Profound Heaven Soul Sovereign

"Su Xiuyi! Xuan Ye! And everyone else from the Profound Light Pavilion! I, Qi Liming, am not a man if I don’t kill every last one of you today!"

Qi Liming roared.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

He launched a frantic assault. He knew if he couldn’t break through this Array, he might very well die here today. He had never imagined the Profound Light Pavilion could have such a terrifying Array.

"ARGH!"

The constant screams of agony ringing in his ears made his blood run cold.

Under Qi Liming’s assault, the Array in front of him swayed continuously. Beams of light pulsed as it was clearly taking a massive hit.

Su Xiuyi watched from the side, his heart pounding in alarm. ’Qi Liming’s power is truly terrifying,’ he thought. ’I can’t let him break the Array. If he gets out, all of us in the Profound Light Pavilion combined won’t be a match for him.’ Although Su Xiuyi had recently broken through to the Martial Emperor Second Layer himself, he’d been observing long enough to know the truth. Qi Liming was also a Tier Eight Second Layer, but he was a cut above. In a one-on-one fight, Su Xiuyi was still no match for him.

With this thought, Su Xiuyi launched a series of sneak attacks to disrupt Qi Liming’s efforts, enraging the man so much he nearly coughed up blood.

RUMBLE!

Just then, the entire grand Array shook violently, accompanied by a distinct CRACKING sound.

"What’s going on?"

Su Xiuyi snapped his head up in shock. Outside the Profound Light Pavilion, several men with imposing auras were frantically attacking the external Restriction. The leader had a deep, powerful aura and a cold gaze. Every punch he threw caused the Restriction to erupt in a flash of light, shaking and flickering as if it couldn’t withstand the terrifying impact.

"Li Rucheng of the Li family!"

Su Xiuyi’s expression changed dramatically.

"Young Master Ye, the ones attacking our Profound Light Pavilion are from the Li family, one of the top factions in Celestial Capital Prefecture!" Su Xiuyi urgently sent a mental message to Ye Xuan. "Their leader, Li Rucheng, broke through to the Tier Eight Second Layer decades ago. By now, he’s probably at the peak of the Second Layer!"

Ye Xuan, who was controlling the great Arrays, had already seen Li Rucheng and his men attacking from the outside. His expression was incredibly grim.

Due to the limits of his own cultivation, the Arrays he had laid were only at the Seventh-level Peak. It was only by linking several of them together with some special techniques that they were able to trap a Martial Emperor of Qi Liming’s caliber.

However, the Arrays had a weakness: they couldn’t withstand sustained attacks from a High Tier Martial Emperor. If it were only Qi Liming attacking from within, Ye Xuan could have relied on his control to keep him contained.

But now, with other experts attacking from the outside, it was a pincer assault. Even with his control, the Arrays wouldn’t hold for long. It was only a matter of time before they collapsed.

With this thought, Ye Xuan’s cold voice projected through the Array to the outside, addressing Li Rucheng coolly, "Sir, the Profound Light Pavilion is in the middle of dealing with troublemakers. What is your purpose in attacking us?"

"Dealing with troublemakers?" Li Rucheng, the leader, sneered. "Funny, I heard your Profound Light Pavilion’s Soul Refiner botched a treatment and is now trying to kill the witnesses. I am Li Rucheng of the Celestial Capital Prefecture’s Li family. Open this Array and release the people from the Ancient Pill Tower at once! Do so, and there may be room for negotiation. Otherwise, don’t blame the Li family for delivering heaven’s judgment and wiping your Profound Light Pavilion from existence."

As his words faded, Li Rucheng slammed a massive palm print into the Restriction outside the Profound Light Pavilion. With a sharp CRACK, countless fissures spiderwebbed across its surface. Though they mended themselves moments later, the glow of the barrier was noticeably dimmer.

"Young Master Ye, I’ve heard rumors that the Ancient Pill Tower was only able to establish itself in the West District because it has powerful backers," Su Xiuyi quickly transmitted. "It looks like the Li family is that backer."

’The Li family, huh?’

A cold glint appeared in Ye Xuan’s eyes, but he ultimately waved his hand and deactivated the Array.

’If this stalemate continues, the Profound Light Pavilion’s Arrays will be destroyed,’ he reasoned. ’Better to pull them back for now and see what the Li family wants.’

HUMMM!

As the Array in the Profound Light Pavilion deactivated, clarity returned to the great hall. Everyone looked on, and all were stunned by the scene that was revealed.

In the center of the hall lay the dozen or so experts from the Ancient Pill Tower, dead or grievously wounded amidst pools of blood. Not a single Tier Seven Martial King had survived—all had been decapitated. Even two of the Tier Eight First Layer Martial Emperors had fallen.

The key figures from the Ancient Pill Tower—Tower Master Qi Liming, Vice Master Xi Yichun, and Alchemy Masters Hongde and Zhen Li—had all survived, but they were in a pitiful state, battered and drenched in blood.

Xi Yichun, in particular, had a feeble aura and was covered head to toe in blood, barely clinging to life. Hongde and Zhen Li were not in much better shape.

As for the other customers who had been trapped in the hall, they were all pale and shaken, but none of them were harmed.

The moment the Array vanished, all the customers flooded out of the Profound Light Pavilion, not daring to linger for a second. The fastest, however, were Qi Liming and his people. In a flash, they were on the street outside, their furious, hate-filled gazes fixed fiercely on Ye Xuan and the others inside.

"Die!"

Seeing the half-dead Xi Yichun and his other men, Qi Liming’s rage exploded. All his pent-up frustration erupted at once as his golden hook shot like a bolt of lightning toward Ye Xuan and the others inside the Profound Light Pavilion.

VMMM!

A shimmer of light from the Restriction outside the Profound Light Pavilion flashed, blocking Qi Liming’s attack and rendering it useless.

"Such an exquisite Array Restriction."

The experts in the crowd with some knowledge of Arrays murmured in quiet amazement.

"Hmph. So the Profound Light Pavilion does have a few tricks up its sleeve," Li Rucheng sneered, his tone condescending. "You’ve committed murder in broad daylight in Celestial Capital Prefecture. Are you not going to come out and accept judgment?"

Ye Xuan’s eyes grew cold. "I believe you’re mistaken, sir. The ones who committed murder in Celestial Capital Prefecture were the people from the Ancient Pill Tower."

Li Rucheng frowned, clearly displeased with Ye Xuan’s response. "Do I, Li Rucheng, need you to tell me how to do my job?" he said coldly. "What I said is what happened. I will investigate the ’facts’ for myself in due time."

"If you wish to investigate, you’re welcome to come inside," Ye Xuan replied coldly. "But as for us coming out, I’m afraid that’s not an option."

Their group was too weak. They could only defend themselves from within the Profound Light Pavilion. If they stepped outside, they would be at the complete mercy of their opponents.

"I am of the Li family of Celestial Capital Prefecture," Li Rucheng said coldly. "Do you dare to not even trust me?"

"Haha, my apologies. The Li family? Never heard of them."

"You’re courting death." Li Rucheng’s gaze turned frigid.

The crowd erupted in an uproar. The Profound Light Pavilion had made a name for itself recently in Celestial Capital Prefecture, but it was still just a mid-tier power. The Li family, however, was a great house that had stood for a thousand years, one of the six greatest powers in the prefecture. For the Profound Light Pavilion to speak to them this way was simply suicidal.

The more astute observers, however, realized that the Li family had been siding with the Ancient Pill Tower from the very beginning. The people from the Profound Light Pavilion would have to be true idiots to walk out willingly.

"Good. Very good," Li Rucheng sneered. "You think you’re safe just by cowering in there? I, Li Rucheng, will drag every last one of you out myself."

With another cold laugh, Li Rucheng suddenly struck at the sign above the Profound Light Pavilion’s entrance. His palm shot forward with the roar of a dragon and the cry of a tiger. A terrifying hand of Profound energy, like a great mountain, rumbled through the void, crushing everything in its path. Its power was more than double that of Qi Liming’s previous attack.

With a deafening BOOM, the entire Profound Light Pavilion shook violently. Rays of light from the Restriction flared, and though the attack was blocked, the barrier looked as if it was on the verge of shattering.

Ye Xuan’s expression changed. Li Rucheng’s power was just beyond the limits of what his Array could handle. Though this one strike hadn’t broken through, a few more attacks would inevitably cause all the Restrictions around the Profound Light Pavilion to collapse completely.

"It seems rather sturdy," Li Rucheng remarked with a cold smile, unfazed. "Let’s see you take another one." He struck out with his palm once more.

The faces of Ye Xuan and the others turned grim.

If their opponent had been inside the Array, they might have had a way to fight back. But with Li Rucheng attacking the Profound Light Pavilion from the outside, Ye Xuan and his people were left completely powerless.

Just as Li Rucheng’s attack was about to land, a figure suddenly appeared before the Profound Light Pavilion.

BANG!

The figure met Li Rucheng’s palm head-on. Amidst a deafening roar, both combatants were forced back a step, seemingly evenly matched.

The crowd stared in astonishment. They couldn’t believe someone had actually blocked a full-force blow from Li Rucheng.

When they saw the figure’s face, a look of stunned recognition appeared on many people’s faces.

’It’s him!’

"It’s you..." Li Rucheng’s eyes narrowed. He then said coldly, "Qiu Wushuang, do you intend to make an enemy of the Li family?"

The newcomer was none other than the Hawkeye Emperor, Qiu Wushuang.

A roguish grin played on Qiu Wushuang’s lips. "Lord Li Rucheng, you must be joking," he said with a playful edge. "How could someone like me dare to oppose the Li family?"

Li Rucheng said coldly, "Then why are you blocking me?"

Qiu Wushuang smiled faintly. "I have no desire to oppose the Li family. However, the Profound Light Pavilion has done me a great favor. I, Qiu Wushuang, have a simple code: I repay my debts and I settle my scores. So, I must ask Lord Li Rucheng to show some mercy."

His tone may have sounded casual, but the unyielding resolve beneath it was enough to send a chill down one’s spine.

Li Rucheng’s voice was icy. "So you’re determined to stop me today?"

"You could say that."

Li Rucheng’s eyes grew cold and narrowed to slits. "Qiu Wushuang," he roared, "are you truly determined to aid the wicked?"

If Qiu Wushuang had been an ordinary Martial Emperor, Li Rucheng wouldn’t have wasted his breath—he would have simply killed him.

But Qiu Wushuang’s reputation was immense, and his ruthless methods were feared by many great families.