There were countless islands in the Endless Ocean.
Among these islands were many island cities of various sizes.
In the eastern portion of the Endless Ocean, there was a small, unknown island. People were scarce here, with a population of 100,000 or so. On the mainland of the Nine States, this would amount to only a small village.
At that moment, on the eastern edge of the island, an old man was wearing a long robe, sitting peacefully on the rocks fishing. He had a plaited bamboo hat on his head, under which his face was sharply angled. He had his eyes closed as if he were dozing off.
"I see you've come here fishing again, Old Xi," called another dark-skinned old man from not far off with a smile. He was getting ready to go out into the ocean to hunt monsters.
There were countless sea monsters in the Endless Ocean, and each of them had many cultivation resources. Since these resources were extremely scarce in this island, these sea monsters were the only source of them.
"Mm." The old man, who was sitting there with his eyes closed, nodded slightly. He opened his eyes lazily, then smiled at the other old man and said, "You're getting ready to go out into the ocean? I can see that there are huge waves out there; there must be a big monster out there causing trouble. Why don't you stay in today?"
"That's no problem. My son and my son-in-law are quite powerful cultivators. If we run into a fierce monster, that will be excellent." The old man spoke clearly and honestly. He seemed to be very proud of his children. There were several other people behind him. One of them was shirtless, and his skin was dark all over. He was very strong. The other two people were a couple, both of them seeming very fierce. People's appearances could change due to natural processes or due to cultivation, but they could also do because of environmental effects. "But Old Xi, you're probably not going to catch much here. Your disciple looks a bit delicate; he probably hasn't experienced much turmoil. Why don't you let him come out in to the ocean with me?" said the old man with a smile as he looked at a figure in the distance.
That man was handsome, with fair skin and not even a trace of aura coming off of him. He seemed to be a scholar. No wonder the old man had said what he did.
"My disciple is very lazy, so I just let him sit there," said Old Xi with a smile. The old man nodded, then brought his son, daughter, and son-in-law into a boat and sailed out onto the sea. They waved to Old Xi up on the rocks. When a lone boat went out into the ocean, it's fate was determined by heaven. This was a popular saying on the island.
As he watched the boat sail away, Old Xi whispered, "Sometimes I envy them. They may not know the ways of heaven, but they are still able to smile at everything."
"The people of the island say that you never know what day you will die, so you should face every moment of your life with a smile." Behind the old man, the young disciple opened his eyes and looked out at the boat.
"Their environment may dictate Their attitude, but it's still a kind of optimism," continued the old man. "I have a bad feeling. You two should leave."
Another figure walked towards them from a mountain far away. "Brother," he said, "if you want to leave, you can."
"I will stay here and accompany our master," said the young man.
Old Xi sighed, then looked up into the distance. The sky that had once been as blue as the water was suddenly covered in dark clouds, looking very frightening.
The sea was vast, endless, and capricious. It could change its face at any time.
How could the people who lived on this small island understand?
"If I had known that things would turn out like this, I never would have started down this path," whispered Old Xi. He had once been a giant in the Nine States. He had mastered all heaven and earth, and his voice shouted commands that could lead to the deaths of thousands.
But now, he had fallen to this level all because he had tried to get revenge on a junior. Was there anything he could say about that?
Who would have thought that that junior cultivator was not just exceptionally talented, but was, in fact, the most talented of his generation? Even since he had gone to the Upper Worlds, he still commanded the wind and rain. In both the Upper and Lower Worlds, there was no one like him.
He vividly remembered the Sacred War at the Holy Zhi Palace. The youth who gave off dazzling light was still firmly imprinted in his mind. At that moment, he had realized that that man was not simply incredibly talented. And after that, his fate seemed to have been set.
But he had not thought that it would happen so fast.
The violent wind whipped up huge waves, and dark clouds covered the sky. The lone boat floated in the sea and was swept into the storm by a large wave. A terrible monster appeared in the storm. It appeared to be a Flood Dragon. It rose into the storm as it stared at the few people in the small boat. It opened its mouth as it struck out to swallow them.
At that moment, a burst of incomparable majesty descended from the sky, covering the whole area. Everything seemed to freeze, and the storm slowed. The dragon looked to the shore in surprise, and a fierce sense of fear could be seen in its giant eyes. It suddenly lowered its proud head.
The people in the lone boat watched this scene in surprise. They rose into the air, but it seemed that they had been slowed by something. The dragon before them and the terrible storm had been slowed as well. It seemed that the area around them had frozen.
"Begone, vile beast," came a voice from the sky. In the next instant, the dreadful power dissipated, and the dragon tuned in fear and fled, diving back into the sea. A giant hand descended from the sky and pulled the lonely boat, and the people in it back to shore.
When the old man and the others returned to shore, they were a bit shaken. They recovered from their shock and looked at the old man, who had been sitting there, fishing.
They saw that the bamboo hat he had been wearing had blown off. He stood up straight, not seeming old in the least. There was an overpowering majesty about him. As far as the old man was concerned, he was like a god.
And it was not only the old man who had changed. Even his young disciple now had an extremely sharp aura that billowed up to the clouds. Divine brilliance shone from his eyes as he looked up into the sky.
The old man and the others knelt to the ground and kowtowed. They did not know what to say.
Were they gods?
Up in the sky, the clouds had changed color as a suffocating power descended. The old man and the others were still kneeling, but they seemed to feel something and looked up. They saw a group of figures appear like gods in the sky.
The two in front were a man who looked heroic and had an incomparable aura, and a woman who, although she wore man's clothing, was still extremely beautiful. To the people from the small island, she was like a goddess.
Emperor Xia's daughter was indeed like a goddess to the people of the Nine States in the Lower Worlds.
"Those who should come have finally arrived." Saint Xihua sighed in his heart. Ever since the day when the mysterious man had made his threat, he had known this day would come.
But he had not expected that Ye Futian would have already become a Saint.
He was a Saint, a supernatural figure. How many years had he been in the Upper Worlds?
The Princess had not yet become a Saint, and yet he had.
"Greetings, Your Highness," said Saint Xihua as he looked up at Xia Qingyuan. The old man who was kneeling on the ground's heart trembled even more fiercely.
Those who were like gods in their eyes still needed to greet the ones who had come?
Then who on earth were these people who had come from the sky?
"Saint Xihua, who ordered you to attack the palace?" said Ye Futian as he looked down on them.
Saint Xihua looked up at Ye Futian. There was no trace of disturbance on his face. He seemed very calm. Since he had known this day would come and had worried about it for a long time, now that the day had truly come, he was unperturbed.
"During the Sacred War, you ordered people from the palace to destroy Xihua Sacred Mountain. Did I need someone to order me to attack the palace?" answered Saint Xihua calmly. "Ye Futian, there is also something that I would like to know. Who on earth are you?"
This was a question that had puzzled him for a long time. Once, Emperor Xia had summoned all the people of the Nine States and forbade them from asking it.
But now it no longer mattered.
"I am Ye Futian, the Palace Lord of the Holy Zhi Palace in the Barren State in the lands of the Nine States, under the rule of Emperor Xia's Realm," said Ye Futian clearly.
Saint Xihua was stunned when he heard this. Then he smiled and did not ask again.
He was Ye Futian, the Palace Lord of the Holy Zhi Palace in the Barren State.
That was enough.
The enmity between them had sprung up from that.
"Thinking back to when Liu Zong wanted to fight with you, it seems a bit ridiculous now. First, it was Saint Zhi, then Chess Saint, then finally the Great Zhou Sacred King. Who would have thought that you'd mature so quickly? If we had known that you'd have such success after only a few years, perhaps no one would have looked at the Barren State as weak," said Saint Xihua with a smile. He spoke casually and seemed incredibly calm.
Rain Saint rose into the sky, and a brilliant radiance bloomed from him. His long robe flapped in the wind as divine majesty swept out from him.
Dazzling brilliance shone from his eyes. He looked at Ye Futian and said, "Since you are a Saint now, I must ask you for a fight."
As he said this, he stepped forward towards Ye Futian, who was in the sky. He lifted his hand and made a grabbing motion in the air. Time and space seemed to freeze, becoming solid. It was as if that area had been petrified and became incredibly dense.
"Are you up to it?" Ye Futian took a step down and pointed his finger at Rain Saint. As he did so, an incredibly powerful storm of swords swept out, cutting through the air. The tip of his finger descended towards the ground, and a Heaven Slaying Sword descended, cutting through the power that was freezing heaven and earth.
Boom! There was a loud noise as the Great Path solidified. Countless large stones appeared and formed a wall. The covered Ye Futian, but they were destroyed as he pointed his finger at them.
Not only that, but the terrible storm of swords wrapped around Rain Saint. Divine light flowed around Ye Futian, becoming brighter and brighter. The tip of his finger kept descending towards the ground, and the Heaven Slaying Sword followed it. The air trembled violently as everything was destroyed, and the sword rushed towards Rain Saint.
Rain Saint waved his hands, and a powerful defensive force appeared around him, seeming to freeze the air around him. A stone wall made from the Divine Path appeared, crossing between the heavens and the earth.
Ye Futian took another step downward, and his foot pressed down upon the heavens and the earth. He continued to press down with his finger, and suddenly sword will cut through the stone wall, shattering it and piecing through it.
There was a crackling sound as golden lightning cut across, and the brilliant sword will slashed into Rain Saint, piercing through his body.
In the next instant, brilliant light bloomed from Rain Saint's body. He shattered into countless pieces that disappeared from the face of the earth!