Several Rampaging Apes near the Earth-Shaking Seal were instantly shredded the moment they touched the periphery of the lightning surrounding it, their very souls sucked into the Seal. Though Gongsun Sheng moved with blinding speed, his body was still caught by the Seal’s tyrannical energy wave, sending him flying backward. A faint crack could be heard—it was impossible to know how many bones had snapped—and the blood gushing from his mouth far surpassed what he had merely coughed up before.

At that moment, Ye Jingyu himself drew the Heavenly Venerable Blade and lunged toward the surrounding Apes. He was no Martial Saint, but his blade speed was astonishing, the blade light shimmering with arcs of lightning. Though the surface remained dull and lusterless, its sharpness was exponentially greater than before. In an instant, he managed to cut down several Rampaging Apes consecutively.

However, having witnessed the immense power of the Earth-Shaking Seal, the Apes were now filled with terror. Even Ye Jingyu stared in disbelief at the colossal iron seal.

With a mere thought, the Earth-Shaking Seal ascended once more. The ground beneath bore a massive crater several mu wide, but the Seal rapidly shrank, soon becoming no larger than a fist as it returned to Ye Jingyu’s side. The shadowy figure that had accompanied it also plunged into his body.

But compared to before, the figure seemed significantly more subdued. It was clear that exerting full control over the Earth-Shaking Seal, even with his current soul power, was taxing him severely.

Fortunately, by this time, Xiao Taotao’s figure had vanished. As for the Ferocious Beast, after forcing Mo Gong into repeated retreats, it too dissolved into a shadow, disappearing into the void between heaven and earth.

Seeing the heavily wounded Gongsun Sheng, a flicker crossed Ye Jingyu’s mind—should he seize this opportunity to eliminate the man? But then he noticed Gongsun Sheng regaining his senses and preparing to attack again, realizing that lingering here with his current capabilities meant certain demise.

With that thought, a silver glint flashed in his eyes. He lunged forward, crossing hundreds of meters in a single stride, vanishing into the pitch-black night within just a few steps…

It was the soul technique of a Soul Immortal master: A Horizon at Arm's Length.

The canyon was now a scene of utter devastation. Gongsun Sheng, thrown clear by the Earth-Shaking Seal, painfully dragged himself up from the ground. Staring at the ravaged Medicine King Valley and the thirty-odd Rampaging Apes that remained, his beard bristled with fury.

This entire affair was meant to be a simple test for his several sons, yet it had drawn several unexpectedly powerful juniors. He had thought only a few youngsters had arrived, prompting him to deploy the Ape Battle Team and the Ape King. Now, not only had he failed to keep anyone, but he had suffered such heavy losses—where was his dignity?

“Whoever you are, if I, Gongsun Sheng, do not tear you limb from limb, I do not deserve my name!” he vowed internally, glaring into the empty night.

Just then, the void shimmered, and the tattered figure of Xu appeared before Gongsun Sheng. Seeing Gongsun Sheng was also injured, Xu’s expression immediately changed.

“Master…”

“Say nothing more. Relay my order: find these individuals at any cost. Furthermore, send someone to notify His Highness Xuanyuan Xue. Tell him everything that transpired tonight, explicitly stating that the enemy was targeting Gongsun Xiangyi. If he wishes to marry my granddaughter, he should show some sincerity!” Gongsun Sheng, maddened by rage, uttered words bordering on treason, as the Xuanyuan family was royalty, after all.

However, the old butler, Xu, merely nodded gently, his expression utterly composed.

Gongsun Sheng forcefully suppressed the news of the attack on Medicine King Valley. After all, deploying such formidable power only to fail to detain the intruders was hardly a tale worth telling.

As for the traces left behind in the valley, they were summarily dismissed as an attack by exotic beasts. Given the Valley’s location at the foot of the Heavenly Dipper Mountain Range, an assault by its strange creatures was certainly plausible.

Naturally, following such a major incident, Medicine King Valley could no longer allow common folk to freely gather medicinal herbs; it was sealed off entirely by Gongsun family guards.

As for the assassins, once Gongsun Sheng extracted the information he desired, they were swiftly sent down the road of no return.

While these events could confuse the common populace of Medicine City, they were utterly impossible to conceal from the Gongsun family members themselves.

At the very least, Gongsun Sheng’s sons and dozens of grandsons sensed the palpable danger lurking within the chaos. Those who had plotted against Gongsun Xiangyi were especially terrified. They had only dispatched a handful of assassins, yet they had triggered such a massive incident, even resulting in the death of the family’s Saint Beast, the Ape King.

If this news were to spread, what kind of commotion would ensue?

This was a Saint Beast! A creature the Gongsun family had painstakingly cultivated using countless rare medicinal ingredients and Heavenly Elixirs. Though its strength didn't match that of a Martial Saint or a beast that evolved to the Saint level through sheer effort, it still bore the glorious title of "Saint."

To have it slain—how astonishing! Of course, if the Gongsun family knew this Saint Beast was killed right under Gongsun Sheng’s nose, their shock would be unimaginable.

But regardless of the turmoil rocking the Gongsun family, it held no relevance for Ye Jingyu.

At this very moment, Ye Jingyu was hidden deep within a secret chamber beneath the Flower Full Pavilion, one of Medicine City’s largest courtesan houses.

The chamber was not large, perhaps only thirty square meters, surrounded by cold stone walls devoid of any carving. Several luminous pearls were set into the rock, providing the room's sole source of light.

Inside, Ye Jingyu and Bing Ming sat cross-legged. Ye Jingyu watched Liang Xiaoke opposite them, who was trembling uncontrollably. Even Xiao Taotao lay quietly nearby, observing the scene intently.

As for Chi Yixiu and the others, they had been settled elsewhere...

Liang Xiaoke’s body was no longer enveloped in that golden-red glow, and his cracked skin had begun to slowly heal, yet his face was still etched with agony, his lips constantly murmuring incoherent words.

Seeing Liang Xiaoke in this state, Ye Jingyu’s heart was filled with worry. He understood that even if Liang Xiaoke’s body were dismembered, he wouldn't feel pain; the only thing causing him such suffering must be damage to his soul.

At this time, Ye Jingyu could vaguely sense two powerful spheres of energy colliding within Liang Xiaoke, seemingly vying for dominance.

“Do we need to do anything?” Bing Ming asked softly, observing Liang Xiaoke’s condition.

“Do nothing. Trust him. It’s just an Ape; it can’t hurt him!” Ye Jingyu replied, unsure if he was comforting Bing Ming or himself.

“Roar…” At that moment, a thunderous roar echoed from within Liang Xiaoke’s body—the sound of the very Ape King he had swallowed…

(Ugh, I checked the word count just now; I’ve accidentally hit over 900,000 words! At this pace, it's not slow, is it!)

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