"Hmph! Do you think that I don't dare to fight the both of you?!" the Zhao Patriarch looked at them with confidence but inwardly, there was desperation .

It has only been a few days since his daughter had come back with the others . He was not prepared for such quick action by the two families . Nevertheless, it seemed that he has no other choice now .

He stepped forward and held his club up, a faint aura of metal emerged from his being .

There was a bit of ridicule on the faces of the Yong and s.h.i.+ Patriarchs before shock overtook them .

"You've broken through?" they both pointed at him, "You were at the Mind Stage just two weeks ago . "

"While the both of you were busy bickering, I have been working quite hard . You can't expect me to not have any secrets or trump cards", the Zhao Patriarch spoke as his aura grew stronger .

Ming Yue could faintly feel the cultivation of these three men, all were within the Earth Realm but the Zhao Patriarch was stronger than them by a fair margin . He was probably a stage or two higher then both of them . Judging by what the patriarchs said, the Zhao Patriarch must be in the Sight Stage .

The Earth Realm had seven stages compared to the nine levels of the Human Realm . The Human Realm focused on tempering the body, the physical vessel of energy . The Earth Realm was slightly different, this was the stage where one had to attune themselves to the world . Core, Mind, Sight, Feel, Emotion, Soul, and Edge were the names of the seven stages, each one focused on an aspect of the mind and soul connecting with the laws of nature .

Advertis.e.m.e.nt

This was the highest that most cultivators could go and it was because of the final stage, Edge . To break out of the world and reach the high heavens, it was more of a test than anything . Non-stop cultivation would do nothing here, instead the method to pa.s.sing was unique . The world would summon a tribulation to those who want to pa.s.s, from lightning to fire, every person's tribulation was different . But those that survive would undoubtedly reach the Sky Realm .

Although, the Zhao Patriarch had only recently broken through to the Sight Stage, he did not seem very far from reaching the next bottleneck .

"Even if I lose here, I could take the both of you with me . Do you still wish to continue with this?" he threatened, raring to fight them . Behind him, members of the Zhao readied their weapons . They were not going to leave without putting up a fight .

The Yong and s.h.i.+ felt hesitant, if they were to die here then all of their effort would be in vain . Someone appeared out of nowhere, most likely with a secret technique . Emerging from the shadows, it was the woman Ming Yue had seen before, Miss Ling . She walked up and whispered into the ears of the two patriarchs, who looked surprised from her appearance . She finished talking and left in the same way she entered, leaving the two patriarchs on their own . Before she left, she took one look at the Zhao Patriarch, not bothering to pay attention to anyone else .

"Good, good! You win! Everyone withdraw!" the s.h.i.+ Patriarch announced angrily . They ordered a retreat and left quickly, leaving their sight within minutes . Their faces were somewhat bitter, unhappy that their plans were for naught . However, they were able to keep their lives for today .

The Zhao Patriarch sighed in relief before going back in to the estate, where he collapsed to the floor . Exhaustion had overtaken him and his servants quickly brought him to his room .

Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www . webnovel . com for visiting .

"I only need time to rest . Do not worry" he told them, walking with the help of his daughter .

Ming Yue took another look at his cultivation again, finding it to have decreased by a large margin . His body was severely weakened and his meridians were slightly damaged . This would take at least a month to recover from but he probably has some medicinal pills to hasten his recovery .

"So it was a technique that allowed him to temporarily increase in power", Xuan Yin realized this, conversing with Ming Yue .

But she was too busy thinking about the entire situation . This attack seemed very random and at the same time, very strange . Why did Miss Ling want them to leave? If she hated the Zhao, then she would've helped the Yong-s.h.i.+ attack rather than think of retreating . It all seemed unusual to her . The mysteries continued to grow with each minute .

"We should follow the woman and see what we can uncover" she suggested to Xuan Yin, who agreed .

"She is definitely the most mysterious one . We have to keep a close eye on her . "

That night, Liqiu knocked on the door before letting herself in . Both Ming Yue and Xuan Yin were busy preparing for the night .

"What are the both of you planning tonight?" she asked .

"Just a bit of tracking" Xuan Yin answered cheerfully .

"I see . . . " Liqiu looked around awkwardly before finding a spot to sit .

"Do you think that this situation could be remedied?"

"Mmmm, I certainly hope so . It would be a bit sad to have your family leave their home . "

"Yes, that's true . . . " Liqiu looked troubled by today's event . Evidently she felt a bit guilty about it .

"Was I too selfish to reject Shao Jin's proposal? Perhaps, If I had accepted it, my father would not be in the state that he is . If it weren't for the two of you, I would not have been able to live . I am at a loss as to what I want to do to help . I feel powerless . . . " she opened up to them about her doubts . Being the daughter of a n.o.ble, her cultivation and general ability was greater than the common man and yet, these past few days, she had not contributed much .

Liqiu was beginning to doubt her own ability as a n.o.ble . She was to be calm and decisive, able to understand the b.u.g.g.e.r picture . But with every decision she makes, the doubt in her heart grows . Were the choices she made correct? Was there another way? The more she questioned herself, the more depressed she felt .

Ming Yue was the first to speak up, "You did nothing wrong . If there was nothing else that you could've done then you did your best . There is nothing wrong with doing the best you can . Rather than wallow in self-pity, persevere instead . Talent can take you to the top but determination stops you from falling off . "

She spoke from experience . Having decent talent was certainly helpful but her own grit had allowed her to survive a number of dangerous situation .

Liqu felt better about herself and thanked her before leaving . Ming Yue's words of encouragement had lifted her spirits . But since then, she started visiting and talking to Ming Yue and Xuan Yin, curious about their experiences . Despite being of a similar age to Ming Yue, Liqiu did not see the world, having only stayed in Maple Root City her entire life . The trip to the capital had been her first time outside . Xuan Yin did most of the talking, sometimes exaggerating her time in the Stone Forest as well as the fight with Tong Ku, the Lord of Torment . As for her partner, Ming Yue did not reveal much about herself, telling them that she had come from a obscure village .

"Maybe we should visit sometime!" Xuan Yin suggested, travelling with Ming Yue had piqued her curiosity for the longest time . Now this was an opportunity for her to find out .

She paused at her suggestion before answering, "You can't, it doesn't exist anymore . "

She did not expect Ming Yue's answer and chose not to pursue it any longer . A village that doesn't exist anymore means one thing, it was destroyed .

"Come on, let's go watch her again", Ming Yue paid no mind to Xuan Yin's strange expression and left the courtyard . She recovered from her slight shock and followed her .

For the past several days, they've been keeping tabs on Miss Ling, watching her every move . However, she did not do much, only moving between the Yong and s.h.i.+ Estates to maintain contact . At this point, there was no use in continuing to watch her, if this was all she did . Instead, they would probably help retake the properties that the Yong and s.h.i.+ had taken .

They found her within the s.h.i.+ Estate, strolling around her room . This was probably another day of nothing, no new information of developments . They watched for several hours from a roof top opposite to her room . But, their waiting was not for nothing, as she quietly left her room after blowing the lights out .

The both of them became fully alert and followed her as she left the city and entered the forest .

Was she meeting with someone?