Chapter 356: Closing In for the Kill
He Daoyun's face was etched with bitterness, but he could only agree stiffly.
Since they were entertaining such distinguished guests, it was impossible to swap in ordinary servants. That would be a sign of poor hospitality.
He knew he couldn't extricate himself from the situation, so he turned his gaze to Hongyu Pill Venerable.
'If it's Hongyu Pill Venerable who goes to deliver a warning, there shouldn't be a problem, right?'
Hongyu Pill Venerable froze for a moment, then quickly understood his meaning. Coincidentally, she had been planning to find Ye Chen anyway, so she prepared to leave.
But Lord Shakyamuni stepped in front of her, blocking her path.
"Hongyu Pill Venerable, please don't make things difficult for us," Lord Shakyamuni said with a faint smile.
"Lord Shakyamuni, what is the meaning of this? Are you trying to place me under house arrest?"
Hongyu Pill Venerable's delicate brows furrowed in anger.
"I wouldn't call it house arrest. It's just that before we make our move, you'd best stay put right here," Lord Shakyamuni said.
"What?"
"Is that a threat?" Hongyu Pill Venerable said, her voice low.
"A threat?" Lord Shakyamuni laughed. "Weren't you, Hongyu Pill Venerable, just helping Ye Chen oppose me earlier?"
"Now that we've laid our cards on the table and are going after Ye Chen, how could we possibly ignore his accomplice?"
The color drained from Hongyu Pill Venerable's face. She took a deep breath, a cold light glinting in her beautiful eyes.
As the number one Alchemist in the eastern part of the dynasty, she normally enjoyed good relations with many powerful factions.
But this was a Cloud Mist Tower Ship, flying high in the sky. She had no way to call on those connections to help her.
What's more, even the local power on this ship, the Treasure Gathering Chamber of Commerce, had become hostile toward her. The only thing she could rely on was her own strength!
"If you insist on opposing me, the consequences are not something your Holy Temple can afford to bear."
Hongyu Pill Venerable narrowed her eyes. It was as if she had become a different person. She grew calm again, and her tone became cold and detached.
"Rest assured, we have no desire to make an enemy of you, Hongyu Pill Venerable."
Lord Shakyamuni frowned slightly, but Master Jingde, who was beside him, spoke up first. "We won't make things difficult for you. Once this tower ship reaches its highest altitude, we'll let you leave. How does that sound?"
"Then make your move." Hongyu Pill Venerable's stance was uncompromising. The aura of the Peak Divinity Transformation Realm erupted from her, and the entire hall seemed to tremble.
Seeing this, the expressions of everyone present changed.
They all knew who Hongyu Pill Venerable was and that she came from no simple background.
Thus, even though everyone present was a Great Power of the Divine Might Realm, none of them wanted to be the first to attack her.
"Hongyu Pill Venerable!"
"Are you trying to destroy this place?"
Seeing Hongyu Pill Venerable about to attack, Murong Dai instantly had a pretext to move against her.
Her duty was to ensure the tower ship remained undamaged. How could she stand by and watch Hongyu Pill Venerable fight inside the main hall?
"Murong Dai, you can drop the act. Just attack me with the rest of them."
Hongyu Pill Venerable shot Murong Dai a cold glance. Even facing so many Great Powers of the Divine Might Realm, she showed not a hint of panic, remaining completely composed.
"You..."
Murong Dai's brow furrowed, her expression wavering.
Just then, the Cloud Mist Tower Ship's ascent suddenly leveled off.
From the outside, one could see that the ship was now maintaining a constant altitude, slicing through the sea of clouds as it sped forward.
"Oh?"
"The tower ship has stopped ascending?"
Everyone in the hall noticed this as well.
In an instant, smug looks appeared on the faces of Lord Shakyamuni and his companions.
"It seems the ship has reached its maximum altitude."
"We're at least ten thousand meters above the ground. Even a Divinity Transformation Realm Cultivator would be gravely injured if they rashly jumped from this height."
Leaning on his cane, Master Jingde slowly rose to his feet.
"It seems there's no need to stop Hongyu Pill Venerable anymore."
That was right. There was no longer any need to stop her.
Even if Hongyu Pill Venerable warned Ye Chen now, as a mere Primordial Mansion Realm Cultivator, he would never dare to jump ship.
And even if he did jump, he would be severely injured, if not killed outright!
Then, Master Jingde and the others could simply jump down after him and capture his battered body!
For cultivators of their level, a fall from this height was hardly a problem.
Hongyu Pill Venerable's face was ashen. She remained silent.
If she had managed to get the message to Ye Chen earlier, he might have been able to jump from the ship and escape.
But now...
That was no longer possible.
"It's time to get moving, everyone."
"I'm quite curious to see the look on that boy's face when he sees us," Master Jingde said with a laugh.
At his words, Lord Shakyamuni and the others also laughed.
They rose to their feet, ready to head to Ye Chen's room.
Just then, Murong Dai moved with a graceful step and positioned herself at the doorway.
"Commander Murong, what are you doing?" Xu Qianfeng couldn't help but ask.
"I'm going with you," Murong Dai said.
"With us?" They were all taken aback, clearly not understanding why Murong Dai wanted to interfere.
"If he bows his head and begs our Treasure Gathering Chamber of Commerce for help, I will personally intervene to protect him," Murong Dai said coolly.
"..."
Hearing this, Master Jingde's brow furrowed.
The others also looked displeased.
"And what if he remains silent and decides to fight us head-on?" Lord Shakyamuni suddenly asked.
"Then you may do with him as you please," Murong Dai replied.
"Heh..."
Lord Shakyamuni chuckled and glanced at the others. "Don't worry. Knowing that boy's character, he would never beg for help. We can act without reservation."
He remembered it clearly. A few days ago, outside Flame City, even when he was heavily injured and faced with the sudden arrival of Mu Liuji, Ye Chen had remained utterly composed.
That easy-going demeanor, that unshakable composure in the face of peril—even Lord Shakyamuni had been secretly impressed.
"Is that so?"
"Then that would be for the best."
Master Jingde nodded.
However, they had already secretly come to an agreement via voice transmission.
If Ye Chen really did beg Murong Dai for help, and if she insisted on saving him...
...then they would only need to send one person to hold her back.
Lord Shakyamuni had clashed with Ye Chen before. He knew Ye Chen's combat prowess was impressive, but at best, he could barely hold his own against a single Divine Might Realm expert.
With a Great Power like Master Jingde—at the Fifth Layer of the Divine Might Realm—taking action, plus their numerical advantage, Ye Chen stood no chance!
The group walked toward Sky-Class Block, Room One, brimming with confidence.
Murong Dai followed close behind. Before she left, she didn't forget to instruct He Daoyun, "Elder He, you stay here and keep watch. I will return shortly."
He Daoyun was helpless. He sighed, feeling that Ye Chen was in grave danger this time.
"Don't worry. Young Master Ye will be fine."
Hongyu Pill Venerable glanced at He Daoyun, then followed the others out as well.
