356: Chapter 356 Taking Action

An ordinary residential building.

The rooftop.

The two brothers, Qi Sheng and Qi Wei, were waiting here.

Suddenly.

A tall figure appeared behind them. Sensing something, the two immediately turned around.

"Greetings, Great General."

"How did it go?"

"As the Great General expected, the Azure Dragon Divine Envoy met with us brothers to confirm Dongfang Baichen's injuries."

"Furthermore, the Azure Dragon Divine Envoy promised that once the matter is settled, he will allow us to glimpse the Soul Cultivation Technique."

The tall figure let out a light chuckle, his voice cold and tinged with a hint of mockery.

"Soul Cultivation Technique?"

"The Azure Dragon Divine Envoy has even lost the azure dragon divine stele. What use is the Soul Cultivation Technique?"

Qi Sheng and Qi Wei were startled.

"Great General, what do you mean by that?"

The tall figure said, "You don't need to know. Just do as agreed with the Azure Dragon Divine Envoy. I will have others assist. If Dongfang Baichen is truly injured, hmph..."

The voice faded, and the tall figure had already vanished.

"Big brother, what should we do?" Qi Wei asked, realizing things weren't that simple.

Qi Sheng frowned and said, "We'll take it one step at a time. If things don't look right, we'll retreat."

...

Midnight.

Undercurrents surged within Jingdu Prefecture.

An ordinary private restaurant.

Inside a certain private room.

There were six people in total, five men and one woman.

"Second Grandpa, what are we waiting for?"

The old man said, "Linna, we are waiting for the people from the Tianlang Empire."

"Waiting for them? What for?"

The old man said, "Waiting for them to take action."

"Minister Yin, if the Tianlang Empire and the Xuanwu Empire truly join forces, should we help?"

The old man was from the Yin Family of the Vermilion Bird Empire, named Yin Zong. Beside him was his granddaughter, Yin Linna.

The other four were commanders of the Vermilion Bird Army, all possessing Eighth Realm strength.

Yin Zong said, "We just need to deliver the Soul-Purifying Grass. Consider it returning Dongfang Hao's favor. We won't interfere with anything else—nor can we. Tonight, I've already sensed more than ten powerful experts passing by us."

Yin Zong's meaning was clear: their location was exposed, and someone had been monitoring their movements.

These people were certainly not from Great Xia, because both the Dongfang Family and Great Xia knew their purpose for coming; they were friends, not enemies.

Therefore, those people could only be from the Tianlang Empire or the Xuanwu Empire.

"Alright, we'll follow Minister Yin's lead. I just wonder how Great Xia and the Dongfang Family will handle this."

"Do you think a fight will break out?"

"Probably not. This is Jingdu Prefecture, after all."

Indeed.

This was equivalent to someone attacking the Vermilion Bird Imperial City within the Vermilion Bird Prefecture City. Forget forty or fifty Eighth Realm experts—even doubling that number wouldn't be enough.

"But didn't they say that the Tianlang Great General, General Ye Sinan, has also arrived?"

"With Dongfang Baichen injured, who could be a match for General Ye Sinan?"

Great Xia's Dongfang Baichen, the Tianlang Empire's Great General General Ye Sinan, and the Vermilion Bird Empress of the Vermilion Bird Empire were recognized as the three top powerhouses of Blue Star.

Dongfang Baichen and General Ye Sinan had sparred more than once. Although the outcomes weren't publicized, everyone speculated that Dongfang Baichen had won.

This was because General Ye Sinan wasn't the low-profile type; if he had won, the news would have exploded long ago.

As for the Vermilion Bird Empress, she rarely took action and was a generation younger than the other two, being much younger. Thus, Dongfang Baichen was widely considered the strongest.

Yin Zong shook his head. "I don't know. Actually, I've always felt..."

"Minister, felt what?"

"I've always felt this matter isn't that simple. I've met Dongfang Baichen a few times; he's a very cautious person."

Yin Linna blinked and asked, "Second Grandpa, what do you mean?"

"I mean, if Dongfang Baichen had cultivated a Divine Soul, logically he should keep a low profile. The fewer people who know, the better. Why is it being made known to everyone like it is now?" Yin Zong couldn't quite figure it out.

"Didn't the Dongfang Family ask our Vermilion Bird Empire to borrow a treasure to heal the Divine Soul? That shows they're out of options."

Yin Zong glanced at his granddaughter and sighed. "Linna, you are still young. Remember, when dealing with Great Xia people, you must be extra wary."

"With Great Xia's foundations, how could they not have even a single treasure to heal a Divine Soul?"

"Maybe it's not enough," Yin Linna said. "Great Xia's relationship with the Azure Dragon Divine Hall is also poor, so they definitely couldn't get any treasures there."

"So it just happens to be missing our one stalk of Soul-Purifying Grass?"

Yin Zong thought for a moment and added, "If Dongfang Baichen's Divine Soul were truly injured, he should need as many soul-healing treasures as possible."

"The Dongfang Family's request for help from our Vermilion Bird Empire felt optional to me. Today, we were the ones who took the initiative to deliver the Soul-Purifying Grass. If it were truly an emergency, someone should have been waiting for us the moment we arrived in Jingdu Prefecture."

Yin Linna thought about it. "That seems true."

Suddenly.

"Courting death!"

A furious shout exploded in the sky over the northern part of Jingdu Prefecture.

Even Yin Zong, located in the center of Jingdu Prefecture, heard it.

"Hmm?"

"Something's happening?"

Yin Linna looked excited. "Second Grandpa, let's go quickly and take a look."

"Go where?"

"Don't you know your own strength? You wouldn't even know how you died if you went there."

Yin Linna was indignant. "I've already had my Second Awakening and entered the Fifth Realm, okay?"

"Still not allowed to go."

"Qi Heng, Zhang Wu, go see what's happening. If a fight breaks out, don't interfere; just watch from the side."

"Understood, Minister Yin."

The two took to the air and flew toward the northern part of Jingdu Prefecture.

At the same time.

In Great Xia's Jingdu Prefecture, over a hundred figures gathered toward the north like meteors.

At this moment.

At the very front, two figures were speeding through mid-air, soon flying out of Jingdu Prefecture.

Behind them.

Several more figures followed at even greater speeds, seemingly about to catch up.

Further back, a hundred figures were flying at a similarly fast pace. This group was divided into four camps.

Great Xia had nearly 40 people, the Tianlang Empire's side had 30, the Xuanwu Empire's side had 20, and the Vermilion Bird Empire's side had two.

...

Inside the private restaurant's room.

Yin Zong looked at the young man before him with a grave expression. He hadn't sensed a thing—how had this young man appeared?

"Who are you?"

"Xiao Weiqing, why are you here?" Yin Linna cried out in surprise.

"Linna, you know him?" Yin Zong was very surprised that his granddaughter knew this person.

Yin Linna nodded. "Second Grandpa, don't you remember? I told you before, this person had his Second Awakening and broke through to the Fifth Realm in less than half a year at the Training Camp."

"Are you sure?"

Yin Zong's voice suddenly rose.

"Of course, why?"

"His current strength is at least the Seventh Realm, maybe even higher!"

"What??!!"

Yin Linna was dumbfounded. She had no way of knowing Xiao Weiqing's strength, only that he was definitely stronger than her.

Xiao Weiqing smiled. "Yin Linna, long time no see."

"Junior Xiao Weiqing greets Elder Yin."

Yin Zong nodded. "Young man, what business do you have with me?"