Chapter 343: That Would Be A Different Price!
Chapter 343: That Would Be A Different Price!
The entire Kun race was stunned by the sight of the forbidden tablet rising up into the air.
The 10 elders hurriedly performed some hand seals to create an all-encompassing barrier to cover that tablet.
Those Kun elders had been cultivating in seclusion in the forbidden valley and were amongst the top Mighty Prowess practitioners in the world.
When those 10 elders joined forces, even a Sage would find it difficult to fend against them.
However, the barrier created by those 10 elders was just like a flimsy piece of paper in front of this tablet. It was pierced within seconds.
A green light shot out, covering the sky for millions of miles, before suddenly disappearing completely from sight.
Meanwhile, the entire forbidden valley had been turned to dust—chaos and disarray everywhere.
Shen Tian was befuddled. He had just nodded off for a while in front of that forbidden tablet, why had it suddenly run off?
Those Kun elders, are they playing a trick on me?
Now that things are in such a mess, are they just pretending to be so ineffective?
Rumble!
As the chaos started to settle down, several massive Kun avatars formed in the sky, exuding Sage-level auras.
It was the Kun race’s Grand Elders. They spent most of their days cultivating in seclusion and seldom took part in outside affairs.
But the aftershock of the forbidden tablet moving was just too tremendous. They had all been lured out of their seclusion.
“Why did the forbidden tablet suddenly move? Leader, please give us an explanation!”
“The forbidden tablet was left behind by our founding ancestor. Nothing has ever happened to it for tens of thousands of years. Why did it suddenly disappear today?”
“If you cannot offer a valid explanation, we will not be able to face our ancestors. Leader, please recover the forbidden tablet as soon as possible!”
“Leader, I heard that you allowed the Divine Firmament Saint to try and decipher the forbidden tablet, which caused this to happen. Where is the Saint?”
“That’s right. Have the Divine Firmament Saint come out and explain himself!”
...
Those Kun Sages had a heated discussion amongst themselves. They were all very shaken by the forbidden tablet’s disappearance.
The forbidden tablet was just too important to the Kun race. It was as important as a human clan’s genealogical records or ancestral halls.
Moreover, the valley’s thick spirit qi and special array were now completely disrupted after the forbidden tablet’s disappearance.
This was a major loss to the Kun race!
It was impossible for anyone to remain calm in such a situation.
Rumble!
At that moment, the Kun king’s figure appeared in the valley. He had a rather grim expression but didn’t appear to have any intention of pinning the blame on Shen Tian. He just looked at Shen Tian with concern.
The Kun King heaved a sigh of relief after seeing Shen Tian was not visibly injured. In fact, Shen Tian’s aura seemed to have become even more intense.
The Kun King asked, “Saint, did you sustain any injury?”
Shen Tian nodded. “I am shocked but not hurt.”
The Kun King said, “That’s good. I didn’t expect this to happen. If anything happened to you because of this, I would not be able to answer to your sacred ground.”
The Kun King’s words stunned Shen Tian.
Are demon leaders all so amiable now?
He wasn’t fretting over the loss of the tablet left behind by his ancestors but was instead worried about having to answer to the Divine Firmament Sacred Ground?
But as the saying went, “One can never bear to slap a smiling man”. The Kun King was being so amiable to Shen Tian that he was feeling rather embarrassed.
After all, Shen Tian had no idea why the forbidden tablet had suddenly flown off. But he guessed that it must have something to do with him understanding the Chaotic Tinder Sutra.
This time, he might really have to bear responsibility.
The Kun King was amiable, but this didn’t mean that the other Kun elders would be just as cordial.
Actually, some of the Kun elders were already very unhappy at the fact that Shen Tian had been given the Triple Light Divine Water and three Sage-level artifacts in exchange for the Kun Peng Dao.
In their opinion, the Kun Peng Dao belonged to the Kun race in the first place. It should never have been allowed in the hands of outsiders, and it was only right for it to be returned to them.
They might have been able to grudgingly accept giving away the Triple Light Divine Water and three Sage-level artifacts in exchange for the Kun Peng Dao. But allowing other people to practice it?
That was going too far!
Not to mention that the Kun King had also allowed the Divine Firmament Saint to try and decipher the forbidden tablet.
And look what happened now? The forbidden tablet had disappeared!
“Leader, Divine Firmament Saint, please explain what happened.”
“Kun Xu, have you been cooperating so much with the Divine Firmament Sacred Ground all these years that you have forgotten about the pride and dignity of the Kun race?”
“The power of our race did not increase significantly since the day you became our leader. Now, the forbidden tablet has also disappeared. I think it is time for us to hold a meeting of the elders.”
“If you cannot do right by your role as our leader, please step aside and hand the throne over to someone more capable!”
“Also, the Divine Firmament Sacred Ground needs to compensate us for the loss of our tablet!”
...
The elders’ unhappy voices filled the air.
Most of the elders were Heavenly Venerables and still treated Kun Xu with some respect.
However, some were Grand Elders who had undergone tribulation and were much more senior than the Kun King. As a result, they were not as courteous with their words.
Some Grand Elders even raised the possibility of removing the Kun King from his throne and re-electing a new leader.
The Kun King narrowed his eyes as he stared at those figures.
“Everyone knows the status of the forbidden tablet in our race. I shouldn’t need to remind anyone of that.
“Our founding ancestor decreed that anyone who is fated to gain the tablet’s acknowledgment can take it away. We cannot stop him or her.
“Now that the Divine Firmament Saint has successfully received the tablet’s acknowledgment, and it chose to leave, it is all very reasonable.
“We have our pride and dignity as the Kun race. Why are we just pinning all the blame on the Saint?
“As for my position as the leader of this race, who feels that I am unworthy?
“Please step out and make your point!”
With that, Kun Xu erupted with a mighty aura. His Sage-level energy instantly suppressed everyone and everything around him.
A towering Kun avatar appeared behind him as massive waves and howling winds churned the oceans for miles and miles!
Kun Xu’s avatar was no longer just a Kun.
As the towering Kun reached the surface of the ocean, the scales suddenly morphed into golden feathers. The head of the Kun also transformed into a dashing golden Peng head.
Rumble!
Giant cyclones rose from the water!
A huge Kun Peng suddenly appeared before the elders. It radiated with a powerful sacred light, its Sage-level aura engulfing the surroundings, making it difficult for everyone to breathe.
All the Kun elders kept silent.
They stared at the Kun Peng avatar behind Kun Xu with glittering eyes.
They were the upper management of the Kun race and knew very well how powerful Kun Xu was. He was definitely not that strong before.
Now that he was exuding an aura that was at least twice as powerful as before, it was clearly all thanks to the complete Kun Peng Dao.
All attempts to question and cast blame disappeared.
The forbidden tablet was important, but no one had been able to decipher anything from it since ancient times. Its only use was to create this forbidden valley that could aid in their cultivation.
Anyway, the forbidden valley was not much use to anyone who had already reached the Sage stage. Otherwise, those Grand Elders would be there all year long.
However, the Kun Peng Dao was different. It was useful to all Kun practitioners. It could increase their powers significantly.
But no race would want its most revered legacy to be imparted to just anyone.
For example, only the Sacred Leaders and Saints of the various sacred grounds were allowed to practice the forbidden chapters.
Thus, even though the Kun Peng Dao had been returned to the Kun race, only a small fraction of them would be allowed to learn the entire Dao.
And the process of deciding who was worthy could be rather complicated and subjective.
Who had the right to practice and who didn’t? There would be a lot going behind the scenes on making such decisions.
As the Kun race’s current leader, the Kun King’s opinion would have a significant weight.
Moreover, Kun Xu’s powers had increased again after comprehending the Kun Peng Dao’s complete version. Those in the Kun race who could oppose him were now few and far between.
Now, one must consider carefully whether to offend Kun Xu over this forbidden tablet issue.
After all, the forbidden tablet belonged to the entire Kun race and not just them.
...
The atmosphere came to a temporary standstill. The Kun King sent a discreet voice transmission to Shen Tian.
“Saint, don’t worry. No one will be able to threaten you when I am around.
“The Divine Firmament Sacred Leader is already at North Sea. I have already informed him, and he will be here shortly to fetch you.”
He has even notified Master?
Shen Tian’s heart warmed. There were good people in this world, after all.
I have only known this Kun King for a few days, but he is so good to me.
Sigh... I do feel rather guilty now!
In the future, if I have the chance to encounter more fortuitous opportunities, I will definitely remember Kun Ming and Kun Yu! After all, the two of them are very high-quality crop— I mean prodigies.
A Sage-level aura appeared in space.
All living creatures in the surrounding area felt a heavy suppression in their hearts.
The atmosphere was very tense. One false step and the entire Kun race could descend into chaos.
In the end, one of the Grand Elders spoke up. His tone was much more cordial. “No matter what, the forbidden tablet is our race’s treasure. Leader, you allowed the Divine Firmament Saint to try and decipher it without getting our permission. This is already against the rules.”
The Kun King took a deep breath.
“Elders, the Divine Firmament Saint has agreed to sign a Kun God contract with Yu’er. He will become our race’s human partner. According to our rules, human partners of our race have the right to try and decipher the forbidden tablet.”
The Divine Firmament Saint agreed to become a human partner of the Kun race?
The elders all fell silent at the Kun King’s words as discreet communications via divine consciousness filled the space.
They were all weighing the pros and cons of this situation. They were all elite top management practitioners and no fools. The fact that the forbidden tablet had disappeared could not be reversed.
There was no use trying to pin the blame on someone. The crucial thing now was to try their best to salvage the situation.
They had heard rumors about this Divine Firmament Saint. They had heard that he was a rare Son of Providence, only encountered once in 10,000 years. Even the Dragon race was buttering up to him.
It was a good thing and a pretty big deal if he was truly willing to become a human partner with the Kun race.
An authoritative voice rang out.
“Divine Firmament Saint, are you really willing to sign a Kun God Contract with our Eldest Princess, Kun Yu? To become a human partner of our race?”
Shen Tian was slightly taken aback. He glanced at Kun Yu, whose face had turned a little pink.
To be honest, he had never thought about that.
After all, Shen Tian had already signed contracts with the Black Dragon race’s Ao Bing and the Peacock race’s Kong Meng. He felt a bit guilty signing another contract behind their backs.
But the Kun King has been supporting me despite all that pressure from the elders. It won’t be very nice if I turn around now and stab him in the back.
Moreover, now that he had gotten the Chaotic Tinder Sutra, it was only right of him to take care of the Kun race.
After keeping silent for a few moments, Shen Tian nodded.
“I am willing.”
...
He agreed!
He finally agreed!
Kun Yu’s face blushed a deep red. Even Kun Xu looked very pleased.
Kun Ming was the only one who looked somewhat discomfited. There was probably no way now that he would ever have the chance to get back at Shen Tian.
The suppressive Sage aura dissipated. The tense atmosphere also gradually faded away.
“Since the Saint has agreed to be a human partner with our race, no rules were broken when he tried to decipher the forbidden tablet.”
“The forbidden tablet has always been very mysterious. Countless people have fallen at its hands. It may not be a bad thing now that it has suddenly disappeared. We cannot blame the Divine Firmament Saint.”
“Now that we have raised this issue, I have yet to thank the Divine Firmament Saint for recovering the Kun Peng Dao for us. It has been very rude of me.”
“The Divine Firmament Saint is extraordinarily handsome, and it’s clear from just one look that he is a rare talent. I am sure he will become a Thearch in the future with limitless powers!”
Shen Tian felt rather dazed at all the praises being heaped upon him.
What happened? Why did they suddenly start praising me?
Is it really that easy to change the topic for such a heated discussion?
I just caused your forbidden tablet to disappear. Don’t you guys care about that anymore?
The fabrics of space were suddenly ripped apart at that moment. An even more overbearing Sage aura than before covered the entire area.
Multi-colored lightning spread across the ocean waters, upon which rode a massive flying vessel. The vessel was filled with disciples all wearing the uniform of the Divine Firmament Sacred Ground.
On the third level of the flying vessel was a Divine Firmament elder who exuded the powerful aura of a Heavenly Venerable.
“Which foolish Kun pup dared to go against our Tian’er? Come over here and ask permission from the staff in my hand!”
EAzure Lotus stood proudly on the third level of the flying vessel. He was dressed in purple and holding a golden staff.
With a slight shake, he morphed into a towering giant with bulging muscles. The golden staff in his hands also became hundreds of feet long.
He was just a normal Heavenly Venerable, but his aura made many of the Kun Sages shudder.
After all, he was once an Extreme Dao Heavenly Venerable.
Even though his powers had been nullified before, he still possessed fearsome energy. Azure Lotus had now cultivated his Godfiend body to Heavenly Venerable levels, and his power was almost back to his previous level.
More importantly, since that setback years ago, this fellow no longer cared about status and reputation. He was as brash and impulsive as they came.
Even a Sage would not really dare to offend a Heavenly Venerable like that.
...
Apart from Azure Lotus, there were two other people on the third level of the flying vessel.
One of them was Golden Lotus, who had already overcome her tribulation and stabilized her cultivation level. Her silver robe dazzled, and she looked extremely alluring.
She said in a charming manner, “Tian’er, don’t be afraid. We are here. No one will be able to make things difficult for you.”
The third person was covered in lightning and heavenly aura, and he just stood there quietly, gazing down at the Kun elders.
He was unleashing his aura with wild abandon. Golden mixed element lightning with a divine light core spread for miles and miles.
Even those Grand Elders couldn’t help being shocked by the lightning’s presence.
This fellow is even more powerful than before!
The Divine Firmament Sacred Leader gazed at the Kun King, his lightning and heavenly aura rippling.
“Brother Xu, how are you?”
Upon sensing the Divine Firmament Sacred Leader’s aura, the Kun King was very glad that he hadn’t taken his foolish son’s advice to harm Shen Tian.
Otherwise, he would be in deep trouble now.
He smiled. “Thank you, Brother Zhang, for asking. You have traveled such a long distance, and I failed to give you a proper welcome. I hope you won’t be offended. May I know the reason for your presence today...”
The Divine Firmament Sacred Leader’s heavenly aura rippled. “I heard that Brother Xu invited Tian’er here as his guest. I was worried about Tian’er being ignorant about the Kun race’s rules and ending up offending the Kun elders. So I specially came down to fetch him back.
“If Tian’er did anything wrong during this time, I hope you will bring the matter to me for resolution.”
With that, the Divine Firmament Sacred Leader gazed into the distance. His Sage aura became even more intense. “I wonder if anyone has anything to say?”
The Divine Firmament Sacred Leader’s voice was completely emotionless, but the Grand Elders’ hearts shivered in fear. They were all secretly relieved.
They were relieved that they had chosen to listen to their leader, to let Shen Tian become a human partner of the Kun race, thus resolving the previous situation.
Otherwise, they would not be able to avoid a major conflict between the Divine Firmament Sacred Ground and the Kun race now.
Not many Kun Sages would be willing to face off with a powerful opponent like the Divine Firmament Sacred Leader. One might inadvertently end up being a charred fish.
Silence descended. None from the Kun race dared to speak up.
Finally, the Kun King smiled. “Brother Zhang, you misunderstand. The Saint has been very polite and courteous with us. He did not cause any trouble.
“On the contrary, the Saint has gotten along very well with my daughter, Kun Yu, and they have signed a Kun God Contract. I wonder if Brother Zhang is willing to let your disciple become a human partner with my race?”
...
A human partner with the Kun race?
The Divine Firmament Sacred Leader’s heavenly aura rippled as he gazed mildly at the Kun King.
A secret transmission passed between the divine consciousness of the Divine Firmament Sacred Leader and the Kun King. A message which only the Kun King could hear rang out.
“I told you to just play the nice guy with those wilful Kun elders and hold down the fort before I turned up to save the day.
“In this way, we could both make a good impression on the Son of Providence.
“So why have you already settled everything before I arrived? How can I make a good impression on Tian’er like that? Brother Kun, are you trying to pick a fight with me?”
With that, the Sacred Leader’s aura vibrated intensely.
The corners of the Kun King’s mouth twitched. He seemed to be recalling some unsavory past memory.
He cleared his throat.
“Brother Zhang, you misunderstand. I had no choice as those Kun elders were just too agitated!
“But don’t worry, I already told the Saint once and again that you were leading the entire brigade over here to save him the moment you heard that something happened.
“You have made an extremely good impression. Even I feel moved by your gesture!”
The Divine Firmament Sacred Leader replied calmly, “And what’s up with this human partner thing? Why didn’t you discuss this with me first?”
The Kun King looked somewhat guilty.
Are you kidding me? How to raise this subject with you?
Who doesn’t know that you have been trying to push your own daughter into Shen Tian’s arms?
I have always given way to you out of respect. But do you think I will just step aside when it comes to my daughter’s lifelong happiness?
The Divine Firmament Saint and Yu’er have already agreed to form the contract. Make a big fuss if you are unhappy about it.
It will just be short-term suffering for me!
That is nothing compared to Yu’er’s future happiness!
The Kun King’s eyes hardened.
“Ahem, I forgot. Brother Zhang, I am really sorry!”
The Divine Firmament Sacred Leader continued staring impassively at the Kun King. After a long time, he finally spoke up.
“This would be another price!”