Tianqiong City Plaza.
Realizing they couldn't interfere in the battle between "Ye Ling" and "Qin Rushui," Tie Chunsheng and the others hurried to the plaza to evacuate the civilians.
The fight outside had already reached a level akin to that of the Gods, far beyond what mortals like them could handle.
Yet before they could recover much of their strength, the battle had already ended. Though Ye Ling's side seemed to have gone through quite a bit, the entire clash had lasted only a few minutes, nowhere near enough time for Tie Chunsheng and the others to regain much power.
In truth, their Divine Sense had been observing the battle the entire time. Once they had "seen" Qin Rushui die, they stopped rushing to evacuate the people of Tianqiong City.
All of them were gravely injured, practically at the end of their strength. Since the danger had passed, there was no need to risk damaging their foundations by forcing an evacuation.
So they remained in the plaza, waiting for Ye Ling to return.
That said, every one of these powerhouses was too stunned to speak.
The shockwaves of the battle alone had left them standing there helplessly, unable even to hear clearly what "Ye Ling" was saying.
And that young girl who appeared at the end had erased "Qin Rushui" the moment she showed herself. Such terrifying power was beyond anything they could imagine.
After questioning Elder Wang and learning Ye Ling's sect—
Heavenly Gate Sect?
Then there was nothing more to say.
As high-ranking members of the Righteous Path Alliance, their status was far from ordinary. Naturally, they knew about the Heavenly Gate Sect.
In the past, they had avoided provoking it out of respect for the lingering might of the Nine Heavens Immortal Maiden. After all, everyone sought Ascension.
But now things were different. After witnessing Ye Ling's methods, they had already used Secret Techniques to notify their families and the Righteous Path Alliance: anyone who encountered a member of the Heavenly Gate Sect must treat them with the highest courtesy.
A Foundation Establishment cultivator beating Immortals senseless. Was that something a human could do?
They had grown up listening to the legends of the Nine Heavens Immortal Maiden, yet none of them had ever seen her. They weren't from the same world, so naturally they would never cross paths.
From their elders, they only knew that this woman was not to be provoked.
As for how strong she truly was, they had no real concept.
Everyone was human. How strong could she possibly be?
They had even felt a trace of disbelief.
But now they understood.
She simply wasn't human at all.
They had heard the stories of the Nine Heavens Immortal Maiden cutting down the Heavenly Path and thrashing Immortals, but they had treated them as exaggerated legends.
Now it seemed those tales had never been exaggerated to begin with.
It wasn't entirely their fault. After all, those who truly provoked the Nine Heavens Immortal Maiden rarely survived.
In the vast Cultivation World, only a handful truly knew the extent of her strength. And even those who did wouldn't dare spread it around. If the Nine Heavens Immortal Maiden took notice, they would be finished.
Only now did Tie Chunsheng and the others truly understand what kind of sect the Heavenly Gate Sect was.
And more importantly, it wasn't only the Nine Heavens Immortal Maiden who was terrifying. Her disciples were just as formidable.
Originally, they had assumed those disciples were strong only in theory. How strong could Golden Core Stage cultivators really be?
But now it was clear these disciples had genuine substance. After all, they were trained by the Nine Heavens Immortal Maiden. When Ai Yueli and the others traveled outside, they operated by a single principle: ruthlessness. Because of that, few people truly knew the depth of their strength.
"Brother Tan, your knowledge is the broadest. That's a Succubus from the West, isn't it?"
Tie Chunsheng asked hesitantly.
In truth, he had already recognized her identity, but the situation still felt surreal.
That kid… could Young Ye Ling's words actually be true?
"It is indeed a Succubus. But her demonic energy isn't pure. She should be a half-demon."
Tan Yue analyzed calmly.
As an Alchemist, he made a point of studying everything under heaven—if only to consider what might be suitable for the alchemy furnace.
So even knowledge of the Western Continent had not escaped him.
Unfortunately, the East and West were separated by the Boundless Sea, which was nearly impossible to cross. To this day, he had never had the chance to visit the Western Continent himself.
"So that means…"
Lu Changtian fell silent for a moment before asking, "Young Ye Ling's words… were true?"
"Membership card?"
"Twenty percent off?"
Tie Chunsheng and Tan Yue exchanged a look, their expressions carrying that unspoken understanding only men shared.
"You two shameless old fools!"
Lu Changtian fumed.
"You don't want it?"
"Then give your card to me."
Tie Chunsheng and Tan Yue turned to him with grins.
"Get lost!"
With a flick of his sleeve, Lu Changtian sent the two of them flying.
The Succubus they were referring to was, of course, Eve.
When "Ye Ling" was fighting "Qin Rushui," he had left her at the Golden Sparrow Tower.
Tie Chunsheng and the others did not know Eve, but since she had come with Ye Ling, they could tell as much. They did not move against her simply because she was a Succubus.
At their level, their understanding of all things ran deeper. As long as she did not bring calamity upon the world, they could tolerate other races, so long as humanity remained in control.
"I'll run the errands and get the license."
"I'll scout a good location."
"I'll handle the advertising."
After some joking around, the three of them each took on a task.
The debt they owed Ye Ling was far too great to be repaid with a few words.
To put it bluntly, the fact that Ye Ling had saved their lives was enough to bind them in gratitude all the way until they ascended to the Upper Immortal Realm.
As long as Ye Ling's requests were not excessive, they would agree to them without hesitation.
So even something as embarrassing as running errands to open a brothel was still within what they could bear.
"He's back! The hero is back!"
Just as Tie Chunsheng and the others were still thinking about how else they might repay Ye Ling, excited shouts rose from outside.
The three of them flew into the air and saw Ye Ling and Ai Yueli walking over, surrounded by a crowd of cultivators.
"I'll bring her over."
Tie Chunsheng used his True Essence to lift Eve and flew toward Ye Ling.
"Young Ye Ling, this is your… friend, I assume?"
"Phew… so she was here."
Ye Ling took Eve into his arms and let out a breath of relief.
He had already explained Eve's situation to Ai Yueli. As for the matter of opening a brothel, he still had no idea how to bring it up, so he kept that part to himself.
He looked at Tie Chunsheng and said, "Thank you."
"No, it's us who should be thanking you. If you hadn't been here, we would've all died."
Tie Chunsheng gave a bitter smile. Then, leading the group of cultivators, he bowed deeply.
"Your kindness, I, Tie Chunsheng of the Golden Sparrow Tower, will remember for all eternity!"
"I, Lu Changtian, Chess Saint of Hongming Pavilion, will remember for all eternity!"
"I, Qishan's Medicine Elder Tan Yue, will remember for all eternity!"
"I…"
One peerless powerhouse after another voiced their gratitude to Ye Ling.
Then came the ordinary cultivators, just as sincerely offering their thanks.
"Stop! Stop!"
Ye Ling cut them off before they could finish.
"We know your character is lofty, but please allow us to speak…"
Before the man could finish, Ye Ling interrupted, "You can speak. All of you can. But could you do it tomorrow?"
"??????????"
Everyone present froze in confusion. Even Ai Yueli beside him looked completely lost.
"Alright, Fourth Master, let's find a place to rest first."
Without offering any explanation, Ye Ling pulled the stunned Ai Yueli and walked further inside.
The truth was, he had no way to explain it. He could hardly tell them that he wasn't receiving any Emotion Points at all right now.
Their emotions were intense, but Ye Ling wasn't getting a single point from them.
So no matter how heartfelt their words were, it was a pure loss for him.
Just then—
Thud!
A hidden weapon?
A rotten egg smashed against the protective True Qi around Ye Ling and slid off.
Hm?
Before he could react, more objects came flying at him.
Planks, vegetable leaves, stones…
And angry voices.
"It's this guy who destroyed our city!"
"Damn cultivators! If you want to fight, go fight somewhere else! Don't wreck our homes!"
"There were no Demonic Cultivators at all! It was all your lies!"
"Hypocritical cultivators! I didn't see a single Demonic Cultivator!"
"It's all lies! Everyone, beat these fake righteous cultivators to death!"
"I'm reporting this! If the Righteous Path Alliance doesn't deal with it, I'll never donate to them again!"
…
The ones throwing things at Ye Ling were all ordinary people.
The very same ordinary people he had just protected.
As Ye Ling stepped out from the circle of cultivators, he finally saw it clearly. The civilians of Tianqiong City were staring at him with undisguised hatred.
Among them were wealthy merchants and destitute beggars, men and women, elders and children. United in their anger, they showed no fear of death.
Their homes were gone. What was there left to fear?
Besides, they knew righteous cultivators would not dare kill them.
Killing mortals would generate karmic burden. When the cultivators faced their tribulations in the future, that karma would come back to claim their lives.
And so they hurled debris at Ye Ling without restraint.
"Enough!"
Tie Chunsheng snapped out of his shock. The moment he made his move, his powerful aura pressed down on the crowd, forcing them still.
Yet—
"Go on! Kill us if you've got the guts!"
"Yeah! You lofty cultivators! Slaughter us like chickens and cattle!"
"You destroyed our city, and now you want to massacre us too!"
"Where's the City Lord? You killed the City Lord!"
"The Holy Monk of Golden Light Temple is gone!"
"The commander of the Guard Army is gone too!"
"Scum! Hypocritical beasts in fine clothes! You were just putting on a show outside, talking about Demonic Cultivators. You're the real Demonic Cultivators!"
"Come on! Kill us! Then you'll never pass your tribulation in this lifetime!"
"If I survive, I'll join the real Demonic Sect and make sure to kill every last one of you!"
…
Even under Tie Chunsheng's overwhelming presence, the commoners continued to shout their rage.
But if one looked closely, the ones still daring to yell were mostly uneducated poor folk.
The wealthy merchants and the learned scholars had already fallen silent.