Yellow sand filled the sky, and a cold wind blew from afar.

It was as sharp as a knife. Even with the cultivation of a Spiritualist, everyone still felt that their skin was being scraped until they were in pain as if a carving knife was carving on their skin. The cultivators' faces were rough in the Big Ruins, and the lines on their faces were clear. It was related to the fierce wind that was constantly blowing.

Amidst the yellow sand, the auras of the Blood Dragon Clan members sank to the bottom of their hearts, and the atmosphere was solemn.

Jiang Yunkai looked around and pursed his lips. With a respectful expression, he asked, "Patriarch, what happened?" He mustered up his courage to ask this question, and his heart was somewhat perturbed. After all, though he was a God-favored one of the Jiang family, no matter how he asked, it would sound like he was overstepping his boundaries.

Jiang Liuche's expression did not change, and he was silent for a while.

He raised his chin, and with a puzzled expression, he asked in return, "You don't know?"

"Uh, know what?" Jiang Yunkai blinked his eyes with an innocent expression.

Jiang Liuche's gaze was like a knife, and it lingered on Jiang Yunkai's face for 2 breaths as if he wanted to verify the truth of his words. Nonetheless, he only saw a daze in Jiang Yunkai's eyes. In the end, the patriarch shook his head and answered, "Outside the Barren Desert, Yu Tianrui wanted to seek justice for Lil' Man. He exchanged 2 moves with Ji Haoran, and they were evenly matched."

Jiang Yunkai nodded hard. He had seen this with his own eyes, but the doubts in his heart had not been solved. Instead, they had become stronger.

Even so, Jiang Liuche did not seem to want to give Jiang Yunkai a chance to react. His voice was not loud, but it was like rolling thunder that came crashing down.

"In the depths of the Barren Desert, Yu Tianrui then used himself as bait to force out Ji Haoran's life-saving means.

"Previously, in front of the Venerable Blood Horned Dragon, he had also forcefully killed the Blood Horned Dragon Clan's prince and escaped unscathed.

"Outside the desert, he forced the Venerable One to defend with all his strength despite being an Advanced Spiritualist. Additionally, he managed to crack the Venerable One's hand."

As soon as Jiang Liuche finished, he took a deep breath. Shock appeared in his eyes. The tassel crown hung down from his head, and his resolute face was slightly wrinkled.

Those 3 statements were like countless thunderbolts that struck Jiang Yunkai's heart. They made every pore on his body break out in a cold sweat. His mind was rumbling, and he could hardly believe his ears.

No, even after seeing all the big shots of his family come, he still felt as if he was in a dream.

Jiang Yunkai originally thought that he had overestimated Ou Yangming, but he never thought that he was not thinking too highly of the young fellow at all. Instead, he had been looking at the fellow through the crack of a door… He had still looked down on Ou Yangming.

In particular, the patriarch's last statement exploded in Jiang Yunkai's mind, setting off huge waves that surged into the sky and could not be calmed down for a long time.

Jiang Liuche was a scheming and shrewd person. He was also an outstanding person who was experienced. Otherwise, he would not have been able to control such a large aristocratic family and become the patriarch.

Seeing Jiang Yunkai's abnormal behavior, he knew something must have happened between him and Ou Yangming that no one knew about. Moreover, it was not a good thing.

In the next moment, Jiang Liuche's gaze immediately turned cold. A majestic aura pressed down on Jiang Yunkai as he said coldly, "Tell me everything that happened after you left the Jiang family. Don't hide anything."

Jiang Yunkai avoided Jiang Liuche's gaze but seeing how solemn the patriarch was, he still told him everything.

As soon as he finished, Jiang Liuche rubbed his chin with his fingers. After thinking for a while, he said, "In the west, the Xia City's a big city. Their governor has just left his post. Now that the foreign races are rampant, you should go to guard the city..."

Jiang Yunkai's face turned pale. He knew from now on, he would no longer be a core member of the Jiang family. There was no hope for him to break through to become a Venerable One. All of this was because of a person called Yu Tianrui. There was no hatred in his heart. There was only desolation—desolation like the rustling autumn wind. He could not hate the young fellow, who was on par with a Daoist disciple, at all, nor did he dare to hate him.

More than half of the strength in Jiang Yunkai's body had been taken away, but he did not dare to refute. He cupped his hands slightly and expressed, "Thank you for your great kindness, Patriarch." Judging the situation was a skill that every disciple of a noble family had learned since they were young. He knew the patriarch had no choice but to do what he did.

Jiang Liuche waved his sleeve. His face did not show the slightest expression. He uttered in a deep voice, "Go!"

Jiang Yunkai nodded slightly, and the spiritual Qi in his dantian burst out, then he drew a perfect arc in the air before disappearing into the horizon.

Jiang Liuche remained silent as he looked at the surging black clouds in the distance.

After a long while, an old man with white hair and a beard walked out. His body was hunched, and his face was dry. His voice was hoarse as he said, "Patriarch, isn't doing this too cruel to Yunkai? He has the qualifications to become a Venerable One."

"There are too many God-favored ones with the qualifications to become Venerable Ones but how many can truly break through the barrier?" Jiang Liuche did not retract his gaze. His eyes were deep and profound like the rolling black clouds in the sky. No one knew what he was thinking.

Before his voice faded away, Jiang Liuche continued, "I know what all of you are thinking. You're probably thinking how a person who can dominate a generation be bothered with Yunkai? If he's really so narrow-minded and has no tolerance for others, he couldn't have become a mountain that the younger generation must surmount. Yes, you're right but some things represent an entire clan's attitude. If this becomes a topic that other people will talk about, our clan will eventually be denounced. It won't matter if it's once or twice but what about 10 times, 20 times, or even 100 times? These are the principles of dealing with people. How can we let people look down on our clan?"

He deliberately paused and withdrew his gaze from the distance.

"Patriarch, you're truly wise..." All the inner sect elders spoke at the same time.

"Hurry up and don't delay the time," Jiang Liuche said softly.

"Yes!"

As soon as he finished, a group of people darted into the distance.

※※※※

The wind and sand were like knives, making rustling sounds.

Jiang Yingrong's beautiful eyes looked around. She sneaked a glance at Ou Yangming and asked with a charming smile, "Brother Yu, you should be very famous in the outside world, right?"

Once she raised the question, the 2 sword cultivators with a case on each of their backs pricked up their ears at the same time, afraid that they would miss any detail. Nevertheless, their states of mind were different. Zang Jian thought that the major sects in Zhangzhou had never heard of the young fellow, so he was sure that the young fellow was from one of the Nine Great Sects

in Danzhou. He also wanted to pay a visit to Ou Yangming's sect to see which sect could cultivate such a monster.

He Jian's thought was simpler.

He knew Ou Yangming's experience must be legendary, and he wanted to hear about his past experiences.

Ou Yangming looked calm. He gave Zang Jian a veiled glance and replied with a smile, "Fortunately, I have a little bit of fame." He was being modest.

Jiang Yingrong smiled and covered her mouth. "Brother Yu, you're really modest. Gold like you can't hide your own brilliance no matter where you are."

Ou Yangming was speechless. He rubbed his nose awkwardly and did not know how to answer.

This rare scene made Jiang Yingrong feel happy, and she laughed.

Even Zang Jian's eyes had a hint of playfulness.

He Jian had broken through to become a Venerable One, but he did not put on any airs. He looked as warm as a grandpa next door. Of course, this was only on the surface. When the swords in his case left him, the whole world would be overshadowed.

Suddenly, more than 10 purple light spots appeared in Ou Yangming's spiritual world like burning stars.

Ou Yangming discovered that all the light spots that appeared in his spiritual world were purple if they represented humans or spirit beasts, whereas the light spots were black if they indicated foreign races.

"Woosh, woosh, woosh..." The sounds of air being torn apart were heard.

After a while, a burst of hearty laughter fell from the sky, followed by more than 10 human figures arriving in a hurry.

Jiang Yingrong gracefully walked up to the person. She smiled like a flower and said, "Father!"

Jiang Liuche tidied her beautiful hair and did not say anything. His eyes focused and instantly locked onto Ou Yangming, sizing him up. He had heard of Yu Tianrui's name countless times, but today was the first time he was seeing the young fellow.

As soon as Jiang Liuche saw Ou Yangming, he sensed confidence—extreme confidence, and a hint of domineering aura that was hidden deep within. Other than that, there was not much sharpness. Having said that, every word, action, and movement from the young fellow gave people a comfortable feeling. A Daoist disciple who could dominate a generation did not have any arrogance— no one would believe this.

What Jiang Liuche did not know was that it was not that Ou Yangming did not have arrogance, but he knew how to hide it.

Arrogance was hidden in the bones and not revealed.

This was somewhat similar to the way the Solitary Thought Skill nurtured one's domineering aura. It did not show its magnificence but once it burst out, it would surely shake the world.

Ou Yangming also sized up Jiang Liuche for a moment. His gaze turned, and he took the initiative to take half a step forward. He cupped his hands and said with a smile, "Greetings, Patriarch Jiang. Many thanks for coming all the way here to save me."

Jiang Liuche did not find it strange. After all, Ou Yangming was able to suppress the God-favored ones of his generation to the point where they became as dim as the night.

It would be a joke if Ou Yangming did not even have this bit of discernment when it came to doing things. However, Jiang Liuche did not dare to put on the airs of a patriarch. He raised his hands to return the salute and responded, "Brother Yu, you're too polite." The patriarch of one of the most powerful forces of the human race actually considered Ou Yangming to have the same seniority as him, and his face was full of enthusiasm. He was a different person than when he saw Jiang Yunkai.

Ou Yangming smiled and did not say anything.

On the contrary, Jiang Yingrong's expression was a little odd. She thought to herself, 'Why... Why am I considered a junior as compared to him?

Jiang Liuche gently walked to He Jian's side and said softly, "Senior He, it's been a long time." The diadem on his head swayed, giving people a feeling that he had taken care of everything.

"I didn't expect you to still remember me, Patriarch Jiang..." The wrinkles on He Jian's face were squeezed together, and his eyes revealed a touch of emotion.

"I never dare to forget the advice you gave me back then, Senior He." Jiang Liuche's face was solemn, and then his brows were knitted together. His eyes were wide open, and he said in a trembling voice, "Senior He, you... You broke through?" His gaze was complicated. After all, breaking through to become a Venerable One was what every top-grade Spiritualist wished for their entire life.

"This is all thanks to Brother Yu!" He Jian looked at Ou Yangming and noted softly.

As his voice reverberated in the air, the expressions of the 10 over people changed drastically. Their faces changed, and there was only one thought in their minds. 'He could actually... Help a top-grade Spiritualist break through to become a Venerable One? If that's the case, what about me? Will I have a chance?' With that thought in mind, the way they looked at Ou Yangming instantly changed. This was an opportunity to become a Venerable One. For a cultivator who had become a top-grade Spiritualist, it was difficult to put into words.

Jiang Liuche forcibly suppressed the emotions in his heart and did not say anything more.

He knew this was not the time to discuss this topic.

The patriarch then shifted his gaze to Zang Jian. Just as he was about to speak, Ou Yangming walked up to Zang Jian and introduced, "This person is my good friend, a Daoist disciple of the Ultimate Sword Peak. He's very talented, and his cultivation in the path of swords is world-shaking."