As the nine old people were talking, Ye Qingyun stepped into the village entrance, carrying a jar of wine, and shouted with a hearty laugh, "Grandpas, I've brought the wine back! It's from the old place, very strong!"
The old men immediately resumed their smiles and waved him to a seat.
"You brat, you're so late," Blood Butcher cursed with a smile.
"This wine can't be drunk for free," Granny Gui glanced sideways, "Today is your big day, and us old bones have to give you something."
Ye Qingyun was startled, then lowered his head slightly: "I'm not ready yet."
What he meant by 'not ready' wasn't fear of stepping into the Mortal World.
It was that he hadn't yet figured out how to deal with the Ancient Ye Family matter.
Although he harbored no hatred in his heart, the Karma would not simply disappear.
"Who in this world is ever ready before they start walking?" Granny Gui snorted lightly, "You should go out and see, go and experience things, don't let us old folks' teachings go to waste."
Granny Yun took out a green wooden mirror, "This mirror can illuminate Yin and Yang, discern truth from falsehood, and see through illusions. Your strength is not weak, but I'm afraid you might be used by others, so take it."
The elder surnamed Mo hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and handed over a dark gold rune bone, saying, "This is a rune bone I once seized from the Mysterious Nether Valley, it contains a protective divine thunder that can block one fatal attack."
The Old Village Chief, meanwhile, took out a tattered beast hide map and said softly, "This is a partial map leading to an Outer Secret Realm. Opportunities are hidden in dangerous places, do not use it lightly."
Ye Qingyun accepted the treasures from everyone, his heart aching, and he knelt to kowtow.
"Child... I will remember your teachings, and not disgrace my mission!"
The Old Village Chief stood up, stroked his head, and said slowly:
"Qingyun, this world is not simply black and white, nor is it true that the strong are always in the right."
"True strength is to never forget your original intention in darkness, and to never lose righteousness amidst greed."
"The word 'righteousness' should not be trampled upon. We, who come from humble origins, should especially take this as our foundation."
Ye Qingyun kowtowed again, his eyes red.
The scent of wine filled the courtyard, and stars twinkled faintly.
The young man, on whom they had placed their hopes, was finally about to leave Forget-Dust Village and step into the rolling tides of the Golden Great Era... One month later.
On the edge of the Ancient Immortal Domain, the Star Domain was desolate, where chilling emptiness and brokenness coexisted.
A magnificent nine-dragon carriage quietly traversed the hazy starry sky, surrounded by ancient and barren Star Domains.
The invasion of Outer Evil Demons two hundred thousand years ago, although its main battlefield was in the Myriad Domains of the Heavens, also affected the Ancient Immortal Domain.
There were no Great Emperor powerhouses guarding the Ancient Immortal Domain, which led to it being severely damaged, to the point of being desolate.
It was only after the Outer Evil Demons were defeated that the Myriad Domains of the Heavens had the time to clear out the remnants.
"Once upon a time, this Star Domain was also a place of extreme prosperity, with myriad immortal lights and floating immortal mountains, but now it is so dilapidated."
Inside the carriage, Jiang Ye leaned against a soft cushion, his eyes half-closed, sipping fragrant tea, his tone indifferent.
The maid Qing Xuan gently massaged his back, her eyes gentle, occasionally glancing at the dead ancient stars outside the window, a hint of melancholy in her eyes: "Young Master, the Ancient Immortal Domain is already so broken, and its cultivation resources are extremely scarce. So many years have passed, surely that Ye Qingyun must have left by now?"
Jiang Ye narrowed his eyes, his heart uncertain.
For an ordinary person, this would indeed be the case, but a Protagonist of Destiny was different.
Who could guarantee that Ye Qingyun hadn't obtained some Heaven-Defying Opportunity in this seemingly desolate Ancient Immortal Domain, and thus had no desire to leave?
Perhaps it was precisely because of the special nature of this region that it was even more suitable for the growth of such a Protagonist of Destiny.
If given enough time to develop, the Ancient Immortal Domain might even experience a second spring because of him.
Jiang Ye knew deeply that even the smallest ant, if given enough time and space, could grow into an existence that threatened him.
In the long river of history of the Myriad Domains of the Heavens, countless seemingly insignificant weaklings had risen to become existences admired by countless powerhouses. Those bloody examples were like alarm bells, constantly reminding him.
Although the probability was very small, this was a problem of quantitative change leading to qualitative change.
If there were too many fish that slipped through the net, there would always be some that could threaten him.
Jiang Ye would not underestimate anyone; a lion uses its full strength even when hunting a rabbit.
He casually asked, "Qing Xuan, do you know how powerful the Immortal Court of the Ancient Immortal Domain was when the heavens and earth were first born?"
Qing Xuan was slightly stunned, then replied, "Legend has it that in ancient times, the Immortal Court of the Ancient Immortal Domain was the most powerful force in the endless Universe, with powerhouses as numerous as clouds, ruling over billions of stars, and its might shook the Universe."
Jiang Ye nodded, a hint of faint sarcasm in his tone: "But, they ultimately still lost to those powerhouses from the Myriad Domains of the Heavens who came from humble origins, and my Longevity Jiang Clan rose precisely because of this, becoming the overlord of the Myriad Domains of the Heavens today."
"The current Myriad Domains of the Heavens is already the absolute center in the endless Universe. One could say it could long ago be called the Immortal Domain, but many powerhouses have never had this intention..."
"Because they fear that their descendants might therefore feel superior, developing arrogance. Weakness is not the original sin, arrogance is the abyss!"
"Look at how prosperous our Jiang Clan is today?"
"Since the rise of the Myriad Domains of the Heavens, it has experienced countless epochs. In the endless years, countless once glorious immortal forces have perished, yet our Longevity Jiang Clan has always stood firm, prospering without decline. The root cause..."
At this point, Jiang Ye's tone paused, a glint of cunning flashing in his eyes, and he slowly uttered a few words: "It's because we never play by the rules."
The two maids in the carriage immediately covered their mouths and chuckled upon hearing this.
Although Jiang Ye's words sounded somewhat playful, they revealed the true reason why immortal Dao lineages could stand for eternity without falling.
To achieve their goals by any means necessary, not bound by any form of rules or morality.
Thinking of this, Jiang Ye also felt a great deal of emotion.
Whether it was the Old Ancestors of the Jiang Clan who had lived for countless years, or his parents, they could all be described as absolute old schemers.
For any potential threat, their long-held belief was to cut the grass and eradicate the roots, never leaving the opponent any chance to rise again.
Hong Yan, wearing a red palace dress, also said with a smile, "Young Master is indeed no Mortal. Even with absolute strength, he would not fight fair. Look at those in history who claimed to be unrivaled among their peers, who dared to claim invincibility, they were but fleeting shadows in history..."
"Although these people were amazing and displayed unparalleled talent, they often fell due to being too high-profile and overconfident, targeted collectively by various major forces. A Genius who has fallen is no longer a Genius; they will only become dust in history."
Jiang Ye strongly agreed with this.
The most brilliant thing in this world has never been those illusory halos of honor, but rather the ultimate outcome of the victor becoming king and the loser becoming a bandit.
Between life and death, there is great splendor.
No matter how astonishingly talented you were in life, how unparalleled you were throughout history, once you die, everything becomes empty. This is the unchanging truth.
"This trip to the Ancient Immortal Domain, let's keep it secret. We'll find a place to put away our carriage and travel secretly, first to rendezvous with the Jiang Clan's search team."
Jiang Ye decided after some thought.
His purpose in coming to the Ancient Immortal Domain this time, besides finding and eliminating the potential threat of Ye Qingyun, also had other objectives.
"Yes, Young Master," Qing Xuan and Hong Yan replied in unison.
The matter of the Hidden Killers Pavilion made Jiang Ye realize that there must be some secret schemes within the Ancient Immortal Domain.
Their attitude towards the Jiang Clan goes without saying.
Hating them to the bone would be an understatement.
If he were to go to the Ancient Immortal Court first and ask them to help him find Ye Qingyun, it would surely alert the enemy and they would secretly trip him up.
Therefore, Jiang Ye decided to first investigate Ye Qingyun's whereabouts himself, eliminate him directly, and in the process, secretly investigate the matter of Tian Yin, the Pavilion Master.
Then, he would follow the clues to figure out what the Ancient Immortal Court was secretly plotting.
Perhaps he might even encounter other Protagonists of Destiny.
Currently, for Jiang Ye's Radiant God King Body to advance to the fourth stage, he needed one million Villain Points, which was no small sum.
He needed to find more leeks to cut.