Celestial Flame Academy, a secluded valley behind the mountain.

At this moment, a young man and woman were leaning against a towering ancient tree, their expressions seeming incredibly sweet.

"Elder Brother Ye Hao, tomorrow is the day the Immortal Secret Realm opens. I wonder if our academy's seed students will be able to find fortune within it," said a beautiful woman in red.

"Qing'er, this is not something we should worry about. I only hope Ye Chen returns safely from the Immortal Secret Realm. I've watched him grow up since he was a child, like my own younger brother. I really hope nothing happens to him." Beside the woman in red, Ye Hao's eyes were filled with deep concern.

Ye Chen fled to the Ye Family when he was six years old and had been under Ye Hao's care ever since.

Although Ye Hao and Ye Chen had no blood relation, they got along extremely well, and Ye Hao treated him as his own brother.

If anything happened to Ye Chen, it would be unbearably painful for Ye Hao.

"Ye Chen is so young yet has become the Battle King Hall Master. Even our senior sister from Profound Sword Peak is no match for him. He will be safe," the woman in red couldn't help but comfort Ye Hao, looking at him with a gaze full of tenderness and love.

Her name was Qing'er, an Inner Sect student of Profound Sword Peak, whose talent was considered the lowest within the peak.

Two years ago, while training in the back mountain, she was attacked by a Demon Beast and nearly perished under its claws. Ye Hao happened to pass by and saved her life.

From that day on, they became a loving couple.

Over the years, due to severe injuries, Ye Hao's cultivation remained stagnant, making him the laughingstock of the entire War King Hall, enduring humiliation and ridicule.

Yet, Qing'er remained steadfastly by Ye Hao's side.

It was precisely with Qing'er's companionship and encouragement that Ye Hao stood strong until now.

Therefore, deep down, he truly felt an immense gratitude towards Qing'er, valuing her life more than his own.

"Qing'er, when Ye Chen returns, I'll take you away from the Celestial Flame Academy, back to my hometown in Kunzhou Prefecture, and marry you, to spend the rest of our lives together." Ye Hao said to Qing'er, full of affection.

He knew his talent was average, and even if he stayed at the Celestial Flame Academy, he wouldn't achieve much.

So, he truly wanted to return to Kunzhou Prefecture with Qing'er to live a simple and peaceful life.

"Mhm!" Qing'er nodded, her mouth adorned with a sweet smile.

As though she was the happiest person in the world.

Whoosh!

At this moment, an extremely piercing sound suddenly echoed by Ye Hao's ear.

"This is... ." Ye Hao's pupils suddenly shrank, and his whole body shivered, feeling an intense threat of death.

With a huge splattering sound,

when Ye Hao fully realized what had happened, Qing'er, who had been leaning against him, had a large hole in her throat, blood gushing out like a spring.

"Ye, Ye Hao, I'm sorry, I can't accompany you anymore." Qing'er stared at Ye Hao, her eyes full of reluctance.

With that, she stopped breathing altogether.

"No! No!" Ye Hao suddenly seemed like a wild beast gone mad, his mouth letting out a heart-wrenching scream.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.

At that moment, several figures suddenly shot out from the Ancient Forest, instantly surrounding Ye Hao in the middle.

Judging from their robes, they were all students from Profound Sword Peak, each one extremely strong and far surpassing Ye Hao.

"Ye Hao, you've got a lot of nerve to kill a student of Profound Sword Peak. Tell us, why did you do it?" A young man in silver battle armor coldly and sternly reprimanded Ye Hao.

"It was you, you bastards, who killed Qing'er, and I will avenge her." Ye Hao's eyes turned blood-red, his facial features twisted, looking particularly ferocious.

With a thunderous roar,

he harnessed all his strength to the extreme, launching like a maddened beast at the silver-armored youth.

He truly didn't understand why these bastards killed Qing'er and set him up to take the blame.

In that moment, his mind only focused on one thought, to kill these bastards and avenge the woman he loved.

"Hmph! An insignificant loser, how dare you act arrogant in front of me? Overestimating yourself. Kneel!" The silver-armored youth's expression was filled with disdain, looking at Ye Hao as if he was a mere ant he could crush at will.

Whoosh.

In the next instant, a terrifying silver Sword Aura shot out from the youth's fingertips, instantly piercing through Ye Hao's Protective True Qi, viciously stabbing into his right leg.

With a deafening splattering sound,

Ye Hao's leg was promptly pierced through, leaving a massive bloody hole, shattering even the bones.

His body involuntarily collapsed to the ground, his expression filled with extreme pain.

"It was you who killed Qing'er, why did you do it, why?" Ye Hao shouted hysterically at the silver-armored youth, eyes filled with fury.

Just a moment ago, Qing'er's throat had been pierced by the same silver Sword Aura.

So, the silver-armored youth before him was the murderer who killed Qing'er.

But instead, he accused Ye Hao of the crime.

This behavior is truly outrageous.

"How dare you!"

"It's clearly you, this worthless fool, who killed Qing'er. We all saw it with our own eyes, and yet you dare to slander Brother Duanmu. Do you think anyone will believe you?" The students beside the silver-armored youth sneered one after another, their lips curling with mocking disdain.

They were all sent by Duanmu Ying to capture Ye Hao.

However, since Ye Hao was a student of the War King Hall and had an unshakeable relationship with Ye Chen, even they couldn't just capture Ye Hao at will.

This is exactly why they devised such a vicious method to deal with Ye Hao.

As long as they proclaimed to the outside world that Ye Hao killed Qing'er, a student of their Profound Sword Peak, not even the upper echelons of the War King Hall could save Ye Hao.

As for Qing'er, she was just a useless student from their Profound Sword Peak. If she died, she died; it wasn't anything significant at all.

Blame it on her foolish decision to be with Ye Hao.

"You beasts, even if I become a ghost, I won't let you go." Ye Hao's teeth clenched tightly together, making an unbearably sharp noise, as if they would shatter at any moment.

At this moment, the anger and sorrow in his heart were beyond words.

He valued Qing'er's life more than his own.

But now, Qing'er had been brutally killed in front of him, and he could do nothing to his enemies.

This feeling of not wanting to live was truly more unbearable than death.

"Take this worthless fool back to Profound Sword Peak and hand him over to our Peak Master for punishment. His crimes are unforgivable, even Ye Chen can't save him. This time, no one can." The silver-armored youth, Duanmu Zhen, wore a cruel smile, sending chills down anyone's spine.

Half an hour later.

In a great hall of Profound Sword Peak, Ye Hao's body was thrown onto the ground like a dead dog.

His right leg was still bleeding profusely, and he looked on the verge of death.

"Peak Master, we have captured this worthless fool." The silver-armored youth, Duanmu Zhen, said respectfully.

"You've done well." In the great hall, a still-charming woman stepped towards Ye Hao, gazing down at him with indifferent eyes as if looking at an ant that could be crushed at any moment.

This woman was none other than Duanmu Ying.

"Master of Profound Sword Peak, I've been framed. It's this beast who killed Qing'er, this beast!" Seeing Duanmu Ying, Ye Hao clung to her as if clutching at a life-saving straw, shouting frantically.

"Heh! I know because I ordered him to do it." The corners of Duanmu Ying's mouth curled into a cruel smile, mocking Ye Hao.

"It was you? Why? Why did you do this?" Ye Hao's mind exploded, unable to believe his ears.

"Worm, blame yourself for knowing that worthless Ye Chen. Anyone close to him must die. Do you understand now?" Duanmu Ying spoke coldly, a terrifying murderous intent flashing in her eyes.

"You vicious woman, what a cruel heart you have!" Ye Hao's eyes turned crimson, and he screamed hysterically.

Even he hadn't expected the mastermind behind Qing'er's death to be Duanmu Ying, the Master of Profound Sword Peak.

To frame him, she was even willing to commit such heinous deeds.

Qing'er was a student of their Profound Sword Peak!

She hadn't done anything wrong, yet she was killed on Duanmu Ying's orders.

How could there be such a wicked person in this world?

"How dare you." At this moment, a terrifying force of Celestial Spirits erupted from Duanmu Ying, blasting Ye Hao's body away.

With a loud crash.

In the next moment, Ye Hao's Dantian shattered completely, and all his cultivation vanished without a trace.

Even his bones broke into pieces, leaving him like a pile of mud on the ground.

"You dog, dare you disrespect our Peak Master, I will kill you right now." The silver-armored youth's body surged with killing intent, ready to take Ye Hao's life.

"Hold on, imprison this worm first. Killing him now would be too easy. I want him to die in torment. Also, he might know some secret encounter that worthless Ye Chen had. Find a way to force it out of him, understand?" Duanmu Ying spoke emotionlessly.

"Yes, Peak Master." The silver-armored youth replied respectfully, then lifted Ye Hao like a dead dog and dragged him into a secret chamber.

Ah!

Not long after, screams of agony echoed from the secret chamber, chilling to the bone.

They came from Ye Hao's mouth.

Though his Dantian was shattered and his bones all broken, he did not die, and the silver-armored youth fed him a few Healing Elixirs.

His purpose was not to save Ye Hao, but to prevent Ye Hao from dying too easily.

"Speak, what fortuitous encounter did that worthless Ye Chen have? Tell me, and I will give you a painless death." The silver-armored youth pulled out the sword from Ye Hao's abdomen, speaking with utter indifference.

"Pah." Ye Hao spat at the silver-armored youth, though he avoided it.

"Not talking, huh? Then let's continue." The silver-armored youth smirked cruelly, stabbing another sword into Ye Hao's abdomen, blood spurting out.

"Ye Chen, it doesn't matter if I die, but you must avenge Qing'er, you must, or I will not rest in peace." Ye Hao gritted his teeth, speaking internally with overwhelming anger and unwillingness.

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