Chapter 887: Chapter 886: Nine Heaven Kings_1
The dock was located in Fengyang State, Feng Feather City, of the Flying Horse Dynasty.
Feng Feather City was located near Tian State, with a permanent population of over eight million. The cityscape was bustling, shops stood in rows, and it was also known as one of the renowned cities of the Flying Horse Dynasty.
Having docked several large ships by the pier, Shi Xiaole and the others entered an inn not far away. Traveling on sea and land for days, they had grown weary of seafood and longed for a change.
They booked several private rooms in one breath, and ordered tables full of fine wine and dishes. Everyone feasted to their heart’s content, eating with great enjoyment.
Once they were full of food and drink, a female disciple of the Sea Leaf Gang came in, placed several books on the table, and left the private room with a smile.
Shi Xiaole fixed his gaze and saw that they were copies of Martial World collections, and he couldn’t help but quietly praise Qiu Mingyue’s experience in handling matters.
Divine Strategy Academy didn’t have a branch in the Western Islands, but as soon as the other party landed on the mainland, they knew the basic circumstances, clearly having taken advantage of mealtime to have someone investigate thoroughly.
Shi Xiaole casually pulled one of the books over and flipped it open. Niu Dali, Qiu Mingyue, and the others also each took one, all filled with curiosity about the events unfolding in the Flying Horse Dynasty.
Turning to the first page, Shi Xiaole was immediately shocked by the news that caught his eye, and it took him a while to come back to his senses.
"The thirteen domains to the east of Tian State have been conquered?"
Tian State had a total of thirty-nine domains, each of vast territory, and many of which were home to top-notch and super top-notch forces. To conquer one domain in the Martial World was extremely difficult, let alone thirteen domains.
But two months ago, a mysterious force known as the Ancient Divine Sect suddenly rose, and in just a month and a half, they successively broke through twenty-six super top-notch forces and seventy-three top-notch forces, all of which were annexed. Three of the super top-notch forces were massacred for their refusal to submit, leaving no survivors.
The thirteen domains were far apart, and only Martial Emperors of the Void Origin Realm could travel through them all in less than two months. In other words, the disciples of the Ancient Divine Sect had already hidden themselves within the thirteen domains, just waiting to strike like thunder!
No one knew how long they had prepared for this astounding plan.
It wasn’t until after the event occurred that people in the Martial World, based on various past clues, inferred that they had been in existence for some time. This showed how cautious and mysterious the Ancient Divine Sect was in its dealings.
"Behind the Ancient Divine Sect, there are suspected to be several top-tier Martial Emperors of the Void Origin Realm, with not fewer than hundreds of Earth Immortals within the sect, and elites as numerous as the clouds. The organizational structure is meticulous and cunning, rarely seen in the world."
This was Divine Strategy Academy’s comment on the Ancient Divine Sect.
Shi Xiaole continued to read on, his heart trembling violently once more.
It turned out that according to the information listed by Divine Strategy Academy, thousands of years ago, the Ancient Divine Sect had existed on the land of the Flying Horse Dynasty. However, for unknown reasons, from the Suzerain down to the lowest ranks, they vanished overnight and were even included among the top ten unsolved mysteries of the Martial World at the time.
Who would have thought that after thousands of years, the Ancient Divine Sect would reappear in the Martial World, causing a shocking uproar!
"To rule the Martial World of thirteen domains is something that even super forces like the Wild Double Currents and the Four Sages of the Holy Sect have failed to accomplish. The power of the Ancient Divine Sect is unfathomable!"
Outside, people casually talked, inevitably bringing up the Ancient Divine Sect.
"Super forces may not be inferior to the Ancient Divine Sect; they simply may not want to spread themselves too thin."
Some shook their heads.
After many years of development, the true depths of the super forces were unknown to anyone, and many people even suspected that they were not inferior to the Supreme Pavilion of the Mu family’s royal lineage in its early days.
The problem was, the Supreme Pavilion was also developing, especially after moving from the open to the shadows. Its inscrutability, coupled with the desire not to be feared by the court, meant that the major super forces kept a low profile in recent years, deliberately not flaunting their power.
The actions of the Ancient Divine Sect were tantamount to violating a great taboo of the court. Although shocking and inexplicable to many, to some it seemed like an old man tired of living, courting death by consuming arsenic.
"Heh heh, it’s been more than half a month since the incident. I heard that in places like the northeast and southeast, large-scale military forces have been mobilized. Seems like the court cannot sit still any longer."
Someone revealed a secret piece of news, causing everyone inside the restaurant to tremble with apprehension.
The population of this world was beyond measure, so even the smallest scale of the imperial military forces started at one hundred thousand, and they were not average people. Relying on the Spirit Veins controlled by the court, even the lowest were martial artists in the Qi Absorption Realm.
Those with particularly good aptitudes, who advanced quickly in cultivation, often earned promotions out of the ordinary, either becoming military commanders or moving up to higher-level military forces.
It was said that there were some secret military forces with strict requirements for the cultivation level of their soldiers, not allowing entrance below a certain threshold.
Imagine, if a force comprised of one hundred thousand Xuanqi Realm martial artists came together, how terrifying would that be?
These were not ragtag soldiers, but strictly disciplined troops, trained meticulously. Their combat power was such that they could shock Terrestrial Immortals, as long as it was not close combat!
The higher one’s position in the Martial World, the more one understood the terror of the imperial court. Over the years, countless experts emerged in the Martial World, but none escaped the court’s control.
Having digested the news about the Ancient Divine Sect, Shi Xiaole continued sifting through the book, only to become more fearful as he read on.
Aside from the Ancient Divine Sect, various forces were emerging all over the Martial World. Although their movements were nowhere near as dramatic as the Ancient Divine Sect’s, they were notable in their own right, stirring up major upheavals in their respective domains.
These forces, and even high-ranking masters, seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, with no one knowing their origins, not even the Divine Strategy Academy could ascertain their backgrounds.
Therefore, the current state of the Martial World of the Flying Horse Dynasty was completely engulfed in an atmosphere of mysterious and treacherous undercurrents, with everyone silently observing the changes, and the major top forces have yet to make a sound.
Flipping through a few more pages, Shi Xiaole’s attention was suddenly caught again.
In the past two months, apart from some mysterious forces, several enigmatic figures had also emerged, shining like the sun and moon in the sky, causing the entire Martial World to take note of their presence.
"The Heartbreak Warrior, whose surname and name remain unknown, possesses the ninth-tier strength of the Divine Barrier Realm, and recently challenged three high-ranking Earth Immortals in a row. They were the twenty-fifth-ranked ’Earthquake King’ Xiao Lei, the twenty-first-ranked ’Sky-flipping Demon King’ Zhao Wu Hui, and the sixteenth-ranked ’Cloud Shattering Sword King’ Wu Jiuqi, all of whom were defeated within twenty moves, truly making him an Invincible Earth Immortal suspected to be under a hundred years of age."
The Earth Immortals ranked among the top fifty are all Ninth Tier Earth Immortals, and the majority of those ranked in the top twenty are at the peak of the Ninth Tier Earth Immortal level.
The fight where Heartbreak Warrior defeated Wu Jiuqi, using merely nineteen moves, was indeed a shock to the world. What was even more terrifying was the judgment of the Divine Strategy Academy on his age, less than a hundred years.
What does this imply? Zhang Xiangfeng, who is just in his sixties, is also an Invincible Earth Immortal, suggesting that the Heartbreak Warrior might be a prodigy at the same level as him!
Besides the Heartbreak Warrior, two others shone with thousandfold brilliance, not inferior to him.
One was a young man with a fishing net tied around his waist, who with just one move captured three Earth Immortals ranked beyond fifty; he declared he wanted to "fish" in the Martial World, the "fish" being those exalted and powerful figures.
The other from Wuling Villa in Xuanwu State, surname Hua, given name Yiyun, nearly thirty years old, has already reached the status of a Terrestrial Immortal. Not long ago, he also defeated a famed Earth Immortal single-handedly, his talent sending shockwaves through the north and south of the great river.
The Divine Strategy Academy named these three individuals, along with the five prodigies including Yao Mie Sheng, together as the Nine Great Heaven Kings, and ranked them by strength in the following order: Zhang Xiangfeng, the Heartbreak Warrior, the Young Man with a Fishing Net, Shi Xiaole, and so on.
It’s worth mentioning that at the bottom of the page, the Divine Strategy Academy left an intriguing remark—if there are any geniuses of the same caliber, they shall be automatically added to the list of Heaven Kings.
The Nine Great Heaven Kings, in the past hundreds of years, the appearance of even one was enough to stir a great storm in the Martial World, and now nine have emerged at once. But from the look of it, does the Divine Strategy Academy suggest that there is still more to come?
"It was reported a few months ago that great upheavals stirred in the direction of the Western Sea. Now, the Martial World is buzzing with rumors that this signifies the beginning of a millennium of auspicious fortune, the era of fabled competition between heroes, parallel rise of extraordinary figures, and an abundance of masters—one that is truly upon us!"
"Now that you mention it, and after giving it some thought, the emergence of the Ancient Divine Sect, various mysterious powers, and the Heartbreak Warrior trio, all occurred right after that."
"I heard that on that day, within the palace of Tian State, the sky was lit up by an extraordinary display of purple auroras, a sign of dragons soaring and tigers leaping, and the National Master, who hadn’t been seen for many years, made an appearance, facing the sky, and muttering words."
"A friend who returned from the Western Region told me that on that day in many places in the Western Region, the sky was filled with yellow sand, and the sounds of a hundred battles, together with various strange illusions, echoed through the air for six hours before dissipating. It seems that there was a large-scale troop movement at the border!"
In the tavern, people drank while expressing their views, discussing the astonishing rumors they had heard, true or false, each person’s face flushed with excitement that was difficult to dissipate.
People of the Martial World inherently love to join in the excitement, and what could be more thrilling than a grand era that comes only once in ten thousand years?
For heroes, this era represents a time of energetic rivalry and convergence of various forces; for the common people, to live in such an era and to witness the rise and fall of tides can also be considered the greatest fortune of a lifetime.
One can imagine that the Martial World will experience a prolonged period of high excitement, a prosperous era for everyone!
"So, Yiyun has emerged."
Setting down the Martial World Compilation, Shi Xiaole smiled as he suddenly missed that little brother.
"Although the Flying Horse Dynasty is not as perilous as the Western Sea Islands, it still has its own extraordinary figures and spirit-infused lands, incomparable to the Western Sea Islands."
Qiu Mingyue was also deeply moved and even her tranquil heart began to stir.
Looking toward the young man in blue sitting quietly beside the window sill, she could almost see a scene where he commanded the winds and clouds, overshadowing the world with a wave of his hand. Even in this era of dazzling stars, he would surely be one of the brightest, wouldn’t he?
The group rested for a moment, then continued their journey down the river.
Perhaps it was an illusion from receiving the news, but the following journey seemed even livelier, with fleets passing by from time to time, all pulsating with an air of high-spirited fervor.
One day, the large boat suddenly came to a halt.
It turned out that in the distance, two massive islands ganged together were surrounded by a dense collection of ships. From the angle where Shi Xiaole and the others were, one could distinctly see the islands packed with people.
"Young Master Shi, Gang Leader, there are too many ships. It will probably take more than an hour to get past."
A female disciple came forward to report, her gaze also involuntarily drifting towards the two islands, speculating about what had transpired.
"This Hua Yiyun is really audacious; having just defeated Moyun Hand, he now dares to challenge the century-old Earth Immortal from Hell Gate, ’Endless Blood Sea’ Xiao Wuchang."
"You might not be aware, but Xiao Wuchang offended the Kirin, angering Hua Yiyun, who then openly challenged him. To ensure the fairness of the duel, Hell Gate even invited high-ranking Earth Immortals from the Dark and Light sides to serve as arbiters. Tsk tsk, they seem to be intent on building momentum by stepping over Hua Yiyun."
Conversations drifted over from the passing ships and scattered in the wind.
