"People of the Wanmu Ancestral Land?
Why do you intervene in the affairs of my Blade Realm?"
A raspy voice drifted from deep within the void, tinged with anger and a trace of barely concealed apprehension.
The voice seemed to come from a far-off place, each word accompanied by a metallic grating sound, producing an extremely strange effect.
"She is the inheritor of our Wanmu Ancestral Land. How could I allow you to bully and kill her at will?
You knew full well she is our inheritor, yet you still attacked her. Does your Blade Realm not place our Wanmu Ancestral Land in its eyes? Are you seeking to provoke us?"
The gentle female voice sounded once more. Though her tone was even, it carried an undeniable firmness.
"Don't tell me you couldn't tell this girl is from our Wanmu Ancestral Land!"
The voice added.
"I was well aware she is your Wanmu Ancestral Land's inheritor, but I had no intention of killing her. My target was that boy.
Therefore, there is no case of provoking your Wanmu Ancestral Land."
After a moment of silence, the voice from the Blade Realm spoke. It was clear this powerful Blade Realm figure was unwilling to offend the Wanmu Ancestral Land.
"Hmph!
You attacked our Wanmu Ancestral Land's inheritor. If I hadn't arrived in time, the consequences would have been unthinkable.
This is a grave provocation against our Wanmu Ancestral Land. Today, I will not allow you to act again.
Be gone.
Otherwise, don't blame me for charging into the Blade Realm and fighting you myself!"
The voice from the Wanmu Ancestral Land snorted coldly.
"You... You are clearly protecting that boy.
For no reason at all, why would your Wanmu Ancestral Land shield him?"
The Blade Realm's mighty figure questioned.
"To tell you the truth, back in the Sword Realm, when you attacked, your assault endangered our Wanmu Ancestral Land's inheritor. Thankfully, the remnant souls within the Sword Realm intervened and blocked your strike.
And just now, within this spatial channel, your attack again endangered our Wanmu Ancestral Land's inheritor.
Do you think I would permit you to act yet again?
Do you truly believe our Wanmu Ancestral Land has no one?"
The voice from Wanmu Ancestral Land replied icily.
"Fine! A fine Wanmu Ancestral Land it is! I will remember this!"
After a moment of silence, a cold snort was heard from the Blade Realm's figure.
Then, the terrifying Sword Intent that had pervaded the void receded like a tide, vanishing without a trace in the blink of an eye, as if it had never been there.
The crisis was resolved. Ye Yunfei let out a long sigh of relief.
"Thank you for your timely rescue, Senior!"
Ye Yunfei steadied his churning blood and Qi and bowed respectfully toward the direction the voice had come from.
"Thank you, Granny Mu! Luckily, you arrived in time, otherwise Wanqing would have…"
Zhou Wanqing called out toward the distant void, her voice catching slightly, her eyes full of lingering fear.
"Hmph?
So you do know fear?"
A hazy, insubstantial figure slowly materialized in the distant void.
It was an elderly woman clad in a long green robe. The hem of her robe was composed of countless tiny leaves, fluttering softly and exuding a faint fragrance of vegetation.
The old woman's face was kindly, her hair like strands of silver cascading down her shoulders. In her hand, she held an emerald-green wooden staff, its tip embedded with a pearl emitting a soft, gentle light.
"So it truly is the inheritor of the Sword Realm."
Her gaze was deep as the sea, as if it could see through all things in the world. She first glanced affectionately at Zhou Wanqing, then her eyes fell upon Ye Yunfei, examining him carefully. A flicker of appreciation flashed in her eyes, her tone carrying a hint of admiration.
"Young man, the road ahead is rugged, life and death unpredictable. Take care of yourself."
The old woman said mildly.
"Wanqing, you have been out training for two to three years now. Your identity has been exposed, and both the Blade Realm and the Watchers have taken notice of you.
It's time to come back with me now.
Focus on your cultivation."
She then turned to Zhou Wanqing, her tone becoming stern and carrying an air that brooked no refusal.
"Granny Mu, I don't want to go back yet.
I want to stay outside and play for a while longer.
Granny Mu, please, make an exception for me!"
Zhou Wanqing immediately walked over, tugging at Granny Mu's sleeve, and pleaded in a coquettish tone.
"This time, no matter what you say, it will be useless.
Because this is your father's will.
Your father specifically instructed me that if I found you, I must bring you back."
Granny Mu shook her head, her attitude firm.
"Then… alright."
Zhou Wanqing hesitated for a moment before reluctantly agreeing.
She knew Granny Mu would always obey her father's words; arguing would be pointless.
"Young Master Ye, this jade slip is specially made by me. You can use it to send messages directly to me.
If you ever wish to visit our Wanmu Ancestral Land, just send me a message. I'll send someone to fetch you."
Zhou Wanqing turned to look at Ye Yunfei, a flicker of reluctance in her eyes. She took out a messaging jade slip engraved with wood-system runes from her bosom and handed it to Ye Yunfei.
"Alright."
Ye Yunfei took the jade slip and replied calmly.
Even if he might never visit the Wanmu Ancestral Land, he appreciated Zhou Wanqing's kindness.
"Let's go."
Granny Mu said no more. She didn't pay any further attention to Ye Yunfei either. Extending a hand, a green ribbon of light wound around Zhou Wanqing's waist.
"Farewell, Young Master Ye."
Zhou Wanqing gave Ye Yunfei one last look, her eyes still tinged with reluctance, before she was enveloped by the ribbon of light. Together with Granny Mu's insubstantial figure, they transformed into a streak of light and instantly shot deep into the void, disappearing.
Whoosh…
Just as Granny Mu vanished into the distant void with Zhou Wanqing, a streak of green light sped over and halted right in front of Ye Yunfei.
"Young man, this is a Concealment Secret Talisman from our Wanmu Ancestral Land. Consider it repayment for the Sword Realm's past protection of our Wanmu Ancestral Land's inheritor."
Granny Mu's voice traveled back from afar, resounding within Ye Yunfei's soul sea.
"Concealment Secret Talisman?"
Ye Yunfei immediately looked at the green light before him. It was indeed a green talisman paper, densely covered with mysterious and profound runes.
"Anything from the Wanmu Ancestral Land should be quite effective.
Refine it immediately," Hun Lao advised Ye Yunfei.
"Okay."
Ye Yunfei immediately began refining the green talisman paper.
In just moments, he had successfully refined it.
With a hum, the green talisman paper released a circle of green radiance, forming a light shield that directly enveloped Ye Yunfei.
"This talisman really does have an incredibly powerful concealment effect!"
The moment the green light shield covered Ye Yunfei's body, Hun Lao exclaimed in pleasant surprise.
"Indeed. This small area of space we're in has been perfectly hidden," Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm also said happily.
"We should hurry and leave this spatial channel. Who knows if that Blade Realm fellow will attack us again.
We are at a severe disadvantage inside this channel. The space is narrow, offering nowhere to hide, and it's hard to evade that Blade Realm guy's senses," Hun Lao said to Ye Yunfei.
"Agreed. Let's make haste and leave this place."
Ye Yunfei nodded.
Then, Ye Yunfei increased his speed, rushing forward.
Moments later, he finally passed through the transmission channel and returned to a Teleportation Altar.
This was the Teleportation Altar located in the Fourth Void.
"Excellent! We're finally back!" Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief and shout.
Ye Yunfei's figure flashed, leaving the Teleportation Altar and charging toward the outside world.
Soon, Ye Yunfei had left the world cluster where the Teleportation Altar was situated, emerging into the void of the Fourth Void.
Ye Yunfei utilized both the Jade Ruyi and the Wanmu Ancestral Land's Concealment Secret Talisman to mask his aura.
Naturally, he also employed various sophisticated concealment secret techniques.
Hun Lao and Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm also employed their spatial secret arts, aiding Ye Yunfei in concealing his physical form and Soul Body aura.
It was only at this moment that everyone finally relaxed.
However, recalling the previous ordeal, they still felt a lingering fear.
"That old monster from the Blade Realm was terrifyingly powerful! That blade light he sent over earlier was too frightening!
Thankfully Granny Mu from the Wanmu Ancestral Land intervened, otherwise we'd all be in pieces!"
"The Wanmu Ancestral Land truly lives up to its reputation. That Granny Mu was in no way inferior to that old fellow from the Blade Realm," Hu Miao said.
"That Miss Zhou can have a Wanmu Ancestral Land expert personally come to her rescue. It seems her status within Wanmu Ancestral Land is not low.
If we could establish a connection with Miss Zhou in the future, we might have a chance to befriend Wanmu Ancestral Land. That would add another source of support when we face the Guardian Faction and the Blade Realm," Huang Shang said.
"No.
That Granny Mu came and left in a hurry. She came solely for Miss Zhou. It seems she didn't want too much contact with me.
I could sense she didn't want to get involved in the grudge between me and the Blade Realm.
Regardless, we must strive to improve our own strength. Only we ourselves are the most reliable."
Ye Yunfei shook his head and sighed.
Although the exchange between Granny Mu and the Blade Realm's powerful figure was brief, the impact it had on Ye Yunfei was immense.
It made Ye Yunfei clearly recognize the gap between himself and those top-tier powers.
Yet, this gap did not dishearten him. Instead, it ignited a fighting spirit within his heart.
"Let's go. First, let's return to the Sixth Void and check!"
Ye Yunfei employed his movement technique and began swiftly moving forward.
"The Watchers are still lurking like tigers watching their prey, and the Blade Realm won't let matters rest easily. I must improve my strength as soon as possible to protect everything I wish to protect."
Ye Yunfei's gaze grew exceptionally resolute.
"Very good. His will is firm, and his courage grows with each setback.
I hope he can continue to grow, to contribute to the re-emergence of our Sword Realm and Tianjian Sect in the future."
Within the Sword Realm, at the headquarters of Tianjian Sect, Sword Elder stood with his hands clasped behind his back, gazing across the vast void distance at Ye Yunfei. He nodded slightly, a satisfied expression on his face as he murmured softly.