Chapter 18: Beneath the Qingyun Sword, the Qingyun Appears!

The atmosphere was eerie.

The current Ye family was deathly silent, everyone staring at the mysterious old man.

His eyes were cloudy. With a slight lift of his arm, he used just two fingers to effortlessly pinch the wooden sword, which was brimming with dark sword qi.

Ye Qiubai’s expression tightened. He pressed the wooden sword forward once more, causing bursts of demonic energy to erupt!

Nine Swords of the Heavenly Demon.

The Third Sword!

Ye Qiubai had now broken through to the Purple Mansion realm, and his momentum was naturally far greater than before.

However, he was still held firmly between the old man's fingers!

The old man sighed, "Stop trying. You are no match for me."

With a gentle sweep of his palm, Ye Qiubai was sent recoiling as if struck by lightning!

Ye Qing’s face was solemn. Standing before Ye Qiubai, he looked at the old man and said deeply, "Ancestor."

Ye Ling, Ye Yan, and the various Ye family elders also showed respectful expressions, bowing toward the old man. "Greetings, Ancestor."

Indeed, the old man was the Ancestor of the Ye family and the strongest person in the family today.

Ye Qiubai was momentarily stunned. Although he knew the Ye family had an Ancestor, he had never met him. He had only heard that the Ancestor had been in seclusion for years, seeking to break through his shackles!

The Ye family Ancestor looked at Ye Qiubai and spoke slowly, "You have killed an elder; your anger should be mostly vented by now. Let us end this here."

His tone was indifferent, yet it left no room for questioning!

Ye Qing’s expression shifted. He knew the Ancestor was siding with Ye Ling's faction!

Ye Qiubai’s expression remained unchanged as he said calmly, "What, is he only allowed to kill me, but I am not allowed to kill him?"

The Ye family Ancestor’s voice was profound and suggestive. "You are a member of the Ye family after all; you must prioritize the family's overall interests."

"Oh? Ye Yan's talent is inferior to mine, and his strength is inferior to mine..."

At this point, Ye Qiubai looked at Ye Yan, who was hiding far in the back with a face full of terror, and couldn't help but sneer, "Even his courage is inferior. So, why is protecting him and abandoning me for the 'family's interests'?"

The Ye family Ancestor glanced at Ye Yan and sighed, "Indeed, I agree on that point. In terms of talent, strength, and character, you are practically perfect as the next head of the family... However, you have a grievance with the Sunset Dynasty. Therefore, we can only settle for the second-best option."

"Furthermore, you lack a sense of belonging to the Ye family."

Ye Qiubai remained indifferent.

In the past, he would have been willing to risk life and limb for the Ye family. But now, after experiencing so much, the survival, prosperity, or decline of the Ye family meant nothing to him.

"Therefore, for the sake of the Ye family, I can only ask you to endure this grievance."

"And what if I insist on killing him today?"

The Ancestor's cloudy eyes snapped open.

An irresistible pressure swept directly toward Ye Qiubai!

To him, Ye Qiubai was merely an unrefined genius. If he were obedient, he could be kept. But if he showed signs of rebellion, the Ancestor would kill him without mercy!

Ye Qing’s face changed. He immediately stepped in front of Ye Qiubai, extending his hands to block the pressure. However, with his current cultivation, he had to exert his full strength just to withstand this aura.

"Qiubai, leave first. Go back to the Hidden Dao Academy."

Before Ye Qiubai could speak, the Ye family Ancestor said deeply, "Since you have already made your move, how can we let a tiger return to the mountain?"

If Ye Qiubai returned to the Hidden Dao Academy, even the Ye family Ancestor would have no certainty of being able to kill him there! After all, the Academy Dean, Qin Tiannan, was ranked 26th on the Four Regions Martial Rankings. The Ancestor himself couldn't even squeeze into the bottom of that list. He was certainly no match for him.

Once Ye Qiubai's strength grew to a point where even the Ancestor could not handle him, it would likely bring total destruction to the Ye family!

Understanding this clearly, the Ancestor's body blurred as he lunged toward Ye Qiubai!

Ye Qing gritted his teeth and stepped up to intercept!

Ye Qiubai, however, did not intend to flee immediately. His expression tightened as he drew out an ancient longsword. The sword was sheathed, but wisps of sword intent were already faintly rising from within!

The Azure Cloud Sword!

This was the sword Lu Changsheng had given Ye Qiubai, though he hadn't been able to control it back then. Now, with his comprehension of sword intent and his improved cultivation, he wondered if he could draw it and strike a single blow!

The Ye family Ancestor was extremely powerful and highly sensitive to danger. Seeing Ye Qiubai produce this sword, he immediately felt a soul-deep sense of dread!

"What kind of sword is that?!"

The Ancestor retreated violently, shouting shrilly, "How can a sword possess innate sword intent?!"

Sword intent belonged to the user. To have a sword that carried its own sword intent was something the Ancestor had never heard of! Even if a master blacksmith from the Southern Region personally crafted it, they could not forge sword intent into the blade!

Ye Qiubai said nothing. He took a step forward, intending to unsheathe the Azure Cloud Sword!

Waves of sword intent surged! Even Ye Qiubai's own sword intent began to flood the entire Ye family estate!

"Sword intent! You have comprehended sword intent!"

A dazzling killing intent appeared in the Ancestor's eyes!

A swordsman who could comprehend sword intent at such a young age—if he were not killed, the Ye family would be destroyed in the future! At the same time, a hint of regret surfaced: how high could a person who mastered sword intent this young take the Ye family?

No, that was wrong. The Sunset Dynasty would never allow Ye Qiubai to grow!

With this thought, the Ancestor's resolve hardened. He struck out a palm toward Ye Qiubai!

The momentum was overwhelming, carrying an endless sense of oppression as it swept toward Ye Qiubai, as if intending to crush him instantly!

Facing the palm print, Ye Qiubai did not retreat, dodge, or yield. One hand gripped the hilt of the Azure Cloud Sword, while the other held the scabbard, preparing to draw!

As soon as a sliver of the blade was revealed, waves of sword intent soared into the sky! Even the entire Tianyuan City could feel it! It was incredibly sharp, as if it would cleave the very heavens and earth apart!

At the same time, just by drawing a tiny portion of the blade, Ye Qiubai felt the sword intent flooding his body with an irresistible force. If he drew the sword completely, he feared his body would explode on the spot!

However, the current power of the sword intent was enough.

The sword intent surged, transforming into streaks of light that slashed through the heavens, striking directly at the incoming palm print!

*BOOM!*

An explosion echoed throughout the entire Ye family estate! The surrounding buildings collapsed instantly! Some low-level servants could not even withstand the aftershock and were sent flying!

Simultaneously, the massive palm print developed endless cracks, appearing as if it would shatter at any moment!

The Ancestor's expression changed. That had been his full-strength strike, yet it could only block the sword intent!

The palm print shattered! The sword intent surged forward relentlessly, slashing toward the Ancestor!

The Ancestor let out a low shout, bracing himself with both hands to intercept the sword intent.

But in that same instant, Ye Qiubai moved like a ghost, appearing beside Ye Yan and thrusting a finger forward!

Under Ye Yan's terrified gaze, his forehead was pierced through!

In that moment, Ye Yan died, his soul utterly extinguished!