Meanwhile, at the Yuan Mansion.

After Miao Qing left, Yuan Ming immediately went to see his parents.

He wasn't particularly concerned about Miao Qing's strange behavior; what really mattered were his parents' thoughts and opinions on leaving the Capital.

Upon hearing Yuan Ming's thoughts, before Yuan Zuochong could speak, Mrs. Yuan took the lead and said:

"Wherever Ming'er goes, I will follow. This time you'd better not think about leaving your mother behind!"

When Yuan Ming heard this, he pursed his lips, a trace of guilt flashing in his eyes.

"That's just your mother's way, don't take it too much to heart. But she's right; as long as the family is together, it doesn't matter where we live. I've also heard about the situation in the East Sea, and I once longed to go there when I was young. I never thought that now, in my old age, I'd actually have the chance to settle down there," Yuan Zuochong said, patting Yuan Ming on the shoulder and laughing.

Yuan Ming looked at his parents with deep emotion. Although they sounded casual, he knew that leaving behind friends and relatives, and the Capital where they had lived for nearly sixty years, was not an easy decision.

His lips moved as if he wanted to say something else, but suddenly, his expression changed.

"Mother, Father, please stay inside the house. No matter what happens outside, don't come out."

Having said that, Yuan Ming quickly walked out of the house, took out the Night Parade of Hundred Demons, and released a group of Core Formation Ghost Slaves, ordering them to guard the house and allow no one to enter.

The ghost slaves immediately complied with the command, burrowing into the ground to conceal their presence.

After making these arrangements, Yuan Ming felt a little more at ease. He looked up to the sky, only to see a streak of light rapidly approaching, hanging over the Yuan Mansion in the blink of an eye.

When the light dissipated, Cha Yancai's figure was revealed.

Her Divine Sense swept unscrupulously over Yuan Mansion, and when she found Yuan Ming, her gaze followed suit and she spoke aloud, "Yuan Ming, your past offense against our temple is hereby overlooked. However, you have not learned your lesson; not only did you injure a disciple of ours, but you even secretly harmed an elder of our temple. The list of your crimes is endless. Now that I am here personally, why not give yourself up without further struggle!"

Her voice spread throughout the alleys and streets of the Capital; the commotion of her arrival had already alerted the city's populace, and now her pronouncement caused the entire Capital to boil over like water reaching a rolling boil.

Yuan Ming's expression darkened, and he flew straight up into the sky as well, his eyes fixed on Cha Yancai, murder boiling in his heart. As he was about to make a move, he remembered Liu Tianming's distressed expression from the previous night and, for the moment, suppressed his anger, saying in a deep voice:

"National Master Miao's injuries were self-inflicted, and I had nothing to do with that, as you well know. As for what happened to Elder Zuo, that's nothing but a fabricated charge. I ask you, on what evidence do you base these accusations?"

"Ha! Evidence? In the whole of Central Plains, no one discusses evidence with Chang Chun Temple," Cha Yancai scoffed, raising her hand without hesitation as an Ice Crystal whip materialized in her palm.

As she clenched her fingers, white frost emerged from the handle of the whip, enveloping both the whip and Cha Yancai's arm in white mist.

Having stepped into the Core Formation Realm nearly a hundred years ago, and only half a step away from reaching the Late-stage Core Formation, she viewed Yuan Ming, no matter how formidable, as merely a junior who had just broken through to Core Formation and a Loose Cultivator at that. How could he be compared with a Sect Cultivator like herself?

Therefore, her intent in coming here was to take action first and report later. Regardless of whether the Imperial Family in the temple wanted to protect Yuan Ming or not, if she killed him, there would be no more trouble.

In the Cultivation World, no one would go to war over a dead man without any value for usage. In her view, aside from Liu Tianming, Yuan Ming did not have any other significant background to take into account.

Upon seeing Cha Yancai making the first move, Yuan Ming sighed heavily, a trace of helplessness crossing his face.

But then, he no longer concealed the murderous intent in his heart—his look towards Cha Yancai was like that of seeing a dead person.

In the next instant, he opened his mouth and spat out the Soul Destroying Sword, which flew from his mouth. While it was still in mid-air, Yuan Ming sent a spell towards it, causing runes on the blade to light up immediately. An invisible force surged toward Cha Yancai, followed closely by a black sword light.

Meanwhile, Cha Yancai swung her right arm, seemingly wanting to activate her Magic Treasure. However, her heart suddenly skipped a beat as an invisible force enveloped her body in an instant, causing her to stiffen.

A look of shock appeared on Cha Yancai's face; for some reason, she felt that she was not facing an early-stage Core Formation Cultivator, but rather a Nascent Soul powerhouse.

At that moment, all thoughts of battle left her, and the only thought that flashed through her mind was to "escape quickly."

Just then, on the eastern side of the Capital, Liu Tianming was hurriedly flying over on his Magic Artifact, while shouting loudly as he channelized his Mana:

"Elder Cha, hold your hand! The temple has sent a message, saying..."

Before he could finish his words, from afar, he saw the space above Yuan Mansion, where a black sword light sliced through Cha Yancai's neck. Before he could get close, her headless body fell stiffly to the ground below.

"You're too late," Yuan Ming said to Liu Tianming with a shrug, sounding somewhat helpless.

"Brother Ming, this... well, what do we do now?" Liu Tianming sighed, frustrated as he scratched his head.

"She's already dead, and worrying is useless. Besides, she was the one who attacked first, and to do so this close to my parents... I was just defending myself. I didn't expect her to be so weak," Yuan Ming said, stowing away the Soul Destroying Sword.

"Sigh, those old fellows at the temple just don't care about these things; they'll only feel like you've attacked their pride and will definitely seek reprisal. We need to move up our plans and set out before they can react. Brother Ming, it's imperative that you get your parents to the East Sea as soon as possible, lest you really be stopped and thwarted," Liu Tianming said anxiously.

"Alright, I'll have them pack immediately, and we'll leave at once," Yuan Ming, bolstered by his parents' earlier words, no longer hesitated and promptly replied.

...

About two hours later.

Da Jin Central Continent, Chaotian Mountain Range.

Thin mists enveloped the layered mountains, pierced here and there by dazzling golden light as if hiding a sun within.

Graceful immortal cranes emerged from the mist, their snow-white feathers coated in spirit light; clouds swirled around their bodies, undulating with the beating of their wings, like silk, ethereal and otherworldly.

Amidst the clouds, a series of golden palaces built along the mountains shimmered. With roof tiles of glazed ceramic and bricks of warm jade, materials precious and unseen in the outer world were used here merely for decoration, a sight of splendor and opulence as far as the eye could see.

Between the towers and palaces, cultivators in light purple robes moved to and fro, their gestures exuding cultured ease.

This place was the home of the premier sect of the Central Plains — Chang Chun Temple — whose outer environs alone put nameless small sects like Biluo Cave, even the Shengye Sect, to shame, unable to hold a candle to it.

"Ding--Ding--Ding--"

Suddenly, three solemn bell tolls echoed throughout the sect, surprising the disciples who looked up and exchanged uneasy glances, some of them clearly unsettled.

According to ancestral rules, the Mountain Suppressing Ancient Bell, located at Unblemished Peak, only rang out when an important personage had fallen.

Three tolls meant the death of a Core Formation Elder.

While this was a rare event, it wasn't enough to disturb the disciples to this extent on its own.

The true cause harked back to several months prior.

Then, the bell had tolled four times, the mournful sound for a Nascent Soul cultivator's death lingering amongst the mountains, refusing to fade away.

And now, in less than six months, a Core Formation Elder had fallen.

Even the most blindly loyal disciples of Chang Chun Temple couldn't help but feel a premonition of a storm approaching.

As the bell tolled, within the grand hall at the summit of Unblemished Peak, eleven figures sat around a long table, silently looking at the Jade Scrolls laid before them.

The purple-haired man sitting at the first seat to the right of the table glanced around and, seeing everyone had finished reading the contents of their scrolls, said, "The reason I've called you all here today is to discuss four matters; first is the news from the Capital. Elder Cha, who was in charge of investigating Zuo Qinghui's disappearance, was slain in public by Yuan Ming. Based on Elder Cha's investigation before his death, this matter is not unrelated to Yuan Ming. What do you think we should do about him?"

Core Formation Cultivators don't involve themselves in trivial matters, but when it comes to their own realm or major sect decisions, they do need to step forward and make determinations.

However, with a multitude of Core Formation Elders within Chang Chun Temple, it would be inefficient to convene everyone for every matter. Therefore, under the guidance of the Nascent Soul Ancestors, some Core Formation Elders were selected to represent the rest in discussions.

The eleven Core Formation cultivators seated around the table varied in age and cultivation level, but they shared one commonality.

They all had connections with a Nascent Soul Ancestor from the temple.

Even if not related by blood or direct discipleship, at the very least they were approved by a Nascent Soul Ancestor. Consequently, their statements and actions represented the wills of those Ancestors.

For instance, the purple-haired man, named Qu Liang, the great-grandson of a Nascent Soul Ancestor surnamed Qu. Although he was only at the Early-stage Core Formation, he had gained the right to lead the meetings because his great-grandfather had been in the Nascent Soul Middle Stage for hundreds of years.

Hearing Qu Liang's words, a man with a full beard and open chest turned his gaze to an empty chair next to the long table.

"Is this even within our power to decide? Has the message been sent to Ancestor Ming Quan, and what does he say?" The burly man asked in a leisurely tone.

"Ancestor Ming Quan is not in the temple currently, and I have relayed the news to him via Sound Transmission Talisman, but he has not responded," Qu Liang shook his head as he spoke.

"Is he implying that we should decide on our own? However, Cha Yancai was a favorite apprentice of Ancestor Ming Quan, and Yuan Ming has long held grievances against our Chang Chun Temple. Now, he's openly slain Cha Yancai. Why even discuss this? We should just order a siege and kill him," the bearded man said, setting down the Jade Scroll as if there was nothing more to discuss.

His words garnered the agreement of many elders, all voicing support. They seemed to agree that Yuan Ming, bold enough to act so recklessly, must be utterly extinguished as an example to others.

Of course, Yuan Ming's rise from an obscure Qi Refining Stage Cultivator to the Core Formation Realm in just a few decades was also extraordinarily rare in the history of Chang Chun Temple, stirring among them an indescribable sentiment.

Yet at the table, four Core Formation Elders remained silent, not joining in the consensus.

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