Nine Astra Skies

“Using it to make fish soup… That’s too wasteful. Still, this isn’t a bad plan at all. Keeping the flesh of the Purple-gold Divine Fish with us would ultimately attract more trouble.” Master Apothecary Xuanyi had noticed the reactions of Lei Yi and the rest and sighed to himself. In terms of moral character, Lei Yi and the rest were still lacking compared to Li Xu. Master Apothecary Xuanyi had been thinking, after the medicinal pills were refined and produced, if he should distribute some of his twenty percent to Lei Yi and the rest. However, now he was not sure if that was the right thing to do. At the moment, Master Apothecary Xuanyi was rather agitated. He was not married but in his mind, these apprentices were like his children.

In the face of immense benefits, the greedy nature of some people would be laid bare.

Ye Chen knew that he had to plan ahead. One should not flaunt one’s wealth. He had unintentionally caught this Purple-gold Divine Fish, so he was now in the center of this mess. Ye Chen could not possibly hide behind Master Apothecary Xuanyi forever!

With Master Apothecary Xuanyi around, most forces would not dare to attack him but there were no guarantees. The backgrounds of Lei Yi and Yan Cheng were not as simple as it seemed. As for Hao Feng, who was from the so-called number one family of the Xiwu Empire – this was inconsequential to Ye Chen.

The sky had turned dark and everyone returned to Xuan Pavilion.

“Everyone else may leave. Ye Chen, Li Xu, follow me. Little Wingsy, come along too!” Master Apothecary Xuanyi said as he strode into the main hall of Xuan Pavilion.

Lei Yi, Yan Cheng, and the rest watched these four figures disappear into the corridors of Xuan Pavilion. Their faces darkened further.

Ye Chen and Little Wingsy followed behind Master Apothecary Xuanyi. As soon as they entered the hall, a boy rushed up to Master Apothecary Xuanyi.

“Master, Great Emperor Mingwu has been waiting in the drawing room for a long time,” the boy bowed toward Master Apothecary Xuanyi as he spoke.

“Mingwu?” Master Apothecary Xuanyi’s face turned solemn.

Ye Chen felt a jolt in his heart. Great Emperor Mingwu had arrived so quickly! This would not do. Ye Chen needed to deal with the flesh of the Purple-gold Divine Fish as soon as he could. Otherwise, it would be risky to carry it with him!

“Ye Chen, Little Wingsy, go to the alchemy room. Li Xu, send out a messenger hawk asking Hong Yi, Kuang Lei, Bai Feng, and the other four to come over. I’ll start up the furnace and begin refining and producing the pills. Have them stand guard!” Master Apothecary Xuanyi said gravely.

“Yes, Master.” Li Xu nodded as his heart clenched. This time, his master required seven people to stand guard while he was refining and producing the pills.

No one would dare to underestimate the strength of a Master Apothecary. Master Apothecary Xuanyi himself was a top Earthly Venerable Rank powerhouse. Under his command, he had seven Earthly Venerable Rank fighters as well. These Earthly Venerable Rank fighters came from various countries and had followed Master Apothecary Xuanyi for decades. They obeyed no one but him for they were fiercely loyal to him. In the past, whenever Master Apothecary Xuanyi refined and produced pills, only one of them was required to stand guard. However, seven of them were required now. One could see that Master Apothecary Xuanyi was being very cautious.

He headed toward the drawing room in large steps.

After a moment, the messenger hawk fluttered and took flight.

Ye Chen shot a glance at Master Apothecary Xuanyi’s departing figure, then led Little Wingsy into an alchemy room by the side. Xuan Pavilion had more than ten alchemy rooms. This was the largest one, which housed no fewer than five massive refining furnaces, each over three meters tall. Various mystical beasts were engraved upon the furnaces and the entire room appeared dignified and solemn.

“Big Brother Ye Chen, if that Mingwu guy wants to steal the Purple-gold Divine Fish, I’ll beat the living cr*p out of him!” Little Wingsy waved his fist as he spoke huffily. He was innately intelligent and could tell that at this point, everyone wanted to get their hands on Purple-gold Divine Fish.

Ye Chen smiled and stroked Little Wingsy’s head. If Little Wingsy was at his peak, then they would have nothing to be afraid of. Nonetheless, currently, Little Wingsy had not recovered fully from his injuries. He was only at the Earthly Venerable Rank, not even the top Earthly Venerable Rank whereas Mingwu was a Heavenly Venerable Rank powerhouse!

Ye Chen extended his Astral Body toward the drawing room, wishing to see what Great Emperor Mingwu was saying to Master Apothecary Xuanyi.

The middle-aged person in a splendid robe, sitting in a chair, sipping tea, must be Great Emperor Mingwu. Great Emperor Mingwu had a tall build with a militant, overbearing aura. Although he was wearing an embroidered robe typically worn for leisure, one could still sense the explosive power contained within his body. Even his gestures carried the severe force of a superior man. A force like this was entirely different from the haughtiness of the Second-rank Prince of Donglin. The former caused one to feel an indescribable pressure.

“Master Apothecary,” when Great Emperor Mingwu spotted Master Apothecary Xuanyi, he pursed his lips into a smile, greeting him placidly.

Master Apothecary Xuanyi nodded slightly. He had been in the Xiwu Empire for twenty years and was considered an old friend of Great Emperor Mingwu. Great Emperor Mingwu’s position as the Xiwu Empire’s emperor was of no consequence when it came to Master Apothecary Xuanyi. He said, “I’m starting up the furnace immediately and will need to be secluded for two months. You’ve come at the wrong time.”

Master Apothecary Xuanyi’s expression was not a pleasant one. He knew that Great Emperor Mingwu had come for the Purple-gold Divine Fish. If Great Emperor Mingwu overstepped his boundaries, Master Apothecary Xuanyi would certainly turn hostile.

“Secluded for two months?” Great Emperor Mingwu took a sip of his tea and guffawed. “I’ve heard that you’ve recently caught a Purple-gold Divine Fish while fishing at Lake Nekros?”

“It was an apprentice of mine who caught it. We’ve had a previous agreement that if I stay within the borders of Xiwu, you won’t get involved in what my apprentices catch while fishing at Lake Nekros.” Master Apothecary Xuanyi was thoroughly disappointed. Great Emperor Mingwu was just like Lei Yi and the rest. A single Purple-gold Divine Fish had caused these people to reveal their true nature. “This Purple-gold Divine Fish was caught by that apprentice. I, Xuanyi, would never take it for my own. But if someone else tries to seize something that belongs to an apprentice under my tutelage, I’ll show that I’m not so easily bullied!”

Master Apothecary Xuanyi was famous for being protective. As long as those under his tutelage did not intentionally cause trouble, if they were treated badly outside, Master Apothecary Xuanyi would gather his forces to assert his dominance. Therefore, the major clans of the Capital City would avoid confrontations with Master Apothecary Xuanyi’s apprentices, even if they were only registered apprentices.

“Master Apothecary, you’re mistaken. My word is sacred. Naturally, this Purple-gold Divine Fish belongs to that apprentice under your tutelage.” Great Emperor Mingwu chuckled. Master Apothecary Xuanyi was focused on alchemy and was not used to the ways of the world. Thus, his manner was very direct. Having known Master Apothecary Xuanyi for so many years, Great Emperor Mingwu had gotten used to Master Apothecary Xuanyi’s temper and was therefore not angry.

Upon hearing this, Master Apothecary Xuanyi’s face softened somewhat and he asked, “Then what are you doing here?”

“I came over to ask if you need any help. You have many apprentices under your tutelage, so it’s difficult to keep secrets. If news of this reached the Three Major Sects, I’m afraid they may cause trouble for you. After all, not just anyone can resist the lure of the Purple-gold Divine Fish. Each of those three old fellows is a crafty rogue!” Great Emperor Mingwu said calmly.

Master Apothecary Xuanyi’s heart sank. It was true that if those Three Major Sects made their way here, Master Apothecary Xuanyi would not be able to hold them off with his current power. His only fault was that he was too engrossed in alchemy and was a stranger to cultivation. Otherwise, based on his skills as a Master Apothecary, he would have become a fighter of Heavenly Venerable Rank or higher long ago. He would not have to be this passive.

No one could have predicted that Ye Chen would catch a Purple-gold Divine Fish!

“Master Apothecary, you’ve been in my Xiwu Empire for so many years. In my heart, you’re like family. If those from the Three Major Sects come over, I’ll deal with them and ensure that your production of medicinal pills is successful,” Great Emperor Mingwu said sincerely as he looked at Master Apothecary Xuanyi.

Master Apothecary Xuanyi shot a glance at Great Emperor Mingwu. Some people would use sneaky plots to steal the Purple-gold Divine Fish whereas the emperor was frank and overt about his intentions. Still, at least this was not off-putting to Master Apothecary Xuanyi. After a moment of silence, he said, “The Purple-gold Divine Fish belongs to that apprentice. I have no say in that matter. What I’m responsible for is refining and producing the pills. I can put aside twenty percent and give ten percent of that to you. If the Three Major Sects show up, you’ll have to step in!”

“Rest assured, Master Apothecary. With me around, the Three Major Sects can’t cause too much trouble.” Great Emperor Mingwu grinned. The function of the medicinal pills was much greater than the fish. In terms of effect, ten percent of the medicinal pills were on par with half of the Purple-gold Divine Fish. Moreover, Great Emperor Mingwu would be on Master Apothecary Xuanyi’s good side. Why should he not choose this option? The emperor knew countless people and he had come to comprehend Master Apothecary Xuanyi’s temperament long ago. If he tried to seize the Purple-gold Divine Fish by force, Master Apothecary Xuanyi would surely erupt in fury and even fight him to the death. Moreover, there were already quite a few powerhouses under Master Apothecary Xuanyi’s command. Conversely, if Great Emperor Mingwu contributed a small effort, Master Apothecary Xuanyi would not let him go home empty-handed.

“I’m going to refine and produce the medicinal pills. I’ll update you in two months. Make yourself comfortable.” Master Apothecary Xuanyi stood up.

“Very well.” Great Emperor Mingwu saw that Master Apothecary Xuanyi was leaving and stood up with a smile.

After Master Apothecary Xuanyi had left, Great Emperor Mingwu suddenly had a strange feeling as if someone was spying on them. The emperor’s eyes flashed with a sharp glint as he looked around but he discovered nothing. Had he imagined it? Frowning, Great Emperor Mingwu strode out of the main hall.

Ye Chen had withdrawn his Astral Body, mumbling to himself. Great Emperor Mingwu’s way of doing things was different than most people indeed. Due to Yin Mengtian’s previous positive comments and in addition to what Ye Chen saw today, Ye Chen’s impression of Great Emperor Mingwu was not a bad one. If the emperor was willing to help them fend off those from the Three Major Sects, sacrificing ten percent of the medicinal pills was worth it.

In terms of strength, Great Emperor Mingwu was more formidable than the Heavenly Venerable Rank fighter he had seen in the Sunken Jade Tower. Great Emperor Mingwu was very likely already at the top of the Heavenly Venerable Rank! With the emperor keeping watch, Master Apothecary Xuanyi could focus on his alchemy with zero worries.

Oh, power – how should one rapidly increase one’s power?

Ye Chen must reach the Earthly Venerable Rank at least. Only then, in addition to Little Wingsy, would he have the ability to protect himself!

In a short time, Ye Chen had started out from a handicapped person whose meridian channels were cut off to a swift breakthrough and until today, where he was at the mid-Tenth Level. This was something many people had no way of achieving even after decades. After the Tenth Level, cultivation was even tougher. It was immensely challenging to take even one step toward the highest level of achievement. Ye Chen must seize these two months while Master Apothecary Xuanyi was refining and producing medicinal pills, to improve his cultivation base. Otherwise, even if the Purple-gold Divine Fish was refined into pills and consumed by them, they would still face constant trouble in the future!

As Ye Chen was thinking about this, Master Apothecary Xuanyi walked into the alchemy room.

“Li Xu, tell the apprentices under my tutelage that no one is to approach this alchemy room. Prepare the materials and other necessary items. I’ll be in seclusion for two months. These two months would be the perfect time to teach Ye Chen some alchemy,” Master Apothecary Xuanyi said. If Ye Chen learned from him during this round of refining and producing pills, it would be tremendously beneficial to Ye Chen’s future in the path of alchemy.