When Ye Futian at the entrance of Donghai Academy, Minister Zuo was already waiting for him.
When the young woman saw Ye Futian, she said, "Let's have another battle."
Ye Futian was speechless. He wondered it this girl liked being defeated.
"No," he answered. Ye Futian glanced at the young woman.
"What is that look supposed to mean?" Seeing the way Ye Futian looked at her made her mad.
"If we fight again, I'm afraid you might cry," said Ye Futian. He was determined never to battle with a female ever again.
"You…" the young woman pointed at him.
"Alright, missy. Let's go, weren't you the one who begged to tag along?" Minister Zuo did not know what to do with the little princess.
"Just you wait, Ye Futian." She then turned to the Minister Zuo. "Master, I want him to be my guard."
"I…" Ye Futian was dumbfounded. He looked to Minister Zuo. "Senior." She couldn't do this, could she?
"Stop fooling around." The Minister Zuo looked at the young woman once and then gave out his order, "Let's go!" The large group riding on creatures began their journey, heading in the direction of the East Sea.
"I don't care. Master, didn't you say his innate powers were good and that he was gifted? Then he would be perfect as my guard. He can also battle me time to time to help me gain combat experience," the young woman whined to the Minister Zuo. Ye Futian stared in shock. What did she take him for?
"Then you'll have to ask Ye Futian to see if he'll agree," said Minister Zuo. Ye Futian thanked the Minister Zuo silently.
The young woman looked towards Ye Futian and said, "You're better off by my side than you are at Donghai Academy."
"No." Ye Futian remembered what Hua Jieyu made him promise and rejected her firmly. "I really do have a girlfriend."
"You!" The young woman seemed to be adjusting to Ye Futian's shameless antics because she suddenly smiled. With a beautiful smile, she faced Ye Futian and asked, "Is your girlfriend really as pretty as I am?"
Ye Futian saw her smile and did not know what to say. How could her expression change so abruptly? She was trying to get her way through the means of seduction. However, Ye Futian thought it was wasted effort because he was an honest man.
However, he couldn't believe that she remembered what he said yesterday. When it came to appearances, women were indeed…
"You are very beautiful, but my girlfriend is even more so," Ye Futian said with a serious look on his face. The young woman's smile disappeared in an instant and she snickered at Ye Futian, "Who would believe you?" She seemed to know that there was no hope and refused to look at Ye Futian.
That self-confidence, Ye Futian thought to himself, if this girl met Hua Jieyu, then she would not be so confident.
At the thought of Hua Jieyu, a smile crept on his face. Ye Futian closed his eyes and enjoyed the gentle blowing of the wind in silence.
Quickly, the group made it past the city and arrived at the East Sea. In the vast sea, the wind blew and ships sailed. The group did not stall for too long before they were on their way again, this time headed for Qingzhou Academy. Several hours later, from the skies over the East Sea, an island came into view.
Ye Futian stood on top of the beast he was previously riding on and looked at the nearing island. He had no idea he would be back so soon. It did not seem like that long ago that he left the island city. So many thoughts floated through his mind. Was Senior Sister Qin Yi doing alright? Was General Qin Shuai doing better? Did Feng Qingxue miss him? Probably. He smiled at the thought of being back home.
Finally, the beasts were flying right above the island. They did not stop but continued in the direction of Qingzhou Academy.
BOOM! At this very moment, a loud sound came from the ground. Ye Futian and everyone were concerned as they looked down. They saw the ground shake, as if an earthquake or a tsunami was about to dawn upon the city.
"What's going on?" Minister Zuo's eyes flickered and the beasts continued to advance. A moment later, the loud rumbling resumed and the ground was shaking once again. The citizens of Qingzhou City were in a frenzy. The stronger people ascended into mid-air while the weaker people were running on the streets. Everyone was in shock.
BOOM! The ground was still shaking without a pattern. As they got deeper into the city, the shaking got more violent. Even when the monster tide occurred, it did not affect the areas this far way. Right not, it seemed like the entire island was being affected. It was originating from the direction of Qingzhou Academy.
What on earth was going on? Ye Futian's heart was pounding. Even though he was not able to become an official disciple of Qingzhou Academy, he still had a sentimental attachment to this place. He did not wish for anything to happen to the academy.
The beasts sped up and charged forward. Not long after, they arrived at Qingzhou Academy.
Right now, the whole area was shaking non-stop. Some buildings had already fallen. The teachers and students were all looking in the direction of Mount Tianyao. Their hearts in a frenzy. There seemed to be an ultimate battle taking place in Mount Tianyao.
Mount Tianyao. It's Senior Snow Ape! thought Ye Futian. His expression changed. The shaking was coming from Mount Tianyao. There could only be one thing that would lead to such strong vibrations through the ground, and that was a huge battle between the Snow Ape and some unknown people.
The Snow Ape's powers were unimaginably strong. He may very well be second in power after Emperor Ye Qing. Ye Futian was unsure of exactly how powerful he was, but to be able to battle with the Snow Ape, it was most likely a fearsome opponent. It was hard for Ye Futian not to worry.
"Seems like someone got here before I could," said Minister Zuo. The group stood between area between Qingzhou Academy and Mount Tianyao. People who went ahead to test the waters came back to report their findings. They greeted the minister with a bow. "Minister Zuo, things are not good!"
"Do you know who it is?" Minister Zuo asked.
"It's not possible for a person so powerful to exist in Nandou Nation." The reporting person shook his head. Minister Zuo contemplated for a while and said, "All of you stay here, I'll go take a look."
Obviously, everything they had previously prepared was now useless. The plans had been spoiled. An extremely powerful individual got wind of the news and came to Qingzhou City.
"Senior, can you take me with you?" asked Ye Futian.
"Your abilities are still too weak. It will be dangerous," said Minister Zuo.
"That's okay. I want to take a look at what's going on." Ye Futian was determined.
"I cannot promise your absolute safety," Minister Zuo spoke again. Ye Futian nodded and the two of them made their way into Mount Tianyao.
The vibrations of the ground were even stronger now that they were closer to the mountains. Demons and monsters ran frantically in every direction. With Minister Zuo's powers, none of the demons or monsters dared to stand in his way. Finally, they reached the epicenter of the vibrations. One look at the scene ahead and the powerful minister began to shudder, not able to calm down.
"Senior." Ye Futian clenched his fist. His body was shaking. His eyes were filled with a wild flame and all the veins on his arms were visible.
Up ahead, was an enormous Snow Ape, taller than the mountains. Compared to when Ye Futian had met him before, the Snow Ape was much larger now. His head was in the clouds. His enormous body stood in the midst of a storm, but he remained standing steadily like the mountains. A golden chain was locked around the Snow Ape's body. The light coming from the chain was shining brighter than the sun. The chain seemed to have come from the heavens, creating a link between Heaven and Earth.
The Snow Ape reached out his hands, filled with immense power. However, the Snow Ape's snow-white fur was covered in blood. He was bleeding from wounds all over his body. He looked up at the figures in the sky unyieldingly. Ye Futian also looked up at the sky with his blood-shot eyes.
Up in the skies, stood a group of people. They were spread out in the air. A light shone from each of their bodies. This light enveloped them like a divine armor and the people looked domineering, like the gods in Heaven. Standing above them, were two more people. They were quiet.
One of the two was dressed in a robe of sorts. She was dazzling, elegant, and holy like a celestial fairy. She did not look too old, maybe about Ye Futian's age. Even though she was young, her aura was outstanding. It was almost as if she was born superior to others.
She looked very content. Beside her stood a figure that seemed like a divine general. His force field covered her as if to protect her. Compared with Minister Zuo's disciple, the girl won in regards of elegance and looks.
Perhaps, even if the goddess-like Hua Jieyu were here, she would not be able to overshadow this girl. The two girls were on a similar level in terms of looks, but when it came to elegance, not even Hua Jieyu could beat her. If Hua Jieyu was compared to a descended goddess, then this girl was a celestial fairy straight from the heavens.
It was almost as if the Snow Ape could sense Ye Futian's arrival. He looked over in Ye Futian's direction and seemed to have mistaken the situation. The Snow Ape looked at Minister Zuo with blood-red eyes, conveying his intent to kill.
A loud growl sounded. The world seemed to have become frozen and covered in snow. Along with the clanging of chains, the Snow Ape charged at Minister Zuo, lifting his arms, preparing to attack. Minister Zuo's face paled. He could feel his body slowly being sealed by the ice.
"Senior!" Ye Futian jumped in front of Minister Zuo. He realized that the Snow Ape must have mistakenly thought that Minister Zuo was holding him against his will.
The Snow Ape struck the two with his hand causing Minister Zuo and Ye Futian to land far away with a loud crash. The chain rattled again, but this time, to pull him back.
Minister Zuo and Ye Futian picked themselves up off the ground. At this moment, they noticed that the group in the sky were looking down at them. The divine general-like figure spoke to them, "Kneel." His voice was domineering, superior, and arrogant.
"Greetings, I am a prime minister of Nandou Nation. May I ask who you guys are?" asked Minister Zuo. He joined his hands together in a salute.
The fairy-like female looked down at them and replied, "My family name is Donghuang."
Minister Zuo's knees hit the ground and he bowed his head to the floor. This was not only because the opposing side was power, but also because of their identity.
Her surname was Donghuang.
The prophecy has been fulfilled, Minister Zuo thought to himself. A shiver ran down his back. The reason he was willing to risk coming here was because he told his own fortune. The prophecy said that this journey will not be dangerous. On the contrary, he would meet a person fated to become emperor. Never would Minister Zuo have imagined, by being fated to become emperor, it did not mean the emperor of the Nandou Nation—it meant the emperor of the Divine Prefectures.
Ye Futian did not kneel down. In the storm, he looked up to the sky. He stood up straight and, in this moment, he was calmer than ever before. He met eyes with the air in the sky. The look they shared was a look of destiny.