Who Was the Kidnapper?

"A hero?" Emperor Zhao Heng stroked his sparse beard and hesitated. "This sounds like a joke. Could someone be playing a prank on Yin Baikang?"

Mi Rushan shook his head and said, "You can't joke like that. Four of Yin Baikang's disciples have already been killed. This feud is now in the making."

"The dog-transformation stage, hehe! Interesting. I wonder how Yin Baikang will react if this gets back to Yin Baikang?" Mi Ruquan said with amusement.

"Regardless of his reaction, it's none of our business if someone steps up to take responsibility. Your Majesty, the Great Yang Kingdom cannot be thrown into chaos because of Yin Baikang's grandson. You will have to put in a lot of effort, otherwise we will not be able to explain to our master." After saying this to Zhao Heng, Mi Rushan said to the two brothers, "I'll leave this to you. I'll go back to Guangzhao Peak to pay my respects to our master. He will naturally handle it properly."

The three bowed in unison, Mi Rushan swiftly soared into the air and disappeared...

Guangzhao Peak, the highest mountain in the Great Yang Kingdom, is located deep in the Savage Wilderness. Ordinary people can only look up at it from afar and cannot get close. Inside the Great Bright Hall at the summit, there is a guest who has come from the Tuan Kingdom. He is none other than Jing Yuankong, Yin Baikang's second disciple, whose cultivation has reached the early Jing Yuankong of the early Spirit Transformation stage realm.

Huo Zongming, dressed in thin clothes and barefoot, leaned against the central golden couch, holding a golden wine cup in one hand, gently swirling it between his nose and mouth, seemingly enjoying the fragrant aroma. His slightly narrowed eyelids occasionally flashed with a sharp glint as he glanced down at Jing Yuankong, who sat below.

Jing Yuankong stared grimly at the small black triangular Squad Commander in his hand, the two gold characters for "Hero" on it standing out conspicuously. After a long silence, Jing Yuankong gripped the Squad Commander tightly, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and said, "Lord Huo, this matter occurred within your territory. You should know the ins and outs of this better than we do. I wonder if Lord Huo knows who is flying this flag?"

His tone was somewhat wooden, and it was clear he was forcibly suppressing his inner rage. It should be noted that the four deceased Tribulation Transcendence stage were all his disciples. To have four disciples killed at once—no wonder he was furious. Yin Baikang was enraged upon receiving the news. He had originally intended to send his eldest disciple to handle the situation, but the disciple volunteered instead, clearly harboring a desire for revenge.

Lord Huo? This title displeased Huo Zongming. Even Yin Baikang had to call him "brother," but this guy, relying on his early Spirit Transformation stage, refused to address him as "senior." He downed the fragrant wine in his cup in one gulp, then said indifferently, "Never heard of such a person. I'm afraid your Tianxia Chamber of Commerce will have to investigate this matter yourselves. With your strength, you should be able to find out the truth soon."

This was merely an excuse; Jing Yuankong stared intently at the person on the bed. Huo Zongming paid no heed, thinking, "How dare a mere junior point fingers at me?" Beside the bed, a beautiful woman, half-naked, gently filled his empty cup with a golden pot.

Outside the hall, Mi Rushan landed and walked directly into the hall. He glanced at Jing Yuankong sitting beside him, then bowed to Huo Zongming and said, "Disciple greets Master!"

Huo Zongming smiled and asked, "Why are you here again? Has there been any new development?"

"Master, you are wise!" Mi Rushan took out the jade tablet, presented it to the bed with both hands, and returned it to its original position after Huo Zongming took it.

Huo Zongming held the jade tablet in one hand and a wine cup to his lips with the other, drinking as he infused his Divine Sense into it. Suddenly, his eyes widened, and with a "pfft," he spat out the wine in his mouth. He immediately sat up from the couch, gave Jing Yuankong a strange look, and then continued reading the contents of the jade tablet.

Mi Rushan seemed completely unsurprised. Jing Yuankong, however, glanced at the master and disciple, his face full of doubt, wondering what was in the jade tablet that could cause Huo Zongming to react so strongly. He couldn't help but ask, "Lord Huo, is it about Yin Wufeng?"

"Cough cough..." Huo Zongming tossed the jade tablet over. "Take a look for yourself!"

Jing Yuankong caught the jade tablet, glanced at him again with a puzzled look, and then used his Divine Sense to examine it. Huo Zongming looked at him with a smile, seemingly watching the show.

Sure enough, Jing Yuankong's face changed drastically in an instant, turning ashen, and he roared, "You audacious scoundrel, utterly arrogant!" His voice reverberated throughout the Great Bright Hall.

Huo Zongming immediately said in an icy tone, "Jing Yuankong, do you think this is your Tianxia Chamber of Commerce? Is this a place where you can roar at will?"

Jing Yuankong forcibly suppressed his anger, clasped his hands and said, "Lord Huo, please forgive me. I lost my temper for a moment. I need to go back and discuss this with my master. I may have to bother you again in the future. Farewell!"

"Oh! Forget it! I understand how you feel. You should go back and persuade your master to prepare the Spirit Stones quickly! Otherwise, things will get out of hand. Go, go!" Huo Zongming waved his hand with a smile, clearly enjoying the spectacle.

With a dark expression, Jing Yuankong cupped his hands in greeting and disappeared from the main hall, taking the jade tablet with him.

Huo Zongming then threw his head back and burst into laughter, laughing heartily. After laughing, he said, "Gentlemen, aren't you done watching the show yet? How much longer do you want to watch?"

Mi Rushan looked around with some confusion; these words were clearly not directed at him. Then, five men and one woman slowly emerged from behind the hall Mi Rushan was slightly taken aback, then immediately went over and bowed, saying, "Mi Rushan greets the five seniors."

These five people were close friends of his master, Huo Zongming. They all had the cultivation level of the mid Spirit Transformation stage. They were Pu Taidong from the Jinshan Kingdom, Mu Sang Ji from the Xiushui Kingdom Wuyan Kingdom, Mu Sang from Wuyan Kingdom, Miao Hanyuan from the Cangyuan Kingdom, and Shu Xin from the Daughter Kingdom. They were all lords who controlled their respective regions.

The five nodded to Mi Rushan. They each found a seat. The beautiful Shu Xin smiled and said, "Just now Jing Yuankong was furious, and Brother Huo was laughing so happily. Yin Baikang must have had some good news again?"

Miao Hanyuan nodded and said, "Huo Zongming, what's so funny? Tell us so we can all have a laugh."

"Yes, the five of us heard that Yin Baikang's grandson had gotten into trouble, so we wanted to come and see what was going on," Pu Taidong said.

Huo Zongming thought for a moment and then couldn't help but laugh. He walked down barefoot and said, "I was wondering what happened when Yin Baikang's grandson got into trouble. I even suspected that Yin Baikang himself had caused this mess and was trying to pull some trick on me. Otherwise, how many people in the Cultivation World would dare to touch Yin Baikang's grandson? Who knew... Haha! Unbelievable!"

The five men exchanged glances. Though they didn't say it aloud, they were all worried that Yin Baikang was up to no good, which was why they had rushed over. Their aim was simply to support Huo Zongming at this crucial moment and prevent him from suffering losses at Yin Baikang's hands. Their relationship was one of mutual support and shared fate; they were all in the same boat.

Shu Xin eyes darted around as she asked, "Third Brother Huo, stop playing games with us. What exactly is going on?"

Huo Zongming laughed, "Yin Baikang's grandson has been kidnapped. That jade tablet from earlier was... a kidnapper's doing. Damn, what kind of strange way of putting it is this? When did kidnappers appear in the Cultivation World? This is hilarious!"

"Kidnapping?" the five asked in unison, then looked at each other in disbelief. How dare someone kidnap Yin Baikang's grandson?

"That's right, it's a kidnapping. The kidnappers specifically demanded that Yin Baikang pay 200 million high-grade Spirit Stones to ransom his grandson, or else they would make Yin Baikang pay. Impressive. These kidnappers are too powerful." Huo Zongming pointed at Mi Rushan and said, "Rushan, read the contents of the jade tablet to the seniors."

"Yes!" Mi Rushan bowed, thought for a moment, and then repeated the contents of the jade tablet word for word. As a result, all five of them burst into laughter, even Yan Ji, who had been keeping a straight face the whole time.

Pu Taidong laughed breathlessly, "Huo Zongming, this happened on your turf, don't tell me you have no idea who did it. Tell me quickly, who is this person? They're so talented! I'd really be doing myself a disservice if I didn't make their acquaintance."

"Yes, yes, tell us quickly!" the group jeered in unison. Mi Rushan, standing nearby, was shocked to discover that he had caught his seniors behaving disrespectfully and gloating.

Huo Zongming shrugged and shook his head, saying, "To be honest, I really don't know who dared to do it. If you don't believe me, I can swear to God."

The five were all taken aback upon hearing this. Mu Sang asked in confusion, "There are very few people in the Cultivation World who would dare to do such a thing to Yin Baikang. Everyone, think about it, who is most likely to have done this?"

The group fell into deep thought. Miao Hanyuan, recalling the words in the jade tablet, said, "Yin Baikang, I don't care if you're in the Spirit Transformation stage or the Dog Transformation stage... I'm a bit short on cash lately, so I had your grandson tied up..." As he spoke, he couldn't help but laugh again, saying, "To dare say such things to Yin Baikang, it's clear that you're not afraid of Yin Baikang turning against you, but I really can't figure out whose tone this is. Calling Yin Baikang a dog is one thing, but to actually act like his father is quite another."

"I think this person is crazy! He's clearly not following common sense," Yan Ji said with a wry smile, shaking his head.

"A madman?" Miao Hanyuan's eyes lit up. "Who dares to speak to Yin Baikang so arrogantly? Do you think it could be that person?" He then extended his index finger and shook it.

Huo Zongming was taken aback and asked, "You mean Bi Changchun?"

Miao Hanyuan nodded and said, "That's right. Think about it, who else in the world would dare to call Yin Baikang a dog, act like his father, and not be afraid of his revenge, besides Bi Changchun? Even if the other elders don't take Yin Baikang seriously, they would never say such a thing, otherwise Yin Baikang would definitely fight him to the death."

"It definitely wouldn't be him." Shu Xin frowned and said, "Although Bi Changchun's actions are crazy, he is proud and arrogant, and would never stoop to such sneaky things. Think about it, if he were to get Yin Baikang to produce two hundred million high-grade Spirit Stones, Yin Baikang would be more than happy to do it, and might even personally offer himself up to curry favor. Why would he need to kidnap Yin Baikang's grandson?"

The group nodded in agreement, agreeing that Bi Changchun would never stoop to such a tactic. Huo Zongming waved his hand, saying, "There's no need for wild guesses; you'll never figure it out. Didn't they say he had three days to pay Spirit Stones to ransom him? He'll have to show up when they collect the Spirit Stones! Let's go see him together, and then we'll know who he is!"

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