The Legend of Futian

Stifling pressure loomed in the air.

Four Holiness of Nirvanas from Emperor Xia’s Realm descended, with three being the Swordmaster of Lihen, the Palace Lord of Xuanyuan Palace, and the Master of the Jiutian Temple.

All three Holiness of Nirvanas were not direct subordinates of Emperor Xia; however, they received the orders and showed up to help nonetheless.

There were members of those three major top-notch forces of Emperor Xia following Ye Futian. Emperor Xia asked personally, and Xia Qingyuan had also visited all of them, requesting their aid. There was no way they could have refused.

The Holiness of Nirvanas, who served Emperor Xia, needed to fend off Emperor Li’s Realm. The conflict between the two imperial realms continued, and they were unable to be assigned elsewhere.

The Swordmaster of Lihen and the others would not have been on the trip for long. They would have soon returned to Emperor Xia’s Realm to guard the realm against a possible invasion from Dali.

Zhu Kong, Zhong Lou, and one other Holiness of Nirvana turned glum when they saw the others in the air.

Xia Qingyuan had returned to Emperor Xia’s Realm and summoned three other Holiness of Nirvanas to join the fight.

Furthermore, things were different from what was expected before.

They all thought that so long as they were able to kill Ye Futian and gain the relics of Emperor Kua, the nine tribes would be able to reach new heights. Even without Wu Yong around, there were still the other eight tribes. With eight Holiness of Nirvanas standing together, even if Emperor Xia were to put over half of the Holiness of Nirvanas from Emperor Xia’s Realm to work, they would still be able to resist.

Moreover, the ones involved were more than just the nine tribes.

What took place next was laid out for all to see. The nine tribes splintered right there and then instead.

All the other mighty ones had either died or apologized for their trespassing. Other than those from the Ancient Imperial City, only three tribes were taking the brunt of it all.

As such, they had to deal with three more Holiness of Nirvanas from Emperor Xia’s Realm and an army before they were able to take down the other three opposing tribes. All of that was nothing short of a disaster for them.

It was six Holiness of Nirvanas against three by then. Worse still, those three tribes were not all that much powerful compared to the opposing three, and there was no way those three Holiness of Nirvanas from Emperor Xia’s Realm could have been weak. It was clear which side would emerge as the winning side by then.

The three opposing tribes were elated instead. Zhu Kong and his people had been cornering them for quite a while, wanting to stage a showdown.

With the forces from Emperor Xia’s Realm there, everything would have come to a close by then.

The nine tribes of the past were destined to be in history books. The tribes would have emerged in a new form in Crimson Dragon Realm from then on out.

Sword will whooshed about in the air. The Swordmaster of Lihen lashed out immediately. His sword tore through the air as it came down on Zhu Kong.

Zhu Kong sensed the might of that sword and burst in retreat. However, the Vermillion Bird tribe leader quickly rose from below.

By then, no mighty ones would have wasted their time talking about rules of engagement; they were all out to take down Zhu Kong and his people.

The Palace Lord of Xuanyuan Palace stepped out with the Footwork of Xuanyuan, placing a lockdown in their surroundings. Their surroundings became stifling, and everyone was able to sense a looming heavenly pressure.

He stepped out and headed towards Zhong Lou, the Zhong tribe leader. His steps rattled the skies.

Zhong Lou conjured the Chonglou Battle Form. All 11 layers burst at the same time. His body became extremely massive, and then he threw a punch at the Palace Lord of Xuanyuan, who was coming down on them. The two forces clashed in the air, causing a raging current to sweep all over the place. Everyone else was sent flying.

The Nanli tribe leader lashed out at Zhong Lou at the same time. Six Holiness of Nirvanas were taking on three of their counterparts. It was two against one by then, which proved more than enough to hold those outnumbered fighters back.

The fighting broke out in an instant. The army of Emperor Xia’s Realm joined hands with the mighty ones from Nanli tribe, the Beili tribe, and the Vermillion Bird tribe against those from the other three.

Xia Qingyuan stood high in the air, and there were mighty ones surrounding her for protection. She stared at the battlefield with cold eyes.

The incident was caused by the nine tribes, and that was where it would have ended.

The era of the nine tribes was to end on that very day.

There were spectators from afar watching the battle. It felt the skies and the earth were going to break. Their minds trembled violently, and they all knew a storm was coming.

Things were about to change for good.

“Grandfather, help me.” A shrilled shriek was heard, causing Zhu Kong to be shaken. However, he was being surrounded by swords from the Swordmaster of Lihen, and the Vermillion Bird tribe leader was lashing out from the side as well. His hands were full, and things looked dire. There was simply no way he had time to spare for others.

Zhu Kong’s face turned pale, and he felt rather unsettled. It was more than just his life at stake; it was something that concerned the life and death of his tribe.

There was no way he could have just shrugged it aside.

Despite having reached the highest of planes, he was unable to become absolutely cold and unfeeling.

Pfftt… A sword streaked by, making a gash on Zhu Kong’s body. He felt as if his soul had been cut. His face turned even paler as he found that his arm had almost been cut off.

“You dare ally with outsiders and treat your fellow members of the nine tribes like that,” Zhu Kong shouted as he lashed out at the Vermillion Bird tribe leader.

“If you still have the interests of the nine tribes in mind, then you shall heed the final orders of Emperor Kua,” the Vermillion Bird tribe leader replied. Zhu Kong was rendered speechless.

He was not in the only one in a predicament; the other two who allied with him were also having a hard time. From outside came faint streaks.

Zhu Kong’s eyes were reddened, and they did not become like this just from the flames. Yet another flash of the sword streaked through his chest. His clothes were bloodstained, and his face was pale as he let out a frustrated roar.

“I’m willing to surrender. Cease the fighting immediately,” Zhu Kong roared. His voice reverberated throughout their surroundings. Terrifying swords that streaked about stopped moving immediately, hovering around him. The Vermillion Bird tribe leader stopped attacking as well.

The other two Holiness of Nirvanas knew from Zhu Kong’s voice that there was no way to turn the tides.

If they were to simply keep fighting, other than ending up dead on the battlefield, their respective tribes would have also been slaughtered.

Xia Qingyuan was not there to bluff when she brought the army with her; she was truly there to end things. She did not bother showing mercy to her enemies, and every move she had taken was meant to deal a heavy blow on her enemies.

The fighting all over the battlefield gradually ceased then stopped altogether. However, the mighty ones from the overwhelmed three tribes were still being surrounded.

Everyone was waiting for Xia Qingyuan’s orders.

Countless pairs of eyes looked up at the woman in the air. Her eyes were cold, and her face was emotionless.

Seven Holiness of Nirvanas had led the elites from their seven tribes and descended upon Qianye City back then, looking grand and marvelous as they were out to kill Ye Futian and rob him of his lineage.

At that moment, she had the intention to let those three tribes feel what her side had felt back then.

“Cripple them for the time being,” Xia Qingyuan said coldly.

“You…” Zhu Kong and the others looked up at Xia QIngyuan. Their eyes were filled with cold anger, and the aura from their bodies was extremely cold.

“Resist, and we shall take you people as just pretending to surrender, and we shall kill all of you on the spot without further consideration for surrender.” Xia Qingyuan’s voice was overbearing, giving no chance to those three tribes.

If they resisted, they would not have another chance to surrender, and they would have been killed on the spot instead.

The three Holiness of Nirvanas looked extremely glum. They had never suffered greater humiliation before.

Furthermore, if they were to be crippled even only for the time being, they would have been akin to meat on a chopping board. They would not have been able to even object to whatever Xia Qingyuan would have done to them.

They would have been rendered utterly helpless.

But then again, there was no option for objection.

Xia Qingyuan had laid down the word—kill any who resist.

The mighty ones from the three tribes siding with Emperor Xia’s Realm shuddered as well. The fight was against Ye Futian, and they all seemed to have ignored Xia Qingyuan’s determination altogether. The genius of a princess from Emperor Xia’s Realm was still a descendant of a Renhuang, after all. That anger in her was about to cut off all means of escape for the opposing three tribes.

They claimed to be unwilling to submit to outsiders.

And at the moment, it was more than just submitting to outsiders from those three losing sides.

“We have expressed our willingness to surrender. Don’t take things too far, Princess,” Zhu Kong said.

“Losers have no right to negotiate. Dead or alive. The choice is yours,” Xia Qingyuan retorted in an overbearing manner and did not bother to say more. She then continued, “Do it.”

Now you want to talk about the dignity of Holiness of Nirvanas?

Are you all still dreaming?

Zhu Kong and the rest of his people shuddered slightly. It was no longer simply an insult.

It was as Xia Qingyuan put it, losers had no right to negotiate.

Xia Qingyuan did not bother even giving them a chance. If they chose to live, then they would have to cast everything aside. If they chose death, then they could at least die standing.

The Swordmaster of Lihen gathered his sword wills and flashed, heading straight for Zhu Kong. Two other Holiness of Nirvanas acted at the same time as well, heading towards the ones they were fighting before, bringing terrifying power to bear.

Zhu Kong lifted his head up to look at the sky. The Swordmaster of Lihen was getting increasingly close, and the sword wills were towering.

Zhu Kong clenched his fists, and the aura about him roared.

“Leader.”

A cracking noise was heard soon after. Zhu Kong felt his heart bleeding.

Zhu Kong had been akin to a de facto leader of the nine tribes, and he was about to end up as such at the moment.

The Swordmaster of Lihen was getting increasingly close. Sword wills buried his body, and the flames on Zhu Kong’s body roared.

He then closed his eyes, and the towering flames were snuffed out immediately, disappearing without a trace.

It was clear that he had made his choice.

The Swordmaster of Lihen pointed, and countless sword will penetrated his body. The attack was not meant to kill him, and it would not have gotten rid of all his training. It was simply meant to cripple him for the time being.

Sword will burst through Zhu Kong, destroying everything in his body. He grunted, and blood spilled from his mouth. His aura weakened rapidly.

The two Holiness of Nirvanas made their choices as well. Like Zhu Kong, they did not choose to resist.

The Palace Lord of Xuanyuan Palace landed heavy blows with his fists on Zhong Lou’s battle form, shattering it and causing Zhong Lou to feel as if his internal organs had all been destroyed. He returned to his original state, and his aura weakened just as rapidly.

The same happened with the Raven tribe leader.

All three Holiness of Nirvanas were cripples at that very moment. The three who attacked them did not bother showing any mercy.

“Haul all three of them back to Emperor Xia’s Realm. All people from their tribes are to ruled by the Nanli tribe, the Vermillion Bird tribe, and the Beili tribe,” Xia Qingyuan ordered. Zhu Kong and the rest were ashen.

What she did was akin to tearing their tribes apart.

Xia Qingyuan intended to have them work for Emperor Xia’s Realm, and she made sure that they would not have any thoughts of rebellion.

It was immensely brutal.

Emperor Xia’s Realm was not Crimson Dragon Realm; it was the turf of Emperor Xia. As prisoners of war and people who surrendered, they were obliged to do whatever was commanded of them. Emperor Xia would have killed them without question otherwise.

Furthermore, there was no escape for them at all. Their tribe members were all being controlled in Crimson Dragon Realm.

“Other than that, the Nanli tribe, the Vermillion Bird tribe, and the Beili tribe have been training for years in Crimson Dragon Realm. I assume that you all lacked communication with the outside world. I now offer an opportunity for members of the three tribes to train for a time in Emperor Xia’s Realm, what do you think?” Xia Qingyuan then continued, “The safety of your people will be taken care of in Emperor Xia’s Realm.”

There was no one present who did not understand what Xia Qingyuan meant. That was to say that she wanted the hostages to be at Emperor Xia’s Realm.

Xia Qingyuan did not trust them.

But then again, that was totally within reason. The three had headed to Qianye City with Zhu Kong before, after all. They had only turned against him and sided with Ye Futian after finding out that things were not in their favor.

There was no way Xia Qingyuan would have trusted them completely.

No one had noticed that princess from Emperor Xia’s Realm before. From the looks of things at present, it was obvious that she was someone decisive and brutal as well. Furthermore, one who did not bother giving face.

However, only by doing so would she have been able to ensure that the tribes would not betray her and threaten Ye Futian. From her standpoint, she was naturally doing this for the sake of Qianye City, or for Ye Futian.

They had decided to submit, and it was time for them to show that they were sincere about it.

“Fine.” The Beili tribe leader said, “This is my son, Beili Chuan, and he has not been a saint for long. He will bring some of his men to Emperor Xia’s Realm, and I hope you will be able to look after them.”

“You have my word.” Xia Qingyuan looked at the Beili tribe leader and nodded.

“What a fox,” the Nanli tribe leader cursed deep down. The Beili tribe had never attempted to actually do anything against Ye Futian, and at that moment, their tribe leader was also the first to express willingness to cooperate. He had to admit that the old fox was indeed cunning. Among the old nine tribes, it would have probably been the Beili tribe leader that Ye Futian would have trusted most, after Wu Yong.

The Beili tribe leader had shown that he was being sincere and the other tribes did the same naturally, sending important figures to Emperor Xia’s Realm.

With that, all nine tribes were then completely put under the rule of Ye Futian and Xia Qingyuan.