The surprise in Yu Qiu's eyes gradually turned into a cold killing intent.
His pursuit was not a hasty move; instead, he used the power of a Saint to Seal the entire area, precisely locking onto Ye Qingyun's aura with a Divine Soul tracking mark, leaving no possibility of escape.
Logically, with his cultivation, killing a Cultivator who had not yet become a Saint should only take an instant, without any accidents.
But now, Ye Qingyun slipped through his fingers again and again!
He seemed to be shrouded in a layer of mist, his killing intent repeatedly missing, like punching cotton wool—unable to exert force, unable to touch anything substantial.
"What exactly is going on with this kid..."
A hint of irritation rose in Yu Qiu's heart.
Every time he got close, it was as if an invisible force blocked him.
It wasn't a Seal, nor was it an obstruction, but a fork in the Dao of Destiny, always keeping Ye Qingyun on a trajectory that "avoided" him.
This made him unable to understand, and even more unable to accept.
However, the path of pursuit was far more circuitous than Yu Qiu had imagined.
This time, he set an ambush at the confluence of mountains and rivers.
He used the great killing formation of the earth's Dragon Vein to Seal the Heaven and Earth, waiting for Ye Qingyun to walk into his trap.
As a result, just as Ye Qingyun was about to step into the sealed area, he somehow fell into an underground dark river from a crack, escaping the killing formation and disappearing in an instant.
"This person is strange!!"
Yu Qiu's heart grew cold, his eyes like knives.
As time passed, his attacks became increasingly ruthless, each Divine Ability containing destructive power, with even the aftershocks capable of shattering mountains and rivers and annihilating all living beings.
But the outcome remained unchanged; Ye Qingyun still slipped away like a loach, even concealing his aura several times, making his tracking much more difficult.
He let out a cold snort, no longer hesitating, and his figure broke through the Void Realm, moving forward again.
Just then, Ye Qingyun's figure finally stopped.
Ahead was a desolate mountain.
A deep crevice opened at the foot of the mountain, seemingly leading to the depths of the earth's pulse.
Ye Qingyun's aura was weak, and his face was pale, but his eyes held a hint of stubbornness.
He didn't hesitate; his figure flashed, and he disappeared into it.
Yu Qiu, who had pursued him, stood at the mountain pass, looking up at the deep cave entrance, and his brows furrowed sharply.
He suddenly stretched out his hand, and his Divine Thought surged into the cave like a tide, intending to pinpoint Ye Qingyun's location.
But the next moment, his expression changed drastically, and his figure retreated abruptly!
"This is..."
What his Divine Thought touched was not an ordinary mountain belly, but an extremely deep spatial rift, with a dark aura, as if connecting to the deeper foundations of the Secret Realm.
Faintly, Nine Nether Qi overflowed from it.
That Qi was cold, deep, and ancient, carrying an oppressive feeling that made one instinctively fear, so much so that even he dared not delve deeper!
"Nine Nether Qi... This cave entrance actually leads to the source of the Dragon Vein Secret Realm!?"
Yu Qiu's face was grim, and he stood still for a long time.
He never expected that Ye Qingyun would, by sheer accident, wander into such a place!
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"
"Even if my main body were to step into this place, I would need to be extremely cautious; a slight mistake could lead to a backlash on my Divine Soul..."
"How could a boy who hasn't even entered the Ascension to Immortality - Four Extremes possibly enter it unharmed?"
He stared at the cave entrance, his gaze chilling, remaining silent for a long time.
The more he thought about it, the deeper and more intense the doubts in his heart became.
"Why can he always escape my certain death attacks?"
"Why do my every attack feel like hitting a soft marshmallow, unable to exert full force?"
Yu Qiu clenched his fists, and fine blue veins appeared on his palms.
He had never felt this way before.
His killing intent was soaring, yet it missed again and again, and the anger in his heart had nowhere to be vented.
And behind this anger was a deep sense of unease.
Because he vaguely sensed... that his relentless pursuit had, on the contrary, forced Ye Qingyun into a place he should not have gone.
Beneath the Nine Nether Qi lay the deepest pulse of the entire Secret Realm, a Forbidden Land that even his main body had never fully explored.
And now, Ye Qingyun had entered it.
He felt a strong premonition.
"Jiang Ye... what are you thinking?"
"Does this Ye Qingyun possess some 'undying' Karma Dao principle?"
"Strange! Strange!"
He murmured to himself, his eyes as cold as distant stars.
Looking at the cave again, Yu Qiu ultimately did not step inside.
"Forget it, since he has fallen into the depths of the Nine Nether Qi, I can only let him go for now."
"But I must quickly send a message to my main body; this person is extremely dangerous, no less than Jiang Ye."
"And his entry into the Nine Nether Qi source might cause some uncontrollable variables in my main body's years of planning..."
"I must take precautions early and never be careless again."
...On the other side, deep within the Dragon Vein Secret Realm, amidst towering mountains, wind and thunder surged, and the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, like a long whale drawing water, converged into a dark abyss.
At this moment, Jiang Ye stood atop an ancient stone peak, his gaze like lightning, his Divine Sense sweeping across thousands of miles.
His brow furrowed slightly, a hint of solemnity in his expression.
Since a few days ago, Ye Qingyun's location had remained in one area, almost stationary.
However, in these past few hours.
Ye Qingyun's movement trajectory suddenly changed dramatically, his aura constantly shifting, and even his direction was extremely erratic, wandering around like a trapped beast struggling.
This situation clearly indicated a change.
"Is someone chasing him?"
Jiang Ye murmured in a low voice, several figures quickly flashing through his mind, his gaze cold: "Could it be Zhong Tianyi who made a move?"
"Such quick action."
Although he pondered many things in his heart, his expression remained completely unperturbed.
Instead, the corners of his lips curved slightly, revealing a faint smile.
As long as Ye Qingyun was not dead, that was enough.
On the contrary, this tribulation might even force out some of his potential.
One could even say that he was rather pleased to see this scene unfold.
"Between life and death, there is always Opportunity."
He murmured to himself, his figure swayed, and he transformed into a golden rainbow of light, breaking through the Void Realm towards Ye Qingyun's location.
The System's coordinates had already marked Ye Qingyun's position.
And that area seemed to be located in the deepest part of the entire Dragon Vein Secret Realm.
Jiang Ye vaguely felt that after Ye Qingyun encountered a great tribulation, he might very well stumble upon some opportunities.
Moreover, the location pinpointed by the System was also in the deepest part of the Dragon Vein Secret Realm.
Therefore, Jiang Ye was now too lazy to hunt those minor Cultivators, too lazy to snatch resources and treasures.
"The Secret Realm has been open for several days. Although some people have hunted for treasures, searched for herbs, and seized opportunities during these days, they have never discovered the true core treasures, especially the whereabouts of the innate immortal liquid."
"But the Spiritual Qi in this world is steaming, and precious herbs are frequently appearing. If there were no innate immortal liquid nourishing its foundation, everything would simply be inexplicable."
So Jiang Ye judged the direction, thinking that such major resources, which ordinary people couldn't find, were generally prepared for the Protagonist of Destiny.
At this moment.
As the great villain, if he didn't intercept it, he would simply be letting down Ye Qingyun's efforts.
While he pondered, his steps were unceasing, but his thoughts leaped like lightning.
Just then.
The Void Realm suddenly shook violently!
An extremely cold Yin Qi descended from the sky, as if the Netherworld had arrived. A giant palm condensed from Nether Qi emerged from the depths of the clouds, carrying an irresistible suppressive force, and slammed towards Jiang Ye!
That palm covered the sky and obscured the sun.
Between its palm lines, faint Divine Script appeared, like the Seals of Hell, the Great Dao crumbling, and the Yin Nether Qi surging forth.
Jiang Ye raised an eyebrow slightly, his expression unchanged, and his sleeve lightly fluttered.
Boom!
He unleashed a palm strike, and a brilliant golden light, like a scorching sun across the sky, transformed into a round sun that shot out, fiercely colliding with the Netherworld giant palm!