East Island Country, Yekawa Prefecture.
After the funeral of Yekawa Kyoko, this vast mansion returned to a state of calm. Yet, within this tranquility, a hint of desolation lingered.
In the small courtyard of Yekawa Shamiya.
"In the end, he didn't even want to see her one last time?"
Kawano Makoto gazed at the dim moonlight outside the window, her heart filled with a complex mix of emotions, lost in thought.
Behind her stood Yekawa Shamiya, Ye Ming, and Nangong Qianyu.
Observing the melancholic woman by the window, a nameless rage ignited within them, their fists clenching unconsciously.
Yekawa Shamiya's eyes, in particular, glinted with cold killing intent.
She was not yet fully aware of the events that transpired between Yekawa Kyoko and Gu Taiichi. As for when she would learn the truth, it depended on Ye Ming's choices.
Even so, Ye Ming, who knew all the truth, felt that Yekawa Kyoko deserved better.
No matter how many misunderstandings there had been before, at the moment of life and death, they should have at least met for a final farewell.
It was, at the very least, a respect for their past relationship.
But in the end, Yekawa Kyoko waited for nothing.
"Mother! One day, I will personally kill him!" Yekawa Shamiya's beautiful eyes flickered with blood-red light, chilling to the bone and filled with intense hatred.
"Enough! Enough!"
Kawano Makoto turned around, the melancholy in her pupils vanishing completely at this moment. She took her daughter's hand, shook her head, and sighed, "Yekawa Kyoko is dead, and all past grievances are no longer my concern. From now on, I am just Kawano Makoto."
Everything in the past.
It was time to cut ties.
"No! Yekawa Kyoko may be dead, but Yekawa Shamiya is still here. The sins of some people will not disappear because of this."
Yekawa Shamiya was not persuaded by Kawano Makoto's words, and the determination in her eyes would not waver.
From childhood to the present, she had lived with hatred for a certain person.
For her to give up now was impossible.
Seeing this, Kawano Makoto knew her words could not change anything for Yekawa Shamiya. Thus, she could only turn her gaze to Ye Ming.
When would he tell Yekawa Shamiya the truth?
In what manner would he tell her?
How would he resolve her inner turmoil?
All these matters weighed heavily on Ye Ming's shoulders.
In response, upon seeing her gaze, Ye Ming immediately understood and nodded at her.
Although these matters would take some time, he would definitely help Yekawa Shamiya emerge from that shadow.
"Alright! It's getting late!"
Kawano Makoto glanced at the night sky; time had unknowingly crept close to midnight.
"Sister Shamiya! Can I sleep with you tonight?"
At this moment, Nangong Qianyu suddenly grabbed Yekawa Shamiya's arm and pleaded.
"Hm?"
Yekawa Shamiya looked at her sister with a puzzled expression, not understanding what had happened.
Ye Ming, on the other hand, scratched his head, not daring to look at Nangong Qianyu.
He knew that he must have worn her out yesterday, and now she was deliberately avoiding him.
"Please?"
Nangong Qianyu kept shaking Yekawa Shamiya's arm, displaying a weak and pitiable expression.
"Uh! This... alright! Then you can sleep with me tonight!"
In the end, Yekawa Shamiya's heart melted under Nangong Qianyu's wave of affectionate pleas.
Although Yekawa Shamiya's small courtyard was not large, there were still spare rooms. Even if each person had their own room, it would be perfectly sufficient.
...
Ye Ming stared at the empty ceiling above, finding it unaccustomed to not having his girlfriend Nangong Qianyu by his side.
However, as he recalled the events of the past two days, his expression gradually became solemn.
Among these, the force he had the deepest contact with was naturally the Shadow Stream.
Specifically, he had previously searched for some information about this force in the Immortal Cultivation Record.
He did not know until he checked, and upon checking, he was shocked.
The Shadow Stream force had already existed since the birth of the Outland.
It had a history of a hundred thousand years.
To have been passed down for a hundred thousand years indicated the terrifying nature of this force.
No wonder it could become one of the four super sects on the west bank.
"Since Shadow Stream has made a move, the other three families will naturally not sit idly by. It seems that my future live-stream journey will involve contact with them." Ye Ming mused inwardly.
But what he did not know was that within this small East Island Country, the shadow of another force lay hidden.
If he were to know this, would he be greatly shocked?
The competition in the Outland might have surpassed Ye Ming's imagination.
"The pieces have been laid for so long, it's time to make a move."
Ye Ming's eyes narrowed, and he drew a thin spatial rift with his finger. The sharp aura within the space instantly surged forth. He reached into it and retrieved four jade stones engraved with markings.
"Elder Ku Mu hails from the Heartless Sect and is an elder-level figure. He should know a lot about the recent movements in the Outland." Ye Ming murmured, looking at the jade stone with a purple imprint in his hand.
He then picked up the other three white-imprinted jade stones: "As for the Wu brothers, they originate from the Demonic Sect. Unlike some other sects, there might be unexpected surprises from them."
After some deliberation, Ye Ming decided to start with the Wu brothers.
He condensed a wisp of Origin Energy and infused it into the jade stone with the white imprint.
In less than a moment, the imprint flashed with pure white light, forming an invisible screen. Within that screen, three figures knelt respectfully.
"Greetings, Master!"
The three prostrated themselves, their voices trembling as they spoke respectfully.
These three were the brothers he and Gu Taiichi had encountered during their battle, who had intended to attack him and were subsequently controlled by Ye Ming.
Two of them had the strength of the early stage of Origin Realm, while the eldest in the middle had reached the mid-stage of Origin Realm.
With such strength, they were barely considered figures in some minor sects of the Outland. However, in a super force like the Demonic Sect, they could only be disciples.
"Mm!"
Ye Ming nodded, his expression impassive, "Can people from the Demonic Sect detect your abnormality?"
"No... No! We've hidden ourselves well; no one suspects us!" Wu the elder immediately replied, not daring to be negligent in the slightest.
"Very good!"
Ye Ming was satisfied with this outcome.
"I ask you, within the Demonic Sect, have there been any major events recently?" Ye Ming asked calmly.
"Major events?"
Upon hearing the question, the three exchanged glances, as if they were thinking of the same thing.
"Hm?"
Seeing this, Ye Ming's heart gladdened, it seemed there would be a gain.
"Replying to Master, if we're talking about events within the Demonic Sect, there is only one thing that can be called a major event now!" Elder Wu said solemnly.
"Tell me about it!"
Ye Ming's interest was piqued.
"Not long ago, the position of Saintess in our Demonic Sect, which had been vacant for nearly a hundred years, finally has a new holder."