Profound Heaven Soul Sovereign

"Qi Liming... Hongde..." Su Xiuyi’s gaze suddenly sharpened.

The arrivals were none other than Master Hongde, Tower Master Qi Liming, and Vice Tower Master Xi Yichun from the Ancient Pill Tower.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Zhen Li coughed up two more mouthfuls of fresh blood and repeated his earlier words.

"Su Xiuyi, is this how your Profound Light Pavilion does business? You’re nothing but a black-hearted establishment! Someone comes for martial soul treatment, and not only does it fail, but you try to kill them to silence them! It’s completely lawless!"

Upon hearing this, Xi Yichun flew into a rage, unleashing the terrifying pressure of a Martial Emperor. It descended like a great mountain, crushing down on every member of the Profound Light Pavilion present.

SPURT.

Some of the service staff with lower cultivation levels turned pale and spat out a mouthful of fresh blood. They swayed on their feet, their faces filled with terror.

"Xi Yichun, how dare you!"

Su Xiuyi’s face was livid. With a sharp wave of his hand, the pressure Xi Yichun had released instantly vanished.

"Hm?"

Xi Yichun’s brow furrowed, inwardly shocked.

’I know Su Xiuyi’s strength all too well. Despite some fortuitous encounters, he should be a Tier Eight First Layer Martial Emperor, just like me.’

’But that single wave of his hand just now not only instantly dispelled my pressure, but it also suppressed my killing intent so I couldn’t release even a trace of it. That’s definitely not something a Martial Artist of the same level can do.’

’Could it be... he...’

Xi Yichun was secretly astonished.

"Well now, boy, no wonder you’ve been so arrogant lately. It turns out you’ve broken through to Tier Eight Second Layer. But no matter how strong you are, Celestial Capital Prefecture is a city of laws, not a place where you can do as you please."

Qi Liming suddenly spoke, his voice cold and a sharp glint in his eyes.

He had a much keener eye than Xi Yichun and saw at a glance that Su Xiuyi had already broken through to Tier Eight Second Layer.

"What? Pavilion Master Su broke through to Martial Emperor Second Layer?"

His words immediately sent shockwaves through the crowd.

Su Xiuyi had once founded Xiuyi Pavilion, so he wasn’t an unknown figure in the West District. Anyone familiar with him knew he was only a First Layer Martial Emperor. When could he possibly have broken through to the Second Layer?

In Celestial Capital Prefecture, a First Layer Martial Emperor and a Martial Emperor Second Layer were on completely different levels.

A faction founded by a First Layer Martial Emperor could only be considered a minor power, whereas a Martial Emperor Second Layer had a chance to be ranked among the mid-tier powers.

For instance, Qi Liming, the Tower Master of the Ancient Pill Tower, was a Martial Emperor Second Layer.

"Qi Liming, don’t make baseless accusations before this matter has been investigated! My Profound Light Pavilion has always had an excellent reputation. How could we possibly do something like this?" Su Xiuyi retorted coldly.

"Haha, an excellent reputation?" Qi Liming sneered. "Master Zhen Li, release your martial soul. Let Pavilion Master Su see for himself just how excellent the Profound Light Pavilion’s reputation is."

"Fine." Zhen Li’s face was pale and beaded with cold sweat. A faint martial soul materialized above his head.

The martial soul was a ball of scorching flame, but right now, it was like a candle flickering in the wind—wavering, incredibly weak, and looking as if it could be extinguished at any moment.

Upon closer inspection, one could even see the Soul Power on the flame martial soul slowly dissipating. If this continued, it was only a matter of time before it extinguished completely and faded into nothingness.

GASP.

Everyone present couldn’t help but draw a sharp, cold breath.

"Those are the signs of Master Zhen Li’s martial soul collapsing!"

"Look at his martial soul! It’s incredibly weak. It’s already reached the second stage of soul collapse: disintegration. Once it enters the third stage—total collapse—it will be completely irreversible."

"Master Zhen Li’s profound skill in Alchemy is all thanks to his Scorching Business Fire Martial Soul. If his martial soul collapses, not only will his Alchemy abilities plummet, but he can forget about ever advancing his cultivation in this lifetime."

The onlookers, utterly shocked and horrified, murmured amongst themselves.

"Master Zhen Li is one of my Ancient Pill Tower’s chief Alchemists. Not long ago, he accidentally injured his martial soul during cultivation, causing some instability. We heard your Profound Light Pavilion was highly skilled in this area, so we came for treatment. Who would have known that not only did you fail to heal him, but you actually pushed Master Zhen Li’s martial soul to the brink of collapse! When this was discovered, that Soul Refiner of yours didn’t try to salvage the situation; instead, he tried to commit murder! Hahaha, is this the ’excellent reputation’ you were talking about?"

Qi Liming’s face twisted into a ferocious sneer as he said, "A fraudulent business like your Profound Light Pavilion has no right to exist in the West District. Today, I, Qi Liming, will deliver justice for the people of the West District and all of Celestial Capital Prefecture!"

The moment his voice fell, before Su Xiuyi could even respond, a vicious glint flashed in Qi Liming’s eyes as he threw a punch right at him.

"Insolent!" Su Xiuyi roared. The Celestial Derivation Book materialized before him, forming a hazy white barrier that blocked Qi Liming’s fist. With a soft POP, the white light from the book shattered, and Su Xiuyi was forced back two steps.

A powerful shockwave swept through the hall, shattering numerous counters in the Profound Light Pavilion and leaving the place in shambles.

Su Xiuyi’s face was livid. "Qi Liming, if you dare to make another move, don’t blame the Profound Light Pavilion for getting rough."

As his words fell, glowing array patterns instantly spread throughout the Profound Light Pavilion. Countless strands of white light crisscrossed and interwove, creating a magnificent spectacle.

"Su Xiuyi, having failed at your secret assassination, is the Profound Light Pavilion now resorting to brute force?" Qi Liming sneered.

"Bullshit!"

Just then, an furious shout came from the third floor as Elder Dong swooped down. His robes were disheveled and a trickle of blood ran from the corner of his mouth. The moment he landed, his eyes locked coldly onto Zhen Li.

"Elder Dong, you’re injured? Are you alright?" Su Xiuyi asked in confusion upon seeing his state.

"I’m fine." Elder Dong shook his head, then said furiously, "That Zhen Li, he ambushed me just now! If I hadn’t just broken through to First Layer Martial Emperor, he almost would have killed me. He didn’t get away unscathed, though. I landed a palm strike on him."

The crowd broke into an uproar. This twist was completely unexpected.

"Qi Liming, what do you have to say for yourself now? It was your Ancient Pill Tower’s Zhen Li who tried to murder my Profound Light Pavilion’s Soul Refiner, forcing Elder Dong to retaliate. And you have the gall to turn around and blame us? If you don’t make things clear today, don’t even think about leaving my Profound Light Pavilion," Su Xiuyi said coldly.

"Hahaha!" Qi Liming couldn’t help but roar with laughter. "Su Xiuyi, you really are a master of slander. It was clearly this Soul Refiner from your Profound Light Pavilion who ruined Master Zhen Li’s martial soul, which is why Master Zhen Li attacked him in a fit of rage! Now you’re twisting it to say Master Zhen Li was deliberately trying to kill him? I, Qi Liming, have never witnessed such a blatant reversal of black and white!"

"That’s right. In Pavilion Master Su’s eyes, ruining Master Zhen Li’s martial soul is no big deal. Perhaps Master Zhen Li of my Ancient Pill Tower should be eternally grateful and even present him with an award," Xi Yichun added with a sneer.

The crowd erupted in discussion, and many voices of doubt were raised. After all, it was an undeniable fact that Master Zhen Li’s martial soul was currently collapsing.

If the Profound Light Pavilion had truly ruined Master Zhen Li’s martial soul, his furious retaliation would be completely understandable. In that case, the Profound Light Pavilion would be the one at fault, utterly detestable.

Su Xiuyi looked at Elder Dong and asked in confusion, "Elder Dong, what exactly is going on with Zhen Li’s martial soul?"

A trace of confusion appeared on Elder Dong’s face as he shook his head. "I’m not sure myself. Zhen Li did indeed come to me for martial soul treatment. But before I could even begin, his martial soul suddenly started collapsing. Then he flew into a rage and attacked me. I didn’t even have time to process what was happening."

Qi Liming let out a cold, mocking laugh. "Hahaha, what a fine ’didn’t have time to process what was happening’! You, the esteemed chief Soul Refiner of the Profound Light Pavilion, don’t even know how Master Zhen Li’s martial soul collapsed? If you’re not a quack, then what are you? Are all the Soul Refiners at the Profound Light Pavilion of this caliber?"

Elder Dong’s brow furrowed deeply. "It is a fact that his martial soul is collapsing," he said coldly, "but I can guarantee that I am not the cause."

Xi Yichun scoffed, "If it wasn’t you, then who was it? Don’t tell me Master Zhen Li’s martial soul just collapsed on its own for no reason."

Elder Dong replied coldly, "When I say it wasn’t me, it wasn’t me. As for why it suddenly began to collapse, I truly do not know."

Elder Dong’s words once again sent the crowd into a flurry of discussion.

Some were suspicious of Elder Dong, but others were quite convinced by his words.

The Profound Light Pavilion had been open for over two months, and plenty of Martial Artists had sought out Elder Dong to have their martial souls repaired, treated, or enhanced. These people knew full well that Elder Dong possessed genuine skill.

Furthermore, few of the Martial Artists who could make it in Celestial Capital Prefecture were fools. They had heard about what happened to Xiuyi Pavilion before, and now a similar incident was plaguing the Profound Light Pavilion. The fact that the Ancient Pill Tower was involved on both occasions couldn’t help but arouse their suspicion.

Qi Liming snorted coldly and sneered, "Hmph, I knew you’d try to argue your way out of this. Fortunately, Master Zhen Li is a cautious man and happened to record the moment his martial soul began to collapse. Master Zhen Li, show it to everyone."

"Very well." By now, some color had returned to Zhen Li’s face. He immediately produced a Crystal Ball and infused it with a stream of Profound energy.

A clear image materialized before everyone’s eyes.

The image showed two people: one was Zhen Li, the other was Elder Dong. Zhen Li was seated cross-legged on a prayer cushion, while Elder Dong sat opposite him.

Those who had been to the third floor of the Profound Light Pavilion immediately recognized the location: it was the Soul Refining chamber on the third floor.

The scene had images, but no sound.

But anyone who had their martial soul treated by him knew that Elder Dong was making his pre-treatment preparations. Elder Dong spoke a few words, and Zhen Li immediately released his martial soul.

In the recording, the martial soul Zhen Li released was in stark contrast to the one he had shown moments before. His Scorching Business Fire burned intensely; while slightly unstable, it was by no means in critical condition.

And then, the unexpected happened.