Chapter 650: Dark Tide Surging

Damn it!

Watching the Prison Guards—who were normally incredibly vicious—instantly transform into a pack of bootlickers, the other inmates wanted to curse their lungs out.

At the same time, they couldn’t help but feel a little jealous of Qin Ya.

‘Good grief, we’re all prisoners. How come I don’t get this kind of treatment?’

Qin Ya followed a Prison Guard to his cell. When he saw it, his expression turned odd. ‘Can this even be called a cell?’

Like the others, this cell was forged from a special, incredibly hard mineral that not even a Half-Venerable could easily destroy. But it was far from crude. The space alone rivaled a small palace, it came fully furnished, and a faint, pleasant fragrance even filled the air.

More importantly… the cell had no door!

This meant that Qin Ya could come and go as he pleased within the prison.

Such preferential treatment for a prisoner was likely unheard of in history.

“Damn it, is he a fucking prisoner or not?”

“What the hell? We all sleep on the cold, hard ground, but that guy actually has a bed! And from the looks of the carving, it’s from a master craftsman of the Divine Capital. It’s so soft and comfortable; sleeping on it must feel like being surrounded by beautiful women.”

“Forget the bed! The guy just arrived, and they’ve already prepared a feast for him. Damn, I can’t take that aroma… This is just too much. I’m so jealous.”

Seeing this, Qin Ya just smiled faintly and slowly stepped into his cell.

“Alas, to think I’d suffer the disaster of imprisonment.”

Thinking he might be living here for some time, Qin Ya couldn’t help but sigh. That very sigh, however, made the countless other inmates grind their teeth in frustration.

‘Imprisonment? You call this fucking imprisonment?’

“Young Master Qin, please rest here. Don’t hesitate to ask if you need anything.”

“Yes, thank you for your hard work.”

“Not at all, not at all.”

While Qin Ya was settling into prison life, the outside world was in an uproar.

Yann Xiao—an expert ranked 408th on the Celestial List and the Son of a Celestial Marquis—had been killed on the spot. And his killer was merely a King.

Within a day, the news had spread through most of the Divine Capital.

Countless people were left reeling in shock.

“Yann Xiao… is dead?”

“That’s right. Killed by Qin Ya, the new Celestial Nobility. They say that at the end, even Yann Sheng—a supreme expert who was approaching the top 100 on the Celestial List a full sixty years ago—personally made a move.”

“But even he couldn’t subdue Qin Ya. In the end, Divine Guard Commander Ce Tian had to personally come and take them both away. The current situation is unknown.”

…

“Latest news, latest news!”

“The verdict is out! Celestial Marquis Yann Yuntian went to the palace himself. In the end, Qin Ya was sentenced to be detained in the Supervision Mansion, but there was no mention of any specific punishment. People suspect the Divine Lord is showing favoritism.”

“It’s said that right after Yann Yuntian, Celestial Marquis Zhao Songyuan also entered the palace.”

“When Yann Yuntian left the palace, his face was grim. He looked displeased.”

“The Spirit Heaven Pavilion released its latest rankings! Qin Ya has replaced Yann Xiao at number 408 on the Celestial List. He’s the only monstrous genius in history to break into the top 500 with only a King’s Cultivation. Truly amazing.”

“Two Celestial Marquises, one after the other… there’s definitely something shady about this.”

“And not just that. After killing Yann Xiao, Qin Ya managed to withstand Yann Yuntian’s immense pressure and survive. Then he only gets a vague punishment like ‘detainment in the Supervision Mansion’? It seems he has a powerful backer protecting him.”

For a time, all sorts of rumors and news circulated wildly throughout the Divine Capital.

And so, the name Qin Ya gradually became known to everyone in the Divine Capital.

With a few interested parties digging around, everything about Qin Ya’s life before he came to the Divine Capital began to surface—his various identities, battle records, enemies, and so on.

His first appearance outside Qingkong City…

Becoming Qingkong’s Deputy City Lord, participating in the Slaughter Ruins, making an enemy of the Dongmen Family, becoming an Inspector under Meiying Venerable… Every last detail was brought to light.

“Besides his first appearance outside Qingkong City, there’s no record of this person anywhere in the Divine Country. And back then, his cultivation was only at the Half-Step King realm?”

“To advance so frighteningly fast in such a short time, with no prior history… Could he be the prized disciple of some reclusive old monster?”

“Keep digging. This man definitely has more secrets.”

“Hmph. This is all surface-level. There must be a deeper reason. Whatever it takes, I want him investigated from top to bottom.”

The various major powers mobilized their intelligence networks to investigate Qin Ya.

But, without exception, they all ran into obstacles and made zero progress.

There was only one power in the entire Divine Country capable of doing such a thing.

The Divine Palace!

“Just as I thought. This Qin Ya is under the Divine Lord’s protection.”

“I don’t understand why, but it’s best not to provoke Qin Ya if it can be avoided.”

“Sent to the Supervision Mansion? Hah. And who controls the Supervision Mansion? The Divine Palace. This is probably the Divine Lord’s way of protecting Qin Ya while appeasing Yann Yuntian.”

“What does this Qin Ya have that would make the Divine Lord go to such lengths for him? It’s incredibly curious. Is it his talent? Or something else?”

「Divine Capital, within Celestial Marquis Lieyan’s Mansion.」

A terrifying ripple of power suddenly erupted from a high tower, blanketing the entire Celestial Marquis Mansion in extreme heat. Everyone inside found themselves drenched in sweat.

Inside the tower, Yann Yuntian stood with his hands clasped behind his back. In stark contrast to the extreme heat radiating from his body, his gaze was utterly frigid, and threads of rage glinted within his eyes.

Beside him, Yann Sheng and several of his other sons stood with their heads bowed, hearts trembling. They didn’t dare breathe too loudly. Their bodies were already soaked with sweat, as if they’d been fished out of water, and they were screaming internally.

“Divine Lord… Qin Ya… Zhao Songyuan…”

“Good. Very good,” Yann Yuntian’s low voice rumbled as the terrifying heat receded. Yann Sheng and the others let out a collective sigh of relief.

“Do we have our people inside the Supervision Mansion?”

“Yes. A while ago, Sixteenth Elder Zhang Wu left a trail when he forcefully seized a Spiritual Artifact from a Martial Artist. The Supervision Mansion found out, and he’s still there being punished.”

“Zhang Wu? His cultivation is not weak, but he’s not Qin Ya’s match. Are there any other options?” Yann Yuntian mused for a moment before speaking.

“The Supervision Mansion holds many experts who have been locked up for over a hundred years. Some are even powerful enough to rank in the top 100 of the Celestial List. Just because they’re imprisoned doesn’t mean they don’t have lingering desires for the outside world. I believe we can use this. We can have Zhang Wu pull some strings inside the Supervision Mansion… and kill with a borrowed knife.”

“Mm… Yann Sheng, I’ll leave this matter to you.”

Yann Sheng nodded. “I will not fail you, Father!”

‘Qin Ya… I don’t care what you have that makes the Divine Lord value you so much. You killed my son. I, Yann Yuntian, will not let this debt be settled so easily.’

Yann Yuntian snorted, his eyes seeming to burn with fire.