Chapter 2166: Chapter 2166 – Zhou Muhuang
Everyone was puzzled by what Mo Ke was doing. He walked up and took a look at the sacred remains in the divine casket.
Mo Ke growled after taking a single look. His body was sent reeling, and blood dripped from his eyes again. The scene was harrowing.
“The hell!” Everyone around looked at Ye Futian, who was standing in front.
We’d get used to it after taking several looks??? How are we supposed to keep looking like that!? they wondered.
Mo Ke had only taken a look on his second try, and his eyes were still filled with blood.
How are we supposed to keep looking? We will probably go blind if we look one more time, let alone several! This is terrible, they thought.
It was then that all of them realized that Ye Futian was toying with Mo Ke; there was no way one could get used to it just by looking more. Yet Mo Ke actually believed those ridiculous claims of his…
Ye Futian had tried this personally, taking repeated looks at the sacred remains. It was indeed as he had put it—he eventually got used to it.
Mo Ke would not have been duped otherwise.
Mo Ke opened his eyes moments later, and the look in his eyes was filled with cold killing intent. He saw how effortless and graceful Blind Tie and Ye Futian had behaved before. Yet, being repeatedly fooled by Ye Futian in front of everyone was something that someone of his status could hardly stomach. It was true embarrassment. One could easily imagine his mood at that moment.
Formless power emanated from Mo Ke. Someone was seen shooting into the sky. It was none other than Blind Tie. Blind Tie had also decided to release a powerful aura, which shrouded over Mo Ke. Seemingly, he was trying to remind Mo Ke to remember his place.
Mo Ke sensed that aura and shot a look at Blind Tie, yet his eyes were still filled with killing intent. There was still blood beneath his eyes, making him look rather eerie.
“There are things that one is not worthy of looking at, and there is nothing that one can do to change it. It’s not like all those years ago, where one could take whatever one wished,” Blind Tie said, jabbing at Mo Ke being unworthy of looking at the sacred remains.
“You never changed, did you? Still as blunt with your words as ever,” Mo Ke said plainly. “If I were unworthy of looking at the divine casket, isn’t that the same as saying that no cultivator in the Shangqing Domain would be worthy of doing so?”
“While my words do not sound pleasant, it is the truth. It is what it is, and I myself am not worthy of doing so either. Is there any reason for me to sugarcoat it?” Blind Tie replied. He had, of course, gotten to know Mo Ke better after what had happened all those years ago, that the man he once called a brother was someone who would get what he wanted by any means necessary.
What he said earlier was deliberately worded to provoke him, but given that his conscience was clear, he didn’t mind at all.
While what Blind Tie said didn’t sound nice, everyone who was present was a cultivator at the Renhuang Plane, and some were indeed very, very powerful. As such, they knew that Blind Tie was telling the truth.
These were not just any sacred remains but the remains of Shenjia the Great Emperor—a great emperor and a god of ancient times. If they were not allowed to look at it, that would only mean that they were indeed not worthy. There was nothing to be ashamed about.
Mo Ke moved his sight away from Blind Tie and turned to Ye Futian. He walked up to Ye Futian after seeing the other man was about to retreat, shrouding massive pressure over Ye Futian, placing a lockdown on the space Ye Futian occupied. He coldly said, “If you’re already used to it, why not take a few more glances instead of retreating?”
The divine light around Ye Futian was terrifying enough that Mo Ke closed his eyes all of a sudden, about to retreat, yet he was prevented from doing so by the powers of the Great Path.
Boom… He emitted a huge pressure, which he then withdrew. Blind Tie attacked after sensing what was happening. He brought down a divine hammer from above, viciously aiming at Mo Ke.
Mo Ke raised his hand and grabbed outward. A massive hand took hold of the specter of that divine hammer, and the mighty pressure of the Great Path swept all over the place, causing a harrowing storm below as it traveled downwards, causing many to reel from the shock right away.
“What are you two doing outside the Domain Chief’s Manor?” A voice came from the Domain Chief’s Manor. The voice was heard before the man was seen. A group of people then walked out of the Domain Chief’s Manor and emerged in the air, looking at Mo Ke and Blind Tie fighting each other.
Mo Ke pulled his hand back, and Blind Tie stopped attacking as well. Ye Futian retreated and glanced at Mo Ke.
There were young men and women, as well as powerful elders that had just emerged. They concealed their powers. Also, they needed to stand in midair in order to cast a faint pressure over everyone.
The leader was a middle-aged man who was the son of the Domain Chief’s Manor of Shangqing Domain—Zhou Muhuang. He could also be called the young master of the Domain Chief’s Manor. His powers were towering, and he was already one of the most powerful cultivators to be found in the Shangqing Domain. He was at level nine of the Great Path. Even the titans among the top-notch cultivation forces wouldn’t have many among them capable of winning against Zhou Muhuang.
The father and son of the Shangqing Domain were both standing at the very pinnacle.
Of course, given that even Zhou Muhuang himself had trained for over 100 years, the chief was definitely much older. He was someone of supreme power among those of the previous generation. However, due to Zhou Muhuang having unparalleled training, he appeared rather young, around 40.
In the Shangqing Domain, few dared to be disrespectful to that young master. This was due to his status and because his powers were more than enough to put a great many powerful fighters in the domain in their place.
“Greetings, young master,” many greeted. Those with weaker powers had even bowed to Zhou Muhuang. The man stood where he was and scanned the crowd before saying, “At ease, everyone.
“This divine casket was brought here from the Cangyuan Continent. It is unimaginably mystical yet very dangerous. That was why my father forbade anyone from looking at it, but if any of you would like to take a look, the Domain Chief’s Manor won’t stop you. However, the consequences are all yours. You all are the best that the Shangqing Domain has to offer. Anybody who would like to learn about the divine casket is welcome to do so. There is simply no need for fights,” Zhou Muhuang elaborated.
Although both Mo Ke and Blind Tie were powerful cultivators and of advanced age themselves, if one were to really go about counting, they would probably be deemed juniors to Zhou Muhuang, especially in the case of Blind Tie. Blind Tie was probably the youngest and was probably far younger than Zhou Muhuang. As such, it was only natural for Zhou Muhuang’s words to carry immense weight.
“Forgive us for our impulsiveness, Muhuang,” Mo Ke cupped his hands and said. Despite his status, he still had nothing to brag about before Zhou Muhuang.
“Right.” Zhou Muhuang nodded. “My father invited cultivators from all over, and we would not wish to see any altercations break out. Should there be any personal feud among you, I’d advise you to try not to act on them here.”
“With you being the one giving the word, I shall do as you say, Muhuang,” Mo Ke replied, and Blind Tie nodded.
Zhou Muhuang nodded and turned his eyes back to Ye Futian. “Your reputation precedes you, Emperor Ye. You’re indeed as dashing as you are reputed to be.”
Everyone was stunned. Zhou Muhuang was of such prestigious standing that he could afford to ignore Mo Ke and Blind Tie. He did not need to be courteous, even to the many titans from the many cultivation forces out there.
Yet, he seemed to have taken a liking to Ye Futian very much, complimenting the man as he did.
“Zhou Muhuang, a young master of the Domain Chief’s Manor of Shangqing Domain. Level nine, perfection in Great Path.” Ye Futian looked at the middle-aged man and recalled Duan Qiong’s introduction. According to Duan Qiong, not even her father—Duan Tianxiong—would beat Zhou Muhuang. Furthermore, one could tell just how ambitious he was from his name alone.
Zhou Muhuang.
Just how many expectations had his father piled on his son?
Was he hoping for his son to become the great emperor then?
Ye Futian had been in two domains before—the Donghua Domain and the Shangqing Domain. The ones from the Domain Chief’s Manor were all mighty. There were Ning Yuan and Ning Hua from Donghua Domain, and both were mighty beings.
The way Ye Futian saw it, those of the Domain Chief’s Manor who ruled over the 18 domains in Donghuang the Great’s stead were all supreme beings in their own right. All of them were titans, and the powers of such people were every bit on par with those who served the Great Imperial Palace directly. Said titans could actually be more powerful instead.
It would seem that the establishment of the Domain Chief’s Manor reigning over the 18 domains was anything but simple.
The years in which Donghuang the Great ruled over the Divine Prefectures were not all that long. The nobles of the Divine Prefectures carved up their own territories, and powerful beings were aplenty. Donghuang the Great would naturally need to enlist the help of those who were of supreme powers, to begin with, if he were to rule over the Divine Prefectures. That was probably how the Domain Chief’s Manors of the 18 domains came about. They weren’t necessarily considered closed ones of Donghuang the Great.
“You speak too highly of me, senior.” Ye Futian bowed slightly. Despite being the young master, he was nonetheless Ye Futian’s senior, so there was nothing wrong for him to address him as such.
“I know a thing or two about your exploits. You hail from Donghua Domain, then went to Four Corner Village. You’ve gotten acquainted with the ancient royal family of Duan. You are nothing less than extraordinary. It is a pity that Ning Yuan of the Donghua Domain’s Domain Chief’s Manor overlooked your brilliance, wanting to actually kill someone of your caliber. I wonder what was he thinking.”
Zhou Muhuang then said to Ye Futian, “Ye Futian, if you intend to train in the Domain Chief’s Manor of Shangqing Manor, you’d be welcomed to do so by both my father and me.”
Everyone was stunned upon hearing what Zhou Muhuang just said. The first thing he did after coming outside was try to get Ye Futian to his side. He had actually invited him to train in the Domain Chief’s Manor. One could tell that he was incredibly impressed with Ye Futian and wanted to capitalize on this opportunity.
Furthermore, he was totally unfazed by the powers at Donghua Domain and voiced Ning Yuan’s mistakes just like that. One could tell that the Domain Chief’s Manors were hardly acquainted with each other and left each to their own devices.
So long as Ye Futian was willing to agree to join the Domain Chief’s Manor, he would definitely be able to rise to greater heights in terms of status. By then, not even those from the Donghua Domain could easily do anything against him.
Ye Futian was rather surprised by the treatment. This treatment was rather ironic given that he had intended to train in the Domain Chief’s Manor back at the Donghua Domain. Instead, it was he had been set up and hunted instead.
When he had lost all such intentions, those of the Domain Chief’s Manor of the Shangqing Domain extended their invitation instead.
However, he was no longer in a state suitable for doing so.
He had joined Four Corner Village prior and was already one of them; he was not about to abandon the village for the Domain Chief’s Manor.
“I’m sorry, senior. I’ve joined Four Corner Village, and it would be unsuitable for me to train in the Domain Chief’s Manor. I’m afraid that I have no choice but to pass up the offer. Truly, I beg for your forgiveness,” Ye Futian replied.
Blind Tie, Fang Huan, and the others nodded in silence. Those from the village had indeed been right about Ye Futian. He would have received more benefits, and great ones at that, if he were to choose the Domain Chief’s Manor over the village.
However, given that he had become one of the cultivators of the Four Corner Village and the village had decided to train openly in the world, that itself would then make the village one of the titans in the Shangqing Domain. Given the circumstances, he couldn’t join either without renouncing membership of the other. If the village were to remain closed to the world, it wouldn’t have been a problem.