The Legend of Futian

Xia Qingyuan came to where Ye Futian was at the eighth floor of the Golden Hall of the Lotus, staring straight at him.

She saw Ye Futian being circled around by sword will at that moment, which gradually coalesced into a sword. Her eyes were filled with shock and puzzlement.

It seemed that her father was not wrong about Ye Futian. He was indeed possibly been of extraordinary birth.

A sword was seen circling around the World Tree in Ye Futian’s Life Palace after a while. The sword will fell and gave birth to a Sword Spirit.

The World Tree and Freedom Meditation had once against given birth to another Life Spirit. Of course, doing so required powerful references in reality for developing understanding.

Sword will flashed in Ye Futian’s eyes as he opened them. He turned around and found Xia Qingyuan standing there.

“The Taixuan Sword Sutra was of mysterious depth. My Catastrophe Swordmanship was imbued with understanding of the Taixuan Sutra as well,” Xia Qingyuan said to Ye Futian.

Ye Futian nodded. It was a training method mentioned explicitly by Yaya, so he had to copy it. He went on to comprehend the Taixuan Sword Sutra further, before continuing to roam about in the Golden Hall of the Lotus.

He came to a remote corner after a while and flipped through the methods available there.

“The training methods here are available for practice to those possessing specific powers or even Life Spirits. They are not one-size-fits-all types of methods. It is best not to make them methods to be passed down in the Holy Zhi Palace of the Barren State, but you are free to study them yourself,” Xia Qingyuan said to him.

The Taixuan Sword Sutra was not actually a specific training method of a certain way of the sword. It was more like a comprehensive outline of the arts of the sword, suitable for use for any swordsman. The Footwork of Xuanyuan and Huangting Fist Will were suited for cultivators training in multiple abilities, enabling them to meld their ways within.

Training methods found in the Golden Hall of the Lotus were all of saint level and melded well with the great path. Many of those methods were capable of being melded with great paths of different sort, bringing formidable powers to bear.

“Alright.” Ye Futian nodded and continued to read the methods over there.

A training method caught his eye after a while.

“Art of Thousand Phantasms.” Ye Futian read the book and was able to deduce from the title that it had something to do with illusions-related training.

It was indeed as Ye Futian had speculated after flipping the pages. The Art of Thousand Phantasms was indeed a book on the arts of illusions.

However, it possessed the ability to bring illusions into reality, changing one’s immediately reality so much that one could have even changed one’s appearance and bearing.

It was something that only cultivators training in spiritual type of arts could have trained in. Furthermore, the one created the art had a peculiar Life Spirit—the Fox of Thousand Transformations.

The Fox of Thousand Transformations was a peculiar beast capable of mystical abilities and take thousands of different forms. They were very eerie beings and legends had it that such foxes reaching enlightenment would have been able to enchant people, with nothing more than a single look.

There had been Foxes of Thousand Transformations taking forms of women of extreme beauty, possessing the ability to enthrall the people.

Ye Futian extended his spiritual power into the jade scroll of the book and felt a vast power of the great path. His eyes had even taken an eerie, demonic form, making them capable of enthralling others without fail.

There was a godly Fox of Thousand Transformations appearing in his spiritual world. Those eerie eyes seemed to have been able to cast him into the depths of an illusory world.

Boom. Ye Futian’s spiritual will shuddered violent as he shook free from those eyes. His spiritual will left the world of the jade scroll, yet the eyes imprinted in his mind nonetheless. In that split second, he felt as if his spiritual will had been taken over by something else.

The Eye of the Storm passed down by Emperor Ye Qing enabled him to take control of demonic beasts, yet that godly Fox of Thousand Transformations enabled it to take control of humans with its spiritual will. What differed was that the Eye of the Storm was capable of planting a mark in the target’s spiritual will, giving him permanent control. The Fox of Thousand Transformations, on the other hand, probably required eye contact to maintain the effects on the target’s spiritual will. Even so, it was nonetheless extreme terrifying.

Ye Futian’s eyes glimmered looking at the methods before him, seemingly thinking of something.

He stepped away after a while and went on to browse other arts.

Some time passed and he exited the Golden Hall of the Lotus, after picking the ten training methods. He left the Emperor Xia’s Palace and returned to the Cottage with the methods, letting the crowd take their pick on what to train with. At the same time, he had his teacher, Douzhan, as well as You Chi and the others, return to the Holy Zhi Palace of the Barren State with the training methods.

There was one among the ten that was of an extremely potent sealing art. Queen Xiao’s orders required that he only passed down the chosen methods within the Holy Zhi Palace of the Barren State. As such, Ye Futian suggested to the Moon Saint and had him pick the most extraordinary student among their clan to train within the Holy Zhi Palace. Doing so enabled them to gain the sealing art, so the Moon Saint agreed to it.

It made no difference whether said person trained in the Yue clan and the Holy Zhi Palace after all.

Furthermore, Ye Futian’s status at the Upper Worlds was such that he was placed with extreme importance by both Emperor Xia and the princess. Even if Queen Xiao intended to save his nephew, she had to resort to rewarding Ye Futian to do so instead. It was a testament of the bright future ahead of Ye Futian. There was simply no way the Moon Saint would have refused having one of his own clansmen train in the Holy Zhi Palace.

He clearly knew that Ye Futian had actually chosen the sealing art just so to return the favor of having the Yue clan participate in the sacred war.

He was even thinking if he himself should have joined the Holy Zhi Palace as well.

He would have been able to train in such a powerful saint level method by doing so after all.

Douzhan, You Chi and the others returned to the Lower Worlds, back to the Holy Zhi Palace after settling with the arrangements.

Ye Futian came to Emperor Xia’s Palace again and he went to look for Xia Qingyuan at her place instead.

“I need a favor from you, princess,” Ye Futian said to Xia Qingyuan.

“What would that be.” Xia Qingyuan looked at Ye Futian. He actually came asking me for help on his own will.

“I want to do something and I might require your assistance in the future,” Ye Futian said.

Seeing Ye Futian being serious, she straightened up herself and said, “Continue then.”

Ye Futian then told her about what he intended to do and Xia Qingyuan’s face saw a shocking change, saying, “Are you out of your mind?”

“You should know that I train in many abilities, princess. I saw that training method in the Golden Hall of the Lotus, and I think it is viable to do so,” Ye Futian continued.

“That is what you think is viable. What happens if things were to go south?” Xia Qingyuan stared at Ye Futian with a rather cold expression. What the hell is this bastard thinking?

Is there really a need to go so far for revenge?

Couldn’t you just wait for a bit?

“My training is now at the pinnacle of Sage Plane and I have even touched the power of the great path, so I’m not all that far from breaking into Saint Plane. I have developed some understanding training in the Golden Hall of the Lotus for months. If I were to break into Saint Plane, I’d need to experience more to temper my mind, allowing my state of mind to stabilize and further my plane level.”

Ye Futian’s eyes were adamant as he said, “That shall be one very perfect experience.”

“I still think it is too dangerous,” Xia Qingyuan said.

“Which is why I’d need your help, princess,” Ye Futian said.

“I’m not agreeing to this.” Xia Qingyuan eyed him coldly and her tone was just as determined.

Ye Futian frowned. What he intended to do would have been difficult to pull without cooperation from Xia Qingyuan. Furthermore, he would have required large amount of intel.

“So you’re concerned for my wellbeing then?” Ye Futian stared at Xia Qingyuan and asked all of a sudden.

Xia Qingyuan was dumbfounded and continued to glare with her cold eyes.

“You’re my valet now. It’s a waste to let you die just like that,” Xia Qingyuan replied coldly.

“Cultivators couldn’t just simply stick with the beaten path with their endeavors. Haven’t you ventured into the Empty Realm, braving the dangers to fight in the Battle of Empty Realm too, princess?” Ye Futian then continued saying to Xia Qingyuan, “What I intend to do is not actually all that dangerous, and furthermore, I’d have been able to serve his majesty by doing so. Why would you refuse my suggestion in such an adamant manner?”

Xia Qingyuan glared at Ye Futian without saying anything.

“There have been many who took the risk in the Battle of Empty Realm. You have participated in the battle personally and never flinched. Yet now you are worrying about my wellbeing. Are you hitting on me now?” Ye Futian provoked Xia Qingyuan with the look in his eyes. After spending so much time near one another, he naturally learned of Xia Qingyuan’s personality and knew what would have worked best on her.

Xia Qingyuan’s pride simply did not allow her to take such provocations and do nothing about it.

As expected, Xia Qingyuan glared at him with her cold eyes and said, “If you want to die so badly, fine, I’d oblige you. As for other matters, I’d suggest you not think too much about them.”

Ye Futian smiled after hearing Xia Qingyuan’s words and said, “Thank you for your help, princess.”

His body glimmered after thanking the princess. His Guqin Spirit hovered in the air. Xia Qingyuan had no idea what he was up to. She stared at Ye Futian, who then said, “I’d like to request you to destroy it, princess.”

Xia Qingyuan’s expression turned grim. That bastard has indeed gone nuts.

He is asking me to destroy his Life Spirit?

Even though she knew that Ye Futian had suffered having his Life Spirit destroyed before, but she was unable to fathom why he would have wanted her to destroy his Life Spirit right there and then.

“Are you hesitating, princess?” Ye Futian then continued, “If you wish to see me continue to live, then the Guqin Spirit needed to be destroyed.”

Xia Qingyuan then burst with terrifying will of Catastrophe Swordsmanship after hearing his words. Sword aura circled about her and her eyes were just as piercing as she gazed at Ye Futian’s eyes. She took one step and light of calamity glittered, turning into thousands of swords and swooped at Ye Futian’s Guqin Spirit.

The strings were broken and the Guqin Spirit was shattered with one rumble after another.

Ye Futian grunted and spitted blood. Xia Qingyuan pulled her sword wills back and glared at him coldly, “You satisfied now?”

She then turned around and left, leaving Ye Futian where he was. Her hands, which she had hidden in her sleeves, actually trembled a bit.

That bastard.

“Thank you for indulging in my request, princess,” Ye Futian lifted his head and looked at Xia Qingyuan, who was leaving. A bitter smile was seen in his eyes. That Guqin Spirit had been with him for many years. It actually pained him to destroy it.

It was especially so since the Guqin Spirit held significant meanings to him. His teacher, Hua Fengliu, Jieyu, his grandmaster, all of them were related to the guqin.

At that moment, his Guqin Spirit was no more.

However, determination was seen in Ye Futian’s eyes. Even though his Guqin Spirit was no more, he had no regrets.

What he needed to do next required the Guqin Spirit to be destroyed, replaced with other Life Spirits.

Ye Futian bent his knees and sat on the ground, beginning to recuperate from his injuries at the princess’ residence.