244: Chapter 244 The Crimson Flame Venerable

On the east side of the Cangming Clan residence, there was a quiet courtyard.

The courtyard wall was not high, and in the corner, a few cold-resistant iron-bone plum trees were planted, their rugged branches trembling slightly in the night wind.

Snowflakes drifted down from the lead-grey sky, accumulating a thin layer of white on the stone table in the courtyard.

Shen Qingyuan lay on a soft couch inside the room, cushioned by a snow-fox fur rug sent by the Cangming Clan, holding a cup of hot tea in his hand; the curling steam formed a warm, yellow halo under the lamplight.

Luo Qingyue sat to one side.

Xu Jianan leaned against the window, stroking the pitch-black wine gourd in his hand, but he did not drink; he simply narrowed his eyes, gazing at the falling snow outside the window, lost in thought.

Old Turtle squatted by the threshold, his body hunched, looking drowsy, yet his half-drooped old eyes would occasionally glance toward the darkness outside the courtyard wall.

Jiang Li sat cross-legged on a chair opposite the couch, resting her chin on her hands, her apricot-shaped eyes sparkling as she stared at Shen Qingyuan, her gaze full of undisguised curiosity and excitement.

"Brother Qingyuan!" She finally could not help but speak, her voice crisp. "Can that purple jade gourd of yours really change the flow of time? So if you stay inside for one day, a month passes outside? Then if you stay inside for a hundred years, wouldn't only a little over three years have passed outside?"

Shen Qingyuan put down his teacup and glanced at her. "Theoretically, that is the case."

"Wow!" Jiang Li's eyes became even brighter. "Doesn't that mean you can have several times more Cultivate time than others? No wonder you are so powerful at such a young age! So it was because you have such a treasure!"

Shen Qingyuan replied lazily, "At my level of cultivation, the length of Cultivate time no longer holds much meaning."

Jiang Li was stunned for a moment, tilting her head, clearly not quite understanding the meaning of those words.

She did not dwell on it, instead asking the biggest question in her heart: "Brother Qingyuan, you brought out so many spiritual materials; aren't you afraid that those people from the Cangming Clan will become greedy?"

Upon hearing this, Shen Qingyuan could not help but take another look at Jiang Li.

This girl looked careless, but her mind was actually quite delicate; to think she could consider this aspect.

He set the teacup aside and laughed slowly. "Greedy? They would need to have the life to take it first."

Jiang Li blinked her sparkling apricot eyes and could not help but remind him: "Brother Qingyuan, the Cangming Clan is not weak, you know. I heard that the Cangming Clan has several Saint King Realm Old Ancestors."

Although she was young, she was born in a place like Central State, and under such influence, she knew a thing or two about the major powers in the world.

The Cangming Clan had many Saint Realm experts and several Saint King Realm experts, among whom was a Venerable at the Peak of the Saint King Realm!

Seeing Jiang Li's worried look, Shen Qingyuan rubbed her head and smiled. "Don't worry, I know the situation of the Cangming Clan."

What kind of strength the Cangming Clan possessed, he had been clear about the moment he arrived in Beiming City.

A clan that didn't even have a Quasi-Emperor Realm expert—how could they possibly make waves under his nose!

Jiang Li blinked her eyes and clenched her fist, saying very positively: "If Brother Qingyuan needs help, I can call my father over! My father is very powerful!"

Hearing this, Luo Qingyue, who was to the side, also became interested and asked with a smile: "Little Li'er, who is your father?"

When asked about her father, Jiang Li blinked those sparkling apricot eyes, not hiding anything at all. She rested her chin on her hands, smiling until her eyes curved into crescents: "My father is the Chiyan Divine Palace Master, Jiang Yan!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the room fell silent for a moment.

Xu Jianan nearly dropped the wine gourd in his hand. He turned his head abruptly, eyes wide, looking up and down at this Red-skirted Girl. The expression on his face was as if he had seen a ghost: "The Chiyan Divine Palace Master? That Jiang Yan who is known as the 'Scarlet Flame Venerable'?!"

Jiang Li lifted her chin triumphantly, her tone filled with undisguised pride: "That's right! My father gave me three life-saving talismans; as long as I crush one, he can immediately tear through the Void Realm and rush over! Otherwise, I wouldn't dare to run to Northern Plains to play alone."

Xu Jianan gasped.

He had also traveled in Central State, so the reputation of the Chiyan Divine Palace was naturally like thunder to his ears.

As one of the six top powers in Central State, the Palace Master Jiang Yan was a peerless expert at the Peak of the Saint King Realm. It was rumored that he had already touched the threshold of the Quasi-Emperor Realm and, along with the Master of Tiansha Abyss, Ye Chen, was known as one of the "Two Great Heroes of Central State."

Yet, this little girl before his eyes, who looked no more than sixteen or seventeen and was bouncing around, was actually the daughter of that "Scarlet Flame Venerable"?

Old Turtle also could not help but turn his head to look at Jiang Li again, a glimmer of sharpness flashing in his murky old eyes.

He had lived for over three thousand years and had traveled in Central State for quite some time, so he naturally had heard of the affairs of the Chiyan Divine Palace.

That Palace Master Jiang Yan was indeed a formidable figure, having single-handedly brought the Chiyan Divine Palace from a mid-tier Holy Land power to the top ranks. His methods were ruthless and his cultivation profound; he was ranked among the best in the entire Cangxuan.

Xu Jianan smacked his lips, his tone filled with a bit of emotion: "No wonder you dared to challenge the people of the Cangming Clan on the street just now. So you are the Young Miss of the Chiyan Divine Palace; no wonder you have such confidence."

Jiang Li waved her hand. "I did not rely on the name of the Chiyan Divine Palace! I saw that guy rampaging on the street and bullying people, and I couldn't stand it, so I took action!"

As she spoke, she turned her head to look at Shen Qingyuan, her apricot eyes sparkling: "But Brother Qingyuan, don't worry. With my father here, if the Cangming Clan dares to have any crooked ideas, I will call my father immediately! I guarantee we will beat them to a pulp!"

Shen Qingyuan smiled lightly and glanced in the direction outside the city; he had long since discovered an expert outside the city whose aura was connected to Jiang Li's.

That person possessed the cultivation of the Peak of the Saint King Realm, so it must be Jiang Li's father.

Therefore, he did not refuse, smiling and replying: "Alright, alright, alright, then I will trouble Little Li'er when the time comes."

"Leave it to me!" Jiang Li waved her fist, feeling somewhat excited.

The next morning, the sky over Beiming City was still a heavy lead-grey, and snowflakes drifted down silently, accumulating a thin layer of white on the branches of the iron-bone plum trees in the courtyard.

Just as Shen Qingyuan finished breakfast, a steady sound of footsteps came from outside the courtyard gate.

Before long, the figure of Cangming Wujian appeared outside the moon gate, followed by two Grey-Robed Elders with restrained auras, their heads lowered and eyes fixed straight ahead.

"Senior, everything is prepared, and we can begin the refining at any time." Cangming Wujian stood at the courtyard gate, bowing slightly, his posture respectful. "Three of our clan's Old Ancestors are already waiting in the ancestral grounds, and the spiritual materials and furnace required for refining have also been prepared; we are just waiting for you, Senior."

Shen Qingyuan put down his teacup, stood up, hands tucked into his sleeves, and walked lazily toward the outside of the courtyard: "Then let's go."

Luo Qingyue, in white as snow, followed him at a leisurely pace by his side.

Jiang Li bounced out of the room, her red skirt exceptionally eye-catching against the snow: "I'm going too, I'm going too!"

Cangming Wujian's gaze paused on her for a moment, but he did not say anything more, simply stepping aside and making a gesture of invitation.

The group passed through the winding corridors of the Cangming Clan residence and crossed several Restriction portals covered in runes. The further they went, the more intense the Spiritual Qi in the air became, but it also became increasingly cold, as if countless tiny needles were crawling across their skin.

Shen Qingyuan swept his gaze indifferently over those Restrictions, but his steps did not stop.

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