The few figures who suddenly appeared made no rash moves, standing at a distance to appraise Ye Wen and his group, while Ye Wen’s party likewise scrutinized them. However, the appearance of these newcomers left Ye Wen utterly speechless.

Putting aside the first one who burst out—a red-haired youth—the boy was dressed in rather tattered clothes and looked quite young. Though his face was devoid of expression, cold and aloof, his eyes betrayed far too much. Indeed, he was young; despite his efforts to control his expression, he couldn't entirely mask his emotions from being perceived.

Ye Wen withdrew his gaze and looked further. Seeing the rest of the group made him laugh out loud! The reason was simply their appearance.

Three individuals had rushed out: two were together, and the third stood alone. This solitary figure had long, black hair streaked with gray that cascaded past his waist. His face and exposed upper body were covered in black huāwén (tattoos/patterns). He wore no proper clothing, only a scrap of ragged cloth tied around his waist, giving him a thoroughly down-and-out look. As for his bare feet, they were entirely inhuman, their toes sharp as vicious claws—a design that spoke volumes of his ferocity.

Shifting his gaze, Ye Wen saw the two standing near the long-haired oddity. Compared to the earlier spear-wielder, these two were several tiers higher in presentation. Though their clothing was also simple, it was clean. Despite the ordinariness of their attire, these two managed to exude a surprisingly distinguished aura. Both were handsome, slender, and elegantly beautiful men. One, however, kept his eyes closed—the "blind man" they had heard mentioned earlier.

Examining him closely, Ye Wen noticed six horns growing from his forehead and the sides of his head. Unlike the red-haired youth whose horns grew upward, this man’s frontal horns pointed down, while the side ones grew horizontally. Furthermore, perhaps because he was blind and unable to see, this person possessed six ears—three clustered together, their bases connected, fanning out like wings—a truly peculiar sight.

At this moment, perhaps sensing something, he turned his head toward Ye Wen’s direction, maintaining the same calm, effortless smile, showing no sign of worry about the current situation. Conversely, the tall man beside him—slightly taller, with long white hair and a pair of fluffy, beast-like ears on his head (if not for his sparsely clothed body, one might not even discern his gender)—was completely on high alert. His eyes brimmed with killing intent, constantly flickering between Ye Wen’s group and the long-haired man. Meanwhile, the red-haired youth on the other side was now utterly ignored.

“Where in the blazes have I ended up?” Ye Wen muttered inwardly, his eyes narrowing slightly. His ever-present Glazed Pupils (Liuli Tong) swept over the figures, revealing even more details.

The white-haired man with beast ears was indeed a transformed Yāoguài (demon/monster), a white fox in his true form, radiating demonic energy without the slightest attempt at concealment. What interested Ye Wen about him and the blind companion was that despite the dense Zhuóqì (turbid/dark energy) clinging to them, faint traces of Qīngqì (pure/clear energy) could be seen circulating within—perhaps their cultivation was incomplete.

The long-haired strange man, however, was saturated in intensely condensed Zhuóqì, with no trace of Qīngqì whatsoever, and his raw power far surpassed that of the two handsome men. To Ye Wen’s surprise, the red-haired youth behind them, though currently weak, harbored a core of "low, deep" energy within his depths, far more potent and massive than the surrounding Zhuóqì. Judging by the youth’s appearance, he couldn't yet unleash this power; if he could, defeating the three opponents would be trivial, and he might even contend with Ye Wen himself.

Realizing this, Ye Wen was deeply astonished. What troubled him more was that after a century as a sect master, he had developed an irresistible urge to recruit any genius he encountered. Seeing such superior raw talent, the thought of taking him as a disciple surfaced once more. Fortunately, he remembered the purpose of this trip, along with other factors; even if he took a disciple, it couldn't be now. Ye Wen figured that, being completely ignorant of this world, these individuals seemed like guides delivered right to his doorstep.

With this realization, a plan formed, and a strange smile crossed his face. The white fox opposite seemed to have been observing Ye Wen intently, and upon seeing the smile, he instantly sensed danger, pulling his companion along to retreat into the woods.

“Hurry and go!”

His companion trusted him implicitly, retreating into the forest with the fox almost without hesitation. But just as the pair leaped forward, a mocking voice echoed from behind: “Still leaving? Stay put, all of you!”

Hearing this voice, the white fox knew instantly who it was, and his expression darkened further. While still mid-air, he violently spun around, raised his right hand, and a blue blade of grass suddenly magnified in his grip, transforming into something like a sword, which he swung directly toward the man behind him.

Ye Wen glimpsed this technique, a slight curl at his lips: “Did I really end up in that place?” His own movements were swift; he raised his right hand, seemingly preparing to meet the fox’s strike. Yet, his hand was empty, making the gesture appear peculiar. The white fox, however, didn't ponder this, hacking downwards with full force. Just as the grass-sword was about to cleave Ye Wen’s head, a long sword suddenly materialized in Ye Wen’s hand, perfectly parrying the attack.

A metallic clang rang out, as if two weapons had violently collided. Ye Wen appeared quite curious about the ability to turn flora into weaponry, glancing back at the blue plant a few more times.

“An interesting ability!” Upon hearing this, the fox’s face turned even uglier. Understandably, having one's proudest skill dismissed as merely "interesting" by an opponent would displease anyone, and the short-tempered might even feel insulted. But for this fox, it was only that. As the six-eared blind man charged forward, the fox rapidly retreated backward, swung his left hand, and flung out a vine-like tendril toward a large tree nearby, clearly intending to use it to retreat into the woods.

Ye Wen knew the fox likely believed he could manipulate plants, assuming entering the forest would allow him various means of escape, which was preferable to a direct confrontation in the open. Unfortunately, Ye Wen offered him no such opportunity. As the vine wrapped around a sturdy tree, a streak of purple sword energy suddenly sliced through it, severing the tendril in two. Seeing his plan fail, the fox showed no discouragement, casually tossing the broken vine aside, and reaching for something else.

However, before he could execute his next move, he felt a jolt at the back of his neck, followed by instant darkness as he plummeted from the air. He himself didn't understand what happened, but everyone nearby saw it clearly. The blind man had been engaged with Ye Wen, yet at that precise moment, Ye Wen’s figure flickered, instantly appearing behind the fox and striking him unconscious with incredibly swift motions. The entire sequence took less than a second. Although the onlookers saw it clearly, it took them a moment to process what had occurred.

The standing blind man and the long-haired comrade nearby were both sweating now, recognizing Ye Wen as the strongest and most unfathomable enemy they had ever encountered.

“It seems… we will all perish here today!”

Even at this juncture, the blind man managed to retain a degree of composure, which earned him a few appreciative glances from Ye Wen—though only a few. Not far off, the long-haired man’s claw-like hands had opened, his fingers tensing to the point where faint popping sounds could be heard: “Hmph, perhaps not!” He seemed exceedingly confident in his own strength.

The blind man’s faintly smiling lips curved further: “To spend most of my life fighting you, only to have to fight alongside you in death—life’s ironies are truly bizarre!”

“Tsk,” the long-haired man scoffed, offering no reply, but shouting toward the red-haired youth still standing opposite them: “Young man, these few are tough to handle. If you want to live, you’d best join forces with us!”

Regrettably, the red-haired youth was even cooler than the long-haired man. He offered neither a reply nor a change in expression, remaining perfectly still, watching the confrontation unfold. Seeing this, the long-haired man pursed his lips again, then warily glanced at Lü Bu, Xue Rengui, and the others, seemingly concerned they might suddenly intervene.

Unbeknownst to him, Ye Wen had observed his every movement and spoke up: “No need to worry, they won't make a move!”

“Oh?” The long-haired man paused, then understood that Ye Wen was supremely confident in his own power, believing he could handle them all alone.

“Naturally!” Ye Wen nodded, as if stating the most common fact. In the very next second, he proved how correct he was.

The long-haired man had virtually no time to react before Ye Wen materialized before him, delivering a lightning-fast, precise uppercut directly to his abdomen. The immense force launched the long-haired man skyward. The stabbing pain from his stomach, coupled with the violent energy surging into his body, left him unable to move, forced to watch himself fly higher and higher before crashing down, creating a deep crater with a thud.

Lying in the pit, clutching his stomach and convulsing, this was an entirely novel experience for him. If not for his astonishing willpower, he would have already passed out. Ye Wen was quite surprised he was still conscious: “Oh? Not out yet?” The blind man: “……”

This comment was perhaps a greater blow than the punch itself. The long-haired man seemed to want to say something, lifting his head with effort to stare fixedly at Ye Wen, as if trying to memorize every detail of his appearance, terrified of missing anything.

“No need to look so hard at me. If you want a good look at my face, you’ll have plenty of chances later!” The blind man: “……”

Seeing that the long-haired man, though his eyes remained open, was completely incapacitated, Ye Wen turned to the blind man: “Do you wish to continue?”

“No need!” The blind man stated calmly a fact that dampened Ye Wen’s expectations: “The gap in strength is too vast. This isn't a difference that can be bridged by fighting desperately or any other tactic. Continuing would only be pointless effort!”

“Oh?”

“Furthermore,” the blind man continued, “listening to your words just now, you showed no intention of killing us.” He glanced at his fallen comrade. “And my companion is merely knocked unconscious! You never struck with lethal intent!” He could hear his friend’s steady breathing and knew he was unharmed. Coupled with Ye Wen’s earlier remark, he concluded that this formidable man did not intend to kill them. His sudden attack must have been to compel them to do something for him.

He guessed correctly; Ye Wen needed these locals to act as guides—otherwise, why expend such effort? Of course, if they hadn't tried to flee when they sensed trouble, Ye Wen wouldn’t have needed to use such methods to keep them. Moreover, Ye Wen had already observed that these individuals were all proud and high-spirited; to get such people to serve him, he needed to display enough power to subdue them.

“You see things quite clearly!” Ye Wen nodded, then returned to his group. He was no longer worried about them escaping. The blind man was indeed perceptive, and after the recent exchange, he probably understood that slipping away under Ye Wen’s nose was impossible.

He glanced back at the red-haired youth, who hadn't moved an inch, not even when Ye Wen took action. It seemed the youth also grasped that Ye Wen’s strength was overwhelming, and escaping was impossible—especially since Ye Wen wasn't alone.

Only when Ye Wen returned did Lü Bu ask, “Why did you suddenly decide to fight?” Ye Wen’s conversation with the others hadn't been explicit, and his sudden attack had startled them. They had initially thought it a good thing when the newcomers wisely retreated. Why would the Sect Master Ye suddenly attack and stop them? Fortunately, the others were sharp; after a moment of thought, they guessed the general intent. Only Lü Bu, uninterested in excessive thought, asked directly upon Ye Wen’s return.

Ye Wen explained with a smile: “We are completely unfamiliar with this place, we don't even know which direction is which. How can we move without securing a few guides?” He then gestured toward Xue Rengui: “Setting aside other matters, we only have a description of the person General Xue is searching for, with no other clues. Now that they’ve delivered themselves, let them identify the person. If they know him, it will be easier for us to search, won’t it?” Upon this explanation, everyone nodded in agreement: “That’s true!”

Just then, the red-haired youth, who hadn't moved or spoken the entire time, walked up to Ye Wen. Xue Rengui and Lü Bu tensed, alert, seeing him approach. However, Ye Wen stood there casually, smiling at the youth, showing no sign of guardiness even as the youth approached, as if sensing the youth wouldn't attack.

The red-haired youth reached Ye Wen and scrutinized him up and down once more before speaking in a very stiff tone: “You are very strong!”

Ye Wen shrugged, then continued to watch the youth, seemingly waiting for the rest of his statement. Sure enough, after a brief pause, the red-haired youth continued: “I also wish to become as strong as you are!” Ye Wen glanced at the youth, then suddenly reached out and patted the young man’s shoulder: “If you wish to become strong, then help me accomplish a few tasks, and I will make you stronger!”

As he finished speaking, Ye Wen noticed the youth’s eyes suddenly brighten; Ye Wen’s words had clearly excited him. Ye Wen’s next statement, however, left everyone else present momentarily stunned: “Of course, you too! If you manage to complete the tasks I assign, you can all become stronger!”

The strength of these captured individuals wasn't exceptional; compared to the outside world, they were roughly equivalent to Earthly Immortals (Dixian). Their swift defeat by Ye Wen was thus understandable. However, they all possessed good potential, and Ye Wen currently needed locals to assist him in familiarizing himself with the area, which was why he threw out this bait. With such a grand prospect offered, they might be motivated to serve him wholeheartedly.

Turning around, the long-haired man, now standing again, and the fox man, who had regained consciousness, stared at him in stunned disbelief, seemingly unable to accept his words. But Ye Wen didn't care; as long as they genuinely assisted him, he would keep his promise. Ye Wen never considered himself noble, but he knew the importance of keeping one's word. For the present: “Tell me your names first!”

The group seemed to understand that escape was no longer an option. Their only path now was to serve this powerful man and complete whatever he required. If he decided to kill them afterward, they would have no recourse—the sorrow of the weak. Yet, these individuals didn't seem to find this situation unacceptable.

However, Ye Wen’s question caused them to exchange glances, and finally, the white fox spoke: “We do not have names!”

“Hm? No names?” Ye Wen sounded slightly surprised. It was the red-haired youth who spoke up to explain.

“All of them are lowly, base existences, so they are not permitted to have names!” The red-haired youth spoke without regard for the feelings of the others, but his flat tone suggested he wasn't intentionally insulting anyone, merely stating a common fact, making it hard for others to even feel angry. But the content of his words surprised Ye Wen: “So there are so-called higher existences?”

The red-haired youth remained silent, still sporting his deadpan expression. Ye Wen observed him, then finally asked: “Then perhaps you are one of those so-called higher existences?”

“No!” The red-haired youth flatly denied it, stating in a voice utterly devoid of passion or excitement: “I am an existence even more humble than them! And the reason I seek strength is to trample those so-called higher existences under my heel!”