Instead of letting him protect her, the little sister was now protecting him!
"Hum!"
High in the sky, an elder of the Prince's Mansion plunged downward, his sword thrusting forward with blinding speed!
Beneath that sword, Ye Mengling’s frail figure looked so tiny, so helpless!
"No!"
With a roar, Ye Qing lunged forward, throwing himself in front of his sister.
Chapter 17: Three Elders of the Prince's Mansion
"Rip!"
A long sword pierced straight through Ye Qing's body!
Blood gushed forth like a fountain!
Ye Qing suffered critical, life-threatening injuries.
Killing an elder of the Prince's Mansion had already pushed Ye Qing to his absolute limit.
Not long ago, Ye Qing had engaged in fierce battles with numerous Yuan Condensation Realm powerhouses right within the Ye Family estate.
He had not yet recovered from that ordeal.
His body was extremely weak.
He could barely lift the Shura Blood Sword anymore!
At this moment.
Struck by a sword, Ye Qing's condition became even more perilous.
"Brother!"
Ye Mengling turned pale with fright.
She watched as Ye Qing's body collapsed right in front of her.
Grief tore at her heart.
Ever since they were little, she and her brother had depended on each other for survival.
Her brother had always been the one taking care of her.
She would rather die herself than see her brother suffer even the slightest injury.
"Why?"
"Why must you all hurt my brother!"
Tears choked Ye Mengling's voice.
Her delicate hand caressed Ye Qing's cheek.
"Silly sister, don't cry!"
"I... I'm not going to die yet!"
Clutching the Shura Blood Sword, Ye Qing jammed it into the ground to steady himself as he struggled to stand.
"Brat, struggling is useless!"
"You care so much about your sister, don't you? In that case, I will make you watch with your own eyes as she dies!"
The elder of the Prince's Mansion sneered viciously.
Cold murderous intent flashed in his eyes.
The next moment.
The sword in his hand thrust fiercely forward.
Aiming straight for Ye Mengling's heart.
"No!"
Ye Qing roared furiously.
The bloodline within his body surged violently.
A brilliant golden radiance burst forth from his wounds!
The six-star Eight Desolations Fire Dragon Bloodline endowed Ye Qing with an extraordinarily formidable physique.
At that moment, the bloodline power inside Ye Qing erupted!
Miraculously, it began to heal the wound on his chest!
How could the talent bestowed by a six-star bloodline be as simple as just the Eight Desolations True Fire?
It also granted Ye Qing immense vitality and self-healing capabilities!
"Swish!"
In the blink of an eye, Ye Qing pulled out the Shura Blood Sword and hurled it forward with all his might.
A streak of blood-red sword light flashed across the void.
The next instant.
The elder of the Prince's Mansion was impaled by the sword.
Piercing straight through his chest!
The life force within the elder's body was instantly extinguished.
His corpse plummeted to the ground.
Ye Qing took a step forward, standing protectively in front of his sister.
Like an iron tower.
Ye Qing would never allow anyone to harm his sister!
Not even the gods and Buddhas of the heavens!
Only a single sword stood in his way!
"Kill him!"
There remained only one elder of the Prince's Mansion.
At this moment.
Terror was plastered across his face.
He had finally realized just how terrifying Ye Qing was!
Though it takes time to describe, everything happened in the blink of an eye.
Almost instantaneously, Ye Qing had already slain two elders of the Prince's Mansion.
And those Ninth Stage of Body Refining experts from the Prince's Mansion had just arrived in time for the kill!
"Die!"
Ye Qing gripped the Shura Blood Sword tightly.
He unleashed every ounce of his internal bloodline power without reservation.
As the Shura Blood Sword swept through the air, a sheet of scorching golden flames erupted in the void.
One of the Ninth Stage of Body Refining experts from the Prince's Mansion was grazed by the golden flames.
His entire body was instantly reduced to ashes.
The physical bodies of Ninth Stage of Body Refining martial artists were by no means weak.
Yet, under the scorching heat of the Eight Desolations True Fire, they stood no chance of resistance whatsoever.
Instantly obliterated!
What had originally been just a tiny flicker of golden flame.
In a split second, it escalated into a raging prairie fire!
Soon, miserable wails echoed from the remaining experts of the Prince's Mansion on the scene!
Out of more than thirty Ninth Stage of Body Refining experts, ten perished in the blink of an eye.
However, many more powerhouses from the Prince's Mansion charged forward.
All of them targeted Ye Qing's sister.
They knew that Ye Mengling was Ye Qing's Achilles' heel.
If they could only control Ye Mengling, they would easily be able to deal with Ye Qing.
"Boom!"
Suddenly, high in the sky, the final elder of the Prince's Mansion swooped down like lightning.
His speed was blistering.
"Boom!"
A muffled grunt rang out as the little sister's delicate body took the full force of a palm strike.
It felt as though she had been struck by lightning!
Her fragile form was sent flying backward.
Bright red blood spilled from the corners of her mouth.
Her slender body slammed heavily into the ground.
Her eyes closed tightly.
The aura of life within her flickered faintly!
"Sister!"
Ye Qing was driven mad with rage.
The murderous intent radiating from his entire body nearly materialized into physical form.
He had just slain two of the Prince's Mansion's experts.
Yet the remaining elder of the Prince's Mansion had launched a vicious sneak attack.
Ye Qing simply hadn't been in time to save his sister!
Seeing his sister severely wounded and on the brink of death.
Ye Qing's eyes instantly turned completely blood-red!
Kill!
At this moment, only a single word echoed in Ye Qing's mind.
Kill!
Kill every last enemy!
"Swish!"
The next instant.
Ye Qing swung the Shura Blood Sword, carving a deep bloody gash across his own right arm!
The Shura Blood Sword grew stronger by devouring blood.
And Ye Qing's blood was far more terrifying than that of any of the Prince's Mansion's experts present!
The six-star Eight Desolations Fire Dragon Bloodline!
It contained unimaginable bloodline power.
After devouring Ye Qing's blood.
The Shura Blood Sword burst with an even more eerie, blood-red radiance.
The killing intent released by Ye Qing soared straight up into the clouds!
"Hum!"
Charging forward like a ferocious tiger, Ye Qing unleashed the Wind Sword Art.
The Shura Blood Sword in his hand swept outward like a golden tempest.
Fast!
Ye Qing's sword was simply too fast!
In an instant, his Wind Sword Art broke through to the Realm of Perfection!
"Swish!"
The elder of the Prince's Mansion barely attempted to move.
The next second.
His head went flying into the air!
A one-hit kill!
Slain with a single sword strike!
The Fourth Stage of Yuan Condensation elder of the Prince's Mansion was utterly destroyed, body and soul.
A dozen or so Body Refining martial artists from the Prince's Mansion still remained on the scene.
At this moment, terror had completely consumed their hearts.
The very instant the elder of the Prince's Mansion fell, all the remaining experts from the mansion scattered in every direction.
They were utterly terrified!
"Swish!"
Ye Qing charged into the fray.
The sound of ringing swords filled the air.
In a flash.
Every single one of the dozen-plus Body Refining Realm experts from the Prince's Mansion was decapitated!
Dead!
Every last one of them was dead!
Single-handedly, Ye Qing slaughtered all the formidable enemies from the Prince's Mansion.
Yet, at this moment, there was not a trace of joy in Ye Qing's heart.
Only boundless grief remained.
"Whoosh!"
In a flash, Ye Qing rushed to his sister's side.
He checked her injuries.
Fortunately, she was still breathing!
Ye Qing let out a sigh of relief and immediately produced a Lesser Return Pill.
He had his sister swallow it.
The Yellow-tier top-grade medicinal pill, the Lesser Return Pill, could replenish the body's vital energy and blood, making it an excellent healing medicine.
After swallowing the Lesser Return Pill, color slowly returned to Ye Mengling's pale face.
However, her aura remained extremely weak.
Having already suffered from a congenital cold constitution, she had now taken a direct palm strike from a Yuan Condensation Realm powerhouse.
Her condition had only worsened!
In truth, had it not been for the dense cold Qi stored within her body, she likely would have died instantly from the elder's palm strike.
The cold Qi inside the little sister had managed to form a defense at the critical moment.
Yet, after absorbing that palm strike, the cold Qi within her had turned completely chaotic and uncontrollable!
"Brother, it's cold, so cold!"
Ye Mengling's delicate body trembled continuously as she tightly embraced Ye Qing.
"Sister, don't be afraid!"
"With your brother here, you'll be fine!"
Ye Qing took out a small vial of essence blood from the Purple-Sun Winged Fire Tiger, which still had quite a bit left, and fed it to his sister.
Chapter 18: Jinyuan City, Viewing Lanterns
Having consumed the essence blood of the Purple-Sun Winged Fire Tiger, the little sister's condition improved somewhat.
Even so, Ye Qing could feel that she was still extremely weak.
It seemed the Earth-Sun Pill given to him by Zhao Ruoning would soon come in handy.
"Brother, I'm fine, let's hurry and leave!"
Ye Mengling said anxiously.
She was worried that other experts from the Prince's Mansion might arrive.
She knew that Ye Qing had given virtually everything he had during the battle just now.
If another pursuing force from the Prince's Mansion showed up, the situation would become impossible to handle.
"Alright! We're heading to Jinyuan City right now!"
Ye Qing helped his sister up and remounted the horse.
They rode off at a gallop.
Once they crossed out of Jizhou City's territory, the distance to Jinyuan City wasn't far.
The influence of the Jizhou Prince's Mansion was admittedly formidable.
However, the Prince's Mansion could not easily stretch its reach into Jinyuan City.
As long as they reached Jinyuan City, they would be relatively safe.
They would finally have a chance to catch their breath.
Ye Qing's physical condition was indeed very poor.
He desperately needed rest.
The brother and sister spurred their horses onward, whipping them into a gallop.
Along the way, they encountered no pursuers from the Prince's Mansion.
Presumably, the Prince's Mansion had dispatched three Yuan Condensation Realm elders alongside several Ninth Stage of Body Refining experts.
They had been entirely confident in the success of this operation.
Consequently, no additional experts had been sent out.
Word of the three fallen elders would inevitably reach the Prince's Mansion, but that would take some time.
And this window of time was more than enough for Ye Qing and Ye Mengling to make their escape.
Arriving in Jinyuan City, Ye Qing finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Right now, what he needed most was to find an inn and get some proper rest.
He needed to get his condition back under control.
Otherwise, encountering another formidable enemy would spell disaster.
Night had fallen.
Jinyuan City was bustling and lively.
The streets were filled with travelers of all sorts and countless bustling shops.
People were releasing festive lanterns.
The sight was breathtakingly beautiful.
In the night sky, a scattering of stars twinkled.
Strolling along the street, Ye Mengling admired the dazzling lantern displays, her spirits lifted.
Back at the Ye Family in Jizhou City, Ye Mengling had spent almost every single day confined within the estate.
When would she have ever had the chance to witness such gorgeous lanterns?
"Brother, look over there, it's so lively!"
"Those lanterns are so pretty!"
Cheering happily and hopping about, Ye Mengling ran toward the crowded area to take in the beautiful nightscape of lanterns.
Amidst the crowd stood a man draped in purple-gold robes, radiating luxury and nobility.
A line of formidable guards flanked him, among whom were Yuan Condensation Realm martial artists exuding powerful auras.
Ye Qing's eyes narrowed slightly; just by casually walking down a street in Jinyuan City, he had already spotted several Yuan Condensation Realm martial artists.
It was clear that Jinyuan City's overall strength far surpassed that of Jizhou City.
"Little girl, tonight's lanterns are indeed quite lovely. How about it—would you like me to show you around and watch them together?"
Suddenly, the purple-robed man standing near Ye Mengling spoke up.
A hint of malice flickered in his eyes.
Catching that malicious glint, Ye Qing's gaze instantly turned icy.
"No thank you, I want to watch the lanterns with my brother!"
Sensing the man's ill intentions, Ye Mengling pressed tightly against Ye Qing's side.
"Sister, let's go!"
Gripping his sister's small hand, Ye Qing turned and walked away briskly.
The purple-robed man filled Ye Qing with disgust.
He didn't want to spend even a single second longer near him.
Before long, Ye Qing led Ye Mengling far away.
There were plenty of places to enjoy the lanterns; there was no need to linger in just one spot.
Besides, alongside admiring lanterns, they could also sample street snacks.
Back when they were children in Jizhou City, Ye Qing had always loved taking his sister out for walks to buy street food.
His sister loved to eat.
However, as her cold constitution worsened later on, Ye Qing had been forced to spend his time earning contribution points, leaving him with little time to accompany her.
Now, having arrived in the prosperous Jinyuan City, Ye Qing took his sister to explore every single stall the city had to offer.
They tasted a wide array of delicious treats.
Sugar figurines, candied hawthorns, skewered snacks, and the like.
For two full hours, they wandered the streets.
At last, Ye Qing and his sister checked into an inn for the night.
……
Elsewhere in Jinyuan City.
A faint sneer crossed the face of the purple-robed man.
Just moments ago, a subordinate had come to report to him.
The movements of the brother and sister had been firmly tracked down.
"Such a pretty little girl!"
"There has never been a woman I, this young master, wanted that I couldn't get!"
"My little darling, tonight, this young master will make you wish you were dead!"
Flanked by a group of subordinates, the purple-robed man wove through the bustling crowd.
……
Ye Qing and his sister found an inn to stay in temporarily.
To reach the capital, they would need to take a water route.
Since night had already fallen, no ships were departing at this hour.
They had no choice but to stay for the night.
The inn where Ye Qing booked a room was called the Wanhua Inn.
It was one of the larger and more reputable inns in Jinyuan City.
When his sister had still been with the Ye Family, she had been forced to live in a dilapidated thatched hut.
It broke Ye Qing's heart.
Now that Ye Qing had money, he naturally wanted to provide his sister with much better living conditions while they were traveling.
In truth, despite fighting tooth and nail for the Ye Family for years, Ye Qing had never managed to accumulate any savings.
Every contribution point or gold coin he earned had been spent on purchasing Kaiyang Pills for his sister.
However, after slaughtering numerous powerful figures from the Prince's Mansion, their treasures naturally became his spoils of war.
The three elders of the Prince's Mansion were all in the Yuan Condensation Realm, carrying substantial wealth on their persons.
The gold coins Ye Qing looted from them totaled a full twenty million.
That could be considered quite a tidy fortune.
If used to purchase Kaiyang Pills, it would easily buy over a hundred of them.
However, if he wanted to purchase the superior Earth-Sun Pills, it might still fall a bit short.
That evening, Ye Qing and his sister shared a single room at the inn.
This wasn't to save money.
Rather, it was for the convenience of taking care of his sister.
Ye Qing wouldn't feel at ease leaving her in a room by herself.
Having depended on each other since childhood, sharing a room carried nothing awkward between them.
Chapter 19: VIP Vessel of the Tianji Pavilion
Wanhua Inn.
Inside a luxurious guest room.
Ye Qing and Ye Mengling settled in for the night.
Outside, the sky had grown completely dark.
Ye Qing sat upon the bed, planning to coax his sister to sleep.
Softly, Ye Mengling spoke up: "Brother, you've been working hard all day. I'll go outside and fetch some water so you can wash your feet!"
"And those wounds on your body need to be treated, too!"
As she spoke, a smile graced Ye Mengling's face.
Yet deep within her heart, an inexplicable touch of sorrow arose.
Back when Ye Qing was with the Ye Family, he would spend his days fighting outside.
Upon returning at night, his body was often covered in injuries.
His little sister would gently wipe away his wounds and wash his feet, ensuring he could sleep in peace.
"Silly sister, you don't need to fetch water yourself—just call the inn waiter!"
Ye Qing smiled gently, patting her little head.
"But I want to do something for you, Brother!"
Ye Mengling pouted slightly.
"I know you're a good girl, just give a shout, and the inn attendant will have water brought up in no time!"
Ye Qing said softly.
"Mm, besides water, we'll need some gauze, too!"
"Waiter, come over here for a moment!"
Ye Qing called out.
His voice resonated with vigor.
"Coming right up, honored guest!"
Before long, a waiter from the Wanhua Inn scurried over.
"How may I help you, honored guest?"
The waiter flashed a broad, ingratiating smile.
"Bring a basin of clean water, not too hot."
"Also, some gauze and a bit of hemostatic ointment!"
Ye Mengling said earnestly.
"Not good!"
Suddenly, Ye Qing's expression darkened.
From that very same inn waiter, he abruptly sensed a remarkably potent aura.
A martial artist!
And a Ninth Stage of Body Refining martial artist at that!
Ye Qing's expression changed drastically.
"Sister, come here!"
Crying out, Ye Qing immediately lunged forward.
Before Ye Mengling could react.
In a flash, the waiter grabbed Ye Mengling by the arm and bolted toward the exit.
Not far away, other formidable figures lay in wait to receive him.
Among them were even powerful existences at the Yuan Condensation Realm.
"Whoosh!"
The next instant.
Ye Qing took a step forward.
In the blink of an eye, he gave chase.
"Boom!"
A razor-sharp murderous intent erupted from Ye Qing's body.
Daring to lay hands on his sister was courting death!
"Swish!"