“Sect Leader Ye makes a reasonable point.”

Old Ghost Yin Mei forced a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “How about this? In addition to the girl’s family, this old man will add two Low-grade Divine Abilities to the pot in exchange for my unworthy disciple.”

He paused, his voice straining to maintain a veneer of civility. “Is Sect Leader Ye satisfied with such sincerity?”

Yin Mei knew he was being fleeced. To Ye Qingxuan, Bai Ling’s mortal family was nothing more than a convenient excuse, a pawn to be discarded or saved on a whim. But to Yin Mei, Zhao Batian was the future of the Sun Moon Sect—a Holy Son cultivated with endless resources.

Ye Qingxuan knew this. She was an old fox, just like him. Negotiation tactics were useless against someone who held the blade against your throat.

“Two… Low-grade Divine Abilities?”

On the ground, Zhuo Hongyi, Qin Lan, and the other elites gasped, their composure slipping.

For disciples of their caliber, a Divine Ability was the stuff of legends. Without ascending to the Elder Council or making a heaven-shaking contribution to the sect, such techniques were forbidden. To offer two as mere bargaining chips was a display of wealth that left them reeling.

However, just as they thought the price was astronomical, Ye Qingxuan shook her head. She raised a single, slender finger.

“Keep your trash for yourself,” she said, her voice dripping with disdain. “I want one thing. The Yin Yang Scripture.”

She smiled, a cold, predatory expression. “Hand over the scripture and the hostages, and I will release this little ghost.”

Yin Mei’s face went rigid. The air around him stagnated.

“Sect Leader Ye, you have quite the appetite,” he hissed, his tone turning absolute. “You know I cannot give you that.”

Below, the Sun Moon Sect disciples, including Li Qingyu, looked as though they had been struck by lightning.

The Yin Yang Scripture. It was the foundation of their sect, their absolute treasure. Though classified as a Middle-grade Divine Ability, its full potential rivaled that of High-grade arts. It was a technique so profound that even Zhao Batian had not yet been qualified to inherit it.

She’s vicious, Han Lie thought, watching the exchange with cynical admiration. I would have settled for the hostages. She wants to tear out their foundation.

Ye Qingxuan didn’t blink. “A pity,” she said lightly. “It seems your Master has abandoned you, little ghost. You’ll have to find a better teacher in your next life.”

As the words fell, the spatial cage around Zhao Batian began to hum.

“Master! Save me!”

The Holy Son’s scalp went numb. The terrifying pressure of the collapsing space twisted his limbs. “I don’t want to die! Master!”

Crack.

Ye Qingxuan ignored the screams. She slowly clenched her hand. The invisible walls contracted, threatening to crush the Holy Son into meat paste.

“Wait!”

Watching his disciple’s body warp under the pressure, Yin Mei’s defense finally shattered.

“Stop!” he roared, his voice trembling with suppressed rage. “Ye Qingxuan, do not test my patience further. You win! I admit defeat!”

The Sect Leader of the Sun Moon Sect looked instantly older. With a wave of his withered hand, a pristine, ancient tome materialized.

“This is a copy of the Yin Yang Scripture,” he rasped, his eyes burning with hatred. “I do not trust you. We exchange simultaneously.”

“I cannot verify a copy from here,” Ye Qingxuan countered lazily.

“It is in my hand! Use your Divine Sense!”

Ye Qingxuan’s consciousness swept out like a tide, enveloping the book. A moment later, she nodded. “You are honest for once, Old Ghost. Let us trade.”

She uncurled her fingers. The spatial cage dissolved, and with a flick of her sleeve, Zhao Batian was hurled toward Yin Mei.

Simultaneously, Yin Mei threw the scripture and the iron cage containing the hundreds of Su family members toward Ye Qingxuan.

Ye Qingxuan reached out, her jade-like hand grasping for the manual.

But the Old Ghost was not done.

As the scripture crossed the void, Yin Mei tapped his cane against the air. A pulse of invisible, destructive energy shot forward, aimed precisely to detonate the manual the moment before Ye Qingxuan touched it.

“Hmph.”

Ye Qingxuan sneered, as if she had expected nothing less. She flicked her finger, sending a streak of pitch-black energy into the void to intercept the attack.

BOOM!

The collision was silent for a split second before reality screamed.

The space above the Sacred Sun Mountain Range didn’t just shake; it shattered. Like a dropped mirror, shards of the dimension peeled away, revealing the terrified, absolute blackness of the void behind.

Below, the earth tore open, a ten-thousand-foot gorge appearing instantly. The shockwave forced Han Lie and the others to retreat wildly, their faces pale. This was the power of Kings.

“Your hands are dirty, Old Ghost.”

When the dust settled, Ye Qingxuan stood calmly, the Yin Yang Scripture resting securely in her palm. “Unfortunately, you are too slow.”

“Witch!” Yin Mei roared, veins bulging on his forehead.

Ye Qingxuan didn’t answer with words. She acted.

Having secured the treasure, she reached into the void again. Her hand materialized directly behind the retreating Zhao Batian. A vortex of black spiritual energy swirled in her palm, generating a gravitational force akin to a singularity.

“Master…!”

Zhao Batian’s body elongated grotesquely as he was dragged back toward the Sect Leader’s grasp.

Yin Mei flashed forward in a panic, swinging his cane to smash Ye Qingxuan’s energy projection.

Bang!

Another cataclysmic collision. The healing space fractured again, the backlash sending Yin Mei flying backward nearly three thousand meters.

He stabilized himself, clutching Zhao Batian, but the damage was done. Despite his intervention, a remnant of Ye Qingxuan’s palm force had clipped the Holy Son. A deep, horrific indentation marred Zhao Batian’s chest. His eyes were rolled back, white and unseeing. Alive or dead, only time would tell.

Yin Mei shoved his disciple’s body into a spatial rift for safety, his face twisted into a mask of pure venom.

“Ye Qingxuan! I will remember this humiliation!”

He was on the verge of a mental breakdown. He had lost the Yin Yang Scripture. He had lost his spy, Bai Ling. He had lost the hostages. And his prized disciple was crippled. The scheme to steal the Ten Thousand Blood Pagoda Art had resulted in a total, catastrophic collapse.

“One day,” he screamed, his voice echoing like thunder, “I will wipe the Heavenly Void Sect from the face of this continent!”

“Is that so?” Ye Qingxuan shrugged, bored. “Run along now.”

Yin Mei didn’t dare stay. He grabbed his subordinates and fled, a streak of defeated light vanishing over the horizon.

“Oooooh!”

As the pressure lifted, the Heavenly Void disciples erupted. Cheers rang out from the Law Enforcement Hall members, celebrating a total victory.

Ye Qingxuan didn’t celebrate. She pressed a hand down to silence the noise, her gaze landing on Han Lie and Bai Ling.

Han Lie met her eyes. There was a message there, clear and cold.

“Return to the sect,” she ordered.

Heavenly Void Sect. Law Enforcement Hall, Main Office.

The atmosphere was electric. Han Lie, Zhuo Hongyi, Qin Lan, and Bai Ling gathered, recounting the battle with adrenaline still pumping through their veins.

It was a complete victory. They had humiliated the rival sect and secured a treasure worth more than a dozen Elders.

Moments later, Elder Su Mei entered, her face glowing with satisfaction.

“Congratulations to you all,” she said, her voice warm. “The mission is a complete success. Once the Elder Council deliberates, rewards will be distributed based on merit.”

She glanced meaningfully at Zhuo Hongyi and Qin Lan. The two exchanged smiles; their goal of earning a Divine Ability was now within reach.

“Han Lie,” Su Mei continued, turning to the man standing quietly by the side. “Your contribution is undeniable. However… your reward will not come from me.”

She paused, a strange expression crossing her face.

” The Sect Leader has issued a decree. Han Lie and the Saintess are to report to the Violet Heaven Palace immediately. She wishes to see you personally.”