Qin Yao’s figure could only be described as “breathtaking”—her beautiful body curved in all the right places, as though heaven itself had carefully sculpted a rare treasure. She stepped forward lightly, swaying like a willow, a vision of a thousand charms and a hundred graces.

Her smile was enough to bewitch the soul. Her hair was a dark, brilliant black, and her skin was pale as jade—smooth and delicate. Her eyes carried a seductive pull, and her vivid red lips were remarkably alluring, with a presence capable of overturning the world.

Yet Ye Fan sensed that something was very wrong. He felt a wave of killing intent and hurried to explain: “Don’t listen to him—he’s got a big mouth!”

Tu Fei was being chased by the big black dog in an embarrassingly frantic flight and was already quite far away, yet still called back to defend himself: “But you’re the one who said it!”

“Tu Big-Mouth, you are absolutely asking to be beaten—serves you right to have a dog chasing you!” Ye Fan fumed.

“What did I do wrong? Everything I said was completely true!” Tu Fei argued.

“Damn it—kid, you’re insulting this Emperor! What do you mean, ‘chased by a dog’?!” The big black dog erupted in indignation.

“I have nothing more to say to either of you!” Ye Fan turned away in frustration and spoke to Qin Yao with an awkward smile: “That’s an unreliable fellow who talks pure nonsense. You can completely ignore him.”

Qin Yao’s gauzy skirt trailed along the ground, doing nothing to conceal her striking figure, as she glided lightly forward. One jade hand rested on his shoulder, and her red lips parted softly: “What is this ‘sparring’ you supposedly spoke of?!”

Her words were still somewhat gentle in tone, and her rosy face was fresh and dewy, her eyes alluring—yet one could sense a storm silently brewing beneath that calm surface.

“Nothing of the sort happened—that fellow was grasping at shadows and talking complete nonsense.”

“Without cause or reason, why would he say such things?!” Qin Yao was already gritting her teeth, her arm tensing, slender fingers digging into his shoulder.

——

In the distance, Tu Fei had leapt up into the sky. The big black dog had mounted its jade vessel and was in relentless pursuit.

Thud!

Suddenly, the two of them—one person, one dog—both came to a halt. A thunderous crash rang out from behind them, as that mountain peak shuddered violently. Ye Fan shot straight up into the sky in rapid flight, while Qin Yao’s dark hair streamed behind her, white robes billowing, as she gave furious chase.

“What’s going on with you, Little Ye? Why are you running?” Tu Fei called out.

“Because of you!” Ye Fan wanted to slap him, but suppressed the urge and said: “Get out of here—we need to leave this small world right now.”

With that, he became a wisp of shadow, blazing like the wind, charging toward the exit of this pocket realm. Behind him, Qin Yao’s beautiful eyes flashed with a sharp, electric brilliance as she followed like his own shadow.

“Wait—don’t run so fast!” Tu Fei shouted.

“That kid must have gotten himself into serious trouble—I’ve never seen him flee this miserably before,” the big black dog concluded.

The old madman’s footwork technique was divinely unparalleled—comparable in speed to the Great Peng at full sprint. Ye Fan pushed it to its absolute limit and reached the exit of the pocket realm in no time.

Unfortunately, the demon clan members there refused to let him pass, blocking him as though guarding against a thief. They didn’t strike, but simply would not let him leave.

“Older Sister Qin Yao—what happened?” A golden figure shot forward from nearby. The demon clan girl Jin Yan fluttered like a butterfly in her golden feathered robe, arriving swiftly.

“Nothing!” Qin Yao answered composedly—clearly not wanting to make a scene.

“What did you do?” The demon clan girl regarded Ye Fan with intense hostility.

Ye Fan had no desire to get entangled with her and said: “Nothing at all. I’ve been a guest here for a while now, and I thought it time to leave. Fairy Qin is here to see me off.”

“You’re really leaving?” Jin Yan desperately wanted him gone. At these words she immediately called out to some nearby guards: “Let him through—we don’t keep idlers here.”

Qin Yao remained serene and said: “No. He can’t leave yet.”

“Why not?” Jin Yan was puzzled.

“I know why,” the big-mouthed Tu Fei announced, having just arrived. “Fairy Qin and Little Ye were sparring—brought the entire palace crashing down in the process. She got the worse of it and wants to settle the score.”

“Could you please not speak? Nobody thinks you’re a mute!” Ye Fan wanted to strangle him.

At that moment, Qin Yao’s dark hair swirled lightly. A blush spread across her entire face, her beautiful eyes flew wide open, and she had an overwhelming urge to commit violence. Her pearlescent teeth clenched hard—she could no longer maintain her composure.

Jin Yan simply refused to believe it and snapped at Tu Fei: “What nonsense are you talking about? Older Sister Qin Yao has nearly stepped into the Four Extremes realm—how could she lose to him?”

“I saw it with my own eyes—believe me or not, go look for yourself. That entire palace is rubble now. Even buried this dead dog alive underneath it—nearly suffocated him,” Tu Fei replied.

“Woof!” The big black dog lunged at him.

“How is that possible? Older Sister Qin Yao, is it true? You lost to someone at the second level of the Dao Palace?” Jin Yan was incredulous, an expression of utter disbelief crossing her face.

“Naturally—they battled the whole night, and in the end the Desolate Holy Body emerged victorious.” Tu Fei had clearly sensed the extraordinary nature of the situation and was now stirring things up with abandon.

“Older Sister Qin Yao, challenge him again—I don’t believe you can’t beat him,” Jin Yan said.

“Little Ye, a man should be magnanimous—be gentle and cherish her. It’s just one loss,” Tu Fei added in support.

Ye Fan: “……”

Qin Yao’s face blazed crimson. She was on the verge of losing all composure, her jade fingers pressed so tightly together they had turned white.

“How about we just leave it at that? Fairy Qin, you’re a magnanimous person—it was just one loss. There’ll be time to spar with Little Ye again someday. He and I really do need to leave now.” Tu Fei attempted to play peacemaker.

“No—you two aren’t leaving just yet!” Qin Yao said sharply.

“That’s right—not until we’ve had a proper fight,” Jin Yan added, very much wanting to see Ye Fan defeated.

Ye Fan said quietly: “Fairy Qin, let’s spar another time. I really must be going.”

“Another time to spar… drop dead!” Qin Yao finally snapped—the mere mention of “sparring” inevitably dragged her mind back to the sultry events of deep in the night.

She raised her jade hand and unleashed a five-colored curtain of light, sweeping it down toward Ye Fan.

“What’s going on…” Tu Fei yelped.

“If not for your reckless blabbering, none of this would have happened!” Ye Fan shoved Tu Fei out of the way and shot skyward.

Qin Yao was a fifth-level Dao Palace cultivator—immensely powerful, her techniques astonishing. Ye Fan was merely at the second level of the Dao Palace; without fighting for his life, there was simply no hope of stopping her. The outcome was not even in question.

Yet he couldn’t fight Qin Yao to the death—he could only flee.

“Stop right there—don’t run!” Jin Yan cried out sharply.

Qin Yao gave no words, only chase—her long skirt billowing as she glided like an immortal across the water, heartbreakingly beautiful.

“Fairy Qin—ask the others to stand back. Just the two of us, somewhere private, so I can explain.” Ye Fan wanted to speak with her alone.

But those words landed very differently in Qin Yao’s ears. Her teeth ground together in fury. “You shameless scoundrel—you’ve already had your advantage and now you play the innocent. Today I’m going to skin you alive!”

“This is a complete misunderstanding. I truly didn’t say anything improper—it was all that big-mouthed fool speculating and making things up.” Ye Fan sent her a voice transmission, not wanting her to deepen the misunderstanding further.

Jin Yan’s golden feathered robe shimmered with flowing radiance as a look of doubt crossed her face. “Older Sister Qin Yao, could there be some other reason behind this?”

“There isn’t!” Qin Yao fluttered like an immortal butterfly, her figure graceful and captivating, as she continued her pursuit.

“Little Ye, why don’t you go and spar with Fairy Qin Yao one more time? Let her get it out of her system, and then we can leave,” Tu Fei transmitted from behind.

“Would you please shut your mouth entirely?!” Ye Fan couldn’t help cursing him out: “I @#¥$*&…”

“Little Ye, I’m doing this for your own good.”

Qin Yao’s jade body trembled with fury as she accelerated the chase. If she couldn’t catch Ye Fan soon, she was going to take her frustrations out on Tu Fei.

But in the end, Ye Fan vanished deep within the pocket world at an absolute superior speed, leaving the others behind.

Half a day later, the big black dog used its keen nose to track him down—and conveniently dragged Tu Fei along as well.

“Tu Big-Mouth, I want to beat you senseless!” Ye Fan’s expression was far from friendly.

“This Emperor can’t stand the look of him either—let’s just bury him alive,” the big black dog growled.

“Don’t be so hot-headed. What in the world did you do wrong in a past life to deserve this?” Tu Fei asked.

“Nothing would have happened if not for your wild blabbering,” Ye Fan said through clenched teeth.

“What was so wrong with what I said?” Tu Fei pondered for a moment, then let out a startled yelp: “Don’t tell me—was it a night’s mischief? You two… heavens above, you beast!”

The three of them crept quietly, attempting to sneak out—but the exit of the pocket world was heavily guarded, and they didn’t dare force their way through.

“They don’t seem to have any intent to attack us. I think you need to visit Qin Yao in person and let her vent before they’ll let us go,” Tu Fei suggested.

This pocket realm was a scenic wonder—its mountains rolling like coiling dragons, its lakes dotting the landscape like scattered jewels, the vegetation fresh and vibrant, spiritual energy thick in the air.

Ye Fan and the others landed on a mountain peak—the cultivation ground of the demon clan girl Jin Yan. They hoped to leave the pocket world through her.

“It’s you! You’ve got some nerve, showing up here!” Jin Yan said with a cold smile.

“Little lass, no need for such hostility. You wanted me gone as soon as possible, didn’t you? Well, the opportunity is right in front of you—send me on my way.”

Jin Yan smiled coldly and sneered: “A toad lusting after swan meat—and now that you’ve failed, you want to slink off in shame?”

Ye Fan had no desire to argue and said: “Since you don’t want me here, just send me out.”

“I’ve changed my mind. Older Sister Qin Yao wants to deal with you—I think it’s necessary to capture you and deliver you to her.”

Several beams of golden light shot into the sky, flying toward a distant peak—she had sent out a signal.

Before long, three surges of demon energy rose from the beautiful rolling hills in the distance, converging toward them.

Bai Feng—white robes and feathered fan, the picture of unworldly refinement, an air of transcendence about him.

Jin Yu—a golden cultivator’s robe blazing brilliantly, an overbearing presence, his eyes opening and closing with lightning-like flashes.

Ku Zhu—clad in a green robe, exuding a natural energy, fresh and unadorned.

“Brother Bai Feng, Brother Jin Yu, Brother Ku Zhu—apprehend this Desolate Holy Body. He has offended Older Sister Qin Yao,” Jin Yan said. “If you capture him and bring him to her, Older Sister Qin Yao will certainly be very pleased.”

These three were all fifth-level Dao Palace geniuses who could break into the Four Extremes realm at any time. Under ordinary circumstances, they would not have bothered to intervene for someone else’s sake.

But Ye Fan was different. He carried the Myriad Things Mother Qi Source Root on his person. Though they had not shown it openly, they had been eyeing it all along.

Now that a convenient pretext to act had presented itself, there was naturally no reason to hold back with false pride—and their feelings for Qin Yao provided an additional incentive. It was, as they saw it, a win on two fronts.

“Brother Ye Fan, you should surrender quietly—let’s not make things ugly.”

“Brother Ye Fan, rest assured—we will exercise restraint. We have no intention of taking your life.”

Their words carried no obvious killing intent, yet had they truly made their move, it would have been an entirely different story. Had any of their strikes landed on Ye Fan, his spirit and mind would have been utterly annihilated.

Tu Fei and the big black dog moved to help, but Ye Fan turned and walked away. This was demon clan territory—an all-out battle would put them at a severe disadvantage.

“I’ll go find Qingyi!” Tu Fei called out.

“No need—I’ll go to Qin Yao myself.” Ye Fan shook his head. He flew directly toward Qin Yao’s cultivation ground.

Behind him, Jin Yan, Bai Feng, Jin Yu, and Ku Zhu gave relentless pursuit, killing intent surging and churning through the air.

This was a place of rare beauty—strange flowers and exotic herbs carpeted the ground, bees and butterflies danced, and a stone arch bridge curved gracefully over a meandering stream.

It was now evening. The great sun had sunk in the west, and rosy clouds had stained the mountaintops red, making this place even more beautiful.

Alerted by the commotion, Qin Yao floated out like a water-treading immortal, her figure proudly alluring. She looked at Ye Fan and said, “You dare come here…”

“Indeed—I want to talk.” Ye Fan walked straight inside, entering the palace halls.

Jin Yan and the others descended and arrived as well.

“All of you—go back. This isn’t a big deal. I’ll handle it myself.” Qin Yao swept them with a glance.

“Very well…” Bai Feng nodded. Ku Zhu and Jin Yu had little else to say either.

Only Jin Yan was reluctant, but even she could not force her way in, and left with a displeased expression.

“They’re not going to actually come to blows in there, are they?” Tu Fei murmured to himself.

“It’s fine—that kid’s tough as nails. You can’t kill him,” said the big black dog, unconcerned.

Not long afterward, the sounds of fierce combat rang out from within the palace and lasted for a very long time before subsiding.

Yet Tu Fei waited outside and saw no sign of Ye Fan emerging. Growing anxious, he said: “It can’t have really turned into a life-or-death battle in there, can it?”

Just then, Ye Fan’s voice transmission reached them: “You two head back first—I’ll find you later.”

“Alright—we’ll wait for you at the exit of the pocket world,” Tu Fei said. He and the big black dog flew off at once.

Yet they waited and waited, and Ye Fan did not appear.

“What the hell—why isn’t that kid coming back?” The Black Emperor was thoroughly displeased, for the sky had gone completely dark. Clearly, they would not be leaving today.

“This beast!” Tu Fei also cursed.

They waited the entire night, and still Ye Fan did not appear—not until the second day, when the sky brightened and the great sun rose slowly from the east.

“What if something went wrong? This is demon clan territory, and he carries the Myriad Things Mother Qi Source Root—a lot of people want to get their hands on him,” the Black Emperor said.

“Come on—let’s go check,” Tu Fei said, also feeling something was off.

When they arrived again at Qin Yao’s residence, a thunderous boom rang out—the entire palace collapsed in an instant. The big black dog, who had just charged in, was buried alive right on the spot.

“Damn it all—I’m completely sober today, and this is absolutely not an earthquake!” The big black dog cursed furiously as it laboriously burrowed out from the rubble.

Tu Fei was also covered in dust and ash, having been buried underneath as well, and crawled out uttering a continuous string of curses.

In that moment, the great fireball had just risen. Ye Fan stood bathed in rosy morning light, gleaming with golden brilliance, and said: “Let’s go—we need to leave quickly.”

This time, they left the pocket world without issue. Even after they had traveled quite a distance, Tu Fei was still cursing: “You beast…”

“Your mind is a gutter—nothing happened. You’re the one letting your imagination run wild,” Ye Fan retorted.

“You beast—don’t come with me to Yaochi. I’m afraid of the trouble you’ll cause…”

“Tu Big-Mouth—stop slandering me!” Ye Fan snapped.