Chapter 473: "The Mistress of the Phoenix Manor

"Princess, allow me to ask you this, do you think the Phoenix Edict is that easy to steal?"

Jolting to attention, Qing Bi stares hard at the specified badge in Ling Yue's hand, her eyes showing incredulous and disbelief.

Earlier she only knew the object was the identification token belonging to the Phoenix Manor due to the brief glance. Therefore, to be reminded that its actually the Phoenix Edict and not just the average kind was like a bomb, exploding within her head.

This translation is only hosted on bcatranslation

Regarding this Phoenix Edict, there are quite a few rumors within the palace about it. First would be the extreme security surrounding its safeguard that hardly anyone would be even privy to seeing it, let alone touching the damn thing, hence the reason why she would mistake it for another inferior badge.

Why would she have that? Everyone knows only the Mistress of the Phoenix Manor would be honored with the item!

Qing Bi and Feng Shen may be relatives with similar age gaps; however, this princess has no delusion that her cousin held a much higher weight within the king's eye. In fact, if Feng Shen willed it, every other royalty of North Qing wouldn't stand a chance against him in the competition for the throne. That just goes to show how favored this Phoenix Lord was.

Understanding the danger she was putting herself in, Qing Bi hurried to shut that mouth. Though she's not speaking no more, those eyes still radiated hatred.

"Miss Ling Yue, you are free to enter any city within North Qing so long as you possess this Phoenix Edict. No one will dare block your path," the royal guard respectfully explains.

"If that's the case then there's no need for us to stick around. Sister Caier, A'bone, Jin Wu Monster, let's go back to Moon City first to pack up before heading to North Qing." No longer willing to stay to continue this pointless conversation, Ling Yue didn't even shoot another glance at the prince when leaving.

She's not so good tempered that she could just ignore the fact that she's been robbed.

"Ling Yue, I!" Watching that departing back fluttering away, Xia Hou Qi could do nothing to stop this from happening. In the end, he could only shutter his eyes in pain.

No matter what he too was like the others, a self person at heart. Otherwise, why would he silently accept his father's decision to exclude Ling Yue from the Star Cave Venture?

He's afraid, afraid that Ling Yue would be snatched away by Feng Shen when they arrive at North Qing - that man gave him an unprecedented level of pressure.

Take that confrontation within the royal palace for example. Though their interaction was but a brief one; however, Xia Hou Qi's impression of the lad was that of a crouching tiger waiting to pounce, totally different from that frail image he led others to believe.

While the prince was moping over the mistake he himself caused, Lan Caier on the other hand was getting more and more angry while they headed back to Moon City.

"Ling Yue, they are treating you like this and you still want to help the king cure this black fog?"

In the big girl's eye, Ling Yue was undoubtedly the most talented alchemist within Da Xia's younger generation. Therefore, it's truly infuriating that her younger sister couldn't get a spot while these cats and dogs could.

"This is the last time," the small reply actually made everyone go blank for a second.

Ye Ling Yue has finally lost all feelings for Da Xia, her land of birth. This would be her last time helping this nation. Afterwards, anything in the future won't be of concern to herself.

Before long, the group had soon arrived at Moon City where the members of the Alchemist Hall came rushing out to receive them. And naturally the alchemists would be shocked by Ling Yue's injury upon learning it was caused by the dreaded flames of a reincarnation master. Fortunately, the panic didn't last long after the patient herself explained she would be cured after a month, otherwise who knows what sort of mess the place would become.

The girl may not have had a long time to stay in the Northwest, but her skills and abilities have won her the trust and reliance of everyone, especially the battle alchemists working under her. If anything does happen to Ling Yue, it's a certainty the structure and order they've built up using this time would come crumbling down again.

Late into the night that day.

This translation is only hosted on bcatranslation

Ling Yue was currently busy refining the Soul Reaping Chain in her room after stealing it off of that Reaper. Others may not know this but the girl herself does, her injury wasn't caused by the flames, it was caused by the Soul Reaping Chain!

Since the first minute she came into contact with this chain, the girl's been fighting the impulse to snatch it for her own. However, due to the fact that it's created through the combined power of two elements, it's not possible to forcibly steal it using normal means - one must kill the original owner and be equipped with a strong level of spirit force.

That's why, in her last moment before she fell into a coma, Ling Yue used the remaining ounce of her strength to tame this thing. Just that the side effects were the explosive might of the two elements within the damn thing blowing up in her face, thus causing the severe burns she suffered.

Thankfully the reckless action only effected her outer appearance and not the internals, otherwise what Ling Yue did was equivalent to self suicide. Furthermore, it appears dumb people does have dumb luck. Not only did she obtain the chain for herself, she also gained the refining method of the chain through the Black Spirit Smoke called - Soul Locking Technique.

"As expected of a martial technique from the Underground Palace. Merely a fifth-grade skill and its this powerful."

She's seen a few martial tablets already but this one truly stands above the rest in terms of quality.

First off, the chain not only has the capability to lock down one's soul and prevent the enemy from using their Yuan energy, it could also turn the victim into their puppet when one masters it to a certain degree.

Clearly Zhang Gang had only just started to learn this skill recently, otherwise he wouldn't have only showed such a miniscule level of its true potential in their battle.

.......................

It was another two days before everyone selected for the Star Cave Venture arrived in the Northwest from the capital.

First and foremost, since Xia Hou Qi was in charge of leading the party representing Da Xia, it's only normal that he would greet everyone involved. Surprisingly enough, among the crowds of people traveling together were two familiar figures he didn't expect to be there and that was Feng Xue and Liu Cheng.

Since these two are friends with Ling Yue, that immediately made the boy want to go greet them; however, the unhappy expression on Feng Xue's face already told him what has occurred. Apparently, the siblings from the Hong House had been bullying the pair along their travel to the Northwest, making it very difficult for the two.

As such, the following exchanges along the road were very quiet afterwards, only the occasional words between Feng Xue and Prince Hou Qi. The only exception being Qing Bi who kept pestering the lad relentlessly like a fly.

This continued until their party encountered another group up ahead.