Chapter 57

Sun Zongzheng was so frightened that he hastily retracted his words, covered his face with his hands, and glared at Li Yunxiao with a look of resentment. But he couldn't figure out why, as a Ninth Rank Warrior from a martial arts force, he had been slapped by the other party and felt that there was no way to avoid it, and that he had to endure it.

"Get lost while I'm in a good mood!" Li Yunxiao shouted, and Sun Zongzheng immediately showed a fierce face and left in a hurry!

A hint of killing intent flashed in Li Chunya's eyes, and he said coldly, "Kid, offending a Third Rank Alchemist will leave a future threat! I'll go and kill him!"

"No!" Li Yunxiao said sternly, "Any Alchemist registered with the Alchemists' Guild is only under the jurisdiction of the Alchemists' Guild. Although he only has Third Rank strength, he is still a person of status in the Fire Crow Empire. If he dies for no reason, the Alchemists' Guild will definitely investigate us. Let him go, he won't cause any big trouble."

Li Chunya was stunned, pointing at the badge in Li Yunxiao's hand, "You don't mean to tell me this is real?"

Li Yunxiao snorted coldly, "Of course it's real. Who in the Heavenly Martial Continent would dare to forge this?"

Cold sweat trickled down Li Chunya's forehead, and he asked cautiously, "Then... you, you are really...?"

"Yep, just a minor Alchemist," Li Yunxiao said nonchalantly.

The room was silent for a moment, then suddenly came Li Chunya's loud roar.

"Brat, how many things are you hiding from me! You're really good at pretending!"

Chen Dasheng in the wooden tub also smiled bitterly, "Brother, you really have a successor! At such a young age, not only a Fourth Rank Warrior, but even more astonishingly, a Second Rank Alchemist. There's probably no one else like you in the entire Heavenly Water Kingdom!"

Li Chunya still scolded with a frown, "This brat... this brat..." but he couldn't hide his extreme joy.

Chen Dasheng smiled bitterly, "If my successor could achieve one-tenth of what Yunxiao has, I would be content."

Li Yunxiao glanced at him and said, "Old man calls you brother and names you Dasheng. Could it be that you are Chen Zhen's grandfather? Didn't you die in battle a few years ago?"

A look of sorrow flashed in Li Chunya's eyes, and he sighed, "Dasheng, my brother, did this all for me. That battle back then should have been me, but I was in seclusion. In a hurry, Xiao Wuwang chose Dasheng to go with him."

Li Yunxiao was surprised, "Xiao Qingwang? Could it be that his internal injuries were also from that battle?"

Li Chunya nodded, "Yes, back then, the Heavenly Water Kingdom and the Hundred Wars Kingdom fought for the position of the Fire Crow Empire's top vassal state. The battle took place in Kunjin City, at the border of the two countries. Although the number of participants was not large, the intensity of the battle was no less than that of a million troops. In that battle, the five squad leaders of the National Divine Guards all died, and Xiao Qingwang's deputy, Zhou Lin, who was also a Wuwang, sacrificed himself. My brother also suffered a lifelong illness."

Though he did not witness it himself, he could imagine the intensity of the battle. Chen Dasheng recalled bitterly, "Back then, although our Heavenly Water Kingdom won a Pyrrhic victory, we lost eight hundred. Over a hundred people went, all of them were experts above the Martial Master level. Only a dozen or so came back, and most of them were crippled. I thought I wouldn't live long, but fortunately, my brother brought Sun Zongzheng from the Fire Crow Empire to stabilize my injuries."

Li Yunxiao was taken aback, "No wonder the squad leaders of the National Divine Guards are all young men now. The old ones must have all died. I didn't expect that a small kingdom's ranking could cause such a brutal battle! What exactly is this ranking?"

Li Chunya, hearing his old-fashioned tone, laughed and scolded, "They are young men, you are just a baby!" His gaze also turned bleak as he began to explain the ranking battle.

The Fire Crow Empire is one of the three major empires in the southern part of the Heavenly Martial Continent, with nine vassal kingdoms divided into upper, middle, and lower tiers. If a kingdom has a Wu Zong at the Six Directions Realm or a Fourth Rank Sovereign Alchemist who is willing to stay and guard the kingdom, then the country automatically rises to the upper tier.

If there are fewer than three upper-tier positions, the remaining ones are contested by the middle-tier kingdoms. To qualify as a middle-tier kingdom, it must have a Wuwang at the Five Elements Realm or a Third Rank Alchemist.

Five years ago, there was an open upper-tier position, and three countries were eligible to compete: the Heavenly Water Kingdom, the Hundred Wars Kingdom, and the Eastern Shu Kingdom. Although the Eastern Shu Kingdom had a Third Rank Alchemist, its strength was far behind the Heavenly Water Kingdom and the Hundred Wars Kingdom. So the position was contested between the two countries.

Li Yunxiao suddenly said, "How is the victory of the ranking battle determined? Do you have to kill all the Wuwangs or Third Rank Alchemists of the other side?"

Li Chunya glared, laughing and scolding, "Although each country's resources belong to itself, once someone breaks through to the Third Rank Alchemist or the Five Elements Realm Wuwang, they must register with the Fire Crow Kingdom and become a middle force of the empire. In the event of a major war, they must follow orders. Of course, the benefits of registration are also great, as the Fire Crow Kingdom provides a large amount of cultivation resources every year."

He continued, "So, Third Rank Alchemists and Wuwang experts are precious resources, and the Fire Crow Empire will be very careful to avoid their loss. The standard for determining victory is to fight until one side admits defeat. If they don't admit defeat, the fighting continues until the country's strength is exhausted!"

Li Yunxiao sighed, "I didn't expect that a ranking would be so brutal!"

Li Chunya's expression turned serious, and he said coldly, "Brutal? To survive on this continent, the most important thing is strength! And what ensures strength? That's resources! Behind the ranking battle is a struggle for resources! There was once a kingdom that refused to admit defeat until the entire country was uprooted and the royal family was completely wiped out!"

Chen Dasheng, soaking in the wooden tub, sighed, "Heaven and earth are not benevolent, they treat all things as straw dogs!"

Li Chunya said solemnly, "The true determinant of strength is high-end combat power, which is why all countries must recruit powerful warriors. Many empires are supported by powerful sects and family forces, such as the Fire Crow Empire, which is backed by the Jitian Sect."

"Jitian Sect?" Li Yunxiao was taken aback, his expression somewhat strange.

He vaguely remembered that his eldest disciple, Hua Qianshu, had once taken on a disciple, the son of the Jitian Sect's sect leader, whose name he couldn't remember. Hua Qianshu had even brought him to meet him, but he didn't give any gifts, just gave him some pointers. By the time, it had been two or three decades.

Li Yunxiao struggled to recall the name of the young man, but he couldn't remember...

"Exactly!" A hint of fear flashed in Li Chunya's eyes, and he said solemnly, "It is said that the sect leader of the Jitian Sect, Qi Feng, is a Wu Huang at the Seven Stars Realm, just one step away from the Eight Desolations Wu Zun! Moreover, this person is a direct disciple of Wu Di Hua Qianshu, and even the backers of other empires dare not easily provoke him."

Li Yunxiao looked enlightened, thinking to himself: Oh, I remember, it's Qi Feng. I didn't expect him to become the sect leader, and Little Hua to advance to Wu Di. This must have happened after I fell. At that time, he was still stuck at the Eight Desolations Wu Zun level.

Li Chunya warned him with great caution, "Yunxiao, if you ever have the chance to go to the Fire Crow Empire, remember never to offend the Jitian Sect. Even a Jitian Sect's inner disciple would make the Fire Crow Empire's emperor smile. If we offend them, it will be a disaster!"

Li Yunxiao smiled lightly, "Don't worry, if they don't provoke me, I won't offend them."

Li Chunya was stunned, and hurriedly said, "Your character will get you into trouble sooner or later! Even if they provoke you and knock out all your teeth, you have to swallow it! Within the Fire Crow Empire, the Jitian Sect is an absolute existence above the royal family!"

Li Yunxiao changed the subject, "Is it time for the five-year ranking battle again?"

Li Chunya's mood turned bleak, and he said solemnly, "Yes! The battle five years ago greatly weakened our country. The wisest move is to withdraw from this upper-tier competition. Although we have to pay more taxes and resources, it is a rare opportunity for the country to rest and recuperate."

Li Yunxiao said calmly, "We need to speed up. With the emperor's current state, he may not be willing to withdraw from the competition. Only by making Prince Yue the successor can I persuade him to withdraw from the ranking battle."

Chen Dasheng was shocked, "Prince Yue?"

Li Chunya sighed and briefly explained the current situation and the Li family's decision.

Chen Dasheng said sadly, "The emperor treats loyal subjects like this, it truly chills our hearts. Unfortunately, I am a dying man, and I entrust the Chen family to you, Brother and Yunxiao."

Li Chunya felt a deep sorrow, his heart aching, "Brother, rest assured, as long as the Li family exists, the Chen family will not fall!"

Li Yunxiao smiled, "It's just an extreme cold poison, no need to be so dramatic. I noticed that Xiao Qingwang also has this cold poison in his body, though not much, it has deeply penetrated his bones. You were probably injured by the same person, who cultivates this extreme cold energy."

Chen Dasheng said hatefully, "Yes, it's the first expert of the Hundred Wars Kingdom, Wuwang Yi Xiaoshan!"

Li Yunxiao seemed to be thinking, and murmured, "Earlier in the courtyard, the Martial Sovereign beside Old Eight used an ice-based martial skill, which seemed to be this extreme cold energy, but his cultivation was not enough, so it was much weaker than the cold poison in your body."

"What?" Li Chunya was shocked, his gaze turning cold, and his eyes filled with killing intent, "I understand now. No wonder this brat, with such outstanding talent, would come to our Li family as a low-ranking servant and rise so quickly! He not only has the emperor's support but is also from the Hundred Wars Kingdom's Yi Xiaoshan!"

Li Chunya was so angry that his teeth ached, and he regretted, "If I had known, I should have killed him long ago! Now that he has escaped, it will be hard to catch him again!"