Battle Through the Heavens: Beginning the Road to Rise from Canaan Academy, Part 44

For an entire month, he had either been refining pills or cultivating. Going out to stretch his legs sounded nice, and he could check on how Xiao Yan was doing while he was at it.

With that thought, he nodded. "All right, let's go take a look."

"That would be wonderful."

Seeing Qin Chen agree, Mittel Tengshan immediately beamed and said with a hearty laugh, "My young friend has only just arrived and must be quite unfamiliar with Jia Ma Holy City."

"How about this? Let Ya Fei accompany you."

Qin Chen was slightly taken aback. If he had understood correctly, Mittel Tengshan was quite blatantly trying to play matchmaker.

But on second thought, it was perfectly normal. From the perspective of a clan leader, there was nothing wrong with Mittel Tengshan doing this.

Qin Chen was not one to hesitate. He lightly nodded and accepted the suggestion. "Sure. Then thank you, Clan Leader Tengshan."

It was only a banquet. It did not matter, since he would not be staying in the imperial capital for long anyway.

"Hahaha, you flatter me, my young friend." Mittel Tengshan laughed heartily.

After Hai Bodong's solemn reminder, he had been thinking at every moment about how to draw closer to Qin Chen.

As a member of a great clan and a beautiful woman with no power to defend herself, Ya Fei had rarely had any say in her own marriage arrangements. Everything concerning her marriage had to put the clan's interests first.

To be honest, ever since witnessing Qin Chen's abilities, Mittel Tengshan had wanted to recruit him.

However, Qin Chen lacked neither wealth nor future prospects. After much consideration, Mittel Tengshan realized that marriage alliance was his only possible opening.

And who was the best candidate?

Naturally, it was Ya Fei, whom Qin Chen had encountered upon first arriving.

If Ya Fei could truly latch onto Qin Chen's great ship, it would naturally be for the best.

Unfortunately, Qin Chen had spent this entire period immersed in cultivation and pill refinement. He seemed completely uninterested in beautiful women, leaving Mittel Tengshan somewhat at a loss.

Mittel Tengshan did not think there was anything wrong with Qin Chen's body. After all, as a sixth-tier alchemist, what ailment could he not cure?

Before Qin Chen appeared, the clan had already planned to marry Ya Fei to Mu Zhan. After all, such an alliance would benefit both great clans.

Oh, right, there was also Yan Xiao as a backup.

Mittel Tengshan smiled and looked at Ya Fei beside him. "Ya Fei, you will accompany Young Friend Qin Chen tonight."

"Yes, Clan Leader." Ya Fei naturally understood Mittel Tengshan's intentions, since he had mentioned the matter to her long ago.

Compared to the burly military officer Mu Zhan, she preferred the handsome alchemist. Besides, she was quite interested in Qin Chen as well.

Outside a hidden cave dwelling in the back mountains of the Misty Cloud Sect.

Yun Leng looked at the tightly shut stone door, uncertainty filling his heart.

That important figure had mentioned the Xiao Clan of Wutan City to him long ago and had specifically ordered him to investigate them in secret for a considerable period.

After learning that Xiao Yan was a member of the Xiao Clan, Yun Leng had secretly investigated the boy behind Yun Yun's back these past few days, but with little success.

"Enter." Just as Yun Leng was preparing to leave, a cold, slightly shrill voice instantly froze him in place.

Yun Leng swallowed nervously, lowered his head, opened the stone door, and walked in with trembling steps.

The cave was pitch-black, so dark that one could not see their own hand. At its far end, two scarlet lights floated within a mass of black mist. Though they brought a faint trace of light to the dark cave, they only made the place seem even more eerie and terrifying.

The person behind all this was the first "heh-heh monster" to appear in the original story—Protector Wu.

"My lord." Yun Leng suppressed the fear in his heart and respectfully addressed the black mist before him. "This subordinate has an important matter to report."

"Oh?" A voice like grinding metal came from the black mist. Protector Wu said playfully, "What important matter could this be?"

Now that he had learned the Xiao Clan's location, he was in quite a good mood.

"This subordinate happened to hear that the young man who made the three-year agreement with the Young Sect Master is the third young master of the Xiao Clan in Wutan City." Yun Leng lowered his eyes and said in a deep voice.

"Oh? Such a coincidence?"

The lights within the black mist flickered slightly, and the cold voice sounded again. "But if that is all, it hardly counts as an important matter!"

As soon as his words fell, an invisible pressure descended upon Yun Leng, forcing him directly to his knees.

"M-My lord..." Under that pressure, Yun Leng broke out in a cold sweat and could barely speak clearly.

"Enough, stop frightening him. Let him finish first." A calm middle-aged man's voice rang out in the cave, and Yun Leng immediately felt the pressure on his body lessen.

The newcomer wore an extremely plain white robe, with long flowing hair draped naturally over his shoulders. He carried an otherworldly aura.

He was the former sect leader of the Misty Cloud Sect—Yun Shan.

"Thank you, Former Sect Leader!" Yun Leng first clasped his hands toward Yun Shan in thanks, then slowly recounted everything he had learned.

"An unusual flame that emits cold air?!" As Yun Leng spoke, Protector Wu's sharp voice suddenly rang out, directly interrupting him.

"Yes, that is what the Sect Leader said!" Yun Leng gritted his teeth and nodded.

"Continue. Tell me every detail of this matter!"

Protector Wu became immensely excited. He felt that a great stroke of luck was about to fall into his lap!

"My lord, this is what happened..." Yun Leng did not dare delay and explained everything he knew in painstaking detail.

"The Northwestern Continent, a strange secret technique capable of increasing one's strength to the Dou Huang level, a flame that emits cold air..."

Protector Wu was beside himself with joy. Even the soul concealed within the black mist trembled involuntarily. Everything Yun Leng said confirmed his suspicions.

Yao Chen!

This was the important person the Hall Master had personally ordered them to capture. The last piece of intelligence the Soul Hall possessed about him was that he had once appeared on the Northwestern Continent.

Within three years, this Xiao Yan's battle qi cultivation had fallen from Dou Zhe to the third stage of Dou Qi. These natives of the Northwestern Continent might not understand what had happened, but as a Protector from the Central Plains, he knew the reason perfectly well.

It had to be because Yao Chen had drained Xiao Yan's battle qi to replenish his excessively depleted soul strength.

As for that bizarre secret technique, it was simply Yao Chen's soul temporarily possessing Xiao Yan's body, allowing the latter's strength to surge by several ranks for a short time.

The more Protector Wu thought about it, the more excited he became. In the end, unable to suppress his excitement, he burst into laughter. "I have decided that I will not return to report for duty in a month. I will remain in your Misty Cloud Sect and watch a good show."

"Yun Shan, when the time comes, assist me with everything you have in capturing that boy!"

Based on the information Yun Leng had provided, Yao Chen's current strength was at most that of a low-star Dou Zong. Otherwise, he would not have fallen so low as to drain the battle qi of a mere Dou Zhe.

With the Soul Hall's specialized secret techniques for dealing with souls, along with the assistance of Yun Shan, a Dou Zong, capturing that old fox would be more than easy.

Why would he share such enormous merit with anyone else?

Seeing Protector Wu's sudden change in attitude, Yun Shan and Yun Leng were both utterly baffled.

Yun Shan, being more composed, was the first to react. It seemed that around this time every year, Protector Wu would disappear for a period. Even the tasks he had ordered Yun Leng to carry out could be suspended because of it. So he had been returning to report for duty.

Just who was this young master of the Xiao Clan, to make Protector Wu willing to forgo reporting for duty just to capture him?

With that question in mind, Yun Shan asked, "Is that boy really so important to you?"

"Of course. Even if the entire Jia Ma Empire must be leveled to the ground, that boy must be captured!" Protector Wu snorted, his eyes floating in the black mist flashing with cold light. "Yun Shan, you had better cooperate obediently when the time comes. This is an important target personally named by the Hall Master. If you ruin this, not only will I suffer, but everything the Soul Hall has bestowed upon you will be reclaimed!"

Yun Shan's expression shifted slightly at those words, but helplessly, he could only give a dry laugh. "Rest assured, Protector Wu. The Soul Hall has shown me great kindness. I naturally will not forget it. When the time comes, I will certainly lend my aid."

"Heh-heh-heh... Good. Sect Leader Yun Shan truly has not wasted the Soul Hall's cultivation. Once this is done, the Hall Master will certainly remember your merit." A cold laugh came from the black mist as Protector Wu spoke to himself, never once mentioning any reward.

"Heh... It is my honor to serve the Hall Master." Yun Shan answered with a smile that did not reach his eyes.

"To ensure nothing goes wrong, I will leave first to prepare for this matter. After some time, I will tell you what to do." As his voice fell, the black mist in the cave stirred, then vanished without a trace in the blink of an eye.

In Protector Wu's original plan, he had intended to take advantage of the empire's attention being focused on the three-year agreement and the Alchemist Grand Meet to secretly head to Wutan City. He wanted to see whether he could capture the Xiao Clan's patriarch and interrogate him about the location of that mysterious object.

But now...

Heh-heh, his target had temporarily changed—or rather, his priorities had changed!

That mysterious object was far too vague. He did not even know what it was or how large it was. It was far more practical to capture Yao Chen, for whom the Hall Master had offered such a generous reward.

To be honest, Protector Wu was quite confused by this strange mission from the Hall. The order merely said to find something in the Xiao Clan, without saying what it was. It only said that it was very likely in the hands of the Xiao Clan patriarch.

That would have been one thing, but they could not even act openly. The Hall had repeatedly emphasized that their operation range had to remain beyond a hundred li from the city. What was he supposed to do with that?

As long as he captured Yao Chen, he could return to the Central Plains. No matter how badly things fell apart here afterward, it would have nothing to do with him. Hahaha...

As for that mysterious object of the Xiao Clan's, he could just send a couple of Protectors over. If they found an opportunity, great. If not, so be it.

The entire plan was flawless. Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant...

Once a mere Protector completed a task personally assigned by the Hall Master, would restoring his physical body not be within reach?

Before leaving, a sharp glint flashed through Protector Wu's dark eyes. Since he had already decided to reveal his identity before others, he might as well wipe out all the upper echelons of the Jia Ma Empire. He would kill as many as he could!

The souls of Dou Huangs and Dou Wangs were quite good!

Inside the cave dwelling, Yun Shan's baby-smooth face remained utterly calm as he watched the black mist disperse.

He slowly turned, his gaze falling upon Yun Leng in the distance. "Leave for now. During this time, do as Yun Yun says."

"Yes, yes!" Yun Leng did not dare linger after hearing this and hurriedly slipped out of the cave.

As soon as Yun Leng left, Yun Shan let out a heavy, unwilling sigh. His face, as smooth as warm jade, shifted between light and shadow.

The feeling of having his life held in another's hand was like a bone stuck in his throat, filling him with resentment and unwillingness.

If he could, he naturally did not wish to associate with Protector Wu. But he had no other choice.

Back then, when he had failed his forced attempt to break through to Dou Zong, this man had approached him. Not only had he claimed he could save Yun Shan's life, but he had also promised to help him shatter the barrier and advance to Dou Zong.

He had not wanted to accept, but at the time, he had been driven into a corner. There had been no other choice.

Over the years, Yun Shan had witnessed many of the vile things Yun Leng had done for Protector Wu, and he had considered rising up in resistance.

But he did not dare gamble, because he carried the future of the Misty Cloud Sect on his shoulders. A single Protector from the Soul Hall had already reached the Dou Zong level. Would their Hall Master not be a legendary Dou Sheng expert?

From this glimpse alone, the Misty Cloud Sect was simply no match for the Soul Hall.

When the last streak of golden light vanished from the horizon, the entire Battle Qi Continent fell into darkness. Those at the bottom who struggled for their livelihoods finally welcomed a rare period of rest.

Yet the great clans and aristocratic families across the continent were brightly lit. Before the Nalan Family's Vermilion Bird Gate, people came and went like a small marketplace.