The shattered land, nourished by the power of the Heavenly Dao, gradually reformed into its original state. The uprooted turf was covered once more with lush green grass, and everything was filled with vitality.
The only difference was that the Cloud Palace North China Branch base, which should have stood on the grassland, had vanished completely.
"With this Heavenly Dao power, things will be much more convenient from now on. It's a pity that only a limited amount was extracted. The Heavenly Dao must be wary of me now, so I need to use it sparingly."
Ye Ling looked at the restored land below and muttered to himself, quite satisfied with the gains from this trip.
Ye Ling looked up at the sky and smiled, saying, "Thanks! I will make good use of this portion of your power."
Rumble!
As soon as Ye Ling finished speaking, a bolt of lightning struck from the heavens, flashing past Ye Ling and fiercely hitting the grassland, igniting a fire.
It was evident that the Heavenly Dao was quite angered by Ye Ling and had issued a warning.
However, Ye Ling paid no heed to the Heavenly Dao's warning. After waving his hand to extinguish the wildfire, he did not linger in Inner Mongolia any longer. He set off to return to Shanghai, preparing to enter the ancient ruins.
Regarding the annihilation of the Cloud Palace North China Branch, Ye Ling had acted too quickly, and with the intervention of the immortal realm, it would likely take some time for the Cloud Palace to learn of their branch's destruction. For now, there wouldn't be any major actions.
Once the news of the Cloud Palace North China Branch's destruction spread, the circles of extraordinary individuals in China and even the world would experience a tremor, perhaps even awakening many reclusive powerhouses.
However, by then, the Cloud Palace should have already taken the bait, Yang Qi, and fallen right into the trap.
At that point, the Cloud Palace's reaction to the destruction of its branch would no longer matter.
Upon returning to Shanghai, Ye Ling went back to his villa and spent a short period channeling the Earth's Heavenly Dao power from the Heavenly Secret Map into his body, converting it entirely into his own strength.
Thus, Ye Ling stayed at home for a day.
An eclipse arrived.
Shanghai plunged into darkness, and countless citizens, filled with excitement, took photos, marveling at the rare astronomical spectacle.
While the entire city was abuzz with the eclipse, the gateway to the ancient ruins in the east quietly opened in the sea.
From all over the world, and even from the immortal realm, all eyes turned to the East China Sea!
This was because the ancient ruins were the remnants of the Tongtian clan!
Within them lay hidden secrets and treasures beyond measure!
Outside, the sky was dark. Wang Die walked to Ye Ling's bedroom door, knocked on the open door, and said to Ye Ling, who was meditating on the bed, "Your Majesty, the passage to the ancient ruins has opened. The passage can only be maintained for ten minutes. I think we should depart."
"No need to be so rushed."
Ye Ling slowly opened his eyes and smiled at Wang Die, saying, "This time, the ancient ruins seem to be opening differently than before. Major powers worldwide have set up camp at the entrance of the ancient ruins in advance, dispatching many powerful individuals."
"Currently, on that nameless island in the East China Sea, the strong individuals from various factions are likely scrambling to enter, and conflicts have already broken out. It's become a battleground there."
Although Ye Ling was still sitting on the bed, his divine soul had already spread to the entrance of the ancient ruins, constantly monitoring everything that was happening there.
At this moment, the entrance to the ancient ruins had become a scene of carnage, with blood staining the river.
Those people had gone mad with killing, as if they had forgotten their original purpose for being there. More than half of them had already perished before even entering the ruins.
This situation felt entirely wrong.
Ye Ling knew the location of the ancient ruins' entrance. He could teleport himself and his companions there at any time, so he could afford to wait until the last moment. There was no need to rush into the fray now.
He didn't know what traps lay within the ancient ruins. Letting others act as cannon fodder to trigger them would save him a lot of trouble.
Wang Die, aware of Ye Ling's strength, no longer felt anxious upon hearing his words. She simply bowed slightly to Ye Ling and prepared to wait in the living room.
"Wait." Ye Ling called out to Wang Die again.
Wang Die stopped, turned back to Ye Ling, and asked with a smile, "Does Your Majesty have any other instructions?"
Ye Ling scanned the villa with his divine soul and asked Wang Die, "Where is that girl Feng Ke? Why isn't she with you?"
After Wang Die arrived in Shanghai from Xichuan, she had immediately gone to Ye Ling's villa and bonded with Feng Ke and Li Xiaoxiao.
Feng Ke was an inherently pure girl, almost like a blank slate. Li Xiaoxiao, on the other hand, suffered from social anxiety yet desperately craved friendship...
Under the offensive of Wang Die, a divine seer who could predict the future and knew almost everything, those two peculiar girls had no resistance and quickly succumbed.
With almost no effort, Wang Die became close friends with Feng Ke and Li Xiaoxiao, sharing everything with them.
When Ye Ling returned from Inner Mongolia and saw Wang Die bonding with Feng Ke and Li Xiaoxiao, even extracting secrets from their hearts, he was both amused and exasperated, but he had to accept this reality.
Upon Ye Ling's inquiry, Wang Die replied, "Xiao Ke went out before dawn, saying she needed to prepare something... she hasn't returned yet."
"But Your Majesty, Xiao Ke's strength is rather weak. The ancient ruins are fraught with danger. Is it really appropriate to bring Xiao Ke along?"
"It's fine. I already promised her last time. Bringing her or bringing you makes no difference."
Hearing Ye Ling's words, Wang Die's lips twitched. "Under... understood."
Although Ye Ling was speaking the truth, she felt something was slightly off.
Ye Ling glanced at the situation at the entrance to the ancient ruins, then got out of bed and instructed Wang Die, "After we enter the ancient ruins, you two stay close to me. Do not leave my side without my command."
Wang Die bowed respectfully, "Yes."
"I'm back!"
Just then, Feng Ke's voice echoed from the living room. Ye Ling and Wang Die walked out to see Feng Ke standing in the living room, dressed in casual clothes and covered in mud.
Li Xiaoxiao emerged from another room to greet them.
Ye Ling curiously examined Feng Ke and asked, "What were you doing?"
"Hehe! It's a secret! Are we leaving now?" Feng Ke giggled, not revealing what she had been doing outside to Ye Ling.
"So mysterious..." Seeing Feng Ke's demeanor, Ye Ling shook his head and smiled, but he didn't press further.
He glanced at the mud-covered Feng Ke and said, "Go change into some clean clothes. We can depart soon. Ji Xue and Tian Yuan are already waiting for us at the entrance."
"Wang Die and Xiao Ke will accompany me to the ancient ruins. Xiaoxiao, you stay at home and don't go out, understand?"
"Understood!"
The three women replied in unison and then began their final preparations.
Outside, the solar eclipse slowly receded, and the sky gradually brightened again.
Ye Ling, accompanied by Wang Die and a ready-to-go Feng Ke, teleported towards the nameless island in the East China Sea!