Although Ye Qiubai did not care about all this, nor did he harbor any plans for revenge, it was equally unlikely that he would show a pleasant expression to these opportunists and sycophantic Elders.
The surrounding Elders could only offer embarrassed, dry smiles at this.
Ye Qing’s face was filled with surprise as he patted Ye Qiubai on the shoulder and laughed heartily, "Good, very good! As long as you’ve recovered, that’s all that matters! But Qiubai, how did you recover your strength? Could it be that you encountered some sort of miraculous fortuitous encounter again?"
Hearing this, Ye Qiubai couldn't help but smile.
"Master saved me. At the time, when I stepped out of the city gates, I was being hunted down and happened to run into Master. Not only did he save my life, but he also used medicinal pills to repair my talent and passed down supreme cultivation techniques to me, allowing my strength to advance by leaps and bounds."
"Then you truly must thank your Master properly." Ye Qing said with surprise, "However, someone capable of possessing such medicinal pills can hardly be a nobody, can they?"
Ye Qiubai shook his head, however, and said, "Although Master belongs to Cangdao Academy, he dislikes being in the spotlight. Very few people know of him."
Cangdao Academy?
That explained it.
Ye Qing nodded in sudden realization, then as if thinking of something, he frowned and asked, "Do you know who the person wanting to kill you before was?"
Someone had tried to ruthlessly murder his son the moment he left Tianyuan City—how could Ye Qing not be furious?
An extremely tyrannical aura surged forth spontaneously!
After all, Ye Qing was the head of the Ye Family and one of the top experts in Tianyuan City.
Some of the low-cultivation onlookers instantly changed expression, forced back step by step by the terrifying might of this aura!
Ye Qiubai’s expression remained unchanged as he looked behind him at Jiang Tianhan, whose face wore a complicated expression.
In truth, Jiang Tianhan was somewhat aware of his daughter's actions.
Following Ye Qiubai's gaze, Ye Qing looked over at Jiang Tianhan and said harshly, "Jiang Tianhan?"
Ye Qiubai shook his head. "It was Jiang Chan."
At these words, Ye Qing instantly unleashed his aura!
Directly pressing his might down upon Jiang Tianhan, he shouted angrily, "Jiang Tianhan, your Jiang family needs to give me an explanation!"
Before, they had unilaterally torn up the marriage engagement right in front of the entire Ye Family and humiliated his son.
And now, they had even tried to eradicate him completely!
This drove Ye Qing's fury straight to the crown of his head!
He stepped forward, and a long sword slipped from his hand!
Clearly, if Jiang Tianhan's explanation failed to satisfy him, Ye Qing would strike with a single sword slash!
Seeing this, Jiang Tianhan could only sigh bitterly, "Brother Ye, it is indeed my Jiang family that has wronged you. I apologize to you on behalf of my daughter, Jiang Chan."
"Is an apology any use?" Ye Qing roared fiercely, "Knowing it would come to this, why carry out such a heinous act in the first place?"
Jiang Tianhan could only respond helplessly, "Back then, I didn't discover Chan'er's plan either; I only found out after everything had already happened. This was my dereliction of duty as a father."
"Say no more. Hand Jiang Chan over."
Ye Qing stepped forward once more, pointing his long sword outward with an unfriendly expression as he said, "If you don't hand her over, don't blame my Ye Family for declaring war on the Jiang Family."
"Chan'er has already left Tianyuan City."
Jiang Tianhan shook his head, looked at the calm-faced Ye Qiubai, and said, "I also hope Qiubai can let go of this grievance. For this, my Jiang Family is willing to hand over all three years of harvest from the Tianyuan City industries to you."
Three years of harvest!
This was by no means a small sum of resources!
Just as Ye Qing was about to speak, Ye Qiubai stepped out and interrupted, "Where did Jiang Chan go?"
If tearing up the engagement had turned Ye Qiubai and Jiang Chan into strangers, then the assassination attempt had made them mortal enemies!
A debt of blood must be repaid in blood, and a grievance must be met with justice.
This was Ye Qiubai's attitude.
Jiang Tianhan’s expression tightened as he said in a deep voice, "Qiubai, I know you harbor hatred in your heart, but you cannot take revenge. Chan'er has already joined a faction you will never be able to reach in this lifetime."
Unable to reach in this lifetime?
Ye Qiubai thought of his Master, Lu Changsheng.
He truly could not imagine who in this world could be a match for his Master.
That Primeval Sword Scripture did not resemble mortal martial arts.
The Creation Pill seized the fortune of heaven and earth and was truly an absolute rarity in the mortal realm.
Coupled with that scroll painting.
Not to mention the grand array Master had set up before he descended the mountain...
Ye Qiubai shook his head and said, "You needn't trouble yourself over that."
"The Northern Domain, the Sunset Dynasty."
Hearing this, Ye Qing was startled with shock!
Ye Ling wore a look of terror!
Ye Qiubai was also slightly stunned.
The Northern Domain was the strongest of the Four Domains.
And the Sunset Dynasty was the overlord of the Northern Domain.
Countless experts resided within it, roaming the world unchallenged.
Moreover, the current ruler of the Sunset Dynasty ranked fourth on the Four Domains Martial Rankings.
The Four Domains Martial Rankings recorded the strength of known experts across the Four Domains.
Even Qin Tiannan, the Dean of Cangdao Academy in the Southern Domain, could only rank 26th on the Martial Rankings...
One could well imagine the gold content of those rankings.
He had never expected Jiang Chan to actually go to the Sunset Dynasty!
That being the case, even if Ye Qiubai's Master was a member of Cangdao Academy, he would still...
After a brief moment of stupefaction, Ye Qiubai returned to his calm demeanor.
After all, he truly couldn't imagine anyone who could be a match for his Master.
Not even the Sunset Dynasty.
However, Ye Qiubai had no intention of asking his Master to help him exact revenge.
After all, this was his own affair.
Seeing that Ye Qiubai remained silent and assuming he had given up, Jiang Tianhan said, "I will have the harvest of the next three years delivered to you. As for Qiubai's matter, I am truly sorry..."
With that, Jiang Tianhan turned and left with his people.
Ye Qing sighed, patted Ye Qiubai on the shoulder, and said, "Don't think too much about it. Focus on improving your own strength."
Ye Qiubai nodded.
Meanwhile, the Chou family issued a declaration of war against the Ye Family.
The war could be halted only if they handed over Ye Qiubai.
Ye Qing had anticipated this; after all, Chou Siwu had died at Ye Qiubai's hands.
He had already made preparations to respond.
Just as he was about to speak, he saw Ye Qiubai already walking toward Ye Yan.
An aura steadily rose as sword Qi soared into the air!
Gazing coldly at Ye Yan, whose eyes were filled with terror, Ye Qiubai said, "Do you dare to fight a battle of life and death?"
Chapter Seventeen: A Debt of Blood Repaid in Blood!
Dark clouds hung low, pressing down upon the city.
Tianyuan City was currently blanketed by gloomy clouds, heavy with oppression everywhere.
An invisible sense of pressure lingered constantly in everyone's hearts.
And the epicenter of this pressure was the Ye Family.
Ye Qiubai pointed his wooden sword at Ye Yan. He disliked people scheming against him.
His swordsmanship was clear-cut in its gratitude and grievances.
A debt of blood must be repaid in blood, and grievances must be met with justice.
If someone treated him well, he would return it manifold.
If someone wished to harm him, Ye Qiubai would swing the long sword in his hand without a moment's hesitation.
And Ye Yan had clearly harbored the intent to kill Ye Qiubai.
One of the reasons Ye Qiubai had returned to the Ye Family today was to execute Ye Yan under his sword.
"Do you dare to fight a duel of life and death?"
Ye Qiubai lowered his voice and demanded again.
Watching this scene, Ye Qing said nothing to stop him. Instead, he stepped to Ye Qiubai's side, standing ready to fend off any thunderous strike from First Elder Ye Ling.
He understood his son; if Ye Yan hadn't committed a grave wrong, he would never act like this.
With a pale face, Ye Yan retreated behind Ye Ling and said with a trembling voice, "Ye Qiubai, I was in the wrong before. I can compensate you!"
Ye Ling's expression was also unsightly. Knowing what had transpired, he spoke in a conciliatory tone, "Qiubai, Yan'er was indeed wrong in this matter. But after all, he is your cousin and a member of the Ye Family. Isn't there anything that can be discussed? For my sake, won't you spare him this once?"
Unmoved, Ye Qiubai maintained his detached expression and repeated coldly, "Do you dare?"
Seeing that reconciliation was impossible.
Ye Ling also stepped forward abruptly, bursting forth with an astonishing aura that pressed down upon Ye Qiubai!
As the First Elder of the Ye Family, he naturally possessed formidable strength, second only to Ye Qing!
Seeing this, Ye Qing likewise took a step forward, completely blocking that oppressive might!
With a sinking expression, Ye Ling said in a low voice, "Ye Qing, do you father and son truly intend to drive us to extinction?"
Hearing this, Ye Qing sneered, "And what of the things you've been doing behind the scenes? Do you really take me for a fool who can investigate nothing?"
"Since it has come to this, then let us fight!"
With a stomp of his foot, Ye Ling lunged forward abruptly!
Yet he aimed a palm strike straight at Ye Qiubai!
Clearly, he intended to eliminate Ye Qiubai with thunderous momentum before anything else could happen!
After all, Ye Qiubai's current talent far surpassed his past self, and he had even joined Cangdao Academy—his future was boundless.
If he wasn't eradicated swiftly, they would never be able to withstand his future vengeance!
With a cold snort, Ye Qing shifted his position, intercepted Ye Ling's palm strike, and slashed out with his long sword!
The two engaged in combat!
A mighty aura erupted outward!
Meanwhile, Ye Qiubai looked toward Ye Yan and asked, "Are you prepared to meet your death?"
With a ruthless look on his face, Ye Yan said in a deep voice, "Ye Qiubai, strong though you may be, it doesn't necessarily mean you can kill me. The moment my father frees his hands will be your time of death!"
Hearing this, Ye Qiubai said no more. He placed one hand behind his back and stepped forward.
Step one, sword momentum arose!
Streams of sword momentum transformed into invisible swords, slashing toward Ye Yan!
Ye Yan struck out with a palm!
Directly shattering those invisible swords!
Seeing this, Ye Qiubai took another step forward!
Sword Qi surged across the space!
Shooting furiously toward Ye Yan!
The astonishing might terrified the surrounding onlookers!
With a drastic change in expression, Ye Yan roared angrily, thrusting both hands out and flipping his palms to strike!
He actually managed to unleash a barrage of palm prints!
Yet, under the terrifying power of those razor-sharp sword Qi that seemed to cleave space itself, those two palm prints shattered in the blink of an eye!
With a pale face, Ye Yan retreated violently!
He kept striking out with his palms in an endless, frantic defense!
Seeing that Ye Yan was completely devoid of any resistance, Ye Ling grew anxious in his heart and roared at the Elders, "Hurry and make your move to execute this boy Ye Qiubai!"
Hearing this, the Elders exchanged glances.
Their faces were filled with hesitation, clearly caught in internal conflict.
One Elder who had a pre-existing grudge with Ye Qiubai gritted his teeth, leaped forward directly, and threw a punch!
The full might of the Peak Purple Palace Realm erupted outward!
Ye Qiubai spun around instantly, and his wooden sword swept out, trailing strands of black Qi!
Demonic Qi swirled, compelling submission!
Someone cried out in alarm: "What kind of swordsmanship is this?!"
Seeing this, Ye Yan's face changed drastically. How could he not know the power of this swordsmanship?
This was the very swordsmanship that had defeated Huo Qingming!
And at that time, Ye Qiubai had merely been in the Golden Core Realm!
Now that Ye Qiubai had broken through to the Purple Palace Realm, how much greater would the power of this swordsmanship be?
The result went without saying!
Thinking of this, Ye Yan immediately called out a warning, "Sixth Elder, watch out for his swordsmanship!"
The Sixth Elder, however, cared not in the least. After all, Ye Qiubai was only in the Early Purple Palace Realm; no matter how formidable his swordsmanship, how could he possibly be a match for him?
Yet what the Sixth Elder did not know was that...
It was precisely this thought that would cost him his life.
A split second later, Ye Qiubai slashed his long sword downward!
"First sword..."
In an instant, demonic Qi surged violently!
Even the Sixth Elder felt his mind tremble!
However, an arrow drawn from a bow could not be called back; his punch had already smashed squarely against that wooden sword!
Boom!
A deafening explosion rang out, and the shockwaves of spiritual pressure shook the surroundings!
Billowing demonic Qi directly enveloped the entire Ye Family compound!
The wooden sword in Ye Qiubai's hand suffered not the slightest damage. On the contrary, the Sixth Elder's expression changed drastically the very moment he collided with the wooden sword.
His spiritual energy defense was breached instantly upon his fist making contact, and blood burst forth!
The next instant, the Sixth Elder's arm was cleanly severed!
Not letting this prime opportunity slip, Ye Qiubai closed in aggressively and slashed out with his wooden sword once again!
Amidst the Sixth Elder's look of utter terror, the wooden sword cleaved straight into his chest.
The demonic Qi instantly invaded his internal organs, destroying every last one of his meridians!
The Sixth Elder's eyes gradually lost their focus as he collapsed to the ground.
Without a breath of life left.
Witnessing this scene, Ye Yan trembled inwardly.
For Ye Qiubai, having entered the Purple Palace Realm, to so easily slay a Peak Purple Palace expert—probably even Huo Qingming was no match for him now...
Ye Ling's expression was also one of shock.
How could he have imagined that Ye Qiubai's strength would be so formidable!
Taking advantage of Ye Ling's momentary distraction, Ye Qing slashed out with his long sword!
"Ah!"
Accompanied by a miserable scream, Ye Ling clutched a bone-deep wound on his arm and retreated repeatedly!
Seeing this.
The Elders who had been hesitating completely abandoned any lingering thoughts of resistance or intervention.
Instead, they began racking their brains over how to curry favor with Ye Qiubai and Ye Qing.
Having dealt with the Sixth Elder, Ye Qiubai continued walking toward Ye Yan, the black sword Qi wrapping around his wooden sword showing no signs of diminishing!
Clearly, Ye Qiubai had no intention of sparing Ye Yan.
"You... you can't kill me!"
Ye Yan retreated continuously, his expression terrified.
Ignoring him, Ye Qiubai raised his wooden sword high, his body rocketing forward as he slashed down at Ye Yan!
Nearby, Ye Ling's expression also changed drastically.
At that very moment, however.
An elderly figure materialized before Ye Qiubai, catching the wooden sword between two fingers.
The old man let out a slight sigh.
"You've vented more than enough. How about not killing Ye Yan?"
Chapter Eighteen: The Qingyun Sword Reveals the Qingyun!
The atmosphere was bizarre.
The current Ye Family was dead silent, everyone staring at this mysterious old man.
His eyes were cloudy and his arm raised slightly, yet he had effortlessly caught a wooden sword brimming with dark sword Qi using merely two fingers.
Ye Qiubai's expression also tightened as he pressed his wooden sword forward once more, unleashing surges of demonic Qi!
The Nine Heavenly Demonic Swords.
Third sword!
Now that Ye Qiubai had broken through to the Purple Palace Realm, his might naturally could not be compared to the past.
Yet, he was still held firmly between the old man's fingers!
The old man sighed, "Stop trying in vain; you are no match for me."
With those words, he gently flicked his palm, and Ye Qiubai felt as though he had been struck by lightning, blasting backward through the air!
With a grave expression, Ye Qing stepped in front of Ye Qiubai and looked at the old man, saying in a deep voice, "Ancestor."
Ye Ling, Ye Yan, and the various Ye Family Elders also wore respectful expressions as they bowed to the old man, saluting him, "Greetings, Ancestor."
Indeed, this old man was none other than the Ancestor of the Ye Family, and currently its strongest expert.
Hearing this, Ye Qiubai was slightly startled. Although he knew the Ye Family had an ancestor, he had never laid eyes on him before.
He had only heard that the Ancestor spent year after year in secluded cultivation, attempting to shatter his bottleneck!
Looking at Ye Qiubai, the Ye Family Ancestor slowly said, "Now that you've killed an Elder, your anger should be more or less vented. Let us end it here."
His tone was calm, yet brooked no questioning!
Ye Qing's expression changed.
He knew the Ancestor was siding with Ye Ling's faction!
Ye Qiubai's expression remained unchanged as he said coldly, "What, only he was allowed to try to kill me, but I am not allowed to kill him?"
With a profound and cryptic tone, the Ye Family Ancestor implied, "You are, after all, a member of the Ye Family. Naturally, you must place the overall interests of the Ye Family above all else."
"Oh? Ye Yan's talent is inferior to mine, his strength is inferior to mine..."
At this point, Ye Qiubai glanced at Ye Yan, who was cowering far in the back with a terrified expression, and sneered, "Even his nerve is inferior. So why is protecting him and discarding me considered 'the overall interests of the Ye Family'?"
The Ye Family Ancestor glanced at Ye Yan and sighed, "Indeed, I agree with that point. In terms of talent, strength, and character, you are simply flawless as the next Family Head... However, seeing as you have a blood feud with the Sunset Dynasty, we have no choice but to settle for second best."
"Furthermore, your sense of belonging to the Ye Family is not strong."
Ye Qiubai was indifferent.
If it were the past, he would have willingly laid down his life for the Ye Family.
But now, after experiencing so many things.
Whether the Ye Family lived or died, prospered or gradually declined, meant nothing to Ye Qiubai anymore.
"Therefore, for the sake of the Ye Family, I can only wrong you."
"And what if I insist on killing him today?"
The Ye Family Ancestor's cloudy eyes snapped wide open.
An irresistible wave of pressure swept directly toward Ye Qiubai!
To him, Ye Qiubai was merely a genius who had yet to fully mature.
If he was obedient, he could be kept.
But if he harbored rebellious bones, the Ye Family Ancestor would execute him without the slightest hesitation!
Ye Qing's expression changed drastically as he immediately stepped in front of Ye Qiubai, thrusting both hands out to block that oppressive might.
Yet, given Ye Qing's current cultivation, merely resisting this aura required him to exhaust every ounce of his strength.
"Qiubai, you should leave first. Return to Cangdao Academy."
Before Ye Qiubai could speak, the Ye Family Ancestor said in a deep voice, "Since he has already made his move, how can we let a tiger return to the mountains?"
If Ye Qiubai returned to Cangdao Academy.
Even the Ye Family Ancestor did not have the slightest shred of confidence in executing Ye Qiubai within Cangdao Academy!
After all, Academy Dean Qin Tiannan ranked 26th on the Four Domains Martial Rankings.
While he himself couldn't even squeeze into the bottom of the rankings.
Naturally, he was no match for him.
By the time Ye Qiubai's strength grew to a point where even he could no longer handle it, it would likely spell annihilation for the Ye Family.
The Ye Family Ancestor understood this logic all too well. With a flicker of his body, he charged violently toward Ye Qiubai on the spot!
Gritting his teeth, Ye Qing stepped up to meet him!
Ye Qiubai, however, had no intention of fleeing immediately. His expression tightened as he retrieved an archaic long sword.
The long sword remained sealed within its scabbard.
Yet faint wisps of sword intent emanated from it!
The Qingyun Sword!
This was the sword Lu Changsheng had given Ye Qiubai back then, though he had been unable to wield it at the time.
Now, having comprehended sword intent and advanced his cultivation, he wondered if he could draw it and strike a single blow!
The Ye Family Ancestor possessed formidable strength and was extremely sensitive to danger.
The moment he saw Ye Qiubai produce this sword, he instantly felt a bone-deep terror that shook his soul!
"What kind of sword is that?!"
Retreating rapidly, the Ye Family Ancestor cried out in a sharp voice, "How can this sword possibly be imbued with sword intent!"
Sword intent was something that belonged intrinsically to oneself.
Yet for a sword to naturally carry sword intent—the Ye Family Ancestor had never even heard of such a thing!
Even if a master refiner from the Southern Domain were to personally forge it, they couldn't possibly smelt sword intent into the weapon!
Without a word, Ye Qiubai stepped forward, preparing to draw the Qingyun Sword from its scabbard!
Wisps upon wisps of sword intent surged upward!
Even the sword intent on Ye Qiubai's own body began to flood the entire Ye Family compound!