“How could this be?” Chu Yun fell into extreme confusion. He possessed the Six Desires Heart Demon Scorpion and followed the Dao of Humans. He could sense that the Ten Thousand Poisons Queen’s feelings for Yuwen Wan’er were genuine.
“What exactly is going on?” He turned his head, glancing behind him. The Ten Thousand Poisons Queen, cloaked in black, also appeared in the Great Hall at that moment.
However, the Ten Thousand Poisons Queen offered no explanation. Her withered hand gripped her cane, her expression shrouded by shadows. Chu Yun could only hear a faint sigh emanating from her.
Yet, that sigh alone conveyed to Chu Yun the profound complexity of her emotions, the deep pain, and the overwhelming sorrow within her heart.
“Senior Mermaid King, please calm your wrath. There must be some misunderstanding,” Chu Yun said hastily.
“Misunderstanding? Ten Thousand Poisons Queen, I grant you one final chance to explain,” the Mermaid King said, his gaze sharp as an arrow.
The Ten Thousand Poisons Queen gently shook her head and said to Chu Yun, “Go and take Wan’er away.”
“Heh heh, you wish,” the Mermaid King let out a sharp laugh, pointing at Chu Yun. Suddenly, a blinding light flashed, and before Chu Yun could react, he vanished from his spot.
“You Huang’s Chaos Traveling Heavenly Heart Talisman?” The Ten Thousand Poisons Queen’s expression changed.
“Hahahaha, Ten Thousand Poisons Queen, you can’t escape anymore. The entire Coral Palace has already been enveloped by my grand formation. Today, only one of us will walk out of this battle!” With that, the Mermaid King, moving like lightning, lunged towards the Ten Thousand Poisons Queen.
A battle of King level erupted fiercely.
*Plop.*
Chu Yun fell into the seawater, instantly soaked. Fortunately, he was skilled in swimming and bobbed in the water, his face filled with astonishment. “What’s going on? In an instant, I was teleported outside Mermaid Island!”
He looked into the distance, where a continent was vaguely visible at the horizon. Wasn’t that the Island Country of the Merfolk?
“To teleport me this far instantly, and not with something like a Gem Secret Passage or a True Reflection Mirror… this reminds me of You Huang’s world-renowned Chaos Traveling Heavenly Heart Talisman. Whether it is or not, the Mermaid King truly has formidable means.” Chu Yun marveled internally. The next moment, he activated his Demonic Beasts and shot skyward, flying back towards Mermaid Island.
Mermaid Island’s royal city seemed as if nothing had happened. Since the Marriage Recruitment Drive had just concluded, there was an atmosphere of celebration and peace.
However, Chu Yun, being privy to the truth, noticed that the Royal Palace was now a tightly guarded fortress, outwardly calm but inwardly vigilant. The guards were all on high alert.
He used the Colorless Rainbow Demon to conceal his presence, intending to sneak back into the Coral Palace. But upon arriving, he found the Coral Palace enveloped in a layer of void light.
“Is this truly the Chaos Traveling Heavenly Heart Talisman? The Mermaid King has deployed You Huang’s ancient artifact, the Chaos Traveling Heavenly Heart Talisman, to isolate the Coral Palace from the world. If I touch this void light, I will be instantly teleported away. Unless one can break through this defense with a spatial Tribulation Demon from nearly ten million years ago, no other means will work. But even if I did that, the commotion would be significant enough to alert the entire royal city.”
“It seems the Mermaid King is currently engaged in a battle with the Ten Thousand Poisons Queen, and has thus confined this area. It’s both to prevent outside interference and to prevent the Ten Thousand Poisons Queen from escaping. I cannot breach the Coral Palace, so I will go find Yuwen Wan’er instead.” Chu Yun’s eyes flickered. After considering for a while, he wisely abandoned the plan to infiltrate the Coral Palace.
However, his plan to find Yuwen Wan’er also failed.
After some twists and turns, he learned that as he left the Great Hall and headed towards the Coral Palace, Yuwen Wan’er had also been summoned by the Mermaid King and had vanished from everyone’s sight.
“The wisdom of a King is truly thorough and leaves no gaps. It appears this was a trap set by the Mermaid King to lure the Ten Thousand Poisons Queen out. Yuwen Wan’er’s emotions were not feigned; she was likely kept in the dark as well. Alas, I’m beginning to understand. This must be one of the drastic life changes Yuwen Wan’er has endured. I hope she doesn’t become the plague-ridden King of the Underworld again because of this…”
Chu Yun sighed deeply, truly feeling powerless and unable to help. He had initially thought that by helping the Ten Thousand Poisons Queen, everything would be settled. He hadn’t expected the grievances and entanglements involved to be so complicated.
Chu Yun stealthily moved through the Royal Palace for three days, but ultimately made no progress. The date of the founding ceremony was rapidly approaching. He had no choice but to temporarily set aside matters here and return to the Archipelago to face the most arduous challenge in the Shu Family’s history.
…
Fierce winds roared, and waves crashed.
A gigantic whale Demonic Beast, comparable in size to a continent, propelled itself forward through the sea.
It was the Land Whale, the largest creature in Xingzhou’s history.
Ordinary Land Whales were only the size of two merged city-level islands. But this Land Whale was immense, spanning the area of more than ten city-level islands.
Its owner became famous throughout the land because of it. And because of its owner, it achieved the pinnacle of cultivation among Demonic Beasts.
Standing on the Land Whale’s back, the Land Whale King gazed into the distance. The sea breeze billowed his great cloak backward, like a battle flag snapping in the wind.
“Sect Master, in another day, we will reach the Archipelago,” stood an Abacus Master behind the Land Whale King. He wore a deep blue robe and had narrow, elongated eyes.
The Land Whale King’s deep voice resonated with unwavering confidence. “Master Xinghen, there is no need to worry. My East Sea Faction will be victorious in this battle.”
“Although the heavenly secrets are obscured, the dimness of your King Star is apparent to any discerning eye. I am not particularly concerned about the battle with the Shu Family, but I fear the mysterious mastermind behind it all,” Master Xinghen said with concern.
“I also sense that this mysterious person has grand ambitions and is extremely dangerous,” the Land Whale King frowned slightly, then relaxed. “However, even if he doesn’t appear, I will still deal with the Shu Family. The vast resources of the Archipelago can elevate the East Sea Faction to an unprecedented level. This time, I will crush everything in my path and shatter the Shu Family!”
…
Annamese Valley, a humble thatched hut.
“This is it. I came here three years ago, and it hasn’t changed at all,” the Lord of Jianghan Kingdom looked around, sighing, and pushed open the wooden gate before him.
A middle-aged man, neither tall nor short, neither fat nor thin, with an ordinary appearance, sat on the ground, gazing at a Zijin flower bud before him.
“You’ve arrived,” the man glanced at the Lord of Jianghan Kingdom, showing no intention of standing up to greet him, and said casually. “You’ve come at the perfect time. The Zijin flower is difficult to bloom; it waits for a thousand years. Three years ago, you saved my life, and I built this dwelling here. I encountered this 997-year-old Zijin flower. Now, the Zijin flower is about to bloom, and you will join me in admiring it.”
As he spoke, the flower bud suddenly burst forth with a magnificent, resplendent purple-gold light. The glow was soft and not dazzling. The vase-like flower bud slowly opened like a peacock displaying its tail feathers. Petal after petal, like silk, tender yet elegant, evoked a sense of life’s miracles.
“It’s truly beautiful.” Even though the Lord of Jianghan Kingdom held a high position, upon witnessing the blooming of this rare Demonic Plant, he couldn’t help but forget the purpose of his visit, lost in the emotion of beauty.
However, just as the petals were about to fully unfurl, revealing their most exquisite charm, the middle-aged man struck with lightning speed, his hand moving like a phantom.
The petals withered, and the aura of life was extinguished like a torch thrown into the sea. A Demonic Plant on the verge of becoming a Spirit Monster showed no ability to resist before being utterly destroyed.
“This…” the Lord of Jianghan Kingdom was stunned.
“At the most beautiful and radiant moment of a creature’s life, to snatch away its hope, to sever its life. This is what I, Zi, as an assassin, enjoy the most. Lord of Jianghan Kingdom, you’ve come to find me, not for this very reason?” The middle-aged man stood up, dusting off the dirt, and thus spoke.
The Lord of Jianghan Kingdom looked regretfully at the withered flowers on the ground, then nodded with a wry smile, “Indeed. As an assassin, to enjoy the process of assassination, rather than acting solely for the mission—that’s what I admire most about you.”
“Three years ago, you saved my life. I promised to be your assassin for three years. During this time, I have assassinated two Marquis level individuals, eleven Jun level individuals, thirty-nine Hegemons, and nearly a hundred extraordinary individuals through various means. Now that the three years are nearing their end, this should be my final mission.” The middle-aged man said calmly, “Tell me, who do you want me to kill this time?”
The Lord of Jianghan Kingdom did not answer directly but instead said, “You are the most outstanding assassin in Xingzhou. Although you only have Jun level cultivation, even Marquis level powerhouses have fallen into your hands. Stay here, and I can provide you with riches and honor.”
“Heh heh, this is the 1009th time you’ve tried to persuade me. However, my answer remains the same. You are not the ruler I seek; you lack ‘bearing’.”
“‘Bearing,’ ‘bearing,’ you always say that. Why do I lack bearing? What exactly is this ‘bearing’ you desire?” The Lord of Jianghan Kingdom became annoyed.
“The bearing of a King.” A fanatical glint flickered in Zi’s eyes, and then quickly returned to normal. “Tell me, who is the target this time?”
The Lord of Jianghan Kingdom sighed, and then uttered two words: “Chu Yun.”
…
In the Ku Tuo Kingdom, at Ku Tuo Temple, a debate among high-ranking officials was underway.
“We absolutely cannot let this go. So what if he’s the Drunken Snow Fox Lord? So what if he’s been promoted to Marquis level?”
“That’s right. Master Bei Guang is one of the four elders of our Ku Tuo Temple and the only blood descendant of Patriarch Ku Tuo King. Ever since he disappeared, we have been searching tirelessly. Fortunately, this time we’ve invited Master Zui Yisheng to help with calculations, and we learned that Chu Yun was the one who inflicted the poison.”
“This matter is of great importance and requires caution. The Shu Family is not what it used to be. Chu Yun has good relations with the Wine King, the Immortal Pouch King, and the Ten Thousand Poisons Queen. Now even Master Wushuang has joined the Shu Family. Even if the Land Whale King attacks this time, it will likely be a fierce battle.”
“The key issue is that we have no proof. Even if Master Zui Yisheng is a foremost authority in the world of abacus masters, can his word alone be considered evidence?”
“Getting evidence is easy, isn’t it? Bring out that True Heart Exquisite Stone, and I will attend the Shu Family’s founding ceremony. I will question Chu Yun face-to-face. At that time, the various heroes and overlords present will serve as the best witnesses!” Zen Lord said.
“Good, that method is excellent.”
“Indeed, let’s do it that way.”
(PS: Well, I originally intended to post three chapters. But an unexpected event took longer than anticipated, leaving me with no time to write more. So, for now, this will have to do. Since we’re approaching the climax, I’ll post three chapters tomorrow instead. That way, everyone can enjoy it more.)
