Consuming Earths, Devouring Skies

Yan Zaizen? Who the hell was that?

Elder Mei was confused, and her wildly fluctuating aura dwindled. There was no reason to be hostile to an unknown individual if the reason they arrived wasn't something they could fulfill. However, she decided to be thorough, asking, "Yan Zaizen?"

The man in the black mask didn't respond for awhile, as if contemplating Elder Mei's response and reaction. Elder Mei saw his silence and felt the man properly realized she knew nothing of this disciple of his. It's possible he was confused, and therefore felt a little lost.

After a long moment, he spoke with that odd voice that was filled with ambiguity, "Three years ago, I found a boy with an exceptional comprehensive ability towards the laws. Unfortunately, he and I were separated. Two years ago, he was launched into chaotic space after a spatial platform had been tampered with mid-activation. He escaped thanks to an Item I gave him, but he was sent away to this location. It took me time to find out that he was sent into the Imperial Palace of Grux." The man's explanation laid all of it out there.

Elder Mei couldn't tell if he was lying or not. For one, it's indeed possible to be sent to chaotic space by a tampered spatial platform, but getting out was much harder. If this story was true, the item used would definitely be a world-class treasure. Unfortunately, she truly did not know of any incident where someone appeared in the Imperial Palace by mistake, if they did, it's likely she would've known and they'd have been dealt with properly.

"I don't know of any Yan Zaizen or individual that fits your description." She said decisively, about to take off and ignore this man.

"I located the area where he should've been sent. It's located within the little girl called Grux Diyi's bath. Ask her or I'll do it myself." His voice contained traces of a threat. He obviously wasn't willing to let things sit as is.

This threat touched Elder Mei's reverse scale, and she immediately erupted with her cultivation base. "You dare threaten the Imperial Palace?!" She thundered into action, using an exceptionally ghosty movement art, she vanished, appearing above the masked man with her palm striking downwards.

"Die." Her voice was filled with chilling killing intent. This palm lit up in light as qi-essence exploded outwards. A cerulean beam of energy shot out attempting to penetrate the masked man's figure. This attack at this range could cause the death of an initial-Origin Core Realm expert if careless. However, the masked man didn't seem frightened or even remotely reacting to her actions, as if the attack was inconsequential.

A silver-blue light surged outwards from his body, this silver-blue light solidified into a barrier surrounding the masked man's figure, and the cerulean beam smashed heavily against it. It reverberated slightly, but nothing more.

Elder Mei's eyes widened greatly afterward. "Soul Cultivation?!" She immediately distanced herself, performing a qi-art to guard her soul form, and stared at this man with an extraordinary level of newly displayed vigilance.

Earlier, that was nothing more than a probing attack, but it gave her so much information. Initially, she didn't take the transmission to heart, but now she realized she had to re-evaluate her plan of action. Soul cultivators were incredibly difficult to deal with due to their methods, and the speed of their soul energy was far faster than qi due to its composition.

"Who are you?" She asked once more, but this time with less arrogance in her voice.

"Where is my disciple?" The masked man countered. "You have three minutes. If you do not provide an answer, I kill everyone on board." Those words caused Elder Mei's expression to stiffen, and then to become incomparably frightened. Initially, she didn't have time to consider every aspect of how her attack was defended against, but now realizing what had just transpired, she was filled with fear.

She directly turned around and flew back to the skyship, her mind thinking of the situation. "A soul cultivation at the Initial Aurora Soul would only have the Corporeal Strength of an initial-Origin Core Realm cultivator at most. Even still, it couldn't easily block my probing attack. Which means…" She mumbled, her expression becoming worse and worse with every word.

After she deduced that the masked man's cultivation was likely at the Advanced Aurora Soul Realm, her entire body shivered. Regardless of the methods they've prepared, this was not something they could stop with the individuals or formations they have on board. If they requested the Xiāo City's Lord for help and he acted, then the situation could be dealt with. However, everyone knew his relationship with the Imperial Family was less than amicable. If it wasn't for Lady Su's Father, it's unlikely he would've helped concoct a pill for an Imperial Member.

When she returned back to the skyship, her expression was solemn. The others who saw that also took solemn expressions in response. Prince Ren still maintained his calm expression and took the initiative to ask, "What happened?"

Elder Mei turned, looked at Lady Di, and felt odd. She was silent for a long moment, causing everyone's eyes to focus on Lady Di in curiosity. Elder Mei asked with anger causing her voice to tremble, "WHO DID YOU OFFEND?!" She was exceptionally loud, and everyone on the skyship heard her voice. All the Origin Core Cultivators, including Elder Lu, was startled. Even Prince Ren looked at Lady Di with shock for the first time.

As a cultivator at the late-Origin Core Realm, it was rare for her to lose her calm, but the situation felt incredibly stifling. If Prince Ren had offended someone, then she would fight to the death as is her duty, but if it was due to someone that she wasn't tasked to protect — or even liked — she truly felt like throwing them to the wolves.

Elder Mei calmed herself down and explained the situation. As each word of the situation was revealed, including the cultivation of the assailant and his intentions if they do not inform him of his disciple's whereabouts.

Elder Lu's expression was the gloomiest of the group from hearing this story.

In hindsight, it made little sense for a young boy like that to suddenly appear and escape chaotic space. Originally, he just believed something went wrong with the coordinates, and he was purposefully sent there to be dealt with. After some thought, that didn't seem like it was possible. The imperial palace had mechanisms to prevent being spatial transmitted into the palace for obvious reasons. When he thought of it before, he dismissed it because there were holes in any and all systems, but now that it was explained, he felt dumb.

If Elder Lu's expression was like this, one could imagine Lady Di's. Initially, she didn't care about offending whoever, but now she truly was scared. Elder Mei had anger in her voice, and everyone looked at her with odd expressions, and some of them even felt schadenfreude at her predicament. However, none of them realized the severity of the situation until Elder Lu explained the situation.

"Yan Zaizen is the name of a boy we know. He intruded randomly in the imperial palace and was mistaken as an assassin, but after determining he wasn't, the punishment for intruding into the palace was given." Elder Lu felt a little bit of helplessness. He knew back then that what they did wasn't right, and now look at the situation that developed as a result.

He truly felt remorseful.

Prince Ren spoke up at this moment, "He's dead?"

Elder Lu couldn't answer that directly.

"Then, where?"

Lady Di ultimately responded, "He was sent to the Deep Mines." When she spoke, everyone looked towards her in unison, and their expressions turned incomparably ugly. Each one of them knew of the mortality rate in the Deep Mines, it was pretty much 99.99%. A majority of people die within the year of being sent there and the treatment they received was horrendous. The only few that survive are those sentenced to a few months in the Deep Mines as casual punishment.

"How long has he been there?" Prince Ren asked.

"..." Lady Di stayed silent, her expression slowly becoming uglier.

"Two years ago." Elder Lu spoke, his expression couldn't be gloomier. After that was said, every last person's expression turned as gloomy. This entire situation was just unfortunate. They didn't even consider Yan Zaizen's survival, automatically assuming his death.

"What are our choices?" Prince Ren was the only one who kept a cool-head at this moment, displaying his natural talents in the face of adversity. It truly brought the tense atmosphere down a few notches.

Elder Mei responded, "We can attempt to run back to Xiāo City, and hope the Xiāo City's Lord would intervene, giving our Imperial Palace face. If we do that, he'll likely strike but with the defensive formations on the skyship, we may be able to make it." Despite her suggesting this, she knew the truth of the matter and the likelihood of that happening was even lower than Yan Zaizen surviving two years in the Deep Mines.

"We can attempt to have a conversation, tell him the truth, and see how it plays out." Elder Lu said, but he wasn't optimistic. If his disciple was sent to the Deep Mines, he would kill everyone involved. Why wouldn't he?

One of the Origin Core Elders, a person from the Dai Dukedom, spoke up, offering an alternative, "I'll be blunt. Both of your plans end up with all of us dead. We only have two true courses of action, and I'm sure Prince Ren knows them well." This elder looked at Prince Ren, as did everyone else, and waited. His job was to protect Lady Su. As for everyone else?

Everyone else be damned!

Regardless of what they suggested, Prince Ren would be the one who made the final decision, but the question was: could he?

Prince Ren furrowed his brow in contemplation. Elder Lu and Lady Di's expression turned incomparably dark, and they weren't ignorant in regards to these 'two' choices.

First Choice: Inform him the truth, then give him Lady Di and Elder Lu as a form of apology, the two responsible for the death of his disciple, and handle the situation from there.

Second Choice: Fight to the death and hope.

Besides these two choices, the other choices had a chance of backfiring. He wasn't ignorant of the City Lord's distaste for the imperial family, and he knew that anything else would be suicide. If only True Essence Cultivators could teleport, but they'd never be able to arrive in an hour let alone in a few minutes.

Lady Di shouted courageously, "We should fight!" Her response was an obvious and expected one. She didn't wish to die, and if she was given up, could her father blame Prince Ren? No. It's likely her father would be removed from his position due to this regardless, and could even be killed to prevent a possibility of rebellion. It would weaken the empire, but at least there wouldn't be an unknown variable lingering near the Imperial Family like an aggrieved knife.

If they all died because she handled a situation poorly in the past, her father would offend everyone and his fate probably won't be any better than hers.

Either choice just leads to hell.

Prince Ren heard Lady Di's words and could read her thoughts, he shook his head in refusal. If the cultivator was just a normal True Essence Cultivator, sure, fight to the death! However, he was a soul cultivator. If he was a master, then with a single word, he could wipe out all of their souls. Their protective armaments could do nothing to block it. It wouldn't be a fight; it would be a massacre.

As for running away, could they outrun soul energy? The answer was simple: no. Soul energy was the fastest form of energy without laws backing it. It would be impossible to outrun for a few hundred meters let alone a few li.

"Invite him aboard. Regardless, we'll inform him of his disciple's situation and move on from there." He instructed Elder Mei. She sighed hopelessly and took off. They all knew the decision he made. Elder Lu and Lady Di's expression fell, and Lady Di screamed, "If you're bringing that man on-board, then we'll leave! Let's go, Elder Lu!" She attempted to take off, but Elder Lu blocked her, shaking his head in refusal.

"If we leave, we're dead. We're not going to be able to escape his spiritual sense or soul energy range. Right now, the best thing we can do is wait." He understood the situation, and if they left, it was the same as suicide. They just got to hope that Prince Ren could work something out. Prince Ren never said he would be giving them up, and if anyone could come up with a plan, it was him.

As for Prince Ren, his eyes revealed a calm decisiveness and willingness to gamble. He withdrew a silver jade talisman and crushed it soon after.