Near the border between the South Region and the Central Region, a large airship bearing the luminous banner of the Alchemy Dominator Sect drifted through the night sky. Its movement was unhurried, almost leisurely, as if nothing in the world could threaten it.
Inside the most luxurious cabin, however, the atmosphere was anything but calm.
A man with fiery red hair paced back and forth, his expression dark and restless. The long crimson robe draped over his body fluttered with each sharp turn, its elegant design doing little to soften the agitation radiating from him.
"Where are Elder Jiabin and the others?" he muttered, his voice laced with both irritation and unease. "Why haven't they returned yet? This doesn't make sense…"
This man was the newly appointed Holy Son of the Alchemy Dominator Sect.
Blessed with a Unique Heavenly Body that greatly enhanced his ability in alchemy, he had risen rapidly through the ranks.
Not long ago, he defeated the previous Holy Son in a decisive alchemy duel, claiming the position for himself and solidifying his status among the younger generation.
Talent, status, power… he had it all.
And with it came his particular indulgence.
He had a habit of collecting talented female alchemists.
Over the years, he had gathered more than a hundred of them under his banner, taking them as concubines and proudly displaying them as part of his "achievements." Those who could not be claimed openly were dealt with differently. They would vanish quietly, hidden away and forced to produce alchemical creations in secrecy, their existence reduced to that of tools.
Even so, he preferred the former. A visible collection carried far more prestige than shadows hidden out of sight.
Most of his activities were confined to the Central Region, where the highest concentration of talent naturally gathered. There had never been a need to look elsewhere.
But Anda… was an exception.
From one of his Alchemic Knights who had gone to the Mystic Realm on his behalf in search of alchemy relics, he learned that Anda's alchemy talent could rival his own. At first, he did not believe it. But after finding out that she had received an official title from the Alchemy Association, he knew the claim was not exaggerated.
Princess of Alchemy Formula.
She had earned the title because of her outstanding ability to help other alchemists complete hundreds of new formulas. It was a terrifying achievement. In the alchemy world, an alchemist capable of creating new and better formulas was valued far more than one who could only refine existing ones.
Even he, the Holy Son of the most prestigious alchemy sect on the continent, had not been granted any official title yet.
He had been extremely excited at the thought of making her his concubine. Her talent would be a tremendous boost to his influence. With his status, he believed no woman would refuse him.
But who would have thought that she was already married at such a young age? He hated women who already belonged to someone else. In his eyes, they were tainted and impure. Therefore, she could only become his hidden slave alchemist. It was truly a pity.
Because of this, there was another person he had come to hate deeply.
Leyvi Leyan.
That wicked, lucky bastard had taken advantage of his childhood friendship with Anda to marry her and exploit her god-given talent. A despicable opportunist.
How did he know? The rapid rise of the Leyan Family in such a short time was clearly all because of her. Her husband had done almost nothing but enjoy the fruits of her hard work. It was so obvious.
Nevertheless, he must obtain her at any cost. Her ability was simply too valuable to let someone else benefit from it. It should belong to him alone. In the future, he would dominate the entire alchemy world.
However, what the Holy Son expected to be smooth sailing had now become filled with uncertainty and irritation.
He had dispatched a powerful team consisting of one Soul Formation Realm elder and fifteen Nascent Soul Realm Alchemic Knights just to kidnap a single Core Formation Realm alchemist.
She did not have any particularly strong backers, so the mission should have been completed quickly and without any complications. Yet the group still had not returned, even though they were supposed to catch up with him before he departed from Medicine Valley.
What could possibly be causing such a long delay? He found it difficult to believe that anyone in the South Region could stop such a strong force. At least, not in this remote area. Still, something had clearly gone wrong along the way.
Could it be the Multi-Element Sect secretly backing her family? He quickly dismissed the thought. He had already confirmed that the three Soul Formation Realm cultivators from the Element Sect were currently roaming the continent in search of people with rare multi-element spirit roots.
City Lord Caterina was also confirmed to be staying inside Holy Cat City, preparing for her wedding. There should be no one capable of interfering with his carefully laid plans.
Left with no other choice, he ordered the airship to fly at a much slower speed so that Elder Jiabin and the rest of the team could catch up. As he paced inside the luxurious cabin, he could not help but curse Elder Jiabin bitterly in his heart.
The man was utterly useless.
He could not even handle such a simple task properly and return on time. All the resources the sect had poured into nurturing those Alchemic Knights seemed to have gone to waste.
"Young Master, please calm down," a middle-aged man exuding a steady Soul Formation Realm aura spoke respectfully. "I have known Elder Jiabin for many years. He is not the type of person who would delay a mission for no reason. Something unexpected must have happened to them."
This middle-aged man was also an Alchemic Knight nurtured by the sect, just like Elder Jiabin. While they were free to choose which alchemist to serve within the sect, once they pledged their loyalty to a master, they were bound to devote their entire life to that person. Changing allegiance was strictly forbidden under the sect's long-standing customs.
However, just because Alchemic Knights could not change their allegiance after pledging loyalty, it did not mean they had lost the right to speak their minds. They still possessed the pride that came with being high-level cultivators.
"Hmph, shut up!" the Holy Son snapped. "Elder Todd, it is precisely because you like talking back to me like this that I could not entrust you with this kind of important mission. So annoying."
"I am speaking back because it is for your own good, Young Master," Elder Todd replied sternly. "What you are doing is dangerous. If the Protectors ever discover your actions, it could become your downfall in the future. I do not mind your hobby of collecting talented female alchemists, but keeping them as hidden slaves is not a wise decision. Making them your concubines should be enough."
"Heh, what does a mere Alchemic Knight know about making good decisions?" the Holy Son mocked with a cold laugh. "You are nothing more than a dog raised to obey."
He disliked Elder Todd for always disagreeing with him, but the man had never actually disobeyed his orders. That was enough for the Holy Son.
Elder Todd let out a quiet sigh. He had chosen to serve this young man since childhood because of his tremendous potential. Who would have thought that he would grow up to develop such a twisted personality? He was genuinely worried that his Young Master's reckless actions would one day be exposed, causing everything to collapse and dragging him down as well.
But this was simply the life of an Alchemic Knight. In exchange for abundant cultivation resources and rapid progress, they had to pledge absolute loyalty. They could reach high realms much faster than others, but they had to give up their freedom in return.
Hearing the mockery from the person he served, Elder Todd felt a deep sense of disappointment in his heart. He could only hope that his Young Master would stop these dangerous activities before it was too late.
Unfortunately for Elder Todd, it was already too late.
The next moment, the airship suddenly shook violently. Then, just as abruptly, it came to a complete stop, as if it had been frozen in place.
"What is going on? Why did we stop?" the Holy Son asked, clearly puzzled.
Even if Elder Jiabin and his group had finally returned, there was no need for them to stop the airship. They could have simply entered while it was still moving.
Elder Todd, however, felt a strong sense of foreboding wash over him. The atmosphere inside the cabin had changed in an instant. A heavy, oppressive feeling settled around them. It was exactly the kind of situation he had feared the most.
"Young Master! Look outside! We are in a strange place!" an urgent voice suddenly rang out from the airship's speaker.
"Outside?" The Holy Son stood up and walked over to the window. He pulled the curtain aside with a swift motion.
"What? Where are we? What is this white place? How did we get here?" he exclaimed in shock the moment he looked out.
There was nothing but pure white in every direction.
Elder Todd quickly spread his spiritual sense outward through the openings of the airship. What he saw made his heart sink. They were now inside an enormous white room, large enough to comfortably contain their entire airship with plenty of space to spare.
Suddenly, a dark patch appeared in the white space. A door was opening.
Someone is coming! Who could it be? Have we been captured by one of the Protectors?
Even though he was a Soul Formation Realm cultivator, he knew he would stand no chance against a Soul Transformation Realm powerhouse. Cold sweat began to form on his back as he prepared for the worst.
Contrary to his expectations, it was not a Protector who stepped through the door. Instead, it was a young man and woman walking in calmly.
WHAT??
The Holy Son's eyes widened in complete shock. He recognized them immediately. After all, he had seen detailed information about them before sending the mission, including their appearances.
Leyvi Leyan and Anda Leyan! How was this possible?
Beside him, Elder Todd's heart beat even faster. A wave of terror washed over him. For some strange reason, he would have preferred that they had been caught by a Protector instead.
"COME OUT, BRAT! I'LL GIVE YOU TEN SECONDS OR I'LL DESTROY THE ENTIRE AIRSHIP!" Leyvi's voice boomed powerfully through the white space.
"Pfft." Anda nearly burst out laughing.
It was exactly the same threat the Alchemic Knights had shouted when they tried to kidnap her. Now her husband was using those very same words against them.