Effects and the Treasure Map’s Whereabouts

A great battle!

A grand battle staged by Ninth Royal Uncle and William Wang Jinling, sending their forces to attack Skyvault Palace Sect and claiming victory—a fight so convincing it could fool anyone, drawing in Terrence from Westlyn, Jin Fan from Southlyn, and the Eastlyn factions, all eager to swoop in and profit from the chaos.

The Emperor is used to snatching the rewards for himself, and this time he wants to steal the fruits of Ninth Royal Uncle and William Wang’s labor. But the two of them plan to turn the tables and catch him off guard.

Oh, and by the way... The fact that Ninth Royal Uncle, William Wang, and Serena Feng are at Skyvault Palace Sect is top secret. No one outside the sect knows the three of them are here.

Credit goes to the old Palace Master—his decision to seal the palace means news about Skyvault Palace Sect almost never leaks. Gathering intel on Skyvault is extremely difficult, and with Young Palace Lord Sean Xuan’s recent measures, the entire sect is locked up like an iron bucket, utterly impenetrable.

Even Storm Cloud Bu personally investigated, but all he learned was what’s happening on the outskirts. He still hasn’t found where the map is. He considered probing Sienna Skyvault, but she knows nothing. As for the others... forget it. The people of Skyvault aren’t fools.

The lack of news about the map’s whereabouts is making not only Storm Cloud Bu anxious, but also Ninth Royal Uncle. They’ve already spent half a month at Skyvault Palace, and they have neither reason nor time to stay any longer. If they leave without finding the map, this whole trip will have been for nothing.

That’s right—if Ninth Royal Uncle can’t get the map, then this entire grand Skyvault Palace campaign is just a waste of effort. Any other gains mean nothing to him.

Ninth Royal Uncle’s main goal in coming to Skyvault Palace is the Nine Provinces Treasure Map. Nothing else matters. There are plenty of chances to wear down the armies of Eastlyn, Westlyn, and Southlyn, but opportunities to find the map are rare.

After all these years, he’s only confirmed two fragments of the map. No matter what, he can’t miss this chance.

Although Ninth Royal Uncle is anxious, he doesn’t show it at all—at least William Wang can’t see any urgency in him. After touring Skyvault Palace, the two are about to head back when they suddenly overhear Serena Feng and Sean Xuan talking.

"Underneath the sand field you set up, I’ve buried something extremely lethal. If anyone steps on it, it’ll trigger a massive explosion. The blast radius is somewhere between ten and fifty meters—I haven’t calculated the exact number yet, so we’ll need to test it to see the real effect.

I also had your old trenches re-dug, made them deeper and more complex. Later, have someone give you the blueprints. Beneath the trenches is a maze—if someone falls in, even if they’re not killed by the hidden weapons, they’ll have a hard time getting out. The air inside is thin, so anyone who spends a day there is doomed..."

Serena Feng crisply summarized the results of her recent work. Even without seeing her face, Ninth Royal Uncle and William Wang could easily imagine the dazzling light in Serena’s eyes right now.

Sigh... Who would’ve thought Serena Feng would come to Skyvault Palace not to help Ninth Royal Uncle and William Wang, but to reinforce Sean Xuan’s traps instead.

"Perfect. Ninth Royal Uncle and William Wang said they want to stage a huge battle to lure hidden enemies—why don’t we test these traps tomorrow and see how effective they are after your upgrades?" suggested Young Palace Lord Sean Xuan after Serena finished speaking.

He’s also curious to see just how much power Serena’s modifications have added to the hidden weapons and traps. Letting Serena examine Skyvault’s secret base put him under enormous pressure...

He may be the Palace Master, but that doesn’t mean he can do whatever he wants. Not only is Serena Feng not one of Skyvault’s own, but even among the sect’s members, very few know about these hidden weapons.

Irene Lu has been married into Skyvault Palace for years and enjoyed the old Palace Master’s favor, but every time she tried to see the construction of the hidden weapons and traps, she was blocked by the old Palace Master.

When it comes to matters of life and death for Skyvault, no one in the sect treats it lightly. Even the Palace Master can’t ignore the risks. The lesson of ‘playing with fire to amuse the lords’ was too harsh—Skyvault will never allow their master to risk tens of thousands of lives for one woman.

Serena Feng has no idea about any of this, and Sean Xuan doesn’t plan to tell her. He just wants her to do whatever she wants—he’ll handle everything else and clear any obstacles for her. As for the changes in Serena’s personality, Sean has investigated her past and knows all about it, but...

The person he sees now is the real, distinctive Serena Feng. That’s the Serena who truly seems like Aunt Emma’s daughter. In her, he can still see traces of Emma Lu, and that’s enough for him—he doesn’t want to dig any deeper.

"Alright, tomorrow we’ll see what needs fixing, and I’ll adjust things as needed. Once Eastlyn and Westlyn’s forces charge up here, we’ll hit them so hard they’ll piss themselves and never dare set foot in Skyvault Palace again."

Serena is fiercely protective—Sean Xuan is like a big brother to her. She can tell he doesn’t love her romantically, just cares for her like family, so she’s willing to do her best to protect him, even if her power is limited.

"I believe that after this battle, no one will ever dare covet Skyvault Palace again." A cold gleam flashed in Sean Xuan’s eyes.

This time, the alliance of Ninth Royal Uncle and William Wang showed him both crisis and opportunity. In recent years, Skyvault Palace has declined badly under his father’s rule. This battle will make the sect realize they’ve lost their former status—if they don’t fight hard, they’ll be swallowed whole.

"Definitely. With the power of these traps and hidden weapons, we can wipe out more than half of any attacking army." Right now, Serena absolutely has the vibe of a war fanatic—she’s realized that only on the battlefield does she truly feel alive.

"If things go as you say, then Eastlyn, Westlyn, and Southlyn are really in for it this time." For once, Young Palace Lord Sean Xuan was in a good mood and burst out laughing.

The two walked and talked, gradually disappearing into the distance...

"We may be taking some heat, but Eastlyn, Westlyn, and Southlyn are in for a much rougher time. Compared to them, we’re still pretty lucky." Ninth Royal Uncle and William Wang kept walking, but William’s eyes lingered on Serena Feng.

"Out of all this bad news, the only good news—and I’m not sure if it’s really good or not." Ninth Royal Uncle stole a glance at Serena Feng, who was leaving with Sean Xuan, and rubbed his aching brow.

Tomorrow...

Time is running out. He has to get the Nine Provinces Treasure Map within the next two days. He really doesn’t want to stay in Skyvault Palace Sect any longer. Other than the map, there’s nothing here he cares about—especially the people, whom he despises.