Chapter 1997: Calling to Account

"Haha, congratulations, Brother Hongxiao, on attaining the position of Heavenly Sovereign! Truly a cause for celebration!"

Ye Yuan was overjoyed at the sight of Jian Hongxiao.

In three years, Jian Hongxiao had become a Heavenly Sovereign realm powerhouse.

"Heh, don't tease your old brother. Half the credit for my Heavenly Sovereign status goes to you!" Jian Hongxiao laughed heartily.

Jian Hongxiao was now in high spirits, nothing like the decrepit old man Ye Yuan had first met.

The backlash from the Heavenly Dao had been completely eliminated, and breaking through to the Heavenly Sovereign realm had granted him many additional years of life.

Now, Jian Hongxiao was no longer the frustrated master of the Profound Mechanism Pavilion in the Imperial City of Aurora.

Seeing Jian Hongxiao like this, Ye Yuan was genuinely happy for him.

"Brother Hongxiao, now that you have not only returned to your peak but also advanced further, I can rest assured. Today, I came first to see you, and second to bid you farewell." Ye Yuan smiled.

Jian Hongxiao's expression changed. "What, you're leaving already?"

Ye Yuan nodded. "The situation in the Imperial City of Skyhawk is still unstable, and I'm worried. I should return as soon as possible."

Jian Hongxiao was moved. Ye Yuan had set aside matters in the newly established Imperial City of Skyhawk just to repay his kindness.

For his sake, Ye Yuan had even entered the Ancient God Battlefield, risking life and death.

Jian Hongxiao understood that although Ye Yuan had broken through two minor realms in the Ancient God Battlefield, the dangers he faced must have been unimaginable.

Having once been an elder of the Star Pavilion, he knew well the perils of the Ancient God Battlefield; total annihilation was a common occurrence in the history of the Extreme Fortune Emperor Capital.

Jian Hongxiao sighed. "Then I won't keep you. When I have time, I'll visit you in Skyhawk."

Ye Yuan clasped his hands and smiled. "Brother Hongxiao, you must keep your word."

...

In the main hall of the City Lord's Mansion in the Imperial City of Skyhawk, three young people—two men and one woman—sat at the head.

Below, City Lord Zuo Shujie and Leng Yu knelt prostrate.

"Zuo Shujie, your ten cities of Lingnan have set up a separate regime and refuse to respect our Five Emperors' Capital. What punishment do you deserve?" sneered the young man on the left.

This young man was named Deng Wei, the top genius of the Deng family in the Five Emperors' Capital.

Throughout the entire Five Emperors' Capital, he was a first-rate existence.

The young man on the right was named Dai Yang, the top genius of the Dai family in the Five Emperors' Capital.

As for the cold and beautiful woman in the middle, she was Lü Ziyi, the top genius of the City Lord's Mansion in the Five Emperors' Capital.

The top geniuses of the three great families of the Five Emperors' Capital had all gathered at the Imperial City of Skyhawk.

Facing these three geniuses, Zuo Shujie dared not even breathe heavily.

These three were clearly representing the Five Emperors' Capital to call them to account.

The current situation of the Imperial City of Skyhawk was tantamount to carving out a separate territory within the jurisdiction of the Five Emperors' Capital and declaring independence.

How could the Five Emperors' Capital allow such a thing to happen?

The Imperial City of Skyhawk was not a place like the Imperial City of Aurora, which no one dared to provoke.

Zuo Shujie had thought that the ten kingdoms of Lingnan were far from the emperor's reach and that the Five Emperors' Capital might not notice.

But who knew that decades later, the news would still leak out.

"This... you misunderstand, sirs. How could our ten cities of Lingnan possibly disrespect the Five Emperors' Capital? Lord Ye Yuan is merely an inspector of the Nine Permits Emperor Capital; we are subordinate cities under the Nine Permits Emperor Capital!" said Zuo Shujie.

Deng Wei sneered. "Do you take us for fools? Can Yu Wenfeng still control you now?"

Zuo Shujie was anxious but still said, "Naturally, he can."

Deng Wei was momentarily taken aback, then sneered, "Heh, it seems you won't cry until you see the coffin! Do you think that with my status, I need evidence to kill a mere city lord like you?"

With that, Deng Wei's aura surged, and a terrifying pressure of the True God realm erupted.

Zuo Shujie, merely at the fourth level of the Heavenly God realm, could not withstand such a powerful energy fluctuation; his bones cracked under the pressure.

Pfft!

Zuo Shujie and the others spat out a mouthful of blood, already severely injured.

"Enough. They are merely following orders. The main culprit hasn't appeared yet; killing them is useless," Lü Ziyi said indifferently from the head seat.

Deng Wei snorted coldly. "These despicable wretches need a lesson to know who's boss! Men, take these people to the dungeon! When that Ye Yuan returns, we'll take him away too!"

At his command, several armored soldiers entered from outside, all at the peak of the True God realm.

But there was no need for them to act; Zuo Shujie and the others were barely hanging on, lucky to be alive.

After they were taken away, Dai Yang snorted. "These guys are stubborn; they've probably been poisoned by that Ye Yuan! I'm curious now—does that kid Ye Yuan have three heads and six arms?"

Deng Wei smiled ingratiatingly at Lü Ziyi. "Miss Ziyi, what should we do next?"

Lü Ziyi said calmly, "Anyone related to Ye Yuan, throw them all into prison! When that Ye Yuan returns, we'll take them all to the Five Emperors' Capital."

Deng Wei and Dai Yang exchanged glances, both secretly shocked.

Although Lü Ziyi was a woman, her methods were not ordinary—they were ruthless!

This way, they would effectively wipe out the ten cities of Lingnan in one fell swoop.

"But there are still two True God realm powerhouses in the city. The one at the first level of True God is no problem, but the one at the fourth level might be hard to deal with," Deng Wei said, looking meaningfully at Lü Ziyi.

Lü Ziyi slowly stood up and said calmly, "Leave the fourth-level True God to me. You take care of the rest. If anyone resists, kill them directly!"

...

At that moment, Bai Chen, Bai Guang, Ning Tianping, and others had gathered together.

"These people mean trouble!" Bai Chen frowned.

Lü Ziyi and the others were all mid-stage True God realm experts; he was no match for them.

Bai Guang's face darkened. "To hell with it! If it comes to it, we'll fight them to the death!"

Leng Qiuling shook her head. "We shouldn't act rashly. With the current strength in the city, we are no match for them. We have to wait for Ye Yuan to handle this."

Catalyzed by Ye Yuan's pills, they were now all at the peak of the ninth level of the Heavenly God realm, still one step away from the True God realm.

But such strength was nothing in front of Lü Ziyi and her companions.

"But these guys are treacherous. As soon as they entered the city, they sealed all the formations. Now we can't send any messages out. If Big Brother really comes back, won't he be walking into a trap?" Bai Guang frowned.

Bai Chen shook his head. "I agree with Miss Leng. Given Master's talent, he must have broken through to the True God realm by now. Even if he can't defeat them, they won't be able to keep him. As long as Master is safe, everything will be fine!"