Something might have happened to Nian-jie!
Ye Xuan said gravely, “Xiao An, why do you say that?”
An Lanxiu replied solemnly, “Nian-jie wouldn’t disappear without reason. If she left normally, she’d definitely inform us. But her departure was rushed—she didn’t tell us anything!”
Ye Xuan nodded. “That’s indeed unusual!”
He took out a transmission stone and tried contacting Nian-jie, but soon his face darkened.
No response at all!
Zhang Wenxiu shook her head nearby. “It’s no use! We’ve tried before!”
Ye Xuan frowned slightly. “Aside from Qing’er, Father, and Big Brother, no one should be able to kill Nian-jie!”
In his view, except for the Three Swords, even someone as powerful as Tian Yan couldn’t kill Nian-jie. In fact, Nian-jie’s strength was likely no less than Tian Yan’s!
So the question was—
Where had Nian-jie gone?
Just then, the Small Tower spoke up. “Little Master, I don’t think you should worry about Nian-jie!”
Ye Xuan looked curious. “Why not?”
The Small Tower said calmly, “You’re too close to see clearly! With Nian-jie’s strength, right now, only the Three Swords could overpower her—only they could kill her! Plus, Nian-jie’s intellect is unmatched. No one can get the better of her!”
Ye Xuan fell silent.
How could he not know that?
But as An Lanxiu said, Nian-jie wouldn’t leave without reason. Something must have happened to her!
An Lanxiu suddenly suggested, “We could ask the people of the Zhou Yuan Realm to help investigate. They’re far more familiar with this place than we are!”
Ye Xuan thought for a moment and nodded. “That could work!”
He turned to the two women. “Have you both reached Circle-Breaker?”
An Lanxiu nodded. “Though our Circle-Breaking seems different from yours!”
Ye Xuan smiled. “Strictly speaking, mine isn’t Circle-Breaking—it’s Circle-Entering!”
An Lanxiu and Zhang Wenxiu frowned slightly, clearly puzzled.
Ye Xuan chuckled and explained.
A moment later, Zhang Wenxiu gave a thumbs-up. “Impressive! Coming up with a method like that!”
Ye Xuan grinned. “Want to try it yourselves?”
An Lanxiu shook her head. “It’s only suited to you!”
Ye Xuan paused, then quickly understood!
Circle-Entering!
As An Lanxiu said, this method was unique to him. Others couldn’t use it even if they wanted to—there were no circles for them to enter!
He could do it because of the Qingxuan Sword, using it as a medium to enter Qing’er’s circle, and Qing’er didn’t stop him! But for others? Even if they wanted to enter a circle, whose would it be?
Realizing this, Ye Xuan shook his head with a wry smile. It seemed he was walking a path no one had trodden before!
A Circle-Enterer!
Strictly speaking, he wasn’t a Circle-Breaker but a Circle-Enterer!
An Lanxiu suddenly said, “Wenxiu and I will cultivate inside your Small Tower!”
Ye Xuan nodded. “Alright!”
The two women entered the Small Tower.
Time inside the tower flowed differently from outside. Cultivating there, they had a good chance of reaching Circle-Creator—especially An Lanxiu. With her talent and ability, it wouldn’t be difficult!
After they entered, Ye Xuan suddenly thought of someone!
Yang Nianxue!
Snow-jie!
His face darkened at the thought of Yang Nianxue!
Damn it!
That dear sister of his had vanished again!
But he wasn’t worried about her. Father might not care about him, but he’d definitely look after Snow-jie!
Dismissing thoughts of Yang Nianxue, Ye Xuan turned and vanished toward the horizon.
—
Tianhe Gate.
The Tianhe Gate was a defensive stronghold set up by the six major clans of the Zhou Yuan Realm, naturally to guard against the Tianqi Clan!
For the Tianqi Clan to enter the Zhou Yuan Realm en masse, this was their only route.
Tearing through space to force entry was possible only for supreme powerhouses like Tian Yan. The Zhou Yuan Realm’s space had strong self-repairing abilities, meaning the Tianqi Clan couldn’t bring their entire force through that way.
Only Tian Yan could, and even she couldn’t destroy large swathes of the spatial barrier. Thus, the Tianqi Clan’s only option to enter was through the Tianhe Gate!
At this moment, all the Tianqi Clan’s powerhouses were gathered at the Tianhe Gate!
Tens of thousands strong!
Among them were twelve Circle-Breakers!
Over sixty Circle-Creators, and countless Boundless Realm experts below them.
Leading them was Tian Yan!
Beside her stood Tian Ji, who said softly, “Sis, has that King of Backing really fallen out with Bi Xiao and the others?”
Tian Yan nodded. “What I didn’t expect was Bi Xiao’s decisiveness. To avoid making an enemy of the King of Backing, she outright sacrificed the Gu Xing Clan!”
Tian Ji nodded slightly. “That woman’s not simple. We need to be cautious!”
Tian Yan looked toward the Tianhe Gate in the distance. “If I get the chance, I’ll kill her first!”
With that, she walked toward the gate.
As she reached the entrance, a woman appeared before her—Bi Xiao!
Bi Xiao smiled at Tian Yan. “Miss Tian Yan, we meet again! I’ve missed you a little!”
Tian Yan’s lips curled in mockery. “Bi Xiao, I’ve just realized the King of Backing is far more genuine than you! Shameless and despicable as he is, at least he’s true to himself—liking what he likes, hating what he hates. You, on the other hand, are hypocrisy incarnate!”
Bi Xiao laughed. “Tian Yan, enough chatter! If you want a fight, let’s get to it!”
Tian Yan smirked disdainfully. “One-on-one?”
Bi Xiao shook her head. “I can’t beat you!”
Tian Yan was about to reply when an old man appeared nearby. Dressed in a grey robe, he held a black iron staff.
Seeing him, Tian Yan’s eyes narrowed. “Meng Chen, not bad—you’ve reached Inner Circle these past years!”
Meng Chen!
The previous generation’s…
Meng Chen glanced at Tian Yan and smiled lightly. “Clan Leader Tian Yan, we meet again!”
Tian Yan said calmly, “Looks like you’re my opponent today!”
Meng Chen nodded. “Please, Clan Leader Tian Yan, enlighten me!”
Tian Yan turned to Tian Ji. “This woman’s deliberately sending him to hold me back. Be careful! If they don’t act, don’t move either. I’ll kill him within an hour!”
As her voice fell, she looked at Meng Chen. The next moment, both vanished.
*Boom!*
The space they’d occupied shattered, and they disappeared entirely!
One hour!
Tian Ji looked at Bi Xiao nearby and smiled faintly. “Miss Bi Xiao, I’m rather looking forward to how you’ll deal with us!”
Bi Xiao laughed. “I won’t disappoint you!”
Tian Ji nodded. “I’ll wait!”
Bi Xiao’s lips curled. “Open!”
As her voice fell, the Tianhe Gate entrance split open. A horde of powerhouses rushed out!
Over a hundred thousand strong!
Bi Xiao smiled. “For every Tianqi Clan member killed, a reward of ten thousand Infinite Divine Crystals!”
Ten thousand Infinite Divine Crystals!
The crowd erupted. The next moment, they charged at Tian Ji and her forces!
These weren’t from the six major clans— they were rogue cultivators and minor faction powerhouses recruited from across the Zhou Yuan Realm.
Seeing them, Tian Ji’s face darkened. She understood Bi Xiao’s plan!
Cannon fodder to wear them down!
But they had no choice—they’d be worn down!
Tian Ji turned to the Circle-Breakers beside her, but Bi Xiao laughed. “Miss Tian Ji, don’t think about using your Circle-Breakers—I won’t give you the chance!”
Tian Ji fell silent. She knew if the Tianqi Clan’s Circle-Breakers acted, the five clans’ Circle-Breakers would respond instantly. If their Circle-Creators moved, the five clans’ Circle-Creators would too!
Bi Xiao was set on exhausting the Tianqi Clan!
Even ten-to-one trades were a win for her!
Tian Ji knew her intent but had no options.
“Kill!” Tian Ji commanded.
Her voice fell, and the Tianqi Clan powerhouses charged!
The moment the two sides clashed, the Tianqi Clan dominated—no, slaughtered. But they took losses too…
Roughly several powerhouses for each Tianqi Clan member!
It was undeniably a bad deal!
But the Tianqi Clan had no way out!
It was a bad deal, and the Zhou Yuan Realm fighters began to falter!
Facing the Tianqi Clan, they were utterly outmatched!
In that moment, they woke up!
Many wanted to retreat, but it was too late!
The Tianqi Clan, eyes red with killing, wouldn’t let them go!
Bi Xiao suddenly said, “Retreat now, and you’ll die for sure! Fight desperately, and there’s a slim chance to live!”
She raised her voice deliberately. “For every Tianqi Clan member killed, a reward of a hundred thousand Infinite Divine Crystals! If you die in battle, your families get fifty thousand Infinite Divine Crystals. I, Bi Xiao, swear on the entire Shenhuang Clan—if I deceive you, may my clan be wiped out!”
A hundred thousand!
A hundred thousand Infinite Divine Crystals per kill!
Hearing Bi Xiao’s words, the Zhou Yuan Realm fighters’ faces twisted with ferocity!
A hundred thousand Infinite Divine Crystals!
More crucially, retreating now meant certain death—the Tianqi Clan wouldn’t spare them!
With that realization, countless fighters resolved to go all out!
Soon, many Zhou Yuan Realm powerhouses charged at the Tianqi Clan like madmen.
Seeing this, Tian Ji frowned. More and more Tianqi Clan members were dying!
Of course, the Zhou Yuan Realm losses were far more staggering!
Soon, their numbers dropped from over a hundred thousand to a few hundred, while the Tianqi Clan had lost fewer than two thousand!
When only about a hundred Zhou Yuan Realm fighters remained, Bi Xiao suddenly said, “Save them!”
Li Qiu looked at her. “Why?”
Bi Xiao said calmly, “Except with enemies, we shouldn’t be too ruthless! If we’re too harsh today, who in the Zhou Yuan Realm will follow us in the future? We need to give them some hope! Besides, those who’ve survived this long aren’t ordinary—they can be nurtured!”
She glanced at Tian Ji in the distance. “Back then, the Tianqi Clan was too ruthless, sparking widespread outrage, which led to everyone in the Zhou Yuan Realm uniting against them… We can’t follow their path! Leaving hope for others is leaving hope for ourselves!”
