The Clan Master Can't possibly Be A Mortal

Ye Feng did not need Li Chijiao to serve him hand and foot.

The reason for this statement was that, having just arrived, it was necessary to give the other party some benefits to show goodwill, making it easier to obtain the Heavenly Venerable Divine Ability.

As the saying goes:

More friends mean fewer enemies.

The hidden Immortal Emperor of the Li Clan had an unknown level of strength and mastered the Heavenly Venerable Divine Ability—his power was immense. Being able to turn him into an ally was naturally the best choice.

At the very least, he must not become an enemy.

"No need to serve me hand and foot. Your dark ailment originates from your soul and has spread throughout your meridians, lingering without cure. It has already led to the stiffening of your meridians. If this continues, not only will your cultivation level regress, but your foundational essence will also be damaged."

Ye Feng saw through everything with crystal clarity.

Leaving aside the Eye of Insight that came with the System, with just his current Divine Sense and his deduction abilities, Ye Feng could easily analyze the dark ailment in Li Chijiao's body.

"That's exactly it!"

Li Chijiao's heart felt gripped, his breath caught, and his complexion darkened. "I was originally at the late Immortal Venerable stage, but after being struck by the dark ailment, my cultivation level regressed. Before long, I fear it will fall to the early Immortal Venerable stage."

"Why did you develop a dark ailment?"

Ye Feng asked out of curiosity.

Li Chijiao sighed and said:

"Was it not to resist those Evil Clan members? I fell victim to the Evil King's plot, resulting in me being surrounded by several Evil Clan Venerables. I barely escaped by the skin of my teeth."

"Evil Clan?" Ye Feng expressed his doubt.

Li Chijiao thought for a moment and said:

"Senior, you may not know this: Sky Piercing City was not originally located here. We used to live in the Ancient Immortal Domain, which is the birthplace of the entire Immortal Realm and possesses the Realm Source, making it a frequent target for attacks from Outer Domain Evil Races."

"After every interval of time, when the Evil Clan finishes recuperating, they resume their assault on the Ancient Immortal Domain."

"Over time, the domain became a battlefield."

"For better cultivation, we moved to a hidden spatial crevice, less likely to be discovered by the Evil Clan, where we could recover and continue resisting them."

"The battle ten thousand years ago was especially perilous."

"Even I nearly lost my life. Though I escaped, I was left with this dark ailment."

"The Clan Leader once treated me, but the results were minimal. Senior, do you… truly have a solution?"

Li Chijiao gazed at Ye Feng with a face full of hope.

"I should be able to!"

Ye Feng nodded, his hands forming seals as he activated "Heart of Life". During the process, he released an unusual aura of Dao rhythm, causing Li Chijiao's expression to drastically change.

"This aura… why does it feel so similar to our clan's inherited Divine Ability?"

Li Chijiao was deeply shaken.

In his dazed state, a green flower the size of a thumb appeared on Ye Feng's fingertip, radiating intense life energy.

"What is this…?"

Li Chijiao stared intently at the Flower of Life, sensing his own meridians quiver. It seemed as if simply consuming the flower would heal his dark ailment.

"This is the Flower of Life."

Ye Feng explained, "Your dark ailment isn't easily resolved. It requires a complete transformation. During the process, I will take action to reshape your entire meridians, but you will endure unimaginable pain."

"I fear death; why would I be afraid of pain?"

Li Chijiao patted his chest. "Senior, please proceed! No matter whether I can be cured, I will repay you by braving fire and water in the future."

"Then let's begin."

Ye Feng pointed a finger at Li Chijiao's forehead, sending the Flower of Life into his body while shredding Li Chijiao's meridians, inflicting excruciating pain.

"Argh!"

Li Chijiao couldn't help but groan in anguish. Flames erupted in his eyes, carrying poisonous mist from the dark ailment.

"Burn!"

Ye Feng exhaled a mouthful of flames, incinerating the poisonous mist, refining it into Origin energy, and integrating it into his microcosm.

On the ground.

Li Chijiao felt his entire body convulse, enduring agony that reached his bones and soul. At first, only his meridians underwent transformation. Later, even his soul twisted and evolved.

The entire process—it was an indescribable experience of despair intertwined with exhilaration.

After an hour.

Li Chijiao collapsed to the ground, drenched in sweat, with toxic mist spewing out from every pore. The mist corroded the void, causing the surrounding Heavenly Immortals to retreat as if avoiding deadly poison.

"Refine!"

Ye Feng once again exhaled flames, refining the toxic mist into abundant Origin energy, which he used to strengthen the Misty Boundary within his microcosm.

His plan was clear.

First, cultivate the star that housed the Misty Boundary into a place no less powerful than a top-tier Great Thousand World. Then, send the cultivators there to spread across various parts of the microcosm, branching out and expanding.

Over time.

The microcosm would grow overwhelmingly strong.

This approach was effective.

There were already similar successful examples in reality, which was why Ye Feng chose to implement this method.

"Ah… haha!"

Li Chijiao was drained, his body sore, but he could distinctly feel his strength gradually recovering. The dark ailment had entirely dissipated, leaving his face brimming with joy.

"Many thanks, Senior!"

He stood and gave Ye Feng a deep bow, his eyes brimming with gratitude.

"Sit!"

Ye Feng gestured toward a seat.

This moment, it seemed Ye Feng was the true City Lord of Sky Piercing City, while Li Chijiao appeared as the guest.

"Alright."

Li Chijiao sat on the City Lord's throne, gazing at Ye Feng. "Senior, the Divine Ability you just employed—what is its name? It felt strangely familiar to me."

"That is the Heavenly Venerable Divine Ability."

Ye Feng replied.

"Heavenly… Venerable?" Li Chijiao furrowed his brows, pondering. "Could it be on the same level as the Venerable Divine Ability inherited by the Li Clan?"

"You don't know what a Heavenly Venerable is?"

This time, Ye Feng was surprised.

"I don't." Li Chijiao shook his head. "I only know that above the Immortal Emperor, there exists an even stronger realm called Venerable."

"That realm is the Heavenly Venerable." Ye Feng clarified.

"So, our clan's ancestor was a Heavenly Venerable?" Li Chijiao came to understand.

"You just mentioned the Ancient Immortal Domain being the birthplace of the Immortal Realm, with Heavenly Venerables present in the Immortal Realm. Why don't you know that Venerable is equivalent to Heavenly Venerable?"

Ye Feng asked again.

Li Chijiao hesitated briefly and said: "Indeed, the Ancient Immortal Domain is the birthplace of the Immortal Realm and possesses the mysterious Realm Source. But we have no understanding of the current condition of the Immortal Realm."

"Alright, then!" Ye Feng exhaled in slight exasperation, "By the way, what exactly is the Realm Source?"

"It's a kind of energy born alongside the Universe. It allows cultivators to break through to Venerable—what you call Heavenly Venerable. But ever since our clan's Venerable ancestor passed away, it seems the Realm Source has long been gone."

Li Chijiao spread his hands helplessly.

From birth until now, he had never seen the Realm Source. Even the Immortal Emperor-level Clan Leader had only read descriptions of it in family records.

"If the Realm Source is gone, why do the Evil Clan still assault the Ancient Immortal Domain?"

Ye Feng spread his hands as well.

"I don't understand either. Perhaps the Evil Clan believes the Realm Source is still there." Li Chijiao offered this explanation.

At the table.

Ye Feng fell into contemplation.

Realm Source, energy born alongside the Universe?

But why didn't his own microcosm have it?

Could it be that the microcosm's level was still insufficient? That it needed to develop into something on par with the Great Universe or the Three Thousand Realms to produce the Realm Source?

Ye Feng considered numerous possibilities.

"Setting aside the matter of the Realm Source for now, I want to ask if the Divine Ability left behind by your clan's Venerable ancestor could be shown to me?"

Ye Feng got straight to the point.

Upon hearing this, Li Chijiao looked conflicted.

Ye Feng had resolved his dark ailment, and in principle, Li Chijiao should repay him. However, when it came to the issue of the Venerable Divine Ability, the matter was too significant.

As an Immortal Venerable, Li Chijiao lacked the authority to decide. He would need to consult the Clan Leader, who was currently in closed-door cultivation within the Immortal Emperor Realm.

"It seems you don't have decision-making power."

Ye Feng could see the truth clearly.

"That's correct. I still need to seek the Clan Leader's opinion on this matter." Li Chijiao awkwardly scratched his head.

Ye Feng didn't take offense at this.

On the contrary, he felt secretly pleased.

Li Chijiao hadn't outright refused, indicating that there was a chance to view the Li Clan's Venerable Divine Ability.

It simply wasn't the right moment yet.

[Winter Melon: Wishing everyone a happy Lunar New Year's Eve!]