66: Chapter 66 Peak of the Ninth Level of Qi Gathering

Over the next dozen days, Ye Tian visited the Grand Elder's residence every day to perform the Yuan Spirit Qi Returning Technique on Ye Ruyi.

He guided and refined the stubborn, yin cold qi near her heart meridians.

Initially, Great Elder Ye Zhengyuan and Ye Wenshan stood guard nervously by her side, fearing any mishap.

But as the treatment progressed, they saw with their own eyes that the color was gradually returning to Ye Ruyi's pale face, and her weak breathing became steady and strong.

She could even slowly sit up and say a few words with the support of a maid.

Great Elder Ye Zhengyuan, the Grand Elder who had always been serious and old-fashioned, looked at Ye Tian with an unspeakable sense of gratitude.

He held Ye Tian's hand several times, tears streaming down his old face: "Ye Tian, this kindness... I, Great Elder Ye Zhengyuan, will never forget it! In the future, if you have any requests, even if it means going through mountains of blades or seas of fire, I will not hesitate!"

Ye Tian replied humbly: "Grand Elder, you overstate it. Sister Ruyi is Family; treating her is my duty as a Junior."

As for Ye Ruyi, who was lying on the sickbed, although her body was still weak, those eyes that were originally dull and lifeless had regained their luster.

She quietly watched the green-robed youth who treated her every day. Her gaze was complex, filled with gratitude, curiosity, and a hint of a strange emotion.

It had to be said that Ye Ruyi was indeed an extremely beautiful woman.

She was different from Chen Xue, whose temperament was as cold as snow and made people afraid to approach.

Ye Ruyi's beauty carried a kind of unyielding resilience forged through hardship, and a hint of her father's heroic spirit could be seen in her features. Even though her face was haggard from illness, it could not hide her natural beauty.

One could imagine that if she were healthy and well, she would surely be another great beauty of Luo City.

"Brother Ye Tian... thank you for your hard work."

On this day, as Ye Tian finished his work again, Ye Ruyi spoke softly, her voice light but carrying a hint of tenderness.

She looked at the fine sweat on Ye Tian's forehead, her eyes reflecting genuine gratitude.

Ye Tian smiled slightly and wiped away the sweat: "How does Sister Ruyi feel? Is your chest still tight?"

"Much better,"

Ye Ruyi tried to move her arms, a long-lost look of relief appearing on her face. "That icy, stabbing pain has lessened by more than half.

In over ten years, I have never felt so light."

Seeing the smile on his sister's face, Ye Tian also felt happy from the bottom of his heart.

At the same time, he was secretly shocked by the effect of the Yuan Spirit Qi Returning Technique combined with the chaos bead.

During each treatment, he would take part of the yin cold qi he guided out and transform it into pure energy through the chaos bead to refine and absorb it.

After these dozen days, he felt his cultivation growing at an incredible speed, and he had already touched the barrier of the Peak of the Ninth Level of Qi Gathering Realm!

"At this rate, I'm afraid in less than a month, I can try to break through to the tenth stage of the Qi Gathering Realm!"

Ye Tian himself was startled by this terrifying cultivation speed.

This was practically plundering someone else's illness to improve himself. Although it felt a bit unscrupulous, in order to possess the strength to protect himself and his Family as soon as possible, he couldn't care about much else.

In addition to the treatment, Ye Tian would also work hard to Cultivate the fifth layer of the Dragon Elephant Art every night after returning to his courtyard.

With the complete second half of the Cultivation Technique, his cultivation was twice as effective with half the effort. His blood and Qi grew more vigorous day by day, and his physical strength steadily increased, moving towards the fifth level of the Body Refining Realm.

Just as Ye Tian was immersed in his rapidly rising strength, he didn't know that a storm was surging towards the Ye Family from deep within the Black Cloud Mountains!

Black Cloud Stronghold, Assembly Hall.

The atmosphere was so oppressive it was suffocating.

The Second Chief, "Venomous Snake" Yan She, sat high in the primary seat, his face dark.

Below him, the various leaders of the Black Cloud Stronghold were as silent as cicadas in winter, not daring to breathe loudly.

"Useless! A bunch of useless trash!"

Yan She slammed the table suddenly, making the hard Ironwood Table shake. "It's been a full half-month!

If he's alive, I want to see him; if he's dead, I want to see his corpse!

Where exactly did the Third Chief go?!

Did he just vanish into thin air?!"

A small leader responsible for scouting stepped forward tremblingly, his voice shaking: "Reporting... Reporting to Second Chief, we have searched almost every inch of the Black Cloud Mountains. In the end, all clues point to one place..."

"Where?! Speak!" A fierce light exploded in Yan She's eyes.

The small leader swallowed his saliva and said with forced courage: "It's... it's near the Ye Family's medicinal garden, thirty miles outside the eastern suburbs!

Someone once saw the Third Chief appear nearby from a distance, and after that, there was no more news..."

"The Ye Family medicinal garden?!" Yan She's pupils suddenly constricted, and a burst of violent Evil Qi soared into the sky!

"The Ye Family again! Good! Very good!" He stood up abruptly, his voice like ice: "I said long ago that those shrinking turtles of the Ye Family would be a disaster sooner or later!

The Third Chief must have fallen into their trap!

Maybe he's already been killed by them!"

"Second Chief, please calm your anger!" An older leader hurriedly advised, "There is no definitive evidence for this yet. Could it be a misunderstanding?

Besides... the Chief is still in seclusion at the critical moment of breaking through to the Ningyuan Realm Third Stage. He gave strict orders not to easily provoke the three great families.

Should we wait until the Chief emerges from seclusion before making further plans?"

"Bullshit!" Yan She interrupted him sharply, his eyes full of brutality. "Wait?

Wait until when?

Wait until the Ye Family swallows our Black Cloud Stronghold one by one?!

The Third Chief's life or death is unknown; I cannot swallow this insult!

What bullshit three great families?

In the eyes of my Black Cloud Stronghold, they are nothing more than a bunch of local dogs and chickens!"

He scanned the crowd below and roared with Killing Intent: "Pass my order!

Immediately assemble every warrior in the stronghold who can fight!

I will personally go to the Ye Family to demand the man!

If they don't hand over the Third Chief, or if they dare to make any excuses, I will wash the Ye Family in blood, leaving not even a chicken or dog alive!"

"Second Chief, please reconsider!" The older leader tried to advise again.

"Shut up!" Yan She suddenly drew the soft sword from his waist, the tip pointing directly at the leader, and said snarlingly: "If you dare say another word and disturb the morale, I'll use you to sacrifice to the flag first!

Get out and deliver the order!"

The leader was so scared his face turned pale. He didn't dare say another word and scrambled away.

Soon, the horns of the Black Cloud Stronghold wailed, bandits gathered, blades flashed, and Evil Qi filled the fields!

Led by the Second Chief Yan She, nearly a thousand fierce Black Cloud Stronghold bandits, carrying a towering Evil Qi, marched grandly towards the Ye Family estate!

At this moment, Ye Tian had just finished his treatment for Ye Ruyi and was preparing to return to his courtyard to continue cultivating.

He looked up toward the Black Cloud Mountains. For some reason, a faint, inexplicable sense of unease rose in his heart.

"I hope I'm just overthinking it."

He shook his head, suppressed the unease, and walked toward his small courtyard.

Two days later, in the early morning, Ye Tian woke up from his cultivation.

The aura around him surged and then quickly withdrew, returning to calmness.

Peak of the Ninth Level of Qi Gathering Realm!

Feeling the pure and full True Qi in his Dantian Qi Sea, Ye Tian was both delighted and shocked.

This cultivation speed was simply too fast!

By using the Yuan Spirit Qi Returning Technique every day to guide out part of the yin cold qi from Ye Ruyi's body, and then transforming it into pure energy through the chaos bead to refine and absorb it, the efficiency far exceeded swallowing any Medicinal Pill!

In just a dozen days, he had soared all the way from the Early Stage of the ninth level to the Peak!

"Although I relied on external help, my Foundation is not unstable. The Nine Revolutions Purple Heart Art is indeed profound."

Ye Tian carefully inspected his internal state, and after confirming his cultivation was solid, he felt a bit more at ease.

He knew that this almost predatory cultivation method might have hidden dangers, but with the Ye Family currently surrounded by crises, he urgently needed great strength to protect his Family.

"Yan Sha is already dead, and the Black Cloud Stronghold will never let it go. The big battle is probably not far off."

Ye Tian walked to the window and looked out toward the Black Cloud Stronghold, his eyes solemn.