Celestial Dragon Sword Venerable

No one spoke again.

Ye Tianling stood up and walked directly toward Ten Thousand Beasts Ridge.

Cultivators followed behind him in succession.

Among them were Qin Xingchen, Qin Xingyi, Xiao Wan, and Xiao Hu.

As well as Li Xuyao, Li Xushan, and Xia Xinqi.

Ye Tianling didn’t stop them. After entering a patch of mountain forest, he activated an Ancient Array hidden there, using Primordial Runes to shatter some of its restraints.

Subsequently, a dark cave was revealed by the Ancient Array in the Ten Thousand Beasts Ridge region.

Once the Array was broken, the cave appeared before everyone.

Ye Tianling was perfectly calm. He entered the dark cave without a moment’s hesitation.

Inside, the air was cold and gloomy, but the sense of danger was neither obvious nor severe.

Ye Tianling carefully studied the ancient Runes inside, Sensing the shifts in the atmosphere as he ventured deeper.

The cave was vast and empty, but not many Cultivators had gone inside.

Now, only Li Xuyao and Li Xushan followed behind Ye Tianling.

Tianqing Goddess and the others had stopped outside the cave, obviously having their reservations.

While the sense of danger wasn’t severe for Ye Tianling, to them, the cave that had suddenly appeared seemed utterly bizarre and perilous.

And in the time they spent hesitating, the Ancient Array that Ye Tianling had opened snapped shut right after he entered.

Reopening it now would take some time.

...

「Outside the cave in Ten Thousand Beasts Ridge.」

"Brother Celestial Praise, why didn’t we just follow him?"

A trace of anxiety crossed Tianqing’s beautiful face as she stared at the sealed cave entrance.

Ye Tianling’s situation was, in fact, deeply worrying.

"Tianqing Goddess, I know the Celestial Secret Divine Son saved you, and I know you’re fond of him, but you need to face reality. From now on, it would be best to associate with him less. You’ve already done your part in trying to persuade him on this journey. If he listens, it’s to his credit. If he doesn’t, it has nothing to do with you anymore."

Celestial Praise sighed, giving Tianqing Goddess a complicated look. His voice was tinged with melancholy.

"Brother Celestial Praise, how could you say that!"

Upon hearing this, Tianqing Goddess’s face paled, and her tone was clearly filled with displeasure.

"Tianqing, you need to be calm," Tianyi Goddess soothed gently from nearby.

"Calm? How can I be calm? The Celestial Secret Divine Son went into that dark cave! When he realizes we didn’t follow him, he’ll think we don’t trust him. He’s bound to be disappointed!

How could we do this, especially at such a critical moment!"

Tianqing’s voice trembled with agitation.

She understood that her clan siblings, like Celestial Praise and Tianyi, had their own considerations, but her faith in Ye Tianling was just as absolute.

"Tianqing, you’re being foolish. The Celestial Secret Divine Son himself said the path ahead is dangerous. What good would you be if you followed? Could you save his life? Help him overcome the danger? Besides, it’s not as if he wanted us to follow, did he?

As for him being disappointed? Everyone has to weigh the pros and cons, to consider the safety of this area. My not following blindly is a safety precaution in and of itself. He himself said he might not even have the ability to protect himself, so how could he possibly look after us?

What’s more, it’s not that we didn’t want to follow, but the Array to the cave closed too quickly. We can’t just act without thinking, can we? The Celestial Secret Divine Son may be close to you, but that doesn’t mean he’s close to all of us! If he had some ulterior motive, wouldn’t we be like lambs walking into a tiger’s den?"

After a long silence, Celestial Seal finally spoke, his tone earnest and thoughtful.

As he said this, Celestial Praise and Tianyi immediately nodded in agreement.

Tianqing found it incredible—’Her own clan brother, the Celestial Seal Divine Son, thinking like this? A Divine Child, no less?’

’The Celestial Secret Divine Son would try to harm them?’

Tianqing found the idea laughable.

"Tianqing, have you still not seen how cruel this World is? There is no absolute loyalty, only absolute self-interest. Besides, Ye Tianling’s situation is what it is. His Life Force is already fading. More terrifyingly, he has offended a peerless existence. Don’t you understand what that will lead to?

Those god-like existences must be noble, yet one such being was provoked by an ant—as they see it. The Celestial Secret Divine Son... he will soon be a thing of the past.

It’s easy to see that if we follow him, we will certainly die.

Only by leaving him do we stand a chance of survival."

Tianyi’s voice was just as gentle.

"Sister Tianyi... I never thought... you’d be so pragmatic..."

Tianqing Goddess shuddered, her face growing even paler.

"This isn’t being pragmatic, it’s being prudent. Look, Kong Lindao, who was so close to him, has retreated. Kong Yunqi and the others from the Immortal Phoenix Peacock lineage have completely diverged from Ye Tianling’s path. And Xia Xinyan, the Goddess from the Great Xia Royal Family who came with Ye Tianling—did you see her go into the cave?

Look at Divine Lady Xiao Wan and Xiao Hu Divine Son from the Celestial Blood Ancient Clan—did they follow him?

What about the Golden-winged Roc Lineage? Yao Ling and Yao Lun used to be so close with Ye Tianling, but when he faced that divine punishment, did they show even a shred of concern from start to finish?

And all the others, like the Ten Thousand Dao Soul Clan, the Heavenly Butterfly Soul Clan, and the Golden Night Demon Race—has a single one of them even spoken to Ye Tianling?

They haven’t even offered him a concerned glance.

After Ye Tianling offended a Divine Spirit, they’ve all completely and utterly washed their hands of him, haven’t they?

Comparatively, the fact that we’ve followed him this far and even tried to persuade him along the way is already doing more than most.

After all, he offended the kind of Divine Spirit that can destroy a planet with a wave of their hand. For us to still follow him this far... we’ve already shown him a great deal of respect, haven’t we?"

Celestial Seal said indifferently.

Before, he would always address him as the ’Celestial Secret Divine Son.’ Now, he was calling him ’Ye Tianling’ directly, omitting the honorific title.

"Is that so? Showing him respect? Or is it because he has such a profound knowledge of Ancient Arrays that the poisonous miasma didn’t flare up with him leading the way? Otherwise, do you really think we could have made it here safely?"

Tianqing scoffed.

Her gaze swept around, and she saw Xia Xinyan and the others, their expressions complex and their attitudes faintly cold.

In that moment, she understood. As much as she hated to admit it, everything Celestial Seal, Tianyi, and the others had said was true.

Tianqing had genuinely wanted to follow Ye Tianling into the cave, but she hadn’t known the entrance would seal itself so quickly.

’But did Xia Xinyan not know?’

’Even if she didn’t, had she not thought of a way to open the massive cave?’

And what about Xia Xinqin and Xia Xinyue? Ye Tianling had risked his life to save them. Did they feel no guilt at all?

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