Volume 1, Chapter 74 – The Shocked Ye Family

Yaochi Immortal Palace?

Everyone exchanged bewildered looks. None of them had ever heard of this power before.

However, the unfathomable aura emanating from the woman was enough to explain everything.

She was someone they could not afford to offend!

“Y-Yes! This junior understands!”

Ye Nantian hurriedly replied. He then turned around and said sternly to the people behind him, “All of you, step back! Do not disturb Ling’er!”

Although the members of the Ye family were filled with curiosity and shock, none dared disobey. They retreated one after another and watched from a distance.

Even so, every pair of eyes remained fixed on the figure enveloped in moonlight within the courtyard, as well as the mountain-like pile of spirit stones.

Ten thousand mid-grade spirit stones!

Even to the Ye family, that was no small sum!

Yet this senior had casually taken them out and given them to Ye Ling’er for cultivation?

The crowd’s astonishment only deepened.

Within the courtyard, Ye Ling’er’s transformation continued.

As the Lunar Canon circulated and the origin power of the Lunar Divine Stone poured into her, the source power that had lain dormant within her for sixteen years finally awakened completely!

Boom!

An ice-blue pillar of light erupted from the crown of Ye Ling’er’s head and shot into the sky!

Within the pillar, the faint image of a lunar disc rose and fell while the trajectories of stars revolved around it.

The spirit stones beneath Ye Ling’er lost their luster one after another at a speed visible to the naked eye, turning into ordinary rocks.

At the same time, her aura began rising at an astonishing rate!

First layer of Qi Refinement!

Second layer of Qi Refinement!

Third layer of Qi Refinement!

…

Almost every few breaths, her cultivation broke through another minor realm!

Nothing could stop her advance!

There was not the slightest trace of stagnation!

It was as though all the suppression she had endured over the past sixteen years had transformed into the driving force behind this eruption.

Her skin grew increasingly translucent, her ice-blue hair shimmered with flowing radiance, and the dark-blue mark between her brows became fully solid.

It was an exquisite lunar-disc mark, adorned along its edges with tiny stars and radiating an ancient, noble aura.

Fifth layer of Qi Refinement!

Sixth layer of Qi Refinement!

Seventh layer of Qi Refinement!

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…

Her cultivation was still soaring!

The members of the Ye family stared with their mouths agape. Quite a few looked as though their jaws were about to hit the ground.

“My heavens! What kind of cultivation speed is this?!”

“Am I seeing things?!”

“Wasn’t the Nine Yin Severed Meridians an incurable condition that made cultivation impossible?”

“We haven’t seen Cousin Ling’er for only two days. How did she suddenly become a cultivation genius?!”

“Just who is that senior?”

For a time, the Ye family’s exclamations and discussions filled the air.

Ye Nantian stared at his daughter, his hands clenched so tightly that his nails dug deep into his palms, yet he felt no pain at all.

At that moment, his eyes held only his daughter’s figure.

Sixteen years of guilt and sixteen years of helplessness turned into scalding tears that blurred his vision.

“Ling’er… my daughter…”

He murmured in a choked voice.

A-Yao watched Ye Ling’er, who was enveloped by the pillar of light, with curiosity.

She tugged on Gu Han’s robe and whispered, “Master Mommy, does this mean A-Yao will have another junior sister from now on?”

Gu Han gently rubbed her head.

“Yes. From now on, she will be your fourth junior sister.”

“Fourth junior sister? Wonderful! Wonderful!”

A-Yao clapped her little hands happily, her large eyes curving into crescents.

In the courtyard, Ye Ling’er’s cultivation had already surged to the ninth layer of Qi Refinement!

Moreover, it was still charging toward the peak of Qi Refinement and even Foundation Establishment!

Her physique had been suppressed for sixteen years. Now that it had been fully awakened, coupled with the guidance of a supreme cultivation method like the Lunar Canon, her breakthroughs came as naturally as water flowing into a channel.

However, just as her cultivation was about to touch the barrier of Foundation Establishment, Gu Han suddenly raised her hand and lightly pointed toward Ye Ling’er.

A gentle yet incomparably powerful stream of spiritual energy entered Ye Ling’er’s body.

Under the guidance and suppression of that spiritual energy, the surging spiritual power that had been about to shatter the barrier gradually calmed.

In the end, her cultivation stabilized firmly at the peak of the ninth layer of Qi Refinement.

She was only one final step away from Foundation Establishment, yet she had not truly crossed that threshold.

The radiance gradually receded.

The moonlight dispersed, and the glow of the Lunar Divine Stone also dimmed. It floated quietly before Ye Ling’er.

Ye Ling’er slowly opened her eyes.

Her eyes, once as clear as autumn waters, now seemed to reflect the bright moon and countless stars. They were profound and mysterious.

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Deep within her pupils, the faint image of an ice-blue lunar disc flashed and vanished.

Her aura was now completely different from before.

Cold, ethereal, and noble, she resembled an immortal maiden from the Moon Palace descending into the mortal world.

“Master…”

Ye Ling’er rose and gave Gu Han a graceful bow.

“Disciple… thanks Master for granting me a new life!”

Her voice trembled with barely restrained excitement, though it now carried a steadiness it had lacked before.

She could clearly sense the spiritual power surging through her body. She could feel the lunar power contained within the mark between her brows.

Even more remarkably, she could sense a wondrous connection between herself and the bright moon in the sky.

“Very good.”

Gu Han nodded slightly, satisfaction appearing in her eyes.

“Your physique has only just awakened. First stabilize your foundation completely, then make your breakthrough.”

“Disciple will heed Master’s teachings!”

Ye Ling’er replied respectfully.

She knew that Master had suppressed her cultivation just now for her own good.

Had Master not intervened, she might have rushed directly into Foundation Establishment and left behind many hidden problems.

“Bid your family a proper farewell. In three days, you will leave with me.”

Ye Ling’er’s heart tightened. She then nodded.

“Yes, Master.”

Ye Ling’er slowly walked toward the courtyard gate, each step feeling as though it crossed the boundary between reality and illusion.

“Ling’er!”

Ye Nantian was the first to rush forward. His eyes were red, and his hands trembled as he reached out to touch his daughter, only to hesitate and stop in midair.

It was as though he feared the scene before him was nothing more than a fragile dream.

“Father.”

Ye Ling’er stopped and looked at the man who had worried himself sick over her. Her voice was gentle.

“Your daughter… can cultivate now.”

Those few simple words instantly brought tears streaming down the face of Ye Nantian, a family head who was considered an important figure in Falling Star City.

He pulled his daughter fiercely into his arms, his voice choking with emotion.

“Good… good!

“I knew it… I knew my daughter was no ordinary person… I knew it…”

The surrounding members of the Ye family wore complicated expressions.

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The younger family members who had once mocked Ye Ling’er now felt their faces burn with shame and did not dare meet her eyes.

The expressions of several elders shifted repeatedly. There was shock, regret, and an indescribable trace of embarrassment.

Their Ye family branch had actually produced a disciple who had been chosen by a mysterious supreme expert?

“Niece Ling’er…”

A white-haired Ye family elder spoke after carefully choosing his words, forcing a smile onto his face.

“Now that you can cultivate, this is truly wonderful news! May I ask who this senior is…?”

His gaze involuntarily drifted toward Gu Han, who stood quietly within the courtyard. His eyes held both reverence and curiosity.

Ye Ling’er gently freed herself from her father’s embrace. She swept her gaze across the crowd and spoke calmly.

“She is my Master. In three days, I will leave with her.”

Leave?

Everyone’s heart jolted.

Ye Nantian’s expression changed even more dramatically.

“Ling’er, you’re leaving? Where are you going?”

“Master’s Daoist sanctum is in the Southern Region, at Yaochi Immortal Palace.”

Ye Ling’er looked at her father. A trace of reluctance flashed through her eyes, but it was quickly replaced by resolve.

“Father, this is my opportunity, and it is also my choice.”

Ye Nantian opened his mouth, but in the end, all his words turned into a long sigh. He patted his daughter’s shoulder heavily.

“All right… Father won’t stop you. But… the Southern Region is so far from the Eastern Region. Once you leave…”

“Family Head Ye, there is no need to worry.”

Gu Han’s voice suddenly rang out, calm yet clearly audible to everyone present.

At some point, she had already led A-Yao to the courtyard gate. Her indifferent gaze swept across the members of the Ye family.

“Since Ling’er has entered my tutelage, I will naturally protect her and guide her cultivation.”

“In three days, I will take Ye Ling’er away.”

After saying this, she paid no further attention to their reactions. Holding A-Yao’s hand, she leisurely walked deeper into the Ye residence.

It was as though this were not someone else’s estate, but the back garden of her own home.

Ye Nantian hurriedly bowed.

“Yes! This junior will arrange the finest guest courtyard for Senior immediately!”

He promptly ordered the servants to prepare the quietest and most elegant courtyard in the Ye residence for Gu Han’s temporary stay.

The members of the Ye family watched the tall and small figures depart. Only after the two disappeared at the end of the corridor did they dare begin discussing matters in hushed voices.

“The Southern Region… Yaochi Immortal Palace… Have any of you heard of it?”

“Never! But judging by this senior’s methods, it is definitely no ordinary power!”

“She casually took out ten thousand mid-grade spirit stones for Ling’er to cultivate with… Such extravagance…”

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“That girl Ling’er truly gained fortune from disaster!”

“If the main family learns of this…”

At the mention of the “main family,” everyone’s expression tightened.

Ye Nantian furrowed his brow and said solemnly, “Do not spread word of this for now! Everything… can wait until Ling’er leaves with Senior!”

Unease stirred faintly within his heart.

Ling’er could now cultivate and had even entered the tutelage of a mysterious expert. This should have been an incomparably joyous event for the Ye family of Falling Star City.

However, the main family’s attitude was difficult to predict.

Given the main family’s usual way of doing things, they probably would not allow a talented descendant of a branch family to escape their control and join a sect of unknown origins.

Especially considering the talent Ling’er had just displayed…

“I hope nothing goes wrong during these three days…”

Ye Nantian sighed inwardly.

Inside Listening Snow Pavilion, Gu Han settled A-Yao down. The little girl had traveled through space all the way here and then watched the commotion in the courtyard. Now tired, she soon fell into a deep sleep.

Gu Han stood before the window, gazing at the snowflakes drifting through the courtyard, her eyes profound.

Naturally, she had heard the Ye family’s discussions, but she did not care.

She was staying for three days, first to give Ye Ling’er time to bid farewell to her family.

Second, she wanted to see how the Ye family of the Eastern Region would respond.

“System.”

Gu Han called out inwardly.

[Ding! Host, I’m here! Do you think this Ye family is too petty and small-minded to be worthy of our Ling’er?]

Gu Han automatically ignored the System’s teasing and asked, “How strong is the Ye main family of the Eastern Region?”

[Accessing database… Analyzing…]

[Ye Family of the Eastern Region: A first-rate ancient family attached to the Immortal Ascension powerhouse known as Empress Qingxuan. Its lineage has endured for more than eight thousand years.]

[On the surface, it is guarded by three Mahayana cultivators. It has more than twenty elders at Body Integration, and over a hundred cultivators at Spirit Transformation and Nascent Soul. Its influence stretches throughout the Eastern Region, placing it among the strongest of the first-rate ancient families.]

[The current family head, Ye Lingyun, is at the early stage of Mahayana. As for his personality… Hmm, he places considerable importance on the family’s interests and reputation.]

[Friendly reminder: A branch-family descendant whose physique has suddenly awakened will likely attract the attention of the Ye main family.]

[Host, you may need to stretch your muscles.]

The corners of Gu Han’s lips lifted slightly.

Stretch her muscles?

If the Ye main family knew what was good for them, she naturally could not be bothered with them.

If they did not…

She would not mind letting the people of the Eastern Region learn the name of Yaochi Immortal Palace.