A short while later, Ye Yunfei entered the mountain range. Finding a spot abundant with the aura of the Five Elements, he took out his artifact refining furnace and began reforging his Five Elements Spirit Swords.
For Ye Yunfei, this was already routine work.
At the same time, within the Heavenly Dao Academy.
Inside a training room situated on one of the cultivation peaks, a young woman in a red dress sat cross-legged, meditating with her eyes closed.
It was Jiang Yanran!
She wanted to enter secluded cultivation, but found her thoughts in chaos, making it difficult to truly settle down.
"I wonder how Ye Yunfei is doing now? He should be fine, right? So many Soul Formation Realm masters couldn't do anything to him, so he should be alright. But it's been so long, and there hasn't been a single word from him. Where has he gone?" Thoughts of Ye Yunfei surfaced in Jiang Yanran's heart.
Ever since Ye Yunfei had left Shattered Valley last time, he had never shown his face publicly in the Beihuang Domain again. Jiang Yanran had inquired in many places but hadn't heard any news about him.
"Could it be that he's already left the Beihuang Domain for elsewhere? That's possible. After all, he's offended quite a few people in the Beihuang Domain. If he really has left, will I ever have the chance to see him again?" Jiang Yanran's mind was in utter turmoil.
"What's wrong with me? Why do I keep thinking about that guy lately!" Thinking up to here, Jiang Yanran couldn't help but blush crimson.
Right at that moment.
Suddenly.
Jiang Yanran's expression shifted, and she took out a communication jade slip.
"A matter of great importance. Return to the family immediately. Without fail!" A voice sounded from within the jade slip.
"A matter of great importance? Has something happened at the family?" Jiang Yanran was taken aback.
"However, thinking about it, it's true I haven't gone back to see the family for a while. Alright, I'll take this chance to go back and take a look."
Jiang Yanran stood up and walked out of the training room. She took out a flying ship, boarded it, and immediately soared into the sky, heading back in the direction of her family.
As an elite student of the Heavenly Dao Academy, she had few restrictions within the academy and enjoyed great freedom of movement. Usually, nobody bothered her.
A day later.
News spread across the Beihuang Domain at a shocking, lightning-fast speed.
The head of the Tianzhou Liu Family was about to take a concubine and planned to hold a grand banquet, celebrating a lively wedding!
The person the Liu Family Head was taking as a concubine was an elite female student of the Heavenly Dao Academy named Jiang Yanran!
"Truly enviable! I've heard that Jiang Yanran is a famous goddess among the students of the Heavenly Dao Academy! The Liu Family Head is truly an old cow eating tender grass; what fortune!"
"How strange! Why would an elite female student of the Heavenly Dao Academy, with a great future ahead of her, suddenly marry the Liu Family Head? And as a concubine to boot!"
"I heard it's the Jiang Family's decision. The Jiang Family is only a second-rate power in the Beihuang Domain, while the Liu Family is a first-rate power. I reckon the Jiang Family wants to latch onto the Liu Family, which is why they're marrying Jiang Yanran off to the Liu Family Head. The Jiang Family really is ruthless! They're willing to give away Jiang Yanran, an elite student of the Heavenly Dao Academy, to be the Liu Family Head's concubine!"
...
After the news spread out, it aroused much discussion—some envious, some speculative.
Not long after, another piece of news about Jiang Yanran began to circulate.
The reason Jiang Yanran was willing to marry the Liu Family Head as a concubine was related to Ye Yunfei!
Jiang Yanran originally had feelings for Ye Yunfei, had been involved with him long ago, and had developed an ambiguous relationship! However, she was discarded heartlessly by Ye Yunfei. In her heartbreak and disappointment, she accepted her family's arrangements and agreed to marry the Liu Family Head as his concubine!
This news spread like wildfire throughout the entire Beihuang Domain within a short period.
Moreover, neither the Jiang Family nor the Liu Family made any attempt to clarify.
In fact, many Liu Family members even implied in private that this news was true.
"So Jiang Yanran marrying the Liu Family Head is actually related to Ye Yunfei!"
"I heard Ye Yunfei once killed the Liu Family Head's daughter. Now, his woman ends up with the Liu Family Head. The relations are so tangled!"
Innumerable people across the Beihuang Domain were discussing this.
Such a sensational piece of gossip unexpectedly garnered much attention even in the world of martial cultivators!
After hearing the news, the upper echelons of the Heavenly Dao Academy dispatched experts to personally visit the Jiang Family and inquire about the circumstances.
After all, Jiang Yanran was an elite student of the academy, a key student under their cultivation. However, the Jiang Family elders uniformly insisted that Jiang Yanran was volunteering to marry the Liu Family Head and requested the Heavenly Dao Academy not to interfere in the matter.
The Heavenly Dao Academy's upper echelons had no choice but to drop it.
"Five days from now, the Liu Family Head will take his concubine! A grand banquet will be held in Liu City! All members of the martial world are sincerely invited to attend the feast in Liu City!"
Members of the Liu Family began sending out invitations far and wide.
Furthermore, they posted announcements everywhere, inviting anyone who saw the notice to come to Liu City on that day to attend the Liu Family Head's concubine-taking banquet!
This approach by the Liu Family had the air of fearing the world might not know!
"It's just taking a concubine. Is there a need to proclaim it everywhere and make such a big spectacle? Could it be the Liu Family has other aims?" Some sharp-witted individuals sensed something strange and speculated in secret.
Jiang Family Headquarters.
Within a lady's chamber, Jiang Yanran sat blankly before a dressing table, listless and crestfallen. An attractive middle-aged woman whose looks bore some resemblance to Jiang Yanran kept her company.
"Mother, is there truly no escape from the Liu Family's clutches? I absolutely cannot marry the Liu Family Head as a concubine! I would rather die!" Jiang Yanran spoke mournfully.
"Yanran, if you don't do as they wish and marry the Liu Family Head, our Jiang Family will be exterminated immediately. Perhaps... this is your fate," the middle-aged woman replied, her eyes rimmed red.
"Is there really no other way?" Jiang Yanran asked.
"They are too powerful. To them, our Jiang Family is nothing more than an ant, easily crushed with a flick of the hand. Yanran, we simply cannot resist. Furthermore, our Jiang Family is now heavily guarded by them. Even if we wanted to flee, we couldn't escape. And besides... your father has already been imprisoned by them." The middle-aged woman shook her head.
An expression of despair appeared in Jiang Yanran's beautiful eyes.
"Yanran, I must ask you. What exactly is your relationship with that Ye Yunfei?" the middle-aged woman suddenly inquired.
"Mother, he is my savior. Beyond that, there is no other relationship. The Liu Family is spreading rumors everywhere about me and Ye Yunfei simply to draw his attention and make him appear to save me." Jiang Yanran explained.
"Do you think Ye Yunfei will come to save you?" the middle-aged woman asked.
"I don't know," Jiang Yanran was stunned, then slowly shook her head.
"Would he come to save me? In his eyes, I'm probably just an ordinary friend, right? Would he be willing to take risks for me? But if he really did come... he would surely fall into a heavy encirclement and be in grave danger... It's better if he doesn't come..." Jiang Yanran's heart was a mess, utterly confused and tangled.
At the same time.
Liu Family Headquarters.
Within a meeting hall.
The Liu Family Head, a number of Liu Family elders, and more than a dozen other experts with terrifying auras were seated in the hall.
"Family Head, we have already spread the news of you taking Jiang Yanran as a concubine throughout the entire Beihuang Domain. I believe Ye Yunfei will definitely receive the news," a Liu Family elder reported to the Family Head.
"He should receive it," the Liu Family Head said.
"Even if he gets the news, will he come to save Jiang Yanran?" a Liu Family elder asked doubtfully.
"Ye Yunfei will definitely come. Given Ye Yunfei's intelligence, as soon as he hears this news, he'll surely understand that your Liu Family is trying to force him to show himself through Jiang Yanran. Judging from Ye Yunfei's various actions on the Tianxuan Continent, he is a man who highly values camaraderie and loyalty. He has had dealings with Jiang Yanran and even saved her within Shattered Valley. It's clear they share a deep connection. Therefore, I dare to guarantee that Ye Yunfei will definitely come to save Jiang Yanran. When that day comes, we'll lay down a heaven-and-earth net and simply wait for Ye Yunfei to come rescue her," a tall Ancient Demon Race member in the hall spoke.
Near Shiyan City.
Within a chain of undulating mountains.
Inside a wide valley.
An artifact refining furnace sat in the center of the valley, fierce flames burning within.
Ye Yunfei sat cross-legged before the furnace.
"Swords are finished!"
At a certain moment, Ye Yunfei pointed a finger towards the interior of the furnace.
*Hum hum hum!*
Five spirit swords of different colors flew out from within the furnace and shot skyward. Each spirit sword trailed vast sword qi, resembling five great dragons soaring through the sky.
"Excellent results." Ye Yunfei sensed the aura of the five spirit swords and nodded satisfactorily.
This time, Ye Yunfei had procured several dozen Illusion-Grade Treasures from the Wanbao Trading Company to use in reforging the Five Elements Spirit Swords. While Illusion-Grade Treasures were costly, Ye Yunfei had obtained thirty to forty million high-grade Spirit Crystals from selling Ethereal Spirit Pills. Money was no issue!
"My current Spiritual Power realm is late-stage Great Mystic Pill Realm. Combined with these five reforged spirit swords, I can effortlessly slaughter any Primordial Soul Realm existence, as easily as killing chickens and slaughtering dogs!" Ye Yunfei said confidently.
"Alright, time to go back." Ye Yunfei stored away the five spirit swords.
Then, he took out his flying ship and headed back towards the secluded location where the Tang Clan members resided. That place was, for the time being, a stronghold for the Qingyun Palace!
Half a day later, Ye Yunfei returned to the underground cavern complex.
"Ye Yunfei, there's a piece of news related to you." The moment he returned, Tang Fifth Elder came to find Ye Yunfei and informed him of the news that Jiang Yanran was about to marry the Liu Family Head as a concubine. He also told Ye Yunfei all the relevant information surrounding the matter.
"The Liu Family!" After listening, Ye Yunfei's expression turned grim, a chilling coldness flashing in his eyes.
Ye Yunfei understood immediately: the Liu Family was trying to force him to show himself through Jiang Yanran!
He realized the Liu Family must have discovered Jiang Yanran's relationship with him and devised this method. After all, his whereabouts during this period had been elusive; the Liu Family simply didn't have the ability to find him.
"The Liu Family... has no need to exist!" Ye Yunfei spoke word by word, a roiling killing intent churning around his body.
"And besides the Liu Family, behind this, there are certainly other forces like the Ancient Demon Race, the Tianji Sect, and others! These factions are using this opportunity to force me out of hiding to encircle and kill me." Ye Yunfei thought to himself.
His mind was extraordinarily sharp; he had grasped the whole scheme in an instant.