The Divine Lord!
At this moment, a low yet excited voice echoed through the air, reaching Ye Ming's ears.
Following that, in the open space three meters in front of Ye Ming, a ball of peculiar black mist began to condense. In a moment, a figure knelt on the ground:
"Greetings, Divine Lord!"
Behind this figure, ten more shadowy figures appeared, cloaked in black mist. Like the first, they knelt, their voices filled with reverence:
"Greetings, Divine Lord!"
Strangely, there was a subtle difference between the two salutations.
"Long time no see, Ying!"
Ye Ming looked at the figures before him, a hint of nostalgia in his eyes, his tone softening.
All the past experiences resurfaced in his mind at that moment.
The man before him was named Ying Qianshi, the first friend Ye Ming made when he went to the Western Underworld.
He recalled meeting Ying Qianshi when the latter was being pursued by mercenaries. At that time, Ye Ming, who had only recently integrated into human society, still retained some of the wildness of a wolf. By chance, Ye Ming sensed a similar aura emanating from Ying Qianshi.
Thus, Ye Ming intervened and saved him.
Only afterward did he learn that Ying Qianshi, being solitary and not skilled in conversation, had inadvertently made many enemies.
Consequently, he often had to live in the wilderness, evading his pursuers. During that period, he had even lived with a wolf king.
This was why Ye Ming could sense that subtle aura.
Afterward, the two journeyed together, eventually establishing the Heavenly Mandate Divine Hall.
Ying Qianshi became one of the six Divine Kings of the Heavenly Mandate Divine Hall—the Shadow Divine King.
At this moment, the ten individuals behind him were his subordinate Shadow Divine Guards.
...
Hearing Ye Ming's gentle tone, Ying Qianshi visibly faltered.
In his memory, Ye Ming had never been so approachable. Even when they roamed together, Ye Ming had always exuded an aura of cold reverence.
"Yes! It has been three years." Ying Qianshi replied, a hint of apprehension in his voice.
Three years!
Judging by this timeframe, after Ye Ming left the Heavenly Mandate Divine Hall, he must have participated in the World Martial Arts Tournament.
It was a shame, however, that he hadn't found the person he was looking for.
"Rise!" Ye Ming stepped forward, addressing the assembled figures.
At this, the Divine Guards behind Ying Qianshi had their first chance to behold the Divine Lord they revered. This was also their first time seeing him, as the Divine Hall was still in the process of selecting Divine Guards when Ye Ming departed. Consequently, Ye Ming had never met these newly selected guards.
Ye Ming observed the ten individuals behind Ying Qianshi, and after a moment, a look of satisfaction appeared on his face as he said to Ying Qianshi, "They are quite remarkable."
Through his observation, Ye Ming discovered that all these guards were cultivators, and each had reached the second realm of the Three Realms of All Things—Observing All Things.
It seemed that even after his departure from the Heavenly Mandate Divine Hall, his directives had not been ignored.
The Heavenly Mandate Divine Hall had now truly become an organization dedicated to immortal cultivation.
Naturally, very few people were aware of this fact.
At this point, a Western woman in a black, form-fitting uniform stepped forward from behind Ying Qianshi.
She was tall and slender, with delicate eyebrows, a refined nose, and pupils that shimmered with a faint blue light. Her golden hair cascaded freely over her shoulders. Whether it was the uniform she wore, her prominent curves created a particularly striking visual impact, giving the impression of a voluptuous figure.
Her name was Dorisa, the commander of the Shadow Divine Guards.
She approached Ye Ming, knelt, and respectfully transmitted her voice, "Divine Lord, there are two 'little white rabbits' observing you from the shadows. Do you wish for us to apprehend them?"
Ying Qianshi could naturally hear these words.
"Oh!" Ye Ming did not seem surprised by this revelation. However, he was pleased with Dorisa's demeanor. "What is your name?"
"My subordinate's name is Dorisa, the commander of Lord Shadow's Divine Guards," Dorisa replied, her head bowed.
"Then let us meet our two friends who have traveled from afar!"
This time, Ye Ming did not deliberately conceal his voice, and it carried to the ears of the two hidden observers.
The instant Ye Ming finished speaking, two of Ying Qianshi's Divine Guards vanished from their positions.
"We're caught!"
At this moment, within the grass less than fifty meters from Ye Ming, Du Yuemian was taking the box from Du Xiaoqing's hands, preparing to flee with her, when two blurry figures appeared before them.
"Ladies, please come with us!" one of the guards said in a chilling tone.
"Yuemian... sister, we..."
Du Xiaoqing's face turned ashen, her body trembling uncontrollably as she looked at the two figures who had appeared like phantoms.
"It's alright! I'm here!"
Du Yuemian patted Du Xiaoqing's head, offering a reassuring smile.
Before long, the two women were brought before Ye Ming.
"Divine Lord, the individuals have been brought," the two guards reported respectfully.
Ye Ming nodded, then looked at Du Yuemian and Du Xiaoqing, a smile on his face as he said, "Do you believe you still have a chance to survive?"
It must be said, Du Yuemian was truly beautiful. Especially the heroic aura she exuded at all times, which was striking to behold.
However, at this moment, Ye Ming paid no attention to these details, instead uttering words that contradicted his smiling demeanor.
Du Yuemian gazed at the man before her, whose face was amiable yet whose words sent shivers down her spine, and seemed momentarily unable to process it.
But Du Xiaoqing, beside her, didn't think so much. Upon hearing that they might die, tears began to well up in her large eyes, threatening to overflow like a dam breaking.
"Wuwuwu! You can't kill us, I'm still so young, I haven't even... wuwuwu!" Du Xiaoqing, looking at the figures radiating murderous intent behind them, could no longer hold back her tears.
Du Xiaoqing's crying seemed to perplex Ye Ming and his entourage. They glanced at her, their expressions somewhat peculiar.
She's not that young, is she!
"Xiaoqing! It's okay!"
Du Yuemian, seeing this, quickly comforted her foolish younger sister.
If Ye Ming truly intended to kill them, they would not be standing here unharmed.
From the methods employed by the two guards, Du Yuemian realized that she might have overheard something she shouldn't have.
Looking at the young man before her, her expression was complex. She had originally come with the intention of finding Ye Ming.
For this, she had made thorough preparations.
However, she had never expected that, through a twist of fate, she would stumble upon a significant secret.
The Divine Lord?
The young man she was looking for was, in the words of others, the master of a god.
Then, who was this so-called god?