"Yi Tianxing? That name sounds familiar—I feel like I've heard it before..."
Hearing Yi Tianxing introduce himself, Cai Yong hesitated slightly. The name struck a chord in his memory. It wasn't the first time he'd heard it—he had definitely come across it before, and the impression left was deeply etched.
"At the beginning of the Evernight Continent... you were the master of Xuanhuang Village. So you're that Yi Tianxing who first founded the village."
Cai Yong paused in thought. Now that he was a cultivator, his memory was sharper than ever. With just a bit of focus, he could recall exactly where he'd heard the name before.
There may be many people with the same name.
But somehow, he instinctively knew this was the same Yi Tianxing who had once founded a village.
"You're correct. However, it's no longer Xuanhuang Village—it's now Xuanhuang City. I am its Lord. The surrounding towns and villages all follow the lead of my city. Just within the city itself, the population exceeds one million. The wider surrounding region includes tens of millions. An area of ten thousand miles around us falls under our influence."
Seeing that Cai Yong had recognized him, Yi Tianxing didn't hide anything. He straightforwardly confirmed it. After all, even if he didn't say it now, they would eventually find out. Hiding it deliberately would only cause suspicion.
"What? Brother Yi is actually the lord of an entire city? And commands a domain that spans over ten thousand miles, with more than ten million people? That would practically make you the ruler of a kingdom in the old days!"
Lin Hai, too, couldn't help but gasp in astonishment.
In ancient times, any leader with such a population could found a dynasty and declare himself king.
This identity... was practically that of a hegemon!
Even among the human race on the entire Evernight Continent, he would be counted among the top-tier dominators.
It was simply shocking. A man of such stature should never risk himself lightly. The fact that he had come here personally—into danger—meant it was definitely not because he had "accidentally wandered into the valley," as he claimed earlier.
"So it's City Lord Yi. As a city lord, you would never travel without reason. You appearing here cannot be a coincidence—you must have come with purpose. Perhaps you even knew that the Jixia Academy was located here and came specifically for it."
Cai Yong, a great Confucian scholar, was no fool. In fact, ever since becoming a cultivator, his talent had become part of his cultivation—his mind clearer and sharper than ever. It didn't take long for him to see through the situation.
A ruler of a city wouldn't simply stroll through the wilderness. To believe otherwise would be an insult to one's own intelligence.
"You're right. However, I didn't know this was the site of Jixia Academy at first. I only heard that a scholarly academy had once descended in this valley. In the past, I lacked the strength to investigate. But now, I believe I'm strong enough to do something—such as rescuing the students trapped inside."
Yi Tianxing spoke calmly.
"You want the students of Jixia Academy to join your city and become part of your forces."
Cai Yong cut straight to the point.
His eyes showed faint distaste—particularly when it came to politics and manipulation.
"Hard to persuade the old man... He clearly holds a deep aversion to officialdom. But in history, he did once serve in the imperial court. So why the resistance now? Could it be he's become disillusioned with its corruption?"
Yi Tianxing silently reflected.
Indeed, political scheming was unavoidable. But within Xuanhuang City, factional power struggles were still in their infancy. More importantly, the regime he was building was no ordinary dynasty—it was a Celestial Dynasty born from the will of heaven and earth. Infighting among his subordinates would be tightly controlled. He would never allow endless factional chaos.
After pondering, he said without hesitation:"It's not for my personal gain. My goal in coming here is to rescue as many of Jixia Academy's students as possible. The human race has suffered too much. These students are among our brightest future talents. If I can prevent their deaths, I will. Whether they choose to join Xuanhuang City afterward is entirely up to them."
"I, Yi Tianxing, never force anyone."
"If they're willing to join, I will welcome them with open arms. If not, they are free to come and go as they please. I will never coerce anyone."
A forced allegiance bears no fruit.
True talents are countless in this world. Forcing someone to stay when their heart isn't in it would only poison the greater system. Yi Tianxing had no intention of making such a mistake.
History had already proven this.
During the Three Kingdoms era, Xu Shu had been lured to Cao Cao's side through trickery. Yet, under Cao Cao's banner, Xu Shu never spoke a word or offered a single strategy. When Pang Tong proposed linking ships with iron chains, Xu Shu saw the flaw—but said nothing. Such people were useless when coerced. Worse, they became a liability.
With such precedent, Yi Tianxing's character naturally inclined against such practices.
"In that case, this old man must have misjudged City Lord Yi."
Cai Yong's expression softened considerably.
With his insight, he could tell this wasn't mere rhetoric—Yi Tianxing truly meant what he said.
To be honest, Cai Yong had never expected a city lord to come here to rescue them. Judging from his words and actions, his character ranked among the finest Cai Yong had ever seen. Among leaders, such integrity was rare.
"Please, City Lord, come and take a seat. Let us continue this discussion."
Cai Yong nodded and led the way.
Yi Tianxing didn't refuse and followed him into the pavilion.
"I wonder what methods City Lord Yi might have to free the trapped students. You must know—there are tens of thousands of us in the academy. The valley is surrounded by foreign races, with powerful formation barriers sealing us off. Without breaking the formation, even an army couldn't breach their lines."
Cai Yong frowned slightly.
If there was a way, of course he wouldn't want to see the students harmed. But up till now, he had found no viable solution.
"I do have a way to get everyone out of here. In fact, I can even take the entire ruins of Jixia Academy with me."
Yi Tianxing took a deep breath and declared with certainty.
"What method is this?"
Cai Yong's eyes widened in disbelief.
"You little thief! Come out here! Get out here now!!"
Suddenly, a bone-chilling shout came from outside the academy. The air seemed to freeze from the fury and murderous intent contained in that voice.
"Damn. Trouble's finally come knocking."
Yi Tianxing's face darkened. He let out a bitter laugh.
"It's the Serpent Empress."
Cai Yong's expression turned grim. He was no stranger to her.
The Serpent Empress was notoriously difficult to deal with. If not for the sages' protective formations around the academy, even he wouldn't be a match for her. She was terrifying—among the absolute elite of the Life Aperture Realm.
"City Lord Yi... you've encountered the Serpent Empress before, haven't you?"
Cai Yong stared at Yi Tianxing. Though he phrased it as a question, his tone left no doubt.
For someone like the Serpent Empress to show such open fury at the gates—this was no ordinary occurrence. It had never happened before. The only explanation was that Yi Tianxing had somehow provoked her.
"Well... When I first entered the valley, I accidentally crossed paths with her. Something happened between us... and now she's probably here to settle accounts."
Yi Tianxing smiled wryly, feeling a bit guilty.
"This is my father-in-law, after all. If he finds out about that... incident... things might get ugly."
"Let's go see what's going on."
Cai Yong gave Yi Tianxing a look—he suspected there was more to the story, but didn't press. He stood up and said calmly:
"This is Jixia Academy. With the sages' protection, not even the Serpent Empress can break through. I'd like to see how she thinks she can act so arrogantly here."
With that, he strode outside.
"The Serpent Empress! She's back! These foreign races just won't give up—they really mean to wipe us out!"
"Hmph. Let them shout all they want. They still can't break into the academy. We're safe here. No foreign race can breach it."
"The Serpent Empress is a peerless beauty... If I didn't know she was a snake, I don't think I could've resisted. Honestly, she's the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. But alas... once you remember what she is, it chills you to the core."
Inside the academy, the students were already stirring.
Crowds poured out toward the front gate, their expressions calm.
After more than a year under siege, they had withstood every tactic the foreign races had tried. The academy's defenses had passed the test of time.
"Blessing or curse, it must be faced. Since she's come, there's no reason to run."
Yi Tianxing inhaled deeply. No more hesitation—he would face whatever came.
Even if it was the Serpent Empress.Even if he had accidentally taken advantage of her...
There was no point in guilt now.
Steeling himself, his steps became firm and steady.
Before long, he had returned to the place where he had first entered the academy.
From there, he could clearly see—outside the academy and amidst the mists—a great army of serpentfolk, coldly surrounding the entire area.