“Little Wingsy, why does this Dusk Octopus keep following behind us?” An old voice rang out.

“It’s my friend.” A rather young voice could be heard in response.

It was Little Wingsy. Little Wingsy was not dead but was in that Soul Pearl!

When Ye Chen heard this familiar voice, the rim of his eyes turned red. Little Wingsy was still alive. Learning this made Ye Chen feel immensely relieved. Everything was fine if Little Wingsy was alive. Ye Chen’s heavy heart lightened somewhat. He wondered who the other person in the Soul Pearl was.

“So, it’s your friend. A Dusk Octopus is a World Spirit Creature. If it grows up, even I at my peak would be extremely afraid. Moreover, after this Dusk Octopus has grown, it’ll be able to manipulate Water-type Celestial Chi and cruise the world. You can rely upon its acute spiritual sense to locate powerful spirit items. You’re friends with a Dusk Octopus. Very good! That shows promise! As your master, I’ll nurture you properly!”

When Ye Chen heard this, he was taken aback. Little Wingsy had accepted that person as his master? After some thought, Ye Chen realized that the person who stayed within the Soul Pearl must have extraordinary capabilities. If Little Wingsy could obtain the guidance of such a master, it was good for him. Ye Chen could not help feeling elated for Little Wingsy, who had attained something good out of this catastrophe.

“The Soul Pearl is a Spirit Arcana. When a Spirit Arcana is born, it’s bound to attract heavenly punishment within three years. There’s something peculiar about this marine trench that will help conceal my aura, so we can hide here for a while. It’s a shame that the Sunken Jade Palace only opens once every fifty years. I’m afraid there’s no other place safer than the Sunken Jade Palace. I don’t know how I’ll evade heavenly punishment for the next fifty years. If the heavenly punishment arrives one day, I might kick the bucket. So, in these two months, I want to pass on everything I know to you. You must learn them seriously.”

“Yes, Master.”

“When you’re highly accomplished, you must avenge me, your master!”

The Soul Pearl was waiting within the deep marine trench.

Since Little Wingsy was cultivating under a master, Ye Chen decided to just wait in this sea region for the next two months.

Ye Chen steered the Golden Sun Condor to search the nearby area, finally locating a lone island not far away. This island’s perimeter was less than a hundred meters. It was merely a small hill. He would stay here for two months then.

There was another person in the Soul Pearl. Surely that person must be the artifact spirit of the Soul Pearl?

If the person within the Soul Pearl was willing to guide Little Wingsy and teach him a cultivation system, Ye Chen would be willing to send the Soul Pearl back to the Sunken Jade Palace.

Although the Sunken Jade Palace only opened once every fifty years, Ye Chen had obtained Senior Tian Yuan’s permission to enter and exit at will.

Ye Chen would cultivate on this island for now.

The Golden Sun Condor landed on the island. Ye Chen ate some food then sat cross-legged upon a rock on the island, cultivating silently. He began to sense everything surrounding him. As the sea breeze caressed him, it was as if he became one with the world.

Ye Chen found that after he awoke from his blackout, the demonic psyche in his body had diminished significantly with only a tiny trace left. Moreover, a hint of the Illusory Pearl’s energy remained in him. While he was passed out, the Illusory Pearl had released some energy to heal him. This strengthened Ye Chen’s conviction that Little Tanuki was still alive!

This thought alleviated the grief in his heart. Ye Chen felt that he was not alone at the moment.

‘Little Tanuki, I miss you so much.’

Ye Chen released his Astral Body, sensing everything that existed between earth and heaven. The gentle sea breeze was like Little Tanuki’s voice.

Ye Chen slowly entered a state of absorption and time seemed to have stopped.

As the Celestial Chi flowed within his body, Ye Chen slowly consolidated his cultivation base, stabilizing his Celestial Chi at Heavenly Venerable Rank. Previously, Ye Chen had thought that Heavenly Venerable Ones were such formidable existences. Even so, after encountering Tantai Ling, the dark spirit, and Jian Ying, Ye Chen realized that his cultivation base was insufficient by far.

Nonetheless, Ye Chen’s cultivation base could not be upgraded in just one or two days. Ye Chen diligently studied the cultivation system of the Nine Astra Skies, hoping to attain something.

For more than ten days, Ye Chen cultivated on the island. As for the Golden Sun Condor, Ye Chen had sent it to the Xiwu Empire to check on things. The Xiwu Empire was safe and well for now. After the Golden Sun Condor had returned, it foraged for food on the island.

The Soul Pearl also remained silently in the deep marine trench and did not change its position.

On the sixteenth day, Ye Chen was cultivating on the reef by the beach as usual. Suddenly, he detected a change in energy from the sea breeze. As he stared into the distance, he saw on the faraway horizon of the sea region, there was a gigantic warship with sixteen sails speeding toward the island.

The warship was still very far away, so his Astral Body could not examine it yet. After some thought, Ye Chen gave the Golden Sun Condor a command.

Squawk squawk, the Golden Sun Condor flew into the sky toward the distant warship.

The Golden Sun Condor circled at a height of thousands of meters, observing the movement on the warship. The massive warship was twenty to thirty meters long and five to six meters wide. Two figures dressed in black robes stood on the deck. Their attire was slightly similar to those worn by the sorcerers of certain tribes who offered sacrifices. On the sixteen sails of the warship, there was a large design of a golden sword.

Ye Chen closed his eyes. Everything the Golden Sun Condor was seeing came into his vision.

On the deck, the two people looked upward. They had noticed the Golden Sun Condor.

“Brother Qi Nan, that Golden Sun Condor must be a Heavenly Adept Rank mystical beast. It keeps circling around in this manner, so it must be someone’s pet,” one of them, a rather tall, skinny middle-aged man spoke. He carried a black longbow on his back.

The one called Qi Nan frowned slightly and said in a displeased voice, “Brother Lin Qiu, can you shoot it down?”

“I can but doing so would offend the owner of the Golden Sun Condor,” Lin Qiu looked at Qi Nan as he replied. Evidently, his position was not as high as Qi Nan’s and he spoke courteously.

“When the Tribunal Council carries out its business, how can we tolerate people surveilling us? The owner of the Golden Sun Condor has seen the Tribunal Golden Sword yet they haven’t called off the Golden Sun Condor. This is a clear sign of disrespect. So, what if we shoot it down?” Qi Nan snorted coldly, his manner incomparably overbearing.

Although Qi Nan’s strength was almost the same as Lin Qiu, both being mid-Mystique Venerable fighters, Qi Nan’s father had a high position in the Tribunal Council, far surpassing Lin Qiu. Lin Qiu portrayed a somewhat deferential attitude toward Qi Nan.

“In that case, I’ll shoot it down!” Lin Qiu said. He took down the longbow and drew back the arrow, his body curving slightly like a panther. He imbued his Celestial Chi within the arrow. There was a “whoosh” from the bowstring and the arrow, flashing with subtle lightning, flew toward the Golden Sun Condor in the sky.

An arrow shot by a Mystique Venerable Rank combatant was as swift as a rainbow passing over the sun.

Through the Golden Sun Condor’s eyes, Ye Chen quickly noticed the arrow.

“That’s bad!” Ye Chen had never thought that they would be so tyrannical, shooting at the Golden Sun Condor without saying anything. Hurriedly, he commanded the Golden Sun Condor to fly back.

Whiz – the arrow shot through the sky.

Under Ye Chen’s control, the Golden Sun Condor suddenly plunged downward and spun around. The arrow narrowly brushed past the Golden Sun Condor.

The Golden Sun Condor flapped its wings and flew back.

Lin Qiu had never expected the Golden Sun Condor to be this intelligent, able to evade his shot.

“To think that Brother Lin Qiu’s archery skills would sometimes slip up as well.” Qi Nan smiled lightly.

Lin Qiu suddenly felt like burying his face into the ground.

“I didn’t think that a dumb beast like this would know how to dodge an arrow, but it won’t be so easy for it to escape. See how I’ll shoot it down!” Lin Qiu swiftly drew more arrows. Swish swish swish, three arrows shot out in a row, heading toward the direction where the Golden Sun Condor had fled.

Ye Chen urged the Golden Sun Condor to return but unexpectedly, those people were so unforgiving and ruthless, continuing to shoot toward it. His face darkened involuntarily.

The Golden Sun Condor did a few loops and swoops in the sky, evading two arrows. Still, it was too slow. With a whiz, an arrow had pierced through one of its wings. The Golden Sun Condor wailed mournfully, blood spraying everywhere. It nearly fell but forcefully struggled to flap its wings and managed to return haltingly.

Seeing that the Golden Sun Condor had escaped even after being shot by one arrow, Lin Qiu’s expression turned even more unpleasant.

The Golden Sun Condor cried pitifully as it landed on the island. Ye Chen’s brow was tightly knitted and indignation boiled in his heart. Those two on the warship were too cruel and unreasonable. He had merely sent the Golden Sun Condor over for a look. Since the Golden Sun Condor had retreated, why were they still stubbornly and mercilessly attempting to kill the Golden Sun Condor?

From the arrow shot out by the one on the warship, Ye Chen could tell that those two were certainly powerhouses above Mystique Venerable Rank. Ye Chen did not wish to stir up trouble as well. He raced toward the Golden Sun Condor and tended to its injury.

The Golden Sun Condor’s right wing had been penetrated by the arrow. It was drenched in blood and wailing softly, which was an appalling sight.

When he saw the state of the Golden Sun Condor, Ye Chen was seized by fury.

“The Golden Sun Condor had escaped. It’s truly intelligent, being able to evade two of my arrows. The one who rears this Golden Sun Condor must be extraordinary as well,” Lin Qiu said, his face slightly red. He had shot so many arrows in a row, yet the Golden Sun Condor had evaded them. This was too embarrassing.

Qi Nan looked at the distant island and noticed a figure beside the Golden Sun Condor. He said mildly, “It seems like the master of the Golden Sun Condor is on that lone island. They’re able to rear this Golden Sun Condor. I wonder if they’re human or a Celestial Beast.” As someone from the Tribunal Council, he had seen many Celestial Beasts. There were even plenty of Celestial Beasts within the Tribunal Council.

In truth, although they belonged to the Tribunal Council and bore the Tribunal Council’s name when they went outside, they were only members of a sub-council within the Tribunal Council, in charge of managing the dozens of nations nearby. During this time, they had learned that some problems had cropped up at the Exclusion Zone, so they came here to investigate. The actual authority figures of the head council had instructed them to look after the Exclusion Zone carefully. If some problems had occurred, they might be killed as punishment.

They did not know if the one on the island was a powerhouse. Even so, any reputed combatant, upon seeing the Tribunal Golden Sword, would quickly get out of the way. This was why Qi Nan and Lin Qiu were both so fearless.

“Forget that guy. Full speed ahead to the Exclusion Zone!” Qi Nan said.