"Getting closer to Foundation Establishment..."
Two days passed in the blink of an eye.
With the experience of refining two Foundation Establishment Spiritual Objects, Chen Ye smoothly integrated the Earth Fire Essence into his Great Circulation.
As soon as the Earth Fire Essence fused into the Dantian, he immediately sensed a surge of power within his body.
Vaguely, it even felt as if the Spirit Locking Nail could barely contain his Dantian.
"Indeed, if a Great Circulation is established within the Dantian... thereafter, the Dantian will be as solid as a fortress, impervious to the control of the Spirit Locking Nail. Even a Second Tier Magical Treasure would be ineffective!"
Chen Ye murmured softly, a trace of fierceness flashing across his features.
How could he forget being treated as a disposable pawn, tossed into this Grotto Heaven by others!
If not for the little white fox’s assistance, both he and Zhiwei might have faced perilous situations, possibly even losing their lives as a result.
Chen Ye held the hilt of his sword, surveying the surroundings.
The reeds around him were far more luxuriant than before; this place appeared to be the heart of the reed marsh. In a few days, they would reach the Stone Stele Forest.
With the guidance of the little white fox, they were likely ahead of the majority of cultivators.
Except for the Lingyin Sect—during the first foray, someone from the Lingyin Sect had reached the Stone Stele Forest, so logically, this Whispering Marsh wouldn’t trap them.
"Ha... perhaps we’ll encounter them again. The nearby demon beasts are increasingly dense, and even with a Foundation Establishment cultivator leading, progress would be slow when considering the whole group."
Chen Ye chuckled coldly.
He and Zhiwei, along with the little white fox, had fought through countless battles along the way.
And his eldest disciple, through continuous fighting, had gradually honed her magical battle skills to become fierce and sharp, showing glimpses of future promise—a pleasant surprise indeed.
"Master?"
After two days of trekking, even the usually pristine Zhiwei had become grimy.
Though possessing cultivation, she wouldn’t use her life-preserving spiritual power to keep herself clean in the Grotto Heaven.
Moreover, she might clean herself in one moment, only to become soiled again in the next battle...
She noticed the latent killing intent within her master and spoke, her eyes shifting:
"Master, you can manipulate the blood reeds. Perhaps you could take the opportunity to ensnare all the cultivators."
The black-haired little girl looked small and cute, yet her words carried a chill that surpassed even Chen Ye’s.
Chen Ye was taken aback, for not even he had thought of ensnaring all the cultivators.
He was by no means soft-hearted, but neither was he bloodthirsty.
In the past, when killing Kong Hongxuan, he didn’t spare his innocent brother out of sympathy.
But this didn’t mean that Chen Ye would kill all the Wei family members because of his enmity with Wei Shu and others.
If Chen Ye were truly a bloodthirsty person, these two young girls would have perished by his hand long ago.
He studied the girl’s indifferent face for a long while before hesitantly asking, "Zhiwei, what do you mean by this..."
Zhiwei tilted her head slightly, her eyes clear, as if stating the most ordinary of facts:
"Master has taught me, when cutting the weeds, one must remove the roots. The Wei family sees Master as a great enemy, and this opening of the Grotto Heaven is their chance to eliminate Master. Conversely, Master can view it as an opportunity to weaken the Wei family. They believe Master is a trapped beast alone, but we have Xiaobai, the terrain of this Whispering Marsh, and now we control the Blood Reeds... If we could take them all down, the Wei family’s leadership would suffer a great depletion in Primordial Qi, shifting the balance of power. When Master returns to the sect, the pressure from the Wei family would be significantly reduced."
Her voice was still tender, yet it carried a hint of cruelty.
Chen Ye had to admit that Zhiwei’s points were reasonable.
Furthermore, this time,
the Wei family, with Wei Shu as the leading cultivator, believed there were benefits to be gained, hence sent a large number of family cultivators inside.
If all these cultivators were killed, the Wei family would inevitably decline.
The eldest disciple’s idea was simple: kill!
Chen Ye remained silent for a while.
Goodness, why did it seem that Zhiwei might be even more wicked than Qing Jun?
No, as a master, he couldn’t lead his disciple down the wrong path!
Chen Ye sat on the ground and wanted to reach out to pull Zhiwei onto his lap, but the little girl silently stepped back half a step.
He sighed helplessly and said softly:
"That’s not what I meant, my disciple."
Zhiwei looked somewhat disappointed, a hint of frustration in her expression:
"Could it be that Master... has grown soft-hearted? Master, in this world, any opportunity or matter must be pursued actively."
There was a nuance in her words,
but Chen Ye didn’t understand, thinking only that his disciple again wanted to guide him using her child-like wisdom.
The sternness faded from his face, replaced by a slight smile:
"Disciple, let me teach you. In this Cultivation Realm, indeed the strong reign supreme, and the weak are preyed upon. Foundation Establishment kills Qi Refining like crushing ants, Golden Core views Foundation Establishment as insignificant; this is the natural order, just like a cat eats mice, or a dog chews a cat, no one can defy it."
"But this doesn’t mean having power allows one to do anything without restraint!"
Zhiwei grew more puzzled, lifting her dirty little face: "But the strong can do as they please, can’t they..."
Power, after all, is for commanding others!
Master is controlled by the Bai and Wei families because their power is stronger than his.
In other words, if she were stronger than her master, even as a disciple, she could control him!
Precisely because power allows one to ignore taboos, hierarchies, and others’ opinions... that’s what makes it so mesmerizing, isn’t it?
"Not at all."
Chen Ye firmly denied it; he once held such views, but after contemplation in Lisong Valley and enduring this ordeal, his perspective had changed.
"A strong individual endures not purely through power. Wisdom, momentum, and reputation are equally important!"
He gestured to the endless blood reeds surrounding them,