“All of you want to leave the city?” Xia Yinghou gazed at Yang Ye and the others who stood before him within the City Governor’s Estate as he asked this question.

Sikong Ming nodded and said, “Uncle, we’ve thought it through. Staying here and searching for Yang Ye is a complete waste of time, wouldn’t it be better for us to form a group and temper ourselves instead. Perhaps we might even obtain some fortuitous encounters. Moreover, so what even if we do find Yang Ye? There are so many experts in Martial World City, and there are even Exalt Realm experts, so even if we find him, his life might not even belong to us in the end.”

Xia Yinghou fell silent for a while before he shook his head and said, “All of you can’t leave the city!”

“Why?” Sikong Ming was puzzled.

Xia Yinghou said, “It’s a critical moment right now. What if Yang Ye tricks his way out of the city, then your uncle, I, will lose his head. Understand? Moreover, there are many people within the city who want to leave. If I open the gates to let your group out, then it would definitely incur public wrath. The residents of the city are all a bunch of ignorant fools! No one knows what they would do in response!”

Sikong Ming intended to continue when Yang Ye shook his head instead. He withdrew a stack of talismans and over 100 top-grade energy stones, and then he placed them on the table and said, “City Governor Xia, we understand your difficulties, but please do make some allowances for us. We’re all profounders, and we need to improve ourselves incessantly. Moreover, your target is only Yang Ye, so keeping us here is completely useless, right?”

The corners of Xia Yinghou’s eyes twitched as he glanced at the talismans on the table, and then he sized up Yang Ye again and said, “I know quite a few talisman formation grandmasters in the central territory. May I know who your master is?”

“Please forgive me. Truthfully speaking, I left without my master’s knowledge because he doesn’t want me to get mixed up in all these things. He just wants me to concentrate on crafting talismans. But doing that is truly too dull and boring. So, I couldn’t help but sneak out!” said Yang Ye.

Xia Yinghou smiled and said, “So that’s why. Actually, I can let all of you out off the city. However, perhaps all of you are still unaware of it but the cities you’ll pass through after Martial World City are all on the alert, so you’ll still be stopped even if you leave my city.”

“The Exalted Han Empty actually went to such lengths just for that fellow, Yang Ye?” Lu He frowned.

Xia Yinghou said, “Even I’m very curious. It’s just a single fellow. No matter how heaven defying his strength is, it should still be impossible for him to make the Empire go to such lengths. However, that isn’t something we should be worried about. What we should do is carry out our orders well. Now, do all of you still want to leave the city?”

Yang Ye pondered deeply for a moment and said, “I wonder if City Governor Xia knows of a way for us to avoid all that trouble we would face after leaving the city? Of course, we won’t make City Governor Xia help us for nothing!”

Xia Yinghou was delighted as he said in his heart, Talisman masters really are a bunch of fellows who throw wealth around. He feigned being troubled by this request before he finally withdrew a map and said, “I presume all of you intend to head to the Saint Ruins, right? Actually, you don’t have to pass through the Exalted Han Empire’s territory to get there because there’s another path. Look here. After you leave the city, head north, pass through the Swamplands, go over Mount Heavenshaker, and then traverse the Desert of Exile to arrive at the wilds!”

Lu He and the others frowned when they heard Xia Yinghou. Sikong Ming spoke with slight anger. “Uncle, are you trying to send me to my death? The Swamplands? That’s where the Killer Crocodile Clan resides. Every single adult Killer Crocodile is equivalent to an Exalt Realm expert! Besides that, don’t tell me you don’t know what sort of fellows are living on Mount Heavenshaker! Those fellows are a bunch of madmen that kill anyone they see! Forget those two places. Uncle, are you really trying to kill me by sending me to the Desert of Exile?”

Xia Yinghou glared at Sikong Ming and said, “Then what do you want, kid? Your Uncle is only a city governor and no great figure. I’m unable to let you head to the wilds through the empire. If you don’t want to take this path, then you can only wait for the empire to remove the order to be on high alert. But in my opinion, it won't end until that fellow, Yang Ye, is found. In any case, whether you leave or not is up to you.” As he spoke, Xia Yinghou took the talisman and top-grade energy stones on the table.

Yang Ye fell silent for a while. He wasn’t afraid of the Swamplands or the Desert of Exile. He was unfamiliar with those places. Rashly asking about it was very likely to arouse suspicion. Moreover, if he immediately agreed to the path which Xia Yinghou spoke of, it would make him seem too impatient. So, he had no choice but to remain silent.

Meanwhile, Lu Jianyao suddenly said, “Can’t we just fly over those places?”

Sikong Ming shook his head and said, “It isn’t that simple!” As soon as he finished speaking, he gazed at Yang Ye and said, “Brother Ye, you should be aware of how dangerous these places are. It’s very likely that we’ll die before arriving at our destination if we go through these places!”

“Brother Sikong, I only want to ask a single question. Have Spirit Realm experts passed through these places in the past?” asked Yang Ye.

Sikong Ming was stunned. Lu He who stood by Sikong Ming’s side answered for him. “I don’t know about the other sects, but some disciples of my Endless Sect have gone to those places to temper themselves, and there are also some assignments in my sect which have to be completed there. Many seniors who accepted these assignments were at the Spirit Realm. Of course, many of them perished at these places as well!”

Yang Ye nodded and said, “Since they could, then why can’t we? To be frank, only by ceaselessly challenging things we think are impossible would we be able to improve ourselves without end. Moreover, no matter how dangerous those places are, I think it’s impossible for them to compare to the dangers of the Saint Ruins, right?”

Lu He shook his head and smiled as he said, “Brother Ye, it’s really a waste that you’re a talisman master. If you were able to concentrate on the path of cultivation, then perhaps a Sword Emperor or Martial God would be born in our central territory as well! Fine, I’ll do it with Brother Ye!”

Yang Ye glanced at Sikong Ming and Mo Qingyue. Mo Qingyue didn’t hesitate and nodded immediately to display her willingness to take that path. On the other hand, Sikong Ming hesitated for a moment before he nodded as well.

Yang Ye nodded, took the map, and then gave Xia Yinghou 50 more top-grade energy stones before he said, “We’ll be troubling City Governor Xia with getting us out of the city!”

Xia Yinghou took the top-grade energy stones and smiled. “It’s not a problem!”

...

As the moon casted its radiance down upon the world.

Yang Ye and the others left silently from the city under Xia Yinghou’s arrangement and hadn’t alarmed anyone.

Yang Ye smiled loudly as he gazed at Martial World City that was standing before him right now. After all, all the people within the city wanted to kill him. Of course, he wouldn’t go trying to seek revenge from them because it was meaningless. They were all just idiots who Luo Jun was using. Killing them would be of no benefit to him at all, and it wouldn’t harm Luo Jun’s foundations in the central territory at all!

In the past, Yang Ye didn’t believe in destined foes, but he believed it now. Both Luo Jun and he were born in the same era, so they were bound to be destined foes because both of them were peerless geniuses who refused to submit to the other. As it was said, two tigers can’t coexist on a single mountain. So one of them was bound to be killed by the other!

...

Two hours after Yang Ye’s group left Martial World City, Liu Changyuan and a robust man arrived at the city.

“Di, have you found Yang Ye?” asked Liu Changyuan.

The robust man fell silent for a while, and then he laid prone on the ground while he pressed his slightly strange nose against the ground. He took a light sniff before he stood up, and then he said, “His scent isn’t within the city. He’s probably not in there!”

Liu Changyuan’s face fell, and the robust man said, “But a scent he left behind does exist in the city. In other words, he was in the city.” When he spoke up to this point, the robust man walked towards the north and said, “He has probably left in that direction. His scent still lingers on that path!”

“Let’s go!” Liu Changyuan’s figure flashed and vanished on the spot. The robust man hurriedly followed him.

After Liu Changyuan left, a veiled woman in violet armor arrived at the city, and then she went straight to the City Governor’s Estate.

“I didn’t know the Special Ambassador would be arriving. I’m sorry for not welcoming your arrival. Please do forgive me!” Xia Yinghou bowed slightly to the veiled woman, and he spoke in a slightly courteous manner. Even though they were both Exalt Realm experts, he knew his own limitations. He was absolutely not a match for her because she was a member of the Empire’s Royal Guard, and she was a trusted subordinate of the current Crown Prince.

The Royal Guard were only loyal to the emperor, and it was an army that even the Mortal Emperor feared and was unable to take control of.

The veiled woman said, “City Governor Xia, there’s no need for pleasantries. I merely came here to tell you that Yang Ye isn’t in Martial World City anymore.”

“What!” Xia Yinghou was shocked and said, “That’s absolutely impossible. I’ve ordered for the entire city to be locked down. Even a mosquito can dream of flying out of the city. How could Yang Ye have possibly fled the city!?”

The veiled woman said, “I didn’t come here to get into an argument with you. From today onward, all the troops within Martial World City will be under my control. You only have to do 2 things. Firstly, notify everyone within Martial World City that Yang Ye has left the city. Secondly, gather all the profounders within the city who are at the fifth rank of the Spirit Realm and above, and ask them to gather at the northern city gates. Kill all those who aren’t there within 15 minutes!”

As soon as she finished speaking, the veiled woman turned around and left. However, she stopped when she arrived at the door and said, “That includes you, City Governor Xia!”

...

The Swamplands.

As its name implied, it was a swamp. It covered a very huge area that was at least five times larger than Martial World City. There were many Killer Crocodiles within the swamp, and adult Killer Crocodiles were equivalent to Exalt Realm experts. Moreover, there were at least 50 adult Killer Crocodiles within the entire swamp!

50 Exalt Realm experts!

Even Yang Ye was surprised when he heard this number. Fortunately, the Killer Crocodiles didn’t live in groups. Especially once they’d achieved adulthood because all of them had their own territory then. In other words, they were separated, and it would be much easier to deal with them since they were separated.

However, there was a problem in their way, and it was how they should pass through the swamp? Should they walk? Even though it was a swamp, it wasn’t entirely covered in a swamp. There were many paths through it as well. But the problem was that walking through those paths made it very likely for them to be besieged by countless Killer Crocodiles. They were truly not confident in their ability to take such paths until the end with the strengths they possessed.

As for flying… how long could they fly for? What if their profound energy was exhausted while they flew, and then they fell into the swamp…?

“Let’s go!” Yang Ye remained silent for a while before he decided. If he used the Ninth Hell Swordwings, then he could fly through the swamp, but the problem was… could he even use it? The Ninth Hell Swordwings had become a unique symbol of his! But if he didn’t use the Ninth Hell Swordwings and used his wings condensed from profound energy instead, then truthfully speaking, even he wasn’t confident in his ability to fly through the swamp because it was truly too vast! Moreover, Lu Jianyao and the others were by his side as well. Since he couldn’t, then it was even more impossible for them!

Lu Jianyao was slightly excited and burned with eagerness when she heard Yang Ye. In any case, Yang Ye was here, so she felt that the Killer Crocodiles were nothing to worry about no matter how many of them were present in the swamp. On the other hand, the corners of Lu He, Sikong Mind, and Mo Qingyue’s mouths had twitched. They were truly not confident in their ability to fight their way through the swamp!

Their group had just entered the swamp when Yang Ye suddenly stopped moving, and then he swiftly turned around and gazed towards the distant horizon. He fell silent for a while before he said, “All of you go on without me. I have something to deal with first. I’ll catch up once I’m done!”