CHAPTER 554: CHAPTER 547: IT DOESN’T MATTER IF IT’S DESTROYED_1

「Inner Palace of Yun State!」

An old woman with white hair stood in the square outside the Elixir Fire Palace, her gaze as cold as water as she stared into the void before her. She was the Yun State Lord. Behind her stood more than a dozen people. Among them were the Martial Palace Hall Master, the Chief Hall Master, and the Xia Family’s old ancestor, Xia Changfeng. In short, everyone standing here was a top powerhouse of Yun State. But without exception, all their faces were grim.

WHOOSH!

Suddenly, the Elixir Palace Hall Master appeared out of thin air. Upon seeing the Yun State Lord and the others, his heart tightened. He landed calmly in the square, bowed, and said, "Greetings, State Lord. Greetings, Chief Hall Master."

The State Lord withdrew her gaze, looked at the Elixir Palace Hall Master, and said, "So, you finally decided to return. Do you have any idea how long I’ve been waiting for you here?"

"Why were you waiting for me?" the Elixir Palace Hall Master asked, puzzled.

The State Lord said angrily, "Don’t you know the Elixir Fire has been stolen?"

It had been about ten days since the Elixir Fire was taken. Although Qin Feiyang had initially used the excuse of the Elixir Palace Hall Master refining elixirs to suppress the commotion, as time passed, word of this incident eventually reached the State Lord’s ears. Initially, the State Lord hadn’t paid it much mind. But when the Elixir Fire Palace didn’t return to normal operations, she grew suspicious. So, she came to the Elixir Fire Palace herself. To her shock, she found that not only was the Elixir Palace Hall Master missing, but the Elixir Fire had also vanished without a trace.

At first, she suspected the Elixir Palace Hall Master had taken it. But when she learned the details from the disciples, she locked her sights on Xia Hai. However, Xia Hai had also disappeared without a trace. Even Xia Changfeng of the Xia Family didn’t know Xia Hai’s whereabouts. The Elixir Fire was far too important. An Elixir Fire Palace without the Elixir Fire was simply not the Elixir Fire Palace. So, she waited here. And she had waited for several days and nights before, finally, the Elixir Palace Hall Master returned.

"What?" The Elixir Palace Hall Master looked utterly shocked. "Something like that happened? Who did it?"

"Only your blood can open the hidden door. I, too, would like to know who did it," the Yun State Lord said, her face extremely gloomy.

The Elixir Palace Hall Master shook his head. "I don’t know. I’ve been away all this time."

The Yun State Lord asked, "Then why didn’t you respond when I sent you a message?"

The Elixir Palace Hall Master thought for a moment and said, "I apologize. My Image Crystal Stone was accidentally shattered, so I couldn’t receive any messages."

"Shattered?" The Yun State Lord sneered and waved her hand. "Search him for me."

Immediately, the Martial Palace Hall Master stepped forward.

Seeing this, the Elixir Palace Hall Master sighed and said, "Alright, I admit it. I knew about this, and I also know who stole the Elixir Fire."

"Who?" The Yun State Lord’s gaze turned cold.

"It was Xia Hai," the Elixir Palace Hall Master said.

"It really was him!" The Yun State Lord flew into a rage. "Why didn’t you stop him? He’s just a disciple; surely you could have stopped him?"

"Yes," the Elixir Palace Hall Master said. "I couldn’t stop him. He isn’t the real Xia Hai. Moreover, Ma San was also an impersonation by him. The real Xia Hai and Ma San are likely already dead. As for his true identity, I don’t know, but his strength is immense! That night on White Horse Mountain, I fought him. His blade pierced the top of my head, yet he saved me. Earlier, he also delivered me to the guards at the city gate. That’s why, just now, I felt a moment of compassion. State Lord, regarding my earlier deception, I have nothing to say. I am willing to accept punishment."

The Elixir Palace Hall Master knelt on the ground, head bowed, eyes closed, silently awaiting the Yun State Lord’s judgment.

The Yun State Lord looked down at him, her expression inscrutable, and asked, "So, where is he now?"

"I truly don’t know," the Elixir Palace Hall Master shook his head.

The Yun State Lord gave him a deep look, said no more, then opened a teleportation portal and departed with her entourage.

HUFF! The Elixir Palace Hall Master exhaled a long breath, rose, and looked up at the night sky, muttering, "You and I are now even. Don’t cause any more harm to Yun State, or I won’t let you off."

Actually, if he had revealed two key pieces of information, given the Yun State Lord’s status, it wouldn’t have been difficult for her to uncover Qin Feiyang’s true identity. The first was the Wolf King. The second was Qin Feiyang’s ability to vanish into thin air!

Of course, even if the Elixir Palace Hall Master didn’t speak, if the Yun State Lord widened her search, she could still find out Qin Feiyang’s identity. This was because Qin Feiyang had revealed two characteristics in Yun State. First, pills with three Elixir Patterns. Second, the Counter Curse Manual’s ability to use an opponent’s own methods against them. Neither of these was common in the Nine States. The most important question now was whether the Yun State Lord would consider that the culprit might be from one of the other major states. And would she extend the search to Spirit State?

「Meanwhile.」

「Spirit State, Inner Palace!」

Deep in the night, the Inner Palace was deathly quiet.

WHOOSH!!

Suddenly, a group of people appeared out of thin air above the Elixir Fire Palace; it was Qin Feiyang and his companions.

Lu Hong smiled. "We’re finally back."

"Yes!" Qin Feiyang said with a faint smile. "Although I’m not from Spirit State, after all these years, I’ve developed a sense of belonging to this place."

Lin Yiyi asked curiously, "Brother Feiyang, where are you actually from then?"

Qin Feiyang’s heart tightened. Honestly, should I tell Lin Yiyi or not?

He was just thinking about how to answer when, suddenly, he looked towards the main gate of the Elixir Fire Palace. With a wave of his hand, he sent the others into the ancient castle. Just as they disappeared, a white figure walked out of the Elixir Fire Palace.

It’s him. Qin Feiyang’s eyes flashed. It was none other than Lu Xingchen! Where on earth is he going at this ungodly hour?

WHOOSH! Qin Feiyang also flickered and entered the ancient castle. Although it was late at night, the sky was cloudless, the round moon hung high, and there was no cover around, so he had to enter the ancient castle.

After leaving the Elixir Fire Palace, Lu Xingchen scanned his surroundings and then flew northwest.

Soon, Qin Feiyang reappeared. Catching sight of Lu Xingchen, he concealed his aura and discreetly followed.

After a while, Lu Xingchen landed on a deserted mountain peak. The peak was covered in lush vegetation. At the edge of the cliff, a black figure stood. Lu Xingchen walked to the cliff edge, took out a jade box from his robe, and handed it to the black figure. "Here’s the elixir you wanted."

"Thank you." The black figure accepted the jade box, his expression quite excited.

Lu Xingchen said, "As long as you follow me, I naturally won’t treat you poorly. How is the matter I asked you to investigate progressing?"

"No news," the black figure shook his head. "This Qin Feiyang seems to have vanished as if from the face of the earth. It’s said the major powers are also looking for him."

Lu Xingchen pondered for a moment. "It seems the major powers have high hopes for him."

"That’s because they are blind," the black figure scoffed. "No matter how amazing Qin Feiyang is, can he compare to you?"

"You can say that to me, but don’t ever say it in front of others. I don’t want to attract attention right now," Lu Xingchen said.

"Understood," the black figure nodded.

Lu Xingchen said no more, turned, and flew back towards the Elixir Fire Palace. The black figure also rose into the air and flew towards the Cultivation Hall.

Once both had entered the Elixir Fire Palace and the Cultivation Hall respectively, Qin Feiyang emerged from the nearby forest, a hint of doubt in his eyes. Who was that black figure? The voice was both familiar and strange. And why is Lu Xingchen investigating my whereabouts? What kind of elixir did Lu Xingchen give that person? Whatever the reason, the more he observed Lu Xingchen, the more suspicious he became.

After a moment of deep thought, Qin Feiyang waved his hand, opening a teleportation portal, and landed before a canyon. Inside the canyon, black hurricanes howled, exuding an astonishing aura. A dilapidated iron chain bridge spanned the canyon above, swaying precariously like a leaf in a gale.

That’s right! This was the entrance to the Land of Ruins!

Qin Feiyang stood at the canyon’s edge, gazing into the bottomless black abyss, and called out, "Uncle Ren, please come out and speak with me."

Ren Duxing controlled this canyon, so he should be able to hear his voice.

Indeed, only about ten breaths passed before a black figure flew out from within the black hurricanes and landed on the iron chain bridge. It was Ren Duxing. He looked at Qin Feiyang and smiled. "You’ve come!"

"Yes." Qin Feiyang nodded. "There’s something I think I need to tell you. Mu Tianyang is indeed still alive."

Ren Duxing’s gaze instantly hardened.

Qin Feiyang continued, "He appeared near the State City last time, but I don’t know where he is now."

"If you could easily find out his whereabouts, he wouldn’t be Mu Tianyang. However..." At this point, Ren Duxing frowned, lost in thought.

Qin Feiyang asked, "However, what?"

"Judging by his furtive behavior, his cultivation level is indeed greatly diminished," Ren Duxing said. "I’m thinking he might send people to infiltrate the Inner Palace to participate in the Nine States Competition. Once this person wins the competition, he can use them to enter the Imperial Capital."

"How would he use them?" Qin Feiyang frowned.

"The valley he’s in is no ordinary valley; it’s a Divine Artifact," Ren Duxing explained. "This item, much like your hidden treasure, can change its size and possesses heaven-defying power."

Qin Feiyang said, "You mean, after someone wins the competition, they will carry this valley to the Imperial Capital?"

"Exactly," Ren Duxing affirmed. "Mu Tianyang himself currently lacks the ability to go to the Imperial Capital. He has to rely on others. Because the journey between the Imperial Capital and Spirit State is not only long but fraught with danger. However, our attention shouldn’t be solely on Spirit State. The other eight major states are also possibilities."

"The other eight major states?" Qin Feiyang frowned, but upon reflection, he realized this possibility couldn’t be ruled out. But if so, the scope of the search undoubtedly became much larger. This is truly a troublesome problem!

He rubbed his forehead, looked at Ren Duxing, and said, "Uncle Ren, I don’t want to concern myself with this matter anymore."

"Oh?" Ren Duxing looked at him in surprise.

"I have my own affairs to attend to; I don’t have this much time to dally with Mu Tianyang," Qin Feiyang shook his head. "Besides, I’m just an insignificant nobody; a matter of such magnitude, concerning the fate of the world’s common people, is truly beyond my capabilities." His goal was only to return to the Imperial Capital for revenge. After his revenge, he would take his mother and leave the Imperial Capital. The most crucial point was his lack of attachment to the Great Qin Empire, so even if the Great Qin Empire was destroyed at Mu Tianyang’s hands, he wouldn’t particularly care.