Chapter 130~131: Servant Betrays Master
Ji Ziyue's big eyes blinked as she said, "There's no need to rack your brains at all. Just let me go, and there won't be any trouble."
"Such a hassle..." Ye Fan couldn't kill her, nor could he release her. He gently massaged his temples.
Ji Ziyue pouted in dissatisfaction. "Hey, hey, hey, who's a hassle? Someone as smart and beautiful as me, a future immortal, how could I be associated with those two words?"
"What do you think I should do with you?"
"We've shared hardships and braved the Bronze Immortal Hall together. We're practically friends who've faced life and death. You can't treat a friend like this." Ji Ziyue wrinkled her nose. "Let me go, and I promise I won't hurt you."
Ye Fan sat beneath an ancient tree, glancing at her sideways. "I wouldn't dare trust your promises and guarantees."
Ji Ziyue wasn't discouraged. Her crisp, pleasant voice sounded like pearls falling onto a jade plate as she tried to persuade Ye Fan step by step.
"I know how to cultivate the 'Sea Rising with Bright Moon'..."
"The ancient great powers all possessed boundless magical abilities, but there were hidden secrets..."
"The Void Ancient Scripture contains a huge secret..."
"The seven Forbidden Zones of Life in the Eastern Wasteland have..."
Ji Ziyue's little mouth chattered on, constantly coaxing and tempting, until her throat went dry. But although Ye Fan listened with great interest, he showed no reaction.
She glared at him angrily. "Did you hear what I said?"
"Of course I did, but you never finish anything. You only give the first half, and swallow back all the secrets and hidden truths. I was waiting for the rest."
"Are you going to let me go or not?"
"No!" Ye Fan replied bluntly.
"You... I said all that, and you respond with just those two words? Why didn't you say so earlier? You're infuriating me! My throat's dry." Ji Ziyue felt parched.
"Keep talking. I'm happy to listen."
Ji Ziyue was truly furious. She glared at him. "If you don't let me go soon, my family will definitely find this place, and then you'll be in big trouble!"
"Yeah, it really is troublesome." Ye Fan leaned back against the ancient tree trunk, rubbing his chin with his right hand as he teased, "How about this? I'll reluctantly marry you. We'll live in seclusion here for a while, and in a few years, we'll bring a bunch of kids to visit your family."
"Little brat Ye Fan, if you keep talking nonsense, I'll make your life miserable!"
"Are you doubting me?" Ye Fan stood up with a smile.
Ji Ziyue was so frightened she started wailing.
In the end, Ye Fan obtained another segment of the Void Ancient Scripture and began studying it seriously by the lake.
Two days later, a small bird as green as jade, as if carved from emerald, appeared by the lake. Its eyes were bright red, like two red beans embedded in its head.
"Quick, catch it!" Ji Ziyue suddenly cried out in alarm.
"Why?" Ye Fan, interrupted from his cultivation, turned to look at her.
Ji Ziyue's face showed panic. "Hurry, don't let it escape, or we'll both die."
Ye Fan leaped into the air, striking out like lightning to grab the green bird.
But the bird had already gained intelligence. Its speed was astonishing as it turned into a flash of green light, vanishing into the distant sky.
Ye Fan sacrificed the Purple Bronze Eight-Trigram Mirror. The mirror's surface shone like a full moon, emitting a beam of radiant light. With a soft "chi" sound, the green bird turned into a wisp of green smoke.
"What's going on? Does that jade bird have some special origin?"
"It's one of my cousin's many pets." Ji Ziyue showed a hint of panic. "Let me go quickly, or we're both in danger."
Ye Fan was shocked. Had the Ji family tracked them down? At the same time, he keenly sensed something unusual. "Your cousin is here? You seem scared. Would she harm you? Why?"
"You don't understand..." Ji Ziyue didn't want to explain. "Hurry and undo my seal, or she'll not only kill me but also silence you."
"She's from the same family, yet she wants to kill you..." Ye Fan was astonished.
"Don't waste time! It's almost too late!" Ji Ziyue's face was filled with worry and fear as she kept urging him.
"If I let you go, I might die immediately." Ye Fan picked up Ji Ziyue, ready to flee.
But just then, a string of crisp laughter rang out. "Ziyue, I never expected to meet you here."
A seductive woman in a green dress flew lightly over, appearing by the lake and blocking Ye Fan's path.
"Ji Xia, is my cousin Biyue also here?" Ji Ziyue asked.
"Biyue hasn't arrived. I was passing through on business and happened to discover your whereabouts." Although the woman in green was a servant of the Ji family, she was extremely insolent now, chuckling, "Oh my, it seems Ziyue is about to fly side by side with someone."
"Ji Xia, how dare you!" Ji Ziyue secretly pinched Ye Fan, signaling him to undo her seal.
Ji Xia scrutinized Ye Fan, then laughed. "Just a fourteen-year-old brat. Ziyue, your taste is terrible."
Her words were very disrespectful, mocking Ji Ziyue and completely disregarding Ye Fan.
Ye Fan sensed trouble. The Ji family had caught up so quickly, catching him off guard. This woman clearly had malicious intentions.
Ji Xia appeared to be about twenty-five or twenty-six. Though she had some charm, she couldn't compare to the lively Ji Ziyue. She put on a fake smile. "Is Ziyue unwell? You seem weak on your feet. Should I lend you a hand?"
"Ji Xia, you're far too insolent. Did you come looking for me?"
"Ziyue, you've been missing for a long time. The elders in the family were very worried, thinking you'd fallen into the hands of the demon clan. They've been waging war everywhere to find you. But who would have thought, while we were worrying about you, you've been living here in a hut, sharing a nest with someone..."
Ji Xia grew bolder, no longer treating Ji Ziyue as her mistress, repeatedly mocking her.
Ji Ziyue didn't get angry. She remained calm and composed. "Ji Xia, you're acting on my cousin Biyue's orders to find me, aren't you? You want to eliminate me, don't you?"
Ji Xia let out a silvery laugh. "Biyue is kind-hearted and would never do such a thing. But I, as a servant, have fewer scruples. I really do want to send Ziyue on her way."
"If you want to kill me, just do it." Ji Ziyue stepped forward lightly.
Ji Xia hesitated, stepping back two paces, and looked at Ye Fan. "Little brat, you've got some skills. I wonder what method you used to capture our Ziyue..." She was very cautious, wanting to test if Ye Fan had truly sealed Ji Ziyue.
"Ji Xia, after following my cousin Biyue for so many years, you've picked up her habit of being overly suspicious. Still afraid to make a move?" Ji Ziyue smiled lightly.
The more she acted like this, the more suspicious Ji Xia became. She suddenly shot into the sky. "Ziyue, come up and fight me."
Ji Ziyue inwardly cursed, wanting to bite Ye Fan a couple of times.
"Hehehe..." Ji Xia laughed seductively, blooming like a flower. "It seems I was overthinking things." With that, she gently waved her hand, and a blue lightning bolt split the sky, striking toward Ji Ziyue.
"Swish"
Ye Fan rushed over, pulling Ji Ziyue aside. With a rumbling sound, several towering ancient trees turned to ash under the blue lightning, leaving the ground scorched.
"Ziyue, so you really were captured. But this brat isn't that strong. How did he manage it?" She scattered a handful of colored sand, which sparkled like countless stars, forming a nebula that descended upon them.
"Get out of here quickly. You're no match for her." Ji Ziyue whispered in Ye Fan's ear.
Ye Fan grabbed Ji Ziyue and, moving like the wind, plunged into the lake. He didn't dare fly out of the mountains, knowing that if his whereabouts were exposed, he wouldn't be able to stay in this area.
"Hurry and undo my seal!" Under the water, Ji Ziyue shook Ye Fan's shoulder vigorously.
A faint light screen enveloped them as they sank deeper.
"Hehehe..." Ji Xia's laughter echoed. Surrounded by green light, she moved swiftly through the water, about to catch up. But she also had her concerns, afraid to directly kill Ji Ziyue in case something erupted from her body and caused big trouble.
Ye Fan headed for the lake bottom, hoping to use the heavy, mountain-like Profound Yellow essence there.
"Little brat, your divine power fluctuations are only at the Divine Bridge level. How did you capture Ziyue?" Ji Xia transmitted her voice. "Someone else must have done it. You're just guarding her here, right?"
Ji Ziyue also understood Ye Fan's plan. "Find a way to trigger the Profound Yellow essence below to erupt upward."
"Little brat, I remember during the siege of Yan Ruyu, I saw you being protected by a few old demons. You must have some secret on you." Ji Xia's laughter grew cold. "It seems I'll have a big haul today."
When they reached the lake bottom, Ye Fan suddenly punched downward, then accelerated to his maximum speed, dragging Ji Ziyue forward.
"Boom"
It was like opening the gates of hell. An overwhelming pressure surged upward, as if it could tear heaven and earth apart.
Ji Xia happened to be right there. Her face turned pale with fright as she screamed, "The legendary Profound Yellow!"
A single strand of Profound Yellow could crush a mountain ridge. Such a heavy, mountain-like mass of Profound Yellow essence erupting—how terrifying would its power be? It was unimaginable. Scared out of her wits, she fled upward with all her might, no longer caring about chasing Ye Fan.
"Ah..." Ji Xia let out a blood-curdling scream.
In the distance, Ye Fan and Ji Ziyue were still shaken. They had already burst out of the lake and fled far away.
The lake boiled, waves surged sky-high, and the Profound Yellow churned like a massive millstone, unstoppable by any force!
The piercing screams abruptly ceased. Ji Xia didn't emerge. It was a long time before the lake calmed down.
Ye Fan and Ji Ziyue stood on the shore, silent for a long time, each lost in complex thoughts.
After a long while, Ye Fan spoke. "That Ji Biyue won't come down here, will she?"
Ji Ziyue didn't respond. Instead, she pondered seriously, muttering to herself, "I can't go back now, and I can't show my face. The situation is very complicated..."
"Very complicated indeed!" Just then, an icy voice rang out. Ji Xia, disheveled and like a vengeful ghost, appeared behind Ye Fan and Ji Ziyue, less than ten meters away, her entire body glowing with a green light.
"The Profound Yellow didn't crush you?!" Ye Fan was shocked.
Ji Ziyue's lively eyes also showed surprise. "Ji Biyue gave you a Divine Light Escape Talisman?"
"That's right. To find you, Ziyue, I brought a Divine Light Escape Talisman, turning into lightning to search for you for days!" Ji Xia's face was twisted with rage as she advanced menacingly. "Unfortunately, the talisman was grazed by the Profound Yellow essence and cracked. Ziyue... it's time for you to go!"
Ye Fan stepped in front of Ji Ziyue. "You, a servant who betrays your master... deserve death."
Relying on the Divine Light Escape Talisman, Ji Xia had turned into lightning and avoided being crushed by the Profound Yellow Mother Qi, but she was still badly injured. She hated Ye Fan deeply. "I'll tear you apart first, then send Ziyue on her way!"
She spread her five fingers, and five divine rainbows shot out, reaching for Ye Fan.
Ye Fan had been waiting for this opportunity. His physical body was incredibly strong, and he feared nothing more than close-quarters combat!
His pair of golden fists swung out with force, causing the space around them to collapse!
"You..." Ji Xia was horrified and tried to retreat.
But it was too late. They were so close, and Ye Fan wouldn't give her any chance. His first punch shattered the five divine lights and crushed her outstretched fingers.
"Ah..." Ji Xia screamed. Light flickered within her body as she tried to summon a spirit treasure.
"Bang"
Ye Fan's second punch had already landed. The spirit treasure hadn't even emerged before it was smashed back by the golden fist.
Ji Xia's Sea of Suffering shattered on the spot!
Ye Fan's fists surpassed spirit treasures. At close range, nothing could stop him.
Ji Xia screamed, her entire body glowing as she tried to self-destruct to severely wound Ye Fan.
Just then, Ye Fan's third punch came down. "Bang!" It struck her chest heavily, punching straight through!
"Boom"
Ji Xia shattered into pieces, scattering in all directions. Ye Fan had killed her with three punches.
"A cultivator at the Other Shore realm, killed by your bare fists..." Ji Ziyue clicked her tongue. "You're like a humanoid savage beast!"
Ye Fan's fourth punch hung in the air, never delivered. A wisp of Profound Yellow appeared on it, slowly fading as he withdrew his fist.
This both unsettled and delighted him. Sometimes, when he punched repeatedly, he would unleash Profound Yellow Mother Qi. If he could control it, these fists would be terrifyingly powerful.
"You..." Ji Ziyue glanced at him with her big eyes. "Even a cultivator in the Dao Palace Secret Realm, if they didn't know your background and got close to you, could suffer a huge loss."
Ye Fan turned to Ji Ziyue. "Do you think your cousin will show up here?"
"Hard to say..." Ji Ziyue looked worried. "You're going to get me killed. The situation is complicated now. If my whereabouts are exposed, I might be in more danger than you."
Ye Fan shook his head. "Your Ji family is truly complicated and ruthless..."
"You don't understand!" Ji Ziyue rolled her eyes at him without explaining, sighing, "Ji Xia, why did you have to do this..."
She gathered some leaves and covered the scattered remains.
Ye Fan didn't pay much attention, but suddenly, Ji Ziyue's entire body burst into divine radiance, and she erupted with a powerful aura.
"You..." Ye Fan was shocked. He turned to leave, ready to soar into the sky.
But the space around them twisted like rippling water. Ji Ziyue, sacred and radiant, emitted a hazy glow from her center, sealing everything around her.
Only then did Ye Fan notice that she was holding a talisman as bright as lightning. Though cracked, it still flowed with strands of divine power. It had undone Ji Ziyue's seal.
"The Divine Light Escape Talisman. My cousin Biyue gave it to Ji Xia to turn her into lightning and track me down, intending to harm me. Who would have thought it would shatter here and save me."
Ji Ziyue chuckled softly, exuding an incredibly confident aura. She shone brilliantly, her skin crystalline, enveloped in a sacred aura.
At this moment, she was as fresh as a flower tree covered in snow, as light as a spring breeze brushing petals, as ethereal as moonlight scattering down. She seemed spotless, empty yet holy.
She turned to look at Ye Fan and smiled lightly, a small dimple appearing on her left cheek, making her look playful and adorable.
"Someone, you've taken good care of me these past few days. How should I thank you?"
At this point, Ye Fan had nothing to fear. He said nonchalantly, "You can repay me by giving yourself to me."
Ji Ziyue smiled sweetly, her steps graceful and swaying as she walked over lightly. She pinched Ye Fan's cheek. "Little brat, how dare you treat me like that..."
"Hey, hey, hey, Ji Ziyue, I just risked my life to save you. You can't repay kindness with enmity..." Ye Fan felt uneasy.
"At least you have some conscience. You didn't abandon me and run away. Otherwise, you'd be on the ground by now." Ji Ziyue tilted her head to look at him, always wearing a sweet smile.
But that only made Ye Fan more uneasy. "What do you want?"
Ji Ziyue revealed an utterly charming smile. "I want to bite you!" With that, her crystal-clear little teeth ground together with a grating sound, and then she bit down.
After being captured for so long, what she wanted most was to bite Ye Fan a few times to vent her anger.
Ye Fan was sealed by her and couldn't move. Even with his precious body, without divine power flowing, he couldn't bear it. He grimaced and shouted, "No need to be so affectionate..."
Then he screamed as Ji Ziyue, filled with hatred, bit him repeatedly.
"Men and women shouldn't touch! Stop this!" Ye Fan yelled.
"Shout all you want. Even if you scream your throat out, it won't help..." Ji Ziyue said sweetly, her little teeth grinding away.
Ye Fan was completely speechless. Why did those words sound so strange?
"Ji Ziyue, have mercy! You're biting me into a sieve..."
"A little brat just fourteen years old, daring to bully me..." Ji Ziyue said hatefully, biting Ye Fan's ear.
Ye Fan felt like he was in deep trouble. This was the first time he'd experienced such punishment. "Ji Ziyue, don't go too far!"
"I'll go as far as I want! I'll bite you to death!" She kept smiling, grinding her teeth.
"This is so unladylike. Biting people isn't dignified..." Ye Fan was almost in tears from the bites.
"Shout! Shout louder! Scream your throat out!" Ji Ziyue looked so lively and beautiful, but her actions left Ye Fan utterly speechless.
"You're molesting me..." Ye Fan hated having to say such things. Their roles should have been reversed.
"Pfft, you little brat, just fourteen years old, what do you know about molestation?" Ji Ziyue pinched his cheek and twisted it hard.
"Ji Ziyue, you're a future immortal. This is so undignified..."
"Immortals are people too. They have anger. You've bullied me for so long. I wish I could bite you to death."
"Ahhh..." Ye Fan screamed.
Ji Ziyue bit him once more before stepping back. "What are you yelling about?"
"I've been molested by a delinquent girl..."
Ji Ziyue's face flushed red. "Little brat, still talking tough. You need a lesson!"
"I give up! Don't bite anymore! I'm all soft!"
"Pfft, you talk so dirty." Having vented most of her anger, Ji Ziyue finally felt a bit embarrassed, her jade-like face blushing.
"We're even now. Can you let me go?"
"Dream on. This is just the beginning." Ji Ziyue lifted his chin, her small dimple appearing as she smiled bewitchingly. "Little brat, you dared to covet my family's ancient scripture and even flirted with me. You've got some nerve."
"What exactly do you want?" Ye Fan said weakly.
"Don't be so down. Come on, little brat, smile for big sister." Ji Ziyue lifted his chin, her big eyes narrowing into crescent moons, her smile radiant.
"I think our roles should be swapped..."
Hearing this, Ji Ziyue smiled even more brightly. "I'll treat you well!"
"Ah..." Another round of torment.
Half a day later, Ye Fan was finally freed. His body was covered in neat rows of tooth marks.
"Give me half of the Profound Yellow Mother Qi!"
"I can't control it. I can't make it flow out."
"Liar!"
...
Relatively speaking, Ji Ziyue was still soft-hearted and didn't torture Ye Fan with harsh methods.
"You have many secrets. I'll dig them out slowly—the green copper block, the Mother Qi of All Things, and your precious body..." She glanced at Ye Fan sideways. "My cousin is coming to kill me. If we run into her, I'll create an opportunity for you to get close to her. With your physical strength, you'll definitely make her suffer!"
"You're using me as cannon fodder." Ye Fan rolled his eyes. "If my body were strong enough, I wouldn't have been sealed by you."
"I have a secret treasure on me. As long as my divine power circulates steadily, you can't act recklessly around me." Ji Ziyue rolled her eyes at him. "My cousin won't be on guard against you. You'll definitely succeed. Your existence is like a sharp sword in the dark. I want to give her a surprise!"
"I want to see who else is trying to deal with me. When things calm down, I'll root them all out." Ji Ziyue felt the outside situation was complicated and didn't dare show herself easily. She wanted to hide temporarily and secretly observe who was targeting her. Suddenly, she remembered something, her eyes lighting up with joy. "Counting the time, the Tai Xuan Sect's recruitment day is almost here. Why don't we hide in the Tai Xuan Sect?"
This place, with its endless mountains, was the location of the Tai Xuan Sect. The one hundred and eight main peaks weren't far from here.
The Tai Xuan Sect had immense power. In this region, aside from the Ji family and the Yao Guang Holy Land, no other sect could suppress them.
"Even our Ji family doesn't want to provoke the Tai Xuan Sect lightly. If there's a safest place in this area, it's this sect. The Ji family won't send people to search. As long as we hide inside, there won't be any danger."
Two days later, Ye Fan and Ji Ziyue appeared in the mountain range where the Tai Xuan Sect was located.
Ahead, the mountains were majestic, vast, and beautiful—truly magnificent.
Among them, the one hundred and eight main peaks were the most splendid. Of course, they couldn't all be seen at once. Only a dozen or so main peaks were visible, with immortal cranes dancing, ethereal spirit halls, and misty clouds—very peaceful.
They mingled with the crowd of people coming to seek apprenticeship and smoothly entered the mountain gate without any incidents.
"There are one hundred and eight main peaks here. Let's pick a remote, unpopular one," Ye Fan suggested.
"Good idea."
Inside the Tai Xuan Sect, many disciples were maintaining order at the mountain gate.
Suddenly, Ye Fan spotted a familiar figure. Dressed in white, graceful and elegant, she was strikingly beautiful and transcendent.
"She's here..." Ye Fan was startled. He recognized her as Li Xiaoman. Although he had guessed she couldn't have died in the Ancient Forbidden Land, he never expected she had joined the Tai Xuan Sect.
"Met an acquaintance?" Ji Ziyue revealed a charming smile. "Little brat, your eyes look a bit off. No worries. If there's a grudge, big sister will help you get even."