The Legend of Futian

Lava-like flames danced and roared in the Crimson River, throwing up huge waves.

Fiery red waves shot to the Regional Palace and the shores of the river. However, everyone seemed to be entirely oblivious to that. Their eyes were dead set on that starry staff being brought down right above the center of the Crimson River.

That staff also seemed to be hitting the hearts of the spectators.

Ye Futian did what he said what he would do.

There was only one among them who would be able to step into the Regional Palace.

Ye Futian beat Xing Kai.

The winner then killed the loser.

“That is brutal.” Chi Shang said to himself deep down after witnessing that scene. While that battle had indeed been a fight to the death, if Ye Futian were willing to give up killing Xing Kai, no one else would have gone up to do it for him.

Furthermore, the Ninth Servant voiced his threat outright, yet Ye Futian did it all the same, killing Xing Kai above the Crimson River.

“He sent the challenge to Ancient Imperial City after he agreed to join the Regional Palace’s ranks. I guess that was his thought right from the start?” many murmured to themselves. He only needed to get the Regional Palace to bear witness to the battle before he joined the Regional Palace’s ranks, and that would have ensured that even if he were to kill Xing Kai, the Ninth Servant would not have been able to do anything to him.

Ye Futian made his decision way back then.

When he and Xing Kai fought in Crimson Dragon City, he already came to believe that he was able to kill Xing Kai. The battle at the moment verified that belief of his.

A group of people stood at the edge of the Regional Palace, witnessing that one strike being brought down. Their minds were all rattled, and all of them felt unsettled.

Yin Tianjiao’s mind reeled from that for a bit. She found herself unable to believe what she just saw. That young man who competed with her back in Emperor Kua’s ruins back then managed to cut down Xing Kai, who was known to be invincible among his peers.

Shu Zi’s expression suggested that she felt only fear and disbelief. She was unable to fathom how it all happened.

She did not dare to believe what she just saw. That figure who had been overpowering those of his generation in the Regional Palace, the legendary man who had beaten her many times, had ended up killed by a Proving Holiness saint.

“He grew more powerful than back when he was in Crimson Dragon City. It seems his growth rate is considerable.” Pei Min noted to himself deep down. His expression was not all that complex, as he felt it to be a pity.

Xing Kai was someone who was of equal fame to Pei Min, and he would have been very frustrated getting killed like that.

While he did say that he felt that Ye Futian would have won the battle earlier, he did not know how Ye Futian would have managed to win against Xing Kai, who was a Saint of True Self.

Yet, in that very battle, Pei Min saw that Ye Futian was able to use the powers he gained from the Peach Banquet as his own, incorporating them into the methods he trained in perfectly. Furthermore, he had also developed a new way of attack—the way of Entropy.

Xing Kai burned his Life Spirit and blood to bring the Heaven Punishing Battle Form to bear at his last moments, but Ye Futian merged with the stars into a single being, taking the Starry Battle Form. The powers within his body probably would have been on par Xing Kai’s.

The art of the staff used at the last moments saw every single attack feeling as if stars were being brought down. Pei Min was thinking about what would have happened if he was the one fighting Ye Futian instead.

He was thinking about if his sword would have been able to withstand such raging attacks with the staff.

The might of his sword was such that the attacks only moved forward, with one strike being stronger than the previous strike.

However, that was how Ye Futian’s art of the staff worked as well, with one strike being stronger than the previous strike. Furthermore, every single follow-up attack contained the might of the attacks before it. The attacks would have continued until they brought down the heavens and the earth, making it so that even Xing Kai’s battle form was unable to withstand the attacks anymore.

Yet another monster was about to join the Regional Palace’s ranks after Yu Sheng.

The Regional Palace was not to be the place where the most genius and the most monstrous of figures Crimson Dragon had to offer gathered for no good reason.

But then again, that was also the reason for anticipation.

Under the attentive gaze from all sides at that moment, Xing Kai’s battle form crumbled. That construct had been conjured by Xing Kai’s body, after all. It was a manifestation of true flesh and blood instead of the will of the great path, which was then given extremely formidable powers.

However, that became Xing Kai’s bane instead.

When the starry staff was brought down onto Xing Kai’s head, it was as if the stars in the skies rained on him. There was no way Xing Kai’s battle form would have survived that, and it indeed crumbled. When the staff was still swooping in the air, Xing Kai’s body disappeared in the sky above the Crimson River.

On that battlefield above the Crimson River, only that shining body of Ye Futian was left—that Starry Battle Form, which was merged with the great path and basking in the boundless light of the stars.

The vast place was surprisingly quiet. Only the roar of the Crimson River could be heard at that moment.

It was but an extremely short moment, yet all who witnessed the scene felt as if it had gone on for a very long time. The roaring Crimson River gradually quieted down and no longer rolled about. However, it continued to flow furiously. Its scorching air lingered in their surroundings, but the crowd seemed not to have felt it at all.

Their minds still lingered on the fact that Xing Kai was dead.

A legendary figure whose name shook the realm had just been killed outside of the Regional Palace by a genius who emerged out of nowhere.

Ye Futian made it clear to all of Crimson Dragon Realm about who was the strongest in his generation by stepping on Xing Kai’s head.

He, a saint at Proving Holiness level, managed to kill Xing Kai. It was a feat that would never be able to be surpassed by anyone.

The air above the Crimson River rolled at that moment as if a scorching might was raining down from above, shrouding the entire Crimson River.

Ye Futian was able to sense just how overwhelming the pressure of the great path had been. It was as if that might was something that could never be shaken, and it leaned onto his body.

However, Ye Futian’s expression was calm. He knew who was the one doing it.

But then again, they were at the Crimson River, right outside the Regional Palace, and very much still in Crimson Dragon City.

The crowd at the shore was unable to help but part. A figure stood tall right there, and it was none other than the Ninth Servant.

He looked in the Crimson River’s direction. His might of the great path shrouded the entire place. His eyes were filled with cold killing intent.

He had been watching over Xing Kai as the young man grew up. He had already made it to a Saint of True Self. His young master was not all that far away from the final destination, yet Ye Futian killed his young master at the Crimson River.

He had watched Xing Kai grow. Despite being the young man’s servant and his protector, he was still Xing Kai’s elder.

That young man had been extraordinarily resilient and arrogant. The blood of Emperor Zhan flowed in his veins. He was forever aspiring to be the strongest, and it was probably due to that, that he felt vexed at losing to Ye Futian in the Peach Banquet.

He did not leave another mark in Xing Kai for that battle. After using the Mark of God of War in Xing Kai in the last battle, it was incredibly taxing for him to leave another on Xing Kai. The toll was so great that it might have even affected him. He would not have been able to use Xing Kai’s body to do battle otherwise.

Furthermore, that battle had been a fight to the death. The Regional Palace was there to bear witness, and he thought leaving the mark behind would have been pointless. Ye Futian had access to external means for bolstering one’s combat prowess as well, after all.

The Ninth Servant thought that Xing Kai would have been able to win by using his trump card in that life and death battle.

From the looks of things at present, however, if the Ninth Servant had left behind a mark, he would have at least bought Xing Kai some time, making Ye Futian’s killing intent falter.

Xing Kai would not have ended up killed outright like that.

“Ninth Servant.” A voice was heard from the Regional Palace, traveling the vast space. It resounded all over the place. A might that was just as terrifying was sensed as well.

At that moment, everyone at the shore was able to sense just how powerful those two pressures were.

They turned to look at the Regional Palace. That aura could only come from that one person.

Ye Futian was deemed very brutal for picking the Crimson River to hold the fight, and letting the Regional Palace bear witness. He had been just as brutal to himself, as he was to Xing Kai.

The loser dies.

Furthermore, no one else would have been able to interfere, not even the Ninth Servant.

While Xing Kai meant the world to the Ninth Servant, it was not like the Ninth Servant had no other concerns holding him back. There was no way he could have cast everything aside and made his move against Ye Futian right there and then.

“Senior, Ancient Imperial City accepted the challenge and agreed to fight. With that said, one side would certainly perish. While that indeed was quite a loss, it was Xing Kai’s own choice.” The spectators saw Chi Shang looking at the Ninth Servant.

Chi Shang’s tone was polite. Despite being a prince, the Ninth Servant was nonetheless still a figure at the pinnacle below Renhuang. He was also considered an elder, so the prince still had to give him face.

The Ninth Servant took a look at Chi Shang. He, too, knew that he couldn’t kill Ye Futian right there and then.

Xing Kai was dead, and doing anything would be pointless.

He did not say anything more, not even threaten Ye Futian. He turned around slowly and then flashed, streaking through the air.

“Let’s go.” A voice was heard. Those from Ancient Imperial City followed one after another and left.

Before Xing Kai died, the Ninth Servant leaned on Ye Futian and threatened him to let Xing Kai go. Since Xing Kai was already dead, doing anything further was pointless.

Many watched the Ninth Servant leave and thought, What would have that City Lord from Ancient Imperial City do?

He would not simply do nothing about Xing Kai’s death.

Ye Futian watched the Ninth Servant leave. He then frowned hard.

The Ninth Servant was the pinnacle existence beneath the Renhuang. Ye Futian was wondering just how potent his threat would have been.

Despite understanding what would have resulted, he chose to kill Xing Kai nonetheless.

Be it killing intent from Xing Kai or the Ninth Servant, everything became inevitable.

As such, he saw fit to get the threats dealt with as soon as possible.

A group of people took to the air after the Ninth Servant left, following him. Those were the people from Ancient Imperial City that Gai Huang brought with him.

Gai Huang’s expression was glum as well. He came beside the Ninth Servant and said nothing.

He was responsible for Xing Kai’s death, too.

Back when Xing Qiu participated in the Battle of Qianye City, as well as the time when Xing Kai made a move against Ye Futian, he had been present on both occasions. It could have been said that he gave his silent consent.

As such, he felt guilty about what happened.

Xing Qiu was quiet as well. He looked rather numb.

His elder brother had been killed.

“Gai Huang, bring Xing Qiu and the others back to Ancient Imperial City,” the Ninth Servant said.

Gai Huang was dumbfounded. He looked at the Ninth Servant and said with a low voice, “Sir.”

“Take good care of Xing Qiu,” the Ninth Servant said and then headed out elsewhere, distancing himself from Gai Huang.

“I will, sir,” Gai Huang responded lightly. He then looked at the figure who just left. Gai Huang naturally knew where he was heading.

Despite being the number one figure outside of Crimson City, he always carried himself as a servant before Xing Kai and Xing Qiu, addressing them as his young masters.

If a master were insulted, then the servant would have had to die. It was all the more so now that his master was killed.

Gai Huang knew the Ninth Servant very well. Despite being of extremely great renown in Crimson Dragon Realm, revered by the people, and lauded as the number one City Lord, none of that mattered to the Ninth Servant. He also did not care about how the world looked at him.

Face meant nothing to him.

What the Ninth Servant cared about were only the Xing brothers.

Xing Kai, who was the one with better potential between the brothers, was killed.

One could have only imagined the extent of his wrath.

He did not care what the world thought of him. All he wanted to do, at the moment, was to take revenge.