Eternal God Emperor: Only I Am Emperor One

Chapter 118 The storm is coming
Lingjuan Hill is 800 zhang high and 20 li wide. Standing on the top of the hill, one can overlook the magnificent scenery of the Daming River.

For beings at the Sword Saint level, such a training ground seems rather ordinary and is simply insufficient to support the lineage and inheritance of a Saintly clan.

However, Qingyu Sword Saint is an extremely special powerhouse in Dingxuan Prefecture. In his early years, he roamed the five regions alone with his sword, using the Zhutian Sword in his hand to measure all the sword cultivators in the world.

Before the rise of Ling Feiyu, the leader of the Holy Maiden Palace of the Moon Worshiping Demon Sect, Qingyu Sword Saint was the number one female sword saint in the Central Region of the Nine Provinces.

Although Empress Chi Yao was also a sword cultivator, the common people perceived her more as an unparalleled emperor than a sword saint.

Compared to the other renowned sword saints in the Central Region, Qingyu Sword Saint is the only one who can be considered a rogue cultivator. He roamed the world for over four hundred years, until fifty years ago when he came to Lingjuan Hill, established his dojo, and successively accepted a male and a female successor.

The eldest disciple, Xiang Zhengfeng, comes from a semi-saint family in Tiantai Prefecture. He has extremely high talent in swordsmanship and is one of the thirty-four sword cultivators in the past thousand years who have mastered the first level of swordsmanship in the Fish-Dragon Realm. He has a very high chance of reaching the Sword Saint Realm in the future.

The second disciple, Mei Xiluo, comes from the ancient Mei family and is a direct descendant of the Mei family. She has been a disciple of Qingyu Sword Saint for only sixteen years, and her cultivation has already reached the ninth transformation of the Fish-Dragon Transformation. Her talent is no weaker than Xiang Zhengfeng's.

It was dawn the next day.

Mei Huangsheng and a hunchbacked old man carrying a sword appeared outside Huangsheng Inn. More than ten people, including Di Yi, Yin Yue Lin Kong, and Zhong Yao, who had spent a lot of money to obtain a spot on the mountain, gathered together.

Mei Huangsheng smiled and introduced, "Qingyu Sword Saint prefers quiet. Apart from the Sword Saint and his two disciples, there are only a dozen servants on Lingjuan Hill. Old Xu has followed Qingyu Sword Saint for nearly a hundred years and is the elder most trusted by Qingyu Sword Saint."

Xu Qingshan quickly waved his hand: "Manager Mei, please don't say that. I am just a servant by the Sword Saint's side. My cultivation is low, and I can only do some miscellaneous tasks."

"Old Xu, how many spots are available for this trip up the mountain?" a fellow traveler asked.

“The Sword Saint originally had no intention of opening the mountain gate. It was Miss Xiluo who mentioned that the formation on the mountain needed martial artists of the Fish-Dragon Realm to maintain it. That’s why he planned to select one hundred martial artists of the Fish-Dragon Realm from the market to go up the mountain. Once you’re on the mountain, you will be considered people of Lingjuan Hill and will be under the Sword Saint’s protection. If any of you are unwilling, you can leave now,” Xu Qingshan said.

Fish-Dragon Realm experts are the backbone of any force and cannot be easily cultivated. However, recently a large number of martial arts masters have poured into the market below Lingjuan Hill. There are definitely more than a hundred Fish-Dragon Realm experts in the market. If you want to go up the mountain, you will indeed need some connections.

Joining Lingjuan Hill and receiving the protection of the Sword Saint is an irresistible temptation for some semi-saints. Apart from martial arts practitioners from powerful families, almost no one would refuse.

Those with powerful backing would not appear at the foot of Lingjuan Hill at this time, so none of the group left.

“Let’s go. The other teams in the city have already set off. We’ve gathered a hundred people for this trip, so it’s time for us to head up the mountain,” Xu Qingshan said.

He and Mei Huangsheng were old acquaintances, and the two chatted as they led the way, while Di Yi and his group followed behind.

Old Zhang and his companion, who were discussing the battle of the Central Imperial City at the inn yesterday, were also in the group. They had spent a lot of money to buy two spots from Mei Huangsheng.

Old Zhang's real name is Zhang Ao. He is quite talkative, and in just half an hour, he became friends with the people around him.

Di Yi, Yin Yue Lin Kong, and Zhong Yao walked side by side, all three of them suppressing their cultivation to the sixth transformation of the Fish-Dragon Realm.

Di Yi secretly observed the group of people traveling with him. His True Source Demon Eyes swept over them silently, but he did not find any powerful members of the Undying Blood Clan hiding among them.

The Undying Blood Clan is able to infiltrate various forces in the Kunlun Realm. Their methods of disguise and concealment are extremely sophisticated. If it weren't for the True Source Demon Eye, Di Yi would not have been able to see through their disguise.

After Emperor Ming and Emperor Qing joined forces to defeat the Undying Blood Clan, they organized the saints to compile a book called "The Blood Clan's Secret Codex," which recorded many methods for identifying and dealing with the Undying Blood Clan. It was kept in the royal library of the Holy Ming Central Empire.

After the fall of the Holy Central Empire, the [Blood Clan Secret Manual] disappeared without a trace. It should now be in the hands of Yan Liren, the Supreme Elder of the Blood God Cult.

The Holy Ming Central Empire has been passed down for tens of thousands of years. Successive emperors of the Holy Ming Dynasty established the Dragon Guard Pavilion, which cultivated a group of powerful individuals who secretly protected the Zhang family of the Holy Ming Dynasty. They were divided into thirty-six Heavenly Generals and seventy-two Earthly Fiends.

Yan Liren is the head of the Thirty-Six Heavenly Generals of the Dragon Guardian Pavilion, a powerful figure of the Saint King level who achieved sainthood through physical cultivation.

Although the Holy Central Empire has been destroyed for nearly eight hundred years, its former officials and descendants are still scattered throughout the Kunlun Realm. Some have submitted to the court, while others continue to resist.

On the surface, Zhang Ao's cultivation level is only the fifth transformation of the Fish-Dragon Realm, but in fact he has reached the ninth transformation of the Fish-Dragon Realm. Moreover, the aura within his body is powerful and long-lasting, and the cultivation technique he practices is at least of the superior level of the Ghost Realm. His origin is not ordinary.

His companion was a middle-aged man surnamed Yan, who also concealed his cultivation level and was no weaker than Zhang Ao.

The Zhang family were the masters of the Holy Central Empire eight hundred years ago, while the Yan family were subjects of the Holy Central Empire, serving as subjects for generations and being staunchly loyal to the Holy Zhang family.

Di Yi couldn't help but guess that the two were descendants of the Holy Central Empire, but he couldn't figure out what they wanted to do at Lingjuan Hill.

Besides these two, the person Di Yi found most perplexing was Mei Huangsheng, the innkeeper. Under the True Source Demon Eye, his martial arts cultivation was indeed only at the eighth transformation of the Fish-Dragon Realm, and he hadn't yet condensed the Glazed Body. However, Di Yi could always sense a faint sense of oppression emanating from him, something a martial artist at the eighth transformation of the Fish-Dragon Realm shouldn't possess. The market was located at the foot of Lingjuan Hill. Not long after leaving the market, they joined several other groups, totaling a hundred people, all martial artists at the Fish-Dragon Realm.

The leaders were all elderly men of similar age to Xu Qingshan, who were servants from the mountain.

The weakest of these servants was at least at the eighth level of the Fish-Dragon Transformation, and even Xu Qingshan was one of the three half-saints.

It is impossible for a demigod to serve as a servant within a first-rate power or a saintly clan.

The Azure Feather Sword Saint arrived at Lingjuan Hill fifty years ago to establish his dojo, and forty years ago he took on his first disciple, Xiang Zhengfeng.

These old servants have followed Qingyu Sword Saint for over sixty years, and their achievements today are entirely due to the resources provided by Qingyu Sword Saint.

Even after becoming a demigod, he still considered himself a servant.

Lingjuan Hill is not very tall, and the group of over a hundred people quickly arrived at the entrance of the mountain gate formation.

Di Yi sensed a sharp sword intent contained within the surrounding spiritual energy, and extremely profound array patterns were drawing upon the energy from the earth and the world.

The formation at Lingjuan Hill was set up by a formation master from the Northern Starry Sky Sect at the request of the Azure Feather Sword Saint. It is of the eighth rank and is called the [Ten Thousand Swords Slaying Heaven Formation]. It is a great formation created by that formation master specifically for the Azure Feather Sword Saint, or rather, specifically for the Slaying Heaven Sword lineage.

An eighth-grade grand formation corresponds to a king in the Saint Realm and can pose a threat to a Saint King Realm expert.

Emperor Yi's True Source Demon Eye can see through the illusions of the world, but it cannot see through the true nature of the Myriad Swords Annihilating Heaven Formation. Ultimately, his cultivation is still too weak, and there is an immeasurable gap between him and the Saint King.

At the mountain gate, a man and a woman were already waiting. The man had a handsome face, with sharply defined eyebrows and a very sharp look, but his aura was actually quite upright and peaceful.

The woman was tall and slender with excellent proportions and stunning looks. She was one of the ten most beautiful women in Dingxuan Prefecture. Combined with her unique swordsmanship, she possessed an even more special beauty that drew attention.

"These two are the successors of the Azure Feather Sword Saint? To be accepted as disciples by the Sword Saint, they are truly outstanding individuals. Their extraordinary nature is evident at a glance," praised a fellow Fish-Dragon Realm martial artist.

Zhang Ao's conversations with the group were not aimless; he was taking the opportunity to observe them. Although the cultivation levels of Di Yi and the other two were only at the sixth transformation of the Fish-Dragon Realm, their auras caught his attention.

"Brother Yi, once we're up the mountain, we'll all be from Lingjuan Hill. We'll have to help each other out from now on," Zhang Ao said with a smile.

Di Yi smiled faintly and said, "I don't think Brother Zhang is an ordinary rogue cultivator. Does he really intend to join Lingjuan Hill?"

Zhang Ao smiled and lowered his voice, saying, "Brother Yi, you're joking. Compared to a powerful figure like Sword Saint Qingyu, my background is nothing. I think you're not even forty yet, and with your martial arts cultivation at the sixth level of the Fish-Dragon Transformation, you might be noticed by Sword Saint Qingyu and taken as his disciple."

Di Yi frowned slightly, somewhat puzzled.

Zhang Ao continued, "Brother, haven't you noticed that nearly half of the hundred people on this trip are not very old? Many of them are outstanding talents from third- or fourth-rate sects in Dingxuan Prefecture. They didn't come up the mountain to seek refuge."

"It's no secret in Dingxuan Prefecture that the Azure Feather Sword Saint is nearing the end of his life. Given his style in his youth, it's impossible that he would have spent countless efforts to set up an eighth-grade array in his dojo. He was paving the way for his successor."

When Di Yi first met the Azure Feather Sword Saint, he sensed a heavy aura of impending doom emanating from her. Considering everything that was happening before him, it seemed that the Azure Feather Sword Saint's days were truly numbered.

Even top-tier sects would covet the legacy of a sword saint, let alone third- or fourth-rate sects.

Di Yi's gaze fell on the figure of the man at the mountain gate. He was Xiang Zhengfeng, the eldest disciple of Qingyu Sword Saint. He was not yet sixty years old, but he was already a fifth-order half-saint and had a great chance of becoming a saint before the age of one hundred.

There is a saying in the Kunlun Realm that "one cannot become a saint before the age of one hundred," meaning that it is almost impossible to reach the saintly realm before the age of one hundred.

In the last century, only five people, represented by the Heroic Ode, were able to achieve sainthood within the age of one hundred, and there were fewer than ten such people in the entire Kunlun Realm.

Di Yi scrutinized him carefully several times, but found no trace of the characteristics of an undead vampire, which puzzled him.

Mei Xiluo looked at the crowd in front of her with a solemn expression and said, "Senior brother, isn't it too risky to bring outsiders into Lingjuan Hill at this time?"

Xiang Zhengfeng seemed a little absent-minded. After a moment of silence, he said, "Master has his reasons for doing this. Lingjuan Hill is at a critical moment of life and death. Only by stirring up trouble can we have a chance to survive."

(End of this chapter)