Ye Qiubai's talent in the Sword Dao is utterly terrifying!
Even Hong Ying can't see through his constitution.
So long as he's given time, his future talent will be unmatched, and he'll become a Sword Saint in his own era!
This is exactly why Hong Ying feels Ye Qiubai can help her.
In the day that remained—
Ye Qiubai and Hong Ying wandered idly through the Blood Prison Mystic Realm.
They came across a few inheritances along the way, but neither showed much interest.
Ye Qiubai already possessed the Nine Heavenly Demon Sword technique as a stepping stone, and more than that, the Primordial Sword Scripture, a cultivation method that's far beyond common reach.
Hong Ying, an ancient empress, held a foundation hundreds of times richer than these mere inheritances, so of course, she found no value in them.
Besides, their master, Lu Chang'sheng, could hand down things more extraordinary than any of these inheritances with a mere gesture…
On their way, they also ran into Huo Qingming, Lin Ce, and the others.
Lin Ce bore some minor injuries, while Huo Qingming's wounds seemed quite severe; his face impossibly pale as Lin Ce helped support him along.
Xin Hongyi's complexion was also a bit ashen.
Only Zhong Wu, carrying his small bookshelf, wore a cheerful smile, obviously untouched by battle—though his aura was now even stronger than before!
When Lin Ce saw Hong Ying, he immediately abandoned Huo Qingming and rushed to Hong Ying's side, fussing over her!
Hong Ying completely ignored him, clearly exasperated.
Huo Qingming watched this unfold, face darkening, yet he could only accept it helplessly.
"This guy always puts girls before friends…"
Xin Hongyi looked to Ye Qiubai and asked, "What did you gain this time?"
Ye Qiubai smiled and nodded, "Not bad at all."
"How about a duel when we get out?"
"I'm always ready."
Zhong Wu smiled at the scene, saying nothing.
When the day was over—
The Blood Prison Mystic Realm was about to fade away.
Ye Qiubai, Hong Ying, and the rest reached the portal and departed from the Blood Prison.
When Dean Ru of the Confucian Faction and the Sword Hall Elder saw Ye Qiubai emerge unharmed, only then did they breathe easy and come over to ask about his harvest.
But the general's face changed sharply when he saw it.
Ye Qiubai survived?
And none of our four men nor Shadow Kill made it out?
Could it be…
As this thought struck him, the general's face soured, and he stepped forward. The peak-level aura of the Water Overflow Realm smashed down onto Ye Qiubai!
"What did you do? Where are my men—and those men in black?"
The Sword Hall Elder stepped forward, sword qi streaking out to block in front of Ye Qiubai, nullifying all the pressure!
Simultaneously, waves of sword qi fired straight at the general!
The general snorted coldly; he threw out a fist—its force both fearsome and wild!
Sword qi shattered, fist imprints dissolved!
Neither side gained the upper hand!
The Sword Hall Elder stood his ground, eyes steely, his very presence commanding respect!
He pronounced in a deep voice, "This isn't your Sunset Dynasty! You'd best remember to keep a low profile here!"
The general's face grew ugly as he spat, "Low profile? Ye Qiubai killed my men! I'll give you one condition: hand him over to me, and this matter ends here!"
"And if we refuse?"
"Then, soon enough—my Asura Cavalry from the Sunset Dynasty will trample your Hidden Dao Academy into dust!"
Dean Ru chuckled lightly, "We'll be waiting, then."
Ye Qiubai added, "One day, I'll come to the Sunset Dynasty myself."
The general's gaze sharpened, then broke into laughter. "Such a brat, you sure know how to boast!"
By now, the words were plain—the general knew full well that his men and Shadow Kill's squad had all died at Ye Qiubai's hands.
But he couldn't believe—
That Ye Qiubai had done it alone.
Surely, someone from Hidden Dao Academy backed him up!
"I'll make my report to His Majesty." The general fixed Ye Qiubai with a deep look. "The Asura Cavalry won't keep you waiting for long. I hope you're prepared to resist them."
With that, the general vanished from sight.
Dean Ru and the Sword Hall Elder might have stopped the general if they joined forces, but now wasn't the time to move.
If they slew one of Sunset Dynasty's high-ranking figures here…
Then the Sunset Dynasty would have every excuse to attack the Southern Region at full strength!
No one could predict the consequences of that!
So for now, they could only watch the general leave without a word.
At that moment, someone from the Chou Family fixed bloodshot eyes on Ye Qiubai and asked, "Ye Qiubai, why did you cripple Chou Libei?"
Ye Qiubai gazed coolly back, "He tried to kill me. I crippled him. Isn't that fair?"
"Besides—one of these days, I'll come pay a visit to the Chou Family myself."
Just as the elder from the Chou Family looked ready to explode, he caught the Sword Hall Elder's chilly gaze and had to swallow his fury.
After all, against Hidden Dao Academy, the Chou Family didn't measure up.
"Let's go!"
The Chou Family carried the dazed Chou Libei away, heads low in defeat.
Dean Ru looked over the group, seeing that all had come out of the Blood Prison Mystic Realm with gains, and none had died—only suffered wounds of varying severity. With a relieved smile, he said, "Well done. Let's return to the Academy. Rewards await you there."
After all, Hidden Dao Academy had surely claimed the greatest haul from the Blood Prison Mystic Realm.
This brought honor to the Academy as well.
The superiors would no doubt issue them rewards.
Huo Qingming and the others broke into delighted smiles.
Ye Qiubai, Hong Ying, Xin Hongyi, and Zhong Wu's expressions didn't change much.
The disciples of Hidden Dao Academy mounted their beasts and left.
…
Meanwhile—
High above the Blood Prison Mystic Realm, an area completely sealed by a barrier, no one could see what happened inside.
Even someone as mighty as Qin Tiannan couldn't break through this barrier!
Now, black clouds churned while countless lightning dragons surged overhead, and within those clouds a massive face appeared.
Its expression grave, the face stared down at a man wearing a white fox mask.
The masked man stood sword in hand, one arm behind his back, floating in mid-air, his robes fluttering with the wind!
"Who in the heavens are you?"
That gigantic face boomed from the sky, "With your strength, you shouldn't exist in this world!"
The man chuckled lightly and replied, "I'm wearing a mask so no one can recognize me. Do me a favor and don't ask such brainless questions, would you?"
"…"
The face let out a long sigh, thunder rolling through its breath!
He spoke darkly, "Why have you blocked me, then?"
The masked man answered, "Why are you after my disciple, anyway?"
This man was none other than Lu Chang'sheng!
The face roared angrily, "The Empress of the Cloud Phoenix Empire defied the twists of reincarnation, and forcibly cultivated the Nine Cycles Reincarnation! Now she's succeeded and means to wage war across the heavens, reform Heaven's Will! This is a grave taboo!"
Lu Chang'sheng nodded, "So that's your concern. But so what? Isn't Heaven's Will already in ruins here? Starting anew isn't so bad. Or perhaps…"
At this, Lu Chang'sheng's eyes turned deep and cold as he said, "You wish to shape Heaven's Will yourselves, and not let Hong Ying do it, am I right?"
The face suddenly faltered, letting out another long breath, as lightning dragons poured from the clouds—all aiming to destroy Lu Chang'sheng!