Elder Todd deeply regretted everything. He wished he had been more decisive and forceful in stopping his Young Master from continuing down this dangerous path.
Even though all of his power was being suppressed in this strange white space, he could clearly tell that the young man standing before him was extraordinarily powerful in every aspect. Strong and resilient physical body, terrifying destructive Qi, and unbelievably powerful mental strength. He had experienced all three in their brief but decisive exchange.
Where in the world did such a monstrous young man come from? Wait… don't tell me…
A realization suddenly struck Elder Todd. It wasn't that there had been no hints. They had simply chosen to dismiss them and form their own convenient assumptions.
Leyvi was the recipient of the Deed of Sovereignty. But because they could not find any impressive achievements from him personally, they had assumed that Anda's incredible talent and contributions were the only reason he received it.
Elder Todd let out a deep, bitter sigh. Now that he had experienced Leyvi's power firsthand, he understood the truth. At only the early stage of Core Formation Realm, Leyvi's combat strength had already far surpassed that realm. The Protectors would never hand out the Deed of Sovereignty without good reason.
Inside the airship, the Holy Son and the remaining Alchemic Knights watched the scene in utter terror. The dozen or so Nascent Soul Realm Alchemic Knights were especially panicked. Just like Elder Todd, they could not utilize even a shred of their power. If they were forced to confront Leyvi, they would be nothing more than sitting ducks. Their fate would likely be the same as Elder Todd's… or even worse.
Meanwhile, inside the airship, the Holy Son was on the verge of a complete mental breakdown. He could not understand how things had turned out this way. Everything in his life had always gone smoothly. No matter who he targeted or what he desired, there had never been any real consequences. He had grown used to success and confidence. So why was this time so completely different?
They were not even from the Central Region, nor did they have any particularly strong backing. By all logic, dealing with them should have been easier. Yet everything had been turned upside down in an instant. What should he do now? How could he possibly survive this?
Outside the airship, Leyvi calmly took out a Soul Prison Crystal and activated it. The crystal glowed with a cold light as it pulled in Elder Todd's weakened soul.
"Alita, keep it," he instructed.
The Soul Prison Crystal containing Elder Todd's soul vanished from his hand the next moment. It had been stored away together with the other souls he had captured before.
Leyvi did not see any point in killing them outright. Souls like these could be useful for something else in the future. Besides, these people were far from innocent. They had spent their lives harming others for their own benefit. In his eyes, it was better that they disappear quietly rather than continue causing suffering. It wasn't an opinion that formed lightly. It was formed as a result of his past experience.
Leyvi had never wanted to play the role of a hero who saved everyone. He had no desire to take on such a burden. There were countless people in the world who needed saving, and trying to help them all would be an endless, impossible task. He simply wanted to mind his own business and live peacefully with his family.
However, if someone targeted him or his loved ones with malicious intent, then he had no choice but to act decisively. This had always been his guiding principle. He could not protect the entire world, but he would do everything in his power to protect his own family.
"Alita, imprison the rest of them except for that Holy Son," Leyvi instructed calmly. "I can use them as sparring partners later."
Since they were only at the Nascent Soul Realm, Alita had absolute confidence in handling them. For Soul Formation Realm cultivators, however, she had previously suggested that destroying their physical bodies first would be the safer and more effective way to weaken them significantly.
A few seconds later, all the Nascent Soul Realm Alchemic Knights inside the airship were silently transferred into the Universe Airship's prison cells. Only the Holy Son was left behind, completely alone.
Leyvi had chosen to spare the subordinates because they could still be useful in the future. But the Holy Son himself, as the mastermind who had dared to target his panda wife and planned to turn her into a hidden slave, would not be spared. He simply could not bring himself to show any mercy.
Even if the man was exceptionally talented in alchemy and could potentially be exploited the same way he wanted to exploit Anda, Leyvi still refused to let him live. Some things were simply unforgivable.
If not for the Universe Airship, a terrible tragedy could have befallen the entire Leyan Family. Had they been traveling on their usual airship when intercepted, things might have ended very differently. While Senior Lapin could have dealt with the attackers, the soul attack would have heavily injured his wives and very likely killed his unborn children.
That was completely unforgivable. Absolutely irreconcilable.
Leyvi took a slow step forward and began walking toward the entrance of the captured airship. He moved up the stairs at a steady, unhurried pace and continued making his way through the hallway toward the luxurious cabin where the Holy Son was hiding.
"No! Don't come here! It wasn't me!" the Holy Son's voice echoed desperately through the corridor. "I'm being framed! It was all Elder Todd's idea! That despicable dog forced me to do this! He's the one who does all sorts of evil things! It wasn't me!"
Leyvi could hear the pathetic, trembling voice trying to shift all the blame.
Is this really the so-called Holy Son? he thought with disdain. Once stripped of their power and authority, this was all that remained. It was beyond pathetic.
Leyvi felt nothing but utter contempt for the man.
As Leyvi moved closer, the Holy Son's behavior grew increasingly pathetic. He started throwing out all kinds of ridiculous, made-up stories in a desperate attempt to save himself. He cried, wailed, and begged loudly. Leyvi had never seen a man act so disgracefully before. His image of what a person who held the title of Holy Son should be had been shattered entirely.
Soon, Leyvi reached the most luxurious cabin. He stopped right in front of the tightly shut and locked door.
The next moment, the door unlocked and swung open by itself. Inside the Universe Airship, everything was under Alita's complete control.
"Arrgggghh!! Nooooo!! Don't come near me!!! Please forgive me!!!" the Holy Son screamed hysterically.
He was so terrified of Leyvi that in his panicked mind, Leyvi appeared like a terrifying giant looking down at him, ready to crush him at any moment.
"Are you really the Holy Son?" Leyvi asked, his eyes filled with clear disdain. "Why are you so pathetic?"
The Holy Son continued rambling and pleading incoherently, his face wet with tears and snot.
Anda soon arrived beside Leyvi and looked at the scene with amusement. "This is the person who wanted to make me his concubine? Leyvi, can you believe this idiot?"
The moment the Holy Son saw Anda, he suddenly fell silent, his eyes wide with fear.
"After seeing him, I actually feel pity for all the girls who were forced to become his concubines," Leyvi said coldly. "They deserve much better than this."
"Hehe. That's why you should marry more ladies," Anda immediately seized the opportunity. "Save those poor girls from men like this. I've told you this many times already."
"Hmm… maybe you're right," Leyvi replied with a straight face.
"Really? Oh my husband! You finally see the truth! This is the correct way!" Anda exclaimed excitedly. She hugged his arm tightly and pecked his cheek again and again.
"I'm just kidding! Hahaha!" Leyvi burst out laughing.
"Hmph! I'm ignoring you!" Anda immediately released his arm and turned away with a pout, clearly annoyed.
"Now, let's end this," Leyvi said, turning his attention back to the Holy Son.
The moment the Holy Son heard those words, he immediately broke down again. He wailed loudly and begged desperately for his life, his voice cracking with fear.
Leyvi could no longer stand listening to his pathetic cries. He took out his metal bat and delivered a clean bonk to the man's head, knocking him out cold. It was not out of mercy, but for practical reasons. Soul searching was much easier and safer when the target was unconscious. There would be far less resistance inside their Sea of Consciousness, which greatly reduced the chance of it collapsing and destroying valuable information.
The Holy Son was only at the peak of Core Formation Realm. His Sea of Consciousness was much more fragile than those of the Nascent Soul cultivators Leyvi had practiced on before. Because of this, Leyvi had to be extra careful this time. He did not want to accidentally destroy any important memories.
After preparing himself, Leyvi began performing the soul-searching technique. He sent his spiritual sense carefully into the Holy Son's Sea of Consciousness.
Soon, a flood of memories rushed toward him. Leyvi activated the Memory Hunter method and started searching for useful information.
What he saw was horrifying. The Holy Son had committed countless atrocities. Kidnapping, rape, murder, slavery, cannibalism, using living humans as alchemy ingredients, mortal genocide, and many other unspeakable acts. He had probably done nearly every heinous thing one could imagine.
What surprised Leyvi the most was that many of these crimes were completely unknown to his Alchemic Knights. The Holy Son had kept them strictly secret from even his most loyal subordinates.
As Leyvi dug deeper into the memories, he noticed something strange. In almost every heinous act that did not involve his Alchemic Knights, there was always a shady figure accompanying the Holy Son.
At first, Leyvi assumed the person was simply wearing something to hide their appearance. But after looking more closely, he realized that was not the case.
The memories themselves were being censored. The image of this shady person was deliberately obscured and blurred.
What does this mean? Leyvi wondered.
Whoever this person was, they must be extremely important. He was determined to find out the truth.