đź“– Chapter 952 - VIP?
Oftentimes, the word “however” represented being lifted up into heaven from the depths of hell. This was precisely the case for Xie Haiyang, whose eyes immediately lit up.
“Senior, please speak!”
“Little Xie, I myself really can’t help you with this matter, but… I have a disciple, and that disciple has a very good relationship with Chen Qingzi. If you can convince that person… A single sentence from him will be able to solve your problem.”
Xie Haiyang’s body trembled all over when he heard the Flame Patriarch’s words, and his breathing hastened. His earlier calmness vanished, and he grabbed the jade slip tightly, speaking so fast it was almost rude.
“I beg Senior to introduce me to this honorable Fellow Daoist. No matter what your conditions are, this junior will agree!!”
“Honorable Fellow Daoist…” The Flame Patriarch’s tone was a little strange. At any other time, Xie Haiyang would have noticed, but right now he was too preoccupied to think of anything else.
“Little Xie, my disciple has an… aloof personality, and he won’t meet with outsiders easily. If you want him to help, I’m afraid money won’t be enough. After all, due to his aloofness, he often looks down on external wealth.” The Flame Patriarch said slowly.
“Aloof?” Xie Haiyang was taken aback. Actually, when he had heard the Flame Patriarch’s earlier statement, the figure of a fat man had appeared in his mind for some unknown reason. But when the Flame Patriarch’s next words arrived, he immediately erased the fatty’s figure from his head.
In Xie Haiyang’s opinion, Wang Baole was someone who had absolutely nothing to do with the term “aloof”. His skin was so thick that even a supreme being in the Star Domain Realm would have to admit their inferiority. Furthermore, the words about looking down on external wealth didn’t fit Wang Baole’s temperament at all. After thinking about it, though, Xie Haiyang still couldn’t resist asking in a tentative voice.
"Senior, are you... talking about Wang Baole?"
“He’s not my disciple yet.” The Flame Patriarch laughed. He seemed to be denying it, but if Xie Haiyang knew the truth, that sentence would contain a different meaning.
After all, it wasn’t really a denial but instead a statement of current fact.
Of course, Xie Haiyang didn’t know that. Thus, after hearing the Flame Patriarch’s words, he immediately felt that his judgment was correct and there was no way it was that fatty.
That Wang Baole wasn’t a disciple of the Flame Patriarch in the first place, and his temperament and aloofness were completely inconsistent with what was described. Thus, Xie Haiyang could only sigh and continue to beg the Flame Patriarch.
But in the end, the Flame Patriarch didn’t make any promises, only telling him to figure it out himself. After the conversation ended, Xie Haiyang held the jade slip with a constantly shifting expression. His mind spun rapidly as he tried to think of how he could find and then befriend that disciple of the Flame Patriarch.
“I heard that the Flame Patriarch’s disciples from back then have all died, and the ones he has now were taken in later on… Ahh, I just don’t know!” Xie Haiyang scratched his hair in frustration, but he didn’t give up. In his opinion, that disciple of the Flame Patriarch who had a good relationship with Chen Qingzi was definitely a VIP. Such a person might be his greatest hope at saving his father.
“As long as I can meet that VIP… I will definitely be able to make friends with him!” Xie Haiyang was extremely confident in his people skills.
“Then, the most important thing is how to find him…”
As Xie Haiyang racked his brains thinking of a way to find that VIP, the person in question was feeling conflicted. Although he didn’t want to, he had no choice but to face the paper human cutout in front of him.
In the Starfall Realm, the drumstick-holders had been given seven days of rest. The first day hadn’t yet finished, with several hours remaining until dawn, but the paper human cutout had suddenly appeared and interrupted Wang Baole’s plans.
“Xie Dalu, this Seat has helped you obtain a drumstick. Now… It’s your turn.”
“Senior, it’s not that this junior doesn’t want to help you. Senior has already helped me a lot during this period of time, and I definitely won’t go back on my word, but I wanted to ask…” Wang Baole spoke carefully. In fact, he wasn’t lying and really bared his inner thoughts.
“Can’t I help you after breaking through to the Planet Realm? That way, I’ll be more confident in my success.” In Wang Baole’s opinion, it was only natural to break through to the Planet Realm first and recite the Dao Scripture after. With a Planet Realm cultivation base, he would be able to recite more of the scripture, and he would also have a little more power to protect himself.
Of course, that little bit of power might turn out useless. It was just the difference between a small ant and a slightly bigger ant. But in the end, it was better to be a big ant than a small one.
However, the paper human cutout shook its head in response to Wang Baole’s question.
“After breaking through to the Planet Realm, you’ll be sent out immediately. It’ll be too late by then… Let’s go!” The paper human cutout no longer gave Wang Baole any time to think. With a wave of its right hand, strips of white paper immediately covered Wang Baole. A moment later, both people disappeared from the room.
When they reappeared… Even before he could see his surroundings clearly, Wang Baole immediately heard the distinctive sound of paper waves. When his vision recovered clarity, he saw the vast black paper sea in front of him.
As he gazed out on the black paper sea, Wang Baole’s mind was spinning. Although he was nervous, he knew that he had no choice but to recite the Dao Scripture. However, he was really worried that… just maybe, that existence from beyond the Dao Domain, which the paper human cutout had said was the most powerful it had ever seen, would really wake up and point its finger at him.
“No way, right…?” Wang Baole was extremely nervous. He quickly reassured himself and tried to ease his anxiety.
“Why are you so nervous?” The paper human cutout turned its head and glanced at Wang Baole. A dark expression appeared on its face, as if it would fall out with Wang Baole the moment it got an unsatisfactory answer.
Although it was a piece of paper and shouldn’t be able to make expressions, that was just the feeling Wang Baole got. Taking a deep breath, he quickly replied.
“To be honest, that existence is one of my elders, and he’s currently sleeping. I’m worried that if I disturb him too much, he’ll be displeased…”
“His relationship with you is?” The paper human cutout glanced at Wang Baole and asked another question.
"My father-in-law!" Wang Baole replied solemnly.
The paper human cutout fell silent and didn’t pay Wang Baole any more attention. Raising its right hand, it grabbed Wang Baole’s wrist and rushed forward. Wang Baole’s pupils constricted as the paper human cutout led him... directly into the black paper sea!
As soon as they entered, the black qi that suffused the entire black paper sea spread toward Wang Baole and the paper human cutout. However, as soon as it got close, rays of light erupted from the paper human cutout. A halo of light surrounded the duo, isolating them from the outside world.
Upon seeing this scene, Wang Baole breathed a sigh of relief. But before he could say anything, the paper human cutout was already towing him into the depths of the black paper sea.
The further they sank, the more black qi appeared all around them. Although the paper human cutout’s halo was miraculous… To Wang Baole’s horror, the halo surrounding them was turning into black paper at a rate visible to the naked eye.
Fortunately, the moment that the halo completely transformed into black paper, the paper human cutout’s body shook, and that black paper halo immediately shattered. Once it scattered into scraps of black paper, a new halo appeared. However, the paper human cutout’s body seemed to be a little thinner.
Just like that, the paper human cutout took Wang Baole deeper and deeper into the black paper sea. Soon, the halo around them turned to black paper for the ninth time. When the tenth halo appeared around the duo, the paper human cutout’s body had clearly thinned by half, but at that moment, they finally… approached the bottom of the black paper sea!
Wang Baole’s eyes widened when he saw it from a distance. That was because at the bottom of this sea made up of countless strips of black paper… there was actually a gigantic spell formation!
This spell formation was composed of hundreds of white stone pillars. It was extremely vast, spreading into the distance in all directions. At the very center, there was a mirror that was a hundred meters wide!
To be precise, rather than a mirror, it was a seal that looked like a mirror. It was covered in cracks, and from the cracks came endless amounts of black qi that permeated all directions.
It was clear that this place… was most likely the source of the black paper sea. In other words, the reason why the paper sea had turned black was all because of the cracks in the mirror seal!
What’s more, in the very center of that mirror, there was a person! This person wasn’t a paper human cutout. They had a body of flesh and blood!!
It was a woman dressed in white. Her complexion was pale and lifeless, like that of a corpse. However, that paleness was unable to conceal her beautiful features.
At that moment, much of the black qi escaping from the cracks in the mirror tangled around the woman’s body. From a distance, it looked like the black qi was ceaselessly trying to assimilate her!