"Young Master, I’m healed! I can cultivate again!
"Thank you. Thank you so much."
Hua’s hands moved tirelessly in the air, her cheeks already stained with tears. She was crying. Though she wept, a brilliant light blossomed in her eyes. It was the light of hope.
Seeing her so thrilled, Ye Xuan smiled. "It’s a good thing Meng Dieyi didn’t shatter your Dantian. If it had been broken, repairing it would be nigh impossible."
Reconnecting a Cultivator’s meridians wasn’t difficult. However, if their Dantian was destroyed, they would truly become a cripple. For a Cultivator to repair a shattered Dantian, there was only one solution: consuming a Holy Medicine known as the Creation Pill. But obtaining one was entirely up to fate.
Setting aside whether anyone even knew the Elixir Recipe for it, gathering the ingredients would be a monumental task even if they did. Take Earth Core Milk, for example. This milky liquid only existed deep underground, taking hundreds of millions of years to form. It was incredibly precious. Its power could not only reform a Dantian but also vastly improve a person’s physique. Yet, Earth Core Milk was merely one of the key ingredients required to refine a Creation Pill.
Therefore, to a Cultivator, having their Dantian destroyed was a fate worse than death. Of course, the Dantian was exceptionally resilient; ordinary people couldn’t easily shatter it.
"Hua, your aura feels like the 1st Layer of the Frenzy Spirit Realm. It seems you’ve advanced again, relying purely on your own talent," Ye Xuan said, his voice tinged with confusion. "But how did you know where the Small River Vein was? I don’t recall ever telling you."
Hua chuckled and signed, "I stumbled upon it blindly. Just good luck."
"Is that so? Such good luck?" Ye Xuan frowned slightly but didn’t press the matter further. "Since your meridians are restored and you can cultivate again, I’ll have Grandpa prepare a share of resources for you as well. Work hard."
Hua nodded, signing, "Thank you for the Elixir, Young Master. I won’t let you down. I will definitely help you fight your way back to the Profound Cloud Sect!"
Seemingly remembering something, she added, "Oh, right. Patriarch Zhang personally delivered the tribute. Grandpa came looking for you earlier, but seeing that you were in secluded cultivation, he didn’t disturb you."
Ye Xuan raised an eyebrow. "Someone from the Zhang Family is here? Is he still around?"
"Yes, still here," Hua signed.
"Good. I’ll go see him." Ye Xuan quickly made his way to the front courtyard.
When he arrived, Patriarch Zhang, Zhang Jingqi, was just preparing to leave.
"Wait a moment," Ye Xuan called out hastily.
Hearing his voice, Zhang Jingqi immediately stopped and bowed respectfully. "Lord of the Family, I have strictly followed your orders and personally delivered half of the Zhang Family’s reserves. There aren’t any issues, I hope?"
"There are no issues," Ye Xuan replied calmly. "I only called out because I want to know how to get to Mou Family Town."
"Ye Xuan, you’re going to Mou Family Town?" Ye Zeyun asked in surprise, having just overheard.
Ye Xuan nodded. "Yes, just to take a look."
Although he had acquired a few more stalks of Spirit Medicine, he knew it wouldn’t be enough, even if he refined them into Elixirs. If he wanted proper resources, he had to go to a Three-Star Main Town. More importantly, only a Three-Star Main Town would have information on where the nearest city was located.
"Lord of the Family, Mou Family Town is..." Zhang Jingqi proceeded to give Ye Xuan detailed directions.
Ye Xuan nodded. "Alright, you may go."
Zhang Jingqi nodded. But just as he was about to leave, his body suddenly froze. A middle-aged man had abruptly appeared in his line of sight.
Ye Xuan recognized this man. It was the very same person who had attacked him without a word at the gates of Zhang Family Town a few days ago.
"M-My Lord, what brings you here?" Zhang Jingqi stammered immediately.
Before the middle-aged man could speak, the sound of galloping hooves echoed from behind him. A subordinate dismounted, fell to his knees, and reported, "Lord Ye Xuan, this man refused to pay the toll and forced his way into the town! He even killed several of our guards!"
The moment the disciple finished speaking, the middle-aged man waved his hand. Without any visible display of Spiritual Qi, the disciple’s head instantly exploded into a bloody mist.
"Insolent wretch. As if I’d need to pay to enter a speck of a town like yours," the middle-aged man scoffed. He then turned his gaze to Ye Xuan, pointing a finger right at his face. "You. Come with me," he ordered coldly.
Ye Xuan’s expression turned exceedingly grim. Although the dead man was merely a disciple of an affiliated faction, this was a direct slap to his own face.
He wondered if his current strength was enough to kill the man standing before him. The middle-aged man was absolutely at the Demon Spirit Realm. Ye Xuan’s current cultivation was only at the 3rd Layer of the Super Spirit Realm. Judging from his previous battles, even if he played all his hidden cards, he could only cross a major realm boundary to kill a 2nd Layer Demon Spirit Realm Cultivator. He had better drop the idea; he had absolutely no clue how powerful this middle-aged man truly was.
More importantly, blatantly killing him would only offend the faction backing him. If he had to go all out just to kill this man, what about the people standing behind him? He had to stay calm.
"Come with you? To where?" Ye Xuan asked lightly.
The instant he spoke, the middle-aged man suddenly raised his hand. Even though he was standing quite a distance away, he seized Ye Xuan by the throat from afar and hoisted him into the air.
Upon closer inspection, a translucent hand formed from Spiritual Qi had clamped around Ye Xuan’s neck. The middle-aged man hadn’t seemed to use his own bodily Spiritual Qi; instead, he had drawn upon the Power of Heaven and Earth surrounding Ye Xuan, shaping it into a hand to grab him. Such a technique was unheard of!
"The Demon Spirit Realm... Is this the might of a Demon Spirit Realm expert? Their mastery over the Power of Heaven and Earth is far more profound." Patriarch Zhang instinctively dropped to his knees, not daring to meet the middle-aged man’s eyes.
Yet, a sliver of joy bloomed in his heart. If this man killed Ye Xuan, it would be a massive blessing for the Zhang Family!
He roared internally, "Kill him! Crush that brat!
"Beautiful! Squeeze harder, harder! Snap his neck right off!"
In stark contrast to his eager anticipation, the Ye Family members were filled with grief and indignation. They desperately wanted to help, to slaughter this man right here in their home. But they knew there was absolutely nothing they could do. They were still too weak!
"Brother!"
"AH! AH!" Hua cried out, her frantic grunts conveying a desperate, "Young Master!"
Ye Ling’Er and Hua shrieked in alarm, rushing toward Ye Xuan without a second thought.
"Don’t come over!" Ye Xuan roared hastily. This middle-aged man murdered without blinking an eye; he was terrified for his sister’s safety.
"Oh? You called him brother? Then you can come with me too." A sharp glint suddenly flashed in the middle-aged man’s eyes.
The next moment, another palm of Spiritual Qi materialized in front of Ye Ling’Er, hoisting her into the air as well.
Ye Xuan’s eyes burned with raw fury. "If you lay a finger on her," he growled, "I swear I will make you die a graveless death!" He spat the last few words through gritted teeth.
A terrifying murderous intent erupted from his body, washing over everyone present. Even the middle-aged man was somewhat taken aback. For such a young man to possess such staggering killing intent was truly astonishing.