Chapter 1541: The Five Realms of the Haunted Ruins

At that moment, the black-robed old man Qin Jian and Princess Hanwei, accompanied by Yun Che, flew towards the royal city from which they had barely escaped.

Qin Jian did not try to dissuade her. Princess Oriental Hanwei had suddenly latched onto a lifeline, and given her personality, she would never listen to his advice. He also hoped that this person, whose identity was unknown and whose body exuded a dangerous aura, could truly save the King and Queen, who were in peril.

In the past, Yun Che would never rely on his strength to bully or despise others. If others were courteous to him, he would never be impolite. Having been taught by Yun Gu and Xiao Lie, he was especially respectful towards unfamiliar elders. However, now, Oriental Hanwei and Qin Jian, who were beside him, remained under heavy suppression, not daring to even breathe deeply.

Throughout the entire journey, he did not even glance at either the elder or the princess directly.

As for why he changed his mind and decided to offer assistance...

"Senior..." Princess Hanwei finally spoke timidly, cautiously asking, "May I ask... how should I address you?"

"Yun Che."

Seeing that he did not ignore her but answered directly, the tension in Princess Hanwei's heart immediately eased slightly. Qin Jian frowned and also cautiously began, "With your esteemed capabilities, you must be a renowned figure in a certain region, yet I, this old man, have never heard of you... Could it be that you come from another star realm?"

Yun Che still looked straight ahead and coldly spoke, "What is the name of this star realm?"

Qin Jian was startled, then realized, "So that's it, as expected, Your Excellency... Ahem, to answer you, this realm is called the East Ruins Realm, one of the Five Ghost Ruins Realms. As for the Five Ghost Ruins Realms, have you heard of them?"

"No."

These two cold, impatient words made Qin Jian's heart sink abruptly. Not even knowing the Five Ghost Ruins Realms, with his terrifying strength, he certainly couldn't be an ignorant person with limited knowledge. Therefore, it was highly probable that this person originated from a higher plane—meaning an Upper Star Realm! Consequently, he might not be very familiar with, or even disdain to understand, the Middle Star Realms.

His demeanor and words immediately became more respectful, and he quickly explained in detail: "The Five Ghost Ruins Realms are the five main star realms in this star domain, namely our East Ruins Realm, the West Ruins Realm to the west, the South Ruins Realm to the south, the North Ruins Realm to the north, and the Central Ruins Realm in the center."

"The East Ruins Realm is divided into three regions. The place we are currently in is the Eastern Region of the East Ruins Realm."

"The Eastern Region comprises thirty-six nations. Our East Han Nation, where this old man and Her Highness reside, is one of them. However, the strongest powers are the 'Nine Great Sects'." Qin Jian subtly glanced at Yun Che's expression, then continued, "The person you just killed, Your Excellency, was from Mingpeng Mountain, which belongs to one of these Nine Great Sects."

"So, it was this so-called Mingpeng Clan that pushed your East Han Nation to the brink?" Yun Che asked emotionlessly; no one could possibly know what he was thinking.

"No," Princess Hanwei shook her head and whispered, "It's the Heavenly Martial Nation. They are adjacent to our East Han Nation, and many years ago, they revealed their ambition to annex us; conflicts often occurred. This time, we don't know what methods they used, but they actually obtained assistance from the 'Grand Cavern Mansion,' one of the Nine Great Sects. There are even rumors that the 'Grand Cavern Profound Mansion' has become the Heavenly Martial Nation's guardian sect."

"This time, they had a Divine King from the Grand Yin Divine Palace assisting them; we simply couldn't resist." Princess Hanwei's voice trembled: "I originally wanted to perish with the royal city, but Father ordered Qin-ye to take me away and escape from the city... As for Ming Yang, he was simply taking advantage of the chaos, planning to abduct me. We had just left the royal city when we encountered him; Qin-ye desperately tried to shake them off, but then we unexpectedly..."

Yun Che finally showed some expression; what appeared on his face was a faint hint of sarcasm: "For a royal family of a Middle Star Realm, it's quite something that you don't even have a Divine King. No wonder your nation is facing destruction!"

Princess Hanwei and Qin Jian dared not show anger at his mockery. Qin Jian sighed softly and said, "To be frank, Your Excellency, our East Han Nation has always had a guardian Divine King named Fang Zhou. The King has always treated him with utmost courtesy and respect, honoring him as the National Preceptor of East Han, and his annual offerings are a huge sum."

He paused, seemingly hesitating, but still said, "Although he is extremely arrogant by nature, his strength is exceptional. If he were here, things would certainly not have come to this point. However, this time, the Heavenly Martial Nation suddenly launched a massive invasion, aided by the Grand Yin Divine Palace, and Fang Zhou just happened to leave the city a few days ago for some unknown reason... Alas."

"..." Yun Che narrowed his eyes.

Qin Jian said, "Your Excellency's strength is unfathomable. That we could receive your assistance this time is surely a blessing from heaven upon our East Han Nation. If... if you are unwilling to intervene too much, merely saving our King would also be a great divine favor. I am but a humble old man, but I wish to repay this kindness with the rest of my life."

Inviting a powerful expert one does not know to take action would inevitably incur a huge price. He hoped that he would be the one to pay this price, not Princess Hanwei.

Just then, a faint fluctuation of profound energy suddenly emanated from Qin Jian's body. He paused slightly and quickly took out a sound transmission jade glowing with a dark light.

Listening to the transmission, Qin Jian's expression changed repeatedly, finally revealing a state of wild joy. He abruptly looked up and excitedly said to Princess Hanwei, "Your Highness! The King sent a message... the royal city's crisis has been temporarily resolved, the royal city's crisis has been temporarily resolved!"

"Ah!?" Princess Hanwei turned her head, her eyes trembling, for a moment daring not to believe her ears: "Is that... true? How could that be..."

"It's the National Preceptor! The National Preceptor returned in time!" Qin Jian said, unable to suppress his excitement: "The Heavenly Martial Nation feared that a Divine King battle would cause immense casualties, so they had to temporarily retreat... Good! Fortunately, the National Preceptor returned in time, and the King is also safe and sound."

Just moments ago, when Qin Jian spoke of Fang Zhou, his words clearly conveyed dissatisfaction, even a faint sense of dislike, and he referred to him by name. But now, he not only respectfully called him "National Preceptor" but was also full of gratitude and relief.

"This is wonderful... truly wonderful." The gloom and fear that had been pressing down on Princess Hanwei's heart suddenly dissipated, her eyes filled with tears, but this time they were tears of joy.

The return of the guardian Divine King Fang Zhou not only lifted the threat of the royal city's fall but also brought a sense of security for the future.

Amidst her joy, she did not forget about Yun Che. She quickly dispelled the glistening moisture in her eyes and bowed gracefully to Yun Che: "Senior Yun, the royal city's crisis has been resolved, and there is no longer a need to trouble you to intervene. However, I cannot fail to repay your immense life-saving kindness. I implore you to enter our East Han Royal City as an honored guest and grant me an opportunity to repay you."

Repaying the life-saving kindness was one thing, but if they could find a way to make him stay in the East Han Nation, it would undoubtedly be an even greater boon. Qin Jian had personally stated that he was a Divine King!

Besides the National Preceptor Fang Zhou, if the East Han Nation could gain another Divine King, then the Heavenly Martial Nation, even with the assistance of the Grand Yin Divine Palace, would have to seriously reconsider.

After speaking, she quickly added, "As for the matter of the Young Master of Mingpeng, no one else was present, so we will certainly not reveal a single word. Please rest assured, Senior."

Yun Che seemed completely unconcerned by this sudden change. After hearing Princess Hanwei's words, his reaction remained as calm as still water: "Then I shall see how you repay me... Let's go!"

The East Han Royal City was enveloped in the smoke of battle, but still exuded an imposing aura.

The crisis was indeed resolved, and the Heavenly Martial Nation's soldiers and profound practitioners were nowhere to be seen.

This was the first time Yun Che had truly entered a human city in the Northern Divine Region—or rather, a devil's city.

However, if one were to forget that they all cultivated dark profound energy, what difference was there between the people and city before him and those in other divine realms?

As soon as the three entered the city, several city guard profound practitioners clad in heavy armor had already approached from afar to greet them, bowing and saying, "Nineteenth Princess, Qin-ye, the King ordered us to await your arrival for a long time."

"Where are Father and the others?" Oriental Hanwei asked urgently.

"To answer the Nineteenth Princess, the King is currently holding a celebratory banquet for the National Preceptor. The King has stated that after the Nineteenth Princess and Qin-ye return safely, you may proceed directly into the main hall."

"Good!" Oriental Hanwei turned and said to Yun Che, "Senior, please follow me. Father has always respected the strong; he will certainly be overjoyed to meet you."

She had originally thought that with Yun Che's cold and aloof nature, he would likely refuse, but unexpectedly, he simply let out an emotionless "Hmm."

Oriental Hanwei led the way, hurrying into the royal city's main hall. A grand banquet was currently spread out within the hall. Those attending were either royal dignitaries or important figures from various domains and sects within the East Han Nation, all possessing extraordinary bearing and profound energy auras.

"Hanwei!"

As soon as Oriental Hanwei stepped into the hall, the King of East Han excitedly rose, then personally hastened to meet her. Looking at his most beloved daughter, his gaze was filled with unconcealed concern: "Are you alright? Are you hurt?"

Oriental Hanwei shook her head, holding back tears, and said, "With Qin-ye's desperate protection, I am fine... Seeing that Father is unharmed, I can finally rest at ease."

Quickly wiping away her tears, she stepped aside slightly: "Father, this Senior is someone I encountered outside. He is a Divine King."

As soon as the words "Divine King" were spoken, countless gazes in the hall suddenly shot towards them. The King of East Han's expression changed dramatically. He looked at Qin Jian, who subtly nodded back. At that moment, he no longer had any doubts. Taking an urgent step forward, as the ruler of a nation, he actually gave a slight bow: "Your Excellency's arrival is most honored, and this humble king's inability to welcome you from afar is a great discourtesy. A celebratory banquet is currently underway in the hall; if Your Excellency does not mind its humble nature, perhaps you would join us?"

Yun Che simply gave a low "Hmm" and walked directly in.

Under the personal arrangement of the King of East Han, Yun Che took a seat in a prominent position. His arrival immediately quieted the entire hall considerably. All eyes were fixed on him... "Divine King"—these two words held immense deterrent power. However, this face was far too young and unfamiliar.

"Fellow Daoist," from the main seat, a calm voice, carrying a subtle hint of authority, suddenly spoke: "May I know how to address you, and from which sect or school you hail?"

The speaker was a fair-faced middle-aged man dressed in yellow. He swirled the wine cup in his hand, casting a sidelong glance at Yun Che... Yun Che was indeed a Divine King; he could clearly sense the profound energy aura of a Divine King at the first level.

However, compared to him, a third-level Divine King, Yun Che was far inferior, both in terms of cultivation level and the density of his aura.

In this grand banquet, his seat was not just any spot, but beside the main seat—strikingly on par with the King of East Han himself!

Because he was the guardian Divine King of the East Han Nation, Fang Zhou, the National Preceptor of East Han, who had just performed a great meritorious deed by saving the city!

Yun Che reached out and picked up a pair of bamboo chopsticks, not even sparing Fang Zhou a glance, as if he hadn't heard his question at all.

Fang Zhou's brows furrowed slightly. Oriental Hanwei quickly interjected, "This Senior's esteemed name is Yun Che, and he is not from the East Ruins Realm."

"Yun Che? Heh heh..." Fang Zhou chuckled and said leisurely, "Fellow Daoist Yun, I wonder from which sect you hail... And what exactly is your intention in approaching the Nineteenth Princess and entering our East Han imperial family!?"

His voice suddenly turned sharp, startling everyone. The King of East Han quickly rose and said, "National Preceptor, this esteemed guest was personally brought back by Hanwei; he is certainly not someone with ulterior motives... Esteemed Yun, the National Preceptor is cautious by nature and means no offense; please do not take it amiss."

"Hmph!" Fang Zhou said coldly, "I, Fang, have lived for thousands of years. Not to mention the East Ruins Realm, in the entire Ghost Ruins Star Domain, there is no Divine King whose name I do not know. Yet, the name Yun Che is utterly unheard of."

"Although you are merely a first-level Divine King, a newcomer to the King Realm, you should still possess the pride of a Divine King. How could you so easily accept an invitation... Are you truly without ulterior motives!?"

"..." Yun Che still gave no response, slowly twirling the bamboo chopsticks in his hand.

Oriental Hanwei rose and bowed solemnly: "National Preceptor, Senior Yun was someone I encountered by chance, and his presence in the royal city is also due to my personal invitation. Moreover, Senior Yun rendered great life-saving kindness to both Qin-ye and me. Therefore, I assure the National Preceptor that Senior Yun is absolutely not as you fear."

"Such a thing happened?" The King of East Han was startled upon hearing this and quickly bowed to Yun Che: "So, Your Excellency actually saved my daughter's life? Such immense kindness... allow this humble king to offer a bow."

"Oh?" Fang Zhou shifted his posture, his gaze towards Yun Che finally no longer a sidelong glance. He said with a faint, unreadable smile, "So that's it; it seems I was overthinking. Our East Han Nation is currently in a tumultuous period, so I, Fang, had to be extra cautious. Please do not take offense, Fellow Daoist."

"As an apology, if you have leisure, I, Fang, could offer you some guidance. What do you think?"

With these words, Fang Zhou fully demonstrated his concern for the imperial family and his broad-mindedness. The words "offer guidance" furthermore told everyone that this Divine King, newly arrived in the royal city, was far beneath him.

Yun Che was still twirling the bamboo chopsticks. He finally spoke, his low, cold voice carrying a chilling aura reaching everyone's ears: "What are you, that you presume to guide me?"