Chapter 410: Master An Lan

Night deepened, starlight and moonlight shimmered in harmony with the aurora; within the most magnificent city of the Three Thousand Divine Isles, numerous great ones debated the Dao, benefiting even those just beginning their cultivation path.

All was dreamlike and illusory; only now did the outside world's grudges and grievances fail to disturb them, leaving merely this gathering.

Inside an ancient palace.

"Brother Ye, truly a grand gesture—this Wudao tea, priceless and unobtainable, you share with us." Yao Yuekong raised his teacup, his purple robes stirring with the wind:

"Brother Wei's spiritual cuisine is also rare in this place; when you visit the Heavenly Demon Palace, let me host a feast for the three of you. Brother Li, you must come too."

Li Huowang nodded blankly; he didn't know why Ye Fan had dragged him along—he wasn't even a cultivator of this realm and had nothing to discuss with these people.

Whatever. First, drink the tea.

The Jade Pool Holy Maiden lightly gripped her teacup and noticed runes of Daoic resonance swirling upon it. "Such an elaborate reception—if you weren't honored guests, even our sacred grounds wouldn't bring out such depth."

An Miaoyi, her bright, captivating eyes fixed on the Wudao tea laid out on the table, smiled:

"The ancient Wudao tea tree yields no more than thirty leaves annually from the Immortal Mountain—surely this table holds the entire vast Eastern Wilderness's yearly harvest?"

Exactly twenty leaves, one shaped like a small tripod, three legs, two ears, glowing with shifting light—Dao begets One, One begets Two, Two begets Three, Three begets all things, Dao patterns interwoven.

Only a Holy Master who had lived over a thousand years could amass such a collection.

Ye Fan replied, "Where are you going? I feel an instant kinship with all of you; these external things are perfect for entertaining friends today."

"My skill is still far from refined, but I'm glad it suits your tastes," said Weigong Shilang.

Everyone exchanged smiles; if not for the watching eyes around them, the atmosphere would have been perfect.

But it was hardly surprising.

Who wouldn't be tempted by Ye Fan's current wealth and the value of the red-haired one beside him? Rumor had it he possessed the inheritance of the Source Heaven Master.

"Two leaves of Wudao tea each? You've clearly been raking in the profits," Li Heishui murmured. "Brother, you don't even invite me to your windfall? Are we growing distant?"

Tu Fei nodded in agreement: "Remember when we captured Holy Sons and Holy Daughters together to mine ore? That was sharing fortune."

But not sharing misfortune, right?

Ye Fan pointed to the highest seat, where Shenwang Jiang Taixu and Zhongli sat among a group of powerful figures—many of whom eyed them with malice:

"Brother Tu, Brother Li—are you certain you want to join? I welcome you, but these troubles will require your grandfathers to resolve."

"Forget it—my grandfather would skin me alive," Tu Fei quickly shook his head, then glanced at Weigong Shilang with a gleam in his eyes and grinned:

"Brother Wei, could you sell me a few Royal Dao weapons? I heard the Zhao family of Zhongzhou paid a fortune to retrieve their ancestral artifact, only to find it was mass-produced by you."

"Look over there—those Zhao elders keep staring at you. They're clearly planning to drag you back as a son-in-law. Be careful when you leave."

Weigong Shilang knew Tu Fei meant well, but sighed: "I already have a Dao partner. As for Royal Dao weapons—I barely managed to forge one after nine deaths and one life. I have none to spare."

After he spoke, many of the greedy gazes faded, though some still lingered on him.

"A tree that towers above the forest invites the wind's destruction; Brother Ye and Brother Wei clearly understand this well," said Hua Yunfei, passing by with Li Xiaoman, smiling faintly—but his words plunged Ye Fan and Weigong Shilang into fresh peril.

It seemed like praise, yet implied they had been concealing their true strength.

"Heh." Ye Fan smiled without speaking; Hua Yunfei truly wouldn't stop until he hit a wall.

But this man was also a pitiful one, bound by forces beyond his will—fighting or not, he merely served as another's garment. Ye Fan now had no desire to quarrel with him; they were no longer on the same level.

But Li Xiaoman—

Ye Fan looked at Li Xiaoman's third eye and smiled:

"Crocodile soup must taste excellent. Brother Wei, you've eaten too many barbecues lately—why not experiment with a new recipe?"

"Crocodile? Unprocessed ingredients," Weigong Shilang mused, then nodded. "I'll try making it when I return. For soup, Cantonese cuisine seems ideal."

Li Xiaoman stared at the red-haired youth before her, puzzled—there should have been no such person among the Earthlings who came to Beidou.

At that moment, the Ji family approached, including Ji Ziyue and Ji Haoyue.

"Brother Ji, Ziyue, come sit?" Ye Fan greeted warmly, placing two jade teacups before them. "I recently acquired some Holy Fruits—quite delicious."

"Ziyue…?" Ji Haoyue glanced at his sister beside him, then at Ye Fan, beaming warmly.

Such an intimate address—

"You've got some decency after all!" Ji Ziyue didn't mind; recalling how this man coerced her into surrendering part of the Void Scripture, she grew angry and dragged Ji Haoyue down to sit.

Li Heishui, seated closest to the Ji siblings, whistled: "Damn, none of the other clans or sacred grounds succeeded—you Ji family got there first."

Ji Haoyue snapped: "What do you mean?"

Tu Fei teased:

"You don't know why the Ji family came today? All these sacred clans and noble houses gathered on the Feng clan's divine isle because of the Holy Body and the red-haired one."

"But now it seems the future Ji family will become the top in the Eastern Wilderness."

Ye Fan listened, smiling silently, then poured Wudao tea for Ji Haoyue and Ji Ziyue. Moved by the sacred artifact, Ji Haoyue shot Tu Fei and Li Heishui a cold glare and said nothing more.

Ji Ziyue, however, sat right beside Ye Fan and chatted casually; Ye Fan showed her some projected weapons.

Sitting to the right, An Miaoyi curiously asked: "I heard the Ji family had disputes with the Holy Body, yet your relationship with Brother Ye seems unusually close?"

Ji Ziyue replied bluntly: "That's our business. Don't pry into others' private affairs, Sister."

Her words, heard by some, confirmed suspicions—Ji Haoyue recalled how his sister had once been alone with Ye Fan, and his gaze toward him turned dangerous.

"Enough, both of you. Today we speak not of grudges, but of wind, flowers, snow, moon, and the Dao of nature." Ye Fan interrupted, producing some Holy Fruits cultivated by Han Li:

"These fruits preserve youth and beauty—they were grown by a friend of mine. Today, I offer them as a gift to the fair ladies."

At these words, all attention turned to the Holy Fruits Ye Fan revealed—especially the hidden cultivators watching.

"Brother Ye, wealth should not be flaunted, but I trust you have a plan," said the Imperial Prince of Daya. "If your hospitality draws ill-intentioned eyes upon you, the Daya Imperial Court's face would be lost."

He deliberately invoked the name of the Daya Imperial Court; though it couldn't intimidate the sacred clans or noble houses, it signaled a clear stance.

"No need. Let them watch if they wish," Ye Fan replied, glancing briefly at Emperor Yufeng nearby, smiling:

"Lady An, don't rush—I have spiritual springs here; drinking them with these fruits enhances one's physique."

Li Heishui shook his head: "You sly dog, Ye Fan—we old and young lads got nothing."

Everyone assumed Ye Fan's showy display meant he was plotting something, and the conversation gradually shifted.

Let the matter just now be dropped, and Weigong Shilang sent a voice message to Li Huowang: "He asked if I've learned it; I feel I can't learn it."

Li Huowang stared blankly for a long while, his gaze sweeping across Ji Ziyue and An Miaoyi on either side of Ye Fan, then suddenly realized: "Brother Ye…"

Weigong Shilang sent another voice message: "Have you learned it?"

Li Huowang replied: "I'm not as popular as you guys—I'm loyal to the girl I like."

Weigong Shilang: "I'm loyal too, but my household is in complete chaos right now."

Otherwise, why would he have come back to work?

Precisely because there's no Eliza route in the Parallel World, a white-haired female protagonist with no children in Weigong's orphanage is on the verge of a breakdown.

If he stayed in that big family any longer, his mental state would collapse—God, who was clearly working overtime, refused to handle this for him. He must be waiting to watch him suffer.

"Past precedent—do you think I deliberately wait until that scoundrel is away?" Ye Fan's lips subtly curled into a smile, though it didn't last long.

"The Holy Body's actions in the Eastern Wilderness have been extremely vile; the Divine King and Brother Zhong are far too biased."

"I heard the Ye Zhetian Corporation once scorned inferior magical artifacts, and its acting chairman longed to devour the Holy Body's flesh and drink his blood—what then is Brother Zhong's meaning in this stance?!"

"The Holy Body's matter is not important; the key is the red hair. If not strictly controlled, it may bring massive losses to all regions of the Eastern Wilderness. In my view, our Jiuli Imperial Dynasty can take charge of it."

"Mu the Old Ghost, you're dreaming! Why don't you suggest the Shenzhou Imperial Dynasty take charge?!"

The furious quarreling on that side was rapidly spiraling out of control—even with the Divine King present, the Four Great Imperial Dynasties had arrived upon hearing the news, and forces from Zhongzhou, the Northern Plains, the Western Desert, and the Southern Ranges had all summoned their long-secluded ancestral elders.

The Divine King Jiang Taixu remained calm as ever, even showing no reaction when certain factions subtly hinted they had brought their Emperor Weapons.

Threaten with Emperor Weapons?

It was almost laughable.

In his mind flashed the scene he had witnessed not long ago: the entire universe transformed into an ocean of sword qi, sun and moon, stars and planets forged into sword weapons, the Five Elements condensed into starlight.

Even the red hair you all obsess over is unfathomably deep—perhaps some great elder has revived through secret methods.

Otherwise, why would even Jiang Family's broom be custom-ordered from the Ye Zhetian Corporation?

Ever since returning from the other realm, the Divine King Jiang Taixu had bound Jiang Family to the Ye Zhetian Corporation's ship, becoming its closest ally.

"The Ancient Holy Body." A Supreme Elder of the Yin-Yang Sect stepped before Ye Fan, his aura like an ocean crushing down: "Where are our Sacred Sect's disciples?!"

He was using this as an excuse to strike first.

Many factions present had already secretly exchanged interests; today, even if Jiang Taixu shone with unparalleled brilliance, two or three Saint Kings alone could not protect these two walking treasure mountains.

"I don't know who you've conspired with, but I advise you to return our sect's elder. Before that, you all come with us." The Deputy Zhang Sect of Yaoguang Sacred Sect spoke coldly.

With major sects and sacred places leading, the leaders of second-tier factions naturally followed suit, applying pressure as previously instructed.

Yet the Divine King Jiang Taixu and the Ye Zhetian Corporation's guest advisor merely sat high above, silently observing everything—as if planning to stay out of it?

The Deputy Zhang Sect of Yaoguang Sacred Sect breathed a slight sigh of relief; some traces of their earlier joint assassination attempt on the Divine King had been exposed, and they feared Jiang Taixu would use this to ruin their grand plan.

Other factions coveted the red hair's forgery ability and the Holy Body's Source Heaven Art, but they valued the Holy Body itself—using a fully developed Ancient Holy Body as nourishment for a Sacred Son's divine embryo would surely yield tremendous effects.

Moreover, the primordial mother qi, a supreme treasure even emperors might not possess, held immense value.

"Elder, your conduct is far too tyrannical."

The first to speak was Ji Haoyue—he never expected Jiang Taixu and the Zhong guest advisor would abandon Ye Fan, but he and Ji Ziyue had already consumed the Dao-awakening tea and other divine items Ye Fan provided; now he could only speak up in his own name to repay a favor.

"Youngster, this has nothing to do with you. In consideration of your elders, leave quickly!" The Deputy Zhang Sect of Yaoguang Sacred Sect tapped the ground once with a divine wood staff.

"Who says it's unrelated?!" Ji Ziyue stood up instantly, glaring: "I want him to marry into our Ji family!"

"Ziyue!" Ji Haoyue panicked—he never expected his sister to say this now.

"Hehe, have your family head come speak himself." The Deputy Zhang Sect of Yaoguang Sacred Sect ignored Ji Ziyue: "I advise you not to misjudge people—lest you fail to win a dragon son-in-law and instead invite fire upon yourselves."

A branch of the Ji family began sneering: "This Holy Body is truly calculating—he knows he's finished, so he's trying to do others a favor, hoping to make them owe him."

Li Huowang's group asked: "What are you dogs barking about?"

No one expected Li Huowang to be this bold—amid this situation, he still chose to fight back against the odds.

"Kid! How dare you speak like that?!"

"Good boy—you bark when told to bark."

This was the true strength of a veteran from Zone S1 Zu'an—though mental issues had kept him out of the game for many seasons, this destiny still revealed the demeanor of a true master; within a few words, the opponents were already red-hot.

"He seems to be someone from behind the Holy Body?" said the Sacred Son of Ziwei Sect.

"You come too." The Deputy Zhang Sect of Yaoguang Sacred Sect said no more, watching Jiang Taixu's side while preparing to seize the three.

A host of Saint Lords and great elders watched with hungry eyes; even the Imperial Prince of Xia and Yao Yuekong could only stand by helplessly—their factions had already sent voice messages refusing to intervene.

"Brother Ye," Yao Yuekong sighed bitterly.

Ye Fan smiled: "It's fine—they can't touch me."

He stood with his hands behind his back, neither humble nor arrogant, gazing calmly at the Zhang Sect before him, a natural smile on his lips.

Not far away, Emperor Yufeng tossed aside his chicken leg, wiped his hands, pulled out his sect's sacred scripture tablet, calculated the distance, and prepared to slam the entire group directly into the tablet's sacred teaching space.

In the words of the Su Zongzhu: when observing, one must have morals—it builds correct values. But if someone dares to bully you, just drop the thing, deal with the matter, then pick it up again.

I'm different—if someone dares to bully me, I offer them opportunity, gift them a path to the Dao.

I, Emperor Yufeng, am truly kind, truly benevolent.

"Ahahaha, soup's here~~~"

The holy stele in his hand swelled with the wind, instantly growing to a hundred zhang in size. Just as it was about to fall, a figure in snow-white robes shattered the encirclement of the various sects' forces ahead and rushed to stand before Ye Fan.

She was a woman so beautiful it bordered on dreamlike—peerless, solitary, exquisitely radiant, her entire being exuding an ethereal, otherworldly aura.

She grasped the wrist of the Deputy Zhang Sect of Yaoguang Sacred Sect, standing frozen in place, staring at Ye Fan, her captivating dark eyes shimmering with tears.

"You?!"

The Deputy Zhang Sect of Yaoguang Sacred Sect tried to resist, but was instantly repelled by the divine artifacts on her person—his teeth scattered through the air, and he collapsed unconscious.

Ye Fan was stunned—he felt an inexplicably intimate aura emanating from this woman, without reason.

"It really is you!"

Just as he was still wondering why the script was wrong, the woman embraced him, silent, her tears falling pata-pata.

Everyone was stunned by this sudden intruder, staring at the powerful cultivator knocked down by the residual shock, unsure what to do.

Emperor Yufeng felt the same—he stared at the sacred stele raised in his hand, uncertain whether to bring it down, when suddenly his grip went empty, and a sweet fragrance and a crack came to him.

A bucket of popcorn sat before him, and Su Lin grabbed a handful and placed it in his upraised hand. "Eat."

"Miss," Ye Fan asked dazedly, "who are you?"

But he saw she paid no heed, only clinging to him as she wept, even her form trembling.

"Brother, let's go," Ji Ziyue said coldly from beside him. "It seems Brother Ye truly has a plan."

An Miaoyi also covered her face and laughed. "Congratulations, Brother Ye."

"Not?!" Ye Fan tried to push away the snow-clad woman, but when he saw her eyes, his heart softened—there was joy after a long separation.

"Don't you recognize me?" Ye Qingxian wiped the tears from her eyes, steadied her emotions, and gripped Ye Fan's shoulders.

"I'm Ye Qingxian!"

The moment she entered the Dao Gate, she sensed something strange—the celestial rules had changed—but before she could observe further, she followed Shi Hao's indicated direction and saw the figure surrounded at the center.

Ye Qingxian looked at Ye Fan anxiously. "How did your body and aura decline so severely?"

"Ye… Qingxian?!" Ye Fan froze in place. He heard laughter behind him and suddenly remembered something; his neck turned stiffly backward.

Boom~

Su Lin raised his thumb, pulled out a bottle of Zui Xian Niang, and handed it to Shi Hao; the two clinked bottles. "Brother Shi, you're truly amazing!"

"Nonsense—I owe it all to you spreading the name of the Lord of the Forbidden Zone. Brother Su is right: when traveling, karmic ties are too great—you must use a false name!" Shi Hao laughed.

You two bastards!!!

Only now did Ye Fan realize who Shi Hao's friend truly was. He stood frozen, too afraid to look at his granddaughter, born millions of years in the future.

Just as he didn't know what to do, another cultivator beside him cried out in shock: "Master An Lan?!"

"An Lan?" Shi Hao's motion of raising his cup froze; a flash of killing intent passed through his eyes.

Su Lin: "."

(End of Chapter)