Chapter 1123 - 1122: Pursuit Across Ten Thousand Miles

Three days later.

Central City.

Daqian Dynasty.

An estate hidden behind the palace.

This estate appears ordinary, but everyone reveres it as if it were a deity, for it is the ancestral palace of the Daqian Dynasty.

The ancestor, whose authority shook the dynasty, though he has not appeared for a long time, his reputation remains astonishing.

In the deepest part of the estate, in an ancient courtyard lit by green lamps, sat an elder with grey hair and a robust figure, yet his face remained youthful. He casually held a bowl of tea.

"Ancestor, have you recovered?"

A woman asked excitedly.

If Ye Qingchen were here, he would surely recognize her; she was Chen Lan, who had once ventured into Hidden Dragon Mountain and owed him elixirs. Chen Lan was now brimming with joy.

The strongest presence in the Daqian Dynasty was naturally this ancestor.

With the ancestor alive, the dynasty remains unshaken.

"Not only have I recovered, but my powers have improved by thirty percent," the ancestor said, holding the fragrant tea, a gleam flashing in his eyes:

"Ye the Demon is famous in Southern Heaven, with a Martial Dao talent that is astonishing, and his alchemy skills exceed ordinary imagination. Chen Lan, you have accomplished a grand feat this time! Tell me, what do you desire?"

Hearing this, Chen Lan became even more delighted.

With a word from the ancestor, she held an equivalent of an imperial pardon in the dynasty; even ascending to the throne, none would dare oppose.

Yet.

She still had one matter on her mind.

"Ancestor, these elixirs were obtained from Ye the Demon. On that day, I made a promise with him…"

"To return them with double the reward, yes?" The ancestor casually placed the fragrant tea down, a playful glimmer appearing in his eyes, speaking nonchalantly: "Ye the Demon is too young!"

Chen Lan froze, instantly feeling a sense of unease.

As expected.

The ancestor, half-smiling, said:

"If he were to use this elixir as leverage, even tenfold the reward leaves me with no choice but to acknowledge it and obediently provide him!"

"But now, this elixir is already in my stomach. What can Ye the Demon do to me?"

"Ancestor!"

Hearing this, Chen Lan's face changed drastically.

Only now did she understand— the ancestor intended to default!

"Ye the Demon possesses unrivaled might. If he learns of this, he surely won't let it slide!" Chen Lan said worriedly, a being like him couldn't possibly let himself be tricked blindly, right?

Once Ye Qingchen grows impatient without result, he would undoubtedly storm the Daqian Dynasty. Wouldn't that mean they would unnecessarily create a formidable enemy?

Bear in mind.

She had witnessed Ye Qingchen's terrifying prowess firsthand!

"Haha!"

However.

The ancestor merely laughed heartily at Chen Lan's worries. Amid her confusion, he continued:

"Ye the Demon is now unable to protect himself!"

"Perhaps you aren't aware, but the leaders of the Thirty-Six Sects have sworn an oath to join forces and kill Ye the Demon! Once this battle begins, it will be a life-and-death struggle. Do you think, no matter how strong Ye the Demon is, he can overcome the Thirty-Six Sects?"

"There's such a matter?"

Chen Lan's eyes widened.

Southern Heaven and Central City are quite far apart, news travels slowly.

The ancestor smiled a triumphant grin reminiscent of an old fox's success and said with a faint smile:

"Ye the Demon's chances of survival in this battle are slim. Even if he barely survives, he'd likely be driven out of Southern Heaven by the Thirty-Six Sects. A stray dog like him, do you think, with our Daqian Dynasty's strength, we would fear him?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Lan nodded in realization, just as she was about to speak, the Communication Stone in her bosom suddenly trembled. She quickly scanned it with her divine sense and when she recovered, her face turned grave.

"What's wrong? Is it news about Ye the Demon?"

The ancestor asked casually.

Though the Communication Stone isolates divine sense to prevent others from intercepting secrets, he, being a Celestial Immortal, could still pick out several keywords, resembling a report about the war in Southern Heaven.

Chen Lan's eyes flickered several times, ultimately sighing:

"Just three days ago, before Li Huo Palace, Ye the Demon battled the Thirty-Six Sects. Before all in the world, he slew thirty-three Celestial Immortal Sect Leaders, only Yi Tianli escaped."

Upon those words.

A deathly silence enveloped the hall, the sound of a pin dropping could be heard.

The ancestor's expression turned fearful, no longer the calm composure from before.

…

As the world reeled in shock and awe, Ye Qingchen was already in pursuit of Yi Tianli.

For a Celestial Immortal.

If one wishes to hide, they become nearly impossible to trace. Even Ye Qingchen might not find him. But Yi Tianli made the critical mistake of releasing that Li Fire True Qi as he fled, trying to obstruct Ye Qingchen.

Consequently, the spirit contained within that Li Fire True Qi became a clue for Ye Qingchen to track him down.

"With your spirit in my hand, you can't escape me even if you flee to the ends of the earth!" Ye Qingchen narrowed his eyes. In his field of vision, a blood-red line extended to an unknown location.

However, this bloodline was sometimes ethereal, sometimes blurred.

That's because Yi Tianli, with his Celestial Immortal powers, obscured his location, displaying an extraordinary phenomenon.

"With Yi Tianli's strength, he shouldn't have any way to obscure his own position…" Ye Qingchen watched that intermittently appearing bloodline. He even extended his divine sense, feeling a scorching sensation akin to Li Fire True Qi:

"Could it be that Demon Fire Furnace?"

Ye Qingchen furrowed his brow.

In his mind, the image of that peculiar fire furnace, several thousand zhang tall and even larger than a mountain peak, floated vividly.

In the previous battle.

Ye Qingchen had noticed that Yi Tianli's power among the Thirty-Six Sect Leaders wasn't top-tier. But his fire was quite troublesome for Ye Qingchen, compelling him to capture it with the Crimson Mist Cauldron.

"Zhu Jin seemed to mention before!"

"Cyan Flame Sect was a minor sect. Later, by chance, they obtained a piece of meteorite iron and crafted this Demon Fire Furnace, thus joining the ranks of the Thirty-Six Sects! Could that meteorite iron be…" Ye Qingchen suddenly seemed to realize something.

Bear in mind.

His Crimson Mist Cauldron had also been enhanced by absorbing two pieces of meteorite iron, reaching its present state.

"If I could acquire that Demon Fire Furnace, my Crimson Mist Cauldron would surely advance a tier!" Ye Qingchen was pleased, "The advancement rate of the Crimson Mist Cauldron has slowed…"

"Then, aside from the Heaven-Breaking Profound Extremity Pointing and the Ten Thousand Treasures Sword Scripture, I'd have another trump card!"

Ye Qingchen thought.

After all.

He had fought many battles, and his abilities had already been discovered by outsiders. To others, the Crimson Mist Cauldron had always been his alchemy tool, often overlooked. If the Crimson Mist Cauldron could devour the Demon Fire Furnace, its power would undoubtedly surpass that wielded by Yi Tianli.

"Huh?"

"The direction he's fleeing…"

While Ye Qingchen pondered, he suddenly furrowed his brows, noticing that Yi Tianli's direction had changed.

His fleeing route was unmistakably headed toward the Extreme North!