"Sigh, resorting to wrecking things? How rude."

Ye Qingzhou sensed the same bloodline inheritance within the opponent's body, similar to Xu Yuebing and Xu Yunxi, as well as the invisible Sword Qi secret technique demonstrated in the earlier attack. He deduced that this person must be from the Xu Family.

After a moment of flickering gaze, Ye Qingzhou's expression remained unchanged. He placed his right hand on the black railing of the balcony and leaped directly from the second floor.

He then started walking on the wind, his body like a wild goose, chasing after the middle-aged man's silhouette.

Both of them moved as fast as fleeting light, racing forward like wind chasing lightning, not even bothering to hide their tracks.

Yet, even so, the passersby on the road didn't notice anyone brushing past them; at most, they felt a strange great wind whistling by.

Turning their heads or shifting their gaze, they found no one there.

A few timid hikers thought they'd seen a ghost in broad daylight and fled in panic.

Imperial, Northern Suburb.

Jundu Mountain, Dragon Return Ridge.

The place where Ye Qingzhou had once forged a Divine Weapon had already regained its Primordial Qi, and once again became full of birdsong and flowers.

The ginkgo leaves were blown and scattered by the wind, the gentle afternoon sun shining on the stone-paved paths in the mountains. By a clear pool of water, birds pecked at the water, occasionally raising their heads to look around warily.

A series of subtle footsteps approached, causing the frolicking birds near the pool to flap their wings and fly away, perching high up in the ginkgo trees, looking down below.

On the winding mountain road, the black-haired middle-aged man finally stopped, looking back with an amused gaze, his eyes carrying a somewhat condescending scrutiny.

Ye Qingzhou, meanwhile, landed on the asphalt road and walked over, step by step.

"Are you from the Xu Family?"

At this moment, Ye Qingzhou's steps were light, his walking posture slightly forward-leaning, touching the ground with his toes. Should anything unexpected occur, he could charge forward or sideways at any time, reacting instantly to any situation.

"My name is Xu Jianming, indeed from the Xu Family, but not from the Linjiang Xu Clan, rather from the direct line of the Cyan Bird Clan of the Kunlun Grotto Heaven."

Xu Jianming's chin slightly raised as he stood before Ye Qingzhou, still appearing at ease, as if he had absolute confidence in his abilities.

He sized Ye Qingzhou up and down: "Ye Qingzhou, you should know my purpose. Now, with your Mental Imagery shattered and your realm regressed, you have no hope of reaching the Martial God Realm in this life. You're no longer worthy of the Xu Family's pride of heaven."

"Sigh..."

Ye Qingzhou let out a long sigh, "I wonder if killing you would upset Xu Yuebing."

There's always some relative who buzzes around like a fly right in your ear, making you want to swat them dead on the spot.

Previously, Ye Qingzhou didn't have this trouble.

But now, he did.

Upon hearing this, Xu Jianming let out a cold laugh, "Martial Artist these days are so arrogant, do you think you still have such capabilities? Ye Qingzhou, you're already a cripple, while Xu Yuebing bears an Immortal Phoenix Destiny and is destined to assist a hero of the Feather Kingdom, become Monarch, and dominate the Kunlun Grotto Heaven."

"Even for domination, you rely on outside power? Have people from the Feather Race become such waste now?"

Ye Qingzhou shook his head repeatedly, his tone filled with sighs: "No wonder the Sword Emperor would rather give his inheritance to an outsider like me than leave it in the Kunlun Grotto Heaven. Truly a misfortune for the family, disgrace for the descendants."

Xu Jianming's face instantly turned cold, his expression as frosty as ice, and the killing intent flickered in his eyes. His breath, like autumn wind, was full of killing intent.

Suddenly, he swung his hands, and dozens of metallic threads flew out densely.

The Formless Sword Scripture, a thousand threads!

These silver-white metallic threads, as fine as cow hair, either nailed to the asphalt ground, coiled around rocks, or plunged into tree trunks, formed a bright silver metallic spider web centered on Xu Jianming, appearing like a Celestial Net, instantly turning this place into his domain.

Chirp~

The startled fat bird flapped its wings, trying to flee the troublesome place, but inadvertently collided with an airborne thread. Instantly, its body was sliced in half by the sharp metallic thread.

It fell to the ground with a thud, innards spilling from the cross-section.

Meanwhile, the thread quivered slightly, and blood dripped instantly.

Xu Jianming's vicious gaze fixed on Ye Qingzhou, lightly touching the threads with his fingers as if playing a dreadful melody symbolizing death.

"Ye Qingzhou, I intended to offer some advice and didn't plan to take your life. It is you who are ungrateful and stubborn; don't blame me for being ruthless."

Zheng~

Zhengzhengzheng~

As Xu Jianming's fingers gently plucked, in a moment, all the metallic threads vibrated, being pulled taut by a tremendous force.

Swoosh~

The metallic net trembled fiercely, and all threads retracted.

The surrounding scenery appeared as if chiseled by blades, devastated everywhere; the ground fractured with a large pit, tree trunks severed mid-waist, the upper part of a stone statue teetered and slid down at an angle.

And the silver metallic threads in Xu Jianming's hands behaved more like a raging storm, shattering rocks and toppling down trees in its path, being guided to crash into Ye Qingzhou fiercely.

Zheng~

A dense metallic explosion echoed in the air as fifty metallic threads vibrated collectively, slicing through the air.

The person before him had far surpassed Xu Yunxi and Xu Wanqing in the achievement of invisible Sword Qi, already reaching the Perfection Realm, capable of killing without a trace with just a thought!

Bang~ 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

Ye Qingzhou stomped hard, the asphalt road cracked into a deep pit beneath his feet. Using the rebound force, he retreated rapidly backward.

Tap tap tap~

His elongated legs trod on the ground like a dragonfly skimming the water, leaving tiny depressions one after another, his figure as fast as lightning.

"Think you can escape? You think you can get away!"

Xu Jianming's intent to kill was resolute as he directed the dense metallic threads to lash down from the sky, determined to use this Celestial Net to completely block Ye Qingzhou's escape route.

These threads exhibited terrifying destructive power, infused with some intensely powerful cutting and vibrating force.

With Xu Jianming at the center, all objects above ankle height within a twelve-meter radius were severed by the metallic threads, forming a radial fan-shaped crack, with dust and debris rising.

In the middle of this fan-shaped crack, five or six gaps appeared.

As six metallic threads closed in on him, Ye Qingzhou remained calm, using his fingers as a sword, struck precisely six times, deflecting them all away.

Ten meters away, Ye Qingzhou halted and no longer attempted to leave.

He lowered his head to inspect the index and middle fingers of his right hand, noticing three blood-red dots on the fingertips, their depth far exceeding what appeared on the surface.

"To break through with just a dot, the penetrative power of the invisible Sword Qi is astonishing?"

Initially reluctant to take life out of respect for Xu Yuebing, Ye Qingzhou now squinted at Xu Jianming. His heart thudded in his right chest cavity, as the blood that represented 'Infinite Life' surged within him instantaneously.

The wounds on his fingers healed in the blink of an eye, and at the same time, a surging force silently gathered in Ye Qingzhou's Eight Extraordinary Meridians.

"Are you really intent on killing me?"

Ye Qingzhou let out another deep sigh. He's not one to take a beating without retaliation; since the opponent pushed him this far, he had no reservations left.

Thanks to the concealed Infinite Heart Image, Xu Jianming hadn't yet noticed the rising killing intent from Ye Qingzhou.

He gestured, retrieving all the threads that Ye Qingzhou had rebounded and deeply embedded into the ground, letting them hover and spin like a planetary ring around his body.

Xu Jianming flicked the ash off his cigarette, placing it back between his lips.

"Your aptitude is indeed remarkable, retaining such cultivation even after your Mental Imagery was shattered, and your combat intuition is top-notch. But I must consider the future of the Xu Family, I hope you understand."

He continued speaking to himself, smoke curling from his lips, "Now then, it's time to conclude this matter."