Chapter 547: Ye Xuan’s Plan

"No, don’t, don’t..." A shiver wracked Ao Qing’s body. The image of his balls being stomped into oblivion so terrified him that he nearly lost control of his bowels. He scrambled to say, "Don’t stomp, please don’t! They’re fine! I swear, the two of them will definitely be fine."

"Since they’re going to be fine anyway, I guess it doesn’t matter whether I kill you or not," Ye Xuan said, his eyes narrowing.

Ao Qing was on the verge of tears. "What in the hell do you want?"

THUD!

Ye Xuan sent Ao Qing flying with a vicious kick. "Tell the Profound Mystery Sect that I, Xuan Ye, will one day personally set foot in your sect and reclaim everything that’s owed to me," he said coldly. "Now, get lost."

Hearing this, Ao Qing felt as though he’d been granted a full pardon. Like a beaten dog with its tail between its legs, he scurried away in disgrace—a stark contrast to his previous, arrogant arrival, standing proudly atop a Red-tailed Eagle high above Gale Light Academy.

"Young Master Ye, you’re just letting him go?" Luo Cheng asked, clenching his fists. "We should have captured him and exchanged him for the hostages with the Profound Mystery Sect."

Ye Xuan shook his head. "He’s just one of the Profound Mystery Sect’s elders," he said gravely. "The fact that they sent him as an envoy means he’s expendable. The Profound Mystery Sect would never release your father and Luo Xiang for him."

"To save your father and Luo Xiang, we’ll have to find another way."

After the disturbance caused by Ao Qing, news that Luo Min had been abducted by the Profound Mystery Sect quickly spread throughout Gale Light Academy. Eventually, even Vice Director Ge heard and summoned Ye Xuan to ask about the situation.

He finished by telling Ye Xuan to speak up if there was anything he needed.

After taking his leave from Vice Director Ge, Ye Xuan spent a long time thinking by himself, but he couldn’t come up with a viable plan.

Suddenly, Luo Cheng’s earlier words echoed in his mind.

’A hostage exchange?’

A flash of inspiration struck Ye Xuan, and his eyes gradually brightened.

’Profound Mystery Sect, you’re using Luo Min and the others as hostages. If you can play that game, why can’t I?’

Ye Xuan’s gaze turned cold, brimming with killing intent.

An hour later, Ye Xuan was back in Vice Director Ge’s office.

"What? You want me to arrange for a Tier Seven Third Layer Martial King to go and capture several Martial King experts from the Profound Mystery Sect?" Vice Director Ge was stunned by Ye Xuan’s request.

"Yes. But it can’t be you, Vice Director Ge. Your every move is undoubtedly watched by spies. If you were to disappear, it would alert the Profound Mystery Sect. We need to send another Tier Seven Third Layer Martial King from the academy instead." Ye Xuan’s gaze was deep. "I’m sure our Gale Light Academy has more than one Martial King at the Tier Seven Third Layer, besides yourself, correct?"

Ge Puzi stared blankly at Ye Xuan. If he hadn’t been aware of Ye Xuan’s relationship with Director Huangfu Xiuming, he might have suspected Ye Xuan was a spy sent by the Profound Mystery Sect to gauge Gale Light Academy’s true strength.

"Ever since the Profound Mystery Sect’s Supreme Elder Lu Nan was killed by Celestial Wheel and the others, most of the Tier Seven Martial Kings overseeing their various strongholds have been withdrawn. Only the strongholds located in the territories of other top factions are still manned by Tier Seven Martial Kings. Are you suggesting Gale Light Academy should charge into the territory of another major power?"

The conflict between Gale Light Academy and the Profound Mystery Sect had recently escalated to a shocking degree.

The Profound Mystery Sect had lost a Supreme Elder, while some of Gale Light Academy’s instructors stationed outside the academy had been killed by the sect as well.

Although Ge Puzi was eager to teach the Profound Mystery Sect a lesson, he would never agree to a plan that involved angering other major powers just to kill one of their Martial Kings.

Ye Xuan naturally understood the Vice Director’s concerns. He said, "The Profound Mystery Sect Martial Kings I’m referring to aren’t in some other territory. I’m talking about Duan Tianlang, Crazy Battle, and their group. After they attacked Gale Light Academy, they didn’t return to their sect. Instead, they’ve been lying in wait somewhere nearby. I know their location, and it’s not far from here."

"What?" Ge Puzi was taken aback, his gaze turning sharp and cold. "What did you just say? Duan Tianlang and the others haven’t returned to the Profound Mystery Sect? How do you know that?"

"Because I’m the one who killed Chen Jin from the outer courtyard. I also killed Lv Feng during the inner courtyard assessment. They were both Profound Mystery Sect disciples, spies planted in Gale Light Academy. I learned from them that Duan Tianlang’s group has been lurking near the academy this whole time."

Ye Xuan dropped a bombshell. With the situation having escalated this far, he no longer saw any reason to hide his involvement in the deaths of Lv Feng and Chen Jin.

"So you really were the one who killed them," Ge Puzi said, giving Ye Xuan a long, meaningful look.

Chen Jin’s death had actually been discovered by the academy the next day. But upon finding out he was a Profound Mystery Sect disciple, Ge Puzi and the others kept the matter quiet, hiding it from the public.

In truth, Ge Puzi and a few others had suspected at the time that Ye Xuan was likely involved in Chen Jin’s death.

’What could Duan Tianlang and his group be planning, lurking near Gale Light Academy like this?’

Ge Puzi frowned. As the Vice Sect Master of the Profound Mystery Sect, Duan Tianlang was a top-level figure. With tensions between the two factions at an all-time high, their presence here could only mean they were up to no good.

And these five were an absolutely massive catch.

If they could capture them, not only could they extract valuable secrets, but it would also allow Gale Light Academy to gain a dominant position in the conflict.

"Alright. We’ll do it."

Vice Director Ge’s resolve hardened, and a murderous light glinted in his eyes.

To prevent any Profound Mystery Sect spies within Gale Light Academy from learning of the plan, all preparations were made in secret.

That night, three powerful figures entered a secret chamber in the rear of Gale Light Academy.

The leader wore a cloak, his Profound aura deep and unreadable, and he carried himself with an exceptional air.

’It’s him?’ Ye Xuan was startled.

"We meet again, kid."

This was the very same top-level expert who guarded the Trial Tower.

"I hear you have information on Duan Tianlang’s whereabouts. When the time comes, leave him to me."

The cloaked elder’s voice was calm, yet filled with unshakable confidence.

"Xuan Ye," Vice Director Ge said to Ye Xuan, his tone slightly reverent, "this is Jiuchen, a Consecrated Elder of our Gale Light Academy and the former vice director. His cultivation is profound and unfathomable; defeating Duan Tianlang will be no issue at all. Consecrated Elder Jiuchen, this entire operation rests on you."

"Greetings, Consecrated Elder Jiuchen." Ye Xuan nodded respectfully. ’I’d already sensed his cultivation level before,’ he thought. ’He’s definitely no weaker than Vice Director Ge. I never expected him to be the former vice director of Gale Light Academy.’

"Ge Puzi, stop singing my praises," the cloaked elder said. "I’ve been stuck at the Tier Seven Third Layer for decades. My hopes of ever reaching the Tier Eight Martial Emperor Realm in this lifetime are all but gone. What’s so ’profound and unfathomable’ about that?"

The cloaked elder waved his hand dismissively, his tone tinged with melancholy.

A Martial King’s window for breaking through to the Martial Emperor realm is often limited. While not an absolute rule, the chances of a successful breakthrough diminish with each passing year.

Having been stuck at the Tier Seven Third Layer for decades without breaking through to the Tier Eight Martial Emperor Realm, Jiuchen would face far greater difficulties and hardships than any ordinary Tier Seven Third Layer Martial King should he attempt to advance now.

Vice Director Ge added, "Xuan Ye, besides Consecrated Elder Jiuchen, Elder Yao and Elder Dong will also be joining this operation. With their combined strength, we should have a good chance against the group from the Profound Mystery Sect."

Ye Xuan frowned. "Vice Director Ge, is the academy really only able to dispatch three people?"

Duan Tianlang’s group last time consisted of five experts, including Crazy Battle and three others. While it was true that Elder Dong and Elder Yao were considerably stronger than Crazy Battle and his cohorts, their numbers were still too few. Defeating them might be possible, but capturing them would be another matter entirely.

Ge Puzi understood Ye Xuan’s concern and gave a bitter smile. "We have no other choice. Gale Light Academy is currently locked in conflict with the Profound Mystery Sect, and many of our instructors are already assigned to other missions. There are very few we can dispatch without arousing suspicion. Besides, Duan Tianlang and his men possess powerful treasures. Capturing all of them is impossible. For this mission, if our three-man team can manage to capture even one of them, we’ll consider it a success."

Ge Puzi felt helpless as well.

Duan Tianlang possessed a set of mysterious beads, which he had used during the last major battle at Gale Light Academy to break through the academy’s defensive formation. Because of this, Ge Puzi held no illusions about being able to capture Duan Tianlang himself.

His only goal was to capture one of the other four Supreme Elders, such as Crazy Battle.

Ye Xuan almost coughed up blood when he heard Ge Puzi’s words. ’After all this effort, we’re only aiming to capture one or two small fries? What’s the point of that?’

But it was clear the Vice Director had his reasons for thinking this way.

’So we can’t dispatch any more instructors?’ An idea suddenly struck him, and the corner of his mouth curved into a smile. "I have an idea."

「An hour later...」

"Xuan Ye, are you saying you’ve found a Profound Mystery Sect stronghold and you want our help to take it down?"

In a great hall within the Core Hall, Celestial Wheel and the others looked on in confusion as Ye Xuan suddenly approached them.

Ye Xuan smiled at Celestial Wheel and his group. "That’s right. The stronghold is a bit far from Gale Light Academy, and I’m worried something might happen if I go alone. So, I decided to ask for your help. Of course, if you’re not interested, you can just forget I said anything."

Hua Xiuhong eyed Ye Xuan suspiciously. "You’re not trying to pull some trick because you’re about to lose our bet, are you?"

"Haha, what tricks could I possibly be playing? I’m just worried because the place is a bit far. It would be dangerous if I were ambushed by the Profound Mystery Sect. You all know how much they’d love to gnaw my bones and drink my blood." A mocking smile touched Ye Xuan’s lips. "Or could it be... that you’re all scared?"

"Scared?" Celestial Wheel gave a cold smile. "There are things in this world that I, Celestial Wheel, fear, but these bastards from the Profound Mystery Sect are not among them. Fine, we accept. Just tell us when we leave."

Celestial Wheel stared at Ye Xuan, his voice filled with arrogance.