Chapter 91 Just a Pawn 10
The fall of the previous emperor was a trigger point for Xuanwei. Since the Mustard Seed Space was off-limits, Ren Yi had no choice but to take a roundabout approach, showing great interest in collecting immortal crystals, ores, and various energy crystals.
With the help of the Emperor of the Nine Heavens, Ren Yi completed the collection of famous crystals from the Immortal Realm in almost the shortest possible time, including many rare varieties that ordinary immortals would hardly even see. If Ren Yi were truly a collector, he would probably be overjoyed right now, but unfortunately, he is not.
Ren Yi, whose motives were impure, pretended to be happy, but his inner emotions gradually changed from calm to complicated. The reason for this complexity was, of course, because he was holding the Blood-Eroded Stone Knife.
Blood-corroded Stone, as its name suggests, is not a product of the celestial realm; it is something of the demon realm.
How long has it been? Xuanwei has already expanded his collection scope beyond the Nine Heavens?
Ren Yi didn't think this blood-red crystal was an ordinary item; even through the seal specially set up by Xuanwei, he could feel the surging demonic energy inside.
The crystal formation methods in the Demon Realm are somewhat "demon-specific." Such a large piece of blood-corroded stone must have been formed from the flesh and blood of at least a Demon General, or even a Demon Lord.
In the Demon Realm, items like Blood Erosion Stones, which aid in cultivation, are usually used immediately upon acquisition by demons; very few demons would keep them. Therefore, this particular Blood Erosion Stone likely belongs to a demon that Xuanwei just killed. And the level of a demon that Xuanwei would personally kill couldn't be low. Ren Yi couldn't help but suspect that Xuanwei went to the Demon Realm and directly eliminated the Demon Lord.
Just as Ren Yi had guessed, Xuan Wei did indeed have this plan at first. However, the Demon Lord wasn't stupid for someone who had risen to such a position in the brutal Demon Realm. After realizing he couldn't win, he decisively used the Blood Erosion Stone of the previous Demon Lord to save his own life.
Xuanwei didn't elaborate on the origin of the crystal. He observed Ren Yi's expression and asked, "Don't you like it?"
Ren Yi's original purpose wasn't to collect these crystals. Seeing Xuan Wei going further and further astray, seemingly intending to rob the Six Realms for his "hobby," how could Ren Yi dare let him continue? He knew that the more energy Xuan Wei invested now, the worse his fate would be if his identity were exposed.
Ren Yi paused briefly before speaking, "The atmosphere up there is very uncomfortable."
This is the truth. Demonic energy and immortal power are mutually exclusive. The demonic energy contained in this blood-corroded stone is powerful, far beyond what Ren Yi's current cultivation level can match. Even through the seal set up by Xuan Wei, he can feel the threat of the power inside.
Ren Yi had no idea that as soon as he finished speaking, Xuan Wei raised his hand and instantly turned the blood-red crystal into dust.
Xuanwei controlled it extremely well. The demonic energy contained within the Blood-Eroded Stone was directly neutralized by the immortal power, and not a single bit of excess energy leaked out. It was as if he had just crushed an ordinary stone.
Ren Yi: "..."
His eyelids twitched involuntarily, and he had a feeling that the crystal was a harbinger of his future fate.
*
With Xuanwei's unscrupulous help (indulgence), Ren Yi soon collected all kinds of crystals from the Nine Heavens. He also made it clear that he would refuse crystals from other energy systems, which significantly slowed down the collection process. For some time now, no new crystals have been added to the collection.
However, Ren Yi didn't care about this at all; he had been waiting for this moment all along.
After collecting the ordinary crystals (although most of them are anything but "ordinary"), the next step is to collect some unique "collector's editions," including Immortal Souls.
The last remaining fragments of the previous emperor's divine soul were probably not yet considered "crystals" by Xuanwei, which is why he hadn't thought of them. However, given Xuanwei's doting affection for Yuan Que, there was no reason for him not to give them to him once he realized it. After all, even in the original storyline, this was a gift from Xuanwei to Yuan Que, and Ren Yi's current actions were merely speeding things up.
Ren Yi had been considering giving Xuanwei some hints and guidance, but considering the intricate connection between the Immortal Soul and the previous emperor, he felt it was better to observe the situation first, lest he accidentally step on Xuanwei's landmines and ruin the good situation they had created.
However, Ren Yi never expected that this observation of Xuanwei would give him a great surprise.
Ren Yi: "The Dao-stabilizing Stone?!"
After hearing Xuanwei's words, Ren Yi couldn't control his voice.
He really felt a bit numb.
In the Immortal Realm, any spiritual object related to the "Dao" is a treasure among treasures, and the Dao-Fixing Stone is the most outstanding of them all. This stone, said to be the original creation of heaven and earth, is the central hub of the entire Nine Heavens. If the entire Nine Heavens are considered as a giant magic array, then the Dao-Fixing Stone is the array's eye, demonstrating its immense importance to the Immortal Realm.
Although Xuanwei had been utterly shameless towards Yuan Que for quite some time, and was clearly in a mentally unstable state, Ren Yi never expected it to reach this extent.
Ren Yi was afraid that he would go so far as to take down the Dao-stabilizing stone and give it to him.
Wake up! Do you even want to stay in this Ninth Heaven?!
Fortunately, Xuanwei still had some sense. He paused for a moment and said, "It's not convenient to move this Dao-stabilizing stone right now."
Ren Yi: ? ? ?
What does "now" mean? What does "still" mean?! Even if it becomes "later," it can't be changed!
Does Xuanwei's tone mean he really intends to give away the Dao-Stabilizing Stone?! Just to satisfy Yuanque's little hobby?
Ren Yi couldn't help but shout in his heart again: Xuan Wei is seriously insane.
Even the most incompetent and tyrannical rulers wouldn't act like this! The Nine Heavens are doomed!!
Xuanwei might go mad, but Ren Yi wouldn't dare to go mad with him.
If this were truly a case of the main characters being the top and bottom, then taking the Dao-stabilizing Stone would be fine; it would simply add fuel to the fire of their already sensational love story that would shake the six realms.
However, Ren Yi is not "Yuan Que". Compared to the world consciousness's own son, he is just an outsider who is barely recognized by the world consciousness by virtue of this puppet shell. If he really causes such a big commotion as the "collapse of the Nine Heavens", he will probably be kicked out by the world consciousness in the next second and fall into the cracks of the small world.
The system hadn't fully recovered the supplies, so there was no way to contact the Transmigration Bureau for rescue. Ren Yi had truly fallen into a desperate situation, and whether he could be saved depended entirely on luck—it would require the luck of winning the lottery ten times in a row, which could be considered a "miracle."
Ren Yi began to think quickly about how to "reasonably" dispel Xuan Wei's dangerous idea.
Xuanwei, unusually, didn't notice Ren Yi's strange behavior. He seemed to have made a difficult decision, and after a long while, he spoke in a hoarse voice, "A-Que... do you want to go and see him?"
Ren Yi nodded in agreement without even thinking.
Although Xuanwei's idea was dangerous, it was actually quite easy to dispel. As long as he showed no interest in the Dao-stabilizing Stone after seeing it, the problem would be largely solved.
Moreover, in Ren Yi's memory, the Dao-stabilizing stone had a very "simple and unadorned" appearance; in other words, it was grayish and didn't look impressive at all. It was perfectly normal for Yuan Que not to like this appearance, and he had a ready-made reason not to be interested.
As Ren Yigang was thinking this, he felt a heavy gaze fall on him.
There were no outsiders around, so it goes without saying who was looking over. Ren Yi looked up and followed the gaze, only to see Xuan's smile slightly veiled and his expression inscrutable.
Ren Yi was stunned for only a moment before he immediately understood the reason for Xuanwei's reaction.
Given the importance of the Dao-Fixing Stone to the Nine Heavens, its location could not be arbitrary. This seemingly ordinary stone is inlaid on the throne in the center of the Emperor's Palace, but it is not in the Ninth Heaven.
The ninth realm of the Nine Heavens is more like the Emperor's private backyard. The Emperor's palace, which is actually used for the affairs of the Immortal Realm, is in the eighth realm, where the Dao-Fixing Stone is also located. The Dao-Fixing Stone is related to the stability of the entire Nine Heavens and its position cannot be easily moved. In other words, when the authority says "go take a look," it means leaving the ninth realm.
Xuanwei's reluctance was palpable, but compared to the dangerous aura Ren Yi exuded when he mentioned leaving the Ninth Realm, he now took the initiative to bring "Yuan Que" away. This change was nothing short of earth-shattering.
Ren Yi felt that his previous concern for the protagonist was completely unnecessary.
Look, it's only been a few days, and Xuanwei has already "figured it out" on his own. He really can't bear to see Yuan Que suffer any injustice.
Since the main character had shown such a performance, Ren Yi had to quickly take over the role even if it was just to improve his own situation. He immediately looked over with a gaze that was both excited and expectant, and said happily, "Master treats me so well!"
Xuanwei was stunned for a moment, and those obscure emotions surged for a while before finally receding slowly, at least on the surface.
He gently stroked Ren Yi's hair and said softly, "A-Que... don't run around, it's dangerous outside..."
Ren Yi: "..."
The tone sounded normal, but Ren Yi, who had been paying close attention to Xuanwei's mood these past few days, naturally sensed the restraint and forbearance behind it.
This is definitely a warning.
Ren Yi, who had just relaxed, stiffened again.
—Aren't you the most dangerous one?!
Although Ren Yi was full of complaints, Xuan Wei's attitude had softened for the first time, so he naturally did whatever Xuan Wei said, behaving obediently and dutifully. Not only him, even Yuan Que himself, with his troublesome personality, wouldn't cause any trouble now that he had a rare opportunity to leave the Ninth Realm.
Ren Yi has been in this small world for so long, and has finally succeeded in stepping out of the ninth realm and arriving at the Emperor's Palace of the eighth realm.
This place had obviously been cleared out beforehand. Not to mention the immortals who usually came and went, there were no immortal boys or maids to sweep and clean. Although the place had changed, the situation seemed no different from that in the Ninth Realm. Only Ren Yi and Xuan Wei were alone together.
However, this was clearly not the same thing in Xuanwei's eyes. After reaching the eighth level, Ren Yi could clearly feel the instability of Xuanwei's aura. His tense and anxious emotions caused even the immortal power around him to become somewhat unstable, and his viscous divine sense almost enveloped and wrapped around him, as if it was ready to take him back to the ninth level at any moment.
Fortunately, having spent so much time with Xuanwei, Ren Yi had learned some tricks for pleasing the Emperor (?), and with an attitude of "whatever Master says goes", he quickly stabilized Xuanwei's emotions within a controllable range.
With the crisis initially averted, just as Ren Yi was pondering how he could naturally show his disdain for the Dao-stabilizing Stone, Xuan Wei suddenly spoke up, "A-Que, you seem very familiar with this place?"
Ren Yi: "..."
Ren Yi: "!"
—So focused on Xuanwei's emotions that he forgot that this "Yuanque" was "amnesiac"!
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