Chapter 53: The Extra-Territorial Battlefield

Hearing Ye Qingxuan's inquiry, Ye Qingxiao snapped out of his thoughts and said boisterously

"Of course I'm going!"

"It's a pity you've become a Fortune Cultivator now and can't go with me. But don't worry, Qingxuan, I'll bring back some good stuff for you when the time comes, hehehe!"

Hearing this, Ye Qingxuan was not surprised by Ye Qingxiao's choice.

Although Ye Qingxiao's talent was better than his, it was merely the talent of a five-element spiritual root. While breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage would not be a problem and there was a sliver of hope for the Deity Transformation stage, his ceiling was essentially reached.

If he did not go to the Outer Realm Battlefield, it would be impossible for Ye Qingxiao to make further progress.

Ye Qingxiao had his own path to walk, and as his brother, Ye Qingxuan naturally would not stop him.

After a moment of silence, Ye Qingxuan took out a jade talisman and handed it to Ye Qingxiao

"This jade talisman can unleash a full-strength strike equivalent to the early Nascent Soul stage. Take it for self-defense!"

This talisman had been bestowed upon him by Manager Bai of the Fortune Cultivator Academy before his last trip home, but he had never had the opportunity to use it.

Now that his Grotto-heaven was newly formed and his main body would not be leaving the Xuantian Sect, keeping this talisman here was essentially useless. It was better to give it to Ye Qingxiao for protection!

Ye Qingxiao knew the value of the talisman. Although he was somewhat surprised that Ye Qingxuan possessed such a treasure, he did not intend to accept it.

Just as he was about to open his mouth to refuse, Ye Qingxuan preempted him

"Just take it! Now that I've become a Fortune Cultivator, I won't have the chance to leave the Xuantian Sect. It's better to give this to you for protection. Between us brothers, there's no need to place too much importance on external objects."

Since arriving in the Earth-Mystic Realm, Ye Qingxuan had preferred solitude, so he had very few true brothers or friends. He naturally valued Ye Qingxiao deeply.

Hearing Ye Qingxuan's words, Ye Qingxiao hesitated for a moment, a flash of emotion crossing his eyes. He then reached out and accepted the talisman. Without offering any polite words of thanks, he simply joked

"Don't worry, I'm lucky and have a long life; I'll come back alive!"

Seeing Ye Qingxiao accept the talisman and hearing his words, Ye Qingxuan merely nodded in silence.

The Outer Realm Battlefield was different from the Earth-Mystic Realm; it was a place fraught with danger. Otherwise, pills for spiritual power recovery, healing, and purification would not have become so highly sought after.

Noticing the silence, Ye Qingxiao looked around and suddenly noticed Ye Qingxuan's cultivation level, exclaiming in surprise

"Qingxuan, how did you break through to the mid-stage of the Foundation Establishment stage?"

One had to know that Ye Qingxiao possessed a five-element spiritual root and had only just broken through to the late stage of Foundation Establishment.

Seeing that Ye Qingxiao had noticed his outward cultivation, Ye Qingxuan explained casually

"I got lucky and contracted a late-stage first-tier Grotto-heaven. After the Grotto-heaven took shape, the feedback of its origin was quite substantial, so I broke through to the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment along the way."

His true cultivation was at the early Purple Mansion stage, but to avoid exposing his abnormality, Ye Qingxuan had specifically sought out a Turtle Breathing Technique from the Earth Immortal inheritance during his seclusion to use as a cover.

A Turtle Breathing Technique practiced to perfection was enough to prevent cultivators below the Deity Transformation stage from seeing through his true cultivation.

In the early stages, the people he encountered were at most at the Nascent Soul stage, so the Turtle Breathing Technique was sufficient.

Once he broke through to the Golden Core stage and could practice the Divine Ability: Deceiving the Heavens, the concealment effect would be even better. At that point, it would be impossible for anyone below the Void-Emptiness stage to see through his cultivation.

Hearing about Ye Qingxuan's fortuitous encounter, Ye Qingxiao was sincerely happy for him

"That's great! This way, your future path will be much easier to walk!"

He knew much of what Ye Qingxuan would have to endure as a Fortune Cultivator, but he believed that Ye Qingxuan would definitely persevere and forge a path of his own.

Looking up at the sky, Ye Qingxiao spoke to say his farewell

"I'm relieved now that you've successfully completed your seclusion. I plan to set off for the Outer Realm Battlefield tomorrow. I'll come visit you when I return!"

If it weren't for waiting for Ye Qingxuan to finish his seclusion to ensure his safety, he would have headed to the battlefield long ago.

Ye Qingxuan nodded and patted Ye Qingxiao on the shoulder

"Go! The Outer Realm Battlefield is no small matter. Act cautiously, do not trust others easily, and stay safe!"

Ye Qingxiao nodded vigorously. He reached out and slung his arm around Ye Qingxuan's neck just like when they were children, saying boisterously

"Don't worry! I'm not a kid anymore. Besides, I've been lucky since I was little; nothing will happen to me!"

"I'm off! I'll come find you when I get back!"

With that, Ye Qingxiao let go and flew into the distance on his sword.

Ye Qingxuan watched Ye Qingxiao's receding figure. After a long time, he whispered softly

"Qingxiao, take care! Come back alive!"

***

Meanwhile.

Inside the Xuantian Sect, atop a simple pavilion on the summit of Xuantian Peak.

Cen Zhe, the Sect Master of the Xuantian Sect, stood with his hands behind his back, frowning as he looked toward the heavens, with Dao rhythms constantly swirling in his eyes.

After a while, Cen Zhe suddenly spoke

"How is it?"

As soon as Cen Zhe finished speaking, a figure slowly appeared beside him. Standing shoulder to shoulder with him, the figure said in a heavy voice

"That old fellow Yao still hasn't been able to deduce the specific movements of those vanished Green Demon Clan experts. He could only deduce that those vanished experts have not moved far from the Green Demon Realm!"

"My main body is still at the Outer Realm Battlefield, sealing the gate to the Green Demon Realm along with the others. Nothing unusual has been discovered for the time being."

Hearing this, Cen Zhe's frown deepened.

He always felt that the sudden disappearance of those Green Demon Clan experts must be part of some conspiracy, yet not a single expert in the Earth-Mystic Realm skilled in divination could calculate their specific movements.

Currently, the Xuantian Sect's two Great Mahayana stage Supreme Elders were occupied: Supreme Elder Yao Qiudao was exerting all his efforts to deduce the movements of the Green Demon Clan, while the other Supreme Elder, Tong Yanye, had his main body at the Outer Realm Battlefield participating in the blockade of the Green Demon Realm's gate and investigating the battlefield.

Yet, a significant amount of time had passed without any results.

"Forget it! If they can't be deduced, they can't be deduced. When those rats show their heads again, we'll just slay them!"

As he spoke, a sharp glint flashed in Cen Zhe's eyes. A crisp sword hum resonated from within his body, the vibrations causing the surrounding space to crack continuously.

However, Cen Zhe firmly suppressed it, preventing it from spreading throughout the entire Xuantian Sect!

Hearing Cen Zhe's words, Supreme Elder Tong Yanye nodded in agreement, then inquired

"The centennial recruitment ceremony is approaching. Should we recall a portion of the disciples to maintain the sect's recruitment ceremony?"

Upon hearing Tong Yanye's words, Cen Zhe pondered for a moment before deciding

"Recall half of the core disciples. Leave this recruitment ceremony to Yan Lü, the Hall Master of the Law Enforcement Hall, to preside over!"

"Also, none of the elders below are to slack off this time. Every elder must recruit at least one disciple to cultivate."

Tong Yanye nodded in agreement

"That works. You can handle the arrangements for the sect's affairs; leave the Outer Realm Battlefield to Old Yao and me!"

Hearing this, Cen Zhe still said with some concern

"The sect's affairs are a minor issue and don't require too much attention; leaving them to Yan Lü will suffice. As for you, you must act cautiously and remain vigilant at the Outer Realm Battlefield. Do not let your guard down!"

"I always feel that the Green Demon Clan's decision to give up the Outer Realm Battlefield so easily must mean they have an even more terrifying scheme brewing in the shadows!"