The entrance to the Vast Sea Divine Palace’s Secret Realm was located on a mountaintop. Because of the Corpse Poison coursing through Shangguan Yue, the group dared not delay, taking only two days to reach their destination. On the peak, a curtain of multicolored light hung in the air, a breathtakingly beautiful sight. The group passed through it, returning to the Vast Sea Divine Palace.

Blinding sunlight filled Qin Ya’s vision, revealing a vast landmass. A fresh breeze blew past, carrying a hint of moisture. Gazing into the distance, he could see a rippling white line dozens of miles away—it was a wide, open sea.

They were currently on an island.

"This is Guhong Island, one of the Thirty-Six Islands of the Vast Sea."

Lii Yunge explained to Qin Ya. Just as he finished speaking, several figures sped through the air from the distance, each one an Extraordinary expert. The leader was a beautiful woman in a purple-black robe. She landed before them, her brow furrowed slightly. "Half of you are gone. It seems there were some mishaps on this trip to the Hidden Dragon Valley Secret Realm. Yun Ge, what happened?"

Hearing this, Lii Yunge said to the woman, "Island Master, I can report on this matter later. Yue’er has been afflicted with a strange poison. The situation is urgent, so please, Island Master, notify the Palace Master quickly and summon Master Yun to treat Yue’er!"

The woman’s expression changed. Her figure flickered, and in the blink of an eye, she was in front of Shangguan Yue. Gazing at Shangguan Yue’s pupils, which were gradually turning green, her face flushed with anger. "Dammit, what in the world happened?"

"Steward Lin, go notify the Palace Master at once. Steward Zheng, you go to Qingfeng Island and bring Master Yun here," the woman gravely instructed the two elderly men behind her.

The two stewards, hearing her words and knowing the situation was urgent, didn’t dare to delay for even a second. In an instant, they transformed into two streaks of light and shot off in different directions.

"Yun Ge, tell me exactly what happened."

"Yes."

A short while later, after hearing the full account, a flash of fury crossed Mui Qiuhong’s face. She turned to Shangguan Yue and said, "Shangguan Yue, you are truly reckless! Sneaking off to Hidden Dragon Valley is one thing, but to act so willfully on top of that!"

"I was wrong."

"Hmph. Now that you’ve been stricken with Corpse Poison, you finally know you were wrong."

Mui Qiuhong snorted coldly, then turned to Chu Lingfeng. "And you lot, you couldn’t even look after one little girl. What a huge disappointment. All of you, go to Siguoya and face the wall for a month. Reflect long and hard on what you’ve done."

SWOOSH... The two stewards who had been sent for aid returned, with several people following behind them. Among them was a beautiful woman whose features bore a slight resemblance to Shangguan Yue. She rushed to Shangguan Yue’s side and asked with concern, "Yue’er, how are you?"

"Hmph. So reckless and willful. A lesson might do her good," a middle-aged man with a stern expression snorted. "We’ll see if she dares to act so carelessly again."

"That’s enough. Stop scolding her," Lin Yu said, glancing at Shangguan Feiying with dissatisfaction. "I’ve never seen you discipline her before. All you know how to do is berate her."

"Palace Master, please allow me to examine Shangguan Yue’s condition." An old man with white hair but a youthful face stepped forward from the crowd and took Shangguan Yue’s hand.

The moment he began his examination, Yun Loxi’s brow furrowed deeply, and his expression grew increasingly grim. Finally, he sighed, cupped his fists toward Shangguan Feiying, and said, "Palace Master, the poison afflicting Shangguan Yue is difficult to cure. It’s far more potent than ordinary Corpse Poison. With my abilities, I can only suppress it!"

Upon hearing this, everyone’s expression changed. Shangguan Feiying and Lin Yu, in particular, looked utterly grim. Shangguan Feiying said, "Master Yun, you are an Eighth-Grade Alchemist! Are you saying that even you are helpless against this Corpse Poison?"

"Sigh... Even if a Ninth-Grade Alchemist were here in person, there’s no guarantee they could cure this. Corpse Poison is one of the most difficult poisons in the world to neutralize, and the one inside Shangguan Yue is far more potent than the common strain."

Shangguan Feiying said coldly, "Master Yun, then I’ll have to trouble you to suppress the poison for now." After speaking, he turned to the others and commanded, "Spare no expense. Find me the best Alchemist. Yue’er must be cured."

Lin Yu looked at the dejected Shangguan Yue and said comfortingly, "Yue’er, don’t worry. Mother will use every means at her disposal to find a cure for you."

"It’s alright. I’m not worried at all."

Just as the atmosphere grew tense and heavy, a voice suddenly rang out.

"I can cure the poison."

At these words, all eyes turned to a handsome youth in white. His expression was calm, his bearing poised. The sight of this young man startled Shangguan Feiying, and the faint image of a beautiful woman surfaced in the depths of his mind.

’The resemblance... It’s uncanny.’

"Who are you?" Mui Qiuhong’s brow furrowed.

"I am Qin Ya, from the Yunxiao Empire," Qin Ya said indifferently.

"Someone from the Yunxiao Empire. Why have you come to our Vast Sea Divine Palace?"

"To cure the poison in Yue’er."

Lii Yunge and the others looked at Qin Ya with odd expressions. They hadn’t expected this guy to dare say such a thing in front of so many Extraordinary experts.

"Heh, he’s courting death," Chu Lingfeng sneered. ’Lying so brazenly in front of so many Extraordinary experts... He must have a death wish.’

"Brother Qin."

Seeing the souring expressions on the faces of her elders, Shangguan Yue couldn’t help but worry for Qin Ya. When Lin Yu saw this, her brow twitched. ’It seems Yue’er’s relationship with this young man is anything but ordinary,’ she thought.

"Young man, do you realize what you’re saying?" Of everyone present, Yun Loxi’s expression was the foulest. He had just declared himself unable to cure the poison, yet in the next moment, some youth was claiming he could.

’This brat is directly belittling my skills!’

"I know," Qin Ya said calmly. "The Corpse Poison in Yue’er’s body is troublesome, but not incurable. I have already prepared most of the medicinal ingredients. All that’s missing now are Blood Drop Flower, Dragon Soaring Grass, and Nine-Child..."

"Enough!"

Before Qin Ya could finish, Yun Loxi coldly interrupted him. "A mere whelp dares to spout such nonsense here? Get out of my sight, now!"

Chu Lingfeng and the others watched with mocking smirks. ’Hmph, serves him right for trying to lecture Master Yun on the Dao of Alchemy. Now he’s in for it. I’d love to see how he gets himself out of this one.’

"Mother," Shangguan Yue said, pulling on Lin Yu’s hand. "Brother Qin means no harm. He’s just worried about me. Please don’t make things difficult for him. He even saved us back in the Secret Realm."

"Since he has done us a favor, we naturally won’t make things difficult for him," Lin Yu said coolly. ’Sigh, Yue’er is still so naive. She becomes completely devoted to someone over one small act of kindness. This young man... to claim in front of so many Extraordinary experts that he can cure a Corpse Poison that baffled even an Eighth-Grade Alchemist... he’s either unbelievably arrogant or stupid to the core.’

’Either way, he’s not someone worth getting too close to.’

A cold glint flashed in Qin Ya’s eyes. He stood with his hands clasped behind his back and stared at Yun Loxi. "You were just refining a Sixth-Grade Cloud Return Pill."