Heaven's Devourer

Shen Xingyao's sentiments had already been echoed by numerous Huang sword rank disciples after Wu Yu's earlier duel at the Immortal Battleground.

Wu Yu had similar frustrations as well. He was unable to develop himself any further in the Huang Sword Domain. 

One would not expect less of Shen Xingyao. He had already preemptively made these arrangements for Wu Yu. He had undoubtedly noticed Wu Yu's talents. Even so, his support helped Wu Yu a great deal. 

"I cannot thank you enough." Wu Yu cupped his hands in deference.

Shen Xingyao remarked, "The path of a cultivator cannot be walked alone. Unlike the other geniuses, your birthright is nothing remarkable. This reminded me of my own experience as well. I am only doing you a favor at little cost. This only helps you with some small matters, so don't mention it."

After a short pause, he continued, "All in all, I respect your resolve and pure dedication as a cultivator. With that utmost sincerity of yours, I'm also personally curious to see the extent of your development. You've managed to make it out of the Supreme Hunting Ground alive after all."

Shen Xingyao thought highly of Wu Yu and simply admired him. He was direct about his personal motives as well. 

"If you are ready, please go to the Immortal Ascension Hall to await your opponent's arrival," Shen Xingyao instructed.

This was a trial designed by the domain master of the Xuan Sword Domain. If Wu Yu wanted to bend the rules and enter the Xuan Sword Domain, he would have to perform beyond everyone's expectations. When it came to the Huang sword rank disciples, even 100 of them working together would probably not be enough to defeat the rank nine on the Leaderboard of Xuan Sword Immortals. 

"I have nothing else to do for now. I'll head there right away."

After all, Wu Yu wanted to quickly reach the peak of the Clear Sky of Shushan in his lifetime. He wanted to see the view of the surrounding palaces with his own eyes. 

He was about to progress from the Common Sword Domain to the Xuan Sword Domain in the span of half a year. This was unprecedentedly fast. It was also quite unlikely that such a feat would ever be achieved again. 

As Wu Yu bade farewell and turned to leave, he suddenly paused. He recalled that Shen Xingyao knew Nangong Wei.

He wanted to find out more about what happened to her. Why not ask about it?

With such pointless waiting around, Wu Yu wanted to put his mind at ease by understanding the situation better. Such a long time had passed, so Wu Yu was starting to worry that something had happened in the Shushan Reincarnation Realm. 

With that, he turned back and met Shen Xingyao's intense, star-like gaze. He mustered up his courage and asked, "Sword Sage, I want to ask about someone else."

Shen Xingyao directly replied, "Nangong Wei, right? "

He knew her after all. He also knew about Wu Yu and Nangong Wei's involvement with each other.

"She once told me that she wanted to enter the Shushan Reincarnation Realm for two to three years. It's almost been four years now. Why has there been no news from her? Is it normal to stay in there for so long?" Wu Yu asked.

He did not expect Shen Xingyao's reply, "Nangong Wei returned from the Shushan Reincarnation Realm two years ago."

"What?" Wu Yu was slightly taken aback. Two years ago, he was still fighting in the Supreme Hunting Ground. A year had passed since his return to Shushan, and he had caused such a great commotion as well. Why had she not come looking for him? 

"However, she apparently underwent a great transformation in the Shushan Reincarnation Realm. She was completely unrecognizable. According to rumors, the moment she returned, the Mizar Sword Immortal requested for her to be sealed off to absorb her legacy and consolidate her foundation. She has already been sealed away for two years now," Shen Xingyao continued.

No wonder.

Wu Yu felt that if she had a choice, there would be no reason for her not to come looking for him.

After all, she was the one who left the Nine-Directional Demon Imprisonment Column to Wu Yu.

"Transformation? Legacy? Mizar Sword Immortal?”

When he found out about Nangong Wei's transformation and legacy, Wu Yu could not help but feel happy for her. When it came to dao companions, they had to be of equal talent. This was the only way they could help each other in their progression as cultivators. A large disparity in talent would only cause one to be a burden on the other. 

Shen Xingyao replied, "That's right. While she was in the Reincarnation Realm, she inherited the Nangong family's ancestral Radiant Phoenix Sword Emperor legacy. The Radiant Phoenix Sword Emperor has a long history. My own legacy was inherited from the Celestial Sword Emperor. When the Celestial Sword Emperor was still young, there had already been legends about the Radiant Phoenix Emperor Sword. Based on their greatest achievements, the Radiant Phoenix Sword Emperor is around three times stronger than the Celestial Sword Emperor. So if she is successful, Nangong Wei will probably become a new member of the Seven Immortals of Shushan. Her potential probably exceeds yours by a huge amount now."

The Shushan Immortal Sect had a long history. Throughout the annals of history, countless characters that matched the power of the Seven Immortals of Shushan had appeared. However, many of them had perished before they were able to become immortals, and could only leave behind various legacies and revelations in order to aid their descendants.

Among all the legacies that Wu Yu had heard of thus far, he had assumed that the Celestial Sword Emperor was the best of all. He did not expect Nangong Wei to be so fortunate as to undergo a transformation that made her stronger than Shen Xingyao.

Wu Yu was happy for her. His mind was also put at ease. She was not in any mortal danger after all.

"Do you know of the Mizar Sword Immortal?" Shen Xingyao suddenly asked.

Wu Yu shook his head. This was apparently the one who had sealed Nangong Wei off.

Shen Xingyao's expression hardened slightly. He continued, "The Seven Immortals of Shushan of this era are named after the seven stars of the big dipper. Dubhe is the first, and Mizar is the sixth. The Seven Immortals of Shushan are ranked based on their strength in battle. The Mizar Sword Immortal is ranked sixth, but he is the youngest of the Seven Immortals of Shushan. His birth name is Nangong Xuan.

Nangong Xuan!

Wu Yu immediately understood. Judging from this person's surname and Nangong Wei's previous behavior, this Nangong Xuan had to be no other than Nangong Wei's father or grandfather. He was more likely to be her father.

"The Mizar Sword Immortal only has one daughter. He has extremely high expectations for her." Shen Xingyao confirmed Nangong Wei's identity with this single line.

This was why Nangong Wei did not want to tell him about her parentage in the past. She was the daughter of one of the Seven Immortals of Shushan. She was probably afraid that her reputation would have scared Wu Yu off.

Wu Yu felt exceptionally lucky to have coincidentally met the daughter of the Mizar Sword Immortal while hiding from Zhang Futu in the Jindan Cave. 

With this, Wu Yu nodded. "Alright, I understand." He just wanted to hear about Nangong Wei's situation. Just hearing that she was fine was enough for him.

After this, Shen Xingyao suddenly added, "Wu Yu, as of now, there is a huge disparity between both of your statuses. Your relationship is bound to be fraught with obstacles, and it will not be a walk in the park. The Mizar Sword Immortal is not easy to deal with. Your relationship with Nangong Wei will definitely not escape his eyes. If you do not wish to give it up, I advise you to be mentally prepared for it."

Shen Xingyao was very direct with his words. Wu Yu understood and was stressed by this as well. After all, in the eyes of the Shushan Immortal Sect, he was merely a Huang sword rank or Xuan sword rank disciple with some talent. It was also true that his abilities were not the best, while on the other hand, Nangong Wei had even attained her ancestor's legacy. The situation would undoubtedly escalate even further. If Wu Yu did not make significant progress, this road would definitely be a difficult one to take.

Wu Yu understood perfectly, and replied, "I just don't want to let anyone down. If she needs me, I'll stay. If she wants to give it up, I will not hesitate to leave as well."

The message that she had left under the Nine-Directional Demon Imprisonment Column back then truly touched Wu Yu. One's first love would not be easily forgotten.

"Alright, you should settle this matter in your own way. Don't let others interfere." Shen Xingyao did not want to stop him either.

Now that he had a clearer picture of what was going on, a big burden was lifted off Wu Yu's shoulders. He bade farewell to Shen Xingyao and left the Domain Master Palace. After not too long a break, he headed to the Immortal Ascension Hall of the Huang Sword Domain. The Immortal Ascension Hall of the Huang Sword Domain was at least 10 times larger than the one in the Common Sword Domain.

In fact, news of Wu Yu's challenge to ascend to the Xuan sword rank had already spread to the Immortal Ascension Hall. The people there knew about it even earlier than Wu Yu himself. As such, a crowd had already gathered at the Immortal Ascension Hall even before Wu Yu's arrival. While the majority of them were Huang sword rank disciples, there were some Xuan sword rank disciples from the Xuan Sword Domain who came to watch as well.

As time passed by, more Xuan sword rank disciples started to show up. This match concerned the dignity of the Xuan sword rank disciples after all, so many of them came to watch.

The Immortal Ascension Hall's interior was like a steel jungle. There was enough space for more than one battle to take place. When Wu Yu entered the hall, there were already a few thousand people waiting for him. The crowd was split into two, with the Huang sword rank disciples on one side and the Xuan sword rank disciples on the other.

It went without saying that the Xuan sword rank disciples naturally had the best view. In light of their presence, the Huang sword rank disciples only dared to gather around the corners of the hall.

The news of this event had caused a huge uproar in the Xuan Sword Domain. This was because there had never been a case of a disciple who was allowed to join their ranks despite not attaining the appropriate cultivation level. If not for Shen Xingyao, such a matter would be entirely impossible.

This made it such that Wu Yu's arrival caused a commotion within the crowd.

The Huang sword rank disciples were familiar with Wu Yu, but the Xuan sword rank disciples were not. The majority of the Xuan sword rank disciples consisted of middle-aged cultivators that were at least 100 years old. Many of them were already past their prime. 

Many of these elders were commenting on Wu Yu.

"This is the fellow, Wu Yu, who apparently has no worthy opponent in the Huang Sword Domain even though he has just arrived. He has even defeated Chen Fuyou from our Xuan Sword Domain.”

"The key thing to note is that he is only a sixth tier Jindan Dao cultivator."

"Do you all think that he'll be able to pass today's trial?"

"Of course not. Have you all forgotten who the Domain Master has selected as his opponent? He is way stronger than Chen Fuyou. Chen Fuyou is only considered to be average in the Xuan Sword Domain, whereas his opponent is ranked within the top 10. They simply can't be compared. Even 10 of Chen Fuyou would be no match for him."

"You are referring to Xiao Huanshan right? The birth son of the Xuan Sword Domain's domain master, the East Mountain Sword Sage. Apparently, he personally volunteered for this battle. Xiao Huanshan has a heavy temper, and is much stronger than Chen Fuyou. My bet is on Xiao Huanshan."

"If so, shall we make a bet? The odds on Wu Yu winning shall be one to five, whereas the odds on Xiao Huanshan winning shall be five to one. Anyone dare bet on Wu Yu?"

"Wow, I can't believe you're willing to be the bookmaker for this. I'll put 300 Golden Essence Pills on Xiao Huanshan winning."

"I'm in as well. Maybe I'll get lucky, so I'll gamble 50 Golden Essence Pills on Wu Yu. If he takes this unprecedented victory, then I'll win 250 Golden Essence Pills, but I won't lose that much if he loses. Hehe."

The Xuan sword rank disciples were starting to get excited. They were all eager to gamble on the outcome. The wagers started to grow quickly, causing the bookmaker to become worried. It went without saying that most of them bet on Xiao Huanshan. However, there were still bets on Wu Yu as well.

The bookmaker was gambling as well. From the current bets, it seemed like he could only make a profit if Wu Yu won. Even with the great odds of five to one, not many people placed their bets on Wu Yu. It was clear what most of the crowd believed the outcome of the battle would be.

Wu Yu had arrived. 

"Please wait a moment. Xiao Huanshan will be here soon," a middle-aged man dressed in black remarked. This was the hall master of the Immortal Ascension Hall. He was an individual that was close to the Heaven sword rank.

Wu Yu scanned his surroundings. He was surprised to find Chen Fuyou in the middle of the large crowd. Wu Yu found it difficult not to notice him, especially with the look of hatred in his eyes. 

"Seems like he has made a full recovery after such a long time." Wu Yu smiled.