Celestial Dragon Sword Venerable

Ye Tianling gazed at Qianyu impassively. "Ambush you? If I’d wanted to ambush you, you’d already be dead. I’m looking for you for a reason."

Although Qianyu was resentful, she knew what Ye Tianling said was true.

If he had truly intended to ambush her, Ye Tianling wouldn’t have made a sound, nor would he have waited quietly.

She was simply resentful that Ye Tianling had interrupted her Enlightenment Dao.

Besides, there wasn’t much time left; the assessment would be over soon.

She had to seize every moment to comprehend more of the Nine Dragon Venerable’s dao.

"You should be able to sense which area Ji Yun is in, right? Or at least in which direction? Tell me."

Ye Tianling spoke with an imperious authority that permitted no refusal.

Qianyu wanted to retort, ’Who are you to tell me what to do?’

And yet, she found herself unable to refuse.

After a moment’s thought, she finally asked, "What are you planning to do?"

Ye Tianling stared at Qianyu impassively. "Just tell me," he said. "You don’t need to concern yourself with the rest."

His voice was soft, but this time it carried the unmistakable weight of a command.

A deep wariness arose in Qianyu. After a moment of silence, she said, "To the southwest, there’s a Purgatory Fire Sea. He should be in that area. Ye Tianling, you’re very strong, but you should know that the Ji Family has an astonishing background. Even if you have a feud with Ji Yun, I advise you to let the matter rest."

Ye Tianling paid Qianyu no mind, acting as if he hadn’t heard a word she said.

The next moment, Ye Tianling turned, and his figure vanished.

Qianyu’s beautiful eyes narrowed. ’That Body Technique, that aura...’

Clearly, Ye Tianling had grown stronger again—and not just by a little.

’How does he cultivate? How long has it been? Not even an hour has passed, how has he gotten stronger again?’

Qianyu was utterly shaken. She stared in the direction Ye Tianling had disappeared, deeply unsettled for a long time.

She desperately wanted to know what Secret Technique Ye Tianling possessed that allowed him to further increase his Battle Power while his Realm remained unchanged.

This was the method to shatter one’s own limits, the core path all Divine Sons and Divine Ladies must walk to become a Young Venerable or Young Lady Venerable.

Clearly, Ye Tianling had mastered this path. He was continuously advancing along it, pulling the distance between them ever wider.

...

Ye Tianling left the Purgatory Purple Mountain and soon arrived in the area Qianyu had mentioned.

He encountered no other Cultivators along the way. With only about an hour left before the assessment’s end, it was likely that not many of the thousand Cultivators were still alive.

Ye Tianling gazed quietly at the Purgatory Fire Sea before him, a hint of understanding in his eyes.

When Qianyu had spoken of this place, Ye Tianling had wondered if it was related to the Purgatory Fire Sea inside the Heaven-Reaching Tower in Luoyun Town, a place he had once been.

Of course, that was just a thought.

But upon actually setting foot in this area, he realized it was an identical replica.

’This place... if it’s the same as the area in the Heaven-Reaching Tower, does that mean the Cultivators killed here don’t truly die? If they don’t really die, but merely suffer a depletion of their Soul and potential, does that mean the War Dragon Academy is actually unaware of the Emperor’s Burial Land?’

Ye Tianling’s mind raced, but he didn’t dwell on the matter.

Relying on his familiarity with the area from memory, he quickly entered the core region: the ancient Hell Abyss Region.

The moment he stepped into the region, Ye Tianling sensed the auras of Cultivators closing in.

Ye Tianling didn’t try to hide. At this stage, the only ones who could have formed a group were undoubtedly from Ji Yun’s faction.

Four men and three women, a party of seven Cultivators, had already surrounded Ye Tianling. The man in the lead was none other than Ji Yuan.

Besides Ji Yuan, there were also Ji Nan and Ji Hui, along with four other Cultivators whom Ye Tianling didn’t recognize.

These four Cultivators hadn’t moved against Ye Tianling before.

Now that the seven of them had Ye Tianling surrounded, Ji Yuan’s expression was already turning grim.

His face was a mask of vigilance as he stared at Ye Tianling, his expression wavering. "Ye Tianling, what are you trying to do?"

Ji Nan’s face showed even deeper wariness and fear. ’For Ye Tianling to show up now of all times... what could he be planning?’

"What am I trying to do?"

A mocking look appeared on Ye Tianling’s face. His gaze, laced with a cold harshness, swept over Ji Yuan, Ji Nan, and Ji Hui.

Finally, his gaze swept over Ji Hui’s chest before landing on her pale, pretty face. "What I’m trying to do? Ji Hui, don’t you know?"

At his words, shame and fury flashed in Ji Hui’s eyes. Her body began to tremble, a clear sign of her rage and humiliation.

"You’re not in charge here. Get Ji Yun out to speak with me. And don’t say I didn’t warn you; I’m itching to start killing."

Ye Tianling spoke calmly as an icy, imperious aura surged forth from the depths of his very Soul.

It was a sliver of a divine aura, suffused with the power of the Three Souls and Seven Spirits.

This single wisp of Divinity, manifesting only as an imposing aura, was enough to make the faces of Ji Nan, Ji Yuan, and their group of seven change drastically.

The three of them had considered making a move, but upon sensing this imperious aura, any such thought was doused like a flame in ice-cold water.

"Divine Son Ji Yun is in Seclusion for his Enlightenment Dao! This is a critical moment! You—Ye Tianling, don’t go too far!"

Ji Nan’s face alternated between pale and livid, and a bitter taste filled his mouth.

’In the past, who would have dared to speak to him like this!’

’But now, not only did Ye Tianling completely disregard him, he acted as if he, Ji Nan, wasn’t even qualified to speak to him!’

’This was a flagrant humiliation!’

Ye Tianling moved, and before Ji Nan could even react, he was right in front of him.

SLAP! SLAP! Ye Tianling’s hand struck Ji Nan’s face twice.

The force wasn’t immense, but it was enough to make Ji Nan’s face instantly red and swollen.

Ji Nan was horrified, his expression twisting in shock. He had already tried to dodge or even teleport away, but he couldn’t evade them at all.

It was as if Ye Tianling’s two slaps contained the invincible Power of Space-Time Law, leaving him no way to dodge and no place to hide.

It was utterly terrifying.

From just two slaps, a chill ran through Ji Nan’s entire body, extinguishing any thought of resistance.

’How is this possible! How did he suddenly become so powerful? Is this the peerless strength of the Sword Venerate Dominating Body after overcoming the Hell Celestial Tribulation?’

Ji Nan was shaken to his core, utterly and inexplicably horrified.

Two deep, red handprints were emblazoned on his face from Ye Tianling’s slaps, stark and vivid.

Yet, it wasn’t just Ji Nan who didn’t dare to resist. At that moment, Ji Hui, Ji Yuan, and the other four Cultivators were all frozen, not daring to fight back either.

He was strong. Simply too strong.