## AST 803 – Triumphant Victory

A series of Wave Essence were shot out towards Baima Qiufeng.

The Sixth Wave that was shot out abruptly had pierced through the old man. However, it wasn’t enough to kill him just yet. Qing Shui was confounded for a bit. His strength was nearly drained but he couldn’t afford to let this chance by pass by.

This was an unmissable opportunity that he had stumbled upon while using the Divinity Protection on himself. At the same time, the old man shot a vicious stare with a malevolent expression, gripping the scythe and swung it towards Qing Shui. Qing Shui was forced to retreat quickly afterwards.

As Qing Shui’s Thunder God clashed with the old man’s scythe, a force of utter rage circulated throughout his body. He was enraged but had no other way to counter Baima Qiufeng’s attack. Just as he was about to give up, an enormous power suddenly rose up from his body.

The force of [Rebirth]!

Break!

The compelling force flowed instantaneously into the Poison Dragon Dagger on his hand, then he quickly used his ultimate trump card.

Critical Damage!

Bang, thump!

Despite being knocked backwards by Baima Qiufeng, he allowed a himself satisfied smile as he watched an expression of disbelief slowly emerging from the old man’s face. Baima Qiufeng wobbled for a while before he collapsed to the ground.

The battle had ended with a total of 25 corpses from the Baima Aristocrat Clan in under the span of 15 minutes or so. Qing Shui looked up to the sky with a triumphant smile. It was hard to believe that he had actually won without a hitch.

“Daddy, we won!” Luan Luan jumped onto him gleefully.

Qing Shui hugged his zestful daughter as she jumped into his arms. After all, this was her first time witnessing such battle of high adrenaline. Qing Shui released his embrace from Luan Luan and said: “Go back home and tell everyone the good news. I will take care of this mess in the meantime.”

“Alright, daddy.” Luan Luan replied in a happy tone before she bid goodbye to Qing Shui and left.

Qing Shui descended downwards and picked up some decent weapons and a few Interspatial Silk Sachets. However, he was still confused about one thing: the white horse was nowhere to be found.

Qing Shui had no idea whether it was a demonic beast that Baima Qiufeng had tamed personally or a demonic beast passed down through generations of his clan. Most clans in the World of the Nine Continents had legacies passed down to the descendents, be it the bloodline, the battle skills or Guardian Beasts. However, this would all be possible under the premise that the the person passing down the legacy must still be alive.

Qing Shui felt that the legacy passed down to the Baima Aristocrat Clan was the white horse earlier. When the old man died, the white horse had vanished into thin air. It was just an assumption but the probability of that theory being the truth was quite high.

Items passed down from generation to generation were typically things of value. The Golden Bloodlines and Violet Bloodlines, for example, had a certain chance of passing down to the descendents. Those who inherited such bloodlines would naturally inherit their benefits. Moreover, bloodlines could not be weakened but they could still vanish from the world should the whole clan be annihilated.

Not everyone would be privileged enough to inherit such bloodlines. Amongst ten descendents in a clan, only one would have the chance to inherit the Golden Bloodline or the Violet Bloodline. This would explain why aristocratic clans preferred to breed plenteous children and grandchildren, including illegitimate children. As long as they had inherited the precious bloodline, they would be welcomed to the clan and be treated with great care and respect. Those with such a bloodline would be able to receive the greatest training and cultivation in the world.

After a brief moment of delay, Qing Shui took his spoils of war and flew back home on his Fire Bird. He couldn’t see Luan Luan on his way back, so she must have already gone back to the Qing Residence.

Qing Shui wasn’t in a hurry to open the old men’s Interspatial Silk Sachets for now. He wasn’t particularly interested in them and now wasn’t the best time to check their contents just yet.

At the very least, the Baima Aristocrat Clan’s Old Ancestor might have some valuable items inside his Interspatial Silk Sachet. He was in a hurry to go home now, so he planned to open the sachets and check the items carefully after he had entered the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal.

He had killed 25 people from this battle and with the previous four who came last time, those may be the last few strongest members of the Baima Aristocrat Clan. They were considered a third-grade aristocratic clan anyway, despite being stronger than the Zuoshi Aristocrat Clan by a mite. Nonetheless, a small difference could still pose a deadly threat. If the Zuoshi Aristocrat Clan were to challenge the Baima Aristocrat Clan, it would be normal for the Zuoshi Aristocrat Clan to lose the battle in this case.

When Qing Shui came back home, it was still late in the morning just before midday. The entire Qing Clan as well as the Heavenly Palace were filled with the atmosphere of celebration. The news of the Baima Aristocrat Clan’s annihilation had travelled throughout the Greencloud Continent in a swift moment.

That was the supreme aristocratic clan after all!

Just like the Zuoshi Aristocrat Clan!

Everyone in the Greencloud Continent had received the news as soon as the news had been spreaded, including the powerful aristocratic clans in every city of the Greencloud Continent.

When the first news regarding the annihilation of the Zuoshi Aristocrat Clan had spread to every household, there were many who questioned Qing Shui’s ability to defeat such powerful clan. They felt that lady luck was on his side when he had managed to destroy an entire clan. But lady luck would never bestow such fortune twice to the same man. Qing Shui couldn’t be lucky all the time, so everyone was convinced of his power, as well as the strength of the Heavenly Palace when Baima Aristocrat Clan had been defeated.

Qing Shui greeted everyone in the Qing Clan with smiles before he went back to his room to wash his body. Cleaning himself after every bloody battle was an old habit of his. When he was done, it was almost afternoon. The Qing Clan had started preparing a variety of delightful dishes as a celebratory feast for Qing Shui’s and Luan Luan’s victory. The delicious aroma of the food had travelled throughout the Heavenly Palace, causing many to salivate for a taste of the food.

……….

A number of beast carriages dashed along a wide path in a fast speed. Inside one of the carriages, a middle-aged man spoke to an old man who was closing his eyes, “Eighth Lord, do you think the Heavenly Palace will kill us all?”

The old man who was being addressed as the Eighth Lord opened his clear yet mismatched eyes, exuding an air of wisdom and defiance through his expression. It was strange to have such eyes for an old man as he.

“Once we leave the Greencloud Continent, we will be fine. If we keep staying here, we might be killed any day.” The old man didn’t seem bitter, as if everything was normal.

“Then are we going to retaliate one day?” The middle-aged man asked discreetly.

“Retaliate? What are you going to retaliate with? We are lucky to be able to keep the Baima Clan alive at this point.” The Eighth Lord sighed.

“This day has finally come. And just as I thought, our clan has been cut by a few generations.” Eighth Lord spoke while he stared at the scenery outside the beast carriage, as if he was muttering to himself.

“Ah, does that mean you knew that this day would happen?” The middle-aged man asked shockingly.

“I don’t know. But I knew that this day would come sooner or later.”

“Why did you say that?” The middle-aged man was confused by the old man’s words.

“The Baima family is corrupt, inside and out. Don’t you think that death is imminent for the corrupt people in our clan? We have been obeying most of the ancestral rules of the clan but we still face great danger despite good management. It’s really difficult to survive like this. After being forced to the Greencloud Continent, not only has the Baima Clan continued to grow without caution, the Old Ancestor had also intended to show his splendor. He has always been a wise man, so I have no idea why he would do something like that this time.” The Eighth Lord shooked his head.

“Then where are we going?”

“Southern Viewing Continent. Forget about Central Continent. If they knew about our situation, we would be ridiculed further.” The Eighth Lord remained calm as he relayed his plan.

“Then the future of the Baima Aristocrat Clan rests on Eighth Lord’s hands.” said the middle-aged man softly.

The Eighth Lord’s frowns were slowly emerging on his forehead as he continued to remain silent after that.

………

The martial warriors of the Greencloud Continent had been discussing the incident with the Baima Aristocrat Clan for days. It was considered a serious matter, as everyone knew that the Greencloud Continent was the weakest continent in the World of the Nine Continents. Any powerful aristocrat clan from other continents could easily conquer the entire Greencloud Continent by claiming the top position. However, they would not gain any benefits by doing so, unless they were forced out by their own continent with no where else to go.

The supreme sects in the Greencloud Continent feared the supreme aristocratic clans from the other continents the most. In most cases, that would mean bad news, because if they were to step into their city, the most likely casualties of the invasion would be themselves.

Heavenly Palace’s abrupt rise in power was good news for the Greencloud Continent. If the Heavenly Palace continued to show their capability in holding their position in the Greencloud Continent, then the powerful clans from other continents would think twice about causing a fuss here. At the very least, the supreme aristocratic clans would finally take notice of the Greencloud Continent if they were to travel to the other continents. Each time some clan from the Central Continent stepped into the Greencloud Continent, the locals would become timid in fear that they would conquer their land due to their reputation for hosting powerful martial warriors in the Central Continent. If someone from the Greencloud Continent were to step into the Central Continent, however, no one would bat an eye, because martial warriors in Greencloud Continent were generally weak…..

Despite the animated discussion about the clans and continents among the public, the Qing Clan, on the other hand, was in a celebratory mood as the atmosphere was bubbling with cheerfulness and lively noises. Even though Qing Shui was putting up a smile on his face, there was something else that had been bothering him even before the Baima Aristocrat Clan had arrived to start a fight.

That something had to do with Di Chen!

A few days ago, Di Chen told him that she was going to leave the Qing Clan soon after the matters with the Baima Aristocrat Clan had been settled. Now that the battle had ended, she would be leaving soon but he didn’t know exactly when that would happen.

After lunch, Qing Shui quickly pulled Di Chen by her hand and brought her out from the dining hall. She allowed him to do so while laughing at how nervous he was. Despite his tensed gesture, she felt touched knowing how concerned he was about losing her. Before the Baima Aristocrat Clan had arrived to the Greencloud Continent, he wasn’t all that jittery like he was now. She felt happy to know how much she meant to him now.

“I think it’s time you should tell your beloved husband where you are planning to go.” He sounded serious but it wouldn’t be Qing Shui if he didn’t tease Di Chen once in awhile.

“Do you remember the master I told you before? She was also the previous Misty Hall Palace Priestess.” Di Chen let out a smile. She didn’t comment further on the ‘husband’ part.

“Hmm, you did mention it before. Is she still alive?” Qing Shui looked at Di Chen shockingly.

“Yes, I’m leaving to meet my master this time. I will be training under her guidance for another few years.” Di Chen explained without haste.

“Chen ‘er, I have confidence that I can make you stronger than ever.” said Qing Shui gently as he gazed into Di Chen’s eyes.

“Qing Shui, listen to me, the technique I’m learning requires a breakthrough. I will be back soon after I achieve a my purpose. After that we’ll be together again.” Di Chen said in a soft tone while lowering her head slightly.

Qing Shui’s heart jolted, which prompted him to hug her and began to kiss her red lips passionately. Di Chen slowly reciprocated his kiss, probably because she would have to part with him soon.

Qing Shui continued to embrace her while sliding his hands down her voluptuous body. As he was caught in the moment, he slid his hands upwards and grabbed her sensuous breasts. The smoothness and supple sensation had Qing Shui quivering with excitement.

Di Chen trembled from his touch but did not attempt to stop him from continuing. She embraced him by his neck gently and moved her lips towards his ears, allowing him to kiss her neck. Then she whispered: “Don’t push your luck.”

“Alright, I’ll listen to you.” Qing Shui chuckled while giving her breasts the final gentle squeeze. This sensation was just like how he remembered from the time in the dream among the sea of flowers with Di Chen.

He could smell a whiff of sweet fragrance as he kissed her jade-like skin of her neck. Qing Shui could drown himself in the fragrance despite the subtle aroma. The scent was captivating and enticing to his senses, as if it was the best scent in the world.

“Chen ‘er, should I send you off by then?” Qing Shui asked with a genuine smile.

“Master will come and pick me up, so don’t worry. She has been treating me like her own daughter, so if she sought to cause me harm, she wouldn’t have to wait until a decade later to do that to me.”

Even though Qing Shui was still skeptical about her master, he gave an assuring nod to Di Chen. He vowed to meet her so-called ‘master’ one day and make sure that Di Chen would be safe no matter what.