Chapter 1076: Making A Move

Xia Qingyuan spent most of her time at the place where the Space Sacred Mountain was, training.

However, at that moment, she was standing on top of one of the mountains there, staring blankly at the vista before her.

She had spent her many years thus far training diligently, chasing after her father’s footsteps and hopefully be able to succeed her father’s will. Her mind at training had always been planted on solid rock.

She had always been extremely disciplined and spent minimal time thinking about things that had little to do with training. Yet, at present, she was in a dazed state, and her emotions were rather unstable.

Such an emotional state should not have been happened with her, and yet there was no doubt that it happened.

Xia Qingyuan closed her eyes and steadied her breathing, trying her very best to recomposed herself and fend off the unnecessary thoughts.

Wind blew from faraway at that moment. Xia Qingyuan closed her eyes and her eyebrows twitched, looking rather cold.

Someone appeared behind Xia Qingyuan, and it was none other than Xiao Sheng.

Xiao Qingyuan naturally knew what the Xiao clan wanted of her, especially when the members of the clan concerned were her uncle and her cousin. While she had not been spending much time around them, she nonetheless knew what they were up to.

She did not deliberately distance herself from them. In the world of cultivators, imperial power was more than just political power; it also had the power to bring everything to their knees. The very reason why her father was the Emperor Xia was because her father was a Renhuang, an emperor of humanity. It was outright impossible for her relatives to usurp power from him, and the Xiao clan dared not even harbor such thoughts.

They only wanted to be closer to the Renhuang, and achieve higher status.

If Xiao Sheng were to prove capable enough, Xia Qingyuan would not have been opposed to the idea, as he was her cousin after all, and a clansman of her mother’s family. She would have definitely helped promote him if he proved capable.

She knew that, and the Xiao clan knew that. As such, Xiao Sheng had indeed intended to prove his worth through efforts in the Battle of Empty Realm.

It was a pity that there was that one person who outshined everyone else in the Battle of Empty Realm.

All the others had no choice but to be kicked to the sidelines.

“What matters do you have with me, cousin?” Xia Qingyuan turned around and looked at Xiao Sheng.

Xiao Sheng was dumbfounded as he looked at the extremely beautiful eyes of his cousin. He was unable to see an anger in those clear eyes of hers, and he had no idea how she thought of him at the moment.

Nonetheless, she addressing him as ‘cousin’ still counted for something. Despite being the princess of Emperor Xia’s Realm, she was still the biological daughter of his aunt.

But then again, Xiao Sheng dared not slack just because Xia Qingyuan addressed him as a cousin. He bowed and said, “I’ve something to say, princess.”

“Speak then.” Xia Qingyuan nodded.

“While it was without doubt that we won the Battle of Empty Realm this time due to Ye Futian, and that it was only natural that you trusted and rewarded him for his efforts, but he nonetheless had his faults near the end of the Battle of Empty Realm, despite his merits. I think that it is a bit too much to simply assign all of those who are meant to protect you to him, after you have rewarded our people.”

Xia Qingyuan had her eyes locked on Xiao Sheng as he spoke. She then asked, “So you’re thinking that I have rewarded Ye Futian a bit too much then?”

“Indeed.” Xiao Sheng lowered his head and continued, “I dared not bring that up in front of everyone else, and so I only brought it up before you, princess. Right before the Battle of Empty Realm ended, he could have just cut down the imperial flag right there and then, bagging the victory for Emperor Xia’s Realm, yet he did not do so. Instead, he caused many deaths to our people, due only to fulfill his own ends. Did that not count as a fault of his? While the army are impressed with his merits and the importance that you’ve placed upon him, thus not daring to speak their minds in public, but I’m afraid there’d be talk behind his back.”

“One cultivates the mind on the journey to cultivation. While it is true that the states of mind of cultivators are unyielding and vast, but there is simply no saints and sages without flaws. What do you think about the comparison of military strengths between Emperor Li’s Realm, Demon Peacock Emperor’s Realm, and Emperor Xia’s Realm, now that the Battle of Empty Realm is over?” Xia Qingyuan asked.

“Emperor Li’s Realm is the strongest, while Emperor Xia’s Realm and the Demon Peacock Emperor’s Realm are perhaps in a tie, but it’s hard to tell for sure,” Xiao Sheng answered.

“If we were to take the powers of Ye Futian and his people into consideration, and how Yuan Jin fought right before he died, there is no doubt that Emperor Li’s Realm is the strongest, while Emperor Xia’s Realm is right behind. Demon Peacock Emperor’s Realm is definitely not all that far behind that of ours as well. Yet, if we were to take Ye Futian and his people out of the equation, Emperor Xia’s Realm would have been the weakest.”

Xia Qingyuan then slowly added, “As such, if it had not been for Ye Futian and his people, what did you think our odds at coming out on top would have been? How many lives would have been lost?”

Xiao Sheng hung his head low hearing her words, as he was unable to say anything.

While he still had his own ideas that he clung to. How Xia Qingyuan thought of Ye Futian would have naturally been done from her point of view, yet his perspective of looking at the problem was the exact opposite to that of Xia Qingyuan.

“Now that we have won the Battle of Empty Realm and that Demon Peacock Emperor’s Realm out of the picture. If we were to fight Emperor Li’s Realm head on, how many lives would have been lost?” Xia Qingyuan continued to ask.

Xiao Sheng continued to hang his head low and stay silent. If that was how his cousin looked at things, than it was pointless how he looked at things.

“Everyone has their own standpoint and they see what is in their best interests. While I’m not an exception myself, I do not think there is any person who would be able to be flawlessly altruistic. That is not a saint. A person who is able to be cast their own standpoint aside and consider solely for the best interests of other people, is a god. What I’m able to see are but merits and faults. If one’s merits are greater than their faults, then they naturally need to be rewarded. We can to rule Empty Realm for ten years, is seven days of reward that out of question in comparison?”

Xia Qingyuan gazed at Xiao Sheng and said, “Before you ask strict requirements of others, it’s best to first look at yourself.”

Xiao Sheng’s pupils, which were looking at the ground, contracted. That line sounded rather severe.

The joy that she brought him by addressing him as cousin had all been thrown out of the window at that very moment.

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“You could excuse yourself,” Xia Qingyuan said coldly.

Xiao Sheng cupped his hands slightly and then excused himself. Xia Qingyuan continued to gaze faraway. It was rare for her to say so much. She had said a lot that day and made her words sound that severe, in hopes of being able to tell Xiao Sheng to reflect on himself. That was considered a reminder from her.

If Xiao Sheng had not been her cousin, she would not have even bothered saying that much to him in the first place.

“Li Yao, what do you mean by this?” A silhouette was seen shooting past from faraway. One figure after another appeared and blitzed at frightening speeds, heading for one single direction.

Xia Qingyuan turned her eyes in that direction and she frowned. She then stepped out as a blue phoenix appeared beneath her feet. She quickly appeared elsewhere as she zipped past in the sky.

A small group of people appeared faraway. Other than Li Yao, there were also several saints in that group.

“The outcome of the Battle of Empty Realm is set. This place is now under Emperor Xia’s Realm’s command. Unrelated ones are forbidden to get near. What do you people from Emperor Li’s Realm mean by doing this?” The Sacred General of Tian said coldly, sending shock throughout the space.

Many turned to look at Li Yao, thinking if he was trying to renege on the deal the realms had made.

That could have only happened if Emperor Li attempted to wage a war against Emperor Xia.

“I just happened to free and wanted to pay a visit to Princess Qingyuan,” Li Yao smiled and said. Xia Qingyuan frowned and asked the sacred general telepathically, “Are there many of them?”

If those people had indeed came all the way there, then there was no way their numbers would have been that few.

“There are quite a number of saints appearing near the place. Some of them are of advanced training.” The Sacred General of Tian then asked, “Do you wish to retreat, princess?”

“No need for that,” Xia Qingyuan replied. If Li Yao dared to come on his own, then she did not believe that he would have dared to make a move against her.

“Li Yao, the three emperor’s realms had an agreement, that the region was entrusted to the rule of the party that won. This place is now Emperor Xia’s Realm’s territory. Any unauthorized entry shall be seen as invasions.” Xia Qingyuan then added coldly, “Everyone else, here are your orders. If the people of Emperor Li’s Realm dared to take another step into the region, kill them.”

“I’m just taking a stroll around these parts. There is no need to get so serious, princess,” Li Yao said as he smiled nonchalantly, turning his eyes at the matrixes at the mountains and said, “How many great path fragments had been unearthed so far?”

“None of your business,” Xia Qingyuan replied.

They were several people taking flight and left the place at frightening speeds as they spoke.

…

Ye Futian and the others still remained at Xuanji Mountain. They spent considerable amount of spirit stones of great path to trade for several training methods. The saints of Barren State acquired one set of methods each, which included the Moon Saint as well.

He owed the Moon Saint for what the saint did to help him back at the Sacred War of the Nine States, which he was compelled to repay. Whenever he could have afforded to look out for the Moon Saint, he would have done his part to help out.

Ye Futian squatted before a pavilion, but he was feeling somewhat uneasy, as if he was being watched.

Several silhouettes appeared beside Ye Futian. Yaya and the Glass Saint, both of whom had been faraway, closed in on him.

They were not the only ones to do so. Several powerful cultivators assigned by Xia Qingyuan came close behind Ye Futian, as they all seemed to have felt something.

Ye Futian acted as if he had sensed nothing and continued to chat. He stood up a while later and asked Yaya telepathically, “Are they powerful?”

“I sensed saintly aura from them, and they were all keeping an eye on you,” Yaya replied telepathically, and Ye Futian naturally sensed someone staring at him.

“We’ll just wait around and see,” Ye Futian said telepathically. With him out in the open and his supposed enemies in the dark, it was only natural that he dared not pull anything rash.

While he was indeed protected by several extremely powerful figures, but if it were to be powerful saints making a move against him, then it would have been difficult for them to protect him nonetheless.

He felt rather cold inside at the moment. Those from Emperor Li’s Realm had lost. Are they really coming for me now?

Ye Futian naturally understood that the end of the Battle of Empty Realm did not mean that Li Yao would not have dared to kill him. While he dared not make a move against Xia Qingyuan, the same could not have been said with Ye Futian.

Ye Futian understood why Xia Qingyuan arranged for people to stay by his side for protection.

While Xia Qingyuan acted coldly and smiles were hardly seen on her face, she nonetheless was being rather kind to him. He was able to tell that much after getting in touch with her more frequently.

“See Li Yao anywhere?” Ye Futian asked Yaya telepathically. If Li Yao was there, things would have been easier.

“Nowhere to be found,” Yaya answered. Ye Futian’s expression turned somewhat colder. If Li Yao were to be present when those people tried to make a move on him, then the prince would have been made a target by everyone else.

As such, it was most advantageous for him to not be around. It seemed that Li Yao had thought things out clearly.

“If we were to make the first move, what are the odds that we get to take them down?” Ye Futian asked again.

“We can’t even be sure what many of them are actually here. We’re only able to keep an eye of the few who are watching you. We can’t tell if there are others hidden in Xuanji Mountain,” Yaya answered. She dared not make any moves without knowing what they were up against.

Ye Futian’s expression was a cold one. They were out in the open while the enemy was in the dark. Man, this feeling sucks!