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Xie Lingfeng's face was full of shock as he exclaimed, "Are you Zi Yun? Princess of the Purple Cloud Nation, Zi Yun?"

Zi Yun straightened her slender waist and proudly said, "It's me!"

"How did you become a Grandmaster?" Xie Lingfeng was astonished.

"Hmph, with my unparalleled talent, breaking through to Grandmaster is naturally easy. You must be Xie Lingfeng, right? You seem a bit useless!" Zi Yun said smugly.

Xie Lingfeng's face turned dark, feeling disdained.

However, he found himself unable to refute at the moment!

"Xie, do you know her?" Xu Yan asked in surprise.

"She's renowned alongside me, known as one of the three youngest Grandmasters in the Inner Domain, Princess Zi Yun of the Purple Cloud Nation!" Xie Lingfeng sighed bitterly.

Among the three youngest Grandmasters, Zi Yun had surpassed them all by breaking through to Grandmaster first!

Xu Yan patted Xie Lingfeng's shoulder and comforted, "Xie, don't feel discouraged. Although she's a Grandmaster, it doesn't necessarily mean she's your match!"

Xie Lingfeng shook his head. Although he had condensed his true qi and made significant progress in swordsmanship, it was nearly impossible for him to defeat Zi Yun at the Grandmaster level.

Zi Yun continued to pester Meng Chong, saying, "How about it? Are you relieved now? Accept my employment and escort me to that place."

Meng Chong frowned, "With your talent and strength, you could easily go alone. Why insist on my escort?"

"Because I like you! I like a man like you, not those delicate pretty boys. I can't stand them," Zi Yun said nonchalantly.

Seeing Meng Chong still hesitating, Zi Yun gritted her teeth and added, "That place is a treasure trove with fifth-grade spirit herbs."

"Alright, I agree!" Meng Chong immediately agreed upon hearing about the spirit herbs.

Zi Yun was surprised. She agreed so quickly just because of the spirit herbs? If she had known earlier, she would have mentioned the fifth-grade spirit herbs from the beginning.

However, Xie Lingfeng furrowed his brows, "Zi Yun, there are plenty of Grandmasters in the peak of the Purple Cloud Nation. Why do you insist on finding Meng? What's so special about that place?"

Zi Yun looked at him, hesitated for a moment, and said, "I had a falling out with my father, and he'll definitely send enforcers to capture me. That place is indeed special, but I can't disclose too much about it."

Xie Lingfeng was taken aback. Zi Yun, known as one of the three youngest Grandmasters in the Inner Domain, had such high talent that she would be considered a treasure in any power. Yet she had a falling out with the Purple Cloud Emperor?

Zi Yun continued, "To go to that place, we need to cross the Purple Cloud Nation. With Meng Chong's strength, he can escort me there safely. You'll understand the secrets when we arrive."

Then she added, "I fell out with my father because he wanted to marry me off to someone I didn't even know. It's outrageous, so I confronted him directly."

Xie Lingfeng and others were puzzled. Was the Purple Cloud Emperor out of his mind? A talent like Zi Yun would be cherished by any power, yet he wanted to marry her off, and without even knowing who the person was?

"To whom were you going to be married?" Xie Lingfeng asked curiously.

Looking puzzled, Zi Yun shook her head, "I don't know! Don't ask. I've never even met that person, let alone know their name. I think my father has lost his mind."

Xie Lingfeng was astonished. The Purple Cloud Emperor indeed seemed a bit crazy.

That day, Meng Chong left Canglan Island to escort Zi Yun to that place.

On Canglan Island, Xu Yan continued to comprehend sword intent.

Su Lingshow began refining and practicing the Great Wasteland Martial Path, assisting in refining the elixirs needed for condensing the Heaven and Earth Bridge.

The first person to practice the martial path was naturally Xie Lingfeng.

He was extremely excited.

With the successful refinement of the elixirs, Xie Lingfeng began to condense the Heaven and Earth Bridge, taking the first step in practicing the Great Wasteland Martial Path.

If successful, he would be the first person in the Inner Domain to transition from a Grandmaster to an Innate Realm martial artist.

Xu Yan also finished comprehending sword intent and watched from the side.

Peng Yuan and others all looked expectant. If Xie Lingfeng succeeded in transitioning, the martial artists at the Seven Stars Academy could also consider practicing martial paths.

However, transitioning for Grandmasters was quite difficult. Besides the Heaven and Earth Bridge, understanding how to condense true essence and comprehend profoundness were significant obstacles.

If there were still paths beyond Grandmaster, there might not necessarily be a need for transitioning.

Xie Lingfeng swallowed a pill and began condensing the Heaven and Earth Bridge, taking the first step in practicing the Great Wasteland Martial Path.

He was the first person to truly transition from the Inner Domain martial path to the Great Wasteland Martial Path, and whether the condensation of the Heaven and Earth Bridge would be successful was still uncertain.

After one pill was refined, Xie Lingfeng felt a meridian within him open up, as if it were a bridge, and his sensitivity to the spiritual energy of heaven and earth became even more acute.

The embryonic form of the Heaven and Earth Bridge had been condensed, and with continuous cultivation, it could solidify into a complete bridge, allowing him to transition into an Innate Realm martial artist.

Xie Lingfeng swallowed another pill and continued cultivating the Heaven and Earth Bridge. As the bridge stabilized and guided the spiritual energy from the heaven and earth into his body, it condensed into true qi and entered his dantian sea of qi.

At this moment, it was certain that the transition was successful.

"I did it!" Xie Lingfeng was overjoyed.

Li Xuan breathed a sigh of relief. Since the transition method was proven feasible, the likelihood of Innate Realm martial artists appearing in a short period would greatly increase.

Of course, the martial artists who transitioned would still be inferior, but they would be stronger than Grandmasters. Therefore, there were still many martial artists willing to transition.

However, it was restricted by the need for pills, and the method of transition was completely controlled by the Evergreen Pavilion.

"There are countless martial artists in the Inner Domain and countless talents. Perhaps after the transition method spreads, someone will have a flash of inspiration and comprehend the method of condensing the Heaven and Earth Bridge without the need for pills?" Li Xuan pondered.

Xie Lingfeng's transition success inspired several Grandmaster-level martial arts scholars to prepare for transitioning to the Innate Realm and continue studying the differences between the Inner Domain martial path and the Great Wasteland Martial Path.

Hu Shan also prepared to transition to the martial path.

Xie Lingfeng continued to stabilize the Heaven and Earth Bridge. As for breaking through to the

 Profound Understanding Realm, he temporarily put it aside. His foundation was still shallow, and he was unable to break through.

He just wanted to enhance his strength to the extent of being able to defeat Grandmaster-level martial artists with a complete Innate Realm.

Xu Yan had achieved a complete Innate Realm and even killed a Peak Grandmaster.

Xie Lingfeng didn't set high requirements for himself. He would be satisfied if he could defeat mid-level Grandmaster martial artists with a complete Innate Realm.

On Canglan Island, there was a refining room for the Evergreen Pavilion, which was still managed by Pharmacist Pan. People from the Tianbao Pavilion came regularly to collect pills and deliver the spirit herbs needed for refining pills.

Xu Yan continued to comprehend sword intent, and a gentle breeze constantly blew around him. The faint breeze contained an extinguishing force, as if it could extinguish spiritual consciousness.

Li Xuan was secretly excited. "Xu Yan isn't comprehending a sword intent related to destruction but is directly comprehending sword intent targeting the soul!"

Once he comprehended it, killing a half-step Divine Realm martial artist would be effortless.

He wouldn't fear true Martial Dao experts anymore.

Moreover, once sword intent was comprehended, it could not only kill but also defend.

"An advanced version of the Great Sun Golden Body, I should ponder on it more. I can't leave any weaknesses behind," Li Xuan contemplated.

On Canglan Island, everything remained calm.

But in the Inner Domain, there were hidden currents surging.

In the Yan Kingdom, in a small mountain village, there was a dilapidated wooden house where an elderly man with a yellowish complexion, slightly hunched back, and gray hair lived.

He was carving wood, and wood chips flew around. Before long, a statue of a middle-aged man with a cold and slightly evil expression, and cold eyes appeared in his hands.

The old man looked at the statue for a long time, seemingly lost in thought.

A white-robed man with a green face slowly approached and stopped in front of the old man, staring at the statue in the old man's hand. After a long while, he smiled lightly and said, "Who would have thought that the infamous Demon Child from years ago is still alive, hiding in this small mountain village."

The old man continued to stare at the statue, seemingly unaware of the arrival of the green-faced man.

The green-faced man didn't mind and continued, "When the Demon Lord established the Demon Sect, there was a seven or eight-year-old child who followed him, the person closest to the Demon Lord, known as the Demon Child."

"He was also one of the nine Demon Lords of the Demon Sect, the strongest and highest-ranked. When the Demon Lord disappeared and the Demon Sect split, he retreated after being besieged by the other Demon Sect powerhouses."

"The name of the Bloodthirsty Demon Child has disappeared from the Inner Domain for many years. Who would have thought that the former Demon Child would be in this small village."

The Demon Child raised his head and glanced at the green-faced man. "If you have something to say, just say it. If you keep blabbering, you'll die!"

The green-faced man said in a deep voice, "Old Yin has died."

"So what?" The Demon Child didn't care. It's not like he was part of the Demon Sect. What did it have to do with him if someone died?

"Old Yin received a mission to capture someone. As long as the mission is completed, he can enter the Gate of the Spirit Realm!" The green-faced man stared at the Demon Child.

The Demon Child raised his head, his face showing little emotion, still calm and composed.

"Are you sure that capturing someone can get you into the Gate of the Spirit Realm?" The green-faced man raised his hand and tossed a scroll over.

The Demon Child opened it and showed excitement on his face, asking, "Where is the person?"

"Canglan Island!" The green-faced man said solemnly.

The Demon Child carefully placed the statue on a shelf before asking, "Tell me, what's your purpose? Is it difficult to capture this person?"

"Old Yin and Ku Jue are dead. Dozens of Peak Grandmasters have also died. I have contacted powerful individuals from various major forces and prepared to join forces to invade Canglan Island to force them to hand over the person," the green-faced man revealed the entire plan without hiding anything.

The Demon Child pondered for a moment, took out a wooden plaque, and threw it to the green-faced man, saying, "Go find Leng Fu. If you want me to take action, you'll need Ziyue from your Green-Faced faction."

The green-faced man took the wooden plaque without anger and said, "Farewell!"

After leaving for a while, he suddenly turned back and asked, "Is that statue the Demon Lord?"

The Demon Child, preoccupied with his work, picked up a piece of wood and began carving attentively. Wood chips flew around, and the outline of the statue gradually emerged.

The green-faced man left.

In a mountain forest thousands of miles away from Canglan Island, the white-robed green-faced man stood in the forest. Behind him were ten figures dressed in red robes with green faces.

All of them were Peak Grandmasters.

Footsteps sounded, and a man with a pale face, as if soaked in icy water, walked slowly, holding a gleaming long knife in his hand.

As he approached, a chilling aura enveloped the surroundings.

The man stopped in front of a big tree, leaning against it. Frost gradually appeared on the tree trunk, which seemed to lose its vitality.

The white-robed green-faced man looked at the man, a hint of fear flashing in his eyes.

Then, two more figures appeared.

Both wore hoods to conceal their identities, obviously to hide their faces.

After they arrived and glanced at the pale-faced man, one of them exclaimed, "Leng Fu? The Demon Lord Leng Fu!"

Leng Fu looked at them and sneered, "If you want to kill and seize treasures, be straightforward about it. If you hide and fear exposure, don't bother coming."

The two hooded figures snorted and ignored Leng Fu.

"Now that everyone is here, let's go," Leng Fu said.

"Not everyone is here," the white-robed green-faced man said solemnly.

Leng Fu frowned, seeming a bit displeased.

Suddenly, dozens of figures arrived, all Peak Grandmasters!

They all wore masks to conceal their identities and didn't communicate much with each other.

The white-robed green-faced man counted them. There were a total of fifty-five Peak Grandmasters, plus the ten behind him, making it sixty-five Peak Grandmasters in total.

In terms of lineup, it surpassed the siege of Changqing Pavilion in the past.

And this time, he, Leng Fu, and two others were all half-step Heavenly beings.

With such a lineup, if they couldn't capture one person, if they all failed, then they could only resort to other means to force the other party to hand over the person.

Sulingxiu's matter was related to the Gate of the Spirit Realm. Once this matter spread, all the forces and powerful individuals in the entire martial arts world would pressure them to hand over the person.

This was about the Martial Dao above the Grandmaster level!

No force, no powerhouse would give up.

However, once it happened, the secret of the Gate of the Spirit Realm would no longer be kept, and it would no longer be a secret known only to a small number of people.

Unless absolutely necessary, no one would willingly share secrets and opportunities.

"This time, either the other party hands over the person or we flatten Canglan Island!" The white-robed green-faced man said coldly.

Leading ten red-robed green-faced men, he set off first towards Canglan Island.

Leng Fu and the other two half-step Heavenly beings followed closely behind, while the Peak Grandmasters silently followed suit.

This battle was bound to be victorious!

Changqing Pavilion would perish!

And the Martial Dao of the Great Wilderness would disappear from the Inner Domain!

(End of this chapter)