Chapter 915: Moyu Fragment

Xia Tianqiong had already guessed that, given Ye Liuyun's temperament, he could never stay obediently at his residence to cultivate.

The academy was making a big fuss about entering the Secret Realm, and Ye Liuyun would definitely go.

So she never even tried to dissuade Ye Liuyun from going, but instead reminded him to be more careful.

Ye Liuyun stopped, and said to Xia Tianqiong, "For this entry into the Secret Realm, let Ling Shuang follow you; I'll act alone!"

"I'll count you as having a bit of conscience, still knowing not to involve Ling Shuang!"

Although Xia Tianqiong was dissatisfied with Ye Liuyun's knack for causing trouble, she still greatly admired him as a person.

Ling Shuang originally was about to refuse.

Xia Tianqiong said straight away, "It's settled then! Ling Shuang, you must come with us, otherwise Prince Xiao will take his anger out on you! Think carefully about the consequences!"

Ling Shuang thought for a moment, then nodded, and looked apologetically at Ye Liuyun.

Ye Liuyun smiled and reassured her, "Don't worry, you don't need to worry about me!"

He understood from Xia Tianqiong's words that Ling Shuang's background made it inconvenient to involve her in Prince Xiao's affairs.

So he didn't make things difficult for Ling Shuang. Moreover, he felt that without Ling Shuang by his side, he could better exert his strength.

After returning, Ye Liuyun, Ling Shuang and the others all began preparing for the Secret Realm entry. Ling Shuang's group went to purchase pills, while Ye Liuyun calmly cultivated.

This time his cultivation focused on combat training; every day he sparred with an ice demon tiger, familiarizing himself with the Physical Body's durability and compressing and refining True Essence.

Although he was beaten up daily, his power kept steadily increasing.

The Space World was again expanded by him to double its size, leaving it somewhat empty inside.

"Let's see if entering the Moyu Fragment Continent this time can find resources to refill it!"

With three days left before the Secret Realm entry, the Fourth Prince suddenly came to find Ye Liuyun.

"Brother Ye! You've become famous in the academy lately!" The Fourth Prince Xia Tian Yuan said this directly upon seeing Ye Liuyun.

"Has the matter of Prince Xiao reached here?" Ye Liuyun guessed that the time was probably about right.

"Ha ha, you've seriously underestimated Qian Long Academy!" Xia Tian Yuan laughed, "The news arrived long ago. I'm talking about the bounty Prince Xiao just posted on you!"

"Oh? The bounty's public? How many Spirit Stones is my life worth?" Ye Liuyun also wanted to know what price Prince Xiao set to kill him.

"Fifty billion premium Spirit Stones!" Xia Tian Yuan said with a smile.

"That price isn't high at all!"

Ye Liuyun frowned slightly. Even the few ferocious beasts he owned were worth more than fifty billion!

He then asked Xia Tian Yuan, "The Fourth Prince came to tell me this news—does that mean you're also tempted?"

The reason Ye Liuyun cared about this was that if the Fourth Prince were to act, it would mean the Shadow Assassins would also get involved.

He could ignore others, but for a shadow‑style assassination, he still needed to guard against it.

"Ha ha!" Xia Tian Yuan roared, "I think the same as you! The price is too low to sway me!"

Ye Liuyun also gave a small laugh.

Fifty billion premium Spirit Stones isn't a small sum, but for a prince it really isn't anything.

"Then the Fourth Prince's motive for joining the shadows is something worth pondering," Ye Liuyun thought to himself.

And even if the Fourth Prince doesn't act, what about the other Shadow Assassins?

While Ye Liuyun was pondering, Xia Tian Yuan blurted out, "I heard a Shadow Assassin intends to claim this bounty personally, Brother Ye, you'd better be careful!"

After saying that, he looked at Ye Liuyun and gave a knowing smile.

"Thanks for the Fourth Prince's warning!"

Ye Liuyun outwardly thanked him, but was startled inside.

"Could he have known I saw through his shadow identity?"

Then he thought, "It's not impossible. After all, a prince surely has some treasures or means. But why didn't he kill me?"

Ye Liuyun was merely puzzled in his mind. As for what the Fourth Prince truly intended, he could only keep watching.

At least for now, the Fourth Prince hasn't sought to become his enemy; instead he's trying to get on good terms.

The two chatted a while longer about the situation inside the Secret Realm, and Ye Liuyun learned a lot more about it.

The Fourth Prince told Ye Liuyun that the Moyu Fragment actually consists of some Dao xu south of Zhongyang Dalu, which have been seized by Alien Evil Artifacts and the Demon Race.

Then powerful individuals used spatial power to pull those islands back, turning them into a Secret Realm for the academy to train disciples.

"South of Zhongyang Dalu there are also Dao xu occupied by Alien Evil Artifacts?" Ye Liuyun heard this and was extremely surprised.

Xia Tian Yuan said anxiously, "Not only that, there are many, and they're gradually forming contiguous clusters!"

Only at a time like this did Ye Liuyun feel he truly had a prince's bearing, even worrying about state affairs!

"Then why doesn't the dynasty eradicate them?" Ye Liuyun asked.

Xia Tian Yuan sighed, then slowly explained to Ye Liuyun, "The Daxia Chao isn't all‑powerful! A few years ago it neglected governance south of Zhongyang Dalu, causing southern forces to grow rapidly, form an alliance, and make the dynasty increasingly unable to intervene."

Later the Alien Evil Artifacts erupted. The dynasty originally planned to let them wear each other out. Unexpectedly, the southern alliance surrendered outright, and the Alien Evil Artifacts became the actual rulers of that region.

Hearing this, Ye Liuyun said outright, "Then it's possible that the earlier rise of power and the alliance's formation were all orchestrated by the Alien Evil Artifacts behind the scenes!"

Xia Tian Yuan looked at Ye Liuyun appreciatively, "He actually thought of all this!"

He then confirmed, "Right. By the time we learned it, it was already too late! The Alien Evil Artifacts' speed in cultivating Corpse Demons was so fast they've already entrenched themselves!

Now trying to eradicate them on a large scale would require a great amount of troops and time to wear them down. The dynasty also needs preparation; it's not something that can be acted on instantly."

Ye Liuyun nodded and asked, "Then this Secret Realm…"

"The Secret Realm was created by powerful individuals the dynasty sent to scout information, and they brought it back. Many Sects have a share in it.

The dynasty's purpose is to let the academy's disciples get early exposure to Alien Evil Artifacts and Corpse Demons, giving them psychological preparation.

Once a great war breaks out, Sect disciples will certainly need to join the battle!"

"Hmm, this method is indeed good!" Ye Liuyun also thought the dynasty still had wise people, handling matters with long‑term foresight.

The two chatted a while longer, and after Xia Tian Yuan reminded Ye Liuyun that his purpose was fulfilled, he took his leave.

Ye Liuyun was thinking about the words Xia Tian Yuan had said last.

Knowing that the shadow organization would not get involved, he relaxed. As for individual shadow assassins, he just needed to be a bit more careful.