As the heir of the Ye family, Ye Xiujie?’s life had been one of smooth sailing.

    Though his innate talent was not considered top-tier,

    the Ye family’s vast resources—rare treasures, divine herbs, and potent elixirs—had pushed him to the early Tribulation Stage.

    The family’s original plan was to secure the Immaculate Sword Heart from Lin Miaoxue for Ye Xiujie?.

    They had intended to quietly extract her from Suppressing Demon Mountain in a few hundred years to fulfill their long-standing promise.

    But to their surprise, Lin Miaoxue left the mountain of her own accord, saving them considerable effort.

    Currently, the Ye family had dispatched nearly twenty teams to locate Lin Miaoxue and bring her back.

    Once secured, her Immaculate Sword Heart would be extracted by a specialist.

    Meanwhile, Ye Xiujie?, weary of the secluded life of the Ye family,

    seized the opportunity to roam the Central Continent under the guise of searching for the Immaculate Sword Heart.

    Accompanied by Li Guangning, a late Tribulation Stage elder in the family’s service, and his cousin Ye Xiujin,

    he set off on his journey.

    A few days into their travels,

    they noticed a celestial phenomenon over the Hall of Ten Thousand Souls—an anomaly signaling the birth of a high-grade spirit artifact.

    Li Guangning immediately recognized it for what it was,

    and Ye Xiujie?’s interest was piqued.

    Although the Ye family was ancient and powerful, high-grade spirit artifacts were still exceedingly rare,

    and he couldn’t resist the lure.

    He ordered his group to head for the Hall of Ten Thousand Souls.

    However, the anomaly soon faded,

    indicating the artifact had already been claimed.@@@@

    Had it remained unclaimed, the anomaly would have lasted much longer.

    Increasing their speed,

    they soon stumbled upon Zhu Diezhen, who had just emerged from the Hall of Ten Thousand Souls.

    Sensing the overwhelming sword intent radiating from her,

    Li Guangning deduced that the spirit artifact was likely in her possession.

    Ye Xiujie? attempted to claim the artifact from her.

    Upon seeing Zhu Diezhen’s peerless beauty, he had other thoughts—he wanted to take her as his Dao companion.

    When she rejected him, Ye Xiujie? didn’t give up.

    In his life, there had never been anything he wanted but couldn’t obtain.

    If she wouldn’t give it, he would take it by force.

    The three of them attacked Zhu Diezhen,

    but her speed and mastery of ghostly techniques that harried her pursuers significantly slowed them down.

    Li Guangning suggested killing Zhu Diezhen outright,

    but Ye Xiujie? refused.

    She had to be taken alive.

    This prolonged the chase for days.

    Otherwise, with three Tribulation Stage cultivators pursuing her, Zhu Diezhen wouldn’t have survived.

    They estimated that she would exhaust her spiritual energy within half a day,

    at which point she would be theirs.

    Unexpectedly, Zhu Diezhen stopped.

    This young master was insufferable,

    forcing others to risk their lives for his whims.

    Still, he didn’t dare voice his grievances and reluctantly agreed.

    Summoning his azure flying sword,

    Li Guangning began gathering his sword intent.

    Countless phantom swords appeared behind him,

    their sharp edges all aimed at Ye Yu.

    Seeing this, Ye Xiujie? took two steps back,

    smirking as he observed.

    People always performed best under pressure.

    Without such provocation, Li Guangning wouldn’t give it his all.

    Of course, if Li Guangning managed to kill Ye Yu, all the better.

    And if not, Ye Xiujie? had his protective treasures to ensure his own safety.

    Amidst the growing storm of sword energy,

    Ye Yu exhaled slowly.

    Beside him, Zhu Diezhen handed him a sword.

    Its blade was pitch black.

    “This is the spirit sword I had forged for you.

    “Give it a try.”

    Her voice was soft, yet resolute.

    She knew the Ye family of the Forbidden Yin River was a behemoth, nearly untouchable.

    But since Ye Yu had made his decision,

    no matter the outcome, she wouldn’t stand in his way.

    Her duty was to support her husband in battle, even if it cost her life.

    Ye Yu gripped the hilt of the sword,

    and in an instant, an overwhelming sword intent erupted from it,

    shattering all the sword energy in the vicinity.

    Li Guangning’s meticulously gathered sword intent was obliterated in a heartbeat.

    Even without striking,

    the difference in power was evident.

    Li Guangning shouted in panic,

    “Master, run!”

    But it was too late.

    Ye Yu closed his eyes briefly, feeling the sword’s resonance with his soul.

    Finally, he had a sword that truly belonged to him.

    A thought crossed his mind:

    he had never unleashed his full power with a single strike.

    Why not use this opportunity to test its might?

    With that, Ye Yu poured all his spiritual energy into the blade and swung.

    In an instant, lightning illuminated the sky.

    Bathed in its light,

    Ye Yu looked like an immortal descended to the mortal realm.