High-Martial World: System Arrives 30 Years Late

Chapter 592 - 411: The Serpent Swallows the Dragon—Martial Artists Beyond Convention, Superpower Refresh System Upgrade!

In Huaxia, there is an ancient saying: ’The moon is roundest on the sixteenth.’ Tonight, it is indeed the sixteenth, with a bright moon hanging high in the night sky.

The elder guarding the Junlin Pavilion hurriedly entered the depths of the inner courtyard of the Ye Clan Territory.

"Of the four branches of the Ye Family, Ye Qiufeng requests an audience with the Patriarch regarding the matter of Junlin Pavilion."

Moments later, a dignified voice came from within the courtyard.

"Enter."

The elder walked into the inner courtyard. In the shadows, there was a faint glimmer. Ye Qiufeng’s heart tightened, realizing it was only at such a close distance that his Titled Grandmaster-level strength could sense someone lurking in the shadows.

The person even wanted him to be aware of their existence; if it was a surprise attack instead, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Ye Qiufeng was well aware that the one in the shadows was the Dark Leaf Guard, the guardian of the Ye Family Patriarch. These were individuals selected from martial arts prodigies, nurtured by the Ye Family from a young age, growing up with the prodigious generations of the Ye Family.

With gratitude for the family’s nurturing and the bonds from years of growing up together, by the time a new Patriarch is appointed, a new Dark Leaf Guard is ready.

The skill of the Dark Leaf Guard is unquestionable, starting at least as Titled Grandmasters. It is said that each generation of Dark Leaf Guard includes someone who steps beyond the title, mastering martial arts focused on stealth and assassination from a young age.

This is a tradition the Ye Family has upheld for millennia, but there has been a recent exception.

This person was initially chosen as the leader of the Dark Leaf Guard for the next heir by the current Patriarch, who was very satisfied with this choice, with even the Ye Family Ancestor highly praising them.

However, this person turned out to be a Demon, comparable to a dragon-devouring sparrow and an anaconda, subtly beyond the Ye Family’s control.

This person’s name is: Huangfu Tian.

Bringing his thoughts back, the person in the shadow resumed lurking, while Ye Qiufeng stepped further into the deep courtyard, where a man was writing diligently at a desk in the ancient-styled courtyard.

Ye Qiufeng walked closer and respectfully stood aside. The middle-aged man in lavish attire continued writing for quite a while before stopping, frowning deeply as the characters on the paper increasingly disturbed his mind.

Then he gave a powerful stroke with the calligraphy brush and looked up.

"Patriarch, there is a problem with Junlin Pavilion."

"Hmm?"

Ye Qiufeng immediately began recounting in detail how Su Mu entered Junlin Pavilion. When he spoke of the phenomena triggered by breaking through seven levels—the Thousand Apes, Thousand Flood Dragons, and Thousand Phoenixes—even the composed Ye Xuanshan could not hide his surprise.

"Patriarch, it hasn’t ended yet!"

"Continue."

"In the end, the thousands of mythical beasts bowed, and then the power of Junlin Pavilion manifested a golden giant. Looking back, that golden giant was actually...

"What was it?"

"It was the silhouette of Su Mu!" Ye Qiufeng swallowed hard after speaking, glancing at Ye Xuanshan, still finding it hard to believe.

Ye Xuanshan was visibly moved, recalling the prophecy spoken by the Ancestor during the day, could it be...

Ye Qiufeng’s voice rang out again.

"But this incident is peculiar. Ever since Su Mu entered Junlin Pavilion, things have been strange. He lingered on the second level for quite a long time before breaching seven levels. Afterward, even Ye Jian entered..."

"Ye Jian recently advanced to become a Titled Grandmaster but stopped at the second level of Junlin Pavilion. Now, the pavilion cannot be opened and is in a sealed state. Even the Junlin Pavilion Order left by our ancestors cannot gain entry."

Hearing this, Ye Xuanshan could almost hear the Ancestor’s words echo: ’A millennium later, someone will ascend Junlin Pavilion; then, people of the Ye Family will follow him!’

Feeling agitated, he interrupted, "Did Su Mu reach the summit?"

Ye Qiufeng was taken aback, puzzled at how someone could ascend Junlin Pavilion and how he would have reported immediately if it were possible. Why would the Patriarch ask such a thing?

Ye Qiufeng shook his head.

"Su Mu indeed reached the uppermost level of Junlin Pavilion but did not reach the summit. The brilliance of the ninth level was just a fleeting moment before dimming, similar to those other demons who left their names on the Sword Monument."

After finishing, Ye Qiufeng hesitated, "Patriarch, there must be some connection between the strangeness in Junlin Pavilion and Su Mu. He did not come to our Ye Family tonight; this is unusual. Should we send someone to invite him over for a talk?"

Hearing this, Ye Xuanshan frowned. He had been writing this evening to calm his mind, but now, just hearing Su Mu’s name agitated him further. He didn’t want to see Su Mu.

The Ye Family has produced Martial Saints, standing proudly in the world for over a millennium. How could they be subordinate to others under his leadership?

"I am aware of this matter; tomorrow is the grand feast, you may withdraw for now."

"Yes, Patriarch."

...

Beneath the same starry sky, in a forest garden in the inner courtyard of the Ye Family, over ten figures were discussing martial arts while sipping tea.

"Brother Wuhen, congratulations on your recent advancement to Fifth Forging!" A tall man with neatly cropped golden hair, speaking in Chinese with a foreign accent, opened his mouth.

The speaker was named Frell, a scion of an oligarchy family from the United States.

"Thank you, it was merely an occasional insight."

Ye Wuhen shook his head, passing over a cup of tea, a strange gleam in his eye. Recently, his breakthrough had been thanks to an encounter in the Bone Marrow Cleansing Pool. In the Illusion Realm, he was repeatedly tormented by Huangfu Tian, trampled beneath his feet.

However, facing his lifelong heart demon so directly resulted in a breakthrough in his state of mind, leading naturally to reaching Fifth Forging, just a step away from becoming Titled.

"The experience in the Bone Marrow Cleansing Pool was a great fortune, though it’s unfortunate that Brother Ximen met his end. None of us four could gain more from it."