Imperial God Emperor

Chapter 677, The nervous Li Rui

The Crepe Myrtle Sect was ranked in the Three Sects and Three Schools of the Snow Empire, and was considered as one of the top forces among the Snow Empire's Human Race. 

After hundreds of years of operation, Crepe Myrtle Sect’s mountain gate could be said to be the most heavily defended place in the world. Since the Battle of the Light Palace, the Crepe Myrtle Sect had begun to decline, but the skinny camel is bigger than a horse. Violet Spiritual Mountain was still a place that not any person could break into. 

All of this, of course, was not a problem for Ye Qingyu.

From the beginning of the mountain gate, the formations that had been set up for hundreds of years and strengthened continuously around Crepe Myrtle Sect to protect the mountains were not triggered in the slightest. It was as if Ye Qingyu had passed through every formation like a breeze of mountain wind, and did not even provoke the slightest rippling of the formation.

Since the formation gave no warning, the people of the Crepe Myrtle Sect on the top of the mountain naturally did not sense anything.

Even on this road, there were a few disciples who brushed past Ye Qingyu but were unaware of his presence. 

With Ye Qingyu’s current cultivation, as long as he did not wish to be found, even if the one with the highest status in Crepe Myrtle Sect passed by him, they would not notice his presence and even more could not sense his aura. 

Ten minutes of time passed in a twinkling. 

Ye Qingyu had reached near the top of the mountain. 

Along the way, he took in the sights of Crepe Myrtle Sect and its mountains. 

After taking the last of the ninety-nine steps, the towering main hall with a nine-ridge roof appeared before him.

The vermillion roof tiled main hall that was decorated with carved railings and marble steps was surrounded by a circle of thousand-year-old Crepe Myrtle trees, like the stars revolving around the moon. 

The top of the main hall was towering into the clouds, as if to penetrate the sky, extending toward the endless void. The eaves of the eight edges were ornamented with a variety of carved ancient gods and beast statues, as though roaring to the sky or about to pounce forward, all vivid and lifelike. 

And on both sides of the main hall, there were more than ten beautiful and finely decorated pavilions. The stone walls of these buildings were engraved with violet markings, as well as injected with different formations, exuding a slight swaying purple light. 

At the front of all buildings and the main hall was a thousand meter public square paved with white jade slate.

The slates on the square were all very special. Every piece of white jade slate was delicately engraved with a flower pattern, similar to a formation marking, emitting a violet glow. The main hall was like a violet sea. 

It could be said that the imposing manner of the Crepe Myrtle Sect's mountain gate was not much inferior to that of the Snow capital. But it had even more of a little magical air, like a fairyland. 

But Ye Qingyu did not stop or slow down at all. 

The person he was looking for was not here either.  

After passing more than ten pavilions and offering temples, he then cut through the square in front of the Crepe Myrtle Sect’s main hall.

All along, Ye Qingyu didn't stop in the slightest.

After crossing the square, he walked towards the back of Violet Spiritual Mountain.

After the several winding stone footpaths, the view in front of him gradually turned somewhat mysterious and desolate.

The scattered bushes seemed to have not been tended in a long time, and the accumulated leaves were knee-deep.

That was when——

Ye Qingyu suddenly sensed something, a faint smile curved his lips, “That little guy is here.” 

Then he moved his body, with a flash of light, blending with the mountain wind.

In the back mountain dojo.

This dojo covered an approximate forty meter area and was the first dojo set up by the Crepe Myrtle Sect's founder.

Hundreds of years ago, ever since the rise of the sects, the number of disciples had grown steadily and this dojo could no longer accommodate that many disciples. As a result, the Crepe Myrtle Sect had set up larger dojos in other places, and the first-generation dojo was gradually left unattended. Several years later, it had become a deserted place.

Ye Qingyu appeared on the edge of the dojo. 

He stood on the slate road piled with fallen leaves, looking at the square stone platform in the middle of the dojo in the distance. 

On the stone platform, there was a youngster currently training alone. 

The youngster was slightly thin and weak-looking, and not very tall. Clad in the Crepe Myrtle Sect's low-level disciple clothes, the yuan qi he exuded during the cultivation was not strong at all. Probably no more than 30 Spirit springs. Moreover, the sword technique that he was practicing was only the Crepe Myrtle Sect's beginner [Violet Mist and Frost] technique. It was obvious that the plain and ordinary youngster did not have a very high status in Crepe Myrtle Sect.   

The youngster in the middle of the dojo did not notice that there was a someone else in the dojo.

He was engrossed in training. His essence, qi, and spirit were in unity, as if he really was in battle with someone. As the sword power was flowing around, in the void, faint violet ink-like marks were twisting like spirit snakes. A few moments later, the youngster’s body had gradually begun to fuse together with the sword. He seemed to have turned into a flickering purple sword. The flow of air began to slow, and faintly, there was a hint of rhythm.

After a full ten minutes, the youngster had just finished practicing a whole set of sword techniques.  

He unhurriedly withdrew the sword power, stood upright, his face slightly rosy, and then heaved a long sigh of relief.

“Good!” Ye Qingyu applauded. 

His figure flashed like light, then appeared from a shadow. 

 “Who?!”

The youngster exclaimed, froze for a moment, then peered towards the direction of the voice. Seeing the figure in the flash of light, he increased his vigilance, but then all of a sudden he felt that the figure was a little familiar. A look of disbelief came to his eyes, and he sank into an extremely shocked and excited state. 

He rubbed his eyes hard, as though he could not believe what he had just witnessed.  

That white-clothed and black-haired figure... is it really him?   

After the youngster had confirmed it over and over again, he finally exclaimed with a trembling voice, “You... You... Ye... You are Lord Ye!”

The simple and honest-looking youngster who was somewhat timid and clumsy was called Li Rui.

The reason that Ye Qingyu came today was for this youngster. 

Back when the Demon Race attacked Youyan Pass, the unremarkable and ordinary Li Rui had twice caught Ye Qingyu’s attention. The first time, as a lower level Crepe Myrtle Sect disciple, when his beloved senior sister Nanhua was in danger, he shielded her with his body and was even willing to die for her. The second time, although seriously injured, he still defended the little girl Miao Xiu of the City of Unmoving Darkness. 

From the youngster who did not flinch in the slightest when the sword pointed to the tip of his nose, Ye Qingyu saw bravery and fearlessness different from ordinary people.

Li Rui, because of fear, his legs were shaking and his teeth were chattering. But he still firmly stuck to his belief and strongly stood out. In the end, Ye Qingyu formed a strong impression towards this Li Rui, and later on had been paying close attention to him. 

……

A moment later. 

In the pavilion on the east side of the dojo. 

Sitting upright on the stone stool, Li Rui was somewhat stiff and tensed.

He was full of respect and admiration for the graceful Lord Ye, who, radiated an invisible majestic and imposing manner even though he did not display the slightest fluctuation of yuan qi. 

What he respected was Lord Ye's cultivation base, talent, ambition, and graceful manner. Especially after hearing the deeds of Lord Ye after he came to the Snow capital, the revival of the Light Place, the strength and combat power that he displayed in the ensuing battle, and was known as the strongest War God of Heaven Wasteland Domain. The Lord Ye who he had only met once before had become a god-like existence in Li Rui's heart. 

But he was also afraid. 

This was an instinctive feeling that the weak possessed towards the top experts in the martial arts world.

“How many years have you been in Crepe Myrtle Sect?” Ye Qingyu seemed to have noticed that Li Rui was nervous, gave a slight smile, and tried to ease the atmosphere. 

“Reporting... to Lord Ye... Seven... Seven years...” Li Rui was a little annoyed at the fact that he would unconsciously stutter when he was nervous. He did not want to show such an embarrassing side of him in front of his idol, and desperately tried to encourage himself inside. He told himself not to panic, but the more he did so, somehow, the more his heart pounded faster, and his body seemed to be trembling uncontrollably all over. 

“Seven years... so why are you still practicing a beginner sword technique?” Ye Qingyu asked with a smile. 

“Lord... Lord Ye, Li Rui is stupid and slow... also it's only two years since I started practicing the sword... So...” He was still stuttering a little, but he looked much more steady than before.  

“I remember seeing you at Youyan Pass, and you weren’t wielding a sword then. Why did you suddenly begin to practice the sword two years ago?” Ye Qingyu took a glimpse at the very weak beginner sword in his hand.  

“Lord Ye... during that battle, your sword skills were very powerful and impressive... I... you... I want to practice the sword... so I can...” Li Rui said very cautiously. The white-clothed figure back then was etched in his mind like an idol- and god-like existence.   

“Hahahaha... I see... good, good, the sword is the nobleman of martial arts weapons. Gentle but decisive. At the critical moment it can attack swiftly. Given your temperament, it is really suitable for you.” Ye Qingyu, with a smiling expression, appreciatively studying the youngster.

Was Lord Ye praising him for practicing the sword?

Li Rui grew more excited, but also increasingly tensed up.

He remembered the day when he was struck with demonic poison and was in critical danger. It was Lord Ye who saved him. Moreover, Lord Ye, in the face of an attack from a herd of demons, held his ground despite pressure or opposition, remaining confident, bold, and fearless. 

That mentality and imposing manner were characteristics that Li Rui lacked and wished to have.

“Actually, you don't have to hide your strength like this...” Ye Qingyu stated in a very casual tone of voice.

Li Rui looked taken aback. He had only just steadied himself with great difficulty, but now he was unconsciously trembling up again, “Lord... Ye... you... already... you... already know... you... could tell?”  

Ye Qingyu smiled, then nodded his head. 

In fact, the moment that Ye Qingyu saw Li Rui, he had already discovered such a fact. Although the boy showed the strength of someone with 30 Spirit spring cultivation base, his real cultivation base had already reached the peak of the Bitter Sea boundary. But he was using some sort of method to very carefully conceal his true strength——