Chapter 35: The Luo Family Crisis

Zhao Kun’s palm froze in mid-air, his entire body rigid with terror. He stammered, "W-who... who on earth are you? How... how is this possible?"

He forced himself to put on a brave front. "I warn you, if you hurt me, Elder Lei will not let you go! The Scarlet Cloud Sect will not let you go!"

"Noisy."

Ye Chen-tian’s gaze turned icy. A flash of sword light suddenly erupted from his fingertip, instantly piercing through the center of Zhao Kun's brow.

"How is it so fast?"

*Thud!*

Zhao Kun’s body collapsed straight to the ground, his eyes wide with shock. Even in death, he had not been able to track his opponent’s movements.

The entire square fell into a deathly silence.

In the stillness, where one could hear a pin drop, Ye Chen-tian spoke slowly. His voice was not loud, yet it carried clearly to every corner of the square:

"I am Ye Chen-tian of the Profound Heaven Sect. Let this be the fate of anyone who dares to offend my majesty!"

"Whoa—!"

Like a thunderclap, the square erupted into chaos.

"Y-Ye Chen-tian?! Is he that same Ye Chen-tian who swept through the Purple Firmament Holy Land and the Blood Shadow Hall within half a year?!" An old man selling spirit herbs dropped his basket with a *clatter*, screaming in disbelief.

"Legend says he can slay Void Refinement masters with a single sword stroke and level mountains and rivers with his palms; he can even crush Fusion-stage monsters like ants! No wonder he dares to kill someone from the Scarlet Cloud Sect!" A middle-aged cultivator nearby turned pale, retreating repeatedly.

"Good heavens! Zhao Kun has truly kicked a hornet's nest! That is a ruthless man who dares to wipe out even the top hundred sects of the Immortal Alliance!"

"The Scarlet Cloud Sect is finished! Having provoked such a star of calamity, I fear they will follow the path of the Purple Firmament Holy Land!"

The Scarlet Cloud Sect’s test deacon’s legs gave way, and he collapsed onto the high platform, trembling like chaff. He didn't even dare to raise his head. "It's over... it's all over! We've truly poked a hornet's nest!"

Luo Ningshuang stared at Ye Chen-tian’s back, her heart pounding so hard it felt as if it might burst from her chest. Her voice trembled with excitement: "It’s him! It really is him! In my past life in the Immortal Realm, he split the 'Nine Heavens Immortal Dome Array'—the protective barrier of the Lingxiao Immortal Sect—with a single sword strike, and personally slew seventy-two Golden Immortals at the Immortal Domain’s Conferred God Platform. I remember his appearance to this day! To think I would encounter him here!"

She could no longer suppress her excitement. With a loud *thud*, she knelt on the ground.

"Disciple Luo Ningshuang pays respects to my Master! I beg you to accept me! I am willing to swear to the Heavenly Dao! From this life forward, I shall follow only my Master’s lead. Should I harbor any duplicity, may I be consumed by the Heavenly Dao’s lightning tribulation and have my soul scattered!"

Ye Chen-tian turned, his gaze falling upon her, his tone gentle: "Rise. From this day forth, you are a disciple of my Profound Heaven Sect."

He waved his hand, and a gentle stream of spiritual energy lifted Luo Ningshuang to her feet.

He then turned to the trembling Scarlet Cloud Sect disciples: "Go back and tell your sect to keep its dogs on a leash. If you dare to be insolent again, the next thing I destroy will be your Scarlet Cloud Sect."

The disciples scrambled away, not daring to linger; they even forgot to collect their spirit-testing jade as they hoisted Zhao Kun’s corpse and fled.

As Luo Ningshuang followed Ye Chen-tian away from the square, the surrounding cultivators knelt in worship, not daring to even glance up. Whispers rippled through the crowd:

"We are in for a show! The Scarlet Cloud Sect will surely retaliate, but how could Sect Master Ye possibly fear them?"

"I bet the Scarlet Cloud Sect will back down! Didn't you notice the Crimson Firmament Sect didn't even dare to show their faces?"

"The Luo family is about to rise! With Sect Master Ye backing them, who will dare to bully them in the future?"

Luo Ningshuang tightly gripped the hem of her robe.

She looked up, hesitating: "Master... I have a daring request. I know this is abrupt, but my family is in dire peril. There is no one else who can save the Luo family but you."

"I feel terrible burdening you right after you have taken me as your disciple," she said anxiously, "but the family truly cannot wait any longer."

"Speak freely," Ye Chen-tian replied, his brows lifting slightly.

"My family is facing a catastrophe." Luo Ningshuang’s voice trembled, her eyes misting over. She took a deep breath and spoke quickly: "The Clear Void Gate has been provoking us repeatedly. They have set their sights on the Luo family’s ancestral 'Source of the Spirit Vein'—a treasure that stabilizes the water-system spirit veins within a hundred-mile radius. It is the foundation our family has protected for generations."

"Yesterday, they declared that if we do not surrender this treasure by today, they will wash the Luo family in blood... It is the very root of our existence. If it is taken, even if we survive, we will have no place left to stand. It absolutely cannot fall into the hands of the Clear Void Gate."

Before she could finish, Ye Chen-tian already understood the situation. He said calmly, "Lead the way."

Luo Ningshuang looked up, wild joy flashing in her eyes. She bowed deeply: "Thank you, Master! I knew you would not stand by and watch us perish!"

As she looked up, her eyes were red-rimmed. "With you taking action, Father and our clansmen will be saved."

The two traveled through the air, arriving at Qingfeng Lane, where the Luo family resided, in less than half a stick of incense.

Before they had even landed, they heard the sound of weapons clashing and cries of pain from the courtyard.

"Father!" Luo Ningshuang cried out in horror. Seeing the carnage in the courtyard, she said urgently: "Why did they strike early? Father! Hold on! The Clear Void Gate has actually attacked ahead of schedule; Father, you must not be harmed!"

In the center of the courtyard stood a middle-aged cultivator with a sinister expression—Wei Tong, an elder of the Clear Void Gate’s Law Enforcement Hall. He was directing his disciples to ransack the house.

He sneered viciously, "Old man Luo, be smart and tell me where the 'Source of the Spirit Vein' is hidden! Otherwise, I will have your entire family slaughtered today!"

Wei Tong licked his lips, his eyes filled with greed. "Once the 'Source of the Spirit Vein' is in the hands of the Clear Void Gate, it will surely boost our sect’s power to a new level."

Luo Zhennan coughed up blood and roared, "Delusional! The 'Source of the Spirit Vein' concerns the stability of the water-system veins for a hundred miles around. It must never fall into the hands of thieves like you, who intend to refine the veins with evil arts! Even if my Luo family is wiped out, I will never let you succeed!" He gasped for air, his words ringing with resolve. "Even if I have to sacrifice this old life, I will not let you succeed. If you do, not only will the Luo family be finished, but the surrounding spirit veins will fall into chaos."

"You're courting death!" Wei Tong’s eyes turned cruel. He conjured a short black blade and thrust it toward Luo Zhennan’s head. "Since you refuse a toast, you shall drink a forfeit! I'll cripple you first, then search slowly!" His face twisted in a snarl, "Since you old fool refuse to cooperate, I'll slaughter you first!"

Luo Ningshuang was devastated. She tried to rush forward but was held back by a gentle force. She cried out to Ye Chen-tian, "Master! Please save my father! Master, I beg you, you must save my father!"

"A bunch of clowns, daring to act wantonly in my presence."

The indifferent voice pierced through the air like an ice pick. Wei Tong’s blade, frozen mid-swing, stopped abruptly. He whipped his head around to see a man in plain attire. He roared in fury, "What wild cultivator is this? Daring to meddle in the affairs of the Clear Void Gate? Get lost, or I'll slaughter you along with them!"

Ye Chen-tian could not be bothered to waste words. He tapped his finger lightly.

*Pfft!*

An invisible force of energy pierced through Wei Tong’s heart. He remained frozen in his striking pose, his eyes filled with disbelief, before he collapsed to the ground, dead.