The storyteller was still as elusive as ever. No one on the scene detected his presence. Even standing right there, he gave off an ethereal, intangible feeling. He seemed to be there, yet at the same time, he didn’t. It was as if something veiled him, making his figure indistinct. This feeling was simply too bizarre.
"Are you leaving? Then follow me."
"Senior Man Tian, are you certain the City Lord won’t be able to find the place you’ve chosen? We’re bound to run into spies from various cities along the way."
"Rest assured, they won’t find it."
"That’s good."
A few minutes later, the Ye Family left Ye Family Town in Beast Vehicles. Ye Xuan didn’t ride in a Beast Vehicle. He sat on the back of the Long-beaked Eagle. The Level 6 Beast flew through the sky, keeping everything below under its watchful control. If anyone tried to tail them, the Long-beaked Eagle would swallow them whole.
Standing beside Ye Xuan was Hua, her long hair fluttering in the wind, her eyes filled with self-blame. Even now, she was still blaming herself. She believed that if she had acted a bit faster that day and regained her mobility sooner, the young master wouldn’t have had to expose his Dragon Soul. Hua knew better than anyone that exposing the Dragon Soul would draw the covetous attention of major factions. On the Beast Soul Continent, if one lacked a powerful backing, possessing a Dragon Soul made them a public enemy. To avoid becoming a public enemy, one had to leave no survivors every time the Dragon Soul was used. But Ye Xuan had unleashed his Dragon Soul in front of a million Cultivators; it would have been impossible to keep it hidden. She blamed herself... It was her fault for not being one step ahead of Ye Xuan.
Unaware of Hua’s inner turmoil, Ye Xuan stood on the eagle’s head with his brows slightly furrowed. Despite his tough exterior, he was actually quite worried inside. Now that they were wandering out in the open, how was he supposed to improve his cultivation? Secret Realms only existed within towns and cities. When the time came, it would be extremely difficult for him to hunt Beasts in large numbers. Although the perilous lands outside also harbored powerful Beasts, their numbers were definitely scarce.
Ye Xuan’s current cultivation base was at the 6th layer of the Demon Spirit Realm. To break through to the 7th Layer of the Demon Spirit Realm, he would need three Level 5 Rank 9 Beast Pills. However, he only had one Level 5 Rank 9 Beast Pill. The resources on hand were simply not enough to elevate his cultivation to the 7th Layer.
He wondered, "Should I use the Blue Spirit Fruit?"
Ye Xuan took out the Blue Spirit Fruit, a hint of hesitation in his eyes.
"Forget it, I’ll hold off for now," he decided.
The Blue Spirit Fruit possessed the secondary effect of raising a Demon Spirit Realm Cultivator’s cultivation by one layer. It would be most optimal for Ye Xuan to consume the Blue Spirit Fruit when he reached the 9th Layer, as breaking through to the next major realm would require the greatest expenditure of energy. In other words, he was severely lacking in resources right now. How to obtain high-level resources was the biggest dilemma he faced.
He realized it was useless to overthink it now. He had to take things one step at a time. He would settle the Ye Family down first and ensure the people from the cities couldn’t harm them before worrying about anything else.
Ye Xuan turned around and sat cross-legged on the eagle’s back, beginning to comprehend Arrays. He was increasingly realizing just how vital Arrays were. If he were a powerful Array Master, he wouldn’t have to worry so much about the Ye Family’s safety. He could set up powerful Concealing Arrays to hide the Ye Family’s tracks, and he could lay down formidable Guardian Arrays to protect them. Then, he wouldn’t have to place his hopes on the storyteller. He still needed to keep his guard up around him.
Meanwhile, on the ground.
The storyteller walked at the very front of the procession. His mount was a donkey that looked scrawny and frail, but when traveling, its speed was no slower than a typical Beast. The storyteller read a book as they journeyed onward. His leisurely and carefree demeanor truly made him resemble an otherworldly expert.
While the Ye Family was on the move, the millions upon millions of Cultivators in the Moyue Kingdom were completely in an uproar. The news of Ye Xuan killing the City Lord spread rapidly like a prairie fire, radiating outward from Hero City.
"Did you hear?! Someone killed the City Lord of Hero City!"
"What? They even dared to kill a City Lord? Who has that kind of nerve?"
"It’s a young man named Ye Xuan!"
"Ye Xuan? Never heard of him. What’s his background?"
"He doesn’t seem to have any background. He comes from humble origins, just someone from a small town."
"What?! Someone from a small town dared to kill a City Lord?!"
Like a single stone stirring up a thousand ripples, Ye Xuan’s name swept across the entire Kingdom like a tidal wave. In the past, the weak and ordinary didn’t know what kind of crime killing a City Lord entailed. But now, everyone knew that killing a City Lord would result in being hunted down by all the cities.
"That’s just too domineering. Facing a siege by a million-strong army, he actually dared to fight back and kill the members of the Sun Family. This Ye Xuan is a role model for our generation!"
"It’s a pity he’s a dead man walking. Hunted by all the City Lords, he has no way to survive..."
"Yeah, it’s a dead end. There’s no escaping this."
Everyone believed that Ye Xuan didn’t have long to live.
Two days passed.
"Xuan’Er, something doesn’t seem right!" Gongsun Yanran stood at the front of her Beast Vehicle and waved at the Long-beaked Eagle in the sky.
The Long-beaked Eagle lowered its altitude. Standing on its back, Ye Xuan asked, "Mother, what’s wrong?"
"Xuan’Er, this route... it’s heading toward Dapeng... Hero City!"
Gongsun Yanran’s words made Ye Yiwei and the others’ eyelids twitch.
"What! Hero City..."
"What is this storyteller taking us to Hero City for? Could he be tricking us into walking right into the Sun Family’s trap?"
"Patriarch, can this storyteller be trusted?"
The members of the Ye Family grew somewhat anxious.
Before Ye Xuan could reply, Man Tian’s voice drifted over. "Everyone, please stay calm. We are about to reach our destination."
Riding his donkey, Man Tian led Ye Xuan and the others toward a mountain range. The peaks of this mountain range were steep and precipitous, with some even looking like pillars reaching up to the heavens. However, this mountain range didn’t harbor any high-level Beasts; only Mortal Beasts like tigers and lions lived within it. Cultivators almost never came here. Only ordinary and weak people would visit this place to hunt.
At this moment, the Long-beaked Eagle flew up to Man Tian. Ye Xuan asked in confusion, "Senior, is this the place you were talking about?"
"Indeed."
Ye Xuan frowned. "Although this mountain covers a considerable area, there are paths all around it. It’s practically accessible from all directions. If we’re discovered, enemies could come at us from anywhere."
"Just follow me inside first."
The Beast Vehicles trudged forward with great difficulty. The Ye Family members all stepped down from their carriages. Although the Beasts pulling the carriages had plenty of strength and weren’t completely stuck, traversing the rugged wilderness was simply too bumpy. If they encountered a large tree blocking the path, they had to chop it down just to pass. The journey was a literal path of hacking through thorns and brambles.
"From this moment on, memorize my route. If you take even a single wrong step, you won’t be able to enter that Grotto Heaven Blessed Land," Man Tian suddenly spoke up.
As soon as he finished speaking, his body moved. Each step he took covered a full five meters. "Do you see where my feet land? Just follow my route exactly."
Ye Xuan nodded and moved forward in a straight line, using the landing points as his guide. Along the way, nothing seemed to change. The distant mountains were still mountains. The lakes were still lakes. But when he advanced a thousand meters, the mountains and lakes vanished in an instant.
"This is an Illusion Array!"
Ye Xuan’s Tonglong contracted.
"Not bad, this is indeed an Illusion Array. And a Natural Illusion Array at that."
"A Natural Illusion Array!" Ye Xuan was somewhat surprised.
A Natural Illusion Array was an Array born from heaven and earth.