Chapter 116: with translation of chapter title

Reporting to the Young Master, the Chu family of Xuan City has already prepared a welcoming feast for you, and wishes to invite you to attend.

He also said his Chu family had once received the patronage of the Profound Void Dao Sect, and that he and Elder Wang of the outer gate of the Profound Void Dao Sect are close friends despite their age difference.

I hope you, Young Master, will honor us with your presence.

Su Chen didn't even lift his eyes, gave a faint reply, then said: "How's the Black Panther side?"

The Black Panther's jade slip transmission said that, on his way to the Azure Dragon Holy Land, he had gathered the latest news: the Azure Dragon Son had summoned the holy land's disciples and was on his way with the Great Holy Maiden.

Based on the route, he should arrive at the latest by this time tomorrow.

If it weren't for the destruction of the spatial teleportation array in Yunhai City, we would have been ahead of the Azure Dragon Son all along, despite using movement talismans the whole way.

Damn the Azure Dragon Son, treating the Holy Maiden like this! He firmly believes the Profound Void Dao Sect can't defeat Ye Xuan, who has the Star Pavilion behind him, so he wants to squeeze every last bit of value from the Holy Maiden to gain profit for himself. Doesn't he consider that if the Profound Void Dao Sect wins, Ye Xuan will serve as a warning to his Azure Dragon Holy Land?

He probably never even considered that.

After all, the Azure Dragon Holy Land is one of the three great holy lands of Central State; although it can't compare to the Star Pavilion, gaining control of the Eastern Wasteland would be enough to sweep aside any sect power.

Moreover, the Azure Dragon Son only knows that Su Chen has obtained an inheritance; he doesn't understand it, nor has he witnessed the terrifying power of the inheritance Su Chen holds.

How could the various powerful clans of Gan Yuan City ever imagine that a single person could master the four arts of talismans, formations, pills, and artifacts all at once?

And what is most unimaginable——

It is the Myriad Worlds Mall card that Su Chen holds, which does not belong to this continent at all; as long as he has enough points, those Ultimate Dao Emperor Swords and Ancient Imperial Holy Weapons are inexhaustible and endless.

"I also wonder whether this Azure Dragon Son will become the next Ye Xuan." A flash of killing intent crossed Su Chen's eyes as he ordered: "First, eat some spirit meat and spirit rice to replenish your expended spiritual energy; pass the command down for all disciples to rest where they are. Wait for the eldest sister and the Azure Dragon Son to arrive."

As he spoke, Su Chen fed another fire spirit fruit to Liu Liyan's lips.

Then,

Pap—pap.

The fire spirit fruit fell to the ground.

Su Chen turned his head, following the direction of Liu Liyan's gaze, and noticed her frowning as she looked out of the tavern, not knowing what she had seen, she fell into a brief daze.

"Are you alright?"

Liu Liyan withdrew her gaze, tilting her oval face, and gazed at Su Chen: "Ah Chen, do we need to rest at the tavern tonight? Can I share a room with you? I'm afraid of thunder; I won't be able to sleep and will have nightmares."

"Afraid of thunder?"

Qingxia couldn't help but twitch the corner of her mouth: "……"

At this moment,

In the direction Liu Liyan was staring with furrowed brows, two strange auras slowly appeared.

Two women wearing bronze masks that blocked any probing aura were frowning as they looked toward the tavern, observing for a while; the woman in the red long dress stared at Liu Liyan's face for a while before softly asking: "Zixia."

"Do you think that person resembles our hall master?"

Zixia, with her arms crossed over her chest in a pose that kept people at a distance, her icy cold demeanor: "Not just resembling; I'd say she's practically carved from the same mold."

"In this spiritually barren Eastern Wasteland, how many could possibly produce such a thing?"

"Our hall master has always been at odds with the Ye family, the Star Pavilion, and the Great Yu Dynasty; she even once crippled the Ye family's second young master. How could she be mingling with the Profound Void Dao Sect? Could she have been taken hostage?"

The woman in the red dress's expression shifted slightly.

After scrutinizing Liu Liyan's face closely, the next second she was shocked to the core—Master Ten's complexion was nine-tenths off!

Usually, the Master is icy and noble, like an ice lotus blooming on a snow‑capped peak, impossible to look directly at.

Now…… how could she be like this?

Gentle, obedient, calm and soft, even … even … even, so close to Profound Void Dao Sect's young sect master Su Chen, even placing her hand inside his sleeve—could it be that her cultivation was sealed and she was taken hostage?

Moreover, her hands were bound by the Demon‑Binding Rope; otherwise, how could she still be fed while eating?

"Since the young sect master Su snatched the sect master Liu from our hands, the hall master and the Qing Protector have suddenly vanished without a trace… our people have practically turned Gan Yuan City inside out, yet we still have no news of them."

I never expected they'd fall into the hands of the Profound Void Dao Sect!

I've figured it out: after the young sect master Su abducted sect master Liu, the hall master and the Qing Protector, unwilling to accept it, must have snatched sect master Liu back from Su's hands, only to be carelessly sealed in their cultivation and bound by the Demon‑Binding Rope.

Damn it!

What are we to do now? The young sect master Su holds the Martial Emperor's inheritance, enabling one person to master all four paths; the hall master must…… the hall master surely endured great hardship—just now she smiled at the young sect master Su, which must have been a forced grin borne of necessity.

Zixia turned her head to look.

As expected!

She truly caught the sight of Liu Liyan smiling at Su Chen, her brows and eyes slightly curved, her gaze filled with a smile.

In an instant.

Her anger flared like a suddenly erupting volcano.

Humiliation and anger surged like a breached dam, rushing straight to the crown of her head.

Zixia's gaze sank, her face dark as water as she stared at Su Chen, then withdrew her look and exchanged a glance with the woman in red, almost in unison asking: "When has the master ever shown such a smile to a man?"

Disgrace!

This is outright humiliation!

Zixia's aura suddenly surged, the elemental power in her palms continually gathering, emitting a sizzling sound.

If looks could kill, Su Chen would already have been sliced to death by her gaze; turning her eyes to the gentle, frail Liu Liyan beside him only made her scalp tingle with rage.

In their minds, the master's image and inherent impression have always been one of unmatched nobility, looking down on all under heaven, facing matters with composure, strategizing and winning victories from afar—a cool, magnificent image; there is nothing in this world that could make the master take notice.

That cool magnificence, an otherworldly temperament detached from the mundane, had often led them to feel that Liu Liyan was a reincarnated empress cultivating anew—whether in appearance or aura, she was supremely noble, ethereal and untethered from the earth.

However, now,

Look.

Have a look.

She even actively leaned into the young sect master Su's embrace, her expression revealing… even carrying a sense of enjoyment.

This is certainly not ordinary.

This pair is suspicious.

「Zixia。」

The red-dressed Chixia's face was already extremely gloomy, she ordered: "We will immediately return to the hall, gather the followers, no matter what inheritance they have in hand, whoever dares to hold our hall master hostage will surely be made to look bad."

"We don't have many followers in our Xuan City branch hall; do we want male followers?"

"Men… men?"

Zixia turned her head and glanced at Liu Liyan, who was being protected in Su Chen's arms; out of the corner of her eye she noticed to the side, realizing the grim-faced Qingxia? The Qing Hufa is also here?