“Under five hundred years old, yet capable of condensing so many scorching sun seeds…” Marquis Qingfen was deeply shaken as well.
In the Liyang Ancient Kingdom, scorching sun seeds are not only tied to the degree of rule comprehension but also hold a certain deeper significance.
“A raw gem of this sort… The Qingfen Domain has never seen one, and even in the entire Liyang Ancient Kingdom…”
Marquis Qingfen thought, unsure whether such a being had ever appeared in the Liyang Ancient Kingdom.
The Liyang Ancient Kingdom’s history stretches back endlessly, gazing down upon all creation long before Marquis Qingfen was born.
“They’re over there.”
Marquis Qingfen looked toward a certain direction, precisely where the Yu Family and the Dongyang Family were located.
“It’s the area patrolled by You Jue and Shi Song,” Marquis Qingfen noted with a far-reaching gaze.
You Jue was the tall figure, a Dominance disciple under Marquis Qingfen, someone to whom Marquis Qingfen paid considerable attention.
“I’ll go there myself.”
Marquis Qingfen still felt uneasy, mainly wanting to confirm. The scorching sun mirror could not be wrong, but Marquis Qingfen simply intended to verify things in person.
Outside the Yu Family, several old ancestors of the Dongyang Family stopped at a distance.
“The three Qing Envoys are at the Yu Family right now,” said one Dongyang Family elder after observing for a moment.
He was quite adept in causality, and from the earlier conversation with the three Qing Envoys, he could vaguely lock onto them via cause and effect.
If they were far away, at most he could sense something fuzzy, not a precise location. After all, the three Qing Envoys were also adept at masking causality, making it hard to pinpoint them.
But now they were quite close, and two of the Envoys were still in the Path-Clearing realm, the same level as the Dongyang Family’s old ancestor, so the traces of cause and effect could be detected.
“It’s confirmed.”
The leading old ancestor of the Dongyang Family felt his heart sink slightly.
When the tall figure and the other Envoy suddenly left, he had guessed it might be related to the Yu Family, but it had only been a guess, not a certainty.
Now, it was certain: all three Qing Envoys were at the Yu Family.
“Why would the Qing Envoys be at the Yu Family?”
A few other old ancestors of the Dongyang Family spoke in low voices, all puzzled.
They left behind an outstanding ten-seed genius like Dongyang Meng, yet went together to the Yu Family?
“Could it be that kid from the Yu Family is also ten seeds?”
Suddenly, the Dongyang Family’s fourth elder ventured a guess.
For three Qing Envoys to gather like this, that possibility was high.
“Impossible. He was struck by the power of the black amulet I refined, and it’s not something one can fully recover from so easily.”
One Dongyang old ancestor frowned. The black amulet’s power stemmed from the special force he controlled through his own path.
Even for a Path-Clearing expert of the same level, it posed a threat, let alone Yu Yan, who wasn’t even close to eleventh rank.
Even if Yu Yan had survived thanks to some life-saving item from the Yu Family, it would have taken him ages to recover, never mind forming the tenth scorching sun seed.
“Nothing is impossible. The black amulet’s power you wield can be dispelled.”
The leading old ancestor of the Dongyang Family spoke.
At this point, given how the three Qing Envoys were acting, the most likely explanation was that the Yu Family’s youngster was also a ten-seed genius.
That was the outcome.
As for how it happened—how he shook off the black amulet’s corrosion and formed the tenth scorching sun seed—no longer mattered.
“What a pity. We should have acted directly back then, leaving no chance.” The old ancestor of the Dongyang Family who wielded the black amulet muttered under his breath.
If they had known Yu Yan would be able to form ten scorching sun seeds, they would have torn off all pretense and crushed him thoroughly.
“It’s too late to say that now.”
The leading old ancestor of the Dongyang Family said, “But our Meng’er is also ten seeds. Even if that Yu Family boy is ten seeds, we don’t need to fear them.”
His tone was confident. They were both ten-seed geniuses. If the Dongyang Family couldn’t do anything to the Yu Family, neither could the Yu Family triumph over the Dongyang Family.
“Exactly.”
“That kid from the Yu Family just got lucky, scraping by to form ten seeds. How can he compare to Meng’er?”
“Hmph, the three Qing Envoys are making a big fuss over nothing. So what if the Yu kid formed ten seeds? Our Meng’er did as well, didn’t she?”
The Dongyang old ancestors chatted among themselves, feeling the Envoys were putting too much emphasis on the Yu Family boy.
“Joining Marquis Qingfen is just the beginning…”
The leading old ancestor of the Dongyang Family was about to speak when he suddenly felt a scorching heat surge upon them.
“What’s that?”
The pupils of several Dongyang ancestors constricted. In their vision, the four directions—above and below, all around—were faintly set ablaze with blue flames.
The blue flames wavered, boundless and unending.
“Blue flames burning the sky?”
“Does this mean Marquis Qingfen is here?”
“Marquis Qingfen?”
“Great Sovereign Qingfen?”
The old ancestors of the Dongyang Family were struck with dread, hearts quaking.
Before being officially conferred the title of Marquis Qingfen, wherever Great Sovereign Qingfen went, blue fire spread, incinerating all in his path with a terrifying level of violence.
Once he was conferred by the Liyang Ancient Kingdom, it grew somewhat less extreme. Even so, wherever he passed, the blue fire still spread.
Of course, after becoming Marquis Qingfen, Great Sovereign Qingfen’s bloodlust had waned. He rarely killed indiscriminately anymore.
Otherwise, these old ancestors of the Dongyang Family would have been reduced to ash the moment they saw those blue flames.
“Great Sovereign Qingfen is heading for the Yu Family?”
Several Dongyang ancestors felt their souls tremble, finally realizing that whatever was happening at the Yu Family must have exceeded anything they had imagined.
Why else would it draw Great Sovereign Qingfen?
“What is the Great Sovereign doing at the Yu Family?”
In unison, the same question rose in the minds of all the old ancestors of the Dongyang Family.
Within the Yu Family, all around, blue flames appeared in clusters.
“Great Sovereign Qingfen?”
“Marquis Qingfen is here?”
Several old ancestors of the Yu Family stared in wide-eyed shock, recognizing who had come.
This was Marquis Qingfen! Great Sovereign Qingfen!
Though nowadays people referred to him as “His Lordship” or “the Marquis,” some powerful beings still called him Great Sovereign Qingfen.
“His Lordship has arrived.”
You Jue, Shi Song, and the other Envoy exchanged looks. They had known that someone who condensed a ‘sea’ of scorching sun seeds would inevitably catch Marquis Qingfen’s attention.
But for the Marquis to come in person went far beyond the notion of mere attention.
“Marquis Qingfen?”
Lin Yuan grew serious.
From all the information he had, Marquis Qingfen’s strength likely compared to a Chaos Venerable in the Chaos Void.
Such a powerhouse demanded Lin Yuan’s respect.
So far, Lin Yuan had only encountered a few Chaos-level presences, and they were merely images or imprints.
As for actually meeting a true Chaos Venerable, he had never done so before.
He did catch a distant glimpse of the towering black horn of a chaos draconic beast back in Guming Chaotic Continent, but that beast was only near the level of a Chaos Venerable—actually just at the peak of Dominance, not a genuine Chaos realm being.
Buzzing sounds rang out.
Infinite blue fire gathered, taking shape as a man in a green robe.
His eyes were narrow, and a cluster of blue flames danced at his brow. Simply standing there, he exerted an overwhelming pressure on everyone.
“So this is a Chaos Venerable?”
Lin Yuan took in the sight.
A Chaos Venerable meant one had begun birthing chaos rules, likely reaching the eighth level in time-space comprehension, among other feats.
Such a figure in the Chaos Void would be virtually immortal unless they antagonized a Chaos Great Saint or otherwise courted death.
While Lin Yuan studied Marquis Qingfen, Marquis Qingfen was also assessing Lin Yuan.
“It’s not merely ten thousand plus scorching sun seeds—his physical body has already begun transforming toward a Blazing Sun Divine Body.”
“Amazing. Truly amazing.”
“I myself reached this step only after thirty million years in the Path-Clearing realm.”
The more he observed Lin Yuan, the more Marquis Qingfen found it incredible.
A Blazing Sun Divine Body would form only after a person had condensed a certain number of scorching sun seeds. Within the territory of the Liyang Ancient Kingdom, it was indisputably the mightiest physique.
As for the exact required number?
That depended on the degree of synergy when the scorching sun seeds formed their cycle. Anywhere from a few thousand to tens of thousands of scorching sun seeds might trigger such a transformation.
“Your Lordship.”
“We greet Your Lordship.”
You Jue, Shi Song, and the other Envoy bowed at once toward Marquis Qingfen.
“We greet Your Lordship.”
“We of the Yu Family greet the Great Sovereign!”
Everyone in the Yu Family did the same—ancestors, clan leaders, all respectfully complied.
This was Marquis Qingfen, once the fearsome Great Sovereign Qingfen.
“Stand,”
Marquis Qingfen waved a hand, his gaze never leaving Lin Yuan. He spoke softly, “Do you wish to become my disciple under my command?”
After uttering these words, Marquis Qingfen fell silent, quietly waiting for Lin Yuan’s answer.
“So direct?”
Lin Yuan paused slightly; he’d thought there might be some small talk first.
“I do” (Kyaaa, now I declare you husband and husband!)
Lin Yuan responded at once.
The Liyang Ancient Kingdom had a rigid hierarchy. To obtain more resources and guidance for one’s path, one had to integrate into it.
Marquis Qingfen, as a Liyang-conferred Marquis, was the perfect entry point for Lin Yuan to join the kingdom.
“Good. Then prepare yourself. In half an hour, I’ll personally bring you back.”
When he finished speaking, Marquis Qingfen vanished.
“His Lordship truly lives up to that title.”
“Indeed. To see such a monstrous genius and still remain so calm.”
“Well, as a conferred Marquis of the Liyang Ancient Kingdom, he’s encountered every type of formidable genius.”
You Jue, Shi Song, and the other Envoy traded glances, conversing in hushed tones. When they had first witnessed the ‘sea of scorching sun seeds’ that Lin Yuan condensed, their astonishment was impossible to suppress. Shi Song had rewritten his message multiple times while informing his senior brother.
Marquis Qingfen, on the other hand, never showed any unusual expression from start to finish.
The three Envoys quietly admired him all the more.
Above the Yu Family, beneath the sky,
Marquis Qingfen reappeared, gazing down at the Yu Family.
Time passed.
Eventually, Marquis Qingfen could no longer contain himself. He took a deep breath.
Then—
“Hahahahahahahahaha!”
“Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha!”
“Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!”
Terrifying blue flames erupted in all directions, though confined to a certain boundary. They formed a sea of fire, churning and surging.
“Not yet at Path-Clearing, yet you’ve condensed ten thousand scorching sun seeds and are already transforming toward a Blazing Sun Divine Body?”
“And under five hundred years old?!”
“What a genius! What a monster! And born here in my Qingfen Domain?!”
Marquis Qingfen roared with laughter, wild with delight, as if caught in a dream.
...
20 chapters ahead on patreon: patreon.com/David_Lord
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