Chapter 558: Plain Tremor

Fortunately, it was only a moment before Jiuchen returned to the designated meeting spot.

Next to him, Duan Tianlang was covered in blood, weak, and unconscious.

His aura fluctuated wildly. His Profound Veins had been shattered, and his internal organs were severely damaged. He was incredibly frail.

"Jiuchen, you succeeded?"

Elder Dong and the others were overjoyed. Although Leng Wuji and his men were highly respected Supreme Elders in the Profound Mystery Sect, they were not the most core, top-tier figures.

Duan Tianlang was different. As the Vice Sect Master of the Profound Mystery Sect, a Tier Seven Third Layer Martial King, he was one of the true high-level decision-makers. Capturing him was more valuable than capturing ten Leng Wujis.

Jiuchen smiled faintly. "The Blood Burst Demon Transformation Pill that Duan Tianlang took has severe side effects. Once the effects wore off, I didn’t even need to do anything. He lost all his strength and fell unconscious on his own. To keep him from dying, I had to waste a Pill on him. How did you all fare?"

With that, Jiuchen looked at Ye Xuan and the others.

Jiuchen’s expression didn’t change when he heard that Crazy Battle had self-destructed, but when he learned that Zhou Zhanlun had been rescued, his face immediately grew grave.

He said coldly, "Elder Yao, were you able to see who rescued him?"

Elder Yao shook his head. "The person was wearing a mask that my Profound Sense couldn’t penetrate. Their Cultivation Technique was also very unusual, so I couldn’t identify them."

"Wearing a mask?" Jiuchen frowned. ’Could it be someone from the Bright Moon Empire?’

He pondered for a moment before saying, "No matter who it was, let’s leave this place first. The disturbance we caused was too great. I expect powerful experts will arrive soon. None of us are at our peak right now, so we can’t afford any accidents."

Without delay, Jiuchen and his group boarded the Alchemy Flying Ship. Disregarding the cost of Profound Stones, they pushed the ship to its maximum speed and headed back toward Gale Light Academy at a breathtaking pace.

Meanwhile, in a forest hundreds of miles away from Jiuchen’s group...

WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

Two streaks of light landed in an instant.

The one in the lead was Zhou Zhanlun. His expression was furious, his eyes were bloodshot, and he roared, "Damn that Gale Light Academy! My Kuidi, which I painstakingly raised, actually died just like that!"

Kuidi, the mutated Demon Beast, was only at Tier Six Peak, but it possessed the combat power of a Tier Seven Martial King and even had an ancient bloodline. It had followed Zhou Zhanlun for years and achieved many great merits. Who would have thought it would perish here? The loss was heartbreaking for Zhou Zhanlun.

The other Martial King, who was wearing a mask, said indifferently, "Brother Zhanlun, stop grieving. You’re incredibly lucky to have escaped with your life."

He took off his mask, revealing himself to be City Lord Zhu Jingyi of Santafe City.

Zhou Zhanlun glanced at him and said coldly, "Zhu Jingyi, the few of us were hiding in your Santafe City and never showed our faces. Besides the Sect Master and a few others, no one knew my location. How did Gale Light Academy find out we were in Santafe City?"

Although Zhou Zhanlun didn’t say it outright, the implication was clear: he suspected Zhu Jingyi was connected to the leak of his location.

Zhu Jingyi’s expression changed. He said in a frigid tone, "Zhou Zhanlun, you can talk shit, but don’t spout nonsense. If it weren’t for me, Gale Light Academy would have already captured you, and yet you suspect me? In that case, you can just leave. But if you run into anyone from Gale Light Academy, don’t blame me for not warning you."

Zhou Zhanlun immediately sobered up. Suppressing his anger, he cupped his fists and said, "Brother Zhu, I was just too upset earlier. Please don’t take it to heart. But when will the experts from your Bright Moon Empire arrive? It will be disastrous if Vice Sect Master Duan is taken away by Gale Light Academy."

Zhu Jingyi shook his head. "I sent the message as soon as Gale Light Academy’s people arrived, but I don’t know when the lords will get here."

"We’ve already arrived."

Just then, an indifferent voice rang out. With two whooshes, two figures suddenly descended from the sky. They wore black cloaks and were wreathed in black mist, exuding a frigid and bizarre aura. A single glance was enough to make one’s blood run cold.

Zhu Jingyi hurried forward and bowed. "Zhu Jingyi greets you, my lords."

"Mm," one of the cloaked figures nodded. He had a pair of eerie green eyes. He said indifferently, "We came as soon as we received your message. Tell us, what happened?"

Zhu Jingyi quickly explained the situation.

"My lords, please help rescue the Vice Sect Master of my Profound Mystery Sect. The Profound Mystery Sect will be eternally grateful," Zhou Zhanlun said anxiously.

The more time they wasted, the smaller the chance of rescuing Duan Tianlang became.

"Jiuchen?" The two cloaked figures exchanged a look, a sharp glint in their eyes. "We understand the situation. Here is a Healing Pill. Heal your injuries quickly. We’ll set out at once."

One of them tossed a Pill that emanated a rich medicinal fragrance to Zhou Zhanlun.

"Thank you, my lords." Zhou Zhanlun hurriedly put the Pill in his mouth and sat cross-legged to recuperate. But suddenly, his eyes snapped open, revealing a look of horror. Streaks of green light crept into his pupils, giving them a demonic appearance.

"You... why..."

Zhou Zhanlun clutched his throat, his body twitching violently. He let out a hoarse gurgle as dark green blood poured from his mouth. His eyes were fixed on the two cloaked figures before him.

One of them sneered and said dispassionately, "You have been poisoned with our Nine Nether Corpse Poison. Without the antidote, you will dissolve into a pool of pus and blood in less than half an hour as the poison spreads. I’ll give you one chance to live. Tell me, what does your Profound Mystery Sect want from Gale Light Academy?"

Clutching his throat, Zhou Zhanlun said in agony, "I... don’t know..."

One of the cloaked figures extended a right hand clad in a dark green glove and slowly pushed it into Zhou Zhanlun’s chest. The intense pain sent Zhou Zhanlun into convulsive spasms, his eyes filled with terror.

His eyes were indifferent as if he were performing some trivial task. He said faintly, "Then tell me, what do you know?"

"I... don’t... know... anything..."

"AHHH!"

The cloaked figure’s right hand twisted inside Zhou Zhanlun’s chest, making him scream in agony.

"You’re a grand Supreme Elder of the Profound Mystery Sect. You can’t possibly know nothing, right? If you don’t talk, I believe you will soon come to regret it." The cloaked figure licked his lips, his gaze cruel.

"I... really... don’t know..." Zhou Zhanlun cried out in pain.

He was on the verge of tears. If he knew anything, he would have definitely said it. Unfortunately, he was only a Supreme Elder and had no access to the highest-level secrets. Never mind him, even Vice Sect Master Duan Tianlang might not know the full story.

The cloaked figure frowned and said in a glacial tone, "In that case, what use are you?"

A vicious glint flashed in his eyes. He twisted his right hand forcefully, pulled, and—SQUELCH—he ripped out a still-warm, beating heart. Then, with a squish, he crushed it to pieces.

"Urk!"

Zhou Zhanlun’s eyes widened as he watched his own heart get crushed. The light in his eyes gradually faded, and he collapsed weakly to the ground.

His gaze seemed to ask, ’Why?!’

Zhu Jingyi watched this scene in horror, swallowing hard with a GULP.

"My lord... this... aren’t we allies with the Profound Mystery Sect?"

The cloaked figure’s frigid green eyes swept over him, making the hair on his body stand on end and a chill run down his spine.

One of them said icily, "Just focus on being the City Lord of Santafe City. Don’t ask what you shouldn’t ask, and don’t say what you shouldn’t say."

"Yes!"

Zhu Jingyi quickly lowered his head.

SWOOSH! SWOOSH!

The two cloaked figures shot into the sky and vanished in an instant.

Only then did Zhu Jingyi let out a breath and wipe the sweat from his forehead.

「In the sky.」

The two cloaked figures watched the direction of Ye Xuan’s departing group from afar.

One of them said, "Jiuchen. He’s the former Vice Director of Gale Light Academy. His current strength should be comparable to a Tier Seven Peak expert. If the two of us attack together, we have about a fifty percent chance of winning. Should we make a move?"

The other stood still for a moment, then gave a wicked smile. "This is a matter between the Profound Mystery Sect and Gale Light Academy. We just need to watch the show. Why should we get involved? Isn’t it better to let them fight like dogs?"

The first man pondered for a moment, then suddenly smiled. "You’re right. The Profound Mystery Sect has clearly set the stage for a major confrontation with Gale Light Academy this time. All we know right now is that they’re after some kind of treasure within the academy. What kind of treasure could it be to make the Profound Mystery Sect go to such lengths?"

"Let’s just watch quietly. I refuse to believe the Profound Mystery Sect won’t reveal any flaws."

As their voices faded, the two figures vanished instantly.

「Four hours later.」

Ye Xuan and the others returned safely to Gale Light Academy.

When the massive Alchemy Flying Ship appeared in the sky above Gale Light Academy, and when Jiuchen descended with the captive Duan Tianlang and the others, the entire academy was stunned.

"Isn’t that Duan Tianlang? How..."

"What in the world is going on?"

"Did our academy send people to attack the Profound Mystery Sect?"

Many of the instructors, who were completely in the dark, spoke out in utter shock.

This scene was also witnessed by many powerful experts lurking in Gale Light City, leaving them all dumbfounded.

Duan Tianlang, Evil Kill, and Leng Wuji—the three of them were extremely famous on the Dream Realm Plain. Many of the Martial Kings in Gale Light City, who came from various major powers, naturally recognized them.

But now, the three of them had been brought back as captives by Gale Light Academy. What on earth had happened?

Everyone scrambled to make inquiries and discuss amongst themselves, eager to learn the truth.

Vice Director Ge was also incredibly excited. Although he had believed what Ye Xuan said, he never expected that Ye Xuan’s group would actually manage to bring back Duan Tianlang and the others from the Profound Mystery Sect.

Under Ge Puzi’s arrangements, the group quickly entered the inner courtyard.

At the same time, news of what had happened in Santafe City swept across the Dream Realm Plain like a gust of wind.

The entire Dream Realm Plain was shaken.