Chapter 5: The Mysterious Sect Master of the Profound Heaven Sect

"What the hell are you trying to do?" Quincy Lyson ground out through clenched teeth. "Collect what I'm owed," Cloud Quinny replied. "Owed? Owed what? The Lyson family doesn't owe you anything!" "Nothing?" Cloud Quinny let out a cold snort. "Luna Lyson stayed in the Profound Heaven Sect for two years. In those two years, she took a massive amount of spiritual medicine from my sect." "Those spiritual medicine belonged to the Profound Heaven Sect, and I already found out where they went. They were delivered straight to your Lyson family." "And besides that, these past two years, what part of your Lyson family's food, clothing, and daily expenses didn't come from the Profound Heaven Sect?" "You got to where you are because the Profound Heaven Sect carried you. Because I, as the Young Master of the Profound Heaven Sect, made things easy for you." "You've been eating my food and drinking my wine, and you still dare say you don't owe me?" After hearing that, Quincy Lyson's eyes flickered. He did not dare meet Cloud Quinny's gaze. The Lyson family had forced its way into Lorton's circle of major families in the past two years for one reason only: they had been bleeding the Profound Heaven Sect dry. To be precise, they had been bleeding Cloud Quinny dry. Otherwise, where would the Lyson family have found the resources to strengthen itself so quickly? "The spiritual medicine and money Luna brought back were things you gave willingly," Quincy Lyson argued, forcing his voice steady. "We didn't rob you. Besides, my daughter kept you company for two whole years." "With her future potential, you've already made a killing." Cloud Quinny had hidden his strength, and his true cultivation base was the Fifth Level of the Energy Condensation Realm, but Quincy Lyson still looked down on him. That level of cultivation base in the Profound Heaven Sect was only slightly above average. In the Beast Taming Sect, it would be, at best, the level of an ordinary Inner Sect Disciple. His daughter, on the other hand, was the personal disciple of the Venerable Beastmaster. Her status was beyond comparison. "I'm not here to trade words with you," Cloud Quinny said, his voice turning to ice. "Either spit back everything you swallowed over the past two years, or I'll bring people here and wipe out the Lyson family today." "You wouldn't dare!" Quincy Lyson glared at him, veins standing out at his temples. "The Lyson family is already a vassal family of the Beast Taming Sect. If you lay a hand on us, the Beast Taming Sect will never let you off!" Cloud Quinny smiled instead. "If I announce to the outside world that your Lyson family tried to kill me, do you really think the Beast Taming Sect will risk a Sect War with my Profound Heaven Sect just to protect you?" "Quincy Lyson, do you actually believe your daughter's standing in the Beast Taming Sect is that high? She's only valued for her potential. She hasn't reached that height yet." "Even if my Profound Heaven Sect is weaker, we're still the third-ranked sect within three thousand miles of Lorton." "So tell me. Do you think the Beast Taming Sect will start a Sect War with my Profound Heaven Sect over your Lyson family?" Quincy Lyson's face turned a sickly shade. Sects like the Beast Taming Sect and the Profound Heaven Sect did not start a Sect War unless they had no other choice. They certainly would not go to war for the sake of the Lyson family. Cloud Quinny spoke again, as if offering mercy. "How about this? Hand over all the spiritual medicine your Lyson family has. For the sake of a little old sentiment, I won't pursue it further. How does that sound?" Quincy Lyson kept his face stiff, hesitation twisting in his gut. "My patience is limited," Cloud Quinny said, his expression dark. "Don't force my hand." "I'll give it. I'll give it…" Quincy Lyson finally relented, his shoulders sagging. He immediately ordered people to bring out the Lyson family's remaining spiritual medicine, including their most precious treasure, a Grade Nine Spiritual Medicine, and hand it over to Cloud Quinny. When that Grade Nine Spiritual Medicine left his hands, Quincy Lyson felt as if his heart were being carved out. The Lyson family had paid for it in blood, losing more than a few men to seize it. He had planned to deliver it personally to the Beast Taming Sect for Luna Lyson's cultivation. Yet before he could even savor the victory, Cloud Quinny had stripped it away. Cloud Quinny was genuinely surprised when he saw it. He had not expected Quincy Lyson to be hiding something like this. In Lorton, it was the kind of treasure money could not buy. After putting away the spiritual medicine, Cloud Quinny left the Lyson family. … The forbidden zone of the Profound Heaven Sect. Aside from the Grand Elder and a select few, no one was allowed to approach this place. It was where the Patriarch cultivated in seclusion. Anyone who dared draw near would be punished severely. The Grand Elder stepped into the Forbidden Zone. Deep within, an old man with silver whiskers and a plain robe hovered in midair. Crimson Thunderbolt coiled around him, crackling in slow, ominous arcs. He looked ancient, yet his eyes were sharp enough to cut. "Patriarch!" The Grand Elder hurried forward and cupped his hands in salute. "It's been a year," the Profound Heaven Patriarch said, glancing at him coolly. "Your cultivation base has improved a little too slowly." "The mysterious power the Sect Master left inside me has been used up…" the Grand Elder said with a bitter smile. "Seventeen years have already passed. It was inevitable," the Profound Heaven Patriarch sighed. "Among the Profound Heaven Sect, you were the one who spent it the slowest." "I wonder if the Sect Master will return," the Grand Elder said, unable to hide the hope in his eyes. As for the origins of the Sect Master of the Profound Heaven Sect, even the Grand Elder did not know. He only knew the Sect Master was a mysterious figure who wielded power that defied reason. Seventeen years ago, the Sect Master of the Profound Heaven Sect had appeared in Lorton with an infant in his arms. He gathered them, a band of wandering cultivators with no home, and led them to Cloud City three thousand miles away. Then, with a single hand, he pressed down and annihilated a sect that far surpassed even the Beast Taming Sect. One strike. A sect with eight hundred years of heritage vanished. Only later did they learn the truth: it had been an evil sect, guilty of kidnapping, rape, and every kind of atrocity. The Sect Master had erased it with one hand. All of that sect's resources were left to them. The Sect Master also entrusted the infant to their care. That child was Cloud Quinny. They were told to raise him in the Sect Master's stead. Before leaving, the Sect Master planted a mysterious power inside every one of them. It could improve their talent. With that improved talent and the resources he left behind, the Profound Heaven Sect rose in just seventeen years to become the third-ranked sect in the Lorton region. "The Young Master has grown up," the Profound Heaven Patriarch murmured. "In one more month, he'll be eighteen." "When he turns eighteen, it'll be time for the eighteen-year pact between us and the Sect Master. I wonder if he can truly become extraordinary…" He let out a soft sigh. At that moment, a faint sound came from the Grand Elder's robes. He quickly took out a Communication Crystal, poured true energy into it, and lifted it to his ear. The Grand Elder's expression changed instantly. "What happened?" the Profound Heaven Patriarch asked, his gaze snapping over. "The Second Elder sent an encrypted message," the Grand Elder said quickly. "A servant attending the Young Master reported that after the Young Master left his residence this morning, he disappeared. No one has seen him since…" "What did you say?" A terrifying Energy Pressure surged from the Profound Heaven Patriarch. The Grand Elder's face went pale. His body trembled uncontrollably. "I told you all to take responsibility for the Young Master's safety," the Profound Heaven Patriarch roared. "And this is what you give me? He left, and you didn't even know. If anything happens to him, how will you answer to the Sect Master!" His Crimson Thunderbolt flared and swept outward, the air itself shuddering. "Patriarch, please calm your anger!" the Grand Elder blurted. "Several Elders were injured recently. We've been short-handed and-" "I don't care about your staffing," the Profound Heaven Patriarch cut in. "The Young Master is missing. Mobilize everyone in the Profound Heaven Sect. All of you, get out there and find him." "If you can't find him, don't bother coming back!" The Communication Crystal trembled again. The Grand Elder hurried to channel true energy into it. When he heard the message, the tension in his chest finally loosened. "Patriarch, the Second Elder says the Young Master has returned to the Profound Heaven Sect." The Profound Heaven Patriarch glared at him and snorted. "Good. As long as the Young Master is back. But this is the last time. There will not be a next time." "There won't be, Patriarch. Please rest assured," the Grand Elder vowed at once. "Something like this will never happen again." "Then hurry and go see whether the Young Master is injured," the Profound Heaven Patriarch said with a low grunt. "I'll go immediately." The Grand Elder bowed and withdrew. Only when he left did he realize how cold his skin felt. His clothes had been soaked through with sweat.