Chapter 4067: Duan Ling Tian Surrenders?
When the people from the various forces in the Seven Mansions returned to their temporary accommodations, it was almost noon.
"Today's bout ended really early. I can't wait for tomorrow!"
"That's right! Wang Xiong is going to challenge Duan Ling Tian tomorrow!"
"Although Wang Xiong is definitely going to rank first, I still can't wait to see Duan Ling Tian fight. He's a monstrous talent from the lower realms who's not even 3,000 years old after all!"
"If you didn't mention it, I would have forgotten that he's so young! It's said that Wang Xiong is a little more than 8,000 years old. As such, he has the advantage in regard to age."
"Alas, Duan Ling Tian was born too late. There are many people in Duan Ling Tian's age group in the Seven Mansions, but none of them are even rudimentary Lords so they can't participate in the Seven Mansions Feast."
With nothing else to do, many people chatted casually. Unsurprisingly, Wang Xiong and Duan Ling Tian were the topics of their conversations. Once in a while, they would talk about Lin Yuan and Han Di. Most of them thought Han Di would surrender without a fight to Lin Yuan.
In just a blink of an eye, the sun had set, and the sky had darkened.
...
At the Pure Yang Sect's temporary accommodation.
Yang Qian Ye was standing in front of a stone table while an old man was seated at the stone table. The old man was none other than his master, Yuan Han Jin.
Yuan Han Jin beckoned Yang Qian Ye over and said with a smile, "Make yourself comfortable and take a seat. It's just the two of us here anyway."
"I'll stand, master," Yang Qian Ye said calmly.
Yuan Han Jin was not unhappy. Since Yang Qian Ye insisted, he complied. He said with a smile, "You performed very well during the Seven Mansions Feast. My father and I are very pleased about you ranking in the top ten. The Ping Sheng faction will spare no effort in cultivating you after we return to the sect. On top of that, my father will also ask for resources from the sect for you so you can catch up to and surpass Duan Ling Tian. Although he's ahead of you now, that won't always be the case. I believe you can surpass him. At that time, you can kill him and avenge your childhood friends. In fact, I believe you'll be able to kill Long Qing Chong, the Sect Leader of the Flying Dragon Sect, as well."
As soon as Yuan Han Jin finished speaking, Yang Qian Ye said bluntly, "I received news that Long Qing Chong is dead."
Yuan Han Jin was shocked. He did not expect Yang Qian Ye to have received news of Long Qing Chong's death so quickly. He knew about the matter due to his father. He knew his father, the founder of the Ping Sheng faction, had gone to the Flying Dragon Sect and killed Long Qing Chong to prevent Yang Qian Ye from learning the truth and seeking revenge from him.
'So he knows about it!' Yang Qian Ye thought to himself when he saw the shocked expression on Yuan Han Jin's face. This further confirmed his suspicion that Yuan Ping Sheng killed Long Qing Chong, who was used as a scapegoat.
After a moment, Yuan Han Jin asked, "How did you know about this?"
"Master, did you forget that I'm from the 10,000 Devils Sect?" Yang Qian Ye asked in return before he said, "There are many members of the 10,000 Devils Sect who joined the Flying Dragon Sect."
"That's right! I forgot about that!" Yuan Han Jin nodded as realization dawned on him.
Yuan Han Jin was naturally unaware that Yang Qian Ye hardly communicated with the members of the 10,000 Devils Sect since he found out that his father died. Moreover, his acquaintances from the 10,000 Devils Sect in the Flying Dragon Sect were mostly dead as well. As for those who were alive, the markings on their Soul Pearls had faded so he could no longer communicate with them.
"Master, did you know about it?" Yang Qian Ye asked.
Yuan Han Jin had feigned ignorance earlier and suggested that Yang Qian Ye would be able to kill Long Qing Chong in the future to avenge his father. He had realized his reaction earlier was wrong so he quickly shook his head and said, "No, of course not. I was shocked when you told me he's dead. I didn't expect him to die before you could kill him. It seems like he has many enemies." Then, he asked curiously, "Do you know how he died?"
Yuan Han Jin thought he had perfectly covered up his reaction, but he was unaware that he was acting rather obvious. Yang Qian Ye knew him well enough to know he would never react in this way if he had nothing to do with the matter.
Yang Qian Ye replied indifferently, "I heard that someone broke into the Flying Dragon Sect and killed him.
"He was killed in the Flying Dragon Sect?" Yuan Han Jin asked in shock, "This means the sect's Guarding Formation isn't enough to deter the culprit, right?"
Yang Qian Ye nodded. "That's right. According to the 10,000 Devils Sect's elders in the Flying Dragon Sect, even a rudimentary Emperor of Gods will have a tough time dealing with the sect's Guarding Formation. Only an intermediate Emperor of Gods or someone stronger is capable of breaching the sect's Guarding Formation and killing Long Qing Chong."
"Intermediate Emperor of Gods?" Yuan Han Jin raised an eyebrow. The corners of his lips curled up into a disdainful smile as he said, "It seems like Long Qing Chong was a fool. Why would he offend an intermediate Emperor of Gods? He deserved getting killed in his own territory."
After a moment, Yuan Han Jin looked at Yang Qian Ye and said, "You've always wanted to kill him to avenge your father. Now that he's dead... Do you feel like you've lost your purpose?"
Yang Qian Ye nodded. "When I first heard the news, I did feel that way. However, later, I realized I still have another enemy, Duan Ling Tian. I'm still highly motivated to get stronger!"
At the same time, Yang Qian Ye thought to himself, 'My ultimate goal now is to kill you, Yuan Han Jin! I won't stop until I'm strong enough to send you to your death!'
Yang Qian Ye hated Yuan Han Jin greatly, but he knew he had to pretend otherwise. If his thoughts were exposed, Yuan Ping Sheng and Yuan Han Jin would definitely kill him. He was not afraid of death, but he was unwilling to die in the hands of the pair of father and son. Moreover, he wanted to kill them first.
Yuan Han Jing heaved a sigh of relief. He said with an amicable smile, "That's good. I was afraid you'd lose your motivation after finding out that Long Qing Chong is dead. I feel at ease after listening to you. As expected, you didn't disappoint me."
In the past, Yang Qian Ye would have been delighted if he heard such words from Yuan Han Jin. However, after finding out the truth, he was thoroughly disgusted by how duplicitous Yuan Han Jin was.
"Alright, you should go and get some rest. We'll be able to see your enemy suffer defeat tomorrow," Yuan Han Jin said with a faint smile. It was as though he could not wait to see Wang Xiong defeat Duan Ling Tian tomorrow and claim the first place.
Yang Qian Ye responded and left after bidding farewell to Yuan Han Jin. He wondered if Duan Ling Tian would really be defeated by Wang Xiong. He thought about how calm and confident Duan Ling Tian was and wavered briefly before he muttered, "In any case, it should be very difficult for him to defeat Wang Xiong..."
Yang Qian Ye was so preoccupied with killing Yuan Han Jin now that he did not see Duan Ling Tian as his enemy now.
...
Tonight was destined to be a restless night for many people.
As the Seven Mansions Feast drew close to the end, many people felt a sense of loss. In the beginning, most of them had felt the preliminary fights were boring and tedious to watch, eagerly anticipating the final rounds. However, now that there were only a few fights left, they felt that time had passed by too quickly.
...
The next morning.
The members of the Pure Yang Sect saw Ye Chen Feng, who had been absent the day before. He nodded and said before leading everyone to the venue of the Seven Mansions Feast, "Let's go."
When Liu Feng Gu noticed Zhen Ping Fan and Duan Ling Tian's absence, he asked, "Where's Duan Ling Tian?"
"He'll come later with Junior Nephew Zhen," Ye Chen Feng replied.
Liu Feng Gu no longer asked any questions. It did not matter as long as Duan Ling Tian showed up at the venue later.
Meanwhile, upon discovering Duan Ling Tian's absence, many of the young disciples from the Pure Yang Sect wondered if Duan Ling Tian was going to surrender. According to the rules of the Seven Mansions Feast, after a participant was challenged, if he or she did not enter the battlefield within 15 minutes, he or she would be disqualified.
Needless to say, when the entourage from the Pure Yang Sect arrived, many people from the various forces in the Seven Mansions discovered Duan Ling Tian's absence as well.
"Duan Ling Tian isn't here?"
"The Pure Yang Sect's Elder Ye is here today, but Duan Ling Tian is still absent! Is he going to forfeit his fight?"
"Did he not come because he's not confident about facing Wang Xiong?"
"How disappointing! I was really looking forward to watching Wang Xiong and Duan Ling Tian fight! It seems like I can only dream about it now!"