“A book, in exchange for one chance to confront someone…”
A mysterious smile appeared on Wu Ming’s face as he asked, “Who is it?”
“Solitary Arrogance!”
The Azure Lotus Holy Maiden practically enunciated each syllable of this name.
Seeing Wu Ming’s expression remained completely unchanged, she couldn’t help but elaborate, “My Lord, please don’t underestimate this person! Solitary Arrogance is a prodigy of extraordinary talent. In his youth, he dared to compare himself to the Martial Emperor!”
“Dared to claim himself equal to the Martial Emperor?”
Wu Ming snorted in disdain.
“Although his words were somewhat arrogant, Solitary Arrogance’s talent and genius in martial cultivation, while perhaps not quite reaching the Martial Emperor’s level, is not far behind…”
The Azure Lotus Holy Maiden said solemnly, “His biological father was the Celestial Sovereign of the Tianyuan Holy Land, and his mother was the Night Empress of the Diji Holy Land. Therefore, he inherited the ultimate techniques of both holy lands. At thirteen, he successfully cultivated the ‘Tianyuan Sacred Emperor Canon,’ breaking through to the Diyuan realm! At eighteen, he learned the ‘Virtue Bears All Sutra’ and, in a stroke of genius, merged the two secret manuals into one, creating his own ‘Dual Pole Martial Art,’ combining the two divine techniques into one body—a feat that surpassed all predecessors! In the same year, he invoked celestial phenomena and advanced to the Tianxiang realm, hailed as the greatest martial genius since the Martial Emperor!”
“Oh? Not bad indeed…”
Wu Ming nodded slightly.
The Martial Emperor created the ‘Xuanming True Martial Art’ based on the Wind and Water techniques. Now, Solitary Arrogance, by integrating the Heaven and Earth techniques into his self-created ‘Dual Pole Martial Art,’ even if it only covered the Tianxiang aspect, was still incredibly brilliant.
“Hmph!”
His nonchalant attitude immediately provoked an annoyed snort from the nearby Divine Spring Elder.
The old man only restrained himself because he remembered being defeated in a single move by Wu Ming previously; otherwise, he would have already retorted.
“So talented, and he’s already reached the Divine Demon level?”
After expressing admiration, Wu Ming asked another question.
“No…”
The Azure Lotus Holy Maiden smiled bitterly, “That’s precisely what makes him even more terrifying. Our eight holy lands can afford to watch a Divine Demon level martial artist rise, but Solitary Arrogance has his eyes set on the fundamental martial arts of other holy lands… He has an audacious ambition—to integrate the eight supreme martial arts while still in the Tianxiang realm, awakening the bloodlines of the Eight Divine Beasts in one fell swoop, and forging the strongest ever Martial Emperor-Divine Demon body!”
“To achieve this, he spared no effort in forming the ‘Heavenly Alliance,’ secretly subjugated the Qianshan Holy Land, and now has turned his attention to me… Among the Nine Lotus Envoys of the Azure Lotus Sect, five have already been infiltrated. This is precisely why I must seek outside help and dare not mobilize our sect’s forces…”
“In other words, you’re asking me to deal with Solitary Arrogance?”
Wu Ming stroked his chin, “If this person is still at the Tianxiang realm, the reward seems reasonable. However, he has massive backing, not to mention the Celestial Sovereign and the Night Empress… Are those two Divine Demon level martial artists?”
“Divine Demon level?”
The Azure Lotus Holy Maiden looked surprised, “Those on the Divine Demon list are merely legends… I only heard that the Celestial Sovereign and the Night Empress once attempted to breakthrough to the Divine Demon realm using secret techniques, but failed and perished, passing their legacy to Solitary Arrogance. My Lord need not worry excessively…”
“Divine Demon realm… is just a legend?”
Wu Ming was even more speechless.
“That’s right. Even three hundred years ago, when the Solitary Madman of the Azure Lotus and the Mad Monk fought in the city of falling maple leaves, it was only after they displayed their power that people rated them as having Divine Demon level strength. Before that, they had never revealed their true abilities…”
The Azure Lotus Holy Maiden added, “This Solitary Madman was the ancestor of the Celestial Sovereign. This shows that the Tianyuan Holy Land has long harbored ambitions to conquer other holy lands, meticulously planning for it. Back then, if it weren’t for the Mad Monk, they might have succeeded!”
“And now, Solitary Arrogance returns with a vengeance, and the martial world must rely on my Lord’s help!”
“Hmm…”
Wu Ming responded with a nod, though inwardly he felt quite astonished.
“I originally thought that among the Eight Great Holy Lands, there would be many Divine Demon level martial artists, but it turns out they’re all hollow shells with far more hype than substance… If Divine Demon level martial artists have become mere legends, does that mean the Eight Holy Lands today only have more Tianxiang level martial artists?”
In reality, Tianxiang level martial artists could fight a thousand men and change the outcome of battles, which was already extremely formidable.
But to Wu Ming, they were simply not impressive enough, giving him the feeling of punching into cotton.
Doesn’t this mean that even without using his Immortal-level powers, with purely martial cultivation, he could dominate the current world?
“Could this be the rhythm of an ‘end-game player’ entering a ‘newbie village’ and becoming invincible?”
Wu Ming inwardly quipped.
However, he also understood that the Azure Lotus Holy Maiden wouldn’t reveal everything upon their first meeting.
Given the depth of the holy lands and the vastness of the world, there might well be unknown Divine Demon level martial artists lying low in hiding. Not to mention the ever-deep and mysterious Martial Emperor himself.
“Very well then!”
Wu Ming nodded, “If there are no Divine Demon level martial artists backing him, I can indeed help you out once!”
“My sincere gratitude, my Lord!”
The Azure Lotus Holy Maiden’s face lit up with joy as she handed Wu Ming a jade-green lotus token, “This is the Azure Lotus Token, given only to esteemed guests of our sect. If my Lord wishes to find me, you may visit any shop bearing the lotus mark on its door and present this token!”
“Hmm!”
Wu Ming said nothing more, taking Lin Xinlan with him as he departed.
“My Lord?”
As Lin Xinlan entered the carriage, she noticed Wu Ming’s distracted expression and asked with concern, “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing… Let’s go!”
Wu Ming waved his left hand dismissively, but his right hand still tightly gripped the Martial Emperor’s Secret Records.
In reality, the imbalance of information can be deadly. The Azure Lotus Holy Maiden only knew of Wu Ming’s interest in the Martial Emperor, but not exactly what he was seeking. By giving him the second half of the records, she had unknowingly placed something of crucial importance into Wu Ming’s hands!
“The Martial Emperor, honorable name… from Wuwu Prefecture…”
“…In his youth, he was rebellious and often made shocking remarks, feeling frustrated and unfulfilled…”
“At fifteen, a strange stone fell from the heavens, striking him on the crown of his head. From then on, he reformed himself completely, abandoning his former ways, and his martial cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds…”
“After ascending the throne, he secretly stored this stone, naming it the ‘Martial Emperor Enlightenment Seal’…”
…
“The Martial Emperor Enlightenment Seal?”
Wu Ming slightly closed his eyes, his mind racing through thoughts, “There’s an 80% chance this item is a component of the Main Temple…”
If previously he had only suspected the Martial Emperor, now he had taken a significant step further, directly focusing on this particular item.
Compared to other official histories and obscure anecdotes that were written ambiguously, this Secret Records openly recorded everything, clearly indicating it was a royal treasure.
Of course, after the Eight Great Clans stormed the imperial palace, all the imperial treasures were looted and scattered into the common world.
“In the process, the Eight Great Clans must have taken the lion’s share, otherwise how could they have developed the foundation to become today’s holy lands?”
Suddenly opening his eyes, a flash like lightning seemed to pass through them: “If that’s the case… then the Azure Lotus Sect is indeed a place I must visit…”
Even if the Azure Lotus Sect doesn’t possess the Martial Emperor Enlightenment Seal, they are most likely to know its whereabouts.
And to obtain this item, Wu Ming wouldn’t even flinch at the thought of raiding all Eight Holy Lands.
…
“Holy Maiden…”
After Wu Ming left, the Divine Spring Elder looked at Shuilinger, hesitating as if wanting to say something, “This man has a proud and defiant nature, likely difficult to control…”
“Experts are usually like that!”
Shuilinger waved her hand dismissively, “The key is still his martial skills! Did he really subdue you in a single move? And did his internal energy seem to be controlled by him, acting involuntarily?”
“Indeed!”
The Divine Spring Elder’s expression was grim, “With my martial cultivation, even if the first on the Tianxiang ranking, that Arrogant Young Master himself came, he couldn’t have subdued me in just a few moves…”
As he said this, his tone was filled with strong confidence, clearly indicating his genuine belief.
“Good, after gaining the support of the fallen immortal, we have gained another advantage…”
Shuilinger’s face lit up with a brilliant smile, “Divine Spring Uncle… how did your secret conversation with Frostbite Sword go?”
“Holy Maiden’s wisdom, we publicly claimed to be searching for items to enhance our bloodlines, even engaging in a major battle at the city of falling maple leaves. No one would imagine we were secretly seeking outside help!”
The Divine Spring Elder bowed respectfully, “Although Frostbite Sword and I have some rapport, during the fight, he secretly transmitted voice into my ear, agreeing to secretly come to our aid when the time comes!”
“Excellent!”
A trace of weariness appeared on Shuilinger’s face, “The great house is about to collapse! Everyone in the sect is untrustworthy. The only one I can truly rely on now is you, Uncle Water…”
“Please rest assured, Holy Maiden. Even if I were to be crushed to dust, I would not allow you to fall into that fiery pit!”
The Divine Spring Elder, upon mentioning this, still had a furious expression on his face, “Who doesn’t know that Solitary Arrogance is lustful and lecherous, and has cultivated a secret technique capable of stealing martial power… The sect elders insisted on marrying you off as a hostage, even offering our secret manuals, talking about unification and compromise, heh heh… In reality, they’re just a bunch of cowardly turtles!”
He then turned to Shuilinger, “Holy Maiden… although the three holy lands of Tianyuan, Di Ji, and Qianshan are no longer reliable, if our remaining five holy lands unite, we can certainly suppress these three sects! Please rest assured!”
“What worries me precisely is this point!”
Shuilinger’s face remained filled with concern, “Solitary Arrogance is a wolf with ambitions, having established the Heavenly Alliance as a covert force… No! Given the Heavenly Alliance’s tight organization and rigorous structure, I even suspect that it wasn’t him who founded it, but rather inherited it from his predecessors… Decades of painstaking planning, as if every day was the same, embedding covert agents within our sect. Just how terrifying is that?”
“Our Azure Lotus Sect has been infiltrated for a long time. Five Lotus Envoys resisted, yet even my master couldn’t easily deal with them. Do you think the other four holy lands wouldn’t have similar situations?”
“In that case, the thought is truly chilling!”
The Divine Spring Elder inhaled sharply, chilled to the bone.
“Fortunately…”
A faint smile appeared on Shuilinger’s lips, “The Heavenly Alliance has recently suffered heavy casualties, greatly weakening their strength. The Thirty-Six Heaven’s Fate Guards were completely wiped out, along with the addition of the Ten Thousand Ghost Soul Binding… Our pressure has significantly decreased. Now, do you understand why I insisted on gaining that person’s support?”
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