In the northern part of the Xianjing Continent, Xuanming Sword Sect.
A gloomy mist shrouded most of the sect's mountains, which matched the somber atmosphere throughout the sect.
Although cultivators above the Dao Evolution Realm can influence celestial phenomena, altering the weather in the cities within the prefecture without prior notification will inevitably attract scrutiny.
Therefore, no one bothered to dispel the continuous dark clouds.
However, compared to the previous few days, the atmosphere at the Sword Sect was actually much better; at least the disciples coming and going were noticeably more smiling than before.
The reason is quite simple.
Zhou Qingyan woke up.
Furthermore, according to the information released by the Old Ancestor, this sword master did not become discouraged, but instead became even more diligent in his studies, and even made a breakthrough in his cultivation level.
For the Mountain Gate that had suffered the upheaval of the Sword Manual, this was definitely a rare piece of good news.
Now.
In the tranquil courtyard, Zhou Qingyan stared blankly at the dark clouds in the sky, a look of daze occasionally flashing across her beautiful face. "..."
Several days have passed since the unexpected events surrounding the Sword Master Ceremony.
However, she couldn't stop replaying the nightmarish scene from that day in her mind. Even getting close to the Sword Dao Plaza made her legs go weak and her back tremble.
Even Great Demon with festering sores on its back and a hideous appearance only made her feel slightly disgusted.
This deep-seated fear was something I had never felt before!
Although her Martial Dao realm had inexplicably improved, reaching the peak of the seventh level of the Dao Evolution Realm, Zhou Qingyan knew very well that if she didn't shatter the mountain blocking her mind, she probably wouldn't be able to step into the eighth level of the Dao Evolution Realm in her lifetime.
Such is the breakthrough of a prodigy: when in high spirits, breaking through realms is as easy as drinking water, and defeating opponents of the same realm is as easy as torturing dogs.
However, if one's Dao Heart experiences a significant collapse, it will greatly affect the progress of cultivation, and may even lead to regression instead of progress.
If one's character and temperament are useless, then prestigious families would not need to compete to promote their own prodigies.
Zhou Qingyan's current problem is that serious.
However, in order not to damage the reputation that the Xuanming Sword Sect had painstakingly built up over the years, the Sword Sect's Old Ancestor chose to keep this secret hidden, since revealing it would only cause harm and no benefit anyway.
"How's the recovery going?"
Just then, the Sword Sect Old Ancestor's voice, devoid of emotion, rang out in the courtyard.
Zhou Qingyan glanced sideways, her icy blue eyes appearing slightly empty.
After a moment of silence, she gently shook her head and said:
"Old Ancestor, I need more time."
"I see..."
Although he had anticipated this situation, a hint of disappointment still flashed across the Sword Sect Old Ancestor's eyes.
Then came a deep-seated hatred.
Of course, it wasn't aimed at Zhou Qingyan in front of him, but at the young lieutenant general who had already left Yushan.
Whenever he thinks of that person's face, the Sword Sect Old Ancestor feels a surge of rage, wishing he could slap him to death in the Plaza that day!
Fortunately, Vajra Buddhist Disciple has now stepped in to help him.
The grudge against the Sword Sect will likely be settled soon.
Thinking of this, he looked at Zhou Qingyan in front of him, hesitated for two seconds, and then tentatively asked:
"If Ye Li were to die, how would you feel?"
Zhou Qingyan was slightly taken aback, then fell into a long silence, and finally shook her head again:
"I have no idea."
"Maybe you will feel a little emotional and feel that things are impermanent."
If even a cultivator like the other couldn't reach such a high level, she would truly begin to doubt whether this world was still the one she knew.
Upon hearing her answer, the Sword Sect Old Ancestor was immediately disappointed, but still somewhat unwilling to give up, he asked:
"Don't you... feel incredibly satisfied?"
"... Won't."
Zhou Qingyan withdrew her gaze, looking at the scabbard on the table containing the fragments of [Four Seas Divide], and gently stroked the patterns on it, saying:
Even if there were, it would be only a tiny trace at most.
She paused for a moment, then looked up again, her tone filled with unprecedented certainty:
"But if I do it myself, the result will be very different. I never like it when someone else does it for me."
"That certainly has your style." The Sword Sect Old Ancestor nodded helplessly, then immediately felt a headache coming on.
Despite the fact that the Vajra Buddhist Disciple was willing to help the Sword Sect retrieve the stolen divine sword and promised that Ye Li would surely die afterward.
However, the idea of having him bring the heavily injured Ye Li back to the Sword Sect and hand him over to Zhou Qingyan for the final kill is still wishful thinking.
Even setting aside the impact of this leak.
Even just capturing that Dragon Pool lieutenant who could make Taiyuan acknowledge him as its master was incredibly difficult.
To repair Zhou Qingyan's shattered Dao Heart, we must find another way.
"Old Ancestor."
Zhou Qingyan suddenly spoke, her eyes showing a rare resolute determination. "Could you grant me the highest level of access to the Forbidden Grounds?"
"What do you want to do?" the Sword Sect Old Ancestor asked instinctively.
"Subdue Taiyuan!"
Zhou Qingyan's tone was as firm and resolute as a stone falling to the ground, conveying an air of determination that she would not give up until the matter was resolved.
In her view, Ye Li possessed formidable combat power comparable to the peak of the Dao Evolution Realm.
To defeat her, she must make a significant improvement in a short period of time. Her Sword Dao has reached a bottleneck, so to achieve this goal, she can only start from other aspects.
The Primordial Abyss Divine Sword of the Xuanming Sword Sect is ranked among the immortal Treasured Artifacts.
From any perspective, she is the best choice to handle this matter. Once she grasps the sword and cuts that Ye surname lieutenant into countless pieces, the mountain in her heart will naturally collapse!
As for the consequences of killing Ye Li, that's for the Old Ancestor to figure out.
If there's no other way, then she'll follow the example of that Vajra Buddhist Disciple and also defect and flee far away!
"..."
Upon hearing Zhou Qingyan's idea, the Sword Sect Old Ancestor's lips twitched slightly.
He wanted to say that you made your decision too late. Taiyuan had already betrayed the Xuanming Sword Sect, and even in front of the entire sect, he directly chose that Dragon Pool Ye Li who deserved to be torn to pieces!
But then I thought about it again.
Once the matter of Vajra Buddhist Disciple is resolved and Taiyuan returns to its sect, the Sword Sect will return to its former state, and the Divine Sword will surely be able to recognize its master again.
So he coughed twice, intending to make up some excuse to fob off the other party first, and then take him to the Forbidden Grounds in a couple of days.
However, at this moment--
Boom!!
A powerful and overwhelming Martial Dao pressure, etched deep into the hearts of the Sword Sect's Old Ancestor, suddenly swept in from the horizon! Like an awakened, furious dragon, it instantly shattered the Sea of Clouds that shrouded the mountains, engulfing the entire Xuanming Sword Sect's Mountain Gate!
In an instant, the Old Ancestor's expression changed drastically. He abruptly looked up in the direction from which the oppressive aura was coming, a clear look of astonishment appearing in his eyes:
"Ye Li?! He... how did he get here?!"