"Could Ling'er have gone to the Tenth Natural Planet to look for me?"
Suddenly, Ian Song had this thought. He immediately called Samuel Tian, instructing him to send someone to the Space Agency to check if Lynn Ning had shown up. If she really went to the Tenth Natural Planet, she should have arrived by now.
There wouldn't be any news for a while yet. He would have to wait.
"How many consecrated protectors does the Tian Clan have, and what are their strengths?" Ian asked Elder Hank Hu and Elder Jack Jiang.
Elder Hu replied, "The Tian Clan has eleven consecrated protectors in total: six are super-god-level warriors, and four are Five-Star Psychic Adepts."
"Aren't there eleven consecrated protectors? What about the last one?" Ian asked in a deep voice.
Elder Jiang quickly explained, "Master, there is one more—he is the top among all us consecrated protectors. We don't know his name, but he has been here since we joined the Tian Clan. He spends most of his time in seclusion, rarely appearing for years at a time. So, we don't even know if he's a Psychic Adept or a super-god-level warrior!"
Ian nodded thoughtfully and continued, "What are your rankings among the Tian Clan's consecrated protectors?"
"Master, I am ranked seventh," Elder Hu replied.
Elder Jiang immediately added, "Master, I am ranked fifth."
"How does the strength of the one ranked second compare to yours?" Ian asked again.
"Even if we join forces, we can't beat him. At most, we could withstand fifty moves!"
Hearing this, Ian made a mental estimate: Elder Jiang and Elder Hu's strength was about equal to an ordinary initial-stage Martial Saint—actually, the weakest kind.
If the two of them together could only withstand fifty moves from the second-ranked consecrated protector, it meant that person was at least comparable to a mid-stage Martial Saint.
But to Ian, that was just someone he could take down in three to five moves. After all, both he and his Martial Soul avatar had reached the peak of Martial Saint.
After more than twenty minutes, Samuel Tian called back. He had personally gone to the Space Agency to check the surveillance footage and passenger lists for the past few days, but found no sign of Lynn Ning.
"She didn't go to the Tenth Natural Planet. Then where did she go, or could it be...?"
Thinking of this, Ian's gaze grew cold again. He said icily, "Let's go—to the Tian Clan!"
After years of development, the Tian Clan had become a giant within the Federation Empire. Its headquarters resembled a small city, filled with ancient-style buildings, elegant and steeped in history.
Moreover, no hover-cars are allowed inside the Tian Clan headquarters. Everyone, from top to bottom, must walk or ride in carriages.
Two hover-cars descended from the sky, landing in the parking lot outside the Tian Clan estate.
Then, two elderly men, a young man, and two voluptuous young women stepped out.
Unlike other wealthy families who use robots or smart systems to guard their gates, the Tian Clan employs powerful martial artists as gatekeepers.
Each gatekeeper was a War General-level cultivator. In a small city, someone with War General cultivation could easily found a family of their own or gain considerable power by joining the military or Special Police.
But the Tian Clan uses War Generals just to guard the gates, showing how extravagant and powerful their foundation is.
"Greetings, Elder Hu! Greetings, Elder Jiang!"
All eight War General gatekeepers bowed respectfully to Elder Hank Hu and Elder Jack Jiang.
"No need for formalities. Get up!"
Elder Hu waved his hand and led Ian Song and the other three straight into the Tian Clan estate.
With Elder Hu and Elder Jiang, both consecrated protectors of the Tian Clan, escorting them, Ian and his group passed from the outer courtyard to the inner courtyard. Even though they encountered several patrols, none paid them any attention.
After all, the status of consecrated protectors is so high that bringing a few people in means nothing.
So, after more than twenty minutes, Ian Song openly arrived at the courtyard where Long Tian, the Tian Clan patriarch, resided.
Outside the courtyard, six top-tier War God-level martial artists stood guard.
"Go report that Old Hu and Old Jiang have brought Landon Lu back!" Elder Hu instructed the guards.
"Understood, Elder Jiang, Elder Hu, please wait a moment." One of the guards nodded and turned to enter the courtyard.
Moments later, Long Tian and operations chief Jared Jiao walked out. Long Tian glanced at Ian Song and the two vampire girls behind him, then smiled and said, "Elder Hu, Elder Jiang, thank you for your hard work."
"It's nothing, Patriarch. As long as you don't blame us, it's fine!" Elder Hu replied with a strange smile.
Long Tian frowned slightly, sensing something was off. But before he could react, two figures flashed forward—and he instantly lost consciousness.
Ian Song ignored the six unconscious guards and walked straight up to Long Tian, unleashing a Puppet Mastery Divine Art.
Long Tian's resistance was weak while unconscious, and he was quickly enslaved by Ian Song.
............
Gavin Yuan had served as a consecrated protector of the Tian Clan for eighty years.
The Tian Clan held a prestigious position in the Federation Empire. As a consecrated protector, Gavin rarely needed to take action, yet he enjoyed all manner of top-tier resources from the clan.
Although he was already 120 years old, Gavin was still extremely fond of beautiful women.
To keep him loyal, the Tian Clan catered to his preferences, sending him two beautiful virgins every month for his pleasure.
Today, the Tian Clan had sent him two more virgins. Just as he was about to enjoy their youthful bodies, the clan patriarch Long Tian's guard arrived.
"Elder Yuan, the patriarch has urgent business and requests your presence! Please come with me."
Gavin Yuan was annoyed, but having enjoyed the clan's hospitality for so many years, he couldn't refuse the patriarch's summons, no matter how displeased he was.
So, led by the guard, Gavin Yuan quickly arrived at Long Tian's courtyard.
But as soon as he stepped into the courtyard, a shadow flashed by. Before he could react, a hand chop struck his neck and knocked him out.
"Well done!"
Ian Song stepped forward and branded Gavin Yuan's brow with a Puppet Mastery Divine Art.
Because Gavin was obsessed with wine and women, his strength ranked last among the consecrated protectors. So, in just two seconds, he was completely enslaved.
Less than five minutes after Gavin Yuan was enslaved, another guard arrived with a purple-robed elder. This elder was Cedric Chen, another consecrated protector recruited by the Tian Clan, ranked third among them.
"It's my turn to act!"
Before Cici could move, Joy shot forward impatiently.
"Mm!"
With a muffled groan, Cedric Chen collapsed to the ground.
"Boring, too weak!" Joy said with annoyance.
Ian Song glared at her. You’re two major realms stronger than him—how could he possibly be your match?
In the next ten minutes, two more guards brought in two more consecrated protectors. Both were knocked unconscious by Cici and Joy, then enslaved by Ian Song.
Now, all six super-god-level warriors of the Tian Clan, along with patriarch Long Tian, had been enslaved by Ian Song. Only four Five-Star Psychic Adepts and the most mysterious first-ranked protector remained.
At that moment, another guard arrived with an elder.
This elder was Elder Mu, a Five-Star Psychic Adept.