Chapter 171: Divine Sense at the Outset

Could Chen Shiyao really possess the power to wash the Martial Alliance in blood?

Su Ye felt a secret shock. If Chen Shiyao truly wielded such terrifying might, his trip to the Martial Alliance today was not about "saving someone," but rather about "settling accounts."

Chen Shiyao drove the car all the way to the side of Taihu Lake. The Martial Alliance Assembly, which had caused a sensation among all martial artists, was chosen to be held at the Bamboo Garden on Taihu Lake.

"It seems quite a few people have arrived today!" Chen Shiyao glanced at the crowd ahead, lowered his voice, and found a spot to park.

Every vehicle parked here was a top-tier luxury car, and motorcycles like theirs were absolute unicorns in this crowd.

Su Ye also looked around. He was here to rescue someone today, and he could not afford a single mistake. Especially at such a critical moment, if they angered the Martial Alliance, it was highly likely that their entire force would be wiped out, let alone saving anyone.

"Oh? Isn't this Elder Chen?"

Suddenly, a few middle-aged men ahead spotted Chen Shiyao, cried out in pleasant surprise, and hurried over.

"Hahaha, Senior Chen! It's been a long time! I never expected even you to come to the Martial Alliance Assembly. What a rare sight!" The middle-aged men stepped forward one after another to greet him.

It appeared that Chen Shiyao still held a remarkably high status in the hearts of everyone present.

Chen Shiyao gave a frivolous laugh and said, "We're all old codgers by now; don't call me senior, it makes me sound ancient. When does the Martial Alliance Assembly start?"

"Hehe, Brother Chen, you've arrived much too early! It only starts tonight. Right now, it's just the time for the Martial Alliance to display treasures to the guests! I heard the Martial Alliance brought back many wonderful things from Thunder City this time! Tonight, Alliance Leader Ouyang will personally be present to showcase them. Hehe, they must be marvelous treasures!" The men immediately began flattering him.

Watching from the side, Su Ye felt a bit more settled. Since Chen Shiyao held such great prestige, it seemed their operation today would go much smoother. At the very least, Alliance Leader Ouyang Yi would not immediately tear down the pretense.

Chen Shiyao chuckled and said, "I came on rather short notice today, so I'll have to trouble you two to bring us both inside."

"Haha, for Brother Chen to enter, it's as easy as walking through an open door. It's our absolute honor to accompany Brother Chen inside today—Brother Chen, please lead the way!"

Chen Shiyao laughed heartily, waved at Su Ye, and looked completely relaxed as he walked right in, as if he were strolling through his own backyard.

Someone nearby smiled and asked Su Ye, "Little brother, haha, you look a bit unfamiliar! What should we call you?"

Su Ye frowned slightly. His current identity was extremely sensitive, and showing up here at all was already a considerable risk. If he were to reveal his name now, it would likely provoke unnecessary trouble immediately.

"My surname is Su..."

Just as he hesitated, Chen Shiyao seemed to realize something and interjected, "A new friend I made. I'll introduce him to you all later."

"Oh... Haha, very well! Since he's Brother Chen's friend, he's our friend too! Brother Su, please!"

Surrounded by laughter and chatter, the group headed toward the main gate.

With this group accompanying them, entering the Bamboo Garden required no rigorous identity verification, and the journey was completely unobstructed. However, one rule caught Su Ye completely by surprise: carrying mobile phones, cameras, and similar electronic devices was strictly prohibited here.

The martial artists of the Martial Alliance were very polite as they stated, "Distinguished guests, because the items we are displaying today belong to the legendary treasures of Thunder City, any leakage would cause massive trouble. Please hand over your mobile phones for us to safeguard!"

Seeing these VIPs voluntarily hand over their devices one by one, Su Ye had no choice but to comply. He took a quick glance at his phone before handing it over and discovered, to his surprise, that signal blocking was active here.

In other words, he could no longer communicate with Jiang Liuying and the others.

Once inside, the crowd grew even denser. The names of numerous influential families were already displayed on the huge reception wall, and Su Ye even spotted some of his old enemies among them.

Moreover, even the Illusive Sea Sect had made an appearance, along with the shadowy figures of certain poison-witch sorcerers.

It seemed the Martial Alliance had gathered all sorts of factions together this time.

If Su Ye were to wander about casually in such an environment, he would surely be recognized before long. He had no choice but to rely on Chen Shiyao, whispering, "Please, can you help me find the members of the Jiang family? And by the way, help me find out where Ouyang Yunfeng is being held."

"Very well. You go ahead and wait in their guest quarters. I wanted to walk around and stretch my legs anyway." Chen Shiyao agreed surprisingly fast, his personality clashing sharply with his reputation as the reigning peerless monster.

"Then I am deeply grateful," Su Ye said sincerely.

Under Chen Shiyao's arrangement, Su Ye was swiftly escorted to a private room. These rooms placed a high emphasis on privacy because many guests carried valuable items and required a secure space to store them and rest.

Upon entering the room, Su Ye let out a slightly weary sigh.

For now, all he could do was wait for the Jiang family to find him.

Yet, after waiting for a long time, the doorbell remained silent. A thought stirred in him, and he retrieved several medicinal pills from his spatial conch. Rescuing Ouyang Yunfeng would inevitably involve conflict, and having pills prepared was the safest insurance.

"Huh? What is happening?"

Suddenly, Su Ye noticed something peculiar about the *Scroll of the Twelve Heavenly Palaces*. This was currently the most powerful magical artifact he possessed! To his astonishment, the treasure was naturally emitting wisps of spiritual energy.

The moment he pulled out the scroll, he realized that the "flower bud" he had previously acquired from the thunder-fire tree was actually clinging to the *Scroll of the Twelve Heavenly Palaces*.

It looked precisely like a piece of candy stuck to the cover of a book.

"No, the *Scroll of the Twelve Heavenly Palaces* is devouring this flower bud!" Su Ye instantly cried out inwardly. That flower bud was his source of spiritual energy! He had been counting on it to cultivate and achieve a breakthrough. If it were consumed by the scroll, wouldn't his hopes be dashed into nothingness?

Without hesitation, he reached out with a fierce grab, intending to yank the flower bud away.

Boom!

In an instant, a deafening roar echoed in Su Ye's mind. He felt an endless torrent of spiritual energy surge violently forward, pouring directly into every meridian and bone of his body, while his mind buzzed with a relentless ringing.

In a split second, he perceived the scenery locked within the *Scroll of the Twelve Heavenly Palaces*: a raging, stormy ocean where a massive black behemoth of a ship tossed amidst turbulent waves, with the colossal Thunder City looming ahead.

He had previously attempted to project a sliver of his consciousness into the scroll, but even for a fleeting moment, it felt as though it had drained all his physical strength; sustaining it for long was utterly impossible.

The same thing happened now. Su Ye's internal genuine qi was instantly hollowed out, and his sea of consciousness felt as though it were being ripped apart alive, rendering him incapable of thought. Yet, precisely at that very moment, the Supreme Emperor Scripture he practiced began to run automatically, directly absorbing the flower bud's spiritual energy to replenish his entire body.

Just like that, Su Ye fell into a terrifying, vicious cycle. His genuine qi and spiritual power were frantically devoured and consumed by the *Scroll of the Twelve Heavenly Palaces*, while he frantically devoured the spiritual energy of the flower bud to compensate.

If anyone had been standing beside him at that moment, they would have shrieked in horror, for Su Ye's body was rapidly shifting back and forth between swelling fatness and withered, skeletal thinness.

The most agonizing torment of all was reserved for his sea of consciousness. He felt as though his brain was being shredded piece by piece, only to be forcibly reassembled over and over again.

Boom! Boom!

Had he not been cultivating the *Three Thousand Flame-Yellow Tribulation*, Su Ye's skull would surely have exploded long ago.

He rolled across the floor, completely unable to shake off the flower bud and the scroll stuck to his hand. Continuous, agonized groans tore from his throat, and his facial features distorted in pain.

This horrifying torture dragged on all the way until dusk without a single person coming to look for him. The once-voluminous spiritual flower bud had been ruthlessly absorbed down to the size of a mere chicken egg.

If the absorption continued and the bud was completely exhausted before he managed to withdraw his divine sense from the *Scroll of the Twelve Heavenly Palaces*, he would undoubtedly be sucked dry into a desiccated husk.

His sea of consciousness was already battered to the point of fragmentation when suddenly—

Boom!

A thunderous explosion echoed deep within his mind.

Hum—

All the agony vanished in a single heartbeat. Su Ye collapsed onto the floor, panting heavily, his entire body drenched in sweat. Yet at this moment, he cared nothing for that. His eyes widened in stunned disbelief as he made a startling discovery:

Even while simply lying flat on his back, everything happening in the surrounding environment projected itself clearly into his mind.

He could perceive the hallway outside, the adjacent room, and even places much further away...

"Could it be... have I inadvertently awakened divine sense?"