Catato Patch 

The Sage was in the Academy.

 

That fact alone rendered Ning Chen speechless; a thousand years had passed and yet he was still alive?

 

But he had never heard of someone living for over a thousand years, not even the Xiantian.

 

While he wasn’t sure how long the Xiantian of this world could live, 300, 400 or perhaps even 500, but it definitely wasn’t a thousand.

 

Furthermore, there were no indications of the Sage ever cultivating. No matter what era he appeared in, there were no signs of him ever doing so, not a thousand ago and not a thousand years later.

 

On the other hand, the Sage was horrifically old, so old he seemed like a candle that could be blown out by the tiniest of whispers.

 

That foot in the grave feeling he got from the Sage wasn’t false. In fact, he could sense that the elder had at most ten more years to live.

 

Even so, he still couldn’t figure out ,assuming the old sage was really the Sage, how did he survive for all those years?

 

He could tell from a simple glance that living through each day was extremely difficult for the elder. It was as if he was an ordinary old man who was in his last battle with time but still refused to give up.

 

Exactly what was it that made him hold out so desperately and for so long?

 

Ning Chen simply couldn’t figure it out. He tried to pick up the paper on the table but just as he touched it, it promptly turned to dust.

 

Even though the Sage’s ink and writing allowed the paper to withstand the ravages of time, it was at its limits now. At the end of the day, man’s body was just too corrupted by influences of the mortal world; a single touch from Ning Chen was enough to push that paper past its limits.

 

Sighing lightly to himself, he turned around to leave,

 

Looks like there was a need for him to visit the academy and ask the Sage himself.

 

“Jiuuu, Jiu.”

 

Suddenly, a drawn out screech pierced ,which brought a haunted look onto Ning Chen’s face, pierced the horizons. Silhouette flickering, he rushed off at top speed towards the area where he dropped off little Ming Yue.

 

Within the blink of an eye, the distance of a hundred zhang was traversed. Upon arriving mere seconds later, he found the giant ape tossing a gigantic rock at the sky. Amidst the blackened canvas, Ning Chen could barely make out the silhouette of the rock impacting with a monstrous bird. There was a pained screech followed closely by a rain of feathers.

 

However, there were simply too many of these monsters and they were all too sturdy as well. This simply wasn’t a matter that could be resolved by a couple of rock tosses.

 

“That’s enough, you’ve done well protecting little Ming Yue thus far, leave the rest to me.” As he said that, he looked at the pitch black sky, eyes narrowing as he did so.

 

“Wooo.” The ape replied shakingly.

 

“Show some backbone, to think the Sage actually wasted ten years teaching you!”

 

Having said that, he kicked off with one feet and transformed into a silvery ray of light that sliced across the black sky an instant later. Like a murderous painter, his Ink Sword painted an inky stroke across the nine heavens and immediately the skies erupted in a shower of blood.

 

Before reaching the realm of the Xiantian, martial practitioners weren’t able to take to the skies. However, that didn’t mean he was helpless in an aerial fight either. Using one of the monstrous birds as a springboard, he kicked off into the air once more and rushed at the bird lurking around at the highest point.

 

That was the same monster bird he injured some time ago. Even now, its feathers were still stained with blood. However, its injuries had healed up by now and with that, it recovered its astonishing speed as well.

 

“Jiuuu.”

 

The head of the monster birds screeched from the nine heavens. Hearing that, four of the nearest birds around it immediately dove at the ascending human.

 

“A Feather’s Flight, The One Sword of the Heavens and Earth”

 

One became a million and a million became one. Amidst a blinding silvery radiance, Ning Chen’s body transformed into a silvery giant sword and in one stab, penetrated two monster birds. Ink Sword radiating with frost, he sliced across the heavens with a sword flash that lit up the entire horizon.

 

*Slice* Amidst a frightening howl, one of the wings of the head monster bird was thoroughly sliced apart by the Ink Sword in an explosion of fresh blood that rained upon the earth.

 

Now that it had lost its wings, the head monster bird was no longer able to maintain its flight path and promptly fell amidst a tortured screech. The remaining birds immediately panicked and flocked towards the head bird in a bid to support the latter.

 

Yet, it was at that moment that Ning Chen struck once more, stepping onto the bird’s body, he swung his sword and sliced off its remaining wing.

 

Instantly, blood gushed out of the neatly sliced off stump and drenched the dozen birds below. At that, the screeches below grew even more panicked as their gigantic wings now furiously flapped away to escape.

 

Eyes devoid of any compassion, a burst of dark yellow erupted from his body and his Qi of dense earth exploded. With an immeasurably heavy stomp, he violently forced the bird down.

 

Below it, the flock of birds buckled under the sudden burden and amidst a cacophony of screeches, fell helplessly to the ground crushed beneath the wingless body of the head bird.

 

“It’s your turn now.”