Chapter 271: Chapter 258: Framing
"You have the gall to say that? If you hadn’t snatched all the Demon Fruits, why else would I be so determined to kill you!" Hearing Qii Yang mention this, the Seventh Prince grew even more incensed.
"I stole the Demon Fruits? This is the Nine-Heart Demon Fruit Tree? You plucked all the fruits?"
Only then did Qii Yang realize what was happening. He looked up at the mess of broken branches and withered leaves nearby, his body trembling with rage.
He had never seen the tree before, only remembering that its most distinctive feature was being covered in heart-shaped fruits. When he first arrived, he saw the ground littered with debris and hadn’t paid it any mind—the tree was completely bare. He never imagined that this was the very reason for his journey: the Nine-Heart Demon Fruit Tree!
"I plucked the fruits? Talk about the thief crying ’thief’! If the Soaring Water Master at your side wasn’t so good at escaping, how could he have possibly snatched them from right under my nose?"
The Seventh Prince glared at Ouyang Cheng. Remembering the humiliation of being toyed with earlier, his hatred surged like a tidal wave.
"I never fought you for the Nine-Heart Demon Fruits. If you don’t believe me, there’s nothing I can do about it!"
Hearing this, Ouyang Cheng’s brow furrowed.
The Soaring Water Master aptitude was hailed as one of the three great escape talents. Now, deep within the Endless Ocean, Ouyang Cheng couldn’t care less how powerful the Seventh Prince was, so he didn’t bother being polite.
"You didn’t? If it wasn’t you, then who was it? There are only a handful of Soaring Water Masters in the entire Qi Sea Continent. I refuse to believe another one just happened to show up here!" a middle-aged man beside the Seventh Prince demanded.
The special Soaring Water Master aptitude was exceedingly rare, about as uncommon on the Qi Sea Continent as a Secret Realm Powerhouse. This rarity made them incredibly valuable. It was a feat in itself that Qii Yang had managed to find one after so much effort; no one believed there could possibly be a second Soaring Water Master in this group.
"I’ve never even seen a Nine-Heart Demon Fruit, so how could I have stolen any? I was with Young Master Qii Yang the entire time. You can ask him if you don’t believe me!"
Ouyang Cheng knew the Seventh Prince’s status was immense, so he suppressed his anger and explained.
"That’s right. Ouyang Cheng was with us the whole time and never left. All of my men can attest to that..." Qii Yang also felt the Seventh Prince was just making trouble, but before he could finish, a soft voice cut in.
"That’s not quite right. Earlier, when I charged in to kill the Beast King of the Demon Wing Cloud Armor Beasts, Ouyang, the Soaring Water Master, was gone for a while. Could it have been then...?"
Everyone turned to see that the speaker was the blood-soaked, heavily injured young man.
"Killed the Beast King?"
Qii Yang and the others suddenly recalled that Ouyang Cheng had, in fact, left for a time, and their gazes turned hostile.
"Bullshit! I only left because there were too many Cloud Armor Beasts, just to get out of the way! You damn brat, don’t you dare make such baseless accusations...!"
Seeing everyone’s suspicious gazes, Ouyang Cheng turned to Nie Yun and roared with fury.
"It’s easy enough to see if my accusations are baseless. Even someone at my level of strength was able to push deep into the horde and kill the Beast King. A dignified Soaring Water Master like yourself shouldn’t be afraid of a mere swarm of Demon Beasts, should you?"
Nie Yun said.
"You... Fine! Since you’re looking for death, I’ll grant you your wish!"
Enraged at being challenged by this young General he had always looked down on, Ouyang Cheng flipped his palms, and a torrent of water shot straight at Nie Yun.
The torrent of water flew like a sharp arrow, carrying a thick, murderous aura. Before it even reached him, the fierce gale it created churned the surrounding seawater, producing a thunderous roar.
"Stop!"
Baihua Xiu and Mu Qing, who stood protectively in front of Nie Yun, quickly intervened. With a furious bellow, the three’s techniques collided, setting off a massive explosion on the seabed and blasting a huge crater into the ground.
"Lashing out in shame? Young Master Qii Yang, you’ve always wanted to kill me, but he’s the one who truly wants you dead! He used his status as a Soaring Water Master to snatch the Nine-Heart Demon Fruits from the Seventh Prince, enraging the Prince and directing that anger toward you to get you killed! And the funny thing is, you still want to kill me, the great hero who’s saved you time and time again!"
Nie Yun sneered, his voice filled with sorrow and indignation, as if he had suffered a tremendous injustice.
"Young Master Qii Yang doesn’t need a lecture from you! Who do you think you are, shouting and screaming like this?"
Seeing Qii Yang’s face flush then pale, Muu Shengxue knew the young man had struck a nerve. He stepped forward with a loud roar.
He hadn’t joined the battle when Qii Yang and the Seventh Prince fought, so he was uninjured. Seeing Nie Yun approach, he gave a cold shout, brandished his longsword, and radiated a sharp killing intent.
"Get out of my way!" Nie Yun’s eyes suddenly snapped open as a needle-like sliver of Spiritual Power shot toward Muu Shengxue.
Having vanquished his Heart Demon, his Spiritual Power had reached a new level, and Nie Yun was now capable of attacking with it directly.
THUMP, THUMP, THUMP!
Muu Shengxue felt a sharp pain pierce his mind. His pupils rolled back as he staggered backward, and with a gasp, he sprayed a mouthful of blood!
He was severely injured!
"A spiritual attack?"
Until now, the Seventh Prince and his men hadn’t paid any attention to the heavily injured young man lying on the stone slab. But now, seeing him make Muu Shengxue cough up blood and fall into an unknown state between life and death with just a glare, their pupils contracted in shock.
An expert whose spirit could leave their body to attack would be able to rank on the Secret Realm Potential List, let alone the Ultimate Venerable Celestial List!
The Divine Holy Empire had three great lists for its Ultimate Venerable Powerhouses: the Ultimate Venerable Earth List, the Ultimate Venerable Celestial List, and the Secret Realm Potential List. These three lists categorized Ultimate Venerable Peak Powerhouses in detail. An expert with the strength of the Mi Tian Sect Master would only rank near the bottom of the Ultimate Venerable Earth List. Someone with Qii Yang’s strength would be in the upper ranks of the Earth List at best; entering the Celestial List was completely out of the question!
Those on the Ultimate Venerable Celestial List possessed at least 5,000 Elephant Giant Power. As for those on the Secret Realm Potential List, they were just one step away from the Secret Realm itself. Some were even old monsters who had survived the backlash from attempting to break through to the Secret Realm!
The backlash from breaking through to the Secret Realm was something even Secret Realm Powerhouses found difficult to withstand. For someone who hadn’t reached the Secret Realm to survive it was a testament to their immense power!
Rumor had it that the Qii Family’s ancestor was one such old monster who had survived the breakthrough attempt. This was precisely why Qii Yang dared to openly challenge the Seventh Prince so recklessly.
It was precisely because the Secret Realm Potential List was so formidable that the Seventh Prince and his men looked so astonished.
PFFT!
Just as they were reeling in amazement, Nie Yun also coughed up a mouthful of blood, his face turning deathly pale.
Seeing the young man’s condition, the Seventh Prince and his subordinates exchanged a look and collectively breathed a sigh of relief.
"It looks like that kid used some kind of Secret Technique to injure Muu Shengxue!"
"Even if it was a Secret Technique, it’s still incredibly powerful. Seventh Prince, this man is clearly not on the same side as Qii Yang. We could use this opportunity to win him over!"
"The more of these Ultimate Venerable Peak Powerhouses we can recruit, the more our own status will rise. It will give us a greater advantage when we contend with the Eldest Prince for power..."
"I’ve never seen this man before. Seventh Prince, you must be cautious! We absolutely have to investigate his background..."
The middle-aged subordinates exchanged flickering glances as they secretly conversed using Sound Transmission.
"Mm, a good point."
The Seventh Prince was a clever man. Hearing his subordinate’s suggestion, he couldn’t help but nod. He looked at Nie Yun and suddenly spoke. "You seem unfamiliar, young brother. Might I ask your name, and where you’re from?"
