Chapter 340 - 339: Leaving
In Ningxiang Pavilion, by the lake, a peerless beauty stood alone.
The Emperor gazed at the pool of blood on the ground, the Evil Qi in his eyes churning like a stormy sea. His Divine Thought instantly spread for miles in every direction, yet he found nothing.
"Mei, investigate this thoroughly!"
As he spoke, a shadowy figure coalesced from the shadows behind the Emperor.
"Yes, My Lord."
The shadowy figure bowed, then its body flickered and vanished.
The Emperor glanced one last time at Ningxiang Pavilion, then slowly departed, the joy from his arrival now entirely consumed by fury.
Soon after, Qin Ya returned to Mingxin Academy. The moment he stepped into Ningxiang Pavilion, his brows knitted together. His eyes fell upon the shocking pool of blood on the ground, and his pupils shrank. He rushed into the pavilion in an instant, only to emerge moments later with a grim expression. His heart consumed by worry and rage, he approached the bloodstain.
’There isn’t much blood. It wasn’t a fatal wound.’
’There are no obvious signs of a struggle. That can only mean the power gap between them was immense. My aunt is at Celestial Essence Perfection, so it must have been an Extraordinary Martial Artist.’
’Who was it?’
Just then, Muui Yunlie, Nangong Wen, and the others hurried over, their expressions anxious.
"Teacher Qin, this is bad! Master Huaa was taken!"
Hearing this, Qin Ya’s face darkened. ’Huaa Que was taken, too?’
"Do you know who took them?"
"It was that group of martial artists in black armor who appeared at the Lu Family estate not long ago."
’It was them?’
Qin Ya was shocked and uncertain. ’Why would these people take Huaa Que and the others?’
’They shouldn’t have any connection to each other.’ Qin Ya took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down before saying, "Your Majesty, please tell me the details."
Nangong Wen nodded and relayed everything in detail.
"I believe this matter is related to Miss Leng. As soon as those martial artists in black armor appeared, they asked who Leng Ningshuang’s grandfather was. Unfortunately, we weren’t strong enough. We couldn’t resist, and that’s how Master Huaa was taken."
"I don’t blame you," Qin Ya said, shaking his head. ’Those martial artists in black armor are at least in the Half-Step King Realm. Forget Nangong Wen and Muui Yunlie; even if I had been there, I might not have been able to stop them.’
’So this is related to Ningshuang... What do they want?’
’Could it be that Ningshuang has something they need?’
’Wait... Ningshuang... the Profound Yin Bloodline!’
Qin Ya’s eyes lit up; he had already guessed the general course of events.
’From what the woman in red said at the Lu Family estate, they must be from a Hidden Sect called Lingxiao Palace. If so, then it all makes sense.’
’They must have taken a fancy to Ningshuang’s talent and wanted to take her back to their Sect for training. But Ningshuang must have refused to leave her family, leading to some sort of conflict—hence the pool of blood on the ground. But it wasn’t life-threatening.’
’Ningshuang must have insisted, and the woman in red and her group had no choice but to agree to bring her family back to the Sect with her. That’s why my aunt and Huaa Que are missing. I was in the mountains hundreds of miles away at the time, which is why I wasn’t taken.’
’If that’s the case, Ningshuang and the others should be safe.’
At this thought, Qin Ya couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. But then a cold light flashed in his eyes as he muttered, "Lingxiao Palace, is it? So, Lingxiao Palace... Hmph!"
No matter the reason, Qin Ya would never forgive anyone who dared to harm or coerce his family. However, Lingxiao Palace was far too powerful. For him to challenge them with his current strength would be like a mantis trying to stop a chariot.
In the following days, Qin Ya locked himself in Ningxiang Pavilion, not taking a single step outside. He used every available resource to frantically increase his strength. Meanwhile, after dealing with the black-robed figures, Nangong Wen and the others began restoring order to the Imperial Capital, helping it gradually recover.
「Time passed. About three months later.」
CREAK. The door to Ningxiang Pavilion slowly opened, and a figure in white emerged. It was Qin Ya, who had been in seclusion for a long time. Compared to three months ago, his aura had lost some of its sharpness and gained a sense of restraint, making him seem like an ordinary person.
Qin Ya had gained a tremendous amount from his three months of frenzied, arduous cultivation.
With the ten-fold speed boost from the Quenching God Array and the help of the Divinity Transformation Pill, the Divine Thought within his Divine Acupoints now emitted a milky white light, reaching a level comparable to the Celestial Human Realm.
More importantly, his control over the Mysteries had reached a new level.
Most notable among them were the Mysteries of Destruction. Qin Ya discovered that ever since the two strange black stones from the Celestial Demon Mountain Range had merged, the fluctuations of Destruction they contained had become much more distinct, which was a great help to his comprehension of the Mysteries of Destruction.
In these three months, with the help of the black stone, his grasp of the Mysteries of Destruction had improved significantly. His current combat prowess could not be compared to what it was three months ago.
Qin Ya looked back at the empty Ningxiang Pavilion and couldn’t help but sigh, murmuring to himself, "Ningshuang and my aunt are no longer here. There’s no point in me staying in the Empire, and it offers no further benefits for my cultivation."
"It’s time to leave."
...
Walking down the street, Qin Ya saw that the Imperial Capital had gradually returned to its former prosperity, and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly. He then went to the Imperial Palace, found Nangong Wen and the others, and bid them farewell, also refusing their requests for him to stay.
「The Imperial Capital, outside the city gates.」
Nangong Wen, Muui Yunlie, Muu Xue, Hua Wuchang, Gong Yu...
All these famous figures of the Imperial Capital had gathered together, gazing at the white-robed youth before them. Their eyes held reluctance, blessings, fighting spirit, and also disappointment...
"Teacher Qin, I hope we can meet again someday," Gong Yu said with a faint smile, stepping forward and brushing back her hair.
"We will."
Dressed like a dashing playboy, Hua Wuchang stepped forward and said to Qin Ya, "Teacher Qin, you’re finally leaving again. Heh, now the Imperial Capital can finally have some peace."
Qin Ya just shook his head and smiled at his words.
"Are you still planning to be an assassin?"
"Tch, no," Hua Wuchang said with a faint smile. "I plan to stay in the Imperial Capital for a while, then wander around a bit. Traveling the world with a sword in hand sounds like fun, too."
The others also came forward one by one to say their goodbyes.
"Everyone, we shall meet again."
Qin Ya clasped his fists in salute to the crowd, then rose into the air and shot off into the distance.
’First, I need to find the location of Lingxiao Palace.’
But Lingxiao Palace was a Hidden Sect with a mysterious origin and an unknown location. Even its disciples were rarely seen. Finding such a place would be far easier said than done.
’Looks like I’ll have to pay a visit to the Worldwide Business Association.’
Qin Ya muttered to himself. The Worldwide Business Association was the largest merchant guild in the Southern Domain. They traveled far and wide, had dealings with numerous factions, and possessed an outstanding intelligence network. If he wanted to find Lingxiao Palace, visiting the Worldwide Business Association to make inquiries was his best option.
The Yunxiao Empire was located in a remote part of the Southern Domain. Although there were branches of the Worldwide Business Association here, their rank was too low. They would never know about something like a Hidden Sect. Thus, Qin Ya had to leave the Yunxiao Empire to continue his search.
At his speed, it took him only half a day to leave the Empire.
Not long after, he arrived in a region called Yun Province. Located in the central part of the Southern Domain, Yun Province was vast, at least ten times the size of the Yunxiao Empire.
There were countless Martial Artists here, and a considerable number of Extraordinary ones as well.
’The Worldwide Business Association in Yun Province should be high-ranking enough to know about Hidden Sects. I just don’t know if I’ll be able to get the exact location of Lingxiao Palace.’