Chapter 60: The Endless Sea (Part One)

The Ethereal Pavilion.

This was a mysterious power, specializing in auctions and the sale of all kinds of rare resources for martial artists’ cultivation. The Ethereal Pavilion had only established a single base of operations within Skyfall City of the Merchant Alliance.

It was said that the force behind the Ethereal Pavilion hailed from the martial powers beyond the Endless Sea. The Endless Sea lay to the east of the Merchant Alliance, a boundless expanse of ocean.

Legend had it that within the Endless Sea, there were thousands upon thousands of islands, scattered across the waters like stars in the night sky. Some of the largest islands, it was said, were greater in size than both the Blazing Fire Empire and the Divine Blessing Empire combined.

Martial artists from the Endless Sea rarely ventured to these lands; their horizons were vast, their ranks filled with the powerful, and their world was a tangled web of martial families and factions.

Rumor claimed that on the other side of the Endless Sea, there existed terrifying masters who had ascended to the realm of the Divine!

On this particular day, standing before the entrance of the Ethereal Pavilion was its local overseer, Kulo, a master of the First Nirvana Heaven. He had presided over the Ethereal Pavilion for many years.

In the eyes of many, Kulo was the true master of the Ethereal Pavilion.

Yet today, Kulo stood with his back bowed, surrounded by the Pavilion’s most important figures, all waiting anxiously for someone’s arrival.

Time flew by.

In the blink of an eye, Kulo had waited from dawn until dusk, yet not a trace of impatience marred his face.

“Father, how much longer must we wait? Who could this important guest possibly be?” Kulo’s only son, Kuban, was visibly annoyed. “Is this person so high and mighty that we have to wait all day?”

“You ignorant child! You were born in the Merchant Alliance, you have no idea how vast the world beyond truly is! Don’t go thinking the Beiming family is the greatest clan on the continent. Compared to the powerful families across the Endless Sea, the Beiming family is nothing!” Kulo shot his son a glare, his tone cold. “I myself hail from the Endless Sea. I was assigned here by the Xia family to oversee the Ethereal Pavilion. The one we await is none other than Lady Xia Xinyan of the Xia family, my liege. Were it not for the recent discovery of a fragmentary map to the ‘Heaven’s Gate,’ she would never have bothered to make the long journey from the Endless Sea!”

“Father, isn’t this region the very heart of the Divine Grace Continent?” Kuban was stunned, only managing to stammer out the question after a long pause.

“This place? The center of the continent?” Kulo sneered, shaking his head. “The Blazing Fire Empire, the Divine Blessing Empire, the Merchant Alliance—this entire region is but a remote corner of the Divine Grace Continent, hardly worthy of being called the center. Remember this: the continent is far vaster than you can imagine. The so-called experts here would be considered mediocre martial artists elsewhere!”

“Ah?” Kuban’s face was stricken with shock.

The sun slipped away, the moon rose high in the dark sky, and under the pale moonlight, Kuban was still enduring the wait.

At last, in the deepest hours before dawn, three figures appeared at the far end of the long street.

Bathed in the glow of red lanterns lining the street, the trio’s shadows flickered and danced, resembling fearsome ghosts with outstretched claws.

“They’re here! No one is to speak unless I do!” Kulo barked in a low voice.

The leading figure’s silhouette revealed a slender, graceful woman, though her entire form was shrouded in a pitch-black robe, her face hidden beneath a wide bamboo hat.

Flanking her were two giants, each well over two meters tall, identical in appearance—clearly twins.

The two hulking men, as sturdy as towers, had dark skin and exuded an aura as heavy as a mountain. Yet their footsteps were so light, it was as if their bodies bore no weight at all—a disconcerting contradiction.

“My lady, you have finally arrived,” Kulo said, bowing deeply, head lowered in respect. “Kulo has been awaiting you for some time.”

“We shall speak inside,” came a voice from beneath the bamboo hat, as melodious as the music of the heavens. Without another word, the woman’s graceful figure swept past Kulo, heading directly into the depths of the Ethereal Pavilion, as though she were the rightful mistress wherever she walked.

“Yes, of course.” Kulo nodded with a smile, trailing carefully behind her, finally allowing himself a quiet sigh of relief.

Within the Pavilion’s secluded inner courtyard, in a private chamber:

Clad in her black robe, the woman sat with perfect poise in the master’s seat at the heart of the room. Only after the two giants took their positions at her side did she wave her hand. “Kulo stays. The rest of you may leave.”

“You all heard the lady—leave us,” Kulo ordered sternly, casting a deliberate glare at his son Kuban.

As the person in charge, Kulo’s word was law. At his command, everyone hurriedly retreated from the chamber.

Kulo stepped forward, bowed to the woman, then produced an account book from his robe and offered it with both hands. “Here are the accounts for the last decade or so, my lady. Please review them.”

“Put the accounts away. That’s not why I’ve come,” the lady replied, waving her hand dismissively. She casually removed her bamboo hat, revealing a face of breathtaking beauty that could topple kingdoms. With a delicate frown, she spoke softly: “Give me the map fragment.”

“At once.” Kulo quickly fished out the fragment concerning the ‘Heaven’s Gate’ from his inner pocket and presented it with utmost reverence.

Xia Xinyan’s slender, jade-like fingers pinched the fragment. She glanced at it briefly, then nodded. “Good. Judging by its age, it appears authentic.”

“My lady, here are also three Heaven-Mending Pills and a Blood Spirit Crystal, both sent from the Undying Yang family through the Spirit Void Array from the Endless Sea, specifically for you.” Kulo produced several more items from his robe and offered them respectfully. “They said that with these three pills, you’ll be able to handle the situation here. Each time you use your ‘Reincarnation Martial Spirit,’ you suffer grave injury—the Heaven-Mending Pills will spare you from lasting harm.”

“The Yang family is generous, but their pride shows,” Xia Xinyan snorted lightly. “The Ethereal Pavilion is not solely owned by my Xia family—the Yangs are the largest stakeholders here. Yet this time, not a single representative of theirs has come; they merely sent three pills, as if I alone can be entrusted with everything.”

As she spoke, Xia Xinyan stored away the three vermilion pills, each the size of a dragon’s eye. She then picked up the Blood Spirit Crystal and inquired, “What’s this about?”

“The Yang family requests your help in finding someone. The patriarch, Yang Qingdi, sent word himself. Using the ‘Blood Seeking Art,’ he sensed that his grandson, Yang Hai, is still alive, somewhere in this vicinity. They hope that you can find him during your stay. The three Heaven-Mending Pills are your reward,” Kulo replied, head bowed, voice barely above a whisper.

“What?” A flicker of anger flashed across Xia Xinyan’s flawless face. She spoke coldly, “So that’s why the Yangs were so generous! These pills are meant to buy my service. The Yang family grows more insolent by the day!”

Kulo hung his head even lower, not daring to utter another word.

“My lady, fifty years ago, after Yang Qingdi and his experts entered the ‘Fourth Demon Domain,’ his son, Yang Xiao, fell in battle there. Not long after, his daughter-in-law gave birth to a child within the Demon Domain. After killing one of the Demon Lords, the remaining three were enraged and hunted him down together. His daughter-in-law soon perished as well. Thinking himself doomed, Yang Qingdi had no choice but to use the ‘Blood Escape Art’ to tear open space and send the infant out of the Demon Domain,” one of the giants behind Xia Xinyan explained in a hoarse voice.

“And then?” Xia Xinyan arched her brows, her tone calm and unhurried.

The giant paused in thought before continuing, “After sending the infant out, Yang Qingdi remained in the Demon Domain for another twenty years before the three Demon Lords cornered him. Though gravely wounded, he survived and escaped. Only recently has he emerged from seclusion, having reached the Third Heaven of Divine Communication. When he sent the baby out, he planted a drop of his own blood essence within the child. Upon emerging, he used the Blood Seeking Art and sensed that the child is in this direction. That’s why he sent the three Heaven-Mending Pills as payment. What matters most to him is the Yang bloodline.”

“The three Demon Lords of the Demon Domain are stirring again—Yang Qingdi likely cannot come himself,” the other giant added.

“Word from the Yang family is that one of their three Shura Kings, Xiao Hanyi, has already set out from Undying Island with fifty Shura Blood Guards. He’ll arrive within a month at most. They want you to find the boy before Xiao Hanyi arrives,” Kulo said softly, still bowing.

“Shura King Xiao Hanyi? Fifty Shura Blood Guards?” Xia Xinyan snorted coldly. “Clearly, Yang Qingdi cares deeply about this child.”

“The Yangs have made many enemies in the Endless Sea. They’ve long fought demons in the Demon Domain, and fewer among them now possess the ‘Undying Martial Spirit.’ This boy is Yang Qingdi’s own grandson, the son of Yang Xiao—of course he cares,” one of the giants remarked.

“Kulo, I will now take charge of the Ethereal Pavilion. You need not concern yourself here—focus on finding Yang Qingdi’s grandson. If you can’t find him before Shura King Xiao Hanyi arrives, I won’t feel right accepting these Heaven-Mending Pills. Do you understand?” Xia Xinyan gazed coolly at Kulo.

“I understand, my lady,” Kulo replied.

“I’ll hold onto the Blood Spirit Crystal for now. Once you’ve found everyone named Yang Hai and brought them here, this crystal, marked by Yang Qingdi himself, will reveal which one is the true Yang Hai,” Xia Xinyan said casually, rolling the crystal in her fingers.

“Understood. I shall take my leave.” Kulo withdrew bowing, and only when he had exited the chamber did he mutter with a bitter smile, “The five great families are all searching for Ding Yan, and now I have to search for Yang Hai as well. The Merchant Alliance will soon be bustling indeed.”

…

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