Chapter 700: Coming to Blows

Kou Chongxue actually didn’t really know what happened back then.

No matter how weak a fate dipper clone was, it definitely had the abilities of someone at the Martial Dipper Realm. How was it possible to exterminate it so easily?

One had to know that Kou Chongxue was still worried that Shang Xia wouldn’t be too strong because of the weak aura he was emitting during his breakthrough.

Who would have thought that he would exterminate a fate dipper clone some time during his breakthrough? Moreover, he did it so cleanly! He directly destroyed the consciousness of the fate dipper clone, leaving behind a huge mass of fate dipper essence.

As the patriarch, Kou Chongxue had to prevent the later generation from growing arrogant as they grew stronger. He quickly changed his tune. “Of course, you managed to take advantage of the fact that he wasn’t prepared for it. No matter what, the fate dipper clone wouldn’t expect a sneak attack from the depths of the Void Prohibition Zone…”

Actually, the deeper one pushed into a forbidden region, the stronger and more dangerous the restrictions would become. For Shang Xia’s five colored shuttle to pierce through them and kill the fate dipper clone, it only served to prove how extraordinary it was.

Shang Xia was brought in by Kou Chongxue’s Clone and he didn’t know the true layout and strength of the restrictions in the area. Hearing what Kou Chongxues said, he could only receive the teachings passively.

Seeing Shang Xia’s reaction, Kou Chongxue heaved a sigh of relief. He continued, “You just entered the Martial Dipper Realm and you should take some time to enter seclusion to consolidate your foundations. Unfortunately, with what is happening at the moment, I won’t be able to keep you here any longer.”

“I understand.” Shang Xia seemed prepared for it.

Grunting once, Kou Chongxue muttered, “I’ll send you out of the Void Prohibition Zone and you should get out of here as soon as you can. Try your best to avoid the Martial Dipper Realm Ancestors of the various factions. Your grandfather will meet you at the exit of the Celestial Remains.”

An item flew out of the Stellar Cauldron and landed on Shang Xia’s hand the next second. Kou Chongxue continued, “This contains the arrangements of our Tongyou Institution for the next few years. I’m afraid I will be trapped in the Stellar Cauldron for a long time. For the time being, I’ll leave the matters of the institution to your grandfather, Ji Wenlong, and Yun Jing.”

Shang Xia replied seriously, “Patriarch Kou, you can rest assured I will bring this out and relay your message to the 3 of them.”

Hesitating for a moment, Kou Chongxue continued, “I’m not going to be able to deal with matters in the institution, but luckily for us, you entered the Martial Dipper Realm. The institution still possesses 3 experts at the Martial Dipper Realm. You might be from the later generation and can afford to act slightly unrestrained, but you need to start dealing with matters more maturely. In the future, you need to listen more than you talk and you cannot act recklessly any longer. Neither can you seek out trouble and go against your seniors on purpose. In the future, you need to share some of this old man’s burden…”

Shang Xia chuckled in response, “Patriarch Kou, you can rest assured that I’ll deal with everything well!”

Shang Xia understood that even though that was what Kou Chongxue had said, he was actually being treated as the unstable factor within the institution. That was a truth that couldn’t be denied. Without Kou Chongxue to take charge of the situation, Shang Xia would truly be able to do as he wished as long as he willed it. There was probably no one who could actually stop him.

With the current situation, Kou Chongxue was unable to leave the Stellar Cauldron and the institution couldn’t ignore Shang Xia, an expert at the Martial Dipper Realm. In the end, Kou Chongxue could only make the best decision he could and try to direct the institution to the best of his abilities while hoping that Shang Xia wouldn’t go crazy from all the power he gained recently.

After entering the Martial Dipper Realm, Shang Xia seemed to have reached a different level completely. At the moment, he was like a mere spectator. He realized that he couldn’t be bothered with the small conflicts or stuff like that.

Seeing how sincere Shang Xia was, Kou Chongxue was truly reassured. Someone else came from inside the Stellar Cauldron.

Shang Xia stared at 2 Embroidered Cloud Cases in his hand that were of different sizes.

Kou Chongxue’s instructions came again. “The larger case contains some treasures I obtained in the Celestial Remains. There are also a portion of spiritual treasures and herbs within. Hand it over to Yun Jing and she will know how to deal with it.”

“The smaller case contains all the fate dipper essences I obtained and a complete Origin Dipper. From the way you killed the fate dipper clone, I seem to realize your path of cultivation. In order to grow stronger, I believe you need all sorts of fate dipper essences. There are a few in the case and you can take whatever you need. When you’re done picking through them, hand the rest to Yun Jing.”

Shang Xia knew that that wasn’t the time to be rejecting the gift and he thanked Kou Chongxue sincerely. When he was done, he asked, “Patriarch Kou, after I leave, what if someone finds this place?”

“What’s the matter? Do you think that I’m helpless just because I’m trapped in here?” Kou Chongxue snorted suddenly.

“Um…” Shang Xia chuckled to conceal his true thoughts. “Of course not! I wouldn’t dare…”

“Don’t worry about me and leave. Even though I can’t control this region, I can still mess around and cause them some trouble. Anyway, even if someone manages to get through all the restrictions and appear here, do they think that my divine weapon is for show?” Kou Chongxue harrumphed coldly.

Cupping his fists towards the cauldron, Shang Xia muttered, “In that case, Patriarch Kou, please send me out!”

When he was done, he quickly concealed his aura.

Those who had been exploring the Void Prohibition Zone might have been forced out by the outburst earlier, but they were most probably still somewhere in the area. It was impossible for Shang Xia to leave undetected even if he was sent out safely by Kou Chongxue.

Standing beside the Stellar Cauldron, a boundless azure light emerged from within and grabbed hold of him. The space around him twisted as he was quickly sent to the edge of the Void Prohibition Zone.

When Shang Xia was brought into the Void Prohibition Zone, all he felt was the world spinning around him and he was unable to truly feel the journey he took.

Things were clearly different this time. After entering the Five Elements Realm, Shang Xia’s divine perception underwent a significant transformation. His physique was also able to withstand the harsh travel through the void as it could endure the pressure and tiny spatial cracks along his way.

His divine will was no longer muddled and he could clearly discover the changes around him during the trip.

If it wasn’t for Kou Chongxue’s constant reminder for him to remain low key, he might have used his dipper qi to turn the space around him more solid in order to smoothen his journey even further.

He might not even need Kou Chongxue’s help to travel through the void any longer.

Unfortunately, it was extremely possible for him to be discovered if he tried pulling something like that. Kou Chongxue was borrowing the power of the Stellar Cauldron to hide his presence from the others and that was the plan all along.

When Shang Xia was finally sent out, he could tell that there wasn’t anyone paying attention to him in the surroundings.

Spreading out his divine will, he could tell that it was far stronger than when he was in the Four Constellation Realm. In terms of his ability to detect his surroundings and the power it contained, it far surpassed anything he had before.

However, that might be the reason he managed to detect something strange somewhere within the range of his divine will. It even seemed to resonate with his Five Element Origin within his body.

That…

When Shang Xia was still hesitating whether to check it out or not, a ray of light also appeared within his detection range. It was too fast and he failed to react in time before the Martial Dipper Realm Ancestor who just appeared detected his presence.

“Who are you?!” Tao Gongming roared and the resulting soundwave slammed into Shang Xia. There was a trace of anger in his voice, but it also revealed how shocked he was.

How many Martial Dipper Realm Ancestors were there in the Azure Origin World? Everyone was pretty familiar with each other and even though many of them split up into their fate dipper clones after forcing their way into the Celestial Remains, they were still pretty sure of each other’s identities.

Shang Xia’s aura was extremely foreign to him and it was clear he was someone who didn’t enter with them. That made everything pretty obvious. He had to be one of those who forced their way into the Celestial Remains before the main group arrived!

Shit! We’ve been looking long and hard, but the answer popped up right in front of me!

With Tao Gongming’s Fate Dipper Clone destroyed and the mysterious person appearing out of nowhere, there was no way Tao Gongming would not suspect him to be the killer.

Even if the person before him wasn’t the true culprit, Tao Gongming couldn’t be bothered. He would take it as it is!

Luckily for him, he got it correct, albeit by a weird fluke.

The reason he had to take Shang Xia as the culprit whether he liked it or not was because he needed a reason to make a move!

He wanted to know who were the ones who forced their way into the Celestial Remains before the others, and how many benefits they had already obtained!

Also, the real question was, what was their true goal in doing so?

Feeling the weak aura coming from Shang Xia, he felt that the person before him was probably injured after some sort of freak accident. He chuckled inwardly as he praised his luck. He felt that it was really fortunate for him to find a weak opponent the moment he arrived. He might actually profit greatly once he dealt with the person before him, and he might even make up for the loss of his fate dipper clone.

A wave of excitement filled Tao Gongming’s heart. When he was 20 miles away from the other party, he made his move.

A Jade Ruyi Scepter appeared above Shang Xia’s head as it came crashing down mercilessly.

Shang Xia didn’t think that someone would immediately make a move on him the moment they appeared, and Kou Chongxue left right after sending him out earlier. His first battle in the Martial Dipper Realm would commence without any backup!

In his state of disarray, Shang Xia simply poured his Five Elements Qi into his Abyssal Blade and slashed upwards with all his might. He hadn’t developed any rank five martial arts, and neither had he learned them from anyone.

Clang!

A loud blast rang through space as shockwaves spread through the area they were in. Anything around them was turned into dust.

The ground where Shang Xia had been standing on a moment ago after he was brought out by Kou Chongxue disappeared.

The next moment, Shang Xia felt his chest tightening and a sweet feeling in his throat. The taste of metal quickly filled his mouth as he spat out a mouthful of blood.

Ten or so miles away, Tao Gongming wasn’t doing too well either. He lost all contact with his Jade Ruyi Scepter and he roared with rage, “Damn thief!”

When they were exchanging blows, they attracted the attention of the various Martial Dipper Realm existences in the surroundings. Several powerful divine wills stretched over and tried to feel what was going on.

Seeing as things were going south, Shang Xia quickly used an Abyssal Void Shattering Talisman and tore a hole in the void to avoid their probing.