Everyone looked up into the sky. Dark clouds were gathering, making everything more and more frightening. The light of catastrophe was falling from the heavens.
Ye Futian's light of catastrophe seemed to consist of many different colors. Layer upon layer of will was immersed in the light, as a terrible brilliance flowed out from him.
But he still stood there like a statue. In front of him, Xiao Sheng was doing the same.
And he had admitted his fault.
He had admitted everything.
Xiao Sheng had broken through to the Divine Path, and the Xiao clan had pleaded to Queen Xiao for his life. They were ready to send him to the army to train. Many guests had come to see him off, and his future was very bright.
But the most dazzling figure in the past few years in Emperor Xia's Realm had come to criticize him.
As a Sage, he had still been able to crush Xiao Sheng, who was at the Saint level, and forcibly break through to the Divine Catastrophe.
The people of the Xiao clan went pale. They had wanted to fight for a future for Xiao Sheng. Since he had entered the Saint plane, his heart must have changed, and he would very likely become one of the most prestigious figures of their clan in the future. Thus, Old Man Xiao had once again placed all his hopes upon him.
But now they all understood.
Xiao Sheng was finished.
Everyone had heard what Ye Futian had just said very clearly. He had worked with people from Emperor Li's Realm twice all to kill Ye Futian, who had achieved victory in the Battle of Empty Realm and gone by himself to Emperor Li's Realm. This was an unforgivable offense. Even Xia Qingyuan could not let him get away with this.
And neither could Ye Futian.
The people from Divine Cloud Valley also looked up into the air. Gongsun Ni, Gongsun Zhong, and the rest were all conflicted.
They still remembered the first time they had seen Ye Futian. It was in the Xiao clan's household, at Old Man Xiao's banquet.
At that time, he had only recently arrived in the Upper Worlds and had just made a name for himself. He had launched a surprise attack on Lihen Heaven, which made everyone think he was too arrogant and did not know his own power. He had provoked Lihen Heaven and had swept away all their heroes at that banquet. Afterward, he had set out on a path that no others could match.
On the 33rd layer of Lihen Heaven, he had defeated Wang Chuan. Wang Chuan had used this battle to become a Saint, but he said that Ye Futian stood alone among those below the Saint plane.
Afterward, in the Battle of Empty Realm, he had seized victory all by himself and then had joined with Princess Xia Qingyuan to defeat Yuan Jin.
The Swordmaster of Lihen had given his sword to Ye Wuchen because of him, to save him from an attack by cultivators of Emperor Li's Realm.
And now, he had defeated a Saint level cultivator as a Sage, accomplishing a feat for the ages, and now was using the majesty of this battle to step onto the Divine Path.
Those who had been called the greatest figure below the Saint plane in Emperor Xia's Realm, those dazzling, unparalleled heroes seemed to lose their luster before him.
He seemed to be the only person who mattered in that generation of cultivators from Emperor Xia's Realm. He was absolutely without equal, and eclipsed everyone else's glory. No one could compare with him.
Some people looked at Princess Xia Qingyuan not far away. Once, it had been said that she stood alone in her generation and that none could compare with her.
But now, what about Ye Futian?
Could he stand shoulder to shoulder with the Princess?
At that moment, everyone understood what Xia Qingyuan had seen in Ye Futian, and why she appreciated him. Perhaps Xia Qingyuan and Emperor Xia had known of Ye Futian's talent from the start.
Even the Imperial Adviser, who was from an enemy power, treated him like this. A truly outstanding figure could perhaps make those who stood before him give up their own status. This was sincere appreciation; it did not matter whether or not they stood in opposition to him.
Boom!
A rumbling sound pulled everyone back from their reveries. The light of catastrophe was falling from the sky and crashed violently upon Ye Futian. His white hair was dancing in the wind as his white robes fluttered.
The brilliant light around him became even brighter as the light of catastrophe flowed across his body. But he still stood up straight without wavering even a little bit. His body was not moved even an inch.
With a start, many people realized that not only was terrible will flowing around Ye Futian, but his flesh itself was also suffused with a powerful will. The terrifying light of catastrophe baptized his spiritual willpower and changed it.
At that same time, it baptized his flesh, making it divine.
In front of him, Xiao Sheng was also suffering the waves of the Divine Catastrophe. His weak flesh trembled, and he spat up another mouthful of blood. His face was as white as paper.
Xiao Sheng's breathing was growing weaker and weaker. He looked at the impossibly brilliant figure before him and felt a burst of sorrow.
If he had known it would turn out like this, he would not have done the things he did.
That way, the incomparably brilliant Ye Futian would have had nothing to do with him. He could still have become a Saint. Given his status, he could have done anything that he wanted to. Princess Xiao and Xia Qingyuan would have promised him anything.
Why had he decided to compete with Ye Futian and worry that he would steal his position?
Now he understood that there were some things you should not strive for, as to do so would be meaningless.
It was only a momentary slip, but it had made it so that there was no way to escape, and had led him to this point.
He felt sort of pitiable.
He naturally understood that Ye Futian would not give him another chance. He would do the same, regardless of his mood or his amount of tolerance.
"Who else?" Ye Futian asked Xiao Sheng.
He naturally knew that Xiao Sheng had not done all of this by himself. It was not something he could have done alone.
Xia Qingyuan had told him always to watch Xiao Sheng and the Xiao clan; she had even placed Xiao Sheng under arrest. No news could have gotten out, so they could not know the news of his return.
He trusted Xia QIngyuan, and so did not doubt what she had said. If it was not Xiao Sheng, then there must have been someone controlling him from the background. Moreover, they were much more powerful than Xiao Sheng. Otherwise, they would not have been able to get even a little bit of information.
But everyone else trembled when they heard his question. There was someone else?
Who had been involved in this besides Xiao Sheng?
Everyone involuntarily looked at the people from the Xiao clan. This had made Old Man Xiao, Xiao Qianhe, and the others look worried.
This affair did not only concern Ye Futian.
If it had just been him, they would not have cared so much.
He had conspired with Emperor Li's Realm to harm one of his own people, and it was someone that His Majesty and the Princess regarded highly. Even someone from the Xiao clan could not get away with something like this.
"Qingyuan," Old Man Xiao looked at Xia Qingyuan and said, "I'm not that senile yet."
The Xiao clan was at the height of power in Emperor Xia's Realm. With the Emperor as an in-law and Queen Xiao as the Queen Mother, their status was very high. Would he betray Emperor Xia's Realm and collude with Dali Dynasty?
Obviously, he could not just sit still and take what Ye Futian was saying. It was too serious.
"That's not what he meant, grandfather. But you must understand that he could not have done this alone," said Xia Qingyuan.
Old Man Xiao's eyes flashed when he heard this. When he had seen Xiao Sheng become a Saint, he had thought that Xia Qingyuan had been mistaken about him. But he did know that there were many things he could not do.
But now, even Xiao Sheng admitted that he had done this.
Thinking about it in detail, it was apparent that someone else had to be involved.
He swept his gaze over the people of the Xiao clan, then looked at Xiao Qianhe. The other person would have to be as bold as him, right?
The light of catastrophe rumbled down yet again. Ye Futian was completely immersed in the Divine Catastrophe and looked nearly celestial. However, the Catastrophe of the Divine Path could not shake him one bit. He still stood up straight, calmly bearing its power like a god up in the sky.
Everyone in the palace stared at him. They all knew that after becoming a Saint, Ye Futian would undergo a change. In that past, his talent had been outstanding, but in the end, he had only been a junior, and so his power was limited.
But after this change, he would truly come into his own.
But at that moment, all Ye Futian wanted to know was the truth. Thus he questioned Xiao Sheng about who else was involved.
Xiao Sheng suffered the waves of the Divine Catastrophe. He coughed up blood, then looked at Ye Futian, but his eyes seemed calm. He shook his head and said. "I did this by myself. I sent the information to Li Yao. I did all of it alone."
Ye Futian looked at him and saw that he did not look too distressed. It was as if he were still ready to face anything. He seemed sincere.
Obviously, he did not want to say who had been backing him.
Who was it? Xiao Sheng had admitted his guilt but was still protecting them.
Was it someone from the Xiao clan?
"You could not have done this alone," said Ye Futian coldly.
"I said I did it alone. If you don't believe me, that's fine," said Xiao Sheng. He still would not confess.
Ye Futian looked at him. Since Xiao Sheng had already confessed, everything that would happen next was very simple.
Saint Xihua had suddenly attacked the palace. Ling'er and Phoenix had been poisoned. His information had been leaked, including a lot of sensitive details. This was not something that Xiao Sheng could have arranged all on his own. There must be someone extremely powerful in the background controlling everything.
This matter was not over.
Up in the sky, the light of catastrophe burned brightly. Xia Qingyuan said, "You should become a Saint first."
Ye Futian nodded. His figure flashed up into the sky.
Dark clouds covered everything, making an apocalyptic looking scene. The Divine Catastrophe descended, and his spiritual willpower suffered a terrifying assault. But each assault baptized him in the Great Path. His will became one with heaven and earth, and he could sense will more clearly.
That was not all. His body underwent powerful assaults as the light of catastrophe bathed his flesh, making him seem to transform.
His flesh became divine. His whole body became the Path.
Everyone saw Ye Futian sitting there, cross-legged with eyes closed, bearing everything calmly. He was once baptized in medicine, and his spiritual will and physical body were extremely strong. There was no fear that he would not cross through the Divine Catastrophe.
Everyone looked up at the white-robed youth sitting there. As the light of catastrophe fell upon him, his bearing changed little by little.
In the end, he was like a butterfly breaking out of its cocoon. Divine light flowed from him and covered everything. Rays of morning sunlight filled the vast sky, dispersing the terrible light of catastrophe.
The Divine Catastrophe grew weaker and weaker. The dark clouds dispersed, and morning sunlight came down from the Ninth Heaven.
The white-haired youth opened his eyes. They were deeper than before, and divinity seemed to shoot out from them.
He rose and looked out at the crowd. He was suffused with a supernatural aura.
Ye Futian had become a Saint!