Chapter 2362 - 2363: Supreme Pinnacle of the Multiverse!

Chapter 2362: Chapter 2363: Supreme Pinnacle of the Multiverse!

In the blink of an eye, three months had passed, and Ye Qiu was still in closed retreat.

Jin Shanshun, Qin Feng, and Caius constantly stayed around Ye Qiu’s retreat to prevent anyone from disturbing him.

Just like that, another month passed. Finally, in the fifth month of his retreat, Ye Qiu emerged.

"Young Master."

"Young Master."

Seeing Ye Qiu appear, the three of them greeted him respectfully. Jin Shanshun and Qin Feng were relatively less perceptive, but Caius, being at the Celestial Realm, could sense a terrifying power hidden within Ye Qiu.

That power was like flowing water, alive, moving around him, extraordinarily unique.

The formidable power Caius sensed was none other than Ye Qiu’s Bloodline Power, refined over the last two months.

The amount of Bloodline Power determines the intensity of corruption. Two months were spent refining it, increasing its presence significantly; Caius sensed precisely this Bloodline Power.

It was because the Bloodline Power reached a satisfactory level that Ye Qiu chose to end his retreat.

"How long was I in retreat?"

"Young Master, you’ve been in retreat for five months already."

"Oh? Almost half a year?" Ye Qiu was slightly surprised; it was quite a lengthy retreat for him, as he usually spent just two to three months.

In fact, compared to other strong practitioners, Ye Qiu’s months-long retreat was truly not long; some warriors retreat for half a year or more.

Ye Qiu was indeed quick.

"Sect Leader."

Everyone, including Jin Xiaoshun, rushed over to see Ye Qiu, and soon, a group of women joined them. With Ye Qiu emerging, Dan Shen Sect immediately became lively once again.

"You’ve been in retreat for so long, it seems the gains were not small," said Teacher Zhuo Miaoshan, smiling.

He was extremely satisfied with his disciple Ye Qiu, even though Ye Qiu had numerous adversaries and was in an unending conflict with the Heavenly Palace. Zhuo Miaoshan didn’t view this as troublesome; on the contrary, he was proud that Ye Qiu could engage the Heavenly Palace in continuous battles. In the entire realm, whose disciple could achieve what Ye Qiu did?

Upon seeing Ye Qiu emerge, Zhuo Miaoshan, a formidable presence in the Celestial Realm, noticed Ye Qiu’s energy was not overwhelmingly fierce but rather gentle.

What truly caught his attention was Ye Qiu’s physical form, which, upon careful observation, revealed an astounding hidden power—the Bloodline Power Caius sensed, continually flowing within him.

Seeing Teacher Zhuo Miaoshan inquire, Ye Qiu smiled and said, "I gained a little."

"Oh? Then I must test the fruits of your retreat." Zhuo Miaoshan was eager to gauge his disciple’s current strength.

"Teacher, you’ll get hurt."

"Uh..."

"You’re not modest, I have to put a limit on you today."

"Teacher, better not. You really might get hurt."

"You think your teacher spent these days idle? Remember, while you were diligently cultivating, others were not idle either."

"Alright, then, Teacher, please." Ye Qiu extended his hand.

He did want to test his current strength; after being in retreat so long, he had refined his martial arts thoroughly, even reviewing alchemy and formations, gaining significant insights in these areas.

Increased research led to cross-disciplinary advancement; Ye Qiu’s martial arts benefited from his studies in alchemy and formations, enhancing all three paths simultaneously.

This was the main achievement; regarding Bloodline Power, he spent two months refining it, unsure how much corruption it could handle. However, he was certain that even facing the Celestial Emperor, he wouldn’t perform as poorly as before; while unable to match the Emperor yet, he wouldn’t be as helpless as before.

Ye Qiu and Zhuo Miaoshan began their sparring, with everyone gathering around.

The clash was imminent.

Swish.

Caius’s eyes gleamed with insight as Ye Qiu made his move; he could instantly perceive the difference in Ye Qiu after his retreat.

A sense of completeness enveloped Ye Qiu, with no sharp or aggressive aura; instead, he exuded an aura of perfection.

Ye Qiu imparted a feeling of smoothness and elegance.

"Late peak, perhaps?"

Caius’s keen eyes discerned Ye Qiu’s realm; he had stepped into the final stage of the Celestial Realm and was just one step away from becoming a Dao Lord.

The sparring between the two didn’t last long; experts’ exchanges are often brief, as victory is decided in an instant.

Thus, shortly after initiating, within twenty breaths, both halted.

Yet none could discern the winner, as the spar was friendly, not lethal, thus no injuries occurred.

"Teacher has superior skill; I concede," said Ye Qiu.

"Senior Zhuo prevails!"

"The Sect Leader’s teacher is indeed formidable!"

The crowd, hearing this, assumed Zhuo Miaoshan was victorious; Zhuo was slightly embarrassed, winked at Ye Qiu thinking why he said so, knowing full well he had actually lost.

Ye Qiu smiled, unwilling to embarrass his teacher Zhuo Miaoshan publicly.

Zhuo’s wisdom was profound, understanding Ye Qiu conceded out of respect.

Truthfully, in their clash, Zhuo was outmatched.

"You needn’t be modest; it’s like you’re insulting your teacher. It’s my disciple who won, not me, and that’s my greatest pride," Zhuo Miaoshan admitted openly.

"Teacher..." Ye Qiu was slightly helpless seeing Zhuo confess in public.

Now understanding, everyone realized Ye Qiu deliberately conceded.

But victory, loss, was secondary; they were family.

Seeing everyone, Ye Qiu felt something was amiss, someone absent.

With Jin Shanshun and others present, why wasn’t Hua Wuji here?

Turning his gaze, Ye Qiu looked at Jin Xiaoshun; they usually were inseparable, their rivalry a facade, their bond deep.

"Xiaoshun, where’s Wuji?"

Aha.

Hearing Ye Qiu’s inquiry about Hua Wuji, Jin Xiaoshun hesitated, prompting Ye Qiu to frown, realizing something transpired during his retreat.

"What happened? Speak up," Ye Qiu urged impatiently.

"Sect Leader, Elder Hua Wuji... locked himself away, refusing to meet anyone."

"Why?"

"Because... because Elder Hua Wuji’s family was annihilated."

What!

Ye Qiu was stunned immediately.