Chapter 434: He Is My Junior Apprentice Brother!

Ye Yuan's heart jolted, but his face remained calm as he said, "Are you talking to me? But, did you call the wrong name?"

Ding Liang said expressionlessly, "Whether I called the wrong name, you know in your heart. But... since you managed to overpower the Seventh Prince, His Majesty the Wind Emperor probably won't let you go back."

Shi Haoran's face darkened. "Ding Liang, don't spout nonsense here to confuse the issue! If you have something to say, say it! But if you want to touch my junior apprentice brother, you'll have to get through me first!"

Ding Liang glanced at Shi Haoran and smiled. "You keep calling him your junior apprentice brother, but do you know his true identity?"

Shi Haoran sneered. "You mean to say that Master Xingyuan was blind when he accepted my junior apprentice brother as a disciple?"

Ding Liang's expression shifted slightly. Shi Haoran had invoked the great name of Xingyuan, forcing him to tread carefully.

Although Xingyuan was at the same cultivation level as him, he was a figure even the Wind Emperor feared!

Moreover, Xingyuan's protectiveness was well known; if truly angered, he would stop at nothing.

"Of course I don't mean that, but... perhaps Lord Xingyuan himself has been kept in the dark?" Ding Liang naturally wouldn't fall for it.

"Hmph! If my junior apprentice brother truly deceived Master Xingyuan, the master himself will punish him. It's not up to you Shadow Guards to meddle! Junior apprentice brother, let's go!" Shi Haoran snorted coldly.

With that, Shi Haoran led his fellow disciples, intending to bypass Ding Liang and leave.

How could Ding Liang let them go? He shifted his stance slightly and blocked their path again.

Shi Haoran frowned, his tone gradually turning cold. "Ding Liang, are you determined to provoke a confrontation between the royal family and the Alchemist Guild?"

Ding Liang shook his head. "No need for such words, Pill King Shi. Ding is merely acting on orders. Your junior apprentice brother is a spy infiltrated from the Boundless Realm—this is beyond doubt! If Pill King Shi doesn't believe me, you can ask your junior apprentice brother!"

Shi Haoran's heart skipped a beat, and he found himself in a dilemma.

In truth, from Ding Liang's earlier words, Shi Haoran had already begun to suspect, but deep down, he still didn't want to believe it was true.

After a moment of silence, Shi Haoran forcibly suppressed his doubts and said to Ding Liang, "This matter is of great importance. Even if an inquiry is needed, it's not for me to conduct! I will take my junior apprentice brother back now, and Master Xingyuan will handle it impartially!"

Ding Liang's face darkened. He wished he could strike Shi Haoran down with one palm!

Impartially, my ass!

Take this kid back, and you'll 'handle it impartially' behind closed doors. Then am I supposed to go to Xingyuan to demand the person?

"No! This matter has already been investigated thoroughly. Pill King Shi need not go back to ask Lord Xingyuan! I will take Ye Yuan away now, and His Majesty the Wind Emperor will personally explain to Lord Xingyuan later!" Ding Liang said immediately.

"I already said, if you want to touch my junior apprentice brother, you'll have to get through me first! Ding Liang, if you have the guts, kill me!" Shi Haoran roared angrily.

"You!" Ding Liang was fuming with rage.

As they spoke, the tension between the two sides grew, and it seemed they might come to blows at any moment.

But if it came to a fight, Ye Yuan's side would surely suffer a great loss.

Not only was Ding Liang a Divine Travel realm expert on the opposing side, but most of the others were also Soul Sea realm experts.

Ye Yuan's side was all alchemists—how could they be a match for the Shadow Guards?

"Fine! I'll expose his identity in front of everyone, and see how you can still shield him! Blue Tiger, come out!" Ding Liang shouted.

A figure appeared before the crowd. When Ye Yuan saw the newcomer, his expression changed, and his last shred of hope vanished.

"Ye Yuan, long time no see! To find you, I've turned the entire royal city upside down these past few months! I never expected you to be right under my nose, and even become a disciple of Emperor Xingyuan! If I hadn't come to watch this martial arts contest for a bride on a whim today, you might have escaped back to the Boundless Realm without my knowledge!"

Although Blue Tiger spoke with a smile, anyone could hear the resentment in his words.

Blue Tiger's words were not an exaggeration. For months, he had gone to the city gate every day, hoping to spot Ye Yuan.

Yet months passed without a single trace!

He never imagined that Ye Yuan had not only entered the royal city long ago but had also become the eighth disciple of Emperor Xingyuan.

This discovery nearly made him vomit blood from frustration!

Seeing Blue Tiger, Ye Yuan knew his whereabouts were finally exposed.

Knowing he couldn't hide it any longer, Ye Yuan sighed softly. "So it's Blue Tiger. It really has been a while. I didn't expect you to be so attentive to my affairs!"

At Ye Yuan's words, Shi Haoran and the others' expressions changed drastically!

This was tantamount to admitting he was a spy.

"Th-this... how is this possible? I clearly probed his soul, and all the characteristics were exactly the same as a martial artist from the Windstorm Realm!"

Beside him, Xiao Changfeng's face was already ashen, and he still couldn't believe it.

Hearing this, Ding Liang was also puzzled. His cultivation was far higher than Xiao Changfeng's, and he could sense that Ye Yuan's soul was no different from that of a Windstorm Realm martial artist.

If not for Blue Tiger having seen Ye Yuan with his own eyes, he would never have suspected Ye Yuan.

In fact, if not for this, Ye Yuan might have been exposed long ago and couldn't have been so brazen under their noses until now!

Among the people Ye Yuan had interacted with, many were high-level martial artists who could easily detect the anomaly in his soul.

Ye Yuan smiled. "Heh, that's very simple!"

As he spoke, Ye Yuan's soul underwent a subtle change, and everyone's expressions shifted!

"Th-this... how is this possible?"

Everyone stared wide-eyed, looking at Ye Yuan in disbelief. Even the Imperial-level expert Ding Liang's pupils contracted, clearly shocked.

"Heh, nothing is impossible. It's just slightly altering the characteristics of the soul," Ye Yuan said with a faint smile.

After a long while, the crowd recovered from their shock. Ding Liang said solemnly, "Shi Haoran, you've seen it too. What else do you have to say? This boy's talent is even more monstrous than that of Shangguan Lingyun and the Seventh Prince. He absolutely cannot be allowed to leave! Otherwise, he will surely become a major threat to the Windstorm Realm in the future!"

Shi Haoran's expression shifted uncertainly, clearly torn inside.

Ye Yuan suddenly spoke. "Thank you, Senior Brother, and all the other senior brothers, for your care these past days. I had no choice but to conceal my identity. Today's matter, let me bear it alone. Senior Brother, please go back!"

At this critical juncture, it would be perfectly normal for Shi Haoran to turn against him, so Ye Yuan naturally wouldn't hold a grudge.

On the contrary, he was very grateful for Shi Haoran's care during this time. Shi Haoran's protective nature suited Ye Yuan's taste.

But to Ye Yuan's surprise, Shi Haoran suddenly stepped in front of him and said to Ding Liang, "No matter who he is, he is my junior apprentice brother! If you want to take him away, you can, but I must first take him back to Qixia Mountain and let Master Xingyuan decide his fate! Until then, he is my junior apprentice brother, and no one will touch a single hair on his head!"