Shameless Immortal: Emperor of Ten Thousand Beauties

Chapter 244: Chapter 244: I Am Here to Help You

The defensive arrays protecting the primary compound of the Cao Clan groaned under the continuous, explosive impact of true Qi.

Outside, the bloodthirsty roars of thousands of cheated miners and rogue mercenaries vibrated right through the heavy stone walls.

Inside the grand council hall, the atmosphere was thick with the suffocating stench of pure panic.

"Think of something! Any solution!" Patriarch Cao Yan roared from his high throne, his voice completely hoarse.

His fingers dug deeply into the armrests, his face pale and slick with cold sweat.

"The defensive formations will only hold for another two hours! If we do not appease that mob outside with either the promised pills or their spiritual stones, they will tear this entire estate down brick by brick!"

Around the long mahogany table, the elders were entirely frozen in despair.

Even the two Supreme Elders, venerable Golden Core masters who usually remained in deep seclusion, sat with grim, tight expressions.

"Appease them with what, Patriarch?" the finance elder wailed, wringing his hands frantically.

"Our vaults are completely empty! We spent every single low-grade stone to sustain the discount over the last five days! We have zero capital, zero raw herbs, and the Golden Cauldron has completely blocked our supply lines! We are fundamentally ruined!"

As the elders began bickering like cornered beasts, a strange, localized ripple suddenly warped the space at the far end of the grand hall.

The air distorted like a heat mirage.

Without a single sound, the blurry shadow of a man materialized out of thin air, stepping smoothly out of the Phantom Steps technique.

He was dressed in elegant, flowing dark robes, his face partially obscured by a deep hood, though a few strands of dark hair fell over his brow.

With absolute, leisurely grace, the mysterious traveler pulled back an empty chair at the very edge of the long table and sat down, casually crossing his legs.

The shift in spiritual pressure was instantaneous.

"Who goes there?!" one of the Golden Core Supreme Elders bellowed, violently slamming his hands against the table as he leaped to his feet.

In a flash, every single gaze in the room locked onto the newcomer.

Wary, terrified glances darted across the table.

The two Golden Core masters and Cao Yan, who was himself a late-stage Golden Core expert, felt a cold dread sink into their stomachs.

The fact that this man had bypassed the estate’s defensive arrays and appeared in the heart of their heavily warded council hall without triggering a single alarm or releasing a shred of presence meant only one thing.

He was an expert far beyond their ability to perceive.

Cao Yan’s throat went entirely dry.

He forcefully swallowed the lump in his throat, suppressing his panic as he stood up from his throne.

Bowing low with deeply trembling hands, he spoke with the utmost reverence.

"May... may this junior know which senior has graced our humble hall? If our Cao Clan has offended you in the past, we beg for your grand mercy."

Beneath the shadow of his hood, a sharp, thoroughly wicked smile curled the stranger’s lips.

Shen Yu, adopting his secret persona of Mo Liu, leaned back into the wooden chair with an air of complete, unbothered dominance.

"Me?" Shen Yu chuckled smoothly, his voice dropping into a relaxed purr that echoed clearly over the distant sounds of the rioting mob outside.

"You may call me Mo Liu."

He rested his chin on his hand, his hidden pupils flashing with a dark, predatory amusement as he scanned the pale, desperate faces of the council.

"Do not look so frightened, Patriarch Cao," Shen Yu murmured, his smirk widening into a thoroughly sharp, enigmatic expression.

"I am not here to take your head. Quite the contrary... I am here to help you navigate through this little predicament."

A flicker of desperate, wild hope ignited in Cao Yan’s bloodshot eyes, like a drowning man catching sight of a floating log.

He hurriedly stepped down from the stone dais, his spine instinctively bending as he kept his hands clasped with absolute, shaking respect.

"Help us?" Cao Yan breathed, his voice cracking with a mixture of awe and desperation.

"Senior Mo Liu... what do you mean by that? Our clan is currently facing a total supply stranglehold by the Golden Cauldron Union. They have choked our throat. We have... we have no way out."

Beneath the shadow of his deep hood, Shen Yu’s smile broadened, laced with an unsettling, thoroughly playful charm.

He took a slow, deliberate breath, entirely unbothered by the heavy atmosphere of the room. Instead of offering a lengthy, academic explanation, he casually flicked his right wrist.

Flash!

A slender, crystalline jade vial appeared out of thin air between his long, elegant fingers.

With a lazy, effortless toss, he sent the vial sailing across the entire length of the mahogany council table, tracing a perfect arc straight toward the stunned patriarch.

Cao Yan’s martial reflexes kicked in instantly.

His hands darted out, catching the smooth, chilled glass with frantic precision.

He held the vial as if it were a highly volatile explosive talisman, his eyes locked onto the gleaming, deep-green sphere resting silently at the bottom of the container.

"Open it," Shen Yu’s voice echoed through the hall, dropping into a cool, calm, yet utterly authoritative command that brooked no refusal.

With trembling fingers and a racing heart, Cao Yan popped the golden wax seal from the top of the container.

Instantly, a wave of dense, heavy herbal fragrance burst forth like a contained storm, completely flooding the suffocating council hall.

The scent was incredibly potent, a sharp, pristine blend of purifying mountain snow-lotus and tempered, heavy earth-Qi that immediately sliced through the stale tension in the room.

The mere aroma was so pure that it caused the stagnant, chaos-ridden meridians of the surrounding Golden Core elders to violently throb, injecting a sudden, rushing wave of clear, cooling vitality straight into their anxious minds.

Cao Yan gasped loudly, his eyes widening to the size of saucers. His hands shook so violently he nearly dropped the vial as he stared down at the flawless, gleaming pill.