The Legend of Futian - Chapter 1076

Chapter 1076: Making A Move

Xia Qingyuan spent most of her time at the place where the Space Sacred Mountain was, training. However, at that moment, she was standing on top of one of the mountains there, staring blankly at the vista before her.

She had spent her many years training diligently, chasing after her father’s footsteps, trying to be able to succeed her father’s will. Her mindset for training had always been solid and firm. She had always been extremely disciplined and spent minimal time thinking about things that had little to do with training. Yet, currently, she was in a dazed state, and her emotions were somewhat unstable. Such an emotional state should not have happened, yet there was no doubt that it had happened.

Xia Qingyuan closed her eyes and steadied her breathing, trying her very best to recompose herself and fend off the unnecessary thoughts. Wind blew from far away at that moment. Xia Qingyuan closed her eyes, and her eyebrows twitched. She looked rather cold.

Someone appeared behind Xia Qingyuan, and it was none other than Xiao Sheng. Xia Qingyuan naturally knew what the Xiao clan wanted of her, especially when the members of the clan concerned were her uncle and her cousin. While she had not spent much time around them, she knew what they were up to.

She did not deliberately distance herself from them. In the world of cultivators, imperial power was more than just political power; it also could bring everything to its knees. The very reason why her father was the Emperor was that her father was a Renhuang, an emperor of humanity. Her relatives couldn’t usurp power from him, and the Xiao clan dared not even harbor such thoughts. They only wanted to be closer to the Renhuang to achieve a higher status.

If Xiao Sheng were to prove capable enough, Xia Qingyuan would not have been opposed to the idea, as he was her cousin and a clansman of her mother’s family. She would have helped promote him if he proved capable. She knew that, and the Xiao clan knew that. As such, Xiao Sheng had indeed intended to establish his worth through his efforts in the Battle of Empty Realm. It was a pity that there was that one person who had outshined everyone else in the Battle of Empty Realm. All the others had no choice but to be kicked to the sidelines.

“What matters do you have with me, cousin?” Xia Qingyuan turned around and looked at Xiao Sheng. Xiao Sheng was dumbfounded as he looked at the stunning eyes of his cousin. He was unable to see any anger in those clear eyes of hers, and he had no idea what she thought of him at the moment.

Nonetheless, she addressed him as “cousin,” and that still counted for something. Despite being the princess of Emperor Xia’s Realm, she was still the biological daughter of his aunt. But then again, Xiao Sheng dared not be too casual just because Xia Qingyuan addressed him as a “cousin.” He bowed and said, “I’ve something to say, Princess.”

“Speak then.” Xia Qingyuan nodded.

“While it was without doubt that we won the Battle of Empty Realm this time due to Ye Futian and that it is only natural that you trust and reward him for his efforts, he showed his faults near the end of the Battle of Empty Realm despite his merits. I think that it is a bit too much to simply assign all of those who are meant to protect you to him after you have rewarded our people.”

Xia Qingyuan locked her eyes on Xiao Sheng as he spoke. She then asked, “Do you think that I rewarded Ye Futian a bit too much then?”

“Indeed.” Xiao Sheng lowered his head and continued, “I dared not bring that up in front of everyone else, so I am bringing it up before you now, Princess. Right before the Battle of Empty Realm ended, he could have just cut down the imperial flag, bagging the victory for Emperor Xia’s Realm, yet he did not do so. Instead, he caused many deaths to our people only to fulfill his wishes. Does that not count as a fault of his? While the army is impressed with his merits and the importance that you’ve placed upon him, thus not daring to speak their minds in public, I’m afraid there’ll be talk behind his back.”

“One cultivates the mind on the journey to cultivation. While it is true that the states of mind of cultivators are unyielding and vast, there are simply no saints and sages without flaws. What do you think about the comparison of military strengths between Emperor Li’s Realm, Demon Peacock Emperor’s Realm, and Emperor Xia’s Realm now that the Battle of Empty Realm is over?” Xia Qingyuan asked.

“Emperor Li’s Realm is the strongest, while Emperor Xia’s Realm and the Demon Peacock Emperor’s Realm are perhaps in a tie, but it’s hard to tell for sure,” Xiao Sheng answered.

“If we were to take the powers of Ye Futian and his people into consideration, and how Yuan Jin fought right before he died, there is no doubt that Emperor Li’s Realm is the strongest, while Emperor Xia’s Realm is right behind it. Demon Peacock Emperor’s Realm is not all that far behind ours. Yet, if we were to take Ye Futian and his people out of the equation, Emperor Xia’s Realm would certainly be the weakest.”

Xia Qingyuan then slowly added, “As such, if it had not been for Ye Futian and his people, what do you think our odds at coming out on top would have been? How many lives would have been lost?”

Xiao Sheng hung his head low, hearing her words, as he was unable to say anything. While he still had his ideas that he clung to. What Xia Qingyuan thought of Ye Futian was naturally based on her point of view. Yet his perspective of looking at the problem was the exact opposite of Xia Qingyuan’s.

“Now that we have won the Battle of Empty Realm and that the Demon Peacock Emperor’s Realm out of the picture, if we were to fight Emperor Li’s Realm head-on, how many lives would be lost?” Xia Qingyuan continued to ask. Xiao Sheng continued to hang his head low and stay silent. If that was how his cousin looked at things, then it was pointless how he looked at things.

“Everyone has their standpoint, and they see what is in their best interest. While I’m not an exception myself, I do not think there is any flawlessly altruistic person. That is not a saint. A person who can be cast their standpoint aside and consider the best interests of other people is a god. What I’m able to see are but merits and faults. If one’s merits are greater than their faults, then they naturally need to be rewarded. We will rule the Empty Realm for ten years. Is seven days of reward that out of the question?”

Xia Qingyuan gazed at Xiao Sheng and said, “Before you ask strict requirements of others, it’s best to first look at yourself.”

Xiao Sheng’s pupils, which were looking at the ground, contracted. That line sounded rather severe. The joy that she brought him by addressing him as “cousin” was thrown out of the window at that very moment.

“You should excuse yourself,” Xia Qingyuan said coldly. Xiao Sheng cupped his hands slightly and then excused himself. Xia Qingyuan continued to gaze far off. It was rare for her to say so much. She had said a lot that day and made her words sound severe in hopes of being able to tell Xiao Sheng to reflect on himself. That was considered a reminder from her. If Xiao Sheng had not been her cousin, she would not have even bothered saying that much to him in the first place.

“Li Yao, what do you mean by this?” A silhouette was seen shooting past from faraway. One figure after another appeared and blitzed at frightening speeds, heading for one single direction. Xia Qingyuan turned her eyes in that direction, and she frowned. She then stepped out as a blue phoenix appeared beneath her feet. She quickly appeared elsewhere as she zipped past in the sky. A small group of people appeared faraway. Other than Li Yao, there were also several saints in that group.

“The outcome of the Battle of Empty Realm is set. This place is now under Emperor Xia’s Realm’s command. Unrelated ones are forbidden to come near. What do you all from Emperor Li’s Realm mean by doing this?” the Sacred General of Tian said asked, sending shockwaves throughout the space.

Many turned to look at Li Yao, thinking if he was trying to renege on the deal the realms had made. That could have only happened if Emperor Li attempted to wage a war against Emperor Xia.

“I just happened to be free and wanted to pay a visit to Princess Qingyuan,” Li Yao smiled and said. Xia Qingyuan frowned and asked the sacred general telepathically, “Are there many of them?” If those people had indeed come all the way here, then there was no way their numbers would have been that small.

“There are quite a number of saints appearing near the place. Some of them are of advanced training.” The Sacred General of Tian then asked, “Do you wish to retreat,

Princess?”

“No need for that,” Xia Qingyuan replied. If Li Yao dared to come on his own, then she did not believe that he would dare make a move against her.

“Li Yao, the three emperor’s realms agreed that the region would be entrusted to the party that won. This place is now Emperor Xia’s Realm’s territory. Any unauthorized entry shall be seen as an invasion.” Xia Qingyuan then added coldly, “Everyone else, here are your orders. If the people of Emperor Li’s Realm dare take another step into the region, kill them.”

“I’m just taking a stroll around these parts. There is no need to get so serious, Princess,” Li Yao said as he smiled nonchalantly, turning his eyes to the matrixes at the mountains. He said, “How many great path fragments had been unearthed so far?”

“None of your business,” Xia Qingyuan replied.

They were several people taking flight. They left the place at frightening speeds as the two spoke.

…

Ye Futian and the others were still at Xuanji Mountain. They spent a considerable amount of spirit stones of the great path to trade for several training methods. The saints of Barren State acquired one set of methods each, which included the Moon Saint as well. He owed the Moon Saint for what the saint did to help him back at the Sacred War of the Nine States, which he was compelled to repay. Whenever he could afford to look out for the Moon Saint, he would do his part to help out.

Ye Futian squatted before a pavilion, but he was feeling somewhat uneasy. It was as if he was being watched. Several silhouettes appeared beside Ye Futian. Yaya and the Glass Saint, both of whom had been faraway, closed in on him. They were not the only ones to do so. Several powerful cultivators assigned by Xia Qingyuan came close behind Ye Futian, as they all seemed to have felt something.

Ye Futian acted as if he had sensed nothing and continued to chat. He stood up a while later and asked Yaya telepathically, “Are they powerful?”

“I sensed saintly aura from them, and they were all keeping an eye on you,” Yaya replied telepathically. Ye Futian naturally sensed someone staring at him.

“We’ll just wait around and see,” Ye Futian said telepathically. With him out in the open and his supposed enemies in the dark, it was only natural that he dared not pull anything rash. While he was indeed being protected by several extremely powerful figures, if it were powerful saints making a move against him, it would have been difficult for them to protect him.

Ye Futian felt rather cold inside at the moment. Those from Emperor Li’s Realm had lost. Are they really coming for me now? he wondered. He naturally understood that the end of the Battle of Empty Realm did not mean that Li Yao would not have dared to kill him. While he dared not make a move against Xia Qingyuan, the same could not have been said for Ye Futian.

Ye Futian understood why Xia Qingyuan arranged for people to stay by his side for protection. While Xia Qingyuan acted coldly and smiles were hardly seen on her face, she was actually being rather kind to him. He was able to tell that much after getting in touch with her more frequently.

“See Li Yao anywhere?” Ye Futian asked Yaya telepathically. If Li Yao was there, things would have been easier.

“Nowhere to be found,” Yaya answered. Ye Futian’s expression turned somewhat colder. If Li Yao were to be present when those people tried to make a move on him, then the Prince would have been made a target by everyone else. As such, it was most advantageous for him not to be around. It seemed that Li Yao had thought things out clearly.

“If we were to make the first move, what are the odds that we get to take them down?” Ye Futian asked again.

“We can’t even be sure where many of them are. We’re only able to keep an eye on the few who are watching you. We can’t tell if there are others hidden in Xuanji Mountain,” Yaya answered. She dared not make any moves without knowing what they were up against.

Ye Futian’s expression was cold. They were out in the open while the enemy was in the dark. Man, this feeling sucks! he thought.