward her unperturbed.

“Gan Rou, thank you for your help all this while.” Di Jiu thanked Gan Rou sincerely.

Gan Rou would always be waiting for him outside his house every single time he exited seclusion. That day, when he had come out, he had not seen Gan Rou. He had realized that something had happened after scanning the area with his Spiritual Force.

Di Jiu sighed. This was his fault, as this series of events had been caused by his cultivation. The truth was that he could not be blamed for it. His cultivation had just started to recover, but it would be a long time before he completely recovered. Also, he was using top-notch Divine Spirit Qi and he currently had no way of locking in the Divine Spirit Qi and preventing it from leaking.

What he had not expected was that the villagers there would sell the fruits several kilometers away. It was even more unexpected to see a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator there.

“Big Brother Di, did you cause these changes?” asked Gan Rou in a trembling voice as she looked at Di Jiu. She had a premonition that Di Jiu was about to leave.

Di Jiu replied apologetically, “I’m sorry. I am injured and I did not think things through.”

“I knew it,” murmured Gan Rou. She recalled the changes that had happened over the past year and how her father had suddenly recovered.

Everyone had thought that this fortune had been a result of the arrival of the meteorite. They had never once thought that it was because of Big Brother Di Jiu.

“Are you leaving, Big Brother Di?” inquired Gan Rou suddenly when she sensed Di Jiu’s apologetic tone.

“That is right, Gan Rou. I’m leaving.” Di Jiu knew very well that they would no longer meet after he left. Therefore, he could not even be bothered to say that he would see her again.

“Big Brother Di, does this mean that I will not be able to see you again?” Gan Rou suddenly looked expectant as she stared at Di Jiu anxiously.

The reason she had wanted to get close to Di Jiu was because her father had completely recovered following Di Jiu’s arrival. She was very thankful for Di Jiu and wanted to help him.

However, after interacting with Di Jiu for an extended time, she had started to enjoy being by Di Jiu’s side. It gave her a sense of peace and quiet that she loved. Unfortunately, Di Jiu rarely came out to take a walk and each time would only last for slightly over two hours.

As a result, she would definitely accompany Di Jiu every time he came out until he returned to his wooden hut.

Di Jiu looked straight into Gan Rou’s expectant eyes. He truly could not bear to deceive her, so he nodded his head. “That is right. I’m afraid that we will no longer see each other in the future.”

“Big Brother Di, I know that you are not an ordinary person and you arrived here with that meteorite. However, I wish that I could see you again in the future…” said Gan Rou emotionally, aware that this was not the right time to be reserved.

She fervently wished that Di Jiu could take her with him. She did not know whether this feeling was love but she knew that she liked being by Di Jiu’s side.

Di Jiu understood what Gan Rou was implying. He sighed, reached out with his hand, and patted her head. “Gan Rou, the two of us do not belong in the same world. Besides, I have already lost a leg…”

Gan Rou announced agitatedly, “Big Brother Di, I do not care that you have lost your leg. When my grandfather was still alive, he told me that everyone, no matter who they are, is equal. At least in terms of our spirit. You were standing before losing one leg, Big Brother Di, yet you are just like any other normal person in my eyes. Why do you have to care so much about your lost limb? Whether that limb is present does not matter. All that matters is the fact that you, Big Brother Di, are standing before me.”

Gan Rou’s words struck Di Jiu’s intent like a bolt of lightning. Why did he have to care about losing a limb? Because losing a leg was akin to his Dao gaining a crack and a part of his Dao being lost…

His Dao had been built with his body as a foundation. The incompleteness of his physical body translated into that of his Dao.

So what if his Dao could transcend his physical body and attain greater heights?

Dao force surged and churned around Di Jiu, and his Nomological Dao started to swiftly become whole. At that moment, his body started fading in front of everyone and was replaced only by the limitless Dao force aura. It was as though this Dao force aura was about to pierce the atmosphere and enter the universe.

Gan Rou stared at Di Jiu dumbly, sensing the boundless universe of the churning Dao force.

Now that she knew that Di Jiu was not an ordinary person, Gan Rou knew that this was her only chance of staying by Di Jiu’s side. She would have to remain in this village forever if she lost this opportunity.

Her words actually had two meanings. One, despite the fact that Di Jiu had lost a leg, he was just like a normal person in her eyes. Two, she did not think that she was inferior to anyone else. They were all equal in terms of spirit.

It was only at this moment that she realized that Di Jiu seemed to be a way more powerful existence than she could imagine.