The five people were previously knocked out by Ye Qiu, their memories frozen at the moment of losing consciousness, aware that someone had acted against them.

So when the five woke up and saw Ye Qiu, they instinctively took Ye Qiu as an enemy, all staring at him, ready to act.

Ye Qiu wore a mask, concealing his true identity, and calmly said, "You are free now."

No explanation, no additional words, just a few short words declaring their freedom, which instantly halted the five’s urge to act, leaving them somewhat stunned.

"Was it you who saved us?"

Among the five, one quickly realized they were no longer in the iron cages, seemingly freed from Tian Gong’s captivity.

The only possibility was that the masked person before them had rescued them.

Though they couldn’t understand why Ye Qiu would save them, it was better than being captured by Tian Gong, especially since Tian Gong intended to use them to hunt the descendants of the Dugu clan.

"May I ask the esteemed senior’s name? If we have the chance, we will certainly repay you." The burly man seemed the most formidable among the five, and his words carried weight. When he spoke, the others remained silent, standing quietly behind him.

"No need for names. I’ll soon dispel the formation, and you can leave, but beware of Tian Gong’s people—they are nearby." Ye Qiu said no more, forming a gesture with his hand that instantly dissolved the formation around them, revealing the room’s scenery.

Seeing this, the five looked at Ye Qiu with respect. Anyone capable of setting up a formation was surely no ordinary person, not to mention rescuing them—even if they didn’t understand the motives, it was undoubtedly a good deed.

"Proceed carefully as you leave."

The burly man and the others donned the clothes Ye Qiu had prepared for them, bowed to Ye Qiu, and then exited.

Once outside the room, the five subtly hid their presence, not making a grand display, quickly bowing their heads and heading downstairs.

Seeing the group leave the inn, Ye Qiu felt relieved; if they were caught by Tian Gong again, it would be trouble, and he’d have to rescue them once more.

The five entered an alley, the two at front and back scouting around, nodding to signify that no one noticed them, allowing them to relax.

"Boss, who exactly was the person who saved us just now?" one from the group sitting next to the burly man suddenly asked.

The others looked on as well; clearly, they all wanted to know why Ye Qiu saved them—it was a dangerous move, akin to snatching food from a tiger’s mouth.

The burly man shook his head; his strength wasn’t particularly high, merely mid-level in the Void Realm, unable to discern Ye Qiu’s depth, yet the feeling Ye Qiu gave off wasn’t overwhelmingly powerful. But without Saint Realm strength, how could he have rescued them?

Furthermore, since they escaped, they noticed Tian Gong members lurking nearby, obviously searching for them. How Ye Qiu managed to rescue them remained a mystery to all five.

The burly man couldn’t deduce Ye Qiu’s identity but suspected he might be a descendant of the Dugu clan, or like them, a Guardian of the Dugu clan. If the former, it was excellent news—an individual like him would bring hope to the Dugu clan’s future; if the latter, having such a companion was also beneficial.

"Now that we’re out, we should quickly find the young master. If he tries rescuing us and gets caught by Tian Gong, that would be disastrous." The burly man rose decisively.

Following the burly man’s lead, the five swiftly vanished into the alley.

... 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

For a number of days, Ye Qiu remained at the inn, while the white-clad man had yet to leave. During this time, Ye Qiu occasionally concealed himself within the Great Emperor’s Bell, eavesdropping on some happenings in the white-clad man’s room, learning more about his identity.

Ye Qiu had long known that the white-clad man was a child of the Celestial Emperor, but to his surprise, the Celestial Emperor had quite a few children—eighteen in total.

The divine child Ye Qiu had previously killed was the youngest, born after the Celestial Emperor advanced to the cosmic level.

It’s known among martial artists that the higher one’s martial realm, the more challenging it becomes to produce offspring, due to their powerful genes. If one does succeed, the child’s innate talent is undoubtedly extraordinary.

The Celestial Emperor’s eighteen children, especially cherished, bathing in endless affection. Even when Ye Qiu hid within the Great Emperor’s Bell, he noticed that those within Tian Gong paid respect to the eighteenth child, with even Saints not daring to act arrogantly, indicating profound favoritism.

Yet such a young man, destined to become a martial artist, was abruptly erased by Ye Qiu—even his soul didn’t remain.

No wonder the Celestial Emperor reacted with such fury, even clashing with the Black Shaman Sect across the universe.

The white-clad man had been born before the Celestial Emperor entered the cosmic realm, so his talent wasn’t particularly prominent; relatively speaking, it was still far superior to ordinary people.

The fifteenth-ranked among the Celestial Emperor’s children was called the Fifteenth Lord, also known as Emperor Fifteen.

This reminded Ye Qiu of the shadow figure known as Emperor Lord, leaving him to ponder what connection the Emperor Lord might have with Tian Gong—their shared surname made it unlikely shadow was part of Tian Gong.

Ye Qiu couldn’t decipher it.

Over the years, Emperor Fifteen’s strength had stagnated at mid-Saint Realm, progressing slowly, far lagging behind his other siblings.

This led to him being less favored, driving him to other thoughts—for instance, capturing the Dugu clan members, he wouldn’t inform the Celestial Emperor, intending to experiment and awaken his Bloodline Power so his strength could surge, catching up with his siblings.

Through the white-clad man’s words, Ye Qiu learned that many of the Celestial Emperor’s children resided in the Southern Wilderness, including Emperor Fifteen and some others, triggering a murderous intent in Ye Qiu. Eliminating a few of the Celestial Emperor’s children might be a beneficial idea.

Nonetheless, dealing with Emperor Fifteen first seemed the better option.

After all, Ye Qiu had previous experience slaying the Celestial Emperor’s progeny.

Another three days passed, and to Ye Qiu’s relief, the descendants of the Dugu clan mentioned by Emperor Fifteen did not appear, causing his plans to fail.

Of course, this largely due to Ye Qiu’s intervention—rescuing those five disrupted Emperor Fifteen’s aspirations.

Throughout these days, Ye Qiu continuously observed Emperor Fifteen’s every movement and expression.

Within Ye Qiu’s heart brewed a audacious plan—a success would incite immense impact.

Pondering it deeply, Ye Qiu couldn’t help but be thrilled by the plan.

Moreover, it seemed only he could execute it.