Ye Qin shattered a dark cloud the size of several dozen wen, leaving the Cimei Pu Range at extreme speed, crossing the Lingwu Grand Canyon, and arriving at a stretch of high-altitude Gobi desert. After flying over the plateau Gobi, he began to occasionally spot small-scale skirmishes and duels among scattered cultivators on the ground. He grew cautious amid his surprise, rapidly slowing his flight speed, drifting toward Lingwu City with intermittent bursts of acceleration and deceleration in the sky.

The dark cloud barrier artifact he was riding resembled ordinary clouds floating in the sky, yet it offered exceptional concealment. As long as there were many clouds around, and his cloud did not betray any abnormality, he could easily evade the attention of most cultivators. Ordinary cultivators would almost certainly fail to detect a Foundation Establishment cultivator hidden within a passing cloud overhead.

Ye Qin occasionally peered down at the plateau Gobi, attempting to discern the identities of the cultivators engaged in combat.

They were all low-level cultivators at the Qi Refining stage. Judging by their attire, some were from the Tianqiong Plain of the Lingwu Realm, others from Wan Yue Lake. They were shouting loudly across the Gobi, engrossed in their fierce fights.

Ye Qin pondered for a moment, a flicker of understanding dawning on him.

During the time he was trapped in the Cangmang Ridge, for him, it was a period of cultivating while searching for a way out. Over a year had slipped by unnoticed. However, for the cultivators confined to Lingwu City, facing escalating hostilities, the situation there had surely changed dramatically; it was likely no longer the Lingwu City he had departed from.

He wondered about the current state of Lingwu City. Given the lingering activity of low-level Qi Refining cultivators from the Lingwu Realm nearby, the city itself must not have been breached by enemy forces.

Ye Qin conjectured internally.

He had no inclination to interfere with the duels of these low-level cultivators. He proceeded toward Lingwu City, intending to return directly and report to Elder Yan the First.

When he was only tens of li away from Xian Yuan City, he retracted the Dark Cloud Barrier artifact. He did not wish too many cultivators to know about this artifact obtained from the Sacred Emperor. Instead, he switched to a low-grade cyan flying sword and navigated at a low altitude.

Ye Qin flew another dozen li, and at that point, he happened to encounter a group of twenty to thirty Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Lingwu Realm, all departing from the direction of Lingwu City and heading hastily toward the southwest.

Ye Qin glanced at them casually. He noted that they were all disciples from the Seven Great Cultivation Sects, but he did not recognize any of them, so he naturally paid them no mind.

Seeing Ye Qin flying alone at a low altitude over the Gobi, the group of cultivators all turned to look, expressions of surprise crossing their faces. They seemed utterly perplexed by Ye Qin’s solo presence in the Gobi.

"Junior Brother Ye, is that you?!"

Just as the two groups were about to pass by each other and move on, a young woman among the Lingwu cultivators suddenly stopped, staring at Ye Qin, her beautiful features registering a mix of surprise and sheer delight as she exclaimed out loud.

Ye Qin found the voice somewhat familiar, so he quickly stopped and peered closely into the group of cultivators.

"Senior Sister Yan?"

Ye Qin finally recognized an acquaintance: Yan Pan, and he felt a surge of surprise.

Several years had passed. The once arrogant and haughty young girl had matured considerably. She was no longer that thoughtless, bossy little lass; even her voice was much gentler. The transformation was so profound that he hadn't recognized her at first glance.

Another thing that astonished Ye Qin was that this group of Foundation Establishment cultivators looked somewhat dusty and disheveled. They appeared tense and anxious, moving with hurried steps.

However, Yan Ying was even more astonished than he was.

Last year, when Ye Qin and ten other cultivators went on a mission to the Cold Lake Forest, only two returned alive to Lingwu City; the rest had perished. In the casualty list for the Qing Dan Sect, Ye Qin had been marked as deceased.

Because of this, she had been saddened for quite some time.

Reflecting now, this quiet Junior Brother Ye had not only saved her life previously but had also gifted her a Foundation Establishment Pill to help her achieve her breakthrough. Recalling their shared trial at Wan Ku Ridge, and their experiences training together in the Northern Qi Kingdom, the days they had spent together made her inexplicably sad.

Now, Ye Qin’s sudden reappearance alive brought a wave of joy that was nearly uncontrollable.

"Junior Brother Ye, it truly is you! You went on that mission over a year ago—where did you go afterward? Why haven't you returned? And why did Senior Brother Sun Shi and Junior Brother Shen Bao both report you as dead? What exactly happened back then?"

In her excitement and delight, Yan Ying bombarded him with a torrent of questions, not caring whether Ye Qin could possibly answer them all.

"I was executing a mission in the Lingwu Mountain Range. Amidst the chaos, I became separated from my fellow disciples and was subsequently trapped in a dangerous location within the range. I only managed to break free a few days ago, and I rushed back to Lingwu City immediately."

Pressed by the questions, Ye Qin offered a brief explanation out of necessity.

Yan Ying nodded immediately, but then her expression turned indignant. "Then why are you wandering around here alone after returning? Don't you know how dangerous it is near Lingwu City? If you ran into cultivators from Tianqiong Plain or Wan Yue Lake, you could lose your life in an instant. Come with us on this mission first, and we can return to the city together afterward. It will be much safer."

Ye Qin was bewildered by Yan Ying's sudden ire. They were only twenty to thirty li from Lingwu City; how could it be unsafe?

While Ye Qin and Yan Ying were talking, several younger cultivators accompanying Yan Ying noticed Ye Qin and Yan Ying engaging in an apparently casual conversation, their expressions growing distinctly displeased.

"Senior Sister Yan, this person seems to carry a heavy aura of sinister energy. Is he one of your Qing Dan Sect disciples?"

A handsome, rather valiant middle-aged man in yellow robes from the Di Que Sect scrutinized Ye Qin with a stern face. He detected a faint, strange aura around Ye Qin, something very peculiar.

"Senior Brother Ji, this Junior Brother Ye is certainly a disciple of our Qing Dan Sect. Would I mistake him?" Yan Ying retorted, wrinkling her nose with clear annoyance.

"That's not what I meant. How could I doubt Senior Sister Yan! If he is indeed from the Qing Dan Sect, then let him join us on this mission. Having an additional mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator is better than nothing. As long as we are careful, securing our lives shouldn't be an issue."

The man surnamed Ji sneered dismissively after confirming Ye Qin's identity. He considered a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator with no apparent background to be utterly insignificant and posed no threat to a high-stage cultivator like himself.

"Brother Ji, another toad trying to eat swan meat! It seems we have gained another competitor." A handsome cultivator with sharp, imposing eyebrows mocked with a strange tone. He was clearly displeased by Yan Ying's excessive excitement upon seeing Ye Qin.

"Brother Cao, with your status from the great Cao family of Da Luo Sect, why would you even bother paying attention to him!" The middle-aged man surnamed Ji clapped the handsome cultivator on the shoulder. Several other richly dressed cultivators nearby chuckled loudly.

Ye Qin glanced at the group before him, his expression placid, though a slight frown touched his brow. Among these cultivators, those named Ji and Cao clearly came from prominent, established families. They were highly cultivated and exhibited a somewhat arrogant demeanor.

The others were ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators, likely similar in cultivation level to himself.

Ye Qin remained impassive, certainly not intending to argue. Yan Ying glared angrily at the cultivator surnamed Ji and the cultivator surnamed Cao, then looked toward Ye Qin with a hint of worry.

She was concerned that many of these cultivators came from the upper echelons of their respective sects and were accustomed to being high and mighty. If Junior Brother Ye became angered and got into a verbal spat or conflict, it would be highly unfavorable.

But she saw Ye Qin's expression as cold as still water; he seemed to ignore everything he had heard.

Was he truly unconcerned?

For some inexplicable reason, Yan Ying's mood suddenly sank. She stamped her foot. "Let's go, time to execute the mission!"

Ye Qin felt a touch of confusion, not understanding why Yan Ying insisted on pulling him along rather than letting him return to Lingwu City alone. However, he did not press to go back solo. Elder Yan the First was responsible for task assignments, and Yan Ying was his daughter; antagonizing her would lead to unpleasant consequences.

He lagged behind, engaging in sporadic conversation with Yan Ying, and soon understood the current grim situation.

The supply of spirit stones within Lingwu City was insufficient, making the maintenance of the City Protection Grand Array extremely strenuous. They were forced to transport spirit stones from the major cultivation sects. However, these shipments were constantly intercepted by enemy cultivators, leading to an intermittent supply. The defensive array could only be activated sporadically, and the pressure on the defenders grew heavier.

During the most dangerous instance, the enemy nearly managed to breach the city walls.

Fortunately, the enemy forces also suffered from severe spirit stone scarcity due to the long supply lines stretching from Wan Yue Lake and Tianqiong Plain—they were often not in a better position than the cultivators of the Lingwu Realm. Their spirit stone transport routes were frequently ambushed by Lingwu cultivators.

The struggle over spirit stones had become incredibly fierce between both sides.

Two days prior, three core Foundation Establishment cultivators from major families, leading a small contingent of over twenty Foundation Establishment cultivators, were attempting to secretly transport a batch of spirit stones from the Beast Spirit Gate. But they had not arrived yet. The Lingwu Alliance, fearful of disaster, dispatched this current group of cultivators to the Lingwu Mountain Range for escort and to guard against any unexpected incidents.

Ye Qin gradually grew grave.

He had been trapped in Cangmang Ridge for over a year, and Lingwu City had changed beyond recognition. The relatively relaxed atmosphere of the past was gone, replaced by an omnipresent air of grim austerity.

Most Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment cultivators from the major sects were fully committed, cycling through rotations. Even the core Foundation Establishment cultivators of the major sects were not exempt; they too were assigned to the front lines.

Ordinary cultivators were deployed even more frequently. In Lingwu City, any randomly selected Foundation Establishment cultivator had been dispatched on missions anywhere from a few times to dozens of times. Those like Ye Qin, who had only completed one mission, were exceedingly rare.

Whenever they ventured outside Lingwu City, clashes between cultivators could occur anywhere, anytime. It was no exaggeration to say that ambushes lay everywhere, and battlefires raged constantly. Even within ten li of Lingwu City, one might encounter an ambush.

Cultivators leaving Lingwu City now traveled in large groups. Furthermore, they usually departed secretly to avoid detection and interception. Even Golden Core cultivators dared not move alone outside the city walls casually.

After hearing all this, a chill of lingering fear and palpitations ran down Ye Qin's spine.

He had flown safely for several days within the Lingwu Mountain Range, traversing an extended front line on his own using the Dark Cloud Barrier, without encountering any enemy cultivators. This, he considered, was a stroke of luck, neither insignificant nor great.