Yunshan is Still Waiting to be Dou Ancestor!

A strong individual of this level hadn't appeared in the Jia Ma Empire for many years.

It's quite embarrassing to admit, but the surrounding three empires—Chu Yun, Mu Lan, and Luo Yan—each had Dou Ancestor or combat strength comparable to it. Only the Jia Ma Empire was lacking in this regard, which was why the royal family had placed such importance on him.

The Jia Ma Empire, especially the royal family, was in dire need of a Dou Ancestor's strength!

In normal circumstances, if faced with a lively Soul Hall protector, Chen Guan would have run away without hesitation.

It's important to know that even the lowest-ranked Soul Hall protector possessed Dou Ancestor-level strength! However, the current situation in the Magic Beast Mountain Range presented Chen Guan with a rare opportunity.

The protector was severely injured, though Chen Guan wasn't certain just how close to death he was. Based on the information from the will, Chen Guan boldly speculated that the protector could only exert strength at the Dou Emperor level.

Otherwise, there would have been no need for a "waiting for the right moment" approach. If the protector didn't like what he saw, he would have acted directly to suppress the threat. Not even Medusa at her peak could resist him, so there would be no need for such caution.

Chen Guan thought it through carefully. This was a chance to eliminate a threat for both himself and the royal family. The more he pondered it, the more feasible it seemed, as there was room for maneuver.

Still, the risks were high if he acted alone.

Even though his subordinate, the Divine General Iron Egg, could exert Dou Emperor strength, it was due to hasty construction and was, at best, comparable to someone like Yun Yun. Combined with his soul techniques, Chen Guan estimated a 50% success rate at most.

A less-than-50% chance was too low. The odds needed to reach at least 80% for it to be worth risking offending the Soul Hall at this time.

Thus, to hunt down the eerie guardian, he needed reinforcements! After considering everything, Chen Guan temporarily set aside his plans with Medusa, opened the stone door from inside, and put away the shattered serpent puppet before rushing out of the lake.

To prevent Queen Medusa from acting immediately, Chen Guan deliberately displayed his abilities with a different flame, drying himself as he headed nonchalantly towards Qingshan Town.

The will's contents proved accurate. Queen Medusa was indeed lurking in the shadows, only revealing herself after the young man left.

After glancing at the lake that had calmed down, Medusa hesitated for a few moments, then abandoned the idea of breaking through the door, instead following the young man's path.

For now, finding the different flame to aid her evolution was the top priority. There was no need to offend him just out of curiosity.

Like the Jia Ma Empire, the Snake-People Tribe desperately needed a Dou Ancestor-level warrior.

Although their reputation seemed fearsome and renowned, in reality, their situation was even worse than that of the Jia Ma royal family.

Otherwise, in the original work, how would Pill King Gu He have dared to gather a group to "negotiate" with Medusa?

Thus, advancing to Dou Ancestor was the most important thing on Medusa's mind at this time!

She had gathered some clues about the young man's identity over the past few days, which made her hesitant and uncertain about how to get him to cooperate in her evolution.

However, with options available, directly capturing him was clearly not the wisest approach.

Qingshan Town.

Chen Guan returned to the town, filled with the scent of fire foxes, but this time he had pressing matters to attend to and had to leave something relatively important for the next visit.

Following the signals left by the Wang brothers, he quickly found three people inside an inn.

"Young Master!"

A joyous shout rang out, and a person leaped into his arms.

They had only spent about ten days together, yet she had developed such a strong dependence on him. No wonder this girl was the ideal candidate for grooming! She was an investor's dream, a true potential stock!

"Be good," Chen Guan said, catching the girl with flushed cheeks. Preoccupied with his concerns, he didn't notice that she had already entered the Dou Disciple stage, with progress far exceeding his own in those years.

Qing Lin originally wanted to share the good news immediately, but seeing his serious expression, she swallowed her words. Feeling momentarily down, she quickly perked up again, pulling a chair, serving tea, and massaging his shoulders as she busied herself.

Chen Guan, temporarily ignoring her, gestured for the Wang brothers to sit across from him. After using his spiritual power to seal the room, he spoke with a solemn expression.

"Brother Wang, I need you to head to the capital immediately and seek out Sister Yao Ye. Bring Elder Jia in secret… Actually, I'll write a letter, and you can deliver it directly to Sister Yao Ye; she will arrange everything."

After some thought, he decided it was safer to explain everything in writing.

He quickly took out paper and pen, drafted the letter, checked it twice to ensure nothing was missing, and then handed it over to Wang Yan.

In the letter, he apologized for not replying for over a month and detailed the current plan, assuring that there was no danger. This would prevent Yao Ye from worrying and mobilizing a large group, as she had done last time, which would attract attention.

This time, the hunt for the Soul Hall protector had to be kept secret.

If the news leaked, they would have to pack up and flee with their families.

Initially, Chen Guan had thought about inviting Fa Ma too, as the other party would certainly agree.

But considering Fa Ma's combat ability, he dismissed the idea. There was a better candidate than Fa Ma.

"Young Master, aren't you coming with us?"

Noticing the gravity of the situation, the Wang brothers were worried for his safety. After all, if a Dou Emperor expert was needed, this matter was beyond the scope of the Dou Spirit-level puppets they had encountered.

Realizing that he might have been too serious and caused misunderstandings, Chen Guan laughed and explained.

"Relax, this time, I'm the one looking for trouble. The person may be strong, but he doesn't know I'm targeting him, so don't worry about my safety."

The brothers sighed in relief, their curiosity piqued—who could be so unlucky as to warrant such a large mobilization?

"Understood, Young Master. Rest assured, I'll deliver the letter to the Grand Princess personally," Wang Yan assured, getting up promptly.

Leaving Qing Lin at the inn, Chen Guan personally escorted the brothers outside of Qingshan Town. Once they were out of sight, he summoned Iron Egg to stand guard.

"You've been following me for quite a while now. Surely you're not just bored? Why don't you come out and chat?"

With Jia Xingtian and the puppet, Chen Guan had two Dou Emperor-level powers, plus his soul techniques, giving him about a 70% chance of success in hunting the injured Soul Hall protector.

But even that wasn't enough! Queen Medusa represented a ready-made power that could be recruited to further improve his odds.

Chen Guan resonated with something Jia Xingtian once said: "Having strength as a foundation means negotiating; without it, it's just one-sided exploitation."

To prevent unpleasant surprises, Chen Guan revealed the puppet's power first, giving both sides a somewhat equal footing for negotiation and making it easier to bring Medusa on board.

As for exposing the Dou Emperor puppet as a trump card, he had no choice.

Firstly, he would inevitably use it during the hunt.

Secondly, a trump card is relative; only if it can threaten others can it be considered a trump card.

While Chen Guan was scheming here, Yunshan was still waiting anxiously at the Yun Lan Sect. 

(End of Chapter)

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