"Master, I want to become stronger so I can protect the Sect!" Hong Qianye said earnestly.
"It's fine. The Sect has me."
"Then… then I also want to become stronger to share Master's worries!"
"You can stop right there."
"…"
Hong Qianye finally realized the other party was deliberately messing with him—willing to let those mediocre outer disciples in, yet refusing to give him even a chance.
Damn it. He's clearly afraid my cultivation will surpass his!
Hong Qianye secretly ground his teeth.
"Master, since Senior Brother Hong wants to go so badly, just let him. I can handle his work instead!" Suddenly Bai Xiaoxi's soft, tender voice cut in.
Ye Junlin sighed. "I'm afraid you won't be able to handle it."
"It's fine, just leave it to me!"
After a moment of silence, Ye Junlin coughed lightly a few times.
"Alright then. I permit you to cultivate in the Time Vault."
The Time Vault had extremely limited slots, and activating it consumed massive resources—it wasn't without cost. Most importantly, he didn't want to lose such free, high-quality labor.
But since Bai Xiaoxi was willing to take over the workload, Ye Junlin no longer had a reason to refuse.
"Thank you, Master!"
Hong Qianye was overjoyed.
"Why thank me? You should thank your Junior Sister," Ye Junlin reminded him calmly.
Hong Qianye immediately stood up, cupped his hands toward Bai Xiaoxi, and said solemnly, "Thank you, Junior Sister, for speaking up on my behalf."
"Hehe."
Bai Xiaoxi scratched her cheek with one finger, looking a little shy.
Hong Qianye turned and left.
A cold smile tugged at the corner of his mouth as surging ambition filled his chest.
Just wait. The day I come out of seclusion will be the day you, Ye Junlin, bow your head!
Watching Hong Qianye's departing figure, Ye Junlin shook his head, completely unconcerned.
Of course he knew what this former Flame Demon Cult Leader was thinking.
Nothing more than the classic freed-slave fantasy—grow strong enough to turn the tables and make his former master kneel.
What a pity.
The stronger the opponent in front of him, the faster Ye Junlin himself would grow.
There was truly nothing to worry about.
"I finally finished fifty new drinks. Which one should I reward myself with… This Immortal Plant Milk Tea!"
Bai Xiaoxi picked up a cup, stuck in the straw, and took a long, satisfied sip. Her small face instantly relaxed in bliss.
"Little Xi, come here. Let Master pet you."
"Okay~"
The one-and-a-half-meter-tall white-haired rat immediately scooted over and leaned against him. Ye Junlin ran his hand through the fluffy fur and couldn't help but sigh.
"Everyone else pets cats. I'm the only one petting a rat."
"Cats? Where are the cats? I'm most afraid of cats!" Bai Xiaoxi instantly looked around in alarm, her reaction so exaggerated it was almost comical.
Ye Junlin laughed out loud. "You possess the supreme Da Luo Immortal Body across all the heavens, with a hundred thousand powerful Demon Race enforcers under your command. If this were anyone else, they'd already be carving an invincible path through the realms. And you're still scared of cats?"
"I just am, okay…" Bai Xiaoxi scratched her head awkwardly.
Ye Junlin stroked his chin. "Why don't you go cultivate in the Time Vault too? A hundred years inside is only one day outside."
Bai Xiaoxi immediately shook her head. "No way. Even if only one day passes outside, I'd feel so sad if I couldn't see Master for a hundred years inside!"
"Besides, cultivating is so boring! I'd rather eat delicious things with Master!"
Hearing this, Ye Junlin couldn't help but laugh again.
This white-haired rat really suited his taste.
Unlike that scheming former cult leader who was constantly plotting to replace him.
"Oh, right." Ye Junlin suddenly remembered something. "Don't Demon Race members gain the ability to shapeshift into human form once they reach Soul Formation Realm? Why have I never seen you transform?"
He wasn't particularly fixated on it, but he was still curious.
He really wanted to see what this naive little rat looked like in human form.
Bai Xiaoxi froze. "Because… I forgot."
She had always stayed in her original form, and her realm had risen too quickly for her mind to catch up. She simply never thought to change.
"Then change now."
Ye Junlin gave a helpless smile. She really was clueless.
"Okay!"
Bai Xiaoxi obediently agreed.
Swish—
A milky-white light erupted from her body.
Within the glow, a petite figure gradually took shape.
She wore a simple white suspender dress. Her skin was smooth and fair like milk, her legs slender and straight, radiating a youthful, lively aura. A perfect, textbook petite loli figure.
Ye Junlin had just taken a sip of milk tea.
When he clearly saw her appearance, he spat it out with a violent "Pfft!" His expression froze in shock.
"What… in the world is this?!"
A delicate, soft little body.
But sitting on top of that perfect neck… was a round mouse head.
Big black eyes rolling nervously, whiskers twitching.
A childish, tender voice came from the mouse mouth.
"Does it… not look good?"
Ye Junlin: "…"
Not just "not good."
This was nightmare fuel.
A flawless loli body paired with a rat's head.
Even though it was clearly female, by any human aesthetic standard, it was horrifying.
"Little Xi, are you messing with Master on purpose?"
Ye Junlin asked, voice flat with depression.
"No! I tried really hard!" Bai Xiaoxi hurriedly waved her small hands.
Then she lowered her head dejectedly. "But I don't know why… I can only stay like this. I feel so wronged…"
Ye Junlin's mouth twitched repeatedly.
It seemed his cheap little disciple really had a few screws loose upstairs.
He couldn't expect too much from her.
"It's… it's fine. Change back."
Ye Junlin rubbed his aching temples.
At this point, her original rat form was honestly much better.
"Mm!"
Bai Xiaoxi clenched her tiny fists and took a deep breath.
Half an incense stick of time later—
"Caw—"
A crow's cry suddenly echoed from the sky.
"Change back already!!" Ye Junlin roared, on the verge of mental collapse.
Bai Xiaoxi looked up with a bitter expression. "Master… I suddenly forgot how."
Ye Junlin: "!!!"
Are you sure you're originally a mouse and not a pig?!
This level of intelligence left him completely speechless.
"Master, don't worry! I'll practice more these next few days. I can definitely change back!"
"Sigh… do your best."
Ye Junlin felt exhausted. He never should have opened this can of worms.
Who could have predicted it would turn out this ridiculous?
"Master, do you still want to pet me?"
Bai Xiaoxi leaned closer again, round eyes full of anticipation.
Ye Junlin looked at the bizarre mouse-headed humanoid in front of him and suddenly felt that even the milk tea in his hand had lost all flavor.
"Go away. I want to be alone."
"Ah?"
Bai Xiaoxi's heart stung. She felt as though she had been rejected.
She could only trot sadly to the lakeside, squat down, and stare at her reflection in the water.
She scratched her furry head with one delicate little hand and muttered in confusion,
"Strange… isn't this quite pretty?"
For the next two days, Ye Junlin had no choice but to accept Bai Xiaoxi's new appearance.
Just get used to it. The more I look at this little thing, the more unique it seems!
He consoled himself silently.
Boom!
At that moment, the entire Eastern Domain shook violently. Countless cultivators turned their gazes upward in shock, staring at the battle fleet that blotted out the sky as it advanced irresistibly and majestically toward the Wasteland Province!
Their target was unmistakably the Xuantian Sect!
Without a doubt, a grand war—the likes of which had not been seen in a hundred thousand years—had officially begun!!
Rumble~
Warships surged forward like carp leaping across rivers, shuttling through the void and tearing the churning clouds to shreds.
From afar, towering battle flags snapped in the wind.
Every single warship was at least a Ninth-Rank Treasure Artifact, inscribed with multiple powerful formations that radiated brilliant light in all directions.
A single fully charged energy cannon blast could instantly evaporate a Nascent Soul cultivator; even a Soul Formation expert would nearly perish from the impact.
Feathered Immortal Sect cultivators stood densely packed on each deck, their killing intent so thick it formed a tangible aura of terror.
Boundless oppressive pressure enveloped the surroundings, causing every living being in the Wasteland Province to tremble uncontrollably!
It was too terrifying—this was the Feathered Immortal Sect's conquering army!
They seemed to declare to the entire world in silence:
Those who block me die!
"Hahahaha, the Xuantian Sect is finished!"
"No one can withstand the wrath of the Eastern Domain's number one immortal sect!"
"However overbearing that cultivator named Ye was before, that's exactly how miserable his death will be now! He's probably scared stiff already!"
"The natives of the Wasteland Province should finally understand—some people are simply not meant to be offended!"
Discussions erupted across the sky and earth as various forces in the Eastern Domain watched closely.
...
In Ling Province, within a luxurious private room, heart-wrenching screams echoed as the entire bedframe shuddered violently.
Behind the thin white curtains, two indistinct human silhouettes writhed.
Scattered across the surrounding floor lay several women, sprawled like mud—naked, emaciated, their vital essence completely drained dry. Their skin clung to bone, faces hollow, eyes vacant.
"Young Lord! They're fighting! They're fighting outside!"
An urgent shout rang from beyond the door.
The attendant burst in excitedly. His gaze swept over the unconscious female cultivators littering the ground, and he couldn't help but shiver, secretly clicking his tongue.
The Young Lord truly is ferocious…
The screams cut off abruptly.
A furious voice snarled from within the curtains.
"You dog servant! You'd better explain clearly—who exactly is fighting outside? Otherwise, this Young Master will wring your head off and toss it into the latrine to feed the maggots!"
The attendant's scalp went numb. He hurriedly bowed and stammered,
"It's—it's the Feathered Immortal Sect! Just now, the Feathered Immortal Sect's army has already invaded the Wasteland Province!"
"What did you say?!"
A large hand violently flung the curtains aside.
Xue Tianyi strode out, his face alight with wild, pleasant surprise.
As the Young Lord of the Xue Family—one of the top scions in Ling Province of the Eastern Domain—he had nursed a deep, burning resentment toward Ye Junlin ever since his humiliating retreat from the Wasteland Province. Day and night he had fantasized about the day that arrogant native would suffer a crushing downfall.
"It's absolutely true, Young Lord! Word is spreading everywhere outside. The Feathered Immortal Sect means business this time—they're determined to wipe the Xuantian Sect off the map completely! This is them establishing absolute dominance!"
Xue Tianyi's lips curled into a savage grin, vengeance surging through him like fire.
"A mere lowly native daring to act more arrogant than me—he deserves every bit of this retribution! This Young Master knew that bastard wouldn't live long!"
With that, he turned and strode back toward the bed.
Behind the curtains, fresh agonizing screams erupted once more—only now they were laced with Xue Tianyi's hearty, unrestrained laughter. The bedframe rocked even more violently, creaking under the force.
"Why are you still standing there gawking? Get the hell out of this Young Master's sight!"
"Yes!"
The attendant swallowed hard, lowered his head, cupped his fists, and hastily retreated, closing the door behind him.
...
In the Wasteland Province, the sky stretched dark and gloomy for thousands of miles, the atmosphere oppressively heavy. Everywhere, people felt a tightness in their chests, a suffocating pressure bearing down.
The Feathered Immortal Sect's warship fleet advanced without hindrance, its vast oppressive force enveloping all directions like an unrelenting storm.
"What a formidable lineup—how many cultivators have they dispatched?"
"Can the Xuantian Sect hold them back this time?"
"Heavenly Sovereign Ye, run!"
The cultivators of the Wasteland Province paled, gazing up at the unstoppable army. Their blood ran cold, as if frozen solid.
Though rumors had circulated early, witnessing the Feathered Immortal Sect's might firsthand shattered any illusions, replacing them with deep fear and despair.
In the Banshan Sect, Ouyang Feng's pupils contracted sharply. His aged face twisted in shock, his hands trembling faintly.
Deep in his heart surged an unprecedented terror.
He wondered: With such a massive invasion force, would he still dare to face it alone with his sword, as he had last time?
Ouyang Feng didn't dare to think further.
"Heavenly Sovereign Ye, this old man implores you—please don't be reckless this time. If it truly comes to it, let's just escape..."
In everyone's eyes, Ye Junlin was the strongest cultivator in the Wasteland Province, the spiritual pillar for all local forces. If he were wiped out like this, it would be an immense loss.
Even if he fled in disarray to cling to life, it would be understandable.
Dong!
Dong!
Dong!
Dong!
War drums thundered like heavenly blasts, echoing across a million miles!
The mighty warship fleet, radiating unstoppable momentum, swiftly entered the territory under the Xuantian Sect's jurisdiction.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The urgent toll of the Dao Bell resonated throughout the entire sect.
"The enemy has arrived—all hands on alert!"
The disciples, long prepared, suppressed the tremors in their hearts. They gripped their magic treasures tightly, scanning outward with vigilant eyes.
To claim they weren't panicked would be a lie.
After all, they now faced the strongest immortal sect in the Eastern Domain.
"The great enemy is at our gates—where are the Sect Master and the others?"
A group of elders asked anxiously.
Just then, a powerful energy fluctuation erupted from the back mountain. Several figures emerged from the Time Vault's internal space.
The Sword Hidden Peak Lord sighed.
"Cultivating arduously for five hundred years—I was clearly just a hairsbreadth from breaking through to the Body Integration Realm, but I still couldn't grasp it. It seems burying oneself in secluded cultivation has its limits."
"You should be content. Fortunately, we have the cultivation techniques and medicinal pills bestowed by Senior Brother Ye. Otherwise, let alone five hundred years—even if our lifespans ran out, we'd never reach the Nascent Soul Stage in this lifetime!"
The Heavenly Fragrance Peak Lord rolled her eyes.
"Where is the Sect Master? Did he not come out?"
The other peak lords asked curiously.
These seven peak lords, after five hundred years of grueling cultivation in the Time Vault, had all reached the Perfected Soul Formation Stage.
Rumble!
A vortex swirled open.
Xu Younian stepped out, his hair whipping wildly, eyes crackling with lightning. Terrifying bolts coiled around his body.
His cultivation had already broken through to the Early Body Integration Realm!
"Sect Master, you've reached the Body Integration Realm!"
Everyone exclaimed in surprise.
"Alas..."
Unexpectedly, Xu Younian showed no joy. Instead, his face was etched with deep worry.
Before, the Body Integration Realm would have marked him as an elder-level existence, commanding respect even in other provinces of the Eastern Domain.
But with the Feathered Immortal Sect's aggressive advance, what did his breakthrough amount to?
"The great war is imminent. We can only fight to the death."
Xu Younian's eyes burned with resolve as he spoke in a low voice.
Swish!
Suddenly, the Time Vault ceased operation. A figure was forcibly teleported out.
"There's someone else?!"
Xu Younian and the others looked on in mild surprise.
In an instant, a terrifying aura enveloped them. Xu Younian and the rest felt chills race over their bodies, hearts pounding wildly.
"This... this is..."
In their vision, Hong Qianye strode out with hands clasped behind his back. His exquisite face held a cold edge, an aura of aloof detachment surrounding him.
Between his brows, that vermilion flame mark added a unique allure.
A typical male body paired with feminine features!
At that moment, he advanced step by step, each footfall igniting burning flames on the ground. As he appeared, the surrounding temperature spiked rapidly, as if they stood in molten magma.
"Haha, I was wondering who it was—turns out it's Senior Brother Ye's eldest disciple!"
The Sword Hidden Peak Lord greeted him warmly with a smile.
"Truly, a tiger begets no dog. The talent of you and your master is simply monstrous! Quickly tell your senior martial uncle—what realm have you reached?"
A tiger begets no dog?
Hong Qianye felt insulted. Veins bulged on his forehead, his gaze turning icy as he shot back chillingly.
"Presumptuous! What nonsense are you spouting?!"
Pfft!
The Sword Hidden Peak Lord felt as if a heavy hammer had struck his chest. He spat out a large mouthful of blood, staggering back several steps. Immense fear gripped him, as if he'd brushed against death.
"Senior Brother Jian!"
Everyone rushed to support him, glaring at Hong Qianye with shock and anger.
This disciple of Senior Brother Ye—his temperament was too extreme!
The Heavenly Fragrance Peak Lord's brows furrowed. She said discontentedly,
"Hong Qianye, your Senior Martial Uncle Jian merely made a slip of the tongue. We are fellow sect members—why harm him?"
"Fellow sect members? Heh."
Hong Qianye sneered.
This Young Master is a Demonic Path overlord, a True Immortal Rank expert. How can you mere ants presume to cling to me?
From beginning to end, in Hong Qianye's heart, the entire Xuantian Sect—apart from Ye Junlin—consisted of insignificant small fries.
If not for that guy, he wouldn't have stayed here to play along.
"What is this attitude? Be careful, or I'll go complain to Senior Brother Ye!"
The Heavenly Fragrance Peak Lord stamped her foot in anger, her chest heaving.
"Suit yourself. This Young Master doesn't even put him in my eyes. Anyway, that guy can't even protect himself now."
Hong Qianye crossed his arms, a playful smile curling his lips.
Such rebellious words left everyone present exchanging stunned glances, astonishment mirrored in their eyes.
Was this still the obedient disciple who usually listened to Senior Brother Ye?