Ye Ling looked at the terrifying aura emanating from Qing Bukong and asked, "Are you the Soul Ancestor Qing Bukong?"
Qing Bukong shook his head and smiled, saying to Ye Ling, "It seems you are truly forgetful, noble sir. You attacked me just three days ago, and now you don't recognize me..."
Ye Ling replied, "It's only three days for you."
Qing Bukong chuckled, "That may or may not be the case. However, I must admit, your progress in these short three days has been astonishingly great. Especially your recent move to harness the power of the entire universe to develop a new cultivation system – I am truly impressed, it is absolutely magnificent."
Ye Ling was not swayed by Qing Bukong's flattery and directly changed the subject. He asked Qing Bukong, "There's no need for more compliments. We both know the nature of our relationship. Before we fight... I'd like to know where Xuan Yu is?"
"Xuan Yu?" Qing Bukong raised an eyebrow. "She is already dead."
Ye Ling's pupils contracted sharply. "Dead?"
Yue Qingning sensed Ye Ling's emotional fluctuation and immediately stepped in front of him, speaking with a firm voice, "Ye Ling, don't let him provoke you. He clearly wants to shake your Dao heart."
Tai Yuan also stepped forward, saying, "That's right, Emperor Ancestor. Qing Bukong is skilled at manipulating people's minds. He's saying these things deliberately to affect you."
"I know," Ye Ling quickly calmed down. "You don't need to worry about me. Focus on the enemy before us. This Qing Bukong is quite tricky."
Ye Ling did not believe Qing Bukong's claim that Xuan Yu was dead at all.
After all, Xuan Yu was a descendant of the Creation God and must have had many hidden means. Ye Ling did not believe Xuan Yu would perish so easily.
Seeing that Ye Ling was not affected by his words, Qing Bukong's smile deepened. "Whether you believe it or not is irrelevant, as I will soon send you on your way. Perhaps then, in your dying moments, you might even see the Xuan Yu you cherish."
Boom!!!
As Qing Bukong finished speaking, a pair of wings condensed from Chaos Qi Source materialized behind him. Violent Chaos Qi Source surged from his body, crushing towards Ye Ling!
"Ye Ling (Emperor Ancestor), fall back!"
Yue Qingning and Tai Yuan shouted in unison. They both attacked, helping Ye Ling to block the Chaos Qi Source unleashed by Qing Bukong!
After all, Ye Ling was not yet a Chaos Master, and the gap between him and Qing Bukong was too vast. He could not withstand Qing Bukong's terrifying power.
Bang!
The collision of three powerful auras shattered the surrounding space, and the residual combat energy, beyond the imagination of all beings, spread out in all directions.
Wherever the aftershocks passed, everything turned to nothingness.
However, the barrier constructed by Qing Bukong seemed to cease to exist. The residual energies easily penetrated the barrier and spread throughout the entire inner universe.
"Inner universe!"
Seeing the residual energy spreading, Ye Ling's expression changed slightly. He ignored the three who were fighting and immediately used the white runes to penetrate Qing Bukong's barrier. On the outer perimeter, he constructed his own rune barrier, attempting to block the residual energy.
Bang!!!
The residual energy from the battle between the three collided with the rune barrier constructed by Ye Ling, erupting with dazzling golden light that illuminated the entire inner universe once more.
All beings in the universe looked up at the golden light in the sky, unaware that they had narrowly escaped annihilation.
Qing Bukong, seeing that Ye Ling could actually ignore his barrier, couldn't help but show a hint of surprise in his eyes. He murmured, "White runes that can ignore my barrier... Could he be the successor of that person?"
Although the barrier Qing Bukong had just constructed could not stop the energy from spreading, it could trap all beings within it.
His intention in doing so was to deliberately let the residual energy spread outwards, destroying the entire inner universe and thus driving Ye Ling into a frenzy.
However, he did not expect Ye Ling to be able to directly ignore his barrier and also possess the ability to block all the residual energy...
The strength displayed by Ye Ling truly exceeded his expectations!
While Qing Bukong was surprised by Ye Ling's strength, Yue Qingning and Tai Yuan were not idle. Seizing the opportunity when Qing Bukong was distracted, they unleashed their power and counter-attacked Qing Bukong.
The Chaos Qi Source unleashed by Yue Qingning and Tai Yuan dispersed Qing Bukong's attack and surged directly towards Qing Bukong himself.
When Qing Bukong recovered his senses, he had no time to resist. He could only quickly gather his focus and shield himself with his wings to withstand the combined assault from Yue Qingning and Tai Yuan.
The Chaos Qi Source from the two Chaos Masters fiercely struck Qing Bukong, directly engulfing him!
Within the vast barrier, only the raging Chaos Qi Source remained.
The energy was in extreme chaos.
Ye Ling stood outside the barrier, struggling to prevent the residual energy from leaking out with his rune barrier, while his mind raced to find a solution to break the deadlock.
Currently, Ye Ling was already close to exhaustion just from containing the battlefield. It was out of the question for him to join the battle of the three Chaos Masters.
If he let go, the inner universe would surely be destroyed!
The World-Destroying Spirit Fire said, "Kid, I've now confirmed that Qing Bukong has grown stronger. Yue Qingning and Tai Yuan combined are definitely no match for him. You need to kill him quickly before Qing Bukong gets serious! Aim for the weakness I told you about earlier!"
Ye Ling glanced at the raging Chaos Qi Source within the barrier and couldn't help but purse his lips. He said to the World-Destroying Spirit Fire, "No... If I join the fight, I won't be able to maintain the rune barrier. These residual energies will definitely destroy the entire inner universe!"
The World-Destroying Spirit Fire retorted impatiently, "If you don't go help now, and Yue Qingning and Tai Yuan are defeated, let alone this inner universe, you won't even be able to save your own life!"
"Kid, don't forget, you are now the sole guardian of this universe, and the hope of countless people. As long as you are alive, there is still a possibility of rebuilding the destroyed universe. But if you fall, then everything is over! I believe you know what's more important!"
"But..." Ye Ling gritted his teeth, his heart filled with immense conflict.
Although what the World-Destroying Spirit Fire said made sense, could he truly bear to see Ye You and the others be engulfed by the Chaos Qi Source?
Currently, the Lord of Remnant Evil coveted the outer universe. Once the inner universe was destroyed, he would become rootless, drifting aimlessly in the outer universe, with no home.
For Ye Ling at that time, rebuilding the inner universe would be a distant prospect.
However, just as Ye Ling was in a dilemma, Xuan Yu's voice suddenly echoed in his ears, "Ye Ling, you go fight. I will protect the inner universe for you."
"Xuan Yu?"
Hearing Xuan Yu's voice suddenly, Ye Ling's eyes flashed with surprise, and he looked around, "Are you alright?"
Xuan Yu: "My physical body has been sealed by Qing Bukong. I am now contacting you through the cosmic barrier."
Upon hearing Xuan Yu's words, Ye Ling exclaimed in surprise, "You can control the cosmic barrier?"
"Yes, this cosmic barrier was left by my father. I can barely activate a small part of it, but the power I can use is not much."
"Later, I will use the power of the cosmic barrier to isolate the battlefield for you, so that your battle will not affect the inner universe."
Ye Ling's eyes lit up slightly. "If you can do that, it will resolve my worries!"
Xuan Yu: "Mhm... Go fight, I'll be your backup. Qing Bukong is the greatest crisis currently facing the inner universe, he must not be allowed to live!"
"Alright!"
Ye Ling responded, and the Sword of Chaos slowly condensed in his hand, golden spiritual energy swirling around his body.
Without further hesitation, Ye Ling withdrew his rune barrier. He looked at the surging Chaos Qi Source and charged towards the battlefield filled with endless Chaos Qi Source!