The Kunlun Sect's proposal, stripped down to its essence, was a plan to integrate all the Immortal Realms into one vast, cohesive whole, ultimately forming a new world.

This new world would boast significantly richer spiritual energy, and moreover, it would more closely resemble the world these cultivators once called home compared to the current state of the separate realms.

Achieving this, however, was far from simple. The initial strategy was to merge the realms one by one, gradually employing a mechanism of the large absorbing the small until all were completely unified.

What changes this integration would provoke, nobody knew. But for now, they could conveniently use the uninhabited South Sea Immortal Palace and the Changbai Immortal Realm, where Ye Wen might be hiding, as test cases. If the two fused successfully, it would prove that the endeavors Kunlun had been occupied with for the past century were indeed possible, thus bolstering their confidence for subsequent objectives.

And if they failed?

At worst, they would lose two Immortal Realms, and there was the added bonus of potentially eliminating Ye Wen, the man who killed the Kunlun Sect Master.

As for She Yue, who had sworn to personally settle accounts with Ye Wen, he couldn't afford to dwell on that now. Still, he hoped this integration would succeed, as only then could they advance to the next stage and fulfill the original goals of the Kunlun Sect.

As Tian Gangzi considered the favorable outcome, the smile on his face became ever more pronounced, completely oblivious to the look of utter disdain She Yue cast toward him.

"The cultivators of the Central Plains are declining with each generation. This Kunlun Sect is supposedly the foremost sect today, yet its masters look like this? Their bearing is inferior to those two youngsters!"

Though he inwardly scorned them, She Yue said nothing. Truthfully, he hadn't yet decided how to deal with Ye Wen.

He held no favorable feelings toward Ye Wen; they weren't even well-acquainted. Ye Wen’s destruction of the Dragon Transformation Pool had initially made him furious.

The ruin of the Dragon Transformation Pool left him deeply conflicted. While the Dragon Transformation Pool in the East Sea Immortal Palace remained untouched, the destruction of the other meant that only one of him or his adopted daughter, Bai Suzhen, could utilize a Dragon Transformation Pool to transform their serpentine body into a true dragon form and ascend to the Immortal Realm.

Although Bai Suzhen’s current cultivation was far below his own, the function of the Dragon Transformation Pool went beyond mere power enhancement. If Bai Suzhen could evolve into a dragon form, even if she couldn't immediately ascend, she would possess the necessary physical foundation to reach the ascension realm with sufficient effort in a short time.

Simply put, the Dragon Transformation Pool elevated the body's meridians to an entirely different level. One refined by the pool only needed to focus on channeling internal spiritual energy upward, rather than dividing their attention to temper the body as required by normal cultivation.

Of course, the cultivation world had an alternative method: focusing solely on cultivating the Primordial Spirit and abandoning the physical body upon ascension. However, this method was considered fundamentally flawed and was no longer practiced.

She Yue had considered allowing Bai Suzhen to abandon her physical shell and ascend with him as just a Primordial Spirit. He was confident that with his post-dragon transformation strength, he could ensure his daughter’s safety, and once in the Immortal Realm, he could surely enlist the help of the Old Dragon King, whose abilities should make solving this problem easy.

However, his daughter was stubbornly unwilling to burden him, even suggesting she would simply remain in the East Sea Immortal Palace and cultivate slowly until the Dragon Transformation Pool refilled.

"Is that pool water so easily replenished? I waited thousands of years; must you wait thousands of years too?"

Bai Suzhen merely brushed it off: "At worst, I'll find a little snake, name her Xiao Qing, and have her keep me company!"

She Yue looked crestfallen, but he understood his daughter didn't want to place him in a difficult position or force him to fight others. Engaging with cultivators, no matter the odds in his favor, always carried danger. A single misstep, a freak accident, and millennia of cultivation would be utterly ruined...

"What is there to fear? A mere little child, what can they do to me?"

The old man still possessed a degree of arrogance, especially after witnessing the current state of the cultivation world in the Central Plains, which only increased his disdain for these younger generations.

Glancing coldly at Kunlun's Tian Gangzi, She Yue remained highly guarded. Although he was currently aligned with the Kunlun Sect, he knew these people still coveted his East Sea Immortal Palace.

Setting aside future concerns, the East Sea Immortal Palace was the home where he and his daughter rested their lives; he would never allow these individuals to meddle with it. Even though the Kunlun Sect painted a grand vision for him—telling him that if all went smoothly, the spiritual energy in the East Sea Immortal Palace would become far richer, and they would no longer have to endure solitude.

She Yue held no interest in this. He felt the spiritual energy in the East Sea Immortal Palace was more than sufficient. In truth, more spiritual energy was useless; only he and his daughter resided in the palace anyway.

As for loneliness? What future could a cultivator have if they couldn't even tolerate solitude?

With this thought, his gaze shifted to the old Daoist sitting not far from him. He couldn't determine the Daoist's exact age, but judging by his cultivation, he was the most powerful person present.

She Yue, being experienced and having met countless legendary divine figures, possessed extraordinary perceptive abilities. Although Zhang Sanfeng sat there with an utterly ordinary demeanor, he could not escape She Yue's scrutiny.

More importantly, moments ago, She Yue had sensed a nearly imperceptible ripple of spiritual energy emanating from the old Daoist. Another person might not have noticed, but having cultivated for millennia, She Yue’s sensitivity to spiritual fluctuations was incomparable. Perhaps Ye Wen, using his Glazed Double Pupils, might have noticed, but under normal circumstances, even he wouldn't detect such a minute change.

She Yue had noticed it. And he observed that Zhang Sanfeng’s gaze lingered on the Kunlun Sect members for a fleeting instant before quickly retracting. This was enough to alert the already cautious She Yue.

"This old Daoist seems to have noticed something. The Kunlun Sect thinks they've pulled a fast one, but they don't realize there are many sharp minds here!"

Looking around, Huashan Sect Master Yi Yangzi remained silent, conversing quietly with Zhang Jiyu beside him, appearing unremarkable. Yet, this very normalcy struck She Yue as odd. Crucially, Zhang Jiyu seemed far less calculating than the Huashan Master, his expression quite unpleasant as he regarded the Kunlun Sect members with complexity.

The representative from the Qingcheng Sect was utterly ordinary, but She Yue felt a profound wariness toward this person. This feeling was inexplicable, much like when he first encountered Ye Wen; after an initial assessment, he felt an immediate dislike that defied logic—it was pure instinct.

However, for a demon cultivator, such innate instincts often conveyed the most accurate information, meaning he could not ignore this sensation.

The performance of the others varied, but their cultivation levels were limited, failing to hold She Yue's interest. Just as he prepared to rise and leave, his expression suddenly shifted, as if sensing something terribly wrong.

This abrupt change drew the attention of everyone present. Zhang Sanfeng even inquired, "Elder Yue seems...?"

She Yue's expression cycled through various colors before he finally roared out in exasperation, "Nonsense!" He then turned and vanished into the void. Though all present were masters, none discerned the technique the elder used to depart, with only Zhang Sanfeng vaguely perceiving the elder’s destination.

Narrowing his eyes, Zhang Sanfeng stated, "It seems Elder She Yue has encountered a troubling matter. This old Daoist shall investigate!" Without waiting for others' reactions, he too stepped forward, vanishing in the same spot where She Yue had gone.

The remaining cultivators exchanged glances. Yi Yangzi and Zhang Jiyu whispered together for a moment before rising and departing directly.

Subsequently, the Qingcheng Sect members left, followed by those from the Artifact Forging Pavilion and the Hundred Herbs Gang. Soon, only the Kunlun Sect members remained. Tian Gangzi watched them leave one by one. Although he felt resentment toward their disrespectful departure, he kept it hidden, merely murmuring, "Hmph, let's see how long you can be smug."

As long as he could execute the plan, all these people would eventually have to look up to the Kunlun Sect. And with the Sect Master dead, Tian Gangzi would naturally become the leading figure in Kunlun.

Lost in this pleasant thought, his smile widened, unaware that from a dark corner, Qingcheng Sect Master Yu Lin snorted, mockingly remarking, "Ignorant fool!" before silently slipping away.

While turmoil brewed among the cultivation factions, Ye Wen, contrary to everyone's expectations, was not obediently hiding away in the Changbai Immortal Realm.

Having achieved perfection in the Golden Morning Radiance technique and feeling a measure of confidence, Ye Wen left Changbai and entered the mortal world. One purpose was to assess the current political climate; another was simply to clear his head; and a third was to find trouble with a certain party.

Walking down the street, Ye Wen’s waist-length hair attracted considerable attention. However, most people paid it no mind; long hair on men wasn't unusual these days. Moreover, Ye Wen wore it well, and some young women even glanced at him, hoping for a response. Unfortunately, Ye Wen kept his eyes closed, resembling a blind man. This prompted several kind souls to approach, asking if he needed assistance (his eyes were too unusual for ordinary people to see, so he couldn't reveal them...).

Yet, Ye Wen ignored these girls' good intentions, continuing to wander, observing how much the world had changed over the years.

Fortunately, despite the passage of time, Ye Wen didn't feel severely disconnected from the current era. He thought the current situation was much the same as before he entered the Changbai Immortal Realm—the world was still vibrant, but it compelled everyone to maintain their hurried pace.

Watching the stream of people rushing past, Ye Wen's leisurely pace seemed jarringly out of place.

After walking for a while, Ye Wen turned into a relatively quiet alley. He merely intended to pass through to reach another street, but he was drawn in by an extremely faint sound.

"Mew~"

Ye Wen didn't need to turn his head. His inner sight allowed him to clearly perceive everything around him, so as soon as the sound arose, he located its source: a thoroughly dilapidated shoe box placed near the wall, surrounded by miscellaneous trash, making it unremarkable.

Had it not been for that weak cry, he likely wouldn't have noticed it.

He walked to the box, nudged aside some of the surrounding debris, and tossed aside some trash covering the box. Ye Wen saw a small, fluffy, round head peering out.

"A kitten?"

He reached out and pulled the small cat free. Ye Wen realized it was barely the size of his palm, likely a newborn cub, seemingly abandoned.

He teased it gently with a finger. The little cat let out a weak mew and then fell still. Ye Wen froze, holding the kitten.

Because in that brief moment, he had perfectly understood the tiny creature's intent.

"Hungry..."

Could cats talk? Naturally not. Unless this was a spiritually awakened cat demon, but the cat in his hand was less than two months old and couldn't possibly speak. That left only one explanation: the issue lay with him.

"Could it be that my eyes have evolved, granting me the ability of Telepathy?"

Ye Wen didn't know the specifics. Casually, he retrieved the milk he had just bought, which he hadn't finished and had stored in his ring, poured a small amount into his other hand, and brought it near the kitten’s mouth.

Watching the tiny cat tremble as it stretched its head out to lap at the milk bit by bit, Ye Wen suddenly felt a profound happiness. As he smiled watching the kitten, he experienced a sensation similar to before, but this time it was a feeling intertwined with joy and gratitude.

"Did I really master Telepathy?"

Doubtful, Ye Wen opened his eyes. Since there was no one around, he wasn't afraid of being seen. He focused his gaze on the utterly inconspicuous kitten. Its pale yellow fluff and large, round eyes were indeed quite adorable.

"Oh? A Persian cat?"

Looking at the kitten blinking its one blue and one green eye at him, Ye Wen scratched its chin with the empty hand. "You look quite pleasing to me. I'll take you back with me!"

Saying this, Ye Wen suddenly had a very amusing thought: "My Shushan Sect is currently lacking a Mountain Guardian Beast. You look suitable; you shall be the guardian beast of our sect!"

"Heh heh."

As Ye Wen finished speaking, a light chuckle sounded nearby. Ye Wen showed no surprise, merely saying, "What's the point of hiding? Why not come out and talk?"

As Ye Wen spoke, the nondescript space nearby suddenly warped, and a beautiful woman in a white, long dress materialized a short distance from Ye Wen.

Ye Wen didn't need to turn to know who had arrived: it was Bai Suzhen, the adopted daughter of the thousand-year-old snake demon She Yue, nicknamed Xiao Bai...

"The last part was unnecessary!"

Shrugging, Ye Wen ignored Bai Suzhen's complaint, focusing instead on teasing the kitten in his palm. The kitten was well-behaved, allowing Ye Wen to play with it, occasionally reaching out its tiny paws to try and catch his finger.

Seeing the smile on Ye Wen’s face, Bai Suzhen suddenly asked, "Hey, are you serious?"

"About what?"

She pointed at the kitten, a look of amusement on her face. "Making this little guy the Mountain Guardian Beast of your sect?"

Ye Wen looked utterly serious. "Naturally, I am serious. Do you think I, Ye Mou, am joking?"

Bai Suzhen saw Ye Wen’s earnest expression, but the more serious he became, the funnier the situation seemed. A sect led by someone of Ye Wen's strength surely wasn't weak, yet they planned to use an abandoned street kitten as their guardian beast. If this got out, no one would believe it.

Ultimately, she dismissed it as a whim of the moment, Ye Wen wanting to take the kitten home to raise, and the ridiculous notion of a guardian beast being nothing more than a joke.

However...

"This little cat probably won't live much longer!"

Ye Wen paused, then felt that this woman had no reason to lie to him. The thought, 'What's wrong with this kitten?' naturally arose in his mind. Coincidentally, his eyes were open, and as the thought formed, a faint light emanated from them. Ye Wen felt that with just one look, everything became clear.

For a mere cat, one glance from those eyes was enough to reveal everything. Coupled with the myriad wonders of those eyes, the moment the thought arose, they responded automatically, presenting Ye Wen with the information he sought.

"This..."

"You saw it?" Bai Suzhen didn't know what Ye Wen's eyes were, but her father had mentioned that Ye Wen seemed to have cultivated some kind of Buddhist divine ability—perhaps the Heavenly Eye of Buddhism.

Seeing Ye Wen's stunned expression, Bai Suzhen suddenly flipped her hand, and a pill appeared in her palm. She then formed a mudra with her other hand, and a sphere of water appeared above her palm, merging with the pill as it spun, gradually dissolving the medicinal substance.

Then, raising her hand, the water droplet, condensed to the size of a fingernail, flew toward the kitten and sank into its mouth before Ye Wen's eyes.

Ye Wen neither stopped nor moved, merely watching as the essence within the water slowly spread, nourishing the small cat's weak and imperfect body.

"Why did you save it?"

Bai Suzhen smiled lightly. "I wanted to save it. Besides, I think it's quite cute, and I need a companion!"

Ye Wen frowned. Besides Bai Suzhen's words, he suddenly felt a bad premonition, followed immediately by a warning alarm in his heart.

Just then, a figure materialized beside Bai Suzhen: the thousand-year-old snake demon She Yue. Immediately following him, Zhang Sanfeng's figure also appeared.

"Hey, give me that little thing, lest my father accidentally hurt it!"

Ye Wen glanced at She Yue, then at Zhang Sanfeng, and greeted them with a smile: "Two esteemed elders, long time no see!"

Zhang Sanfeng nodded, somewhat impressed by Ye Wen's composure, and remarked, "Sect Master Ye, your demeanor remains unchanged!"

Zhang Sanfeng was unremarkable, but She Yue was greatly startled, especially by the pair of seven-colored, glazed eyes, which sent a shock through the old snake spirit: "Glazed Pupils? I wonder which eminent monk taught this young man?"

While pondering this, he saw Ye Wen tuck the kitten into his robes, letting it hide inside, and then he held up a finger, saying, "I have matters to attend to today, so I won't chat with you two elders for long!"

Before either of them could reply, Ye Wen softly chanted: "Solar Flare!" Instantly, a blinding golden light erupted from his fingertip, making it impossible to look directly at. Caught completely off guard, the vision of the cultivators dimmed, even affecting their senses. In a panic, they instinctively used their techniques to shield themselves.

However, they were all powerful cultivators and recovered their senses in an instant, but Ye Wen was nowhere to be seen; he had clearly used that brief moment to escape far away.

Finally finished, and I kept my word... Also, please vote for the guaranteed monthly ticket. RA

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