The Myriad Temple had once bragged that it was so formidable that it could do nearly anything. Qin Yun decided to test that claim.
“Pure-blooded dragon?” The dark red-scaled flood dragon had an amused glint in its eyes. “According to what I know, she violated the Dragon race’s rules. The West Sea Dragon race was infuriated back then and imprisoned her for five hundred years so as to make her suffer the pain of lonely solitude. You wish for the West Sea Dragon race to pardon her?”
“I’m asking you if the Myriad Temple is capable of accomplishing that.” Qin Yun frowned.
“Yes.”
The dark red-scaled flood dragon nodded slightly. “There is a price for everything, however. As long as one can make appropriate payment, it is naturally doable.”
“What are your terms?” Qin Yun was delighted.
“My Myriad Temple will have to investigate the matter thoroughly. I’ll tell you the way to pardon her in an hour,” said the flood dragon.
“Alright.” Qin Yun nodded.
With that, the transmission was cut.
“I hope that whatever they ask for in exchange is something I’m capable of delivering. When all is settled, I can finally tell Xiaoxiao.” Qin Yun overlooked the West Sea. “Meanwhile, I have two other things to do on my trip here to the West Sea. One of them is to search for the missing Yi family members and the other is to confirm Bai Junchen’s outcome from Curmudgeon Blacktide.”
Qin Yun held the Inspect Heavenly Token in hand as he commanded with his mind. Large paragraphs of text appeared in the Inspect Heavenly Token with all sorts of figures and information.
It was not difficult to ascertain Bai Junchen’s outcome. He just needed to meet Curmudgeon Blacktide.
As for searching for the Yi family members…
“Disappearance?”
“Two Connate True Core cultivators vanished just like that.”
“The Divine Firmament Chapter has also investigated before. Their transmission marks have yet to dissipate so they are clearly still alive! However, they cannot be contacted,” thought Qin Yun. “Back when we were in the Scenic Yang Immortal Abode, we were unable to communicate with the outside world as well. These two Yi family members must have fallen into some special region.”
“The location of their final message is here!”
Qin Yun looked at the map that appeared in his Inspect Heavenly Token as he ruminated with knitted brows.
Disappearance in the vast sea was indeed troublesome.
…
Qin Yun waited for the Myriad Temple’s reply as he studied the other two matters.
As for the dark red-scaled flood dragon from Myriad Temple, it contacted another existence.
“Elder Ao Qiong.” The flood dragon smiled as a female dragon Elder appeared in a projection in front of it.
Elder Ao Qiong was very old. She asked, “Why is your Myriad Temple looking for me?”
“Might I know what conditions must be met for the West Sea Dragon race to pardon Ao Xue and give her freedom?” asked the flood dragon.
“Pardon Ao Xue?”
Elder Ao Qiong hesitated for a moment before nodding. “Either produce a transcendent-grade Dharma treasure or a Skydragon Blood Crystal. If either of these two conditions are accomplished, I can pardon Ao Xue. Also, I can pay the commission that the Myriad Temple requires on my side.”
“Alright.” The flood dragon nodded. “Elder Ao Qiong, you must not go back on your word once you agree to it.”
“I understand the Myriad Temple’s rules.” Elder Ao Qiong nodded.
The flood dragon nodded its head slightly as well.
In the Divine Firmament Chapter, the sect master had a rather high status and appeared to manage the external affairs. But the one that had the final say in the Divine Firmament Chapter was Ancestral Master Zhang! By that same logic, the person who could truly make the decision for the West Sea Dragon race was Elder Ao Qiong. Her words carried weight! It was not difficult for her to even change the reigning West Sea Dragon King.
******
In the clouds, Qin Yun was ruminating over methods to find the missing Yi family members. He was also waiting.
“Oh?” Qin Yun revealed a look of glee.
He held the Inspect Heavenly Token and quickly made the connection.
A projection appeared in front of him in midair. It was the unfathomable dark red-scaled flood dragon. Qin Yun always felt wistful when he saw the flood dragon. This was a flood dragon that was at the level of immortals and fiendcelestials; yet, it dealt with such trifling matters.
“How is it?” asked Qin Yun immediately.
“To the Myriad Temple, the violation of the Dragon race’s rules is nothing,” said the flood dragon. “I can give you two options. One of them is to secretly rescue Ao Xue and the other is to get the West Sea Dragon race to initiate the pardon.”
“Naturally, I would pursue the pardon,” said Qin Yun.
Secretly rescue her?
He would probably be hunted down by the Four Seas’ Dragon race for the rest of his life.
“The price for the pardon is a little higher,” said the flood dragon. “There are three methods. You can choose any one of them.”
Qin Yun listened carefully.
“First, it can be accomplished with enough treasures. One transcendent-grade Dharma treasure would do,” said the flood dragon with a faint smile.
Qin Yun felt his heart twitch. A transcendent-grade Dharma treasure? He had already sold the Golden Core Cauldron he obtained!
Many top-grade cultivation sects would not even have one transcendent-grade Dharma treasure! Even the Daoist and Buddhist sacred lands only had a small handful of transcendent-grade Dharma treasures.
“Second, a Skydragon Blood Crystal,” said the flood dragon with a smile. “It is something left behind after an ancient Skydragon dies! It is extremely precious. I can tell you where to seek one out. But it’s very difficult and very dangerous.”
“Then, what about the third option?” asked Qin Yun eagerly.
“The third method is that you have to agree to work for my Myriad Temple for a hundred years after you step into the Dao, Sword Immortal Qin,” said the flood dragon with a smile. “If you agree to it, my Myriad Temple will help you get the West Sea Dragon race to pardon Ao Xue.”
“Work for a hundred years after stepping into the Dao?” Qin Yun frowned.
A sword immortal that stepped into the Dao was invincible! There were many things he could do. For instance, in Elder Sword’s craziness, he stormed the Nine Lineage Fiendish Demons’s territory to rob them of their manuals. The fiendcelestials who did not wish to cross swords with him were forced to! He defeated many of them, and there was even one fiendcelestial that was ultimately killed by Elder Sword.
“Of course, my Myriad Temple can guarantee that you will only be dispatched to deal with great fiendish demons and fiendcelestials. We will not send you to your death,” said the flood dragon. It added, “As long as you are agreeable to that, you do not need to make any payment now. You can help my Myriad Temple for a hundred years after you step into the Dao.”
“Aren’t you afraid that I would go back on my promise?” asked Qin Yun.
“It will not just be a simple promise, obviously. My Myriad Temple will request Sword Immortal Qin to undergo a magus hex ritual. If you went back on the promise, the hex would trigger and you would die on the spot,” said the flood dragon with a laugh. “Of course, as long as you do not go back on the promise, you would be fine. This magus hex is a heritage that even Magistress Mountain has lost. The cost of setting up the ritual is almost that of a first-grade Dharma treasure. It is because my Myriad Temple believes that you will eventually step into the Dao that we are willing to pay such a huge price.”
Qin Yun was resistant to the idea. As the Myriad Temple was too mysterious, he was unwilling to allow them to cast hexes on him. What if they tampered something in secret and made him their puppet? Qin Yun knew that there were means in the magus arts to make others follow them loyally forever.
A magus hex? Work for a hundred years?
Qin Yun rejected it in his heart.
As for the transcendent-grade Dharma treasure? He could not produce one! The Skydragon Blood Crystal?
“Might I know where I can seek a Skydragon Blood Crystal?” asked Qin Yun.
“It’s just a hundred years of service. As for the magus hex, it’s only to prevent you from going back on your promise. My Myriad Temple’s reputation has been known by all since ancient times. We will definitely not harm you, Sword Immortal Qin,” said the flood dragon. “Sword Immortal Qin, aren’t you going to deliberate on it?”
“There’s no need. I want to know how I can find a Skydragon Blood Crystal,” urged Qin Yun.
The flood dragon nodded. “Alright, I’ll tell you the method to find the Skydragon Blood Crystal. However, it’s very difficult and very dangerous.”
Whoosh.
A large wall of text and figures were sent.
“Be careful. The Four Seas’ Dragon race have gone on several risky expeditions before,” said the flood dragon before it terminated the transmission.
Qin Yun held the Inspect Heavenly Token and looked at the detailed information the flood dragon had sent him.
In the West Sea…
There was an ancient Skydragon palace. The ancient Skydragon was a terrifying dragon breed in ancient times that vied for supremacy with various fiendcelestials. It was powerful, and it had a palace it stayed in temporarily that was naturally heavily defended. Legend said that the ancient Skydragon eventually fought to its death with an Other Realm Fiendcelestial in a final battle. From then on, the Ancient Skydragon Palace was lost. After a long period of time, with the array formations of the ancient Skydragon Palace gradually breaking down, an entrance was discovered six thousand years ago.
However, the dragon palace’s array formation’s suppression was extremely powerful.
Immortals were unable to gain entry but those below could. The experts of the Four Seas’ Dragon race had entered to explore it several times. In the beginning, they had obtained quite a few Skydragon Blood Crystals. But the remaining areas became more perilous. It became more and more difficult to find Skydragon Blood Crystals. According to the intelligence from the Myriad Temple, not a single Skydragon Blood Crystal had been found from the ancient Skydragon Palace in the last three thousand years.
“The ancient Skydragon’s temporary palace might be a dangerous place but the Four Seas Dragon race have explored it several times. The danger shouldn’t be that high,” thought Qin Yun.
“Based on the range of the array formations of the palace, it spans about fifteen hundred kilometers. It sure is huge,” thought Qin Yun.
He looked at the general location of the ancient Skydragon Palace as well as the twelve entrances that had been discovered.
The so-called entrances were actually flaws in the array formations, allowing others to gain entry. The Four Seas Dragon race had long probed these areas repeatedly.
“Oh?” Qin Yun revealed a look of surprise. He waved his hand as a map appeared beside him. It was also the last known location of the Yi family members before they went missing. As he compared the two maps, he realized something. “The location where the Yi family members disappeared is very close to the fifteen-hundred-kilometer ancient Skydragon Palace’s periphery.”