Profound Heaven Soul Sovereign

As that terrifying aura was released, Elder Yao and Elder Dong all felt a wave of pressure.

’Is this what a Tier Eight Martial Emperor is like?’

Watching familiar faces become Tier Eight experts, Elder Yao and Elder Dong felt their blood boil with excitement. They couldn’t help but feel that one day, they too would stand among the powerful experts of the Martial Dao.

SWISH. SWISH.

After letting out long cries, Ge Puzi and Jiuchen instantly landed in front of Ye Xuan.

"Young Master Ye, thank you so much."

Their gratitude was sincere and their voices were filled with excitement.

’A Martial Emperor!’

Even now, both felt as if they were in a dream. Having been stuck at the Tier Seven Peak for so long, their desire for the Martial Emperor realm was incredibly deep. However, they were also keenly aware that with their innate talent, their lifetime chances of breaking through to the Martial Emperor realm were no more than thirty percent.

This was especially true for Jiuchen. He had been stuck at the Tier Seven Triple Peak for decades. As he gradually grew older, he understood all too well that his hopes of breaking through to the Martial Emperor realm were dwindling.

However, all of that changed in an instant after meeting Ye Xuan.

After breaking through to the Martial Emperor realm, a brand-new door opened before them, allowing them to glimpse a whole new world.

"There’s no need to thank me. The credit for this breakthrough belongs to you."

Ye Xuan smiled faintly. He was about to say more when his expression suddenly changed, and he shot his gaze toward the sky.

In the distant sky, several powerful fluctuations of True Yuan were closing in at an incredible speed.

These True Yuan auras were terrifying—they all belonged to Tier Eight Martial Emperor level experts.

The faces of Su Xiuyi and the others also changed.

"We need to hide. Now."

With no time to say more, Ye Xuan and the others quickly found a place to conceal themselves.

They had just hidden themselves and suppressed their auras when the Profound fluctuations arrived in the sky above them.

One, two, three, four, five... A total of five Martial Emperor experts.

They appeared in the sky almost directly above Ye Xuan’s group.

Two of the auras were especially terrifying, their might surpassing the others. They were definitely Tier Eight Second Layer Martial Emperors.

To the surprise and confusion of Ye Xuan and his group, the five were chasing each other. Four of them had completely surrounded the fifth, leaving no room for escape.

"Yuchi Jie, you dare to attack me? Aren’t you afraid of retaliation from the Xiao family?"

The surrounded Martial Emperor demanded angrily, though his voice was weak.

Ye Xuan and his group didn’t dare to release their Profound Sense, fearing detection. But from the man’s voice, they could tell he was severely injured.

"Hahaha! Retaliation? Since I, Yuchi Jie, dared to make a move on you, I’m certainly not afraid of the Xiao family coming for revenge. Besides, if I kill you here, who’s going to know that it was I, Yuchi Jie, who killed you, Xiao Ping?"

A hoarse, chilling voice rang out, followed by a sinister chuckle. His aura was powerful, clearly the strongest among the five.

"Yuchi Jie, the aura from that mysterious place has leaked. We’re not the only ones in Celestial Capital Prefecture who know about it. Even if you kill me, the news will eventually get back to my Xiao family. Why go to such lengths?"

"Hahaha! A proud member of the great Xiao family knows how to beg for mercy? Seems you’re afraid of death after all." Yuchi Jie’s voice dripped with mockery and scorn. "Too bad. I’m killing you today. For one, by the time the Xiao family gets word, my Yuchi family will have already seized the advantage. And for two... hehe, I just want you dead."

The moment he finished speaking, a deafening RUMBLE echoed from above, and a violent wave of True Yuan washed over the area.

Ye Xuan’s group didn’t dare to move or even probe with their Profound Sense. They focused all their effort on concealing their auras to avoid detection.

At this moment, however, Su Xiuyi and the others all wore expressions of pure horror.

From the dialogue, Ye Xuan’s group had already deduced that the two parties—one from the Yuchi family and the other from the Xiao family—were fighting over some discovery, leading one side to try and silence the other permanently to keep it a secret.

And in Celestial Capital Prefecture, for people to identify themselves as part of the Xiao and Yuchi families while fighting so brazenly, there was only one explanation: they belonged to the two most powerful families in the Prefecture.

At this thought, Su Xiuyi and the others didn’t dare to breathe. Even though Ge Puzi and Jiuchen had broken through to become Tier Eight Martial Emperors, compared to the top-tier Xiao and Yuchi families of Celestial Capital Prefecture, the Profound Light Pavilion was still as insignificant as an ant.

Wry smiles appeared on their faces. They never expected that coming out for a simple breakthrough would land them in this kind of trouble. All they could do was pray that the fight would end quickly and the combatants would leave.

Just then, the sounds of battle in the sky began to fade, as if the fight was nearing its end.

"Dammit, Yuchi Jie! Must you be so ruthless? It’s not too late to stop!"

A sharp cry rang out, obviously from the one named Xiao Ping. It sounded like he couldn’t hold on for much longer.

’It made sense.’ After such a long battle, Ye Xuan’s group could also sense it. The pursued Xiao Ping’s aura was only at the Tier Eight First Layer Peak, while two of the four chasing him were Tier Eight Second Layer experts. How could he possibly withstand such a ferocious assault?

Ye Xuan couldn’t help but shake his head. ’This Xiao Ping is too naive,’ he thought. ’To still be saying things like that at this stage... His opponents clearly want him dead. Nothing he says will convince them to let him go.’

Sure enough, Yuchi Jie’s hoarse, chilling voice rang out again, laced with a sinister chuckle. "Xiao Ping, still dreaming of surviving? I’m surprised you had a treasure on you powerful enough to let you last this long. A pity. You’re about to die, and that treasure is about to change hands."

Ye Xuan’s group understood now. Xiao Ping had clearly been able to hold on for so long because he was using a defensive treasure.

Xiao Ping clearly knew he wasn’t going to survive. He roared, "Damn you! You dare kill me? The commotion from our fight was huge! Someone must have seen it! I, Xiao Ping, am a direct descendant of the Xiao family! Anyone who reports my death at your hands to the Xiao family will be handsomely rewarded! When that time comes, you, Yuchi Jie, won’t escape death either!"

Xiao Ping let out a final, desperate roar, his voice choked with grief. A violent Profound fluctuation surged forth.

"Not good, he’s going to self-destruct!"

Immediately, sounds of panic erupted from the opposing side, and it seemed they were all hastily retreating.

Although Ye Xuan’s group couldn’t see what was happening, they could feel the suffocating pressure. Their faces paled. The battle was right above them. The self-destruction of a Martial Emperor at that level would likely engulf them in the blast, and they would be exposed.

At that thought, their hearts leaped into their throats. They held their breath, waiting.

But after waiting for a moment, the expected explosion never came. Instead, they sensed a frenzied aura rapidly speeding away.

"Dammit! The bastard tricked us! He wasn’t self-destructing, he was trying to escape!"

"After him!"

A series of enraged roars echoed as Yuchi Jie and his men, furious at being tricked, shot off in pursuit.

The terrifying auras of the Martial Emperors swiftly receded into the distance and vanished. The forest returned to its previous tranquility.

"Whew, they’re finally gone."

Elder Yao and the others exchanged glances, their faces pale with lingering fear.

Su Xiuyi said in a low voice, "Those people who were just fighting were likely from the two most powerful families in Celestial Capital Prefecture—the Xiao family and the Yuchi family. We need to leave this place immediately. It’ll be trouble if they find us."

A solemn feeling fell over the group. According to what Young Master Ye had said, a second-tier power like one of Celestial Capital Prefecture’s two great families could very well have a Nine Heavens Martial Emperor overseeing it. They were definitely not an existence the Profound Light Pavilion could afford to offend.

"For the Yuchi family to move so openly against the Xiao family... aren’t they afraid of retaliation? Or have the two families always been like fire and water?" Elder Yao and the others, being new to Celestial Capital Prefecture, couldn’t help but ask.

Su Xiuyi shook his head. "As far as I know, while there are certainly conflicts between the two families, they’ve always maintained a level of cordiality on the surface. If news of this incident gets out, I fear those peaceful days will be over."

"Should we... pass this information on to the Xiao family?" Elder Dong suddenly asked.

Everyone was startled for a moment, but they quickly understood Elder Dong’s meaning.

Xiao Ping had said it himself: whoever reported his murder by Yuchi Jie to the Xiao family would be handsomely rewarded.

For the Profound Light Pavilion, which was trying to establish itself in Celestial Capital Prefecture, gaining the support of a great family like the Xiao family would allow them to advance by leaps and bounds. No one would dare to provoke them again.

It was an opportunity with enormous potential returns for very little risk.

Their minds began to churn as they considered the possibilities.

"No." Ye Xuan, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke.

"What is it?" everyone asked, turning to look at him.

Ye Xuan’s face was grim. "Xiao Ping knew we were here," he said, his voice heavy. "He said that for our benefit."

The others were stunned. "How could that be?"

Ye Xuan’s voice was low. "When Vice Director Ge and Jiuchen broke through to the Martial Emperor realm, the disturbance was massive and easily perceptible. Even if Xiao Ping didn’t notice it at first, after lingering in the sky above us, how could he not have sensed the residual energy fluctuations? It’s highly likely he said those words deliberately for us to hear, hoping we would pass the message to the Xiao family."

The faces of Su Xiuyi and the others grew heavy. They knew full well the scale of the disturbance created by a Martial Emperor’s breakthrough. What Ye Xuan was suggesting was entirely possible.

"We have to leave here. Immediately."

A sudden, terrible possibility occurred to Ye Xuan. His face drained of color as he spoke urgently.

But before Elder Yao and the others could react...

"Hehe, Lord Yuchi Jie said there might be people hiding here and told me to come check it out. I didn’t believe him at first. But what do you know? There really are a few little rats hiding here. And quite a few of them, at that."

Just then, a mocking voice rang out as a terrifying pressure descended upon the group from above.

A middle-aged man in a blue martial robe stood before them, a battle saber in his hand. A mocking, cruel smile played on his lips as he looked down coldly at Ye Xuan and his companions.

A Tier Eight Second Layer Martial Emperor.

In that instant, everyone’s heart sank.