Chapter 796: Can’t Afford to Offend

"Going to the Taiyin Ancient Tomb should be enough to completely transform Ye Tianyun into a true Celestial Pride, right? Her Talent doesn’t seem bad; it’s a shame she didn’t make it into the top thousand."

Fu Yi pondered for a moment. She was rather surprised that Ye Tianyun’s talent and potential hadn’t been enough to get her into the top thousand.

"Whatever, let’s drop it. I’ve said what needed to be said. Ye Tianling gave up on his own accord; it has nothing to do with us."

Feng Cailuo felt a headache coming on and couldn’t be bothered with such trivialities.

In the end, she stopped paying attention not only to Ye Tianling, but to Ye Tianxi and Liu Xu’er as well.

After all, if they couldn’t even rank in the top thousand, what good was their previous performance?

...

The War Dragon Academy was abuzz with activity.

After Ji Yun and the others returned, it was revealed that not all of the thousand Celestial Prides had perished.

Only fifty or sixty of them had accidentally entered the Forbidden Land and been slain by a Divine Thought, their bodies and souls utterly annihilated.

The rest of the Celestial Prides were all revived within the War Dragon Academy’s battlefield Ancient Array.

Some, who knew the secret of the revival, thought nothing of it.

Others, however, were deeply moved and felt they had gained a great deal.

As for the Celestial Prides who had died, they had naturally lost all their corresponding combat memories.

Their Innate Abilities had suffered a great blow, leaving them quite disheartened.

But the Ten Great Celestial Pride who made it out alive, along with a few others who knew of a special method to teleport from the altars, had not only retained their memories but also seized new opportunities. Their gains were immense.

This led to a huge boost in the overall strength of the War Dragon Academy’s disciples. Naturally, the atmosphere was incredibly lively.

「Inner Hall, War Dragon Academy.」

Feng Caiyi, Feng Cailuo, Fu Yi, Qian Ye, Qian Xue, Su Yuquan, and the other Elders were already beginning to reward the Ten Great Celestial Pride.

Only disciples ranked in the top thousand were qualified to witness this.

Soon, after the Seed Fragments were distributed, Qianyu and the others all received their share of praise.

In the past, Qianyu and the others would have accepted the praise with immense arrogance and an imposing air.

Now, however, even after receiving the Seed Fragment rewards, not a single one of them acted high and mighty. Instead, they were all exceedingly humble.

It was as if the three-day trial had matured them.

"Mansion Master, Elders, Ye Tianling... why isn’t he here?"

Qianyu couldn’t help but ask.

"Him? He’s leaving the War Dragon Academy. By the way, you can take over his Imperial View Pavilion. As for the Celestial Palace, Ji Yun, you ranked tenth this time, but you should have been first. That much is obvious. Go challenge for it.

Using the authority of the Dragon Race Decree to grant them entry into the Taiyin Ancient Tomb is already a monumental favor."

Feng Caiyi hadn’t even spoken before Feng Cailuo interjected.

Feng Caiyi knew about Feng Cailuo’s conversation with Ye Tianling, so she said nothing more.

"This..."

Hearing this, the expressions on Qianyu’s and Ji Yun’s faces were a sight to behold.

"What? Is there a problem? That Ye Tianling is only at the Sword Tribulation Second Refining Realm. You two are already at Sword Tribulation Fifth Refinings Great Perfection. Once you comprehend and fuse with the Daoist Rhythm Law within the Seed Fragments, your Battle Power will be even more heaven-defying. Are you really afraid of a mere Ye Tianling?"

Feng Cailuo was displeased with their reaction. ’Could it be that one battle and a scare from the Hell Celestial Tribulation has made them fearful?!’

Ji Yun and Qianyu exchanged a glance, both seeing the helplessness in the other’s eyes.

’Forget about challenging Ye Tianling,’ Ji Yun thought, ’I can’t even afford to offend his sister!’

But seeing Feng Cailuo’s domineering attitude, and remembering that the Lord of Life Law Guardian stood behind her... how could Ji Yun possibly dare to say a word?

He couldn’t afford to offend Feng Cailuo, but he couldn’t afford to offend Ye Tianling either!

"SIGH!"

Ji Yun and Qianyu could only nod helplessly in agreement, all the while thinking, ’When the time comes to challenge her, I’ll have to give Ye Tianyun a lot of benefits. Otherwise, I’ll have a hard time answering to Ye Tianling.’

Ji Yun was already traumatized; he absolutely did not want to fight Ye Tianling again.

He couldn’t even react to Ye Tianling’s Body Technique. How was he supposed to fight that?

The fact that he hadn’t been cut down was already a sign of extreme mercy and benevolence.

Qianyu felt much the same. ’The Imperial View Pavilion? Is it really that easy to take?’

"You two, you just faced one Hell Celestial Tribulation, right? You were just being used by Ye Tianling. The man is cunning and deceitful, while you two are simple-hearted. It’s normal to be tricked and suffer a loss. But now that the world is about to undergo its final transformation, what is there to fear from him?

Even the Emperor’s Path Thunder Inference King has said that those at the Daoist Ancestor level and above may not interfere in the conflicts of the younger generation. Are you afraid the Emperor’s Path Thunder Inference King himself will jump out to stop you?"

Ji Yun and Qianyu exchanged another glance and nodded helplessly.

’We’re not afraid of the Emperor’s Path Thunder Inference King jumping in,’ they complained internally. ’It’s that very rule that puts our lives in danger! If Ye Tianling kills us, who’s going to stand up for us?’

But in the end, they said nothing.

Who could they blame but themselves for taking first and tenth place?!

"Ji Yun, given your Talent, your performance this time was truly disappointing! Tenth place! You should take some time to reflect. The Cultivation Resources at the Celestial Palace are still excellent, only a fraction worse than the Imperial View Pavilion. Also, no matter how I treated you before, it was to temper you. It was all for a purpose. Now that it’s in the past, don’t take it to heart.

Of course, if you have a problem with it, I welcome you to challenge me once you’re stronger."

Feng Cailuo said, her tone earnest and profound.

"Elder, this disciple wouldn’t dare."

Ji Yun had become much more humble.

He had truly been taught a lesson this time. He now understood that there was always someone better, a higher heaven beyond the heavens. He had become much calmer and no longer dared to be so audacious.

"Hmph. It’s good that you can recognize your own shortcomings. Unlike some people who act all high and mighty, completely unaware that their death is just around the corner."

Feng Cailuo said coolly, her tone dripping with mockery.

How could Ji Yun and Qianyu not know who Feng Cailuo was talking about? The expressions on their faces were indescribable, and the muscles in their cheeks twitched uncontrollably.

"Alright, we’re done here. Qianyu, you go and take back the Imperial View Pavilion. Ji Yun, after Ye Tianling leaves, you are to challenge Ye Tianyun."

Feng Cailuo commanded.

"Yes, Elder."

Qianyu agreed, speechless, then let out a strange sigh.

Nearby, Duan Cangyue, Liu Yueru, and the others watched the two thoughtfully. They had a vague idea why their expressions were so odd—the image of Ye Tianling suppressing the Celestial Tribulation and slaughtering all in his path was still fresh in their minds, impossible to forget.

’Still,’ they wondered, ’after completing their final Fusion and transformation in the Hidden Dragon Demon Cave, their group’s strength had reached the Sword Tribulation Fifth Refinings Great Perfection Realm. At such a level, was there really anything left to fear? Even if there was a gap between them and Ye Tianling, surely it couldn’t be that staggering anymore, right?’