[After hearing your plan, Gu Xinyue nodded.]
[Her thoughts were the same as yours. For now, neither Green Prefecture nor You Prefecture could shelter you.]
[In the end, you decided to break out of Green Prefecture and head for Central Prefecture.]
[Early the next morning, you set out for Central Prefecture. Fang Jingchun intended to escort you, but you refused.]
[Your reason was simple: you feared his identity would be exposed outright. He was now recognized throughout Green Prefecture as part of the demonic path; whoever associated closely with him would be branded an accomplice of the demonic path.]
[Three days later, you arrived at the city pass leading from Green Prefecture to Central Prefecture.]
[Most people heading to Central Prefecture spent spirit stones here to take a Spirit Boat there. Of course, some chose to fly to Central Prefecture themselves.]
[The former was fast and safe, while the latter was time-consuming and exhausting, though it offered a measure of privacy.]
[This city pass was surrounded by the Endless Sea. To take the safest route, one had to pass through here.]
[Usually, there were few people here, and no one conducted inspections.]
[But when you arrived today, you found elders from the Azure Cloud Sect, Wind Thunder Sect, and Myriad Devil Sect conducting inspections.]
[And the Spiritual Artifact they used for testing was actually the Azure Cloud Sect Master's weapon. You had seen this Sky-Piercing Spirit Treasure Pagoda at the Azure Cloud Sect before.]
[It could send Sinister Worms into a state of enlightenment, but it was completely useless against you humans.]
[You told Ye Chuxue and Gu Xinyue about this. You had originally planned to try slipping through in disguise.]
[But you had underestimated the determination of Green Prefecture's Three Great Sects to kill you. In the eyes of those Sinister Worms, they did not want another Chaos Devil Heavenly Venerate to emerge.]
[So, before you could fully grow, they intended to nip you in the bud.]
[When you reached the inspection point, you gave Gu Xinyue a look.]
[The next second, you and Gu Xinyue simultaneously unleashed a streak of Sword Qi. The two Spirit Transformation elders inspecting you were instantly sprayed with blood and collapsed to the ground.]
[Behind you, Ye Chuxue finished off the two defenseless elders, shattering their dantians with a single blast of lunar yin energy.]
[Just as you were about to enter the passage, three figures blocked your path.]
[The leader was the Azure Cloud Sect Master. Behind him stood the Wind Thunder Sect Master and the Myriad Devil Sect Master.]
[What shocked you even more was that the Azure Cloud Sect Master was actually in the Void Refining Realm.]
[The Azure Cloud Sect Master hovered in midair, looking down at you with a dark expression as he growled.]
["You humans are nothing more than our nourishment, yet you still dream of changing the world?"]
["Do not forget, even Chaos Devil Heavenly Venerate among your human race failed to do it. Are you still unwilling to give up?"]
["As nourishment, you should have the awareness of nourishment. What meaning is there in these futile struggles?"]
[As soon as he finished speaking, the Azure Cloud Sect Master made a gesture, and the masters of the two sects behind him charged toward you.]
[The Myriad Devil Sect Master's Spirit Transmutation Great Perfection cultivation erupted in an instant. With a move called Myriad Devils Devour, he transformed into black mist and bore down on you.]
[Facing Spirit Transmutation Great Perfection for the first time, you did not dare be careless. You drew the Great Void Sword, its Great Void Sword Intent surging forth as you slashed at the black mist.]
[After being repaired twice in succession, the Great Void Sword was no longer comparable to the short Great Void Sword that had once been on Sword Mountain.]
[With a single strike, you dispelled the Myriad Devil Sect Master's attack. At the same time, however, your spiritual energy was depleted several times faster.]
[The Myriad Devil Sect Master, who had been briefly stunned, immediately spotted your weakness. A mocking look appeared on his face.]
["Old ghost, what are you laughing at?"]
[The next moment, Gu Xinyue's Sword Qi, carrying Void Refining Realm cultivation, came slashing toward him.]
[His attention had been entirely fixed on you. He had not noticed at all that the Wind Thunder Sect Master had already been slain by Gu Xinyue.]
[The Azure Cloud Sect Master, who had not intended to intervene, had never expected that one of you would actually be in the Void Refining Realm.]
[He shouted at the top of his lungs, "Impossible!"]
["How is that possible? How could Green Prefecture have a Void Refining Realm human? What the hell are those people in Central Prefecture doing?"]
[But he quickly calmed down, his gaze deep as he looked at Gu Xinyue.]
["You are not from Green Prefecture? You came from Central Prefecture? Neither Green Prefecture nor You Prefecture could possibly have a human like you."]
[Gu Xinyue let out a cold laugh.]
["Hmph! Take a guess."]
[Above the Endless Sea, the Azure Cloud Sect Master shut his eyes tightly, seemingly lost in thought.]
["No matter where you came from, humans are not allowed to have cultivators above Foundation Establishment!"]
[Soon, a fierce battle erupted between Gu Xinyue and the Azure Cloud Sect Master.]
[You were powerless to interfere in a battle between Void Refining Realm cultivators and could only wait where you stood for it to end.]
[The battle continued for seven straight days. During that time, you even lent the Great Void Sword to Gu Xinyue.]
[With the Great Void Sword, Gu Xinyue's combat power surged, and she directly shattered the Azure Cloud Sect Master's Sky-Piercing Spirit Treasure Pagoda.]
[In the end, despite suffering some injuries, Gu Xinyue successfully killed the Azure Cloud Sect Master. After killing him, you did not dare linger for even a moment and fled straight toward Central Prefecture.]
[You personally used the Great Void Technique, taking Gu Xinyue and Ye Chuxue with you as you escaped.]
[Seven days had passed since your exposure. Whether you flew or took a Spirit Boat, there was a risk of being caught. Only the Great Void Technique could conceal your tracks as much as possible.]
[Three months later, you brought Gu Xinyue and Ye Chuxue to Qingshan City.]
[Even after arriving in Qingshan City, you still did not completely relax.]
[Your mind was filled with the words the Azure Cloud Sect Master had said before.]
[What the hell are those people in Central Prefecture doing?]
[You knew those words carried profound implications!]
[You also noticed a detail: the Azure Cloud Sect Master had called you humans, rather than members of the demonic path.]
[That meant his status among the Sinister Worms was not low.]
[So the absence of human cultivators above the Void Refining Realm in Green Prefecture and You Prefecture was not solely due to environmental factors.]
[You could now be certain that there was some hidden truth behind all this.]
[But there were not no exceptions. In your view, the Sword Pavilion Master's strength far exceeded the Void Refining Realm.]
[You decided to set aside these doubts for now and follow your plan to head to the Great Zhou Dynasty's capital first.]
[You asked around in Qingshan City and learned that the city had not yet been sealed off. That meant Wei Qing had not been exposed yet.]
[Since that was the case, you decided to find Wei Qing first and take him with you.]
[But if Wei Qing had already been exposed, you would not take him away. Gu Xinyue was injured, and without recovering in a secret realm, she could not fight again.]
[A week later, you successfully found Wei Qing. When you found him, you happened to see him kill the city lord's son.]
[Seeing this, you had no time to explain. You immediately took him and fled Qingshan City.]
Before you continue