Celestial Dragon Sword Venerable-Chapter 172: Rather Die Than Retreat

Upon hearing this, Ye Cangqian was overjoyed. His eyes instantly shone as brightly as shooting stars.

"Excellent! With Master taking action, this is sure to succeed! Once Ye Tianling is dead, this disciple is ninety percent certain I can immediately begin the Refinement of his Essence Blood and achieve a breakthrough! I am one hundred percent certain I can step into the Void Realm within three days!"

Ye Cangqian was incredibly excited.

It was as if Duan Qianji’s ruthless words had instantly shattered the heavy mountain pressing down on his heart.

Duan Qianji gave Ye Cangqian a deep look and said, "To think you were under so much pressure."

Ye Cangqian’s heart skipped a beat. His expression grew solemn as he replied, "Indeed."

Duan Qianji mused for a moment. "It seems this matter isn’t so simple—this is the result of the ’Celestial Mandate’ and ’Destiny’ that only those Saint Children and Divine Children possess. Although I, as your master, am reluctant to admit it, I must say that for Ye Fengyang to have escaped and survived having his Talent sealed and stripped away, and for Ye Tianling to now rise from desperate situations time and time again...

It is truly quite terrifying!"

Ye Cangqian’s heart went cold as he listened, and he stared at Duan Qianji in disbelief.

He could hardly believe that his Master, the Thousand Tribulations Wanderer, had also admitted that Ye Tianling would be difficult to deal with.

"Don’t worry. Let’s go. This time, I will personally take action. I’ll just treat Ye Tianling as if he’s a peerless expert of the Sword Tribulation Realm."

As Duan Qianji spoke, he waved a hand, sweeping Ye Cangqian up with him. At the same time, he activated an Array Disc and traversed the void, heading toward the Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain Range.

...

In a desolate area within the Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain Range.

"Master, the Land of the Celestial Desolate Forbidden Array is not far ahead. If we fly straight, it should take about half an hour," Wan Xuegui explained, his attitude quite respectful.

Ye Tianling nodded slightly. With his Soul Talent active, he could easily determine if Wan Xuegui was telling the truth.

"Master, I’ve been studying Arrays recently and have gained some insights. I should be able to be of some use."

Que Xinyan also began to ’show off’ in front of Ye Tianling. After all, Ye Tianling’s Cultivation speed was simply too astonishing and his Battle Power too heaven-defying, leaving the two of them completely convinced of his superiority.

Even a little casual guidance from Ye Tianling would benefit them for a long time to come.

"Mm, let’s wait until we get there. I’ll perform a detailed Inference then to see what we’re up against. If it’s dangerous, you two should retreat first. When the time comes, if I gain any benefits, you certainly won’t be left out—"

Ye Tianling was mid-sentence when a sharp pain suddenly pierced his heart.

His Dragon Soul convulsed violently, and an indescribable sense of dread washed over him.

"Wan Xuegui, are you plotting against me?"

Ye Tianling abruptly stopped. His aura surged, and a terrifying presence emanated from him. The Power of Slaughter from his Samadhi True Fire Celestial Dragon Sword Spirit locked directly onto Wan Xuegui.

Hearing Ye Tianling’s words, Que Xinyan’s expression also changed in an instant. The terrifying killing intent of his Gold-devouring Rat Sword Spirit likewise locked onto Wan Xuegui.

Wan Xuegui was completely unprepared. Caught off guard, he almost pissed himself in fear.

"Master—! Your disciple... your disciple has been wrongly accused! Even if you gave this disciple ten thousand guts, how would I dare plot against you?"

Struck by this terrifying aura, Wan Xuegui nearly dropped to his knees. He trembled all over, on the verge of tears.

Seeing Wan Xuegui like this, Que Xinyan was clearly unconvinced and about to make a sarcastic remark. However, he then saw Ye Tianling’s exceptionally grave expression and froze, managing to hold his tongue.

"It has nothing to do with you. I was wrong to blame you. I don’t think we’ll be able to go to the Land of the Celestial Desolate Forbidden Array anymore," Ye Tianling said suddenly.

"Ah—Master, you?"

Wan Xuegui was bewildered but also scared out of his wits.

After being locked onto by the aura of Ye Tianling’s Sword Spirit, his very Soul had trembled. That fear had truly shaken him to his core, leaving a deep sense of dread and terror in his Soul.

Only then did he realize that with his current Ability, if Ye Tianling wanted to kill him, it would be over in a single thought. A second move would be unnecessary.

"An extremely powerful enemy has suddenly used Bloodline Power to lock onto my bloodline and Soul aura. By the time I noticed, it was already too late. They should be arriving soon. You two should retreat first."

Ye Tianling sensed the emptiness of his Qiankun Ring, and his heart grew heavy.

He had even used up his last few Black Feather Escape Talismans. Now, inside his Qiankun Ring, apart from two copies of the "Bloodthirsty Soul Refining Technique," there was only the Xuanyuan Celestial Evil Sword and the Profound Ice Cold Iron Rod.

All his other resources were depleted.

Under these circumstances, how could he possibly fight such an overwhelmingly powerful enemy?

’My trump cards?’

He had only recovered about sixty percent of his strength. Even if he exhausted his entire foundation, he feared it wouldn’t be enough to deal with an enemy capable of Soul-locking from a thousand miles away.

"Master, no matter what enemy comes, we will face them together. We will not retreat," Que Xinyan said resolutely.

Wan Xuegui, however, had a doubtful look on his face. He clearly didn’t quite believe that danger was suddenly upon them.

"Rat, got any treasures left?" Ye Tianling asked.

Que Xinyan froze for a moment, then immediately opened his Qiankun Ring and tipped it upside down. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

It was completely empty. There was nothing inside.

"That bastard Junior Brother Gui robbed me blind," Que Xinyan shot Wan Xuegui a glare and said resentfully.

At this, Wan Xuegui looked aggrieved. He immediately opened his own Qiankun Ring and tipped it over. It, too, was empty.

After speaking, he even pulled at his pants and shook them out to prove he was penniless.

"All my stuff... was tricked and stolen by Master... No, that’s not right, Master borrowed it... borrowed it all for his use. I’ve got nothing left now. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been in such a rush to rob the Mechanical Ancient Tomb in Wanlun Ancient Land and the Kunwu Cave in Cang Mountain Sword Pavilion."

Wan Xuegui’s antics made Ye Tianling’s incredibly grave heart relax a little.

He chuckled and said, "There really is an enemy, and they’re incredibly powerful—at least at the Sword Tribulation Realm. It’s likely that word of me killing Long Tianxiao has gotten out. Or perhaps, after Blood Killing Heaven gave up on hunting me, Ye Cangqian has finally decided to eradicate the problem by the root and sent a peerless expert of the Sword Tribulation Realm after me.

So, this time, I’m really not trying to trick you two, Wan Xuegui and Que Xinyan, out of your treasures."

Wan Xuegui said, "Master, as you said, compared to the treasures, the teachings you imparted to us before are far more valuable. This disciple truly did not suspect Master of trying to trick me out of my treasures this time!"

Que Xinyan said, "Master, your Talent... Lord Que—no, this disciple knows of it, so I would never doubt you. But Master, say no more. We live together, we die together. We would rather die than retreat!"

Hearing this, Wan Xuegui also hurriedly said, "I’d rather die than retreat, too! Without you, Master, I, Wan Xuegui, would still be stuck at the Second Heaven of the Sword Spirit Realm!"

Sensing the sincerity of his two disciples, Ye Tianling was quite moved.

Perhaps they were usually playful, fooling around and cursing without a serious bone in their bodies, but at a critical moment like this, their performance truly satisfied Ye Tianling.

"Go. I can handle this alone. If you follow me, you’ll just be a burden. Without you here, it’s easier for me to escape. If you’re here, I won’t be able to flee with you in tow," Ye Tianling said bluntly.

However, as soon as he finished speaking, his expression grew even more grave.

In the distant sky, two streaks of Flowing Light shot across. Judging by their speed, they would arrive here in no more than three minutes.