Clang... clang...
The members of the Gu Family finally snapped out of their shock and instinctively drew their spirit swords!
"Who dares!" Ye Xiaoyao let out a cold snort, his sharp gaze sweeping across the entire courtyard!
For a moment, far from making a move, the Gu Family members didn't even have the courage to meet Ye Xiaoyao's eyes, and one by one they lowered their heads.
"You... you..." Watching his clansmen act like spineless cowards, Gu Han was filled with rage.
Yet Ye Xiaoyao only sneered with disdain, "A fish rots from the head down!"
"As the head of the family, you care only about interests and nothing of affection. Now that you are nothing more than a good-for-nothing, what makes you think they would risk their lives to save you?"
Even as he spoke, Ye Xiaoyao's hands did not stop!
Though he didn't use any spiritual energy, Gu Han's ribs could be heard cracking one by one.
"Ah... ah..." Amidst the endless agony, Gu Han no longer had the strength to defend himself.
He could only cast pleading glances at the clansmen all around!
Yet not only did the clansmen refuse to help, but one by one they began to accuse Gu Han.
"That's right! Young Master Ye has done so much for our Gu Family, and how did you and your daughter treat him in the end?"
"You thought Young Master Ye was just blessed with good fortune to obtain such an opportunity, but it's clearly heaven itself that couldn't stomach your actions, sending Young Master Ye here to exact revenge!"
"Young Master Ye, for an ungrateful beast like this, you should make his life a living hell and subject him to every torture known to this world!"
One bold clansman even ran over and forcefully shoved a medicinal pill into Gu Han's mouth.
"Young Master Ye, I have a stamina-preserving pill here that will keep him alive for three full days, so you can torture him to your heart's content..."
"You... you... you traitors!" Gu Han glared furiously at the crowd of clansmen.
"Gu Han, have you forgotten how you and your daughter treated Young Master Ye?"
"We are merely using the exact methods you used on Young Master Ye back then, and you can't even handle it?"
"Did you ever spare a thought for Young Master Ye's feelings?" At this point, the Gu Family members no longer cared about Gu Han's attitude in the slightest.
What they feared was that Ye Xiaoyao would vent his wrath upon them; what they feared was that he would uproot them completely.
I must admit, even though they knew these people were just trying to curry favor with him, these words genuinely brought a trace of sadistic pleasure to Ye Xiaoyao.
"Fine, then I'll leave him to you. I'm going after Gu Qingqing right now!" Ye Xiaoyao declared immediately.
At once, the expressions of everyone present shifted slightly.
"Unwilling?" Ye Xiaoyao's gaze darkened.
The crowd hurriedly said, "No... for a cold-blooded and ungrateful wretch like Gu Han, no amount of torture is too much!"
"It's just... it's just that early this morning, after Gu Qingqing fused with... fused with Young Master Ye's Supreme Bone, she already departed for the imperial capital to take part in the Lihuo Sect's entrance examination!"
He had been wondering why he hadn't seen Gu Qingqing anywhere amidst all this commotion, and only now did it dawn on Ye Xiaoyao.
The Lihuo Sect was a massive sect ruling over a region spanning tens of thousands of li.
Such a colossal influence not only possessed countless powerful experts, but its criteria for recruiting disciples were also extremely rigorous.
Back then, it was precisely to help Gu Qingqing successfully pass this examination that he had risked his life to pluck the Mysterious Fire Spirit Leaf, ultimately ending up with a shattered dantian.
Counting the days, there were only seven days left until the Lihuo Sect would recruit disciples in the imperial capital.
"Young Master Ye, if you go now, you'll still make it in time. Otherwise, once that bitch Gu Qingqing passes the Lihuo Sect's examination, it will become troublesome to exact your revenge!"
"As for Gu Han, leave him here. We swear to Young Master Ye that the torture will never stop day or night, and we won't let him die either, until Young Master Ye returns!"
Seeing this, the Gu Family members rushed to reassure him.
After all, as far as they were concerned, sending Ye Xiaoyao away was the most important thing right now.
Ah... ah... As if to prove their absolute resolve, some clansmen even began to inflict punishments on Gu Han.
Though they avoided his vital organs, Gu Han's screams of agony were no less piercing than when Ye Xiaoyao had attacked him earlier.
"Very well! If he is dead when I return, the Gu Family will be wiped out!" Ye Xiaoyao let out a cold snort and turned to leave.
He believed that given the character of the Gu Family members, Gu Han's remaining days would undoubtedly be extremely colorful.
Of course, more importantly, just as they had said, if Gu Qingqing truly managed to join the Lihuo Sect, seeking revenge afterward would no longer be an easy task.
Mounting the fine steed at the entrance, Ye Xiaoyao immediately galloped out of the city.
As he rode at full speed, Ye Xiaoyao felt a slight vibration in his dantian.
Looking inward, he discovered that the young girl within his dantian had opened her eyes.
"Seni... Senior..." Ye Xiaoyao hurriedly greeted her.
The fact that he had returned from the dead and was able to exact swift justice and vengeance was entirely thanks to this young girl.
Yet at this moment, the young girl's figure remained as illusory as ever, as if she might vanish at any second.
"Although you have only just grasped the Myriad Forms Devouring Heaven Sword Dao, if you wish to truly comprehend the Myriad Forms Sword Dao, you must fuse the Yang Force of the Five Elements, giving birth to sword leaves of the Five Elements and Yin-Yang!"
"When I crossed realms, I sensed a surge of fire force ten thousand li to the east. Though not exceptionally strong, it will be enough for you to condense a crimson fire spirit leaf. Make your way there as quickly as possible!"
Ye Xiaoyao was startled. "Ten thousand li to the east? That's the territory of the Lihuo Sect!"
"Senior, you surely don't mean the Lihuo Sect's Undying Sacred Fire, do you?"
Is this a matter of simply rushing over?
Even though he had just wreaked havoc and slaughtered his way through the Gu Family, among the countless youths participating in this Lihuo Sect examination, he probably wouldn't even rank near the top.
And now she wanted him to go after their Sacred Fire?
"Is there a sect power there?" The young girl asked after a brief hesitation.
"In that case, I will now transmit to you a cultivation formula called the Nine Dragons Fire Control Formula, which will be more than enough for you to successfully infiltrate this sect!"
"You only need to get close to this strand of fire force; once I recover a bit more of my strength, I will be able to take action and subdue it!"
Ye Xiaoyao immediately felt a profound cultivation formula pour into his mind.
"Senior, why are you helping me like this?" The price he paid for the Gu Family had been repaid with ruthless betrayal, and Ye Xiaoyao was no longer as naive as he used to be.
The young girl replied, "The Eternal Prohibition is an immortal forbidden realm. Only when your Myriad Forms Sword Dao reaches consummation can you help my true body break free, so you had better work hard!"
"Of course, I will also help you attain a level of strength you have never even dared to imagine."
With those words, the young girl fell back into a slumber.
Does that mean reaching the realm of the Martial Emperor, shattering the void, and ascending to the Immortal Realm?
This was a dream that countless martial artists on the Qingyun Continent didn't even dare to harbor!
Aside from his lingering excitement, Ye Xiaoyao realized that joining the Lihuo Sect and hunting down Gu Qingqing happened to lie along the same route.
At the same time, thinking about how he actually had a chance to set foot in the Immortal Realm, Ye Xiaoyao galloped his steed forward while studying the Nine Dragons Fire Control Formula.
The Nine Dragons Fire Control Formula was not merely a cultivation formula for attacking opponents; it also encompassed everything related to fire.
This included how to control fire for alchemy and weapon forging...
And once alchemy and weapon forging were involved, it naturally touched upon human anatomy, formation arrays, and numerous classifications.
As he pondered and comprehended it, Ye Xiaoyao's horizons broadened immensely, and he realized how narrow-minded his view of the world had once been.
As his comprehension deepened, Ye Xiaoyao felt the Sword Dao Seed within his dantian tremble slightly.
Looking inward, he discovered that a dark red tender leaf had sprouted on the Sword Dao Seed.
It could actually be fused? Ye Xiaoyao was somewhat surprised!
He had never expected that the Myriad Forms Devouring Heaven Sword Dao, famed for its ability to devour and fuse all forms in existence, would actually give birth to a fire force simply through his comprehension of the Nine Dragons Fire Control Formula.
Although this tender leaf was dark red and did not yet store an immense amount of power, Ye Xiaoyao knew very well that as long as he could find sufficient fire spiritual energy, it wouldn't be long before he could manifest a fire spirit sword.
He had already experienced firsthand the terrifying might of the lightning sword, and immediately he found himself filled with anticipation for this fire spirit sword as well.
Six days passed, and Ye Xiaoyao's comprehension of the Nine Dragons Fire Control Formula continued to deepen.
Along with his ongoing cultivation, the crimson fire spirit leaf upon the Sword Dao Seed grew several vivid red veins.
At the same time, Ye Xiaoyao could already spot a tiny black dot on the horizon—he knew that must be the imperial capital.
"Grandfather... Grandfather..."
As he pressed onward, a voice filled with anxious cries drifted over.
At that moment, a young girl was seen hurriedly laying an old man down by the roadside, before stepping directly into the middle of the path to block Ye Xiaoyao's way forward.