Visitors from the Grand Void Li Clan Ancient Clan

Imperial Capital, Ye Manor.

Qiuyue understood the gravity of the situation. If she were discovered in the Imperial Capital, it would likely implicate Ye Jing.

But even as she prepared to leave, worry lingered in her heart: "Young Master, the Lord of Great Li is muddle-headed and cruel beyond reason."

"If he vents his fury on you in a fit of rage, wouldn't that put Young Master in grave danger?"

Qiuyue shook her head, tugging at Ye Jing's sleeve, refusing to let go: "Young Master, won't you come with Qiuyue to the Sword Sect?"

"If you won't go, then Qiuyue won't go to the Sword Sect either. If we're to die, let's die together."

Jian Xuzi, seeing Qiuyue still unwilling to leave, sighed helplessly and spoke: "Little girl, I stake the Sword Sect's three-hundred-year reputation as a guarantee—your Young Master is perfectly safe."

"With your Young Master's meager skills, unless he barges into the royal clan's forbidden grounds, there's hardly anyone in all of Great Li who can do him harm."

Ye Jing followed up on Jian Xuzi's words, offering reassurance: "Jian Xuzi is a master of the Sword Dao; he wouldn't risk the Sword Sect's reputation on a whim."

"Rest assured and follow Senior Jian Xuzi to the Sword Sect. Don't worry about my safety."

It wasn't arrogance on Ye Jing's part. With his current strength, he was already unmatched among Great Grandmasters, and even an ordinary Peak of Humanity might not be his equal.

How many Peaks of Humanity could there be in all of Great Li?

Besides, even if he couldn't defeat a true Peak of Humanity expert, he was fully capable of fleeing!

To subdue him instantly would require the intervention of those two peerless figures from a month ago.

After his sword duel, he had asked Jian Xuzi and learned that those two were truly among the top three supreme figures in Great Li.

Qiuyue wasn't foolish; she knew that a senior expert like Jian Xuzi had no reason to deceive her, but her eyes still held reluctance.

"Then, Young Master, if Qiuyue goes to the Sword Sect, when will I see you again?"

Qiuyue had grown up relying on Ye Jing since childhood, their bond deep. For over a decade, they had never been apart.

Seeing the reluctance in Qiuyue's eyes, Ye Jing felt a moment of emotion. After a brief pause, he teased her.

"Qiuyue, with your talent, if you just train hard at the Sword Sect for a few years, you'll be invincible in Great Li. Then you can look after your Young Master."

Qiuyue didn't catch the teasing in Ye Jing's words; instead, she said with firm resolve: "Young Master, rest assured. Once Qiuyue reaches the Sword Sect, I will devote myself fully to cultivation."

"Three years, Young Master. Wait for Qiuyue in the Imperial Capital for three years. In three years, I will be unmatched in this world."

With that, she followed Jian Xuzi and vanished into the night.

After Jian Xuzi left, Ye Jing didn't immediately head to the Heavenly Prison to rescue Yao Qingyin.

He had only recently stepped into the Great Grandmaster realm, and there was still plenty of room to improve his cultivation.

The Heavenly Prison, after all, was a key location in the Imperial Capital, heavily guarded, with a multitude of Grandmasters inside, especially the Peak of Humanity that Jian Xuzi had mentioned.

To say he wasn't wary would be a lie. For now, the best course was to focus on raising his cultivation, so his strength could take a massive leap in a short time.

Within the Perfect Spirit Gathering Array, spiritual energy was abundant. Before, with Qiuyue around, Ye Jing dared not absorb too much, fearing it would affect her training.

Now that Qiuyue had left, the vast spiritual energy nurtured by the Perfect Spirit Gathering Array was enough to push his cultivation to Great Grandmaster Perfection.

Closing his eyes and focusing, Ye Jing began to cultivate. The surrounding spiritual energy surged into him like a whale swallowing rivers, and his aura grew increasingly formidable.

For seven straight days, aside from his duties at the Hanlin Academy, Ye Jing devoted all his remaining time to improving his cultivation.

The abundant spiritual energy in the Perfect Spirit Gathering Array grew thinner, and the once lush, vibrant courtyard gradually took on the withered, desolate hues of autumn.

Yet the aura radiating from Ye Jing grew all the more terrifying, unfathomable, as if he had merged with the heavens and earth.

Though he sat cross-legged, unless one saw him with their own eyes, ordinary people could hardly sense his presence.

Waking from another session of deep meditation, a flicker of regret passed through Ye Jing's eyes: "What a pity. The spiritual energy in the Perfect Spirit Gathering Array has run dry. It can no longer support my breakthrough to Great Grandmaster Perfection."

His face was full of disappointment. After seven days of frenzied absorption, his internal spiritual energy accumulation was nearly complete. His current cultivation was just a hair's breadth away from Great Grandmaster Perfection.

But the Perfect Spirit Gathering Array's spiritual energy had been exhausted, snapping him out of his trance-like cultivation state.

The regret in his eyes was fleeting, not lingering long, as Ye Jing quickly adjusted his mindset.

According to his original plan, he would have reached Great Grandmaster Perfection today. Since the array's energy was depleted, he could simply wait a few days for it to draw more spiritual energy from the Heavenly Ruins.

Late at night, above the Great Li Imperial Palace.

A figure like a God or Devil descended imposingly over the Great Li Imperial Palace. Behind this figure, dozens more exuding terrifying auras followed.

The Thirteenth Elder released his own fearsome aura, instantly enveloping the vast Great Li Imperial Palace under its pressure.

Sensing the terrifying presence above the palace, a similarly formidable aura erupted from the depths of the Great Li Imperial Palace, its intensity nearly matching that of the Thirteenth Elder.

Li Lianying's figure soared into the air like a beam of light, quickly arriving above the Great Li Imperial Palace.

Seeing these dozens of unfamiliar experts radiating terrifying auras, especially the leader whose presence was no weaker than his own, Li Lianying frowned.

"Who are you all, and what business do you have at the Great Li Imperial Palace?"

"Grand Void Li Clan Ancient Clan. I am the Thirteenth Elder. I have come today to investigate the death of Yiting and the disappearance of the Innate Dao Body. If any of you dare to conceal the truth, This Seat will raze the Great Li Imperial Palace to the ground."

The Thirteenth Elder's voice rang out like a divine decree, full of authority. His gaze was piercing as he fixed his eyes on Li Lianying.

Li Lianying was stunned, his voice trembling with shock: "You... what did you say? Young Master Li is dead!"

This news struck like a thunderbolt, leaving Li Lianying's scalp tingling with shock.

"Who would be so audacious, so utterly reckless, as to commit such a heinous act!"

"Thirteenth Elder, do you know who did this? Tell me, and I will have that villain torn to pieces, his body burned daily with endless flames, condemned to eternal torment."

After the initial shock, Li Lianying's face turned extremely grim. Rage surged within him, and he harbored a deep, burning hatred for the scoundrel who had ruined his plans.

He had assumed the Great Li Imperial Family would have some clues, but judging by the expression on the Thirteenth Elder's face, this was clearly the first he had heard of it as well.

Possessing a heart sharp as a seven-jeweled chime, Li Lianying prided himself on reading people. He had seen countless faces and understood human nature well—even the most cunning and duplicitous could not deceive his keen eye.

Yet in Great Li, someone had managed to hide even from the Imperial Family! This person's methods were truly beyond comprehension.

A flicker of gravity passed through the Thirteenth Elder's eyes. He sensed this was no simple matter.