Chapter 299: Maid

Yunhe raised his hand, and from his sleeve flew a Five Elements Heavenly Thunder Sword, turning into a long rainbow that left a trail of five-colored silk, flying toward the fallen Sea Heart devoid of life and the Pearl chasing after it.

Seeing this, the Pearl still tried to resist, but the Five Elements Heavenly Thunder Sword, already at the level of a fourth-grade low-tier spiritual treasure, was not something she could withstand.

Then the Five Elements Heavenly Thunder Sword split into five colored silks, binding the Pearl and the Sea Heart before him.

No matter how the Pearl struggled, she could not break free from the binding of the five-colored silks.

Her eyes looking at Yunhe were already filled with terror.

But she could not utter a single sound.

Yunhe had no intention of doing anything to her for the time being.

From the strength these two sea clansmen had shown earlier and the treasures they held, they likely held a decent position among the Beautiful Armor Clan, and perhaps much information about the sea clans could be learned from them.

Hand the Pearl over to the Cold Chant Flood Dragon.

Yunhe turned his head to look at the several people on the deck.

Noticing his gaze, the several cultivators of the Nine Dragon Gate, including Shang Yunfei, all broke out in sweat involuntarily.

They had all witnessed that scene earlier.

Those two sea clansmen, no matter how much effort they had expended, could not be subdued; let alone subduing them, even whether they could cope was still a question—these two sea clansmen were undoubtedly the elite of the younger generation among the sea clans.

Yet such figures were so easily captured by Yunhe, and the psychological impact was enormous.

If Shang Yunfei and the others had not fought those two sea clansmen, and the other side had simply been taken down by Yunhe, that would actually be fine; they could console themselves by saying the sea clans were merely remote barbarians with inadequate abilities.

But after having clashed with them and clearly knowing their strength and abilities, seeing this scene left no one's heart unmoved.

Shang Yunfei could not even guarantee that he would win if he faced the Sea Heart alone.

Yet that Sea Heart was extinguished by Yunhe with just a glance—doesn't that mean that if Yunhe wanted to deal with him, he would need only a single glance?

Although one could say that a Yuan Ying cultivator's realm overwhelms a Jie Dan cultivator, Shang Yunfei's master is precisely a Yuan Ying cultivator of the Nine Dragon Gate, and now he has only one thought in mind.

'Can Master do it?'

Yunhe swept his gaze over the several people.

He asked leisurely:

"You lot, came to capture my mount?"

Upon hearing this, a layer of cold sweat again appeared on the foreheads of Shang Yunfei and the two others, but as a Nine Dragon Gate Yuan Ying seedling, a person cultivated with great effort by the Nine Dragon Gate, he remained relatively composed and hurriedly said:

"Senior, please forgive us! We did not know that this flood dragon was your mount, and we nearly made a grave mistake. We hope you will pardon our transgressions, considering we halted in time and also stopped the two sea clansmen."

He wisely did not use his master 'Fulong Shangren' and the sect Nine Dragon Gate to pressure Yunhe, but decisively chose to admit fault and beg for mercy.

Because Shang Yunfei knows that many Yuan Ying old monsters have eccentric temperaments, yielding to softness but not to hardness; if he were to use his supposed status and background to apply pressure now, it would likely backfire, whereas meekly admitting fault and begging for mercy would increase his chances of survival.

Moreover, the other party has already appeared here—do they really think this Yuan Ying old monster doesn't know they are cultivators of the Nine Dragon Gate?

If they still dare to act this way, it shows that the Nine Dragon Gate's name carries little intimidation power in his eyes.

Most importantly, this person is none other than the 'Bee Old Demon'!

"The title 'Old Demon' is not just for show!"

Hearing his words, Yunhe revealed a playful expression.

He spoke in a calm tone: 'Ignorance is not a crime.'

Hearing this, the several people secretly let out a sigh of relief.

But Yunhe's following sentence again made their faces turn bitter.

"However, the death penalty can be waived, but the living penalty cannot be escaped. You, go find your Nine Dragon Gate's patriarch and order him to personally come to the Ice Immortal Pavilion to ransom the people."

While speaking, Yunhe flicked his finger lightly, directly flicking a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator on the deck off the treasure ship.

Seeing this, that cultivator dared not delay, immediately unleashing a flying magical artifact and flying toward the location of the Nine Dragon Gate.

And Yunhe's sleeve rolled up again, taking the formation instrument from Junior Sister Liu's hand without hesitation.

"The Nine Dragon Gate Kun Dragon Formation is somewhat interesting."

Saying that, he walked toward the treasure ship's pavilion on his own.

Seeing this, the Cold Chant Flood Dragon also hurriedly followed.

Only the three Jie Dan cultivators of the Nine Dragon Gate remained, looking at each other; finally Shang Yunfei gave a bitter laugh and said:

"Let's go; it seems we must make a trip to the Ice Immortal Pavilion."

He was actually quite perceptive.

But there was no helping it; no matter from which angle, they had indeed set their sights on the mount of a Yuan Ying old ancestor, and although they ultimately couldn't act due to some circumstances, this fact cannot be denied.

If it were a different eccentric Yuan Ying old monster, even if they were all slaughtered here, the Nine Dragon Gate would have no recourse.

The might of a Yuan Ying cultivator is not to be offended!

What's more,

This Ice Immortal Pavilion's Bee Old Demon is no ordinary Yuan Ying cultivator; back when he was at the late Jie Dan stage, he could already match a Yuan Ying cultivator in a short time by relying on a single Yuan Ying Refined Corpse, and now his cultivation base has broken through to Yuan Ying, plus possessing a Yuan Ying Refined Corpse, so even against other early-stage Yuan Ying cultivators, he naturally holds a certain advantage.

The reason he didn't kill them was probably also out of respect for the face of the Nine Dragon Gate's Yuan Ying patriarch.

"Yes."

Senior Brother Yang pursed his lips and nodded hesitantly.

Junior Sister Liu, meanwhile, lowered her head, looking at her empty hands, and silently sighed.

Everyone says the Ice Immortal Pavilion's Bee Old Demon is a formation master, and indeed that is true.

The treasure ship's protective formation and their Nine Dragon Gate Kun Dragon Formation actually posed no hindrance at all to the opponent; although Yuan Ying cultivators gain a boost in magical power, without profound attainment in formations, achieving this step is absolutely impossible.

But what truly made Junior Sister Liu feel uneasy was because

"I've heard that this Bee Old Demon is fond of women's beauty."

Likewise, Shang Yunfei, watching Yunhe's departing back, also had a myriad of thoughts.

Everyone says he is a genius rarely seen in a thousand years in the Nine Dragon Gate, but compared to this Bee Old Demon who made a great name for himself already at the late Jie Dan stage, he truly is somewhat lacking, far behind.

As for the thoughts of the Nine Dragons Sect's members, Yunhe naturally didn't care much.

He entered a luxuriously decorated room on the treasure ship.

"Tsk, the Nine Dragons Sect truly lives up to being the greatest sect of the Yuan State; even their treasure ship is this extravagant."

Yunhe smiled and sighed, then looked at the bound Sea Clan Qi Zhou's Zhenzhu, as well as the lifeless Qi Zhou's Haixin.

"Wuu—wuu—wuu!"

Zhenzhu, who had been bound by the Five Elements Thunder Sword transformed into colorful silk, struggled, but Yunhe directly unleashed a mana seal that blocked her power; now she is no different from an ordinary person.

Yunhe pinched his fingers, and the colorful silk on her body flew out, reverting to the original Five Elements Thunder Sword, which he stored into his sleeve.

"Who are you?! You dare."

As soon as he loosened his grip, Zhenzhu glared at Yunhe and shouted.

"Forget it, I guess I'll have to do it myself."

Seeing this, Yunhe again waved a surge of mana, sealing Zhenzhu's mouth.

"This is spoken in the ancient cultivator's tongue; indeed, it is exactly the language of the Sea Clan Qi Zhou."

Muttering to himself, he turned his wrist, and a phantom of Hai Xin's soul appeared in his hand.

Seeing this, Zhenzhu widened her eyes, wanting to say more, but at this moment she had absolutely no ability to resist.

Yunhe also ignored her, clenched his five fingers, and a strange mana appeared in his palm.

Hai Xin's soul, which had been somewhat solid, instantly turned illusory, and her pupils instantly became pitch black.

——Soul Search Technique!

In an instant, it was as if watching a movie; the lifetime experiences of this sea clan member flashed before Yunhe's eyes like a fleeting glimpse.

With his current powerful divine sense, searching the soul of a sea clan member at the third rank perfect stage, and without any worries of repercussions, it was truly extremely simple.

"There's also a soul seal; it seems this person's status is indeed not ordinary."

Yunhe discovered the seal left in Hai Xin's soul, but his divine sense was so strong, his mastery of it far surpassing that of the person who placed the soul seal, so he still had a way to bypass it.

After a while.

The Hai Xin soul in his palm had already dissipated.

"I see. It looks like the sea clan's interior isn't completely monolithic either."

"There are radicals who dream of reigniting war with humanity to reclaim their living space, and conservatives who wish to maintain the status quo, developing stably in a corner. However, among the sea clan now, the conservatives are in an absolute weak position."

"Hai Xin is indeed the grandson of the Qi Zhou Clan's Third Elder, and the Third Elder is a solid supporter of the radicals; his status is indeed not ordinary, but it involves some secrets of the Qi Zhou Clan—either Hai Xin isn't yet qualified to know them, or that seal destroyed them."

After searching Hai Xin's soul, Yunhe gained a deeper understanding of the sea clan, especially the Qi Zhou Clan within it.

"As for this Pearl."

Yunhe looked at the nearby Qi Zhou's Zhenzhu, full of despair, and lightly rubbed his chin.

Her status is not like Hai Xin's; she is the granddaughter of the Qi Zhou Clan's Seventh Elder, though her bloodline is not pure.

The sea clan pays great attention to bloodline and purity; the higher the bloodline purity, the higher one's status in the clan, which is quite similar to the monster clan.

Hai Xin was born from the sea clan's Third Elder and a sea clan woman of equally pure bloodline, giving him an extraordinary status within the sea clan.

But this Pearl is the daughter of the Seventh Elder, born from an ordinary sea clan woman, and that sea clan woman is not of the Qi Zhou Clan but of the Qi Lin Clan.

If it weren't for her own decent cultivation talent, her status would likely be even lower.

This is also why she can activate the "Summon Sea Conch."

Most importantly, that Seventh Elder is one of the few conservatives.

Zhenzhu's face was full of despair; she had already given up any thought of survival.

But then Yunhe suddenly said, "Do you want to live?"

"Huh?"

Hearing those ancient cultivator's words, in Zhenzhu's eyes, which were like two vermilion jades, a faint glimmer of spiritual light appeared.

"You yourself were forced by Hai Xin to come here, the purpose being to make your grandfather, this conservative elder, toe the line; now that Hai Xin is dead, even if you manage to return, your grandfather likely won't be able to protect you fully."

Yunhe walked to a table, sat down, took out various tea sets, and leisurely brewed the 'Bitter Heart Tea' given to him by Bitter Sword True Monarch's Soup One Two.

While brewing tea, he continued:

"I will spare your life; you help me with one task, how about that?"

Zhenzhu's face showed vigilance, her shell teeth lightly biting, she asked:

"What task?"

Yunhe picked up the teapot, poured in Snow Mountain Heavenly Spring Water, pinched his fingers to ignite a tiny flame, and began to boil the water.

"I wish to meet your grandfather, the Seventh Elder of the Qi Zhou Clan."

Hearing this, Zhenzhu's eyes narrowed slightly.

Although her grandfather is a conservative who does not wish to wage war against human cultivators, that doesn't mean they can peacefully coexist without trouble; meeting would likely end in a fight first.

"You can just temporarily be my maid; it's not a humiliation."

Yunhe gave her a sideways glance and made the decision for her.

"A maid?"

Zhenzhu's expression went blank.

Before she could speak, Yunhe spoke again.

"Don't rush to refuse. Anyway, as long as you're here, if I spread the word, your grandfather will likely come."

He paused, then continued:

"However, when the time comes, what greets him will be either the heavenly net I've laid or spiritual tea and fine wine, depending on your performance."

Upon saying that.

Zhenzhu's face turned pale.

She knows well that Yunhe speaks so confidently because if her grandfather learned she had been kidnapped by a human cultivator, he would surely chase after her.

And the man's meaning is also very clear.

He only wants to meet his own grandfather, and whether they fight or sit down for a proper chat depends on her decision.

Zhenzhu's expression flickered, but Yunhe didn't even glance at Zhenzhu, seeming completely confident.

After a while, a bitter look appeared on Zhenzhu's face; Zhenzhu performed a Sea Clan salute toward Yunhe and said:

"Zhenzhu. I have seen you, senior."

"Can you brew tea?"

"I can, a little."

Yunhe waved a hand.

Zhenzhu stepped forward, glanced at him cautiously, then honestly took the boiling kettle and brewed tea.

"May I ask, senior, why you want to see my grandfather?" Zhenzhu asked softly, probing.

"Call me young master."

Yunhe did not answer her, but simply said so.

"Y‑young master." Zhenzhu hesitated, then honestly called him.

While saying that, she carefully brought a cup of tea to Yunhe.

"I've heard that your Sea Clan practices a special method of extracting and assimilating spiritual Qi?"

Take Zhenzhu.

On one hand, because Yunhe truly wants to meet her grandfather, the Seventh Elder of the conservative faction.

Not to mention there might be a way to resolve the nascent racial war.

At least from this conservative elder, he could learn more about the Sea Clan.

Perhaps it would allow him to secure greater survival in this calamity.

On the other hand, Yunhe is also quite interested in some of the Sea Clan's cultivation methods, secret arts, and divine abilities.

The Sea Clan is a humanoid race, yet shares many traits with the Demon Beast race, so perhaps they can provide methods beneficial to his own Demon Beast Body.

Earlier, the Sea Heart was restricted by a soul seal, preventing Yunhe from obtaining that portion of information.

Or perhaps the Sea Clan guards its inheritance carefully; when the Sea Heart realized it could not survive, it voluntarily destroyed that memory.

"Young master, are you referring to the Sea Soul Qi Absorption method?" Zhenzhu asked softly.

Yunhe narrowed his eyes and sipped the spiritual tea.

"Go on."

"Yes," Zhenzhu replied, the lowered gaze flickering, as if hesitating yet wavering.

But Yunhe said, "You don't need to think about deceiving me; that's just self‑inflicted boredom. Though it's a Sea Clan method, whether it's true or false, I can still discern it."

Zhenzhu lowered the head further upon hearing that, and hurriedly said:

"Zhenzhu does not dare."

After a brief pause, she still narrated the Sea Clan's Sea Soul Qi Absorption method in detail.

This method is not considered a very profound secret within the Sea Clan.

It actually allowed Yunhe to discern some of its principles.

(End of chapter)