Free Web NovelChapter 340: Chapter 316: Finding the Imperial Crown (Part 1)
Who was Nie Yun?
This was the man who had beaten Huangg Ling—number one on the potential rankings—to a pulp and sent the Secret Realm Powerhouse Huangg Chen crashing to the ground with a single sword strike. And according to this guy, he wasn’t qualified?
In that instant, everyone began to wonder if this Moh Wudao truly possessed a Celestial Eye or was just plain blind.
"Moh Wudao, you may have misunderstood. His Majesty Nie Yun is a Secret Realm Powerhouse!" Huangg Ling’s eye twitched. Fearing unnecessary trouble, he quickly explained.
"Your Majesty Nie Yun? So you’re the Nie Yun who wreaked havoc in Guangming City?"
Hearing the introduction, a brilliant light flared in Moh Wudao’s eyes as he looked at Nie Yun once more.
"Heh."
As Moh Wudao’s gaze fell upon him, Nie Yun felt a unique, irresistible energy trying to bore into him and expose all his secrets. He simply gave a faint smile. His Soul Power, having reached the Great Perfection of the Qi Sea Realm, spun rapidly and instantly blocked the probing energy.
Over the past month of Cultivation, Nie Yun had spent most of his time studying the Soul Devouring Mirror. While his True Qi Power hadn’t increased much, his Soul Power had seen immense growth. It had now reached the Great Perfection Peak of the Qi Sea Realm and was on the verge of breaking through to the Half-Step Spirit Level Realm at any moment!
On the entire Qi Sea Continent, such Soul Power was at the absolute peak, surpassed only by a handful of Secret Realm Powerhouses.
"Hm?"
Seeing that his Celestial Eye Talent was actually unable to see through Nie Yun, Moh Wudao’s eyes narrowed. With a flick of his sleeve, he sat back down in his seat, lost in thought.
"It must be a misunderstanding. If His Majesty Nie Yun isn’t even qualified, then I’m afraid no one here is!"
Seeing the awkward atmosphere, Huangg Ling laughed.
"Heh, whether I’m qualified or not is irrelevant. My concern is that there might be an imposter in our midst, someone with little real strength who’s just putting on an act! A Celestial Eye Master... what a grand title. We can’t be certain if this Moh Wudao is the real deal. What if he’s a fake? Or just blind? Wouldn’t taking him to the Zihua Cave Mansion be suicide?"
Nie Yun leaned back in his chair and sneered.
"Are you saying I’m a fake?" Moh Wudao’s eyebrows shot up.
"Just because you say you’re a Celestial Eye Master, that makes you one? By that logic, I could say I’m a Celestial Traveler! If every stray cat and dog could call themselves a Celestial Eye Master, the world would be full of them," Nie Yun said languidly.
"You..." Veins throbbed on Moh Wudao’s forehead.
He could act arrogant and unbridled in front of others, relying on his power to the point he didn’t even fear Huangg Ling. But before this young man, he was genuinely wary.
Never mind the feat of sending the Huangg Chen Ancestor flying with a single sword strike. Just the fact that he had used his soul to block the Celestial Eye’s observation was something Moh Wudao had never encountered before.
"Heh heh, His Majesty Nie Yun must be joking. Mr. Moh Wudao is, of course, a Celestial Eye Master. Didn’t he just identify the weakest members of our group with a single glance?" Huangg Ling, terrified this young troublemaker would fly off the handle, quickly interjected.
"Pointing out the weakest members? That’s the Celestial Eye Talent? You’ve got to be kidding me. I could tell you their strength with my eyes closed. If that’s all the Celestial Eye Talent is, wouldn’t that make me even more impressive? What’s the use of this good-for-nothing then!" Nie Yun snorted.
’My current identity is a Secret Realm Powerhouse, so of course I need to project the aura of one. If I act like an Ordinary person, Huangg Ling will be the first to become suspicious.’
’This "honeymoon" period with the Divine Holy Empire Royal Family exists only because they believe I’m a Secret Realm Powerhouse and that I have an unparalleled "master." The moment they suspect anything, my situation will be far less comfortable than it is now.’
"How do you want me to prove it?" Moh Wudao was seething, but he knew he couldn’t lash out at the young man before him. He forced down his anger and asked the question.
"Simple. Release your Celestial Eye Qi and let me sense it. If it’s real, I’ll naturally say no more. If it’s fake, heh heh... I don’t mind slapping a few faces."
As he said this, Nie Yun shot a deliberate glance at Huangg Ling.
Huangg Ling’s face went from red to white. He knew full well the young man was mocking him, but he couldn’t utter a single word in response.
"Let you sense my Celestial Eye Qi? Fine, there’s no harm in that!" Moh Wudao snorted. With a flick of his finger, a peculiar stream of Qi shot out from his palm.
’To a normal person, someone without the talent couldn’t possibly gain anything just by sensing the Qi. It was like trying to learn English just by hearing someone speak it once—impossible.’
’Better to just let him sense it and prevent him from pulling any more stunts and causing more trouble.’
"Mm." Nie Yun smiled faintly upon seeing the unique Qi. His entire purpose in saying so much had been to get a chance to sense this Celestial Eye Qi. He immediately reached out, grabbed it, and focused his Spirit to analyze it.
’Even though I don’t have a spare Dantian available right now, as long as I have the Nameless Technique, I can definitely develop this special talent in the future!’
"His Majesty Nie Yun should have no more doubts now..." Seeing that Nie Yun had fallen silent after grabbing Moh Wudao’s Celestial Eye Qi, Huangg Ling, ever fearful he might say something else, quickly cut in, "Since no one has any further objections, I’ll brief you on our departure. At a conservative estimate, a round trip to the Zihua Cave Mansion will take one month. It’s also possible that this will be a one-way trip. I’ll give everyone one day. You have until tonight to decide whether or not you’re going. Those who are coming should prepare their belongings. We will assemble here tomorrow morning!"
"Farewell!"
After Huangg Ling confirmed the departure date, the crowd said no more and dispersed.
His objective achieved, Nie Yun couldn’t be bothered to waste any more words on Huangg Ling and returned to his quarters with Nie Tong.
CREAK!
Just as the group was leaving the main hall, the door to an inner chamber swung open, and an old man strode out.
"Moh Wudao, you had a close look just now. Is this Nie Yun an Ultimate Venerable or a Secret Realm Powerhouse?"
The old man walked into the hall and sat directly in the head seat, while Huangg Ling could only stand to the side. This detail alone was enough to reveal the old man’s identity: he was none other than the Secret Realm Powerhouse whom Nie Yun had sent flying with a single sword strike, the Huangg Chen Ancestor.
"Well... based on my observation, he should be only an Ultimate Venerable. But his Soul Power is extremely strong, far surpassing my own, so... I can’t be certain whether he’s an Ultimate Venerable or a Secret Realm Powerhouse!"
Moh Wudao hastily stood up, his attitude deferential.
It was one thing to act arrogantly before an Ultimate Venerable, but this was a Secret Realm Powerhouse. He wouldn’t dare remain seated even if he had ten times the courage.
"Even you can’t tell?" Huangg Chen’s brow furrowed.
’The last time I fought Nie Yun, his power was immense, but I always felt something was off. I couldn’t put my finger on what it was, so I’ve been observing him in secret these past few days. Yet no matter how I look at him, the young man appears to be merely an Ultimate Venerable, with no connection to the Secret Realm Realm whatsoever!’
’His Attendant, on the other hand... I can tell for certain that he’s a Secret Realm Powerhouse!’
’After all, Secret Realm Powerhouses and Ultimate Venerable Powerhouses absorb Spiritual Qi differently. Even if he’s using a Disguise, surely he couldn’t maintain it for an entire month!’
"Ancestor," Huangg Ling began, hesitating slightly, "regardless of whether Nie Yun is a Secret Realm Powerhouse, he possesses the strength to fight one. On this trip to the Zihua Cave Mansion, what if he gets his hands on some treasures and then suddenly turns on us..."
"Don’t you worry about that. I’ll follow you secretly after you depart. Even if he has the strength to fight a Secret Realm Powerhouse, it’s of no concern. I’ll bring reinforcements this time. Then, we’ll have Moh Wudao pick a location completely surrounded by the Hell Cold Stream. Even if we can’t overwhelm him in a straight fight, won’t finishing him off be simple?"
Huangg Chen sneered, a murderous glint flashing in his eyes.
"Since the Ancestor has already made plans, I can rest easy!" Huangg Ling breathed a sigh of relief, his own eyes glinting with murderous intent.
The hatred these two felt for Nie Yun was bone-deep. If not for their fear of his master and his own formidable power, they would have likely struck long ago.
"Heh heh, surrounded by the Hell Cold Stream where you can’t see or find your way... one wrong step and you fall into a bottomless abyss. On top of that, he’ll be surrounded by Secret Realm Powerhouses. He’ll be as good as dead!" Moh Wudao added, his voice dripping with malice.
***
Back in his quarters, Nie Yun carefully mulled over the day’s events.
’The Outer Hall of the Zihua Cave Mansion alone contains treasures that can help an Ultimate Venerable ascend to the Secret Realm Realm. The Inner Hall must hold even greater wonders, perhaps things that are incredibly useful even to Secret Realm Powerhouses. Once a place like this opens, it’s likely that we Ultimate Venerables are just a smokescreen. The Secret Realm Powerhouses of the Qi Sea Continent will definitely follow us in.’
’I’ve already met two of the three great Secret Realm Powerhouses of the Qi Sea Continent, and both have Soul Power at the Half-Step Spirit Level. Without enough Mid-Grade Spirit Stones to power the Demon Saint Ancient Corpse, I’m no match for them. If they team up against me, it’s a dead end! My only path to survival is to open up enough Dantians to form the Celestial Eye Talent. With that talent, I’ll be like a fish in water inside the Zihua Cave Mansion, and all their schemes will be useless against me!’
’In certain environments, a special talent can be a game-changer. It was just like back in the Luoo Qu Tomb. If I hadn’t possessed Tracking Qi, I wouldn’t have even known how I died, let alone been able to plot against Yao Ning and Yao Tong!’
’It was the same in the Demon Saint Ruins. Without the Soaring Water Dantian, how could I possibly have taken all the benefits for myself and even managed to outwit the Seventh Prince and Qii Yang?’
’I’ll adjust my Qi for now and wait for the dead of night to make my move.’
He sat cross-legged in his room and carefully regulated the True Qi in his body, soon entering a deep state of Cultivation.
An unknown amount of time passed before Nie Yun’s eyes snapped open.
’It’s time. I’m going over.’
He now had a special internal clock; once he set a time, he could awaken from even the deepest state of Cultivation.
WHOOSH!
Like a cat hiding in the shadows to ambush a mouse, Nie Yun moved without making a sound or releasing a single trace of his aura, slipping back into the Imperial Palace.
’Disguising myself as Huangg Chen will be safer.’
With a single thought, Nie Yun’s features shifted and changed. In the blink of an eye, he had taken on the appearance of Huangg Chen.
’Since Huangg Ling was the one who hid the Imperial Crown, it must be in an extremely secure location within the Imperial Palace. If I steal it while disguised as Huangg Chen, no one will ever know who did it!’
’Of course, I must be wary of that Celestial Eye Master. No matter how strong my Disguise Talent is, it’s useless before a Celestial Eye Master.’
’Let’s go.’
After transforming into Huangg Chen, down to the very clothes, Nie Yun checked himself for any flaws. Finding none, he wrapped his entire body in his Great Perfection Soul Power, suppressed every wisp of his True Qi, and silently moved in the direction of the Imperial Crown he was sensing.
’I placed a strand of Tracking Qi on the Imperial Crown long ago. I could find it even if it were thousands of miles away, let alone in this small palace. The distance is nothing.’
