Chapter 338: Borrowing a Path at the Supreme Academy

"Hidden Dragon Shadow Guard?" Ye Lin asked in surprise.

"Correct!" The Human Emperor nodded.

"Does it come with five social insurances, one housing fund, and a two-day weekend?" Ye Lin asked with some curiosity.

Human Emperor: "..."

"Yes, and we also issue a six-month year-end bonus."

"That good?" Ye Lin's face lit up with joy. "Then what does this Hidden Dragon Shadow Guard actually do?"

"You can understand it as an organization that only takes orders from me; they are responsible for handling all incidents that could impact the safety of the Great Xia."

The Human Emperor explained.

"The Hidden Dragon Shadow Guard has another name: Demon Slayers."

"Deal!"

Ye Lin agreed immediately. The Human Emperor was betting on his future, and he was betting on the Human Emperor's present; this trade was very fair, and even looking at it now, he was the one getting the better end of the deal.

A Third Realm powerhouse carrying a complete Ancient Origin Artifact—Ye Lin couldn't even imagine how terrifying it would be if the Human Emperor made a move.

The Human Emperor smiled and handed three Mountain and Sea Secret Seals into Ye Lin's hands.

"If you encounter danger you cannot handle, crush these, and I will arrive immediately. Also," the Human Emperor added, "it is I who will step in to protect you, not the Human Emperor."

"Understood." Ye Lin blinked, wearing an expression that said he understood everything. "It is a mysterious powerhouse coming to the rescue!"

The identity of the Human Emperor was too sensitive; if the Human Emperor were to arrive in person for certain matters, it would easily cause many unnecessary troubles.

"Heh, you slippery little fellow." The Human Emperor couldn't help but laugh.

"Then when should I complete the onboarding process?" Ye Lin pressed.

"No rush, wait until you reach level 80. Just remember this matter," the Human Emperor said.

"OK!"

Ye Lin was in an excellent mood. Although things hadn't gone according to his plan, he had gained a powerful bodyguard he could summon three times, and now he felt much more secure.

However, the Eternal Ancient Book was still in his hands, and he had to think about how to deal with Xie Hong next; he certainly wasn't willing to just hand the Eternal Ancient Book over to Xie Hong.

Ye Lin arrived at Gui Street, and after several turns, entered Qiu Xingyuan's small shop.

"Boss, long time no see!" Ye Lin greeted Qiu Xingyuan with a smile.

"It's you. Why, did that guy Zhuge leave you any more last words?" Qiu Xingyuan, lying on a grandmaster chair, asked without even lifting his eyelids.

"That's not it."

Ye Lin ran over to Qiu Xingyuan attentively and began pounding his legs.

"I wanted to ask, do you have any way to craft a second Phantom Face?"

"No way." Qiu Xingyuan shook his head directly. "The difficulty in crafting a Phantom Face isn't the technique, it's the materials! Where am I supposed to find you that much ten-thousand-year celestial silkworm silk again?"

"Don't say that! You are such a brilliant master blacksmith, and you were close friends with my master, so you must have a way, right?"

Ye Lin was anxious. He had experienced firsthand how useful the Phantom Face was; if applied correctly in certain situations, its effect was even comparable to an Ancient Origin Artifact!

Qiu Xingyuan lifted his eyelids to glance at Ye Lin and said coldly.

"Don't butter me up, it's useless. Without ten-thousand-year celestial silkworm silk, no one can craft a second Phantom Face."

Seeing that Qiu Xingyuan's words were so resolute, Ye Lin couldn't help but feel a pang of heartache; he had suffered a huge loss in the City of Gods this time!

"However..." Qiu Xingyuan changed the subject. "If you just want to disguise yourself, you help me find one thing, and I can craft something even more useful than the Phantom Face."

"What thing? Please elaborate." Ye Lin immediately brought over a cup of hot tea to ask.

"The corpse of a Skin Corpse King." Qiu Xingyuan slowly sipped his tea.

"Skin Corpse King? What is that?" Ye Lin asked, puzzled.

"An extremely rare type of demon. Strictly speaking, Skin Corpses are not native inhabitants of the Demon Realm."

Qiu Xingyuan said in a deep voice.

"In ancient times, the conflict between humans and demons was endless and constant. The demons would skin the captured humans and hang the human skins high up to intimidate the humans who were still alive."

"Those human skins that were peeled off alive already held immense resentment, and after being invaded by the demonic energy of the Demon Realm, over time, they actually developed sentience and formed a brand-new demon race: the Skin Corpse race."

"The way Skin Corpses eat humans is very peculiar; they parasitize human bodies and continue to live using the other person's identity, slowly invading and consuming them. From the outside, you can't tell at all that this person has been parasitized by a Skin Corpse."

"Precisely because of this lifestyle, their corpses are excellent materials for disguise, and the Skin Corpse King's is even more so."

"If you can bring me the corpse of a Skin Corpse King, I can give you something even more heaven-defying than the Phantom Face."

Qiu Xingyuan leaned back on his grandmaster chair, squinting at Ye Lin as he continued to ask.

"How about it, interested?"

"What is the strength of a Skin Corpse King?" Ye Lin asked the most critical question.

"Roughly equivalent to a human Star Realm powerhouse."

"I'll do it!" Ye Lin agreed instantly. "Where can I find a Skin Corpse King?"

"Don't get happy too soon. If you want to find a Skin Corpse King, you have to go to the Supreme Academy to borrow a path. As far as I know, your relationship with the Supreme Academy doesn't seem very good, does it?" Qiu Xingyuan said with concern.

"Ah? Do I really have to go to the Supreme Academy to borrow a path?" Ye Lin asked.

"You don't have to go there. You can leave the capital city gates, head north for three hundred kilometers, and there is a spatial rift. You can enter the Demon Realm from there, and then travel across half the Demon Realm to reach the territory of the Skin Corpse King," Qiu Xingyuan nodded.

"..."

"Let's talk about going to the Supreme Academy to borrow a path."

"The Supreme Academy controls a secret realm called the Tomb of Departure. The Tomb of Departure secret realm leads directly to the Demon Realm. Once you enter the Tomb of Departure, find the City of Millennium. Once you reach the City of Millennium, you will naturally be able to find the Skin Corpse King," Qiu Xingyuan explained.

"OK! It just so happens I have some old grudges with the people from the Supreme Academy to settle."

Unknowingly, the one-year deadline was almost up. I wonder what level Yun Guanlou is at now?

Seeing that Ye Lin was about to leave, Qiu Xingyuan reminded him.

"Use some discretion. Don't underestimate the Supreme Academy."

The grandmaster chair creaked as it rocked.

"The Dean of the Supreme Academy... is a very terrifying existence."

"Ah? Is Yun Xintong very terrifying?" Ye Lin was stunned for a moment. Wasn't that guy the one who had a bucket of crap poured on his head by Professor Shen?

"Yun Xintong is only the Vice Dean." Qiu Xingyuan rolled his eyes. "Anyway, just remember one thing: if you provoke the Dean of the Supreme Academy, you'll be in big trouble."

"Got it! Understood!"

Ye Lin nodded, but he didn't take it to heart at all.

The Dean of the Supreme Academy is terrifying? How terrifying could they be? At worst, he'd just grab a bucket of popcorn and stand on the sidelines watching the Dean of the Supreme Academy battle the Human Emperor of Great Xia!

Sorry, but having the Human Emperor as a backer really does mean you can do whatever you want.