Watching the young attendant scurry upstairs, Ye Yun merely scoffed. "Let's go. We're heading to the second floor."
"Yes!" Luo Li agreed and followed Ye Yun directly to the second floor.
Another young attendant was stationed at the top of the stairs. Seeing their imposing aura, he dared not obstruct them.
The attendant who had rushed upstairs to report never imagined Ye Yun and Luo Li would follow so closely. He had just reached the door of a private room to make his report when he saw Ye Yun and Luo Li walk in. This left him utterly flustered, unsure how to proceed.
The shopkeeper was an elderly man with a full white beard. When he saw them barge in, his face darkened, and his eyes blazed with anger.
"I have an important guest here. Please wait outside!" The old shopkeeper, his expression grim, issued an order to expel them.
Beside him sat a middle-aged man in a black robe. This middle-aged man possessed an extremely high cultivation base; astonishingly, he was a great Cultivator at the Peak of the Tenth Realm of the Origin Sea Realm.
"Both of you, please leave with me, and wait a while!" the young attendant turned, shaking his head with a wry smile.
"None of your business. Scram!" Ye Yun reached out and casually swatted the young attendant aside.
"Arrogant!" The old shopkeeper, enraged by Ye Yun and Luo Li's audacity, said icily, "Do you two not understand the rules of our Wanbao Pavilion?"
"Rules are made by people!" Ye Yun's gaze, sharp as a sword, fixed coldly on the old shopkeeper. He chuckled, "They're also meant to be broken!"
"Very... fine!" Ye Yun's words made the old shopkeeper's face turn black, then red, then livid.
He couldn't discern the depth of the young man before him; he appeared to be an ordinary person with no cultivation base whatsoever. Yet, the breathtakingly beautiful girl beside him possessed an astonishing cultivation, having reached the Peak of the Tenth Realm of the Origin Sea Realm. It was this girl he was truly wary of.
The black-robed middle-aged man, who had been sitting silently, suddenly stood up. With his hands clasped behind his back and eyes narrowed, he stared at Ye Yun and sneered, "To think that the insignificant Ancient Moon Dynasty would harbor such an arrogant individual. Truly an eye-opener!"
Seeing the black-robed man's sudden anger, the old shopkeeper quickly turned and said apologetically, "Elder Liu, please forgive us. This incident arose because of our Wanbao Pavilion; naturally, we will resolve it!"
"HUMPH!" The black-robed man grunted coldly and sat back down, his face sullen. Evidently, he was showing deference to Wanbao Pavilion.
"Luo Li!" Ye Yun suddenly yelled, "Get him!"
Hearing her Old Ancestor's command, Luo Li didn't hesitate in the slightest. Drawing the Supreme Golden Dragon Sword, her aura surged as she slashed out, her Sword aimed directly at the black-robed man.
"Damn it!" Seeing this astonishing Sword strike, the black-robed man was terrified. He hastily scrambled up and dodged to the side.
Luo Li's Sword abruptly changed direction in mid-air, instantly pursuing him.
"This is absolutely outrageous!" The black-robed man roared in fury. Finally freeing his hands, he drew his own Sword. A flash of Sword light shot towards Luo Li.
CLANG!
The two Swords collided. With a crisp CRACK, the black-robed man's Sword shattered.
SWISH!
Like a fleeting dragon, another Sword light descended, and Luo Li's Sword pierced the black-robed man's arm.
The black-robed man cried out, staggering back repeatedly.
The entire exchange was incredibly swift, a dazzling blur of motion. Before the old shopkeeper could even react, the battle between the two great Cultivators at the Peak of the Tenth Realm of the Origin Sea Realm was over. What astounded him was that the teenage girl was so formidable, injuring Elder Liu with a single Sword strike.
The old shopkeeper was trembling all over.
The young girl's Swordsmanship was fast, vicious, and precise; her killing power was terrifying. Unless he gathered all the experts in Wanbao Pavilion, only then might they have a chance against her. But he feared that before he could even call for help, this beautiful young girl would silence him permanently.
"Get lost!" Ye Yun glanced at the black-robed man indifferently.
Clutching his bleeding arm, the black-robed man didn't dare utter a single defiant word. He scurried away from Wanbao Pavilion in disgrace.
He could see that the young girl had an extraordinary background and immense strength; she was far beyond anyone he could afford to provoke.
Now, only Luo Li, Ye Yun, and the old shopkeeper remained in the private room. The old shopkeeper trembled uncontrollably, unable to conceal his profound terror.
"Esteemed guests, please, ask anything. This old one will speak all he knows, holding nothing back!" his voice trembled as he spoke.
Pointing her Sword at the old shopkeeper, Luo Li demanded angrily, "Who exactly ordered you to capture the descendants of the Dragon God Sect?"
Hearing Luo Li's question, the old shopkeeper visibly hesitated, on the verge of speaking but then catching himself.
"Speak. Or you can die right now!" Ye Yun glanced at the old shopkeeper with a murderous glint in his eyes.
At Ye Yun's glance, the old shopkeeper felt as if he'd been plunged into an icy abyss, his entire body turning cold in an instant. For a moment, he hallucinated, seeing himself enveloped by an endless, blood-red Hell with no possibility of escape. This young man is terrifyingly powerful! His mind reeled, his heart in turmoil. He knew he had encountered truly formidable figures this time.
"My Lord, I... I don't know who issued the task," the old shopkeeper stammered. "That person is highly mysterious and always wears a Bronze Mask. He posted the task to hunt down disciples of the Dragon God Sect, and the reward offered to our Wanbao Pavilion was exceptionally generous!" He recounted everything meticulously, his voice still trembling.
Ye Yun's expression was indifferent.
The old shopkeeper's words were within Ye Yun's expectations. The true mastermind was exceedingly cautious, taking such care even when dealing with a minor power like the Dragon God Sect, never revealing their own hand.
"More than ten days ago, one of my junior martial brothers was captured by people from the Qing Sword Gate. Where is he now?" Luo Li pressed, her Sword still pointed at the shopkeeper, her voice hoarse.
"He was taken away by that mysterious masked person!" the old shopkeeper replied, his face pale.
"Do you know where he was taken?" Luo Li pressed urgently.
The old shopkeeper looked out the window, recalling for a few moments before saying, "As he was leaving, he only uttered three words... Ten Thousand Ghost Ridge..."
"What? Ten Thousand Ghost Ridge?" Luo Li's heart trembled violently.
The Ten Thousand Ghost Ridge... according to legend, it's a forbidden land. Countless malevolent ghosts are said to dwell there, a place rumored to connect directly to the Nine Soul Nether Hell. No one dares venture near that forbidden zone. Anyone who does has never returned alive.
However, there are exceptions. Every hundred years, the Ten Thousand Ghost Ridge hosts a special 'Sky Lantern' sacrificial ritual. This 'Sky Lantern' ritual involves various factions of the Ancient Moon Dynasty capturing heinous criminals or even innocent Loose Cultivators and sending them to the Ten Thousand Ghost Ridge to be lit as Sky Lanterns. Using humans as wicks and their flesh and blood as oil, they are said to burn for a full forty-nine days before finally perishing completely.
During this burning process, the Ten Thousand Ghost Ridge erupts with myriad ghosts, their howls echoing through the mountains as if in celebration of a festival. Yet, those who deliver the offerings are always able to return safely. By coordinating this special sacrificial method of lighting Sky Lanterns, the major powers ensure a century of peace around the Ten Thousand Ghost Ridge.
"Where is this Ten Thousand Ghost Ridge?" Ye Yun's expression flickered slightly as he looked at Luo Li.
Luo Li hurriedly recounted everything she knew about the Ten Thousand Ghost Ridge to her Old Ancestor.
Ye Yun nodded slightly. It seems this Ten Thousand Ghost Ridge is another mysterious faction that emerged in later years.
Luo Li sighed, a dreadful guess forming in her heart. Little Brother has been captured for over ten days now... His cultivation base isn't high; sent to the Ten Thousand Ghost Ridge, he wouldn't last forty-nine days. He's most likely... already perished.
「Exiting Wanbao Pavilion.」
Ye Yun swiftly led Luo Li towards the Ten Thousand Ghost Ridge. The Ten Thousand Ghost Ridge was a full thirty thousand miles distant, yet they arrived in what seemed like mere moments.
The so-called Ten Thousand Ghost Ridge was a mountain range shrouded in dense Ghost Qi, exuding an eerie, deathly aura. This dark mountain range stretched for thousands of miles, covering a vast territory.
Hovering in the void, Ye Yun gazed downwards. He observed numerous Cultivators from various major factions, escorting bound Loose Cultivators or criminals under Seal, queuing up to enter the Ten Thousand Ghost Ridge.