Within the pitch-black jungle, the sporadic calls of birds and insects sounded unnervingly terrifying. However, having endured the trials of the Hundred Burial Valley, Ye Jingyu paid them no heed. He simply followed closely behind Nangong Shang, charging deeper into the dense woods...

He truly couldn't fathom what could have enraged Nangong Shang to such a degree.

Outside the jungle, Chen Qi had caught up. Upon learning the current situation, he refrained from immediately sending troops into the depths. While this jungle wasn't as treacherous as those in Tiangang territory, venturing in at night remained fraught with peril. Still, with a Grandmaster expert accompanying Ye Jingyu, he had little need for concern.

After halting the soldiers' advance and assigning guards to the desiccated corpse while ordering others to continue felling trees, Chen Qi cast a slightly worried glance toward the jungle before turning and heading toward the main military camp.

The main military camp blazed with light, its defenses exceptionally tight. The area immediately surrounding the central command tent was particularly heavily guarded, featuring eighteen experts who had reached the Xiantian realm. This force alone was sufficient to contend with an ordinary Grandmaster.

This demonstrated the lengths to which Luo Xiaofeng had gone for his son's safety, investing heavily—especially regarding Luo Ruofeng, who had relatively fewer elite guards. In addition to the eighteen Xiantian Martial Masters, five Zongshis and two Grandmasters had been assigned to him; all were experts utterly loyal to the royal house.

From this arrangement, one could gauge the true strength of the monarchy, realizing it was something ordinary martial sects could not hope to match. No one found this surprising.

After all, Luo Xiaofeng himself possessed the strength of a Martial Saint and held the position of monarch; it would be stranger if he didn't have a gathering of masters surrounding him.

However, the two Grandmasters were essentially retained guests; besides safeguarding Luo Ruofeng, they were not directly under his command.

Inside the grand tent, Luo Ruofeng sat cross-legged beneath the foremost dais. Zhuge Yishi, Lian Yi, Li Hang, Qingshun, and Lin Jian were seated along the sides (Luo Ruofeng had long sought to promote his trusted confidantes, and these four had all become generals). Soldiers had already relayed the events from outside, and worry was etched on every face.

"Mr. Zhuge, what do you advise? Should we dispatch soldiers to search the forest?" Luo Ruofeng had already removed his armor, now clad in flowing silver-white robes that made him look less like a young commander leading troops and more like an elegant young master.

"Absolutely not. It is the dead of night; rashly entering the forest is extremely dangerous. Given the cultivation of General Ye and Lieutenant Nangong, since they dared to enter alone, they must possess absolute confidence. Young Lord need not worry," Zhuge Yishi replied, shaking his head, though his eyes held a solemn gravity.

"Very well..." Hearing Zhuge Yishi’s assurance, Luo Ruofeng finally felt a measure of relief.

At this moment, Chen Qi also arrived at the tent. After paying his respects to the Young Lord, he took a seat in the foremost position on the left. This spot rightfully belonged to Ye Jingyu, but since Ye Jingyu was deep in the forest, Chen Qi filled in. However, as he was only a Lieutenant General among several full Generals, occupying this seat felt profoundly awkward.

Yet, reminding himself that he represented Ye Jingyu, whose standing in Luo Ruofeng's heart was unique, he forced himself to remain composed.

Seeing Chen Qi's unease, Zhuge Yishi merely offered a faint smile, while Luo Ruofeng gently shook his head, a wry smile touching his lips. Regarding Ye Jingyu, he truly didn't know what to say. Nominally a Great General, yet he rarely concerned himself with practical matters—a veritable armchair general!

But regardless, Ye Jingyu was his most trusted companion. Luo Ruofeng wouldn't dwell on these minor issues. Everyone present was also Luo Ruofeng's inner circle, naturally aware of his relationship with Ye Jingyu, and thus wouldn't press the matter. Consequently, a military strategy session concerning Blazing Flame City commenced within the command tent.

Meanwhile, not far from the command tent, within Nangong Shang’s own tent, Yi Ruoshui, dressed in white and wearing a veil over her face, stood at the entrance, gazing toward the distant jungle. Her eyes were filled with anxiety. Only she knew what that scream signified.

Only she knew why Nangong Shang had rushed in immediately upon hearing that sound.

At this time, deep within the jungle, Ye Jingyu had opened his Samsara Eyes. A moon wheel flickered above his brow, allowing him to clearly perceive everything within the forest.

However, he had lost sight of Nangong Shang. Fortunately, he could still follow the tracks left by Nangong Shang’s passage. Ye Jingyu rushed forward, keeping to the trail.

Whether due to his formidable power or the simple fact that this forest held no truly ferocious beasts, he encountered no interference whatsoever along the way.

"Whoosh..." Just as Ye Jingyu thought he was about to catch up to Nangong Shang, a figure suddenly flashed past in front of him. A silver light swept from the figure's brow, yet Ye Jingyu detected nothing.

At that instant, a chill struck him from behind. A cold smile played on Ye Jingyu’s lips. Without evading, he swung a punch backward, but the blow struck empty air—there was no shadow behind him whatsoever.

Bizarre. Utterly bizarre...

Ye Jingyu stopped running, his entire being settling into stillness. The moon wheel above his brow shone even brighter.

He scanned his surroundings. All about were massive trees, easily three people wide at the trunk, with bird nests dimly hanging from the branches. Occasionally, small snakes slithered among the limbs. The ground was overgrown with weeds, yet concealing a person seemed impossible.

As for Nangong Shang, his whereabouts remained unknown.

The only sound was the incessant chirping of insects; the area was deathly quiet. Ye Jingyu stood there motionless.

Suddenly, a hand clamped around Ye Jingyu's ankle—icy cold. A surge of alarm struck Ye Jingyu; he snatched the Heavenly Venerable Blade and slashed downward.

The grasping hand seemed to sense the might of the Heavenly Venerable Blade and immediately released its grip, vanishing without a trace once more.

"Hmph, I was wondering where you’d hidden, turns out you were hiding on the ground?" Ye Jingyu was shaken but immediately stomped his foot down toward the earth.

He had already reached the level of a Fifth-Rank Warrior; the force of a single punch exceeded one hundred thousand jin, let alone this full-power stomp.

The immense power hammered down onto the ground, shaking the earth as if a Tyrannosaurus Rex had trod there. The ground beneath him cracked inch by inch.

A figure suddenly burst forth from the earth, wielding a battle saber and aiming a fierce slash directly at Ye Jingyu.

"Well met!" Ye Jingyu cried out, raising the Heavenly Venerable Blade to meet the attack head-on.

"Clang..." With a sharp impact, the two battle sabers collided fiercely. The massive recoil sent a numbing sensation up Ye Jingyu's hand, and he nearly lost his grip on the Heavenly Venerable Blade.

The figure was forced to retreat step after step.