Against the Gods - Volume 04 - Burning Heaven’s Fury

by Mars Gravity

  Yun Che slightly nodded, and said: “I did indeed come here for a matter, and need Elder Sikong’s assistance. May I inquire where is he currently?”

  “My father?” Sikong Du stopped for a bit, then said: “Father just happened to have gone to the south two days ago, and only can return after three days at the very least… If it’s not something too important, you can tell me, and I may be of help.”

  “It’s not too great of a matter.” Yun Che did not hesitate, and said: “I am currently about to head back to Floating Cloud City, and pick my grandfather and little aunt with me. Xiao Clan is cowardly and heartless, and owes my grandpa and little aunt too much. After my reunion with them, it’s not possible for me to let them remain in the Xiao Clan anymore. The Imperial City is currently full of foul air, and adding to all the different forces over there, the situation is complicated. I won’t be at ease to settle them down there either, so…”

  Regarding the matter of Yun Che and Xiao Clan, Sikong Du had heard from Sikong Han before. He instantly understood, and said while smiling: “I had thought it would be something difficult, so it was actually such a simple matter. This matter does not need to go through my father, I can promise here right now, if Uncle Xiao is willing to come here, any of positions up to vice palace chief or instructor, down to security or just nothing but relaxation, Uncle Xiao can freely choose. In here, absolutely no one would treat him badly.”

  Sikong Du laughed and said: “Besides, with your reputation, to settle your grandfather down at our New Moon Profound Palace, Palace Chief Zhou and even the New Moon City’s Mayor would wish to personally shoulder a carriage to greet him. And perhaps, even Blue Wind Profound Palace would come from afar to grab them. This is not you asking us for help, but is gifting New Moon Profound Palace with a colossal present.”

  Yun Che knowingly smiled, and said: “Alright, then I’ll bother Senior Brother Sikong for this. I will be heading back to Floating Cloud City right now.”

  “Be careful on the way. I heard that after you crashed Fen Juecheng and Princess Cangyue’s wedding, and gravely wounded Fen Juecheng, Burning Heaven Clan’s people are searching for you everywhere. A thousand year sect like Burning Heaven Clan, had never received such humiliation before. Even though you are already extremely famous and there are a lot of supporters and admirers of you, Burning Heaven Clan would certainly not just let it go. It’s best if you can hide your tracks at all times.” Sikong Du reminded.

  Yun Che made a casual smile: “I got it.”

  Everyone all knew that Yun Che had crashed Burning Heaven Clan’s Young Clan Master’s bridal escort, but they did not know that Yun Che had counter-killed the eight Sky Profound Realm experts Burning Heaven Clan had sent to hunt him down… And that even included the Great Elder. Otherwise, Blue Wind Empire would have been even more intensely stirred because of him.

  “Ah right, there’s something that happened, I don’t know would be of help to you or not.” Sikong Du recalled something, and suddenly spoke: “When I returned from sending my father outside New Moon City away a few days ago, I faintly saw a very familiar annoying face. You also know this person, and seemed to have conflicted with you before.”

  “Who?” Yun Che questioned.

  “Fen Juechen!”

  “Him?” Yun Che froze for a bit. Fen Juechen, Fen Duanhun’s third son. Because he was at odds with Fen Juebi, he left the Burning Heaven Clan and entered Blue Wind Profound Palace, and held number one on the Inner Palace’s Heavenly Profound Rankings. Yet on the day of departure to Heavenly Sword Villa, in order to participate in the Ranking Tournament, he was beaten down by Yun Che for angering him! And because of that, he wasn’t able to attend the Ranking Tournament. There were no news of him at all after that.

  “When I left the Blue Wind Profound Palace, from the rumors, it seems that he had returned to Burning Heaven Clan because of Fen Juebi’s death, and I didn’t pay him attention any longer. That day I took a hurried glance, and it seemed to be him. But he has no reason to appear here, and there aren’t any off movements from Burning Heaven’s Branch Clan either… Or perhaps I was just seeing things.” Sikong Du said hesitatingly.

  Yun Che pondered for a while, then said as he nodded: “I understand. Senior Brother Sikong, thank you for telling me these. We should be meeting again very soon.”

  After exchanging Sound Transmission Imprints with Sikong Du, Yun Che left New Moon Profound Palace, and rushed straight toward Floating Cloud City riding the Snow Phoenix Beast.

  ——————————————

  As the smallest city of Blue Wind Empire, Floating Cloud City seemed to never have any fate with “lively” and “bustling”.

  When the small city that appeared slightly quiet and old appeared in full view, Yun Che’s heart uncontrollably jumped with “thump” “thump” sounds.

  Having lived here for sixteen years, how could Yun Che not have any emotions toward the small city that carried all his childhood memories.

  The Floating Cloud City within his vision became increasingly nearer and bigger; slowly, he faintly saw Xiao Clan’s location, and that dark-green colored rear mountain behind Xiao Clan.

  A nostalgic emotion rippled within his heart as the silhouettes of two people emerged in his mind with incomparable clarity. The desire to immediately see them was as intense as a flood being held back by a dam. Looking forward, his eyes became faintly misty, and uncontrollable mutters to himself came from his mouth: “Grandpa, Little Aunt, I’m back… I’m back…. I will never let anyone oppress and harm you ever again….”

  As his emotions flooded, he had already arrived above Floating Cloud City’s city gates. If he were to continue, the Snow Phoenix Beast would no doubt instigate a huge uproar within the entire city. Yun Che put away the Snow Phoenix Beast, landed outside of the city gates, and walked into the familiar yet slightly foreign Floating Cloud City on foot.

  Unwittingly, three years had already passed.

  These three years of experience, thinking from it now, were really like a dream.

  At first, when he left Floating Cloud City with swallowed hatred, he swore to come back with strength enough to crush Xiao Clan within three years, and make the entire Xiao Clan beg his Grandfather and Little Aunt to leave the Reflection Gorge on their knees… And that time, even though he swore it, he clearly knew how difficult it was to achieve it. Thus, he desperately trained and cultivated with all his might, and desperately provoked enemies to enhance himself to the greatest extent.

  At that time he wouldn’t have thought that after three years, his strength would become far more than just being able to crush Xiao Clan… The Xiao Clan at this moment, before the level of his current strength, wasn’t even qualified for him to spare a straight glance.

  Walking on Floating Cloud City’s ground, Yun Che’s steps were actually somewhat unsteady. Even though his heart was incomparably eager, his steps were actually not that fast. He was thinking, that after meeting Grandpa and Little Aunt, just how should he hug them, and what should he say to them; should he laugh, or should he cry…

  There weren’t too few nor too many pedestrians in Floating Cloud City’s streets. Everyone walked hurriedly, and there wasn’t anyone to notice him. Even if they brushed past his shoulders, there wasn’t anyone who would directly discern him as that wastrel and joke who was chased out of Floating Cloud City three years ago.

  Yun Che walked through one street after another, as he increasingly neared Xiao Clan. At this time, he stopped his steps, raised his head and looked at the dignified gate before him. Two huge golden words were engraved on the sign above the gate:

  Xia Manor.

  This was Xia Qingyue and Xia Yuanba’s home.

  As a merchant family, Xia Manor would ordinarily always emit a kind of bustling air that carried the smell of commerce. But standing before Xia Manor’s gate right now, what Yun Che felt was a sort of silence never recorded in his memories. He stood there for a long while, and did not continue f
orward. Instead, he hid his presence, vaulted high up over the wall, and silently landed within Xia Manor’s great courtyard.

  Chapter 325: Entering with a Kick

  As the richest family of Floating Cloud City, just the various kinds of servants and maids already amounted to two or three hundred, and the atmosphere was normally exuberant and rowdy when they entered and exited. But when Yun Che entered, there was only a green clothed male servant gently sweeping the ground in the empty courtyard. Most of the hundreds of houses and halls had their doors tightly shut, making the atmosphere lifeless and stagnant. Only those rare and valuable flowers and plants that were still blooming with life became the only signs of vitality in the place.

  Yun Che’s heart slightly felt anxious.

  What was going on? Why would this place be so quiet and still? Where were the Xia Family’s people? Where were Uncle Xia are the others?

  Yun Che originally snuck in here with the intention to directly find Xia Hongyi and ask him if Xia Yuanba had returned here, but didn’t expect that he would actually see such a desolate scene. As he was dazed, he didn’t deliberately hide his figure either. That servant who was sweeping the ground saw him the moment he turned around, and instantly screamed out startled: “Who… Who are you? When did you get in…”

  As he screamed halfway, he discerned Yun Che’s face and instantly froze for a moment, and said hesitatingly: “You… aren’t you Xiao Family’s… um…”

  Even though it had been three years already, other than some added coldness between Yun Che’s brows, there wasn’t really much change to his appearance. After all, the higher one’s profound strength realm was, the slower age would leave scars on one’s body. With the few great divine arts on him, as well as the blood of Phoenix and Dragon God, he had at least, over a thousand years of lifespan.

  Yun Che advanced a few steps forward, and spoke without beating around the bush: “I am precisely that Yun Che who was kicked out of the Xiao Clan three years ago! Tell me, what happened to Xia Family? Where’s your lord? Has your Young Master come back in these two years? Why did Xia Family become like this?”

  That servant lad looked fixedly at Yun Che for a while, and his expression became sullen at once: “My Lo… lord has left… He left a year ago…”

  “Left?” Yun Che’s brows knitted: “Where did he go? Why did he leave?”

  The servant’s voice started to carry a tearful tone: “My Lord did not want to leave either, but he really has gone through too much… I accompanied my Lord for over twenty years. He is gentle, kind and never sorrowful on the surface, but I had always known the pain inside him…. Ten-odd years ago, Madam had already passed away; after that, my Lord had often washed his face with his own tears when alone. For an entire ten-odd years, he never remarried. Later… later on, Young Miss entered the Frozen Cloud Asgard, and became a person half out of the world. But then my Lord, at the very least, still had Young Master… But even Young Master went missing; if said he’s alive, there was still no one who could find his live person, but if said he’s dead, no one could find his corpse either. No one knew just where he went, and whether he is still alive or not… Madam is gone, Young Miss became one of the Frozen Cloud Asgard’s people, and now my Lord’s only son went missing, his life uncertain. Even though my Lord had experienced trials and hardships for over half his lifetime, he still couldn’t handle it!”

  “…Then where did he go? Don’t tell me, he went to search for your Young Master?” Yun Che said as his heart tightened.

  “Yes.” The servant nodded: “My Lord said that if Young Master was really gone, then what was the point of the family being ten times more wealthier? A year ago, my Lord sold off the family possessions, disbanded the servants, and left by himself, only leaving I and Old Liu to keep an eye on this big and empty courtyard.”

  “Then did he say where he was heading to?” Yun Che anxiously asked. Xia Hongyi only had Xia Yuanba as his only son. With no news of him and his life or death uncertain, it was indeed an unendurable blow.

  The servant thought for a long while, and said: “When my Lord left, I also asked where he was heading to, but he did not tell me. However, I remember when I helped my Lord pack his things, my Lord held an ebony wood tablet and felt it for a long time. I secretly paid attention to that tablet. There were no words on the tablet at all, but on their engraved… a black colored crescent moon marking.”

  Black colored… crescent moon…

  Black moon?

  Black Moon Merchant Guild!

  As the biggest merchant guild in the Profound Sky Continent, the Black Moon Merchant Guild was present throughout every single city and town in the continent, and could be said as to have a finger in every pie. Also, its strong point was not simple because it was the greatest mercantile empire, it also controlled the most intricate information network in the continent. The profit that the Black Moon Merchant Guild made from selling information annually, was also an astronomical number that was difficult to imagine.

  Since he had a Black Moon Merchant Guild’s tablet, Xia Hongyi probably had some kind of relationship with the Black Moon Merchant Guild. And if he were to search for Xia Yuanba, relying on the Black Moon Merchant Guild’s information network, was unquestionably the most reliable method.

  However, even though the Xia Family was the wealthiest in Floating Cloud City, in the eyes of the Black Moon Merchant Guild, or even just a branch of a Branch Merchant Guild, it simply wasn’t worth mentioning at all. So how would he be related to the Black Moon Merchant Guild? Could it be that he had some friends in Black Moon Merchant Guild, or had helped them in some way?

  “Don’t worry, your Young Master is going to be fine. Uncle Xia is a prudent person, and nothing will happen to him either. They should be reunited very soon.” Yun Che comforted, which also could be said as comforting himself. He didn’t know just where Xia Yuanba had went. Even after Cang Yue mobilized the Imperial Family’s power and searched for so long, there were still no news regarding him at all.

  “My Lord had always been kind at heart, and even treated us servants the same as family. Just why did he end up with such a fate, to have been separated from both wife and children. Sigh, the heavens are really unjust. I wonder just when my Lord will come back.” The servant spoke with tears in his eyes.

  Yun Che did not speak anymore, and left Xia Manor with a slightly heavy heart.

  “Yuanba, just where exactly did you go? If you’ve already gotten news of me still being alive, then come back soon… I did not die from saving you. Instead, I even met my first blood relative, and even gained a great opportunity. There’s no need for you to blame yourself anymore.” Yun Che muttered to himself with a low voice as he walked on the streets.

  Not long after, Xiao Clan’s gate appeared before his eyes. The two flamboyant words, “Xiao Clan”, everything was exactly the same as in his memories, and had not changed in the slightest. Seemingly, nothing intrinsic had changed because of Xiao Sect’s “grace” three years ago.

  Far in his view, the outline of Xiao Clan’s rear mountain could be faintly seen. Three years ago, Xiao Lie and Xiao Lingxi were imprisoned there; the reason, was the great crime of “stealing Xiao Sect’s great gift”. They were going to be imprisoned for an entire fifteen years. Moreover, the matter was related to Xiao Sect, so Xiao Clan would definitely not let them leave early. And all these, were all because the despicable framing jointly acted out by Xiao Yunhai, Xiao Yulong, and others together with Xiao Kuangyun. If Xia Qingyue’s master, Chu Yueli wasn’t present at that time, Xiao Lingxi’s fate would have been many times more miserable than just a simple imprisonment. Even if the Yun Che at that time was even more furious and resentful, he would still not have the strength to prevent it.

  Thus, within these three years, he thirsted for power with incomparable craze.

  As for Xiao Yunhai and the others who didn’t even hesitate to frame and persecute their family and clan members for their own benefit… Unforgivable! This resentm
ent, had also been hidden deeply within his heart and body from the time he was kicked out of Xiao Clan, and had never lightened.

  As his gaze looked toward the rear mountain’s direction, Yun Che once again murmured in a low voice: “Grandfather, Little Aunt, I’m back… I’m back…”

  He incomparably wished to directly rush toward the rear mountain with his fastest speed, and hug the two people whom he had been separated from for three long years, whom he missed and thought of even in his dreams. But thinking of the vow he made back then, which was to make all of the Xiao Clan beg them to leave the rear mountain while kneeling, he suppressed the excitement in his heart, walked before the Xiao Clan’s gate, and sent out a kick.

  The gate wasn’t shut tightly, and under Yun Che’s kick, it opened as soon as the sound was heard…

  The Xiao Clan today was very lively. Because today was the annual competition day of Xiao Clan’s younger generation! The competition site, was precisely the plaza in the center of Xiao Clan. In the plaza’s center, groups after groups of disciples were intensely fighting. Several rows of seats were set on both sides; Clan Master Xiao Yunhai, Great Elder Xiao Li, Second Elder Xiao Bo, Third Elder Xiao Ze, and Fourth Elder Xiao Cheng were all actually there.

  When the gate was kicked open, everyone’s gaze instantly went cold, and concentrated toward the gate’s direction.

  “Insolence! Who is it, to actually dare provoke my Xiao Clan!” Great Elder Xiao Li stood up at once, and roared furiously.

  Yun Che’s gaze swept through. He actually didn’t expect that these people would be present here to such an extent, as if they were especially here to welcome him. He walked in with leisure steps, a cold smile on his face, as he spoke in a overcast tone: “Old dogs of Xiao Clan, it’s only been three years, you’ve forgotten about this young master so soon!”