Dragon Crystal—Ye Luo was determined to obtain it, whether to awaken Ao Long or to fortify himself with its power.

Ye Luo would never relinquish control over the Dragon Clan’s miniature world.

Even though Ye Luo already understood that the public feud between the Yingchen Family and the Third Prince was merely an act, he still had no intention of stopping. Instead, he became even more resolute in dismantling the Yingchen Family and solidifying his control over the Dragon Clan miniature world.

As more and more people began gathering around Ye Luo, it was inevitable that some powerful individuals would join him.

Though Ye Luo was fully aware that among these people might be spies planted by the Yingchen Family, he did not care in the slightest.

Gathering his forces, Ye Luo swept through the entire human hunting ground before swiftly leaving the area.

In Nandao City, news quickly reached the Yingchen Family.

The City Lord of Nandao City was Yingchen Dao. This man excelled at winning loyalty and heavily employed ruthless officials, effectively turning the entire Nandao City into an impenetrable fortress.

The young master of the Yingchen Family whom Ye Luo had killed was none other than Yingchen Dao’s son!

"What?! My son was assassinated in the human hunting ground? You worthless fools—what’s the point of keeping you alive?"

Upon hearing about the death of his son, Yingchen Dao erupted in fury and, with a casual wave of his hand, slaughtered all of the guards who had brought him the message!

"Relay my orders! Gather all the guards from the City Lord’s Mansion and follow me—I will avenge my son myself. I will have every last rebellious escaped slave executed by lingchi!"

At this moment, Yingchen Dao didn’t know the specifics of the situation. Since the guards delivering the news had not had the chance to fully explain before being killed, he remained unaware of the exact details.

Consumed by rage, he simply assumed the deaths were caused by a slave uprising in the human hunting ground and paid the matter no further thought other than his desire for revenge.

The guards of Nandao City’s City Lord’s Mansion quickly gathered and followed Yingchen Dao, charging in Ye Luo’s direction.

Meanwhile, Ye Luo had rescued a staggering 30,000 people from the human hunting ground. Most of them were ordinary individuals, powerless to fight, though about 1,000 of them had cultivation abilities.

Among these capable individuals were people persecuted by the Yingchen Family and others who were former guards of the Yingchen Family, dissatisfied with their treatment and now choosing to rebel and join Ye Luo.

However, the larger the group, the greater the trouble.

The human hunting ground was originally a place of debauchery for the Yingchen Family.

Among the individuals escaping with Ye Luo, the vast majority turned out to be women!

A group of weak women—how could one expect them to flee quickly?

But abandoning them was not an option for Ye Luo. Unless there was no other choice, he simply could not bring himself to do it.

"Hurry up! The enemy is closing in!"

Ye Luo frowned slightly and urged the group onward.

Still, he was fully aware that they had already exerted their maximum effort. They were physically exhausted, and this was the best pace they could manage.

Continuing like this was not sustainable. If they kept going in this manner, the Yingchen Family’s forces would inevitably catch up to them, and then none of them would survive.

Ye Luo furrowed his brow, his mind racing for alternative solutions.

"Lian’er, come here!"

Lian’er, a young girl Ye Luo had rescued from the gladiator arena, possessed cultivation at the Qi Cyclone Realm—a level higher than anyone else among them. Her family, once noble, had been destroyed because her father refused to ally with the Yingchen Family, leaving her with nothing.

"What is it, young master?"

Lian’er approached Ye Luo and asked with concern. Due to her cultivation abilities, Ye Luo had placed her in charge as the leader.

She had been helping others move faster when she heard Ye Luo call her.

"Lian’er, fleeing like this won’t work. We’re too slow; sooner or later, Yingchen Family’s forces will catch up. I’ve decided to lead a group away to divert their pursuit. Their main target is me—if I part ways with you all, their attention will focus on me alone."

"Take these elixirs and spirit stones, as well as a communication bracelet. Find a secluded place to hide, and as soon as I lead the pursuers away, I’ll come back to reunite with you."

Lian’er looked at Ye Luo with a slight frown. Ye Luo understood—she was likely worried that he might abandon them entirely.

After all, multiple people had already asked Ye Luo whether he would leave them to fend for themselves during their journey.

They were escaped slaves. Even if they managed to flee now, without Ye Luo by their side, they would be captured again.

The Great Tang Empire, though technologically advanced with an organized system, still enforced harsh punishments for escaped slaves.

Moreover, for a group of women without cultivation and protection from powerful individuals, their futures would be miserable even if they weren’t recaptured and enslaved.

Thus, Ye Luo was their only beacon of hope.

Ye Luo understood their fears. Smiling faintly, he reassured Lian’er: "Don’t worry. Since I’ve chosen to rescue you all, I won’t abandon you halfway. As you’ve seen, without drawing away the pursuers, we’ll be caught eventually. If anyone else went, the enemy wouldn’t care—but if I go personally, it will work."

Lian’er hesitated for a moment before nodding in agreement, understanding the logic.

"Young master, you can count on me—I’ll protect everyone!"

Ye Luo flashed a soft smile, instinctively patting Lian’er on the head. He then led a group of over a thousand men on a rapid march in another direction.

However, they did not leave the area entirely. Instead, they advanced a short distance before stopping. Ye Luo knew full well that if they left immediately, the pursuers might split their forces to follow both groups. The side with more footprints would attract heavier pursuit!

Thus, Ye Luo stayed here to ensure the enemy spotted him before moving away.

Meanwhile, Lian’er and the others dared not waste a single moment. They avoided the main roads, opting for rugged mountain paths, heading deep into the forest.

They desired freedom and yearned to survive, so they desperately avoided detection.

Soon enough, the Yingchen Family’s pursuit arrived. Ye Luo’s guess was correct: among the escapees, there were spies from the Yingchen Family. However, Yingchen Dao, eager to avenge his son, did not pay much attention to mere slaves.

Even though he knew that the larger group of female slaves had fled in another direction, Yingchen Dao, upon spotting Ye Luo, unhesitatingly led his forces toward him!