The next morning, Ye Feng sent Ye Youning to school and set off on his journey to the Tianxuan Sect.
Flying on his sword without a single stop, he managed to cut a two-day trip down to just one.
Upon arriving at the Tianxuan Sect, he met Sect Master Wu Wuji, whom he had briefly laid eyes on five years ago.
Having made a striking impression on the battlefield five years ago, coupled with his prominent reputation lately, Wu Wuji held a favorable impression of him and readily agreed to his request.
Guided by Wu Wuji, he smoothly reached the Discipline Hall dungeon where the Tianmo Sect inner disciple was being held.
"Report, Sect Master! That Tianmo Sect disciple is dead!"
"What? His dantian was destroyed and his body devoid of the slightest bit of spiritual power—how could he die under your watch?"
"This disciple failed in his duty, not realizing he was resolved to die. He bit his tongue and committed suicide while we let our guard down."
Losing face slightly, Wu Wuji muttered, "You couldn't even keep an eye on a cripple? Doesn't this Discipline Hall dungeon make a complete joke of us?"
Only upon hearing these words did Ye Feng snap out of his whirlpool of disappointment. Over the past five years, his only lead had just snapped like this, leaving Ye Feng momentarily dazed.
Yet, since the whole affair had started because of him, how could he stand by and do nothing?
Ye Feng quickly stepped in to smooth things over. "Sect Master needn't be troubled; this matter was sudden. With his dantian destroyed and feeling his life held no further hope, he made such a resolute choice—something ordinary people could hardly have anticipated."
"Although this business was not of our sect's intention, we ultimately failed to accomplish what Young Brother Ye came for. I am truly ashamed," Wu Wuji sighed.
Ye Feng hurriedly cupped his fists. "It's fine, this cannot be blamed on the Sect Master either. It's just that now the lead ends here, which is truly vexing."
For a moment, everyone fell silent.
If the Tianjian Sect was the undisputed leader of the righteous sects, then the Tianmo Sect corresponded to the "source of all evil" among evil cultivators. The Tianmo Sect was notorious for its cruel and extreme cultivation methods, stopping at nothing—sacrificing the blood and souls of innocent beings to advance their own cultivation.
The disciples under their banner behaved with ruthless perversity; wherever they went, the common people were left destitute.
Why had the righteous sects never taken action against them?
The root cause lay in the sect's five Deity Transformation Elders, each wielding bizarre and ever-changing evil arts.
Some could manipulate corpses as puppets, driving legions of rotting dead to assault cities and seize territory; others could perform blood sacrificial rites, using the blood of countless living beings as a catalyst to summon ancient evil spirits for assistance.
Not to mention Shen Wanqian, a Peak Deity Transformation cultivator who could be called a titan of the demonic path, possessed of unfathomable strength. The taboo demonic art Shen Wanqian practiced required the souls of a hundred cultivators with superior aptitude as nourishment for every single tier he advanced.
Rumors had it that his true strength was likely no less than that of Mo Rushi, universally recognized as the number one person in the contemporary world.
Even compared to this foundation, the Tianjian Sect seemed inferior. To uproot them entirely would require mobilizing the combined strength of every single righteous sect, enduring countless bitter battles, and paying a horrific price for even a slim chance of success.
Yet who would be willing to burn away years of painstaking effort just to trade for a brief span of peace?
"Sigh." Ye Feng furrowed his brow, deep in thought for a long while, before finally letting out a helpless, quiet sigh and speaking slowly. "Now that this Tianmo Sect disciple is dead and the trail has ended here, I've thought it through: my only option is to travel straight to the Tianmo Sect's lair and have a face-to-face meeting with that Shen Wanqian. Perhaps then I can find a way to lift the curse."
Hearing this, Wu Wuji turned pale with shock and hurriedly tried to dissuade him. "Ye Feng, the Tianmo Sect is a den of tigers and dragons, fraught with danger, teeming with experts and unfathomable sorcery. Even if your Tianjian Sect poured its entire strength into protecting you, it would still be hard to guarantee you could make it out alive!"
A bitter smile surfaced on Ye Feng's face. How could he not know the dangers involved?
It was simply that right now, Ye Youning was suffering from the Corrosive Pill Flame Spirit Curse every single day. Every moment delayed added another layer of danger; he truly had no other choice.
Was he supposed to keep waiting? Wait until he reached the Deity Transformation realm himself before going after Shen Wanqian? He could wait, but how could Ye Youning possibly afford to wait?
Ye Feng frowned slightly, worry and resolve intertwining in his eyes. With a solemn expression, he cupped his fists toward Wu Wuji and said, "Sect Master Wu, I understand in my heart that this course of action is indeed far too reckless. The Tianmo Sect has a deep and unfathomable foundation; rushing in blindly is ten to one a path of no return. But Youning... she is my only remaining flesh and blood in this world. How can I sit idly by and watch her plunge into a desperate abyss without lifting a finger? This matter is of the utmost importance; I must return to my sect to discuss it carefully with my master. I hope Sect Master Wu will understand. Ye Feng will take his leave now."
"You..." Wu Wuji opened his mouth, wanting to persuade him further, but seeing the unshakeable determination in Ye Feng's eyes, he knew in his heart that any more words at this point would be futile. He could only wave his hand in resignation, signaling for Ye Feng to leave.
Ye Feng turned and strode away. Watching his retreating figure gradually recede into the distance, Wu Wuji let out a silent sigh, his eyes filled with regret as he muttered to himself, "What a pity... what a pity such a peerlessly talented sapling..."
...
...
"Almost there, that should be Senior Sister's immortal cave..." Familiar scenery flashed past. "I wonder how Ye Youning has been getting on these past few days while I was away?"
As dusk fell, figuring that classes at the school should have ended, Ye Feng decided to head straight to his senior sister's place to pick up Ye Youning.
Thinking of his younger sister, a smile crept across Ye Feng's lips before he even realized it. "I've troubled Senior Sister Liu this time; I'll have to send her some gifts later."
"Fortunately, the curse seal hasn't flared up at all over the past five years. Thanks to feeding her heavenly treasures, she's considered quite healthy," Ye Feng thought to himself as he drifted down gracefully into the center of the courtyard.
"Ye Feng? Come take a look!" A slender figure poked her head out—naturally, Senior Sister Liu, who had sensed the fluctuation of spiritual energy. "Youning suddenly fainted this morning. The pills from the alchemy room did no good, and she still hasn't woken up."
"Youning!" Burning with anxiety and throwing all formalities to the wind, Ye Feng dashed toward the house like a streak of lightning.
As soon as he stepped inside, he saw his usually lively and adorable younger sister lying weakly on the bed, her complexion as pale as paper.
He hurried forward, gently taking his sister's arm and slowly channeling his own spiritual Qi into her to carefully probe her internal condition.
The moment his fingertips touched her skin, a scorching heat rushed over him. At the same time, strange flames flickered deep within her body.
Ye Feng's heart sank. This was the Karmic Fire of the curse seal! As someone possessing the World-Burning Fire Spiritual Root, he could vividly feel the sheer "heat" radiating from this Karmic Fire even now—let alone his five-year-old sister who had never practiced cultivation.
Ye Feng's fingers trembled slightly. Knowing full well the devastation this Karmic Fire would wreak on his sister, he hesitated no longer, revolving his spiritual power to draw all of the Karmic Fire directly into his own body.
In an instant, excruciating pain washed over him, as though countless fiery needles were darting wildly through his flesh. The sensation instantly reminded Ye Feng of five years ago—that agonizing, unforgettable pain. Fortunately, this time Ye Feng had some experience.
If he hadn't possessed the "Stoic" talent back then, he probably would have completely lost his composure right on the spot under the sudden impact of that agony.
In truth, although Ye Feng possessed the ability to control all manner of flames in the world thanks to his World-Burning Fire Spiritual Root, this impure, malevolent fire caused his spiritual root to exhibit an extreme state of rejection.
The World-Burning Fire Spiritual Root utterly scorned such vile fire, having not the slightest intention of absorbing it. Instead, the moment it came into contact, its own purity suffered. Therefore, once the Karmic Fire entered his body, rather than being absorbed by the spiritual root, it engaged in a fierce "struggle" with the root, each intent on annihilating the other.
Naturally, the spiritual root held the absolute upper hand, but Ye Feng was the one who suffered, his body enduring the immense agony of the clash between the spiritual root and the malevolent fire, while his own intact meridians were also caught in the fallout.
Right now, however, was not the time to dwell on that. Ye Feng's gaze sharpened; it seemed Ye Youning's fingers had just twitched slightly.
"Ye Feng?" Ye Youning slowly regained consciousness from her faint. The moment she opened her eyes, she saw the person she had been longing for.
"You're back?" Ye Youning looked around in a daze, gradually recognizing this as the room where she was staying.
"Youning has been very good these past few days," she said weakly, looking at Ye Feng, feeling somewhat bewildered as if she had fallen ill.
"Let's go, I want to go home..."