The Sovereign's Ascension

Chapter 1771 – Controversy

Chapter 1771 – Controversy

Lin Yun had a keen sense for phoenix auras. When the scorching temperature spread out across the sky, everyone immediately thought about the Divine Phoenix Mountain of the six holy lands within the Eastern Desolation.

During the Nirvana Banquet, Lin Yun already interacted with the holy lands. Even their music dao ‘geniuses’ had strong martial cultivations, far surpassing geniuses from powerful sects. But they were only outer disciples of the holy lands and couldn’t even be considered the tip of the iceberg.

But from the Dragon Pulse Ranking geniuses in this Martial Dao Tea Party, everyone could see how powerful the foundation of the holy lands was. When the scorching aura reached the limit, a massive bird enveloped in flames appeared, releasing a gigantic holy radiance across the sky.

“A saint beast!” Everyone was shocked, and an uproar broke out. This was a Saint Realm Luan Bird, possessing the phoenix bloodline. It was genuinely at the Saint Realm, which was the reason why everyone was shocked.

Lin Yun was also surprised by this spectacle from the Divine Phoenix Mountain. This was just the Martial Dao Tea Party, and yet they actually arrived riding on a saint beast?

The Luan Bird could also be called Luan Phoenix, a blood kin of the phoenix that possesses a thin bloodline of the phoenix. In ancient times, many mortal dynasties used the Luan Bird as their totem; some even mistook them for phoenixes.

Then again, only the Divine Phoenix Mountain was capable of subduing these saint beasts. They had a noble bloodline. So not only did you need strength if you want to subdue them, but you also needed to possess a noble bloodline and great fortune.

As the Luan Bird let out a cry, it opened its wingspan that was over a hundred feet and descended on the Thunderblood Square. When the Luan Bird broke through the clouds, the thunderclouds in the sky instantly closed, and the Luan Bird couldn’t disperse the thunderclouds no matter how powerful its saint aura was.

Thunder Island was extraordinary, with the sky always being covered in thunderclouds. There must be something unusual about the thunderclouds. Everyone's gazes were on the Luan Bird, and Lin Yun’s keen sense noticed something strange about the thunderclouds.

“It’s really Ji Lingfeng!”

“That’s Ji Lingfeng, first on the Dragon Pulse Ranking. It looks like many people have come from the Divine Phoenix Mountain.”

“I heard his nine dragon pulses have reached three thousand feet long, and he can already enter the Samsara Edict Realm. He’s only waiting for an opportunity.”

“Which one of those in the top ten isn’t? If your dragon pulses aren’t three thousand feet, you won’t even be qualified to talk to them. After all, these geniuses are all aloof.” When Ji Lingfeng appeared, the Martial Dao Tea Party’s atmosphere reached a small peak.

The Luan Bird landed on the Thunderblood Battlestage, and a few miles around it was ignited by flames.

“Brother Ji, it has been a long time.” The Autumn Mountain Lord, who invited everyone, landed in the flames and cupped his hands towards Ji Lingfeng.

As Ji Lingfeng came down from the Luan Bird with his party, he aloofly nodded his head at the Autumn Mountain Lord. He said, “It has been a year since we last met. I wonder how far the Autumn Mountain Lord’s Dragon Clan’s martial techniques have reached?”

Anyone could smell the gunpowder in those words, which could be considered mockery. He was taunting Autumn Mountain Lord for not having martial techniques in his clan, and that he needed the Dragon Clan’s martial techniques bestowed by the Divine Dragon Empire.

“It’s alright.” The Autumn Mountain Lord smiled. He wasn’t furious. His tolerance made many people look highly at him.

On the other hand, Ji Lingfeng smiled before he let the Luan Bird fly into the sky while leading his party to the nearby pavilion.

“The gunpowder here is intense.”

“Hehe, it’ll be interesting later. The Four Young Masters of Heavenly Domain City and the six holy lands of the Eastern Desolation will definitely have a battle.” Amidst the surrounding discussions, the representatives from various forces descended on Thunder Island.

Very quickly, the Heavenly Flame Sect’s Yan Chihuo, Ming Cult’s Yu Wenxiu, the Divine Dao Pavilion’s Lin Qingyang, and the Heavenly Dao Sect’s Xiao Yuanqi arrived. Only the Myriad Lightning Sect didn’t send any representatives over and was the only one of the six holy lands who were absent.

Lin Yun was wearing a bamboo hat. Everyone around him was discussing the strength of the holy lands’ geniuses.

“In the past, the Divine Phoenix Mountain’s Ji Lingfeng was dominant. But the holy lands’ geniuses have been rising swiftly recently, especially Yan Chihuo. He can be considered the strongest bladesman on the Dragon Pulse Ranking, and there are rumors that he has grasped nine different sacred flames!”

“The Divine Dao Pavilion’s Lin Qingyang isn’t bad, either. He’s at the ninth-pulse Dragon Pulse Realm and is a ninth-grade Saint Spiritualist in terms of spiritual runes. He even refined half a divine rune and can even confront experts at the Profound Life Stage.”

“Six holy lands, none of them are weak!”

“No one is convinced about who’s first on the Dragon Pulse Ranking after Jian Jingtian. But I’m afraid there won’t be any controversy after today!” The atmosphere became heated, and the six holy lands’ geniuses had many supporters.

Some were optimistic about the Four Young Masters. After all, they had the Divine Dragon Empire backing them, not to mention they were descendants of Ancient Saint Clans and even grasped the Dragon Clan’s martial techniques. This was why they were confident about confronting the holy lands’ geniuses.

As several bolts of lightning tore through the sky, six figures appeared above Thunderblood Square. They were all stepping on lightning, and the lightning was like swords swiftly bringing them over. The leader looked to be in his twenties. He was Yi Feng. He was the youngest of the top ten on the Dragon Pulse Ranking and was only twenty-one years old this year.

His fame rose rapidly and was swiftly approaching the likes of Yan Chihuo, Ji Lingfeng, and the others. With Yi Feng’s arrival, all the important people of this Martial Dao Tea Party were present.

At each pavilion, servants began to serve their guest's spiritual fruits and fine wines. As the guests drank and ate, they knew that the Martial Dao Tea Party would start soon. The Four Young Masters of Heavenly Domain City appeared as hosts.

The Autumn Mountain Lord said, “The Martial Dao Tea Party has been held every two years, and I’m honored to be the host for this year. I’m grateful that so many people are here.

“Let’s cut to the chase. I hope everyone can open up and watch the battles while enjoying the food. I believe everyone will have some harvests here.” The Autumn Mountain Lord briefly paused before he continued, “As we all know, after Jian Jingtian made a breakthrough to the Samsara Edict Realm, there has been controversy about who’s first on the Dragon Pulse Ranking…”

“Is there any controversy?” A scoff from Ji Lingfeng of the Divine Phoenix Mountain interrupted the Autumn Mountain Lord. He was indifferent and coldly continued, “My name has been on the Dragon Pulse Ranking for a year. If anyone has any controversy over it, why hasn’t anyone erased my name from it?”

His words caused a shock within the surrounding area, and everyone became quiet. No one at Thunderblood Square dared to utter a word. They all knew that Ji Lingfeng had a hot temper, but they didn’t think he was so arrogant. But then again, it was understandable. Ji Lingfeng might be first on the Dragon Pulse Ranking, but many people were unconvinced by the result.

They felt it was impossible to conclude unless those in the top ten didn’t fight for real. But from Ji Lingfeng’s point of view, he was naturally unhappy with this Martial Dao Tea Party because his name was at the first rank for a year. Since someone said there were controversies, wasn’t that the same as slapping Ji Lingfeng in the face?

The Autumn Mountain Lord seemed to have expected this, and smiled, “The Dragon Pulse Ranking can only be used as a reference if we didn’t fight for real. It has been a decade since the top ten on the Dragon Pulse Ranking last changed, and it’s also time for it to change now.”

As a cold light flashed across Ji Lingfeng’s pupils, he coldly said, “Jian Jingtian’s name stayed on the Dragon Pulse Ranking for more than ten years, and yet no one said anything about it. So you guys are giving me shit now when I’m first?”

“Jian Jingtian stayed in the Fleeting Cloud Sword Sect for two decades. If Brother Ji defeated him and became first on the Dragon Pulse Ranking, I would naturally have nothing to say about it. But it’s a pity that you didn’t become first by defeating him…” The Wind Edge Lord smiled.

“The Wind Edge Lord is right. Divine Phoenix Mountain is famous, but you’re still far from being compared to Jian Jingtian. This is why there are controversies about your position on the Dragon Pulse Ranking. If you’re unhappy about it, we’ll know later after we fight. So why bother wasting everyone’s time by talking?” The Heavenly Flame Sect’s Yan Chihuo spoke out. He wasn’t convinced by Ji Lingfeng’s position on the Dragon Pulse Ranking right from the beginning. So he naturally spoke against Ji Lingfeng when he saw the latter comparing himself with Jian Jingtian.

Anger rose on Ji Lingfeng’s face, but he ultimately suppressed it and smiled, “We’ll see, then.”

With no one interrupting him, the Autumn Mountain Lord continued, “There are two ways to be ranked on the Dragon Pulse Ranking. One is to challenge the Dragon Pulse Ranking’s illusion, and the other is to fight the person directly. Take Flower Burial, for example. He’s first on the Empyrean and Elysium Core Rankings and obtained them through the second method. So I don’t have to explain which method is more convincing to everyone.”

Everyone nodded. There was no doubt that the second choice was more convincing to everyone. This was considered a response to Ji Lingfeng, and the Autumn Mountain Lord continued, “This year, the four of us invited the Dragon Pulse Ranking over under our joint name!”

Everyone’s faces changed when they heard that. Even Ji Lingfeng, Yan Chihuo, and the others were shocked. The Dragon Pulse Ranking was a Sovereign Saint Artifact established by the Divine Dragon Empire, but they have never heard that anyone could move the Dragon Pulse Ranking.

“Are they serious?”

“Doesn’t that mean the ranking will be determined on the spot?” When everyone felt uncertain, the thunderclouds in the sky tore apart, and a thousand-foot long ancient monument descended from the sky.

This ancient monument was enveloped in a massive dragon aura. When it landed on the Thunderstorm Battlestage, the names engraved on it instantly captivated everyone’s attention.

“It’s really the Dragon Pulse Ranking!”

“Holy shit. For the Four Young Masters to be so confident, does that mean the first on the Dragon Pulse Ranking will change?”

“I’m afraid that the ranking will have a conclusion this time!”

“The Four Young Masters must have their trump cards, and the Divine Dragon Empire wants to use them to establish their prestige in the Eastern Desolation. It will weaken the influence of the six holy lands this way.” A discussion resounded from the surroundings, and everyone could sense that this Martial Dao Tea Party wasn’t going to be simple.

When the geniuses from the six holy lands saw the Dragon Pulse Ranking, their faces became grave. Linking it with the rumors that the Blue Dragon Record would soon appear, everyone could feel a sense of crisis for the first time at the Martial Dao Tea Party.

Upon seeing the Dragon Pulse Ranking, even Ji Lingfeng restrained his arrogance.

“They want to play?” Ji Lingfeng inwardly sneered. Did these people think one could become first on the Dragon Pulse Ranking by luck? Since that is the case, we will have some fun later, then. He had a surge of anger suppressed within his heart, naturally making his expression indifferent.

The surrounding atmosphere suddenly changed. The six holy lands’ geniuses wore grave expressions, but the other forces’ geniuses became excited. After all, who wouldn’t want to have a higher ranking on the Dragon Pulse Ranking?

“Big Brother Lin, who do you think will become first?” Yue Weiwei smiled, looking at Lin Yun. Lin Yun was wearing a bamboo hat, but his gaze was still on the Sword Sect’s party. Even when the Dragon Pulse Ranking descended, he merely looked at it before returning to the Sword Sect’s party.

“Everyone has a chance, and the Autumn Mountain Lord is right. There’s not much difference in their strengths on the surface. They each have their trump cards so they have to fight directly, or the result will convince no one.” Lin Yun replied.

He once gave the Elysium Core Ranking an attempt and fought an illusion manifested by the dragon spirit. It was just an avatar, so it wasn’t an actual combat with the person.

“Does Big Brother Lin have a chance as well?” Yue Weiwei asked.

“Me?” Lin Yun smiled, but he said nothing more.