CHAPTER 473: CHAPTER 343: THE MISTRESS OF THE FENG RESIDENCE

"Princess, I only ask you once, do you really think the Phoenix Token of the Feng Residence can be stolen so easily?" Cong Lv asked with a cold face.

A sudden throb at Princess Qing Bi’s brow, she looked at the token in Ye Lingyue’s hand with disbelief.

It was only then that she saw clearly that the token was engraved with the character for "phoenix" (凰), not "feng" (凤).

Cong Lv’s words served as a reminder to Qing Bi.

This token belonged to the Feng Residence.

Regarding the Feng Residence, there were many rumors within the Imperial Palace. It was said to be a place as heavily guarded as the Beiqing Imperial Palace.

Just now, Qing Bi had been blinded by jealousy due to Xiahou Qi’s intimate behavior towards Ye Lingyue.

Was this the Phoenix Token, which could only belong to the female master of the Feng Residence?

Compared to the Phoenix Token, the Phoenix Token appeared less frequently.

Only Prince Feng knew the whereabouts of the Phoenix Token. Was it he who had given it to Ye Lingyue?

Qing Bi and Feng Xun were relatives. Although they were close in age, the spoiled Princess Qing Bi had a deep-seated reverence for Feng Xun.

Although Qing Bi was one of Emperor Beiqing’s beloved daughters, she knew that if it were a matter of importance, a hundred of her would not compare to Feng Xun.

Qing Bi even believed that if Feng Xun was willing, Emperor Beiqing would appoint him as Crown Prince.

Thinking this far, Qing Bi dared not speak any further.

Her gaze towards Ye Lingyue, however, remained full of jealousy.

"Miss Ye, with the Phoenix Token, you may enter any city within Beiqing unobstructed," Cong Lv said respectfully.

"In that case, I won’t stay any longer. Sister Cai’er, Aguduo, Jin Wu Old Monster, let’s return to Moon City first. After reorganizing, we head to Beiqing," Ye Lingyue said, without further ado, not even wishing to glance again at Xiahou Qi and the others.

She was not in such good spirits as to have "something" stolen from her and act as if nothing had happened.

"Ling Yue, I—" Xiahou Qi watched Ye Lingyue as she floated away, wanting to say more but stopping himself, ultimately letting his gaze fall in pain.

He, too, had his selfish reasons.

Otherwise, he would not have permitted his father, the Emperor, to exclude Ye Lingyue from this Xingxiu Cave expedition.

He feared that once Ye Lingyue arrived in Beiqing, she might encounter Feng Xun again.

That man, Feng Xun, had put an unprecedented pressure on Xiahou Qi.

That day, during his first confrontation with Feng Xun at the Imperial Palace, Xiahou Qi had realized that Feng Xun was far from the frail-looking person he appeared to be on the outside.

He just didn’t expect that man would give the symbol of power from the Feng Residence, the Phoenix Token, to Ye Lingyue.

On the journey back to Moon City, Lan Cai’er grew increasingly indignant.

"Ling Yue, they treated you like this, and you still intend to help Emperor Xia cure the Black Fog this time?" In Lan Cai’er’s eyes, Ye Lingyue was without a doubt the most talented Alchemist in Daxia, second to none.

She wasn’t even qualified to participate, not to mention the rest of those nobodies.

Emperor Xia’s scheming against Ye Lingyue made Lan Cai’er feel it was a gross injustice to her.

"This is the last time," said Ye Lingyue. Lan Cai’er was stunned.

Ye Lingyue had finally grown cold towards Daxia. This would be the last time she lent a hand to her motherland. From now on, no matter what happened to Daxia, she would not intervene again.

A group of people sped like a gust of wind, arriving at Moon City.

Hearing that Ye Lingyue had been injured by the Reincarnation Fire, Housekeeper Cui and others were all greatly alarmed. Fortunately, Ye Lingyue explained that her injury was not a big concern, and that she only needed a month of care to recover.

In the middle of the night, in Ye Lingyue’s room, she was inspecting the newly refined Soul Chain.

However, while everyone else thought she had been injured by Zhan Feng’s Reincarnation Fire, the real reason was known only to Ye Lingyue herself.

Her severe burns were not due to the Reincarnation Fire, but rather because of the Corrosive Soul Chain within the Qian Cauldron.

That day, upon seeing the Corrosive Soul Chain, Ye Lingyue felt an impulse to claim it for herself.

But the Corrosive Soul Chain was no ordinary Spiritual Artifact; it was refined from the two forces of Reincarnation by Zhan Feng. To forcibly take it over, one would need to kill Zhan Feng in addition to possessing extremely strong spiritual power.

By the time Ye Lingyue used the Black Cauldron Breath to kill Zhan Feng, she was already completely exhausted.

Yet, in the moment before she fell unconscious, she used her last bit of spiritual power to forcibly refine the Corrosive Soul Chain.

After the Corrosive Soul Chain was refined, the two forces of Reincarnation within it suddenly exploded, leaving Ye Lingyue in her current state.

However, it was also because of the refining of the Reincarnation power within, that Ye Lingyue, who was only at the Elixir Realm, was now able to control the Corrosive Soul Chain, which only Reincarnation Martial Artists were supposed to handle.

Moreover, with only her skin affected and no internal injuries, this was already a stroke of great fortune amidst misfortune. It was a good thing that Ye Lingyue’s body had undergone modifications by the Qian Cauldron; had it been any ordinary person’s body, the exploding force of the two Reincarnation powers would have been enough to blast a person into powder.

After obtaining the Corrosive Soul Chain, Ye Lingyue also acquired its Cultivation Technique—the Corrosive Soul-locking Technique.

"As expected of a Martial Arts Technique from the Underworld Yama Palace, a Fifth Tier technique possessing such terrifying power." Ye Lingyue had already seen many Martial Arts, but upon reviewing this technique, she couldn’t help but inwardly sigh at the domineering nature of the Yama Palace’s techniques.

This Corrosive Soul-locking Technique, which Zhan Feng had clearly just obtained, appeared from its description to be an Ancient Cultivation Technique.

In its initial stage, this technique could refine a Corrosive Soul Chain. In the next stage, it could use the Soul Chain to absorb Primordial Power from a person, preventing the concentration of Primordial Power. In the final stage, it could even lock a person’s soul, turning them into a puppet.

Ye Lingyue had already skipped the first step by refining the Corrosive Soul Chain, but to refine it to the final stage of locking a person’s soul was still a far reach.

After manipulating the Corrosive Soul Chain several times, Ye Lingyue then changed her dressing and got up.

She had just stepped out of her room when she heard Housekeeper Cui’s report.

"Master Alchemist, the carriages and horses have been prepared, and you may depart for Beiqing at any time."

On the Xixia Plain, after waiting for two days.

Personnel from Xia Capital to go on an adventure in the Xingxiu Cave to Beiqing had all arrived.

Apart from Hong Mingyue and the external support Luo Song, this team from Xia Capital mostly consisted of young Martial Artists and Alchemists.

Besides the Sixth Prince, Xiahou Qi, the leading Alchemist was Chou Alchemist.

However, in the crowd, Xiahou Qi unexpectedly spotted Feng Xue and others.

These two had been good friends with Ye Lingyue at Hongwu Hall. Upon seeing Xiahou Qi, they nodded, a form of greeting.

Feng Xue appeared somewhat sullen, obviously because of the attitudes of a few other people in the group.

Hong Yuying and her brother Hong Yulang had been excluding them the whole way. Once everyone was present, they all headed for Beiqing.

Throughout the journey, Xiahou Qi did not talk much, always seemingly preoccupied with his thoughts, only occasionally speaking a few words with Feng Xue and others. Most of the time, it was Princess Qing Bi who kept talking incessantly to Xiahou Qi.

When they were halfway through the journey, suddenly a troop of horses appeared up front.

The troop consisted of all superior steeds, and there were also two comfortable carriages coming towards them.