Ye Ling's body was engulfed in dark flames, burning away the blood splattered on him.
Outside the room, the surrounding cultivators stared at Ye Ling with blank faces, their minds wiped clean. In their shock, they had even forgotten to breathe!
What a terrifying monster!
Beyond that thought, the cultivators present, who had witnessed everything, found themselves at a loss for words to describe Ye Ling.
After Ye Ling had dealt with Yan Yun under everyone's watchful eyes, he didn't spare Yan Yun's headless corpse another glance. His indifferent gaze swept across the cultivators outside the room, and his mere stare sent them recoiling in fear.
Not a single cultivator present dared to meet Ye Ling's gaze. They all held their breath, lowered their heads, and felt an overwhelming sense of guilt.
The cultivators present feared they would suffer the same fate as Yan Yun!
"How boring... Since none of you dare to come forward, then obediently wait outside."
Seeing that none of the cultivators intended to fight, Ye Ling shook his head and sighed. He then raised his hand, condensed runes, and sealed the entire room, isolating all the cultivators outside.
After setting up the restriction and excluding all the cultivators, Ye Ling turned his attention to Tian Ling, who was still asleep, and quietly awaited her awakening.
The World-Ending Spirit Fire couldn't help but exclaim, "Kid, are you that bold? This is Yan Zu's lair. Not only did you cause such a commotion here, but you're still staying put and not running. Aren't you afraid they'll trap you like a turtle in a jar?"
Ye Ling remained unfazed and joked, "I was just wondering where those hidden fellows were. If they all come attacking together, I can just take them all down in one go, saving me the trouble of finding them one by one."
The World-Ending Spirit Fire didn't believe a single word of Ye Ling's statement. It exclaimed excitedly, "With your current strength, you can barely handle one opponent, and you're thinking of taking them all down at once? Are you dreaming?"
"Tell me honestly, what are your plans now? Give me a clear picture so I can finally relax and stop worrying all the time!"
The World-Ending Spirit Fire was now completely bound to Ye Ling. It knew very well that if Ye Ling died, it would surely not survive either!
In the eyes of the World-Ending Spirit Fire, its own life was paramount. Everything else, whether it was Tian Ling, Earth, or even this inner universe, its destruction or survival meant nothing.
It only cared about itself.
Ye Ling, understanding that the World-Ending Spirit Fire only cared about itself, smiled and shook his head. He didn't string it along any further and explained, "Our current priority is to solve the major problem of extraterrestrial invasion. The most urgent task is to break the illusion shrouding Earth and find out who is hiding within it. Tian Ling is the core of this illusion, so no matter what, I must take her away."
The World-Ending Spirit Fire retorted, "All of that can be discussed later. We are in their territory right now. What if they combine two or more Great Dao Immortal Lords? What will you do?"
"Kid, believe me, I know your strength better than you do. You might be able to kill one Great Dao Immortal Lord suppressed by the cosmic barrier if you go all out, but if there are two or more, you're as good as dead!"
"You're walking on the edge of a cliff right now! One wrong step, and you'll fall into an abyss!"
"You're being a bit too worried." Ye Ling merely smiled at the World-Ending Spirit Fire's warning. "Based on their performance last time, they won't unite to deal with me. Those individuals are all thinking of claiming my head for themselves to obtain that so-called Great Dao Heart."
"Even if Yan Zu knows I'm here, I bet he won't notify others. Instead, he'll do his best to conceal my whereabouts, preventing my trace from being discovered, so that he can hunt me down alone."
After the previous battle, Ye Ling had gained a certain understanding of the nature of those Great Dao Immortal Lords and Chaos Sovereigns. Their selfishness guaranteed him opportunities to defeat them one by one.
Even if Ye Ling stayed here, in the end, only Yan Zu would appear.
And now that Ye Ling's strength had recovered to its peak, and he was ready to hunt those individuals, waiting for Yan Zu to deliver himself here was the best option.
Hearing Ye Ling's analysis, the World-Ending Spirit Fire suddenly understood. "What you're saying, kid, actually makes a lot of sense... I guess I didn't think it through."
"Indeed, those fellows ventured into the inner universe solely for your head. A joint hunt wouldn't be in their best interest..."
"Fine, since you have a plan, I won't interfere too much. I'll just watch your performance."
Having been reassured, the World-Ending Spirit Fire stopped urging Ye Ling and fell silent.
Ye Ling, meanwhile, focused his attention entirely on Tian Ling, who was sleeping with her eyes closed. His eyes showed a complex mix of anticipation and trepidation.
Compared to Yan Zu, he was more worried that even after reading his memories, Tian Ling still wouldn't believe him!
If that happened, he would truly be helpless, and his relationship with Tian Ling would be irrevocably broken.
After an unknown period, Tian Ling's fingers twitched, and her eyelashes fluttered.
"She's waking up!"
Seeing Tian Ling stir, Ye Ling instinctively clenched his fists. He was more nervous now than when he was in a life-or-death situation!
The World-Ending Spirit Fire couldn't quite understand Ye Ling's reaction, but it didn't interject, choosing instead to watch quietly from the side.
Tian Ling slowly opened her eyes. Upon seeing Ye Ling standing before her, a hint of confusion still lingered in her gaze.
Ye Ling pursed his lips and softly called out, "Tian Ling..."
"Senior Brother?" Tian Ling looked at Ye Ling before her, biting her lip, her eyes reddening again.
Seeing Tian Ling on the verge of tears, a flicker of desolation flashed in Ye Ling's eyes. But just as Ye Ling thought Tian Ling still saw him as an enemy, Tian Ling suddenly threw herself into his arms and burst into tears.
"Senior Brother, I'm so sorry... I, I wronged you..."
Ye Ling stared at Tian Ling sobbing in his arms. He was stunned for a moment before he came to his senses, patting her head and gently saying, "It's alright, Senior Brother doesn't blame you."
With red eyes, Tian Ling said to Ye Ling, "Tian Ling was foolish. Master had said before that he would die by Senior Brother's hand. Master also said that no matter what Senior Brother did, it wouldn't be Senior Brother's fault, and that I shouldn't blame Senior Brother. But Tian Ling didn't heed Master's words, and I hurt Senior Brother!"
"He had already planned this far ahead..." Hearing Tian Ling's words, Ye Ling's mouth opened, but he didn't know how to respond.
Ye Ling realized that Xuan Xiao had planned to commit suicide in front of him from the very beginning and had already made arrangements to entrust Tian Ling to him!
Initially, Ye Ling had thought that Xuan Xiao had become the Master of the Shadow Hall and had completely turned into his enemy.
But from his current perspective... Ye Ling could no longer fathom Xuan Xiao's true intentions.
Holding Tian Ling, who was sobbing in his arms, Ye Ling lowered his gaze and murmured, "Master... what exactly are you trying to do?"
As Ye Ling's thoughts drifted, the sky over Jiangcheng suddenly turned crimson.
A massive barrier descended from the sky, encompassing the entire city.
Jiangcheng was completely isolated.
Sensing a powerful aura approaching from afar, the World-Ending Spirit Fire immediately looked towards the room and said gravely, "Ye Ling, he's here."