"Not dead?" Ye Fan was skeptical.

The scruffy man rushed to explain, "She really didn’t die. I used witchcraft to render her unconscious, but a Divine Beast appeared, killed many of our people, and took her away."

"Oh? I don’t believe a word you say!" Ye Fan retorted, fighting a wave of dizziness that his strength couldn’t overcome.

The scruffy man pleaded, "I swear to God she didn’t die! There are Divine Beasts in Qilian Mountain! One of them took her as its master. You have to believe me!"

Looking into the man’s eyes, Ye Fan couldn’t detect a lie. He began to think. If what this scruffy man says is true, then everything is fine. The thought that Alice was still alive was enough to finally put his anxious heart at ease.

Suddenly, the scruffy man fought back, landing a punch on Ye Fan. The blow sent Ye Fan flying backward into a large rock, which shattered on impact. He struggled to his feet. He had been so worried about Alice that he’d let his guard down, giving the man an opening. His vision swam with blurry figures. After shaking his head hard, the image sharpened to reveal the lone figure of the scruffy man.

Why can’t I see clearly? Could it be because of that Black Fog from earlier? Ye Fan thought, feeling he was onto something.

The scruffy man sneered, "I come from the Witch Clan. You’ve been hit by my witchcraft. Feeling weak, are you?"

"Dizzy? Blurred vision? HAHAHA! You’re already a dead man in my eyes. Once you’re hit with my Witch Clan’s witchcraft, even a King-level expert is doomed to die!" he cackled. "Now, die! I’ll refine your corpse and turn you into my slave!"

He lunged at Ye Fan. At that critical moment, Ye Fan hurled his spear.

"ARGH!"

The weapon pierced straight through the scruffy man’s body.

"Impossible!" He stared in disbelief, unable to comprehend what had just happened. Ye Fan had clearly been struck by his witchcraft, so how could he still possess such power and precision?

"Who said I was a King-level expert?" Ye Fan declared imperiously.

"Could you be...!"

Before the scruffy man could finish his sentence, his life was extinguished. After that final throw, Ye Fan’s vision blurred rapidly, and he collapsed to the ground...

A drop of water splashed onto his face, and Ye Fan struggled to open his eyes. His first sensation was of a place of immense antiquity, so ancient it felt almost intangible. He tried to get up, only to find that he was completely bound.

At that moment, the door opened, and a man walked in. He looked somewhat old, but not nearly as decrepit as Master Xuantian or Zhan Xiong. To Ye Fan, however, this man seemed far older than either of them. What was more shocking was his power—Ye Fan couldn’t sense it at all. Even at his peak, he wouldn’t have been confident about defeating this man. This was a terrifyingly powerful expert.

Ye Fan asked, "Who are you?"

The man replied, "You appeared in Wildman Valley and killed all the wildmen there, which proves you’re not weak. So, tell me, why did you trespass in Qilian Mountain?"

Ye Fan was speechless. I’m the one who asked the question, and now he’s interrogating me? He answered simply, "I’m looking for someone."

"Looking for someone?" the man scoffed. "No outsiders ever enter this place. Looking for someone? I think you have ulterior motives!"

"I am just here to find someone! I have no interest in your Qilian Mountain!" Ye Fan insisted.

"There are remnants of two poisons in your body: witchcraft and Gu Technique," the man stated calmly. "If they both flare up, you will die instantly. I advise you to confess everything honestly."

"I’ve already told you what you need to know," Ye Fan said. "I have no other reason for being here. I am only looking for a girl in her early twenties! She was taken away by a Divine Beast. Once I find her, I will leave immediately!"

"A girl?" The man’s thoughts immediately turned to their Holy Daughter, who had only arrived recently. The Holy Daughter is our leader. If this fellow is her man, wouldn’t she be at a great disadvantage? In that instant, killing intent rose within him. The Holy Daughter is a sacred existence who must not be desecrated or have any dark marks on her past. Besides, this Ye Fan is unworthy of her. In my opinion, no one in this world is worthy of the Holy Daughter.

With that, he said to Ye Fan, "The person you’re looking for isn’t here. You, on the other hand, have committed a capital offense by trespassing in Qilian Mountain! I will end you now!"

He gathered his power, preparing to kill Ye Fan in a single strike. Ye Fan felt the immense killing intent wash over him, threatening to swallow him whole. He readied himself to activate his forbidden technique at any moment. By entering a demonic state, he would at least have a slim chance of survival; he was not one to sit back and wait for death. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

However, just as the man was about to strike, he hesitated. If Ye Fan really is important to the Holy Daughter, this will get complicated. I could become a sinner... He was torn, unsure whether to kill him or not.

He finally said to Ye Fan, "This is the most heavily guarded place in our tribe. I advise you not to try anything clever. As for how to deal with you, I will report to the Clan Leader first!"

He then turned and left, leaving Ye Fan furious. Without entering the demonic state, he had no way of breaking these bonds.

Afterward, Ye Fan began to inspect his body. Sure enough, he found two foreign powers within him: one from the witchcraft and one from the Gu Technique. The situation was not good. If these two forces were to clash, he would be in grave danger. A sense of dread washed over him.

Meanwhile, Alice had been here for ten days. She was sullen the entire time, bringing her "little witch" temperament with her to this new place, which she found utterly unbearable.

"Holy Daughter, it is time for your studies," a steady-voiced elder reported from outside her room.

"Hmph! What is there to study? Don’t you know I hate reading more than anything? Believe it or not, I’ll tear down your entire library!" Alice retorted.

The elder was instantly stumped. He was the absolute authority here, the Controller of everything, yet he was terrified of one person: Alice. In the short time since her arrival, she had caused no end of trouble. Even his beard hadn’t escaped her clutches—it had once been over a meter long, but now his chin was completely bare. Still, there was nothing he could do. Alice was their Holy Daughter, and in her presence, even he felt helpless.

Thus, he could only say, "In that case, Your Highness, please rest well."

"Get lost!" Alice yelled.

The elder slinked away. Outside, he looked rather embarrassed. His demeanor was a strange mix of dignified and mischievous, serious yet playful. He must have been quite the character in his youth. Even in his old age, he was a competent Clan Leader and the strongest expert in the tribe. However, since Alice’s arrival, his authority had all but vanished.

Just then, the man who had interrogated Ye Fan approached. He bowed respectfully before reporting everything about Ye Fan to the Clan Leader.

The Clan Leader grew furious. "The Holy Daughter is about to merge with the ultimate Divine Power! There can be no mistakes at a time like this! Kill that boy. Do it cleanly and make sure the Holy Daughter never finds out. If she questions it later, I will take full responsibility!" His decision was swift and ruthless.

But the interrogator asked, "Clan Leader, are you sure you can handle the fallout?"

Thinking of Alice’s witch-like antics and how she had recently turned the tribe upside down, the Clan Leader couldn’t help but shiver. "...On second thought, don’t rush. Just lock him up for a while."

It was clear he couldn’t handle it, so he decided to imprison Ye Fan for the time being.

In his cell, Ye Fan tried everything to break free, but it was useless. All the acupoints in his body had been sealed. The technique used to restrain him was astonishing. He remained imprisoned like this for three consecutive days, and the experience was excruciating.