"Yes, sir!"

The elders could only stand respectfully outside the door.

’Since the other great families want to use my Mo family as a guinea pig, then I, Mo Chengtian, will be that guinea pig today.’

A smile touched his lips, but his eyes were cold as he walked into the room.

’I’d like to see just who these two are, daring to cause trouble in my Black Stone City.’

As Mo Chengtian stepped into the room, the large door swung shut behind him.

"Come in."

A voice called out from a nearby parlor.

Mo Chengtian glanced thoughtfully at the door behind him. He had faintly sensed a flow of Profound Power just now. To be able to open and close a door so easily with Profound Power from a whole room away... ’This person’s control over Profound Power is remarkably deft.’

’But if they think this is enough to intimidate me, they sorely underestimate me, Mo Chengtian. True strength isn’t demonstrated through such flashy tricks.’

A cold sneer formed on his lips as Mo Chengtian walked into the parlor.

The moment he entered, a thick killing intent flared in his eyes.

In the parlor before him, a black-haired youth sat calmly on a central chair. Beside him stood an arrogant, golden-haired young man. And next to the golden-haired man, his own son, Mo Cong, lay in a pool of blood. The golden-haired man had one foot on Mo Cong’s body, as if he were stepping on a stray dog.

"Father, save me! Father!"

Seeing Mo Chengtian, Mo Cong immediately burst into tears, crying out wretchedly.

Mo Chengtian’s eyes flickered. He took a deep breath, then narrowed his eyes and said, "I hear you wish for the Mo family to ransom someone? I am Mo Chengtian, the current Patriarch of the Mo family. Shouldn’t you be releasing my son now?"

Mo Chengtian had his son, Mo Cong, late in life and doted on him dearly.

Although the Mo family was the foremost family in Black Stone City, Mo Chengtian had always been very strict with Mo Cong, fearing he would stir up trouble.

’To think he’d actually get himself captured this time.’ Though Mo Chengtian’s face remained impassive, killing intent surged in his heart. He had already decided that as soon as he got his son back, he would make these two suffer his endless wrath, no matter what force they came from.

"Patriarch Mo, no need to be hasty. Sit down and have a cup of tea."

Ye Xuan picked up a nearby teacup and took a sip, his tone leisurely.

"Didn’t you hear His Highness tell you to sit and have some tea?" Jin Lin grinned, stomping his foot down. Mo Cong let out another agonized howl.

Mo Chengtian’s gaze turned frigid. He slowly sat down, picked up the teacup before him, and drank it without hesitation before slamming it back onto the table.

"I’ve sat down. I’ve drunk the tea. Now, state your terms."

Mo Chengtian had assumed Ye Xuan offered him tea because it was poisoned. As a dignified Tier Six Martial Venerable, he naturally wasn’t concerned about a little poison. The moment he finished drinking, he focused on circulating his Profound Power to expel any toxins.

But to his confusion, there was no poison in Ye Xuan’s tea at all. It was just an ordinary cup of tea, and he had been on alert for nothing.

As if reading Mo Chengtian’s mind, Jin Lin couldn’t help but sneer.

At this moment, Ye Xuan put down his teacup and finally spoke. "Patriarch Mo, I wonder what treasures you’ve brought to ransom your son?"

Ye Xuan got straight to the point, his tone flat, as if he didn’t even see Mo Chengtian as a threat.

"What treasures do you want?" Mo Chengtian sneered. "Are you aware that you are currently surrounded by the Martial Artists of my Mo family? Outside your room, outside this inn, my family’s Martial Artists are everywhere. Believe it or not, with a single command from me, they could capture you both. What leverage would you have to negotiate with me then?"

"Don’t tell me you’re using my son as a hostage. Do you have any idea how many life-or-death battles the Mo family has endured to stand tall in Black Stone City for over two hundred years? In our most brutal struggle, only a dozen clansmen survived, yet the Mo family still stands proud in Wukong Ridge today. What do we rely on? A fearless spirit that bows to neither heaven nor earth! You think you can threaten the Mo family by capturing one of our younger generation? Hmph, you’re far from it."

"I didn’t come here today to ransom anyone. I came to give you a piece of advice. Don’t think you can run amok just because you have a powerful background. This is Wukong Ridge, a lawless land in the Dream Realm Plain. No matter how powerful your backing is, it’s useless here. Understand?"

Mo Chengtian spoke coldly, releasing a terrifying wave of Profound Power. The very air in the parlor seemed to freeze.

"Are you done?" Ye Xuan glanced at Mo Chengtian, his expression cold. "If you didn’t come to ransom him, then what are you here for? I don’t have time to play house with you. If you’re finished, you can get lost. But my words still stand: tomorrow, you might be looking at Mo Cong’s corpse."

"You dare threaten me?"

Mo Chengtian’s expression froze. He hadn’t expected the youth to be completely unfazed after all he’d said. ’Is he really not afraid of my Mo family’s power?’

"Threaten you? Who do you think you are? Are you even worthy of being threatened by His Highness?" Jin Lin scoffed. He kicked Mo Cong’s bound body, sending it rolling like a ball at his feet.

Mo Chengtian’s gaze hardened. He hadn’t attacked immediately for two reasons: one was for Mo Cong’s safety, and the other was concern about Ye Xuan and Jin Lin’s background. Now, hearing Jin Lin’s words and the tone of the golden-haired youth, Mo Chengtian frowned. ’Could it be that these two really have some extraordinary origin?’

With that thought, he sneered, "In the Dream Realm Plain, my Mo family may not be able to command respect from all, but we’re not some riffraff that just anyone can step on. I, Mo Chengtian, am one of the strongest experts in this Black Stone City. No one in this city has ever dared to disrespect me."

"A mere Tier Six Second Layer Martial Venerable," Ye Xuan said with a dismissive sneer. "And you keep going on about your Mo family. Anyone who didn’t know better would think you were some super-family from the Celestial Profound Continent. In reality, you’re just a third-rate little family from the backwoods."

"What did you say, boy? You dare insult my Mo family!"

Mo Chengtian’s pupils contracted, and he roared in fury. As the Patriarch of the Mo family, he hated nothing more than people looking down on his family.

’But how did Ye Xuan know I’m a Tier Six Second Layer Martial Venerable?’

"I’m just speaking the truth. A Tier Six Martial Venerable isn’t even worthy of my insults," Ye Xuan sneered.

With his perspective and power, a Tier Six Martial Venerable was truly insignificant in his eyes, making the concept of an insult laughable.

Mo Chengtian couldn’t help but laugh derisively. "Such arrogance! Are you a member of the Sky Empire’s Royal family? Or perhaps the son of the Sect Master of the Nine Yang Sect or the Profound Mystery Sect? Even they wouldn’t dare speak such words."

Mo Chengtian’s anger was half-real, half-feigned. He was trying to probe Ye Xuan for information.

If Ye Xuan couldn’t back up his claims, he would seize the first opportunity to capture and torture them both.

How could Ye Xuan not understand his intentions? He smiled faintly. "The Sky Empire’s Royal family? What are they? The sons of the Sect Masters of the Nine Yang Sect and the Profound Mystery Sect? What are they? I don’t give them a second glance. Even one of my attendants is beyond their ability to provoke."

"Jin Lin, let him have a small taste of your strength," Ye Xuan said with a mysterious, disdainful smile.

As soon as his voice fell, a faint sneer appeared on Jin Lin’s face, and he gave a casual, nonchalant yawn.

BOOM!

An invisible force descended out of thin air. A terrifying aura instantly filled the parlor, freezing all the Profound Qi within. A suffocating pressure welled up from the depths of one’s soul.

Before this pressure, Mo Chengtian felt his own Tier Six Martial Venerable aura was as flimsy and fragile as a piece of paper in a gale. It was instantly torn to shreds, leaving nothing behind.

The pressure came and went in a flash, vanishing in the blink of an eye. Yet, Mo Chengtian’s back was already soaked with cold sweat.

Jin Lin had utterly stunned Mo Chengtian just by revealing a sliver of his aura. His eyes, wide as goose eggs, were fixed on Jin Lin.

Jin Lin stood about six-foot-two, with long golden hair and a handsome face. Simply by standing there, he naturally exuded a domineering presence.

As a Tier Six Venerable Martial Realm expert, Mo Chengtian could tell from that single sliver of aura that Jin Lin was definitely a Martial King Level existence!

A Tier Seven Martial King Level expert!

Not a single Martial King Level expert had ever emerged in all of Wukong Ridge. In the Dream Realm Plain, only the most supreme powers had Martial King experts presiding over them, and they were all the highest-ranking figures in their respective forces, holding lofty positions.

But now, a Martial King Level expert stood right before him.

And worse, this person was merely an attendant.

Mo Chengtian felt as if he were in a dream; it was all so unreal. The youth before him actually had a King Level guard!

What did that even mean?

Not even the Prince of the Sky Empire or the sons of the Sect Masters of great sects like the Nine Yang Sect would receive such treatment, right?

Recalling Ye Xuan’s earlier words, Mo Chengtian’s heart jolted.

’Could this youth be from one of those super-families from other parts of the continent?’

It was said that some of the continent’s super-families were presided over by Tier Eight Martial Sovereign experts, and even Tier Nine Martial Emperors. Only such supreme powers could afford to assign a Tier Seven Martial King as an attendant to one of their younger generation.

In his shock, Mo Chengtian couldn’t help but blurt out, "Sir, you wouldn’t happen to be a disciple from one of the great powers of our Dream Realm Plain, would you?"

"The Dream Realm Plain? What is that?" Ye Xuan scoffed. "I have traveled to the Endless Sea, ascended Immortal Peak, and set foot in the Profound Realm Ninth Heaven. This place is nothing but a random stop on my journey. If I hadn’t spotted a piece of Seven-Colored Chaos Soil here, I wouldn’t have even bothered to set foot in this so-called Black Stone City."

Ye Xuan declared arrogantly.