Chapter 546: The Luo Family’s Crisis

"Alright then. Once the competition is over and this whole affair has settled down, I’ll come see if you’re still as calm as you are now." Hua Xiuhong pursed her lips in a smile.

Celestial Wheel and his group had finally left. Just as Ye Xuan was about to investigate the Profound Mystery Sect’s next outpost, he suddenly received a message from Luo Cheng in the outer court. It was an urgent summons, telling him to come out immediately.

’Luo Cheng and the others rarely disturbed him. For him to send a message like this, something must have happened.’

Ye Xuan immediately went to the outer court, where he found Luo Cheng’s usually gentle face etched with anxiety and worry. His heart sank.

Before Ye Xuan could even speak, Luo Cheng rushed to say, "Young Master Ye, it’s terrible! My father has been captured by the Profound Mystery Sect."

"What?" Ye Xuan was stunned.

He had long considered the possibility that Luo Min and the others might be in danger, but he’d assumed that with the Luo family located in the Sky Empire’s Imperial Capital, the Profound Mystery Sect wouldn’t dare make a move.

But now, Luo Min had been taken. ’Does the Profound Mystery Sect intend to offend the Sky Empire as well?’

"What exactly happened?" Ye Xuan demanded. "Didn’t I tell you to send a message to Luo Min, warning them to be careful?"

Luo Cheng said anxiously, "Young Master Ye, I did! I relayed the message to my father, and they’ve been extremely cautious. But who could have known the Profound Mystery Sect would be so despicable..."

From Luo Cheng’s explanation, Ye Xuan quickly understood the full story.

It turned out that after receiving Ye Xuan’s warning, the Luo family had been exceedingly cautious, rarely venturing outside.

They had even taken the initiative to scale back the Profound Pill Pavilion’s operations across the entire Sky Empire.

However, Luo Min and the others were puzzled. While the Profound Pill Pavilion’s operations elsewhere in the Dream Realm Plain were being targeted by the Profound Mystery Sect, their business within the Sky Empire’s borders remained completely untouched.

They surmised that the Profound Mystery Sect was likely afraid of offending the Sky Empire and therefore didn’t dare to act rashly within its territory.

After all, if the sect dared to incite conflict within the Sky Empire, the empire would surely not let them off easy.

Even so, Luo Min remained vigilant in his daily affairs.

But just a few days ago, a problem suddenly arose at one of the Profound Pill Pavilion’s Spirit Medicine plantations outside the Imperial Capital.

This plantation, located several dozen li outside the Sky Empire’s Imperial Capital, was one of the Profound Pill Pavilion’s most crucial assets.

If the Spirit Medicines there were compromised, it would be a massive loss for the Profound Pill Pavilion.

Given that the plantation was right next to the Imperial Capital, Luo Min let his guard down.

With the matter being so urgent, Luo Min notified Master Lu Li and the Yuan family, then took Master Luo Xiang to the plantation to investigate ahead of them.

Who would have guessed it was a trap set by the Profound Mystery Sect? The moment the two of them left the city, they were subdued by several Martial Kings from the sect and spirited away from the Imperial Capital.

By the time Master Lu Li and the others received word, Luo Min and his companion had already been taken beyond the Imperial Capital’s limits.

"Dammit."

’I never thought the Profound Mystery Sect would be so despicable,’ Ye Xuan fumed internally, his eyes turning icy after hearing Luo Cheng’s story. ’Risking the Sky Empire’s wrath just to kidnap people close to me.’

At the same time, he felt a wave of relief that he hadn’t gotten too close to Yun Aoxue and Xia Qixi. If his connection to the Thirteen Nations Alliance were exposed, the Profound Mystery Sect’s ruthless tactics would surely bring disaster upon it.

Once his anger subsided, Ye Xuan quickly composed himself. "The Profound Mystery Sect abducted your father just outside the Imperial Capital," he asked. "Did the Sky Empire really do nothing?"

Luo Cheng quickly replied, "After the Sky Empire got the news, they dispatched several Martial Kings, who joined Master Lu Li and the others in pursuit. But the Profound Mystery Sect was well-prepared, and they couldn’t find any trace of them."

Ye Xuan’s brows furrowed.

It was one thing for Master Lu Li to fail, but for the Sky Empire—one of the ten great powers—to be unable to catch the culprits after a prominent Clan Leader was abducted right outside the Imperial Capital? And to let them escape the empire’s borders? ’That seems a bit of a stretch.’

The Imperial Capital was protected by a Domain Realm barrier, and Ye Xuan knew exactly what that implied. If the true powerhouses of the Sky Empire had wanted to find the Profound Mystery Sect’s members, their chances of success would have been at least eighty percent, even if the enemy was prepared.

"What happened then? Didn’t the Sky Empire demand an explanation?"

"They did. The Sky Empire publicly condemned the Profound Mystery Sect’s actions and demanded they return my father, but the Profound Mystery Sect paid them no mind."

’It seems the Sky Empire doesn’t want to get involved in the feud between Gale Light Academy and the Profound Mystery Sect,’ Ye Xuan thought, his expression cold. ’Otherwise, how could the abduction of a prominent imperial Clan Leader by another power’s Martial Kings right at the capital’s gates end with a mere condemnation?’

"Young Master Ye, what do we do now? Will... will my father be alright?"

Luo Cheng was frantic. With his father’s abduction, he had completely lost his composure.

Ye Xuan thought for a moment before saying gravely, "He should be alright. Your father and Luo Xiang hold many of the Profound Pill Pavilion’s secrets, including its pill formulas. The Profound Mystery Sect wouldn’t harm them easily; otherwise, they wouldn’t have gone to such great lengths to capture them in the first place."

Seeing Luo Cheng’s panicked state, Ye Xuan clapped him on the shoulder. "Worrying won’t do any good. The best thing you can do now is focus on getting stronger. Rest assured, I will not let anything happen to Luo Min and Luo Xiang."

"Young Master Ye... I’m counting on you."

Luo Cheng gritted his teeth and nodded firmly.

Just then, a booming voice suddenly echoed through the sky above Gale Light Academy.

"Xuan Ye, listen well! I am an emissary of the Profound Mystery Sect. Luo Min and Luo Xiang of your Profound Pill Pavilion have been captured by my sect’s Supreme Elder. If you want them to live, you have one month to come to the Profound Mystery Sect and surrender. Otherwise, those two will pay with their lives!"

The color drained from Ye Xuan and Luo Cheng’s faces. They rushed out of the courtyard to see a middle-aged man perched atop a Tier Five Red-tailed Eagle, his arrogant shouts amplified across the sky by an Array Disc in his hand.

"Damn it! How dare someone from the Profound Mystery Sect cause a scene over Gale Light Academy!"

"The audacity!"

Below, countless academy students cried out in anger.

"Young Master Ye!" Luo Cheng’s eyes were bloodshot as he looked at Ye Xuan.

"Hmph." Ye Xuan snorted, his figure shooting into the air as he sent a palm strike flying toward the middle-aged man.

"Who are you? I am an emissary of the Profound Mystery Sect! You dare attack me?" the middle-aged man demanded coldly.

There’s an adage: one doesn’t kill the messenger in a war between nations. The same held true for conflicts between sects, which was why the man was so fearless.

"You’re exactly who I’m aiming for."

Ye Xuan snorted. For the man to act so high and mighty under these circumstances was a death wish.

The middle-aged man’s expression changed when he saw Ye Xuan actually attack. But as a Tier Six Third Layer Martial Venerable, he remained composed despite his surprise. A shining longsword appeared in his hand, transforming into a torrent of Sword Rain that slashed toward Ye Xuan’s palm.

’An outer court disciple dares to act so arrogantly before me?’ He’d identified Ye Xuan as merely a Tier Six Second Layer Martial Venerable and sneered inwardly. But considering their location above Gale Light Academy, he held back, intending only to teach Ye Xuan a lesson.

But the moment his longsword met Ye Xuan’s palm-force, his expression changed dramatically. A terrifying power erupted from Ye Xuan’s strike, shattering the sword images and slamming violently into his chest.

BOOM!

The force of the blow nearly knocked the longsword from the man’s grasp. He tumbled from the sky, and the Tier Five Red-tailed Eagle beneath him was blasted into a shower of feathers and gore.

THUD.

The middle-aged man plummeted from a hundred meters up, smashing a crater into the ground. The impact left him utterly dazed, his internal organs ruptured. He coughed up a mouthful of blood.

A tide of outer court disciples surged forward, surrounding him, their eyes predatory.

"What are you doing? I am Elder Ao Qing of the Profound Mystery Sect! An emissary! In a war between two sects, you don’t kill the messenger! Now back off!"

Ao Qing blustered, his voice a mix of bravado and fear.

BAM!

The only answer he received was an enraged punch from Luo Cheng, which burst his nose and made his face swell up like a pig’s head.

"I—"

Ao Qing had barely started to speak before Luo Cheng hit him again, knocking out several of his front teeth.

"Tell me! Where is my father?" Luo Cheng gritted out, his eyes blood-red.

Ao Qing was on the verge of tears. ’This guy is insane,’ he thought. ’How am I supposed to know where his father is?’

Seeing Ao Qing remain silent, Luo Cheng rained down several more punches until almost all of Ao Qing’s teeth had been knocked out.

"How should I know where your father is?!"

Ao Qing wailed, his body trembling and his eyes filled with terror.

’These Gale Light Academy disciples are savages!’ he thought, filled with regret. ’They’re even beating the messenger. If I’d known, I wouldn’t have put on such a show. I should have just delivered the message and fled.’

"His name is Luo Cheng. Luo Min is his father," Ye Xuan said coldly, stepping forward. "And I am Xuan Ye, the one you came to threaten."

Ao Qing’s face turned green. He stared at Ye Xuan in a mixture of shock and fury. "And you still dare to attack me? If you harm me, Luo Min and Luo Xiang are dead men for sure—"

CRACK!

"AHH!"

Ye Xuan stomped down, and the bone in Ao Qing’s right leg snapped. Ao Qing screamed in agony, staring at Ye Xuan in disbelief.

"You just said they’re dead men for sure anyway, so what use are you?" Ye Xuan mused. "Let’s see... where should I stomp next?"

His gaze wandered over Ao Qing’s uninjured arm and left leg before finally settling on the man’s groin. A twisted smile played on his lips, his eyes glinting with cold light. "Hmm, your other parts are too hard. This spot should be good. It’s soft. Might even make a satisfying pop."