333: Chapter 333 The Magical Artifact Returns, Two Yin Specters

The sounds of strings and bamboo instruments played incessantly, and the singing of the Merfolk echoed within the water curtain.

Jiuer was still sitting in her original seat, her expression normal, though her gaze occasionally swept toward the entrance of the grand hall.

Seeing Chu Sheng return, her eyes flickered slightly, but she did not stand up; she merely picked up her wine cup and took a slow sip.

Chu Sheng sat down beside her without speaking immediately.

Under the guise of raising his cup, he lowered his voice and said, "We might have been deceived."

Jiuer's hand paused for a moment, but she quickly returned to normal.

She did not turn her head to look at him, only asking in an extremely soft voice, "What do you mean?"

Chu Sheng was concise, recounting the conversation he had heard in the water corridor in full detail.

He did not omit any key points, including the plan of Zhu Yin and Wan Qiba, the plot to murder the Old Dragon, the frame-up of Zhu Qing, and the truth behind the fall of Qingqiu all those years ago.

After listening, Jiuer was silent for a long time.

Her gaze fell into her wine cup, as if she were looking at something very far away.

Then she set down her wine cup, her voice still very soft, yet carrying a hint of uncontrollable trembling.

"Impossible. He is my brother. He has the same Bloodline of the Fox Clan as I do..."

Chu Sheng did not refute her, only saying, "You can choose not to believe me, but you must know... once we miss this Opportunity, we may never have another chance to see the truth."

Jiuer did not speak again.

She was silent for a moment, as if making a very difficult decision.

Then she suddenly spoke, her voice returning to that cold and steady tone: "I must confirm it with my own eyes."

She stood up and gave Chu Sheng a look.

Chu Sheng followed her as she stood up, and just as the two were about to leave their seats, a voice came from the direction of the main seat.

"Leader of the Fox Clan, the banquet has not yet ended, and you are already leaving?"

It was Zhu Qing.

He had originally been sitting below the Old Dragon, but he had appeared before them at some unknown moment, holding a cup of wine, his gaze falling calmly on Jiuer.

His tone could not be called hostile; it was more like a casual question.

The Yao Race at the surrounding tables all looked over.

Jiuer turned around and bowed slightly to Zhu Qing, her tone neither servile nor overbearing: "I have some trivial matters to attend to, so I will take my leave first. Many thanks to the Dragon Clan for the generous hospitality."

Zhu Qing glanced at her, then glanced at Chu Sheng, not pressing the matter further, merely nodding.

"Then go ahead. However—"

He paused, as if mentioning it casually, "The depths of the Heavenly Pool will open in a moment. The Fox Clan was originally qualified to be in the front, but if you leave now, you will miss it."

Jiuer said, "It is fine. As for Opportunity, it cannot be forced."

After she finished speaking, she took Chu Sheng and left the grand hall.

The banquet behind them remained lively; no one noticed this small interlude.

After walking out of the hall doors, Chu Sheng asked in a low voice, "What is this 'depths of the Heavenly Pool' he spoke of?"

Jiuer said, "It is the grand finale of the Old Dragon's birthday banquet. He will open the Restriction in the depths of the Heavenly Pool. Inside are dragon pearls starting from the seventh rank, which are priceless treasures for the Yao Race."

"The clan that offers the heavier gift enters earlier. We offered three longevity pills; according to custom, we should have been in the first batch."

Chu Sheng was silent for a moment, not responding.

He understood that giving up this Opportunity meant the Fox Clan had lost a rare chance to enhance their strength.

But compared to the crisis at hand, this price had to be paid.

After leaving the grand hall, the two of them walked quickly along the reef belt at the edge of the Heavenly Pool.

The night wind, wrapped in water vapor, blew toward them, and the sounds of strings and bamboo instruments in the distance grew fainter.

As they walked, Chu Sheng told Jiuer his plans for what was to come in a low voice.

He needed to retrieve his Magical Artifact first to deal with the upcoming situation.

Jiuer did not say much, only stopping behind a shaded reef. She raised her hand, and from the Biluo Palace, which had been shrunk to three inches in her sleeve, she took out a dark cyan storage ring and handed it to Chu Sheng.

"Your things are all inside," she said. "The four swords, and the sea-suppressing cauldron."

Chu Sheng took the ring and probed it with his Divine Sense, sensing the familiar Sword Qi of the four zhu xian swords, as well as the heavy rhythm of the sea-suppressing cauldron.

He nodded, but did not immediately take out the cauldron.

He was silent for a moment, then said something that surprised Jiuer: "Keep the cauldron and use it."

Jiuer's brows furrowed slightly: "This is your Magical Artifact; I have no use for it."

Chu Sheng shook his head, his tone very serious: "You and your brother are about to confront each other. He has a Low Grade Magical Artifact in his hand, the soul-withering yuan-absorbing lamp, which specifically counters life and Death Qi. Although you have the Biluo Palace, it is ultimately more of a functional Magical Artifact. If you do not have something of the same level in your hand, you will be at a great disadvantage."

"Although you cannot unleash the full power of the sea-suppressing cauldron, if you activate it with your Divine Ability Realm cultivation, you can at least remain invincible."

"I have the four swords here; that is enough."

Jiuer looked at him and was silent for a moment, as if trying to discern whether his words were sincere or if he was just forcing himself.

But she did not refuse.

She knew that Chu Sheng was telling the truth.

She reached out and took the sea-suppressing cauldron, and Chu Sheng immediately released a portion of the Restriction permissions.

The bronze cauldron vibrated slightly in her palm, like a living creature waking up and sizing up its mistress.

Jiuer stored it into her Dantian, feeling that heavy sense of protection. She did not say anything more, only saying: "Let's go."

They found Wan Qiba behind a cluster of reefs on the outskirts of the Heavenly Pool.

He was standing with his back to them, as if he were adjusting some kind of apparatus.

Hearing footsteps, he turned around, his face wearing that same gentle smile as always.

"Little sister, brother-in-law, why have you come? Didn't I tell you to wait at the banquet?"

Chu Sheng did not speak, only standing by Jiuer's side, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword.

Jiuer walked up to him and stopped. The first sentence she spoke went straight to the crux of the matter.

"Brother, what exactly is your relationship with Zhu Yin?"

Wan Qiba's smile stiffened for an instant, but he quickly returned to normal.

"Zhu Yin? He is the Old Dragon's son; what relationship could I possibly have with him?"

Jiuer did not give him room to evade, her voice growing colder: "I heard it all. Every word you said to him in the water corridor."

Wan Qiba's smile vanished completely.

He was silent for a moment, as if quickly weighing something.

Then he sighed, his tone suddenly becoming helpless: "Little sister, listen to my explanation..."

Jiuer interrupted him: "How much longer do you intend to lie to me?"

Her voice was devoid of Wrath, yet it carried a calmness that made one's back turn cold.

"The fall of the Fox Clan—does it have to do with you?"

A trace of fluctuation flashed in Wan Qiba's eyes, but his expression remained calm, and then he looked at Chu Sheng.

"Did you hear this from him? You have been deceived by the Human Race. He knows nothing about the Fox Clan's affairs, he—"

Jiuer did not give him another chance to speak.

She raised her hand, and a pale purple ray of light shot from her palm, blasting straight toward Wan Qiba.

Wan Qiba's body instinctively shifted to the side, dodging that attack.

But that step exposed his true cultivation.

Divine Ability.

He had been pretending all along.

Jiuer's pupils constricted sharply.

Her voice carried uncontrollable trembling: "You really are in the Divine Ability Realm..."

Wan Qiba was silent for a moment, then put away that gentle smile.

His gaze changed; he was no longer that battered, scarred fugitive, but a calm, suppressed person carrying some kind of deep calculation.

"Little sister, let me finish. I am not trying to betray the Fox Clan. I am doing this for—the revival of the Fox Clan."

Jiuer did not speak again.

Her figure suddenly erupted, transforming into a pale purple afterimage as she lunged straight at Wan Qiba.

Wan Qiba moved as well; black mist surged from his body, colliding with Jiuer's purple light in mid-air, emitting a dull, thunderous sound.

The seawater on the outskirts of the Heavenly Pool was shaken into churning waves, reefs shattered, and water mist filled the air.

Chu Sheng stood in the distance, not intervening.

This was a matter between them in the Fox Clan.

All he could do was guard outside the barrier; if any Dragon Palace guards were startled and came over, he could block them at the first Opportunity.

But he suddenly thought of another matter.

Zhu Yin had been knocked into the seabed by him; although he wouldn't come out to disrupt things for the time being, given his cultivation, he would recover sooner or later.

Furthermore, Zhu Yin's goal was not just Wan Qiba and Jiuer; what he wanted was chaos throughout the entire birthday banquet.

If Zhu Yin did not appear for a long time, the Old Dragon would certainly become suspicious.

And once the Old Dragon began to investigate, whether it was Zhu Yin's plan or Jiuer's whereabouts, everything would be exposed.

Their entire group would be finished.

Wan Qiba and Zhu Yin, these two fellows were not easy to deal with; they were both old schemers.

Chu Sheng glanced at the inside of the barrier, at those two figures currently engaged in fierce combat, and then looked back toward the direction of the Heavenly Pool grand hall.

He needed to go do another thing.

Go and confirm Zhu Yin's location.

Ensure he would not come out in the short term.

Perhaps even the bald monk from the very beginning, who was under the Heavenly Pool, could be made use of.

He turned and swept toward the direction of the seabed.

In the water corridor behind him, two auras of the Divine Ability Realm were still colliding violently.