An hour later, Mu Shen suddenly halted.
She pointed at a range of mountains below. “See that?”
Ye Xuan followed her gesture. Beneath them, mountains cradled mountains in an endless, majestic sprawl.
Mu Shen said softly, “That’s the Yutian Divine Mansion!”
Ye Xuan looked at her. “You want to check it out too, don’t you?”
Mu Shen nodded.
Ye Xuan asked gravely, “Even Thought Clarity cultivators can’t enter?”
Mu Shen nodded slightly. “If we went in, it’d spark a full-blown war. At our level, that’d mean mutual destruction! They don’t want that, and neither do we. But if you younger ones go in and fight, it won’t escalate to all-out war.”
Ye Xuan gazed below, murmuring, “If we start fighting in there—like if I try to kill that Defier—will Demon Vein just stand by?”
Mu Shen met his eyes. “Don’t worry—their Thought Clarity powerhouses won’t lift a finger! Of course, if you’re about to get killed by their people, we can’t step in either!”
Ye Xuan got it.
The top-tier powerhouses on both sides would keep each other in check. In short, life or death was up to them alone.
Without wasting words, Ye Xuan headed downward.
Mu Shen suddenly called, “Wait!”
Ye Xuan turned back. She stared at him. “Why?”
Ye Xuan blinked, confused. “Why what?”
Mu Shen locked eyes with him. “I’ve told you why I took you in, but you haven’t said why you joined Holy Vein! Tell me—if it’s within my power, I might be able to help!”
Ye Xuan chuckled. “Oh, you meant that!”
Mu Shen watched him, awaiting his answer.
Ye Xuan thought for a moment, then said, “I just want someone to kill me—that’s all!”
With that, he swaggered off.
Little Tower: “…”
Mu Shen froze…
In the distance, Little Tower couldn’t hold back. “Little Master, shouldn’t we tone it down a bit?”
It was genuinely panicking now!
Ever since Little Master’s strength spiked, he’d been floating way too high!
Ye Xuan laughed heartily. “Little Tower, am I not low-key enough?”
Little Tower sighed softly. “Little Master, don’t forget a certain rule!”
Ye Xuan frowned. “What rule?”
Little Tower said, “You can’t stay cool for more than three days!”
Ye Xuan: “…”
Soon, Ye Xuan and Little Tower reached a cave entrance. As they approached, he sensed several unfamiliar divine senses sweep over him.
Clearly, Demon Vein powerhouses!
Ye Xuan adjusted his collar and strode toward the cave. An old man suddenly appeared before him, clad in a black robe, a deep red swastika between his brows.
A Demon Vein powerhouse!
The old man stared at Ye Xuan, his gaze unfriendly.
Ye Xuan glanced at him, ignored him, and kept walking. The old man stepped in his way again.
Ye Xuan frowned. “Old man, I’m from Holy Vein!”
The old man glared. “I know you’re from Holy Vein!”
Ye Xuan was puzzled. “If you know, why’re you blocking me? Trying to bully the weak?”
The old man stared daggers. “Look where you are!”
Ye Xuan frowned and glanced at the cave entrance. Above it were two big characters: *Demon Vein.*
Ye Xuan said gravely, “You renamed the Yutian Divine Mansion to Demon Vein? Did… did you even ask Holy Vein?”
The old man snapped, “Look closer! This is our rest area! The Yutian Divine Mansion entrance is behind you!”
Ye Xuan froze.
*Damn it!*
He’d gone the wrong way?
He turned and saw, a thousand feet away, a massive stone gate with two characters above it: *Divine Mansion!*
He’d really messed up!
Ye Xuan turned back to the old man, grinning awkwardly. “Wrong turn! Sorry, my bad!”
With that, he bolted.
The old man watched him coldly. “How’d Holy Vein send such a clown?”
A middle-aged man emerged from the cave, glancing at Ye Xuan’s retreating figure. “That’s the new disciple Mu Shen took? Interesting!”
The old man, expressionless, said, “Like a damn fool!”
The middle-aged man smiled. “Cha Yan, can’t you ever tame that temper?”
Cha Yan replied flatly, “Tame what? Why don’t you fix your own attitude?”
The middle-aged man shook his head with a laugh.
Cha Yan shot him a cold look. “Gu Bai, you’re as fake as those Holy Vein bastards!”
With that, he turned and left.
Gu Bai called after him, “Not curious about that kid?”
Cha Yan didn’t look back. “This is the Defier’s era. Geniuses and prodigies born in this time are doomed to tragedy.”
Gu Bai paused, then chuckled. “True enough!”
He turned and left too.
—
Ye Xuan reached the stone gate and studied the deep, endless tunnel within.
He suddenly asked, “Little Tower, think that Defier’s a woman?”
Little Tower replied, “Why ask that?”
Ye Xuan said seriously, “Seems like all the really strong ones we’ve met are women!”
Little Tower said flatly, “Seems normal to me—either men or women, right?”
Ye Xuan: “…”
Little Tower added, “Little Master, this place looks tricky. Be careful!”
Ye Xuan nodded. He wouldn’t underestimate this place or its top prodigies.
Confidence was fine, but arrogance? Never!
The line between badass and dumbass was razor-thin!
Without overthinking, Ye Xuan stepped into the gate. The tunnel was wide—dozens of feet across—with mirror-smooth walls, as if polished by something extraordinary!
He kept walking, but soon frowned. The passage seemed endless!
After a pause, he began flying on his sword, blazingly fast, covering millions of miles in moments. Yet, still no end! Worse, the deeper he went, the more he felt a terrifying, mysterious force.
It was like an invisible pressure—even he felt uneasy.
He slowed down—the faster he went, the stronger the pressure grew!
Then, he froze. At the edge of his vision—water!
The end?
No!
Ye Xuan narrowed his eyes. Beyond the water, he saw mountains!
A whole world inside?
As he pondered, his body shuddered. A monstrous gravitational force slammed into him, like tens of thousands of mountains crushing down, threatening to grind him to dust!
Startled, Ye Xuan unleashed his momentum.
Only then did the weight ease slightly!
Suddenly, his body spun wildly, as if something yanked him downward!
He was about to summon his sword when a white light hit him. His body stabilized, and he found himself in a mountain range. Above, thick black clouds crackled with blood-red divine lightning.
Ye Xuan frowned. The planet’s core?
He calculated—given his sword speed and time, he might’ve reached the core!
Though he’d explored countless cosmic expanses, the planet’s core was uncharted territory!
He scanned his surroundings, surprised. He hadn’t expected a world down here—and the spiritual energy was dozens of times denser than outside!
What a spot!
As he examined the area, he spun around. A black shadow shot toward him like lightning.
A demon beast!
Shaped like a roc, with three heads.
Ye Xuan flicked his thumb, and the Qingxuan Sword slashed out.
*Boom!*
The beast was blasted thousands of feet back, but Ye Xuan retreated hundreds of feet too!
His eyes grew serious. His current strength could rival Thought Clarity! Though he hadn’t used the Qingxuan Sword’s full power, even his casual strike was fearsome!
Yet this beast tanked it.
The beast roared furiously, glared at him, then soared off.
It clearly didn’t want a real fight.
Just then, the distant sky split open. A long spear pierced the beast’s head!
With a shrill scream, it plummeted. A man appeared before it, swiping his spear. The beast’s head flew off, and a golden core floated to him.
Ye Xuan eyed the man. Young-looking, in a snow-white robe, he held a silver spear tipped with a hint of red—strikingly elegant!
Ye Xuan’s eyes flickered with surprise. Holy Vein or Demon Vein?
The man turned, locking eyes with Ye Xuan.
He stared, silent.
Ye Xuan thought, then asked, “Holy Vein or Demon Vein?”
The man glanced at him. His silver spear quivered slightly.
Ye Xuan narrowed his eyes. A fight already?
Suddenly, he looked past the man, exclaiming, “Holy crap, what’s that?!”
The man frowned and instinctively turned. His pupils shrank, and he whipped around, spear raised to block.
Boom!
Sword light erupted, blasting him a thousand feet back!
He stopped, looked up at Ye Xuan, and said, “You can play like that?”
…
