The white sandy beach, the blue ocean waters, the gentle sea breeze, coupled with one curvaceous beauty after another strolling past — it was naturally a sight that put one’s heart and soul at ease.

Ye Fan felt a surreal sensation wash over him. This was the other end of the cosmic starry sky, yet it gave him the illusion of standing on a beautiful Earth coastline, making him almost doubt whether it was real.

However, there was no time to indulge in such thoughts now. Trouble had arrived. Qi Meng stood before him, pert and poised — cool little shorts, a snug fitted top, her pale crystalline figure radiant, her hair soft and lustrous like condensed starlight, her large eyes bright and lively as she ground her teeth at him.

“Miss, do I really have that much charm? Was it worth tracking me across ten thousand li? You truly flatter me beyond measure,” Ye Fan said lazily, lying on the beach.

Someone of Qi Meng’s status and standing was accustomed to refined, respectful young talents. A careless, improper fellow like this was genuinely a rare sight.

“Thief!” she finally spat out those two words, with a hint of a mischievous little devil’s smile.

Ye Fan rubbed his chin. Those two words did carry a certain sting. He had roamed freely across the world for so many years, known throughout this star domain as the Undying Golden Body — yet now he had been branded a thief. What a humiliation.

“You came here alone. Isn’t that like a little white lamb walking straight into a lion’s den? Aren’t you afraid I’ll abduct you?” Ye Fan said with a grin.

Qi Meng shot him a wary glance, her little snow-white feet lightly shifting as she backed away a few steps, looking every bit like someone guarding against a wolf or a scoundrel. She murmured softly, “You’re right… thieves are rarely decent people.”

Ye Fan was speechless. This girl was clearly not afraid of him at all — everything she said was plainly meant to needle him. If she were truly frightened, she would never have shown herself.

Qi Meng blinked her large eyes playfully and said, “I’ve already captured your spiritual soul fluctuation using a special mystical forbidden artifact. I can upload it to the cosmic network at any time. When that happens, the entire Eternal Realm will have a warrant out for you — changing your appearance won’t help.”

“I’m not from this star domain anyway. If it really comes to that, I’ll just pat myself off and leave. No big deal,” Ye Fan replied with an air of indifference. Then, he made a menacing threat: “Before I go, I’ll take you — the most dazzling immortal jewel of this place — with me. I believe there are plenty of pot-bellied old uncles or balding middle-aged men who’d fancy your type. You’d fetch a fine price. And if they knew your true identity, they might get even more excited — enough to trade for an Ancient Saint Mecha, perhaps.”

“Drop dead!” Qi Meng was furious, nearly flying at him with claws and teeth bared.

“In front of this sapphire sea, this blue sky, and this sandy shore, watching the most beautiful woman in this star domain dance about — truly, it is a most pleasing sight,” Ye Fan said contentedly, pulling a divine cherry from a fruit basket, biting in to let its fragrant juices flood his mouth, watching her with serene satisfaction.

“Are you really an ascetic cultivator? I’m starting to think you were raised in a den of scoundrels,” Qi Meng said, blinking her large eyes with genuine suspicion.

“And what do you think an ascetic cultivator should look like?” Ye Fan naturally knew she was mocking him. This girl looked pure and delicate, but her tongue showed no mercy.

Qi Meng tilted her head and thought seriously for a moment. “An ascetic cultivator should walk barefoot through frozen tundra or rivers of lava without furrowing a brow — tempering their will through hardship, forging forward alone through suffering, stern and disciplined, never cracking a smile. They absolutely cannot be thieves.”

“You’re insulting me again in a roundabout way, aren’t you?” Ye Fan found her lively and rather amusing.

“I’m not insulting you. Just give me back the mecha. You can’t pilot it anyway — it won’t function for you. Our clan’s brand mark is inside,” Qi Meng said.

Ye Fan had already anticipated this. That was precisely how she had tracked him down so swiftly. This Ancient Saint Mecha was mysterious and complex, already spiritually awakened, and bore an inseparable connection to the Qi Family.

“Ha. A war machine of an Ancient Saint — I can take my time refining it, strip out the brand mark… and on top of that, you delivered yourself to my doorstep. If I don’t accept such a generous gift, heaven itself would object.” Ye Fan rose to his feet, looking every inch the villain.

“Please. I’m not afraid of you. On Celestial Feather Star, if you dare act recklessly, I’m sure you won’t be able to leave,” Qi Meng said, wrinkling her nose.

“All right, tell me — what do you actually want from me?” Ye Fan flat out refused to return the mecha.

“I came to get back the Ancient Saint battle formation equipment. You’re so shameless,” Qi Meng muttered, then furrowed her brow in thought. “Fine, you don’t have to return it — but you’ll need to show some genuine sincerity. My great-uncle wants to meet you.”

“Surely not — meeting the family this quickly? You’re rather impatient. We’ve barely known each other,” Ye Fan laughed heartily.

Qi Meng glared at him, waved her delicate little fist, then made a throat-slitting gesture as a warning.

“My great-uncle is sincerely inviting you, with no ulterior motive whatsoever — he simply admires your combat strength,” Qi Meng said earnestly.

Ye Fan frowned. After what had happened with the Brahma Clan, he had no desire to become entangled with any major power. This was a brutal and realistic world — there were no causeless kindnesses or hatreds. Once one stepped into such affairs, karma would never cease.

“How about this — a private talk between us, no visiting your clan’s territory.” Qi Meng conceded a step.

Ye Fan swept his gaze toward the distance. Dozens of powerful experts lay concealed there — all of them had followed Qi Meng here, which was precisely why she dared approach the Undying Golden Body so openly.

“Your perception is truly frightening. From that distance, even with ancient Dao runes masking their auras, you could still detect them,” Qi Meng said, astonished. She gestured for those in the distance to withdraw, as a show of sincerity.

Ye Fan said nothing. He considered it carefully, then fell into step alongside Qi Meng. Together they walked forward into a grove of coconut palms where spirit springs trickled and a stretch of splendid architecture gleamed. An elderly man had already been waiting for some time inside a stone pavilion.

This was Qi Meng’s great-uncle — a leading figure of the Celestial Feather Qi Family, who had come in person to invite him to join as a first-rank guest elder, a position of extraordinary standing.

Ye Fan naturally had no wish to join. He had no interest in such things. What he had come to this ancient star for was the evolutionary fluid. Serving anyone was meaningless.

At the same time, he had reason to believe that the other party knew he possessed the Undying Golden Body physique, and he could not rule out that they harbored the same intentions as the Brahma Clan — wanting to exploit him.

Qi Kun said, “Young friend, please be at ease. We would never be as ruthless as the Brahma Clan. More than your golden blood, we admire your talent and potential, and believe you will become a peerless ascetic cultivator.”

Ye Fan smiled and shook his head. “Do I have any reason to join the Qi Family?”

His implication was clear: what benefit was there for him? What meaning would joining hold? Remaining free and unbound was far better.

“I know what you’re after — the higher-tier evolutionary fluid. I’m sure you’ve already felt its allure — it can save you decades, even a century of arduous cultivation and allow you to advance a full stage with ease. You should know that in this star domain, only the absolute top-tier powers can refine the most potent evolutionary liquid, because the materials required are divine minerals of ancient rarity. Our Qi Family is close to succeeding. Were it not for Heaven’s Court seizing the Destiny Rock, the divine liquid would already be flowing freely. And now, we’ve discovered another ancient star bearing extensive traces left by ancient divine beings, and we believe the materials will be assembled soon. In the not-too-distant future, the fourth-stage evolutionary fluid — unseen for thousands of years — should reappear in the world.”

Qi Kun was persuasive. He laid out the stakes directly, letting Ye Fan weigh and choose for himself. Here was precisely what he needed most!

The fourth-stage evolutionary fluid — truly an overwhelmingly powerful temptation. How could Ye Fan not be moved? This was the very reason he had come.

And yet, he had no desire to walk into danger. This clan undoubtedly harbored an Ancient Saint. Before he had successfully crossed his tribulation and risen to the next level, he had no wish to provoke them.

“Just by joining, I’ll receive the fourth-stage evolutionary fluid?” Ye Fan was skeptical.

“Of course not. The materials we need are located in a peculiar place. Obtaining them poses certain difficulties — we need a powerful ascetic cultivator like you to help us retrieve them,” Qi Kun said with a smile.

“I’ll think it over,” Ye Fan said. He had no intention of joining. There was no free lunch — retrieving divine minerals from such a place would likely cost lives.

“I would never force anyone. Take it seriously and mull it over,” Qi Kun said, handing him a jade crystal disk and telling him that if he changed his mind, he only needed to crush it and Qi Kun would come at once.

“Hey — take good care of my Ancient Saint mecha. Don’t let it fall into terrible shape,” Qi Meng reminded him, making no attempt to take it back. She left together with Qi Kun.

Celestial Feather Star was a cradle of life — like Primordial Demon Star and Divine Soil Star — not particularly vast, together with them guarding the Eternal Central Star Domain in the middle.

The Qi Family, known as the Celestial Feather Clan, were, if not the absolute number one power on this ancient star, very nearly so. No one dared cross them. Tens of thousands of years ago, their clan had produced a Supreme Celestial Physique that swept through the Eternal Realm undefeated, astonishing past and present alike.

It was precisely for this reason that the star was named after that clan.

The Brahma Clan had produced the Brahma Battle Physique, equally shocking through the ages — and even now active throughout this star domain — yet they could not claim naming rights over any star, for they came from the Eternal Main Star.

That main star was too vast. Too many terrifying individuals had been born from it. No single clan could fully dominate it. Many kings coexisted — sweeping and magnificent, much like the Northern Dipper Star Domain.

The Celestial Feather Clan’s territory lay within a great wilderness, home to many suspended divine islands — a forbidden zone that none dared trespass.

“My elder brother worries too much. Why not simply capture that boy? I’ve heard the Brahma Clan nourished his flesh with evolutionary fluid, and it’s already ‘fattened up’ — they can extract golden divine blood from him. This is a priceless gift. Why not make a move?” On one divine island, a middle-aged man with cold, sharp eyes sat on a stone chair facing the swirling mist ahead, where a waterfall plunged and roared, cascading down onto the floating island far below — a magnificent sight.

Qi Kun’s expression darkened. “If you dare act rashly, don’t blame me for disregarding our brotherhood. This young man is no simple matter — the battle talent he has displayed is even more precious than his Undying Golden Blood!”

“The only things that are truly precious are the ones you hold in your hand!” Qi Yun said with a cold laugh.

Qi Kun issued a stern warning. “I will not allow you to do this. He saved Qi Meng and some of the younger generation. If you act recklessly and word spreads, will outsiders not say we repaid kindness with malice?”

He rose to his feet, swept his sleeves, and departed the island — vanishing into the horizon.

“Ha — repaying kindness with malice. Reality and circumstance are mightier than men!” Qi Yun said.

“Report — members of the Cao Family have arrived and request an audience with the Ninth Master,” someone entered the island to announce.

Qi Yun’s heart stirred. “Oh? People from the Eternal Realm? That family is a colossus — supremely powerful, able to look down on entire regions, honored as kings and marquises.”

“Cao Qing has died. They’ve heard the culprit may have come to Celestial Feather Star. Most likely they’re here to ask the Ninth Master for assistance. The one leading them is a beautiful woman.”

“Very well — show them in. Let’s see what they want,” Qi Yun said.