"You continuing to follow me will only bring me trouble," Ye Yunfei spoke.
"But besides you, who else can I turn to for help? Even my own parents can't help me. Do you expect me to truly be forced to marry Sima Hao? If that's the case, I'd rather die!" Qin Xiaoyu was teary-eyed, her face flushed.
"That's your clan's decision. It seems I can't help you either," Ye Yunfei replied indifferently.
"Take me in. From now on, I'll stay by your side and serve as your maid. You're so powerful, you'll definitely be able to protect me." Qin Xiaoyu pleaded.
"I don't need a maid. Having you by my side would only become a burden," Ye Yunfei answered truthfully.
"You..." Qin Xiaoyu was both angry and frustrated, yet didn't know what to say. After all, they were mere chance encounters; it wasn't wrong for Ye Yunfei to refuse to get involved in her affairs.
"What's the cultivation level of the strongest experts in your Qin Family and the Sima Family?" Ye Yunfei suddenly asked.
"The strongest experts in our Qin Family and the Sima Family should all be True Gods, and more than one at that. The Ancestral Elder of our Qin Family is a Mid-Level True God. The Sima Family is a famous family in our void; they might even have High-Level True Gods by now." Qin Xiaoyu explained.
"Indeed. The Sima Family may well have High-Level True Gods," Ye Yunfei said, frowning slightly. He had actually already gained a general understanding of the Qin and Sima Families' situation from the memories of the Autumn Wind Group members he had devoured. This question was merely casual.
Even a Primary-Level True God would be a difficult opponent for Ye Yunfei to defeat, let alone Mid-Level and High-Level ones.
"However, the True Gods of our Qin Family and the Sima Family rarely show themselves. Even members of their own clans find it hard to meet them," Qin Xiaoyu added.
"The Yangming Secret Realm should open soon, right?" Ye Yunfei thought for a moment before speaking.
"Yes, the Yangming Secret Realm will open not long from now. And it's not far from here; it's within a nearby World Cluster. Young Master Ye, you've only just arrived in the Sixth Void. How do you know about the Yangming Secret Realm? Do you wish to enter?" Qin Xiaoyu was somewhat surprised.
"Yes, I intend to go in and take a look," Ye Yunfei nodded.
From the memories of those Autumn Wind Group members, Ye Yunfei learned that the Yangming Secret Realm was a relatively famous secret realm in the Sixth Void that opened once every three hundred years. It was said to have been left behind by the renowned Yangming King of ancient times. During a certain period in the distant past, Yangming King was hailed as the undisputed number one under heaven, having reigned supreme over his era, unmatched by any. The Yangming Secret Realm was possibly a cave abode where Yangming King secluded himself for cultivation during his lifetime. Inside, not only was the energy rich and laws advanced, but treasures were scattered everywhere, along with various profound legacies. It was said Yangming King extensively collected martial arts legacies and cultivation techniques from various different schools across the land during his lifetime. After his fall, those legacies might have been left within the Yangming Secret Realm. Thus, the realm was a place many yearned for. However, the Yangming Secret Realm wasn't open to just anyone. Only young beings under three hundred years of age could enter. If one's age exceeded three hundred, they would be repelled. This was especially true for those over three hundred with relatively high cultivation realms. If they forced their way in, it could cause spatial instability within the realm, even large-scale destruction, ultimately destroying the entire secret realm. Such incidents had occurred in ancient times. Several powerful beings over three hundred attempted to force their way into the Yangming Secret Realm, resulting in the realm reacting violently, unleashing various terrifying killing forces against them while activating its self-destruction function. Fortunately, at the critical moment, high-ranking figures from some superpowers in the Sixth Void intervened, driving out those who forcefully entered and preserving the realm. From that time on, no being over three hundred entered the Yangming Secret Realm.
"Young Master Ye, with your strength and talent, entering the Yangming Secret Realm will surely yield great gains. You really should go in and take a look. Let's both go in together!" Qin Xiaoyu said excitedly.
"Every force will organize teams of its younger generation to explore the Yangming Secret Realm. Your Qin Family will certainly dispatch many young descendants. As a member of the Qin Family's younger generation, wouldn't it be inappropriate for you not to follow your family's expedition team and instead come with me?" Ye Yunfei frowned slightly before speaking.
"If I return now, they won't let me enter the Yangming Secret Realm at all. Instead, they'll immediately force me into a marriage alliance with Sima Hao. Isn't that jumping into a pit of fire? Young Master Ye, I have no other choice now. I can only follow you," Qin Xiaoyu pleaded.
"As you wish," Ye Yunfei said, having little choice but to nod. After all, they had traveled together from the Eighth Void and spent some time together. He couldn't bring himself to heartlessly drive her away.
"Young Master Ye, you're too kind!" Seeing Ye Yunfei agree, Qin Xiaoyu was overjoyed. In her mind, Ye Yunfei was now her greatest support.
"Let's go. We'll head to the Gufang World Cluster now and wait for the Yangming Secret Realm to open," Ye Yunfei said.
Then, Ye Yunfei and Qin Xiaoyu set off towards the Gufang World Cluster. Along the way, they could see many young beings also heading in that direction, clearly intending to enter the Yangming Secret Realm. The opening of the realm every three hundred years attracted countless young people; it was a grand event for the youth of the Sixth Void.
Before long, Ye Yunfei and Qin Xiaoyu arrived at the Gufang World Cluster. During this period, the cluster was particularly lively, with a continuous stream of young creatures flowing in. Some famous young prodigies also made appearances, eliciting gasps of admiration.
"Look, that's the legendary Young Master Sun Ruyu. Truly, he's true to his name, possessing an elegant and graceful demeanor!"
A commotion erupted ahead as a gorgeously designed flying ship soared through the sky. Seated at its center was a handsome, dashing young man with a charming smile, gently waving a folding fan. Dozens of Deities attended to him on the ship, two-thirds of whom were beauties.
"They say Young Master Sun is already at the Mid-Level Void God realm but once fought a High-Level Void God without losing ground. That means he's equivalent to a High-Level Void God now. To possess such strength at a young age, and with the Sun Family behind him being one of the top ancient families in our void..." someone nearby whispered, unable to conceal their envy and admiration.
Pah!
"What a load of crap, this Sun Ruyu! In my opinion, he's nowhere near as good as you, Young Master Ye," Qin Xiaoyu said disdainfully, standing beside Ye Yunfei.
"Look, Princess Taiping from the Tianhao Dynasty is here too!" someone suddenly cried out with delight in another direction.
Then, a classical, elegant carriage appeared in the void there, pulled forward by two winged divine steeds. The two steeds galloped through the air with the carriage, its curtain rolled up to reveal a palace-attired beauty inside—graceful and breathtakingly beautiful.
"This Princess Taiping is one of the famous young geniuses of our Sixth Void. They say her mother is a descendant of the Golden Wheel Dynasty from ancient times. After marrying into the Tianhao Dynasty, it was essentially an alliance between the two dynasties, eventually giving birth to Princess Taiping. She was born with exceptional talent, her strength far surpassing her peers. Well, isn't she beautiful?" Qin Xiaoyu noticed Ye Yunfei's gaze shifting towards Princess Taiping and immediately offered an introduction.
*A descendant of the Golden Wheel Dynasty!*
Hearing this, Ye Yunfei's heart stirred slightly, and he glanced a few more times at Princess Taiping. That was because Ye Yunfei had previously encountered a remnant soul left by an ancient princess of the Golden Wheel Dynasty within a Samsara Passage in the Eighth Void and had obtained several Golden Wheel Dynasty cultivation legacies.
"The Holy Son of the Heavenly Sword Sect, Li Changqing, is here too! He's a top-tier young prodigy in our void! The Yangming Secret Realm's allure is truly immense, attracting even this level of top prodigy." Suddenly, another exclaimed in awe.
Then, everyone saw countless dazzling sword beams erupt in the distance as a young man strode through the void. Around his body, space seemed to ripple with countless sharp sword radiance. Beneath his feet, the illusory image of a giant sword supported his body as he surged forward. Wherever that giant sword's image passed, it directly cleaved through the space ahead, leaving a dark, eerie spatial rift.
"The Heavenly Sword Sect is a sword-focused sect, probably the force with the most advanced sword techniques in our Sixth Void," Qin Xiaoyu said to Ye Yunfei upon seeing his attention on the Heavenly Sword Sect's Holy Son.
In truth, most of what Qin Xiaoyu said was information Ye Yunfei had already gleaned from the Autumn Wind Group members' memories.
"In the past, I used to admire and envy these young geniuses. But now, I feel these so-called young geniuses are nothing compared to you, Young Master Ye."
Ye Yunfei smiled faintly. He naturally wouldn't compare himself to these young talents. Given his current strength and experience, he had no interest in competing and showing off amongst his peers.
"Look, members of the Sima Family are here too! Sima Jie, Sima Wu, Sima Cai, Sima Yan—these are all the outstanding members of the Sima Family's younger generation. Although the Sima Family might not be considered a top-tier major force in our void, their younger generation truly produces many talented individuals; they're flourishing! It seems this family's future will only grow stronger. Not to be underestimated." Suddenly, a group entered the Gufang World Cluster, immediately drawing many comments.
"We should hurry and leave," Qin Xiaoyu said, her face paling upon seeing the Sima Family members from afar. She sent a sound transmission to Ye Yunfei, then turned and left.
Soon after, Ye Yunfei and Qin Xiaoyu entered an ordinary world, found a quiet spot, and settled down to wait for the Yangming Secret Realm to open.
"If you don't want to expose your identity, I have a Concealment Talisman here that might be useful to you," Ye Yunfei said to Qin Xiaoyu, then took out a talisman paper and handed it to her.
"This is good stuff! Excellent. With this Concealment Talisman, I don't have to worry about being discovered by those people!" Qin Xiaoyu was overjoyed upon learning the talisman's function. She immediately activated it, and a mysterious energy enveloped her body.
"As long as you don't actively reveal yourself, even a High-Level Void God might not be able to see your true appearance," Ye Yunfei remarked calmly.
"Young Master Ye, thank you!" Qin Xiaoyu was extremely grateful.
Ye Yunfei took out a batch of formation flags and arranged a small formation space. Entering it, he then entered the Phantom Tower to begin secluded cultivation. Qin Xiaoyu followed Ye Yunfei into the Phantom Tower.
"This is an extremely high-level time-space treasure! There's a significant time differential between here and the outside world. Such a treasure is truly rare in the world!" Upon entering the Phantom Tower, Qin Xiaoyu quickly discovered the time difference and couldn't help but marvel.
Inside the Phantom Tower, Ye Yunfei sat cross-legged, thinking to himself: *The overall strength of this Sixth Void is much stronger than the Eighth Void's. In the Eighth Void, the strongest are probably High-Level Void Gods. But in this Sixth Void, there are many True Gods, perhaps even stronger existences. With my current strength, I might not necessarily defeat a True God if I encounter one. And the Guardian Faction is one of the most powerful forces in the Sixth Void, so they must have True Gods—and probably quite a few at that.*