Humanity's Great Sage

Chapter 924, Nian Yuexian’s Speculation

Translator: Jon

Translation Checker: Silavin

As they spoke, Ying Wuji flew over and landed on the ground before looking helplessly at Lu Ye.

“Didn’t I tell you to look around the area?” Lu Ye frowned, thinking that the other man wasn’t meticulous enough.

Ying Wuji replied, “Everything you see is all you can find.”

“What do you mean?” Lu Ye furrowed his brows.

Nian Yuexian explained, “It’s not his fault. It’s only a small Hidden Realm. The valley and the Spirit Peaks are the entirety. There’s no need to look around.”

Lu Ye was shocked. He wouldn’t have believed it if Ying Wuji had told him this, but as the statement came from Nian Yuexian, he would naturally believe her. After she was sent flying away from the hut, she looked around the area and came to this conclusion.

[I can’t believe there’s such a small Hidden Realm in this world!] The Hidden Realms Lu Ye had experienced before were like independent worlds. Even the smallest Myriad Beast Domain was about 30 per cent the size of the Spirit Creek Battlefield.

“It seems that it’s an Inheritance Hidden Realm,” Nian Yuexian mused.

Ying Wuji frowned. “Senior, are you saying that it’s a Hidden Realm specifically made for some inheritance?”

Upon hearing that, Lu Ye recalled what had happened to Hua Ci. He knew little about the Hidden Realm where Hua Ci had obtained the inheritance, but she had mentioned that it was a small Hidden Realm.

A Hidden Realm specifically made for some inheritance didn’t need to be large. After one passed the test and acquired the inheritance, he could leave safely.

“Did the old gentleman ask you to do anything?” Nian Yuexian asked.

Lu Ye nodded. “He says he’s Kong Kong and the 163rd Sect Master of the Sword and Tool Sect. He wants Ying Wuji and me to learn how to make Artifacts from him. When we’re skilful enough, he’ll teach us the Way of Swords.”

Upon hearing his explanation, Nian Yuexian said, “I suppose it’s the test in this Hidden Realm…” After giving it some thought, she told Lu Ye, “Since you’ve come across this opportunity, there’s no way you should let it slip through your fingers. Just stay here and learn from the old gentleman.”

“Yes,” Lu Ye replied.

Honestly, he wasn’t interested in making Artifacts. That was because he had also cultivated the Way of Glyphs and the Way of Wards. He understood that a person’s energy was limited. If he spent too much time cultivating External Ways, his own cultivation would be affected.

His Honoured Master had taught him the Way of Tattoos, but he only studied it for a while before giving it up. That was because he didn’t have infinite energy.

Moreover, in a world such as Jiu Zhou, one could buy anything from the Vault of Providence or have it custom-made by an expert. There wasn’t a need for him to be well-versed in a particular Way just to get the item. It was just like how a foodie didn’t necessarily have to be a cook.

Also, Lu Ye had access to the Hall of Battle Points where there were countless amazing items. He could purchase them as long as he had sufficient battle points. However, to pass the test in this Hidden Realm, he would have no choice but to learn from Kong Kong.

Ying Wuji mustered his courage and asked, “Senior, what’s with Sect Master Kong Kong’s cultivation?”

Just now, he was flabbergasted by how Nian Yuexian was driven away by the Sword Qi.

Nian Yuexian appeared meditative. “He’s… significantly more powerful than me.”

“Is there a road beyond the Divine Ocean Realm?” Ying Wuji was agitated. Lu Ye shot him a glance, wondering why a Real Lake Realm Master like him was thrilled.

Nian Yuexian replied dispassionately, “It’s what the Divine Ocean Realm Masters over the generations in Jiu Zhou have been looking for.”

Ying Wuji asked, “The Divine Ocean Realm Masters over the generations have been looking for the answer but to no avail. However, Sect Master Kong Kong is above the Divine Ocean Realm. Does it mean that he isn’t a cultivator from Jiu Zhou?”

Nian Yuexian glanced at him. “You know a lot.”

Ying Wuji sighed. “Jiu Zhou has many opportunities and complicated inheritances. Since time immemorial, people have speculated that there are many hidden inheritances in Jiu Zhou from Outer Space. Due to various reasons, they fell into Jiu Zhou. I didn’t believe it at first, but I changed my mind after my experience in the Peerless Continent.”

The Peerless Continent wasn’t a secret in Jiu Zhou. It was a well-known fact that the Peerless Continent had merged with the Cloud River Battlefield. Also, the cultivators from the Peerless Continent had started wandering around Jiu Zhou and even established their Sects. Transmission of news was rapid in Jiu Zhou, so everyone soon found out about it.

Nian Yuexian was aware of the Peerless Continent’s affairs as well, so she understood what Ying Wuji meant.

“The opportunities might come from outside Jiu Zhou, but they might also come from Jiu Zhou itself. Don’t forget that the record of this era only spans thousands of years. No one knows what Jiu Zhou looked like or whether there were cultivators beyond the Divine Ocean Realm thousands of years ago.”

If the Sword and Tool Sect was established thousands of years ago, the inheritance naturally preceded the current era.

“You have a point, Senior.” Ying Wuji sincerely accepted her guidance.

“Regardless, Kong Kong isn’t a living person. He has probably been reenacted by the Heavens. Or, he might be the willpower left behind by a powerful cultivator. He must be much stronger than me when he was alive. You two have to be careful when you’re around him.”

It was Ying Wuji’s first time hearing some caring words from Nian Yuexian. Although he knew she was mostly concerned about Lu Ye, he was still touched. He nodded repeatedly and said, “Don’t worry, Senior. Brother Lu gets along well with anyone, so I’m sure he won’t offend Sect Master Kong Kong. I’ll follow his lead.”

Lu Ye ignored him and said to Nian Yuexian, “How about you, Madam?”

“Me?” Nian Yuexian was startled for a moment before looking down at the 60-centimetre sword in her hand. “I’ll seize this chance to refine this sword. Don’t worry about me.”

Lu Ye dipped his head and told Ying Wuji, “Go and get some wooden planks.”

Ying Wuji was puzzled. “What do you need them for?”

“We might stay here for a long time, but there’s only one hut here. It’s not like we’ll just stay in the wilderness.”

“You have a point.” Ying Wuji nodded. “Why aren’t we going to get the wooden planks together, then?”

Lu Ye’s gaze turned ferocious at once.

Ying Wuji immediately said to Nian Yuexian, “Do you see that, Senior? He has always oppressed me like this!”

Nian Yuexian found their interaction amusing. It was her first time seeing two people from opposing sides getting along like this. She then said, “You’ll do that on your own. I have something to tell Lu Ye.”

“Alright!” Ying Wuji became obedient at once.

After he was gone, Lu Ye asked, “Do you want me to ask about the secrets beyond the Divine Ocean Realm, Madam?”

Nian Yuexian shook her head. “This Hidden Realm is built for the Sword and Tool Sect’s inheritance, not for cultivation. Even if you ask him about it, you probably won’t get any answer. Instead, you might accidentally offend the old gentleman. What I’m trying to say is that this Hidden Realm isn’t as peaceful as it seems.”

“Madam, you mean…”

“Judging from the current situation, the Willow Catkin is a bait, not an opportunity,” Nian Yuexian explained while lifting the sword in her hand. “The Willow Catkin is able to arouse anyone’s greed. He’ll be tempted to enter this Hidden Realm, pass the test, and acquire the Sword and Tool Sect’s inheritance. It’s an old trick used in many Inheritance Hidden Realms. I only have myself to blame for being too greedy and unable to see through it. If that’s indeed the case, there must have been other people who had entered this place before. It’s true that this place is well hidden. However, since I could find it, others could do the same. Therefore, some people must’ve come here before we did, but where are they now?”

Lu Ye felt terrified.

“Of course, I’m not saying that Kong Kong is a bad person. Since this Inheritance Hidden Realm is still around, it means that no one has yet to pass the test. The people who had come here before we did must’ve passed away.” Nian Yuexian stared at him with a solemn expression. “It’s the danger of an Inheritance Hidden Realm. Since we’re here, we’ll either obtain the inheritance and leave this place safely or get stuck here forever.”

Lu Ye attentively listened to her explanation. “Madam, you mean, it’ll be extremely difficult for us to pass Kong Kong’s test and obtain the inheritance here.”

“Regardless, you have to be mentally prepared.”

Lu Ye nodded, but he soon thought of something. “Madam, there’s a problem, though.”

“What is it?”

“If the Willow Catkin were indeed a bait to lure people to enter this Hidden Realm, the tunnel shouldn’t have been so dangerous. You are powerful enough to pass through the tunnel and acquire the Willow Catkin, but others might not be able to do so. They’ll probably be killed before they even go near the Willow Catkin. This goes against the very reason that an Inheritance Hidden Realm exists.”

It should be easy to enter such a Hidden Realm if the goal was to lure people to go into the place. It could even be said that Nian Yuexian should’ve acquired the Willow Catkin and entered the Hidden Realm when she visited this place for the first time.

“You might be right.” Nian Yuexian didn’t invalidate his judgment. She turned to look dispassionately at the hut. “But what if Kong Kong is able to sense what’s going on outside and even control the enchantments?”

Lu Ye was astounded. If that was indeed the case, it explained everything.

The reason it had been difficult for Nian Yuexian to get the treasure was that Kong Kong didn’t think she should acquire the Sword and Tool Sect’s inheritance, so he had been trying to stop her. However, he saw a silver lining as the woman had brought Lu Ye and Ying Wuji with her this time, which was why he let her enter the Hidden Realm.

Considering her previous experiences, the challenge couldn’t be too easy. Otherwise, her suspicion would be aroused. Letting her fully activate her power and pass through the tunnel would be the best outcome. If that was indeed the case, Kong Kong had put in a lot of effort to achieve this.

“Regardless, it won’t be easy for you to pass the test. You have to be careful.”

“I’ll do my best.” Lu Ye bowed his head.

Even if he was unable to achieve the goal, they still had Ying Wuji. If even Ying Wuji couldn’t pass the test, they had to come up with another way to leave the Hidden Realm. Anyway, they would only consider that if their plan failed.

Ying Wuji returned a moment later, after which Lu Ye worked with him to build three wooden houses at the valley entrance. These houses served as their residences during this period.

There was a distance of several metres between these houses respectively. Lu Ye stayed in the middle house while Ying Wuji was on his left and Nian Yuexian was on his right. That way, it would be easier for them to look after each other.