Chapter 565: Nine Yang Sect

Behind him stood seven or eight experts, every one of them at the Martial King Level. Their attire varied, but each wore an expression of extraordinary arrogance and possessed a staggering aura. They were clearly experts from the other major powers.

The one with a bright moon engraved on his chest was an expert from the Bright Moon Empire.

Another, with a small sword embroidered on his collar, was from the Sword Sect.

And the master wearing a blue martial robe with a wave-like emblem was from the Divine Sea Sect.

Almost every power had sent an expert, except, of course, for the Profound Mystery Sect.

"Vice Director Ge, I am Yan Song of the Nine Yang Sect. I have come especially to welcome you all. Please, follow me."

The Vice Sect Master of the Nine Yang Sect spoke with a face wreathed in smiles, then led Vice Director Ge and his group deeper into Ancient Yang City.

As the initiators of these peace talks, the Nine Yang Sect had taken the lead in arranging everything in Ancient Yang City.

And the one the Nine Yang Sect had sent this time was none other than Vice Sect Master Yan Song.

Soon, Ye Xuan and the others were settled into a luxurious residence. It was unclear which power had previously owned the estate, but it had now been cleaned out and repurposed as a guest house.

"Vice Director Ge, peace in our Dream Realm Plain does not come easily. For so many years, we have been suppressed by other regions precisely because of our constant internal strife, leading to a continuous loss of experts. Now, after we’ve finally had a few years of hard-won stability, this incident occurs. I urge you, Vice Director Ge, to think on this carefully."

In the main hall, Vice Sect Master Yan Song of the Nine Yang Sect addressed Vice Director Ge with a sigh of emotion.

Vice Director Ge said coolly, "Vice Sect Master Yan, you exaggerate. Gale Light Academy has been in the Dream Realm Plain for more than a year or two. Our founding principles are clear to everyone. In all these years, our academy has never truly entered into a bitter feud with any power. This incident was instigated entirely by the Profound Mystery Sect. Gale Light Academy was merely forced to retaliate. Therefore, the one you should be persuading, Vice Sect Master Yan, is the Profound Mystery Sect."

"Hehe." Yan Song chuckled. "I will naturally speak with the Profound Mystery Sect as well. But I must also make my position clear to you, Brother Ge."

Vice Director Ge nodded. "Brother Yan, I cannot make you too many promises at this moment. I can only say that if the Profound Mystery Sect is sincere about reconciliation, Gale Light Academy will not be unreasonable. But if the Profound Mystery Sect is merely feigning civility, then don’t blame Gale Light Academy for not giving you all face."

Yan Song smiled and said, "Brother Ge is as frank as ever. Rest assured, I will speak with the Profound Mystery Sect myself. I believe that Sect Master Tang is a reasonable person. After all, there is no great hatred between you two, merely a small misunderstanding."

As he said this, Yan Song glanced at Ye Xuan.

The experts from the other major powers also turned their gazes to Ye Xuan.

To outsiders, the conflict between Gale Light Academy and the Profound Mystery Sect was entirely because of this young man.

Yan Song smiled. "This must be Xuan Ye, the one the Profound Mystery Sect wants to capture. I heard he recently broke into the seventh layer of your Gale Light Academy’s trial tower. A true prodigy! I recall that our Nine Yang Sect’s Inspector Liu was also once an inner-court disciple at your academy. By the end of his time there, he only managed to reach the sixth layer. Compared to this Xuan Ye, he’s worlds apart. It’s no wonder Gale Light Academy would go to such lengths to protect him."

Not understanding Yan Song’s intent, Vice Director Ge shook his head. "Brother Yan, you are mistaken. The reason Gale Light Academy protects Xuan Ye is not because of his talent. To our academy, every student is a part of our family. We will not allow any other power to bully even a single outer-court disciple."

Yan Song’s expression immediately turned to one of solemn respect. "I am deeply impressed by your words, Brother Ge. It is no wonder Gale Light Academy enjoys such a prominent reputation in our Dream Realm Plain."

With another smile, Yan Song looked at Ye Xuan and continued, "However, this boy’s talent is truly exceptional, the kind one sees only once in several centuries. I fear he may even be comparable to your academy’s Director Huangfu Xiuming. It seems that in a few decades, our Dream Realm Plain will have another Tier Eight Martial Emperor to stand above all others."

The other experts all turned to look at Ye Xuan. Because of the Profound Mystery Sect, every sect had heard news of him. Before seeing him in person, they hadn’t thought much of it.

But seeing him today—so young yet possessing such an extraordinary aura—they were all startled. They began to think that what Yan Song had said might not be an exaggeration.

Strange expressions appeared in their eyes.

Ye Xuan frowned. ’Why does this Yan Song keep dragging the topic back to me?’ He glanced at the man and said, "You flatter me, my lord. How could a humble boy like me possibly compare to Director Huangfu Xiuming? On the other hand, I have always heard that the Nine Yang Sect is the number one sect in the Dream Realm Plain. Seeing you today, you truly have the bearing of a leader, with all other sects submitting to your command and following your lead."

Yan Song laughed, a sharp glint in his eyes. "Brother Ge, your disciple certainly has a way with words. However, young man, the reason the Nine Yang Sect was able to summon everyone here is not because of our strength, but because of the benevolence of the various sects. They all wish to resolve this conflict for the sake of the people of the Dream Realm Plain, and that is why they allowed the Nine Yang Sect to take the lead."

Ye Xuan put on an understanding expression, as if a realization had just dawned on him. "Oh, so it seems the Nine Yang Sect is not only powerful but also commands unparalleled prestige. Should the Nine Yang Sect decide to unify the Dream Realm Plain one day for the sake of its future, I’m sure the other sects would be more than happy to oblige."

Yan Song’s face immediately turned green, and the expressions of the members from the other sects also grew strange.

Yan Song quickly forced a laugh and changed the subject, no longer discussing Ye Xuan. ’This kid is so sharp-tongued,’ he thought. ’He’s incredibly difficult to deal with.’

The experts from the other sects also began talking with the remaining members of Gale Light Academy.

"Hehe, you must be Xuan Ye. I am Peng Xiang, a Royal Tributor of the Sky Empire. I heard of your deeds back in the Sky Empire. A true prodigy indeed."

Midway through, a royal expert from the Sky Empire took the initiative to approach Ye Xuan and strike up a conversation.

Ye Xuan glanced at him and cupped his hands. "So it is Peng Tributor. I have heard that the Sky Empire is one of the top powers on the plain, and I held it in high regard, which is why I spent some time in the Imperial Capital. I just never expected that the clan leader of a prominent family from the Imperial Capital of one of the three great empires could be captured by experts from another power right outside the city, while the empire itself did nothing. It was truly a great disappointment. It seems its reputation is undeserved."

Ye Xuan did not give him a pleasant expression.

In his opinion, if the Sky Empire had intervened with its full strength back then, Luo Min and the others would never have been abducted by the Profound Mystery Sect. In the end, it all came down to the Sky Empire’s inaction.

"Hehe." Peng Xiang’s face turned green, and he could only manage an awkward laugh.

After being rebuffed by Ye Xuan and exchanging only a few words, Peng Xiang finally left in embarrassment.

He was secretly furious. ’This insolent brat! Even though Gale Light Academy and the Profound Mystery Sect are holding peace talks, the outcome is far from certain. As the main culprit behind all this, it’ll be a miracle if you don’t end up dead.’

Naturally, Ye Xuan didn’t know what the man was thinking. Even if he had, he couldn’t be bothered to care.

In the main hall, Vice Director Ge spoke with the experts from the major powers for a short while before they all departed, leaving only the group from Gale Light Academy.

"It seems the major powers are very determined to stop the fighting this time," Ge Puzi murmured.

From the earlier conversations, Ge Puzi had learned that the major powers had all dispatched extremely formidable experts this time.

Among them, the three great empires had all sent masters from their royal families, their strengths all at the Tier Seven Third Layer.

As for the Sword Sect and the Divine Sea Sect, they were each led by a Vice Sect Master level expert, while the Profound Sound Valley and the War God Tribe had also sent Tier Seven Third Layer experts.

It was estimated that no fewer than ten Tier Seven Third Layer experts had gathered in Ancient Yang City this time, and as for Martial King Level masters, they were simply innumerable.

Such a massive force had gathered with the sole purpose of preventing the further deterioration of relations between the Profound Mystery Sect and Gale Light Academy and alleviating the crisis in the Dream Realm Plain.

"Now it all depends on the Profound Mystery Sect’s attitude," Elder Yao and the others said with a frown.

There was still half a month until the negotiations were set to begin, but the experts from the Profound Mystery Sect had yet to arrive. Therefore, no one was clear on what their true purpose for agreeing to the talks was.

"Elder Dong, Elder Yao, please inspect this residence carefully. If possible, it would be best to set up some defensive arrays."

Then Vice Director Ge issued another order: "Also, everyone, if you need to leave the residence for any reason, you must report it first to avoid any accidents."

Despite the presence of so many other powers, the ever-cautious Vice Director Ge did not let his guard down in the slightest.

Soon, everyone went about their own business.

In his room, Ye Xuan sat cross-legged with his brows tightly furrowed.

For some reason, ever since entering Ancient Yang City, he had felt a constant sense of foreboding, as if something terrible was about to happen.

’What is going on? Where is this feeling coming from?’

Ye Xuan had always trusted a Martial Artist’s intuition, so he carefully observed his surroundings, trying to pinpoint the source of this feeling.

But no matter how he racked his brain, everything that had happened today seemed quite ordinary, with nothing particularly out of place.

He shook his head, sat cross-legged, and began to cultivate, deciding not to dwell on it.

’Since I can’t figure it out, it’s a waste of time to keep thinking about it. The best way to face a crisis is to work hard to increase my own strength. Only then can I better defend myself when disaster strikes.’

One after another, Sixth Grade Pills were tossed into Ye Xuan’s mouth. As he continuously refined them, the Profound Power in his body slowly increased, advancing toward the Tier Six Third Layer.

「Meanwhile, in the Nine Yang Sect’s residence.」

Yan Song stood respectfully before an old man.

The old man looked to be in his seventies or eighties. His face was covered in bark-like wrinkles, and his frame was withered and gaunt. Only his murky eyes would occasionally flash with a golden light, revealing a terrifying gleam.