Humans possess three souls and seven spirits; even after death, these souls and spirits do not disperse.
Moreover, the ancestors and martyrs of the Ye family were all powerful cultivators of great strength.
Thus, within this ancestral hall, their heroic spirits reside.
After hearing Ye Qing recount the actions of the Great Qi Dynasty, the candle flames beneath each spirit tablet began to flicker faintly.
It seemed as though each one was filled with righteous indignation, grieving over the injustices suffered by their Ye family descendants.
Ye Qing took a deep breath and declared loudly, “Today, Ye Qing has come to pay respects to the ancestors with one request.”
“The Great Qi Dynasty is unrighteous. Ye Qing intends to take my daughter and leave the Great Qi, biding our time to rise up in the future and seek a new path for the Ye family.”
“Ancestors above, Ye Qing boldly asks: if the ancestors permit, please let the candle flames flicker.”
“If not, let the flames remain unchanged.”
After Ye Qing spoke these words, the atmosphere in the ancestral hall grew eerily quiet.
A moment later, it was seen that all the candle flames beneath the spirit tablets continued to burn brightly, showing no change whatsoever.
“What? Could it be that the ancestors do not permit Ye Qing to leave the Great Qi?”
Ye Qing sighed softly and slowly drew the sword from his waist. “If so, then I must beg forgiveness for my unfilial disobedience, as I can only go against the ancestors’ will.”
Ancestors: “…”
At this moment, Ye Qing seemed to hear the cries of the ancestors.
You’ve already made up your mind, so why the hell are you asking us?
Before Ye Qing could swing his sword, a gentle breeze swept through.
In the next second, the candle flames beneath every spirit tablet flickered and went out entirely.
“Understood…”
A gleam shone in Ye Qing’s eyes, and a faint smile curled at the corner of his mouth.
“Let this junior see just how far that inexperienced empress dares to go.”
“Please, ancestors, watch closely here.”
“Tomorrow will be the day the Great Qi Dynasty undergoes a great change.”
Exiting the ancestral hall, Ye Qing retrieved a formation disk from his storage ring.
This formation disk was about the size of a chessboard, engraved with intricate patterns. According to the Zhou Tian Eight Trigrams orientation, it emitted rays of golden light.
This was the reward the system had given him when he first drank the Ascension Immortal Wine.
An emperor-grade formation: the Zhou Tian Hidden God Formation.
It could conceal everything within the formation’s range completely.
Formless and spiritless, without cause or effect or aura, it could even shield from the eyes of heaven.
Ye Qing placed the formation disk outside the ancestral hall, poured in his spiritual power, and chanted the incantation.
As the formation activated, the massive Ye family ancestral hall before him gradually vanished until it disappeared without a trace.
Moreover, the Zhou Tian Hidden God Formation did not merely cloak the ancestral hall in an invisible veil.
Instead, it hid the entire hall directly within the parallel space of the formation.
Unless Ye Qing voluntarily deactivated the formation, not even an immortal descending to the mortal realm could possibly find it.
“Now, I have no more worries holding me back.”
Ye Qing stored the formation disk, clasped his hands, and bowed. “Father, grandfather, esteemed ancestors, please rest peacefully here.”
“This junior, Ye Qing, will surely restore the Ye family’s glory and eradicate all those petty individuals who dare to plot against our family!”
…
Inside the Prime Minister’s residence.
Qin Ru, having received no news for a long time, grew increasingly anxious and paced back and forth in the room.
He had dispatched his two most elite subordinates to search the Ye family for clues about the Xuanyuan Sword.
With the abilities of Yuan Tian and Yuan Di, even if they hadn’t found any information about the Xuanyuan Sword, they should have returned to report long ago.
Just as Qin Ru was filled with anxiety, the steward Ma Futong entered from outside, his expression somewhat grim.
“Master…”
“Have Yuan Tian and Yuan Di returned?” Qin Ru asked with a furrowed brow.
“They have returned, but…”
Ma Futong said with a bitter face, “Master, you should go out and see for yourself.”
A sense of foreboding arose in Qin Ru’s heart, and he hurriedly walked out of the inner hall.
Upon reaching the courtyard and taking a closer look, his face instantly turned ashen.
A white cloth was spread on the ground in the courtyard, stained with patches of blood.
On it lay two items: a broken dagger and a pair of tattered boots.
Qin Ru recognized at a glance that these items undoubtedly belonged to Yuan Tian and Yuan Di.
“This… how is this possible?!”
Qin Ru’s eyes revealed deep panic and fury.
“That little girl from the Ye family is merely at the Nascent Soul Realm.”
“Not only did Yuan Tian and Yuan Di fail to kill that little girl, but they were instead killed by her?”
“Truly worthy of the Ye family bloodline. To possess such terrifying strength at such a young age is truly alarming…”
As the prime minister of a nation, Qin Ru had weathered many storms. He quickly composed himself, let out a long sigh, and a ruthless glint flashed in his eyes.
“Regardless, tomorrow at White Deer Academy, Ye Ling’er must be severely punished, Prince Xiaoyao pressured, and the Xuanyuan Sword seized!”
“The Supreme Imperial Artifact is related to the nation’s fortune and destiny. The entire Great Qi Dynasty possesses only two: the Cauldron of Primordial Mother Qi and the Xuanyuan Sword.”
“How can such a crucial item be held in the hands of a good-for-nothing?”
…
The next day, early morning.
Ye Qing had not slept all night, sitting in the courtyard, leisurely drinking wine while reclining in a rocking chair.
After finishing the second pot of Carefree Wine, Ye Qing let out a slight sigh, a sharp glint appearing in his eyes.
[Host has consumed Carefree Wine, gaining two hundred years of Sword Dao Cultivation!]
[Congratulations, Host has broken through to the Ninth Level of the Ascension Realm!]
[Heavenly Tribulation will descend at an uncertain time. Please prepare accordingly.]
Ye Qing narrowed his eyes slightly, a smile curling at the corner of his mouth.
“This Carefree Wine truly is a rare treasure.”
“After a full year, it has finally helped me break through to the Ninth Level of the Ascension Realm.”
Currently, his Sword Dao strength is already comparable to that of an Immortal.
By pushing the Great Derivation Divine Art to its limit and unleashing the ultimate killing move of the Nine Demon-Slaying Sword Techniques, he could even instantly slay an Immortal with a single strike.
However, no matter how strong his raw power, if his realm does not meet the standard, an insurmountable gap will always exist between him and a true Immortal.
Now, Ye Qing has finally broken through to the Ninth Level of the Ascension Realm, reaching the peak of mortality.
All that remains is to endure the Heavenly Tribulation and prove his Dao through the sword, shedding his mortal body to attain the Status of an Immortal.
Ye Qing has never experienced the Heavenly Tribulation and is not entirely certain he can withstand it.
However, once he endures the Heavenly Tribulation, he will possess an Immortal Body, capable of Suppressing All Realms with the Sword and possessing a Lifespan Rivaling Heaven.
By then, there will be no one under heaven capable of killing him.
He will be able to break free from the final wishes left by his father, leave the capital, leave the Great Qi Dynasty, and truly spread his wings.
He can find the one he seeks and fulfill the ambitions he has harbored for many years.
As the sun rose, Qin Xue and Ye Ling’er awoke from their dreams and together ate the breakfast Ye Qing had prepared earlier.
Ye Ling’er combed her hair, shouldered her schoolbag, and prepared to head to the academy.
“Ling’er, just go ahead with confidence and courage.”
Ye Qing stroked Ye Ling’er’s hair and said with a light smile, “No matter what happens, I will always stand behind you and help you unconditionally.”