Supreme of the Heavenly Realm
Chapter 363 - 360 Undersea Ancient Cave Mansion

Chapter 363: Chapter 360 Undersea Ancient Cave Mansion

"What’s wrong?"

Ye Xuan’s eyes flashed with a hint of vigilance; this was the territory of the Black Market, and if Zi Yuqing intended to target him, this would indeed be the best place to make a move.

Seemingly noticing the wariness in Ye Xuan’s eyes, Zi Yuqing smiled, waved her hand, and said, "Please don’t misunderstand, Young Master Liu. The young lady here merely has a good opportunity that she wishes to share with you. I hope you can lend me a helping hand."

"Oh?"

Ye Xuan raised an eyebrow; here, he was still using the alias "Liu Xuan," since the name Ye Xuan had some renown in the Demon Beast Territory and might arouse suspicion.

"I don’t know what this matter is. If it isn’t something I’m interested in, I might not agree even if you tell me."

Ye Xuan didn’t completely let down his guard and turned back to face her, speaking indifferently.

"Please have a seat, Young Master. I believe this is something you will definitely be interested in."

Zi Yuqing gestured for Ye Xuan to sit and then took her own seat opposite him, explaining the matter in full detail.

Only then did Ye Xuan understand exactly what the "good opportunity" she referred to was.

It turned out that just last month, an undersea ancient cave mansion had been discovered in the waters near Mountain and Sea City. This ancient cave mansion, suspected to be from the Middle Ages, belonged to a powerful individual. Based on preliminary speculation, the mansion’s owner was likely a genuine Demon Venerable, or at the very least, a Half-step Demon Venerable.

This mansion, having been newly discovered, had already attracted several powerful factions from around Mountain and Sea City, each sending their experts to explore it.

As the Young Master of the Black Market within the Demon Beast World, Zi Yuqing was also quite interested in this ancient cave mansion. However, she knew that both the mechanisms and traps within, as well as the poisonous insects and ferocious creatures from the Middle Ages, were not to be trifled with, thus she sought a helper.

Through previous dealings, Zi Yuqing had come to consider Ye Xuan trustworthy, at least more so than the geniuses from other Demon Clan factions.

With the recent discovery of the ancient cave mansion, and in order to ensure that she would be one step ahead, she didn’t have much time to invite others; thus, she had turned to Ye Xuan.

"The undersea cave mansion is unlikely to be a benign place, but such a site is a rare opportunity that is not to be missed. Having passed it up, it would be difficult to encounter again. I agree," said Ye Xuan, who almost didn’t think before accepting the offer. Normally, the strongest individual in a Fourth Grade Demon Clan faction would be a Half-step Demon Venerable, and even if there were a First Grade Demon Venerable, they were unlikely to be dispatched as these individuals typically held their positions as the heads of their factions and would not be easily moved.

Moreover, the owner of the undersea cave mansion was likely just a Half-step Demon Venerable, not overly appealing to real Demon Venerables; therefore, the main explorers of the mansion would mostly be of the younger generation.

Of course, this mission wouldn’t be 100% safe; if there were no risks involved, Zi Yuqing wouldn’t have needed to invite Ye Xuan as a helper.

After all, pies don’t just fall from the sky.

"Young Master Liu is truly straightforward. Given that, I will make the arrangements. At most, in four to five days, we will set off, and I will have someone notify you," said Zi Yuqing, her face beaming with a smile. She hadn’t blindly invited others; how could an individual who could freely display a Profound Level Soul Skill be just anybody? She was certain that Ye Xuan was no ordinary person, and thus she had offered the invitation. Ordinary individuals with merely the realm of a Fifth Grade Demon King wouldn’t even catch her eye.

The Black Market’s influence in the Demon Beast World was second only to the two major Fifth Grade powers, placing it on the second tier, and Zi Yuqing, as the Young Master of the Black Market, already possessed the cultivation of a Seventh Grade Demon King. As one of the most outstanding individuals of the younger generation in the Black Market, the likelihood of her becoming the new Demon Venerable of the Black Market in the future was considerable.

"Good."

Ye Xuan nodded. With four to five days’ time, he could first refine the Soul Mist Grass in Mountain and Sea City to enhance his soul cultivation.

...

Soul Mist Grass inherently possessed a strong toxicity; once it entered a person’s body, it could induce hallucinations, and an overdose could easily result in death amidst those illusions.

Even a Half-step Demon Venerable, if used incorrectly, could potentially lose their life to this Soul Mist Grass.

However, that was the common understanding of Soul Mist Grass amongst the ordinary folk. In the Heavenly Realm, things were different. The Heavenly Realm was a place where martial arts, alchemy, artifact refining, arrays, and various other civilizations were highly developed and flourishing. The utilization of Soul Mist Grass was common knowledge there, yet in the Spirit Martial World, it was virtually unknown.

Seated in a cross-legged position in the resting chamber, Ye Xuan carefully opened the brocade box containing the Soul Mist Grass.

As soon as a small crack appeared in the brocade box, a misty gas began to drift out, slowly spreading through the air and creating illusory scenes.

Ye Xuan was well-prepared; he exercised his soul power, on full alert, conjuring a soul barrier to block the mist from getting through.

The soul power surged, forming a complex and intricate transparent Light Array. Once the array took shape, it immediately exerted a suction force, slowly absorbing the misty gas.

Given the intense toxicity of the Soul Mist Grass, even with Ye Xuan’s method to suppress it, he couldn’t quickly absorb the energy within the gas and had to do so at a slow pace; any mishaps could cause him to get poisoned and fall into an Illusion Realm.

Although Ye Xuan wasn’t likely to be killed by the Illusion Realm, once he was confused by it, he would waste a lot of time breaking free. And the time left for Ye Xuan was clearly running short.

To enhance his soul power in this way, Ye Xuan had to consume some pills to replenish his soul power every so often, take a short rest, and then continue purifying.

In this process, not only his soul power, but also his physical strength was greatly depleted. Ye Xuan originally had several hundred Spirit Crystals on his person, which were now all used up.

Despite the great consumption, whenever Ye Xuan thought of the might of the Soul-breaking Light, capable of contending with Half-step Demon Venerable-level opponents, he was very excited and filled with renewed fighting spirit.

With his soul cultivation reaching Great Perfection in the Xuan Realm, even a Half-step Demon Venerable couldn’t withstand his Soul-breaking Light.

And how many Half-step Demon Venerables could there be in the entire Demon Beast World?

After three days of purification, half of the Soul Mist Grass was refined, and Ye Xuan’s soul power had also grown significantly, reaching the peak of the late Xuan Realm.

Another three days passed after that.

Outside of Mountain and Sea City, on a vacant stretch of land, there were five or six figures standing, all emanating very powerful presences.

Among them was the figure of Zi Yuqing, along with several elders who looked to be from the Black Market. Besides them, there was a young man in a brown robe whose cultivation was only slightly weaker than Zi Yuqing’s, at the peak of the Sixth Grade Demon King; he must also be an important figure in the Black Market.

"Yuqing, that kid you talked about, he probably won’t come," the brown-robed young man said. "We’ve already waited for him for a day. If he does not show up today, let’s just set off. The Undersea Ancient Cave Mansion is not a place just anyone dares to enter. Some people, though high-sounding in speech, are actually as timid as mice, retreating in the face of battle. Such people should not accompany us, lest they hold us back."

This young man in the brown robe, named Ao Wuchang, was a prominent figure among the younger generation of the Black Market, and also the son of a powerful figure there. He had always had designs on Zi Yuqing and was dissatisfied with her invitation to Ye Xuan. He felt that it should suffice for him to partner with Zi Yuqing and be her protector, so what was the need for that eyesore Ye Xuan?

"Let’s wait one more two-hour period. If he doesn’t come by then, we will set off."

Zi Yuqing glanced into the distance, then frowned slightly. The agreed-upon time had long since passed, and Ye Xuan still hadn’t arrived, which likely meant he wouldn’t come at all.

If Ye Xuan did not arrive soon, then she had no choice but to set off and couldn’t let the plans of everyone else be delayed because of one person.

However, after one two-hour period passed, Ye Xuan still had not appeared.

"Let’s go."

A touch of disappointment flickered in Zi Yuqing’s eyes as she waved to the people around her, getting ready to head out.

At that moment, from the direction of Mountain and Sea City, the sound of cleaving wind suddenly rang out, and a figure quickly appeared in their line of sight.

"He’s here."

Zi Yuqing’s eyes brightened, and a smile emerged on her radiant face.

"Sorry, I’m late," Ye Xuan said as he bowed with clasped hands towards Zi Yuqing. The Soul Mist Grass had been trickier than he expected, taking a full six days to be completely refined.

His Soul Realm, with the help of the medicinal properties of the Soul Mist Grass, had finally reached the level of Great Perfection in the Xuan Realm.

"You’ve arrived, and that’s good. Eh, Young Master Liu’s cultivation seems to have advanced compared to a few days ago?"

Zi Yuqing lingered on Ye Xuan for a moment before she expressed her surprise. After just six short days of not seeing him, Ye Xuan’s aura was clearly stronger than it had been, and this enhancement was intrinsic. Although she didn’t know in what way Ye Xuan had made progress, his cultivation was definitely improved.

Although her soul power was not weak, in the face of Ye Xuan’s Great Perfection in the Xuan Realm, the gap was now somewhat clear.

"What progress? It’s still just the realm of a mere Fifth Grade Demon King, nothing to speak of. I can’t see any improvement. It must be your illusion, Yuqing."

Seeing that Zi Yuqing seemed to place great importance on Ye Xuan, Ao Wuchang grew increasingly dissatisfied. He glanced at Ye Xuan, then sneered mockingly.

"Ao Wuchang, if you lack discernment, don’t spout nonsense. Young Master Liu’s strength is not something you can grasp,"

Zi Yuqing’s expression soured. Ye Xuan was the helper she had invited. With Ao Wuchang constantly chattering and sniping from the sidelines, naturally, she found it intolerable. Moreover, her intuition couldn’t be wrong, and Ao Wuchang’s ignorance was almost embarrassing to her.

Yet upon hearing these words, Ao Wuchang’s eyes quickly darkened, and his somewhat sinister gaze shifted to Ye Xuan, as if a flicker of hatred passed through them.

Witnessing the subtle change in Ao Wuchang’s expression, Ye Xuan could only shake his head in resignation. It seemed that no matter where one went, there were always those with petty minds. He hadn’t even spoken yet, and he was already on someone’s radar.