Meanwhile, high in the sky, Ye Ling kept throwing punches while muttering under his breath.
"You call yourself a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator?"
"Your True Essence is loose, your Divine Sense is a mess. What gives you the right to show off in front of me?"
"I've never seen such a pathetic Nascent Soul Stage cultivator!"
...
"Say something! Don't think foaming at the mouth means you can play dead!"
"Aren't you Nascent Soul Stage? Weren't you so capable?"
"You wouldn't listen to Elder Wang and the others, huh?"
"You only dare to bully honest people, is that it?"
...
"Enemy! Damn it, enemy! Fight!"
"So what if that child is a demon? I'm protecting this kid!"
"Even if a Heavenly Venerable came, it wouldn't matter!"
"And you won't even spare a little girl? Are you even human?"
...
"If I don't beat you properly, you won't know your own limits!"
"With this bit of strength, you still have the nerve to embarrass yourself? How did you even get into the Righteous Path Alliance?"
"Useless trash!"
The beating went on for a full ten minutes. Only then did Ye Ling wipe the sweat from his forehead and let Li San, now swollen like a pig's head, drop back down.
To be honest, he hadn't thought about whether it looked impressive. After venting his anger, what came to mind was Emotion Points.
If he'd stayed on the ground, too few people would have seen it. Even if they knew he was beating a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator, they wouldn't know who to direct their emotions at.
But once he dragged Li San into the sky, who could possibly miss it?
Ah, that felt good. Like putting on brand new underwear for the New Year.
Ye Ling landed and struck a rather inexplicable pose. Yet in the eyes of those around him, it carried a strange sense of beauty.
If he had posed like that before beating Li San, no one would have cared.
But after thrashing him so thoroughly, even if he did something ridiculous, it would probably look impressive.
Li San hadn't intended to kill anyone, and Ye Ling had no reason to take his life either. In a civilized world, there were still rules to follow.
Killing him outright would be going too far. There were too many witnesses. This wasn't some lawless wilderness.
"Are you all alright?"
Coming back to himself, Ye Ling turned to Leng Qingqiu and the others.
"We're fine."
Leng Qingqiu shook her head and handed Eve, whom she had been holding, over to Ye Ling.
Her face was pale, her voice lacking strength. Her body was covered in small wounds, and two faint streaks of blood still marked her face.
Yet the Eve in her arms had been protected perfectly and was still sleeping soundly. Mostly because she genuinely couldn't wake up.
Leng Qingqiu hadn't dared to set her aside. Aside from herself, no one present could have guarded Eve.
If things had truly taken a turn for the worse, she would have used her life-saving means.
Besides…
"With the treasured armor your master gave me, I'm not seriously hurt."
Under her clothes, Leng Qingqiu wore the Heavenly Silk Jade Armor gifted by Bai Yiyi.
She couldn't unleash its full miraculous effects, but it was more than enough to block physical attacks.
Even the internal injuries inflicted by Li San had mostly been healed by Ye Ling's restorative Talisman.
The reason she looked weak now was simply because her True Qi and spiritual energy had been heavily depleted, not because of serious wounds.
"Thank you."
Ye Ling's gaze softened as he looked at her.
The more familiar he became with this girl, the more likable she seemed.
She might be a little slow at times, but under his guidance, she had clearly improved.
"I owe you another favor."
One matter was one matter. Although Ye Ling had been capable of protecting Eve himself, being able to sit down and stabilize his Cultivation Level had been far better.
Otherwise, when fighting Li San, he would have had to use Talismans.
He had no intention of exposing his trump cards. Who knew whether there were other enemies nearby? The more he could keep hidden, the better.
So Leng Qingqiu protecting Eve was indeed worth a favor.
"It's what I should have done."
From Leng Qingqiu's perspective, Li San had appeared because of her.
If there had been no conflict between her and Hua Yan, Li San would never have shown up.
She naturally blamed herself for his appearance.
Of course, she wouldn't say that out loud. And as for Ye Ling's so-called favor, she had no intention of accepting it.
"Protecting Eve has clearly gone beyond what you're responsible for."
Ye Ling knew perfectly well why this disaster had happened. It was because of him, because of the Nine Heavens Jade Pendant.
Otherwise, with so many tasks in the world and a plaza as huge as the one in Tianqiong City, how could Leng Qingqiu just happen to run into her old rival at the exact wrong moment?
And Eve, in the end, was also tied to him.
So even if Leng Qingqiu was involved in this mess, the real culprit was still the Nine Heavens Immortal Maiden.
That girl's Calamity-Star Physique was far too terrifying. Even without holding the Nine Heavens Jade Pendant, just being near her was enough to get wrapped up in bad luck.
Otherwise, Ye Ling couldn't explain it. Leng Qingqiu was simply doing a task, and yet she ran into a clingy admirer and then her old rival right after.
When Leng Qingqiu went to the Heavenly Gate Sect to do missions, she was never this unlucky.
But…
"I protected her willingly."
"You silly girl, why are you so stubborn?"
"I said I don't want it, so I don't want it!"
"Oh? Now my stubborn side is coming out too!"
...
Ye Ling and Leng Qingqiu bickered like two people fighting over who gets to pay the bill.
One insisted on owing a favor, the other insisted on refusing it.
If you don't want it, then give it to us!
The bystanders watched, and it practically hurt.
In their eyes, a favor from Ye Ling was already a priceless treasure.
After all, he was only at the Foundation Establishment Stage, yet he could pin a Nascent Soul great expert in the sky and beat him senseless. If Ye Ling ever reached the Nascent Soul Stage himself, wouldn't he take off on the spot?
That favor was more tempting than anything.
...
Off to the side, Elder Wang and the others had originally wanted to say a few words, to get closer and build rapport. After all, this was a terrifying monster of a man who could beat a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator while still in Foundation Establishment.
But once they saw the odd atmosphere between Ye Ling and Leng Qingqiu, they swallowed everything they were about to say.
With their long experience around women, it wasn't hard for them to tell that Leng Qingqiu was putting on an act.
So they quietly retreated, sat down cross-legged, and began recovering.
Of course, Elder Zhang and the other two were downright envious of Elder Wang. Elder Wang had gotten Ye Ling's promise of friendship.
To be honest, Elder Zhang and the others had been furious too. But unlike Elder Wang, they weren't Rogue Cultivators. They had sects behind them.
What they said didn't just represent themselves, it represented their sects as well.
If Li San walked away fine in the end, Elder Wang would be the only one to die for it. But the three of them would drag their sects into it.
So it wasn't that they didn't want to speak. They simply couldn't.
In the end, all they could do was shoot Elder Wang looks full of envy, jealousy, and resentment.
"Enough. Stop talking. It's settled."
Ye Ling finally lost patience. With a casual motion, he drew a Silencing Talisman and slapped it onto Leng Qingqiu's mouth.
This stubborn girl. I'm trying to give you something good, and you're pushing it away?
Do I have no pride at all?
Seriously, leave someone alone for three days and they start climbing onto the roof.
Now she even dares to ignore me.
"Mmmph! Mmph mmph mmph…"
Leng Qingqiu hadn't expected Ye Ling to be this shameless, and her temper flared on the spot.
Unfortunately, with her mouth sealed, it didn't matter what she wanted to say. If anything, her muffled protests only made Ye Ling laugh.
"Alright. Go rest. I'll handle what comes next."
Feeling thoroughly satisfied, Ye Ling shooed Leng Qingqiu aside and carried Eve as he walked toward Hua Yan.
"So she really was hit by the Heavenly Demon Lure?"
Looking at the female cultivator in front of him, her eyes dull and unfocused, a strange, eerie scent seeping from her body, Ye Ling made his judgment.
He'd felt something was off earlier. Cultivators in the Righteous Dao Alliance might tear into each other over benefits and interests, but at the very least they were civilized. Taking things all the way to a public brawl didn't benefit anyone.
That was why he could tell that even though Li San had been furious, he had still held back.
Only Leng Qingqiu, who had injured Li San's Life-bound Flying Sword, had been beaten until she spat blood. Elder Wang and the others had merely been stripped of their ability to fight.
It was obvious Li San hadn't wanted to blow the situation up.
But Hua Yan was different. She had been escalating the conflict the whole time.
The Nine Heavens Jade Pendant could bring calamity, but the calamities it drew always followed logic and cause and effect. It wouldn't create trouble out of thin air for no reason.
So even while Ye Ling was pummeling Li San earlier, he had still kept part of his attention on Hua Yan.
As expected, things hadn't gone beyond his prediction. This was the work of the Demonic Sect.
The Heavenly Demon Lure came from the Heavenly Demon Sect. It was an almost undetectable demonic incense that drew out the darkest desires hidden in a person's heart.
The most terrifying part was that once someone was tainted by this demonic fragrance, they themselves would become its fuel. They would continue releasing the scent into their surroundings until they were burned to ashes.
Hua Yan's True Qi and spiritual power were already completely drained. The demonic incense had begun burning her soul.
Once her soul was consumed, her body would ignite on its own.
Forget it. She didn't deserve to die.
Since Hua Yan hadn't caused any actual casualties, Ye Ling drew a Calming Mind Talisman and temporarily preserved her life.
To be honest, it wasn't mercy. If anything, it was cruel.
Hua Yan's foundation was already ruined. Even if Ye Ling saved her now, at best she would only remain at the Qi Cultivation Level.
Her beauty would fade quickly. She wouldn't have many years left to live.
By saving her at this moment, Ye Ling was essentially condemning her to spend the rest of her life in unending suffering.
"But it should have spread by now."
Ye Ling looked at the fallen battle cultivators and at Li San. Sure enough, they had all been affected by the Heavenly Demon Lure.
With that as confirmation, he finally understood why Elder Wang had been calling for great experts from the Righteous Path Alliance for so long, yet no one had come.
Grandmaster, just look at the trouble you've caused.
After this, no matter what, he was not carrying the Nine Heavens Jade Pendant with him next time.