The Imperial Martial Pill Venerable

They all gasped. What were they seeing?

Was this the apocalypse?

The mountain range before them, spanning hundreds of miles, was a scorched-black expanse. The earth and rock had all been melted, the vegetation turned to ash, as if it had undergone a baptism of lava. Within a hundred-mile radius, there were no longer any signs of life. The air was filled with a suffocating heat, yet a bone-chilling cold crept into the hearts of all the Extraordinary Martial Artists present.

Good heavens, this level of destructive power was like a heavenly calamity!

Qin Ya had also arrived. Gazing at the mountain range before him, now little more than a ruin, his eyes showed not only astonishment but also an intense craving for power!

’I’m still not strong enough!’

’If the Emperor hadn’t intervened today, I might have been fine, but I couldn’t have protected Huaa Que and the others.’ Qin Ya never wanted to feel that powerlessness again—the helplessness of watching those you care about come to harm. That was why he had to become stronger!

After one last, deep look at the mountain range, Qin Ya departed.

"Ting Xiao, did your previous master also possess such might?"

"For an Era-Defining King, possessing such combat prowess is perfectly normal."

Qin Ya fell silent upon hearing the Ting Xiao Sword’s words.

Meanwhile, in the distant Imperial Capital, the red-shirted woman’s face was slightly pale. Of the black-armored Martial Artists who had been by her side, only a handful remained.

’The Female Demon’s power... is truly formidable.’

A trace of shock flashed through the red-shirted woman’s eyes.

’Compared to the last intelligence report from the seventh squad of Law Enforcement Elders, this Female Demon has gotten even stronger. Damn it! If this demon isn’t eliminated, she’ll become a scourge upon the Azure Sky Realm, and Lingxiao Palace will lose all face!’ "Search!"

"For the Female Demon to appear in this tiny Empire, there must be some secret here. Search everywhere; don’t miss a single suspicious spot. Also, investigate what happened in the city to leave it in such a dilapidated state."

At this moment, a black-armored Martial Artist stepped forward and asked in a muffled voice, "Elder, if we encounter that Female Demon again, what should we do?"

Yuee Hongyi gritted her teeth and said, "Avoid combat. Retreat!"

"Yes!"

Immediately, several figures shot out toward various parts of the Imperial Capital. Tides of Divine Thought surged forth, allowing Yuee Hongyi and her people to scout every corner of the capital clearly.

Suddenly, Yuee Hongyi’s expression tightened, revealing a trace of surprise.

’I never expected to find such a raw gem in this tiny Imperial Capital. How rare.’ A beautiful smile graced Yuee Hongyi’s lips. With a flicker of her figure, she vanished. When she reappeared, she was inside Ningxiang Pavilion at Mingxin Academy, standing before a silver-haired woman.

Leng Ningshuang was in the middle of her Cultivation when a figure suddenly appeared before her, giving her a huge fright. She asked, "Who are you, and why are you here?"

"Lingxiao Palace. Law Enforcement Elder, Yuee Hongyi."

"Why are you here?"

Yuee Hongyi reined in her imposing aura and said with a gentle smile, "Lingxiao Palace is a Hidden Sect of the Azure Sky Realm with countless powerful experts. Young lady, your Talent is excellent. Why not join my Lingxiao Palace? In the future, you will surely become a supreme expert, admired by tens of thousands."

Leng Ningshuang shook her head and said, "I’m not interested. My family is here. I don’t want to go anywhere, let alone some Lingxiao Palace."

’She has family.’

Yuee Hongyi’s brow furrowed slightly, but then smoothed out. She smiled and said, "Please don’t worry about that, young lady. With your aptitude, my Lingxiao Palace can make an exception and allow you and your family to live within Lingxiao Palace. That should resolve any lingering concerns."

"Well..."

Leng Ningshuang glanced at Yuee Hongyi. Although her own Cultivation wasn’t high enough, judging by the way this person moved through the air, her Cultivation was at least at the Extraordinary level—definitely not someone she could resist. So she said, "Why don’t you wait here for a bit? After my Brother Qin and grandfather get back, we can discuss it."

"Hmph."

Yuee Hongyi frowned. ’I don’t have much time. I just fought a major battle with the Female Demon. I might look fine, but I’m severely injured. Demonic Qi has invaded my body, and I can’t even muster a tenth of my strength. In this condition, I have to get back to the palace for treatment immediately. I don’t have time to wait around.’

"Where are your grandfather and this Brother Qin? I’ll send people to find them. My time is short. You must leave with me now," Yuee Hongyi said slowly, her tone now carrying a hint of soul-shaking majesty.

"No, I have to wait for my grandfather and Brother Qin."

Leng Ningshuang bit her lip hard, forcefully suppressing the tremor in her heart as she spoke stubbornly. This display of willpower, however, only made Yuee Hongyi feel even more pleased.

At that moment, a Sword Light shot toward Yuee Hongyi!

Although Yuee Hongyi was seriously injured, she was, after all, an Era-Defining King. This feeble Sword Light posed no threat to her at all. With a disdainful smile, she caught the Sword Light between two slender fingers. Then, with a flick of her wrist, the Sword Light shattered. The sword-wielder spat out a mouthful of blood and was sent flying back dozens of yards.

"Auntie!"

Seeing this, Leng Ningshuang became frantic. She ran to Qin Yuxiang’s side, steadied her staggering body, and glared angrily at Yuee Hongyi. "How could you do this?! You want me to go with you, but you attack my aunt!"

"She’s your aunt?"

"Yes, that’s right. You have a problem with that?"

Qin Yuxiang gave Leng Ningshuang a gentle smile, then said coldly to Yuee Hongyi, "Your Excellency is an esteemed Extraordinary Martial Artist, yet you are making things difficult for a young girl. That is rather inappropriate, is it not?"

"Her Talent is exceptional. Staying here is just a waste. Only by coming with me can her Talent be developed to its full potential. Becoming an Extraordinary Martial Artist, or even an Era-Defining King, will be within her grasp," Yuee Hongyi said faintly.

"But you can’t ignore her wishes."

"She is too young to know how to choose. In this world, strength is everything. In the future, she will surely thank me."

"Twisted logic," Qin Yuxiang said coldly.

Yuee Hongyi shook her head. "I have no need to discuss this with you. You’ll understand one day. Since you are her aunt, you can come with me as well."

As her words fell, the True Essence in Yuee Hongyi’s body surged, forming an invisible giant hand that seized the two women. Amid their cries of alarm, she shot off into the distance with them in tow.

"You wicked woman!"

"As an Extraordinary Martial Artist, how can you be so unreasonable!"

Yuee Hongyi ignored the two women’s shouting and flew directly to the few remaining black-armored Martial Artists. "Are there any clues?" she asked.

"None. We haven’t found any trace of the Demon Race here."

"As for why this place is so dilapidated, it was all because a member of the Demon Race who called himself the Venerable Lord tried to take control of the Empire. But he’s already dead."

"The strange thing is, the one who killed him was the Female Demon."

Yuee Hongyi’s brow furrowed slightly. She whispered, "Was it infighting?"

She then shook her head and said to Leng Ningshuang, "Young lady, what are the names of the grandfather and Brother Qin you mentioned? We’re leaving now. If you can’t bear to part with them, I can have someone bring them here to leave with us."

Leng Ningshuang knew she couldn’t escape and had no choice but to say, "Qin Ya, Huaa Que."

"Go find these two."

The black-armored Martial Artists glanced doubtfully at the two women but didn’t ask any questions. They scattered, and a short while later, returned with a completely unresisting Huaa Que.

"Reporting to the Elder, that Qin Ya is not in the Imperial Capital."

Yuee Hongyi murmured, "Forget it. He’s probably just the subject of a young girl’s first crush. Not worth mentioning. Let’s go."

"Yes."