"I...I think Her Highness seems to have some feelings for you. Won't the Princess be angry if we're like this?"

Listening to the somewhat pretentious words, Chen Yuan smiled, stepped forward and said:

"Second Sister, how are we like?"

"Um...no...not like anything."

Zhang Wanshu stammered.

Her face flushed even more, unsure whether it was an act or genuine shyness.

"Second Sister, don't worry, Princess Pingyang is right, we don't have anything between us. We didn't before, we don't now, and in the future..." Chen Yuan opened his mouth.

He thought of saying that they wouldn't have anything in the future either.

But that flag might not be accurate.

Who knows what the future holds?

"What about the future?"

Zhang Wanshu looked up, gazing at Chen Yuan with a hint of anticipation.

She knew that Chen Yuan was always a man of his word, and if he said it, they probably wouldn't have anything to do with each other in the future. It wasn't that she necessarily coveted the position of the first wife.

It was just that she felt uncomfortable around Princess Pingyang.

She always felt like she was inferior.

"The future...hmm...naturally...oh right, after I left, did anyone come looking for me?" Chen Yuan paused and changed the subject.

Zhang Wanshu pouted, knowing that Chen Yuan didn't want to make any promises, so she didn't press him and replied:

"Not long after we returned, Jiang Xiong, the Azure Envoy from Lin'an Prefecture, came by, wanting to see you, but he left when he found out you weren't here."

Chen Yuan nodded.

Jiang Xiong was likely there because of the incident at Dragon Gate Ferry, wanting him to help him take the lead. Unfortunately, he chose the wrong person; Chen Yuan couldn't very well let him kill himself, could he?

"The good scenery of Dragon Gate Ferry has passed, it's a pity I didn't see it, I'll have to wait until next year."

"Yes."

There was some disappointment in Zhang Wanshu's eyes, for not having seen the end with Chen Yuan.

Now that the Carp Leaping Over the Dragon Gate event was over, the people of Lin'an Prefecture would start fishing, but that wasn't much to see, and it didn't have the same atmosphere.

"Let's go back tomorrow morning. Supervisor Zhang knows you came out with me and spent the night, she must be worried." Chen Yuan noticed the disappointment on Second Sister's face and offered a word of comfort.

"Okay, let's go back."

Zhang Wanshu smiled.

"Next time, next time I'll come again."

Chen Yuan chuckled.

"Really?"

Zhang Wanshu's eyes lit up immediately.

"Really, as long as it's still here, I'll come again next year."

Unfortunately, the Flood Dragon's bones had already disintegrated, and the Dragon Pearl was in his hands. Without the Dragon Qi leaking out, it probably wouldn't attract so many carp to leap over the Dragon Gate.

"You're not lying to me?"

"I'm not lying to you."

"Okay."

"Rest early, I'll leave first."

Chen Yuan glanced at her, turned around, and prepared to leave.

"You..."

"What's wrong?"

"N-nothing, rest early."

"Okay."

The next morning, Zhang Wanshu bought Chen Yuan some breakfast and told him a significant piece of news: the Eldest Princess Pingyang had already left!

Chen Yuan didn't show any surprise.

His divine sense could easily cover the entire inn, and he knew that she had left before dawn, without saying goodbye. However, before leaving, she had stared at his room for a few breaths.

It seemed a bit strange.

But Chen Yuan had simply avoided seeing her.

He didn't dislike her, but although he didn't know if anything would develop between them in the future, he certainly couldn't get close to her in the current situation.

That force called 'Shen He' was too terrifying.

After eating breakfast, Chen Yuan and Zhang Wanshu didn't waste any time. They returned to the capital in the same way they had come, and it only took a short time.

Zhang Wanshu didn't want to delay Chen Yuan's affairs. She could tell that Chen Yuan seemed to have things to do, so she was in a hurry to send her away. Besides, the Dragon Gate Ferry spectacle was already over, and there was no point in staying.

Unless she could break through Chen Yuan's psychological defenses and take him down directly!

But that was obviously very difficult.

Chen Yuan did have something on his mind. He wanted to refine the Flood Dragon's Dragon Pearl to improve his cultivation. At the moment, it was quite urgent, and he didn't want to waste time meaninglessly.

When Chen Yuan took Zhang Wanshu back to the Zhang residence, he saw Zhang Yantong, who was all smiles, but Chen Yuan keenly sensed that the other party was staring at him the whole time.

He seemed to want to see if he had taken advantage of the opportunity to do anything to Zhang Wanshu.

After realizing that he hadn't, he seemed relieved.

The two chatted for a few words. The incident in Lin'an Prefecture had also spread to the capital, causing quite a stir. Many people were secretly investigating the identity of the mysterious Zhenren, wanting to get their hands on the True Dragon treasure.

Zhang Yantong knew that Chen Yuan was in Lin'an and even asked about it indirectly, but Chen Yuan simply didn't admit it, so he had to drop the matter. He told Chen Yuan some good news.

Emperor Jingtai had caught a cold and needed a few days of rest, and the court sessions would be postponed for the next few days.

This was definitely good news for Chen Yuan. He had been wondering what excuse to use to avoid suspicion, but now it seemed he didn't need to.

The few days of postponement would be enough for him to refine the Dragon Pearl.

After staying at the Zhang residence for half an hour, Zhang Wanshu saw him off and then quickly left the capital again, arriving at Changshan Prefecture, where she had stayed before.

That was, the mountain where Chen Yuan had broken through the Void Core Realm and refined the Yin-Yang Qi.

"Hoo..."

Chen Yuan let out a long breath of turbid air, which turned into a wisp of training, like white smoke. His whole state was now at its peak.

Since he arrived at the mountain, half a day had passed without him even realizing it. His state had been raised to its current peak, and it was time to refine the Flood Dragon's Dragon Pearl.

With a flash of light in his hand, a cyan Dragon Pearl the size of a faceplate floated in front of Chen Yuan.

It exuded a strong pressure.

Chen Yuan's expression turned solemn, he stared at it for a moment, and the Tai Xuan True Scripture quickly began to run, shrouding the Dragon Pearl with strands of invisible power.

In his spiritual platform.

The slightly purple primordial spirit sat upright with a solemn expression, condensing the power within the Dragon Pearl to enhance his own cultivation.

It was very difficult to improve one's cultivation in the Transformation Yang Realm. No, to be precise, the higher the cultivation level, the more difficult it became. Sometimes it wasn't just spiritual objects that were needed, but also one's own affinity.

Otherwise, wouldn't the Sima imperial family, with all the treasures in the world, be able to easily pile up cultivators to the Yang God Realm?

Naturally, it wasn't that simple.

In fact, on the surface, the Sima imperial family only had one True Lord, who was directly killed by Chen Yuan's Asura True Lord persona last year.

On the surface, there were no more True Lords.

However, neither Chen Yuan, the imperial court, nor the various forces in the Jianghu believed that the Sima imperial family only had one True Lord. There were definitely others in the shadows.

But at most, there were only one or two more.

If there were seven or eight, not to mention pacifying the world and subduing all the barbarians, the Sima family's empire would definitely be extremely stable, and it would never be in its current precarious state.

The power of the Flood Dragon Divine Pearl in Chen Yuan's hands was very powerful, after all, it was inherited from a demon race powerhouse at the Great Saint level, but he was already exhausted, and then went through two hundred years of scouring.

No one knew how much was left.

Even Chen Yuan, who hadn't completely refined it, didn't know.

The Flood Dragon Divine Pearl hung above Chen Yuan's head, and strands of cyan light sprinkled down, enveloping Chen Yuan's body. It could be sensed that his cultivation was now improving bit by bit.

The speed was far faster than when he had been cultivating arduously before.

Sometimes, it was really great to have a cheat!

If he didn't have so many methods, no matter how powerful Chen Yuan was, it would have been impossible for him to step into the Fifth Realm and become a Primordial Spirit Realm Zhenren powerhouse in two years from the beginning of his martial arts path.

If it was calculated according to his speed of arduous cultivation, even if he had cultivated for two and a half years, he would probably still be at the Profound Realm cultivation level now.

Unlike now, two and a half years had already made him a Jianghu powerhouse. In another two and a half years, he might be able to rely on his own efforts and the help of opportunities to stand at the peak of the world.

The division of the Primordial Spirit Realm actually didn't have too many fancy things. Cultivating the three-inch primordial spirit to the nine-inch primordial spirit was the peak of the Primordial Spirit Realm.

One could begin to consider inducing the Wind and Fire Tribulation to start refining the spirit.

Chen Yuan had the previous opportunity, and almost as soon as he entered the Primordial Spirit Realm, he rushed towards the five-inch primordial spirit. If you really calculated it, it was almost at the middle stage of the Primordial Spirit Realm.

That was why he could have such powerful strength.

He was qualified to fight against a Spirit Refinement cultivator, and he could easily fight two people at the same time in the Sky Patrol Division's martial arts field without any effort.

The Flood Dragon Dragon Pearl was the essence of the Azure Flood Dragon, completely equivalent to a great tonic. In fact, it didn't need to be refined too carefully. Most of what he was doing was to stabilize his rapidly increasing cultivation.

Time passed hour by hour, Chen Yuan's aura became deeper and deeper, and more and more unstable, and the surrounding heaven and earth vitality had long condensed into a vortex.

It frantically converged towards Chen Yuan's body.

Almost every hour, one could feel that Chen Yuan had become a bit stronger.

The Emperor Slaughter Saber was guarding the four directions on its own. With greatly increased intelligence, it was almost no weaker than a person. Even without anyone urging it, a Core Realm Grandmaster could not get close.

What's more, there was a six-realm Immortal-level Moro beside Chen Yuan.

Therefore, he didn't even set up a protective array, and directly started working!

While Chen Yuan was refining the Dragon Pearl and his cultivation was soaring.

Azure Province Sky Patrol Division Hall.

Jiang He, the Azure Province Gold Envoy dressed in white, held a pot of unknown spiritual wine in his hand. Just sitting there, he was in harmony with the heaven and earth, and yet subtly detached.

Obviously, after removing the secret technique that suppressed his cultivation, this genius, second only to Chen Yuan, was also rapidly increasing his cultivation.

Recalling what Chen Yuan had told him today through the Heavenly Book, he sensed that the time was almost up, so he immersed his mind in the Heavenly Book space and began to awaken the other starlight points.

Soon, all the Dao Lords of the Dao God Palace, except for Chen Yuan and Moro, lit up.

"The time is not right, why are you contacting us now? Could it be that you, Heavenly Sword Dao Friend, have encountered something?" Yang Huatian was the first to transmit his voice.

"Yes, what's going on?"

"Where's Asura Dao Friend? Didn't you contact him, Heavenly Sword?" Chu Changfeng asked.

"Yes, how is he doing in the capital?"

"When are you planning to leave the capital?"

Voices came from the Heavenly Book space.

Jiang He quietly waited for them to finish speaking, and after they fell silent, he said:

"He is cultivating, he contacted me today."

"What did he contact you for?"

"Did he encounter any difficulties?"

"Is the old emperor still forcing him to marry his daughter?"

"Let me finish."

Jiang He said lightly.

"Okay, you say."

After brewing for a moment, Jiang He continued:

"Asura Dao Lord is not in a very good situation right now. Although he got the position of Heavenly Envoy, Jingtai is probably about to lose his patience. He must be freed."

"What method is he planning to use? A big disturbance in the capital, or what?"

Chu Changfeng said in a deep voice.

If Chen Yuan spoke up, they, the Dao Lords who shared the same hatred, would definitely help. They had said this before, and they would not hesitate to help.

"He wants to return to the south to plan. It's not appropriate to have me sitting in Azure Province. Southern Border is the territory of the Prince of Zhennan. The Gold Envoy is as dispensable as in Liang Province, and Blood Province only has two prefectures, which is not suitable for development."

Jiang He said one by one.

"Does he want Shu Province?"

Someone said.

"Shu Province is one of the wealthiest provinces in the world, and it is also one of the main grain-producing areas, with high mountains and deep waters, suitable for lying low. He intends to do so."

"He is a Sky Patrol Division Heavenly Envoy, is it appropriate to serve as the Shu Province Gold Envoy?"

Yang Huatian was silent for a moment.

"He has just taken office, so he should follow the previous practice and temporarily sit in one or two states to accumulate qualifications, but he won't leave once he comes."

"I understand, it's still the same as before, kill the Shu Province Gold Envoy, Lu Renjia."

Yang Huatian said in a deep voice.

"Yes, but at this critical moment, it must be done discreetly, so that Jingtai doesn't suspect that Chen Yuan did it. It's best to frame someone else."

"The Heavenly Demon Palace? The Wusheng Sect? The Seven Kills Hall? The Demon Race?"

Chu Changfeng gave several options.

Jiang He thought for a while:

"There's no need to pour water on one force specifically, just muddy the waters so that Jingtai doesn't suspect Chen Yuan."

"That's right."

"Who among you is available?"

Jiang He continued.

The Shu Province Gold Envoy was only at the Heaven Core Realm. At best, he was quite strong, but all the Dao Lords of the Dao God Palace were Transformation Yang Realm powerhouses, and it was as easy as flipping one's hand to get rid of a Core Realm cultivator.

"I can't get away these days."

Su Ziyue, who had been silent, spoke.

"What happened to you?"

Li Suqing quickly asked.

"It's nothing, I can handle it for the time being, you don't need to worry." Su Ziyue hesitated for a moment and replied.

"Let me do it."

Yang Huatian was the first to respond.

He was hiding in the south, and he was also being hunted down, so he had no fixed place to live for the time being. It was most appropriate for him to do such things.

"Okay, sorry to trouble you, Evil Ghost Dao Brother."

The others didn't compete, and they quickly determined the candidate.

"When does Asura Dao Friend want to make a move?"

"The sooner the better."

"Understood."

Yang Huatian responded.

The Heavenly Book space fell silent again.

Shu Province State City, Sky Patrol Division Hall.

Lu Renjia, the Gold Envoy in a Sky Patrol official robe, frowned unconsciously. Recently, he had been feeling uneasy, especially today.

It felt like something was going to happen.

But he couldn't think of anything.

He could only attribute it to the possibility of something happening in Shu Province, and the demon race evil-doers were starting to become restless again. He had just received a message from headquarters, ordering him to rush to Blood Province in the shortest possible time.

This made him quite headache.

"Oh well, let's take it one step at a time."

Lu Renjia shook his head and poured a mouthful of strong liquor into his mouth.

Changshan Prefecture, the top of an ordinary mountain peak.

The area within a few miles showed anomalies. That was the huge commotion caused by Chen Yuan. The vitality vortex was getting bigger and bigger, and sometimes it was even accompanied by sounds similar to dragon roars.

Even Chen Yuan himself did not expect that as his cultivation increased and the refinement of the Dragon Pearl accelerated, it would cause such a commotion.

It had been said before that Changshan Prefecture was one of the top prefectures in the world, with vast territory, many sects, and far more martial artists than other prefectures.

If the commotion Chen Yuan caused was just a fleeting glimpse and then quickly dissipated, it would not attract attention in this remote mountain.

However, Chen Yuan had been refining the Dragon Pearl for more than half a day, so it would naturally attract some attention.

Three Core Realm Grandmasters were the fastest to arrive.

They looked at the vitality vortex in the distance, and a deep heat flashed in their eyes. After all, anything that could form an anomaly must have spiritual objects, but it could also be a high-level martial artist practicing.

Therefore, after the three of them discovered each other's existence, they gathered together very tacitly, and the heat in their eyes was suppressed.

Replaced by fear.

"Cough cough... Brother Cao, there may be a spiritual object appearing in front, why don't you go and seize the treasure, but stop here instead?" A middle-aged man in gorgeous clothes found a topic.

"Sect Leader Xu, why aren't you going?"

The man surnamed Cao asked back.

"I..."

"Brother Xu, Brother Cao, why should the three of us argue? We all understand in our hearts, we all covet the treasure in that anomaly, but we are worried that it is a senior practicing, so we are hesitant to move forward."

"Then what does Brother Han think?"

"Wealth comes from danger. If we keep waiting, we will only wait for more Dao friends. It's better for the three of us to join forces and take a look. If it's a treasure, the three of us will share it equally. If it's a senior practicing, the three of us will share the same hatred. Whether it's begging for forgiveness or fighting the Dao friend head-on, we will have some assurance, what do you think?"

The two men looked at each other and nodded in silence for a moment:

"Let's do as Brother Han said."

"Okay."

"Then the three of us will go together."

"Agreed."

The three of them nodded, and then stepped out, wanting to directly enter the vitality vortex, but just as they had advanced a hundred zhang, their figures suddenly stopped.

A dragon roar shook the sky, and from the sky above, a hundred-zhang black dragon stared at the three of them with ferocious eyes, silently warning them that if they dared to take another step, they would surely die today.

The three men's faces stiffened, and they looked at the void at the same time, cold sweat breaking out on their backs.

"This is..."

"Artifact spirit?"

"Dragon soul?"

The three men's hearts sank instantly. As soon as the dragon soul appeared, they guessed that it was not a spiritual object being born, but a senior practicing, and they quickly had the intention to retreat.

"Leave?"

"Leave."

"LEAVE!!!"

The three quickly made up their minds and began to retreat slowly, for fear of provoking this dragon soul that exuded a ferocious aura.

But just as they had retreated about a hundred zhang.

Suddenly, a long roar soared into the sky, shaking the earth.

The echo of this person was heard within ten thousand zhang, and they were immediately terrified.

What cultivation level is this?

It's probably not a Primordial Spirit Zhenren, but a Spirit Refinement Zhenren.

The few people were a bit knowledgeable and quickly realized this.

Then,

They immediately used secret techniques, burned their blood, and fled far away.

(End of this chapter)