Chapter 8

"It doesn't seem as bad as the rumors suggest. Your senses are still sharp, just a bit lacking in cultivation. But to reach this level after being crippled and only a few days of re-cultivation is truly impressive!" A voice, devoid of much emotion, echoed.

Then, in the direction Lin Chen was looking, a faint light appeared.

In the light and shadow, an extremely alluring silhouette flickered in and out of view.

Anyone who saw it would find it hard to control themselves.

She was Mei Li, not only with a fiery figure but also the most beautiful face Lin Chen had ever seen.

The reason Mei Li appeared here was because of the pattern Lin Chen had previously carved, which sent out a signal.

It was a power that only Mei Li could sense!

Three years ago, while Lin Chen was training outside, he accidentally saved Mei Li, who was severely injured. After that, Mei Li stayed by his side.

Mei Li was very mysterious. Apart from her name, Lin Chen knew nothing about her.

However, Mei Li was no ordinary person. Her concealment skills were unmatched by Lin Chen, so he always had her gather intelligence.

Unfortunately, Lin Chen's opponents in the past were all from the Upper Wu Kingdom, so Mei Li often operated in the Upper Wu Kingdom.

Otherwise, if she had paid more attention to the capital of the Great Wei Kingdom, the Lin family might not have been so easily plotted against this time!

"How's the situation?" Lin Chen asked.

He knew that even without prior communication, Mei Li must have been investigating everything he wanted to know during this time!

Mei Li walked over and sat down next to Lin Chen.

At such a close distance, the faint light allowed him to vaguely see Mei Li's appearance.

Sometimes, Lin Chen would think that it was a good thing Mei Li was skilled in concealment and liked to appear in the dark; otherwise, her appearance would cause chaos if she walked among people!

Of course, Lin Chen had no mood for appreciation at the moment.

"After I learned you were in trouble, I returned to the capital of the Great Wei Kingdom. In the past two days, I have roughly understood the situation," Mei Li said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as she continued.

She knew what Lin Chen was most concerned about at the moment.

So she directly said, "Lin Shuai is not dead, but he did not go with the remnants of your Lin family to Yanzhou. He is currently in Zhao Wujie's residence."

Upon hearing this, Lin Chen's eyes turned cold.

Zhao Wujie!

He would definitely kill Zhao Wujie!

Lin Chen took a deep breath to calm himself down.

Hatred and the desire for revenge wouldn't change anything and wouldn't help. He couldn't lose his composure!

The fact that Lin Lan was not dead gave Lin Chen some relief. After his misfortune, he had thought about various details and believed that the royal family and Zhao Wujie might have other plans for Lin Lan.

It was possible that Lin Lan was still alive!

Now, Mei Li had confirmed this. Lin Lan must have something the other party wanted, but Lin Chen couldn't guess what it was.

"Have you found out the reason?" Lin Chen asked, his tone heavy.

Lin Chen knew that if the other party allowed a threat like Lin Lan to live, there must be a very sufficient reason.

A reason so sufficient that the royal family and Zhao Wujie were willing to take the risk of keeping Lin Lan alive!

"Probably because of the Dragon Essence Stone," Mei Li said.

"Dragon Essence Stone?" Lin Chen was surprised.

He knew about the Dragon Essence Stone; Lin Lan had mentioned it to him.

It was not an ordinary thing, but a heavenly treasure capable of changing a person's physical potential!

Twenty years ago, Lin Lan had the good fortune to obtain the Dragon Essence Stone!

But that was twenty years ago.

Now that Lin Lan was still alive, how could it be related to the Dragon Essence Stone?

"The power of the Dragon Essence Stone can be absorbed and utilized, but it does not easily disappear. It is merely stored within the human body. With certain methods, it can be extracted again!" Mei Li said calmly.

"What!" Lin Chen was shocked.

This was unheard of!

"The Dragon Essence Stone is indeed extraordinary, a rare treasure. Some powerful traditions will extract the Dragon Essence Stone from senior experts who are about to die, to be used by future generations!" Mei Li explained.

"However, the extraction process cannot be done if the person is dead. Otherwise, the person dies, and the power of the Dragon Essence Stone dissipates as well!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Chen was deeply shaken.

This explained why the other party kept Lin Lan alive.

It was indeed a very sufficient reason!

Enough to make them willing to take the risk of keeping Lin Lan alive!

"However, if someone has taken the Dragon Essence Stone, after twenty years, Lin Shuai's cultivation should have already broken through to the sixth realm—the Void Knowledge Realm. I wonder what he has experienced that caused his cultivation to progress so slowly," Mei Li added.

Lin Chen was taken aback by this. He hadn't expected Mei Li to say this.

After all, his understanding of the Dragon Essence Stone was limited. Lin Lan had only mentioned it briefly and never described it in detail.

Moreover, Lin Lan was now a Great Martial Artist at the Specialized Technique Realm, one of the few in the entire Great Wei Kingdom who could surpass him!

Lin Chen thought this was the benefit the Dragon Essence Stone had brought to Lin Lan, and it was already quite astonishing. He had never considered that this benefit might not be enough.

But Lin Chen didn't think too much about it.

After all, cultivation was not as simple as eating something and reaching a certain realm.

There were too many variables along the way, and falling short of expectations was common.

Mei Li only mentioned it in passing and didn't say anything more.

Then Mei Li continued, "Those powerful traditions have incredible means. They can extract the Dragon Essence Stone very quickly, completing the process in a quarter of an hour, or even half an hour."

"But the Great Wei Kingdom clearly does not have such methods. Zhao Wujie will need at least a year to extract the Dragon Essence Stone from Lin Shuai's body."

What Mei Li said was exactly what Lin Chen wanted to know at the moment.

A year.

It seemed he had only a year, no, at most a year. After all, Mei Li's assessment was just a guess, and it could happen much sooner!

So Lin Chen had to rescue Lin Lan as quickly as possible, or it would be too late!

But on the other hand, Lin Lan would definitely be alive during this time!

This was good news. Being alive meant there was hope!

Lin Chen took a deep breath and opened his mouth.

But before he could ask, Mei Li continued, "Lin Wan'er has already entered the territory of Yanzhou. The Yanzhou King's intention is to have Lin Wan'er serve him in bed."

"Lin Wan'er's intention is to give him a corpse if he forces her!"

Lin Chen's eyes immediately filled with killing intent.

The Yanzhou King!

Looking for death!

"However, the journey to Yanzhou is not just for Lin Wan'er alone. Even if she refuses to submit, she must consider the welfare of her clan. Now, she has agreed to marry into the Yanzhou Royal Family."

"The condition is to ensure the safety of her clan and to have a month's time."

Lin Chen's face changed, and he tightly clenched his fists, his nails piercing the flesh and drawing blood!

"A month?" Lin Chen growled, his eyes bloodshot.

Lin Chen knew that this was the best effort of the gentle Lin Wan'er!

"Lin Wan'er said she needs a month to mourn the dead clan members. After the month, she will marry," Mei Li said.