Chapter 2369 - 2372: The Secret of the Heavenly Palace Jade Lock

"The Sea Emperor has already issued a public statement, not only denouncing you publicly, but also repeatedly emphasizing that you, Shen Qiang, are not the Dragon Emperor. You are merely a despicable human cultivator, a fraud, calling upon all sea demons across global waters to become your enemy."

"There won't be chaos for now, but it won't last long."

"You must obtain the three divine artifacts of the Dragon Emperor, otherwise the prestige you've established among the Sea Clan will utterly collapse, and Qian Ning may never be able to return home."

Reading these three messages, Shen Qiang's gaze immediately grew heavy.

In truth, those ridiculous statements issued by the Sea Emperor didn't concern Shen Qiang at all, because it was very clear: in the Huaxia Cultivation World, if Shen Qiang were to go to war with a certain sect, other cultivation sects might not necessarily be willing to join forces with Shen Qiang due to various affiliations.

But if it were to exterminate sea demons, surely everyone would respond eagerly.

Upholding justice is something cultivators are most willing to do.

Moreover, the crucial point is, if the Sea Emperor truly dares to come to Huaxia to cause trouble for Shen Qiang, the Dragon Group would be the first to stand up, showing what it means that anyone who offends the Strong Han, though far off, must be executed!

So, Shen Qiang really didn't care about the Sea Emperor's reputation at all.

However, Yu Jiang's words, that Qian Ning might never return home, made Shen Qiang instantly realize that things weren't that simple.

Because as long as Yu Jiang is the Demon King, the Dragon Palace is his residence, and Qian Ning is the Mermaid Princess.

Who dares to stop her from returning home?

The only reasonable explanation is that the Sea Emperor's statement must have dragged the Great Sea Demon King Yu Jiang into the mess.

It's probably about how he colluded with Shen Qiang, deceiving all the sea demons or something.

If that's the case, once Shen Qiang cannot prove himself to be the true Dragon Emperor, then Yu Jiang would certainly be dragged down. If numerous sea demons unite, making things difficult for Yu Jiang, with his not invincible ability, he might not be obliterated, but fleeing would be almost inevitable.

In that case, it would be too passive.

"Go and publish a message, informing all sea demons, saying that it's from me: within the Four Seas, there's only one Dragon Emperor, as for what the Sea Emperor is, I've never heard of it."

After sending the message, Yu Jiang felt a bit anxious.

"He will come over."

"No, do as I say."

"How long will it take you to get the three divine artifacts?" Yu Jiang didn't doubt, just changed the topic.

This made Shen Qiang feel very uncomfortable.

"I will get them as soon as possible, but the situation is complicated, and it's hard to say exactly how long it'll take. For now, do as I instructed."

After a moment of silence, Shen Qiang received a reply from the Great Sea Demon King Yu Jiang.

"Alright, I'll go right away."

After saying that, the Great Sea Demon King Yu Jiang went offline.

Holding his phone, Shen Qiang frowned for a long time, his thoughts diving into the Sea of Consciousness.

Looking at Taiyin Youying talking to the Plague Source, Shen Qiang said in a deep voice, "You said that one of the seven Moon Palace Keys is already with me, is it the Black Blade?"

Taiyin Youying smiled, "Of course not."

"Then what is it?" Shen Qiang frowned, "Can you clarify it in one go?"

Taiyin Youying chuckled, "The Heavenly Palace Jade Lock."

In an instant, Shen Qiang froze, astonished, "What did you say? The one that can create weight?"

"Yes, gravity is important, especially in the Moon Palace or elsewhere. It can be said it's the most precious and valuable one among the seven keys. Even if you don't go to the Moon Palace, it will be an infinitely beneficial treasure comparable to a divine artifact."

Hearing Youying's words, Shen Qiang's heart suddenly stirred, realizing the key.

After all, in space, many times it is in a weightless state, and having a Heavenly Palace Jade Lock that can apply gravity at any time is more than a divine artifact.

"Then where are the other six keys?" Shen Qiang asked.

Youying smiled coquettishly, "I don't know where the other six keys are, but I know their appearance. If you truly want to collect them, I can tell you their traits now. Of course, if you have enough patience, I can also visualize what they look like, but that will take some time. Moreover, besides being keys, each of these seven keys possesses a unique ability that, in specific environments, is even more powerful than a divine artifact."

Hearing this, Shen Qiang took a deep breath, but just as he was about to speak, his phone suddenly rang, its vibration pulling his thoughts back to reality. A glance revealed that it was a call from Qin Yurou.

"Chu Xiaotian and those alchemists are not working, it's already affecting more of the alchemists. Now more than a hundred alchemists are lazily basking in the sun, seeming determined that you must pay for the manual labor fee of refining elixir for them, or they won't work for you."

Hearing this, Shen Qiang frowned, "Does Chu Xiaotian have that much influence? Can he influence so many people? If that's really the case, I feel I should deal with him."

Qin Yurou replied helplessly, "He doesn't have that much influence, but interests do. They think the recent elixir sales of Heshenghe Pill Hall have been too good, and they feel they should naturally receive enough compensation."

"Didn't you tell them that working for me for free for ten years was their commitment, a bet, an agreement they must adhere to?" Shen Qiang frowned, his tone calm, but in his heart, he was very uncomfortable because, from Shen Qiang's perspective, he didn't care about that little bit of money.

If they didn't make fuss, Shen Qiang indeed planned to give each of them a large bonus at the end of the year, but now having not worked in Heshenghe for long and already uniting to cause trouble, this attitude absolutely couldn't be encouraged.

Because right now they are in the front courtyard of Heshenghe.

Their every move, all actions, were seen clearly by the great demons of Heshenghe.

If they cause trouble and get paid, what will happen if the demons cause trouble?

"I did tell them, but they said it's voluntary work, and the verbal agreement didn't specify that they must refine daily or state how many pills to refine monthly, so now they claim they have the right to rest." Qin Yurou sighed, "So maybe you should come over and talk to them?"

Hearing this, Shen Qiang laughed coldly, "I'm very busy right now, and I don't have the time to waste my time and energy on such trivial matters. So you call Xiu Ju, and show them the video footage of my fight with Gong Ziyi, and tell them that no one can owe me, Shen Qiang, debt, because I always win people over with virtue, and those who aren't convinced are dead!"

Qin Yurou burst into laughter, "So fierce, but I think this seems to be the most effective method."

Shen Qiang laughed, "Then go do it."

"Okay, alright." Qin Yurou hung up the phone.