Zhong Tianyi looked up at the sky, his expression deep.
At this moment, he had vaguely realized that Empress Hongye, renowned throughout the heavens, might have more secrets.
Such a secret artifact was definitely not ordinary; it must have been bestowed by her specifically to protect her son and ensure his escape.
“It seems I still underestimated the Jiang Clan.”
“Or rather… underestimated Su Hongye!”
Zhong Tianyi murmured softly, his black hair fluttering, his robes rustling, his gaze revealing a hint of deep thought, mixed with an unprecedented gravity.
He hadn't intended to kill Jiang Ye right now, only to suppress his arrogance and force out some of his trump cards.
After all, if he truly killed Jiang Ye and angered the red-robed Empress, it would be extremely troublesome.
Although the Dragon Vein Secret Realm was powerful, if Su Hongye truly intended to kill, she could destroy this small world at a heavy price.
Moreover, if the Jiang Clan were to destroy the transformation dao stone because of this, it would be useless.
“Killing Jiang Ye… it’s not the right time yet.”
“The annoying thing is, he actually sent the transformation dao stone back to the Jiang Clan!!”
Zhong Tianyi stood with his hands behind his back, muttering to himself.
From the destruction of the Hidden Killers Pavilion to the remnants of Fire Lotus City, then the Fan Family, and finally the Ancient Immortal Court, how much trouble had they caused him?
“I still need to find a way to capture him, to use him to threaten the Jiang Clan…”
…A halo blossomed in the depths of the Void Realm, and Jiang Ye's figure appeared in a desolate and silent mountain range, his steps faltering slightly, but he quickly stabilized himself.
He let out a long breath, a hint of coldness flashing in his eyes.
“Zhong Tianyi, that old fox, his methods are truly endless…”
Jiang Ye murmured in a low voice, scanning his surroundings, and only after confirming there was no further threat did he slowly put away the ancient bronze tortoise shell in his hand.
The tortoise shell was heavy, with mottled patterns, seemingly ordinary, but in fact, it contained the Origin of the Dao of space, with runes entwined upon it, as if they were imprints condensed by time.
Jiang Ye's palm moved slightly, and a golden ripple immediately appeared on the tortoise shell, then returned to calm.
“This is not a true spatial treasure, but a Magic Treasure of the Origin of the Dao of space refined by my mother…”
Jiang Ye's expression was complex, his voice low, as if he was speaking to himself, or perhaps reminding himself of something.
“What exactly is the Divine Liquid filling this tortoise shell?”
“How can it make an ordinary Magic Treasure so effective?”
“Even I can't discern its Origin.”
His gaze narrowed slightly, and he lowered his head, weighing the tortoise shell. His spiritual energy gently probed inside, and he felt that four wisps of Dao Origin fluctuations still remained within the internal space, seemingly capable of activating four more teleports.
“There are still four chances… enough for me to deal with the upcoming situation.”
“That guy, he must be setting up something in the Netherworld.”
Jiang Ye's eyes were cold, and in his mind echoed Zhong Tianyi's almost transcendent Saint Realm pressure from earlier.
Even with prior preparation, recalling it now still brought a sense of heaviness.
He looked into the distance, where the Netherworld lay, a dark expanse, with chaotic Heaven and Earth Qi, as if a kingdom of death enveloped it.
All things were submerged, and light was hard to reach.
“That guy… he should be in that Netherworld Dao field now, having set up many means. It’s probably not realistic to go cause trouble again; it would be walking into a trap.” Jiang Ye whispered, his gaze as sharp as a blade.
“Other Cultivators dare not venture into such a dead land; the Yin-Nether Qi can corrode the Divine Soul and bones…”
“But Ye Qingyun shouldn’t have much of a problem; the Protagonist of Destiny always has various fortuitous encounters and paths to survival.”
“I’ve let you off for so long; it’s time for you to do something substantial.”
Before he finished speaking, his figure had already disappeared among the mountains, transforming into a streak of light and soaring through the air towards the direction pinpointed by the System.
Ever since Jiang Ye learned of the existence of “Zhong Tianyi,” he had determined that this person's threat was no less than that of the Protagonist of Destiny.
Now, seeing him in person, he felt his danger even more acutely.
Even if he gained nothing in the Dragon Vein Secret Realm, he absolutely couldn't let Zhong Tianyi have an easy time… On the other side.
On the high mountain, brilliance was contained, the Great Dao was like wind, ethereal and formless.
Ye Qingyun, dressed in green, sat quietly on a bluestone, his eyes slightly closed, his breathing long and steady, while a calm and composed aura slowly circulated between his brows.
Around him, an ethereal glow shimmered, wisps of spiritual light lingering on his shoulders and fingertips, like morning mist in the mountains or wind passing through treetops, untouched by a speck of dust.
In the depths of his Divine Soul, an ancient divine bell seemed to be slowly resonating, with faint heavenly sounds echoing.
The Dao rhyme of Heaven and Earth gathered around him, flowing in like a hundred rivers returning to the sea, and then surging out from within his body.
At this moment, Ye Qingyun was like a naturally born Saint Body, standing in the mortal world, yet with a sense of detachment from it.
As elegant as an immortal, as ethereal as the moon, as if born with Heaven and Earth, resonating with creation.
Light clouds and gentle breeze, wind passing without a trace.
He slowly opened his eyes, and what flowed within them was not the mundane smoke and fire, but a sense of the Great Dao that calmed the mind.
Vast, broad, void, inclusive.
That was his own Dao.
“No contention, no attachment, myriad phenomena return to the heart, one Qi transforms into Dao…”
Ye Qingyun whispered, seemingly to himself.
“It is the Boundless Dao.”
This was not an extremely aggressive art of Dao, nor an extreme Dao of a single attribute, but a supreme Great Dao that was almost capable of carrying all Dao.
It could encompass the Origin of other Dao, and also evolve the myriad Laws of Heaven and Earth, giving rise to reality from emptiness, and unifying all phenomena.
Once this Dao reached maturity, it might be able to reverse Laws and reflect Destiny.
Under the stimulation of a drop of Origin power from the Heavenly Secret Great Emperor, he had an Epiphany of his own “Boundless Great Dao.”
Ye Qingyun, with a mortal body, comprehended the initial prototype within just a few hours!
“He… he actually comprehended the prototype!?”
In a secluded area in the distance, the Void Realm rippled like water.
A wisp of Divine Thought condensed into a phantom, and the Heavenly Secret Great Emperor stood within it, gazing at the naturally emanating Dao rhyme aura from Ye Qingyun, a rare tremor finally appearing in his eyes.
“This old man originally thought that at most, it would only stimulate his innate potential, allowing him to comprehend this old man’s Dao of Heavenly Secrets…”
“But I never expected that he could comprehend his own Dao…”
“Not simple at all…”
The Heavenly Secret Great Emperor murmured in a low voice, his gaze becoming unprecedentedly solemn.
“This child… is definitely not just highly talented; his state of mind, his courage, his Destiny, are all far beyond ordinary people.”
“It seems this old man truly needs to take on a disciple.”
…But at this moment, Ye Qingyun seemed to be unaware of everything around him.
He slowly stood up, his footsteps lightly treading the earth, the grass and trees subtly trembling, the wind passing without a trace.
He looked up at the sky, feeling the vastness of Heaven and Earth, and in a single thought, a clarity of “where the heart desires, all Laws submit” arose.
At that moment, he truly comprehended his own path.
“The Boundless Dao, not contentious, unyielding, uncompromising; myriad Laws return to one, it is both following Heaven and defying Heaven.”
“My Dao begins from this moment.”
He spoke softly, like a heavenly voice echoing, and Heaven and Earth fell silent.
But the next moment, an almost imperceptible movement of wind broke this tranquility.
In the wind, a strange aura was approaching, a deliberate concealment that could not be truly eliminated.
Ye Qingyun's eyes moved slightly, a cold light flashing in the depths of his pupils.
“This aura fluctuation is Su Yun…”
He had been vigilant for a long time.
Ever since Xiao Fan appeared, he had realized that Su Yun was very likely the person sent by Jiang Ye.
In the depths of the mountain forest, a white-robed figure gracefully approached, his expression calm, his demeanor outstanding.
He wore a gentle smile on his face, greeting softly like an old friend reunited: “Brother Ye, what fine taste you have, to be able to comprehend the Dao alone in such a chaotic place.”