A Martial Odyssey

Shui Yixian was a little teary and a little emotional when she saw her old friends again.

She was being surrounded by Xiao Shuai, Han Shaodong, the Three Sages, Shangguan Qingyun and Yan Nanfei…

That was something that was unexpected for her. It was because she was a high level practitioner of the Emotionless Rhyme. The last time that she had lost control of her emotions was when she had first met Yi Ping…

She said gently, "Yes, I am Xian'Er."

The Martial Sage was actually crying as he said, "Xian'Er, do you know that I have been looking for you everywhere?"

Han Shaodong stammered, "Xian'Er, it is really you?"

Shangguan Qingyun laughed heartily, "Xian'Er, I didn't expect to see you again. I am so happy. How have you been? When Xiao Shuai had said that you are still alive and you are actually the Celestial Fairy and the Divine Eternal Mistress of the Eternal Ice Palace, I didn't really believe him…you are really in the Eternal Ice Palace all along?"

Yixian nodded gently at him, "Yes, I am the Celestial Fairy and I have been in the Eternal Ice Palace all this while."

Yan Nanfei sighed, "I should have guessed a long time ago…"

Shangguan Qingyun stared at him, "You always saying this same old line. Can't you change to something else? Why Xian'Er had disappeared, you had said the same time too."

Yan Nanfei laughed aloud, "You know that is my favorite line."

The Martial Sage interrupted, "You always try to pretend to be wiser than anyone of us. But the fact is you are not."

Yan Nanfei said, "I know that you are now one of the Three Sages but I am after all, the protégé leader of the Zen Sect. You should at least give me a little face saving measures in front of Xian'Er."

Xian'Er smiled gently as she probed, "You are now the protégé leader of the Zen Sect?"

Shangguan Qingyun quickly interrupted, "I am the protégé master of the Divine Sword Martial Clan too."

Yan Nanfei was looking immensely proud of himself when the Element Sage interrupted, "With a protégé leader like him that pretended to be wise, no wonder the Zen Sect seems like a cult to me. Xian'Er, do you know that he didn't stick to our sacred covenant and even refuse to fight alongside with us. He has even cut off his thumb. What a loser, humph!"

Yixian had already noticed that Yan Nanfei and Shangguan Qingyun had cut their thumbs. She could already guess what had happened as she secretly stole a glance at Yi Ping, who was looking at her with a sense of loss…

Xiao Shuai and Han Shaodong were muttering, "Xian'Er…"

But Yixian seemed to give them the cold shoulder as she said gently to Yan Nanfei and Shangguan Qingyun, "It is really hard on you to do this."

Yan Nanfei and Shangguan Qingyun were extremely comforted by Yixian's words as tears swelled in their eyes…

Shangguan Qingyun stammered, "It is worth it…"

The Martial Sage interrupted, "Xian'Er, how have you been? Do you know I have been waiting for this day when I can see you again…"

Yixian interrupted coldly, "If you still regard me as your friend, why are you attacking my husband?"

Han Shaodong was taken aback, "Xian'Er, you are married? Who is your husband?"

Xiao Shuai kept quiet. He had already guessed that it would be Yi Ping and that was why he was trying to get rid of him.

Yixian said gently as she smiled at Yi Ping, pointing towards him. "He is my husband!"

Everyone presented was startled except for Xiao Shuai.

The Martial Sage stammered, "That young man is your husband? How can it be?"

The Element Sage, the Sword Sage and Han Shaodong, Shangguan Qingyun and Yan Nanfei took a step back in shock and stared at Yi Ping…

Yixian said, "If he is not my husband, who else would it be? It is every maiden's dream to find a good husband and I have found mine."

Xiao Shuai said coldly, "Yixian wake up from your senses. Did you not see there are so many beautiful maidens around him? He is nothing but a flirt and a lecherous man!"

Yixian interrupted coldly, "Anyone that wants to challenge my husband will have challenged me first."

The Martial Sage said, "Xian'Er, you are obviously putting us in a spot. You know that we won't fight you…"

Even Xiao Shuai agreed, "That's right…"

Han Shaodong said, "Xian'Er, it doesn't matter if you married to him. I am willing to accept you…"

The Element Sage said, "Let me teach that rascal a lesson for you…"

Yixian did not reply them but instead she walked past them and walked towards Yi Ping.

As Yixian walked towards him, Yi Ping too had walked towards her. Behind him, followed the rest of the maidens!

As Yixian and Yi Ping smiled blissfully to each other, they reached out and held each other's hands.

Yixian said gently with great politeness, "My husband…"

Yi Ping said, "My wife…"

Shen Xinyue was slightly startled but she was not entirely surprised for she could tell that all these maidens were all affectionately attached to him but she asked nevertheless, "You are married to Revelation Star?"

Just as Yi Ping was about to answer her, Yixian smiled gently at Shen Xinyue and said politely, "Hello. I am Shui Yixian the Celestial Fairy, from the Eternal Ice Palace and you are?"

Shen Xinyue was startled that Revelation Star would be this amicable and even though she was not a Celestial, she had an air of tranquil that marked her no differently from a Celestial. Therefore she smiled angelically, "I am Fiery Phoenix. In the past, I am known as the Dark Enchantress. You can call me Shen Xinyue!"

Yixian nodded gently as she said, "Really nice to know you."

She Xinyue smiled delightfully, "The same goes for me."

Lele said coolly to Yixian and for everyone within earshot, "We ought to be careful of her. She is a highly attained Celestial and we don't really know her dark purposes. With a name such as the Dark Enchantress, she is hardly worthy of trust…"

Lie Qing laughed softly, "Lele, you think too much. She is…really on our side."

Lele sighed, "I guess she can be the concubine then. I am alright with it…"

Just as Shen Xinyue protested, "I don't think so…"

Lele suddenly embraced her, "Alright then, welcome to the big family!"

Shen Xinyue was momentarily stunned and did not know what to say except for, "I suppose to say thank you?"

Lele did not seem to hear her, she just exclaimed happily. "Sister Xinyue!"

Shen Xinyue sighed to herself, "It seems that this Lele is going to be hard to deal with…"

She did not know she was not the only that found Lele to be extremely hard to handle; she could even test the patience of the Celestial Fairy with her unpredictable actions!

All the maidens except for Yunzi had found her almost impossible to handle. It was because Yunzi did something smart. She had pretended to be deaf and mute when she was handling Lele when things went out of her predictions!

Lie Qing had shared the same vision with Shen Xinyue and therefore she knew that she had a long entwined destiny with Yi Ping.

Yixian was immediately surrounded by her two protégés Yu'Er and Mei'Er who delightfully surrounded her and exclaimed joyously, "Protégé Mistress, look what we got!"

Yu'Er and Mei'Er had showed her their two golden swords!

Yixian smiled gently and said, "I see that both of you are Celestials now. I am always worried if the two of you are able to overcome the Divine Calamity when I am not around one day. It seems my worries are unfounded and I should worry for myself first. These two divine swords will be able to help you in your future progression. Have you given a name to the swords yet?"

Yu'Er pondered for a while before she said quietly, "I like to call this sword Harp Whisperer."

Mei'Er laughed softly, "I am going to call my sword the Lyrical Whisperer."

As they named their celestial swords, their swords resonate in response and its golden light encircled brightly along its edges!

As Yixian and Yi Ping were looking at each other tenderly, Xiao Shuai obviously was not happy to see it. So he interrupted by shouting, "Xian'Er, step aside. We have not finished our fight yet."

Han Shaodong said, "Step aside Xian'Er. I am going to teach this insolent young man a lesson. He is nothing but a lecherous man and incompatible for you."

Yixian looked at them with an unsympathetic look, "If he is incompatible for me, then who is? I have said that if you want to challenge my husband you have to fight me first."

Yi Ping coughed weakly, "Xian'Er, they won't give up unless they can get what they want."

The Element Sage said as he stared at Lie Qing, Lele, Yu'Er, Mei'Er and Shen Xinyue, "We are only interested to rid the Martial Fraternity of the evils of the Celestial Palace and avenge the dead."

Lele was annoyed as she rebuked him, "So you are saying I am the one that kills them?"

The Element Sage retorted, "Young maiden, the deeds of the Celestial Palace is not a secret. Even though you have a pretty face but I will not show my mercy toward you."

Lele laughed softly, "Oh really? It should be the opposite…"

Yi Ping knew that if this continued, an irritated Lele was bound to come into conflict with the Element Sage so he quickly said. "I am the one that you are looking for. You are a martial elder and aren't you ashamed to pick on a young maiden?"

The Element Sage was speechless…

Yi Ping looked solemnly at Xiao Shuai, Han Shaodong and the Three Sages as he said. "Does our earlier agreement still stand? If I am able to win all of you, you will let us go and retreat peacefully?"

Xiao Shuai hummed coldly, "You want to challenge all five of us?"

Yi Ping said, "That's right!"

Immediately, all the maidens crowded around him except for Yixian as they disagreed with his decision…

Lie Qing said, "You are injured and you have been in too many fights. This is really too forceful…"

Shen Xinyue said, "We have just met and you are going to leave me again?"

Even Lingfeng was saying, "You…we should all fight together. We may not lose to them now…"

Yunzi said, "At least allow me to fight alongside you…"

Youxue said, "Let me fight besides you…"

Yu'Er said melancholy, "They just say, it is a five versus five fights…"

Mei'Er said, "Master, their hearts are filled with killing intent and it not wise for you to fight them alone…"

But Yi Ping looked tenderly at them one by one as he said, "I can't afford to lose any one of you. Moreover, we have an agreement with them and I hope that they can stick to that agreement…"

He was determined to help his sworn brothers so that they would not be hunted or attacked by the pugilists of the martial fraternity anymore…

Han Shaodong shouted, "If you are able to win against the five of us, then we will let all of you go and we will not pursue your past deeds. But only if you really are able to win the five of us!"

Yi Ping gripped his two divine swords tightly as he stepped forward, "So shall that be!"

Lele said to Yixian, "Sister, why didn't you stop him?"

Yixian said gently as she looked at Yi Ping with utmost affections, "Let him try. I have faith in him. Moreover, he has the White Phoenix Sword and the Divine Echo."

Yi Ping looked at Yixian as he said, "Thank you…I will not lose."

The Martial Sage had interrupted, "Xian'Er knows you will surely lose to us, that why she don't care if you have died in battle. Let me be the first one to send you to your maker first!"

Yi Ping had already displayed the opening stance of the Horizon Swordplay when Xiao Shuai said coldly, "Do you think that it is fair that you have two divine swords in your hand?"

Xiao Shuai had already noticed that Yi Ping swords and his skills in swordplay were not as weak as what Zuo Tianyi had described and he was silently cursing him!

Yi Ping was startled, "We are not contesting swordplay now?"

Han Shaodong said, "Naturally it is not. The Martial Sage and I are actually better with our hand to hand fighting techniques…"

Lingfeng said coldly, "How despicable! It is already five against one and you want to fight a weaponless man?!"

Han Shaodong hummed coldly, "Not at all. Do you think that the blood of all the dead can be settled in such an easy manner? Then how do you expect us to be answerable to their clans and their families?"

Lingfeng said coldly, "So you mean to say that Yi Ping must die today?"

Yi Ping said gently to Lingfeng, "Lingfeng, do you know that you are…alas never mind about that first. I know your concern for me but…if I can settle this with them; we can prevent further bloodshed from happening…"

Ji Wuzheng said, "Sworn Brother, be careful. I know that you are doing this to help me as well. But like what my sister has said, we may not lose if we fight them together…"

Yi Ping smiled and said, "There are hundreds of martial clans and if we cause more bloodshed today, these martial clans will surely come to the Holy Amalgamate Mountains again with greater vendetta. Even those exponents that are neutral may decide to join them. In the end, the entire martial fraternity will be covered in bloodshed. I really don't want that to happen."

Lingfeng reluctantly nodded…

Han Shaodong interrupted, "Not only must he be dealt with today; the Celestial Palace must also be taken care of today!"

Lele hummed coldly as she stole a glance at Shui Yixian and Shen Xinyue. They were surprising calm and she wondered what they were thinking about, "We shall see about that. All these are just brags."

As she said, she took a look at Lie Qing who was brushing her long hair and blinked at her. "I wonder what Sister Lie Qing is thinking?"

Lele too, began to stroke her long hair as she lowered her long black scythe as she pondered. "Don't tell me they are all planning to rescue Ping'Er when he is in trouble so that their standing in front of him will increase? I mustn't lose to them then…no wonder they are all so quiet. They just pretending to be docile and submissive in front of Yi Ping and by trying to dissuade him, I am already losing my own position. Not so easy, I am not allowing that…"

Lie Qing, Youxue, Yunzi and Yixian were secretly smiling.

It was because they were all waiting for Lele to screw the battle for them and were secretly thinking what she would do later. The more mysterious and quiet they appeared to be, the more Lele would suspect something was amiss. Knowing Lele, she would probably break every single martial rules and conventions, intervening in whatever manner she liked. That was why they were secretly smiling!

Yi Ping had sheathed his two divine swords behind his back and had displayed the Heavens Horizon with his hands as he said aloud, "I am ready!"

Yu'Er and Mei'Er said at the same time, "Master, be careful!"

Yi Ping coughed weakly but his eyes were gentle as he looked at them and said, "I will."

Lingfeng sighed as she knew that she could not persuade Yi Ping anymore. Even though she was unwilling to allow this to happen but she knew that at this point of time, she must not allow herself to distract Yi Ping anymore. She took a look at the other maidens who had all fallen into silence as she stepped aside most reluctantly!

Xiao Shuai, Han Shaodong, the Sword Sage, the Martial Sage and the Element Sage exchanged malevolent looks at one another and nodded at the same time…

Even though they were all thinking of different thing, they had the same objective; to kill this young man!

The Martial Sage was thinking, "Just any one of us is a match and more than enough for this young man to deal with. I have to be tactically careful not to be the one that kill this young man so Xian'Er won't hate me thereafter. I must be so brilliant to think of that!"

While the Martial Sage was praising himself, the other four were actually thinking of the same thing; they were pretty sure that with the reckless and stubborn nature of the Martial Sage that once the battle had begun, the one that could dirty his hands to kill this young man would be the Invincible Ironfist who was now known as the Martial Sage!

Xiao Shuai was actually thinking, "Once you have killed him, I will purposely fall out with you and declares that my intention was actually to just punish him and have no intention to kill him. Therefore even though my Unbreakable Hands is formidable, I am not going to use my full martial strength and skill. It is to allow Xian'Er to notice that from the very start, I have deliberately shown mercy towards him!"

Han Shaodong was also thinking, "Xiao Shuai, Xiao Shuai. You didn't treasure Xian'Er in the past and has always been too engrossed with your schemes. Once the Martial Sage has killed this young man, I will mobilize the Honor Manor to give the young man that is killed by you a good honorable name. Not only will Xian'Er be touched by my gesture, she will also fall into my arms on her own accord…"

The Element Sage was the first to attack Yi Ping as he shouted, "Young man, how about taking my Five Element Fists?"

Immediately he was upon Yi Ping as he rained dozens of powerful blows upon Yi Ping!

Yi Ping immediately retaliated with the Divine Horizon Hands as he counter-attacked with equally lightning fast attacks!

Immediately, a burst of circular dust storm whirled around them and began to spread out even as the thunderous blows of their impacts could be heard!

Shen Xinyue had immediately lifted her martial power by tapping lightly with her foot as she sent an invisible globe of buffering light windforce that encircled Ji Wuzheng, Dugu Zhen and the rest of the maidens!

At the same time, Yixian had lightly lifted her left fingers and there was also a buffering refreshing icy windforce around them!

Lie Qing, Lele, Ji Wuzheng, Dugu Zhen, Youxue, Lingfeng, Yunzi, Yu'Er, Mei'Er and the rest of the onlookers were startled at their martial display!

Ji Wuzheng muttered, "Such a wide extending arc of martial force yet so gentle…"

Shen Xinyue smiled amicably at him, "You don't want to get dirty right?"

Yixian smiled gently at Ji Wuzheng for an instant but her attention had returned immediately to the fighting…

Yi Ping was now being surrounded by Xiao Shuai, the Martial Sage, Han Shaodong, the Element Sage and the Sword Sage at the same time!

They were all now fighting so fast and so furiously that all the onlookers were in awe of their strikes and speed, hardly believing that it was even possible!

The orthodox and unorthodox exponents were all muttering, "So these are the martial skills of the legendary Three Sages…."

But regardless on whose side the exponents were, they were all astonished that Yi Ping, a young man was able to tank them all at the same time…

Yi Ping was forced to use the Asper Continuum Hands, a secret technique that required all his martial strength to execute as he attacked and parried against his opponents with startling speed!

Han Shaodong was stunned that Yi Ping was tougher to defeat than the last time he had fought with him. As he lifted his martial power and displayed the deadly Divine Rejuvenate Force around him, he had also displayed the pressurizing force of the Big Dipper Hands against him!

But Yi Ping switched towards him with an instantaneous speed, shouting aloud as he displayed the Asper Horizon Hands with a mighty force and knocked him five steps backward, forcing him to cough out a bout of blood!

Han Shaodong could not believe that the martial power of the almighty Big Dipper Hands would actually lose to the Asper Divine Hands!

But this ensuring distraction allowed the Sword Sage to leap upon Yi Ping as he displayed his sword finger, stabbing him on his back!

Yi Ping staggered forward and coughed out a bout of blood even as he knocked the Sword Sage aside!

Xiao Shuai was immediately upon him with his Eighteen Unbreakable Hands, enveloped by his Divine Virtuous Force in its entire martial power!

One thing for sure, the easy fight that they were expecting did not turn out to be easy and they were now fighting with all their strength even as they took multiple hits from Yi Ping!

Yi Ping too had received multiple hits but he had tanked the powerful hits, retaliating with all his strength!

The hits that Yi Ping had received were no ordinary hits and each one was capable of shattering rocks and grinding it into powder.

Lingfeng, Youxue and Yunzi were teary and they could not bear to watch anymore as they turned their heads away.

Yu'Er and Mei'Er had already cast their Emotionless Rhyme away and were already in tears…

Yi Ping and his opponents were now all sweating heavily. They were now at the peak of their martial powers and everyone was holding their breath for the fight…

Xiao Shuai shouted, "Now!"

Immediately, Han Shaodong had once used all his martial power to display the Big Dipper Hands and the Martial Sage had displayed his Hundred Invincible Ironfist secret technique!

The Sword Sage, the Element Sage and Xiao Shuai had displayed their martial techniques as well as they attacked Yi Ping once again from all sides!

Yi Ping gave a great martial shout as he displayed the Asper Divinity Horizon Hands, as a white ring of bursting fire exploded thunderous around him, not once but five times!

There were five bursting loud thunderclaps and five ripples of powerful windforce that immediately swept across the onlookers, knocking many onlookers to the ground!

The Asper Divinity was an extremely powerful martial technique that could equal the martial power of any martial technique, including the Big Dipper Hands. When it was displayed, a ring of white fire would burst around the practitioner and exploded the air around him at the same time as the martial power that went into displaying the Asper Divinity was so powerful and tremendous that before the Asper Divinity had struck its opponent, the resultant force was lethal enough to kill or maimed most opponents!

Therefore the five Asper Divinities that were displayed at the same time was comparable to Yi Ping's opponents being struck five times continuously with a force that was equivalent to the first secret technique of the Divine Horizon Hands, the Asper Horizon Hands!

Everyone was gasping…

Yi Ping had been desperate and he was fighting five equally powerful opponents therefore he decided to use all his remaining martial power to use the Asper Divinity five times in quick successive, directed at each of his opponent, knocking them all back with such thunderous impact that they were all flung backward!

Xiao Shuai tried to muster all his martial strength to block the Asper Divinity but it was too late as the powerful martial power of the Asper Divinity shrieked and swept his martial force aside and he was hit with a thunderous cracking impact!

Xiao Shuai, Han Shaodong, the Three Sages had all turned white; they simply could not believe that this young man had actually bested their combine martial skills at the same time!

Even as Xiao Shuai, Han Shaodong and the Martial Sage struggled weakly to get up, they were coughing out blood. The flow of their blood was reversing and they had lost all their martial strength to continue the fight!

As for the Sword Sage and the Element Sage, they had been knocked unconscious and they were now lying unmoving on the ground!

Yan Nanfei and Shangguan Qingyun immediately lifted them to a sitting position as they hit their vital channels on their back several times; they were attempting to clear their erratic vital energies and attempting to save their lives!

Yi Ping was standing in the middle and he had turned completely white!

The second Asper Divinity had been used quite forcibly by Yi Ping. But because he had just swallowed the Divine Dragon Pill, the Asper Divinity could still be forcibly attempted for a second time. But when he used the Asper Divinity for the third time without a break, his blood had reversed and he had coughed out blood, indicating that he had reached his limit!

But when he had tried to use the Asper Divinity for the fourth time, even his heart was not able to take it and he was knocked into a daze, snapping several meridian channels at the same time. If he had not cleared his life and death channels, he would have died immediately on the spot!

Even though he was in a daze but his subconscious was bent on defeating every single opponent that was fighting against him so that he could liberate his friends. Theoretically he had already expended all his entire strength and could not muster any martial power, even for the Asper Horizon Hand. But because he had already reached his limit and was on his death knell, he had reached into his reserve life force and had executed the Asper Divinity; only a person that had reached this limit could muster their life force but the result of using up this reserve would only mean that the person was going to die…

Yixian, Shen Xinyue, Lingfeng, Lele, Lie Qing, Yu'Er, Mei'Er, Youxue and Yunzi were immediately besides Yi Ping as they called out to him frantically but he was not responding; he was just standing on the same spot unmoving with his eyes straight, either hearing or responding to anyone of them!

Yixian, Lele and Lie Qing had immediately hit him on his life channels in an attempt to revive him…

Shen Xinyue had transferred the life reviving force of her Divine Rejuvenate Force onto him in an attempt to revive him but she was soon shaking her head, "It is no use. Even if we used up all our internal strength, we are losing him too fast. His meridian channels and his intricate life force energies are either not intact or in complete disarrays…"