The Celestial Profound Mountain Domain was a vast territory, its mountains and forests crisscrossing the land. In some of the more remote, ancient forests, one could often find Miasma or numerous Demon Beasts, making them exceptionally dangerous.

「Five days later, within a certain mountain range.」

Zhou Yue, dressed in yellow, frowned slightly as she gazed ahead, her eyes filled with a hint of confusion.

"There should be Black Profound Snakes here, right? I’ve heard many servant disciples who came to gather Cyan Robe Hundred Lotus Leaves for making Trauma Ointment say they’ve seen Black Profound Snakes appear here."

Wen Qingye scanned the area ahead before shaking his head. "This place is exposed to sunlight year-round, so the Yang Qi is dense. Black Profound Snakes, on the other hand, usually grow in places with heavy Yin Qi. In my opinion, it’s unlikely we’ll find any here."

"Really?" Zhou Yue turned her head to look at Wen Qingye, her tone uncertain.

"Mhm," Wen Qingye said, pointing to a mountain pass ahead. "I think the Black Profound Snakes are probably over there."

Zhou Yue followed his finger and saw a steep mountain peak piercing deep into the clouds. The mountain was lush and vibrant with life, but despite this, a chill ran through Zhou Yue’s heart the moment she saw it.

"This mountain is a bit strange. Let me check the map." Zhou Yue unfolded her map and flipped it open. "It’s called Xiebei Mountain. What a weird name."

Wen Qingye smiled and explained, "The back of this mountain gets no sunlight year-round, and it’s filled with overgrown weeds and fallen leaves. And if you look, the Puyuan River ends within these mountains, so there must be a lot of stagnant water. All of these factors contribute to the formation of Miasma."

He said no more, his eyes turning to Zhou Yue.

Understanding dawned on Zhou Yue. "Black Profound Snakes usually live in dark, gloomy places, and this mountain must be the most suitable environment for them to thrive, so..."

Wen Qingye nodded, smiling without a word.

"You know so much," Zhou Yue said, her beautiful eyes regarding Wen Qingye with surprise. "You really don’t seem like someone from some backwater kingdom."

A sudden curiosity sparked within Zhou Yue. She had never met anyone like Wen Qingye—unfathomable and enigmatic. Yet, her instincts told her that he was an extremely dangerous person.

"We should head to that mountain soon. If it gets dark, other Demon Beasts might appear," Wen Qingye said.

Zhou Yue nodded in agreement.

The two of them made their way toward Xiebei Mountain, and the surrounding temperature seemed to drop steadily.

Wen Qingye noticed Zhou Yue constantly stealing glances at him and chuckled. "Why do you keep looking at me? Is there something on my face?"

Caught, Zhou Yue’s pretty face flushed red. She quickly laughed it off. "I’m just curious. Your cultivation is only at the Yin Yang Realm First Layer Heaven, so how were you able to kill Zhong Liang?"

"A solid foundation allows for explosive power," Wen Qingye said nonchalantly, tilting his head back. "If you constantly compress your Primordial Qi when you’re at your peak, your cultivation will appear lower, but your foundation will be far stronger than others at the same realm. The sheer density of your Primordial Qi will be something ordinary people can’t compare to."

For some reason, Wen Qingye’s words sent a jolt through Zhou Yue. She glanced at him, inwardly shocked.

’Just how strong and disciplined must he be to forcibly suppress his own cultivation right on the verge of a breakthrough, just to keep from advancing? No wonder... ’

Before long, the two arrived at the midway point of Xiebei Mountain.

Suddenly, faint, fragmented screams reached their ears. They couldn’t help but exchange a look.

...

A young man looked tremblingly at a cloth sack in front of him and said, "Brother Rong, should we move to a different spot? I’ve been feeling like something’s not right here lately."

Qiann Rong spoke dismissively, "No need. This is a remote part of the Celestial Profound Mountain Domain. No one will find us here anytime soon. Besides, Senior Brother Wenn is still ’enjoying himself’ in the back. Let’s just hurry up and deal with this girl."

As he started opening the sack, Qiann Rong continued, "This girl is stupid beyond belief. She said she wanted to see a Beishan Butterfly, so I told her I could take her to see one, and she actually believed me. A celestial wonder like the Beishan Butterfly is something you can only hope to stumble upon, not actively seek out. How would I know where to find one? I’m starting to wonder if she’s even a disciple of our Celestial Profound Sect."

The sack was slowly opened, revealing a young girl in a red dress. Her eyes were closed, her long lashes trembling. Her face was smooth, fair, and slightly rounded. She looked to be in the tender bloom of youth.

The young man next to him stared at the girl on the ground, his eyes filled with lust. "Brother Rong, I didn’t expect her to be such a beauty."

Qiann Rong gave a sinister chuckle. "Of course. What do you think? When your Brother Rong makes a move, it’s always a sure thing. Let’s enjoy ourselves with her first, and then we can absorb her Primordial Spirit."

From a nearby thicket, Wen Qingye and Zhou Yue exchanged a look.

Both men were wearing the attire of Celestial Profound Sect Registered Disciples, and their cultivation was not low. Qiann Rong’s cultivation was actually at the Fourth Heaven of Yin Yang Realm, while the young man beside him was at the Yin Yang Realm Third Layer.

Zhou Yue cursed in a low, furious voice, "Those two are complete animals."

Wen Qingye’s brow furrowed upon hearing this. ’Absorbing a Primordial Spirit... These two are truly vicious. Once a Primordial Spirit is absorbed, the Divine Soul is destroyed, leaving no hope for reincarnation. It seems this isn’t the first time they’ve done something like this.’

’By absorbing another’s Primordial Spirit, one can obtain fragmented experiences and insights into their Martial Dao realm. They must be trying to obtain the experience and understanding of the Celestial Profound Technique from others’ Primordial Spirits. That’s why they’re being so ruthless.’

The more profoundly one cultivated the Celestial Profound Technique, the easier it became to absorb the world’s Primordial Qi.

Seeing Wen Qingye silent, Zhou Yue asked in a low voice, "Should we...?"

"We’ll each take one. Kill them," Wen Qingye said in a low voice, looking into Zhou Yue’s eyes.

"My thoughts exactly!"

With a sharp cry, Zhou Yue shot forward, rushing toward the two men. Her cultivation was at the Yin Yang Realm Fifth Layer Heaven; she naturally had no reason to fear them.

Hearing Zhou Yue’s shout, Brother Rong and the other young man jumped, their bodies jolting as they turned to look at Zhou Yue and Wen Qingye.

Brother Rong clenched his fists, forcing a calm tone as he asked, "Who are you two?"

Zhou Yue replied coldly, "You have some nerve, daring to cultivate an Evil Skill. Are you aware of the Celestial Profound Sect’s rules?"

Hearing Zhou Yue’s words, Brother Rong and the young man exchanged a look, and intense killing intent erupted in their eyes. If Wen Qingye and Zhou Yue exposed this matter, the two of them would die without a doubt.

"I’ll kill the woman. You take care of the kid next to her," Qiann Rong said, then charged at Zhou Yue.

A cold smile touched Zhou Yue’s lips. She met his charge, raising her sword. A blast of Sword Aura shot out like a bolt of multi-colored silk—dazzling, brilliant, and surging with power.

Meanwhile, the other young man was delighted to see that Wen Qingye’s cultivation was only at the Yin Yang Realm Second Level. His hands flashed, and a golden light illuminated his palm as he struck out.

’Does he really think I’m a pushover?’ Wen Qingye smiled faintly, meeting the attack with a simple, unadorned palm strike of his own.

CRACKLE!

Their fist and palm collided. The young man felt a sickening crack as the bones in his arm seemed to dislocate. A shudder ran through his body as he was sent flying backward.

Suddenly, Wen Qingye’s Heart Spirit jolted, and he whipped his head around to look at Zhou Yue.