Ye Qian chuckled at Yue Ming's question, the sound low and rich with condescension, as though he'd just heard the most endearing absurdity.
"The four of them?" He arched a faint eyebrow.
"They're not bad."
He deliberately let the pause linger, the kind of small silence that let mockery bloom without lifting a finger.
"Each one stands at the King Realm."
He watched Yue Ming's eyes widen, disbelief flooding her expression, and his smile deepened. He relished this—displaying his wealth before this ignorant Daughter of Heaven.
She might carry the pride of a Yue Family genius, might even bear the title of 'chosen one,' but measured against him she remained nothing more than a frog trapped at the bottom of a well.
"King... King Realm!"
Yue Ming's first instinct was to doubt her own ears, but when Ye Qian's gaze confirmed the truth, the reality settled over her like a landslide.
The four Immortal Beasts pulling the carriage outside—every single one of them existed at the King Realm.
It was already a terrifying height of power.
Compared to her current cultivation, they stood three entire major stages above her. Any one of those qilin could crush her beneath its hoof without the slightest effort.
Gulp~!
Such overwhelming creatures—relegated to carriage pullers. The extravagance was beyond comprehension. It bordered on the obscene.
If Yue Ming possessed even one of those four qilin, she would treasure it at home, nurturing it like a priceless war beast.
Because in the future, those qilin would ascend even higher—at minimum, they'd reach the Saint Realm.
The Yue Family currently boasted only a single Saint: their Grand Elder, already ancient and frail. The other elders hovered at True Immortal or Quasi-Saint, none crossing that final threshold.
This gap alone explained why the Yue Family ranked as merely a medium-sized force—respectable among the weak, insignificant before the true giants.
Yue Ming stood speechless. The blow was too great.
Her talent, once a source of quiet pride, now felt laughable when set beside Ye Qian. She might very well be nothing in comparison.
A flicker of self-deprecation rose in her chest. Yet a heartbeat later, another thought followed.
By serving him, I might glimpse a sky far broader than I ever imagined.
Perhaps this isn't so terrible after all.
The qilin carriage surged through the heavens, tearing past curtains of cloud, until at last it approached a towering mountain peak.
Sensing their imminent arrival, Ye Qian spoke, his tone as effortless as breath.
"Descend."
The carriage drifted downward, settling onto the earth with a whisper of displaced air.
…
On the other side of the estate, Yue Qingshan finally reached the outer walls of Ye Qian's palace.
He took in the towering fortifications, the luminous defensive formations humming with latent power, the dense rings of guards patrolling the perimeter.
Even through his urgency, clarity prevailed: forcing his way inside with his current strength was functionally impossible.
These soldiers were elite. The weakest among them had already reached the Divine Ability Realm.
Inside the ring on his finger, the remnant soul spoke, voice steady and grave.
"Qingshan, don't confront these soldiers. You must exercise extreme caution.
If I could, I would advise you to turn back—but I know I cannot stop you.
Please... take care of yourself."
The soul cherished this disciple deeply, yet understood the futility of persuasion.
"Yes, Master!"
Yue Qingshan's mind was too consumed with thoughts of Yue Ming to offer more than a hurried acknowledgment.
The guards noticed his approach and moved instantly, surrounding him in a tightening ring.
Spear tips and blade edges gleamed, a forest of steel aimed at his throat—one wrong step and he'd be carved apart.
A figure emerged from behind the shield wall: a captain astride a Crimson Flame Leopard, both rider and mount radiating the pressure of the True God Realm.
His armor shone more ornately than the rest, his presence sharper. The sheer weight of his aura forced Yue Qingshan to pause.
"You must be Yue Qingshan. Correct?"
The captain's tone was neutral, efficient. He only needed confirmation that this was the Young Master's target—nothing else concerned him.
Yue Qingshan, startled that the captain already knew his name, nodded stiffly.
"The Young Master asked me to inform you that he is waiting for you at the summit of Cloud-Soaring Mountain."
The captain shifted aside. The guards forming the shield wall broke ranks, opening a corridor toward the main gate.
Yue Qingshan stared at the path, confusion prickling at the edges of his mind.
What is Ye Qian planning?
But he had no time to unravel schemes.
Yue Ming had been delivered here two days ago—two days of unknown suffering. He had to reach her quickly, before her spirit shattered entirely.
After one last hard glance at the guards—whose killing intent still simmered despite their withdrawal—Yue Qingshan stepped into enemy territory.
As he passed, the captain's voice rang out behind him.
"Keep going straight. The tallest mountain peak you can see is Cloud-Soaring Mountain.
If you make the Young Master wait too long, I will personally hunt you down and deliver you to him.
I suggest you move quickly."
Ignoring the threat as best he could, Yue Qingshan scanned the horizon and finally spotted it: the tallest peak, soaring so high it pierced the clouds themselves, majestic and insurmountable.
With his destination fixed, Yue Qingshan sprinted forward. He hadn't seen Yue Ming in two days. Worry gnawed at him, sharpening his urgency with every stride.
He ran without pause until he stood at the mountain's base, staring up at the peak that vanished into the sky.
Its grandeur filled him with a strange, aching longing.
Though he had reached the Early Stage of Enlightenment Realm, techniques like sword flight remained beyond him. Climbing this height manually would drain him before the real battle even began.
"Qingshan, Master will lend you a hand."
The remnant soul stirred within the ring. A sleeve flicked, and an invisible force lifted Yue Qingshan from the ground.
Under its guidance, he rose smoothly into the air, ascending toward the summit. Though the soul's power had dwindled to nearly nothing, this much assistance it could still provide.
"Thank you, Master!"
Yue Qingshan's voice carried genuine gratitude as clouds drifted past him. The sensation of flight was exhilarating, freeing.
He could conserve his strength now—reserve it for the confrontation ahead.
…
At the summit, Ye Qian stood on a wide circular platform carved from the mountain's crown, waiting in perfect stillness for Yue Qingshan's arrival.
Yue Ming stood beside him, silent and confused. She didn't understand why he'd brought her to this desolate place—a barren peak with nothing but a massive, man-made platform at its center.
"Young Master, may I ask... why are we here?"
Unable to puzzle it out herself, Yue Ming voiced the question aloud.
Ye Qian's lips curled into a faint smile.
"As I mentioned earlier, we're here to meet a certain someone. He should be arriving any moment now."
His gaze drifted toward the edge of the platform, where the clouds roiled below.
"This person... is coming specifically for you."
Yue Ming's voice rose involuntarily, surprise coloring her tone.
"For me?!"
A memory surfaced—something Yue Qingshan had said when she was still imprisoned. He'd promised he would find a way to rescue her.
At the time, she'd dismissed it as empty bravado, the desperate posturing of a boy trying to impress her. But now it seemed that promise was about to crystallize into reality.
Yue Qingshan is actually coming.
The realization stirred something complicated in her chest.
Why is he doing this? Is it truly because of me?
Is he willing to risk everything... for my sake?