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When he looked at Ye Zichen, the green-shirted expert’s eyes glinted with undisguised radiance.

If he’d been imprisoned recently, given his position in the cultivation world, he would undoubtedly know who Ye Zichen was.

But he’d been trapped in the Xue Family dungeons all this time, and hadn’t seen the outside world in ten thousand years. Naturally, he only had a rough sense of what went out outside of the dungeons. 

It was only when new prisoners joined the second layer that they could ask about current events.

But newbies weren’t familiar with him; there was no way they’d tell him everything. In short, when it came to the Upper Three Realms’ past ten thousand years of history, he was like a blank sheet of paper.

But one look at Ye Zichen and it was obvious that he was no ordinary person.

For one thing, everyone locked up in these dungeons was an important figure, regardless of whether they were housed on the first or second floor. Only members of the Xue Family could enter, and even then, only direct descendants. Outsiders had no way in at all.

But Ye Zichen wasn’t a descendant of the Xue Family, and yet, here he was.

This second instance was even more intriguing. Instead of just opening the door, Xue Yang had directly handed him the dungeon’s command token. Furthermore, listening to Ye Zichen speak, it was clear he had deep ties with many of the god race’s great emperors. He was just a diviner, yet the fluctuations of his soul were at the ruler level, and he had two imperial-lord level experts at his side.

The disciple of a Holy Land? 

That was absolutely impossible. Not even someone like that would interact with so many great emperors so regularly, much less win their trust. Even if you just looked at the two imperial lords at his side and the yao who’d followed him in last time, it was impossible. Not even a Sacred Beast Clan clan head would have so many such experts at his side. 

In the face of the yao expert’s questions, Ye Zichen hesitated. A long time passed, and he said nothing. 

“Are you a lich?” asked the yao through narrowed eyes. “Could you be one of the twelve lich ancestors heirs? Or are you perhaps one of the twelve?”

Ye Zichen remained silent, and the yao hazarded another guess. “Are you an Outsider?”  

“Senior, there’s no need to guess,” said Ye Zichen. “Who exactly I am isn't important. Besides, just as you have some secrets you can’t share, so too do I.” 

Surprisingly, the yao only grinned so broadly, his eyes narrowed. “I understood.”

Who knew what exactly he’d understood, if he really understood, or if he were just faking it? In any event, that glint in his eyes never faded. On the contrary, it only intensified; he seemed more playful and inquisitive than ever. 

Beneath his gaze, Ye Zichen felt a bit uncomfortable. He suddenly felt like he’d made the wrong choice.

“Senior, you keep prying into my privacy. It seems that I was reckless, and oughtn’t have asked for your assistance. In that case, I shan’t disturb you any longer. Farewell!”

Seeing that Ye Zichen was about to leave, the yao was suddenly frantic. “Hey! Hey! Don’t go!”

Ye Zichen paid his words no heed until suddenly, an imposing aura no weaker than the former Demon King’s spread out and bore down on him. 

“I told you to stay put!”

Crunch.

The Ocean Emperor’s avatar was seated in the main hall, discussing the Northern Divine Mountain’s internal conflict. Suddenly, he frowned. The elders’ present looked solemn, too.

Just now, they’d all sensed a vicious, powerful aura bearing down on them. 

Although it had only lasted a little while, it was enough that they couldn’t overlook it. 

“Why is it him?” The Ocean Emperor’s avatar frowned in the direction of the dungeons. He set his jade slip onto the table. “Third Elder, you and the other elders should continue discussing our next moves. I need to run a quick errand.”

With that, and without waiting for the elder’s response, the Ocean Emperor transformed into a puddle of water and flowed out of the hall.

Back within the dungeons.

The surging pressure was like the claws of a primordial beast. It bore down on Yang Jian and Pu Jingwan, and it was all they could do to hold on. Although Ye Zichen was under their protection, he could still sense the sheer power and viciousness of this mighty aura.

“Senior!” Ye Zichen turned around and cupped his fists. 

  

The yao then dispersed his aura and grinned broadly. “Don’t worry. I just want to keep you here a little longer, but I won’t hurt you.”

But then...

The green-shirted yao furrowed his brows. He seemed to mutter something to himself, and he waved his hands in front of him. Then, he recovered his usual smile. “Kid, if you don’t want to tell me your identity, I won’t ask. Why do you have to leave? And who cares what your relationship with the Five Elements Great Emperor is? Either way, he’s dead. As for why your relationship with all those great emperors is so close, I’ll admit I’m curious, but I don’t actually need to know.”

“What do you want, Senior?” 

“I’ve just taken a fancy to a certain item you have on your person. Let’s work together, see? We ought to at least talk things over, don’t you think?” the green-shirted yao laughed.

Ye Zichen felt his heart clench.

Based on the aura this yao expert had just unleashed, he was likely on par with the three Realm Emperors.

A supreme treasure capable of piquing such an expert’s interest…

Of course, even before that, Ye Zichen had a question he wanted answered.

“Senior, given the profundity of your cultivation, I can’t help but wonder why you were locked in here. Or rather, how. Although the Ocean Emperor is another esteemed senior, someone I look up to, I have to say that given his cultivation, it’d be hard for him to suppress you.”

“Heh, that’s the kind of thing I love to hear.” The green-shirted yao laughed. “On dry land, there’s naturally no way he could beat me, but this is the Sea of Innocence! Don't you know that Xue Yang is practically invincible in the water? Besides, I was happy to let him catch me. In doing so, he saved me from calamity!”

It seemed that, prior to his imprisonment, this yao expert had offended quite a few people!

Ye Zichen suddenly recalled all those ranked treasures. For an ordinary person, obtaining even one was harder than ascending the heavens, and even great emperors only had a few apiece. And yet, he had so many….

Could it be….

Were all of those divine artifacts stolen?

“Senior…”

“Stop with all that polite nonsense. Let’s talk about our cooperation. I naturally don’t want the Yao-Sealing Pagoda, and I know how important it must be to a little guy like you. What I want is…. I’ll give you a little warning first, okay? I want the treasure on your arm.”

The treasure on his arm! 

The Xuan-Yuan Sword!

Ye Zichen reacted instantly. So that’s what this yao expert wants!

He only had one treasure on his arm, the Xuan-Yuan Sword. He hadn’t realized earlier because the thought of using the Xuan-Yuan Sword as a bargaining chip had never even crossed his mind. 

“Now you know what I want, right? I just want you to give it to me! Nevermind calling me ‘senior’; I’d happily call you ‘senior!’ And never mind just keeping an eye on the guy downstairs for you, so long as you can convince Xue Yang, I’d happily take you down there and protect you myself. If he so much as scratches you, I’ll rip my own head off for you to play with!” 

“How about it?” The green-shirted yao seemed rather desperate, but Ye Zichen merely frowned and said nothing. 

Splash!

The sound of flowing water filled their ears. Then, a man in sea-colored robes appeared within the second layer of the dungeons.

Many of the prisoners’ eyes widened with undisguised terror. The man then said, “You want to trap this emperor outside? Venerate Spirit Treasure, you’ve sure got gall!”