Profound Heaven Soul Sovereign

This massive dark serpent was none other than Lv Hao’s own dark snake martial soul. It had been lying in wait, ready to kill Ye Xuan with a single strike.

But what Lv Hao hadn’t expected was that just as his massive black snake martial soul swallowed Ye Xuan, before it could even begin to crush him, a sharp pain shot out from within the serpent. He could sense his black martial soul rapidly diminishing. Before he could even react, the martial soul enveloping Ye Xuan shattered into nothingness, as if devoured by something.

Lv Hao immediately coughed up a mouthful of blood. The damage to both his Soul Power and his martial soul made his eyes turn crimson in an instant. As if he had gone mad, he frantically threw out dozens of Array flags.

Ye Xuan, however, did not press his attack. After devouring Lv Hao’s giant snake martial soul, his own Devouring Martial Soul had immediately fallen into a deep slumber, clearly undergoing a transformation. Lv Hao’s Soul Power had reached the Peak of Fourth Grade, and his martial soul was Four-Stars. For Ye Xuan’s Two-Stars Devouring Martial Soul, it was an immense tonic.

The Array flags landed, and a complex Array quickly enveloped Ye Xuan. At the same time, Lv Hao’s voice drifted in from outside the Array. "Kid, your talent is truly surprising. In all my years, I must say, you are the most talented person I have ever seen. There is no great hatred between us; it’s not worth it to keep fighting to the death. Why don’t we stop and you listen to what I have to say?"

Lv Hao’s voice was hoarse. Having trapped Ye Xuan with the Array, he seemed to have ceased his attacks, his voice taking on a coaxing tone.

"What is it you want to say?" Ye Xuan sneered. ’This Lv Hao seems to have stopped, but he’s actually controlling the Array in secret.’

’He’s stalling for time.’ Ye Xuan knew exactly what Lv Hao was planning. The Trapping Array was just a smokescreen; the real danger was a Self-detonation Formation hidden within it. It was currently accumulating energy. Once it had enough, it would explode with enough force to instantly blast even a Tier Five Martial Sect like Ouyang Xiaoshan to pieces.

Seeing that Ye Xuan had actually stopped, Lv Hao said with sincerity, "Do you know where I come from? I’ll be honest with you—that Wei Guang was right. I come from a very powerful sect called the Profound Mystery Sect. The strength of my sect is something you, stuck here in the Thirteen Nations Alliance, could never comprehend. I can see that your strength is extraordinary and your talent is astonishing. Even in the Profound Mystery Sect, you would be among the best. I have a proposal: why don’t I bring you to join the Profound Mystery Sect? With your talent, you’re bound to make a grand debut. Why remain trapped in this tiny Liuyun Kingdom? What do you say?"

"You think I would believe you?"

"And why wouldn’t you? There is no irreconcilable hatred between us. Killing me gets you nothing, and besides, you can’t kill me anyway. But if I bring you into the Profound Mystery Sect, that’s a tangible benefit for you."

"Fine, then. Dispel your Array first."

"No." Lv Hao shook his head. "Even though you’ve agreed, I don’t trust you yet. As long as you promise..."

Before Lv Hao could finish, Ye Xuan cut him off with a sneer, "Don’t worry, I’m not going to promise you anything."

As his voice fell, two Array flags suddenly appeared in Ye Xuan’s hands. He thrust them into the empty space before him, and the Array that had surrounded him instantly shattered. Lv Hao’s expression changed completely. Pointing at Ye Xuan in disbelief, he stammered, "How did you know my..."

"A mere Array could fool me?" Ye Xuan sneered. Without waiting for Lv Hao to finish, he raised his hand and threw a black object.

A terrifying power bore down. When Lv Hao realized Ye Xuan had dared to strike first, he immediately reacted.

He saw that what Ye Xuan had thrown was just a dark, black weight, and he was about to laugh. But the smile died on his lips. The oppressive feeling that seemed to crush the very air around it made it impossible for him to contain his shock. The object might have been ugly, but it was a Profound Treasure.

Coming from the Profound Mystery Sect, Lv Hao naturally knew what a Profound Treasure was. He even had one himself. But even within the Profound Mystery Sect, not everyone could possess one. Yet this youth from the Liuyun Kingdom actually had a Profound Treasure.

Lv Hao had no time to think. He summoned a black shadow, trying to block Ye Xuan’s Zhenyuan Stone.

"BOOM..."

Ye Xuan had struck first, and the Zhenyuan Stone was already activated. Lv Hao had hastily summoned his Black Drum, and though it too was a Profound Treasure, it was an ordinary one. Moreover, it hadn’t had time to display its power. Blocking Ye Xuan’s Zhenyuan Stone was simply impossible.

"CRACK..."

The Black Drum let out a resonant boom, followed by the sound of it cracking and shattering.

In a single exchange, Lv Hao’s Black Drum was shattered into smithereens. He was utterly horrified. Before he could even process what had happened, Ye Xuan’s Zhenyuan Stone was already smashing down on him again.

"Stop, I have something to say..." Lv Hao was terrified of Ye Xuan’s Zhenyuan Stone and didn’t dare to face it head-on again. He could never have imagined that the methods of this youth from the Liuyun Kingdom were far more terrifying and powerful than his own, a Fourth Grade Soul Refiner from the Profound Mystery Sect. This clash had completely extinguished his will to fight.

If he could, he would gladly not fight Ye Xuan at all, even abandoning the Mist Array to get away from this mess.

Ye Xuan sneered inwardly. ’Now he wants to beg for mercy? It’s a little too late for that.’

"BANG!"

Without a hint of hesitation, Ye Xuan’s Zhenyuan Stone smashed directly into Lv Hao. Even as a Triple Peak Celestial Martial Artist, Lv Hao couldn’t withstand the blow and was instantly flattened into a bloody pulp.

After retracting the Zhenyuan Stone, Ye Xuan picked up Lv Hao’s Storage Ring and turned to leave the underground cavern.

"Young Master Xuan, where’s that guy? Did he get away? I’ll go after him!"

The moment Ye Xuan returned to the courtyard, Ouyang Xiaoshan and the others rushed in, ready to dive into the tunnel. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"There’s no need to chase him. I’ve already killed him."

"What?" Ouyang Xiaoshan and the others were all stunned. Then, they saw Lv Hao’s body in the cavern at the bottom of the tunnel. Their eyes went wide, and their jaws dropped as if they could swallow an egg.

From their earlier clash, they all knew that although Lv Hao was only a Tier Four Celestial Martial Artist, he was also a powerful Soul Refiner. In terms of overall combat strength, not even Ouyang Xiaoshan was confident he could defeat him. Yet in such a short time, not only had Young Master Xuan caught up to him, but he had also killed him on the spot.

Not even Ouyang Xiaoshan possessed that kind of strength. The group stared at Ye Xuan, their hearts filled with shock, and their respect for him deepened into awe.

"Xuan’Er, are you alright?"

Old Master Ye Batian and the others came forward, looking at Ye Xuan nervously. When they saw he was unharmed, a great weight was lifted from their hearts.

"Young Master Xuan, what should we do with this group?"

Outside the courtyard, Wei Hong and his men were bound, their faces twisted with fury as they struggled against their restraints.

"You brat, let me go this instant! I am a Count of the kingdom, the Governor of Tianxu Province! If you kill me, His Majesty will never forgive you!" Wei Hong yelled, a cold glint in his eyes. He still clung to a sliver of hope for survival.

"Is that so?" Ye Xuan listened and gave a cold smile. ’He still dares to threaten me at a time like this?’ He waved his hand without the slightest hesitation. "Kill them all."

"No, you can’t do this!"

"Ye Xuan—no, Young Master Xuan! I, Fang Tianhong, am willing to pledge my loyalty to you! Please spare my life!"

"We’re willing to pledge ourselves to you, Young Master Xuan! Please spare us!"

A large group of Wei Hong’s subordinates cried out in a mixture of panic and anger. This enraged Wei Hong, whose face turned ashen and eyes went bloodshot. He cursed, "You bunch of traitors! If I ever get the chance, I’ll kill every last one of you!"

"Wei Hong, your actions have gone against all reason! Today is the day you pay the price!"

"Young Master Xuan, I know everything Governor Wei Hong has done in Tianxu Province over the years! I’m willing to speak up, to serve as a witness before His Majesty and testify against this traitor!"

Desperate to live, Wei Hong’s subordinates all scrambled over each other to speak, which so enraged Wei Hong that he spat out a mouthful of blood, his face pale and twisted with fury.

Just then, a thunderous sound of hooves echoed from outside the City Lord’s Mansion. A large contingent of fully armored soldiers had surrounded the entire estate and were now storming the grounds.

The leader was a powerful warrior in armor, wielding a horse-slaying blade. He wore the armor of the Royal Army, and his eyes were as cold as lightning. He pointed his blade at Ye Xuan’s group and roared, "You rebels! How dare you cause trouble in Tianxu Province! Release Governor Wei Hong at once and surrender! Otherwise, my army will take your heads and put them on display for all to see!"

"Release Governor Wei Hong! Surrender now!"

Thousands of soldiers roared in unison, the sound deafening, as if it could tear the roof right off the City Lord’s Mansion.

Ouyang Xiaoshan’s expression changed. He stepped forward, produced a Token, and said coldly, "Who might you be? We are the Royal City Imperial Guard, acting on His Majesty’s orders. We have come to Tianxu Province to enfeoff Ye Batian of the Ye family as King Ye, a first-class duke of the kingdom, and grant him command over Tianxu Province. The former governor, Wei Hong, committed heinous crimes and acted with impunity. We have apprehended him, and he is to be dealt with by the new King Ye. Why have you not come to pay your respects to King Ye!"

Ouyang Xiaoshan had a sharp eye; he could tell from their armor that these soldiers were the kingdom’s garrison stationed outside the provincial capital of Tianxu.

"King Ye? What King Ye? I haven’t received any imperial decree, so I know nothing of the sort. I am Zhu Jun, commander of the Tianxu Province garrison. I don’t care who you are—put down your weapons and surrender now! Rest assured, once I’ve verified your identities, I’ll be sure to release you. Otherwise, don’t blame me for being merciless. I’ll give you ten breaths to consider. Starting... now."

Zhu Jun gave a cold smirk, his face hard as iron. The thousands of surrounding soldiers advanced steadily, their momentum overwhelming.