Chapter 71: Luring

In the living room of the Great General's Mansion, Wei Canglan and Wei Qingqing were seated in the main positions, their faces now beaming with joy. The long-standing worry that had clouded their brows had completely vanished.

Evidently, after Zhou Yuan and his companions had temporarily left, Wei Canglan had meticulously re-examined Wei Bin's body. Feeling the life force gradually welling up within him, they finally dared to confirm that the Miasma Devil Poison had indeed been completely resolved. The great trouble that had plagued their Great General's Mansion for several years was finally gone.

Filled with joy, Wei Canglan and Wei Qingqing immediately rose when Zhou Yuan and his group re-entered the living room. Cupping their fists, they declared, "Your Highness's great kindness is something our Wei family will never forget!"

Zhou Yuan smiled, glancing at Yaoyao beside him. In truth, without her guidance, he certainly wouldn't have been able to successfully resolve the Miasma Devil Poison. At this moment, Zhou Yuan felt a growing admiration for Yaoyao's mastery of Spirit Runes. The technique she had demonstrated earlier, combining a first-rank Spirit Rune with a second-rank Spirit Rune, produced an effect almost as powerful as some third-rank Spirit Runes.

"Please, Your Highness, have a seat," Wei Canglan said with a smile. "I believe the purpose of your visit is to investigate the ruin in Black Abyss, isn't it?"

Zhou Yuan nodded, his expression grave. "The Fire Spirit Rice is extremely important to our Great Zhou. We must obtain it; otherwise, if it falls into anyone else's hands, it would pose a significant threat." He fixed his gaze on Wei Canglan. The strategic value of a fourth-grade Spirit Food like Fire Spirit Rice was immense, so he couldn't be sure if Wei Canglan also coveted it. After all, if Wei Canglan acquired it, his influence would expand rapidly.

Wei Canglan glanced at Zhou Yuan. Being astute, he naturally sensed the meaning in Zhou Yuan's gaze. With a faint smile, he said, "Rest assured, Your Highness. My ambitions are modest; I merely wish for my family to live in peace."

"Then I have misjudged you," Zhou Yuan replied. "I hope you don't mind." Although he said this, his expression remained unchanged. After all, it was necessary to ascertain Wei Canglan's intentions.

Wei Canglan waved his hand. "Since Your Highness is here for the ruin, do you know its details?"

Zhou Yuan shook his head. Due to the tight schedule, their information was limited, so they planned to gather more intelligence after arriving in Canglan County.

"Black Abyss is vast," Wei Canglan said slowly. "The part we currently know is probably just the outer region. In its depths, it's said there are countless extremely powerful Spirit Beasts; even fourth-grade Spirit Beasts are common. In ancient times, Black Abyss was home to many powerful factions, but they gradually vanished, and over time, Black Abyss became a forbidden land rarely visited by people. As for the ruin that has appeared now, according to the intelligence we've gathered, it seems to have been left by an ancient faction known as the 'War Puppet Sect,' which once existed in Black Abyss."

"War Puppet Sect?" Zhou Yuan's expression showed surprise. He clearly hadn't expected the ruin to have such a history.

"This ancient faction was rumored to be skilled at creating combat puppets of immense power. Therefore, the ruin is filled with various war puppets, making it extremely perilous," Wei Canglan said, his expression grave. "What's most troublesome is that there seems to be a particularly formidable war puppet within the ruin. It's a giant python war puppet, with the soul of a fourth-grade python Spirit Beast as its core. Even a Genesis Realm expert would find it extremely difficult to deal with."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yuan's expression suddenly changed. "The soul of a fourth-grade python Spirit Beast?"

Wei Canglan nodded.

"I didn't expect to encounter the soul of a fourth-grade python Spirit Beast here," Zhou Yuan said, a mix of surprise and delight. But then he gave a wry smile, realizing that to obtain that beast soul, he would clearly have to defeat the war puppet, which was comparable to a Genesis Realm expert. For him, this was undoubtedly an incredibly difficult task.

"What a headache," Zhou Yuan mumbled, shaking his head. It seemed that cultivating the first layer of the Ancestral Dragon Scripture, the Heaven-Piercing Mysterious Python Qi, would indeed be fraught with difficulties.

"Furthermore... besides the inherent dangers of the ruin itself, other factors should not be underestimated either," Wei Canglan said solemnly.

"Are you referring to the forces within Black Abyss, General?" Zhou Yuan asked.

"The other forces in Black Abyss are not a concern, but there is one faction that is a major enemy!" Wei Canglan said, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

"Black Venom King," Zhou Yuan's eyes also grew serious.

Wei Canglan slowly nodded. "The Black Venom King has dominated Black Abyss for many years, and Black Venom City is currently the strongest power there. The Black Venom King is highly ambitious, and with the news of the Fire Spirit Rice, he will undoubtedly get involved."

Zhou Yuan nodded. He knew very well the immense strategic value the Fire Spirit Rice held for a faction. As long as the Black Venom King had ambitions, he certainly wouldn't let it go. Therefore, in this struggle for the ruin, they absolutely had to guard against the Black Venom King.

"Besides the Black Venom King, there's another force..." Zhou Yuan paused.

Wei Canglan glanced at Zhou Yuan, then nodded. "Indeed, Prince Qi's Manor is also eyeing it covetously. However, Prince Qi, Qi Yuan, is being watched by His Majesty in Great Zhou City and cannot come. Relying solely on Qi Hao, it's unlikely they can accomplish anything significant."

"It's still better to be cautious," Zhou Yuan said softly.

Hearing this, Wei Canglan pondered for a moment, then waved a hand, beckoning a guard. "Give the order to seal off Qi Hao's estate entirely. He is not to leave."

The guard hesitated upon hearing this, then whispered, "General, we received word earlier that Qi Hao left the county city with his people an hour ago and is now nowhere to be found."

Wei Canglan frowned. "That brat is truly cunning, he moved fast." Zhou Yuan was also somewhat surprised by the speed of Qi Hao's departure. Still, there was nothing to be done about it now that he was gone. At least, in this confrontation with Qi Hao, Zhou Yuan had gained the upper hand by securing Wei Canglan's powerful assistance.

"General Wei, when shall we depart?" Zhou Yuan asked.

"All parties are currently mobilizing forces," Wei Canglan replied. "However, the ruin is fraught with dangers, and a large army would be ineffective there. Therefore, we should dispatch elite forces for this expedition."

Zhou Yuan nodded. Indeed, in such a place, even deploying the entire Canglan Army would likely have little effect and only increase casualties.

"I will personally lead this expedition," Wei Canglan said with a smile. "Among my Canglan Army, there are eight experts in the Heavenly Pass Stage. Three will remain to guard the city, and the remaining five will accompany me. Additionally, there will be an elite team composed of Qi Cultivating Stage practitioners. We will set off for Black Abyss in five days." This contingent represented almost the strongest force of the Canglan Army. Clearly, Wei Canglan was a man of his word; having promised Zhou Yuan, he would naturally provide full assistance.

"Then I thank the General in advance," Zhou Yuan understood and immediately cupped his fists in gratitude.

The two parties discussed a few more details before Zhou Yuan and his group finally turned to leave.

Watching Zhou Yuan's retreating figure, Wei Canglan leaned back in his chair, tapping his fingers lightly on the table. He sighed, "I can't believe that after so many years, the frail young boy has grown into such a talented youth. His Majesty is truly fortunate."

"His mastery of Spirit Runes is indeed astonishing, but as for his cultivation, he's still a bit lacking; he hasn't even reached the Qi Cultivating Stage yet," Wei Qingqing said, nodding her head slightly.

Wei Canglan couldn't help but chuckle. "If you knew that less than a year ago, he couldn't even locate the eight meridians within his body and thus couldn't cultivate, you wouldn't say that."

"Less than a year?" Wei Qingqing was startled. She had vaguely known that Zhou Yuan couldn't cultivate his meridians in the past, but she hadn't realized that his turnaround had happened in such a short period. After all, even she had taken two years to reach the Qi Cultivating Stage, whereas Zhou Yuan would probably open his eighth meridian in less than a month.

Wei Canglan sighed softly, gazing at Zhou Yuan's receding back with a mix of admiration and regret in his eyes. "It's truly a pity," he murmured. "Our Prince originally possessed the Saint Dragon Qi Fate. If those two from Great Wu, born with the 'Python-Sparrow' destiny, hadn't devoured his fate, who knows what achievements His Highness would have made by now. I daresay, even I wouldn't dare to challenge his prowess, and would only bow my head before him."

Hearing Wei Canglan, whom she had always respected, speak this way, Wei Qingqing's pretty face showed a touch of emotion. She raised her beautiful eyes, looking in the direction where Zhou Yuan had departed, biting her red lips lightly, her eyes filled with ripples of astonishment. This young man, whom she had initially regarded as a frivolous prince, was clearly not as simple as she had imagined.