Paying the Ransom

Although Zhang Xingchao was only at the Early Void Refinement, he had mastered the lightning-based Principle.

His Divine Ability are among the best in his class.

They arrived after receiving the news, taking less than half an hour.

Only a Mid Void Refinement expert could have defeated Zhang Xingchao in such a short time.

"Hall Master Xiao, are all the cultivators of your Void Spirit Race dead?" a cultivator from the Azure Mortal Sect asked Hall Master Xiao.

Hall Master Xiao closed his eyes, sensed for a moment, and then said:

"None of our clan's four Nascent Spirit Transformation perished; they must have fallen into enemy hands, just like Fellow Daoist Zhang."

The Void Spirit Race possess a unique telepathic ability; once a member reaches a certain level of strength, they can sense life and death, and can even communicate with each other when they are close enough.

The fact that Lan Yin was not dead relieved Hall Master Xiao.

After all, those four Nascent Spirit Transformation were his subordinates; if they also died here, he would suffer a heavy loss.

"Since the major powers of the Weiyang Starfield are not following the rules, then we need not hold back either. Hall Master Xiao, would you be willing to accompany us to the Weiyang Star Domain?"

The speaker was the Grand Elder of the Azure Mortal Sect, named Xu Mufan, a powerful expert in the Mid Void Refinement.

Hall Master Xiao hesitated for a moment and said:

"Fellow Daoist Xu, let's discuss this further. The Star Palace hasn't made a move yet."

"Take it easy? They've already made their move, what do we still need to discuss?" Xu Mufan's voice was icy.

Their Azure Mortal Sect only has eight Void Refinement in total.

Each missing member represents a tremendous loss for the Azure Mortal Sect.

Fortunately, Zhang Xingchao's soul tablet was not broken, indicating that the opponent had clearly captured Zhang Xingchao but did not kill him directly.

This created an opportunity for rescue.

Hall Master Xiao clasped his hands and said:

"Going to the Weiyang Star Domain now is pointless, since we don't even know who made the move. Why don't Fellow Daoist Xu come with me to my Void Spirit Race's territory first, and let our High Priest deduce their whereabouts? Perhaps we'll find out."

Hearing what Hall Master Xiao said, Xu Mufan pondered for a moment and then nodded:

"Alright, then let's go find the noble high priest now."

The Hall Master Xiao then turned to another Azure Mortal Sect Void Refinement from the Cangfan Sect and said, "Fellow Daoist Qin, I'll trouble you to guard this gap in the formation."

Qin, a Void Refinement at the Azure Mortal Sect, hesitated.

He was only at the Early Void Refinement, and his strength was even weaker than Zhang Xingchao's. If he stayed here, and that expert who was suspected to Mid Void Refinement came again, he would be in trouble.

Seemingly sensing the Qin-surnamed cultivator's worry, Hall Master Xiao said:

"Fellow Daoist, rest assured, our clan's stronghold is not far from here. If that person comes again, we will arrive immediately."

The cultivator surnamed Qin nodded. "Alright."

Hall Master Xiao then summoned a group of powerful members of the Void Spirit Race to join the cultivator surnamed Qin in guarding the gap in the formation.

As for him and Xu Mufan, they went to the Void Spirit Race's stronghold in the Weiyang Star Domain.

Several years ago, the Void Spirit Race and the Azure Mortal Sect each captured a small star in the Weiyang Star Domain.

We no longer need to stay on desolate planets outside the Weiyang Star Domain as we used to.

The Weiyang Star Domain, in the starry sky.

An Antimatter Warship is speeding along.

Its speed is so fast that even a cultivator at the Void Refinement cannot keep up with it.

Seventy percent of the speed of light—this speed far exceeds the fastest speed that the strongest beings in this star field can reach.

It was because of this warship that Chen Feng dared to venture into the Weiyang Star Domain alone once again.

Unless he's ambushed beforehand, almost no one in this star system can stop him.

Inside a room on the warship, Lan Yin was sitting.

Through the porthole of the transparent warship, he could only see the constantly twinkling starry sky outside.

This is a visual perception error caused by the excessive speed.

"What kind of treasure is this that can move so quickly!" Lan Yin was shocked.

This magic ship was more than a hundred times faster than their Void Spirit Race's magic ships.

As Spirit Marshal of the Void Spirit Race, Lan Yin was quite knowledgeable, but he had never seen a magic ship with such a high flight speed.

Lan Yin then looked at another room. After Chen Feng led him into the warship, the other party went into that room alone and never came out again.

"This person is too mysterious. If our clan continues to fight against him," Lan Yin couldn't help but worry about the future of the Void Spirit Race.

The longer he spent with Chen Feng, the more mysterious Chen Feng seemed to him.

Every time they met, Chen Feng managed to shock him.

This time, in particular, Chen Feng was able to easily defeat a Void Refinement cultivator after only seven years, which shocked him greatly.

Lan Yin already believed that Chen Feng was the reincarnation of a powerful being.

In the warship's command center, Chen Feng was looking at a large pile of things in front of him.

This was obtained from the Storage Ring three Nascent Spirit Transformation from the Void Spirit Race.

The three of them only had a total of two hundred Yuan Stone.

This gain is far too little for Chen Feng at present.

Two hundred Yuan Stone aren't even enough to refine a single planet.

As for the other items inside the Storage Ring, Chen Feng didn't bother to investigate them at all.

Now, apart from special Innate Spirit Treasure and Yuan Stone, he no longer cares about anything else.

"The only option is to go to those powerful forces to get Yuan Stone. These forces have been around for so many years, they must have a lot of Yuan Stone." Chen Feng had an idea in mind.

The purple tree in the Void Heaven Realm should also give him some Yuan Stone, but the amount will definitely not be as much as before.

If you want to get more Yuan Stone, you can only go to those powerful forces.

Chen Feng immediately determined the destination for the first stop.

Nanyang Star.

The Nanyang Sect of Nanyang Star had once besieged and killed him; he almost failed to escape from the Nanyang Sect back then, and this debt must be settled.

"The three Nascent Void Refinement from Nanyang Star are all at the early stage; dealing with them shouldn't be difficult for me."

Chen Feng already had information about the major forces in the Weiyang Star Domain.

Although Nanyang Star is also a major star, it is still somewhat inferior to established powers like the Jiang Clan and Illusory Rosy Clouds Immortal Traces.

Chen Feng put away the spoils of war, then left the warship's command room and found Lan Yin.

Upon seeing Chen Feng appear, Lan Yin immediately bowed respectfully.

"Greetings, Fellow Daoist Chen."

Chen Feng looked at Lan Yin and asked, "Why didn't the Star Palace stop your Void Spirit Race and Azure Mortal Sect from joining forces to attack the Weiyang Star Domain?"

This is what Chen Feng finds most puzzling right now.

According to the information he received, the Void Spirit Race and the Azure Mortal Sect had only made an agreement with the major forces in the Weiyang Star Domain that their Void Refinement cultivators could not take action, but they had not mentioned the Star Palace.

The Star Palace seemed to have vanished.

Lan Yin replied:

"We don't know what happened either. Several years ago, the Star Palace was still commanding the major forces in the Weiyang Star Domain to fight against us, but then it suddenly disappeared, and all the Star Palace's Void Refinement experts also vanished."

"Our clan's Void Refinement Ancestor speculated that something might have happened at the Star Palace, which is why they haven't had time to deal with us."

Upon hearing this, Chen Feng immediately seemed to be deep in thought.

The situation in the Weiyang Star Domain was more complicated than he had imagined; the Star Palace, a hegemon that had always ruled the star region, had suddenly disappeared.

However, Chen Feng didn't think much of it.

No matter how these forces fight, it's none of his business. What he wants to do is to gain as much benefit as possible from this chaotic situation.

"Give me your Storage Ring," Chen Feng said, staring at Lan Yin.

Without hesitation, Lan Yin immediately took out his Storage Ring.

Chen Feng glanced at the Storage Ring and saw that there were only a little over a hundred Yuan Stone inside. He frowned and said, "How come you're so poor? You only have so few Yuan Stone?"

Hearing this, Lan Yin smiled wryly and said:

"Fellow Daoist, you jest. Even in my clan, Yuan Stone are extremely precious. These hundred-odd Yuan Stone represent my savings of over a thousand years."

Chen Feng put away the Storage Ring and then said, "You should have a way to contact the Void Spirit Race, right?"

Lan Yin asked in confusion, "Fellow Daoist, what do you intend to do?"

Chen Feng said:

"Your Void Spirit Race must bring Yuan Stone to ransom you, as well as that Void Refinement cultivator from the Azure Mortal Sect."

Lan Yin's lips twitched. He hadn't expected Chen Feng to be so bold as to demand ransom from the Void Spirit Race and the Azure Mortal Sect.

This is tantamount to offending two star-domain-level powers at once.

However, considering Chen Feng's style of handling things, Lan Yin wasn't surprised.

He then said, "Fellow Daoist, the Message-Transmitting Treasure Mirror in my Storage Ring can contact Kong Ling."

Chen Feng waved his right hand, and a Message-Transmitting Treasure Mirror appeared in his hand.

He handed the Message-Transmitting Treasure Mirror to Lan Yin, then stood aside and watched.

Nanyang Star is located in the central region of the Weiyang Star Domain. At the speed of Antimatter Warship, it would take at least a month to reach it.

However, there are teleportation arrays and spatial rifts along the way. With the help of these teleportation arrays and spatial rifts, it will only take about three days to arrive.

After dealing with Nanyang Star, Chen Feng planned to demand ransom from the Void Spirit Race and the Azure Mortal Sect. As for the Jiang Clan, he would have to wait and see.

Litu Star.

This is a small star located on the edge of the Weiyang Star Domain.

Its size is similar to that of Canglan Star, and the strongest beings on it are only a few Spirit Transformation cultivators.

This small star has now been occupied by the Void Spirit Race.

All the creatures on the planet have become slaves of the Void Spirit Race.

The Void Spirit Race ' stronghold was built on the highest mountain peak on the Litu Star.

This place was originally the territory of the Litu Sect, the strongest sect on Litu Star, but it was completely destroyed after the Void Spirit Race arrived on this planet.

Inside a magnificent, golden hall.

Xu Mufan and Hall Master Xiao have already arrived here.

At this moment, besides the two of them, there were more than a dozen powerful members of the Void Spirit Race inside the main hall.

Among them, as many as three had reached the Void Refinement.

Of the three Void Spirit Race Void Refinement, one was at the Mid Void Refinement, and the other two were at the Early Void Refinement.

The high priest of the Void Spirit Race, dressed in a silver robe, also stood to one side.

"Fellow Daoist Xu, I have already contacted several major forces, led by the Jiang Clan, and they have all stated that they were not responsible," said the Mid Void Refinement cultivator from the Void Spirit Race.

This was an elderly man with silver hair. The glassy color of his eyes was almost materialized, and even the pupils were no longer visible.

This person is Tuoba Yang, the Lord of the Second Hall of the Void Spirit Race.

Among the nine halls of the Void Spirit Race, the strength of the second hall is already among the top three, and Tuoba Yang is a veteran Mid Void Refinement expert.

After the Void Spirit Race Void Spirit Race breached the Great Array of the Weiyang Star Domain Grand Array, they sent the Second Hall and the Fourth Hall to provide support.

Xu Mufan said in a deep voice:

"Fellow Daoist Tuoba, do you really believe the nonsense spouted by those forces in the Weiyang Star Universe? If it wasn't them who intervened, who else could it be?"

Xu Mufan had absolutely no faith in the forces in the Weiyang Star Domain.

In his view, the only powerful figures capable of defeating Zhang Xingchao within half an hour were the old monsters from the major powers in the Weiyang Star Domain.

Tuoba Yang frowned and said:

"But they have no reason to do this, and if those Void Refinement cultivators were to make a move, it would be impossible to keep it from us."

Tuoba Yang was also puzzled by the attack on Zhang Xingchao and his group.

It should be noted that the gap in the Star Domain Grand Array is located at the edge of the Weiyang Star Domain, and their stronghold is very close to the gap in the array.

If a Void Refinement expert appears, they will be able to detect it immediately.

At this moment, another Void Refinement cultivator from the Void Spirit Race beside him said:

"Could it be that Star Palace was behind it?"

Upon hearing this, the expressions of the group became serious. If it was Star Palace who made the move, they could indeed bypass them.

After all, the Star Palace possesses the Void Gate, a treasure that allows travel throughout the entire Weiyang Star Domain.

"Impossible! If it were truly the Star Palace that made the move, they wouldn't have only targeted Fellow Daoist Zhang." Tuoba Yang shook his head in denial.

The Star Palace has been missing for several years. Even if it suddenly reappears, it will be to deal with all of them.

"There's no time for discussion. We request that the High Priest of our noble class deduce Junior Brother Zhang's whereabouts."

Xu Mufan then looked at the silver-robed high priest standing to the side.

The high priest glanced at Tuoba Yang.

Tuoba Yang nodded.

Tuoba Yang was actually very unwilling. The High Priest's divinations always consumed his lifespan, especially when it involved experts at the Void Refinement level, which consumed even more lifespan.

However, the Void Spirit Race has already reached a cooperation agreement with the Azure Mortal Sect.

If we don't take action, the Azure Mortal Sect might have other ideas.

Just as the high priest was about to begin his divination, a female voice rang out in the room:

"Esteemed seniors, please wait a moment!"

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw that the speaker was none other than Kong Ling, who was standing with the other Spirit Transformation cultivators.

While these Void Refinement cultivators were discussing matters, the Spirit Transformation cultivators could only stand at a distance and listen.

Tuoba Yang frowned and said:

"Kong Ling, what do you need?"

Kong Ling stepped out from the crowd, her expression strange, and said, "Lan Yin sent me a message."

Kong Ling was also holding a Message-Transmitting Treasure Mirror in her hand, clearly indicating that she had just received the news as well.

Everyone was taken aback upon hearing this.

Lan Yin was one of the few Spirit Transformation who had been captured. Now that the other party had suddenly contacted Kong Ling, it was clear that he could not have escaped.

In other words, the person who contacted Kong Ling was that mysterious cultivator who had mastered the Void Refinement.

Tuoba Yang immediately waved his right hand, and the Message-Transmitting Treasure Mirror instantly appeared in his hand.

The group immediately turned their gazes toward the Message-Transmitting Treasure Mirror.

A line of text appeared on the Message-Transmitting Treasure Mirror.

[Your men are in my hands. If you want their lives, prepare 100,000 Yuan Stone a unit of weight).]

Upon seeing these words, the expressions on the faces of the people present were somewhat taken aback.

Did they kidnap their people and then demand a ransom from them?

Xu Mufan was the first to react, and immediately flew into a rage:

"They really have guts! They actually dare to ask us for Yuan Stone!"

Their Azure Mortal Sect has traveled to various star regions and plundered countless forces, yet they have never been asked for ransom.

Tuoba Yang remained relatively calm; he simply sent a message:

[Who are you, fellow Daoist, and why are you attacking our people?]

Tuoba Yang now only wanted to know who the other party was. Since the other party dared to demand ransom from them, they were definitely not from any of the major forces in the Weiyang Star Domain.

The Message-Transmitting Treasure Mirror quickly transmitted another message:

[Don't worry about who I am. Prepare 100,000 Yuan Stone within seven days. I will inform you of the transaction location later.]

Tuoba Yang hurriedly sent several more messages, but there was no reply from the other end of the Message-Transmitting Treasure Mirror.

The expressions of the several Void Refinement turned solemn.

The fact that the other party dared to openly demand ransom and was even prepared to make a deal with them shows that they had absolute confidence in their strength, which is quite remarkable.

Tuoba Yang frowned. "Who exactly are they? Could they be some other force from beyond the realm?"

Xu Mufan said coldly:

"No matter who he is, he dares to arrest someone from our Azure Mortal Sect, and he must pay the price!"

Xu Mufan never even considered paying money to ransom the person, let alone whether they could come up with 100,000 Yuan Stone.

This behavior from the other party is something that their Azure Mortal Sect cannot tolerate.