Supreme of the Heavenly Realm
Chapter 357 - 354 Threat

Chapter 357: Chapter 354 Threat

While Ye Xuan was honing his soul cultivation, Yu Yi was also fully committed to healing her wounds, which had rapidly mended. On the contrary, being captured and wounded this time had drastically advanced her cultivation. After taking two Emperor Extreme Pills given to her by Ye Xuan, she made a breakthrough to the realm of a Seventh Grade Demon King.

Such a cultivation level placed her, within the ranks of Sky Demon Mountain, as the third youngest person to reach the Seventh Grade Demon King realm, following the recently advanced Linglong and the Demon Dragon Young Master.

Having ascended to the realm of a Seventh Grade Demon King, Yu Yi was spirited and outwardly confident, having completely shed her previous despondence. She bore an aloof expression, as if she had reclaimed her pride as Sky Demon Mountain’s favored daughter.

"Congratulations."

Ye Xuan, watching Yu Yi’s advancement, waited until she had finished her cultivation before clasping his hands and speaking with a light smile.

"We can prepare to leave; Sky Demon Mountain has already taken down Three Yin Island, and the forces of Sea God Palace have temporarily withdrawn. At least for the short term, they are unlikely to return with a vengeance."

During the time Yu Yi was advancing, Ye Xuan had already scoped out the immediate area. Three Yin Island was now entirely under Sky Demon Mountain’s control, and Sea God Palace’s forces had temporarily retreated. It was best to seize the moment and leave quickly.

Yu Yi nodded, then stood up promptly, setting off with Ye Xuan.

"In the recent great battle, both Sea God Palace and Sky Demon Mountain dispatched a Half-step Demon Venerable, who fought fiercely against each other. In the end, both were severely injured. In that battle, tens of thousands of powerhouses perished, including at least a thousand of the Demon King level."

Ye Xuan and Yu Yi were moving fast through a dense forest, leaving only fleeting shadows behind them in the woods.

"Given the circumstances, why don’t we rendezvous with Long Guihai and the others to plot for the Eastern Desolate Island Domain’s warfare and thoroughly crush Sea God Palace’s forces?"

Yu Yi looked at Ye Xuan with some confusion. The direction in which they were currently headed was exactly opposite to where Sky Demon Mountain’s experts were located. Having just narrowly escaped danger, shouldn’t they be meeting up with their allies right away?

"Long Guihai is arrogant and conceited, holding little regard for others. Even if we were to join him, we would have no say. Besides, Long Guihai has underhanded motives, and we’ve had conflicts before. Now that he’s in charge of the situation in the Eastern Desolate Island Domain, the experts from Sky Demon Mountain, Black Water Palace, and the evil-blooded Demon Clan all take orders from him. I worry that he’ll exploit his forces for a personal vendetta against me."

Ye Xuan didn’t bother to disguise his concerns. The assassination attempt he’d encountered before was very likely orchestrated by Long Guihai. Going to meet him would be like walking into a trap.

Moreover, a Half-step Demon Venerable had accompanied Long Guihai here, a presence Ye Xuan regarded with considerable wariness. Even though he had now advanced to the realm of a Fifth Grade Demon King himself, he would still struggle against a Half-step Demon Venerable.

Even if he had concealed his identity well, there was no guarantee that others wouldn’t see through it; his disguise wasn’t flawless.

The Demon Dragon Young Master was smart; he might have already picked up on something.

"I see. Let’s leave this place as soon as possible then."

Yu Yi had no fondness for Long Guihai either. In her mind, he was someone who wouldn’t stop until his purposes were achieved. The scenarios described by Ye Xuan were entirely plausible.

However, before they had gone far, a faint sound of footsteps approached from not too far away.

"We have company."

Ye Xuan detected the presence of others using his keen soul power, even though the footsteps were still a hundred meters away.

"Really?"

Yu Yi’s pretty face tensed as she focused on sensing her surroundings for any movements, but to no avail.

She looked at Ye Xuan with some doubt. The area around them was utterly quiet; how could someone be approaching? Could it be his misperception?

Yet within a mere few moments, she indeed spotted the silhouettes of two people emerging from the woods behind them.

One of the figures was not a stranger but the Demon Dragon Young Master, Long Guihai. The other was a grey-robed elder with an obscure aura, clearly stronger than Long Guihai, recognized as Elder Sima.

"So, he’s managed to find us."

Yu Yi’s eyes widened in surprise. While astonishment was evident, she showed no other emotion. She held no particular goodwill toward Long Guihai, but they were not enemies either—at most, they were people who did not get along.

Her gaze lingered on Long Guihai for a moment before turning to the grey-robed elder. Her eyes shifted slightly with concern. Although she was aware that Sky Demon Mountain had more Half-step Demon Venerables than were publicly known, the existence of Elder Sima was something even she had not encountered before.

The hidden strengths of Sky Demon Mountain were known to only a few, perhaps only the Demon Dragon Venerable and the Sky Fox Demon Venerable had the power to command these hidden experts.

After all, with a profound heritage spanning a thousand years, how could Sky Demon Mountain lack such resources? Members of the Demon Clan had incredibly long lifespans, with many top-tier experts nearing the end of their lives actually in seclusion, for they must advance their cultivation to prolong their lifespan.

Many of these individuals possessed unfathomable strength. Elder Sima was clearly one of them.

"Yu Yi, it really is you. You’ve given this Young Master quite the search. Hearing that you were captured by the Sea God Palace left my heart in tatters. Now that I see you safe and sound, this Young Master can rest easy."

Long Guihai looked at Yu Yi with a smile that reached his eyes, showing delight as if he was genuinely concerned about her.

"Is that so? Then I really must thank you for your concerns."

Yu Yi didn’t believe a word he said. Heart wrung like in pain? What a joke. If anything, he’d probably rather see her dead, and for that, she was truly grateful.

"Why the formalities? We are all young talents of Sky Demon Mountain and should support each other. Besides, my father also instructed me to ensure your rescue and guarantee your safety."

Long Guihai’s face was brimming with smiles; to the unaware, he would seem like a naturally warm individual. Beaming, he stepped towards Yu Yi and Ye Xuan, directing his gaze toward the latter in the ghost mask, "So, this is the masked expert who rescued Yu Yi from the hands of Prince Shen Sha of the Sea God Palace. Your abilities are indeed remarkable. However, I’m quite curious. If you claim to be one of us from Sky Demon Mountain, why the need for a mask? Could it be that you have some unspeakable secret identity?"

Ye Xuan’s expression remained calm as he shook his head, "I do as I please, and it seems I don’t need you to tell me what to do."

"Heh, of course, just asking. I meant no offense, please don’t take it the wrong way." Long Guihai’s smile was amiable, but a fleeting, sinister glint flashed deep within his eyes.

Witnessing this, Yu Yi couldn’t help but feel suspicious. This Long Guihai was acting like a completely different person today, not in line with his usual demeanor. By rights, after such a cold response, Long Guihai should have flown into a rage.

Within Sky Demon Mountain, Demon Dragon Young Master Long Guihai was known as the most domineering among the younger generation, not taking anyone seriously.

Yet now, he was oddly polite to the masked expert, and not a hint of dissatisfaction showed, which was completely illogical.

Yu Yi was merely puzzled internally, but Ye Xuan knew that the situation was not so simple. Most likely, Long Guihai had begun to suspect his true identity.

Just then, Ye Xuan’s ears twitched as he concentrated his True Qi at his ears, radiating his soul power outwards. Shortly, he sensed hundreds of presences approaching from a few thousand meters away, forming a crescent-shaped encirclement, leaving only one side open.

"Not good!"

Ye Xuan was startled as he immediately understood Long Guihai’s intention. This man, babbling so much nonsense, was surely stalling for time until his reinforcements arrived to complete the encirclement and trap them like turtles in a jar.

With the strength of Long Guihai and Elder Sima at hand, they would be at a disadvantage, not to mention the arrival of numerous experts, including Seventh Grade Demon King level Elders. Once a melee broke out, even he would find it hard to escape.

So the man had guessed his true identity or if not, had considered the possibility. Rather kill wrongly than let him go, harboring a deadly intent.

Shocked though he was, Ye Xuan’s face betrayed nothing, his expression still placid, showing no signs of panic or flaw.

Now with troops advancing from three directions, and only one direction not covered, the one behind Long Guihai, it was undoubtedly their sole breakout point.

However, in a direct confrontation, although Ye Xuan could escape on his own, it would be very difficult for Yu Yi to break free.

"The only option is to lure him into attacking."

In a split second, Ye Xuan devised a plan. His expression changed suddenly, as if displaying a trace of pain. Clutching his chest, he turned pale and sat down on the ground, "During my encounter with Prince Shen Sha a few days ago, I suffered a concealed injury. I thought it was minor, but now it has flared up again. Please, protect me while I heal."

"Sure, take care of yourself."

Yu Yi looked worriedly at Ye Xuan, really believing that he was injured, and helped him sit down.

"Fool. I thought too highly of you."

Seeing Ye Xuan close his eyes and gather his cultivation on the ground, Long Guihai’s eyes also revealed a ferocious light as he quietly slipped out three extremely thin hidden darts from his hands. He initially intended to strike once everyone had encircled them, but now with Ye Xuan gathering his cultivation, the opportunity was ripe to take his life. Even if he couldn’t kill him outright, a severe injury would assure Ye Xuan’s death.

It was an opportunity too good to miss.

With True Qi surging over Ye Xuan and Yu Yi unguarded, Long Guihai’s gaze suddenly shifted, and his arm thrust forward abruptly. The hidden darts in his palm shot out, aiming straight for Ye Xuan’s face.