Zhuge Siyu glanced at the old woman, then at Ye Jingyu...

"Her name is Zhuge Siyu..." Ye Jingyu didn't quite understand. Why was he speaking to this domineering old woman? But since Zhuge Siyu needed his help to answer, he replied...

"Good. From this moment on, you are my disciple. Dugu Bachen, you aren't the only one who can take apprentices..." the old woman stated coldly...

Ye Jingyu and Zhuge Siyu were both stunned. There were people who forced good people into unfavorable situations in this world, but never had they heard of forcing someone to become a disciple!

"What are you waiting for now? Kneel down and acknowledge me as your master!" After speaking, the old woman saw Zhuge Siyu frozen, and let out a cold snort...

Zhuge Siyu still did not kneel. She was kind and perceptive, but that didn't mean she was weak. How could a child of the Zhuge family easily kneel before another, even if this person before her was immensely powerful?

"I told you to kneel and acknowledge me as master..." The old woman huffed again, but Zhuge Siyu remained unmoved...

Anger flashed across the old woman’s face. Without any visible movement, a tremendous force surged out. Zhuge Siyu let out a soft cry, her body instantly forced into a kneeling posture, pain etched onto her face...

Ye Jingyu was horrified and furious, ready to strike, but he found his entire body paralyzed by an invisible force...

"Hey, old hag, what is the meaning of this? Siyu doesn't want to be your disciple, so why are you forcing her to?" Seeing the old woman use her immense power to forcibly make Zhuge Siyu bow, Ye Jingyu cursed loudly...

"Impudent brat..." Upon hearing Ye Jingyu insult her by calling her an 'old hag,' the old woman’s expression drastically changed, and she raised her hand to strike Ye Jingyu...

"Hmph. No wonder Master didn't want you; you’re this unreasonable..." Ye Jingyu vaguely guessed the relationship between the old woman and Dugu Bachen. Before the old woman’s hand could land, he spoke first...

"What did you say? You called me unreasonable..." The old woman's hand halted mid-air, her face contorted in fury...

"Aren't you? You’re an elder from three centuries ago, yet you still bully us juniors, and so tyrannically too—forcing someone to be your disciple. Isn't that the definition of unreasonable?" Ye Jingyu spoke coldly, his eyes showing no hint of fear, even as cold sweat streamed down his back...

Hearing Ye Jingyu’s words, the expression on the old woman's face shifted constantly—momentarily enraged, then sorrowful, then perplexed. Finally, her expression slowly cooled, and she retracted the hand she had raised to strike Ye Jingyu...

"Do I need to consider his feelings for anything I do? Go tell Dugu Bachen that at the Soul War in a year and a half, I, Leng Yueying, will give him a huge surprise..." With that, the old woman abruptly tossed the Tianzun Saber to Ye Jingyu, then grabbed Zhuge Siyu and shot into the sky...

In the blink of an eye, they vanished without a trace, leaving Ye Jingyu too stunned to even curse...

Staring at the empty sky, Ye Jingyu was filled with complicated emotions. He had finally met Zhuge Siyu here, only to rescue her from the jaws of wolves, only to have her snatched away by this inexplicably powerful figure...

Still, thinking that the old woman only took Zhuge Siyu as a disciple, she probably meant no harm. Moreover, this might turn out to be a massive opportunity for Zhuge Siyu. The only unpleasant part was that Zhuge Siyu clearly hadn't been willing...

But what could he do against such a powerful elder?

Strength. True, formidable strength. When would he ever become as mighty as them?

He sighed inwardly, then turned away dejectedly, only to spot the maid lying on the deck, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth...

"What happened to you?" Ye Jingyu exclaimed in surprise. Could it be that the old woman had harmed this mere maid?

The maid looked toward the dozen or so military officers with an expression of deep grievance, while those officers stood pale-faced. They had just been plotting to kill Ye Jingyu...

Seeing the maid’s look, Ye Jingyu immediately understood what had transpired, and the murderous intent in his eyes intensified. He couldn't deal with those powerhouses yet, but killing a few Xiantian Wushis would be easy enough, right?

Sensing Ye Jingyu’s chilling killing intent, the dozen-plus officers seemed to realize that death was inevitable this time. They simultaneously drew their weapons from their sides, adopting a posture ready to fight Ye Jingyu to the death. This resolve extended to the soldiers loyal to them, although, under the threat of death, fewer than twenty soldiers stood by their side—all absolute confidantes of these officers...

As for the other soldiers, none dared to move an inch...

After all, while Ye Jingyu might not match the power of the old woman from moments ago, the terrifying manner in which he had injured Lu still deeply shocked everyone present...

Facing these men who had harbored disloyalty toward him, the smile on Ye Jingyu’s lips grew colder. Without wasting any more words, he charged forward, gripping the Tianzun Saber...

"Kill!" Dozens of Xiantian Wushis roared in unison, and dozens of streams of Xiantian True Qi erupted from their bodies, converging as they rushed toward Ye Jingyu...

"Thunderous Splitting Slash..." Watching the surging Xiantian Wushis, Ye Jingyu flicked the Tianzun Saber in his hand. A blinding flash of lightning appeared, and a saber beam imbued with electric light sliced horizontally across the air...

"Chhh-chhh-chhh..." With several soft sounds, the bodies of the dozen-plus officers were instantly cut in half, spraying scarlet blood. The scent of gore, which had barely dissipated, permeated the air once more...

The twenty-plus soldiers who were about to rush forward turned deathly pale at the sight of the sharp saber beam. They forcefully halted their advance mid-stride, but Ye Jingyu’s saber beam did not stop. The brilliant blade continued forward, mercilessly cleaving through their bodies...

There should have been over thirty people, but in the end, only six and a half bodies remained...

Blood and viscera were scattered across the deck. No one dared to utter another sound...

"Throw these into the sea..." Ye Jingyu coldly dropped this instruction, then turned and walked toward the cabin where Zhuge Siyu had been staying...

After such a violent and bloody scene, the remaining soldiers and sailors dared not misbehave. With their lives under threat, they obediently followed all of Ye Jingyu's commands, and the group sped toward the mainland...