Chapter 568: Chapter 568: The Saint Heir’s Open Plot

At the same time, Ye Qingchen suspected that Elder Yang’s insistence on him winning the championship before the assessment was likely related to the Ten Ancient Clans.

As for what the disciple from earlier said, that the Ten Ancient Clans were too dignified to resort to conspiracy, Ye Qingchen was even more dismissive. Wasn’t it a powerful Saint Heir from the Ten Ancient Clans who used my own life to coerce Qin Yue into leaving with him?

However, Ye Qingchen also understood that now that he was here, he had to be cautious, regardless of any potential schemes.

Seeing Ye Qingchen remain silent, Li Chunsheng thought for a moment before continuing, "Junior Brother Ye, our team’s strength wasn’t very high at the start, so I was eager to join forces with other teams. But just now, I saw that you have the combat power of at least a third-level Martial Emperor Realm, which makes you one of the top experts in this Secret Realm. I’m now thinking we should seek out the opportunities within this realm to enhance our own strength. What do you think?"

Ye Qingchen nodded. "Senior Brother Li, your words are exactly what I was thinking. Let’s move out and search for opportunities."

Everyone grew excited upon hearing Ye Qingchen’s words.

Since this was a Secret Realm belonging to the Ten Ancient Clans, the opportunities within were bound to be heaven-defying. If they were lucky enough to obtain one, a rapid increase in strength was highly possible.

Whether for this assessment or for the chance to enter the Demon Clan Battlefield in the future, everyone here had a single goal: to become stronger.

Unlike Li Chunsheng, Ye Qingchen didn’t choose a direction at random. Instead, he determined the most promising direction by analyzing the fluctuations in Spiritual Energy and observing the medicinal herbs along their path. After all, a Secret Realm is an artificial space, and its various treasures inevitably alter the flow of nature’s spiritual energy. By following this logic and searching carefully, we’re bound to make a discovery!

「Outside a bamboo house among the Ten Ancient Clans.」

A massive Energy screen was projected over the lotus pond in front of the Saint Heir, clearly displaying the figures of Ye Qingchen and his team.

Li Rui stood respectfully behind the Saint Heir, not daring to speak without permission.

Meanwhile, Qin Yue’s gaze was fixated on Ye Qingchen’s image on the screen. Her clear, beautiful eyes shimmered as a misty vapor welled up within them, though she herself didn’t even notice when they had grown moist.

It was this very Saint Heir who had proposed that the four major academies use this Secret Realm.

Although the Saint Heir had Li Rui arrange everything, he still felt a little uneasy. Thus, he had devised this method to monitor Ye Qingchen’s every move from here.

To the Ten Ancient Clans, this Secret Realm was not particularly important. Given the Saint Heir’s status, he could naturally make use of it as he pleased.

As for the four major academies, upon learning the proposal came from this particular Saint Heir, they all readily agreed as a show of respect.

The Saint Heir spoke flatly, "Li Rui, are you saying that old fellow from Central Celestial Academy disagreed during the discussion?"

Li Rui quickly nodded and replied, "Reporting to the Saint Heir, that old fellow refused. He claimed that since the Ten Ancient Clans held control, it gave the appearance of unfairness. However, the deans of the other three academies agreed, so his sole objection was useless."

The Saint Heir sneered. "It seems Central Celestial Academy doesn’t hold This Holy Son in high regard. If not for Elder Yang’s presence there, I would have already taught them a lesson!" 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

A flash of killing intent emanated from the Saint Heir, and Li Rui shuddered, too terrified to speak.

Qin Yue said scornfully, "I never thought there was someone you feared. And with this whole spectacle you’ve arranged, you can’t possibly just be trying to do a good deed, can you?"

The Saint Heir’s nonchalant smile returned as he looked at Qin Yue. "Don’t you long for Ye Qingchen day and night? I’m simply doing this to help alleviate your lovesickness."

Qin Yue snorted and said nothing. With her worldly experience, she didn’t believe for a second that this Saint Heir was so benevolent. He has undoubtedly gone to all this trouble for some other reason!

And sure enough, after seeing the current position of Ye Qingchen’s group, the Saint Heir instructed Li Rui, "Simply watching them explore for treasure is too dull. Relay Ye Qingchen’s location to the nearest team. There are some rather nice opportunities over there, you know."

Li Rui nodded and began using the formation to transmit the message to those inside the Secret Realm.

Qin Yue was shocked. She said coldly, "You’re manipulating the assessment and openly cheating! You’re despicable! You offered up this Secret Realm just to create trouble for Qingchen. Don’t you think that’s pathetic?"

The Saint Heir just smiled at Qin Yue’s insults. "Miss Qin Yue, you’ve gravely misunderstood my kindness! You shouldn’t always assume the worst of me. You must know, this boy is destined for the Demon Clan Battlefield. What I’m doing now is merely a test of his strength. If he’s not strong enough, going to the Demon Clan Battlefield would be a death sentence. It’s better to eliminate him here in the Secret Realm. This way, Ye Qingchen can at least keep his life and avoid becoming fodder for the Demon Clan in the Devil’s Den Battlefield."

Hearing this, Qin Yue flew into a rage and began cursing him endlessly.

The Saint Heir, however, only laughed heartily. He continued to watch the light screen with a playful expression, a cold sneer forming on his lips. Ye Qingchen! I won’t let you die so quickly. We’ll take our time with this!

「...」

"Senior Brother Li, there’s an Illusion Array not far ahead," Ye Qingchen said, pointing toward a fog-shrouded area. "Tell everyone to be careful. I’m going to try and break it."

Li Chunsheng nodded and began relaying the instructions to the rest of the team.

By now, everyone held Ye Qingchen in the highest regard. Along the way, he had demonstrated not only extraordinary strength but also a talent for finding treasures and navigating that was worthy of endless praise. They hadn’t been traveling long, yet the group had already reaped a bountiful harvest.

So when Ye Qingchen discovered a formation, they weren’t worried at all. Instead, they felt a flicker of excitement, as the appearance of a formation usually meant a great opportunity was hidden behind it.

Ye Qingchen studied the formation before him. It was a sixth-rank Illusion Array.

Although Ye Qingchen was currently only a fifth-rank Array Master, his profound understanding of formations, augmented by his Dual Pupil Martial Soul, gave him full confidence he could break this Illusion Array. It would simply take a little more time.

Generally, the higher the rank of a formation, the greater the opportunity hidden within. This was why Ye Qingchen was so eager to break it.

After instructing Li Chunsheng, Ye Qingchen strode resolutely into the formation.

Li Chunsheng gathered the remaining team members to wait for Ye Qingchen to succeed. They all sat down together and began to chat idly. After all, they had already killed all the fierce beasts they had encountered on their path. Aside from the Illusion Array itself, there seemed to be no other dangers, so everyone felt quite relaxed.