The Legend of Futian

The Heavenly Mandate Academy’s allies naturally knew of all this, and they sent people to him one after the other to speak with him about it.

At that time, Xiao Muyu came to see Ye Futian.

“Teacher, do you wish to ask me about the family?” she said to him.

Ye Futian nodded. He said, “I did not know that so much would happen when I first met Qingyao in the Hidden Land Realm. Otherwise, I don’t think I could have been so righteous. But since I already brought her here, I can’t just give her away. That would be too cruel. But I realize that I am not the only person here at the Heavenly Mandate Academy. I have spoken to Lord Taixuan about this. Anyone, master or student, can choose not to join us, and I will not hold it against you. I will do this myself if I must. If the Xiao clan and other forces are willing to help, I will do all I can to protect Qingyao. In short, I will do my best. I have spoken of this with others as well. You can report this back to your family.”

Xiao Muyu looked at Ye Futian, then smiled and said, “I do not know what my family will say, but I will support whatever choice you make.”

She had been born into one of the greatest power of the land, and she had become accustomed to people’s indifference. She did not know if what Ye Futian was doing was right or wrong. Different people would evaluate his actions differently, but to have someone standing alone amongst the cold world of cultivators made her feel warm.

This astounding teacher made her feel very safe, though she was not sure why.

Perhaps it was just faith.

“You are a goddess, there is no need to act like a young student,” said Ye Futian with a smile.

Xiao Muyu smiled back at him and said, “Then I will go and report to my family.”

“Alright,” said Ye Futian with a nod. Xiao Muyu left.

When she was gone, Ye Futian frowned. His words had been light, but there was a weight in his heart.

He was not a perfect person. If he had known that saving Qingyao would have caused such a stir, he probably would not have done so. After all, there were many pitiful girls like her in the world; he could not save them all.

But there were some things that once you had decided to do, you had to live with the consequences. This was not so much a sort of kindness as it was a sort of righteousness. It could also be called a code of conduct.

If his master had not given up his life to go to the Nandou clan, if Yi Xiang had not gambled his life, if the Cottage had abandoned him when he was in danger, if Qi Xuangang and Yan Yuan had handed him over to Emperor Li, then he would not exist.

Had they even known him that well?

His master had only taught him a few songs.

He had gone to the Cottage to study art.

And as for the Imperial Adviser and Yan Yuan, they were his natural enemies. All of them had plenty of reasons to abandon him.

But they had not. He had grown up in an environment like this, and so he would naturally maintain this kind of worldview.

Several days later, contrary to Ye Futian’s expectations, the teleportation matrix at the Heavenly Mandate Academy lit up incredibly brightly, making all the disciples look towards it.

A group of figures walked out. Ye Futian watched them too, his divine consciousness sweeping out towards them. He smiled and walked out to meet them.

Cultivators from various top forces had all arrived, but now the three powerful figures who had met once before were all here at the Heavenly Mandate Academy.

Now they were truly strong.

A feast was prepared, and Lord Taixuan, Ye Futian, and many others attended. No one brought up the matter of Qingyao, for no one needed to.

After the feast, all of the great figures were given rooms in the academy.

The whole academy was boiling over with discussions.

After the others left, Ye Futian, Lord Taixuan, and a few others stayed behind at the feast.

“Are you surprised?” Lord Taixuan asked Ye Futian, smiling.

“A little,” said Ye Futian with a nod. He had expected to encounter some resistance, not for things to go so smoothly. His three great allies had sent their strongest formations to support him and the decision he had made.

“It shouldn’t be hard to understand,” said Lord Taixuan, still smiling, a flash of wisdom in his eyes. He seemed to have already guessed what would happen.

Ye Futian looked into his eyes, then nodded slightly. He realized that he should have known, too.

“In such a chaotic situation, if the Heavenly Mandate Academy can stand firm in the Heavenly Mandate Realm, then in the future, you and the academy will represent the next era,” said Lord Taixuan.

What was happening now would possibly become an iconic event in the future.

“You are also one of the creators of this era,” said Ye Futian. Although there was a lot of pressure right now, he still believed that if he could persevere, they would make history.

“I am honored,” said Lord Taixuan with a smile.

…

Within the guest palace that the Xiao clan was staying in, Old Man Xiao, Xiao Qianshan, and Xiao Muyu were all together. They watched the elder of the family, Xiao Dingtian, enter the palace.

“Let’s go,” said Xiao Qianshan as he set off. Behind him, Xiao Han Jiang and Xiao Muyu followed.

“Grandfather.” Xiao Muyu seemed like she wanted to ask something.

“Are you surprised that we came here ourselves?” Xiao Qianshan asked her.

“Yes,” said Xiao Muyu, nodding. She was confused.

“You may be a Renhuang, but you are still young, and your sense of humanity is not well developed,” said Xiao Qianshan. “Right now, all the great forces are forming an alliance because we see Ye Futian’s power and potential and because he helped you. But what is the most important thing in our alliance?”

“Is it not your power?” asked Muyu.

“You could say that, but more precisely speaking, it is Ye Futian,” said Xiao Qianshan. “It is not just his talent, but it is also his way of doing things. That is, his character and his perseverance are key to this alliance. But if he gets other ideas, this alliance will be very fragile. So, the absolute trust of all parties involved is required.”

Xiao Muyu did not quite understand.

“Right now, he can put forth all his power to defend that young girl. In the future, if Qingyao runs into any difficulties, or if we do, will he not put forth all his power to help her or us as well? If he abandons her now, then what about when he runs into a similar situation in the future?” said Xiao Qianshan. “Ye Futian’s decision has vast implications. Thus, all the great forces have come here. We are expressing our position by being here ourselves. When the power of our alliance truly comes together, only then will it mean anything.”

Xiao Muyu nodded slightly. She finally understood why she had felt so safe after speaking to Ye Futian.

“But danger is still coming, no?” she asked. After all, their enemies were incredibly powerful.

“Of course,” said Xiao Qianshan with a smile. “But don’t forget, the forces that are here are the most powerful ones in the 3,000 Realms of the Great Path. Troubled times are approaching. In an era like this, compromise and retreat are neither wise nor safe. Only by moving forward through the storm and putting forth greater amounts of power can one stand firm. Heroes in chaotic times never compromise. They grow stronger through iron and blood.”

…

The vast Heavenly Mandate City seemed to be on a knife’s edge. Any activity there would attract the attention of many cultivators.

More and more legends about Ye Qingyao were spreading. Some people said she was the daughter of Hell, the dark inheritor.

Hell was coming to take her back.

Other legends said she was extremely talented. Ye Futian had noticed this and thus taken her as a disciple.

These legends spread throughout Heavenly Mandate City.

The cultivators of the Golden Divine Nation arrived at a restaurant. They had heard of these things too.

There were two powerful figures among them, the sovereign of the Golden Divine Nation, Gai Cang, and his brother Gai Qiong.

Gai Qiong knew all about the enmity between Ye Futian and the Golden Divine Nation. Right now, they had let the matter rest, but Ye Futian had killed two of his nephews, so it was not hard to know how he felt about him.

However, he was a vassal of Donghuang the Great. There was a good reason that they had been called together.

And his own goals were related to Hell. That was to say that his goal would harm Ye Futian.

That made him think. When should he make his move?

At that moment, another group of people entered the restaurant. Everyone around looked up at them, and suddenly their hearts trembled.

Even people off in the distance were shocked. After the cultivators of the Golden Divine Nation had arrived, the Shen clan had come as well. Moreover, they had brought several of their top figures.

This group of people was too powerful by far.

“Gai Cang, Gai Qiong!” came a voice from someone of the Shen clan.

“Shen Gao!” The sovereign and his brother said, looking at the man who had spoken. This man was a legendary figure whose name had shaken the Nine Realms many years ago. Naturally, all three of them knew each other.

“The sovereign of the Golden Divine Nation has come here personally. What are you doing here?” asked Shen Gao with a smile, sitting at a table not far away from them.

“We’re here to see all the chaos,” said Gai Cang indifferently. “What about you?”

“For exactly the same reason as you,” answered Shen Gao. “What about when you’ve had your fill of watching all this chaos?”

“We’ll see what happens then,” said Gai Cang.

“I heard that the cultivators of the Mountain Realm are here as well. The abbot himself came,” said Shen Gao. The abbot had had the chance to leave, but he had not. He had chosen to stay in this world.

“Yes, I heard about that. People from the Demon Realm have come here as well,” said Gai Qiong.

“The Demon Realm?” A look of surprise came over Shen Gao’s face. “They are interested in the Original Realm too?”

“Who knows? But I heard that they looked right into the master of Hell’s eyes and told him not to make any more trouble. Truly formidable. Who do you think the people who just arrived are?”

“Probably one of the Eight Great Demon Generals and his retinue, no?”

“If so, there will truly be some chaos to watch.”

As they were talking, a black-robed figure was still sitting all alone in another restaurant, eating and drinking calmly and quietly.

He was named Mei Ting, Mei meaning “Plum.”

He was one of the Eight Great Demon Generals of the Demon Realm, sworn to the service of the Demon Emperor!