Ye Jing's Sea of Consciousness was now much smaller than before, but his Divine Soul felt several times stronger.
His Divine Soul's perception was several times sharper than before.
Ye Jing now discovered that if he focused his whole mind on sensing his surroundings, his Divine Soul could even detect ants crawling on the ground.
Before, his Sea of Consciousness had been powerful, and its range of perception had been vast, but its sensitivity had been nowhere near what it was now.
Moreover, Ye Jing discovered that his Divine Soul's perception was not only several times sharper than before; his control over it was also far more precise.
The sixth sword of the Thirteen Swords of Heavenly Annihilation was Sword Flight. He had once cultivated this sixth sword to perfection, and with his powerful Divine Soul, he could control a full nine strands of Innate Sword Qi.
Now, having only just begun cultivating the Great Dream Three Thousand Dao Scripture, Ye Jing discovered that he could already control eleven strands of Innate Sword Qi.
This was after completing just one Greater Celestial Circuit, yet his Divine Soul had changed so much. If he kept circulating the Great Dream Three Thousand Dao Scripture every day, who knew what heights his Divine Soul would reach?
There were countless impurities in his Sea of Consciousness. It was utterly impossible to purge them all in one go.
Over the next few days, Ye Jing attended to his duties at the Hanlin Academy during the day and cultivated the Great Dream Three Thousand Dao Scripture at home late into the night.
Five days later, the once murky Sea of Consciousness within Ye Jing was now crystal clear, Pure and Spotless, like a tranquil void.
Ye Jing came out of his cultivation and let out a long breath. He had finally mastered the Foundation Establishment Chapter of the Great Dream Three Thousand Dao Scripture.
Over those five days, the Perfect Spirit Gathering Array had drawn a considerable amount of top-grade spiritual energy from the Heavenly Ruins. Two days ago, Ye Jing had already used it to break through to the Great Grandmaster peak.
Now, my strength has reached its peak. In the short term, unless I encounter some tremendous opportunity, it'll be difficult to improve significantly.
With my strength now, perhaps I can go to the Great Li Heavenly Prison and try to rescue Yao Qingyin.
Ye Jing had not forgotten the promise he made to Jian Xuzi that day. He had spent the past few days striving to improve his strength, and only then had he put his plan on hold.
Now that his strength had reached the level he had envisioned, it was only natural to fulfill his promise. Besides, Yao Qingyin possessed a Secret Realm, giving him another compelling reason to save her.
Late that night, Ye Jing used the Breath Concealment Technique to seal his aura close to his body. Like a phantom in the dark, he used the cover of night to make his way toward the Great Li Heavenly Prison.
Several unfamiliar, powerful auras still watched Ye Manor all night, but Ye Jing had cultivated his Breath Concealment Technique to the pinnacle.
What was more, his Divine Soul was now several times stronger and more condensed than before. With his current perception, he could sense the watchers' whereabouts, their heartbeats, and even shifts in their thoughts.
Evading their surveillance was as easy as lifting a finger.
Taking advantage of the darkness, Ye Jing darted from place to place. After a few leaps, he arrived outside the Great Li Heavenly Prison.
Ye Jing did not rush inside. Instead, he used his powerful Divine Soul perception to sense what was happening within.
Good heavens. There were no fewer than eight Great Grandmaster auras alone, and each was no weaker than Li Yiting's. Among Great Grandmasters, they were surely formidable figures.
In the deepest part of the Heavenly Prison, there was even a powerful aura that stirred a trace of wariness in him.
That must be the Peak of Humanity who cultivates the Thunder Dao, the one Jian Xuzi mentioned! Ye Jing murmured to himself. Suddenly, his expression changed, and he stared toward the depths of the prison in utter shock.
Beside that Peak of Humanity's aura, Ye Jing sensed Yao Qingyin's.
The sudden turn of events caught Ye Jing off guard.
Jian Xuzi had said that a Peak of Humanity was stationed in the Great Li Heavenly Prison. Ye Jing had always assumed that this person was in seclusion somewhere inside.
After all, with the strength of a Peak of Humanity, any disturbance in the prison would be sensed immediately, and someone like that could emerge from seclusion at once to meet the threat.
But he had sorely underestimated how much the Great Li Imperial Family valued Yao Qingyin. They had actually assigned a Peak of Humanity to guard her at close quarters.
Just what was Yao Qingyin worth to make the Great Li Imperial Family value her so highly? Was it only because of that Secret Realm?
According to his original plan, his powerful Breath Concealment Technique would let him evade the Peak of Humanity's senses, as long as he could find Yao Qingyin inside the prison.
Even if he was discovered, he was confident he could take Yao Qingyin with him, break through their encirclement, and leave with ease.
But now, this Peak of Humanity was right beside Yao Qingyin. No matter how profound and subtle his Breath Concealment Technique was, there was no way he could approach her without the person at her side noticing.
If this Peak of Humanity clung to him in a fight, it would take considerable effort to shake him off. What worried Ye Jing even more was that the Heavenly Prison was not far from the Great Li Imperial Palace. For someone of their level, the journey would take no more than the time it took to brew a cup of tea.
If he caused too much of a disturbance here and another Peak of Humanity from the Imperial Palace came to assist, even he would be in some danger.
What worried Ye Jing most was that if he failed this time, the powerful guards surrounding Yao Qingyin would likely be several times stronger next time. Then the difficulty of rescuing her would multiply geometrically.
Actually, breaking this deadlock was not difficult. He only needed to wipe out this Peak of Humanity in the instant they first met, and the situation would resolve itself.
Even if the remaining eight Great Grandmasters joined forces to surround him, in Ye Jing's eyes, they were nothing but oversized ants. He could break their encirclement with a casual move.
But with his current strength, he had only a seventy percent chance of killing this Peak of Humanity in a single exchange.
In other words, there was a thirty percent chance he would end up in danger.
To be honest, that was a considerable risk.
Ye Jing weighed the pros and cons, unsure whether it was worth taking such a risk or whether he should wait until he was stronger before attempting the rescue.
However, his cultivation had already reached the Great Grandmaster peak, and his combat strength far surpassed that of an ordinary Great Grandmaster. He was already much stronger than most Peaks of Humanity.
With his strength as it was, the only way to bring about a qualitative change was to comprehend the Dao and become a Peak of Humanity. Only then would his strength increase substantially.
But in this Age of Dharma's End, Ye Jing had little confidence that he could comprehend the Dao and break through to the Peak of Humanity in a short time.
After hesitating for a long while, Ye Jing let out a quiet sigh. Fine. I'll take this gamble.
If he truly failed, all he could do was leave Yao Qingyin's fate to heaven. In any case, he would have no chance of rescuing her from the prison again anytime soon.
A resolute glint flashed in his eyes. Ye Jing's figure blurred as he soared into the Heavenly Prison.
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