Invincible Soul Emperor-Chapter 256 Dragon Tiger Mountain

After Cai Yunji finished speaking, Li Qingfeng let out a sigh of relief. After all, wiping out most of one of the ten great sects within the Northern Desolate Country was not a simple matter. It would be difficult for the royal family to explain, and dealing with the aftermath would have been quite troublesome.

Cai Yunji looked at the Heavenly Profound Sect corpses littering the ground, her expression one of slight surprise. She then cupped her hands in a salute to Qin Zhantian and Li Qingfeng. "I must admit, I was quite worried on my way here," she said. "Exterminating the Heavenly Profound Sect with the forces I brought would not have been an easy task. To my surprise, the Qingyun Sect and the Rising Sun Pavilion acted first, killing the Heavenly Profound Sect’s experts. You’ve saved me a great deal of trouble. For this, I thank you both, Seniors."

Li Qingfeng returned the salute, but Qin Zhantian laughed heartily. "Your Highness, I’m afraid you’re thanking the wrong people," he said to Cai Yunji. "If you’re going to thank anyone, you should thank Ye Qingchen. If it weren’t for him, we never would have come, let alone joined forces to deal with the Heavenly Profound Sect."

Li Qingfeng nodded in deep agreement. Cai Yunji was even more astonished, her gaze shifting to the impossibly young Ye Qingchen. During the great Alchemy Dao competition, he had demonstrated unparalleled Alchemic Talent, and later revealed his much-envied Fen Tian Earth Fire. The final sight of him swallowing the Ancient Jade Spiritual Fire had left even her father, the Emperor, singing his praises.

I thought I was already paying him enough attention, but I never imagined the fall of the Heavenly Profound Sect would be brought about by a seventeen-year-old boy.

The Heavenly Profound Sect had stood in the Northern Desolate Country for hundreds of years. It had even reached the status of a one-star sect and was counted among the ten great sects. Who could have possibly imagined its final destruction would be at the hands of a mere teenager?

Seeing Cai Yunji’s gaze fall upon him, Ye Qingchen hurriedly bowed in respect. Cai Yunji nodded. "They say heroes are born from the young," she said. "Today, I have truly seen it for myself."

Ye Qingchen offered a small smile and shook his head. "Your Highness, you flatter me. I was merely being impulsive. If the Sect Master and Senior Qin hadn’t arrived in time, I’m afraid I would be deader than dead by now!"

"There’s no need to be so modest," Cai Yunji continued. "I will report this matter to my father, the Emperor, and ensure you are rewarded. However, I have another question for you. Did you discover anything unusual after you arrived at the Xuan Ore Cave?"

Ye Qingchen knew exactly what she was referring to. He nodded, then retrieved the registers from Zhang Changshui’s room and presented them to her.

Seeing a chest filled to the brim with registers, Cai Yunji’s expression turned serious. She commanded one of her guards to read their contents aloud for all to hear.

As the crowd listened to the long list of atrocities committed by the Heavenly Profound Sect, their expressions changed to shock and anger. Elder Wuji cursed loudly, "That bastard Heavenly Profound Sect! They’ve utterly disgraced all of us martial artists!"

Li Zongrui also sneered, "I always knew those Heavenly Profound Sect people were no good. I just never thought they were worse than animals." 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Li Qingfeng simply sighed and shook his head. To think that my Qingyun Sect was once mentioned in the same breath as the Heavenly Profound Sect as one of the ten great sects... What an insult.

The guard read for a full hour and was only halfway through the list of crimes. He finally stopped when Cai Yunji raised a hand, unable to bear listening to any more. She immediately issued an order to her royal guards. "Take half of our forces and storm the Heavenly Profound Sect’s main base! Arrest every last one of them to face judgment. Any who resist are to be killed on sight!"

A guard captain accepted the command and immediately departed with a contingent of guards, heading straight for the Heavenly Profound Sect’s stronghold.

Cai Yunji turned back to Ye Qingchen. "With this evidence of their crimes, the Heavenly Profound Sect has no defense. As of tonight, they will cease to exist."

Ye Qingchen nodded, a worried expression on his face. "Your Highness," he asked, "if I may be so bold, what do you intend to do with the slave miners in the Xuan Ore Cave?"

Cai Yunji smiled, genuinely touched. It’s remarkable that at a time like this, he’s still worried about those miners, who are complete strangers to him. She then said to Ye Qingchen, "Rest assured. I will dispatch my people to ascertain the origins of all the miners. The royal family will compensate them and arrange for them to be returned to their homes and reunited with their families."

Hearing this, Ye Qingchen nodded in relief. "That is wonderful to hear. On behalf of all the miners, I thank Your Highness." After all, behind every single one of those miners is a shattered family.

Cai Yunji chuckled. "They are all subjects of my Northern Desolate Country. This is simply what should be done."

With that, Cai Yunji ordered the remaining royal guards to begin freeing the miners.

Ye Qingchen walked over to Li Qingfeng and Qin Zhantian once more to thank them. Qin Zhantian just smiled without a word, but Li Qingfeng placed a hand on Ye Qingchen’s arm to steady him. "You are my disciple," he said. "Of course I’m going to get involved in your affairs. Saying ’thank you’ again makes us sound like strangers."

Ye Qingchen nodded. With his father’s situation heavy on his mind, he asked Li Qingfeng, "Master, do you know of Dragon Tiger Mountain in the Yanyang Kingdom?"

Upon hearing the name, Li Qingfeng’s expression turned grave. "Dragon Tiger Mountain is a two-star sect," he replied. "Their overall strength far surpasses that of our Qingyun Sect. Why the sudden question, Qingchen?"

Qin Zhantian also turned to look at Ye Qingchen. He knew Ye Qingchen had come to the Heavenly Profound Sect searching for his father, but there had been no sign of the man. Now that Ye Qingchen was bringing up Dragon Tiger Mountain, Qin Zhantian began to see a possible connection.

Ye Qingchen had nothing to hide from the two men, so he explained directly, "My father was initially sold to the Heavenly Profound Sect as a slave miner. But later, the sect sold him again, this time to Dragon Tiger Mountain. I’m worried for his safety, so I must go to Dragon Tiger Mountain and save him!"

Li Qingfeng was alarmed. "Qingchen, you mustn’t be reckless!" he said quickly. "Dragon Tiger Mountain’s power is not trivial. You might have made it through the Heavenly Profound Sect safely, but you are no match for them. As for your father, it would be best to plan our next move carefully."

Ye Qingchen knew his master was worried about him, but he couldn’t simply ignore the danger his father was in. Dragon Tiger Mountain might be powerful, but for my father’s sake, I have to go there and try!

Qin Zhantian, however, looked thoughtful. "Ye Qingchen, your master is right. Dragon Tiger Mountain is not an easy opponent. But don’t worry. As it happens, I have some dealings with them. I’ll have the Rising Sun Pavilion contact them and inquire about your father’s whereabouts. If things go smoothly, it might even be possible to ransom your father. That way, we can avoid any open hostility."

"That would be incredible!" Ye Qingchen blurted out, unable to contain his relief.