"Ding! Congratulations to the Host for successfully killing the Protagonist of Destiny, Ye Qingyun! You have gained 150,000 Villain Points!"
"Recycling all of Ye Qingyun's possessions, Heart of Purity..."
"Recycling successful, gained 80,000 Villain Points!"
The sky was dim, at the edge of the Secret Realm, the lingering sound was like a ghost's wail.
In Jiang Ye's eyes, the System panel floated, its faint light flickering, and cold data constantly surged.
His gaze fell upon the row of numbers, crimson like blood.
He was just one step away from 500,000 Villain Points!
Jiang Ye looked at the approaching critical number, and his heart couldn't help but stir.
"If only two more fat sheep like Ye Qingyun came along..."
"I estimate I could unlock the fourth stage of the Radiant God King Body."
His eyes narrowed slightly, and a mocking yet satisfied arc curved on his lips.
Overall, Ye Qingyun had provided him with approximately 400,000 Villain Points.
Ye Qingyun, the Prodigy of the Golden Great Era in the eyes of the world, the last Bloodline descendant of Fire Lotus City.
He had walked out of a small village, embarked on the immortal Dao, and endured countless tribulations for decades.
Yet, in the end, he became Jiang Ye's stepping stone.
Even his death was so quiet and unremarkable.
"Ye Qingyun..."
Jiang Ye slowly lowered his head, his gaze lingering on the corpse not far away, his eyes containing a faint light.
That figure lay quietly on the cold ground.
The bloodstains had long solidified, and his robes were tattered.
But an indescribable aura of tranquility still emanated from his body.
As if even in death, he remained as calm as a deep abyss, as unmoving as a mountain.
From beginning to end, Ye Qingyun had not asked the reason for his death, nor did he know what Jiang Ye had gained from him.
He watched quietly, his eyes profound.
In that silence and tranquility, Jiang Ye felt a contradictory feeling that made his heart tremble.
"From beginning to end, he seemed to bear no resentment towards me whatsoever."
"Nor did he question what exactly I had taken from him..."
Ye Qingyun did not resist, nor did he struggle.
Even at the moment of death, no trace of fear or unwillingness appeared on his face.
He remained as calm as water, like the moon's reflection in a lake, undisturbed.
His Heart-Nature was clear and profound, serene and noble.
That clarity, that sense of release, even made Jiang Ye briefly wonder:
"Has Ye Qingyun been corrupted by my 'tutelage'?"
Jiang Ye chuckled, but the smile didn't reach his eyes; instead, it carried a hint of an undeniable strangeness.
Ever since he was unsealed and came into the world, he had always been a harvester of individuals with Luck, almost never showing mercy, and never wavering.
But at this moment, a trace of respect for Ye Qingyun arose within him.
Such a Heart-Nature, such a demeanor, could no longer be called that of a Mortal.
It had to be admitted that among all the Protagonists of Destiny Jiang Ye had encountered, none had been like Ye Qingyun.
Whether it was his Heart-Nature, talent, or aptitude and perseverance, Ye Qingyun was truly top-tier.
"I declare you the strongest!"
As his words fell, the wind stirred the broken branches, making the corners of the corpse's robes flutter, as if he was still breathing, still listening to the sounds of the Mortal world.
Jiang Ye took a deep breath, his gaze suddenly turning cold.
"However... Ye Qingyun is still a good person after all."
"He helped me find the 'large storage sea' of innate immortal liquid, which is the most secret place within the Dragon Vein Secret Realm."
"And also the most precious resource and treasure..."
"Moreover, precisely because of this, I plundered the vast majority of his remaining Luck, and it didn't take much effort to kill him."
Thinking of this, Jiang Ye smiled and shook his head:
"It made all the contingency plans and restrictive measures I had laid out in the beginning utterly useless."
"It's a shame I had so many restrictive backup plans that went unused..."
"After returning to the Jiang Clan, dealing with the last two old fellows from Fire Lotus City will be the final wrap-up."
Before Jiang Ye finished speaking, he had already walked slowly towards Ye Qingyun's corpse, his steps unhurried.
He squatted down and, with a flick of his hand, removed the Storage Ring from Ye Qingyun's body.
The moment his fingertip touched it, a scorching spiritual light burst forth from within the Storage Ring, transforming into a cluster of Restriction runes that condensed in the Void Realm.
"A Saint-level Restriction?"
Jiang Ye's brow subtly arched, and his Divine Sense probed, but it was blocked by an indestructible barrier.
He closed his eyes and focused, sensing carefully.
Within that Restriction, there was a faint residual aura of the Fire Lotus City remnants.
"So, it was a measure that those old dogs had set up for him in advance."
Jiang Ye snorted coldly, a glint of chill flashing in his eyes.
However, this level of sealing might be an insurmountable chasm for others, but for his Jiang Clan, it was merely a bit troublesome.
It would be easy to remove it after returning to the Jiang Clan.
"But first, let me confirm one thing."
He slowly took out an item from his own Storage Ring.
The god-slaying disk.
It was a circular disk, as black as ink, with ancient divine and demonic patterns carved along its edges, and stars falling, murderous intent crisscrossing upon it.
It was precisely a murderous Emperor Weapon personally refined by Su Hongye from the pseudo-Emperor Weapon, the Qian Ling Plate, and it contained monstrous malevolent Qi.
Jiang Ye lightly tapped the god-slaying disk with his fingertip, infusing it with spiritual power, and arrays of runes began to spin, like stars grinding, resonating with the firmament.
"Mother truly planned ahead..."
Jiang Ye murmured softly, a faint light flashing in his eyes.
"If I'm not mistaken, Mother intends to refine all three Qian Ling Plates from their pseudo-Emperor Weapon level into true murderous Emperor Weapons."
His eyes flickered, and his Divine Sense quietly sank into the god-slaying disk, carefully perceiving the aura within.
"Then, from that Old Dog Tianji, seize the Innate Origin of the 'Qiankun Sky Plate'..." Jiang Ye's lips curved into a strange arc: "Finally, combine all four into one to achieve the ultimate Innate Dao Artifact?"
Jiang Ye stared blankly, his eyes complex.
"I just don't know, if it really gets refined..."
"Would Mother be willing to let me use it?"
He thought with a low chuckle.
Jiang Ye indulged in some random musings, then shook his head.
He clapped his hands together, spiritual power surged, and the god-slaying disk slammed down!
As runes flickered, the Restriction shattered in response, like ice cracking, emitting a harsh 'crackling' sound.
Slowly guiding his Divine Thought into the Storage Ring, Jiang Ye's mind focused, and his Divine Sense spread out, seeping into the space within the ring like a tide.
In an instant, myriad rays of light flashed through his mind; various spiritual materials, Cultivation Technique Jade Slips, Spirit Stones, and immortal gold appeared like towering mountains, almost dazzling ordinary Cultivators and shaking their Dao Heart.
But Jiang Ye did not linger, heading straight for his target.
When his Divine Thought touched a silent corner within, his entire Divine Soul suddenly trembled, and a wisp of Dao charm fluctuation subtly emerged.
The Qian Ling Plate.
"It's still here, as expected."
Jiang Ye's brows relaxed; now things were stable.
Thus, all three Qian Ling Plates.
This pseudo-Emperor Weapon, once personally refined by Emperor Tianji, had finally all fallen into the hands of his Jiang Clan.
"Ye Qingyun had a Dao talisman bestowed by Old Dog Tianji to protect him..."
Jiang Ye's eyes were cold and profound, and he murmured to himself, "Before he left the Fan Family, he certainly didn't have this thing."
But thinking of this, Jiang Ye's brows furrowed slightly again, falling into contemplation.
"However, if he didn't obtain it himself, then Old Dog Tianji very likely appeared in the Ancient Immortal Domain."
"And it was recently, and he had some kind of contact with Ye Qingyun..."
Jiang Ye's gaze was like a knife, cutting through the dust of his thoughts.
During this period, all of Ye Qingyun's movements were within his sight.
Who he contacted, where he cultivated, what route he took, what spiritual fruits he ate, and even when he went to the latrine, went into seclusion, or talked to whom, Jiang Ye had detailed records of everything.
Except for that Xiao Fan, no other unusual person was found.
Jiang Ye pondered for a moment, then stopped thinking about it.
Anyway, he had killed three of Emperor Tianji's Disciples, and all three Qian Ling Plates were in his hands.
Moreover, without the Luck supply from the three Protagonists of Destiny.
How long could Emperor Tianji's demonic Qi sustain him?
There was no need to rush; the other party would appear sooner or later.