Chapter 623

Chapter 623: Primeval Emperor

The bone ship descended in Canglan City.

"Clan Leader, weren’t we going to Heaven’s Secret Pavilion?" Wu Tianyue asked in surprise.

"I heard you took in a disciple. Take me to see her," Wu Xuan said with a laugh.

Wu Tianyue’s face stiffened as she half-knelt on the ground. "Clan Leader, she’ll never disclose Witch Clan secrets! Please show mercy and spare her life!"

"I once forbade her joining because her bloodline was impure," Wu Xuan replied bitterly. "But now, the Witch Clan has suffered greatly. Our Witch Master has been devoured. Without change… we’ll fade from history."

Wu Tianyue trembled faintly.

"If she has talent, I’ll commit every Witch Clan resource to nurture her," Wu Xuan stated decisively.

"Yes."

Hearing this, Wu Tianyue’s worries vanished.

The two arrived at a secluded villa.

Lin Qianmo sat cultivating her physique beneath the Ancient Tree.

"Fine bone structure," Wu Xuan murmured, immortal light swirling in his eyes as he observed her. Suddenly, his gaze sharpened.

"Tianyue… who is her father?"

Wu Tianyue’s expression shifted slightly. "Xu You."

"Xu You?" Wu Xuan frowned. "Who is that? Why does that name mean nothing to me?"

"I only know he’s from the yin realm. His true identity remains unknown to me," Wu Tianyue answered.

"Enough." Wu Xuan pressed no further. "Leave her here for now. Once I unravel the truth behind the Witch Master’s fate, I’ll bring her to the clan for proper guidance."

"Her potential… rivals Wu Shaoyang’s."

"This disciple thanks you on her behalf," Wu Tianyue said joyfully.

Whoosh!

The two faded from view.

From beginning to end, Lin Qianmo remained unaware of their presence.

Heaven’s Secret Pavilion.

Wu Xuan and Wu Tianyue ascended the steps.

"The fame of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion is old, yet I’ve only now set foot here for the first time." As he studied the pavilion, his very Dao resonated with its presence.

"This old man, Wu Xuan, seeks an audience with the Master!"

Wu Xuan bowed deeply.

"You are too courteous, Daoist friend. Please come in quickly." Hearing the voice, Ye Xu snapped out of his thoughts and looked toward the entrance of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion.

"Master."

Wu Tianyue spoke respectfully.

"The Leader of the Dao Clan had barely left when you arrived, Daoist friend. Did the two of you arrange this?" Ye Xu chuckled lightly and called for Xixi, "Girl, prepare tea."

Xixi immediately set down the chess piece and began brewing and pouring tea for them both.

"On my way here, I also encountered him," Wu Xuan murmured sorrowfully. "I have never understood why it had to be our Ancestor."

Ye Xu’s gaze turned deep and thoughtful.

He too had pondered this question.

Why the Witch Master? Not the God Sovereign, not a Dao master, not even the Primordial Dao God.

Could it be because the Witch Master was the weakest?

"That shouldn’t be."

The three masters of Essence, Energy, and Spirit were born in the same era; their powers likely didn’t differ greatly.

"Master, I believe you already understand my purpose."

Wu Xuan rose from his seat and knelt on one knee. "Please help me."

"Your sincerity is moving, Daoist friend. I certainly won’t stand by idly," Ye Xu stated solemnly. "Rest assured, I will help you deduce the mastermind behind this."

"System, how many Hongmeng points are needed to inquire about the specific information regarding the culprit who devoured the Witch Master?"

Ding!

[7 quadrillion Hongmeng points.]

Ye Xu was astounded.

After all, all the secrets of the yin and yang realms combined required only 8 quadrillion Hongmeng points. Yet the specific information about this individual alone demanded 7 quadrillion.

This clearly revealed how terrifying the origin of this figure truly was.

"Daoist friend, if you can provide 800 quadrillion divine stones, I can disclose all information regarding this person." Ye Xu revealed a thoughtful expression. "Including his whereabouts."

"Eight… eight hundred quadrillion?"

Wu Tianyue’s expression underwent a great change.

At the same moment.

Both Luo Nishang and Xixi, who had been playing chess, froze in place.

"So much money…" Xixi blinked, wiped the corner of her mouth with her sleeve, and cast a sidelong glance at the chessboard—suddenly, the game seemed utterly uninteresting.

Wu Xuan frowned deeply.

"Master, 800 quadrillion divine stones… the Witch Clan cannot produce such an amount," Wu Xuan said with a bitter smile.

Ye Xu wasn’t particularly surprised.

Even someone as powerful as himself required 999 quadrillion Hongmeng points to Ascend to Dao One. Anyone who could furnish 800 quadrillion divine stones would be formidable indeed.

"Alas…"

Ye Xu softly sighed.

"Master need not sigh; this old man knows Heaven’s Secret Pavilion’s rules," Wu Xuan said solemnly. "This specific information about the person, being so costly… this old man cannot afford it."

"I wonder if Master could deduce his name?"

"His name?"

Ye Xu’s expression shifted slightly.

"System, query whether this entity possesses a uniquely identifying name. Is it possible?"

By ‘uniqueness,’ he meant a name that could singularly identify an individual.

Aliases and nicknames were excluded from this category.

[It can.]

"How many Hongmeng points would that cost?"

[One thousand eight hundred trillion Hongmeng points.]

A heavy weight settled in Ye Xu’s heart. A mere name requiring one thousand eight hundred trillion points? Just who was this entity?

Could such a terrifying figure truly exist within the Hongmeng Dao Realm?

He took a deep breath and turned to Wu Xuan. "Daoist friend, for two hundred fifty trillion divine stones, I can reveal this individual’s name."

"Deal!"

Wu Xu gritted his teeth. Activating his cave world, he materialized the Great Wilderness Furnace. Primordial power surged as faint silhouettes of a colossus, colossal enough to prop up the heavens and support the earth, flickered within its core.

"Patriarch, that is Ancestor’s innate treasures!" Wu Tianyue exclaimed in shock.

Wu Xuan was helpless.

Having lost both a Dao Ancestor and a Great Celestial Lord during the third epoch of disaster soil, forfeited an epochal treasure, the Witch Clan simply lacked two hundred fifty trillion divine stones.

The Great Wilderness Furnace was their only recourse.

"Daoist friend, consider carefully," Ye Xu cautioned, not rushing to claim the furnace. "This legacy of your Witch Master also safeguards the Witch Clan."

"I can grant you time."

Ye Xu pondered briefly. "You may mortgage the Great Wilderness Furnace at Heaven’s Secret Pavilion. If you can gather sufficient divine stones within a year, I shall return it."

"Naturally, you must pay diligently."

He currently possessed one thousand eight hundred trillion Hongmeng points.

Enough to cover the cost.

After all, ascension to Dao One required vast sums he couldn’t amass immediately. Granting the Witch Clan this favor suited his purpose just fine.

More crucially, he had his own designs.

"This old man bows gratitude to you, Master!" Wu Xuan froze momentarily, then crashed to his knees, tears streaming through aged wrinkles. "Wu Xuan swears here: command me in days to come, and even through mountains of blades or seas of fire, ten thousand deaths won’t deter me!"

Ye Xu sighed softly, lightly raising a hand. An unseen force gently lifted Wu Xuan.

"Daoist friend, gratitude is unnecessary. We are merely transacting business."

Wu Tianyue was also subtly moved.

In her eyes, at this moment, Ye Xu no longer seemed the cutthroat merchant of common repute.

Seniors truly exude such human warmth today… Xixi mused silently.

Shortly after, Wu Xuan produced his entire fortune: two epochal treasures, several immortal roots, and numerous Great Celestial Lord treasures. Accounted together, they totaled one hundred trillion Hongmeng points.

"Daoist friend, I declare beforehand," Ye Xu smiled, "Mortgaging the Great Wilderness Furnace for a year grants me usage rights during that time. Rest assured, if you gather enough divine stones within the year, it will be returned intact."

"This old man has no objections," Wu Xuan acknowledged.

Now possessing the Great Wilderness Furnace… whenever Mu Fanyin runs errands, any troublemaker she encounters—even a Dao Ancestor—can be smashed outright!

This was precisely Ye Xu’s scheme.

"System, immediately query the mastermind’s true name now."

Ding!

[Congratulations, Host. Expending one thousand eight hundred trillion Hongmeng points, the query succeeded.]

Ye Xu held his breath.

A moment later.

A name crystallized within his mind.

Primeval Emperor.