"What world's power does he come from? Did he take Xiao Fei because she activated the Vermilion Bird Divine Meridian? Perhaps Mother would know!"
Ye Yunfei suddenly remembered the words spoken by the old woman who claimed to be his grandmother during their last encounter in the Miao Capital.
Thus, Ye Yunfei returned to the Phantom Shadow Tower.
"What?! Xiao Fei was taken by people from another world?!" Miao Ziqiong and Ye Tianpeng were shocked when they heard Ye Yunfei's account.
"Mother, do I have a grandmother in the Miao Capital?" Ye Yunfei inquired, recounting his meeting with the old woman who had called herself his grandmother to Miao Ziqiong.
"Fei'er, you actually met her! So, she's still alive!" Miao Ziqiong revealed an incredulous expression upon hearing Ye Yunfei's words.
"I don't even know if she truly is my mother. Truth be told, I'm not originally from the Miao Race of the Profound Yellow Star Domain. When I was three years old, she brought me to the Miao Capital, and from then on, I became a member of the Miao Race. I've forgotten everything before the age of three, so I have no idea where I actually come from. Then, when I was six, she suddenly vanished. I never saw her again after that.
Before she disappeared, she told me that if I, or any children I bear in the future, possess the Vermilion Bird Divine Meridian, then the family I was born into would send someone to find me, or my children. Otherwise, in this lifetime, I would never have another chance to return to my birth family. I never thought what she said was true. After Xiao Fei activated the Vermilion Bird Divine Meridian, she was really taken away by another world!" Miao Ziqiong said to Ye Yunfei.
"I see." Ye Yunfei nodded upon hearing this.
Within the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds, there were many clans with noble bloodlines. If the quality of a descendant's bloodline was poor, they would be exiled or even directly expelled from the clan. Ye Yunfei surmised that his mother likely fell into this category. Now that Xiao Fei had activated the Vermilion Bird Divine Meridian, the clan had learned of it and dispatched someone to bring her back. However, Miao Ziqiong simply had no idea which world her birth clan belonged to, or which faction they were.
"Perhaps if I go to the Miao Capital and ask her, I'll find out," Ye Yunfei thought of the old woman who claimed to be his grandmother.
"Mother, do you want to go to the Miao Capital to see her?" Ye Yunfei asked.
"No, let it be. I suspect she's not my birth mother at all. Moreover, these past years, Xiao Fei and I were imprisoned in the Miao Capital's dungeon. She neither inquired nor intervened. With her abilities, helping us wouldn't have been difficult at all. So, I see no need to go see her again," Miao Ziqiong said after a moment's thought.
"Indeed." Ye Yunfei nodded.
That old woman possessed strength at the mid-stage of the Heavenly Thunder Realm, even stronger than those two Miao Race ancestors! If she had wanted to help Miao Ziqiong and Xiao Fei, it would have been effortless.
Next, Ye Yunfei left the Phantom Shadow Tower and headed back towards the headquarters of Qingyun Palace.
"There are people spying on Qingyun Palace again! And not just one group!" As soon as his airship approached the headquarters, Ye Yunfei's expression darkened. Sensing with his Soul Power, he discovered several groups lying in ambush around the Qingyun Palace headquarters. Ye Yunfei knew these people were definitely after the Heavenly Dao Tower. "It seems I must divert attention quickly, make the Heavenly Dao Tower's aura appear somewhere else," Ye Yunfei thought to himself.
He did not act to drive away the groups lurking around Qingyun Palace, instead returning directly to the headquarters. Ye Yunfei understood that even if he chased these groups away, others would certainly come. The temptation of the Heavenly Dao Tower was simply too great!
"Palace Master, many more strangers have arrived near the headquarters!" Chu Ji immediately greeted Ye Yunfei as soon as he returned.
"I know. I'll handle it," Ye Yunfei nodded.
One day later.
"It's time to visit that fragmented Chaotic Universe. To grow stronger continuously, I need more opportunities and trials," Ye Yunfei thought inside Qingyun Palace headquarters. His gaze swept towards the distant horizon, then he stepped into the depths of space and quietly left the headquarters.
Before departing, Ye Yunfei gave instructions to Qingyun Palace's main leaders, informing them he would be leaving the Tianluo Star Sea for a while. Currently, the headquarters was protected by hundreds of Demon-Sea Realm beasts and over a thousand layered great formations, so Ye Yunfei wasn't overly worried about Qingyun Palace's safety for the time being. Moreover, Ye Yunfei had arranged for an immediate retreat if the headquarters faced an invasion by an unstoppably powerful enemy.
Six days later.
Another star sea near the Tianluo Star Sea, the Ziyue Star Sea.
The Ziyue Star Sea's scale and overall strength were similar to the Tianluo Star Sea. Within it was a desolate star called the Red Star.
On the Red Star, everything was red—the earth, mountains, rivers, and all plant life displayed a surface color as bright and bloody as if steeped in blood. Legend had it that the star's intense redness originated from an ancient era when a supreme powerhouse from this cosmic expanse fell and perished on this very star, his spilled blood forcibly dyeing the entire celestial body red.
Even now, the Red Star harbored some strange and ominous entities capable of silently killing any living being that set foot upon it. Thus, in the eyes of martial practitioners in the Ziyue Star Sea, the Red Star was an ill-fated, ominous star.
"This place will do." At a certain moment on the Red Star, a young man suddenly stepped out from the depths of space and landed upon its surface.
It was Ye Yunfei.
Ye Yunfei traversed the Red Star, releasing his Soul Power to sense his surroundings in all directions. He planned to find a hidden location to bring out the Heavenly Dao Tower, then deliberately leak some of its aura. This way, he could divert the attention of all those Grand Diviners constantly trying to deduce the tower's whereabouts to this star. Ye Yunfei had specifically chosen the Red Star for this purpose because the star itself was shrouded in mystery and strangeness, making it unfathomable to most.
"Indeed, this Red Star was dyed red by blood," Ye Yunfei noted with some surprise.
"Hmm? It feels like... the aura of the Blood Clan! How is that possible?!" Ye Yunfei's heart suddenly skipped a beat.
The Blood Clan was a viciously renowned, ancient evil race, renowned throughout the countless realms. Generally, they inhabited higher-level planes.
"Why is there an aura of the Blood Clan on this star?" Ye Yunfei was somewhat puzzled.
"The Blood Clan's aura seems to come from underground." Ye Yunfei's gaze turned towards the ground.
Whoosh! Ye Yunfei employed the Earth-Treading Arts and abruptly burrowed underground, delving deep towards the planetary core.
Boom! Boom!
Suddenly, a terrifying energy pressure surged up from the depths of the planet's core, forcing Ye Yunfei to halt his advance and stop.
"At the planet's core, there seems to be a red figure? That can't be... Could it be there's truly a member of the Blood Clan here?" Ye Yunfei paused, channeling his Soul Power down towards the planet's depths. He quickly discovered a crimson underground palace deep within the planetary core. Within that palace sat a tall, red-skinned creature emitting a thick, cloying scent of blood.
If a member of the Blood Clan truly resided here, it would pose a massive hidden danger to this entire cosmic expanse. One must know that the Blood Clan feasted on the blood of living beings, capable of swallowing the essence-blood of millions of creatures at will.
Within the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds, some Blood Clan experts, for the sake of cultivation, would slaughter an entire star sea or a Small World without a second thought. Wherever they went, no living being could survive in their presence.