King of Creation Chapter 1663 - 1648: The Prince’s Secret Return

Ye Zhen revealed the source of the Five-clawed Silver Dragon's True Dragon Essence Blood, leaving the three Sky Wing Three Saints with a sense of shame.

Over the past year, their influence and power had grown manifold, but they had neglected intelligence collection.

They remained oblivious to a huge event like the one on Five Immortals Island until this moment.

This event served as a wake-up call, highlighting the urgency to bolster their intelligence network to avoid being cut off from vital information.

Once the discussion wrapped up, neither the Great Saint of Jinghai, the Great Sage of the Overturning Sea, nor the Sea-Breaking Great Saint could contain their excitement any longer.

All of them yearned to immediately test the wondrous benefits of the True Dragon Essence Blood, hailed by the Demon Race as a supreme cultivation Holy Medicine.

Noticing their impatience, Ye Zhen grinned and got ready to send them off. Just before they parted, Military Advisor Wen Fuguo spoke to Ye Zhen once more.

"Great Saints, the Water Clan numbers countless beneath the waves. Victory in battles and conquests depends on more than just personal power.

I suggest reserving one-tenth of the Blue-scaled Dragon King's and Five-clawed Silver Dragon's True Dragon Essence Blood that you three will use for cultivation, to reward your loyal followers and build a core team of immense value for our upcoming expansions."

"Excellent idea; we'll follow Military Advisor Wen's proposal." The Great Saint of Jinghai endorsed it first, with the Great Sage of the Overturning Sea and Sea-Breaking Great Saint quickly concurring.

Wen Fuguo's eyes fixed on Ye Zhen, since Ye Zhen hadn't formally recognized his role as military advisor yet.

"Mr. Wen is cautious and thorough in his thinking. He perfectly fits the military advisor position!" Grasping Wen Fuguo's intent, Ye Zhen confirmed it, sparking a flicker of quiet delight in Wen Fuguo's gaze.

While others might not grasp the vast potential of this group forming around Ye Zhen, he saw it plainly.

Officially named military advisor, his standing in this group would rise, granting him entry into the core decision-makers.

With the group's ascent, his own rank would climb steadily alongside.

"For the True Dragon Essence Blood to train the core group, I possess two hundred thousand barrels from the Blue-scaled Dragon King, taken from Dragon Prince Ao Zheng long ago. Elders may distribute it as you see fit for the core team," Ye Zhen declared.

At Ye Zhen's offer, the Sky Wing Three Saints grew uneasy. Having already gained so much from him, and with their core group mostly their own kin, how could they accept more True Dragon Essence Blood from him? They politely refused one after another.

"Elders, no matter the Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, they hold true worth only when utilized. Idle in a storage ring, they remain useless forever.

The True Dragon Essence Blood from the Blue-scaled Dragon King and Dragon Prince Ao Zheng offers me little benefit now. It's ideal for raising the core group, so kindly take it without hesitation."

With that, Ye Zhen's eyes shifted to Ning Shiyi and Wen Fuguo, "I, Ye Zhen, always distinguish clearly between merits and faults. Since you've both contributed, you won't miss out on True Dragon Essence Blood.

Yet this True Dragon Essence Blood can fortify the bones of our Human Warriors too. Use it to boost your own power."

Upon finishing, Ye Zhen flicked his hand, summoning twenty barrels of True Dragon Essence Blood before Ning Shiyi and Wen Fuguo each—though Wen Fuguo got one extra barrel.

"Ten barrels each from Dragon Prince Ao Zheng’s True Dragon Essence Blood and the Blue-scaled Dragon King’s, plus just one barrel of Five-clawed Silver Dragon’s True Dragon Essence Blood for you two.

But for Military Advisor Wen's wise counsel, he receives an extra barrel of Five-clawed Silver Dragon’s True Dragon Essence Blood." Ye Zhen's words brought subtle shifts to Ning Shiyi and Wen Fuguo's faces.

Even though Wen Fuguo gained only one additional barrel of Five-clawed Silver Dragon Essence Blood, its worth made his total reward almost double Ning Shiyi's.

"Moving forward, as long as you serve effectively, such Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures will abound," Ye Zhen assured.

With his forces steadily gaining might, Ye Zhen was now cultivating rivalry among top aides like Wen Fuguo and Ning Shiyi.

In this scenario, they would steadily step into a virtuous cycle, greatly reducing the chances of any underhanded dealings between the pair.

Simultaneously, this approach would ignite the zeal within each of them.

"We will do our utmost!"

"We will try our best!" Wen Fuguo and Ning Shiyi responded.

....

With time running short, Ye Zhen remained just four days at the Xiansheng Water Mansion before embarking on his next journey.

Right after he left, the cultivation levels of the Sky Wing Three Saints skyrocketed, with each one achieving a breakthrough.

Among them, the Great Sage of the Overturning Sea saw the most dramatic gains—not just in his cultivation base, but also through the swift condensation and strengthening of his bloodline, boosted by the Spirit Void Fruit and the refining of True Dragon Essence Blood, yielding the finest outcomes.

Ye Zhen figured that within half a year to a full year, the Great Sage of the Overturning Sea—who currently lagged behind the other Sky Wing Three Saints in cultivation—might surge ahead and match them.

As for the True Dragon Essence Blood meant to forge core strength, discussions with Shuili Dan King had already led to plans for refining it into True Dragon Blood Essence Pills using assorted Spiritual Medicines.

Paired with diverse Heaven and Earth Spiritual Medicines, the potency of the raw True Dragon Essence Blood could rise by roughly thirty percent.

In the meantime, Shuili Dan King delivered some encouraging updates to Ye Zhen.

Using the over one hundred Low Grade Thought Spirit Pills Ye Zhen had provided earlier, they had successfully deduced more than forty percent of the Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures along with the refining methods for Low Grade Thought Spirit Pills.

Yet, the deeper they delved into reverse-engineering, the tougher it became, and progress slowed considerably.

Before departing, Ye Zhen had supplied Shuili Dan King and his team with a whopping ten thousand Low Grade Thought Spirit Pills for their research.

Shuili Dan King assured that with these ten thousand Low Grade Thought Spirit Pills, while full mastery of the Thought Spirit Pills' materials and techniques wasn't guaranteed, they could hit around ninety percent success!

Ye Zhen anticipated that momentous day with great excitement.

Three days of full-speed travel later, Ye Zhen reached the County City of North Sea. Gu Tieqi, Liu Feng, Spirit Scout Niu Er, Heavenly Patrol Divine General Feng Jiumo, Governor Qiao Fu, and County Captain Tang Biao—already alerted—awaited him majestically at the gates of the Earl’s Mansion of North Sea County.

Previously, under the looming menace of the Blue-scaled Dragon King, Ye Zhen had fled the County Governor’s Mansion to evade peril and focus on cultivation. But on this return, armed with strength enough to confront the Blue-scaled Dragon King directly, he made his entrance.

Thus, Ye Zhen opted for a bold, public return to the Earl’s Mansion—a bold show of defiance and retaliation against the Blue-scaled Dragon King, while also steadying the morale of North Sea County's inhabitants.

North Sea County's growth had exploded in recent years, with population booming swiftly. The secure surroundings had sparked thriving commerce as well.

However, the territory's lord, Ye Zhen, had vanished from sight, stirring anxiety among the residents.

His dramatic reappearance now would see the word blaze across North Sea County in mere days.

Following the lavish welcome rite, Ye Zhen strode into the Earl’s Mansion of North Sea County amid throngs of followers, yet defying widespread hopes, no lavish feast ensued. Instead, they gathered straightaway in the council hall.

Several Spirit Talismans activated, and as Ye Zhen’s Divine Sense swept outward like an unstoppable wave, the high-stakes meeting kicked off officially.

The meeting's opening item wasn't a rundown of North Sea County's progress for Ye Zhen.

Truth be told, roughly every half-year, whenever contact with Ye Zhen was possible, they forwarded updates to him.

Ye Zhen stayed well-informed on North Sea County's shifts; today's reports centered on the duty-reporting incident and the shadowy forces of Tianming Marquisate and the Heavenly Temple Shahe City Branch Temple behind it.

Though tied up at Five Immortals Island without rushing back, Ye Zhen had promptly orchestrated responses upon North Sea County's alert.

The ancient wisdom—"know your enemy and know yourself, and you can fight a hundred battles with no danger of defeat"—highlights intelligence's vital role.

"My lord, five days after you received the Imperial Decree, the West Patrol Xiao Qiangu claimed he was visiting Luoyi to celebrate his mother’s birthday.

Spirit Scout Niu Er spoke up first. "Moreover, he has secured His Majesty’s approval. To this day, the West Patrol Xio Qiangu lingers in Luoyi, no doubt awaiting your report there."

Ye Zhen grasped that his Luoyi trip this time would pit him against not just the Heavenly Temple’s accusations and doubts, but also the foe Xio Qiangu!

"Sir, family intelligence indicates that two months back, Prince Ji Yuan—embroiled earlier in the Marquis Anling Ji Jia scandal—slipped back into Luoyi from the Human Demon Battlefield and has stayed quite active," Liuu Feng reported.

Liuu Feng’s clan holds broad networks among Luoyi’s residents. Though Spirit Scout Niu Er boasts superb scouting skills, Luoyi lies outside his grasp.

Ye Zhen’s face darkened more and more severely. "The Marquis Anling business has left Prince Lik Jo Yuan nursing a grudge against me. On top of that, Prince Lik Jo Yuan aligns with the Heavenly Vein-backed faction. Clearly, the Heavenly Temple is pulling out all stops this round."

"What’s more, sir, extreme caution is essential when you go back to report," Liuu Feng pressed on. "My father reports that the Heavenly Temple holds some unshakeable proof.

They first pushed hard for your instant prosecution. But even with fierce pushback from the Ancestor God Temple and Grand Celestial Official Wu Yu, your name couldn’t be fully cleared of doubt.

Finally, His Majesty devised this middle path: calling you in to report, seeming to let you defend yourself, while setting a three-month time limit."

As faces around him grew somber, Liuu Feng went on, "You may know our Great Zhou Dynasty’s court splits mainly into two sides: one loyal to imperial might and supremacy—the Ancestor God Temple alongside civil and military officers—and the other favoring the Heavenly Temple, made up of similar officials.

Your prior deed sparked a fierce backlash from the Heavenly Temple camp. Yet my father urged not to despair.

Guilty or not in that affair, you’ve won over the imperial might and supremacy group already, so this crisis isn’t the dead end it might appear."

Here, Liuu Feng noted, "Sadly, no matter my pleading, Father only covered the big court shifts and dodged the fine points."

"I get it!" Ye Zhen nodded firmly. Liuu Feng’s words lined up closely with his own judgments.

Liuu Feng’s input bolstered Ye Zhen’s confidence further, spurring thoughts on smartly deploying his current assets.