Second Time

Chapter 70 - Ocean Emperor

Two weeks into their stay, one of the servants politely knocked on their door and said, "Mistresses, the Ocean Emperor has requested you pay him a visit."

Cai Fei looked over to Liezhu.

Liezhu shrugged. "If he's bold enough to request it, he must be confident that it'll be worth our while — or at least mine. Let's go see him."

Cai Fei nodded. "Alright."

They changed into their uniforms to look official, then headed out. The servant led them up to the top layer, then into a wide meeting hall. There was no wall separating the hall from the outside. The salty breeze blew in freely and they could see the ocean stretching out into the horizon.

In the center of the hall stood a large, thick wooden table. A map of the world had been carved into the surface of it, at the center of which stood a pavilion, a perfect scale model of the Central Qilin Pavilion.

At the opposite end of the table from the two women sat a man with a strong build. His long black hair and beard were both a bit ragged, but his blue robes were in impeccable condition. Unlike most cultivators, who had smooth skin as white as jade, his skin was tanned and leathery, with many calluses on his hands.

He certainly fit Cai Fei's mental image of the Ocean Emperor.

The aura of an Emperor flowed unrestrained from his body, adding to his image as the ruler of the seas. Before the pressure could bear down on Cai Fei, Liezhu stepped forward and released her own to clash with it.

The two auras had drastically different qualities, representing their differing Dao. The Ocean Emperor's aura was that of a ruler, majestic and unquestionable. It made people want to bow their heads. Liezhu's was that of an apex predator, primal and dripping with danger. It triggered their flight or fight responses.

Ten other people stood in a circle around the room, all of them in the late Heavenly Realm. The energy fluctuations from the clash of Emperors caused their faces to pale as the air between the two seemed to twist and distort.

Liezhu cast a sharp glare at each of them in turn, causing them to take a step back unconsciously. Having established her dominance to a satisfactory level, Liezhu reigned in her aura, only letting out enough to keep Cai Fei from being affected by anything.

The Ocean Emperor laughed. "It seems you do have strength!"

Liezhu strode forward with Cai Fei in tow. They both took a seat at the table.

Cai Fei had heard some things about the Ocean Emperor from Shao Yue. His name was Shen Jianyu, and he was around 2,200 years old. The Dao he primarily pursued were the Saber, Alcohol, and Weather Dao. He could call or send away storms and hurricanes at will and had a grade three metal Spirit that gave him lightning abilities.

Since Liezhu seemed confident, Cai Fei wasn't too worried, but she still looked around the room and examined all of the arrays that had been setup, trying to determine their purposes and how she might break them if they had to quickly escape.

Liezhu crossed her legs and her arms. "What did you want to discuss?"

"Straight into it, huh?" He shook his head. "That's fine. Does your offer to the Steel Emperor extend to other people?"

"You're referring to the offer to lecture disciples in exchange for grade eight Beast Cores?"

"That's the one."

Liezhu shrugged. "Sure. I'm only allied to Shao Yue, it doesn't matter to me whether I'm helping the Immortal Steel Sect or the Central Qilin Pavilion."

He grinned. "Then, what are you willing to speak on?"

"Whatever you want," Liezhu replied with another shrug. "How to reach the Emperor Realm, or the four different types of Emperors. The realms beyond the Emperor Realm that you'll never reach. I can lecture about Dao, whether Martial, Poison, Earth, or Devouring. I'll do my best regardless of the request, but it's up to the participants to comprehend it."