Stranger Danger

"Your words make a lot of sense, senior. I'll contact the Profound Alliance right now. I'm sure they'll agree."

Jin Manshan was itching to carry the message.

Ye Qing smiled and nodded. "Okay. I look forward to the good news."

After Jin Manshan was gone, he looked at Ming Yueying and Yue Ling and said, "Oh right, my power will last for another day or so, so you do not need to worry about the demonic fire or demonic creatures during this time. Take this opportunity to catch some rest."

"Ah... thank you, warrior. Thank you."

"Your power knows no bounds, senior. Yue Ling is impressed!"

Great as it was, Ming Yueying and Yue Ling's shock were completely replaced by excitement and joy.

"Alright, I'm going to catch some rest myself. Go do whatever it is you need to do," Ye Qing said after they were done thanking him.

"Got it. Have a good rest, senior," Ming Yueying and Yue Ling saluted him and Feng Qingyou before leaving the Arts Tower together.

After the two women were gone, Feng Qingyou looked at Ye Qing and asked curiously, "Did you send them away because you want to tell me something?"

"I knew I couldn't hide it from you." Ye Qing smiled at her. "When I was converting the Ghost Dragon Boat just now, I was able to find out its origins and the reason it is undying."

Ye Qing proceeded to tell him everything he saw.

"A lump of flesh?" Feng Qingyou pondered for a moment before asking, "So, you wish to check out the lump of flesh?"

"That's right." Ye Qing told Feng Qingyou's his thoughts honestly. "The Ghost Dragon Boat is connected to the demonic fire, and the Ghost Dragon Boat is born from the lump of flesh. This means that the lump of flesh may be connected to the demonic fire as well."

"Therefore, I want to check out that lump of flesh before we seek out the source of the demonic fire. Perhaps we may discover something useful that will save us a lot of trouble down the line."

"Mm, I do see a need to check it out." Feng Qingyou gave Ye Qing a smile. "So, what do you need me to do?" Ye Qing replied, "I want you to stay behind and keep Jin Manshan and the others steady while I'm gone. If I haven't returned after the Profound Alliance's men have arrived, then I want you to deal with them for a bit." "You don't want them to find out about this?" Feng Qingyou understood his meaning instantly.

Ye Qing shrugged. "You can't be too careful."

Feng Qingyou did not comment on that. "Are you sure you can handle it alone?"

"Don't worry. I've taken control of the Ghost Dragon Boat, so I'm technically connected to the lump of flesh. There shouldn't be any danger." Ye Qing declared, "And on the off chance thereisdanger, I should be able to handle it just fine."

"Okay. Whatever you do, be ever careful." Feng Qingyou did not try to stop him. She knew Ye Qing's strength well. Even if the danger turned out to be greater than he could overcome, it should be well within his power to protect himself.

"Mm. I leave everything to you. See you later."

Ye Qing slowly faded away like a mirage and disappeared just like that.

After Ye Qing left, Feng Qingyou waved her hand and summoned a copy of Ye Qing on a faraway praying mat.

This copy of Ye Qing was sitting crosslegged on the praying mat with his eyes lightly shut. Be it in terms of his figure, appearance, aura or temperament, it looked exactly the same as the real thing.

Feng Qingyou herself took a seat by the window, picked up the wine jar on the table, and poured a drink for herself. Leaning against the window, she spent the rest of her time admiring the outside view and observing the busy people. She looked relaxed and content.

......

Beneath the sea, the burning Ghost Dragon Boat was swimming through the sea waves and the demonic fire soundlessly yet swiftly.

Sitting on a chair made from flesh and blood on the Ghost Dragon Boat's deck was none other than Ye Qing.

Although he was surrounded by water and rampaging demonic fire, not a single drop or wisp was able to make contact with him.

It was because the waves were isolated by the Ghost Dragon Boat's dark green flames, and the demonic fire was absorbed by it.

That's right. It was absorbing or consuming the demonic fire.

It was as if the demonic fire was the Ghost Dragon Boat's food. Ye Qing's senses told him that the demonic fire was absorbing or consuming the energy it contained to its heart's content. It was quite unusual.

"How interesting."

Ye Qing gently tapped the chair of flesh thoughtfully. He was growing even more curious about the connection between the lump of flesh and the demonic fire.

The lump of flesh was located tens of kilometers below the sea. The deeper they traveled, the greater and scarier the demonic fire became. Almost every inch of seawater, every corner of the sea was permeated by it. He could only see dark red and more dark red.

One could say that the demonic fire at the bottom of the sea was tens, no, hundreds of times greater and deadlier than it was on the surface.

Without the Ghost Dragon Boat, Ye Qing was pretty sure he would not be able to resist the erosion for long, much less find the source of the demonic fire.

No wonder the six Sages of the Profound Alliance were unable to find a viable solution despite all the years. He would probably be just as stumped if he was in their shoes.

It was different now though. The demonic fire at this depth scared even him, but the Ghost Dragon Boat continued to swim deeper like fish in water. If anything, it was moving even faster and stronger than when it was on the sea surface.

Besides that, the demonic fire had long scared off any powerful Stranger that might have entrenched themselves at this depth. That was why the Ghost Dragon Boat encountered no obstacles whatsoever throughout the journey. It wasn't long before it reached the sea bottom where the lump of flesh was located.

Even before they got close to it, Ye Qing saw an incredible sight.

He saw the demonic fire around the lump of flesh gathering from every direction and forming what looked like a gigantic whirlpool of demonic fire. It was as majestic as it was magical.

Sitting at the center of the whirlpool was none other than the lump of flesh.

Dark green in color, the lump of flesh was pure and limpid, sparkling and translucent. It was also covered in dark, mysterious-looking patterns. Through the patterns, he could vaguely spot bits and pieces of intertwining blood vessels and flesh. He could also feel the sheer amount of profound power and authority it commanded.

Honestly, it was less a lump of flesh and more an ore.

Ye Qing was frowning though.

It was because the lump of flesh didn't look like this in the Ghost Dragon Boat's memories.

In his memory, the lump of flesh was dry and decrepit, rotten and ugly. Dirty and decayed, it looked like a piece of flesh that had been ravaged beyond recognition by the passage of time. It was nothing like the gorgeous object in front of him.

However, he was equally certain that this lump of flesh was the very one he saw in the Ghost Dragon Boat's memories. It was also its birthplace.

He knew this because he could feel the Ghost Dragon Boat's joy and affection for the lump of flesh. It looked eager to become one with it.

It would have if he hadn't converted it into his Heavenly Demon Dependent.

There could only be one possibility. The demonic fire.

The lump of flesh became like this because it was absorbing the energy contained within the demonic fire.

Just like the Ghost Dragon Boat became stronger by consuming the demonic fire, this lump of flesh was the same. It had gained a new lease of life and become stronger because it had consumed the demonic fire's energy.