Yao Yuezhi had not only obtained what she wanted, she had also secured the person she wanted. Ye Chen's talent far surpassed the rumors. He gave her an overwhelming sense of security. And there was probably the Dao Cauldron too. She was genuinely tempted to stay. But she was on the verge of breaking through to the Fourth Heaven. Her clan had discovered a secret realm on the Immortal Path that aided comprehension of time laws—perfect for the breakthrough. She had to return. She would come back after breaking through.

Standing atop the immortal skiff, Yao Yuezhi gazed at Ye Chen from afar, emotions swirling in her eyes. Her rosy lips parted several times, but in the end she said nothing. A thousand words were contained in that single look. Finally, she turned away, vanishing from Ye Chen's sight.

Ye Chen watched her go. Even her retreating back seemed to contain a hundred charming details. He silently gave her a thumbs-up in his heart.

…

Aboard the skiff, Yao Yuekong watched his sister studying the Stasis Secret stele, expression complicated. He hadn't expected his little sister to be this bold. Even less had he expected her to actually obtain the Stasis Secret. Ye Chen really was generous beyond belief. A man like that—even as a fellow man, one couldn't help but admire, even respect. But then he remembered his sister kissing Ye Chen right in the sky battlefield. And he felt awkward all over again.

"Brother, head right!"

Yao Yuezhi suddenly ordered.

Yao Yuekong didn't understand. Then he heard her faintly say, "When we set out, a few people insulted you. They're on the same skiff. Their elders might know ours, so we'll be quick—no traces."

Yao Yuekong's mouth twitched. His sister really held grudges. She looked pitiful and fragile on the outside, but cut her open and it was pure black. Still, having a sister who protected him this fiercely made him happy. But he couldn't help glancing at the Little Peacock King.

The Little Peacock King had given up all pretense of posturing. Driving an Extreme Dao Weapon was exhausting on both Qi and mind. Plus, after his personal experience, he now understood Yao Yuekong. So he chose to hitch a ride.

Hearing this, he nodded. He was still feeling stifled anyway. Couldn't beat Ye Chen—taking it out on others was fine too. Thus, the trio's skiff changed course, murderous intent blazing as they sped off. Against the three of them, those few were no more than clay chickens and pottery dogs. In moments, souls extinguished, utterly erased from the world.

Just when Yao Yuekong was touched that his sister cared so much and was even avenging him, he saw her pull a treasure from one of the storage rings they had looted. Her jade-green eyes instantly lit up with delight.

"I knew this treasure had to have been bought by him. As expected! With this, after my breakthrough I'll be even…"

Yao Yuekong's mouth twitched. He shut down completely. His sister really was black-hearted.

…

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

The great battle was over.

The Heavenly Evolution Holy Land had brought many experts. So even though the Victorious Fighting Apes and Golden Crows were furious, they could only leave with dark faces, not daring to act. The other onlookers also dispersed in twos and threes.

The myriad-race cultivators were in terrible moods. Their geniuses had been slaughtered, and their female prodigies had been claimed by Ye Chen. Hugging waists, kissing in public—utterly humiliating.

Meanwhile, the human cultivators were exhilarated. This battle had been exhilarating. Everyone looked at Ye Chen with pure worship. Since the human golden age began, geniuses had been countless. But one who crushed all opposition like the Heir of the Heavenly Emperor? Extremely rare.

Other than Lan Nuo, whose stories grew stranger the more people thought about them, there was almost no one else. But few dug too deep. If it were true, offending Lan Nuo was suicide. If it was fake, and the Heir was putting in this much effort to build her fame, it showed how much he valued her. Who would be stupid enough to expose it and earn his hatred? So with tacit understanding, no one mentioned it.

As for Ye Chen, he didn't keep Yao Yuezhi longer—mainly because he had nothing left to gift. He had acquired the Immortal-Slaying Gourd, but the blade itself was damaged, and the gourd was shattered. Gifting it now would be wasteful. Now that he had the Array Secret, he could repair it properly later and gift it then. The feedback would be better.

Thus, after leaving the sky battlefield and receiving confirmation from the Holy Lord that everything was fine, Ye Chen flew toward Great Yan Continent. Once he summoned the war chariot and boarded, he looked at Luo Bingling with some curiosity. Normally, she would have hopped on immediately. Now she stood rooted, back turned, refusing to look at him.

Ye Chen instantly smiled—he knew she was sulking. He could understand. The differential treatment had been pretty obvious. So he stepped down from the chariot, bent slightly at the waist, arms open, and scooped Luo Bingling up in a princess carry.

Luo Bingling froze, but her face was still full of displeasure. "Why hug me? Go hug your Yao Yuezhi!"

She was genuinely furious. The old-timers having a higher status than her? Fine, she could accept that. But now even a newcomer could ride over her head? And even mock her? Was her waist touched for nothing? Was she drunk for nothing? Was all that suffering for nothing?

Luo Bingling felt both wronged and livid. In her heart, she had always been lowering herself. She hadn't fully surrendered yet, but grinding levels and upgrading had been pretty fun. Then a new girl arrived and instantly outleveled her. It was a blow to her proud self-esteem.

But Ye Chen, who had long ago figured out the correct way to handle Luo Bingling, was still very patient with her. Instead of explaining, he simply lowered his head and kissed her gently.

At first, Luo Bingling resisted, face full of defiance. But soon she stopped caring and sank into it. After all, this was the first time Ye Chen had ever princess-carried her and taken the initiative like this. A long, long time later, the two were already aboard the chariot. White clouds streaked past as Ye Chen finally spoke softly: "The Heavenly Demon Clan has something I need, so Yao Yuezhi is very important. That's why I treated her differently."

Luo Bingling was still unhappy. "She's completely fake, all mouth and no heart. Back in the Northern Domain, during every myriad-race grand tournament, she always looked soft and weak, but she was vicious—every dirty trick in the book. The way she acted in front of you was just to use you as a shield. She simply doesn't want anything to do with the Undying Celestial Phoenix Clan…"

Seeing Luo Bingling already badmouthing her behind her back, Ye Chen smiled and nodded. "Of course I saw through it. Yao Yuezhi is nowhere near as pure as Fairy Luo. She has many schemes, but some things are beyond my control. As for the Stasis Secret—I've already memorized it completely. I'll try to complete it next. If I succeed, I'll teach you the full version. That stele only amplifies the Stasis Secret; it's far less useful than the complete art. In my heart, Fairy Luo is unique. You think of me wholeheartedly. You're completely different from a woman like Yao Yuezhi who only uses me…"

At those words, Luo Bingling's eyes lit up. Most of the anger in her heart melted away…