Ye Wen's complete stonewalling frustrated Beihe Jushi immensely. Especially now that this individual, with deep ties to the cultivation world, knew what the Kunlun Sect was plotting. If that information leaked...

The thought flashed through Beihe Jushi’s mind, and a killing intent immediately surfaced in his eyes as he calculated the feasibility of eliminating these two. He had entertained the idea before, but then considered that the Shushan Sect still held value, particularly because Ye Wen possessed the Nine Provinces Cauldron, an object of immense significance that Ye Wen had already refined. He wondered if killing Ye Wen would allow him to secure the Cauldron smoothly.

While his thoughts raced, Ye Wen was far from idle. His own mind was a whirlwind of calculations, and he keenly detected the faint killing aura emanating from Beihe Jushi. He realized the Kunlun Sect Leader was indeed a ruthless character, quite capable of silencing witnesses.

The two unexpectedly met each other's gaze, and instantly, both, harboring their own secret agendas, offered smiles that appeared remarkably benevolent, almost intimately friendly.

"I'm becoming so utterly hypocritical!"

Sighing inwardly at his own transformation, Ye Wen smoothly transitioned the conversation: "I wonder how your esteemed sect intends to link these myriad small worlds together?"

Beihe Jushi offered a mysterious smile but avoided a direct answer, clearly deeming the matter highly confidential. This, however, secretly stoked Ye Wen’s irritation: "These outsiders can know, but I cannot?"

It became clear that Beihe Jushi’s invitation for them to join was merely an impulse, not a matter he truly prioritized. Looking at it this way, the man likely favored eliminating him. But why the sudden change of heart to meet him in person?

Ye Wen pondered for only a moment before the realization hit him: the Nine Provinces Cauldron in his possession!

"Right, he definitely wants the sacred Cauldron in my hands, which is why he bothered to converse with me! He probably also intended to seize an opportunity to strike the moment talks soured, but sensing my recent surge in cultivation, he held back from acting rashly!" In reality, Ye Wen’s deductions were largely correct. Beihe Jushi was currently wary of Ye Wen’s drastically increased power (though news of Ye Wen single-handedly destroying the Emei Sect had not reached him). He was uncertain of his chances of victory because he had never witnessed Ye Wen fight in his current state.

Moreover, Ye Wen was a Martial Cultivator, a type Beihe Jushi deeply respected and feared. This apprehension was what kept him suppressing the urge to attack and engage Ye Wen in conversation.

As the two spoke, Bai Suzhen and Xu Xian stood quietly aside until Bai Suzhen finally broke the silence: "Hey, aren't you going to help me anymore?"

She stared at Ye Wen with wide eyes, as if he had committed some heinous crime!

Her words finally drew Beihe Jushi's attention to the woman. He had initially assumed she was merely a member of the Shushan Sect. Hearing her words, he realized things were different. He turned and surveyed her from head to toe. Struck by her beauty, he inquired with curiosity, "And who might this be...?"

"This is the true mistress of the South Sea Immortal Palace, and she has come to reclaim her home from you!" Ye Wen blurted out, conveniently forgetting that before the South Sea Dragon King departed, he had entrusted the palace to She Yue's care, and She Yue now wished to pass it to his goddaughter. All in all, it wasn't entirely a lie.

"The mistress of the South Sea Immortal Palace?" Beihe Jushi was startled at first, then let out a cold sneer, believing Ye Wen was spouting nonsense just to provoke him. He placed no trust in this talk of an Immortal Palace mistress: "Sect Master Ye, it's best not to speak such falsehoods!" "I am not speaking falsely. Does the Jushi know who this lady is?"

Despite Ye Wen's earnest demeanor, Beihe Jushi remained unconvinced.

This was natural. He already presumed that the many Dragon Clan members in the South Sea Immortal Palace had ascended to the Celestial Realm long ago, leaving the place a derelict estate. How could a rightful owner suddenly emerge? Therefore, he dismissed Ye Wen's words as deliberate fabrication meant to derail cooperation, perhaps even signaling an intent to seize the palace himself. This increased the killing intent he harbored towards Ye Wen.

"If the Jushi doesn't believe it, so be it. But that this lady is the mistress of this Immortal Palace is an undeniable fact, established by the trust of the South Sea Dragon King himself..."

Beihe Jushi scoffed: "The South Sea Dragon King? What grand claims! But how do you prove it?"

Before the words had fully settled, an old man suddenly appeared beside him, holding a tobacco pipe and exhaling a plume of smoke: "This old man can testify!" Beihe Jushi’s expression grew grim. He hadn't noticed when this old man arrived, nor how silently he had materialized next to him. He was utterly intimidated by the man's profound power: "And who might you be?"

"I am Elder She Yue. I was entrusted by the two Dragon Kings to look after both the East Sea and South Sea Palaces. I am now preparing to entrust the South Sea Immortal Palace to my daughter, only to find you have occupied it first!" As he spoke, he casually puffed another cloud of smoke, his gaze fixed on the ground beneath his feet, utterly disregarding Beihe Jushi.

"...Hmph, just bragging. The two old Dragon Kings departed this realm thousands of years ago. Could you possibly have lived for millennia?"

She Yue blew out another puff of smoke: "Youngster, do not mistake vastness for ignorance. This old man has indeed lived for several millennia!" At this declaration, Beihe Jushi burst into laughter: "Ridiculous! If you truly lived for thousands of years, why haven't you ascended?"

Generally, if a human cultivator managed to cultivate for several thousand years, they would have certainly ascended. That length of time, even through gradual grinding, should have pushed their power to that level. Those who couldn't reach it would have perished long ago. "Therefore, no cultivator in this realm could possibly have lived for thousands of years."

Currently, the longest-lived is barely over a thousand, yet this person cannot break through and faces annihilation at any moment. Even Zhang Sanfeng, hailed as the most likely to ascend, would face death within a few centuries if he couldn't achieve a breakthrough.

Thus, when She Yue claimed to have lived for millennia, Beihe Jushi simply dismissed it as these people engaging in absurd boasting just to amuse themselves.

Angered, he casually drew forth an ancient bronze iron whip and pointed it at She Yue: "If the old man wants to claim the South Sea Immortal Palace, just say so plainly. This Jushi is no fool to be tricked out of this sacred realm by a few words!"

A cold smile touched his lips as he glanced at Ye Wen: "Sect Master Ye, arranging for someone to stage such a scene—do you take me for an idiot?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, a sudden sense of unease washed over him. In his anger, his mind hadn't been fully engaged, but now he realized: "Ye Wen originally had no knowledge that his Kunlun Sect people were here. Naturally, he couldn't orchestrate such a ridiculous play. Furthermore, the majority of those patrolling the area were foreign powers. Even if Ye Wen had scouted beforehand, he would have assumed foreigners occupied the place, certainly not suspecting him, and thus would have no reason to arrange a lie to deceive me!" To lie to the foreigners? Nonsense. Those foreigners were far more pragmatic. Having occupied the place, they wouldn't surrender it simply because someone claimed, "This place originally belonged to me." The most likely resolution for them would be the method they were most accustomed to—resorting to force, eliminating all obstacles.

And Ye Wen, knowing the nature of these individuals, why would he construct such a lie?

"Could it be true?"

A slight bead of cold sweat appeared on his brow as Beihe Jushi suddenly considered a possibility: although human cultivators couldn't live for millennia, demon cultivators often enjoyed extended lifespans after achieving success. The drawback, however, was that their cultivation speed was inherently slow, significantly slower than human cultivators if they couldn't breach the bottleneck between Earth Immortal and Celestial Immortal.

Their advantage lay in having a longer period for slow cultivation. Given this old man’s appearance, nearly identical to a human, if he were indeed a demon cultivator, he must be an existence of formidable power. Even more frightening was the complete absence of any detectable demonic aura.

As Beihe Jushi calmed down and processed these thoughts, he failed to notice She Yue looking at the long whip in his hand and remarking: "That's the God-Beating Whip. A pity it’s useless against me. The God-Beating Whip is specifically designed to counter those on the Investiture of the Gods roster. Against those not listed, its effect is limited—at best, equivalent to an ordinary offensive magic tool. However, it is quite durable. When colliding head-on with standard magic tools, it is usually the God-Beating Whip that sustains damage. Otherwise, the orthodox cultivators wouldn't have attempted to use it to smash the Nine Provinces Cauldron."

Hearing this old man recognize the God-Beating Whip, Beihe Jushi felt his intuition was correct. This complicated matters significantly.

Meanwhile, Mai Shiranui stood nearby, her eyes turned blood-red, observing everyone with intense vigilance. What troubled her most was the conviction that if a fight broke out, she was the most likely to lose her life, making her the one who least desired conflict.

Fortunately, she noticed Beihe Jushi retracting the God-Beating Whip, seemingly abandoning the intent to fight. He then asked the old man, "Are you truly the one entrusted by the Dragon King?"

"Naturally, it is true!" After observing for a long moment, Beihe Jushi suddenly asked, "You are not of the Dragon race?" As he spoke, his grip on the God-Beating Whip tightened. Perhaps upon hearing an answer that hinted at falsehood, he would immediately strike, aiming to eliminate one expert with the first blow to gain an advantage.

The old man finally raised his eyes to look at Beihe Jushi and shook his head: "This Elder is not of the Dragon race!" Only then did Beihe Jushi exhale in relief, and his hand holding the whip loosened slightly: "That settles it. Staying here, you are likely protecting the Dragon Transformation Pool, aren't you?"

With that, he peered at She Yue with a mocking smile, even as the old man straightened his back, his previously listless eyes now flashing with sharp light as he glared back.

"The old man need not worry. That Dragon Transformation Pool is of little use to me, so there is no conflict between us!" It turned out Beihe Jushi had gained considerable knowledge of the South Sea Immortal Palace during his stay, having explored every inch of it. The Dragon Transformation Pool had not escaped his inspection.

His initial inquiry about She Yue being a Dragon was twofold: first, to test if he was lying, and second, to ascertain the old man's purpose in guarding the two palaces.

The test immediately confirmed his suspicions. If the old man had claimed to be Dragon Clan, Beihe Jushi would have attacked instantly, as the Dragon Clan would never be left behind; the Dragon Kings would have taken them all, even at the cost of their own power. Only closely related species might be left behind.

She Yue's denial made Beihe Jushi believe him slightly more, and he used the Dragon Transformation Pool as a probe. Seeing the old man’s reaction, he knew the old man was telling the truth!

Ye Wen watched the entire exchange coldly. Only now did he grasp the key issue: that confounded Dragon Transformation Pool. He exchanged a glance with his junior brother and suddenly felt the situation trending unfavorably; these two seemed on the verge of reaching an accord.

Beihe Jushi then said with a half-smile: "Elder, if you wish to use the Dragon Transformation Pool to aid in achieving a dragon form, this Jushi can offer some assistance. However, surrendering the Immortal Palace itself is not negotiable!" She Yue pondered for a moment, then responded curtly: "As long as you guarantee you will not touch the Dragon Transformation Pool, and will not obstruct me when I need to use it, this old man has no interest in anything else in this Immortal Palace! You can even destroy the rest of it for all I care!" Seeing Beihe Jushi's expression lighten, he added swiftly: "However, before I use the Dragon Transformation Pool, you absolutely cannot proceed with connecting the worlds!"

Beihe Jushi understood that the Elder worried that the process of linking the worlds might damage the Dragon Transformation Pool. After a moment's thought, he found this acceptable. The world-linking procedure was complicated and wouldn't be completed quickly anyway; a delay was not unwelcome.

Little did he know that the water in the Dragon Transformation Pool did not replenish in just a few years; otherwise, he might not have possessed such patience.

After the two seemed to reach an agreement, She Yue turned to Bai Suzhen: "This matter is settled. Little Bai, come back with me." Bai Suzhen knew that her godfather prioritized the Dragon Transformation Pool above all else and cared little for the Immortal Palace itself, as dwelling in the vast East Sea Immortal Palace was perfectly fine for them both. Thus, when She Yue called her, she moved to stand beside her father, and the two started walking toward the palace exit.

However, Bai Suzhen remembered what She Yue had said and pointed at Ye Wen: "What about them?"

She Yue thought for a moment: "We agreed to help them only after the task was completed! Since they didn't complete the task, there's no need to bother with them now!" With that, he pulled Bai Suzhen: "Let's go!" Before the words finished, their figures vanished. It was likely the old man used some profound escape technique, or perhaps he knew a specific method to bypass the South Sea Immortal Palace's restrictions and leave this realm entirely.

Watching the old man depart so abruptly, Ye Wen felt a swell of resentment. But the man had been clear: If you complete the task for me, I will deal with the Seven Arrows Book of the Nail Head for you. Since the task was not accomplished by Ye Wen but by the old man himself stepping forward, there was no obligation to help him. So, despite feeling displeased, the reality was inescapable, and he had no grounds for complaint.

Beihe Jushi observed Ye Wen’s composed expression and secretly commended the Sect Master’s formidable self-control. The situation had now turned decidedly against Ye Wen, yet he stood there, calm and collected.

"I have now reached an accord with the original owner. Does Sect Master Ye have anything else to say?"

Ye Wen glanced at Beihe Jushi: "Nothing to say. Since the business here is concluded, Ye will take his leave!" He prepared to turn away.

But just as he moved, Beihe Jushi called out: "Hold a moment!" "Does the Jushi require something else?" Ye Wen felt he couldn't stand to stay in this place a second longer. The way things had concluded left him suffocated. His current plan was to immediately return with his junior brother to the Penglai Immortal Realm, cultivate diligently, and only re-emerge to settle scores with these people after his power had advanced significantly and he had mastered the use of his Twin Divine Eyes!

Of course, this didn't mean he feared the Kunlun Sect. If Beihe Jushi truly intended to force the issue, Ye Wen wouldn't hesitate to kill him on the spot and cleanse everyone in the South Sea Immortal Palace as well.

They were all foreign forces, and they had given him trouble before; he felt no need for courtesy. As for the Kunlun Sect? Ye Wen suddenly considered that the reason his Nine Provinces Cauldron was targeted, besides the incessant boasting of Bi Xue Ancestor, was likely due to underhanded instigation from the Kunlun Sect.

He hadn't thought this way before, but upon learning the Kunlun Sect intended to merge all small worlds into one domain for their own dominance, he realized they possessed motive.

With motive established, suspicion followed! Consequently, Ye Wen’s impression of the Kunlun Sect plummeted, now replaced by outright hostility.

Beihe Jushi smiled faintly and merely stated: "Sect Master Ye had best reconsider before leaving!" "What do you mean?"

Beihe Jushi did not answer, merely tilting his head up to look at Ye Wen: "I hope Sect Master Ye will give a definitive answer today: join, or refuse to join?"

"What happens if I join? And what if I don't?" Ye Wen’s divine sense shuddered as he realized many figures had surrounded them. It seemed Beihe Jushi was preparing to silence them all.

Beihe Jushi offered no reply, only stating: "Sect Master Ye is an astute man; I trust no further explanation is needed!" Upon hearing this, Ye Wen suddenly burst into loud laughter, irritating Beihe Jushi: "What are you laughing at?"

"Laughing at your naivety!" Beihe Jushi roared: "Don't mistake courtesy for weakness!" As the words fell, numerous figures suddenly rushed out from the surroundings. These people were clad in varied attire, exhibiting different appearances. Ye Wen used his inner sense to quickly discern Black men, White men, and many Japanese individuals, some wearing styles that looked strikingly familiar to him.

"I find it strange, why would these foreigners willingly assist you?"

Beihe Jushi flashed the God-Beating Whip in his hand: "Because they cannot resist the temptation of possibly becoming gods!" He then pointed the whip at Ye Wen: "It’s a pity Sect Master Ye won't have this opportunity!" "Is that so?" Ye Wen shrugged nonchalantly: "But this Ye cares nothing for such things!" As he spoke, he slightly raised both hands, and two purple longswords instantly materialized in his grasp, pointing across the space at the kneeling Beihe Jushi.