Plundering the Heavens - Chapter 337

Chapter 337: Monument Slab of the Mysterious Domain

Translator: Myriea_ActiasLuna  Editor: Nou

The blue-clothed bandit had been watching Fang Xing with a cold expression ever since she’d revealed Xiao Mahn’s current situation, as though waiting for an answer.

The bandit had always felt a degree of dissatisfaction towards the loyalty Xiao Mahn showed towards Fang Xing. The bandit had been born with a silver spoon in her mouth and naturally didn’t lack for servants, but she felt Xiao Mahn was different. Xiao Mahn’s innate talent and personality was the reason why the two had become such close friends, and it was the very same reason why the blue-clothed bandit felt Xiao Mahn shouldn’t feel such loyalty towards him… and yet, the Xiao Mahn who was so clever had a head filled with such foolishness all the same.

The blue-clothed bandit had been extremely curious; just what was this “young master” Xiao Mahn spoke about like? Perhaps Fang Xing had moved Xiao Mahn with a sincere heart that was so rarely seen? If that was true, Fang Xing should speak up and release Xiao Mahn, as that would be the best for her sake. After a long period of silence, however, a smirk appeared on Fang Xing’s face and he declared, “She is indeed my good servant!”

The blue-clothed bandit was caught off guard. “This is your response?” she asked with a trace of indignation in her voice. “That she’s your good servant? That’s it?”

Fang Xing sneered. “She let go of such a good opportunity just because she was afraid I’d get upset. Isn’t that a good servant?”

“You don’t seem to really care about her future nor her life,” the bandit calmly replied.

Fang Xing yawned with a soft sigh. “If you can’t even enjoy things in the present, what kind of dog sh*t will the future be like? As for life and death…” he snickered, and it event seemed as though a trace of murderous intent had crept into his voice, “when I bought her in the past, Xiao Mahn was open for sale like a livestock—her life was worth less than even that of a pig or cow. When she was taken away by Xuan Si’nyang of the Fuyao Palace, I said then there would come a day I make myself known to the Fuyao Palace and take her back. If I can do so, Xiao Mahn will of course be alive and very well from that point on, and if Xiao Mahn dies before then, I will massacre all of Fuyao Palace so thoroughly not even a rat can escape. If Xiao Mahn who was once worthless was buried alongside so many great people, it’ll be considered worth it in the end, right?”

“Massacre all of Fuyao Palace?” In that moment, the blue-clothed bandit was shocked and unsure how to react. She’d noticed that Fang Xing was being extremely serious when he made his declaration, as though he was simply narrating what had already happened—he didn’t have any doubt about if he could do it, it was only a matter of when . She wasn’t sure how to respond to such a thing, and it took a long while before she softly said, “You are very ambitious!”

“I am aware of that!”

“However, it’s not easy for you to win against even me!” the blue-clothed bandit replied.

Fang Xing remembered just how much battle prowess the blue-clothed bandit had and nodded lightly in agreement. “It is indeed not easy!”

“I am not a battle cultivator, and my battle prowess among the younger generation of elites in Videha cannot even be considered as second-rate! The young palace master of Fuyao Palace is an existence on par with my older brother. To picture it, you know about the battle prowess of Jambu’s hidden royalty, the Huangfu Clan? I imagine you’ve heard about it already, but the Huangfu clan… in truth, they were the losers during the battles between the clans in Videha in the past, and they had no choice but to move their entire clan to your southern continent of Jambu.”

The blue-clothed bandit continued on, “Ever since the elites from Videha arrived, the Huangfu’s young master cannot even reach the top thirty-six in the Mysterious Domain’s ranking and enter the numbers of the Big Dipper, yet the person you want to make your enemy is the young palace master of the Fuyao Palace, someone who is in the top three. Furthermore, if you make him an enemy, not only would it anger all of Fuyao Palace as well, but every ancient clan within Videha….”

The blue-clothed bandit’s words had been very solemn, yet Fang Xing seemed to show no interest. “What are these rankings of the Mysterious Domain you mentioned?” he asked with a smile.

The blue-clothed bandit understood Fang Xing was trying to change the topic, so she paused for a moment and obligingly answered, “Every Mysterious Domain has an immortal’s hall at the innermost depths, and the most powerful of the elites who enter the Mysterious Domain have a chance to leave their name within it. Prince Huangfu, the princess of the Ghost Kingdom, the young successor of the northern mountains, and the top elite of the western deserts, the reason why none of them remained behind for the other opportunities and instead entered the domain’s depths as soon as possible was to leave their names behind on the monument slab!”

“Leave their names on the monument slab?” Fang Xing quickly asked with clear interest, “What’s the reason for that?”

The blue-clothed bandit lightly creased her brows and sighed. “Legend has it that anyone who leaves their name on the great monument slab will be able to receive an even greater opportunity. There’s no solid proof for this since those who left their names on the slab of the first Mysterious Coffin didn’t obtain any great fortune, but one thing can be certain: those who are able to leave their name on the slab demonstrate their future potential, giving them the chance to be chosen by the large sects of Videha for study!”

Fang Xing clicked his tongue. “So all of this is for the sake of studying under a large sect in Videha?”

The blue-clothed bandit smiled. “To study under a large sect of Videha and be nurtured as a sapling with great potential is not so simple. The best method is to leave your name on the monument slab, though of course it’s not only for that purpose. The young master of the Huangfu clan, for example, won’t allow any Jambu cultivators to have a rank higher than his, so he’s desperate to get to the Mysterious Domain’s depths as soon as possible.

“In the mind of those masters from Videha, everyone who leaves their name on the slab has a chance to form a direct bond with the Mysterious Coffin, which might be something quite profound. There are even stories that the biggest opportunity left behind by the Mysterious Coffin can only be found at the immortal’s hall, and only those who have their names on the slab have the chance to fight for it—this is why the sects don’t bother focusing on backgrounds and just focus on nurturing the qualified cultivators. Still, even after so many years, there hasn’t been a single person able to obtain the opportunity of the that immortal’s hall; all of this is nothing more than speculation.”

“Is that so…?” Fang Xing asked, only to suddenly recall something. “You said thirty-six elites from Videha have taken up the top ranks, so the young master of the Huangfu clan cannot enter the numbers of the Big Dipper at all? But why have I not seen any elites from Videha?” This was indeed a big question for him. He’d seen many people from Chufung, the western deserts, the southern borders, and the northern mountains, yet the blue-clothed bandit was the only person he’d met from the most powerful eastern continent of Videha. This had left Fang Xing rather confused; were all their cultivators so powerful they’d already directly entered the deepest part of the Mysterious Domain?

The blue-clothed bandit sighed when she heard this. “It’s only normal for you to have not seen them. I imagine if you saw them, you Jambu cultivators wouldn’t have even the slightest chance at any opportunities! In truth, the senior masters set a rule when the Mysterious Domain first appeared. The Spirit Mountain Temple and the most influential people from Videha discussed the matter on behalf of their continent, and the Mysterious Domain ended up allotted between them. It was split in four sections based upon the cardinal directions: the south is Jambu, west is Godaniya, north is Kulu, and east is Videha. The area you’ve been fighting in was specially for people from Jambu only!”

Fang Xing was left dumbstruck. “The four places were split between the Spirit Mountain Temple and Videha? What about the other continents? Do they not have an area? Is that really fair?”

“The northern Kulu continent has primarily beasts, and western Godaniya is filled with demons,” the blue-clothed bandit calmly explained. “Since they are not of our same race, what qualifications do they have to enter the Mysterious Domain? Although the Mysterious Domain has indeed been split into four areas, the southern part has been taken by Jambu and Videha has instead taken the other three. The cultivators from Videha will not cross the borders to fight Jambu cultivators for the opportunities within, and those from Jambu naturally wouldn’t dare cross the borders to fight for the opportunities in the east, west, or northern sections either. I was entered this area for the sake of searching for those few extinct spirit herbs, and I was given permission from the Spirit Mountain Temple and Huangfu clan for that purpose.”

Fang Xing was stunned when he heard all this, and he finally had a small insight as to just how much power the cultivators from Videha had. This opportunity had clearly landed inside Jambu, yet the Jambu cultivators received only a quarter of the share…. This eastern continent of Videha, just how many treasures did they have…?

The blue-clothed bandit smiled at Fang Xing’s dumbstruck expression. “You should know now how much more powerful Videha is, right? There are three thousand different paths of Daoism, and over eighty percent of them originated from Videha. They are the highest existence within the entire realm of cultivation, a place where countless immortals were born once upon a time. As for the Fuyao Palace, they are one of the most powerful forces within all of Videha. Are you sure you still want to pursue them? The moment Xiao Mahn entered Fuyao Palace, her fate was set—she cannot change it, I cannot change it, and you will likely have even less power to change it….”

As she spoke, the blue-clothed bandit released a soft sigh. Her voice became slow and helplessness began to settle into her tone. “If you want to grow and advance, if you want to keep your life even while being pursued by the Huangfu clan, the best option would be to enter the depths of the Mysterious Domain to leave your name behind on the monument slab. Perhaps this way some forces from Videha might take an interest in you and choose to bring you into their sect. No matter how powerful the Huangfu clan is within Jambu, they would not dare to be too brash when faced with the powers from Videha….

“But you’ve already angered the Huangfu clan. I’ve seen that young master of the Huangfu clan once before. He is no more than thirty-five years old, yet he’s already stepped into the late Foundation Stage. His power is enigmatic and difficult to measure, and since his clan once lost in a fight over status, they will place utmost importance on their presence and prestige. You killed four young leaders serving them and also led so many people to plunder the Sword Mound; the Huangfu clan must surely hate you to the core by now. You might be fine if you do not enter the depths of the Mysterious Domain, but if you do, he will certainly chase and try to kill you!

“For Xiao Mahn’s sake, I will give you a chance. You can come with me to Videha and I will give you an identity, but before this, you must agree that you’ll forget all about Xiao Mahn once we’re there. Otherwise, not only will me bringing you to Videha not save you, it might destroy Xiao Mahn’s life as well. This isn’t a threat, and I’d like you to consider this seriously.”

After finishing, the blue-clothed bandit quietly watched Fang Xing while waiting for an answer. She thought he’d carefully consider her offer or even lie to her and take the offer first, yet Fang Xing unexpectedly answered straight away.

“I will go to Videha sooner or later, but not like this!” Fang Xing stood up and yawned before continuing, “Go send Xiao Mahn a message: if anyone bullies her, slap them silly. If she can’t slap them, remember their names and don’t forget a single one….” His expression was relaxed as though he was telling a joke, yet his voice was extremely somber. “When I—her young master—pick her up from Videha, I will not let any of them off easy… including that so-called young palace master!”