Chapter 1048: Ingratitude
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Duan Ling Tian could still remember when he first went to the Darkstone Empire. He had encountered Feng Tian Wu in Phoenix Nest City when she was organizing a Groom Search Competition in front of the gates of the City Governor’s estate.
The Groom Search Competition was held by Feng Wu Dao with one purpose in mind. It was apparently due to some prophecy.
The purpose of the search was to find the fated man for Feng Tian Wu. According to the prophecy, the man could help her change the curse of the Innate Spirit Body that could not live past 30 years old.
At that time, Duan Ling Tian felt that the entire thing was absurd even though all the signs had pointed to him being the one.
However, he had no other choice but to believe in that prophecy now since it really did come true. It was indeed him who helped Feng Tian Wu break the curse of the Innate Spirit Body.
Feng Tian Wu was not 30 years old yet, and the Fire Spirit Body’s energy in her body had been suppressed before it transformed into a part of her body’s strength. It also propelled her Origin Energy to raise her cultivation base.
"It’s precisely because of that prophecy that Tian Wu met me. I don’t know what’s going to happen next but everything seems to be on course now." Duan Ling Tian sighed as he thought about the past.
Perhaps, the fate between him and Feng Tian Wu had already begun when he first laid eyes on her.
Destiny had already tied the both of them to each other.
During their journey to the Crimson Sky Kingdom from the Azure Forest Imperial Kingdom, Duan Ling Tian had intentionally slowed down in order to take care of Feng Tian Wu.
This time, his speed was a few times faster when he flew with Feng Tian Wu in his arms.
Due to his speed, he returned to the small town near Xiong Quan’s village in just a short amount of time.
The moment he reached the small town and returned to the inn, Duan Ling Tian noticed that Xiong Quan was still cultivating. It was as though he did not notice that he and Feng Tian Wu had left at all.
This time, Duan Ling Tian decided to wake Xiong Quan up.
"Young Master." Xiong Quan immediately woke up from his cultivation when he heard Duan Ling Tian calling out to him. He opened the door and bowed respectfully to Duan Ling Tian.
"Xiong Quan, let’s go to the Darkhan Dynasty," Duan Ling Tian said.
Xiong Quan proceeded to follow Duan Ling Tian without asking any question.
Although he finally managed to regain his cultivation base at the Void Prying Stage and the ability to fly after his meridians were cleansed, his speed was still slow.
At the very least, he was incredibly slow in Duan Ling Tian’s eyes.
Due to that, Duan Ling Tian brought him along with him to increase the speed.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Duan Ling Tian brought Xiong Quan along with him as he carried Feng Tian Wu all the way to the Darkhan Dynasty at lightning speed. They disappeared into the horizon in just a blink of an eye.
"Young Master, what happened to Miss Tian Wu?" During the journey, Xiong Quan noticed Feng Tian Wu showed no signs of movement at all as she lay cradled in Duan Ling Tian’s arms.
"There are some issues so she’s in a coma for the time being," Duan Ling Tian replied.
He knew deep in his heart that it was unlikely she would wake up before her soul was healed. Fortunately, her cultivation base had reached the stage of Inedia so she could survive without eating anything.
The important thing now was to look for the 1,000 or 10,000 Year Frost. That was the only way to preserve her body so that it would not be affected by external factors.
Xiong Quan nodded. Although he still had a few questions in his heart, he did not press the matter. He was a smart person. He knew what kind of questions he could ask, and what he should not ask.
After a few days, Duan Ling Tian finally arrived at the capital of the Darkhan Dynasty with Xiong Quan in tow. His first destination was the Darkhan Dynasty’s Imperial Palace. He hovered in the air as he made his presence known.
"Duan Ling Tian is here to pay a visit!" Duan Ling Tian’s thunderous voice spread to every nook and cranny in the Darkhan Dynasty’s Imperial Palace.
"Duan Ling Tian is here?" The entire palace suddenly erupted in a clamor.
There was no one in Darkhan Dynasty that did not know who Duan Ling Tian was. He was the strongest person in the Martial Competition that was held by the Darkhan Dynasty. Moreover, he had also won the first place in the Martial Competition of the Ten Dynasties in the Foreign Lands.
In their opinion, Duan Ling Tian was the glory of Darkhan Dynasty! This was because he managed to defeat the other young powerhouses from the other nine great dynasties and brought honor to the Darkhan Dynasty!
"Duan Ling Tian?" Naturally, there were a few people in the Imperial Palace who turned pale as their heartbeat accelerated. These people included the Emperor and the few Old Princes of the Darkhan Dynasty.
The reason they were able to break through to the Void Transformation Stage was all thanks to Duan Ling Tian. One could say that they were indebted to Duan Ling Tian.
However, there were three groups of powerhouses who had visited prior to this, and they had no choice but to betray Duan Ling Tian by disclosing his origin to the three groups of powerhouses.
Due to this reason, they felt ashamed and guilty.
"Duan Ling Tian is still alive?" The Emperor and the few Old Princes of the Darkhan Dynasty gathered together. Astonishment was clearly written on their faces. They found the entire thing inconceivable.
All three groups of powerhouses who came to find them were so powerful that even if they were to join forces they still would not be able to defeat them.
It was obvious that all three groups of powerhouses who came looking for Duan Ling Tian in the Darkhan Dynasty had bad intentions.
However, Duan Ling Tian was still alive and well after meeting them?
"Is he here to denounce us?"
"Most likely."
"We’re indeed at fault. B-But, how did he survive the three groups of powerhouses?"
"Perhaps that three groups of powerhouses didn’t do anything to him?"
"Impossible! Almost all of them had bloodthirsty killing intent shooting out of their eyes when the name ’Duan Ling Tian’ was mentioned. There’s no way they would let him off!"
The few of them buried their heads together in discussion. In the end, they had no choice but to admit Duan Ling Tian must have survived the three groups of powerhouses and had come to the Imperial Palace to denounce them.
"I’ll go on my own. The few of you stay here and protect His Majesty!" One of the Old Princes who was Zi Shang’s master in the past told the other Old Princes of Darkhan Dynasty.
"Imperial Uncle!" The Darkhan Dynasty’s Emperor’s face turned pale immediately.
"Don’t worry, Your Majesty. It doesn’t matter even if Duan Ling Tian is here to denounce us. He might not be stronger than me." The Old Prince smiled.
He flew out and headed in the direction of the voice when he finished his sentence. He did not wait for the Emperor’s reply.
Duan Ling Tian hovered in the air as he hugged Feng Tian Wu close to his chest. His gaze was as sharp as a falcon. It was as though he could see through everything.
Soon after, he noticed a familiar figure soaring up to the sky before arriving in front of him in just a blink of an eye.
"Zi Shang’s master?" Duan Ling Tian immediately recognized the old man before him. This old man could be considered as an old acquaintance.
Although the old man and Zi Shang had a master-disciple relationship, he did not help Zi Shang to fight Duan Ling Tian. At least that was what Duan Ling Tian believed.
Due to this reason, there was no enmity between him and this old man.
"Duan Ling Tian, when did you return from the Blade Sect?" The old man asked in a friendly manner even though his smile was forced.
"Just some time ago." Duan Ling Tian did not beat around the bush and bluntly said, "Old Prince, the reason I came this time is to ask for a favor from the imperial family. I believe it’s not a difficult request for the Imperial Family to fulfill."
"You’re the great benefactor of our Darkhan Dynasty. As long as it’s something within the imperial family’s power, we’ll definitely help you out. Just tell me," the old man responded.
He heaved a sigh of relief when he realized the purpose of Duan Ling Tian’s visit was not to denounce them.
Although he appeared confident in front of the Darkhan Dynasty’s Emperor, he could not help but feel anxious in his heart. He was not confident he could win against the current Duan Ling Tian.
In his eyes, Duan Ling Tian was simply a monster!
From the Martial Competition to the Martial Competition of the Ten Dynasties, he had witnessed Duan Ling Tian’s progress with his own eyes.
The last time he saw Duan Ling Tian was when he decided to join the Blade Sect.
In his opinion, Duan Ling Tian’s strength would definitely increase after joining the Blade Sect.
It was not impossible for Duan Ling Tian to surpass him.
Monsters generally did not adhere to common logic.
Moreover, he was still alive and well even though the three groups of powerhouses went looking for him just a while back. Something did not feel right to him regarding this matter.
Due to this reason, he did not dare to be negligent when he met Duan Ling Tian. Instead, he treated him with the utmost care.
"I’m here for one thing. I wonder if the imperial family has the 10,000 Year Frost?" Duan Ling Tian asked bluntly as he looked at the old man.
10,000 Year Frost!
The instance the old man heard Duan Ling Tian’s words, his eyes narrowed immediately.
The 10,000 Year Frost was ice that had accumulated for ten thousand years. It would not melt at all even if it was burned by common fire, a low-grade Pill Fire or a Weapon Flame.
Just a small piece of the 10,000 Year Frost was enough to calm one’s agitated mind so that one could enter a better cultivation state. It allowed one to cultivate in a way that would require half the effort but yield double the usual results.
One could easily imagine just how precious the 10,000 Year Frost was.
He had a seat cushion that was made from the 10,000 Year Frost. Usually, he would use it when he found it difficult to calm down when he was cultivating.
"Duan Ling Tian, I wonder how much your strength has risen after you joined the Blade Sect?" The old man did not respond to Duan Ling Tian’s question. Instead, he arbitrarily asked a question of his own.
Naturally, his decision to ask the question was not without reason.
He wanted to know what stage Duan Ling Tian’s strength was currently at so he could assess if it was worth it for the imperial family to give the 10,000 Year Frost away.
This was because the Darkhan Dynasty’s imperial family did not have many 10,000 Year Frost left.
"Why? Do you want to see if I’m worthy of obtaining the 10,000 Year Frost, Old Prince?" Duan Ling Tian asked with narrowed eyes. He easily saw through the old man’s intention.
The old man felt awkward when his intention was seen through by Duan Ling Tian, but he did not deny it.
"If I remember correctly, the Darkhan Dynasty’s imperial family seems to have benefited a lot from the Skywolf Fort and the Blade Sect because of me right?" Duan Ling Tian said, "I think the 10,000 Year Frost is not as precious compared to the benefits that all of you obtained because of me right?"
The instance these words left his mouth, the old man became even more awkward. However, he still remained silent.
"Since you want to have a taste of my strength, Old Prince, I’ll fulfill your wish!" Duan Ling Tian’s eyes suddenly turned cold as he took a stride forward.