Su Qingmeng's fingers tapped repeatedly, and several Divine Thoughts transformed into streaks of light, flying into the Formation.
Li Shou's face instantly turned ashen, his body trembled, his features twitched, and sweat poured down like rain.
His Divine Soul felt as if it was being cut by a sharp blade, and old memories were forcibly stripped away, causing excruciating pain as if being torn apart.
Within the Formation, peach blossoms and blood-colored runes intertwined and spun, and the entire space seemed to fall into another dimension.
Su Qingmeng's expression was focused as she continuously manipulated the fine threads of Divine Thought, delving into the deepest parts of Li Shou's Sea of Consciousness.
Time passed minute by minute.
Finally, after a quarter of an hour, the Formation slowly stopped.
Li Shou was like a dried-up husk, collapsing in the center of the Formation, completely powerless, his breath as faint as a wisp of smoke.
Su Qingmeng withdrew her Divine Thought, but a strange glint appeared deep in her eyes.
She did not speak much in front of everyone but quietly transmitted the contents of the Soul Search to Jiang Ye via Divine Thought.
A moment later, Jiang Ye's expression subtly changed, and a faint smile slowly curved on his lips.
"So that's how it is..."
Not far away, Li Shou was drenched, his forehead covered in cold sweat, but fortunately, his Divine Soul was not damaged, only his essence, Qi, and spirit were slightly weakened.
He panted heavily, looking in Ye Qingyun's direction, and finally felt a little relieved.
Ye Qingyun also secretly let out a sigh of relief.
"Divine Son Jiang,"
Li Shou spoke, his voice slightly hoarse and his expression complex: "Since you already know all the information I possess, you should also understand the stakes involved. In fact, you don't need to rely on Ye Qingyun at all to get what you want."
"Why not just let him go? Although he is young, he isn't too deeply involved..."
His tone was low, yet it carried a sense of almost pleading persuasion.
Hearing this, Jiang Ye's lips curled into a cold smile, remaining silent.
This old fox, even in this predicament, was still thinking of securing a chance for Ye Qingyun to live, and even in his words, there was still a hint of probing.
How could he not see through it?
He couldn't be bothered to deal with it.
Jiang Ye turned to look at Ye Qingyun and spoke indifferently: "Brother Ye, today you should rest well at the Fan Family. Tomorrow, I will arrange the specific matters myself."
"Once you complete the task I assign, I will ensure that both of them survive."
After speaking, he turned and left, his tone as calm as water, yet carrying an undeniable authority.
Upon receiving the order, the Heavenly Prison Steward immediately stepped forward, released Ye Qingyun, arranged for him to bathe, heal, and replenish his Spiritual Qi Cultivation.
Seeing this, Li Shou's expression changed slightly, and he used his last ounce of strength to transmit a message to Ye Qingyun:
"Qingyun, you must understand that someone like Jiang Ye will never easily let people go. Even if you do his bidding, he will still kill us to eliminate future trouble."
"Now, the Ancient Immortal Domain is turbulent, and a storm is coming. Avoid it if you can, and do not put yourself in danger."
"It doesn't matter if we old bones die, but you are different; you still have a future..."
This was Li Shou's final instruction to Ye Qingyun.
Ye Qingyun remained silent for a long time, ultimately offering no response.
He understood what kind of person Jiang Ye was.
Someone who had regarded him as a tool from the very beginning.
And Ye Qingyun never considered himself some fated protagonist, but merely a Cultivator struggling to survive in a chaotic world, unwilling to bow his head.
As things stood now,
The best course of action was to quickly find an opportunity to leave this troubled place in the Ancient Immortal Domain and then plan for the future.
That night, he stayed in seclusion at the Fan Family, quietly contemplating.
Recalling what he had seen and heard these past few days, his state of mind had also quietly changed... Meanwhile, Jiang Ye received the Fan Family's Old Ancestor, Fan He, in another side hall.
Fan He's expression was complex as he solemnly presented an ancient, cracked, and dim stone, holding it with both hands before Jiang Ye.
"Your Highness Divine Son, this is one of the oldest treasures of my Fan Family, its origin untraceable. We only know that this object can slowly purify Spiritual Qi and enhance the resilience of Qi and blood."
"However, its drawback is that it's too slow, so slow that ordinary people cannot accept it."
"Cultivating with this object, one might not even reach the half-step Saint realm in their entire life."
Jiang Ye nodded, took the stone, and gently circulated Spiritual Qi in his palm, feeling a very ancient, almost stagnant power slowly flowing within it.
"Thank you, Old Ancestor Fan," he said calmly, his expression serene.
"This object is indeed unremarkable, but it has been repeatedly mentioned by the remnants of Fire Lotus City, and they even begged your Fan Family for a marriage alliance, which shows there must be a mystery within it."
"I don't know the exact reason, but I only guess that this object might be related to the Dragon Vein Secret Realm."
Hearing this, Fan He's old face twitched, but he didn't ask further.
Fan He also said with a fawning smile, "Divine Son Jiang, there's no need to be polite..."
The ancient stone had already been given to Jiang Ye, so knowing its function was no longer important, but Jiang Ye still revealed a little to him, also indicating his attitude.
For the Fan Family, this was already enough.
Fan Ying also stood beside Jiang Ye at this moment, and upon hearing these words, her pretty face changed slightly, and a hint of annoyance flashed in her eyes.
"Hmph, so that Ye Qingyun came to my Fan Family for a marriage alliance because of this broken stone?" She huffed in anger, her tone quite hurt.
"I saw his foolish appearance and thought he was truly indifferent to fame and fortune, but it turns out he's also a cunning villain with deep schemes."
"But..."
"Brother Jiang, are you really going to let Ye Qingyun go? If this person achieves something in the future, he will definitely seek revenge..."
Hearing this, Jiang Ye smiled indifferently: "Ying'er, there's no need to worry. This person is merely a temporary chess piece for me."
"Once he loses his value, I will naturally deal with him personally."
"Although I am not an evil person, I also understand the principle of nipping trouble in the bud."
Fan Ying felt a little relieved upon hearing this, her beautiful eyes blinking, both shy and joyful.
These past few days, although Jiang Ye maintained a somewhat elusive relationship with her, she gradually became infatuated.
Jiang Ye casually mentioned that during this time, he and Fan Ying were still in an ambiguous stage; it wasn't that she had no thoughts, but that he had no thoughts.
Hmm... after all, he... had recently been dealing with Su Qingmeng... This girl, Fan Ying, was quite well-behaved and sensible, and in terms of talent, she was also a potential stock that could be brought to the Jiang Clan to work for him in the future.
"Brother Jiang, what are your plans next?"
"Ying'er, tomorrow I plan to go to the Central State of the Ancient Immortal Domain to inspect the Ancient Immortal Court. It is said that the Ancient Immortal Court has a long history, beautiful scenery, and the heritage and reputation of an ancient Dao Immortal Sect. Would you like to go with me?" Jiang Ye said with a smile, inviting Fan Ying beside him.
Hearing this, Fan Ying's face immediately bloomed with a joyful smile, and she agreed without hesitation... That same day at dusk, Ye Qingyun, carrying a gray cloth bag, silently left the Fan Family.
He said nothing and bid no farewell.
He simply continued to Cultivate, hunt Yao Beasts, and rescue people from distress along the way, just as he had always done.
Within a few days, he traveled to many places, his Cultivation slightly improved, and he even made a few like-minded friends.
But his heart remained heavy.
He searched himself again and again, trying to find any monitoring methods left by Jiang Ye.
Alas, there was no trace at all.
It was precisely because of this that he felt even more uneasy.
He wasn't afraid of finding tracking methods; he was afraid of not finding them.
Not finding them meant he hadn't discovered anything.
"Alas... Shou Lao, Granny Yun..."
Ye Qingyun had experienced too much during this period, and his heart was still melancholic, but to some extent, no matter how emotionally distraught he became,
He could always return to the right path and act according to his original intentions.
He listened to Li Shou's words and was also thinking about how to escape Jiang Ye's clutches.
Although Li Shou and Granny Yun would die, Ye Qingyun would no longer have any hesitation.
But unfortunately, he tried to change direction and escape several times.
In less than a moment, Jiang Clan Heavenly Guards would stop him, forcing him back onto his original path.
They also threatened: "If you play a trick once, Li Shou will be tormented once."
Ye Qingyun was helpless.
Since he couldn't avoid it, he could only brace himself and venture into the Dragon Vein Secret Realm to fight for a chance at survival.
