Chapter 207: Chapter 207: Zong Ji
Within the magnificent Sea King Hall, dozens of Extraordinary Strong People were gathered.
Then, a grand door slowly opened. A handsome, blue-haired young man slowly walked out. His eyes shone like stars, and his long blue hair was draped casually over his shoulders, shimmering like flowing water.
The young man had an easygoing demeanor, yet he was as unfathomable as the vast sea.
"Greetings, Supreme Elder!"
"Greetings, Supreme Elder!" ...
The many Island Masters and Elders, led by Shangguan Feiying, all bowed.
"Hah, another ten years have passed."
The young man yawned, walked up to the sapphire-blue main seat in the great hall, and sat down casually. Gazing at the gathered Extraordinary Strong People below, he chuckled lazily. "Ten years in seclusion, and all of you are still the same as ever. You haven’t made a lick of progress."
"We are ashamed..."
Shangguan Feiying and the others gave a wry smile.
They didn’t dare show the slightest dissatisfaction at the young man’s critique. After all, this was the pillar of the entire Vast Sea Divine Palace. Despite his youthful appearance, everyone knew he had lived for five hundred years.
"By the way, where are Second and Third Brother?"
"Reporting to the Supreme Elder, Second Master and Third Master left to travel together while you were in seclusion. They have yet to return," Shangguan Feiying replied respectfully.
"Those two sure know how to enjoy themselves."
Zong Ji pursed his lips.
Suddenly, Zong Ji’s expression faltered. Then, the corners of his lips curled into a slight smile. He looked out beyond Sea King Hall, a cold glint flashing in his eyes, and whispered, "Looks like I’ve run into something interesting the moment I came out of seclusion. Heh... how amusing."
In a flash, Zong Ji’s figure vanished.
The Island Masters and Elders froze, baffled.
Just then, a powerful surge of energy rippled from the distance, and understanding dawned on them. "Such a powerful energy fluctuation! Who could that be?"
"Hmph. How dare they cause a ruckus in the Vast Sea Divine Palace."
"The Supreme Elder already went over. Let’s go take a look."
Everyone soared into the sky and sped off into the distance.
Among them, one man’s face turned livid, his eyes flashing with fury. ’Damn it,’ he thought, ’how could that idiot Ying San cause such a commotion!’
This man was none other than Lan Qijin.
The Extraordinary Realm has five stages, the first two of which are Sky-Controlling and Celestial Human.
Those in the Sky-Controlling Realm can harness the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi and comprehend the Mysteries of Heaven and Earth. They can perform all sorts of incredible feats, such as flight, moving mountains, and filling seas...
As for the Celestial Human Realm, it is defined by the ability to condense a Heaven and Earth Dharma Aspect.
Once a Dharma Aspect is manifested, one’s combat power increases exponentially. A Celestial Human can crush a Sky-Controlling expert with a mere flick of a wrist.
Ying San had not reached the Celestial Human Realm, but he could use a Secret Skill to temporarily condense a Dharma Aspect, giving him a sliver of the power of a Celestial Human.
After he threw the punch, the black qi dissipated and the vortex smoothed over. The giant, which had consisted of only a head and four limbs, collapsed with a thunderous CRASH. He panted heavily, looking at Qin Ya, who had been sent flying. A cold smile touched his lips. "You actually forced me to use my Dharma Aspect. Even with ten lives, you’re dead for sure now."
’Using a Celestial Human Dharma Aspect against a mere Celestial Essence Realm Martial Artist... If word of this got out, it would become the joke of the Azure Sky Realm. All those beneath the Extraordinary Realm are but ants. How could someone use a terrifying weapon like a Dharma Aspect against an ant?’
But the fact was, Ying San *had* used it. And he had been forced to.
’Not good! I have to get out of here!’
Suddenly, Ying San felt a powerful aura rapidly approaching. His expression changed, and without a second thought, he immediately turned into a cloud of purplish-black mist and shot into the distance. In the blink of an eye, he disappeared over the horizon.
As for Qin Ya, he had been blasted several hundred yards away, crashing into a small island.
WHOOSH. Zong Ji appeared above the ocean’s surface. He looked at the water, stained red with blood, and his brow furrowed slightly. "This little rat is fast," he murmured.
He extended his senses, focusing all his effort on capturing the residual auras in the air.
’There are two different auras lingering in the air,’ he mused. ’One feels like both ice and fire, and carries a faint, mysterious ripple... while the other...’
’This is... Demonic Qi!!’
’Excellent. A member of the Demon Race has managed to sneak into my Vast Sea Divine Palace!’
Zong Ji’s face was like a sheet of ice. As his senses continued to spread, his figure flickered, reappearing over another patch of sea where he retrieved a shield and a long spear from the water.
’The Profound Soldiers are damaged, and there’s residual Demonic Qi on them. This must belong to the person who fought the Demon Race member. I’ll have to ask whose weapons these are.’
Just then, Shangguan Feiying and the others arrived.
"Supreme Elder, what happened here?" Shangguan Feiying asked.
"The Demon Race," Zong Ji said, his lazy demeanor gone, his voice grave.
"What? The Demon Race!"
"How could the Demon Race appear in the Vast Sea Divine Palace?"
Everyone’s faces paled at his words.
Lan Qijin’s face became impossibly grim. But unlike the others, he wasn’t worried about the presence of the Demon Race. He was worried that Zong Ji had caught Ying San, and that Ying San might expose him...
"Where is the Demon Race member?"
"Hmph. The rat has some skill in concealment. By the time I arrived, I couldn’t find a trace of him," Zong Ji said grimly.
Lan Qijin breathed a silent sigh of relief, but his expression remained a perfect mask. To avoid giving anything away, he remained silent in a corner.
"Feiying has been derelict in his management of the Divine Palace! I beg the Supreme Elder to pass judgment!"
Shangguan Feiying immediately knelt in the void, speaking to Zong Ji in a voice full of shame.
"It’s not your fault. This Demon Race member is simply too cunning." Zong Ji then presented the spear and shield. "Feiying, do you know who these weapons belong to?"
"Those... those are Master Qin’s weapons!!"
Just then, Yun Loxi cried out in alarm and flew forward. Gazing at the long spear, he said, "This spear belongs to Master Qin! I saw him use it just a few days ago when he fought the Liujie. I’m absolutely certain of it! But... why are his weapons here?"
"Tell me about this Master Qin. His Cultivation Technique, what Momentum he has comprehended... the more detailed, the better," Zong Ji said.
Yun Loxi proceeded to recount everything he knew.
After a long while, Zong Ji sighed. "A true pity. Such a heaven-sent talent, to die so young. If he had been allowed to mature, he would have surely earned a place among the top experts of the Azure Sky Realm."
"Dying so young?!" Yun Loxi’s face fell. "Supreme Elder, what do you mean? What happened to Master Qin?"
"He’s dead," Zong Ji stated. "According to you, Master Qin was a spear-wielding Martial Artist who had comprehended Ice and Fire Momentum. One of the auras lingering here is precisely that of Ice and Fire Qi. His spear is here, too. It was definitely Master Qin."
"He was killed by that Demon Race member."
"Impossible! Master Qin has a Pseudo-Spiritual Artifact! It wouldn’t be easy for even an Extraordinary Strong Person to kill him. How could he be dead?"
In Yun Loxi’s eyes, Qin Ya was an unprecedented genius of the Alchemy Dao, the Master Qin he so revered. He couldn’t accept this outcome, no matter what.
"There are lingering traces of a Dharma Aspect’s aura here. Even with a Pseudo-Spiritual Artifact, it would have been useless." Zong Ji sighed. "What a shame. If only I had emerged from seclusion a few days sooner, I might have met such an amazing talent, and this tragedy could have been averted."
Dharma Aspect?!
’Good heavens, he used a Dharma Aspect to kill someone in the Celestial Essence Realm?’
Everyone was shocked, and even Lan Qijin was terrified. ’What the hell was that damned Ying San thinking?’ he raged internally. ’Using a Dharma Aspect to kill a Martial Artist like that!’
’Anyone who didn’t know better would have thought you were fighting some Celestial Human Realm expert!’
