Zhou Yu's excitement was through the roof. It was as if he'd just been injected with adrenaline.

Yu Ning fell silent. At this point, she had no idea what to say.

The Academy Master?

Yu Ning's brows furrowed slightly. She was beginning to think Zhou Yu's analysis wasn't entirely without merit.

No way.

She quickly dismissed the thought. There was no way the Academy Master would come back here. For all she knew, he could be out there chasing after women.

Zhou Yu paced back and forth in the room, buzzing with excitement. Then, he stopped and looked seriously at Yu Ning. "Lady Yu Ning, how many people are aware that he's the Academy Master?"

Yu Ning hesitated for a moment before responding, "Only the Sect Master, myself, and you."

In the end, Yu Ning decided not to overthink it. I'll let him believe whatever

he wants.

Zhou Yu nodded gratefully and exclaimed, "Thank you both for trusting and believing in me!"

Yu Ning was at a loss for words.

Taking a deep breath, Zhou Yu finally forced himself to calm down. After a moment, he turned to Yu Ning again and spoke with grave determination. "Lady Yu Ning, the Academy Master's presence here suggests that he's trying to observe the inner workings of the academy to see its issues.

"So please make sure that this information goes no further. It must be a secret."

Yu Ning nodded silently in agreement.

Zhou Yu said, "I'll write a detailed report to the main hall and tell them everything that has happened here. As for the Main Sword Sect. I'll send a special transmission to notify them of what's going on."

"Great, I'm leaving now, then," Yu Ning said. Then, she stood up and left.

Left all alone, Zhou Yu sat in silence for a moment before pulling out a transmission talisman. The transmission talisman was targeted at the general manager of Nanzhou's Immortal Treasures Pavillion. "Wang Yue, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! I swear on my ancestors that I'm not lying about this!

"If I'm lying, then may tribulation lightning strike my ancestors down!"

A middle-aged man sitting inside a secret chamber somewhere in Nanzhou's Immortal Treasures Pavilion stood up abruptly. He was none other than Wang Yue, the General Manager of Nanzhou's Immortal Treasures Pavillion.

After a while, he also took out a transmission talisman. He crushed it and sent a transmission to the General Manager of Yunzhou's Immortal Treasures Pavilion.

"Old Qin, this is a chance to change your fate right there! I swear on my ancestors that I'm not lying about this! If I'm lying, then may tribulation lightning strike my ancestors down!"

Moments later, an old man stood up abruptly in a secret chamber somewhere in Yunzhou. After a moment of silence, he pulled out a transmission talisman as well.

***

Yu Ning left the Immortal Treasures Pavilion in a daze.

The misunderstanding had spiraled out of control! Still not entirely sure what to make of it, Yu Ning shook her head and muttered, "Forget it."

With that, she quietly took to the air.

***

The Qingzhou Sword Sect was on high alert, and everyone was forbidden from entering the sect.

The lockdown in Qingzhou left many people frustrated, but they couldn't complain at all. After all, they knew that something major was about to happen in Qingzhou. РаƝöβЕš

Meanwhile, Ye Guan was sitting cross-legged on a sealed cultivation grounds. He was surrounded by countless Pure-grade spiritual crystals and quite a few arrays that helped him gather spiritual energy.

His strength would increase upon each breakthrough.

An hour later, his aura surged once more—Earth Immortal Realm!

Just then, Yue Qi entered the cultivation grounds. Ye Guan opened his eyes to look at her.

"Some lurkers have appeared around the Sword Sect," Yue Qi said.

Ye Guan asked, "Which clan are they from?"

"I have no idea." Yue Qi shook her head. "They're pretty good at hiding."

Ye Guan's brows knitted in concentration.

"They're about to make a move," Yue Qi added.

"They're already here."

Yue Qi froze, and then her expression changed abruptly.

Boom!

A powerful aura suddenly engulfed the entire sect.

Ye Guan looked at Yue Qi and said, "Let's go meet them."

Swoosh!

The two disappeared from the training room.

Outside, Ye Guan and Yue Qi took to the skies and saw a mysterious man clad in black.

The black-clad man's aura was well hidden, making it impossible to sense his true strength or identity.

"Who are you?" Yue Qi demanded with narrowed eyes.

The black-clad man's voice was raspy as he replied, "Sect Master Yue, I'm here under orders to apprehend him, and I urge you not to interfere."

𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

Yue Qi's eyes narrowed further. "Under whose orders?"

"The External Committee," the black-clad figure replied.

The External Committee's authority wasn't as high as the Guanxuan Committee's, but it still oversaw sect branches like the Qingzhou Sword Sect.

Yue Qi's gaze turned icy. "Any evidence?"

The black-clad man opened his palm, revealing an arrest warrant stamped with the External Committee's unique seal.

Yue Qi's face darkened. She hadn't expected them to have an official warrant from the External Committee.

"Sect Master Yue, please hand him over. If he resists, we're authorized to execute him," the black-clad man said.

Yue Qi glared at him. "He belongs to the Sword Sect. If he has done anything wrong, then it is our job to investigate and punish him."

The black-clad man remained calm as he asked, "Since when did the Sword Sect become independent from the academy, Sect Master Yue?"

Yue Qi's face grew darker, but she said nothing.

"I'll ask you one last time—are you going to hand him over or not?"

Yue Qi began to laugh coldly. "I never thought the academy would stoop to such lows, twisting the truth so blatantly. Aren't you afraid that this would bring utter destruction to your entire clan?"

"Sect Master Yue, that's none of your concern. You've openly defied the External Committee's orders, so even if I kill you, no one will question it," the black-clad man stepped forward and unleashed a terrifying wave of pressure that enveloped Yue Qi.

He was a Divine Dao Realm expert with twenty percent divinity!

Divine Dao Realm experts with cultivated divinity were top experts in the Guanxuan Universe. Yue Qi took a step forward, and a resonant sword hum echoed. Then, a blinding sword light shattered the aura pressing down on her.

The black-clad man threw a punch in response.

Boom!

The punch halted the sword's advance.

Yue Qi stepped forward once more, and her figure transformed into a streak of sword light as she vanished from sight.

The black-clad man's eyes narrowed, and he raised his fist to strike again.

Boom!

The sword light shattered, and someone staggered backward.

It was the black-clad man!

Yue Qi seized the opportunity and slashed out!

Schwing!

A streak of sword light tore through the air.

Boom!

The black-clad man staggered backward, and he was forced to retreat by Yue Qi's relentless attacks.

"How insolent!" A furious voice echoed up above.

Yue Qi looked up and saw Zhu Qiu as well as "Zong Wu" descending toward them.

Zhu Qiu stared coldly at Yue Qi and asked, "Sect Master Yue, are you rebelling?"

Yue Qi glared at him. "Zhu Qiu, do you have any idea what you're doing?"

"What am I doing?" Zhu Qiu said calmly. "We are here by order of the External Committee to apprehend him, yet you openly resist. Are you rebelling?"

He then turned to the Sword Sect disciples below, his eyes flashing with anger. "Hear me! We are here on official orders to apprehend Ye Yang. If you resist, you will be considered rebels and will be killed without mercy."

The disciples exchanged uncertain glances.

Just then, Yue Qi exclaimed, "Sword Sect disciples, stand down. Do not move!"

Yue Qi knew that she couldn't let the disciples fight, as they would be sacrificing themselves needlessly. She had grossly underestimated her opponent's forces. There were many concealed, powerful auras around them.

The Sword Sect disciples were certainly no match against them

Swoosh!

Just then, Yu Ning suddenly appeared next to Yue Qi.

The Sword Sect disciples rose into the air, taking their places behind Yue Qi.

Yue Qi's face darkened. "What do you all think you're doing?"

Yu Ning gazed at Yue Qi. "Master, the Sword Sect will always stand united!"

"As one!" the disciples shouted in unison.

"Insolent!" Zhu Qiu's voice boomed. "Are you all rebelling?"

Yu Ning looked at Zhu Qiu coldly. "Rebelling? Academy Chief Zhu, if anyone here is rebelling, it's you! Despite being the Academy Chief of Qingzhou Guanxuan Academy, you've decided to side with a villain and twist the truth for him. Are you not afraid that the Academy Master will one day exterminate your entire clan?"

Zhu Qiu's face remained impassive as he replied, "We're simply responding to the academy's orders to apprehend him. This is a lawful conduct. Even if the Academy Master himself were here, he wouldn't say anything.

"However, you people have openly defied the academy's orders."

"Academy Chief Zhu, there's no need to waste words on them," said "Zong Wu" with a smirk. He looked at Yue Qi and said, "Sect Master Yue, if you insist on defending him, then we will have no choice but to eliminate both you and him."

Rumble!

The surrounding spacetime trembled, and dozens of figures in black emerged from all directions. Their terrifying auras pervaded the heavens and the earth, suppressing everything beneath them.

The weakest among the newcomers were Heaven Dao Realm experts! Heaven Dao Realm experts were considered average in the Main Guanxuan Academy, but in Qingzhou, they were god-like figures.

The disciples of the Qingzhoug Sword Sect were stunned by the lineup.

The academy had actually dispatched so many top-level experts to deal with them?

Zhu Qiu glanced at "Zong Wu" and transmitted,

"They're all from the Sword Sect. If we kill them all, the Main Sword Sect..."

"If they die, they die. So what? What can the main Sword Sect do to us?" "Zong Wu" dismissed it indifferently. Then, his expression became fierce as he declared,

"In the Guanxuan Universe, we're gods!"

Zhu Qiu had no idea what to say.

Meanwhile, Yue Qi was equally shocked and taken aback. She hadn't expected them to deploy so many top-level experts in one go.

Just then, "Zong Wu" declared, "The disciples of Qingzhou's Sword Sect have openly defied the Guanxuan Academy's orders! They're rebelling and are hereby sentenced to death!"