Chapter 1589: Murong Yuyao Seeks Refuge

In the South Sea, within the Five Dragons Sea area, a white light flew from the distant horizon. Soon, it stopped outside Green Lotus Island, and with a flash, revealed a gleaming white flying boat. Wang Tianwen and Murong Yuyao stood on the boat.

Murong Yuyao looked grief-stricken. She had narrowly escaped a disaster and met Wang Tianwen on her journey. Considering the volatile situation in the Central Plains and the significant number of Murong family members in the South Sea (who represented the hope for her family's restoration), Murong Yuyao requested Wang Tianwen to take her to Green Lotus Island for refuge.

"Miss Murong, please don't worry," Wang Tianwen said softly. "Our family has managed Green Lotus Island for over a century, with several Nascent Soul cultivators stationed here, making it as solid as a mountain. You can stay here with peace of mind. As for your clan members, we will send people to bring them over. However, regarding helping your family restore itself, that decision rests with our Old Ancestor; I cannot make that call." He added, "I didn't expect that the Murong family's Nascent Soul ceremony would turn into a memorial service. Before the ceremony even took place, the Murong Royal Family was annihilated. It seems Situ Mei had three Nascent Soul stage accomplices, reportedly from the Demonic Cult of the Great Qin Dynasty." This situation, however, was unrelated to Wang Tianwen directly. The Murong Royal Family, being a royal family, would not be easily wiped out, and many of their descendants still survived. By protecting Murong Yuyao, the Wang family could leverage the Murong Royal Family's influence in the Central Plains to expand their development in the Great Yan Dynasty.

Murong Yuyao simply nodded, saying nothing.

Wang Tianwen took out a sound transmission talisman, whispered a few words, and tossed it towards Green Lotus Island. After a previous attack, the Wang family strictly forbade outsiders from entering Green Lotus Island, even Qi Refining cultivators.

Not long after, Wang Ruyan herself flew out from Green Lotus Island. Her expression was solemn; she had not expected Situ Mei to unite with other Nascent Soul cultivators to destroy the Murong Royal Family. This news was truly shocking. Wang Ruyan carefully observed Murong Yuyao, then spoke kindly, "Miss Murong, please accept our condolences. The dead cannot be brought back to life, but as long as the green hills remain, there will always be wood to burn. Feel free to stay on Green Lotus Island; if Situ Mei dares to invade, we will surely kill her." Murong Yuyao forced a smile and nodded, saying, "Thank you, Madam Wang." Logically, Murong Yuyao should have reported this to the Great Yan Imperial Family. Her decision to come to the South Sea with Wang Tianwen clearly indicated a specific purpose. The Murong family possessed a Heaven-grade secret realm, and Murong Yuyao knew its location, though she couldn't open it herself. She intended to use this secret realm to make a deal with the Wang family. Before that, she needed to observe the Wang family carefully; if they were unsuitable, she could sell the Heaven-grade secret realm to other forces for a substantial reward.

Wang Ruyan invited Murong Yuyao into Green Lotus Island and instructed Wang Mengfen to arrange lodging for her. Wang Ruyan then took Wang Tianwen to the assembly hall.

"Tianwen, what exactly happened?" Wang Ruyan asked. "The Murong Royal Family was just wiped out like that?" Wang Ruyan inquired about the details of the incident. Its implications were too significant, and she wouldn't be at ease until she understood the full story. Wang Tianwen recounted everything he knew in one go and suggested, "Old Ancestor, Miss Murong has been through a lot. Once Situ Mei is eliminated, we can leverage the Murong Royal Family's influence to expand our power in the Great Yan Dynasty." "Let's deal with Situ Mei first," she replied. "You didn't make any promises, did you?" "No, your grandson only promised to provide her with a safe place," he confirmed. "It's strange, though. When she met me, she said she wanted to come to the South Sea. She didn't seek help from the Great Yan Imperial Family. I wonder if the Great Yan Imperial Family mistreated the Murong Royal Family, or if there's some rift between them?" Wang Tianwen voiced his suspicion. It was indeed peculiar that Murong Yuyao, after such a major event, didn't seek assistance from the Great Yan Imperial Family but instead fled to the South Sea. "There are indeed suspicious points," Wang Ruyan instructed. "For now, take good care of her. When the time is right, she might tell us." Wang Ruyan reiterated her instructions, acknowledging that Murong Yuyao's direct flight to the South Sea after her escape was suspicious, but outsiders couldn't know the reason unless she spoke.

A series of hurried footsteps sounded, and Wang Qiuming entered. His face was grim. In a serious tone, he said, "Grandmother, Tianwen, something terrible has happened. The demon race of the Eastern Barrens has invaded the human race, and a full-scale war has erupted between the two. It seems Bai Ling'er of the Heavenly Fox clan was killed by a human Nascent Soul cultivator, and Bai Xin wants revenge for her." Wang Ruyan and Wang Tianwen were stunned; this news was too shocking. The annihilation of the Murong Royal Family could be explained, as they didn't have many top experts. However, the Heavenly Fox clan had a Divinity Transformation cultivator as their backing. Bai Ling'er had even caused a commotion during the reconstruction of Green Lotus Villa; everyone knew she was Bai Xin's descendant. Only someone insane would try to assassinate Bai Ling'er. Not only was the perpetrator senseless, but they also succeeded? This was simply unbelievable! Penetrating deep into demon territory to assassinate Bai Ling'er? This was no different from demons breaking into human territory to kill a Nascent Soul cultivator from the Taiyi Immortal Sect, and the difficulty was unimaginably high. What benefit could killing Bai Ling'er yield? Besides provoking a major war between humans and demons, there seemed to be no advantage!

"Where did you get this news?" Wang Ruyan asked, full of doubt. "Could Bai Ling'er really be killed so easily?" Wang Ruyan was perplexed. It wasn't strange for the demon race to invade the human race if Bai Ling'er was killed; if Wang Qingjing were killed by demons, Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan would also penetrate demon territory to avenge her. "It's news from our family's scouts, and also from the Taiyi Immortal Sect," Wang Qiuming replied. "This time, it's different from previous conflicts; the demon race has gone mad. The Six Great Immortal Sects have also dispatched large numbers of elites. Before I returned, I heard that ten Nascent Soul cultivators had already fallen, and seven Nascent Soul stage demons had also perished." Wang Qiuming's tone was grave. If multiple sources hadn't confirmed this news, he wouldn't have believed it. He had learned of it on his way back to the South Sea and had rushed back as quickly as possible to report it.

"When it rains, it pours," Wang Ruyan sighed, her face full of worry. "The Murong Royal Family in the Central Plains was destroyed, and Murong Yuyao barely escaped." She sighed with deep concern. After decades of hard-won peace, the Central Plains was in chaos, and the Eastern Barrens had followed suit. Would the South Sea be next? If any of Jiaoming Zhu, Wuying'er, Yan Guang, or Ao Xin were killed, it would cause immense repercussions. She had a strange feeling that someone was intentionally instigating the war. The risk of killing Bai Ling'er was too high; the culprit was either brainless or deliberately provoking a war between humans and demons. Could the "Great Tribulation" refer to these events?

"What? The Murong Royal Family was annihilated?" Wang Qiuming was dumbfounded. The news hadn't reached the South Sea yet, so he was indeed unaware.

"Old Ancestor, do you think Situ Mei could have done it?" Wang Tianwen proposed a bold hypothesis. "Did she kill Bai Ling'er?" "By calculation, the timing doesn't match," Wang Ruyan said, dismissing the idea. "Could the culprit cross billions of li in a short period? Even a flying spiritual treasure couldn't do that!" Wang Ruyan maintained her negative stance. Then, suddenly remembering something, she asked, "Oh, by the way, Qiuming, did you get the elixirs?" "Fellow Daoist Zhang provided one Three-Elemental Heart Protection Elixir and a bottle of Seven-Star Pills," Wang Qiuming replied. "Both are healing elixirs, and the Three-Elemental Heart Protection Elixir is more potent." Wang Qiuming took out two porcelain bottles and handed them to Wang Ruyan. "Excellent! Qiuming, Tianwen, you've worked hard. Go rest first! I'll take these elixirs to Qingjing and Qingjun right away." With that, Wang Ruyan transformed into a blue escape light and vanished into the air.

"Congratulations, Tianwen!" Wang Qiuming congratulated Wang Tianwen, acknowledging that the family had gained another Nascent Soul cultivator. Wang Tianwen bowed slightly and smiled, "If it weren't for the Old Ancestor's prestige, the Grand Princess wouldn't have given me the Nascent Soul spiritual item. This time, I plan to stay within the clan for some time to cultivate in seclusion." Wang Qiuming nodded and said, "That's excellent. These are troubled times, so you should avoid going out much and focus on your secluded cultivation within the clan." After a brief chat, the two parted ways, each returning to their own residences.