Hearing Aromatic Silk Beauty beg for mercy, Du Busi halted his assault.
Yet the ferocity in his eyes did not diminish in the slightest as he stared fixedly at the three hundred-thousand-year plant spirit beasts.
If he had not been worried that hitting too hard would affect the medicinal herbs in the valley, why would he have given them a chance to surrender and catch their breath?
He would have loved nothing more than to dig up their roots and tear them into powder!
As the Body Sect's leader, it was already good enough that he did not go looking for trouble with others.
These plant spirit beasts had actually dared to take the initiative and try to kill him. They had already earned themselves a death sentence!
Locked onto by Du Busi's spiritual power, the three plant spirit beasts trembled in fear, terrified that this terrifying fellow who had appeared from nowhere would attack again.
The atmosphere was incredibly tense, like a taut bowstring.
It seemed that the slightest disturbance would snap that string on the spot and unleash a massive disaster.
Just then.
A light chuckle suddenly rang out. "Tsk, tsk. Judging by how practiced you are, you must have done plenty of killing to silence people, huh?"
"Those people who accidentally wandered in here and were killed by you before—did you bury their bones in the soil as fertilizer for growing flowers?"
Hearing that voice, Aromatic Silk Beauty and the other plant spirit beasts all turned their attention to Du Busi's shoulder.
At some point, a black-haired boy with a faint smile had appeared there.
The boy was clearly young, yet the calm composure in his eyes always made people unconsciously forget his age.
Hearing his words, Aromatic Silk Beauty fell silent for a moment.
Because it really was exactly as Ye Linyuan had said.
No matter how well this place was hidden, over the course of ten thousand years, there would always be people who stumbled into it by accident.
Especially during the first few thousand years, before the Jade Phosphorus Seven Absolute Flower poison miasma transplanted by Tang San had truly displayed its power, outsiders had a greater chance of entering.
Back then, the Clear Sky Sect would even frequently send people here to stand guard.
If outsiders accidentally entered, the Clear Sky Sect would cooperate with the plant spirit beasts here and kill every intruder to prevent information from leaking out.
Only after several thousand years had passed, when the poison miasma here gradually became terrifying and fewer and fewer people came, did that change.
Furthermore, these plant spirit beasts had grown stronger over time. Together with the Ice Fire Twin Springs, they had enough power to protect themselves, so the Clear Sky Sect's people withdrew.
Over the course of ten thousand years, there had been no fewer than a hundred accidental intruders buried within the Ice Fire Yin Yang Well.
And the bones of those people had indeed all been used as fertilizer.
"That person said humans are insatiably greedy."
"If we do not kill those who come here and let them spread the information, the Ice Fire Yin Yang Well will never know peace again. Humanity will surely find a way to claim this treasured land and exploit it without restraint," Aromatic Silk Beauty argued.
Ye Linyuan immediately laughed. "Heh, you make it sound as though you have not already been claimed by someone."
The Three Great Plant Spirit Beasts were stunned.
Infernal Delicate Apricot said, "What do you mean?"
"Before you came, no outsiders had disturbed us for one or two thousand years."
"We lived without a care in the world. How could anyone have claimed us?"
A faintly mocking expression appeared on Ye Linyuan's face. "Oh? Does this so-called absence of outsiders include the Clear Sky Sect?"
Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass blurted out, "The Clear Sky Sect belongs to him, so of course they are not outsiders."
Ye Linyuan burst into laughter. "Hahaha, what a fine claim that the Clear Sky Sect is not made up of outsiders!"
"Tang San was able to transform and ultimately become a god because of this treasured land."
"He has kept you penned up for ten thousand years, allowing only Clear Sky Sect disciples to use this place, while killing every other person who discovers it."
"With such tyrannical conduct, has he not long since claimed this place for himself!?"
At those words, the Three Great Plant Spirit Beasts were momentarily dumbfounded.
Eh?
By this boy's logic, in essence... it really did seem that way?
It was simply that they had long regarded the Clear Sky Sect as part of the Ice Fire Yin Yang Well, so they had never considered it like that.
But in truth, the Clear Sky Sect was also made up of outsiders!
However, these plant spirit beasts had cooperated with the Clear Sky Sect for more than ten thousand years. Their relationship was far beyond what Ye Linyuan, a stranger who had suddenly barged in, could compare to.
Aromatic Silk Beauty was only stunned briefly before quickly recovering and saying in a deep voice, "Though the Clear Sky Sect comes here to pick Spirit Herbs, they know moderation. That is still better than having the information leak out and attracting the attention of all humanity."
"You slander the Clear Sky Sect like this and sow discord between us and that person. I suppose you must be enemies of the Clear Sky Sect!"
Ye Linyuan smiled faintly. "Being watched by one person is indeed better than being watched by a crowd."
"As for whether we are enemies of the Clear Sky Sect..." He paused, and a strange gleam flashed through his eyes. "As long as the Clear Sky Sect does not obstruct my ascension to godhood, I have no interest in them."
Du Busi gave Ye Linyuan a surprised look, unable to understand why his precious disciple would reveal such an important secret.
But considering Ye Linyuan's unusual nature, he did not immediately speak up to stop him.
Instead, he watched quietly to see what Ye Linyuan intended to do.
Sure enough, upon hearing the words "become a god," the Three Great Plant Spirit Beasts were immediately drawn in.
Infernal Delicate Apricot sneered. "You? Become a god?"
"Do you think becoming a god is so easy? Apart from him and his companions, we have not sensed a single new god in ten thousand years. What foolish overconfidence!"
Ye Linyuan's expression turned solemn. "How can a frog at the bottom of a well know the vastness of the Milky Way?"
"I am a successor chosen by a god, and the location of this treasured land was also a revelation given to me by that god."
"If you miss such a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity because of your own stupidity, then when other spirit beasts ascend to heaven alongside me in the future, do not regret it!"
The entire valley fell silent.
After a long while.
Aromatic Silk Beauty finally came back to its senses, as though it had heard the funniest joke in the world. "Little fellow, if you want to deceive us, could you at least come up with a more convincing excuse?"
"We may be cut off from the world, but we are not fools."
"A god's successor? Do you think we would believe such nonsense?"
The corners of Ye Linyuan's lips curled up.
He called out in his mind, "Elder Yi, I'll have to trouble you next."
Electrolux chuckled. "No matter. Your plan to play the role of a god sounds rather interesting."
The next instant.
A faint gray radiance suddenly blossomed from Ye Linyuan's body.
A vast and majestic pressure descended abruptly, making every living being present tremble in their souls.
Du Busi's pupils shrank instantly as he abruptly looked behind Ye Linyuan in shock. "Th-this is..."
At some point.
A gray, semi-illusory figure had suddenly appeared behind Ye Linyuan.
The figure's face could not be seen. His entire body was shrouded in a long robe, and he held a staff.
He appeared utterly unremarkable, yet the pressure emanating from his soul made everyone tremble uncontrollably, wanting to kneel and bow on the spot.
It was the fundamental difference in the level of life.
It was the unique mark of a god's status.
It was the genuine article... the power of Divine Sense!
Before you continue