Profound Heaven Soul Sovereign

All this information came together.

Ye Xuan immediately came onto Crazy Battle’s radar.

Whether it was the time of Ye Xuan’s appearance or his physical description, everything perfectly matched the information Crazy Battle had gathered.

If Ye Xuan had no background, Crazy Battle would have certainly sent people to capture him and interrogate him brutally.

However, the news of what happened in the marketplace yesterday had already spread throughout the Imperial Capital. Many people now knew that Ye Xuan had the backing of the Artifact Refining Workshop.

Although the Profound Mystery Sect was powerful and influential, Crazy Battle couldn’t just snatch someone connected to the Artifact Refining Workshop right here in the Sky Empire’s Imperial Capital.

One wrong move could even trigger a conflict between the two major powers.

That was why he had Qu Aoyun go and invite Ye Xuan.

His goal wasn’t truly to invite Ye Xuan, but to observe him and see if he had any lingering aura of the Nether Heart Seed.

Although Ye Xuan had refused Qu Aoyun’s invitation and didn’t come, Crazy Battle had seen everything clearly from the third floor of the restaurant.

He couldn’t help but furrow his brow deeply.

A Martial Artist who has been afflicted with a Nether Heart Seed, even if they’ve eliminated it, would still have some residual aura for a short time.

But Crazy Battle couldn’t sense any trace of the Nether Heart Seed’s aura on Ye Xuan.

’Could it be that this kid isn’t the one who killed my son?’

Crazy Battle was filled with doubt, but he still felt that this alone wasn’t enough to clear Ye Xuan of suspicion.

’I need to find a way to determine if this person is connected to my son’s death.’

"Qu Aoyun, come here," Crazy Battle said flatly.

"Yes, Supreme Elder."

Qu Aoyun cautiously approached.

"I need you to do something for me." A vicious glint flashed in Crazy Battle’s eyes as he secretly relayed a message via voice transmission.

A look of horror appeared in Qu Aoyun’s eyes.

"Supreme Elder, I’ve heard this person has connections to the Artifact Refining Workshop. If this gets out of hand, I’m afraid for our Profound Mystery Sect..." Qu Aoyun said cautiously.

"As long as you’re careful, who would know it was us?" Crazy Battle said coldly.

"Yes." Qu Aoyun had no choice but to respectfully withdraw and make the arrangements as Crazy Battle had instructed.

Watching Qu Aoyun leave, a crazed look appeared in Crazy Battle’s eyes. ’It doesn’t matter if he’s connected to the Artifact Refining Workshop. Even if it was Lu Li himself who killed my son, I’d still make him face the consequences.’

Out on the street, Ye Xuan calmly returned to the Luo family’s estate.

"Young Master Ye, you’re back." The two Luo family guards bowed respectfully to Ye Xuan, their eyes shining.

"Mm." Ye Xuan nodded and walked through the main gate.

Even after Ye Xuan’s figure had disappeared, the two guards were still trembling with excitement.

Ever since the news from the marketplace spread, the entire Luo family was filled with admiration for Ye Xuan.

Everyone knew that Master Xuan Ye had a very close relationship with the Artifact Refining Workshop.

For a noble family like the Luo family, this was undoubtedly an incredibly exciting development.

After returning to his room, Ye Xuan quickly cast several Restrictions, sealing the space.

’I can’t believe Crazy Battle is so persistent. He actually followed me to the Imperial Capital.’

Ye Xuan’s brow furrowed.

Back on the street, when Qu Aoyun had stopped him, he had already sensed the gaze from the restaurant above.

Crazy Battle thought he wouldn’t be noticed, but Ye Xuan had been perfectly aware of his scrutiny from start to finish.

He just remained impassive, deliberately feigning ignorance.

’It’s a good thing I no longer have the aura of the Nether Heart Seed on me. At most, Crazy Battle only suspects me.’

Ye Xuan knew very well that if Crazy Battle were certain that he was the one who killed Gale, there wouldn’t have been a probing attempt today; the man would have attacked him directly.

But just because he hadn’t attacked didn’t mean the crisis was over.

Ye Xuan knew people like Crazy Battle all too well. With his personality of never giving up until he achieved his goal, he would definitely make another move.

’Once I’m strong enough, I will definitely set foot in the Profound Mystery Sect.’

A cold glint flashed in Ye Xuan’s eyes. If not for the need to protect the Thirteen Nations Alliance, when had he, the magnificent Carefree Soul Emperor, ever had to hide like this?

"Young Master Ye, you’re back?"

Just then, Luo Cheng’s voice came from outside the door.

Ye Xuan opened the door and was surprised to see that Patriarch Luo Min was there as well.

Ye Xuan asked, puzzled, "Patriarch Luo, Luo Cheng, is there something you need?"

The two of them wouldn’t have come together unless it was important.

"Young Master Ye, thank you for yesterday," Patriarch Luo Min said, bowing deeply.

Ye Xuan waved his hand and said with a smile, "If this is about what happened yesterday, there’s no need to thank me. If it weren’t for me, the Luo family wouldn’t have run into that trouble in the first place."

Ye Xuan wasn’t just talking nonsense. Yesterday’s incident happened because the conflict between him and Qin Yu had embroiled Luo Cheng. If not for him, perhaps Qin Yu would never have targeted the Luo family.

"Young Master Ye, there’s something you don’t know." Luo Min gave a wry smile, then sighed. "Actually, even without you, Young Master Ye, our Luo family would have had a hard time surviving."

Ye Xuan raised an eyebrow. "Why is that?"

"The Luo family has always followed the Murong family. But in recent years, our conflict with the Qu family has grown more and more severe, and many of our businesses have been heavily suppressed. If the Qu family weren’t wary of the Murong family, the Luo family would have likely already gone bankrupt. Even so, the Murong family has been planning to abandon us for some time now. So, even without yesterday’s incident, it would have been very difficult for the Luo family to continue operating."

Ye Xuan came to a realization. He recalled the first time he met Luo Cheng, who was being hunted by a Qu family elder. If he hadn’t intervened, Luo Cheng would probably be dead by now.

"By the way, do you know someone named Qu Aoyun?" Ye Xuan suddenly remembered something and asked.

"Qu Aoyun? You must mean the Qu family’s Patriarch." Luo Min said, "This Qu Aoyun is actually a native of the Sky Empire’s Imperial Capital. Originally, the Qu family was just a very small family in the Imperial Capital, far from being a noble family. But Qu Aoyun showed excellent talent from a young age. At eighteen, he joined the Profound Mystery Sect, worked his way up from an outer disciple to a Core Disciple, and later became a deacon in the sect."

"About thirty years ago, Qu Aoyun returned to the Qu family and became its Patriarch. With the support of the Profound Mystery Sect, the family developed rapidly. In just twenty short years, they became one of the Imperial Capital’s noble families, and a very powerful one at that."

"Furthermore, Qu Aoyun himself is very powerful. He is a Tier Six Third Layer Martial Venerable."

Ye Xuan nodded. "So, you’re saying the Qu family is basically a branch of the Profound Mystery Sect?"

Luo Min nodded. "You could say that. However, that’s as far as the Qu family can go. It would be nearly impossible for them to become a great house, even if Qu Aoyun managed to break through to Tier Seven Martial King. The Empire is well aware of the Qu family’s situation and won’t allow a power like them to grow too strong in the Imperial Capital."

"So, what is the Qu family’s main business?" Ye Xuan suddenly asked.

"Like the Luo family, their main business is in Spirit Medicine materials and breakthrough Pills. The Luo family is a family of Spirit Medicine specialists and has produced many Alchemists over the years. But because the Qu family has the support of the Profound Mystery Sect, they’ve developed rapidly in recent years and have seized a large portion of our market share. However, the Luo family has two exclusive Pills, which has allowed us to survive."

Luo Min paused for a moment before continuing, "Actually, besides the Luo family and the Qu family, many families in the Imperial Capital are in the Pill business. It’s the largest expense for Martial Artists and also one of the most profitable sectors. For example, the Qin family from yesterday—the Pill business also accounts for a large portion of their family’s income."

At this point, Luo Min’s expression dimmed. He raised his head, a sudden glint of determination in his eyes, and said, "Actually, the reason I came to find you today, Young Master Ye, was to ask what business your family is in. If possible, the Luo family would like to pledge its allegiance to your family." 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

Ye Xuan was quite surprised to hear this. He hadn’t expected Luo Min to come here to say this.

Seemingly aware of Ye Xuan’s surprise, Luo Min gave a wry smile. "I know that your family, Young Master Ye, is likely not in the Empire, but this is a last resort for the Luo family. For so many years, we’ve survived by depending on the Murong family, and even then, we were struggling to make ends meet. Now that we’ve lost the Murong family’s protection, if we continue on this path, it won’t be long before the Luo family is forced off the Imperial Capital’s stage."

"Just being forced off the stage isn’t the worst of it. But given the enmity between our Luo family and the Qu family, the moment we are no longer a noble family, the Qu family will surely strike us down mercilessly. When that happens, our Luo family won’t even have a chance to survive."

Ye Xuan smiled. "So you trust me that much? Besides, as you said, my family isn’t in the Sky Empire, so there isn’t much help they could offer the Luo family, is there? Moreover, what can the Luo family offer my family?"

Luo Min said earnestly, "Even if your family isn’t in the Empire, Young Master Ye, you alone are worthy of our trust. I heard from my son about what happened at the Artifact Refining Workshop. Before yesterday, you had no interaction with the workshop. Yet after just a short time with Master Lu Li, you established a close connection with them. This shows one of two things: either your background is so noble that even Master Lu Li has to give you face, or your talent is so great that even Master Lu Li holds you in high regard. Either one is enough for me to make this decision."

"As for your family not being in the Imperial Capital, that doesn’t matter. Just like with the Qu family, sometimes all it takes is a name to bring our Luo family great benefits."

"Besides, your relationship with the Artifact Refining Workshop alone is enough for the Luo family to establish a firm foothold in the Imperial Capital."

It had to be said, Luo Min spoke with great sincerity, expressing all of his innermost thoughts.

In reality, pledging allegiance to Ye Xuan’s family was just a pretext. Whether his family showed up or not, Ye Xuan’s connection to the Artifact Refining Workshop was all the Luo family needed to secure their position in the Imperial Capital.

And if they lost this connection to Ye Xuan, the Luo family, having already been cast aside by the Murong family, would face an incredibly difficult path ahead.