Chapter 899: Countermeasure
Chapter 899: Countermeasure
“It is only a matter of time before the evil Demon’s true body emerges. As of now, the huge Merfolk Race no longer has any Martial Emperors left.”
The price of greed was really high. Nine Martial Emperors had died, just like that.
Without needing Yao Yan to say anything, Xiao Chen could roughly guess how those Martial Emperors died. They must have ignored all advice and relied on their Martial Emperor cultivation, entering without preparing any lightning-attributed flames.
The Race Head probably thought that with nine Martial Emperors, they would have nothing to fear in the Sea Monarch Palace. He must have expected to be able to loot the palace of its treasures and leave easily.
However, Xiao Chen guessed wrong. Yao Yan’s following words truly astounded him.
Unexpectedly, the appetite of those Merfolk Martial Emperors was extraordinary. They actually wanted to swallow the entire Sea Monarch Palace—refining it together with the evil Demon—to let the Race Head become the new Sea Monarch.
“Two years ago, I went in alone, wielding the Extreme Thunder Sword. I thought that I could suppress the evil Demon for a hundred years, using the Extreme Thunder True Fire in the Extreme Thunder Sword. However, who knew? I failed to kill all the evil Demon clones that swallowed up the Martial Emperors. Now, they have all regenerated.
“In the past two years, those evil Demon clones have eroded almost all the Extreme Thunder True Fire in the Extreme Thunder Sword. If we don’t try something else, the main body of the evil Demon will definitely struggle free in the next half year. At that time, the entire Chaotic Demonic Sea will suffer an unprecedented disaster.”
“I wish to invite Young Master Xiao to use the Purple Thunder True Fire to sweep away these evil Demon clones, then, together with the Extreme Thunder Sword, to suppress the evil Demon’s main body.”
Xiao Chen listened quietly as the moonlight shone down. He only drank wine without saying anything the whole time.
By coincidence or not, when Yao Yan’s words ended, the wine in the wine flask had run out as well. Xiao Chen shook the wine flask, and indeed there was none left. Yao Yan had also finished saying what she had to say.
He put away the wine flask and waved his hand. The bright moon in the air wavered and turned into a gentle beam of light, disappearing from the sky.
Yao Yan was slightly stunned at the disappearance of the bright moon. She actually had not noticed until now that Xiao Chen had created this moon. How could there be a moon at the bottom of the sea?
Xiao Chen noticed the change in Yao Yan’s expression and sighed in his heart. He stretched out his hand and pulled the Sea Monarch Headscarf on the table over, then donned it again.
Yao Yan was somewhat nervous. She could not tell what Xiao Chen was thinking. She wondered if he would continue to help her now that he knew the truth.
“That’s odd. Princess, is there more?”
After Xiao Chen finished wrapping the Sea Monarch Headscarf back around his head, he noticed that Yao Yan still had not left.
At first, Yao Yan was stunned. Then, she asked in pleasant surprise, “Young Master Xiao is not leaving?”
A warm smile appeared on Xiao Chen’s delicate face as he replied, “When did I say that I am leaving? On the contrary, it is already late at night, and Princess has finished speaking, but you don’t seem to be leaving. Do you intend to spend the night here?”
When Yao Yan understood his meaning, she blushed despite herself. She shot a glance at the smiling Xiao Chen and quickly left this place.
“White Robed King, Yao Yan will remember this favor forever. The Merfolk Race will remember it forever as well.”
An exquisite voice drifted over on the air. When Xiao Chen heard it, he became slightly distracted.
Xiao Chen flipped his hand, and a scroll appeared. He slowly unfurled it, and the Azure Emperor’s portrait entered his eyes once again.
He said in a somewhat self-mocking tone, “Ten thousand years ago, you thought you were very smart in integrating the seal with the Sea Monarch Palace to create the perfect seal. However, the hearts of men are unfathomable. You did not expect that the perfect seal you made would end up bringing the Merfolk Race to the brink of extinction.”
If the Azure Emperor had not integrated the seal with the Sea Monarch Palace back then, such an event might not have happened, might not have left a difficult problem for Xiao Chen.
The cause was ten thousand years ago, and the effect came ten thousand years later. It was time to break this cause-and-effect relationship.
With a determined gaze, Xiao Chen put away the painting but did not enter the house to rest. Instead, he rushed to where Long Fei and Qi Wuque were staying. Then, he asked about the strength of the people who had come over to take advantage of the chaos.
After obtaining the news that he sought, Xiao Chen frowned heavily. This matter was more complicated than he had expected.
The biggest problem now was not the evil Demon clones in the Sea Monarch Palace. Instead, it was the various experts who were going to the Sea Monarch Palace for its treasures.
Many among them had come uninvited. Not only would they not be of any help, but they would also make the situation more chaotic.
Xiao Chen did not hide his intentions and plans from Qi Wuxue and Long Fei, telling them everything in detail.
After the two of them heard his thoughts, they could not help feeling somewhat discouraged. Qi Wuxue said, “Brother Xiao Chen, it is not that I am picking on you, but this is a problem that the Azure Emperor left behind ten thousand years ago; it has nothing to do with you. Furthermore, this is the result of the greed of the Merfolk Race’s seniors. Why the need to go in and deal with it?
“This time, the ones that came uninvited are mostly the older generation of the Primal Chaos Domain. They are all old monsters who have lived a century or two already.”
Long Fei was also surprised at Xiao Chen’s choice. He advised, “Xiao Chen, have you thought it through properly? There are several items in the Sea Monarch Palace that the Azure Emperor did not take away for lack of interest. However, to us, they are all supreme treasures.
“You are very kindhearted, not allowing those people to send themselves to their deaths to increase the strength of the evil Demon. However, others do not think that way. They’ll only see your actions as your wanting to monopolize all the treasures in there.”
Qi Wuxue nodded and added, “That’s right. Furthermore, from what I heard, the Azure Emperor respected the remains of the Sea Monarch and did not touch them back then. The Divine Rain Robes he wore, the Sea Monarch Scepter in his hand, the Sea Monarch Crown on his head, and the Pursuing Wave Boots on his feet are all still there.
“All these items are things that will make people go crazy. Coincidentally, the Merfolk Race’s Martial Emperors are all dead already. The few quasi-Emperors are all busy maintaining the outer seal without time to spare for anything else. These fellows will not let this opportunity pass.”
Xiao Chen’s eyes were as clear as water, the expression on his face as calm as a still lake. He turned around and looked to the front.
The manmade gemstones high above gave off flickering lights in the pitch-dark night, making the dreamlike castle looked very peaceful and beautiful.
After looking for a long time, Xiao Chen retracted his gaze. Then, he said, “Sometimes, after one acknowledges certain things, one will have to bear certain responsibilities. If I avoid these today, I might not hesitate to shirk similar matters in the future. In that case, what was the point of my acknowledging my identity before everyone back then?
“Many thanks for your kind intentions and news. If there is a conflict in the Sea Monarch Palace, I will be sure to lend you two a hand once. I’ll take my leave first.”
As Qi Wuxue watched Xiao Chen’s figure slowly disappear, he said helplessly, “This Xiao Chen is still as unfathomable as ever. It is like he is tired of living. There will be a good show to watch tomorrow.”
Long Fei opened his folding fan and gently fanned himself. He said in disappointment and frustration, “As of now, everyone in the world knows that he is the descendant of the Azure Emperor. After the King conferring ceremony, he will officially bear the title of Azure Dragon King. You see only the glory but not the hidden pressure of being the Azure Emperor’s descendant.
“Thus, you are the rascally ruffian Qi Wuque, and he is the famous Azure Dragon King. You are the one that is unfathomable.”
Unconvinced, Qi Wuxue said, “Hey, Long Fei, since when did you turn to the other side? Don’t forget that he beat you up into a sorry state on Dragon Wood Star. Why are you speaking up for him so quickly?”
Long Fei closed his folding fan with a snap, revealing a proud look on his face. He said, “I am not someone who cannot afford to lose. Back then, I dared to wait for him to make his breakthrough, to fight a proper battle with him. In the future, when I become the White Bone Sovereign, I will naturally have another honorable battle with him.”
Qi Wuxue curled his lips up and said, “Alright, alright, alright. I will not argue with you over this now. Hehe! I think that after you become the White Bone Sovereign in another ten years, you will get beaten up miserably by Xiao Chen. That will be very exciting to watch.”
“Bang!”
Long Fei opened his folding fan again and whacked at Qi Wuxue. Chuckling, Qi Wuxue stretched his hand out to block this strike.
“No ivory will come of a dog’s mouth. I will first beat you up until you crawl and can’t get up.”
[TL Note: No ivory will come of a dog’s mouth: This is a Chinese idiom for “a mean person never speaks nice things.”]
“What can you do to me? My Muddy Sky Demonic Arts experienced a massive improvement recently.”
As the two bickered, they started fighting. However, they did not use much strength. Otherwise, they would have blown away the roof long ago.
---
In the morning, the light barrier above the castle shone with boundless radiance, mimicking the rising sun and waking the people who were fast asleep in this dreamlike castle.
Several old men exuding strong baleful auras arrived at the largest plaza in the city. They sat expressionlessly on the stone stools there.
As the sky turned bright, the cultivators in the plaza slowly increased. From the color of their hair, they were obviously not of the Merfolk Race. However, they were all frighteningly strong.
The weakest of these people was a Medial Grade Martial Sage. As for those old monsters with baleful auras, their cultivations were higher. They were at least Superior Grade Martial Sages. There was even an old man with short white hair who was already a peak Superior Grade Martial Sage.
This person was only one step shy of truly becoming a grandmaster-level Martial Sage, lacking the air of a grandmaster.
Those from the Primal Chaos Domain were familiar with this old man. They were all famous loose cultivators. Of course, this fame was notoriety.
This old man specialized in using poison. He originated from the famous Five Poison Sect of the Profound Domain. However, he had broken sect laws by using live people in experiments, betraying the Five Poison Sect. Even now, the Five Poison Sect continued to issue wanted posters of him.
However, this person still lived a good life. In the Primal Chaos Domain, he was known as the Five Poison Devil. Most regular grandmaster-level Martial Sages would not willingly offend him.
When some of the invited cultivators saw this person, their eyes filled with fear, not daring to underestimate him.
“Senior Five Poison Devil, I heard that that girl was very headstrong. She is not allowing those who are not invited to enter the Sea Monarch Palace.”
While it was still early, someone in the group of old monsters spoke to the Five Poison Devil.
Sitting on a stone stool, the Five Poison Devil smiled coldly and countered, “Is it up to her? As of now, the Merfolk Race is left with only two quasi-Emperors. They can barely maintain the outer seal of the Sea Monarch Palace. Even their grandmaster-level Martial Sages can’t free themselves to pay attention to other things. How would she dare to say no?”
“However, based on what I heard, the evil Demon clones in there are very horrifying. We do not possess any lightning-attributed flames. We will be in danger after we enter. This is something that trapped even Martial Emperors in there.”
The Five Poison Devil’s expression did not change. He said calmly, “Do you not see that there are many people here? They all have lightning-attributed flames. By mingling with them, we will be able to protect ourselves. As long as we are not too greedy and leave after obtaining some treasures, we will be fine.”