Chapter 78 - 76: Meeting Ji Qingxue Again, the Bamboo Hat Girl’s Shock

Chapter 78: Chapter 76: Meeting Ji Qingxue Again, the Bamboo Hat Girl’s Shock

Meanwhile, Jiang Hao had suffered extremely severe injuries during his battle with Dugu Hongyun.

Fortunately, as an Alchemy Master, he had plenty of healing Spirit Medicine at his disposal.

This battle only solidified his resolve to cultivate his physical body. If his physique hadn’t been terrifyingly strong—having reached the Twenty-Fourth Heaven—he would have hardly retained any ability to move after taking that strike from Dugu Hongyun.

Although he had escaped the massive pursuit and avoided being surrounded, it did not mean he could rest easy.

"It seems the *Concealment Art* isn’t a foolproof method of self-preservation. Or perhaps, I simply haven’t cultivated it to the point where I can completely ignore those terrifying existences," Jiang Hao concluded.

Though the *Concealment Art* given by Gu Qingyan was of a very high tier, he had yet to master it to the highest level. At the very least, that persistent nuisance on his tail seemed to have a way of tracking him down.

Time flew by. In the blink of an eye, half a month passed. Over this time, Jiang Hao used the *Concealment Art* to constantly evade Dugu Hongyun’s pursuit while continuously nursing his injuries.

One evening.

"The recovery effect of a Twenty-Fourth Heaven physique is incredibly strong. In just half a month, I’ve already recovered seventy to eighty percent," Jiang Hao said with a hint of joy, slowly opening his eyes inside a hidden cave.

His ability to heal so quickly was partly due to the environment’s terrifyingly dense Spiritual Qi and the Healing Pills he took, but the self-repairing power of his physical body was also truly astonishing.

Stepping out of the cave, he was greeted by a sea of lush forests. A gentle breeze brushed past, bringing a refreshing coolness.

After sensing the auras in his surroundings, Jiang Hao couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.

"Has he given up?" he muttered to himself. During his half-month of fleeing, he had sensed that aura lingering nearby almost every single day. However, for the past three consecutive days, he hadn’t detected any trace of his pursuer.

Evidently, the other party had either abandoned the hunt or temporarily left for some reason. Regardless, this was ultimately a good thing. No one would want to be constantly stalked by an expert at the first stage of the Spirit Transformation Realm.

Yet, just as Jiang Hao relaxed his guard, a figure suddenly tore through the night sky and unleashed a fierce palm strike.

Reacting on instinct, Jiang Hao instantly threw a punch.

BOOM!

Fist and palm collided, erupting with world-shaking power. Both of them were knocked back by the exchange.

Stabilizing his footing, Jiang Hao immediately looked up, his eyes full of vigilance as he mistakenly assumed it was Dugu Hongyun. But when he got a clear look at the newcomer’s figure, he couldn’t help but frown.

It was an unfamiliar silhouette. The person wore a light cyan dress that accentuated a graceful, curvaceous, and slender figure. She wore a bamboo hat with a light veil that concealed her face. However, the veil only hid her facial features; from various details, it wasn’t hard to tell that this was a young woman of exceptional elegance.

As Jiang Hao sized her up, the young woman was also observing him.

Just as Jiang Hao was wondering how she had managed to track him down, the young woman was the first to cry out in surprise.

"It’s you?

"Jiang Hao?"

Her tone was filled with shock and surprise, even carrying a trace of joy. Hearing this, Jiang Hao’s brow furrowed tightly. His wariness deepened as he reflexively denied it.

"Miss, you have the wrong person. Who is Jiang Hao? I have never even heard of that name."

Yet, the moment his voice faded, she immediately retorted, "I wouldn’t mistake you. It’s definitely you. I would recognize you even if you were reduced to ashes."

Before the veiled young woman had even finished speaking, Jiang Hao’s hand had already quietly rested on the Qingfeng Sword.

Seemingly noticing his hostility, the young woman hurriedly explained, "I didn’t know it was you in the cave, Jiang Hao. I bear no ill will towards you, so there’s no need for such intense killing intent."

"Miss, as I have already said, you have the wrong person," Jiang Hao replied, growing even more cautious, murderous intent already stirring within him.

But in the next second, the young woman lowered her head in thought. As if guessing something, she stopped dwelling on the name and immediately played along. "Since you aren’t Jiang Hao, then who are you now? No, wait—then who are you?"

At those words, Jiang Hao slightly raised his gaze but remained silent.

Seeing that he wasn’t responding, the young woman pondered for a brief moment before unexpectedly reaching out her hand.

"Hello. Let me introduce myself. My name is Ji Qingxue, from the Nanling Ji Family."

Staring at the hand extended toward him, Jiang Hao couldn’t help but be taken aback. Ever since entering the ancient ruins, anyone he encountered had invariably been an enemy. This was the first time someone had actively tried to introduce themselves to him.

Abnormalities always spelled trouble.

Jiang Hao’s gaze instantly turned razor-sharp. Only after confirming that she truly harbored no killing intent did he indifferently offer a half-true, half-false name: "Jiang Ye."

"Jiang Ye?"

The corners of her mouth curled up slightly beneath the veil. It was obvious she had no intention of exposing his lie.

This was Jiang Hao’s first time meeting the young woman, but it was not her first time seeing him. She was none other than the Celestial Profound Maiden from the Tea Pavilion back then. After witnessing Jiang Hao’s terrifying potential that day, the old man beside her had made a remark: if she could pull Jiang Hao into their faction, their chances in the battle among prodigies would be much greater.

She had taken those words to heart and spent the past few years inquiring about his whereabouts, though she had never received any news.

"Jiang Ye, I can’t believe I ran into you here. That Gu Qingyan actually lied to me, saying you had already left the Eastern Domain.

"Next time I see her, I’ll definitely give her a couple of slaps."

As she spoke to herself, Jiang Hao suddenly looked up.

The reason wasn’t her cleverness, but rather that she had mentioned a specific person—Gu Qingyan! Not only that, but the situation was crystal clear: his identity was thoroughly exposed to her, even if she hadn’t explicitly called him out.

Seeing that Jiang Hao remained unmoved even after she brought up Gu Qingyan, she could only retract her hand in dismay and cut straight to the chase.

"Jiang Ye, right? To be honest, I don’t like beating around the bush. I’d like you to join our faction. Would you be willing?"

"Join your faction?" Jiang Hao was completely baffled.

She nodded and said, "That’s right. Since you’re here, you must be after the inheritance of the Ancient Emperor Sect, right?"

"Keep talking," Jiang Hao said impassively.

She immediately launched into an explanation. "It seems I guessed right. Although I don’t know how you found this place, since you’re here, you definitely want to enter the Ancient Emperor Sect.

"The Ancient Emperor Sect’s ruins aren’t like those dilapidated sites. Not only does this place have remnant arrays still in operation, but it also contains countless Killing Arrays.

"Even though these arrays are on the verge of collapsing, it’s almost impossible to enter without an Array Master leading the way.

"If I’m not mistaken, you aren’t an Array Master, are you?

"Therefore, joining us benefits everyone. We gain an extra helper, and you can easily enter the Ancient Emperor Sect."

As she finished speaking, Jiang Hao finally understood a bit of the situation. It turned out he had blindly stumbled into an ancient ruin.

The Ancient Emperor Sect—the name alone sounded extraordinary, suggesting that it had birthed at least one Emperor Realm existence. Although the Emperor Realm was still far too distant a concept for him, it did not diminish the terrifying nature of this ancient ruin. That was the Emperor Realm! The entire Sword Dynasty likely didn’t even have a handful of Emperor Realm experts.

The Human Emperor of the Sword Dynasty counted as one. As for any others, Jiang Hao knew absolutely nothing. All he knew was that supreme beings of this realm were absolutely terrifying titans within the Sword Dynasty.

Seeing that Jiang Hao seemed tempted, Ji Qingxue immediately struck while the iron was hot.

"Jiang... Jiang Ye, we aren’t the only ones eyeing the Ancient Emperor Sect’s ruins, nor is our faction the only one.

"I don’t know exactly how many factions of peerless prodigies have gathered here by now, but the number will definitely exceed your imagination.

"Entering the Ancient Emperor Sect is merely the first step to opening the door to fortuitous encounters. If you want to gain something inside and retreat in one piece, it’ll be exceedingly difficult for you to do so alone.

"But joining us changes things. Your chances will be vastly greater."

Hearing this, Jiang Hao was genuinely moved—not by the prospect of joining her so-called faction, but by the Ancient Emperor Sect’s ruins. However, judging by her tone, entering the sect wouldn’t be easy; first and foremost, one needed to understand arrays.

Presently, Jiang Hao was completely clueless in that regard. He had absolutely no experience with that field of cultivation.

"How many people are in your faction? What is their strength?" Jiang Hao asked casually upon reaching this train of thought.

In truth, he didn’t care about their strength; the important part was gaining access to the Ancient Emperor Sect’s ruins. However, when those words reached Ji Qingxue’s ears, they took on a different meaning. She immediately began to explain, afraid that he wouldn’t grasp the formidable nature of her side.

"Our strength is absolutely among the top of all the factions here.

"We have three Array Masters, all of whom are Tier Two Array Masters. Although our numbers are small—totaling just over thirty people including both Array Masters and Cultivators—every single one is a peerless prodigy from Nanling.

"Aside from myself and the three Array Masters, everyone else in our faction has stepped into Spirit Transformation. Our lineup is absolutely not weak.

"But as it happens, we lack a Pill Master. If you’re willing to join us, we might even venture into other ruins in the future, not just the Ancient Emperor Sect."

At her words, Jiang Hao sharply inhaled a breath of cold air.

Over thirty peerless prodigies, and all of them were Spirit Transformation Realm experts? What kind of heaven-defying lineup was this?

For a moment, Jiang Hao felt quite stunned by the young woman’s identity, and even more so by the horrifying foundation of the Nanling region.

If he could travel with them, he might have a chance to temporarily check and balance the Celestial Sword Sect. The Celestial Sword Sect gathered endless geniuses across the Eastern Domain. Dugu Hongyun was definitely not their only peerless prodigy; their numbers likely even surpassed those of Ji Qingxue’s faction, though they were scattered upon entering the ancient ruins.

"Aren’t you afraid I’ll bring trouble to you?" Jiang Hao probed. The ’trouble’ he referred to was naturally the Celestial Sword Sect. Since she already knew his identity, she undoubtedly knew about his grudge against them.

Hearing this, the young woman sneered and said with considerable pride, "In this Eastern Domain, not everyone fears those people. And our Nanling isn’t made of mud."

Ji Qingxue’s words gave Jiang Hao a renewed understanding of Nanling. As far as he knew, the Nanling region was illustrious and fearsome within the Eastern Domain. Although no single power held absolute dominance there, it was home to countless ancient races that spanned millennia. It was even rumored to house Desolate Ancient Aristocratic Families and the Saint Race.

Even more terrifying was that while the people of this region had their own internal conflicts, they were shockingly united whenever external forces were involved.

"So, what do you think, Jiang Ye?"

Seeing Jiang Hao deep in thought, Ji Qingxue couldn’t wait to ask.

Jiang Hao maintained a contemplative expression before finally giving a slight nod after a long pause.

Thrilled to have finally pulled him into her faction, Ji Qingxue’s excitement soared. Only then did she remember that the person before her had just exchanged blows with her.

In an instant, the realization struck her. She abruptly lifted her head, her beautiful eyes beneath the veil welling with boundless shock.

"You... you broke through to the Spirit Transformation Realm?"

Upon receiving confirmation, Ji Qingxue was so astonished she could hardly speak. It had to be known that when she first met him, the youth had only been at the Early-stage Unity Realm, and he had only achieved it three months prior. At that time, she was already at the Unity Realm Ninth Layer.

In just a few short years, he had already caught up to her.

For a moment, Ji Qingxue’s breathing grew rapid, her eyes filled with disbelief. However, she could somewhat accept this. After all, anyone whom Gu Qingyan had taken a liking to and fiercely protected was definitely not as simple as they appeared on the surface.

She had truly managed to recruit an extremely terrifying existence for her faction.

However, an hour later, when Ji Qingxue led Jiang Hao through the Endless Mountain Range and arrived at a hidden stronghold, the scene before her played out quite differently from what she had imagined.

The moment the two stepped into her faction’s temporary stronghold, numerous gazes shot toward them.

These belonged to figures with astonishing auras and piercing eyes. The oppressive fluctuations emanating from almost every one of them were in no way inferior to Dugu Hongyun’s—some were even more terrifying.

As expected of the descendants of the Nanling Ancient Race. No wonder Ji Qingxue had said that not everyone in the Eastern Domain feared the Celestial Sword Sect. With this kind of foundation, even the Celestial Sword Sect would have to weigh their options carefully.

While Jiang Hao observed these astonishing existences, those figures were also sizing up the Cultivator brought by the Ji Family’s Ji Qingxue.

But after a brief scan, they all instantly lost interest.