Above the Zhengyi Sect, Ye Ling held the demon qi balloon that sealed the Qi Fuling in one hand, calmly gazing at Long Dao Mountain below.
While sealing the Qi Fuling, his divine soul still covered a radius of thirty li, observing the movements of all异士 (yi shi - extraordinary individuals), including evil spirits and demonic beasts.
Ye Ling had sealed the Qi Fuling, and the 异士 controlling it would surely sense it.
The undying and indestructible seventh-grade Qi Fuling was an extremely precious treasure to any force, and the Hongchen Pavilion was no exception.
The 异士 hiding behind the scenes would not be content to let Ye Ling take the Qi Fuling so easily; they would definitely find a way to snatch it back.
Under these circumstances, the 异士 behind the scenes would most likely head towards the Zhengyi Sect to find out what had happened to their lost Qi Fuling.
Therefore, Ye Ling had been watching the movements of the 异士 within a thirty-li radius and soon discovered that three 异士 were moving towards the Zhengyi Sect.
One seventh-grade and two sixth-grade, all of them were individuals ranked among the 异士 circles in Huaguo.
"Among these three, there should be someone from the Hongchen Pavilion. I'll just wait for them to come to me."
Ye Ling smiled slightly, instantly appearing in the back mountain of the Zhengyi Sect, stopping in an open space, and releasing the seventh-grade Qi Fuling again.
The Qi Fuling, regaining its freedom, charged at Ye Ling once more, its face contorted in ferocity.
Unfortunately, before it could get close to Ye Ling, its limbs were pierced by the demonic sword formed from Ye Ling's demon qi, pinning it to a tree trunk.
After controlling the Qi Fuling, Ye Ling sat down on the ground, closed his eyes to regulate his breathing, and waited there for people from the Hongchen Pavilion to come looking for him.
Waiting for the rabbit.
Not long after, Ye Ling sensed that all three had arrived at the back mountain of the Zhengyi Sect.
Their identities were already quite obvious.
They were all from the Hongchen Pavilion.
The bright moon hung high, and the forest was silent, with only the glow of fireflies twinkling around, dancing around Ye Ling.
The Qi Fuling's mouth had been sealed by Ye Ling, completely rendering it immobile.
However, because of the artifact, its aura remained at its peak, not declining.
The three 异士 from the Hongchen Pavilion were each hidden in the shadows of the forest. Upon discovering the Qi Fuling pinned to the tree by Ye Ling, they did not act immediately. Instead, they quietly observed Ye Ling while simultaneously seeking support from the Hongchen Pavilion.
When they controlled the Qi Fuling through the artifact, they were unaware of its specific combat situation, only knowing its general location and the amount of energy consumed.
Initially, the Qi Fuling had died twice. The three 异士 from the Hongchen Pavilion thought that another hidden force had also targeted Zhang Muya, and a group of 异士 had ganged up to deal with the Qi Fuling.
Later, when the Qi Fuling was sealed, they thought that the opposing force had unleashed some secret treasure to suppress it.
They had intended to come over and, together with the Qi Fuling, repel the enemy force.
But when they followed the Qi Fuling to the back mountain of the Zhengyi Sect, they discovered that the one suppressing the Qi Fuling was Ye Ling alone!
One person suppressing a seventh-grade undying and indestructible Qi Fuling was a completely different matter than a force suppressing it!
A force might rely on sheer numbers and use formations to overwhelm the not-so-intelligent Qi Fuling.
Their side could then respond individually and break through one by one!
But one person suppressing an undying and indestructible seventh-grade Qi Fuling… this meant that Ye Ling's strength was at least above eighth-grade, surpassing theirs!
The three of them, one seventh-grade and two sixth-grade, might not even be able to withstand a single move from Ye Ling if they joined forces!
"Three, you've been hiding in the forest for a while, why don't you come out?"
After a moment, Ye Ling's voice echoed in the ears of the three 异士, causing their expressions to change slightly.
Knowing that their whereabouts had been exposed, the three 异士 no longer bothered to hide. They sprang out from the shadows of the forest, blocking the Qi Fuling, and stared at Ye Ling vigilantly.
In their hands, each held a magatama, in three colors: black, white, and red.
Ye Ling glanced at the magatama in their hands and chuckled, "Were you the ones manipulating that Qi Fuling from behind?"
"There might be some misunderstanding. Our target is not you."
The seventh-grade 异士 holding the red magatama spoke first, saying to Ye Ling, "Our goals might be the same."
Ye Ling smiled, "I know better than you whether our goals are the same."
"Your Hongchen Pavilion, for Zhang Muya, sends seventh and eighth-grade 异士 in droves, as if they were free."
"I'm very curious, since your master behind the scenes wants to eliminate Zhang Muya so badly, has he personally presided over this battle?"
Hearing Ye Ling's words, the seventh-grade 异士's expression changed slightly. He instantly pulled out a dagger from behind him, extremely vigilant.
With Ye Ling having said so much, if they still didn't understand Ye Ling's attitude towards the Hongchen Pavilion, they wouldn't have lasted long in the martial world.
"Sir, we are all just trying to make a living. There's no need to push things to the extreme," the seventh-grade 异士 said solemnly. "As long as you return the Qi Fuling to us, we can give Zhang Muya to you!"
"Consider it giving our Hongchen Pavilion some face."
Ye Ling chuckled again, sensing that another group of Hongchen Pavilion 异士 had stealthily ascended the mountain under the cover of night. Even Zhuge Yehan and Wu Chengcheng from the Zhengyi Sect had received distress signals and were rushing over.
Sensing the movements of the Hongchen Pavilion 异士, Ye Ling's smile grew more pronounced, as if he knew nothing. He said to the three in front of him, "Your Hongchen Pavilion are all rats that can't see the light. You sneak around to kill an old man who is about to die. Where is there any face to speak of?"
As soon as Ye Ling uttered these words, the three could not hide their anger, staring at Ye Ling and saying, "Sir, you may be too arrogant. There is always someone better, and there is always a higher heaven. Maintaining basic humility is the only way to survive in this circle for a long time."
"There is always someone better, and there is always a higher heaven… that is a truly fitting statement."
Ye Ling stood up, "It's a pity that in this world, no one is qualified to say that to me yet."
As his voice fell, Ye Ling instantly moved behind the three.
"You three are still far from it."
Hearing Ye Ling's words from behind, the three felt their hair stand on end, goosebumps rising all over!
What kind of speed was this?
The three were greatly alarmed and wanted to distance themselves from Ye Ling, but before they could even take a step, Ye Ling kicked them to their knees, and the magatama in their hands flew out.
Ye Ling reached out, and the three magatama flew into his hands.
"I didn't expect this magatama to hide a seventh-grade Qi Fuling. You have quite a few tricks!" Ye Ling chuckled after obtaining the magatama, sensing that another Qi Fuling was hidden within.
Then, Ye Ling collected the Qi Fuling pinned to the tree back into the magatama and walked in front of the three.
"You, you… Who exactly are you!"
Seeing that Ye Ling could easily erase their marks and control the magatama, the three were all greatly shocked, terrified by Ye Ling's strength!
Even if Ye Ling was eighth-grade, they were not made of mud. With the additional Qi Fuling hidden within the magatama, they were confident they could stall until the Hongchen Pavilion reinforcements arrived.
But now…
They were directly forced to their knees without even engaging Ye Ling in combat!
With such a huge gap in strength, they could not imagine how strong Ye Ling truly was!
Beep beep beep!
At this moment, Ye Ling's phone rang.
Dark Night Rose was calling.
Ye Ling took out his phone in front of the three, covering them with demon qi as he answered, "Is there a result?"
"Emperor, the terminal server has been found. Also…" Dark Night Rose paused for a moment, "While we were infiltrating the Hongchen Pavilion's system, we also discovered an incredible secret."
"A secret?"
Ye Ling's eyes narrowed slightly, "Tell me about it!"