Chapter 797: Begin!

...

After Jiu Qi left the Hidden Beast Peak, Feng Yezi transformed into a giant hurricane that roared back to the bamboo residence he built.

The bamboo residence was in an extremely secluded location on the Hidden Beast Peak, and the surroundings were beautiful. The chirping of birds filled the air as swallows jumped from branch to branch. It filled the quiet region with a strong sense of vitality.

“Did he leave?” As Feng Yezi returned, the person sitting on the floor placed the bamboo cup in his hand down as he raised his head to ask.

Feng Yezi glanced at the person’s face which had a terrifying scar stretching horizontally across and he sighed silently. “Brother Zhong, aren’t you afraid that Jiu Qi would discover your existence?”

Even though the person had a scary appearance due to the scar on his face, he had a trace of elegance as he raised his hand. “I was able to live after escaping from the pursuit back then because I faked my death. Of course I’m not afraid of Jiu Qi finding me. Moreover, powerful Martial Dipper Realm experts like yourself wouldn’t care about a mere Martial Extermination Realm cultivator.”

Feng Yezi eventually arrived opposite the man and he sat down with his legs crossed together. He asked seriously, “Brother Zhong, are you really confident you can restore your cultivation to the Martial Dipper Realm?”

A frosty light flashed through Brother Zhong’s eyes and he glanced at Feng Yezi. “What’s the matter? Do you not believe me?”

“That’s not it. It’s just... I never heard of anyone restoring their cultivation after falling back to the Martial Extermination Realm from the Marital Dipper Realm.” Feng Yezi said seriously.

Brother Zhong shorted coldly, “Oh? Have you heard of anyone being able to retain their cultivation at the Martial Extermination Realm after crippling and shattering their fate dipper? I’m living proof that it’s possible!”

Feng Yezi fell silent. The old friend he made back in the Jiao Continent was truly a strange man.

Brother Zhong decided to change the topic and he asked, “Why is Jiu Qi looking for you anyway?”

“Oh?” Feng Yezi grunted once before recounting what happened earlier. In the end, he asked, “Brother Zhong, what do you think about my return to the Bing Continent?”

The person before him didn’t seem to be listening, and Feng Yezi noticed the strange expression on Brother Zhong’s face. However, he was unable to see the expression clearly because of the scar.

“Brother Zhong?” Feng Yezi asked.

Only then did Brother Zhong snap out of it. He rolled his eyes and muttered, “You already accepted the Hidden Wind Fate Dipper. What else can you do?”

He paused slightly before adding, “Whatever it is, I have to advise you to act cautiously. It would be for the best if you refine the Hidden Wind Fate Dipper before doing anything else in the Bing Continent. No. Actually, it would be for the best if you refined the Hidden Wind Fate Dipper here before returning.”

A bitter smile appeared on Feng Yezi’s face and he mumbled, “Brother Zhong, you know the situation I’m in. Even if the Hidden Wind Fate Dipper is the only way I can improve, I will need some time. It will probably take a year or more for me to complete the initial refinement of the Hidden Wind Fate Dipper. It wouldn’t matter if I do it in the Bing Continent as Jiu Qi wouldn’t make things difficult for me there. However, if I stay here...”

Brother Zhong also fell quiet for a moment. Only after some time did he speak again, “When you head back to the Bing Continent, why don’t you tell Yuwen Changqing your intentions directly? Enter seclusion immediately. Yuwen Changqing is a smart guy. He will know what to do.”

“Can I actually do that...” Feng Yezi hesitated slightly.

Brother Zhong chuckled under his breath, “Yuwen Changqing might be trying to make a deal with the Desert Gate, but from what I can see, he doesn’t seem to have any other option. He’s merely using it to force the Divine Capital Sect to interfere. Once you return to the Bing Continent, he will have achieved his goal.”

A sly look flashed through Brother Zhong’s eyes the next moment and he muttered, “Didn’t you say you were never going back to the Bing Continent when you left the previous time?”

Ignoring Brother Zhong’s mockery, Feng Yezi asked, “Brother Zhong, will you follow me back to the Bing Continent?”

With his eyes dimming slightly, Brother Zhong muttered, “I don’t think so. Even if I return, I will just be a burden. You need to take care of yourself. Don’t try to step into the Tongyou City unless you are confident...”

Feng Yezi laughed, “Before refining the Hidden Wind Fate Dipper, I won’t go about risking my life. If I am really able to enter the second element of the Martial Dipper Realm, even Kou Chongxue wouldn’t be able to detect my presence!”

Opening his mouth slightly, Brother Zhong wanted to say something but he changed his words at the very last second. “It would be for the best if you don’t act carelessly. When you arrive at the Bing Continent, it’s not like the Divine Capital Sect can force you to enter the Tongyou City if you choose to ignore them...”

Feng Yezi nodded slightly and chuckled, “Then again, the Tongyou institution is nothing without Kou Chongxue. He’s the only one propping it up. The others might be in the Martial Dipper Realm, but without Kou Chongxue, none of them will be able to do a thing to me.”

Brother Zhong seemed content with what Feng Yezi had said and when he thought about his old friend’s unparalleled ability to escape, coupled with the abilities he would gain if he refined the Hidden Wind Fate Dipper, he understood where Feng Yezi was getting his confidence from. He then asked something else that had been on his mind for some time. “Brother Feng, you said that Jiu Qi mentioned something about how the Yuanchen Sect only managed to evolve to an Elysium after using the Jiao Continent’s spiritual root?”

Feng Yezi grunted once in response. “Jiu Qi brought it up casually. He didn’t go into it much.”

Brother Zhong’s gaze turned frosty instantly and he growled, “Brother Feng, I might have guessed why my sect was destroyed...”

“Didn’t Gong Xinlan... Wait a second. Do you think the Yuanchen sect supported her during the destruction of the Guiyi Peak?!”

Brother Zhong didn’t respond, but the chilly look in his eyes gave Feng Yezi the answer he was thinking about.

Feng Yezi was greatly taken aback by the revelation and he couldn’t speak for a long time. Only after a wave of chirps came from the valley outside the bamboo residence he built destroyed the silence did Brother Zhong snap back to reality.

“Brother Feng, before you leave the Hidden Beast Peak, can you clean out those birds? Their cries are irritating me!”

Brother Zhong seemed completely fed up with the nose and Feng Yezi smiled helplessly, “Brother Zhong, how can I wipe out the birds completely? Can there be a mountain peak without birds? After the fusion of the words, heaven and earth qi grew more abundant and spiritual birds aren’t the only type of beasts that are growing in number. They are also transforming at a quicker pace...”

Brother Zhong interrupted him by snapping, “Why the hell are those birds flying around here anyway? Look at them! They’re staring right at us. They seem to be keeping a close watch on all of us!”

“Brother Zhong!” Feng Yezi had to interrupt him as he exclaimed, “You’re being too sensitive. Ever since you were betrayed by your disciple and the Guiyi Peak fell, you have been too suspicious of everything. How will you restore your cultivation if you’re so jittery about everything?”

Feng Yezi said something similar to that countless times, but it seemed as though Brother Zhong wasn’t taking it to heart.

...

Once again, Shang Xia was turned into a tool used to prevent any accidents from happening around the ship.

Ever since Chu Jia told him about her dream of creating a flying ship that could rival that of the Northern Sea Mystic Sect, she paid even more attention to the modifications and improvements of the Five Element Origin Formation.

There was also the matter of the Five Element Qi Gathering Formation that Shang Xia thought of in the past. After telling Chu Jia about the initial design, her interest was piqued due to the similarities it had with the Five Element Origin Formation.

The grand formation on the ship that she ‘completed’ earlier was immediately revamped. She made tons of modifications to it. She included the qi gathering aspect of it into the grand formation.

Members of the Talisman Hall and Formation Hall were pushed to the point of exhaustion and they were cursing her in countless ways in their hearts. However, with the presence of the Martial Dipper Realm Ancestor, none of them dared to say a word.

Shang Xia would always take some time off during dawn and when the sun was setting to relax on the deck of the ship. He stared at the amazing view while staring at the birds circling the ship.

That was what he did every day, and one fine day, a bird that was nearly double the size of an ordinary Rain Swallow came from the direction of the You Continent. It landed on the mast of the ship and remained completely still.

When Shang Xia arrived for his evening relaxation time, the Rain Swallow released a loud cry. It immediately alerted both Shang Xia and Chu Jia who was following closely behind.

Glancing at the bird on the mast, Chu Jia quickly turned to look at Shang Xia. She realized what had happened and she asked, “Did it fly all the way here to look for you? Is Yu Duhe from the Outreach Division able to command them already?”

Shang Xia chuckled in response, “Of course they won’t listen to him. However, he’s definitely the person in charge of looking over them...”

Chu Jia naturally knew about matters regarding the Mutated Rain Swallows.

After all, the Tongyou Institution’s spatial pouches were pretty famous throughout the Azure Ascension World.

When Shang Xia tamed the Mutated Rain Swallow flock back in the battlefield between the two worlds, there were barely 200 of them. Even though Mutated Rain Swallows didn’t reproduce and grow as quickly as ordinary birds, they still managed to reach a sizable number. With the Tongyou Institution’s intentional care, there were close to a thousand of them. Every year, they would be able to produce a set amount of swallow fur that would be turned into spatial pouches.

Chu Jia whispered softly, “Do you need to leave right now?”

“Mmm...” Shang Xia muttered, “There’s something I need to do.”

“Is it going to be dangerous?” Chu Jia asked.

“I’m confident that I can deal with it.”

Breaking out into laughter, Chu Jia mumbled, “Alright then. I’m pretty much done with the formation on the ship. Looks like it’s going to be difficult to catch a hold of you for some time...”

“It’s great I didn’t affect the progress of the formation. Alright. I’ll be off now.” Shang Xia chuckled.

Watching Shang Xia turn around, Chu Jia seemed to have thought of something and she exclaimed, “Oh right. The Five Element Teleportation Formation you told me might not be impossible to deploy. However, it’s going to be extremely difficult to make it happen. It’s going to be countless times harder than to deploy the Five Element Qi Gathering Formation.”

Shang Xia turned around with a wide smile on his face. “I know. Even if we create it, it’s probably going to be a rank five formation. You will become a rank five Formation Grandmaster once it’s complete. In order to lay down the formation, we might need to shift the resource allocation of the institution... Well, let’s not rush things!”

Chu Jia nodded with a soft smile on her face after hearing his explanation.

Opening a spatial tunnel with the Five Element Ring, Shang Xia took a single step and disappeared.

After he left, the spatial gate didn’t disappear. The remnant Five Element Dipper Qi he used solidified the area around the spatial gate and it didn’t allow the slightest bit of spatial fluctuation to spread around. Chu Jia, who was standing nearby, wasn’t affected at all.