Chapter 331 - 330: Welcome Back
The main street of the Imperial Capital was no longer bustling as it once had been. It was desolate and dilapidated, with withered leaves fluttering in the wind. Rows of shops stood untended, giving it the appearance of a ghost town...
A woman in a black robe walked down the street, her expression indifferent. Just then, two Extraordinary Martial Artists from the Noble Families flew over and landed before her, their faces filled with vigilance.
"Who are you, and why are you in the Imperial Capital?"
one of the Extraordinary Martial Artists asked coldly, his gaze grave. His intuition told him that the woman before him was no ordinary person.
"To think the Imperial Capital of an Empire has fallen into such ruin."
The woman didn’t answer, only sighing softly to herself before continuing to walk forward. She didn’t even spare the two Extraordinary Martial Artists a single glance.
"Insolent!!"
The other Extraordinary Martial Artist, long accustomed to a high position, had never been treated with such disrespect. With a cold shout, he extended his palm, gathering the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi to grab the woman.
BOOM! Before the Extraordinary Martial Artist could even touch her, his body was struck by what felt like an invisible force. He spat out a mouthful of blood and was sent flying backward.
’Good heavens. Why have so many freaks been showing up in the Imperial Capital lately? As if one Qin Ya wasn’t enough, now there’s this mysterious woman,’ the remaining Extraordinary Martial Artist thought. He swallowed hard, cold sweat beading on his forehead.
"Hm?"
As if she had heard him muttering to himself, the woman stopped abruptly and turned around. Her purple-black eyes fixed on him as her lips parted. "You just mentioned Qin Ya? Where is he? And what is the current situation in the Imperial Capital?"
The Extraordinary Martial Artist trembled all over under her gaze. An urge to submit rose from the very depths of his Soul. Not daring to hide a single detail, he immediately explained everything about Qin Ya and the state of the Imperial Capital.
After listening to the whole story, the woman’s gaze drifted into the distance. She then waved her hand dismissively. The Extraordinary Martial Artist, feeling as if he’d been granted a pardon, didn’t dare to linger and fled at once.
"Heh, so you’re at Mingxin Academy?" A small smile played on the woman’s lips.
A Shadow emerged behind her, bowing slightly. "Emperor, that clansman of ours... the so-called Venerable Lord... shall I go and dispose of him?"
His tone carried a hint of disdain and anger.
’Venerable Lord? To think there was someone so arrogant in our clan, daring to call himself Venerable Lord. What does that make our Lord Emperor? The crime is punishable by death!’
"They’re just insignificant clowns. Pay them no mind."
"Yes."
Although the Shadow agreed, he still felt indignant.
After the interlude, the Emperor’s Divine Thought spread out like a tide. Two breaths later, a smile touched her lips. The air rippled, and her figure vanished.
「Inside Ningxiang Pavilion at Mingxin Academy.」
Qin Yuxiang stood quietly by the lake, her longsword dancing in her hand. The Realm it created was profound, like the afterglow of a fading sun, exuding a Realm of the Setting Sun. A moment later, she sheathed her sword and stood still, her aura retracting until it was like the vast sky—majestic yet ethereal.
"Celestial Essence Realm, Perfection."
A small smile graced her lips, her voice tinged with excitement.
In the past, she would have never dared to dream of reaching this level, but now it was a reality. For a moment, she was overwhelmed with emotion.
"Yuu Xiang, it’s been a long time..."
Just as Qin Yuxiang was about to turn and go inside, a soft voice drifted to her ears.
Her body trembled violently as a distant memory surfaced in her mind. Her shoulders shaking, she slowly turned around. Her eyes misted over as she gazed at the peerless, elegant figure standing by the lake, and she ran over without a second thought.
Hugging the delicate body in her arms tightly, Qin Yuxiang’s voice choked with emotion.
"Welcome... back."
"Mm."
............
「In a hidden Alchemy Room within the Imperial Palace.」
Qin Ya formed a seal with his hands, storing the Divinity Transformation Pill in a vial. He then took out an empty Storage Ring and collected the black Poisonous Fog that filled the room.
That’s right. Qin Ya was in the process of Refining the Muddy Water Black Lotus.
Qin Ya had originally planned to use the Lotus Seeds from the Muddy Water Black Lotus to refine a Spirit Pill. However, due to the limited medicinal ingredients in the Yunxiao Empire, he had to settle for the next best thing: separating some of the medicinal properties from a single Lotus Seed, improving a Pill Formula, and refining a few Divinity Transformation Pills.
The Divinity Transformation Pills were secondary. Qin Ya’s main goal this time was to extract the Poisonous Fog, the very weapon he planned to use against the black-robed enemy. After all, this same fog had taken down the Three Great Noble families in Lieyang City.
Using it now to deal with a single, minor black-robed enemy seemed like overkill, but Qin Ya wasn’t concerned. He had over a dozen Lotus Seeds left anyway, which meant he could refine more of this Poisonous Fog, and even more terrifying versions.
’Looks like I need to find a chance to visit the Worldwide Business Association.’
Qin Ya gazed at the Storage Ring filled with Poisonous Fog, a smile playing on his lips. ’This is quite the Great Killing Artifact. If I could combine the toxicity of the Lotus Seeds with my ideal medicinal ingredients, then perhaps not even a King could withstand it!’
More importantly, the Spirit Pills that could be refined from the Lotus Seeds would be a huge boost to his Cultivation and could not be taken lightly.
"Tsk, you’re planning to pull this trick again, kid."
The Ting Xiao Sword at his waist vibrated slightly, its tone laced with surprise.
It knew full well how badly the Celestial Human experts from the Three Great Noble Families on the southern coast of the Celestial Dragon Sea Region had suffered because of this Poisonous Fog. It had never expected Qin Ya to use the same trick again. This was the first time it had seen someone use the Alchemy Dao in such a manner.
"Tsk tsk, the legacy of a Pill Venerable is truly extraordinary!"
"Heh, let’s go."
A cold smile touched Qin Ya’s lips as he left the Alchemy Room. Without notifying Huaa Que or the others, he set off to storm the Lu Family’s residence all by himself.
To him, numbers were meaningless.
He’d just release the Poisonous Fog, and they would all fall.
「Imperial Capital, the Lu Family estate!」
Lu Lihuang and the others stood guard in the main hall, surrounded by only a dozen or so Extraordinary Martial Artists. Although they represented nearly half of the Imperial Capital’s Top Level combat power, the scene felt utterly desolate—they had been abandoned by all their allies.
"Everyone, the Venerable Lord has ordered us to guard the Lu Family estate for the next few days. Although I don’t know why, we have no choice but to obey." Lu Lihuang’s eyes narrowed slightly as he swept his cold gaze over the Extraordinary Martial Artists before him.
"Hmph, you don’t have to tell us," one of them said.
"We’re all in the same boat now; we know what to do. Lu Lihuang, you don’t need to put on that high-and-mighty act. You’re just like the rest of us now—nothing more than the Venerable Lord’s lapdogs."
Clearly, the relationship between this dozen or so Extraordinary Martial Artists was not a harmonious one.
A flash of anger crossed Lu Lihuang’s face, but he didn’t retort.
Because what they had said wasn’t wrong.
Just then, a figure arrived outside the Lu Family’s main gate. As they all possessed Divine Thought, the Extraordinary Martial Artists instantly became aware of the arrival. One by one, their expressions changed drastically.
"It’s him! Why would he come to the Lu Family estate?"
"There’s no one else. He’s alone."
"All by himself... what on earth is he planning to do?"
"Does he really think he can defeat all of us by himself?"
"Sigh... at this point, are you all still underestimating this young man? You have to remember, he’s a terrifying monster who can even stand up to the Venerable Lord!"