Chapter 57: Ye Qing Disappeared?

One day.

Lu Changsheng was drinking wine and eating small dishes prepared by Ye Qiubai. Beside him sat Qin Tiannan.

"I say, Uncle Qin, why are you here again?"

Looking at the helpless Lu Changsheng, Qin Tiannan barked, "You brat, watch your mouth! I finally finished handling matters at the academy, is it not okay to come here for a drink?"

"Don't worry, I'm not here to shove disciples on you."

Lu Changsheng muttered a few times and looked toward the cliff, where Hong Ying remained in the state of Heaven-Man Realm.

"Why hasn't she finished yet? Suddenly I want some fish soup. Hong Ying's soup is better than Qiubai's. Should I... wake her up?"

Beside him, Yun Ming nearly fainted. He hurriedly said, "Senior... don't! This is the Heaven-Man Realm. Forcing someone awake would be more trouble than it's worth, and there might be a backlash."

Over the past few days, although Yun Ming no longer doubted Lu Changsheng's abilities...

How did it feel like Lu Changsheng knew nothing about the common sense of cultivation?

Beside them, Qin Tiannan couldn't help but roll his eyes. He was long used to Lu Changsheng's carefree and thoughtless manner.

At that moment, Ye Qiubai returned.

As a top power in the Southern Region, the Hidden Dao Academy naturally possessed special cultivation sites. For instance, the Sword Hall contained a place for sword dao cultivation. There, one could temper their body with sword qi.

Ye Qiubai had been cultivating there for these past few days. Now, the sword qi within his body was even more refined.

"Qiubai is back?" Qin Tiannan looked over.

Lu Changsheng knew that as soon as this brat arrived, something was bound to happen!

Ye Qiubai walked over, first bowing to Lu Changsheng before looking at Qin Tiannan and asking, "Dean, is something the matter?"

Qin Tiannan smiled and said, "It's not actually a major matter. It's just, didn't you secure the first place in the exchange competition for our Hidden Dao Academy?"

Ye Qiubai nodded.

Qin Tiannan continued, "After every exchange, the Hidden Dao Academy from each of the four regions can send one person to the Main Academy to cultivate for a period of time. Usually, that person is the one who contributed the most during the grand competition."

"Naturally, the resources at the Main Academy are far superior to ours. Cultivating there for a while should benefit your sword dao cultivation."

The Main Academy of the Hidden Dao Academy was located in the Central Region, the most prosperous land for martial arts on this continent. Strictly speaking, the Central Region was not considered one of the four regions; it was the convergence point of the four. In that place, sects stood like forests and great families were countless. Martial arts flourished immensely! Thus, it was called the Central Region. This was also why people usually said the continent only had four regions.

Hearing this, Ye Qiubai's heart stirred. What he needed now was not resources, but more combat experience—to use real battles to verify his inner insights.

He then looked at Lu Changsheng, clearly seeking his opinion.

Lying on a bamboo chair, Lu Changsheng said nonchalantly, "If you want to go, just go."

Only then did Ye Qiubai nod.

Seeing this, Qin Tiannan stood up with a smile and said, "Then come find me in three days. Handle your family matters first."

With that, Qin Tiannan left, even swiping a few bottles of Lu Changsheng's wine on his way out.

Lu Changsheng: "..."

Upon hearing Qin Tiannan's words, Ye Qiubai frowned slightly.

Family matters? Could something have happened with the Ye family?

Thinking of this, Ye Qiubai bid farewell to Lu Changsheng and rushed toward Tianyuan City!

As if following Hong Ying's unspoken instruction, after Ye Qiubai left, Yun Ming also vanished into the shadows.

...

At this moment, Tianyuan City felt extremely oppressive!

Normally, the streets were bustling with countless vendors and shops. Now, fallen leaves drifted through the air.

As Ye Qiubai passed through the streets, his heart sank at the sight. His sense of foreboding grew stronger, and his pace quickened.

Before even reaching the Ye residence, he saw countless Imperial Guards guarding the entrance. His expression darkened, and he activated his cultivation technique, slipping inside unnoticed.

Inside the Hall of Discussion, the Ye Family Ancestor sat in the primary seat.

Among them, the First Elder asked, "Ancestor, where on earth has Ye Qing run off to?"

The Third Elder chimed in, "The Tianyuan Empire is currently pressuring our Ye family to hand over Ye Qing. If we don't, the Imperial Guards will flatten our family. When that happens, the Ye family will truly cease to exist!"

The Ye Family Ancestor's face was grim. He did not respond, lost in thought.

Suddenly, he looked behind him and shouted, "Who is it?!"

He attempted to strike out with a palm, but Ye Qiubai's figure revealed itself. "Where is my father?"

Seeing this, the Ye Family Ancestor withdrew his palm and frowned. "Ye Qiubai? You're quite bold. Aren't you afraid I'll kill you?"

Ye Qiubai said calmly, "You cannot kill me."

Hearing this, the Ancestor's voice faltered.

Indeed, previously, Ye Qiubai had been able to escape using a sword of unknown grade with a terrifying aura. Now that Ye Qiubai's own realm was higher, escaping from his grasp would not be difficult.

The Ye Family Ancestor let out a long breath and said to the others, "You all may leave."

The elders looked at each other. Ye Qiubai noticed that before the First Elder left, his eyes betrayed a sense of venomous resentment. However, Ye Qiubai did not care.

He looked at the Ancestor and asked, "Where is my father?"

The Ye Family Ancestor took a sip of tea and said, "He is currently in the Desolate City."

"Desolate City?"

The Ancestor nodded. "I was the one who sent him there."

Ye Qiubai was slightly surprised. Based on the Ancestor's previous mindset, even if he wouldn't have personally killed his father, he wouldn't have protected him like this.

The Ye Family Ancestor seemed to read Ye Qiubai's thoughts. He glanced at him and said, "There is no need to feel grateful to me. It is merely your talent that has changed my mind."

Previously, he wanted to kill Ye Qiubai to eliminate future troubles. However, because he had failed to fully suppress Ye Qiubai, the Ancestor had not dared to go to extremes, only stripping Ye Qing of his position as Head of the Family.

But lately, he had heard of Ye Qiubai's exploits. Defeating Jian Chaomian while crossing realms in the Northern Region; achieving Great Success in Sword Intent and becoming a Great Swordmaster!

The reason for Ye Qiubai's sudden rise was undoubtedly the mysterious master behind him.

All of this caused the Ye Family Ancestor to reconsider his stance. He would no longer offend Ye Qiubai. Otherwise, if Ye Qiubai truly grew to power, the Ye family might not be able to withstand his wrath!

Ye Qiubai understood these principles as well. He asked, "Then why is the Tianyuan Empire after my father?"

Just as the Ancestor was about to answer, several powerful auras descended from outside!

"Ye Qiubai, I intended to use your father to threaten you, but I didn't expect you to show up on your own. That saves us some trouble."

Ye Qiubai stepped forward. Looking at the figures above, he understood. Standing beside the experts of the Tianyuan Empire were several old acquaintances—including the Enshrined Expert of the Sunset Dynasty who had appeared in the Northern Region!

(End of Chapter)