"What?"
Everyone froze in shock.
A dignified elder of the Yuhua Sect… killed by you?
Xu Yonian looked stunned. With a suspicious tone, he asked, "Ye Shizhi, are you joking? With your current cultivation level…"
He clearly didn't believe it.
"I'm actually not just at the Nascent Soul Stage."
As Ye Junlin spoke, he deliberately released his aura.
Boom!
Xu Yonian and the others instantly felt like they'd plunged into an icy abyss. A wave of dread swept over them, as if they were mere insects before a terrifying behemoth.
"Transformation Stage?!"
Their eyes went wide in utter disbelief.
If the Nascent Soul Stage could dominate the Arid Province, then the Transformation Stage was on a whole different level—an untouchable existence. Even across the Eastern Domain, such figures would be treated with utmost respect by every major power.
At first, Xu Yonian looked overjoyed. But when he glanced down at the token in his hand, his excitement quickly turned to deep concern.
"Ye Shizhi, what's going on? Why did you kill someone from the Yuhua Sect?"
An elder from that kind of sect could shake the entire Eastern Domain with a single stomp.
In front of them, even the Xuantian Sect was nothing more than dust.
"Well…" Ye Junlin didn't hide anything and laid everything out plainly.
"What?! That old bastard's son was actually accepted as a direct disciple by a Yuhua Sect elder?!"
"No wonder someone traveled all that distance to seek revenge… The Wind Thunder Sect really hit the jackpot!"
"We're doomed! The Wind Thunder Sect has already been wiped out, and now you've killed an elder of the Yuhua Sect. There's no way this ends peacefully!"
After hearing everything, the peak masters were riddled with anxiety.
Xu Yonian let out a heavy sigh. "So be it. This was bound to happen. Even if Ye Shizhi hadn't acted, with the Yuhua Sect behind him, that old bastard Chen would've still come after us."
"But what do we do now?" the Tianxiang Peak Master asked, clearly worried. "We've offended the Yuhua Sect. Can the Xuantian Sect—or even the entire Eastern Domain—afford that?"
The room fell into a heavy silence.
Xu Yonian's eyes shifted, as though he'd made up his mind. He looked at Ye Junlin with a grave expression and said, "Ye Shizhi, your talent and destiny are extraordinary. You must not throw your future away here. I advise you to leave the Eastern Domain. If the Yuhua Sect comes looking, we'll take the fall. But as long as you survive, the Xuantian Sect has a chance to endure."
"The sect master is right," said the Cangjian Peak Master sincerely.
"Agreed," the others echoed, nodding solemnly.
Seeing this, Ye Junlin felt a surge of emotion.
This sect… had a powerful sense of loyalty and unity.
"Everyone, don't worry. I'll handle this," Ye Junlin said with a calm smile.
With a system that made him stronger when facing powerful enemies, he actually welcomed trouble from the Yuhua Sect!
Not to mention his regular sign-in rewards—Ye Junlin was confident that his strength would only keep growing.
[Beep! Detected a suitable disciple within 100 miles. Suspected True Immortal-level cult leader. Would the host like to accept them as a disciple? Completing this mission will yield unimaginable rewards!]
A sweet, childish voice echoed in his mind.
Ye Junlin paused, stunned.
Wait, the system wants me to accept a disciple? And it's a True Immortal-level cult leader?
Could someone like that really show up in a place like the Arid Province?
Hold on… if I act fast, I might actually leap straight to the True Immortal realm with this opportunity!
Damn! This could be my big break!
Even if I don't take them in as a disciple, I've got to investigate!
"But…"
Xu Yonian looked like he still wanted to say something, but Ye Junlin waved him off.
"No need to worry. I'll be on my way."
With that, he activated the Great Void Technique and vanished, leaving everyone dumbfounded.
---
In the Purple Bamboo Grove.
The wind stirred the bamboo, rustling green leaves through the air.
A tall figure was stumbling through the grove in a panic, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth.
Hong Qianye's long hair was messy, his face stunningly beautiful yet frosty, and between his brows glowed a faint crimson mark. His sharp phoenix-like eyes were filled with rage.
"Jie jie jie jie… don't run, beauty! Let this old man have a little fun!" A sinister voice echoed closer from behind, dripping with perverted greed.
Hearing this, Hong Qianye's brow twitched. He turned and bellowed, "Get lost! How many times do I have to say it—I'm a man! A man!!!"
Still chasing, the Void Real Person laughed darkly, his eyes burning with lust.
"A girl as pretty as you, how could you possibly be a guy? You're not fooling this old man."
The more he spoke, the angrier Hong Qianye got. As the pervert closed in, a wave of despair crept over him.
He had truly fallen from grace.
He used to be the cult leader of the Central Region's Fire Cult, a terrifying power who ruled over countless nations and commanded billions of followers.
His cultivation had even reached the True Immortal realm!
But then, his sworn enemies rallied the major holy sects, launching a massive crackdown. The once-mighty Fire Cult collapsed. His former allies betrayed him, and he became the target of a full-scale manhunt.
That day, countless immortals descended from the heavens, all seeking his life.
Hong Qianye had been forced to burn away his entire cultivation, using forbidden techniques to escape. He fled to the Eastern Domain and hid in this desolate backwater known as the Arid Province.
Now, his cultivation had plummeted to the early Foundation Establishment stage. He planned to rebuild his strength from scratch, then return to the Central Region to exact revenge.
But before he could even settle in, he ran into a perverted old freak trying to violate him!
He, the former leader of a grand demonic cult, a man revered as a god, was being hunted down like prey?
"Come on, beauty, don't be shy! I'm almost there!"
"If I catch you… heh heh heh…"
The Void Real Person had heavy eye bags, like someone who'd indulged in debauchery for years. He pushed through the bamboo grove, eyes locked greedily on his target.
As a Golden Core cultivator, subduing a Foundation Establishment opponent should have been child's play.
He hurled several bronze-colored nails toward Hong Qianye, aimed to pin his limbs down.
Sensing the incoming threat, Hong Qianye immediately performed a spell. A blazing red shield of flames erupted in front of him.
Clang!
The nails smashed into it, shattering the shield and sending him flying through several bamboo stalks.
He crashed to the ground, coughing up blood. Barely able to stand, he tried to escape again—but by now, the space around him had already been sealed off by more of those strange nails.
"Well damn… you're pretty tenacious for a Foundation Establishment cultivator," the Void Real Person muttered in surprise.
He was late-stage Golden Core. Those nails were high-grade magic artifacts. And yet, he couldn't subdue the guy instantly?
Could he be some prodigy from a top-tier sect?
…Doesn't matter. Once he's done playing, he'll just kill him and dispose of the body.
"Filthy dog!" Hong Qianye spat through clenched teeth, his stunning features twisted with fury.
If he hadn't exhausted all his talismans and lost his magical treasures in the escape, there's no way some washed-up Golden Core scumbag would be chasing him like this.
"Don't resist, beauty. I don't have all day."
"Just stay still and take it."
The Void Real Person leered, closing in slowly.
Several more nails rose, glowing with deadly energy.
Backed into a corner, Hong Qianye finally snapped. He ripped open his collar, revealing his lean, muscular chest and screamed, almost breaking down:
"Damn it! Open your eyes and take a good look! I'M A MAN! A MAN, YOU SICK BASTARD!!!"
Suddenly, silence fell over the bamboo grove.
The Void Real Person froze, eyes bulging from their sockets.
What the hell? He really is a guy?
All that effort for nothing?!
"See now? Just like you—I'm a man! So stop chasing me already!!!"
Hong Qianye fixed his clothes, thinking the pervert would finally give up now that the misunderstanding was cleared up. What the hell was wrong with people these days? He'd need to be more cautious going forward.
"Wait…"
The Void Real Person's voice suddenly dropped.
A chill ran down Hong Qianye's spine.
"Well… being a guy's not a total dealbreaker."
---