Chapter 713: Could It Be This Child

The Heavenly Rift Sect had over a hundred people pursuing Huang Liang this time. Among them, more than ten were elder-level powerhouses, and the rest were also formidable individuals.

Such a massive lineup was unstoppable in the Dragon Ascent Realm; if Huang Liang hadn't been quick on his feet, ten lives wouldn't have been enough.

Yet, at this very moment, this same group, facing Zhuang Bufan who was clad in the Dragon Seat Mech, was like withered grass and spoiled leather, utterly powerless, capable only of being slaughtered.

In less than ten breaths, all the Heavenly Rift Sect cultivators at the valley entrance were dead. Apart from a towering, crimson figure still standing, not a single complete corpse could be seen.

It was widely acknowledged in the Nine Provinces that mechs were the external objects most capable of enhancing a cultivator's combat power; ordinary spirit artifacts simply couldn't compare. The Grand Cultivator of the Divine Ocean Realm from the Thousand Mechanisms Pavilion could fight enemies several minor levels stronger than himself with just a half-body armor, let alone a legendary full-body armor like the Dragon Seat.

The power and actions displayed by Zhuang Bufan in such a short time had already exceeded the scope of the Cloud River Realm; even average True Lake Realm cultivators might not be able to compare. But everyone knew he must have paid a tremendous price.

Having slain all visible enemies, the crimson figure once again transformed into a streak of light, soaring into the distance like thunder and lightning, vanishing in an instant. That direction was precisely where Yun Hantian, the Sixth Elder of the Heavenly Rift Sect, had fled earlier.

No one knew what happened afterward, only that from that day on, Yun Hantian, the Sixth Elder of the Heavenly Rift Sect, was never seen again.

As the crimson figure pursued, Lu Ye's heart stirred, and he flashed away in pursuit.

Half an hour later, two hundred li away in an open area, he saw the remnants of a battlefield, with traces of spilled blood and fragments of bones scattered everywhere.

Neither Yun Hantian nor Zhuang Bufan was there. Only a spherical object, about the size of a baby's head, lay silently on the ground. At first glance, the sphere seemed unremarkable, like an oddly shaped stone, and even if someone passed nearby without knowing its true nature, they might not pay it any mind. Divine artifacts often appear unassuming.

Lu Ye bent down and picked up the sphere. Surprisingly, he didn't feel much weight, nor was its texture as hard as he had imagined.

By this point, he had discerned Zhuang Bufan's final thoughts. Zhuang Bufan was unwilling to slowly wither and die. Compared to such an obscure end, he preferred to perish spectacularly, while also resolving a crisis for Medicine Valley. More importantly, he wanted to use this method to show Lu Ye the dangers of the Dragon Seat. He knew that even if he didn't say anything, Lu Ye would still find the Dragon Seat after his death. Rather than letting Lu Ye rashly test its power, it was better to use the last glimmer of his life to demonstrate it, allowing Lu Ye to witness its true nature firsthand.

He had once considered hiding the Dragon Seat so no one else would discover it. However, his physical condition was extremely poor. Not only was he unsure if he could accomplish this alone, but a divine artifact like the Dragon Seat shouldn't be hidden away, especially now, with the Heavenly Rift Sect's perverse actions suggesting major changes were coming to the Dragon Ascent Realm.

If Lu Ye could wield the Dragon Seat, even if it didn't grant him absolute self-preservation, at the very least, when facing an insurmountable enemy, he would possess the means to perish alongside them.

This was Zhuang Bufan's profound intention, and it served as his way of repaying Lu Ye and the others for their care over the past few days. His injuries, in fact, stemmed from experimenting with the Dragon Seat's power. The day he acquired the Dragon Seat, out of curiosity, he activated its power, which resulted in severe personal depletion. Yet, that time, he had merely activated it; he hadn't used it in combat. This was his only time using the Dragon Seat's power to slay enemies, and it became his final, fervent, and glorious act.

There were no remains of Zhuang Bufan, not even his storage bag. The bloodstains and skeletal fragments on the ground belonged only to Yun Hantian; Zhuang Bufan himself seemed to have vanished into thin air.

Lu Ye gazed at the Dragon Seat in his hand, gripping it tightly.

Half an hour later, Lu Ye appeared in Medicine Valley.

Ye Liuli looked over anxiously: "Sixth Brother, Brother Zhuang, he..."

Lu Ye looked at her: "Brother Zhuang did what he wanted to do."

Ye Liuli immediately covered her mouth, tears streaming down her face. Yiyi embraced her, gently patting and comforting her.

"How many heroes the Dragon Ascent Realm has, truly remarkable!" Huang Liang sighed softly. Even now, he didn't know Zhuang Bufan's true identity, but that didn't prevent him from respecting his final actions, just as he respected Fahua and Liu Tianyi.

Among cultivators, life and death were indeed common, but when truly facing the brink of death, how many could remain composed? How many could face certain death without complaint? Fahua and Liu Tianyi were such people, and so was Zhuang Bufan.

A crisis was resolved in this manner.

"Fellow Daoist, tell me about the Dragon Seat," Lu Ye said, looking up at the Young Healer who was gazing at Hua Ci's face. Lu Ye didn't know much about the Dragon Ascent Realm; after all, he wasn't the real Ye Liu, but merely a cultivator from the Nine Provinces. Moreover, even the true Ye Liu might not have known about the Dragon Seat.

"Let me explain," Huang Liang volunteered. It wasn't that he had nothing else to do; rather, the Young Healer was currently treating his injuries, and he didn't want her to be distracted.

"The Dragon Seat is said to be an artifact from extremely ancient times," Huang Liang began. "Some also claim it's not from the Dragon Ascent Realm, as the material used to forge this divine artifact seems to be the body of a true dragon. However, no one knows for certain if that's true."

As Huang Liang recounted, all sorts of information about the Dragon Seat were revealed.

Although the Dragon Ascent Realm once had Divine Ocean and True Lake realms, even so, the cultivation world's level was comparable to that of the Nine Provinces. A true dragon was not something a Divine Ocean Realm cultivator could fight, let alone use its body to forge a mech. At Hundred Peaks Mountain in the Spirit Stream Battlefield, a true dragon was sealed, and the dragon scales Lu Ye had were a gift from it. So, when Huang Liang said the material for the Dragon Seat seemed to be a true dragon's body but couldn't confirm it, Lu Ye had a faint feeling it might be true. He had obtained genuine dragon scales, so when he held the Dragon Seat, he could faintly sense it.

Furthermore, according to the limited information he possessed, there was no sub-school of Artificers (Yan Shi) in the Dragon Ascent Realm. While some cultivators might craft small mechanical constructs, those were methods of artifact refining, not the inheritance of Artificers. The existence of such a powerful Dragon Seat mech in a realm without the Artificer inheritance undoubtedly suggested much.

Legends about the Dragon Seat had circulated for many years. In the recorded history of the Dragon Ascent Realm, the Dragon Seat had appeared many times, but each time it plunged the realm into bloodshed. Moreover, it would inexplicably vanish shortly after each appearance. Legends described the Dragon Seat as manifesting a towering, crimson figure, infinitely violent and murderous, making it the most ominous object in the entire Dragon Ascent Realm. With the appearance of the Heavenly Rift eight hundred years ago, the Dragon Ascent cultivation world had declined with each generation, and many sect inheritances were severed. Only the three dominant sects likely still held some records of the Dragon Seat.

As for how the Young Healer knew about the Dragon Seat, that remained unknown. In Lu Ye's eyes, this woman was shrouded in mystery. Apart from everything else, how could two completely identical people exist in two entirely different worlds like the Dragon Ascent Realm and the Nine Provinces? If it was a coincidence, it was far too coincidental.

He had been busy setting up formations these days, but even after the formations were complete, he didn't plan to leave Medicine Valley. Firstly, Zhuang Bufan was immobile. Secondly, he wanted to investigate the Young Healer's background. Since it concerned Hua Ci, he couldn't afford to be careless.

"Young friend, the Dragon Seat is a divine artifact, but if your compatibility with it is low, the cost of using it is immense. You witnessed the fate of that fellow Daoist firsthand, so it's best not to use this item rashly," Huang Liang advised earnestly. The three dominant sects had secretly been searching for the Dragon Seat's whereabouts over the years, not to claim it for themselves, but to seal it away. After all, every time the Dragon Seat appeared, it would cause unrest, leading to the deaths of countless cultivators. If it could be found and sealed, the cultivation world would face fewer disasters in the future.

"Furthermore, the Dragon Seat itself..." Huang Liang paused here, then shook his head. "Never mind, it's better left unsaid."

Lu Ye squinted at him; that habit of speaking in riddles was truly annoying.

"I didn't find the Dragon Seat," Lu Ye said lightly.

Huang Liang was startled, then immediately understood, nodding: "It's best if you didn't find it." If news of an item like the Dragon Seat leaked, it would surely cause countless people to scramble for it. With major changes impending in the Dragon Ascent Realm, the three dominant sects had already jointly issued a declaration to launch a collective campaign against the Heavenly Rift Sect in Snow Province. At such a critical juncture, Huang Liang didn't want any further complications. Since Lu Ye denied finding the Dragon Seat, Huang Liang naturally saw no need to press the issue further. In any case, he owed his survival this time to Lu Ye and Zhuang Bufan. As the Sect Master of Imperial Heaven Sect, he was not the type to repay kindness with enmity or covet others' treasures.

What he was more concerned about now was something else entirely. His master, Li Sa, had ascended, and Fahua and Liu Tianyi had died in battle beneath the Heavenly Rift, returning their fortunes to the Dragon Ascent Realm. At this time of great change in the realm, there would undoubtedly be a prodigy born, bearing the realm's fortune and tasked with saving it. Could it be this young man? The astonishing grand formation in Medicine Valley was something he had never heard of or seen before; it was definitely not something a Cloud River Realm cultivator could arrange. Coupled with the Dragon Seat's reappearance and his acquisition of it, Huang Liang couldn't help but make many associations. Moreover, he had been pursued and cornered by numerous Heavenly Rift Sect cultivators, only to inadvertently escape to this place and ultimately survive... was it truly just a coincidence, or was it some form of subtle guidance? From all indications, Huang Liang harbored a faint suspicion, but such a matter was impossible to verify; he could only await time to reveal the truth.

Thinking of the Heavenly Rift Sect again, Huang Liang couldn't help but sigh. One Heavenly Rift Sect was naturally insufficient to contend with the entire cultivation world, but once the war began, countless more lives would be lost. The Dragon Ascent cultivation world could no longer endure much more turmoil.