Chapter Fifty-Nine: Each Step Blossoms with Lotus Flowers

“No wonder it’s called the ‘Sacred Word Annihilation Divine Art’—I, Wang, am impressed.”

A voice, imbued with an air of uprightness, echoed from the distant sky, reverberating ceaselessly throughout the place.

“Sacred Word Annihilation Divine Art?” Qin Yi muttered under his breath, then looked at He Yongde in astonishment. Could it be that his uncle, who had never practiced cultivation, had actually mastered the Sage’s supreme technique, the ‘Sacred Word Annihilation Divine Art’? Only now did Qin Yi recall that He Yongde always carried a copy of the ‘Scripture of the Way’ with him. Within those scriptures was indeed the method for cultivating this very art, of which Qin Yi had never even heard.

The Sage attained enlightenment overnight, the Lord of Nanshen gained the Way at his coming-of-age, and He Yongde returned in glory in a single day.

As all eyes watched, a middle-aged man in golden robes, bearing an even stronger resemblance to Wang Hong, slowly approached from the distant sky. Though he appeared to move at an unhurried pace, everyone could see that he arrived at Wang Hong’s side in the blink of an eye.

“Father, Clan Head,” Wang Hong, Wang Weixue, and Wang Yongping greeted him respectfully. The newcomer was none other than Wang Haoran, the current head of the Wang clan of Eastern Ridge.

With a wave of his hand, Wang Haoran gestured to them, glanced at the little white creature in Jiang Yao’s arms, then turned to He Yongde and Chen Yuxuan with a smile. “Master He, Peak Lord Chen—do you mean to stand in the way of the Wang clan’s affairs?”

He Yongde looked at Jiang Yao and replied with a gentle smile, “Miss Jiang Yao is my nephew’s fiancée. I must ask the Clan Head to forgive me—I cannot stand idly by.”

These words made Jiang Yao blush with embarrassment.

Chen Yuxuan added, “Jiang Yao is my disciple of Mount Taiyi. She is not someone your Wang clan can move as you please.”

Wang Haoran responded calmly, “The ‘Sacred Word Annihilation Divine Art’ is indeed profound, but you should know that with your current cultivation, you cannot stop me.”

He Yongde smiled, “But you, Clan Head, know better than anyone whether you will truly obtain what you desire.”

Qin Yi listened to the exchange between Wang Haoran and He Yongde, completely baffled by the meaning behind their words. He could only make vague guesses, but in truth, most others present were just as lost.

Wang Haoran narrowed his eyes at He Yongde, then, without hesitation, turned and said, “Let’s go.” Wang Hong, Wang Weixue, and the others were utterly mystified, but as they all obeyed Wang Haoran, they followed without question, trusting there must be a reason for his decision.

Qin Yi, watching the Wang clan come and go in such haste, could not help but feel even more curious.

He Yongde, sensing that his instincts had been correct, let out a sigh of relief. He walked over to Qin Yi and asked with concern, “Are you all right?”

Qin Yi shook his head and smiled, “Congratulations, Uncle.”

He Yongde replied with a casual smile, then turned to the old man in the bamboo hat standing behind Qin Yi and his friends. “May I know how to address you?”

Whether it was because the old man refused to acknowledge He Yongde or simply did not wish to reveal his name, he maintained a lofty demeanor, clutching his battered black oil-paper umbrella, his bamboo hat veiling his face. He answered in a calm, serious tone, “Even if you have mastered the so-called ‘Sacred Word Annihilation Divine Art,’ you are still far from knowing my name in the martial world!”

He Yongde did not press further, simply smiling it off.

Qin Yi rolled his eyes and muttered, “I never knew someone could be so shameless…” He paused, then added, “There’s only one like you in all the martial world—no, in all of Shenzhou.”

The old man ignored him, keeping his arrogant pose. His expression was hidden, and whether he was at a loss for words or simply disdained to reply, no one could tell.

…

Meanwhile, the Wang clan’s retreating party had reached a spot not far from the Beihai City docks. The lights from the lighthouse were already visible, as was the tower’s silhouette.

“Father, why are we withdrawing? Could it be…?” Wang Hong asked hesitantly, trailing off as he dared not finish. In the whole of Lingzhou, only an outsider cultivator could force his father to retreat, and outsiders would rarely risk offending the Wang clan.

Wang Haoran’s tone was grave. “You are thinking correctly.”

Wang Weixue probed, “Could it be a grandmaster?”

Wang Haoran nodded uncertainly. “Most likely.”

At this, all present gasped in shock. If a grandmaster truly was lurking nearby, they would indeed be wise not to act rashly. Someone of such cultivation could do as they pleased beneath the heavens. Even if such a person could not destroy the Wang clan outright, he could certainly make them suffer terribly.

Suddenly, Wang Haoran gave a soft exclamation and looked toward the edge of the docks. There, though distance made his features indistinct, stood a white-robed youth of slender build, poised at the very edge, gazing into the sea breeze. His robes billowed, making him appear almost divine.

In the next instant, under the astonished gaze of the Wang clan, the youth stepped onto the surface of the South Sea, each stride giving rise to a lotus that blossomed and vanished without so much as a ripple. In the blink of an eye, the youth had disappeared from view, as if the whole thing had been a vivid dream.

Wang Hong’s eyes shone with excitement and surprise. “Father?”

Wang Haoran narrowed his gaze and said with conviction, “Let’s go.”

Wang Yongping asked in confusion, “Go?”

Wang Haoran’s tone was resolute, tinged with excitement, “We’re going back. Tonight, the South Sea will not be peaceful.” To witness a battle between grandmasters would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. At their level, further progress required not hard training or mere combat, but a flash of true enlightenment—an almost divine inspiration.

With that thought, Wang Haoran hurried back the way they had come, as if a gambler had glimpsed a mountain of gold. The others were shocked to see their usually lofty clan head so visibly rattled, but Wang Yongping, Wang Weixue, and Wang Hong could at least understand his reasoning. The rest, however, simply hurried to follow.

…

At that moment, He Yongde and Chen Yuxuan were both staring at the little white creature in Jiang Yao’s arms, their expressions complicated.

Jiang Yao, a little embarrassed, said, “Clan Head He, Uncle Chen, I’m so sorry!”

He Yongde put on the air of an elder instructing his junior, his tone kindly but earnest. “Call me Uncle.”

Jiang Yao smiled softly, looked at He Yongde and He Anjian, and said, “Uncle, Grandfather.”

Both He Anjian and He Yongde beamed in delight, as did Qin Yi.

Chen Yuxuan shrugged it off. “No matter. Such things can’t be forced anyway.”

They had already tried several times to coax out the item that the little white creature had swallowed—after all, it was something that belonged jointly to the three great clans of the South Sea, and it would not be appropriate for Qin Yi’s group to simply accept it. But all their efforts had failed. Whatever trick the little one had played, no one could tell. Worse yet, whenever they tried to retrieve the item, the little creature would look at them with a mocking gaze, infuriating everyone present. It really seemed this little rascal was becoming a spirit in its own right.

But then, considering that most of the demon race were like this, they let it go.

The old man in the bamboo hat, who had been silent all this time, looked at Qin Yi’s joyous face, then at Jiang Yao, and sighed, shaking his head. “The times are changing, the times are changing! What an age we live in! Such a lovely young lady, and to think she would fall for…”

His words trailed off, as if he could not find the right way to finish.

Qin Yi, seeing the old man’s expression, was both angry and amused. “What, you think she’d fall for an old geezer like you?”

He glared at the old man, but the latter seemed utterly unconcerned, simply tipping his head to look right past Qin Yi—whose shorter stature made this possible.

Qin Yi, infuriated, turned around in curiosity.

And the next instant, he was left utterly dumbfounded.