The killing winds kept blowing ruthlessly for two hours. After the final gust, Yun Shu directly dropped to the ground, gasping hard.

 The wooden stick in his hand had been reduced to a small twig by the fierce and vicious winds. Here, the power of the killing wind was worlds apart. However, this time, it failed to leave Yun Shu with any bruises or cuts.

That was a huge step forward!

 With the help of the pill, it still took Yun Shu more than half an hour to gather his strength.

 Yun Shu looked at the short stick left in his hand and slightly nodded to himself. Using the golden pupils, the power of the sword intent was improved further.

The training was no doubt a tough grind, yet at the same time, this part of the valley was like holy grounds for practicing sword intent. Although feeling extremely tired, Yun Shu had nothing to complain about. Instead, his heart was filled with pride and joy.

In the following two weeks, Yun Shu stuck to this harsh training regime. Every time he survived a round of killing wind, he would go into the valley a few hundred kilometers further.

 Even though it was fraught with danger, his comprehension of the sword intent had been greatly enhanced. On top of that, he was getting more and more skillful in the utilization of his golden pupils to support the sword intent and his movement technique.

 He was now approaching the Forest of Deadly Wind, the end of the Valley of Crime.

 Today, after surviving the killing wind at noon, Yun Shu consumed all the pills he had on his hand to slowly recover his strength.

 Going through the tough training, Yun Shu could sense his own improvement after every round. Presently, he was only a step away from the second level of the Aqua Sky Realm.

 However, so far, he still had no clue on how to take that step. The only thing that he could do was to keep going deeper into the valley and polish his skills.

 Using Thunder Move, Yun Shu kept moving northward as fast as he could. His use of Thunder Move was also significantly strengthened, approaching the great success stage of comprehension.

Yun Shu’s movement speed was as fast as lightning, and he was equipped with the power of thunderbolts for protection to boot. Currently, Yun Shu could go a few hundred miles within less than an hour.

 Suddenly, Yun Shu stopped out of shock. Some distance away in the front, there were nine dragons soaring up from the ground, intertwining with each other. The next moment, to his great relief, he realized that they were merely stone statues.

 But who built the statues here? For what reason?

 Yun Shu was confused. Out of curiosity, Yun Shu quickly approached the dragon statues. However, all of a sudden, his body was seized by overwhelming fear.

 Immediately, Yun Shu felt that he was losing all of his five senses. Even the earth and the sky were being distorted. If it kept up like this, his body would be torn to shreds at any time.

 Yun Shu didn’t know where that fear came from, but he was ready to go back to the Stone Gate World. However, at this moment, the feeling suddenly vanished, and everything returned to normal.

 Collapsing to the ground, Yun Shu breathed hard. That feeling, in fact, had only lasted for barely a second. Yet, it was even more consuming than going through a round of killing wind.

 “Who sent you here?” A cold voice arrived above Yun Shu’s head, raising goosebumps all over his body. He had never expected anyone to be here in the deepest part of the valley except himself!

 “Nobody; I was just curious. Sorry for the interruption. I’m leaving right now!”

 Yun Shu hurriedly said and stood up. He didn’t know who the voice belonged to, but he was well-aware that the owner was incredibly powerful. Without a doubt, that person could kill Yun Shu as easily as blowing off the dust!

 Yun Shu didn’t want to stay here any longer at all.

 “Stop!” That voice came again.

 Yun Shu had no other choice but to obey. Meanwhile, Spirit Qi circulated rapidly in his body. He was ready to escape to Stone Gate World once there was a chance.

 “Come in front of me!” said that voice.

 Yun Shu was extremely cautious. “No problem. But… but where are you, Senior?”

 “I’m between the dragon pillars!” came the reply.

 Yun Shu did as the voice ordered and went ahead. Finally, he lay his eyes on that man.

 Of course, that man was the most powerful criminal in the Fire Mystic Sect ever.

 His black hair hanging loose and in a mess, the man’s eyes looked as deep as an abyss, threatening to pull Yun Shu in at any second.

 Yun Shu didn’t know who he was. But obviously, the fact that the man was tied to the Nine-dragon Pillar showed that he was a culprit guilty of a great crime!

 The man was in no way an ordinary criminal!

 Yun Shu was just asked who sent him here, which meant that the man was on his full alert and found his presence fishy.

 How should Yun Shu explain himself? What would happen if that man believed that Yun Shu was up to no good?

 Yun Shu’s mind ran on all cylinders to find an excuse.

At this time, that man snorted. “A hatchling at the first level of the Aqua Sky Realm… It seemed that I was overreacting. By no means would that old guy decide to send such a boy here to kill me.”

 Hearing that, Yun Shu released a sigh of relief and hurriedly bowed to the man. “You’re absolutely right, Senior. I’m here just to hone my sword technique.”

 Then, Yun Shu briefly explained how he used the killing wind to improve his understanding of the sword intent.

 The middle-aged man looked a bit surprised.

 “You cleaved the wind and came all the way here… Your talent isn’t half bad. Who’s your master?”

 “I don’t have one, Senior. I was sent to the Valley of Crime.”

 “So, now they’re even sending talents here. Those old dogs can never do a single thing right!” The middle-aged man looked quite pissed.

 Yun Shu was a little stunned. It seemed slightly weird that the man would even care about him.

 “Then… How should I call you, Senior? Why are you here?” asked Yun Shu with great caution.

 “You don’t know me. And you don’t know why I’m here.” The middle-aged man sighed. Then he said to Yun Shu, “My surname’s Ye.”

 “My name is Yun Shu. My respects, Senior Ye!” Yun Shu bowed to the man.

 The middle-aged man curled his lips. “I don’t need these formalities. But I need you to do me a favor, will you?”