Chapter 697: Zhen Yu Awakens, A Storm is Brewing

Su Chen made a brief estimation. “Normally, a round trip would take three months to recover from. This time, the recovery period will likely take even longer.

“By the time those old foxes finish verifying that they can communicate with the outside world, this Fire-igniting Ash should be mostly recovered.”

Su Chen temporarily placed it in the Nether Tower before stepping out and heading to the training room.

Having just added five more professions, he entered his development state. As Thunder-Fire Power surged around him, he carefully sensed the differences.

He thought, “Originally, it would take a month for the development progress to climb by about 1.5%. But with the stacking effects of the Shadow Shattering Body and Forging Celestial Mark, the time to increase the progress by 1% should drop to around ten days.”

This development efficiency had already reached more than half of what it was at Tier Six. The improvement was quite obvious.

Su Chen glanced at his development progress. Having spent three months inside the Copper Heart, it was still only at 10%.

He thought, “If I don’t factor in the decay after 50%, I can advance to Tier Eight in three years, which cuts down the original five-year estimate by a fair margin.”

The data on paper left him rather invigorated. “Stack! Keep stacking!”

He opened his virtual screen, preparing to call Zhong Chengyu and Luo Shuhang over to discuss how to fulfill the Permanent Body’s desires.

***

The core of the Royal Court was the Sun Fire Pillar. Viewed from afar on a cosmic scale, it looked like an ordinary pillar of fire encircled by stone spheres, appearing rather unremarkable.

However, upon closer inspection, one would discover that the stone spheres orbiting the fiery pillar were actually massive Life Stars. Countless spaceships weaved through the area, their fiery exhaust trails stretching into streaks of Flowing Light.

The imperial capital of the Royal Court was located on one of these stars. At this moment, inside an empty, magnificent hall somewhere on the planet, the atmosphere was so oppressive and stagnant that even the air seemed to have stopped flowing.

Heavily armed guards knelt on the ground, not even daring to breathe too loudly.

In the center of the hall, the Prison King sat on the edge of a massive White Jade Ice Bed. Although the purple flames on the surface of his body had subsided, his figure was horrifyingly emaciated. Wearing only a white undershirt, his exposed skin sagged in overlapping folds.

“To think they even extracted my bone marrow!” The Prison King carefully inspected his body. His gaze was cold, and though he felt angry, he was also somewhat helpless.

This was the Royal Court, a place where a person’s intrinsic value outweighed any personal bonds. He had been asleep this whole time and had no idea how things had played out in the outside world. The fact that the Royal Court hadn’t killed him and selected a new Star Seed was already a testament to his past contributions.

He thought, “If that damn Qin Yun hadn’t set me up, I wouldn’t be in this situation…”

“Zhen Yu!”

A deep, resonant voice echoed as a man built like a mountain walked in. A fierce aura washed over the hall. He stood a full three meters tall, and his massive frame seemed to dim the lighting within the room.

“Rebel God…” When the Prison King saw him, a fleeting look of discomfort crossed his face, but he quickly concealed it.

“You’re finally awake.” Lu Feng strode forward, his eyes scanning the Prison King up and down. His voice was rather hearty. “How do you feel? Why were you asleep for so long?”

His gaze made the Prison King a little uncomfortable, but he still replied, “My Spirit Body was trapped in the Flame Space, which is why I remained in a deep sleep.

“A few days ago, the Emperor and the Ancient Kings from the other Sects joined forces to send me out. I spent some time in the Nether Realm before finally regaining the connection with my body.”

Lu Feng seemed to ignore everything else. His eyes flashed as he latched onto the most important detail. “The Emperor sent you out? What’s the situation inside? Did the Emperor give any instructions?”

“The Emperor is unharmed, and the other Ancient Kings are in there as well,” the Prison King explained. “They sent me out precisely to establish a connection with them.”

“Establish a connection?” Lu Feng’s expression shifted slightly as he relentlessly pressed for details. “What exactly do we need to do?”

“Specifically…” The Prison King was vague, merely saying, “The Emperor wasn’t the only one who sent me out. The other Ancient Kings helped too.

“They demanded that the helmsmen of the other major Sects be present when I establish the communication link with them. Otherwise, they won’t allow the Emperor to converse with us. The Emperor agreed to this condition as well.

“Therefore, we must now convene the helmsmen of the Five Great Sects and have them bring along some materials. Establishing the connection will consume a lot of resources, and our Royal Court cannot bear the cost alone.”

Naturally, he wouldn’t tell Lu Feng the most critical steps. This was a matter of authority and leverage.

All of this was nonsense to Lu Feng. He frowned slightly, and just as he was about to demand a clearer answer, his expression flickered. Two more figures had arrived.

It was the Peng King, accompanied by the Profound Turtle King, who was lying on a metal chair.

All four Morning Stars of the Royal Court were now gathered here.

Through the gap in the hall doors, the Prison King could see that many people had rushed over upon hearing the news, but they were all barred outside.

“Hanrui…” Upon seeing the Peng King, the Prison King’s expression softened. The Peng King was a member of the Royal Clan and was staunchly loyal to the Royal Court, making him the most trustworthy.

Bypassing Lu Feng, he asked, “How is the Royal Court doing right now? Has there been any chaos?”

The Peng King shook his head. “None at all. The Royal Court is currently being managed by the Royal Clan, and the administration is running smoothly. After all, even when the Emperor was present, he hadn’t personally handled many matters for a long time.”

“That’s good.” The Prison King nodded and relayed what he had just discussed to the two of them.

The Peng King immediately stated his position, unable to wait any longer. “Then what are we waiting for? Notify the Five Great Sects at once!”

“Wait, there’s one more thing.” Seeing that the Peng King was about to leave right then and there, the Prison King hurriedly called out to stop him. He asked, “How is Qin Yun doing now? And how did those Ancient Kings get inside?”

He was highly curious about this, but the Ancient Kings and the Emperor had seemed unwilling to bring it up again.

Furthermore, because the Bronze Ancient King was present, he hadn’t been in a position to ask about Qin Yun. In fact, he hadn’t even detailed how Qin Yun had screwed them over.