Her Majesty the Queen Would Probably Laugh Herself to Death

"You must be joking, senior." Hai Bodong's last remark had been unpleasant to hear, and Yun Yun's expression darkened slightly. "You vanished without a trace for over a decade, yet you're still alive and well."

"After my teacher entrusted the position of sect master to me, I devoted myself to secluded cultivation. I've eaten and drunk well, so naturally I'm in better shape."

"Heh." Hai Bodong gave an inscrutable chuckle. "That temper of yours is nothing like Yun Shan's. That old fellow never fought or contended for anything; all he wanted was to cultivate."

Hearing that, Lu Yuan nearly choked on his tea.

It was true that Yun Shan liked secluded cultivation and had little interest in worldly affairs.

But after he accepted the Hall of Souls' power and broke through to Dou Zong, things were a different story.

"My teacher favors peaceful cultivation, which is why his cultivation is so profound and why he was able to defeat you back then, senior. Isn't that right?" Yun Yun's voice held a trace of pride.

Hai Bodong's expression stiffened. Back then, he had eagerly gone to challenge Yun Shan, only to suffer a narrow defeat.

It was a thorn in his heart, and he had always wanted a chance to win the fight back.

"Hmph." Hai Bodong chose to ignore Yun Yun and looked at Lu Yuan. "You're quite capable, young friend. You actually managed to charm Yun Shan's precious disciple into becoming your Dao companion."

"If that old fellow Yun Shan gives you trouble in the future, I'll be sure to lend you a hand."

"You..." Yun Yun started to speak, but Lu Yuan squeezed her hand. "Yun'er, why get angry with Elder Hai? She had her cultivation sealed for five days and knows how miserable that feels."

"Although Elder Hai's cultivation wasn't completely sealed, he's only been able to muster the strength of a Dou Ling for over a decade. Life has been stifling for him, so he must be in a bad mood."

A seal?

Yun Yun and Hai Bodong looked at each other.

Neither had expected the other to have been sealed as well.

"Young friend, you certainly know a lot." Hai Bodong's tone was complicated; he was somewhat impressed by Lu Yuan's ability to gather information.

"I know more than you imagine, senior." Light flickered in Lu Yuan's dark eyes. "I also know that Queen Medusa placed this seal on you, and that you were sealed because you went deep into the Tagor Desert to seize a fragment of a map."

Hai Bodong's pupils contracted sharply. He clenched his hands and closed his eyes.

Seeing his reaction, Yun Yun immediately understood that Lu Yuan was right.

"He was right about everything." Yun Yun stared intently at Lu Yuan.

"Young friend." Hai Bodong opened his eyes again. "You've proven your abilities. How would you like us to cooperate?"

"Simple." Lu Yuan took out a teacup and sipped from it. "One of my maids was taken away by two Dou Emperors from the Heavenly Snake Mansion because of her special talent."

"I'll help you break the seal and recover your strength. In return, you and Yun'er will join forces to help me take my maid back."

Hearing this, Hai Bodong agreed without hesitation. "Very well."

He had thought it would be a condition that required careful consideration.

It turned out he only needed to help hold off the Heavenly Snake Mansion's Dou Emperors.

To him, as long as he could recover his cultivation, this was a trifling matter.

"Good, senior. Straight to the point." Lu Yuan held out his hand. "Please give me your hand."

Hai Bodong immediately held out his hand, his eyes full of hope.

Lu Yuan took Hai Bodong's pulse while releasing his soul power to examine him.

After just a few breaths, he smiled. "Just as I thought."

"Can you resolve it, young friend?" Hai Bodong's breathing quickened.

"I can. In fact, it wasn't difficult to begin with." Lu Yuan looked at Hai Bodong with a trace of pity. "The seal Queen Medusa left behind was never difficult to undo. It was your improper attempts to force your cultivation that kept it from dissipating on its own all this time, leaving it in place for over a decade."

"What do you mean!?" Hai Bodong's expression stiffened.

Yun Yun, however, was an outsider to the matter. She said thoughtfully, "Queen Medusa is indeed powerful, but she's still only a Dou Huang expert."

"By rights, she couldn't have left a seal capable of sealing you for over a decade, senior."

Lu Yuan nodded slightly. In scientific terms, this violated the law of conservation of energy.

Queen Medusa was powerful, but she was still only a Dou Emperor, while Hai Bodong had been a Five-Star Dou Emperor over a decade ago.

Could a seal cast by a Nine-Star Dou Emperor really leave a Five-Star Dou Emperor unable to break it for over a decade, with a Sixth-Grade Pill as the only solution?

That was a bit too powerful.

Whenever Queen Medusa encountered an enemy in the future, she would only need to use a seal.

She could seal them one by one and have the final say in every empire around her.

Queen Medusa would probably laugh herself to death.

There had to be another reason.

"Please enlighten me, young friend." Hai Bodong caught on as well, and a guess that chilled him to the bone surfaced.

"You thought you were wearing the seal away, senior, but you've actually been reinforcing it all along." Lu Yuan gave him the answer. "Medusa's Snake Seal acts on the bloodline itself."

"If you had done nothing all these years, senior, the seal would have long since dissipated under the onslaught of time."

"But you never stopped attacking the seal on your dantian."

"That kept the seal rooted in your bloodline as steady as Mount Tai."

Hai Bodong: "..."

So he had been done in by his own hard work?

Yun Yun looked at Hai Bodong with a trace of pity.

The illustrious Ice Emperor, a figure at the very peak of the Jia Ma Empire's pyramid.

He had even managed to escape the Tagor Desert after Medusa sealed him.

Yet because he had diligently attacked the seal without rest, he had remained sealed all this time.

"Heh heh heh." Hai Bodong covered his face and laughed. He laughed until tears fell.

It was a tremendous irony, like a slap across his face.

If he had given up trying sooner, his cultivation would have long since recovered.

"If I do nothing now, how long will it take for my strength to recover?" Hai Bodong asked, taking a deep breath.

"About half a year," Lu Yuan answered.

With his current soul power, he could easily sense the seal in Hai Bodong's bloodline.

"What if I ask for your help?" Hai Bodong asked.

"One day will suffice." Lu Yuan answered with confidence.

He had the Purifying Lotus Triple Flower Pupils, which could devour the power of the seal Medusa had left behind.

When the time came, he could also improve his cultivation and soul power.

It was an unexpected stroke of good fortune.

"Then please help me, young friend." Hai Bodong made his decision at once and cupped his fists. "Once my strength is restored, I will help you as agreed."

"Of course." Lu Yuan nodded slightly.

With the matter settled and Qing Lin still waiting for him to rescue her, there was no time to lose.

Yun Yun could undo her seal on her own within half a day.

Lu Yuan and Hai Bodong entered a secret chamber.

With a thought from Lu Yuan, three golden lotuses bloomed in his dark eyes.

In the blink of an eye, a day passed.

Bang!

The stone door of the secret chamber was pushed open from within, and Hai Bodong strode out, looking like an entirely different man.

The white-haired, stooped and unkempt old man was nowhere to be seen. In his place was a middle-aged man with a straight figure and flying black hair. His face was sharply defined, and a chilling coldness lingered between his brows.

Yun Yun had already worn away her seal and was waiting outside the chamber. Wind Attribute Dou Qi flowed in rings around her, and she had changed her clothes. Her aloof and noble bearing had returned, and one glance was enough to tell she was no ordinary woman.

She looked Hai Bodong up and down, then frowned. "Why are you the one coming out first, Elder Hai? Where's Lu Yuan?"