War Sovereign Soaring The Heavens

“Huan’er, let’s go.” Duan Ling Tian took a deep breath to suppress the excitement brewing in him before he called out to Huan’er. Soon after, both of them returned to the center of the Alchemy Square that was bustling with people.

“Brother Ling Tian, did you manage to open the box?” Huan’er asked curiously.

“Yes,” Duan Ling Tian replied through Voice Transmission as he nodded slightly, “Huan’er, It’s imperative that no one finds out about the box’s content. That’s why I had to find a place to hide before opening it.”

Huan’er nodded obediently even though she did not fully understand Duan Ling Tian’s words. She asked through Voice Transmission, “Brother Ling Tian, I saw something in the box when you opened it. I thought it was empty…”

When Duan Ling Tian first received the box from the old man, Huan’er had probed the box with her Divine Consciousness. Just like everyone else, she discovered it was empty. Although she thought the box was worthless as well, she remained silent when he insisted on obtaining the box. In her opinion, even if it was a worthless box, it was worth the trade as long as it made Duan Ling Tian happy. It was only natural that she was shocked when she discovered the box was not empty.

“Oh, you saw it?” Duan Ling Tian did not deny it and proceeded to tell Huan’er everything the Chaos Divine Flame had said to him.

“A consumable Royal Grade Celestial Weapon that can be used thrice and will grant you the strength of an ordinary Celestial Lord? Brother Ling Tian, this means you’re given three life-saving talismans!” Huan’er’s eyes lit up as she spoke.

“Yes.” Duan Ling Tian nodded with a smile. “This trip to the Alchemy City in the Barren Land has been fruitful… On top of this consumable Royal Grade Celestial Weapon, I also obtained a triple-trait Duke Grade Celestial Method and Divine Ability!” Previously, Duan Ling Tian had obtained two Emperor Grade Celestial Weapons, the Mystical Yang Nine Water Chestnut Ring and the Mystical Yin Nine Water Chestnut Ring. Alas, they did not belong to him.

“Brother Ling Tian, does this mean we can return to the Tai Yi Celestial Sect now?” Huan’er asked.

“No… Although it’s safe for us to travel on our own now that I have the consumable Royal Grade Celestial Weapon, we still need to wait for the others,” Duan Ling Tian replied. Initially, he had toyed with the idea of leaving for the Tai Yi Celestial Sect first. However, after giving it some thought, he dismissed the idea. He was not afraid of the cultivators from the top sects or the sectless cultivators, but he was worried about the vicious bandits he might meet during his journey back. Previously, he had He Shan’s protection. Unfortunately, He Shan had passed away. As a precaution, he had decided to tag along with the party from the Thousand Spiders Celestial Sect when they returned to the Wasteland. He did not think any sect would reject his request since most sects were clamoring to do him a favor. The Thousand Spiders Celestial Sect would certainly be more than happy to do him a favor now that they had seen his alchemy skills. Moreover, they were under the impression that he came from a powerful clan in the central area. He decided to speak to the Sect Leader of the Thousand Spiders Celestial Sect after the Alchemy Conference ended.

‘For now, I’ll just have to wait until the Alchemy Conference ends…’ Duan Ling Tian thought to himself as he walked around the lively Alchemy Square.

Over the past few days, Duan Ling Tian had approached Murong Bing and tried to persuade her to leave with him. Alas, she remained stubborn and resolute, leaving Duan Ling Tian helpless.

‘Looks like I’ll have to visit her master at the Compassionate Celestial Traveler Sect and warn her not to harm Murong Bing!’ Duan Ling Tian was now confident he could protect Murong Bing since he had obtained the consumable Royal Grade Celestial Weapon. ‘With the consumable Royal Grade Celestial Weapon, I’ll be able to annihilate the Compassionate Celestial Traveler Sect if I so wish… I’m sure her master won’t dare to harm her if I warn her!’

Despite his thoughts and confidence, Duan Ling Tian was still worried about Murong Bing’s safety. What if her master killed her before he could save her? Therefore, he decided to speak to Nangong Xiu, the Sect Leader of the Compassionate Celestial Traveler Sect.

“Sect Leader Nangong,” Duan Ling Tian greeted Nangong Xiu with a smile. Although there was enmity between him and Nangong Xiu because she had sent someone to kill him in the past, he was still grateful that she did not reveal Murong Bing and his affair to her master.

“Master Duan,” Nangong Xiu replied, “What brings you here?” Her hostility toward Duan Ling Tian seemed to have vanished after witnessing Duan Ling Tian’s talents in alchemy and discovering he might be from a powerful clan in the central area. As someone who had lived a long time, she had developed a discerning eye after meeting so many people in her lifetime. Although her interactions with Duan Ling Tian were brief, she could tell that Duan Ling Tian was a man of integrity. He was responsible and worthy of Murong Bing. She was not sure if Duan Ling Tian truly came from a powerful clan in the central area, but she did not place much importance on it. After all, with his talent in alchemy, so long as he was willing to join the Compassionate Celestial Traveler Sect, she would help him and Murong Bing get married. After all, she believed their marriage would benefit the sect.

Duan Ling Tian did not beat around the bush and said, “Sect Leader Nangong, I believe you’ve learned about what happened between your beloved disciple, Murong Bing, and I. I’m truly grateful that you’ve been keeping her safe all this while. However, I’m afraid this matter can’t be hidden from her master for long. Therefore, I’d like to ask for a favor from you. Can you please stop Murong Bing’s master from harming her if her master finds out about our affair? If the Ten Directions Celestial Duke from your sect intervenes, please tell them my clansmen are very capable, and I will never let them go if Murong Bing is harmed! I’d also like to ask you to send someone to the Tai Yi Celestial Sect to inform me of this if it should happen.” His tone was cold when he spoke.

Nangong Xiu gasped inwardly when she heard Duan Ling Tian’s words. A hint of fear could be seen in the depths of her eyes when she looked at Duan Ling Tian. She was even more certain of Duan Ling Tian’s background after listening to his words. Otherwise, why would he be so confident if he was not from a powerful clan in the central area? In the end, she sighed in relief and nodded as she said, “I’ll bear your words in mind, Master Duan. I’ll dissuade them and stop them from harming Bing’er…”

Duan Ling Tian was right. Nangong Xiu was capable of protecting Murong Bing from her master. However, Nangong Xiu would be helpless if the Compassionate Celestial Traveler Sect’s Ten Directions Celestial Duke intervened. Now that she had seen how determined Duan Ling Tian was to protect her niece, she was, naturally, relieved.

One could see how determined Duan Ling Tian was to protect Murong Bing based on how willing he was to use the precious consumable Royal Grade Celestial Weapon.

After a few days, the Alchemy Conference was finally coming to an end.

On the final day of the Alchemy Conference, according to the traditions, the supreme Duke Grade Celestial Alchemists from the Alliance of Celestial Masters would announce the few Celestial Alchemists who had performed outstandingly during the Alchemy Conference.

Since Duan Ling Tian’s extraordinary performance had outshone everyone in the Alchemy Conference, it was not a surprise that his fame had even surpassed Sun Chao, the Chief Celestial Alchemist of the Blazing Sun Supporting Sect, who was selected as the best prominent Celestial Alchemist in the Six Southeastern Regions during the last Alchemy Conference!

“As we all know, thirty years ago, Master Sun Chao made his mark in the Alchemy Conference of the Six Southeastern Regions and is widely regarded as the top prominent Celestial Alchemist in the Six Southern Regions! This time we have the dark horse who’s remarkably talented; Master Duan from the Tai Yi Celestial Sect in the Wasteland!”