Nine Astra Skies

"Master, do you know those people?" Ye Chen asked, gesturing toward several people who were bidding.

"Oh? Them? I know them. That one is royalty from Northern Liao. He's the Patriarch of the Northern Liao Yelu Clan, Heavenly Venerable Rank. The man over there is the Patriarch of the Nanman Kingdom Leiyu Clan. I'm not quite sure of his rank. And that is a wealthy merchant. He has seven banks under his name, often operating between the Xiwu Empire and the other kingdoms. I have even purchased from him before." Master Apothecary Xuanyi smiled as he introduced them one by one.

Ye Chen involuntarily tightened the grip on the armrest of the chair. These "people" residing in the human realm had prominent identities. They were so good at hiding the fact that they were mystical beasts or Celestial Beasts that nobody was able to notice their true form!

Why were these mystical beasts and Celestial Beasts dwelling among mankind? What was their motive?

Ye Chen heard from Little Tanuki that even among the Daemon Kings, there were different territories. They would even go as far as creating conflicts just to gain an advantage. Sometimes, these conflicts would even break out into a war involving tens of thousands of mystical beasts. Ye Chen wondered, what forces did these mystical beasts and Celestial Beasts belong to?

Ye Chen closed his eyes and thought deeply. It seemed that he had underestimated how complicated the world could be. He understood that even though there were certain things he could not figure out now, he would come to understand them one day when he had reached greater heights.

Realizing that many mystical beasts and Celestial Beasts were dwelling among mankind, Ye Chen became more cautious Before he had become stronger, it would be wise to not expose himself!

In the end, the Mystique Adept Rank Spirit Pill was purchased by a Mystique Adept Rank Celestial Beast at a hefty price of seventy thousand Chi Deposition Pills.

The final price of seventy thousand for the Chi Deposition Pills sent the auction into a small spike and the items auctioned after that got even more expensive. Soon after, top-grade Tier Three Spiritual Artifacts started making their appearances.

Right then, came the sounds of knocking from the door.

"Come in," said Master Apothecary Xuanyi.

A servant came in and bowed to Ye Chen and the others, and said, "Honored guests, apologies for the disturbance. The guest from Honored Room Nine wanted me to deliver an invitation. Who should I hand this to?" The servant lifted his head and looked at Master Apothecary Xuanyi and Great Emperor Mingwu. He was a little confused as the guest in Honored Room Nine had never mentioned who the recipient was. When he brought the invitation letter over, he had assumed that there was only one person in Honored Room Two. He had not expected that there would be so many people in the room.

Master Apothecary Xuanyi and Great Emperor Mingwu both looked at Ye Chen. Among the people they knew, there was nobody of that rank, therefore, this invitation letter should be for Ye Chen!

"Give it to me." Ye Chen walked over and took the invitation letter from the servant with hesitation. Who could it be that would send him an invitation letter? Apart from Uncle Ye Changxuan who was seated in Honored Room Five, he did not know anyone else here.

After delivering the invitation letter to Ye Chen, the servant respectfully bowed and left.

Master Apothecary Xuanyi and Great Emperor Mingwu were curious about the contents within the invitation letter but it was not of their concern. They glanced at Ye Chen, then reverted their attention to the ongoing auction.

Ye Chen and Little Tanuki exchanged a look. He frowned while holding the invitation letter. Upon opening the letter, he saw that the contents were a bunch of twisted and strange texts. Ye Chen could not read them. However, at one glance, he was able to recognize that this was written in beast language!

Beast language? Invitation letter?

Ye Chen felt his heart tighten. He was not sure why but he had recalled yesterday when he had felt a slight hint of Psyche contact with a Daemon King. The Daemon King still had not revealed himself. Could it be that Ye Chen had been discovered?

Ye Chen took Little Tanuki and Little Wingsy to the corner.

"Little Tanuki, what does this say?" Ye Chen asked.

Little Tanuki held up the invitation letter with her front paw to read it, then proceeded to grumble unintelligibly.

"Sister Tanuki said that the sender of the invitation letter wanted to invite Brother Ye Chen to Honored Room Nine," Little Wingsy translated.

'Invite me to Honored Room Nine?' Ye Chen raised his brow. 'Was this invitation letter sent by the Daemon King?' He released his Astral Body and reached toward the direction of Honored Room Nine. Right outside the room, Ye Chen felt an overbearing Psyche. The Psyche was slightly stronger than the wolf Psyche he had encountered back in the Sunken Jade Tower!

Ye Chen's Astral Body did not continue delving further and retreated immediately. It was definitely the Daemon King!

What was the Daemon King's intentions in inviting Ye Chen?

Ye Chen felt a slight headache. Whatever the opponent was planning, he was worried as he was vastly outpowered! The realm of a Daemon King was something that he could not compete with at all at his current stage. Especially since it was a Daemon King of Celestial Beasts, all it had to do was think of a thought and Ye Chen would not be able to withstand it.

Each Daemon King of Celestial Beasts was an overlord in the realms of the mystical beasts and Celestial Beasts. Their terrifying strength alone was enough to petrify countless mystical beasts and Celestial Beasts!

During the previous brief encounter with the wolf Psyche, Ye Chen was just barely able to suppress the opposing Psyche pressure. He was fortunate that the owner of the wolf Psyche was in a rush to enter the Sunken Jade Tower, so he was not exposed. Ever since that exchange, Ye Chen had truly understood the might of a Daemon King. Even though Ye Chen's Astral Body was able to perform Astral Externalization, he was merely just impersonating a Daemon King. If the opponent had seen through Ye Chen and realized that he had been fooled, would he take this mockery lightly and not be enraged?

Facing Mystique Adept Rank Celestial Beasts, Ye Chen was able to keep his cool and impersonate a Daemon King. When it came to facing a real Daemon King, Ye Chen felt dejected. Furthermore, he still had not figured out the opponent's intentions.

Little Tanuki lifted her head. Her clear eyes gave Ye Chen a concerned look and she shook her head.

Ye Chen understood that Little Tanuki was trying to tell him not to go.

However, how could Ye Chen say no in this situation? The Daemon King was residing in Honored Room Nine. The Psyche of a Daemon King could easily envelop the entire Jadeite City, where could they possibly run to? If Ye Chen did not accept the invitation, would he not expose himself that way as well?

If Ye Chen did not go, it was certain death. If he went, there was at least a slight chance!

"Little Tanuki, Little Wingsy, you two stay here. I'll just head over to Honored Room Nine for a quick trip!" Ye Chen said. Even though he was filled with fear, he was determined. He quickly suppressed his fears and calmed down before making his decision.

"Brother Ye Chen, I'll go with you." Little Wingsy's hands gripped tightly onto Ye Chen's clothes. Even though Little Wingsy was young and a little indifferent to others, his feelings toward Ye Chen were heartfelt and genuine. Little Squido looked at Ye Chen and the others and blinked blankly. He seemed to not fully understand the situation.

"Little Wingsy, you should all stay here and wait for my return. Don't worry, nothing is going to happen to me. The Daemon King was simply inviting me for a chat. Otherwise, he wouldn't have sent an invitation letter over," Ye Chen said as he squatted down to pat Little Wingsy's head.

"Really?" Little Wingsy questioned doubtfully.

"Yeah," Ye Chen said, looking at Little Tanuki, "I have to go."

Little Tanuki hesitated for a moment, then nodded her head. She also understood that there was no running away from the Daemon King's invitation.

"Master, your Majesty, I'll be making a quick trip down to Honored Room Nine," Ye Chen very casually remarked to Master Apothecary Xuanyi and Great Emperor Mingwu.

"Alright." Master Apothecary Xuanyi did not suspect anything. When Ye Chen and the others were discussing in the corner, they did not eavesdrop on the conversation. They had assumed that Ye Chen was going to meet a friend.

Ye Chen stuffed the invitation letter into his armguard before looking at Little Wingsy, Little Tanuki, and Little Squido. He proceeded to step out of the room and made his way toward Honored Room Nine. As he stood in the corridor, Ye Chen stared at the end of the long hallway and felt unsettled. He was about to face a real Daemon King! A single misstep and there would be no way of salvaging it.

The auction was still ongoing. Waves of noises came one after another from the direction of the main hall.

Amid the noise, Ye Chen continued walking, staring at the space before him. He could feel a Psyche enveloping the room, making it difficult for people to see what was going on inside.

One after another, servants holding trays passed by Ye Chen in the corridor. Upon seeing Ye Chen, each of them bowed in greeting, their expressions seemed more courteous than usual.

After passing by these servants, Ye Chen arrived at the door of Honored Room Nine. The sturdy door was made of Purple Celestial Gold and it was extremely thick. Even a Heavenly Venerable Rank wielding a Tier Three Spiritual Artifact would have trouble trying to breach the door. It seemed that the host of the auction had put in a lot of work into ensuring the guest's safety.

Looking at the pitch-black door, Ye Chen did not release his Astral Body to investigate ahead. He knew that the lesser he showed his Astral Body, the chances of him being exposed when facing the Daemon King would be lessened as well. Unless there was no other choice, he would refrain from showing his Astral Body at all.

Dong dong dong! Ye Chen knocked on the door to Honored Room Nine. The door opened with a squeak.

"Come in," a low, heavy voice spoke. Like beating a heavy war drum, the voice had hit directly at Ye Chen's heart.

The further Ye Chen went, the calmer he became and he walked in steadily.

The inside of Honored Room Nine was extremely spacious and grandiose. The room was decorated with luxurious assortments of tables and chairs, which gave one the impression of being in a palace. Ye Chen lifted his head and saw that an exceptionally large table was in the middle of the room. There sat a tall giant holding a large cup. He was drinking tea.

The giant was at least twelve feet tall and had a well-built physique. Though he was sitting, his figure stood tall like an iron tower. He was wrapped in a magnificent long robe, his long golden hair curled down and the tone of his skin was a deep, dark gold. His palms were huge like a fan, the fingers thick and strong as if it was oozing power.

The giant's head was lowered in thought. He had a magnificent presence. Even though his appearance was very different from the commoners, it did not come off as being strange. He carried a composed, mighty aura of a superior.

"You're here." The giant smiled upon seeing Ye Chen. He smiled kindly as if he was meeting an old friend.

Ye Chen was slightly taken aback when he saw the giant. Was the giant the only person in Honored Room Nine?