Profound Heaven Soul Sovereign

The clerk immediately started squealing like a stuck pig. "Help! Someone, help! The Ye family is hitting people! The Ye family’s here at the Alchemist Association to cause trouble! Somebody, help!"

As his pig-like squeals echoed, a large group of sharp-armored Martial Artists immediately swarmed out from the back and surrounded Ye Xuan and his group in a flash.

"Who dares cause trouble at the Alchemist Association branch?"

The leader was a Martial Artist with a face dark as thunder, his icy eyes fixed on Ye Xuan and the others.

"Captain Liu, it’s them! That’s Ye Zhanyun of the Ye family! A man with one foot in the grave, and he still dared to hit me! That slap didn’t just land on me; it was a slap to the face and dignity of our Alchemist Association! Captain Liu, you have to get justice for me!" Seeing his allies, the clerk began to wail as if he’d just found his long-lost parents, a blubbering mess of snot and tears.

"Oh, so it’s you, Ye Zhanyun. It seems the people of the Ye family have gotten quite bold, to the point you don’t even show the Alchemist Association any respect. Men! Seize them all!"

"Captain Liu, this is a misunderstanding."

"A misunderstanding?" Captain Liu sneered. "I don’t care if it’s a misunderstanding. You dared to strike someone from the Alchemist Association. I wouldn’t give face to the Heavenly King himself. Seize them."

"Stop!" Ye Xuan, who had been silent until now, finally spoke, his voice cold. With an icy gaze, he produced a Token. "I am a Second Grade Alchemist of the Alchemist Association. I need to see your Lord Liang. Aren’t you going to go announce my presence?"

"A Second Grade Alchemist?" The captain and his men were stunned for a moment before they all burst out laughing. "Where did this little whelp come from? You’re still wet behind the ears, and you dare impersonate an Alchemist? If you’re a Second Grade Alchemist, then I’m the president of the Alchemist Association! Seize him!"

The group of guards immediately charged forward like madmen.

Seeing this, Ye Xuan couldn’t even be bothered to take out his Guest Minister Token. ’If they can’t even tell a real Second Grade Alchemist insignia from a fake one, there’s no way they’d recognize the exceedingly rare Guest Minister Token.’

At this, Ye Xuan couldn’t be bothered to waste any more words on them. He said coldly, "Ji Ling, take down this group of incompetents. We’re forcing our way in."

"Yes!"

Instantly, Ji Ling and his men gave fierce grins, drew their weapons, and lunged forward like a pack of wolves.

How could the guards of this small Alchemist Association branch possibly be a match for Ji Ling and the other City Guard captains? Amid a flurry of CRACKS and THWACKS, it took only a moment for the guards, who had been posturing so arrogantly just moments before, to be sent tumbling to the ground, howling in pain.

The clerk clutching his face was completely dumbfounded. With a look of utter disbelief, he shrieked, "Is the Ye family staging a rebellion? You dare to raise a hand inside the Alchemist Association! This is absolute lawlessness! Lawlessness! It’s over! The Ye family is done for!"

Screaming like a madman, he rushed into the association’s building.

"Xuan’er." Ye Zhanyun was also frozen in shock. He never imagined Ye Xuan would have his men act so ruthlessly. ’Is this really how you come to the Alchemist Association to negotiate? Far from easing tensions, this is just pushing the Ye family into a pit of fire!’

"Father, don’t worry. I have a plan. Let’s go inside." Ye Xuan waved his hand and strode into the main hall.

In the main hall, everyone present was stunned. Many of them were customers who had come to purchase potions, and they stared at Ye Xuan’s group as if they were seeing ghosts. They clearly couldn’t imagine that someone would actually dare to be so brazen in the Alchemist Association.

"Sirs, what do you think you’re doing?" a man who appeared to be a steward stepped forward and demanded coldly.

Behind him stood another squad of guards, but none dared to charge forward.

"You have ten minutes to get the person in charge here. Otherwise, I’ll tear this entire Alchemist Association building down," Ye Xuan said coldly.

Ji Ling and his men took a bold step forward, their formidable auras radiating from them.

"Ye Zhanyun, the Ye family will regret this." The steward wasted no more words, turning to the guard captain at his side. "Keep an eye on things here. I’m going to get Master Liang."

Ye Zhanyun gave a wry smile but said nothing. ’Since the deed was done,’ he thought, a sense of calm settling over him. ’This son of mine always manages to surprise me. I’ll just watch and see what tricks he has up his sleeve. After all, things can hardly get any worse than they are now.’

At worst, they’d just have to go for broke.

Before long, a ferocious aura surged out from within the Alchemist Association, followed by the sound of two people’s voices in conversation.

"Steward He, how many times have I told you not to disturb me while I am performing Alchemy? Are your ears just for show? Can’t you understand me?"

"Master Liang, it’s the Ye family! They’ve beaten up many of our Alchemist Association guards and are waiting for you in the main hall. They’re asking for you by name."

"The Ye family? This is an outrage! I want to see just where they got the nerve to cause trouble in my Alchemist Association! I don’t care what their reason is. For interrupting my Alchemy, I will personally see to the destruction of the Ye family!"

Amid the furious shouting, a gray-haired and bearded old man stormed into the main hall, his sharp gaze immediately landing on Ye Zhanyun.

"Ye Zhanyun, was it you who disturbed my Alchemy? If you don’t give me a satisfactory explanation today, don’t even think about walking out the doors of my Alchemist Association," the old man said, his voice dripping with murderous intent.

Ye Xuan asked coolly, "Are you the one in charge of this Alchemist Association branch?"

"And who might you be?" the old man asked, his eyes narrowing.

"Who I am isn’t important. What’s important is that I have this." Ye Xuan produced an inconspicuous black Token and held it right in front of the old man.

Seeing Ye Xuan’s arrogant tone, the old man was about to erupt in anger. But then, his eyes caught sight of the jet-black Token in Ye Xuan’s hand, and his expression instantly changed.

The clerk at the side didn’t see the change in Master Liang’s expression. Seeing Ye Xuan pull out yet another Token, he began to cackle, "Hahaha, you brat, what kind of fake Token are you pulling out now? A Third Grade Alchemist Token? The Association President’s medallion? Or the City Lord’s command Token?"

His face filled with contempt and righteous indignation, he shrieked, "Master Liang, it’s this little whelp! He not only ordered his lackeys to strike me, but he also impersonated a Second Grade Alchemist of our Association! He is utterly lawless, his crimes unforgivable! When he hit me, he wasn’t just hitting me, he was hitting the reputation of the Alchemist Association! When he faked being an Alchemist, he wasn’t just faking a title, he was trampling on the face and dignity of our Alchemist Association!"

He had barely finished speaking when—

SLAP!

A crisper, more vicious slap struck the clerk squarely in the face, sending him flying several meters. He sprayed a mouthful of blood and broken teeth, then lay on the ground, twitching.

The one who had struck him this time was, shockingly, Master Liang.

"You worthless mutt! Are your eyes on your ass? He should have hit you harder! Why didn’t he just beat you to death? You utter disgrace!"

After berating the clerk, Master Liang glared at Steward He. "And you, you scoundrel! An honored guest arrived, and you didn’t inform me sooner? Do you have any idea the trouble you’ve caused by making our distinguished guest wait for so long? Can you bear that responsibility?"

After his tirade, the fury on Master Liang’s face was instantly replaced by a blossoming smile, as radiant as a hundred blooming flowers. He beamed at Ye Xuan. "My Lord, I was unaware of your arrival. Please forgive my failure to greet you properly."

This scene left everyone in the hall completely dumbfounded.

’What in the world is happening? Since when is Master Liang so agreeable? A moment ago, he was talking about wiping out the Ye family, and now his attitude has done a complete one-eighty. Even if the old patriarch of the Ye family, Ye Batian, were here in person, he likely wouldn’t even get a single smile out of him.’

Ye Xuan remained expressionless and said coolly, "Find us a place to talk."

"Of course." Master Liang smiled faintly, then glared at the guards. "What are you all standing around for? Clean this place up, and throw this worthless mutt out!"

"Steward He, bring my finest tea. I have honored guests to entertain."

Soon, Ye Xuan and his party were invited inside, with Master Liang personally attending to them.

This was not the first or second time Ye Zhanyun had visited the Alchemist Association branch. In the past, he had been attended to by Steward He or Steward Xuu at best, and even they were always arrogant. As for Master Liang, while Ye Zhanyun had seen him a few times in passing, he had never even had the chance to exchange words with him.

But today, Master Liang, the head of the Alchemist Association branch, was personally attending to them, treating them as honored guests, and serving them tea with his own hands. This was an absolute first.

Once again, Ye Zhanyun was astonished by his son, Ye Xuan. ’This boy... I haven’t seen him for a few months, and now he’s someone you have to look at with new eyes.’

After personally serving the fine tea, Master Liang felt his heart thumping with anxiety. He dispensed with the pleasantries and got straight to the point with a smile. "Young Master, you possess the Guest Minister Token personally issued by the Association President. Seeing the Token is the same as seeing the President himself. May I ask what instructions you have for our Cyan Mountain Town Alchemist Association branch?"

’Guest Minister Token? Seeing the Token is like seeing the President?’

Ye Zhanyun was so shocked he nearly burned his tongue on the tea. Beside them, the attending Steward He’s legs went so weak he almost collapsed right onto the floor.

There was only one person in the entire Alchemist Association whom Master Liang would call President: the big boss of all Alchemists in Blue Moon City, President Hua Luoxuan.

Now everyone present finally understood why Master Liang was being so deferential.

Ye Xuan hadn’t forgotten his purpose for coming. He asked coldly, "I’d like to know why your Cyan Mountain Town Alchemist Association branch canceled its medicinal herb contract with my Ye family."

"Canceled the contract with the Ye family?" Master Liang’s face was filled with confusion, an expression that didn’t seem feigned. He looked toward Steward He. "What is going on here?"

"Master Liang, it’s like this. The matter was decided last night by Steward Xuu and the Wang family from Blue Moon City. You’ve been busy with Alchemy these past few days and don’t normally ask about business matters, so Steward Xuu and I weren’t in a hurry to inform you."

Master Liang’s face darkened. "The nerve of you two! Who gave you the authority to make a decision of this magnitude? Do you still see me as the one in charge here? The Ye family has cooperated with our Alchemist Association for a long time and has always been diligent and conscientious. Who gave you permission to cancel the contract? This is outrageously reckless!"

Steward He could only nod repeatedly as he was being thoroughly lambasted, though he was complaining bitterly in his heart. ’You normally don’t care about the branch’s business at all. If we try to tell you anything, you complain that we’re disturbing your Alchemy. Now that there’s a problem, you’re blaming us for not speaking up.’