Departure, the Holy Temple is approaching!

At this moment, the Danyang Residence was filled with a thick, pungent smell of blood.

The guards who had been dutifully serving the residence were all lying on the ground, their bodies cold and lifeless!

In the center of the spacious Martial Arts Field,

Venerable Jueming was holding an ancient Pill Furnace-like Magical Artifact, his eyes closed and his hands continuously forming seals.

One seal after another was being channeled into the furnace.

As for Dan Yangzi?

Dan Qingxuan scanned her surroundings but did not see any trace of her father!

Her heart burning with anxiety, flames of anger shot from her beautiful eyes as she took a step forward and shouted sharply:

"Jueming! Where is my father!"

Hearing the voice, Venerable Jueming slowly opened his eyes.

When he saw Dan Qingxuan and Ye Qing suddenly appear here, his brow furrowed slightly.

He obviously hadn't expected these two to return.

However, it was of no consequence.

Two mere Nascent Soul Cultivators—he could crush them with one hand!

So, a cold sneer appeared on his face; he couldn't be bothered to respond to Dan Qingxuan's questioning.

He simply raised his hand and unleashed a terrifying fiery palm imprint, slamming it towards Ye Qing and Dan Qingxuan!

With this strike, he had thought Ye Qing and Dan Qingxuan were undoubtedly dead!

Who would have thought, a brilliant sword light would meet his palm imprint head-on and slash towards it!

Swish!

His fiery palm imprint, capable of scorching mountains and boiling seas, was utterly shattered by this sword light as if it were rotten wood!

Venerable Jueming's face changed drastically!

He instantly realized something was very wrong!

This sword light... its power was far too abnormal!

Watching as the remaining sword light continued its momentum unabated, still slashing towards him.

Venerable Jueming's expression turned grave.

Not daring to be negligent, he immediately controlled the precious furnace before him.

The furnace lid opened, and with a whoosh, a torrent of violent crimson flames surged out, like a fire dragon, sweeping towards that sword light!

This attack combined the might of his life-bound precious furnace with the Fire Dao Intent he had painstakingly cultivated for many years!

He was absolutely confident that even a fellow Cultivator at the Spirit Transformation Fifth Layer would find it difficult to withstand the full-force strike of his precious furnace!

Who would have thought, before the look of triumph could fully appear on Venerable Jueming's face.

With a deafening boom!

That fire dragon was directly cleaved in two by the seemingly ordinary sword light and exploded into fragments!

Moreover, the sword light, its momentum majestic, after shattering the fire dragon, directly struck the precious furnace, producing an ear-splitting clash!

"Clang——!"

Venerable Jueming's face turned pale with shock, and he cried out in horror:

"What?!"

He had never imagined this sword light could possess such terrifying power!

Then, he glanced at his life-bound precious furnace, and his expression changed even more drastically, unable to stop himself from exclaiming:

"My precious furnace!"

He saw that his fifth-tier precious furnace had actually been struck by that sword blow, leaving a clearly visible crack!

The spiritual glow of the furnace also visibly dimmed at a rapid pace!

And at this moment, Dan Yangzi, who had been trapped inside the furnace and continuously refined by Venerable Jueming,

having endured bitterly until now, finally seized a sliver of hope upon seeing this!

With a furious roar, he transformed into a sword light and shot out through the crack with a whoosh!

At this moment, Dan Yangzi's appearance was utterly wretched.

His crimson Daoist robe had long turned to ashes, his pure white beard and hair were burned away, his body was charred black, and his aura was feeble.

But the Killing Intent in his eyes was frighteningly intense!

He looked at Venerable Jueming and, without a word, brimming with murderous aura, drew his sword and slashed!

Seeing Dan Yangzi escape and then glancing at the unfathomable Ye Qing, Venerable Jueming immediately felt the urge to retreat.

He knew that today's endeavor was no longer feasible!

As the saying goes, as long as the green hills remain, there'll be no shortage of firewood!

So, with a sway of his body, he turned to flee.

Before leaving, he shot a venomous glare at Ye Qing and uttered a harsh threat:

"Brat, you've ruined my plans! Just you wait, I will never let you off in the future..."

He had originally intended to utter a threat and then leave calmly, preserving some face for himself.

Who would have thought, before he could even finish his sentence, Ye Qing finally lifted his eyelids and glanced at him indifferently.

With a thought,

Boom!

A sword light even more dazzling and brilliant than before arrived in an instant!

"Huh? Wait! No, spare my life..."

Venerable Jueming's eyes filled with terror and unwillingness. He had only meant to utter a threat, but now, with Ye Qing's attack, he couldn't even react in time.

His plea for mercy was obliterated by the sword light, and then his entire person was directly reduced to flying ashes!

The sword light slowly dissipated.

Ye Qing glanced at the spot where Venerable Jueming had died and shook his head slightly.

Dan Qingxuan beside him couldn't help but think:

"'Will never let you off in the future'?"

"It seems Venerable Jueming... doesn't have a 'future' anymore..."

Dan Yangzi, who was about to give chase with his sword, froze in place upon seeing this.

He looked at the dead Venerable Jueming, then at Ye Qing.

Stunned speechless.

Although he knew Ye Qing's swordsmanship attainment was high, he thought that, after all, Ye Qing was only a Nascent Soul Sixth Layer Cultivator; even if he was a Prodigy, there were limits.

No matter what, he shouldn't be a match for Venerable Jueming at the Spirit Transformation Fifth Layer, right?

But the result?

At this moment, the shock in Dan Yangzi's heart was beyond words.

If he had to put it into words,

Those God List Prodigies, praised to the heavens and earth, were also Nascent Soul Cultivators.

But Dan Yangzi felt that Ye Qing was probably far more formidable than all the so-called God List Prodigies combined!

While he was experiencing internal turmoil, Dan Qingxuan had already rushed to his side.

Seeing his charred, feeble, and wretched state, her eyes instantly reddened.

"Father! Are you... are you alright?"

Dan Yangzi forced a faint smile and shook his head.

He indicated he was fine, then turned to Ye Qing, his expression extremely solemn, and bowed deeply from the waist.

"Virtuous Nephew Ye Qing, this great kindness, I, Dan Yangzi, will never forget it in this lifetime!"

He had just been trapped inside the precious furnace and didn't know what had happened outside.

But now that he was free, Dan Qingxuan quickly spoke, rapidly recounting the events that had transpired earlier on the cloud sea ferry to her father.

When Dan Yangzi heard that the beast Jin Li had actually brought Worship Master Wang,

and intended to abduct and imprison his daughter, an uncontrollable rage and belated fear instantly surged to the top of his head!

His whole body trembled, his eyes turned bloodshot, and his teeth gritted audibly.

He could die, but if his daughter fell into the hands of a beast like Jin Li, the unspeakable torment she would endure in the days to come was something he dared not imagine!

At the same time, he secretly felt fortunate: Thankfully, Ye Qing was there.

Ye Qing gave a slight nod, accepting his bow, then said, "Senior Dan Yangzi, there's no need for such formalities. Jin Li and that Worship Master Wang have already been slain by me."

Upon hearing this, Dan Yangzi let out a long sigh of relief. The gratitude in his gaze towards Ye Qing had already reached its peak.

"Virtuous Nephew Ye..."

Dan Yangzi said hoarsely and solemnly, "This kindness, I, Dan Yangzi, have remembered it! In the future, if you have any orders, I would go through fire and water without hesitation!"

Ye Qing smiled faintly, "Senior, your words are too serious."

Dan Yangzi said no more. Some great kindnesses are not repaid with mere words.

He engraved this debt of gratitude deeply into the bottom of his heart.

Immediately after, a surge of Killing Intent erupted in his eyes. He turned, grasped the crimson longsword that had accompanied him for years, and wordlessly strode towards the residence entrance.

His figure radiated a soaring, murderous aura.

Dan Qingxuan said worriedly, "Young Master Ye Qing, my father he..."

Ye Qing looked at Dan Yangzi's retreating back and said calmly, "Don't worry. He's just going to vent his emotions."

As soon as the words fell, not long after,

A soaring Sword Intent and a surge of magical power erupted with a boom from the other end of Star Cloud City!

Many Cultivators in Star Cloud City sensed it and were shaken!

Swish, swish, swish!

Countless gazes, filled with shock, turned towards the source of the fluctuation—Jueming Prefecture!

After figuring out what had happened,

Everyone was astonished.

Dan Yangzi... had stormed Jueming Prefecture?!

Everyone was stunned by this sudden turn of events. Why... was this happening?

And soon,

Facing the furious onslaught of Dan Yangzi, a Spirit Transformation Fourth Layer Sword Cultivator,

Jueming Prefecture, now without Venerable Jueming to defend it, was utterly defenseless.

Dan Yangzi directly slaughtered until rivers of blood flowed, uprooting the problem entirely!

From the resident Worship Masters to the guards and servants below, even the raised Spirit Beasts—not a single insect survived!

It could be said he had thoroughly eradicated any future troubles!

When this matter spread and the details became known to the public,

The entire Star Cloud City was in an uproar!

No one had expected that Venerable Jueming, who usually seemed amiable,

Would be so deranged as to ambush and attempt to kill his long-time partner, Dan Yangzi!

Everyone felt a wave of belated fear.

If he had truly succeeded, and then pinned the blame on some Thief, leaving everyone in the dark,

The consequences would have been unthinkable!

Given the Heart-Nature Venerable Jueming had displayed, who knew if he would repeat his tricks and target others in the city in the future?

Having realized this,

The people of Star Cloud City felt a wave of relief and unanimously applauded the destruction of Jueming Prefecture!

After completing all this, Dan Yangzi gathered all the precious Spirit Medicines and Spiritual Plants from Jueming Prefecture's treasury, packed them up, and personally delivered them to Ye Qing.

Ye Qing didn't refuse and accepted them frankly.

Afterwards, he took Dan Qingxuan and boarded the cloud sea ferry once more. Under Dan Yangzi's grateful gaze, they quietly left Star Cloud City.

This time, the journey was smooth and uneventful.

The cloud sea ferry smoothly carried the two across the vast, boundless Abyss of No Return.

Finally docking at the cloud sea ferry pier of Ziying City on the other side of the abyss.

Disembarking, Dan Qingxuan stood on the pier and bowed gracefully to Ye Qing.

"Young Master Ye Qing, we part here. Next, I will go to stay temporarily at my maternal grandfather's home in Ziying City."

Ye Qing nodded, "Take care."

He himself did not plan to linger in Ziying City but intended to set off directly for Jixia Sacred Academy.

Dan Qingxuan gazed at Ye Qing, her beautiful eyes holding a complex mix of emotions—gratitude, something inexplicable, and a trace of barely perceptible loss.

She stood in place, watching Ye Qing's figure transform into a sword light and vanish into the sky, soon disappearing from sight.

After watching for a long time, she finally withdrew her gaze and murmured softly:

"I hope... we can meet again."

...Meanwhile, Ye Qing summoned his Azure Cloud Flying Boat in the air, transforming into a streak of light that sped across the sky.

The outline of Ziying City was soon left far behind.

On the flying boat, Ye Qing unfolded a map and glanced at it, a faint smile appearing on his face.

According to the map's markings, the most prestigious top-tier force in the Central Region, Jixia Sacred Academy,

Was already not far away!

Just by passing through an area ahead named the 'Wan Yun Mountain Range,' he would arrive before long.

However, the map specifically noted one point:

The Wan Yun Mountain Range encircles Jixia Sacred Academy, serving as its natural barrier.

Those not of the Sacred Academy, or without its permission, are prohibited from flying anywhere within the entire mountain range.

Additionally, the mountain range is rampant with Yao Beasts, including powerful existences. If one's strength is insufficient, do not force your way through; it is advised to detour.

After reading this, Ye Qing became thoughtful.

Flying is prohibited, huh?

He put away the map and continued piloting the Azure Cloud Flying Boat forward.

Soon, an immense, seemingly boundless, lush green mountain range appeared at the edge of his vision.

The Wan Yun Mountain Range had arrived!

Ye Qing stored his flying boat at the mountain range's periphery, his body descending like a falling leaf.

Glancing at the towering ancient trees and the deep, dark forest before him,

Ye Qing did not hesitate and stepped inside.

As soon as he entered the Wan Yun Mountain Range, Ye Qing noticed there were quite a few people within.

Some in groups of three or five, others alone, their cultivation levels varied, ranging from Golden Core to Nascent Soul.

Judging by their direction, they all seemed to be heading towards the Sacred Academy deep within the mountains.

Ye Qing paid them no mind, only feeling a slight surprise before continuing on his own way.

After some time, a violent surge of Demonic Qi suddenly emanated from not far ahead!

Ye Qing swept the area with his Divine Sense, his brow raising slightly.

At this moment, about a thousand meters ahead of him, a young woman in a goose-yellow long dress stood with a pale, frightened face,

Her entire body rigid.

Before her, a bear as tall as a small hill, its body covered in sinister bone armor.

Its beastly pupils, larger than lanterns, were icy cold, fixed intently on her.

The young woman had a Nascent Soul Sixth Layer cultivation, which, at her age, could be considered somewhat talented.

But the aura emanating from this Bone-Armored Giant Bear had actually reached Nascent Soul Eighth Layer!

The terrifying pressure and the substantial, palpable Evil Qi

Made the young woman's limbs go numb, her mind trembling with fear, to the point she was frozen in place.

Not even daring to move a muscle.

"Roar!"

The Bone-Armored Giant Bear let out a roar.

Then, without hesitation, it raised its bear paw, larger than a millstone, carrying a foul wind that tore through the air with a whoosh.

And slammed it down towards the young woman's head!

Seeing this scene with his Divine Sense, Ye Qing frowned slightly.

The young woman was clearly utterly terrified, her mind in disarray.

At this critical moment of life and death, she remained motionless, having even forgotten the most basic evasion and defense.

"Fine then."

Ye Qing shook his head, thinking that since he had seen it, forming a favorable connection by helping wouldn't hurt.

He formed his fingers into a sword and casually flicked them towards that direction.

Swoosh!

A sword light traversed the thousand-meter distance in an instant!

Swish!

That Nascent Soul Eighth Layer Bone-Armored Giant Bear, which was about to smash the young woman into pulp, suddenly stiffened.

Then, from head to tail, it was split into two halves by an invisible, sharp Sword Qi!

Blood and entrails spilled messily onto the ground.

It died on the spot!

One could say it was thoroughly dead!

Only then did Ye Qing walk over unhurriedly, glancing at the young woman still dazed in place.

He said indifferently, "What are you standing there for? Move along."

The young woman stared blankly at the bisected giant bear corpse, then blankly at Ye Qing who was walking over leisurely.

Only now did she snap out of her daze as if waking from a dream.