Ye Feng: You Still Don't Understand Him!

Setting down the jade slip, Lu Kangnian felt a bitter, uneasy weight settle in his chest. He could not say exactly when it had started, but the enemies Li Guanqi faced had grown stronger and stronger. Whenever he received a transmission from the young man, it was almost always to handle the aftermath of some harrowing ordeal. As these instances mounted, a profound sense of powerlessness had steadily taken root in Lu Kangnian's heart. Without him noticing, Ling Daoyan had appeared at the study door, taking a swig of wine as he watched him. "Made up your mind?" Seated before his desk, Lu Kangnian offered a bitter smile. "With the Great Xia Sword Sect in the state it is today, I wouldn't feel easy entrusting it to anyone. And as for that boy Li Guanqi, there's no tethering him to the sect. Now with this happening to Ye Feng... my mind cannot rest. I simply cannot let go." Ling Daoyan sighed, at a loss for words. On the surface, the Great Xia Sword Sect appeared flourishing and prosperous, but in truth, its apex strength rested entirely upon the shoulders of Li Guanqi and his companions. Without them, hardly anyone within the sect possessed the standing or power to carry the banner. Even Lu Kangnian's closed-door disciple, Wu Bing, fell short. Though Wu Bing cultivated with desperate intensity and traveled far and wide to temper himself, his realm remained at the peak of the early Void Refining Realm. He was still leagues away from the level of Li Guanqi and the others. *** Shortly after Li Guanqi's departure, deep within the desert of the Western Region in the Ethereal Immortal Domain, several formidable figures suddenly took to the skies above an immense tribal encampment. A frigid killing intent mingled with their boundless, suffocating pressure as it rolled outward. The great demons dwelling beneath the desert burrowed deep beneath the yellow sands, terrified of being caught in the disaster. Meanwhile, Li Guanqi sat cross-legged in the void with his eyes closed in deep concentration, with Pengluo and Jiuxiao standing guard by his side. Meng Wanshu kept a vigilant watch over their surroundings, her brows furrowing as she saw how hard Li Guanqi was straining to suppress the power of the fire seal between his brows. They had secured clues about the Qilin Soul, but they still had no word of the Seven-Colored Glazed Flower. Only three months remained. Gu Changsheng and the others were desperately simulating alchemy scenarios over and over, while several prominent clans mobilized their full strength on Li Guanqi's behalf. The Three Pavilions had even posted astronomical bounties to locate the two items. Yet, after so long, not a single lead had surfaced. The Eight Generals remained entirely out of reach as well. Gu Changsheng had reached out to Xiang Huaizhi repeatedly, but had received no response. Meng Jiangchu offered comforting words: "Rest assured. When it comes to Guanqi's divine soul, we need only fulfill our own responsibilities. When the time comes, Xiang Huaizhi will definitely show himself." Gu Changsheng sighed, shaking his head with a wry smile. "I suppose that's all we can do. Gu Li and the others have largely recovered from their wounds. Are you truly not worried about Guanqi and your daughter?" Meng Jiangchu murmured softly, "What else can I do? The two of them were originally heading home, only to stumble into that mess in Qixia City along the way." Gu Changsheng's expression tightened, his tone growing exceedingly grave. "Old Meng, have you seen the shadow projections of what happened there?" Meng Jiangchu's face clouded over. "I saw them. To be honest, even I never imagined an immortal's blessing truly existed." Gu Changsheng lowered his voice conspiratorially. "Word has it that this incident caught the attention of quite a few factions. Such secretive 'blessings' don't seem confined to Qixia City alone. Rumors claim that similar sacrificial rites are being held in certain remote cities, and even within several Ancient Clans." Meng Jiangchu narrowed his eyes, a chill creeping into his voice. "Heh, Li Guanqi ripped away the immortals' fig leaf this time. For ten thousand years, not a soul has ascended. The longing among all those mighty figures to become immortals reached its absolute peak long ago. There will inevitably be some among them willing to pay any price to achieve it." Meng Jiangchu sighed softly. "It doesn't matter. Once those people cross a certain line, someone will step forward to deal with them." With that, he cast a deep, meaningful look at Gu Changsheng. "Your son calls Li Guanqi his brother now, so don't say I didn't warn you. Becoming an immortal is fine, but definitely not right now! If you can drop a hint to the old men around you, do so. Since they are acquainted with someone of Dugu Lingxiao's caliber, they must know a thing or two." Gu Changsheng's face hardened, and he nodded with solemn resolve. *** Deep within an unknown stretch of the void, a solitary speck of dust drifted amidst a turbulent tempest of primal chaos. Inside it stood a vast, pitch-black, sinister palace, currently steeped in eerie silence, broken only by the occasional agonizing shrieks of a man. "Aaaargh!" "Aah! Aaaagh! Hahahahaha!" In the center of the hall lay an enormous black pool spanning a hundred zhang, within which an ethereal figure writhed and howled in agony. Outside the pool, two figures knelt on one knee. Song Zhi'ang's face was faintly pale. Clenching her teeth, she involuntarily turned her head toward the golden-haired man beside her. His hair had faded to an ashen gray, and his gaze was calm and hollow. Looking upon Ye Feng's utter numbness, Song Zhi'ang sneered, "Who would have thought even you could fall into the abyss? Were you truly so hungry for power?" *Smack! Thud!* Ye Feng surged to his feet, his palm whipping across the woman's face with terrifying force that instantly split her cheek. Her body spun through the air like a top before slamming violently into a stone pillar. *Pfft!* "Ye Feng!" Sprawled on the ground, the woman spat out a mouthful of blood and glared back at him with venomous hatred. Standing tall and straight, Ye Feng tilted his head slightly, his tone freezing cold. "Whatever I choose to do is not for you to judge." *Clang!* The Nu Sha sword snapped into his grip, its tip slowly sinking into Song Zhi'ang's neck. The blade pierced her throat, driving in inch by inch! Ye Feng lowered himself into a crouch, his hands unwavering as blood welled and coursed down the edge of the sword. Killing intent surged in his eyes, and his voice was icy as he murmured, "Do you know what you've done this time? You ruined the killing trap he painstakingly prepared." *Splash!* From the black pool, the dark silhouette of a man rose slowly and pointed toward Ye Feng. Demonic qi surged across Ye Feng's arm as his demonic spirit instantly manifested, staying his hand. Sha's eyes, dark as an endless abyss, fixed upon Ye Feng as he let out a cold laugh. "To keep me from learning certain things, you actually severed and sealed away your own memories concerning Li Guanqi's secrets. Truly ruthless. Just what kind of charm does this Li Guanqi possess that you would go to such lengths for him? Aren't you afraid I'll kill you?" Ye Feng turned slowly toward the man currently reshaping his physical body, his voice entirely flat. "Does it matter? Regardless of the reason, haven't I already become your man?" Shrouded in a layer of black mist, the man leaned against the edge of the black pool, surrounded by shattered remnants of an ancient bell. The churning waters gently buoyed him upward. Sha stared at Ye Feng, a chilling sneer curling at his lips as he leaned close to Ye Feng's cheek. "Tell me... if you become an evil cultivator who stops at no atrocity and slaughters without mercy, will your Li Guanqi kill you for the greater good of the world?" At these words, Ye Feng's pupils instantly contracted to pinpricks, yet his heartbeat remained steady and calm. It was as though he had anticipated long ago that the man would do this, that he would try to force him down such a path. Sha had expected Ye Feng to descend into panic upon hearing the plan. After all, the only reason Ye Feng had come here was his fierce loyalty—he had willingly surrendered himself to Sha's side solely for Li Guanqi's sake! Yet now, Ye Feng abruptly stepped forward, staring directly into the wraith-shrouded face of Sha. Their noses nearly brushed as Ye Feng locked eyes with him, his voice impossibly calm. "You still don't understand him." Sha's eyes narrowed to slits, suddenly torn over whether he should strike Ye Feng down then and there.