Chapter 686 687: The Xiao Family Asks for Help

The Profound Light Pavilion was just a minor power back then, so naturally, they couldn't have falsified the city's entry and exit logs. If it were the Profound Light Pavilion of today, however, the Yuchi family might not have been able to find any records if they didn't want any left behind.

Yuchi Jie was still finding it hard to believe. "But Patriarch, Mo Qianshan was a Tier Eight Second Layer Martial Monarch. Did the Profound Light Pavilion have the strength to kill him back then? I also investigated later, and the one who killed Mo Qianshan should have been an expert who cultivates a Fire Element Cultivation Technique."

"Hah, an expert with a Fire Element Cultivation Technique." Yu Chi Bugong sneered, as if he found Yuchi Jie's question foolish. He scoffed, "That Xuan Ye may be a Soul Refining Master, but he's most famous for his skill in Alchemy. A top-tier Alchemy Master... do you think he wouldn't possess a powerful Fire Element Cultivation Technique?"

Yuchi Jie's expression faltered, and he came to a sudden realization. 'That's right! How could I not have thought of that?'

For an Alchemist, a powerful flame is one of their most crucial assets. It would be perfectly normal for one to possess a powerful Fire Element Cultivation Technique.

At first, he had been focused on finding a Fire Element expert, never considering that any powerful Alchemist would be highly skilled with flames.

"Damn that Profound Light Pavilion," Yuchi Jie said, his voice laced with fury. A murderous glint flashed in his eyes as he spoke coldly, "Patriarch, should we..."

He made a sharp, throat-slitting gesture with his hand.

"No," Yu Chi Bugong said, waving his hand dismissively. His expression darkened. "The Profound Light Pavilion has established a connection with the Soul Master Tower. We can't act rashly. If we anger that madman Zuo Yuan, the consequences will be dire."

Yuchi Jie asked, unwilling to let it go, "So we're just going to let the Profound Light Pavilion off the hook?"

"Let them off? Impossible." Killing intent overflowed from Yu Chi Bugong's eyes. He said coldly, "When the time is right, I'll make the Profound Light Pavilion suffer a fate worse than death. But not now. The Yuchi family's current priority is to find out how much the Xiao family knows about that mysterious land."

"Report!"

Just then, a loud cry came from outside the door.

"Come in."

Yu Chi Bugong called out. An elderly man walked in quickly and knelt on one knee. "Reporting to the Patriarch, the experts we sent to the mysterious land have been completely wiped out. Not a single one made it out alive."

"What?" Yu Chi Bugong shot to his feet, his face a mask of shock and rage. "What in the world happened in there? How could they have all been wiped out?"

The elder replied hastily, "I do not know, Patriarch. However, I did see that the Xiao family has also sent people into the mysterious land. Furthermore, it seems experts from the Langxie Sect, Lingkong Cave, and Liuxian City have also learned of its existence and are sending men to explore it."

"Damn it!" Yu Chi Bugong slammed his hand on the armrest of his chair. CRACK! The sandalwood shattered instantly. His face twisted into a snarl. "This won't do. I must go to that mysterious land myself and see what's going on. I can't let the other powers beat us to it."

True to his word, over the next few days, Yang Xiu merged his Soul Refining Pavilion and all of his followers into the Profound Light Pavilion.

The news sent shockwaves through the populace of Celestial Capital Prefecture.

Yang Xiu was not like Qiu Wushuang. While one was merely a well-known Loose Cultivator, the other was a renowned Seventh Grade Soul Refining Master in Celestial Capital Prefecture. For such a prominent figure to join the Profound Light Pavilion was an undeniable and massive boost to its reputation.

And when people learned that Yang Xiu had joined the Profound Light Pavilion merely to become Ye Xuan's follower, it caused an even greater uproar.

In an instant, the Profound Light Pavilion's fame skyrocketed, and it was the talk of the town.

The Profound Light Pavilion's prestige began to rival that of the five great powers, and it even showed signs of becoming the sixth.

Although the Profound Light Pavilion didn't yet have a Tier Eight Third Layer Martial Monarch, no one dared to underestimate the faction any longer.

As the Profound Light Pavilion developed at a rapid pace, Ye Xuan found himself with time on his hands.

With Elder Yao handling Alchemy, Yang Xiu for Soul Refining, and Master Lu Li for Artifact Refining, not to mention Su Xiuyi, Qiu Wushuang, and the others managing affairs, the Profound Light Pavilion could now develop perfectly on its own.

Thus, with some rare free time, Ye Xuan immediately went into seclusion to cultivate.

It had been some time since his breakthrough to Tier Seven First Layer Martial King. After his recent cultivation, he was getting closer and closer to the Second Layer, but he still hadn't been able to make the final leap.

Ye Xuan knew very well that with his current cultivation level, he was far from safe in a place like Celestial Capital Prefecture, which was teeming with experts.

He had to reach a higher realm as quickly as possible to gain the power to stand tall.

Moreover, with Infinite Mountain watching like a tiger, the uncertainty of Huangfu Xiuming's fate, and his own worries for the Yao Yue Martial Emperor, Ye Xuan couldn't afford—and had no right—to slack off.

'I'm still too weak. I have to break through to the Tier Seven Second Layer as soon as possible.'

In the cultivation room, Ye Xuan clenched his fists. A Tier Seven First Layer cultivation might not be considered weak in some lesser regions, but in the Profound Domain, it was no different from being an ant.

After Ye Xuan went into seclusion, the atmosphere in Celestial Capital Prefecture grew increasingly strange.

Perceptive observers noticed that numerous experts from both the Yuchi and Xiao families were leaving Celestial Capital Prefecture for days at a time.

Even more shocking was that while groups of seven or eight from the Yuchi and Xiao families would often depart, only three or four would return, and those who did appeared to be heavily injured.

For a time, all sorts of rumors began to spread throughout Celestial Capital Prefecture.

Some said the Yuchi and Xiao families were secretly locked in a bloody struggle, vying for the position of Celestial Capital Prefecture's top power.

Others claimed they had discovered a treasure trove and were excavating it together, only for conflict to break out over how to divide the spoils.

In any case, a variety of rumors were circulating.

Gradually, people noticed that the remaining three of the five great powers—the Xu, Lin, and Zhou families—were also making moves, seemingly dispatching their own personnel in secret.

This caused even more panic to spread throughout Celestial Capital Prefecture.

All five great powers mobilizing their forces at the same time... how many years had it been since something like this had happened in the history of Celestial Capital Prefecture?

Was this a sign that the major families were preparing to upend the existing order?

As time passed, this sense of unease grew ever stronger in people's hearts.

Ye Xuan, still in seclusion, naturally knew nothing of the events unfolding outside. In truth, even if he had known, he wouldn't have cared.

「Two months passed in the blink of an eye.」

In the cultivation room.

HUFF!

Ye Xuan let out a long, turbid breath as a sharp glint flashed in his eyes.

A bitter smile then touched his lips.

In nearly three months, he had managed to elevate his cultivation to the Tier Seven First Layer Peak, yet he remained separated from the Tier Seven Second Layer by the thinnest of barriers.

'This Nine Profound Pride Art is powerful, but the difficulty of breaking through is just too high. A normal person who had absorbed this much Heaven and Earth Profound Qi and consumed so many Pills and Spirit Medicines would have probably already broken through to the Tier Seven Third Layer.'

Sensing the abundant Profound filling the Profound Veins within his body, Ye Xuan looked on helplessly.

The Nine Profound Pride Art required a Cultivator to open all ten Profound Veins and develop them to their absolute limit. The first nine were manageable; even the ninth, the Life Vein, only required about twice the cultivation and resources of a normal Martial Artist.

But the tenth, the Celestial Vein, was far too difficult.

The difficulty of developing it to its limit and filling it with Profound was more than ten times that of an ordinary Profound Vein.

Ye Xuan's arduous cultivation over this period had completely filled the first nine Profound Veins, but he just couldn't seem to develop the tenth to its limit.

'Still, a Martial Artist's cultivation must be a gradual process. This tenth Profound Vein may be difficult, but with a little more time, I refuse to believe I can't overcome it.'

Ye Xuan sighed to himself and was about to resume his cultivation when suddenly, a yellow lamp at the entrance to the room lit up silently.

"Hm?"

Ye Xuan's brows immediately furrowed.

This yellow lamp was one of the ways the outside world could contact him.

The greatest taboo for a Martial Artist in seclusion is being disturbed. The silent yellow lamp would not interrupt a Martial Artist's cultivation, while still allowing them to see messages from the outside world when they were conscious.

Su Xiuyi and the others knew he was in seclusion and wouldn't normally disturb him. If the yellow lamp was lit, it usually meant something major had occurred.

Ye Xuan pressed a button on the wall, opening the cultivation room's door and stepping out.

"What happened at the Profound Light Pavilion?"

The moment Ye Xuan stepped out, he saw Su Xiuyi and the others rushing over and asked with concern.

Su Xiuyi wore an embarrassed expression. "Young Master Ye, I apologize for disturbing your cultivation. Nothing has happened at the Profound Light Pavilion. It's about a top-tier appointment."

Hearing that the Profound Light Pavilion was fine, Ye Xuan's tense heart relaxed slightly. He then frowned and said, "A top-tier appointment? Weren't those already suspended?"

Su Xiuyi explained, "Well, a few days ago, Patriarch Xiao Wuji of the Xiao family came to the Profound Light Pavilion in a hurry, wanting to request a top-tier appointment with you, Young Master Ye. We informed him that you were in seclusion, and he left. But two days later, he came back again, saying he had an urgent matter to discuss with you. We had to turn him away again."

"But he didn't give up. He's been coming back frequently these last couple of days. It got to the point where he was visiting several times a day, insisting he had urgent business with you. He looked truly desperate, so after some consideration, we decided it was best to notify you, Young Master Ye."

"Urgent business?"

A flash of displeasure crossed Ye Xuan's eyes. He had thought something major was happening, but it was only this. Although he had cooperated with Xiao Wuji in the past, their relationship wasn't particularly deep. He was naturally annoyed at having his cultivation interrupted.

But Ye Xuan didn't blame Su Xiuyi and the others. The Xiao family was, after all, one of the top families in Celestial Capital Prefecture. With the esteemed Patriarch of the Xiao family visiting time and time again, Su Xiuyi and his people must have been under considerable pressure, making it difficult for them to simply turn him away and cause him to lose face.

"Have him come here."

Ye Xuan waved his hand. Since he was already out, he might as well see what urgent business this Xiao Wuji had.

Soon, Xiao Wuji, having received the message, appeared before Ye Xuan. The moment he saw him, he pleaded anxiously, "Young Master Ye, I beg you, please save several of my Xiao family's elders!"