Chapter 649: Young Master of the Divine Palace
[Tip: There is no content you were hoping to see b(￣▽￣)d]
——————————————————
Tian Xuan Continent, Extreme Southern Region.
This was a tall stone gate forged from Dragon-Suppressing Stone. The left side of the gate was imprinted with a crescent moon, the right side with a blazing sun, both golden and dazzling to the eyes. Before the stone gate, sixteen people stood in two rows. Their attire was different, but on their backs and chests, they all bore the same embroidered pattern of a blazing sun and crescent moon.
The most astonishing thing was the aura of Profound Force radiating from these individuals, each one terrifyingly powerful. The weakest among them was at the Overlord Xuan Realm.
At this moment, the tightly shut stone gates silently opened to both sides, and a tall figure slowly walked out. These sixteen peerless experts, with the capital to look down upon the world, all knelt and bowed their heads, speaking with utmost reverence: "We welcome the Young Master's emergence from seclusion."
Ye Xinghan raised his hands, his brows arching upward, his arrogant expression as if he were the supreme ruler of this world. He said indifferently: "Exactly six months, just as I calculated. You all have worked hard guarding the gate. Rise."
The sixteen rose. The one on the far side said with great delight: "The Young Master's Profound Force has actually broken through to the eighth level of the Overlord Xuan Realm... and in just six short months! This is truly a joy for our entire Divine Palace. Congratulations to the Young Master."
"The Young Master is truly an unparalleled genius. I believe the Sword Master will be extremely pleased to learn of this," another quickly flattered.
"Congratulations to the Young Master on the great achievement of his divine art. With the Young Master's talent and progress, in another twenty years, he will surely step into the Emperor Lord Realm!"
"Guardian Ao, that is mistaken! With the Young Master's talent, there is no need for twenty years. At most fifteen more years, and he will become an Emperor Lord of a generation."
"Fifteen years..." The corners of Ye Xinghan's mouth curled slightly. With his current realm, if he could step into the Emperor Lord Realm in fifteen years, even among the Four Sacred Grounds, it would be an extremely fast pace. But, if he could obtain the woman with the "Nine-Xuan Exquisite Body" as his cauldron, why would he need fifteen years!
"What about the Xia Qingyue I asked for? Where is she now?" Ye Xinghan's gaze blazed with intense heat.
All sixteen immediately fell silent, exchanging glances with no one speaking. Back then, when he suddenly ordered them to go to the Bing Yun Fairy Palace in the Cang Feng Empire and bring back a person named "Xia Qingyue," they were all deeply puzzled. And now, as soon as he emerged from seclusion, the first thing he asked about was again "Xia Qingyue," showing the importance he placed on this woman far exceeded their expectations.
The crowd's reaction caused Ye Xinghan's face to darken instantly: "What? This matter... did you actually mess it up for me?"
"No, no! Young Master, calm your anger!" The eldest of the sixteen quickly said: "The Guardians Qing Sheng and Zi Yi, whom the Young Master assigned, set out for the Cang Feng Empire three days after the Young Master entered seclusion. But until today, they have not yet returned."
"Not yet returned? What do you mean, not yet returned?" Ye Xinghan's gaze turned extremely gloomy: "Could it be that the two of them... were bested by the mere Bing Yun Fairy Palace of the Cang Feng Empire?!”
"Absolutely not." The old man quickly explained: "This old servant deeply understands the Young Master's great importance on that Xia Qingyue. Seeing that they had not returned for a long time, I sent them many sound transmissions to inquire. But their answers were always evasive and vague, each time saying that capturing Xia Qingyue was an easy task and that they would definitely bring her back before the Young Master's seclusion ended... I even sent another sound transmission three days ago, and their reply was similar. We all guessed that perhaps Qing Sheng and Zi Yi, seeing the Bing Yun Fairy Palace filled with beauties, took the opportunity while the Young Master was in seclusion to indulge in pleasure... and forgot to return."
"Heh, truly bold!" Ye Xinghan's eyes narrowed into slits like venomous snakes. But upon learning that it seemed not impossible to bring Xia Qingyue back, his anger actually subsided a bit. He took out a Sound Transmission Mysterious Jade unique to the Sun Moon Divine Palace, and his voice dripped with ice: "Qing Sheng, Zi Yi, you have given this young master quite a surprise!"
After a while, a somewhat trembling voice came from the Sound Transmission Jade: "Young Master... congratulations to the Young Master on the great achievement of your divine art and your successful emergence from seclusion. This subordinate... this subordinate knows he has failed in his duty... I will immediately bring Xia Qingyue back to the Divine Palace. Please rest assured, Young Master!"
"Back to the Divine Palace?" Ye Xinghan sneered: "You still know to come back? I think you've been enjoying yourselves there so much that you've completely ignored my orders!"
"No, no, Young Master, hear your subordinate's explanation!" The voice on the Sound Transmission Jade became even more flustered: "Your subordinate would risk his life to complete the Young Master's orders as quickly as possible, daring not the slightest delay. It's just... just that this Bing Yun Fairy Palace is not as simple as your subordinate thought. It is full of strangeness everywhere. Not only is their overall strength not weak, but they also have a defensive formation so powerful that even I could not break through. By the time I finally broke through the formation, they had all retreated into a place built entirely from Heavenly Pangu Jade. Moreover, that Heavenly Pangu Jade was extraordinarily thick, and I and the others could not breach it in a short time. We had neither the courage nor the face to ask the elders for help, and we thought that the Young Master would be in seclusion for at least half a year, which should be enough time to break through that Heavenly Pangu Jade. So... that's why we dragged it out until now."
"However! Please rest assured, Young Master. Perhaps blessed by the Young Master's emergence, after months of continuous assault, we are just on the verge of success today! In a few more hours, we will definitely break through this Heavenly Pangu Gate! Your subordinate has not yet captured Xia Qingyue, but these months, she has been a turtle in a jar. Once we breach this Heavenly Pangu Gate, we can take her directly and present her to the Young Master... Your subordinate guarantees with his life that every word is true."
"Heavenly Pangu Jade?" Ye Xinghan's brows knitted tightly. He certainly knew how tough and precious Heavenly Pangu Jade was. Even with the strength of his Sun Moon Divine Palace, forging a hall entirely from Heavenly Pangu Jade was nearly impossible. Although somewhat unbelievable, he could be sure that Qing Sheng and Zi Yi did not have the guts to lie to him.
Ye Xinghan said darkly: "That Heavenly Pangu Jade had better be as you say, breakable today! Do you know how much I paid to learn of the existence of this Xia Qingyue! She is far more important to me than your lives! If not for the fact that my bottleneck had loosened and I needed to go into seclusion, I would have gone personally... I will give you ten more days. After you capture Xia Qingyue, you roll back here traveling day and night! If I still haven't seen Xia Qingyue after ten days... then you never need to come back!"
"Yes... rest assured, Young Master. Your subordinate failed in his duty and will accept any punishment upon return." The voice from the Sound Transmission Jade carried an even heavier tremor.
"Hmph!" Ye Xinghan put away the Sound Transmission Jade and said coldly: "A bunch of trash!"
"Young Master, calm your anger. Those two would never dare lie to the Young Master. Since they are so confident, believe that within ten days, they will surely bring Xia Qingyue before the Young Master." The old man stepped forward.
Ye Xinghan narrowed his eyes: "A small Bing Yun Fairy Palace, yet has so much Heavenly Pangu Jade? Hmph, even if they really do, with their strength at most at the King Xuan Realm, how could they possibly forge it into a complete hall... truly intriguing."
"Speaking of which..." Ye Xinghan's gaze shifted: "What is the current situation of the Cang Feng Empire? Has it not been destroyed by the Shenhuang yet?"
"Even if not yet, it is only a matter of time. Why does the Young Master care about such a small country?"
"Hmph, whether the Cang Feng Empire exists or is destroyed is just a trivial matter. I just can't quite figure out why the Shenhuang Empire wants to invade the Cang Feng, and with such urgency." Ye Xinghan said in a deep voice: "The Cang Feng Empire has not only a small territory but also scarce resources. It has almost no value for annexation. Yet the Shenhuang Empire did not hesitate to dispatch millions of troops. Even if they fully conquer the Cang Feng Empire and plunder all its resources, it probably won't offset the cost of those millions of troops over three years. If there isn't something fishy going on, I refuse to believe it."
"There have been many speculations over the years about the reason for the Shenhuang Empire's invasion of the Cang Feng Empire. The most common guess is that the Cang Feng Empire's Prince Consort, Yun Che, heavily defeated the Shenhuang Empire in the Seven Nations Ranking Battle three years ago, causing them to lose face and thus retaliate in anger."
"That is simply ridiculous." Ye Xinghan said disdainfully: "If Feng Hengkong were that narrow-minded a waste, he wouldn't have become the Sect Master of the Fenghuang God Sect. They must have some ulterior motive. The Cang Feng Empire should be finished soon. After they take the imperial capital, you must send people to keep close watch on their movements... especially any unusual actions that don't fit the norm!"
"As for unusual actions... there is one thing that is rather strange." It was still the oldest one who spoke cautiously: "Several months ago, the main force of the Shenhuang army was already only a thousand miles from the Cangfeng Imperial City. Then they suddenly split off hundreds of thousands of troops, heading straight for the easternmost Liu Yun City of the Cang Feng Empire... Liu Yun City is the smallest city in the Cang Feng Empire, not much larger than a town, completely unremarkable. The Young Master probably hasn't heard of it. Those hundreds of thousands of Shenhuang troops quickly occupied Liu Yun City, but they didn't kill a single person. Strangely, less than half a percent of the Shenhuang troops entered the city, while the rest were scattered around the outskirts of Liu Yun City. They have been like this for several months... as if they are searching for something."
"Oh?" Ye Xinghan's gaze flickered. After pondering for a moment, he said in a low voice: "Immediately plant several dozen more people into the Shenhuang army... thoroughly figure out what they are really doing!"
At this moment, the Grand Guardian suddenly moved, taking out a Sound Transmission Jade from his Space Ring, and his expression changed slightly.
Seeing his reaction, Ye Xinghan's gaze shifted over: "Is there something urgent?"
"In reply to the Young Master, our informant at the Huangji Sacred Domain reports... the Heavenly Saint Mysterious Ark just flew out of the Huangji Sacred Domain!"
"What? The Heavenly Saint Mysterious Ark?" Everyone revealed shocked expressions: "Could it be that the Saint Emperor has mobilized?"
"No!" The Grand Guardian shook his head: "It's not the Saint Emperor... There is only one person on the Heavenly Saint Mysterious Ark! It is that Xia Yuanba!"
"Xia Yuanba?!" Everyone turned their heads abruptly. Three years ago, Xia Yuanba was a completely unfamiliar name. But three years ago, on the Primordial Mystic Ark, Ye Xinghan discovered the secret of his Overlord Emperor Divine Meridian, and this shocked the entire Sun Moon Divine Palace... as well as Tian Wei Sword Domain and the Supreme Sea Palace! The Four Sacred Grounds knew no one who didn't know the name "Xia Yuanba," even though he was not yet twenty years old at the time.
Because whoever possesses the Overlord Emperor Divine Meridian, once their bloodline power fully awakens, they are bound to become the emperor of the world!
"The Heavenly Saint Mysterious Ark has always been the Saint Emperor's personal vehicle... and it was given to that Xia Yuanba?!" a Guardian exclaimed in shock.
"The Heavenly Saint Mysterious Ark is not the key point. The most shocking news is..." The Grand Guardian holding the Sound Transmission Jade took a deep breath: "Our informant just emphasized that Xia Yuanba was in seclusion for three years. He emerged from seclusion only two hours ago. At the time of his emergence, the Profound Qi radiating from him was unmistakably that of the Emperor Lord Realm!"
"What?!" Waves of shock so intense they shook the entire stone hall reverberated. Even Ye Xinghan's face changed dramatically. One Guardian stared wide-eyed: "This... how is this possible! Xia Yuanba's current age should only be twenty-one... A twenty-one-year-old Emperor Lord has never existed on the Tian Xuan Continent, not even in ancient times! Even with the Overlord Emperor Divine Meridian in him... it's impossible!"
Overlord Emperor Divine Meridian... twenty-one years old... Emperor Lord!!
Just now, they were surprised that the Saint Emperor allowed Xia Yuanba to board his personal vehicle... but now, hearing this earth-shattering news, they no longer found it strange at all. A twenty-one-year-old Emperor Lord—a figure that ten thousand "unparalleled geniuses" could not describe! Even if the Saint Emperor immediately handed him the strongest Mysterious Ark, or even immediately appointed him as Young Master of the Sacred Domain, no one would find it too exaggerated.
The Grand Guardian cautiously glanced at Ye Xinghan and said: "The Huangji Sacred Domain is also deeply shocked. But from their discussions, it seems... seems... the reason for Xia Yuanba's explosive increase in Profound Force is because... because of the Young Master?"
"What do you mean?" Ye Xinghan's face instantly darkened.
The Grand Guardian took a breath and said: "Three years ago, after Xia Yuanba returned to the Huangji Sacred Domain, the only thing he muttered about every day was his determination to... kill the Young Master. And the awakening of the Overlord Emperor Divine Meridian requires a thirst for power. The stronger the thirst for power, the faster the awakening... Xia Yuanba went into seclusion for three years under the obsession of vowing to kill the Young Master... so... so..."
"Is there really only Xia Yuanba alone on the Heavenly Saint Mysterious Ark? Do we know where Xia Yuanba is heading on the Heavenly Saint Mysterious Ark?" a Guardian shouted loudly. As soon as he shouted, everyone understood his meaning... A twenty-one-year-old Emperor Lord, bearing the Overlord Emperor Divine Meridian, with inexhaustible potential—just thinking about it was terrifying! And what was even more terrifying was his deep-seated hatred for the Sun Moon Divine Palace!!
Such rapid growth... shows how deep his hatred for the Sun Moon Divine Palace has become!
Such a great threat must be eliminated as early as possible, no matter what! He must never be allowed to continue growing.
"We are certain there is only Xia Yuanba alone! Xia Yuanba is from the Cang Feng Empire. When he heard this morning after emerging from seclusion that the Cang Feng Empire was on the verge of destruction, he flew into a rage! The direction he took on the Heavenly Saint Mysterious Ark is precisely towards the Cang Feng Empire! At the maximum speed of the Heavenly Saint Mysterious Ark... it only takes four or five hours to reach the borders of the Cang Feng Empire! Young Master, should we..."
"Do you think the Huangji Sacred Domain is full of idiots?!" Ye Xinghan said in a sinister tone: "The Saint Emperor has had no sons for a thousand years, only a few adopted sons. And none of those adopted sons have ever been allowed to touch the Heavenly Saint Mysterious Ark! Now that there is a Xia Yuanba... the position of future Lord of the Sacred Domain no longer has any share for those adopted sons! The Saint Emperor is willing to grant him even the Heavenly Saint Mysterious Ark... how could he not prioritize his safety! Do you think... now is the time for us to tear apart our relations with the Huangji Sacred Domain?!"
All the Guardians immediately lowered their heads, daring not to respond.
"Immediately report this matter in detail to my father. That Xia Yuanba... must die! But his identity is no longer that of an ordinary Sacred Domain disciple. How to make him die... can only be decided by my father!" Ye Xinghan said in a deep voice.
"Yes! This subordinate will immediately go and report to Lord Sword Master."
————————————