Xu Zimei guessed that in his past life, Cui Yuan must have been a little monster that delivered experience points.
After being slain by Chu Yang, he obtained the last Prison Suppression Pearl, which was why he himself didn't know its origin.
In this life, he had unintentionally stolen the Prison Suppression Pearl from Cui Yuan's hands—it could only be said that fate plays tricks on people.
Watching Black Thirteen approach step by step, Chu Yang hurriedly backed away. He only felt a burning pain in his chest and due to the massive blood loss, his head was also somewhat dizzy.
"Am I really going to die like this?" Chu Yang thought unwillingly.
He had the guidance of the Ink Elder, he practiced the Great Emperor's Cultivation Technique, and he still needed to find Xiao'er.
He was unwilling to die here, so very unwilling!
"Yang, don't worry, no one can hurt you with me here," the voice of the Ink Elder came from the ring.
"Ink Elder, you," Chu Yang looked at the ring doubtfully.
He saw the phantom of an old man slowly reflecting out from the ring.
The moment the old man appeared, it seemed as if the whole world went silent.
The sun and the moon rotated, the cycle of reincarnation never ceasing.
An intangible aura congregated around the old man, who stood with hands behind his back, his temples white, wearing a cyan robe.
With a long sigh, that aura of lone dominance shocked the surroundings; he slowly extended his right hand, as if the entire time and space had solidified and stopped.
"This, this is," Black Thirteen looked gravely at the aged figure.
"During my prime, I didn't even regard Esteem Vein experts in high esteem, yet an ant of the Empty Vein dares to kill the one I've chosen," the old man said indifferently.
"You said it yourself, it was during your prime. How much strength do you have left now?" Black Thirteen said as he slowly took out a jade token.
This jade token was given to him by Xu Zimei, containing a Divine Incarnation of Xu Qingshan, which could unleash the power close to Half-step Saint Vein once activated.
"Not good," the old man instantly saw the use of the jade token.
He didn't expect the other party to come prepared. Just as he started to show off, why did he encounter such a thorny issue?
With a wave of his right hand, a cage descended from the sky, enveloping Black Thirteen within it, and then he directly grabbed Chu Yang's shoulder and shouted, "Go."
This ordinary cage couldn't possibly contain Black Thirteen. The old man could be said to have used up all the power he had accumulated over the years, and then he took Chu Yang to a faraway place.
......
In a dense forest, the old man slowly put Chu Yang down. By now, his phantom had become somewhat dim, as if it could dissipate at any moment.
"Ink Elder, are you alright?" Chu Yang shouted anxiously.
"I'm fine, don't worry," the Ink Elder said with a smile. "I've just used too much Divine Soul power, I'll recover after some time.
If you find any Divine Soul-related herbs in the future, remember to keep an eye out for me."
After speaking, the Ink Elder entered back into the ring.
Chu Yang nodded, took a deep breath, and the bleeding from his chest had already stopped.
But his head was still slightly painful. He leaned against a tree nearby, wanting to rest for a while.
Suddenly, footsteps sounded again. Chu Yang was alarmed—surely the man from before wasn't chasing after him.
He turned his head to look and saw a man carrying a longsword walking over slowly.
The man wore white robes, looking elegant and amiable with a smiling face.
Just as Chu Yang was about to speak, he felt an incredibly strong aura pressing down on him.
He grunted, feeling completely unable to move an inch.
This swordsman felt even more powerful than the man in black he had encountered earlier.
The swordsman walked up to him, slowly bent down, and took the Prison Suppression Pearl from Chu Yang's chest.
"Who are you?" Chu Yang's gaze was piercing as he looked at the other and asked.
"Shili Changkong," the man replied with a smile and then left with the Prison Suppression Pearl in tow.
Only after the man had left did Chu Yang feel his body relax, and he couldn't help but gasp for air deeply.
"Ink Elder," Chu Yang called out tentatively.
"That person was very strong. I didn't dare show myself. He must be at least at the Esteem Vein Realm," Ink Elder said gravely.
"Why do I feel like I've been clearly arranged by someone else, as if an invisible hand is controlling everything?" Chu Yang pondered aloud.
"Who are these people?"
"Don't think too much, just focus on your cultivation," Ink Elder advised, "You're still too weak now. When you're strong, one day you will get your retribution.
It's just a pity about that pearl."
Chu Yang nodded firmly, his eyes bright with determination.
......…
Xu Zimei took the last Prison Suppression Pearl brought by Shili Changkong, suppressing the joy in his heart, he said, "Good job, it must have been tough."
"Why didn't you let me kill him?" Shili Changkong asked, puzzled.
"Don't you think it's a sad thing in this world not to have a real opponent?" Xu Zimei smiled, "I want to give him endless hope, and then crush him into despair, over and over again. That's interesting!"
"What about the thing you promised me?" Shili Changkong inquired.
Xu Zimei, smiling, handed over two cultivation manuals to Shili Changkong; the manuals were none other than the "Heaven-singing Sword Jue" and the "Three Talents Sword Formation."
"Don't worry, can I go back on my word?" Xu Zimei laughed.
Shili Changkong looked at Xu Zimei, but said nothing.
He suddenly felt that being friends with Xu Zimei was far better than being enemies with him.
The next day, early in the morning, a group set off and left Heavenly Sword City.
Before leaving, Xu Zimei warned Guan Zhenhai, "Some things should be stopped at the proper time."
"I understand," Guan Zhenhai nodded repeatedly.
He knew that Xu Zimei was referring to him using the name of the True Martial Holy Sect for personal gain in dealings with the Chang Family over the past two years.
Xu Zimei didn't dwell too much on Guan Zhenhai's actions; he knew that this world was a blend of black and white, so why bother trying to separate the two so explicitly?
There are no absolute good people or absolute bad people.
As long as certain actions are kept within limits, within the rules of the game, there's actually no harm in them.
......
These days were the busiest times for the True Martial Holy Sect, as the Sect Gate was about to open to broadly recruit disciples.
Across the ten thousand li of territory this supreme place held, countless youths were eager, rubbing their hands in anticipation, hoping to be admitted to this sanctuary that existed in the hearts of countless people.
Even some smaller sects nearby wanted to send their talented disciples to the True Martial Holy Sect.
It was a broader world, offering more opportunities and better resources.
......
At the very front of the Sect Gate, there were one hundred eighty-eight steps. All the young people who wished to join the True Martial Holy Sect had to climb these steps, which represented the first test.
The first hundred steps had twice the gravity, the middle eighty steps had five times the gravity, and the final eight steps had gravity ten times heavier than normal.
This test assessed the disciple's perseverance; it was unrelated to personal strength because no matter how strong you are, gravity doesn't change.
The only way one could pass these one hundred eighty-eight steps was to rely on their willpower.