The Sea of Innocence.
Even before arriving in the God Realm, he’d heard of this place from the Wish God. He’d long since known of the Sea of Innocence’s existence.
He’d ascended to the Northern Divine Mountain after arriving in the God Realm, the Sea of Innocence’s base, giving him an even deeper impression of this faction.
He recalled how the cultivators of the Northern Divine Mountain labeled the Sea of Innocence: their Holy Land. The Northern Divine Mountain’s Holy Land.
The boss behind the scenes of the Skyspan Trading Company.
The founders of Skyspan Academy.
A transcendent faction, their power ranked second amongst all factions of the God Realm.
Ye Zichen had his unique, individual impression of the place too.
Xue Honghong was a member of the Sea of Innocence too.
His relationship with the Sea of Innocence had never waned. Under the Sea of Innocence’s ruler, the cultivators of the Northern Divine Mountain lived in relative peace and harmony.
Ye Zichen had always wanted to come see the place for himself, but he’d never gotten the chance.
Now that he truly stepped forth into the Sea of Innocence’s azure waters, he felt untold danger lurking beneath the water’s surface. It felt similar to the River Styx; there were undoubtedly countless terrifyingly strong vicious beasts beneath the waves. In fact, the Sea of Innocence gave him an even greater sense of pressure than the River Styx had.
Before long, Ye Zichen noticed a tiny island in the center of the vast stretch of ocean.
On it was a small city, the Sea of Innocence’s base.
“No wonder the overall level of the Sea of Innocence’s cultivators is so high. They have no choice! Just crossing this treacherous patch of ocean and reaching the city requires at least a seventh-stage diviner-level cultivation, I bet.” Ye Zichen surveyed the endless waters. He couldn’t help but exclaim inwardly.
The group flew over the water and into the city, then landed atop a mountain several thousand meters tall.
This was where the Sea of Innocence’s Xue Family lived.
Ye Zichen shook his head. “No need. I’d like to see Xue Mo first.”
Xue Yang and the others glanced at each other, nodded, and headed towards her room.
On their way, there were no signs of anyone stationed as guards. There weren’t any servants or staff, either.
This was actually one of Xue Yang’s rules.
If clansmen wanted something done, they had to do it themselves. He didn’t even pamper his heirs.
As for guards…
They simply weren’t needed!
What guards could outdo someone with the Xue Family’s bloodline?
The whole clan lived on the mountain, but there weren’t seals outside, nor were there any walls or other barriers. Everyone in the Sea of Innocence knew that this was the Xue Family’s private residence.
The main estate had no wall, but that wasn’t all: none of the individual buildings were enclosed either. Instead, each room was surrounded by flowers or medicinal herbs. There was nothing indicating who planted them or who they belonged to.
Compared to other family clans, the Xue Family seemed harmonious and laid back.
Xue Beibei sat on a stump kicking the air. It was unclear what she was thinking about, but her expression was unsightly.
“Daddy!” At that moment, she saw their group, including Xue Yang, and she rushed over to greet them.
“Who is in Little Mo’s room?” asked Xue Yang.
“Just Grandpa Hermit Emperor. He told me to wait here for you. He said that when you arrived, you should go see him directly,” said Beibei. “He said Ye Zichen was coming too. Why don’t I see him?”
Xue Beibei served the group several times before finally noticing Ye Zichen. “Ah! You….”
She pointed right at his face. He was currently dr.a.p.ed in black robes, so it was difficult to notice his missing arm. Even so, short of covering his face completely, there was no way to hide his ruined eye or scarred face. When Xue Beibei saw his wounds, she couldn’t help but exclaim.
“It’s nothing.” Ye Zichen patted her on the head.
They all filed into Xue Mo’s room. Ye Zichen smiled at Xue Beibei, then followed them.
“Hermit Emperor.” As soon as the great emperors entered the room, they greeted the old man by Xue Mo’s bedside. He turned around and nodded to them. Next, his gaze landed on Ye Zichen.
“Senior Hermit Emperor.” En route, Ye Zichen had already heard about him from Xuan Ji. Xue Yang had found the most renowned medical practitioner in the entire God Realm to heal Xue Mo. He was an existence on par with the other great emperors.
Ye Zichen naturally had to greet the old man as an honored senior.
The Hermit Emperor stepped out of the bedroom, reached for Ye Zichen’s ruined eye, and examined it. Next, he took off Ye Zichen’s outer robes to examine his arm.
“Your injuries are worse than I imagined.”
When his hands touched Ye Zichen’s face, Ye Zichen could smell a dense, medicinal aroma. It wasn’t like freshly plucked medicinal herbs or the smell of someone who regularly took medicinal baths. Rather, he seemed to be the source of the smell.
From this, it was clear that this old man spent his whole life immersed in medicine, and that a medicinal aroma had already permeated his body.
“Sit down and let me have a closer look.”
The Hermit Emperor looked at him intently, then sighed and nodded. “Go on in, but make sure to control your emotions. Don’t release any killing intent or let your anger seep into your aura. Don’t let your divine power overflow, either. That little girl’s body is very fragile right now, and she can’t bear any sort of external force. Don’t even breathe too hard in her presence!”
When Ye Zichen heard that, his heart clenched. He felt as if someone were squeezing it.
What on earth had she been through? How could she possibly be so fragile that even breathing too hard could harm her?
“The way you’re acting now is no good either,” said the Hermit Emperor.
When he heard that, Ye Zichen’s heart sank. He hurriedly got himself under control. However, just thinking about Xue Mo’s condition upset him. How could he possibly stay calm?
“If you’re acting like this, how can I let you inside? Forget it; this old man will accompany you inside.
“Thank you, senior.” Ye Zichen wanted to control his emotions, but…. He really couldn’t do it.
He repeatedly reminded himself to stay calm, but despite his best efforts, when he stepped into Xue Mo’s room and saw her lying there.
Boom!
“Senior.”
“Come take a look.” The Hermit Emperor nodded. Only then did Ye Zichen take the last few steps forward.
Xue Mo was lying in bed, her eyes closed, so calm and still she resembled a corpse. She was covered from head to toe in wounds. It was just as Murong Xue had described.
Worse, a series of black streaks branched off from her forehead.
They traveled down her arms, and neck, past her neckline….
Ye Zichen didn’t use his divine sense to peep, as that would be absolutely disrespectful. But even without prying, he knew the black lines’ final destination.
Her heart!
In his estimations, that Xue Mo still couldn’t wake up was likely the result of those black lines.
“Senior, those black lines….”
“Her bloodline power was ruined. That’s the resulting backlash,” said the Hermit Emperor calmly.
Her bloodline power’s backlash?
Ye Zichen had heard of situations like this occurring, but it usually wasn’t such a serious problem. At most, it would weaken you, and make you cough up a bit of blood….
“To other people, this might not be much of a problem,” said the Hermit Emperor as if reading Ye Zichen’s mind. “But to her, it’s a calamity.”
“You’re saying……”
“When she was sent back here, her meridians were already ruined, and her divine power was in turmoil on top of her ruined bloodline power. When other people suffer backlash from their bloodline, they can use their divine power to suppress it, but she…”
“You’re saying she can’t do that on her own, right?”
The Hermit Emperor nodded.
With her divine power in chaos and her meridians in tatters, it was impossible for Xue Mo to use her divine power to suppress her bloodline. All she could do was let it wreak havoc inside her.
“What if someone tries to guide it from the outside?”
“Her meridians are ruined!”
“Then what if you heal them?”
“Her bloodline power will get in the way!”
It seemed Xue Mo was trapped in a vicious cycle that would only end with her death. No matter where the Hermit Emperor started, he was doomed to failure. When he heard that, Ye Zichen couldn’t help but frown even deeper. “Is it possible to save her?”
“It is!”
“Why haven’t you?”
“We’ve been waiting for you, haven’t we?
