CHAPTER 1492: CHAPTER 1492: RESOLUTE MARTIAL HEART! [THIRD UPDATE]

Satan and the Blood Ancestor faced the ghost face clone, and the outcome was only one: death.

The ghost face clone was the body of the Peach Blossom Taoist, with a sliver of Ye Qiu’s soul hidden within, controlling the body, even capable of exhibiting the power of the Shattering Void Realm.

Ye Qiu dared to act with only a fraction of his strength against Satan and the Blood Ancestor, relying heavily on the ghost face clone.

In fact, the ghost face clone had always been by Ye Qiu’s side; he merely chose not to reveal it, keeping it hidden. Even when facing the Yamata no Orochi, Ye Qiu hadn’t used the ghost face clone, just in case.

The ghost face clone had been ordered by Ye Qiu to quietly appear during his conversation with the two, and only once Satan and the Blood Ancestor revealed their intentions did Ye Qiu unleash the ghost face clone to act as an assassin.

Since the two had been unkind, they couldn’t blame him for being unrighteous. Had it not been for their greed and desire to seize Ye Qiu’s treasures, he wouldn’t have called for the kill.

Both Satan and the Blood Ancestor met their demise, managing only to resist for a while before the ghost face clone, and even their combined assault couldn’t escape the fate of death.

Watching Satan and the Blood Ancestor lying lifeless on the beach, Ye Qiu waved his hand, signaling the ghost face clone that it was enough, no more attacks were needed.

With the death of these two formidable figures, Ye Qiu remained calm. From the moment he allied with Satan, it was like seeking skin with a tiger. Satan hadn’t anticipated that Ye Qiu’s strength surpassed his imagination, especially with a Shattering Void Realm clone in existence.

If not for Ye Qiu’s vigilance and the combat power of the ghost face clone, dealing with the two would have been extremely precarious.

It’s just as well that the two were dead, sparing him future confrontations with them.

Unfortunately, the false god still lived, and he needed to rely on himself to destroy the imposter personally.

With these scheming ’allies’ dealt with, Ye Qiu could now focus on cultivating and recovering his power at ease.

However, just as Ye Qiu immersed himself in cultivation, he sensed multiple spiritual power scans, seemingly searching for something.

Ye Qiu quickly ordered the clone to dispose of the bodies of the Blood Ancestor and Satan, leaving no trace, while he activated the Great Turtle Breath Evasion Technique. To be even safer, he surrounded the area with the Six Paths Gate to avoid the multiple spiritual power probes.

Once the spiritual powers receded, Ye Qiu frowned slightly. Why had these descenders come to the ocean, and what were they searching for?

Could they be looking for him?

The thought prompted Ye Qiu to consider the possibility, especially since those who bet against him, due to their oath, couldn’t come within ten miles of Moonwatch Peak for three months—they surely hated him.

His encounters with the Yamata no Orochi, battles against Satan, the Blood Ancestor, and the false god must have reached the ears of the descenders.

This meant he couldn’t reveal himself recklessly; otherwise, being discovered by the descenders might not bring about previous good fortune and unlikely battles.

Encountering one descender was fine; with the ghost face clone’s assistance, it was manageable. But encountering multiple descenders would be disastrous.

Weighing everything, Ye Qiu decided it was better to fully restore his strength, enabling him to face any future threats certain events might bring.

Once restored, he would attempt to return to Moonwatch Peak.

On the silent island, even birdcalls were scarce, only some insects chirped sporadically.

Ye Qiu was on the island, having broken through a mountain body to carve out a cave, also temporarily moving some plants for cover, making it rather concealed.

Ye Qiu focused not entirely on recovery, remaining vigilant. Since those previous spiritual power scans of the island, no other spiritual powers had appeared, but Ye Qiu didn’t relax his guard—in current circumstances, negligence meant death.

By the next morning, Ye Qiu’s strength had reached the sixth layer. If he fully restored himself, he could attain the eighth layer; clearly, the recovery speed was slow.

"Seems using star coins would be much faster," he remarked.

Previously, he was reluctant to use star coins, as star coins were valued cultivation resources in the ancestral land. According to Qin Feng, star coins sufficed for Shattering Void Realm martial artists, which made Ye Qiu feel it was wasteful for himself, apart from using them on the women and Jin Shanshun and others. Ye Qiu himself was reluctant to use them.

But as descenders were on the sea, it was better to fully restore quickly.

After spending another half-day, Ye Qiu’s strength finally returned to its peak, late Emperor Realm pinnacle.

Feeling the endless strength surging through him, Ye Qiu was very satisfied; he had finally reached his optimal state.

"Unfortunately, I’m still slightly short of breaking through to the Shattering Void Realm, otherwise I needn’t be too wary of those descenders," Ye Qiu muttered to himself.

The attempt to break through the Shattering Void Realm’s shackles had failed, though not surprisingly. What surprised Ye Qiu was that even with the aid of the Seven-Colored Thunder, he hadn’t succeeded.

Do the descenders really suggest that understanding nine rules equates to severing the martial path and forever being unable to break through?

What logic is this?

Initially, Ye Qiu didn’t believe it, but with his previous failed breakthrough using the tribulation lightning from stealing from the Yamata no Orochi, he was forced to seriously ponder the issue.

Why do the descenders assert this so decisively? Has no martial artist from the ancestral land comprehended the nine rules and then broken through? Or does comprehending more rule power make it harder to break through?

Ye Qiu had many uncertainties, though unfortunately, no expert was beside him to clarify, leaving him in confusion.

Logically, he was at the Emperor Realm’s pinnacle—it should have been just a step more to break through to the Shattering Void Realm, but that step seemed exceedingly difficult to Ye Qiu now.

Could he really rely on his strength to break through a shackle even the Seven-Colored Thunder couldn’t break?

Doubt seeped into Ye Qiu’s heart.

This trace of doubt caused instability in his Emperor Realm aura, startling Ye Qiu.

"I cannot waver; a single doubt undermines my whole martial path."

"Just because others fail to breakthrough comprehending nine rules doesn’t mean it’s a law. Even if the path ahead doesn’t exist, I must carve a path to tread myself."

"My martial path will shine brilliantly!"

Ye Qiu’s heart firmed, no longer wavering, his martial heart becoming strong as a rock.

In the future, such thoughts of doubting my martial path must not arise. Otherwise, it leads to self-destruction; how then could one expect to step into the pinnacle of the martial path?

This mindset served as a reminder for Ye Qiu to be more watchful; he couldn’t allow a repeat.

Once cracks appeared in the martial heart, Ye Qiu’s martial path would have reached its end.

"I’ve been too concerned about others’ opinions. What does it matter if they are powerhouses from the ancestral land? They have their paths, and I have mine. Others might succeed; what’s suitable for them may not suit me. Regardless of success, the path I forge myself must be the best fit for me," Ye Qiu’s gaze turned resolute once more.

"Since I’m unable to break through, it must be that my foundation isn’t deep enough. I refuse to believe when I’ve built a ten-thousand-foot canal, I can’t gather a thousand-foot source."

Ye Qiu began recollecting his previous confrontation with the Yamata no Orochi, continuously reflecting, accumulating, and enhancing. He aimed to solidify his foundation to the highest level, and then, things would naturally fall into place.