Chapter 65 - 63: Ye Xiaotian’s Second Time Taking Sides

Chapter 65: Chapter 63: Ye Xiaotian’s Second Time Taking Sides

BOOM!!!

In the boundless primeval forest, a vast battlefield stretched for thousands of miles. Everyone fought desperately, pushing their way toward the depths of the ancient ruins.

As time passed, more and more peerless geniuses broke away from the fray, soaring through the air toward the edge of the horizon.

Led by Jiang Hao and Qin Xiangyuan, the young men and women of the Qin Family finally broke out of the dense jungle. Beyond the vast primeval forest lay an endless expanse of rolling hills. The sheer scale of the ancient ruins was unimaginably immense.

"Let’s go."

The moment they emerged from the trees, Qin Ye took the lead, launching himself into the air toward the deeper reaches of the ruins.

After battling their way out, their entire formation was in disarray, and nearly everyone had sustained some level of injury. However, with Jiang Hao and Qin Xiangyuan carving a path forward, the Qin Family’s team of geniuses had fared relatively well. Although there were casualties, their situation was much better than that of most other factions.

"Qin Fan, let’s hurry inside too. The sooner we go deeper, the greater our chances of obtaining fortuitous encounters," Qin Xiangyuan urged. She held a bloodstained snow-white sword that radiated bursts of chilling light.

Jiang Hao nodded slightly at her words but didn’t forget to glance back. The moment he turned his head, he saw the endless flames of war stretching as far as the eye could see within the boundless primeval forest.

Suddenly.

An earth-shattering aura erupted, throwing that area of the forest into boundless turmoil. A terrifying spiritual light descended from the heavens, completely enveloping a peerlessly elegant figure. In an instant, the sheer force of it shattered countless Cultivators to pieces.

"Someone is breaking through to the Spirit Transformation Realm! This is bad! Qin Fan, we need to leave right now!" Seeing someone forcibly ascending amidst the endless flames of war, Qin Xiangyuan’s expression changed drastically as she urged him.

Just as mentioned before, nearly half of the countless peerless geniuses had been actively suppressing their cultivation, having already stepped into the Peak of Unity Realm long ago. But at this moment, some of these terrifying prodigies chose to break their shackles and ascend to the Spirit Transformation Realm.

Sensing that astonishing aura, Jiang Hao felt a deep shock. The gap between a Spirit Transformation Realm Cultivator and a Unity Realm Cultivator was an insurmountable chasm. With just one foot in the Realm of Spirit Transformation, that person had effortlessly obliterated a Peak of Unity Realm expert with a single wave of their hand.

As the group looked back, the radiant lights of spirit transformation began to erupt one after another across various parts of the jungle. This caused the expressions of the Qin Family youths to pale in horror.

"Hurry! These people are blood-crazed and aren’t hesitating to forcibly break through to the Realm of Spirit Transformation. If they target us, we’ll be dead meat."

At those words, the Qin Family members immediately soared into the air, not daring to linger for a second longer. Jiang Hao and Qin Xiangyuan led the group far away, doing their best to avoid any powerful factions along their path.

Not long after they left, Tang Yan and the other prodigies of the Xingyue City Earth Realm burst out of the primeval forest right behind them. They all raised their heads, looking in the direction where Jiang Hao and his group had vanished. They had followed closely behind the Qin Family the entire way to escape the battlefield, sustaining minimal injuries in the process.

"It’s Jiang Hao and his people."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let’s catch up to them."

"It’s too late. The path has already been blocked by the genius teams of other factions. I’m afraid we can only rely on ourselves to cross the sky."

Watching the Qin Family youths gradually disappear into the distance, Ye Xiaotian and the others all wore ashen expressions. The path Jiang Hao’s group had taken was already engulfed by an endless torrent of people rushing out of the primeval forest, quickly depriving them of any chance to follow.

"It’s all because we were blind back then. If the older generation of the Xingyue City Earth Realm had stopped what happened in the past, how would our Xingyue City Earth Realm have ended up like this?"

"With the Qi Family’s Qilin Child and Jiang Hao leading us, we would have been able to clash head-on with those supreme clans."

"Alright, what’s the use of saying all this now? Everyone, stay close to Brother Tang. As long as we obtain some fortuitous encounters in the ancient ruins, we won’t fall behind the others."

"Exactly, listen to Brother Tang. The most important thing right now is surviving long enough to enter those inheritance grounds. As for Jiang Hao, he’s no longer a peerless genius of our Xingyue City Earth Realm. He’s Qin Fan of the Qin Family now."

"That’s right. Even Xiaotian hasn’t said anything. What are you all so indignant about?"

The person who mentioned Ye Xiaotian immediately realized their slip of the tongue and fell silent.

However, Ye Xiaotian heard it loud and clear. A flash of regret crossed his eyes. If so many things hadn’t happened back then, that young man in white would currently be married to his sister. But it was useless to say anything now; what’s done was done. Whenever Ye Xiaotian thought about what he had done to that young man in white, he felt incredibly stupid.

"The sky is no longer suitable for flying. Everyone, follow me down to the ground. We’ll venture deeper on foot," Tang Yan decided promptly after briefly scanning their surroundings, leading the crowd downward.

Although traveling on the ground would be much slower, it would allow them to avoid the bombardment of those peerless geniuses, making it significantly safer. After all, the battlefield was no longer confined to the primeval forest behind them; the flames of war had already spread to the skies above the hills.

Just as Tang Yan and the others were about to land and proceed on foot, a rather familiar voice suddenly echoed from above.

"Brothers of the Xingyue City Earth Realm, hurry and board the ship! Let’s weather this storm and overcome these difficulties together!"

Tang Yan and the others followed the voice, only to see massive arks slowly crossing the sky, advancing from the rear of the vast battlefield. These arks flew their flags high, projecting terrifying auras that swept in all directions, their decks packed with countless fearsome figures.

"Those are the arks and warships of the major sects! The Celestial Sword Sect is there too!"

Seeing the arks that had remained completely untouched, everyone felt incredibly envious. Obviously, these arks were the Flying Magical Artifacts of major sects and Holy Lands. Very few dared to attack them, as no single faction wanted to risk angering a super sect. There was a world of difference between sects, Cultivator families, and ancient clans. Unless absolutely necessary, no one would draw their swords against these colossal organizations.

The voice calling out to Tang Yan’s group came from a massive ark carrying disciples of the Celestial Sword Sect. However, they weren’t the only ones on board; there were also numerous genius teams from the Qi Family of Xingyue City.

Although the Qi Family’s Qilin Child had been killed by Jiang Hao, the clan still possessed quite a few peerless geniuses. Their radiance had simply been overshadowed by the Qilin Child’s halo, but their actual talent and strength were in no way inferior to some of the elite prodigies.

"Mo Yan, what is the meaning of this? Why are you letting them board?" a peerless genius of the Qi Family asked, his eyes full of confusion.

The Xingyue City Earth Realm had sent far more than just one team of geniuses this time. The leader of the group below was Tang Yan of the Tang Family, who was completely incompatible with the Qi Family. They would thank the heavens if they didn’t try to kill each other on sight, so how could they possibly join hands to explore the ancient ruins?

The moment the Qi Family prodigy finished speaking, Mo Yan let out a cold sneer. "You might not know this, but within those ancient inheritance grounds, there are not only fortuitous encounters but also boundless killing intent. We happen to be short of a batch of pathfinders."

"Are you saying that once we reach the ancient ruins, we use them as cannon fodder?"

Upon hearing this, many youths from the Qi Family revealed sinister smiles, but they quickly masked their faces with friendly facades.

"Brothers of the various families!" a voice shouted. "We are all the future of the Xingyue City Earth Realm! In this era of great conflict, we should bury the hatchet and join forces to explore the ancient ruins! Only then will we have a chance at survival!

"The Immortal Masters of the Celestial Sword Sect intend to unite everyone. If the brothers below are willing, you can board the ship and weather the storm together with us!"

BUZZ!!!

The moment the words from above fell, Tang Yan’s camp immediately erupted into a buzz of commotion. Compared to the Qi Family’s camp, their side was indeed stretched thin. With the Celestial Sword Sect protecting the other party, the survival rate on that ark was self-evident. For a moment, countless youths wavered.

Tang Yan furrowed his brows tightly as he watched the scene unfold. The Tang Family and the Qi Family were sworn enemies for generations; naturally, he would not lead the Tang Family members onto that ship. However, the affiliated factions that were already hesitating were getting restless.

"If you wish to board the ship, my Tang Family will not stop you," Tang Yan announced. "But don’t blame me for not reminding you: say what needs to be said, and keep your mouths shut about what shouldn’t be mentioned."

Tang Yan’s meaning was crystal clear, even carrying a hint of threat. Even though he had failed to regroup with Jiang Hao, he still wanted to help him in whatever small way he could. After all, these people had just seen Jiang Hao. If they leaked this information to the Celestial Sword Sect, it would undoubtedly trigger a catastrophe.

"Rest assured, Brother Tang. We understand what you mean."

"Brother Tang, we’re sorry."

Unable to resist the temptation of the Celestial Sword Sect’s lineup, many youths finally soared into the air, flying toward the ark.

In the crowd, Wang Jiang looked at the indecisive Ye Xiaotian and immediately urged, "Xiaotian, what are you waiting for? Following the Celestial Sword Sect gives us a massive chance of survival! Do you really want to die inside the ancient ruins?"

Hearing Wang Jiang’s prodding, Ye Xiaotian’s eyes filled with anxiety. Finally, he gritted his teeth and prepared to ascend with him.

But just as Ye Xiaotian made his move, Tang Yan spoke up.

"Ye Xiaotian, you better think this through. Right now, Jiang Hao—who was practically family to you—and the Celestial Sword Sect are locked in a fight to the death. If you take this step, you will truly be standing in direct opposition to him."

At these words, Ye Xiaotian instantly stopped in his tracks, falling back into a state of conflict.

Right then, Wang Jiang added, "Xiaotian, you don’t really think Jiang Hao can compare to the Celestial Sword Sect, do you? In front of them, he is absolutely nothing."

Seeing Ye Xiaotian still standing firmly in place, Wang Jiang stopped trying to persuade him and immediately boarded the ship along with numerous other Cultivators.

After a brief moment of weighing his options, Ye Xiaotian ultimately took the step.

"Brother Tang, I’m sorry."

Watching Ye Xiaotian fly off into the sky, Tang Yan sighed helplessly, sweeping his gaze over the people who had chosen to stay. Although these youths had decided to remain with the Tang Family, the gazes they cast toward the Celestial Sword Sect’s ark were filled with envy and jealousy.

Little did they know that it was this momentary, steadfast choice that allowed them to narrowly escape the fate of becoming cannon fodder.

On the Celestial Sword Sect’s ark.

The moment Ye Xiaotian and the others stepped onto the ark, they were instantly shocked by the Celestial Sword Sect’s terrifying lineup. Countless disciples with dread-inducing auras stood tall on the deck; even the weakest among them possessed an Early-stage Unity Realm cultivation base.

However, the most daunting sight was the group of more than a dozen astonishing figures meditating with their eyes closed at the front of the ark. These were peerless geniuses who had broken through to the Spirit Transformation Realm on the spot, each of them exuding an earth-shaking aura.

Aside from those dozen-plus figures, there were also dozens of youths at the Unity Realm Perfection and Great Perfection Realm, and quite a few at the Peak of Unity Realm as well.

"What a terrifying lineup. Is this the Celestial Sword Sect?" someone murmured.

Looking at this elite lineup that completely dwarfed the Qin Family’s camp, Ye Xiaotian and the others felt they had made the right choice. They even secretly rejoiced. Compared to these figures, Jiang Hao was simply not worth mentioning.

The moment some people boarded the ship, eager to curry favor with the Celestial Sword Sect, they completely disregarded Tang Yan’s earlier threat and spoke up with utmost respect.

"Immortal Masters, we did not come empty-handed. We have a piece of phenomenal news to offer you."

Hearing this, the youths of the Celestial Sword Sect on the ark secretly scoffed. They were nothing more than a bunch of disposable cannon fodder; what phenomenal news could they possibly bring?

However, their next words struck everyone on the Celestial Sword Sect’s ark like a bolt of lightning.

"Immortal Masters, we just encountered that man."