Chapter 670: That Was All

"So, are you saying that Dong Tianleng's plea for help was an act, but the prop was the real deal?"

"Yes, that... should be it."

"How about the reason you all pulled out of thin air? That myth about the Seventeenth Master of the Abyss; where did that come from?" Yun Xiaoyao's gaze grew sharper.

Yun Yang smiled. "This myth is not a secret, any widely read man should somehow know something about it. There are many mentions of it in unrecognized documents of history; it was one of the most well-known legendary myths in the whole of Tianxuan after all."

"Boy, has it ever dawned on you that these two hides might be the real deal?" Yun Xiaoyao questioned in an aggrieved tone of voice as he stood up with a blank, somber expression.

"Of course it would have to look the part - how could I allow Dong Tianleng to drive the plot if it wasn't?" replied Yun Yang.

"I'm not talking about looking the part... What I'm saying is, you do know that it could be the real thing, right?"

"That's not important."

Yun Xiaoyao let out a sigh full of sorrow. "Child... everything has a probability of happening. I only hope that you gave away the fake one... or else, you might have just missed the chance of the lifetime!"

"This is the chance that could grant you immortality, a chance to become a god in the myths - to become a legend!"

Yun Xiaoyao's regret was like the incoming waves of the sea, unceasing, each wave even bigger than the one before.

"That's about what happens afterward," replied Yun Yang calmly. "First and foremost, I am a man. As a man, I have my duties. I have my family, my friends, my brothers... I have favors that remain unpaid, my vengeance unfulfilled."

"Next, I am a citizen of Yutang. As a child of Yutang, I have the duty to protect the empire. My country, my home; my people."

"Then, I am a soldier of Yutang. Defending my country and guarding homes is my genuine intention that has never wavered."

"Only when I have completed all these can I consider the possibilities of being a cultivator. Only then do I have the right to call me a potential cultivator, to be an immortal, so on and so forth."

"Hence, no matter what I do, no matter what measures I adopt... I would only like to think of them after completing my duties. Only then will I consider other matters and future plans."

"I am not speaking nonsense, nor am I being sentimental - these are my genuine thoughts, and what I really intend to do. I practice what I preach. I would even carry out dishonorable deeds just to achieve my goals - I will not even hesitate in the slightest."

Yun Yang continued, unperturbed. "So, is there a problem with this?"

Yun Xiaoyao only sighed in response.

"Let's talk about these two maps again. There is half a possibility that they might be real, and another half that it is not," said Yun Yang calmly. "If it was a fake, then we have nothing to worry about. If those were real, then... I still only have two pieces in my possession. The whole map, by my deduction, would require between six to seven combined pieces to reveal the hidden place."

"This was a point that I have confirmed before - there is no doubt about that."

"Let us take a billion steps back to observe the whole picture. Assuming that all these are real, nobody has ever collected and pieced the map together for tens of thousands of years. Even it remains in my possession for a long while, there is no definite time when they will be finally pieced together."

"If I can never procure the complete set of the map, it's likely that even after another hundred thousand years, I will still never find that location."

"If that was the case, why can't it be used as a tool for the time being? That's not a big deal. Everyone seems to be scrambling madly after it, but I, Yun Yang, have never seen it as something important."

This statement of his rendered Yun Xiaoyao speechless. For half a beat he had nothing to say and was completely stunned into silence.

A long time had elapsed before he finally nodded his head, and proceeded to speak in a hoarse tone. "Perhaps you are right. However, you cannot deny the fact that you have already determined your path... your future does not lie here. You're merely making preparations and paving the path for the future?"

Yun Yang lapsed into silence momentarily. "To see it as a preparation for the future... I can't say it was that for sure. Perhaps."

He smiled, showing his bedazzling teeth, and said harmoniously. "No matter what the future holds, my biggest wish at present was to- For the time I have spent in Yutang, I have accomplished good deeds, and I have committed bad ones; when I leave, or perhaps when I die, I want to leave with a clear conscience. That is all."

"That is already sufficient."

"That is my ultimate goal even until today."

Yun Yang continued. "For the time being, this train of thought could be seen as something noble. However, when I think that I have achieved them and leave, and when I return again, perhaps I will have a change of perspective on this matter - this, I cannot know for sure."

"Others have always been indebted to me after all this while, and I have never, ever been indebted to anyone. Be it past, present or the future, this shall always be the way."

Yun Yang smiled gracefully.

There were only complicated emotions that Yun Xiaoyao felt within the heart as he looked at Yun Yang's smile.

"Perhaps you were never indebted to anyone." He said at long last with a hint of bitterness.

Yun Yang felt something ache in his gut.

Staring at the middle-aged man before him, an unspeakable gratitude stirred within his heart.

Perhaps one day when he leaves, the whole world would be in his debt.

Yet, facing this middle-aged man standing before him, he was the one who was indebted!

Since the very beginning, he had been using him to conceal his status as of one of the Nine Supremes.

That was the way, even till now.

However, he had never talked about it and had never even brought it up.

Recently, he had already suspected - or had even already confirmed - that Yun Yang was indeed the Supreme Cloud of the Nine Supremes, but he still never mentioned it.

He feigned oblivion as usual, and had always continued to give him help and support!

He was not his true father.

However, he had treated him like a real son!

At this moment, Yun Yang was stunned. He was rendered completely motionless.

Yun Xiaoyao stood in silence for a bit, smiling numbly as he suddenly said, "It's late, you should sleep."

He turned to leave after finishing his sentence.

"Wait..."

Yun Yang called out softly.

"Yes?" Yun Xiaoyao stopped in his tracks, replying in a low voice.

Yun Yang lapsed into silence for a moment and smiled bitterly. "Nothing."

"Right. Sleep earlier, then."

Yun Xiaoyao strode out of the room.

The door closed softly behind him.

Yun Yang remained in the room, staring at the closed door. He did not move at all for the longest time.

"What I owe you... how am I supposed to repay that?" He let out a long sigh.

For the briefest of moments earlier, he was filled with an impulse to do something, but in the end, he had done nothing.

Perhaps this impulsive act would be the only way he could make it up to this person - it would be the most valuable way to make it up!

...

The Seventeenth Master of the Abyss!

The dragonhide treasure map!

Impregnable!

Indestructible!

This series of explosive news had their targets directed to a single location - Tiantang City!

The news had already reached the ears of everyone in a short span of time. This was a news that caused the heart to be utterly unexpected and unprepared, yet it was terribly enchanting, allowing one's mind to be plagued with countless fantasies.

Yutang's imperial court had adapted to the situation in a speedy manner. Strict orders had already been issued out at the very first moment - exits were allowed, but entries were denied.

The reality now, however, was that there were only a few who left. In contrary, almost all of those who were denied entry by the authorities had already found their way into the city!