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Chapter 472: Chapter 468: Outside the Holy Dynasty
"Boom!"
The energy released from the clash of two saints was terrifying.
The atmospheric circulation in the area was disrupted, with hot and cold air currents colliding dramatically, winds swirling, and a torrential downpour within a radius of hundreds of miles in an instant.
There was no need to continue to channel the Thunder Power, as the sky was already filled with flashing lightning and roaring thunder.
In the illumination of this thunder light, Qi Yunxiao, Qi Sheng, and Zhao Yushu looked up in stunned silence at the figures struck by the Thunder Sword, which fell down like charred embers.
They were well aware that each silhouette represented the demise of a top-level Deva, a being that would be revered in any city.
Devas perishing!
Glittering thunder!
Howling gales!
Pouring rain!
This scene interwove into a heart-stirring image that deeply impacted the trio’s senses.
Especially the figure at the very top of this backdrop, hanging above the Sky Dome, standing amidst thousands of lightning bolts as if he were the master of thunder, sent a profound shock to their hearts.
The overwhelming sense of oppression that hit them made even Qi Sheng, a powerful being of the Devas Realm, feel his heart stop and catch his breath.
"Won... won... we won?"
It took a while for Qi Sheng to come back to his senses when the flashing lightning in the sky started to thin out a bit.
"We won!"
Compared to him, Zhao Yushu recovered faster.
She clenched her fists tightly, almost jumping for joy, "We’re safe now."
"A Martial Saint, three great Devas, and ten Martial Kings..."
Qi Yunxiao murmured to himself.
Then he couldn’t help but look up again, shocked, towards the towering figure in the sky that was slowly descending.
"That is a Martial Saint and thirteen top experts! The Ancient Martial King... no, it’s Martial Saint! The Ancient Martial Saint is actually this powerful!?"
"Lei Yuan, as a Martial Saint who has transformed from cultivating the Thunder Origin Divine Body, is not weak among Martial Saints; a top Martial Saint may kill him, but certainly not as effortlessly as the Ancient Martial Saint! This is the power that only a Peak Martial Saint can possess!"
Qi Sheng, now fully recovered, shot out a fervent gleam in his eyes as he spoke with certainty.
"Peak Martial Saint!"
When Qi Yunxiao heard what Qi Sheng said, he was deeply shaken.
The Martial Artist System, compared to the Cultivator System, shows less and less difference as one rises higher.
On average, a Martial Saint is one rank weaker than a Saint.
A Peak Martial Saint, when compared to Saints, is also among the elite in the Saint Realm.
And the top Saints...
Even in the Li Yang Cave Heaven from years past, they were among the absolute upper echelons, second only to the Sect Leader and the Supreme Elder.
"Buzz!"
Gu Jinlai reached out his hand in summoning.
With the sweep of the Thunder Light Domain, all the Spiritual Artifacts and Quasi-Dao Artifacts on everyone were quickly gathered.
With these spoils of war, he landed before Qi Sheng, Qi Yunxiao, and Zhao Yushu.
"Alright, the pursuers have been annihilated. Let’s go."
As Gu Jinlai spoke, his gaze fell on Qi Yunxiao and Qi Sheng.
It was obvious that they were to part ways and act independently from then on.
"Thank you, Ancient Martial Saint, for your assistance," Qi Sheng said respectfully, bowing.
"No need to be like this. Just be more careful in your actions from now on," Gu Jinlai waved his hand dismissively.
Qi Sheng took a deep breath.
He knew that this whole situation was caused by them.
If it wasn’t for their careless actions, exposing them and allowing someone to tamper with the golden jade, how could it have brought so much trouble to Gu Jinlai?
And to have drawn out a Martial Saint to personally hunt him?
He glanced at Qi Yunxiao beside him, seemingly making up his mind, and directly took off the storage ring from his hand, respectfully offering it, "Ancient Martial Saint, the fault lies with me. I wish to offer this object as an apology, please give us a chance to make reparations."
"Hmm?"
Gu Jinlai’s gaze fell on the storage ring that Qi Sheng had removed, with a somewhat unusual expression, "A Storage Treasure, its value is no less than a Dao Artifact."
"This is a small token of our sincerity, please forgive us, Ancient Martial Saint," Qi Sheng implored earnestly.
Qi Yunxiao, who was also close by, quickly reacted, "Senior Gu, please accept it. Without us, it wouldn’t have brought these troubles to you. And if it wasn’t for Senior Gu taking action to kill Lei Yuan and the others, all of us would have died here, and then these treasures would have become Lei Yuan’s spoils of war."
Gu Jinlai glanced at Qi Yunxiao, then turned his gaze back to Qi Sheng, "The purpose of your offering the storage ring must be more than just that, right?"
Qi Sheng’s expression was slightly embarrassed, but he maintained firmly,"One matter at a time, this storage ring is indeed our way of making amends to the Ancient Martial Saint."
"Is that so."
Gu Jinlai took the storage ring.
Having such a treasure would make travel much more convenient.
Especially because he had just slain more than a dozen Devas and Martial Kings, and it wasn’t good to have their spoils of war just bundled up; the storage ring came at just the right time.
After taking the storage ring, Gu Jinlai took a look inside...
Surprisingly, there were no other items.
Recalling that Qi Sheng had tested him with this storage ring two days ago, they probably had been prepared for the possibility of losing the ring at that time, so it was normal that there was nothing inside.
However, from this point, it could also be proven that Qi Sheng and Qi Yunxiao’s identities were far from simple.
"Speak, what matter is it?"
Gu Jinlai directly asked.
Qi Yunxiao and Qi Sheng exchanged glances, and ultimately, Qi Sheng took a deep breath and said, "We would like to request the Ancient Martial Saint to strike and attack a Demon Territory."
"Attack a Demon Territory?"
Gu Jinlai was somewhat astonished.
The term ’territory’ is different from a gathering place of Devils.
The territories of Devils are often thousands, even tens of thousands of miles away from the outer ring of the thirty-six cities of the Holy Dynasty.
Moreover, those capable of establishing a territory are at least of the Demon Emperor level.
Such a powerful Devil would inevitably have an army of tens, or even hundreds of thousands of Devils.
Unless it was like the force of a great city like Wind and Rain City, Hai Feng City, or Purple Thunder City, where the entire city would dispatch troops for a long campaign, taking down a Devil’s territory would nearly be an extravagant hope.
"We know... our request is excessive, but as long as the Ancient Martial Saint is willing to help us take down this Demon Territory, we are willing to agree to any demands you make, and furthermore..."
Qi Sheng said solemnly, "We are willing to offer four Dao Artifacts, three Great Divine Powers, and six Void Immortal Inheritances as compensation."
"Four Dao Artifacts, three Great Divine Powers, and six Void Immortal Inheritances!?"
Hearing Qi Sheng’s words, Gu Jinlai couldn’t help but feel inwardly shocked.
Right after that, he quickly realized something, "Lei Yuan followed us personally, just because of these treasures you carry!?"
"Yes."
Qi Sheng nodded.
Recalling their interactions with Gu Jinlai over the past few days and understanding his character...
And also the fact that they had indeed run out of options and had to risk it all.
Thereupon, he straightforwardly said, "Has the Ancient Martial Saint ever heard of Li Yang Cave Heaven?"
"Of course, I’ve heard of the Li Yang Cave Heaven, one of the thirty-six cave heavens."
Gu Jinlai nodded.
After inheriting the legacy left behind by the Heavenly Master Civilization, the civilization of cultivators had reached its zenith in these thousand years.
A hundred years ago, when the calamity of the Devils had not yet spread, the most famous were the thirty-six cave heavens and the seventy-two holy lands.
Each cave heaven signified the inheritance of a True Immortal.
For instance, the Infinite Sacred Land, which was trampled by the Daqian Dynasty, was one of the seventy-two holy lands.
"When the Heavenly Master Civilization fell, cultivators turned their sights towards the Holy Land, and eventually, sixteen great cave heavens emerged and fought incessantly within the twelve domains divided by the Holy Land, among which was Li Yang Cave Heaven. However, as the power of the Devils built up to its peak a hundred years ago and erupted completely, the twelve domains were conquered at an alarming speed, and although we struggled desperately, Li Yang Cave Heaven was still destroyed thirty-six years ago..."
Qi Sheng spoke, a trace of pain flashing in his eyes.
But he quickly recomposed himself and continued, "When Li Yang Cave Heaven was destroyed, a group of people fled with some of the heaven’s treasures and scriptures, scattering in all directions, hoping to find a safe place to spread and preserve the inheritance of Li Yang Cave Heaven."
"You are among those people?"
Gu Jinlai asked.
Zhao Yushu also looked at Qi Sheng and Qi Yunxiao with surprise.
People from the cave heavens?
The current Holy Dynasty was formed by an alliance of the six great Cave Heavens.
"Yes."
Qi Sheng nodded, affirming it.
Gu Jinlai thought of Hong Ye, Yun Ling, and Zhou Yi who had joined Lingxiao Palace...
They, too, were from the Xuanji Sect that had been attacked by Devils and had fled to the Qiantian World, eventually joining Lingxiao Palace because they believed it had the potential to lead the Human Clan in a counter-attack against the Devils.
In essence, there was no difference between Qi Sheng, Qi Yunxiao, and Zhou Yi, Hong Ye, and others.
"When we fled, we actually gathered some disciples and their relatives, totaling tens of thousands. At that time we had already heard about the Holy Land and so we headed straight for it with our people, but..."
Qi Sheng’s expression turned sorrowful, "We had too many people. Even though we relied on treasures and moved cautiously, the movements of tens of thousands were ultimately too large, and in the end, we were targeted by Demon Emperor Chi Long, and almost everyone was captured, with only a handful of us managing to escape to safety."
Gu Jinlai glanced at Qi Sheng.
To be fleeing and yet take tens of thousands with them...
Wasn’t this seeking death?
But then he realized, not everyone was like him, capable of abandoning their loved ones.
Most people have relatives and friends, and since cultivators generally live long lives, it is not unusual for a family to have seven or eight generations living together.
All these people together forming a group of tens of thousands wasn’t so strange.
"Since you came to the Holy Dynasty for refuge, did you not seek help from the dynasty?"
At this moment, Zhao Yushu suddenly spoke up, "Li Yang Cave Heaven was a top force just like the six great Cave Heavens behind the dynasty, mentioning your connection to Li Yang Cave Heaven, wouldn’t any City Lord receive you immediately?"
"Seek help from the dynasty!"
This comment caused Qi Yunxiao to clench her teeth bitterly.
Anger, pain, and unwillingness flickered in Qi Sheng’s eyes.
It took a while before he managed a wry smile, "When we came to the Holy Dynasty seeking the Holy Land, we saw it as our hope. But in reality..."
He glanced at Gu Jinlai, "I’ve been told by Yunxiao that the Ancient Martial Saint has only recently arrived at Wind and Rain City, so you haven’t looked beyond the dynasty’s borders, have you?"
"No," Gu Jinlai said.
"If the Ancient Martial Saint went beyond the borders, you would see that the Holy Dynasty is not any sort of sacred land for humanity, nor has it ever been a place of hope for resisting the Devils."
Li Sheng’s eyes harbored a murderous intent as he spoke bitterly, "Not to mention other Devil territories, just in the Chi Long Territory, there are more than ten million human beings imprisoned!"
