Crow Daoist landed behind Shen Ye. The three entered the domain gate and turned into streams of light as they departed!
"It seemed that the young man was taking the lead among the three!" The Yaoguang Sacred Lord's mind stirred. He could not understand how such a situation had arisen.
"Could he be threatening him with a divine medicine that extends one's lifespan?" The Yaoguang Sacred Lord pondered, but quickly dismissed the guess.
An old demon like Crow Daoist, whose lifespan was nearly exhausted, certainly needed a divine medicine that extended one's life. But with his temperament, it was already remarkable enough that he had not simply snatched it away. There was no reason for him to treat that youth with such reverence.
"Unless there is an unrivaled powerhouse behind that youth who helped him break through!"
The Yaoguang Sacred Lord was deeply alarmed. He suddenly became interested in the incident from four years ago and instructed those around him, "Bring me the elders who experienced the Green Emperor's Tomb incident four years ago. Have them tell me in detail what happened back then!"
The danger of traversing the Void depended on the distance traveled. Even a Holy Land Domain Gate could at most cross a single region, which was already taking into account the limits of most people.
Those in the Dao Palace Secret Realm would generally vomit until they were dizzy after crossing a region, but Shen Ye had no such concern.
His physical body under the Star Core System had already been comparable to that of a Dragon Transformation cultivator. After being tempered by Immortal Fire for four years, his physique now did not even lose out to an Immortal One Cultivator!
If some Dragon Transformation veteran lost his mind and wanted to compete with him in physical strength, Shen Ye would slap him to death instead!
Crow Daoist had initially been worried that Shen Ye would not be able to adapt. After all, no matter how great his talent and comprehension were, his cultivation was only at the first level of the Dao Palace.
Yet the power of the Void had no effect on him whatsoever!
"As expected of someone suspected to be a descendant of an Immortal King!" Crow Daoist secretly praised. Then he asked, "To enter the Northern Plains from the Northern Region of Eastern Barrens, we must pass through another domain gate. Your Highness, which holy land shall we visit next?"
"The only holy-land-level powers in the Northern Region are Jade Lake and the Jiang Family. We'll go to whichever is closer," Shen Ye said casually.
"Also, return the Immortal Fire to me for now."
Crow Daoist reacted as though he had been bitten by an ancient serpent. He leaped three yards into the air and hurriedly argued, "No, don't! I was just carried away earlier. I'll never do it again!"
"I am not blaming you. It is because the Immortal Fire has already affected your state of mind." Shen Ye shook his head slightly.
"Affected my state of mind?" Crow Daoist's eyes widened. "The Immortal Fire can do that?"
"The Immortal Fire is both tangible fire and intangible fire. Tangible fire burns the body, while intangible fire scorches the heart. If I had not made it restrain its power, you would have already fallen into demonic madness!"
"Really? I feel perfectly fine!" Crow Daoist hesitated, then said rather proudly, "I didn't even kill anyone just now!"
Shen Ye said solemnly, "You are only being affected by a trace of the Immortal Fire's leaked power right now, so the changes are naturally minor. But over time, who can say what will happen?"
After saying that, Shen Ye asked with a half-smile, "Would you like to experience the Immortal Fire's true power over the mind?"
"Its true... power..." Crow Daoist licked his lips, steeled himself, and gritted his teeth. "Come on!"
Shen Ye beckoned with his right hand, and the small fireball flew back, obediently landing in his palm. Crow Daoist watched with a surge of envy.
"Yue'er, stand farther away." Only after Hua Yue had moved away did Shen Ye completely unleash the Heart Fire phenomenon!
The Immortal Fire Mark was the deity of his Heart Divine Treasury, while Heart Fire had become his second phenomenon.
Without merging with the Immortal Fire, the power of this second phenomenon was actually only at a normal level.
But once it merged with it, he could kill mighty experts with the phenomenon alone!
In an instant, boundless fury rose from Crow Daoist's heart. His eyes turned blood-red as he threw back his head and roared, "Kill! Kill! Kill!"
At the same time, within the territory of the Jiang Family not far away.
Whether cultivators or mortals, all could sense a towering surge of Demonic Power boiling ahead, nearly shattering the heavens and shaking the sky!
"A great demon! A peerless great demon!"
"A mighty expert of the demon race has attacked! Quickly send for aid from the main family!"
Shen Ye was not worried that Crow Daoist would accidentally harm him. Driven by instinct, Crow Daoist feared the Immortal Fire even more and did not dare approach at all!
"That is enough." Shen Ye stopped while he was ahead. Seeing that Crow Daoist's throat was nearly hoarse from roaring, he withdrew the Heart Fire phenomenon!
Crow Daoist, who had been howling at the sky, suddenly froze. His roar instantly turned into a "caw"!
The fury filling his chest had suddenly lost its target, leaving him unbearably stifled!
Though his eyes were still blood-red and his anger had yet to fade, he could at least control his heart now. In a hoarse voice, he said, "What formidable Heart Fire. It truly cannot be underestimated!"
After calming his mind, he belatedly asked, "Your Highness, you had Miss Hua Yue move away earlier. Could it be that Lord Immortal Fire still cannot distinguish friend from foe?"
Shen Ye nodded. "Though the Immortal Fire is powerful, it is best not to use it whenever possible. Otherwise, it could easily injure others by mistake!"
Crow Daoist hesitated before asking, "Then wouldn't Your Highness also be affected by the Immortal Fire? Why..."
"The firmness of my Dao heart is beyond your comprehension!" Shen Ye clasped his hands behind his back, raised his head toward the heavens, and said with an inscrutable expression, "Though I die seeking the Dao, my heart remains iron. Now I step forward and begin anew! For that illusory foundation of attaining the Dao, I willingly gave up everything in the Immortal Realm and came to the lower realm to start over, all so that one day I may truly stand at the summit!"
Crow Daoist was shaken to his core. Everyone yearned for the Immortal Realm, yet His Highness was willing to descend into the mortal world for his own "ambition." What tremendous perseverance and courage!
At this point, he believed ninety percent of what Shen Ye had said.
The moment the Immortal Fire provoked him, he had fallen into a heart demon. Yet His Highness held the Immortal Fire in his hand without being affected in the slightest!
If he were not an unparalleled genius from the Immortal Realm, how could he possess such an unshakable Dao heart while still in the Dao Palace stage?
Once this employment ends, should this old Daoist swallow his pride and ask His Highness to take me in? Crow Daoist hesitated inwardly.
This was different from Yan Ruyu, descendant of the Demon Emperor. She possessed outstanding talent, the righteous title of a Demon Emperor descendant, and the Demon Emperor's Sacred Weapon in hand, yet not a single mighty expert was willing to follow her.
The reason was simple. She was a genius, but not genius enough. At the very least, she was not yet so gifted that those mighty demon race experts would believe she could become the Empress and follow her at all costs!
As for Shen Ye, the Dao heart he had displayed alone was enough to win the admiration of mighty experts.
Since ancient times, those who achieved imperial greatness had all been people of broad vision and great spirit, with Dao hearts unchanged for eternity and unaltered through the ages!
On the Emperor's Path, one's state of mind mattered most. Talent and comprehension came second.
Just then, dozens of divine rainbows flew over from afar. They did not approach, instead watching from a distance.
Only after seeing that the appearances of the three did not match those great demons and notorious bandits on the wanted list did they slowly draw near.
(PS for the nitpickers: Crow Daoist had not appeared in the world for fifteen hundred years, so his wanted poster had expired.)
"You three, did you notice anyone suspicious passing through here just now?" asked the leading Jiang Family knight.
"No," Shen Ye replied casually.
The Jiang Family knight said in a grave voice, "That soaring Demonic Power from earlier lasted only an instant before vanishing. It may be a peerless demonic being that escaped from a seal. For safety's sake, I must bring you back for inspection, lest that demonic being be hiding on you..."
Before he could finish, one of the knights suddenly cried out, "It's him!"
The leading Jiang Family knight turned around. "You know them?"
"I only know those two young lords." After hesitating briefly, the knight said, "Four years ago, I followed Lord Yun Chen to the Azure Emperor's Mausoleum. They were the young geniuses who suppressed an important figure of the Ji Family during that incident!"
The leading knight's expression changed several times. Naturally, he had heard of the turmoil four years ago and had even secretly rejoiced over it. He had never expected it to be his turn today!
Even an important figure of the Ji Family had been suppressed. People like them were likely not worth the other party's notice.
There shouldn't have been any problem with my tone just now, right? The leading knight felt uneasy. After repeatedly confirming that he had not offended them, he solemnly bowed. "A chance meeting is better than an arranged one. What perfect timing! The family head specifically instructed us that if we encountered the two of you, we must invite you to the Jiang Family as guests!"
Thanks to reader Yijian Jiuzhou for the 300 reward, and reader Yunbuyun for the 100 reward.
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