Divine Emperor Demon Emperor

Lin Yun paid no mind to Fire Cloud Saint’s words and walked into the main hall with Qingfeng Saint. The seats of honor were, of course, taken by the three Gold Order holders, including Qingfeng Saint.

As for Lin Yun, there wasn’t even a seat for him, and he had no intention of lingering. With a quick salute to the three Gold Order holders, he excused himself and left the main hall.

The experts dispatched by the Celestial Spirit Auction House Headquarters were here to destroy Taiqing Academy, so Lin Yun had no interest whatsoever in their strategic discussions.

After Lin Yun left the main hall, Flowing Water Saint, who was seated beside Qingfeng Saint, smiled faintly. "What an interesting young man."

Flowing Water Saint appeared to be in her twenties at most, but one must not forget that Saints possess extremely long lifespans. Though she looked young, her actual age was likely in the hundreds, making her a veritable ancient.

Paying no mind to Lin Yun’s departure, the three Saints discussed their plan and ultimately decided to make their move the next day.

With the matter settled, the group quickly dispersed. As for their accommodations, Chairman Qian had already prepared their rooms well in advance.

Seated on a stone bench in the courtyard, Qin Feng was still training diligently. He had become completely obsessed with the Basic Sword Technique Lin Yun had taught him.

Within every seemingly simple move and form, Qin Feng could sense something extraordinary.

Just then, Chairman Qian and Qingfeng Saint entered the courtyard. With a single glance at the practicing Qin Feng, Qingfeng Saint could tell that the sword technique he was cultivating was far from ordinary.

Although Qingfeng Saint was not a Swordsman, as a Saint, he certainly had a discerning eye.

They walked over to Lin Yun. Seeing them approach, Lin Yun rose and bowed to Qingfeng Saint. "Senior."

He invited the two to sit on the stone bench and poured them both a cup of tea. Chairman Qian was the first to speak. "Young Master Lin, we will head to Taiqing Academy tomorrow."

’Tomorrow...?’ Hearing this, Lin Yun murmured to himself.

’Taiqing Academy has been too quiet recently—eerily so. It’s impossible they don’t know that experts from the Celestial Spirit Auction House arrived in Fire City today. Yet, no one from the academy has appeared. Things are probably not as simple as they seem.’

’Logically, the people of Taiqing Academy must know the auction house’s experts have arrived. So why haven’t they come to apologize? Are they really going to wait for the Celestial Spirit Auction House to storm their gates?’

Over the past half-month, Lin Yun had also asked Chairman Qian to search for Qing Zhu’s whereabouts, but after several investigations, all traces of her had completely vanished.

’I don’t know what Qing Zhu’s objective is. But since the Celestial Spirit Auction House’s experts are here, I can only wait to see what tomorrow brings... or what kind of response Taiqing Academy has planned.’

Just as the three of them were speaking, Flowing Water Saint strolled into the courtyard. She chuckled softly and said, "Qingfeng, it seems I was right. Your relationship with Lin Yun is truly special."

’This woman...’ Qingfeng Saint cursed inwardly. He then used his Divine Thought to send a message to Lin Yun, explaining the situation with Flowing Water Saint.

As it turned out, Qingfeng Saint had given the pill formula for the Saint-Breaking Celestial Pill to an Alchemy Grandmaster from the Pharmaceutical Instrument Master’s Guild. Anyone who held the title of Grandmaster, be it an Artifact Refiner or an Alchemist, was at a level that surpassed Earth Level Nine-Stars.

Unfortunately, Flowing Water Saint somehow learned about the pill formula. As a result, Qingfeng Saint had been forced to promise her one of the Saint-Breaking Celestial Pills once they were successfully refined.

After learning the whole story, Lin Yun gave a faint nod. By now, Flowing Water Saint had reached them. Without a hint of ceremony, she sat down on the stone bench right next to Lin Yun.

Looking at Lin Yun with a smile in her eyes, she spoke in a melodious voice, "You must be the one who gave Qingfeng the formula for the Saint-Breaking Celestial Pill."

Hearing this, Lin Yun smiled. "You’re joking, Flowing Water Saint. I’m just a boy in the Celestial Spirit Realm. How could I possibly have a Saint-Breaking Celestial Pill?"

Covering her mouth with a hand as she smiled, Flowing Water Saint continued, "And not only that. I also overheard your conversation with Qingfeng on the Communication Token. It seems he promised to protect you for three years..."

At her words, Lin Yun, Qingfeng Saint, and Chairman Qian all fell silent. She knew about that, too.

The trio’s expressions did not escape her notice. With a faint smile, she said, "Don’t worry. Since Qingfeng promised me a Saint-Breaking Celestial Pill, I won’t tell anyone else. Besides... you’ve really piqued my interest."

As she spoke, she pointed a finger at Lin Yun, an alluring smile gracing her lips.

Being flirted with by a monster who was hundreds of years old, Lin Yun’s expression turned visibly awkward.

"Anyone who can get Qingfeng to promise three years of protection must have something special about them. You’d better put on a good show, little fellow. If you impress me, maybe I’ll protect you for three years as well. It’s not like I have anything better to do," she said, covering a light laugh with her hand. Without waiting for a response, Flowing Water Saint turned and sauntered out of the courtyard.

Watching her retreating figure, the corner of Lin Yun’s mouth twitched. ’A monster who’s hundreds of years old, and she’s still calling herself "big sister"...’

Perhaps sensing Lin Yun’s thoughts, Qingfeng Saint said, "Lin Yun, don’t underestimate Flowing Water Saint. She’s not even a hundred years old."

Hearing this, Lin Yun’s expression shifted. An Earth Saint Realm Saint who was less than a hundred years old... ’Calculated against the lifespan of a Saint, she really is qualified to call herself "big sister" in front of me.’

From Qingfeng Saint’s explanation, Lin Yun learned that Flowing Water Saint had been a Demon Fiend on the Green Hero Venerable List. Though that was in the past, at the time, she had been ranked twelfth on the list.

With such immense talent at such a young age, not even Qingfeng Saint dared to underestimate her. The woman was simply a monster, not just because of her youth, but also because of her outrageous Combat Power.

Even among the Gold Order holders at the Celestial Spirit Auction House Headquarters, Flowing Water Saint was ranked near the very top.

The most terrifying part was that not even Qingfeng Saint knew her true strength, as very few people had ever seen her in action.

The unknown is always the most frightening.

"If you can actually get Flowing Water Saint to protect you for three years, then even I will have to see you in a new light," Qingfeng Saint added, a rare hint of jest in his voice.

Hearing this, Lin Yun smiled faintly. ’From her every action, I can tell that woman is indeed powerful, and her talent is monstrous. I doubt there are more than a handful of people in the entire Celestial Spirit Continent who can compare to her.’

’Perhaps that’s why she’s so bored. To handle a Demon Fiend like her, you just need to present her with a challenge, and she’ll follow you.’ A smile touched his lips. ’If I could really get her to protect me for three years, as Qingfeng Saint suggested, then I’d have a much stronger hand to play against the Qing Zhu Association.’

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