Chapter 73

Xiao Sheng, risking his life, managed to obtain a large piece of Tianxing Dijing from the center of the lava lake. This kind of natural treasure is an unparalleled gem for crafting middle-grade treasures and refining magical artifacts. Even a sesame seed-sized piece is priceless. Now, this piece of Tianxing Dijing is as big as a bull's head, making it a rare and invaluable treasure, worth a fortune.

However, the fact that Jin Ding Mountain produces such natural treasures is not a secret. Therefore, it's not surprising that others, besides Xiao Sheng and Yu Xuanyi, have come to excavate treasures. What is truly surprising is that the person in front of him, upon seeing the Tianxing Dijing Xiao Sheng was holding, blurted out, "We're rich!" The tone made it seem as if Xiao Sheng's spoils of war were his own possession.

Xiao Sheng frowned deeply. He raised his head and looked at the person who spoke. The other party was about eighteen or nineteen years old. He wore a red tassel cap, a splendid warrior's robe embroidered with a qilin pattern on a yellow background, and black leather boots. He had a robust build, a broad and high forehead, bright and sharp eyes, a straight nose, and tightly pressed lips, exuding an indescribable air of arrogance and self-confidence. To the average shallow woman, he was indeed very attractive.

In contrast, Xiao Sheng had just emerged from the lava lake, wearing only a tattered loincloth, with many burns from the scorching lava, his skin charred and flesh torn, exposing white bones. His face was covered in black soot, making him look like a coal miner. From his appearance alone, he was clearly far less dashing and handsome than the other person.

The man completely ignored Xiao Sheng. He walked closer, carefully examined the large piece of Tianxing Dijing, and praised it incessantly. Then, he reached out to take it from Xiao Sheng. Xiao Sheng let out a light hum, and with a thought, he stored the Tianxing Dijing in the storage space of his bracelet, leaving the man empty-handed.

The man was stunned. He looked left and right, rubbed his eyes hard, but still saw nothing. The invaluable piece of Tianxing Dijing had vanished right before his eyes, as if it had never appeared at all.

But the man was also a martial practitioner. His eyes could clearly see the flight path of a mosquito in mid-air and distinguish the veins of every leaf on a tree from a thousand steps away. How could he possibly mistake a piece of Tianxing Dijing as big as a bull's head? The only explanation was that Xiao Sheng had used some special means to hide the treasure.

The man let out a cold hum and extended his hand toward Xiao Sheng, arrogantly commanding, "Hey, ant. Where did you hide that piece of Tianxing Dijing? I don't have time to waste on you. Hand it over quickly, and I'll reward you. But if you don't know your place, well, don't blame me for being unfriendly."

To be honest, Xiao Sheng didn't feel afraid when he heard these words; instead, he found them quite amusing. He shook his head and asked with a smile, "Who are you?"

The man was taken aback and exclaimed in disbelief, "What? You don't recognize me? Didn't you see the qilin on my clothes?"

Xiao Sheng glanced at the qilin embroidered on the man's clothes. The pattern was vivid and the craftsmanship exquisite. The qilin held a leaf in its mouth, but other than that, there was nothing particularly special about it. Xiao Sheng racked his brain but couldn't figure out what special meaning a qilin holding a leaf could have.

The man had thought that a slight hint would make Xiao Sheng recognize his background, causing him to be shocked and immediately bow in submission. He had already prepared himself to accept Xiao Sheng's kowtows. But to his surprise, this soot-covered man stood there dumbly, showing no intention of bowing.

What was going on? Could it be that he didn't know who the man was? Impossible. His family's name was as famous as the sky; how could anyone not know it?

But upon further thought, the man understood. He couldn't help but shake his head and sigh with a hint of pity, "Ah, I see. You must be a bumpkin from some poor, remote mountain village, with no clothes to wear, so you naturally wouldn't know about the powerful figures in the world. Alright, I'll be kind and teach you. Do you know that there are four great families in the world today?"

Four great families? What four great families? Xiao Sheng was not pretending to be ignorant; he genuinely had never heard of them. His expression was genuinely puzzled, not an act.

Seeing Xiao Sheng's reaction, the man felt even more disdain. He said arrogantly, "Listen up, bumpkin. The four great families are the Ye, Lin, Gao, and Xiao families. These families not only have a long history but are also immensely wealthy and powerful, capable of controlling the heavens. Even more impressive, these families have produced generations of martial saints and innate experts. Martial saints are common, and innate experts are... well, many. As for grandmasters and great grandmasters, they are even more numerous, not worth mentioning."

"Really? Generations of martial saints and innate experts?" Xiao Sheng was genuinely surprised. After all, since hundreds of years ago when the ten great martial saints disappeared, there had been no innate experts in the world.

Although the Da Hao Dynasty was the strongest and wealthiest in the world, the highest realm of cultivation among its practitioners was that of a great grandmaster. How could these four great families have innate experts and martial saints? Wouldn't they be able to walk over the Da Hao Dynasty?

No, it would be more than just walking over it. With such power, it would be easy for the four great families to overthrow the dynasty, wouldn't it?

Seeing Xiao Sheng's stunned expression, the man became even more smug and said arrogantly, "Bumpkin, do you think I'm lying? Let me tell you the truth. The current Da Hao Dynasty is ruled by the Xiao family, one of the four great families. Sixty years ago, when the world was in chaos, the founding emperor of the Da Hao Dynasty, though a man of great talent and vision, would have died a hundred times if not for the full support of the four great families. How could he have become emperor?"

"Really? You mean the founding emperor of the Da Hao Dynasty is from the Xiao family?" Xiao Sheng asked, but his expression and tone were not of surprise or shock, but rather of bewilderment.

It was well-known that the founding emperor of the Da Hao Dynasty was born into a common farmer's family, and no one knew the names of his ancestors for three generations. He had no connection to any long-standing noble families.

After the Da Hao Dynasty was established, some scholars rushed to trace the lineage of the Xiao family, citing historical records to prove that the founding emperor was a direct descendant of some famous person. However, the founding emperor waved them away, declaring in an edict that he was a peasant and refused to claim any illustrious ancestors. This history was something every member of the Xiao royal family had to learn.

But now, this person was suddenly claiming that the founding emperor of the Da Hao Dynasty was from the Xiao family of the four great families. This was clearly a tall tale, a laughable exaggeration.

However, the man did not know that Xiao Sheng was the fourteenth prince of the Da Hao royal family, so he was unaware that his boasting was as ridiculous as a thief named Li Gui pretending to be a hero named Li Kui and trying to rob the real Li Kui.

The man thought Xiao Sheng was impressed. He nodded and said, "That's right. The founding emperor of the Da Hao Dynasty is from the Xiao family. However, among the four great families, the Xiao family ranks last and is the weakest. The reason they were chosen to establish the dynasty was that the other three families found being emperor troublesome and let the Xiao family have it. The first-ranked family among the four is the Ye family, and I happen to be the most outstanding genius disciple of the Ye family."

The man paused and said with great pride, "My name is Ye Liangchen!"

"Ah, my apologies. I didn't realize you were so remarkable," Xiao Sheng said, trying to suppress his amusement as he raised his hands to bow to Ye Liangchen.

Ye Liangchen nodded in satisfaction and said, "Very good. Now, I have two things to tell you. One, you can't afford to offend the Ye family. Two, the Ye family also likes Tianxing Dijing, so where did you hide the piece you obtained? Think carefully and hand it over."

Xiao Sheng smiled and said, "What Tianxing Dijing? I don't know what you're talking about. If you want it, go ahead and look for it. If you find it, it's yours. If you don't, it's not anyone else's fault, right?"

Ye Liangchen, after his long speech, had expected Xiao Sheng to be sensible and kneel to offer the treasure. But Xiao Sheng was so "obstinate" that even Ye Liangchen, who prided himself on his broad-mindedness, felt angry.

Ye Liangchen looked around and saw a large rock nearby. He immediately walked over and stepped on it, making himself much taller than Xiao Sheng.

Ye Liangchen nodded in satisfaction, crossed his arms, and looked down at Xiao Sheng with a proud air. "Bumpkin, listen. Liangchen doesn't like to waste words. If you think you have the strength to play with Liangchen, Liangchen doesn't mind accompanying you. Liangchen will show you that he never speaks empty words. Remember, this Jin Ding Mountain, a three-thousand-mile radius, is the territory of the Ye family. Liangchen has a hundred ways to make you leave, and you will be helpless."