"The repelling force is very strong."
Hong Tan nodded, "Fortunately, you have a character technique. Your characters have been forcefully fused to some extent. Even with the repelling force, you can still suppress it. The single character faction members will have an even harder time entering the Sunmoon Realm. How confident are you in your breakthrough?"
"I'm quite confident. But I doubt I can go further and step into the Invincible Realm. Then again, it's still too early to talk about that."
"We'll see in the future."
Liu Wenyan nodded. Yeah, it was still too early to talk about that.
"For now, help me reorganize my characters. Take Bai Feng along with you as well. After we leave, you can enter seclusion and focus on your advancement."
"Alright." Hong Tan nodded and switched to voice transmission, "Senior Brother, would that fellow that the chance to make a move against you at the Allheaven Battlefield?"
"I doubt so. There are too many Invincibles there."
"Senior Brother, don't take things for granted. Don't forget what happened to Big Brother Liu."
Hong Tan had a solemn expression. The Liu Family's fate was the prime example. Back then, they had decided to base their family on the Allheaven Battlefield. But they ultimately ended up getting wiped out. And that had happened in an area that was supposedly under the watch of Invincibles.
Liu Wenyan shut his eyes.
After a short silence, he opened his eyes again and said, "I understand. I won't be careless. I am not my big brother. A lot more eyes are on me. Not even Invincibles can keep paying attention to the entire Allheaven Battlefield, but the Vanguard Regiment has always been the place to receive the most attention from the Invincibles. And I will be at the very center of all that attention. It is actually safer for me to be there."
"That's true. But..." Hong Tan was still worried, "The casualty rate of the Vanguard Regiment is too high. Most of them are criminals sent there to be used as cannon fodder. Senior Brother, in your current condition...and also Bai Feng's condition...sigh."
This was giving him a headache.
Liu Wenyan smiled, "Don't worry. I will be entering the Mountainsea Unit while Bai Feng will be entering the Skysoar Unit."
"Mountainsea Unit?" Hong Tan's expression changed as he exclaimed in alarm, "How can they send you to the Mountainsea Unit?"
"Why else? I unleashed the strength of a Sunmoon to kill a ninth-stage Mountainsea. I naturally have to be treated like a Mountainsea. Are they supposed to treat me like a Skysoar? But since Bai Feng is a proper Skysoar, they won't send him to the Cloudbreach Unit."
"But still...Senior Brother, how about this? Let me go with you..."
"There is no need for that." Liu Wenyan said, "Just stay here. The Great Xia City is still a safe place. And the academy is even safer. I won't be bringing anyone with me. My uncle is still alive. He will be going with me."
"Uncle Liu is still alive?"
Hong Tan was astonished.
Liu Wenyan nodded, "Back then, he was seriously injured and nearly died. But I managed to get someone to help him. This time, he will go with me. He might have fallen from the Sunmoon Realm to the eighth-stage Mountainsea Realm, but he is good enough to protect me."
"Uncle Liu...dropped in rank?"
"Yeah. But I’m already happy to see him alive. It's a good thing for him to stay with me as well. With all the attention on me, it will be harder for people to make a move on him."
Liu Wenyan smiled, "Besides, it is better to die fighting on the battlefield than die to the ambush of a so-called ally."
"Senior Brother, I..." Hong Tan clenched his teeth, "If I can reach the Invincible Realm, I won't spare those bastards!"
"Talk after you reach the Sunmoon Realm." Liu Wenyan said, "Since I've come out of hiding, all the attention will be on me. Things will be relatively safe for you. I will try to drag this out as much as I can. You guys need to grow as fast as possible. Yunji and the others can't be relied on yet. They have yet to fully assimilate their characters. Watch over them as well. Help them work on their characters too."
"How about the graves of Ruoling and the others?"
"It's fine. The Xia Family is still around. Desecrating the dead? Previously, nobody knew their true intention. But now that this matter has spread far and wide, the Xia Family won't turn a blind eye."
He paused shortly before adding, "Furthermore, how sure are you that the characters are still in their graves?"
"Hmm?"
Liu Wenyan smiled, "Don't ask. It's not a bad idea to keep this secret. The multiple character faction will not die off that easily. Although most of our old brothers are already dead, that doesn't mean that their legacy has been severed. They have merely been keeping their successors hidden. I have a list of names in my brain. If I die, the list will die with me. They can keep their secret identities for the rest of their lives."
"Senior Brother, their legacies survived?"
At first, Hong Tan was overjoyed. But soon, grief welled within him. Since when did the successors of the multiple character faction started needing to hide their identities? If his teacher came back to live, he would probably get angered right back to death.
"Don't act like a child." Liu Wenyan stood up and gave Hong Tan a kick. The smile on his face vanished, "Of course their legacies have not been severed. Everyone has been struggling hard during the past 50 years. But not all of us are dead. That in itself is a form of victory."
"It's not like nobody from the Knowledge Seeking Realm and War Shrine is supportive toward us. They have merely been keeping silent to avoid a fallout with Great Zhou King."
Liu Wenyan said, "I don't care what Great Zhou King wants. If he's not the culprit, then it doesn't matter. But if he is the culprit, a day will come when we get our revenge."
"Sigh." Hong Tan said, "Then I won't say anything else. I'll take Su Yu to get the Sky Sundering Saber from Fatty Xia. I wonder if Fatty Xia would agree..."
"He will." Liu Wenyan smiled, "He will only ask for some money. Just pay him. This is a bad habit of his. Even if he is willing to give it to you, he must get something in return or he won't be able to sleep well at night."
"I don't have any money."
Liu Wenyan rolled his eyes. What a broke old man.
"Ask for money from Wu Yuehua..."
"I already owe her a lot of money."
"You..." Liu Wenyan was starting to get a headache. "Look for Hu Ping and Zhao Mingyue. Both Administrator Hu and General Zhao are rich. Just borrow as much money as you can. Worry about paying back after you have the money to do so."
"Fine." Hong Tan sighed, "Good thing my sister-in-laws are around. Otherwise, we would probably all starve to death."
"Piss off."
Liu Wenyan scolded unhappily. This fellow was truly a piece of trash. Just what had he been doing for the past decades? He was already on the cusp of reaching the Sunmoon Realm. Why was he still so poor?
Hong Tan had nothing to say. What could he do about it? He was broke. What could he do about it? With how poor he was, it hadn’t been easy for him to reach his current cultivation level. All the resources had been earned with his own two hands. There was nobody he could rely on.
He even needed to raise Chen Yong, raise Bai Feng, and keep his research center operational...
He was very pitiful as well! He was often forced to go to the Allheaven Battlefield and hunt some beasts just to feed their broke faction. It was easy for his senior brother to talk, but his senior brother wasn't the actual person shouldering all those responsibilities.
If he had a few intimate female friends of his own as well, he would have started living his life in comfort long ago. Would he still need to go hunting at the Allheaven Battlefield just for some money?
Liu Wenyan had evidently thought of all that as well. He said, "Things have been hard for you as well. I guess we should be thankful that you are actually still alive. Where have you gotten all your cultivation resources?"
"Me?" Hong Tan laughed dryly, "By selling blood essence."
"Hmm?"
"I'm rearing some Mountainsea beasts in the prison zone. I have been extracting their blood regularly to be sold. In fact, I am the biggest black market blood essence seller in Great Xia. I specialize in selling Mountainsea blood essence. Senior Brother, I have no other choice. I won't be able to survive without selling blood."
"How many beasts are you keeping there?"
"Only three. I think they are probably on the verge of death now. What a waste. It has been a while since I last took any blood from them. Hopefully they can recover."
Liu Wenyan was completely speechless.
Fortunately, both Su Yu and Bai Feng weren't here. Or their jaws would drop from shock.
There were indeed a few rooms at the back of the prison zone. But that area was normally very quiet. Neither Su Yu and Bai Feng could enter that area. And they had never tried. Bai Feng had even guessed that some Mountainsea beasts were locked there. And he was actually right.
The Mountainsea blood seller was the most mysterious of the black market merchants in Great Xia. And that person was actually Hong Tan.
After a while, Liu Wenyan said, "Don't push it too far. Just killing someone is better than endless torture. The same applies to beasts. Just kill them if you want, but you should be careful to not cross the line."
"Alright." Hong Tan gave a hollow laugh and said, "I was forced to do this. We're too poor."
Liu Wenyan waved his hand. He could no longer be bothered to say more.
Hong Tan did not waste any time and left after ending the conversation.
...
Afternoon.
Prefect's manor.
It was grand and imposing.
This was Su Yu's first time here. The manor was located at the core of the capital city. This was a place where one legend after another had been born.
Great Xia, Xia Longwu, Marquis Xia, and the previous prefect, Xia Longwu's father who was a top expert who had perished at the Allheaven Battlefield.
Su Yu had arrived with a heart of admiration.
The Xia Family had an excellent reputation in Great Xia. Apart from Marquis Xia, of course. But even Marquis Xia would generally only act against the rich and powerful families. He had never touched the poor. Perhaps that was because he wouldn't be able to get much from them anyway.
Under Hong Tan's lead, Su Yu entered a large hall. There, they waited for Marquis Xia to arrive.
He had seen Marquis Xia once during the day of the battle. But he had not spoken a word to the marquis. Thus, his impression of Marquis Xia was still greatly influenced by the rumors.
That was a ruthless merchant.
A merchant who would not let any profit go.
An unscrupulous businessman!
He had done a lot of bad things, but thanks to the backing of the Xia Family, he had not suffered much consequences for his actions.
According to the rumors, Marquis Xia would wash his hands and rinse his mouth with source qi liquid, use cultural weapons as carpet, use talismans to warm himself, eat precious pills as snacks, and wipe his ass with willpower texts.
Not one rumor had mentioned that Marquis Xia was a top expert. But Su Yu had personally witnessed how strong the marquis was. This was someone who had fought and prevailed over the character clone of a super expert.
Ohhh! Su Yu also knew that the marquis' name was Xia Xiao'er (little two).
While he was thinking that, a fatty was standing behind him with an unsightly expression. Xia Xiao'er had arrived!
Was this kid aware?
As a mere Mental Tempering Stage student, he would be able to sense the kid's thoughts if it involved him.
Was the kid aware that he was a fifth-stage Sunmoon?
Boom!
During their first official meeting, Su Yu fainted.
He had been knocked unconscious from the back.
The ambusher was a Sunmoon.
Hong Tan rolled his eyes. A Sunmoon had actually ambushed a Mental Tempering Stage kid. He was completely speechless. How could someone be so shameless?
The pitiful Su Yu fainted on the floor. Nobody bothered to help him.
With a dark expression, Marquis Xia scolded, "Did you bring this little bastard here? If it wasn't for you, I would have buried him alive immediately!"
Bastard!
Xia Xiao'er...that name was the greatest shame in his life. If it wasn't for the fact that he wasn't his father's match, he would have given his father a beating as well!
"The repelling force is very strong."
Hong Tan nodded, "Fortunately, you have a character technique. Your characters have been forcefully fused to some extent. Even with the repelling force, you can still suppress it. The single character faction members will have an even harder time entering the Sunmoon Realm. How confident are you in your breakthrough?"
"I'm quite confident. But I doubt I can go further and step into the Invincible Realm. Then again, it's still too early to talk about that."
"We'll see in the future."
Liu Wenyan nodded. Yeah, it was still too early to talk about that.
"For now, help me reorganize my characters. Take Bai Feng along with you as well. After we leave, you can enter seclusion and focus on your advancement."
"Alright." Hong Tan nodded and switched to voice transmission, "Senior Brother, would that fellow that the chance to make a move against you at the Allheaven Battlefield?"
"I doubt so. There are too many Invincibles there."
"Senior Brother, don't take things for granted. Don't forget what happened to Big Brother Liu."
Hong Tan had a solemn expression. The Liu Family's fate was the prime example. Back then, they had decided to base their family on the Allheaven Battlefield. But they ultimately ended up getting wiped out. And that had happened in an area that was supposedly under the watch of Invincibles.
Liu Wenyan shut his eyes.
After a short silence, he opened his eyes again and said, "I understand. I won't be careless. I am not my big brother. A lot more eyes are on me. Not even Invincibles can keep paying attention to the entire Allheaven Battlefield, but the Vanguard Regiment has always been the place to receive the most attention from the Invincibles. And I will be at the very center of all that attention. It is actually safer for me to be there."
"That's true. But..." Hong Tan was still worried, "The casualty rate of the Vanguard Regiment is too high. Most of them are criminals sent there to be used as cannon fodder. Senior Brother, in your current condition...and also Bai Feng's condition...sigh."
This was giving him a headache.
Liu Wenyan smiled, "Don't worry. I will be entering the Mountainsea Unit while Bai Feng will be entering the Skysoar Unit."
"Mountainsea Unit?" Hong Tan's expression changed as he exclaimed in alarm, "How can they send you to the Mountainsea Unit?"
"Why else? I unleashed the strength of a Sunmoon to kill a ninth-stage Mountainsea. I naturally have to be treated like a Mountainsea. Are they supposed to treat me like a Skysoar? But since Bai Feng is a proper Skysoar, they won't send him to the Cloudbreach Unit."
"But still...Senior Brother, how about this? Let me go with you..."
"There is no need for that." Liu Wenyan said, "Just stay here. The Great Xia City is still a safe place. And the academy is even safer. I won't be bringing anyone with me. My uncle is still alive. He will be going with me."
"Uncle Liu is still alive?"
Hong Tan was astonished.
Liu Wenyan nodded, "Back then, he was seriously injured and nearly died. But I managed to get someone to help him. This time, he will go with me. He might have fallen from the Sunmoon Realm to the eighth-stage Mountainsea Realm, but he is good enough to protect me."
"Uncle Liu...dropped in rank?"
"Yeah. But I’m already happy to see him alive. It's a good thing for him to stay with me as well. With all the attention on me, it will be harder for people to make a move on him."
Liu Wenyan smiled, "Besides, it is better to die fighting on the battlefield than die to the ambush of a so-called ally."
"Senior Brother, I..." Hong Tan clenched his teeth, "If I can reach the Invincible Realm, I won't spare those bastards!"
"Talk after you reach the Sunmoon Realm." Liu Wenyan said, "Since I've come out of hiding, all the attention will be on me. Things will be relatively safe for you. I will try to drag this out as much as I can. You guys need to grow as fast as possible. Yunji and the others can't be relied on yet. They have yet to fully assimilate their characters. Watch over them as well. Help them work on their characters too."
"How about the graves of Ruoling and the others?"
"It's fine. The Xia Family is still around. Desecrating the dead? Previously, nobody knew their true intention. But now that this matter has spread far and wide, the Xia Family won't turn a blind eye."
He paused shortly before adding, "Furthermore, how sure are you that the characters are still in their graves?"
"Hmm?"
Liu Wenyan smiled, "Don't ask. It's not a bad idea to keep this secret. The multiple character faction will not die off that easily. Although most of our old brothers are already dead, that doesn't mean that their legacy has been severed. They have merely been keeping their successors hidden. I have a list of names in my brain. If I die, the list will die with me. They can keep their secret identities for the rest of their lives."
"Senior Brother, their legacies survived?"
At first, Hong Tan was overjoyed. But soon, grief welled within him. Since when did the successors of the multiple character faction started needing to hide their identities? If his teacher came back to live, he would probably get angered right back to death.
"Don't act like a child." Liu Wenyan stood up and gave Hong Tan a kick. The smile on his face vanished, "Of course their legacies have not been severed. Everyone has been struggling hard during the past 50 years. But not all of us are dead. That in itself is a form of victory."
"It's not like nobody from the Knowledge Seeking Realm and War Shrine is supportive toward us. They have merely been keeping silent to avoid a fallout with Great Zhou King."
Liu Wenyan said, "I don't care what Great Zhou King wants. If he's not the culprit, then it doesn't matter. But if he is the culprit, a day will come when we get our revenge."
"Sigh." Hong Tan said, "Then I won't say anything else. I'll take Su Yu to get the Sky Sundering Saber from Fatty Xia. I wonder if Fatty Xia would agree..."
"He will." Liu Wenyan smiled, "He will only ask for some money. Just pay him. This is a bad habit of his. Even if he is willing to give it to you, he must get something in return or he won't be able to sleep well at night."
"I don't have any money."
Liu Wenyan rolled his eyes. What a broke old man.
"Ask for money from Wu Yuehua..."
"I already owe her a lot of money."
"You..." Liu Wenyan was starting to get a headache. "Look for Hu Ping and Zhao Mingyue. Both Administrator Hu and General Zhao are rich. Just borrow as much money as you can. Worry about paying back after you have the money to do so."
"Fine." Hong Tan sighed, "Good thing my sister-in-laws are around. Otherwise, we would probably all starve to death."
"Piss off."
Liu Wenyan scolded unhappily. This fellow was truly a piece of trash. Just what had he been doing for the past decades? He was already on the cusp of reaching the Sunmoon Realm. Why was he still so poor?
Hong Tan had nothing to say. What could he do about it? He was broke. What could he do about it? With how poor he was, it hadn’t been easy for him to reach his current cultivation level. All the resources had been earned with his own two hands. There was nobody he could rely on.
He even needed to raise Chen Yong, raise Bai Feng, and keep his research center operational...
He was very pitiful as well! He was often forced to go to the Allheaven Battlefield and hunt some beasts just to feed their broke faction. It was easy for his senior brother to talk, but his senior brother wasn't the actual person shouldering all those responsibilities.
If he had a few intimate female friends of his own as well, he would have started living his life in comfort long ago. Would he still need to go hunting at the Allheaven Battlefield just for some money?
Liu Wenyan had evidently thought of all that as well. He said, "Things have been hard for you as well. I guess we should be thankful that you are actually still alive. Where have you gotten all your cultivation resources?"
"Me?" Hong Tan laughed dryly, "By selling blood essence."
"Hmm?"
"I'm rearing some Mountainsea beasts in the prison zone. I have been extracting their blood regularly to be sold. In fact, I am the biggest black market blood essence seller in Great Xia. I specialize in selling Mountainsea blood essence. Senior Brother, I have no other choice. I won't be able to survive without selling blood."
"How many beasts are you keeping there?"
"Only three. I think they are probably on the verge of death now. What a waste. It has been a while since I last took any blood from them. Hopefully they can recover."
Liu Wenyan was completely speechless.
Fortunately, both Su Yu and Bai Feng weren't here. Or their jaws would drop from shock.
There were indeed a few rooms at the back of the prison zone. But that area was normally very quiet. Neither Su Yu and Bai Feng could enter that area. And they had never tried. Bai Feng had even guessed that some Mountainsea beasts were locked there. And he was actually right.
The Mountainsea blood seller was the most mysterious of the black market merchants in Great Xia. And that person was actually Hong Tan.
After a while, Liu Wenyan said, "Don't push it too far. Just killing someone is better than endless torture. The same applies to beasts. Just kill them if you want, but you should be careful to not cross the line."
"Alright." Hong Tan gave a hollow laugh and said, "I was forced to do this. We're too poor."
Liu Wenyan waved his hand. He could no longer be bothered to say more.
Hong Tan did not waste any time and left after ending the conversation.
...
Afternoon.
Prefect's manor.
It was grand and imposing.
This was Su Yu's first time here. The manor was located at the core of the capital city. This was a place where one legend after another had been born.
Great Xia, Xia Longwu, Marquis Xia, and the previous prefect, Xia Longwu's father who was a top expert who had perished at the Allheaven Battlefield.
Su Yu had arrived with a heart of admiration.
The Xia Family had an excellent reputation in Great Xia. Apart from Marquis Xia, of course. But even Marquis Xia would generally only act against the rich and powerful families. He had never touched the poor. Perhaps that was because he wouldn't be able to get much from them anyway.
Under Hong Tan's lead, Su Yu entered a large hall. There, they waited for Marquis Xia to arrive.
He had seen Marquis Xia once during the day of the battle. But he had not spoken a word to the marquis. Thus, his impression of Marquis Xia was still greatly influenced by the rumors.
That was a ruthless merchant.
A merchant who would not let any profit go.
An unscrupulous businessman!
He had done a lot of bad things, but thanks to the backing of the Xia Family, he had not suffered much consequences for his actions.
According to the rumors, Marquis Xia would wash his hands and rinse his mouth with source qi liquid, use cultural weapons as carpet, use talismans to warm himself, eat precious pills as snacks, and wipe his ass with willpower texts.
Not one rumor had mentioned that Marquis Xia was a top expert. But Su Yu had personally witnessed how strong the marquis was. This was someone who had fought and prevailed over the character clone of a super expert.
Ohhh! Su Yu also knew that the marquis' name was Xia Xiao'er (little two).
While he was thinking that, a fatty was standing behind him with an unsightly expression. Xia Xiao'er had arrived!
Was this kid aware?
As a mere Mental Tempering Stage student, he would be able to sense the kid's thoughts if it involved him.
Was the kid aware that he was a fifth-stage Sunmoon?
Boom!
During their first official meeting, Su Yu fainted.
He had been knocked unconscious from the back.
The ambusher was a Sunmoon.
Hong Tan rolled his eyes. A Sunmoon had actually ambushed a Mental Tempering Stage kid. He was completely speechless. How could someone be so shameless?
The pitiful Su Yu fainted on the floor. Nobody bothered to help him.
With a dark expression, Marquis Xia scolded, "Did you bring this little bastard here? If it wasn't for you, I would have buried him alive immediately!"
Bastard!
Xia Xiao'er...that name was the greatest shame in his life. If it wasn't for the fact that he wasn't his father's match, he would have given his father a beating as well!
