Meeting the Jiao Clan's Ancestor

The moment Dongfang Yueming and Jiao Yu'er stepped into the council hall, all the arguing inside ceased abruptly. All eyes turned to them.

Jiao Xiaotian's pupils suddenly contracted.

[It was him!]

A huge wave of emotions surged within him. He never expected that his daughter would bring back the mysterious young man who had been personally gifted a treasure by the ancestor!

[Back then, the opponent hadn't even reached the Qi Refining, but now... he's actually grown to the point where he dares to kill Hong Tao in the street?]

"Father! It was Dongfang... He killed Hong Tao to save me!" Jiao Yu'er rushed forward, urgently defending Dongfang Yueming.

Jiao Xiaotian's heart tightened. He was thinking about how to exonerate this young man with a mysterious background when he was surprised to find that the family head Jiao Zhenhai, who was in the main seat, and the several Inner Force elders around him were all silent and did not immediately fly into a rage as he had expected.

Their faces showed no anger, only an extreme solemnity and scrutiny!

As the core fighting force of the family, these Inner Force strength experts instinctively wanted to sense the depth of Dongfang Yueming's cultivation the moment he stepped into the hall.

However, they failed.

In their perception, the young man before them seemed not to be a physical entity, but rather a bottomless black hole. Their senses probed him, only to vanish without a trace, like a clay ox sinking into the sea, leaving them with a faint, lingering sense of unease, as if they were being devoured!

[Can't sense it?!]

This result sent shockwaves through the hearts of Jiao Zhenhai and all the Inner Force elders!

In the world of Martial Dao, there are only two possible scenarios: either the opponent possesses a supreme treasure that can block perception, or... the opponent's strength has far surpassed their comprehension!

Either way, it means that this young man in front of them is definitely not someone they can easily provoke!

Jiao Yu'er also sensed the strange atmosphere, and her confusion deepened. Why were her father and the elders silent?

Just as the atmosphere in the hall froze to a freezing point, Dongfang Yueming spoke first, his voice calm and composed, breaking the silence.

"I came to the Jiao Clan today simply to see an old friend. After all, the gifts they gave Jiao Clan back then are still useful to me." He paused, his gaze sweeping over the crowd. "As for killing the Hong family members, that was my doing alone, and has nothing to do with the Jiao Clan. If they want revenge, let them come to me."

"You..." Jiao Yu'er stamped her feet anxiously. How could this person take all the blame on her!

Upon hearing this, the Jiao Clan's Inner Force elder and patriarch felt a chill. They sensed the distance in the words—the other party did not want to be associated with the Jiao Clan.

[How arrogant! Do you think the Hong family's Grandmaster are just for show?] -- This was their shared sentiment, but no one dared to say it aloud. Because they couldn't sense Dongfang Yueming's cultivation level, which in itself was a terrifying deterrent.

Jiao Xiaotian quickly stepped forward and explained to Jiao Zhenhai, "Patriarch, the Ancestor personally instructed that the treasure be given to this... Dongfang."

These words shocked the patriarch and elders even more! It turned out that this person was related to the patriarch! They dared not act rashly.

Dongfang Yueming had no interest in staying any longer. He nodded to Jiao Xiaotian and said, "Having seen my old friend, I should take my leave now."

After saying that, he turned and left.

This time, as expected, none of the patriarch or the Inner Force elders spoke up to stop it. Since this matter involved the patriarch, and the other party had clearly stated that they would not align themselves with the Jiao Clan, they were naturally happy to distance themselves and let this hot potato face the Hong family's wrath on its own.

"Dongfang..." Jiao Yu'er looked at his resolute back, her heart filled with worry, and subconsciously chased after him.

As soon as they stepped out of the hall, an aura as vast and unfathomable as abyss silently enveloped the surrounding area.

An aged figure appeared before Dongfang Yueming as if by teleportation; it was none other than the Grandmaster of the Jiao Clan.

Dongfang Yueming paused, slowly raised his head, and looked into the calm, ancient well beneath his bamboo hat, meeting the old ancestor's eyes, which were weathered by time and seemed to see through people's hearts.

In an instant, an invisible force field suddenly spread out from the two of them!

The air seemed to freeze, turning into sticky glue. Jiao Yu'er felt as if an invisible mountain was pressing down on her, making it incredibly difficult to breathe. Her internal energy trembled under this pressure, almost collapsing!

This is the power of Grandmaster!

However, to her utter astonishment, Dongfang Yueming, who was at the center, remained upright and imposing, as if the terrifying pressure that could crush even the strongest Inner Force cultivators was nothing more than a gentle breeze to him!

The Jiao Clan patriarch's pupils contracted slightly, and a storm raged in his heart!

[What a powerful physique! What refined internal energy!]

With a thought, an invisible "intention" began to condense. It was his "Sea-Suppressing True Intent," which could shake the mind of his opponents, making them feel as if they were trapped in a quagmire!

However, just as his "Sea-Suppressing True Intent" was about to touch Dongfang Yueming, an equally domineering and unparalleled true meaning surged into the sky from within Dongfang Yueming's body!

It was a contradictory yet unified artistic conception, half as fiery as magma and half as raging as a raging torrent!

"Boom!"

Two invisible forces of "intention" collided fiercely in mid-air!

Jiao Yu'er seemed to hear the roar of crashing waves and a volcanic eruption. She felt her soul tremble in the collision and couldn't help but stagger back several steps, a trickle of blood spilling from the corner of her mouth.

The Jiao Clan patriarch swayed slightly, and for the first time, a look of horror appeared on his face!

[My Sea-Suppressing True Intent... was actually suppressed?!]

[Impossible! He hasn't even reached the Grandmaster level yet, but the refinement of his Martial Dao True Intent essence is in no way inferior to mine! In fact... he even seems to be surpassing me!]

"As expected of... the one chosen by the ' Love Palace '." After a long while, the patriarch slowly withdrew his aura, his voice hoarse as he spoke, breaking the suffocating standoff.

"The Love Palace?" A hint of curiosity flashed in Dongfang Yueming's eyes. "What exactly is that place?"

The old ancestor was taken aback by this and asked in return, "You don't know?"

"I just have a good friend... who should be there."

The patriarch gave him a deep look before confirming that the other party was truly unaware. He remained silent for a moment before explaining in a reverent tone, "'The Palace of Love' is one of the eight holy lands independent of all the super dynasties. Its power is unfathomable. To put it simply, even martial arts grandmasters in the Palace of Love mostly do menial tasks."

He paused, then added, "Moreover, the Love Palace only accepts female disciples."

"What?!" Jiao Yu'er exclaimed in shock. Grandmaster was just a menial worker? What a terrifying force that must be! At the same time, she keenly grasped the key point—only accepting female disciples? Then Dongfang Yueming's friend...

Dongfang Yueming was also slightly shocked. He had never expected that the seemingly frail Hongxiu had such an astonishing background.

"Of course," the patriarch continued, "Female disciples of the Love Palace are absolutely not allowed to leave the mountain gate without the Palace Master's order. There is only one exception—when their cultivation breaks through and they reach the ' Foundation Establishment ' realm, they may be granted a period of free travel."

"Foundation Establishment?" Dongfang Yueming heard a familiar term. Wasn't that the realm of cultivation?

"Not bad." The patriarch nodded, as if he had seen through his thoughts. "' Foundation Establishment ' is the next stage after ' Innate Physique '."

Jiao Yu'er was completely numb. Above the Grandmaster was the Innate, and above the Innate was the Foundation Establishment... These legendary realms made her feel like a frog at the bottom of a well.

"However," the patriarch changed the subject, looking at Dongfang Yueming, "' The Love Palace ' has strict rules, but its name ultimately contains the word 'love.' If a man can cultivate to the ' Innate Physique ' realm through his own strength and pass the tests they set, he can bring his beloved back from the palace."

Upon hearing this, Jiao Yu'er felt inexplicably relieved.

[The Innate Physique... that legendary realm, he... he probably can't reach it, right?]

But for some reason, a vague worry rose in her heart, and these two conflicting emotions left her feeling confused and disoriented.

"I see, thank you for your explanation, senior." Dongfang Yueming cupped his hands in greeting to the ancestor, but secretly made up his mind.

[Innate Physique... It seems I must work even harder. Otherwise, how will I face Hongxiu and her father in the future?]

He didn't linger, turned around and strode away.

Jiao Yu'er hesitated, then could only watch his retreating figure disappear through the door, her expression complex.

Just then, Jiao Zhenhai rushed over and anxiously said to the patriarch, "Patriarch! The Hong family has come knocking, naming names and demanding that we hand over the murderer!"

The old ancestor glanced in the direction Dongfang Yueming had left and said calmly:

"Let them come and get it themselves."