Translator: CinderTL
"Tell me in detail about the current situation in Shangchu City," Ye Bing said.
Ye Guqiu replied, "The situation in Shangchu City hasn't changed much in the past few decades. The Jiang Family, Chi Family, and our Ye Family still maintain a tripartite balance of power. However, the Jiang and Chi Families have grown closer recently, which has put our Ye Family at a disadvantage."
After listening, Ye Bing pondered briefly before continuing, "Has anything significant happened within the Jiang Family recently?"
A peculiar glint flashed in Ye Guqiu's eyes.
She had deliberately hinted at the Jiang and Chi Families' alliance against the Ye Family to gauge Ye Bing's reaction.
Ye Bing's slight hesitation earlier confirmed that she still harbored some lingering affection for the Ye Family.
"Nothing major has occurred within the Jiang Family recently," Ye Guqiu said. "However, according to rumors circulating from the Chi Family, a highly esteemed figure has been frequently traveling between the Qicang Domain and the Qianchang Wilderness using the Teleportation Arrays at Dry Zen Temple and the Chi Family. This person seems to have a close relationship with Jiang Lanruo."
Ye Bing was completely unaware of any information related to Hong Zhe.
Therefore, she paid little attention to Ye Guqiu's words.
She merely thought that when Song Wen sought revenge on Jiang Lanruo, it would be best to avoid this "highly esteemed figure" Ye Guqiu mentioned, to prevent any unnecessary complications.
"What do you know about the current situations of Jiang Lanruo and Jiang Yushan?" Ye Bing continued.
Ye Guqiu frowned slightly, paused to recall, and then spoke slowly.
"I haven't been paying much attention to them, so I don't know much about their current situations. I've only heard rumors. Jiang Lanruo remains stationed at Demon Subduing City, as always. As for Jiang Yushan, he's always been arrogant and licentious, with past reports of his reckless behavior stemming from jealousy and romantic rivalries. However, in the past decade or so, I haven't heard any news of him causing trouble."
Ye Bing didn't press further, and a moment of silence settled between them.
After a few breaths, Ye Bing flipped her hand and produced a Communication Jade Slip.
"This is my Communication Jade Slip. Keep it safe. I'll likely be heading to Shangchu City soon. When I do, I might need you to gather some information for me."
Ye Guqiu accepted the jade slip and replied, "I'll do my best to assist you."
Ye Bing nodded. "Remember, never mention anything about me to anyone."
With that, she turned and slowly walked away.
"Ye Bing," Ye Guqiu called after her, "the Ancestor had no choice back then. Under the combined pressure from the Jiang and Chi families, he had to order your pursuit. I hope you don't hold a grudge against the Ancestor or the clan. Now that you've reached the Void Refinement Stage, if you're willing to return to the clan, the Ancestor will undoubtedly offer you a satisfactory explanation."
Ye Bing didn't look back. She simply waved her hand lightly, her figure gradually vanishing into the swirling miasma.
Ye Guqiu sighed and returned to the mountain valley, leading two clan members as they sped away.
Ye Bing approached Song Wen, her voice tinged with worry.
"I'm still uneasy. I'm afraid Ye Guqiu might reveal my reappearance."
Song Wen replied, "Immortal Maiden, you're overthinking this. Ye Guqiu mentioned earlier that the Jiang and Chi families have shown signs of joining forces against the Ye Family in recent years. Currently, weakening the Jiang and Chi families aligns with the Ye Family's interests. Ye Guqiu likely suspects you intend to harm Jiang Lanruo and Jiang Yushan. Therefore, even if she informs the Ye Family's two Void Refinement Stage cultivators about your reappearance, they wouldn't notify the Jiang Family. On the contrary, the Ye Family might even go to great lengths to assist you if you ask for their help."
Ye Bing conceded, "What you say makes sense. Perhaps I am being overly cautious."
"Do you truly have no desire to return to the Ye Family?" Song Wen asked.
Whether Ye Bing returned to the Ye Family wouldn't significantly impact their plans. However, if she did return, her actions would be constrained by familial ties, and Song Wen needed to prepare for that possibility.
"Unless they provide me with a satisfactory explanation, I will never return to the Ye Family," Ye Bing declared.
Though her words were as firm as iron, Song Wen sensed a lingering attachment to the Ye Family. After all, it was the place of her birth and upbringing.
Song Wen changed the subject. "Immortal Maiden, shall we first choose a temporary residence?"
"What about the mountain valley where Ye Guqiu and the others were besieged?" Ye Bing suggested.
"Agreed," Song Wen replied.
The pair arrived above the mountain valley.
Ye Bing surveyed the area, searching for a suitable location to establish a cultivation cave.
Suddenly, she noticed Song Wen repeatedly flicking his fingers, releasing streams of spiritual power that collected the corpses of the slain Poison Moths one by one. He even sealed the Demon Souls of each moth back into its respective body.
She had witnessed this scene countless times during their journey across the Rotting Miasma Ridge.
Every demon beast they killed, regardless of its strength—even First-Tier creatures—had its Demon Soul sealed and stored in Song Wen's storage ring, without exception.
The space within a single storage ring was limited, making it impossible to contain such a vast number of demon beast corpses.
However, Gou Jun seemed to possess an endless supply of storage rings. Whenever one ring filled, he would simply produce another.
She had once asked Gou Jun why he collected these demon beast corpses.
But all she received was the reply, "Feeding my spirit beast."
This made Ye Bing suspect that Song Wen's Spirit Beast Pouch, hanging at his waist, might contain an exceptionally massive spirit beast. Otherwise, why would it require so much blood food?
Song Wen meticulously sealed the demon beast corpses instead of using the Blood Sea Seal to conjure tentacles and devour their blood essence and souls. He feared that if Ye Bing witnessed the Blood Sea Seal's voracious consumption, she would become suspicious, leading to unnecessary complications.
After storing all the demon beast corpses, Song Wen moved to a corner at the bottom of the mountain valley, summoned a flying sword, and began carving out a temporary cultivation cave.
At the opposite end of the valley, Ye Bing had already discovered a naturally formed cave perfectly suited for use as a cultivation cave. When she saw Song Wen carving out another cave, a hint of resentment flashed in her eyes.
Having prepared the cave, Song Wen didn't immediately meditate. Instead, he retrieved one storage ring after another, extracting the demon beast corpses and devouring their blood essence and souls.
Vast quantities of Demon Souls were swallowed by the Black Hole in his Sea of Consciousness, transforming into soul fragments that merged into his Sea of Consciousness.
As for the blood essence, it served as nourishment for the Blood Sea Seal.
(End of the Chapter)
Translator's Corner
💪 We are working hard! Over the past month Since 17 Feb, Cinder & Anubis have uploaded over 1 MILLION Words. That's about ~900 CHAPTERS worth of content. That's an average of 30 CHAPTERS DAILY. All we want is for you to support us by leaving encouraging comments and leaving powerstones on your favorite stories.
🌐 You can also support us by reading these stories on the site.
🎉 BIGGEST Site Discount 𝔼ℕ𝔻𝕀ℕ𝔾 𝕊𝕆𝕆ℕ. [1 Week Left] - Ends on 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝟏𝟗, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔.
🔓 𝐰𝐰𝐰.𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐥.𝐜𝐨𝐦 — 14 Series (7 Ongoing) | 14+ New Chapters Daily | 7,200+ FREE