The man wore a loose robe with a large hood that obscured his face, making it impossible to discern his features. Judging from his build, he appeared to be male.
Despite sensing no ill will, the little demoness cautiously deployed a dark energy defense.
The man landed slowly near the river, staring at Ye Fan and the others with disbelief. Specifically, he was fixated on the little demoness, his gaze filled with confusion and shock.
"Your Highness?!" the man exclaimed, unable to believe his eyes. "Is it truly… you?"
Ye Fan narrowed his eyes. The man addressing the little demoness as "Your Highness," combined with her earlier awakening, made Ye Fan suspect he was starting to understand.
"Your Highness, are you calling me?" the little demoness asked, pointing to herself in bewilderment. "Are you mistaken?"
As the man was about to respond, his expression suddenly shifted. With a whoosh, he shot away and disappeared.
"What a strange person," the little demoness muttered.
"Perhaps you look very similar to someone else, and he mistook you," Ye Fan replied casually, his gaze thoughtfully following the direction the man had flown.
A quarter of an hour later, several more cultivators flew over. Judging by the style of their robes and the emblems on their chests, they belonged to the same sect.
"Excuse me, could you tell us," one of them asked politely after landing, "if you've seen this person?" As he spoke, he produced a jade stone and infused it with a bit of true energy. Instantly, a spectral image of the hooded man appeared.
"We did see someone wrapped up very tightly," Ye Fan said, pointing in a certain direction. "He flew off that way."
"Thank you!" the group said courteously before pursuing in the direction Ye Fan indicated.
"Why did you lie to them?" the little demoness asked curiously once the others were out of sight. "Do you know that strange man?"
"It's nothing," Ye Fan replied. "Perhaps I just didn't like the look of those fellows."
"Oh," the little demoness nodded, asking no further questions. She didn't really care what the two groups were about, or why Ye Fan had lied. If Ye Fan was happy, then in her eyes, it was the right thing to do! The little demoness's logic was simple and straightforward!
At that moment, the fishing rod twitched! Ye Fan's eyes lit up, and he quickly reeled it in.
A few seconds later, seeing the bloomers Ye Fan had caught, the little demoness burst into uncontrollable laughter.
"Hahahaha!"
Ye Fan's face immediately turned grim…
…
Three months later.
The Yunhua Empire.
The Wugui Sect.
The sect leader's return caught the disciples off guard. Hadn't the sect leader gone out with many elders and elite disciples? How was it that only a few people had returned? And who were the man and woman with them? They had never seen them before.
Despite their curiosity, they dared not ask. Upon arriving at the main hall, Xu Wugui personally arranged the best rooms for Ye Fan and the little demoness.
Xu Wugui was one of the captives. "Young master, young lady, the accommodations are simple, please forgive us," Xu Wugui said solicitously. "Tomorrow morning, I will escort you."
On the way, Ye Fan had instructed him that he and the little demoness would pose as Wugui Sect disciples and accompany Xu Wugui to deliver keys to the major sects. Xu Wugui, naturally, dared not refuse and readily agreed. He was, after all, terrified.
His experience in the Daliang Imperial Palace was a nightmare he didn't wish to repeat. On the journey back, the little demoness had casually unsealed his cultivation. This made him deeply realize that the little demoness was far more than just a Nascent Soul realm cultivator! If she could easily break his seal, taking his life would be trivial. For such a formidable being, he could only try his best to serve her comfortably… Moreover, Ye Fan hadn't made any excessive demands, which made him feel immensely fortunate. He had decided that after escorting this "great Buddha" tomorrow, he would no longer involve himself in this matter! After this ordeal, he was thoroughly scared… No matter how good a fortune, it wasn't worth his life!
The next morning.
After breakfast, the group set off again. Ye Fan and the little demoness changed into Wugui Sect disciple robes and blended in with some genuine disciples. The other disciples were quite curious about their identities. Xu Wugui claimed they were new disciples he had taken on during his travels, but they remained skeptical. In their opinion, the little demoness had low cultivation and ordinary talent. As for Ye Fan, he was a complete novice who hadn't even joined the sect. How could the sect leader possibly favor such individuals? Could they be… the sect leader's illegitimate children…?
…
It had to be said, the Yunhua Empire was truly vast. Ye Fan and his companions flew for over a month before reaching the imperial city region. This was only because the Wugui Sect was not too far from the imperial city. If they had been in a border region, it would likely have taken over half a year! Compared to the Yunhua Empire's territory, the Daliang Empire was like a mere village…
East of the imperial city.
The Yunhua Sect.
The fact that a sect could be named after the empire spoke volumes about its supreme status. In fact, the Yunhua Sect was the premier sect of the Yunhua Empire! They had discovered the ruins and were leading the search for the keys.
Today, the Yunhua Sect was exceptionally lively, with a constant stream of guests arriving. It was the Yunhua Sect leader's birthday! The birthday of the leader of the premier sect was undoubtedly a paramount event for the entire nation! Even the current Fifth Prince, Yin Feng, had personally come with gifts to offer his felicitations. A prince was almost equivalent to an emperor, only lacking the coronation ceremony.
Yunhua Hall.
"I recall the last time we met, you were at the eighth layer of Soul Transformation," said True Person Yunhua, looking affectionately at the Fifth Prince. "To think that in just a hundred years, you've broken through to the ninth layer. Excellent, excellent." True Person Yunhua and the Fifth Prince were not entirely strangers: the Fifth Prince's master was one of his disciples, making him the Fifth Prince's grand-master. Curiously, the Yunhua Emperor's master was True Person Yunhua's grand-disciple… This was primarily because the Fifth Prince's master, seeing his exceptional talent, had insisted on taking him as a disciple. Both True Person Yunhua and the Emperor found it rather awkward: wasn't this messing up the hierarchy? But because the Fifth Prince's master was rather unreliable, he had ultimately accepted the disciple… In that case, the Yunhua Emperor would have to address the Fifth Prince as "Martial Uncle"…
"Grand-uncle, do you only have eyes for your beloved grand-disciple?" asked the Seventh Princess, playfully grabbing True Person Yunhua's arm. "You're so biased."
"There's no one I could forget more readily than our dear Ying'er," True Person Yunhua said, affectionately stroking Yin Yingying's head. "Ying'er is also growing more beautiful."
At this moment, the Great Elder entered, cupping his fists. "Sect Leader, all guests have arrived and are waiting for you."
"Let's go, I must deal with these fellows," True Person Yunhua said with a sigh. "Every hundred years, they have to bother me like this, honestly…"
"Martial Grand-uncle, are you still troubled by that matter?" the Fifth Prince inquired. "I heard that people from two minor sects seem to have found new clues and have already set off to search."
True Person Yunhua shook his head and said no more. Every few days, someone would excitedly claim to have discovered a clue, only for it to turn out to be a futile effort. That ruin had existed for too long, so long that even the cultivation powers of neighboring countries were becoming restless. In short, the longer it was delayed, the more variables there would be!