"Is it really that hard to punch straight through the space of the Immortal Realm?"
Ah… Grandmaster, this isn't a question of hard or not.
That's just impossible, isn't it!?
If someone said the Immortal Realm was striking downward, he could believe that.
But this kind of "lower defying higher" move from the Nine Heavens Immortal Maiden left him completely stunned.
This was way beyond anything he knew.
You can even do that?
At this point, Ye Ling looked like an old man staring blankly at a smartphone.
But to say he didn't believe the Avatar? That was out of the question.
He had already been slapped in the face once by Bai Yiyi. There was no way he was going to let Grandmaster do the same.
"Boring."
The Avatar instantly lost interest at Ye Ling's reaction.
She had been waiting for him to say he didn't believe her so she could throw out proof. Instead, he just fell silent.
How was she supposed to continue?
"Grandmaster, what happened after that?"
Right at that moment, Ye Ling smoothly picked up the thread for her.
He didn't have any hidden agenda. He genuinely just wanted to broaden his horizons.
He had read plenty of Long Aotian stories before, but something this outrageous? First time.
And it was happening right in front of him. This was more than enough material to show off with later.
"Hmph. You've got good instincts."
Pleased, the Avatar went on, "You can probably guess what happened next. Beat the small ones, and the old ones came out."
"But the space of the Cultivation World is too fragile. If they didn't want to blow this world apart, any Immortal descending would have to suppress their strength."
"Of course, they could also try to capture me and drag me into a space they set up themselves."
"But no matter which option they chose, they still weren't my match."
"I cut… fought my way from Mortal Immortal all the way up to Immortal Lord. I finally had some fun for once."
"Normally, my enemies couldn't even last a few moves. There was no enjoyment at all."
"But those Immortals from the upper realm did have some skill. They could last a few hundred exchanges before starting to beg for mercy."
"Unfortunately, that good run only lasted a thousand years. After that, the Immortal Realm stopped sending anyone down. I was bored out of my mind."
She had clearly been holding this in for over a decade. Now that she started, she couldn't stop talking.
Still, Ye Ling felt it was worth it just to hear these secrets. At the very least, he now knew that once he reached the Immortal Realm, he wouldn't be bullied.
More importantly, he wanted to pry a continued cultivation method out of the Avatar.
It was obvious that the Nine Heavens Immortal Maiden had already begun cultivating in the lower realm and arrived in the Immortal Realm at the very top.
He wanted that too. Not to dominate the Immortal Realm, but because he was worried that if he failed to ascend within ten years, things would become awkward.
If he had a method to continue cultivating in the lower realm, at least his cultivation wouldn't stall.
"Grandmaster, what's this method for cultivating in the lower realm?"
Ye Ling asked directly.
"Are you… Oh. So this is what you were waiting for."
The Avatar had been about to expose his thoughts, but suddenly realized that Ye Ling's move was an open scheme.
He had let her talk at length just to pave the way for this question.
If she refused to produce a cultivation method, then everything she said before would sound like empty boasting.
But if she handed it over, she would be walking straight into Ye Ling's trap.
Clever.
Even she had to admit he had played this beautifully.
Of course, she could put on airs as Grandmaster and simply refuse. But that would be utterly humiliating.
Despite acting shameless on the surface, she actually cared about face more than anyone.
At her level, how could she possibly be someone who didn't care about reputation?
If she didn't care about face, would she really have stayed in the Cultivation World for several thousand years before ascending to the Immortal Realm?
Wasn't it all to avoid being suppressed after ascending?
Plenty of people thought the same way. But she was the only one who actually managed to pull it off.
That alone made her position unshakable.
Yet precisely because of these constraints, her options were limited.
Faced with Ye Ling's straightforward open scheme, she had nowhere to retreat.
"Fine."
Since she had fallen into his trap, she could only accept it.
"I'll tell you the method."
Before Ye Ling could even show his excitement, an incomparably profound spell formula was imprinted directly into his Sea of Consciousness.
"Your Sea of Consciousness is still too fragile. Not only can you not comprehend this method, you can't even contain it. So I've sealed it inside for now. When you reach the Great Ascension Stage, you'll naturally recall it."
"Many thanks, Grandmaster, for bestowing the method!"
"You've got it easy. I didn't even teach this to Yiyi and the others."
After all, the Nine Heavens Immortal Maiden wanted her disciples to ascend as soon as possible to reunite with her. Naturally, she would not pass on this method to them.
"But remember, you still only have ten years."
"Uh…"
"If you don't come up, I'll personally go down and drag you back."
"Understood, Grandmaster."
Ye Ling had only just started celebrating when the Avatar's threat instantly crushed his spirits.
"Alright. Go deal with what's happening outside."
After venting to her heart's content, the Avatar finally seemed satisfied. But just before leaving, she added another reminder:
"Remember! Remember! You must not tell Yiyi and the others that I'm conscious…"
"I'm keeping a record of all their embarrassing moments so I can laugh at them properly once they come up!"
Only after her final words faded did the pressure on Ye Ling's spiritual sense finally ease. Being stared at like prey by a natural predator was truly unbearable.
He would rather get rammed a hundred times by the Young's Crimson Giant form than talk to this Avatar again.
It was exhausting.
As soon as he got back, he was returning those two jade pendants.
He couldn't handle it. He really couldn't.
Still, this rare opportunity had let Ye Ling truly understand what kind of existence the Nine Heavens Immortal Maiden was.
He had once thought Ai Yueli's description of her was exaggerated.
Now it seemed Ai Yueli had only described her good side. As for her terrible side… she probably hadn't dared mention it.
In any case, Ye Ling had just experienced what a real "surprise" was.
Wait. How far had things progressed outside?
When Ye Ling opened his eyes, he found the Four Elders lying flat on the ground.
???
What was going on?
Hadn't they just been blocking his way all arrogantly? How had they all been knocked down in the blink of an eye?
And if you're going to fall, at least know how to extort someone!
Four Elders, hurry and activate your extortion skill!
One elderly fall is worth ten thousand taels of gold. If you don't shout now, you're taking a huge loss.
Ye Ling shook his head, brushing off the ridiculous thought. As he stood up, he realized the battle had grown so intense that no one had even noticed the "protected" person had already walked to the edge of the battlefield.
At the center, Leng Qingqiu was barely holding on.
And her opponent was—
A Nascent Soul Stage cultivator!?
Ye Ling's eyes widened.
Wasn't this the same Leng Qingqiu he had casually defeated before?
She could actually fight a Nascent Soul cultivator?
For a moment, he couldn't make sense of it.
In his mind, Leng Qingqiu had always been pretty weak.
Yet now the Four Elders were all down, and she was still standing—though it looked like she wouldn't last much longer.
Ye Ling glanced around and noticed a Golden Core Stage cultivator lying on the Nascent Soul cultivator's side.
What surprised him was that this Golden Core cultivator appeared to have been injured by that Nascent Soul cultivator.
What was this?
Infighting?
His attention had been split by the Avatar, so Ye Ling couldn't immediately piece things together.
But when he spotted the female cultivator named Hua Yan, he began to understand.
Hua Yan stood there with a proud expression, looking at the Nascent Soul cultivator as if he were her backing.
No—he clearly was her backing.
"Pfft!"
Just as Ye Ling finished analyzing the situation, Leng Qingqiu finally gave out.
Her Void Sword shattered completely under the Nascent Soul cultivator's attack, and she spat out a mouthful of dark blood.
"Leng Qingqiu, hand over the demon and admit your guilt!"
The Nascent Soul cultivator didn't look much better. His face was icy as he stared at her.
"You've bewitched numerous cultivators. I will report your crimes to the Alliance!"
Earlier, in a moment of carelessness, his life-bound flying sword had been damaged by Leng Qingqiu.
At first, he had only intended to teach her a lesson.
Now, he genuinely wanted her dead.
Unfortunately, he was a cultivator of the Righteous Path Alliance—and a Grand Deacon at that. He couldn't act as recklessly as he once had.
If this were back when he had been a rogue cultivator, he might have even captured Leng Qingqiu and taken her back as a cauldron.
"Li San, don't you dare slander her!"
Elder Wang forced himself upright, pointing at the Nascent Soul cultivator without fear.
"I told you already. Once Fellow Daoist Ye wakes up, everything will be made clear. Yet you dared to sneak attack us examiners. Even if it costs me my life, I'll drag you down from your position as Grand Deacon!"
An organization as large as the Righteous Path Alliance naturally had both good and bad elements, its interests tangled in a complex web.
Li San had his own faction backing him.
Elder Wang, though a Golden Core cultivator and a Talisman Master, was ultimately a rogue cultivator.
Even after joining the Righteous Path Alliance, he had never formed alliances because of his role as an examiner. He still stood alone.
To remove a Grand Deacon like Li San, he would have to be prepared to stake his life.
But—
"Elder Wang, I acknowledge you as a friend."
Ye Ling stepped forward.
He drew out the Examiner's Judgement Brush and casually sketched several healing talismans in midair. They shot into the bodies of Leng Qingqiu and the Four Elders.
"Fellow Daoist Ye…"
Elder Wang stared at him in shock. With just a single talisman, Ye Ling had already healed most of his injuries.
Even so, he quickly called out,
"Don't act impulsively! I've already sent a signal to headquarters. Powerful figures from the Righteous Path Alliance will arrive soon to judge the matter."
"Don't push yourself!"
Leng Qingqiu also stood up and tried to stop him.
She could tell something was off in Ye Ling's expression and was afraid he might act rashly.
But—
"There's no need for judgment."
Ye Ling shook his head and walked toward Li San, his expression calm and resolute.
"No one has the authority to judge how a disciple of the Heavenly Gate Sect conducts himself."