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In truth, a curtain had fallen on the Battle of Geniuses ever since Xue Mo suffered heavy injuries and was sent back to the Sea of Innocence to recover.

However, the yao and demons were unwilling to let things end just like that, so they didn't call their young geniuses back. All of them were still in Heavenly God City's Divine Martial Academy. It's just, they were confined to a restricted area, with seals placed all around the academy, so they couldn't send any messages outside.

This was the joint decision of Great Emperor Xue Wang and the God Emperor's Estate. No one could object.

But this didn't mean that the participants would all scrupulously obey the rules. For instance, a few teams representing the Divine Mountains' Holy Lands, as well as a few yao and and demons from peak clans, left the Divine Martial Academy unimpeded, without any restrictions to speak of.

Liu Qing was one of these rare exceptions, and furthermore, she knew what had happened that day.

Murong Xue was here specifically to trick Ye Zichen. Her eyes filled with undisguisable seriousness. The others reacted much the same way. Murong Xue and Jiang Wei's discomfort was particularly obvious.

Ye Zichen, still-grinning, noticed the change in their expressions. He looked at Jiang Wei and the others in befuddlement and arched his brows. "What's up with you guys?"

"We uh, just didn't know that you were acquainted with Liu Qing," Pang Zheng laughed apologetically.

"That can't be right, can it?" Ye Zichen arched his brows. "You remember that day when Big Sister Liu'er and the demons' Holy Maiden fought and Xuan Ji arrived to put a stop to things, right? Liu Qing got involved too. All of you were there, so what's there to be surprised about?"

"Oh, right! We almost forgot!" Di Long forced a smile.

Despite all their calculations, they really had forgotten that Ye Zichen was acquainted with Liu Qing, and that they had each other's contact information.

"Just now, after talking to you, I was inspired to contact her and see if I could recruit some talent from Four Directions Academy as well." Ye Zichen laughed, seemingly a little embarrassed. The recruits the Aspirations Society, the Navigators, the Grizzly Bears, the Proud Heavens Society, and the Appearance Association had promised were already plentiful.

However, whether it was the Xiao Family or the factions the God Emperor had raised up in secret, they both possessed a veritable sea of members.

With the Outsiders' resources backing him up, Ye Zichen could more than afford to raise up new talent. Naturally, the way he saw it, the more the better!

This would also give him greater confidence down the line!

The difference between the Upheaval Alliance and the Xiao Family and other top-class factions was like a child and a toddler. However, so long as he had sufficient numbers, they could at least be like a group of children up against a single a.d.u.l.t. That would undoubtedly alleviate much of their terror.

Ye Zichen felt that way too. He wanted more numbers to give him a sense of security.

That was why even after Skyspan Academy's society heads promised him their support, he still messaged Liu Qing in search of even more. Even he knew he was being a bit greedy.

"That…. Okay." Jiang Yong and the others smiled awkwardly, but their nervousness was readily apparent.

There was even a sheen of sweat on Jiang Wei and Murong Xue's foreheads. Murong Xue was worried that they'd be exposed. Jiang Wei was worried too, but he was more worried that if his lie was exposed so shortly after he told it…. It would hurt his pride and sense of self-respect.

"What do we do now? Brother Ye contacted Liu Qing. She…. won't spill the beans, will she?" Xu Chao transmitted to the other society heads.

"Most likely not. Great Emperor Xue Yang himself expressly forbade anyone from saying anything. Her Highness Liu Qing is unlikely to go against his direct orders. But then, nothing in this world is certain. We still have to respond and make sure nothing goes wrong," said Jiang Yong.

"Do any of you have Liu Qing's contact information?" asked Di Long.

"No, there's no way any of us would have it, but Beibei probably does. Even if she doesn't, I'm sure someone in the Sea of Innocence knows how to contact the Four Directions Palace." Jiang Yong's transmission echoed through their consciousnesses. "Xue'er, contact Beibei and tell her that we can't quite keep this under control. Ask her to think of a solution."

They'd locked Ye Zichen out of their conversation. He was currently scratching his head and looking his friends over. After he brought up Liu Qing, all of them started acting strange.

He reached into his pocket, but he'd yet to get a response from Liu Qing.

Little did he know, just as he checked his transmission slip, Murong Xue turned away and sent a message to Xue Beibei.

Meanwhile, on the Northern Divine Mountain….

The Sea of Innocence was, as its name implied, a vast stretch of ocean.

A palace stood right in the water's center. This was the residence of Great Emperor Xue Yang of the Sea of Innocence.

The atmosphere throughout the palace was intense. All of this was because the second princess was on the brink of life and death, her fate uncertain.

Xue Mo lay unconscious on a sickbed in a luxurious room. Her face was pallid. Her lips were purple, and there were backs around her eyes. There was a streak of reddish-purple on her sprawled arm.

She was no longer breathing. Human souls were divided into three "hun" and six "po," but now, all of them were on the verge of collapse.

An elderly, mustached man sat by her bedside. From time to time, he raised her eyelids to examine her pupils and took her pulse. Finally, he sighed and shook his head, then tapped nine of her pressure points.

"Hermit Emperor, Mo'er…."

The Hermit Emperor.

The most famous doctor in all of the God Race.

However, fifty thousand years ago, he'd got into seclusion on the Western Divine Mountain. Rumor had it that back in the day, he'd attempted to cure the Five Elements Great Emperor, but despite his skill, he was helpless to turn the situation around. After announcing the Five Elements Great Emperor's death, he immediately formed the Hermits Palace and went into seclusion.

Roughly ninety percent of the God Race's medical experts were under the Hermits Palace's jurisdiction, and by extension, under the Hermit Emperor's rule.

It was similar to the Southwestern Dvine Mountain's Supreme Hall, which gathered up all the realm's spiritual formation masters. Similarly, the Northeastern Divine Mountain's Great Void Palace was home to most artificers, while the Northwestern Divine Mountain's Jade Pond was composed entirely of pill refiners.

All of these factions were renowned for their unique specialties, and all of them had enormous influence.

However, the Hermit Emperor was different. Unlike other top experts or leaders of major powers, he didn't involve himself with the God Race's internal affairs at all. He'd paid the outside world no heed ever since entering seclusion. He was showing Xue Yang an enormous amount of respect simply by showing up.

The one who'd spoken up just now was a beautiful older woman with about seventy-percent resemblance to Xue Mo. She had a certain mature charm that Xue Mo lacked, but right now, her beautiful face was filled with undisguisable concern.

The Hermit Emperor looked up at the others in the room….

All of them were top-experts, people who could make the God Realm collapse in a single stomp, should they will it. What did all of them showing up here together say about the future relationship between the God Race's major powers?

That cold, aloof man in purple robes was the Four Directions Palace's Bi'an, wasn't it?

That clever-looking woman was the Profound Pavilion's Xuan Ji, wasn't it?

And the woman who'd asked about Xue Mo was Xue Yang's ex-wife, right? Given the emblem on her long-sleeved gown, it seemed she was the founder of the Jade Pool.

That old man from the Great Void Palace had shown up and greeted them earlier too.

Even the Empress of the Foxes, Su Qingyan, had shown up, although she'd only greeted them briefly.

Were major powers forming camps?

The Hermit Emperor silently wondered about this to himself, but outwardly, he glanced at Xue Mo.

He'd lived in isolation for tens of thousands of years already, and had little interest in the lay of the God Race. It was just a pity that, after leaving seclusion to help someone for the first time in so long, he was yet again helpless to save his patient.

I'm going to have to go back into isolation, aren't I?

This pitiful child. Just who did this to her? How could they possibly be so vicious?

Could it be that whoever it was did this to stir up the stagnant pool that is the current God Race, and bring everything up to the surface?

If that was his goal, he certainly succeeded.

It's just a shame about the girl.

He let out a melancholy sigh, then met the beautiful woman's expectant gaze. The Hermit Emperor then gently tucked Xue Mo back in and….

Shook his head.