ISWI Chapter 1163-1164 (Patreon)

Chapter 1163: I Fear Young Master Might Misunderstand!

Hearing Ye Chen's words, both men smiled. They were no fools and understood Liu Ruyan's ambitions well. They knew she treated men as nothing more than tools, always waiting for the highest bidder. Despite years of responding to her every summons, frequently gifting treasures, and even delaying their own cultivation at great cost, she had never agreed to become their Dao companion.

If she refused to be their Dao companion, how could she possibly agree to become someone else's maidservant? This Jade Pool male ancestor was simply dreaming. He actually believed a single life-saving favor would be enough to control Liu Ruyan.

Both men watched her, waiting for her to reject Ye Chen. Afterward, they would take her to hunt for more fire demon cores. Ideally, they would let her fall into danger again so they could rescue her at the critical moment, play the hero, and win her heart.

Under their watchful gazes, Liu Ruyan's expression was filled with struggle. Her family background was decent compared to ordinary cultivators, but it meant little to the true major powers of the Immortal Realm. Her physique was also good, yet not enough to let her stand above the masses. Caught in this awkward middle ground, the prodigies she could reach were similarly mediocre—only slightly better than herself, like the two men before her.

Those who truly had hopes of becoming Immortal Monarchs or Immortal Kings had never spared her a second glance. Wang Teng and Xie Linyuan, for instance, had ignored her completely from start to finish.

The male ancestor of Jade Pool Immortal Sect before her might be her best chance to touch the pinnacle of Immortal Realm powers. But... becoming a mere maidservant filled her with unwillingness. She would have found even becoming his lover more acceptable.

Yet when she thought of Ye Chen's status as Jade Moon Immortal Monarch's junior brother and an ancestor of Jade Pool Immortal Sect, his lofty position, and the rumors that he could have any woman he wanted within the sect, she felt a flicker of self-doubt. Although confident in her beauty, Jade Pool had thousands of female cultivators. She might not stand out among them.

If she let this chance slip, Ye Chen might never look at her again once he returned to Jade Pool Immortal Sect. With that realization, Liu Ruyan bit her lip lightly and made up her mind.

So what if it was only as a maidservant? As long as she had a starting point, she might one day become his true Dao companion, or even rise to a high position within Jade Pool Immortal Sect and soar to the heavens. At that level, even reaching Immortal Monarch would no longer be impossible. Most importantly, a great power like Jade Pool Immortal Sect might have escape routes when the Other Domain descended. She had to seize this firmly.

Thus, Liu Ruyan looked at Ye Chen with misty, seductive eyes and curtsied gracefully. "This servant Ruyan greets Young Master Ye. From this day forward, I am willing to attend to Young Master's side, never to leave or forsake you."

The moment she spoke, Ye Chen smiled.

Truthfully, he had only wanted a convenient tool for gifting presents inside the secret realm to farm feedback. Suggesting she become his maidservant had been a casual remark. Yet Liu Ruyan had clearly seized the opportunity. After all, even as his maidservant, her future would be limitless. One could see that from Lu Jing, who had once struggled even to reach Foundation Establishment.

Liu Ruyan had grasped the enormous potential surrounding him. Even a single drop of favor from him would bring her endless benefits. Becoming a regional female monarch in the future would be easy. Immortal King? That was not entirely out of reach either.

Ye Chen smiled.

But the smiles on the two men's faces vanished.

They had fawned over Liu Ruyan for so long, all for the sake of her Profound Yin Soul-Nurturing Immortal Physique. And now she had become someone else's maidservant right in front of them? This was unacceptable.

Despite her seductive appearance, Liu Ruyan had always been slippery and had never given them any real benefits. They had never even touched her, yet now she was willingly serving another man as a maid. How could they accept this? Moreover, it was completely out of character for her.

The young master of the Heavenly Sword Sect immediately spoke up. "Ruyan, how can you degrade yourself like this and become someone else's maidservant? Were you threatened? If you were forced, just blink..."

The Li Family young master nodded as well. "That's right. Even if he is an ancestor of the Jade Pool Immortal Sect, he cannot force you into submission. This is no longer the era of the Western Empress. If you feel wronged, tell us. We will have our families stand behind you."

Both men believed Liu Ruyan had been threatened and unhesitatingly offered to back her up. They might not want to provoke Jade Pool Immortal Sect, but they were not so cowardly that they dared not speak. In today's Boundless Continent, the true power was the Supreme Hall, not Jade Pool.

They expected grateful looks from Liu Ruyan, but what they saw instead left them stunned.

Liu Ruyan had already flown to Ye Chen's side. She frowned at their words. "I willingly chose to become the Young Master's maidservant. It is my good fortune. Please stop making assumptions. We are not that close, and you do not understand me. Besides, I fear Young Master might misunderstand..."

Her decisive act of drawing a clear boundary left the two men feeling as if they had been struck by lightning. Disbelief filled their faces. Liu Ruyan's cold demeanor especially shattered their hearts.

Ye Chen found their expressions amusing. A simp was still a dog at the end of the day—once useless, they were discarded without hesitation.

"Let's go," Ye Chen said. Seeing that the two did not dare make a move, he could not be bothered to look at them any longer and flew toward the core region of the Sunset Secret Realm. That was where the real action would be.

Liu Ruyan quickly followed, her graceful figure staying close behind him, almost pressing against him.

Only the two heirs from the Heavenly Sword Sect and the Li Family remained standing awkwardly in the air like mere extras. Their eyes burned with fury and unwillingness.

"That slut Liu Ruyan! We devoted ourselves to her for so long, yet the moment she saw that Ye Chen, she threw herself at him without shame..."

"I invested so many resources in her, and she has the nerve to say she fears Young Master might misunderstand!"

"She's nothing but a woman who forgets loyalty the moment she sees greater benefits!"

"Jade Pool Immortal Sect? So what? This is the Sunset Secret Realm. No one can interfere here."

"Exactly. The two of us working together can definitely kill him."

"Afterward, we can refine Liu Ruyan into a cauldron. Even if the effects are weaker under coercion, it will still nourish our divine souls..."

Their faces twisted with rage and killing intent. They wanted nothing more than to chase after the pair immediately.

"How about this, Brother Li? You attack first while I hide in the void and strike from the shadows..."

"My defense is weak. I probably can't hold him off for long in a direct confrontation. You should go first, Brother Tianjian. I have a secret technique that can silently strike and annihilate any enemy..."

"Better if you go first, Brother Li..."

"No, you are stronger, Brother Tianjian..."

After several rounds of polite refusal, they realized neither wanted to test Ye Chen's strength first. Both curled their lips and fell silent.

Chapter 1164: Young Master, I'm Afraid!

There were many bad people in the Immortal Realm, but few fools.

Although both men outwardly sneered at Ye Chen's mere peak Celestial Immortal cultivation, they understood that someone accepted as a disciple on behalf of a master by an existence like Jade Moon Immortal Monarch could not possibly be simple. Moreover, they had witnessed how the three Lava Fire Demons had been destroyed earlier. They knew Liu Ruyan's strength well—she was only average in combat and had mostly held back whenever they had fought together before. The fact that those three demons had fallen so quickly was deeply suspicious.

Had Ye Chen's own power been strong enough to suppress them directly, or had he used some hidden method provided by an Immortal Monarch? They could not tell. In a natural secret realm like this, the Great Dao obscured heavenly secrets and made divination nearly impossible. Still, a top sect like Jade Pool Immortal Sect might possess special means to investigate what happened inside—especially if one of their ancestors died there.

In short, both men felt deep wariness toward Ye Chen, whose depths they could not see. Most importantly, Liu Ruyan had always been the type who never acted without clear benefits. They refused to believe she would willingly become a maidservant simply because Ye Chen was a Jade Pool ancestor.

Thus, without absolute confidence, it was better not to provoke him. The two exchanged a glance and conveniently forgot their earlier ugly attempts to push each other forward.

The Heavenly Sword Sect's young master snorted coldly. "This kid deliberately displayed those fire demon cores. Was he fishing for us to attack?"

The Li Family heir sneered as well. "A mere peak Celestial Immortal relying on his status to make us hesitate. But many people who entered this time have no fear of Jade Pool Immortal Sect."

The Heavenly Sword young master nodded. "If he keeps showing off like this, he'll surely die without a grave."

The fifty spots had once all belonged to the Supreme Hall. Later, as the Hall declined, some were yielded to Jade Pool Immortal Sect and other top forces from various Continents. Eventually, the Supreme Hall had given the remaining spots to local powers in the Boundless Continent, with a rule limiting each force to only one. Their families and Liu Ruyan's had been among the lucky ones. Dozens of other forces, however, had forced the Supreme Hall to concede through raw strength.

The Wang Family, with their Nine Dragons formation, was one such power. These forces did not even fear the Supreme Hall, let alone a mere Jade Pool Immortal Sect. Once Ye Chen reached the core region of the Sunset Secret Realm, he would definitely suffer.

With that in mind, the two followed leisurely behind, hoping for a chance to fish in troubled waters.

...

"They're not coming to snatch them? Are they all rich young masters or something?" Ye Chen looked at the three fire demon cores in his hand and raised an eyebrow.

Liu Ruyan let out a soft, charming laugh. "Young Master, of course they are tempted. But they cannot see through your strength and fear retaliation from Jade Pool Immortal Sect behind you, so they dare not act. Those two may appear loyal and straightforward, but they are actually extremely scheming. They strike ruthlessly against those they deem weak, but they hesitate and push responsibility onto each other when uncertain. I have no real relationship with them. They have never even touched my hand!"

"If Young Master is displeased with them, you can act directly. Neither family has the ability to divine the truth here, and even if they learned what happened, they would not dare seek revenge..."

Liu Ruyan understood the personalities of her two former lapdogs clearly. She had already slipped fully into her new role as maidservant, proactively helping Ye Chen analyze the situation.

Ye Chen shook his head. "Why would I attack others without cause?"

Although he had walked a careful path to reach this point and his hands were not entirely clean, Ye Chen had always maintained one bottom line: he would never take the initiative against anyone who held no malice or evil intent toward him. The twenty-plus years he had spent on Earth were insignificant compared to the length of his current life.

Ye Chen's moral principles still carried the influence of his time on Earth. He could fish for opportunities and pretend to be weak, but he would never take the initiative to kill for the sake of harvesting origin energy. Doing so would make him feel as if he were gradually losing his bottom line. Once that line was crossed, his limits would erode rapidly. Ye Chen feared he would no longer be himself.

"This matter needs no further discussion. I am not that kind of person," Ye Chen declared firmly. He then frowned and asked, "In this secret realm, are there people who do not fear my background?"

Liu Ruyan nodded immediately. "This time, two Immortal King-level forces and twelve Immortal Monarch-level forces have sent participants. Their current strength is no weaker than that of Jade Pool Immortal Sect. However, aside from the Wang Family and the Supreme Hall, the other families and forces did not send their top prodigies. Even Immortal King-level powers cannot produce peerless geniuses in every generation or disciple."

After listening to her explanation, Ye Chen felt reassured. It was good that not everyone feared the power behind him.

Liu Ruyan's expression grew complicated. She could clearly see that her Young Master very much wanted to kill, yet he insisted on following this procedure and forcing others to strike first. What a strange quirk. In the Immortal Realm, strength and status were everything. If one was strong enough, one could kill whoever one wished. Her Young Master seemed a bit too kind.

Still, kindness was a good thing for her. The kinder her Young Master's heart, the greater her own chances of rising. While they were speaking, a massive red hand appeared silently above their heads and prepared to close around them. Had they failed to dodge, even a peak Profound Immortal would have been severely injured.

Yet Liu Ruyan felt no real fear in her heart. She put on a panicked expression and clung tightly to Ye Chen's arm. "Young Master, I'm afraid..."

Ye Chen had seen countless women and naturally saw through her act, but he still smiled. He merely glanced upward. The giant hand froze abruptly. Countless fine cracks, like a spiderweb, spread rapidly from the hand across the massive stone body of the Lava Fire Demon that had risen silently from the lava. In the next instant, it exploded violently.

Watching this scene, Liu Ruyan hugged Ye Chen's arm even tighter. She had been too shocked earlier to see clearly, but this time she observed everything distinctly. Her Young Master had not used any top-tier divine ability. He had not even stirred the Celestial Immortal laws or immortal force within his body. With such effortless grace, he had destroyed a Lava Fire Demon.

This meant his strength far exceeded what she had imagined. Even Wang Teng of the Wang Family or Xie Linyuan of the Supreme Hall might not be able to achieve this so casually. Realizing this, Liu Ruyan felt even more fortunate about her earlier decision. She would rather cry as the maidservant of a strong man than laugh as the Dao companion of a weakling.

As long as her Young Master continued to grow, her own status as his maidservant would rise accordingly. With this thought, Liu Ruyan shook his arm with exaggerated admiration and pressed closer, offering emotional value. "Young Master, how can you be so powerful with only peak Celestial Immortal cultivation? Wang Teng and Xie Linyuan are far inferior to you. Becoming Young Master's maidservant is truly a blessing of three lifetimes..."