As the corpse of the white-bearded elder fell to the ground, everything returned to silence, and Xuan Yu finally reacted.
Ye Ling had killed that nameless supreme expert.
As a cultivator from the lower realm, having just ascended to the Origin Upper Realm and immediately killing a supreme expert within it… such a world-shattering feat was likely unprecedented!
"Someone killed the Sword Ancestor!"
"Quickly go back and inform our Grand Ancestor to avenge the Sword Ancestor!"
"Stop that villain, don't let him escape!"
At this moment, a large number of cultivators were rushing towards them from afar. They seemed to have sensed the demise of their own ancestor and were coming to seek revenge.
Ye Ling gazed into the distance, seeing a dense mass of cultivators, his killing intent intensified, and the demonic sword in his hand surged with an extremely terrifying sword aura.
"A bunch of ants, go accompany your ancestors to the underworld!"
*Thump thump!*
But just as Ye Ling was about to unleash a sword strike, his heart suddenly pounded twice, and cracks appeared on the surface of the seed of origin within his body.
An extremely intense feeling of weakness spread throughout his entire being.
Ye Ling's crimson eyes returned to normal, his white hair turned black, and he closed his eyes, falling from the sky!
Seeing this, Xuan Yu's expression changed slightly. She immediately caught the unconscious Ye Ling, protected his heart meridian with the World Suppressing Pearl, and then looked at the approaching cultivators in the distance, saying solemnly, "The opponent might still have supreme experts. We cannot fight here for long; we must escape!"
Xuan Yu glanced at the corpse of the white-bearded elder not far away. After a moment of hesitation, she ultimately abandoned the idea of collecting the elder's origin inheritance. She activated the World Suppressing Pearl, took Ye Ling and Tian Xing, and fled the scene.
Although obtaining the white-bearded elder's origin inheritance could create another supreme expert, major sects in the Origin Upper Realm would typically impose restrictions on their supreme experts to ensure the sect's everlasting prosperity, preventing their origin inheritance from being seized after their demise.
While Xuan Yu could use the World Suppressing Pearl to forcibly break through the white-bearded elder's restrictions and seize the origin inheritance, given the current situation, there was clearly not enough time for her to do so.
Furthermore, taking the white-bearded elder's corpse would only lead to them being caught by the sect's cultivators.
Therefore, with no other choice, Xuan Yu had to give up the temptation and choose to escape.
Xuan Yu's choice was not wrong. After she fled with Ye Ling and Tian Xing, a seven-colored divine light descended from the sky, and a peerlessly beautiful woman landed in front of the white-bearded elder.
She glanced at the elder's corpse, her brow furrowing slightly. She then scanned the battlefield with her divine soul, attempting to track Ye Ling and the others.
"Not a trace left… just who is this person who ascended this time?"
The woman said in a deep voice, then waved her hand, issuing an order to the surrounding cultivators: "Transmit the order, seal Dao State, close all teleportation channels, and mobilize all disciples to hunt down the lower realm trespassers!"
"Yes!!!"
The cultivators responded in unison, their shouts shaking the heavens and earth.
Meanwhile, tens of thousands of miles away from the battlefield, in a village farmland, Xuan Yu teleported out with Ye Ling and Tian Xing.
"Cough cough!"
After teleporting out, Xuan Yu coughed up two mouthfuls of blood, her complexion turning pale.
Wiping the blood from the corner of her mouth, Xuan Yu glanced at Ye Ling and Tian Xing and said solemnly, "As expected… using my power to activate the World Suppressing Pearl to maintain the seed of origin is simply too strenuous."
The World Suppressing Pearl was a treasure of a supreme expert, and it recognized Ye Ling as its master. Xuan Yu's forceful activation of the World Suppressing Pearl to conceal their tracks, while also using it to preserve the seed of origin within Ye Ling, had consumed most of her mental energy!
It could be said that Xuan Yu was using her life force to forcibly keep Ye Ling alive.
Seeing that Xuan Yu's aura had also become unstable, the World Extinguishing Spirit Fire knew it was its turn to step forward. It flew out from Ye Ling's wrist and said to Xuan Yu, "Xuan Yu, you rest here for a while. I will scout the surroundings and handle the guard duty."
"Yes, I entrust everything to you."
Xuan Yu did not overexert herself. With her remaining strength, she manipulated the World Suppressing Pearl to form a protective barrier, then sat down on the spot to regulate her breathing.
The World Extinguishing Spirit Fire did not hesitate and flew towards the nearby village to investigate the situation.
As dusk began to fall, Ye Ling slowly woke up. Seeing the still unconscious Tian Xing and Xuan Yu sitting in meditation, he realized it was Xuan Yu who had brought them here to escape.
Ye Ling tried to stand up, but the tearing pain throughout his body caused him to fall back to the ground.
"Hiss—! It seems that forcibly activating the seed of origin and absorbing the power of a supreme expert puts too much strain on the body. I probably won't recover for a while."
Ye Ling examined his entire body internally and found that all his meridians were broken, and even his cultivation foundation had been destroyed by that sword aura.
Although meridians and cultivation foundations could be recreated using the power of creation, Ye Ling could not use any spiritual energy at the moment, let alone the power of creation.
Shortly after Ye Ling woke up, the World Extinguishing Spirit Fire also returned from scouting. Seeing Ye Ling awake, it couldn't help but approach him, asking with concern, "Kid, how is your body?"
The World Extinguishing Spirit Fire had been on Ye Ling's wrist all along. When Ye Ling unleashed the power of the seed of origin, it already knew that Ye Ling's body was overloaded.
However, the situation had been urgent then, and the World Extinguishing Spirit Fire had not dared to speak up and affect Ye Ling, only watching silently.
Now that Ye Ling had woken up, the World Extinguishing Spirit Fire finally had the chance to express its concern.
Ye Ling smiled and said, "I'm fine. I'll be alright after some rest. Did you find anything out during your scouting trip?"
The World Extinguishing Spirit Fire replied, "We were very lucky this time. There's only one small sect within a thousand miles, and the nearby villages are all ordinary people. The supreme expert's sect won't find us in a short period."
Ye Ling asked, "Did you find out the name of that sect?"
"I didn't find out."
The World Extinguishing Spirit Fire shook its head, then asked Ye Ling, "What? You want to go back and fight? Let me tell you… their sect has more than one supreme expert. When Xuan Yu was helping us escape, another supreme expert arrived and almost caught us?"
Ye Ling retorted, "We just arrived in the Origin Upper Realm and haven't provoked anyone, yet a supreme expert ambushed us, causing us such great losses. Can we really endure this?"
The World Extinguishing Spirit Fire nodded, "Indeed, we cannot endure it. However, with our current motley crew, we are probably not worthy of provoking a sect with at least two supreme experts."
Ye Ling replied, "Of course, we can't go to our deaths now. Let's talk about other things after my injuries heal. World Extinguishing Spirit Fire… help me up, and lend me some spiritual energy."
"Alright!"
The World Extinguishing Spirit Fire took Ye Ling's arm, helped him up, and simultaneously infused him with some spiritual energy, allowing Ye Ling to suppress his injuries and move with difficulty.
Ye Ling walked to Tian Xing's side, felt his pulse, and said solemnly, "Tian Xing's body is still filled with sword aura. Even with the World Suppressing Pearl helping to suppress his injuries, it's only a temporary solution. I'm afraid only if Senior Bai Qing treats him can the root of the problem be completely removed."
The World Extinguishing Spirit Fire asked, "But didn't Bai Qing go to find other Origin Lower Realms? Where can we find him?"
Ye Ling replied, "Indeed… this is a difficult problem. But besides Bai Qing, we don't know any other supreme experts with such superb medical skills."
"I will go find Senior Bai Qing," Xuan Yu said softly, opening her eyes slightly.
"Xuan Yu?"
Ye Ling looked at Xuan Yu in surprise and asked, "Do you have a way to find Senior Bai Qing?"
Xuan Yu nodded slightly, "Yes… before I left, my father gave me Senior Bai Qing's contact information for critical life-saving situations."
"However, we are not like my father. Even if we go to ask Senior Bai Qing, he might not give us face. So, I want to personally invite Senior Bai Qing."
Ye Ling rejected, "No… the Origin Upper Realm is too dangerous. I cannot let you go alone. Let's go together."
Xuan Yu refused, "With your current condition, you can barely walk. How can you go with me?"
Ye Ling replied, "Then let's go after I recover."
Xuan Yu shook her head, "No… the World Suppressing Pearl is not a treasure for healing. The sword aura will remain in Tian Xing's body. If it lasts too long, even Senior Bai Qing might be powerless to reverse the situation."
"Tian Xing brought us into the Origin Upper Realm this time. Ye Ling, you have already avenged Tian Xing. I also have an obligation to do what I should do."
Ye Ling protested, "But…"
Xuan Yu interrupted, "No 'buts'… You don't need to worry about me. I also have trump cards given to me by my father. You don't need to worry about my safety. You all stay here and recuperate well. I will bring Senior Bai Qing back."
The World Extinguishing Spirit Fire also advised Ye Ling, "Kid, don't be so indecisive. Xuan Yu is not a child. She naturally has her own considerations for her actions. Instead of worrying about Xuan Yu's safety here, you should think about how we should proceed next."
"We just arrived in the Origin Upper Realm and were ambushed by supreme experts. We are unfamiliar with the terrain. If we don't establish a foothold soon, we might not be able to go far."
Hearing the World Extinguishing Spirit Fire's words, Ye Ling sighed slightly. He then took out the World Suppressing Pearl and divided it into two comma-shaped jade pendants, giving half to Xuan Yu. "If you insist on going, take half of the World Suppressing Pearl for protection. I will use the other half to suppress Tian Xing's injuries."
Xuan Yu shook her head, "No… the World Suppressing Pearl is your foundation for survival in the Origin Upper Realm. If you give me half, you will become even more dangerous!"
Ye Ling said firmly, "This is non-negotiable. If you are going to find Senior Bai Qing, you will inevitably have to go to other Origin Lower Realms and then sneak back. Without the World Suppressing Pearl, you won't be able to return."
"Moreover, with half of the World Suppressing Pearl on you, if anything happens, I can rush over immediately."
Seeing Ye Ling's determined gaze, Xuan Yu knew she couldn't persuade him otherwise. She could only sigh slightly, accept half of the World Suppressing Pearl, and instruct Ye Ling, "Then you must promise me that you will be alive when I return."
Ye Ling nodded seriously, "Okay."