"You two, bring him with you and keep a close eye on him." Zhang Zhenguang said to the two people he had brought with him.
"Understood!"
These two were both Daoist grade experts, but still, they didn't relax despite Yao Yifeng having lost his Zhen Yuan. They pounced on him and dragged him out.
Before being dragged out, Yao Yifeng resentfully glanced at Ye Chen, as if he wished to engrave the latter's figure in his heart. Ye Chen felt nothing, and his appearance remained completely calm.
"Ye Chen, you turned out to be even more outstanding compared to my first impressions." Zhang Zhenguang faintly smiled and said to him.
Ye Chen slightly smiled and said, "Hall Master Zhang, I wonder how you will punish him. A Sea of Soul realm Master ought to be quite important for Dragon God Palace, no?"
Sea of Soul Masters were not cabbages. If a sixth grade sect could have one, they would immediately become a peak sixth grade sect. As for fifth grade sects, the overall number of Sea of Soul Masters had a vital connection to the clan's strength. Going by Ye Chen's previous world, Life and Death Kings would be nuclear bombs, while Sea of Soul Masters would be missiles. Since nuclear bombs couldn't be used casually, missiles were the primary means of battle, and every single one of them had their use.
Zhang Zhenguang said, "If he is guilty, he'll be punished. His crime is not worthy of death. Therefore, I'll have to send him to the Blood Battle Ocean, where he will be meritorious to the Palace while also atoning."
"Blood Battle Ocean?" Ye Chen could feel the killing spirit in this name.
Zhang Zhenguang smiled and said, "Blood Battle Ocean is rich with resources. All the major powers of Eastern Shallow Sea have their troops stationed there. It's a cruel place."
Ye Chen faintly nodded. He was quite clear that if resources were involved, cruelty was simply unavoidable.
"Ye Chen, where does your strength specifically lie?"
Ye Chen thought for a bit and said, "If I don't use the Thunder Disaster Sword, I should be able to go against an ordinary Sea of Soul Master. But, if I run into an ordinary Master with good speed and attack speed, I'll suffer some losses."
Since the beginning, defense had been Ye Chen's weak point. Against an opponent like he described, this weak point would be highlighted.
"You have a cultivation base of early Sea of Soul realm, and you haven't cultivated a defensive type martial skill either. So, your defense ought to be a little weak."
Actually, Zhang Zhenguang was already quite astonished. Sea of Soul Masters had three criteria: first was late Sea of Soul realm cultivation base, second was a complete understanding of several low grade profound martial skills as well as a mid grade profound martial skill, and third was to have the martial soul of the fourth rank. Of course, some people had certain other outstanding aspects. Thus, these three conditions were not absolute. One could be considered a Sea of Soul Master as long as they had sufficient strength. However, entering the ranks of Sea of Soul Masters by solely relying on sword soul was something one could imagine how frightening it was.
"This kind of a genius is rare in the entire world. No wonder Palace Master said that he was the number one seedling of the Palace, placing him even above the likes of Li Xiaoling."
Li Xiaoling was one of the candidates for the position of Yellow Dragon Hall Master. He might be inferior to Ye Chen as far as overall strength went, but he was strong in every aspect. He had a mid Sea of Soul realm cultivation, and was already studying a mid grade profound skill, having a fourth step martial spirit. Previously, Zhang Zhenguang looked more favorably on him compared to Ye Chen. However, after he met the latter, he immediately changed his thoughts. Ye Chen was much younger, and had a lot of potential. His sword spirit in particular was simply monstrous. Once it matured, it would astonish the world.
"The incident with Yao Yifeng was an accident. I hope you won't take it to heart. My Dragon God Palace has a lot of people who care about you."
Ye Chen couldn't help but laugh, "Hall Master Zhang, you're thinking too much. In a big forest, what does one bird amount to? I wouldn't take such a matter to heart."
"It's fine if you think like that."
Zhang Zhenguang let out a sigh of relief. He had heard a bit about Ye Chen's character. After witnessing it today for himself, he was convinced.
Thinking about Murong Qingcheng's mother, Ye Chen asked with creased brows, "Palace Master Zhang, would you know how long does Shadowless Poison take to flare up?"
Zhang Zhenguang's face turned stern, "The Shadowless Poison is one of the mystical poisons under the heavens. After being inflicted, there is no sign or trace inside the victim's body, and it's impossible to locate its source. But, for this reason, it takes a little long to prove fatal. However, once it breaks out, nobody can help, including Life and Death Kings. The time period varies according to the quality of the victim's soul. For rank 1 soul, three days, ten days for rank 2, and one month for rank 3. As for martial artists under Sea of Soul realm, they won't survive for a day."
"One month!"
Su Ruhui had a rank 3 soul. In other words, she only had one month left. In one month, the method to resolve the poison must be found.
"In that case, do Life and Death Kings have any methods to resolve it?"
Zhang Zhenguang shook his head, "I'm not sure. Shadowless Poison is extremely rare. There aren't many precedents. I think that Life and Death Kings shouldn't be able to resolve it, but they should at least be able to delay the time of its eruption."
"Delaying the time of eruption? Is Senior Dragon King at the Palace?"
Ye Chen's first thought was precisely Dragon King. There was no other choice; he could only owe the latter one more.
Zhang Zhenguang smiled bitterly, "I won't keep you in the dark, Palace Master is currently in a critical closed door cultivation. Nobody knows where he is. You should have already heard that Palace Master's age is already past a thousand years, breaking past the limits of human life. This is the second time, and we all are quite worried."
Hearing these words, Ye Chen creased his brows. As expected, breaking past the limits of life expectancy was not easy.
"This ought to be a secret!"
Ye Chen didn't understand why he was told this secret.
"Dragon King entering a critical close-door session is not some secret. Many people know about it, and they are waiting for him to fail. However, before he did, they wouldn't dare move. Actually, you don't need to look for Palace Master. As far as saving people is concerned, Mysterious Queen is a much better option. I think if you find her, she'll probably agree."
It was impossible for Mysterious Queen to not take notice of Ye Chen's talent. He was more useful than anybody else. Moreover, she always had a good relationship with the Dragon King. Thus, she wouldn't let Dragon King lose face.
Pausing for a bit, he continued, "The Mysterious Queen's sect is at Sky Martial City's Phoenix Cry Mountain. It's not that far from here, roughly around seven hundred thousand li. You will be able to make a trip in time. But, be a bit careful. If not for the pressing matter, I would have gone with you."
Whenever Dragon King entered behind closed doors, it was quite a busy time for Dragon God Palace. For Zhang Zhenguang to hurry over for Ye Chen in such a state showed how much importance was placed on him. Of course, even under these conditions, it wasn't impossible for him to accompany Ye Chen. However, Dragon King had explained him to let Ye Chen face some pressure. This small matter didn't seem to require his overseeing.
"No need for trouble, Hall Master Zhang. I'll be careful by myself." Ye Chen would naturally not bother Zhang Zhenguang.
Taking out a map from his spirit ring, Zhang Zhenguang handed it over to Ye Chen, "This is the map of Sky Martial City. Phoenix Cry Mountain is at the top."
"Many thanks!"
…
In a cozy courtyard branched off the main hall, Murong Zhishui and company were staying together.
"Zhishui, Qingcheng, rejoice a bit. I'm not going to die right now. There is still some time for me." Looking at the constant gloomy expressions on Murong Zhishui and Murong Qingcheng's faces, Su Ruhui said helplessly.
Murong Zhishui said, "Whatever happens, I'll find a way to save you, even if I have to stake my life on it."
Connected by thirty years of emotions, Murong Zhishui considered her to be a part of himself that he couldn't separate.
"Mother!"
Murong Qingcheng's eyes were tinged with red. If not for her, her mother wouldn't have been poisoned. She hated Yuwen clan with passion while feeling her own helplessness.
Tok Tok Tok!
At that moment, a sound of footsteps could be heard, followed by Ye Chen entering.
"Ye Chen!"
The three individuals turned their heads.
Ye Chen smiled, "Uncle, Qingcheng, perhaps there is a way to resolve aunt's poison!"
"Is there!"
Murong Zhishui and Murong Qingcheng's eyes shone brightly. Although they knew that there was no such thing as an incurable poison in this world, they had limited resources, and hope was dim. At this moment, Ye Chen had undoubtedly brought them hope, and they didn't have to despair any longer.
"What way?" Murong Zhishui asked fretfully.
Ye Chen said, "Tomorrow morning, I will go to Sky Martial City and ask the Mysterious Queen for help. I believe that with her ability, it's quite likely she will be able to help aunt. Even if she can't cure her, she should be able to delay the poison's eruption a lot and allow us to search for the materials of the antidote."
"To ask Mysterious Queen's help..." Murong Zhishui was quite astonished. She was quite considerate of demonic clans. However, it was not just limited to Murong Clan. She had given his daughter the mysterious bead, but it was through others. She had not personally made a visit. Hereby, it could be seen that she treated her daughter as an important cultivation talent, but not with as much importance as Dragon King attached to Ye Chen. After all, how many Ye Chen did this world have? Of course, if there were no other choice, he could only have Qingcheng go seek Mysterious Queen.
Now that Ye Chen had proposed to seek Mysterious Queen, this was undoubtedly quite hopeful. Ye Chen's current accomplishments were world shocking. After a few years, nobody would be able to treat him lightly. He would quite likely become a Sword King, or even Sword Emperor.
"That's right! The Dragon King is currently in seclusion, so Hall Master has asked me to go seek Mysterious Queen." Ye Chen faintly nodded.
"Then please! Oh right, I'll go with you." Murong Zhishui recalled how Ye Chen was targeted from all sides, and thus, couldn't help but worry about a sneak attack on the way.
Ye Chen shook his head, "Uncle, please stay here with aunt. I'm alone am enough." Ye Chen was in fact worried that if Su Ruhui couldn't be saved, she would at least be spending her last moments with Murong Zhishui and Murong Qingcheng.
"Ye Chen, be careful."
Murong Qingcheng was currently still at the peak of Astral Reaching realm. If she went with him, she would only be burdening him. She had resolved to enter the Sea of Souls realm soon. Otherwise, the gap between them would only increase, and she wouldn't be able to protect her clan either.
"I will."
Ye Chen gave a reassuring look to her.