"What are you looking at?!"
"Are you still not satisfied?!"
Zhao Zhen'er furrowed her brows as she saw Liu Yi staring at her.
"You embarrassed me in front of my friends."
"You're useless, truly a waste!" she said with a face full of disgust.
The next moment, she turned and left without looking back.
"What the hell? You can still tolerate this?" Ye Fan was shocked by what he saw.
"Just hit her!" he urged.
Liu Yi quietly placed the wooden basin down and changed into a dry set of clothes.
Ye Fan was speechless.
Night soon fell.
Ye Fan noticed that the two of them slept in separate rooms, even though they had been married for years. It was only a marriage in name, nothing more.
"Sword Spirit, I know I'm a coward," Liu Yi said as he sat on the rooftop, gazing up at the starry sky.
"But the sect master saved my parents' lives."
"Even though my father passed away, my mother is gravely ill and being treated here in the sect."
Ye Fan couldn't help but feel some sympathy for Liu Yi.
He had to admit, Liu Yi had incredible patience.
A real honest man, for sure.
But honest men shouldn't be pushed too far—when they explode, they can be terrifying.
"I need to keep cultivating. I feel like I'm about to break through to the ninth tier!" Liu Yi shook off his earlier frustrations and gripped the sword tightly, focusing on his cultivation.
As he activated his technique, the rich energy in the air rapidly gathered into his body, filling him with an overwhelming sense of power and comfort.
Growing up, Liu Yi had never been good at cultivation, and his ability to absorb energy had always been slow.
But now, his cultivation speed was faster than ever before, almost as if he were flying through his training.
...
"Still no sign?"
Meanwhile, in the Thunder God King's grand palace in the sky, the Thunder God King sat on a large chair, his eyes locked onto Qian Bailian, who stood before him.
"No, we haven't found any trace of that demonic sword yet," Qian Bailian reported respectfully.
The Thunder God King's battle with the Demon God King had ended without a clear victor.
Both sides had been wounded.
The Thunder God King was also recovering from his injuries, cultivating in his palace.
"Keep looking," the Thunder God King ordered coldly.
"We must find that sword."
As a God King, his perception abilities were incredibly powerful, even to the point of faintly sensing the future.
He had a premonition that this sword would become incredibly dangerous.
There was a high chance it would seek revenge against him!
It must be destroyed before it fully matures.
The Thunder God King had realized that a sword capable of transforming into human form was a weapon that could grow stronger over time.
The power that such a "humanoid weapon" could unleash would be terrifying.
"Understood," Qian Bailian nodded.
"I will immediately expand the search."
Qian Bailian was also eager to find Ye Fan.
He had to destroy that demonic sword.
...
The next day arrived quickly.
Liu Yi was a disciple of a sect called Xianyun Sect.
Inside one of the main halls of Xianyun Sect, Liu Yi's eyes widened as he stared at the people in front of him, shouting angrily, "How could she just die like that? My mother, how could she die just like that?"
"She was perfectly fine before!"
Looking at his mother's lifeless body, Liu Yi let out a heart-wrenching cry.
Just the day before, one of the sect's alchemists had claimed to have made a new pill that would help treat his mother's illness.
His mother had taken the medicine and was told to rest for a day without being disturbed.
So, Liu Yi hadn't checked on her yesterday.
But today, he found out that she had died!
"Your pill was flawed!" Liu Yi glared furiously at the middle-aged man in front of him, the alchemist.
However, the alchemist showed no sign of panic at Liu Yi's accusation.
"She died because her body, already weakened by illness, couldn't handle the energy from the pill," the alchemist said calmly.
"That's impossible! It can't be!" Liu Yi shouted, still in disbelief.
"Please accept my condolences," said the sect master, Zhao Xiangyun, as he placed a hand on Liu Yi's shoulder.
"But..."
Liu Yi's eyes filled with tears as he looked down at his mother's body, which was covered in black spots.
These spots appeared to be the result of poisoning from the pill!
Liu Yi's gaze fixed on the alchemist with fury.
"Hmph!"
The alchemist, seeing Liu Yi's menacing look, felt a sudden chill despite himself.
"We'll arrange a cremation," Zhao Xiangyun said to Liu Yi.
"No need," Liu Yi responded coldly, carrying his mother's body and leaving the hall.
"That old woman finally died. She wasted so many of the sect's pills," Zhao Zhen'er muttered under her breath as she watched Liu Yi walk away with his mother's body.
Liu Yi stopped dead in his tracks and turned to look at her, his eyes cold.
"Say that again."
His gaze was icy, and in that moment, it held an unmistakable... killing intent!
Zhao Zhen'er shivered, suddenly at a loss for words.
Liu Yi turned and left without another word.
"That useless piece of trash!!" Zhao Zhen'er muttered angrily after Liu Yi had gone, her face twisted with frustration.
Ye Fan watched all of this unfold in silence.
After burying his mother, Liu Yi spent seven days and seven nights at her grave.
Only after those seven days did he finally leave.
"I will uncover the truth."
"But before that, I must grow stronger!"
Liu Yi looked down at Ye Fan in his hand, and then walked toward the depths of the forest.
...
In the following month, Liu Yi began a relentless slaughter of the beasts that inhabited the depths of the forest.
Countless beasts were slain.
During this time, Liu Yi's strength grew at an astonishing rate.
He had now reached the peak of the Martial King realm!
From an eighth-tier warrior to the peak of the Martial King realm in just one month—this was a remarkable leap in power.
But Liu Yi wasn't satisfied.
"It's not enough, far from enough."
If this had been before, Liu Yi might have felt strong.
But now, he knew it still wasn't enough.
"However, it's time to return."
He looked toward the sect with cold determination in his eyes.