Chapter 30: Gathering Clouds

During the half month that Ye Feng spent healing, almost every day saw the arrival of several aristocratic families from the imperial capital at Zhetian City, nestled at the foot of the Luoyan Mountains.

The stream of visitors coming to inquire after Ye Feng’s injuries and to pay their respects to the Ye family was unending, and among them were even high-ranking nobles from the imperial capital. Not a few of the city’s most promising young talents also made their way here.

One night, a few days later, while Ye Feng was still painstakingly circulating his spiritual power to slowly recover, a sudden burst of laughter echoed from within the demon king's inner core. “Ha ha ha! I did it! Not only have I resolved my immediate crisis, but I’ve also carved out several hundred meters of domain here! Boy, you’d better congratulate me!”

Ye Feng’s consciousness slipped effortlessly into the chaotic space, and at first glance, even he was left speechless. Though the distant reaches were still engulfed in chaos, the area of several hundred meters around him was now just like the land outside, and—astonishingly—there were even a few tufts of wild grass sprouting from the ground nearby!

“So… this is what they call a ‘domain’?” Ye Feng stomped his foot on the earth beneath him, barely able to believe it.

“That’s right! And to be fair, you deserve some credit as well. If you hadn’t interrupted my nirvana that day, how could my external domain have transformed into this internal domain?” The Dragon-Jiao Demon King, swept up in his excitement, seemed on the verge of throwing his arms around Ye Feng in a great hug…

But now, he was only a soul, and Ye Feng had entered with only a sliver of his consciousness, so the old demon could only give up with a sigh.

“Old monster, I’ll be blunt with you, don’t take offense.” Watching the Dragon-Jiao Demon King, who was as giddy as a child, Ye Feng’s eyes darted mischievously, and then his voice suddenly rose, “Do you realize that because you were so impatient, I nearly died with no one to turn to for help… Do you know, I was almost beaten to death?”

“Uh…” Ye Feng’s sudden outburst made the Dragon-Jiao Demon King shrink back, and the demon king’s inner core quickly scanned Ye Feng’s body… The old beast fell silent, sheepish.

After a moment, Ye Feng’s eyes flashed as he roared in mock anger, “I won’t blame you for focusing on your own cultivation, after all, I’m the one who got you into this mess. And when you angered that great one in the celestial domain, forcing me to bear the brunt of his fury, I swallowed my pride and accepted it.”

He paused, stealing a glance at the Dragon-Jiao Demon King, and continued, “But what you absolutely shouldn’t have done was stop me from using the inner core. If I’d had its help, would I have been beaten so badly?”

“This… truly, I was careless. But now that my soul is independent and I’ve refined the internal domain, you can wield the inner core as you wish!”

Ye Feng left, grumbling under his breath. Even feigning anger was exhausting, especially since the demon king was no fool.

Sure enough, not long after, the Dragon-Jiao Demon King’s indignant roar echoed after him: “You lost because you weren’t strong enough, nearly got yourself killed, and you blame me? You little rascal…”

Over the next few days, with the boundless spiritual power from the demon king’s inner core, Ye Feng’s injuries healed completely. Moreover, with this immense support, he broke through to the perfected postnatal realm in one surge.

In the Ye family’s garden.

As the sun set, its afterglow cast the long shadows of two figures—one large, one small—in the pavilion.

Accepting the tea Ye Tianya had personally brewed for him, Ye Feng asked, “I've heard that many nobles from the capital have arrived in the city recently?”

But Ye Tianya didn’t respond directly. He slowly picked up his teacup and sipped, then glanced at Ye Feng. “Are your wounds healed?”

This evasive answer made Ye Feng want to throttle his second uncle. “Second Uncle, are you doing this on purpose…” He waited and waited, cup after cup… finally, Ye Manzi couldn’t hold it in.

Bang…

The teacup slammed to the ground as Ye Tianya suddenly stood, roaring, “Refined, my foot! Try being hunted for decades, forced to lurk in the shadows, not daring to use your real name… cough…” As if he’d overexerted himself, he cleared his throat, face flushed. “At last, there’s no need to hide. I’m just… suppressing my joy, you understand?”

Ye Feng was stunned—utterly stunned. Was this still the same calm, unflappable Ye Tianya? His worldview shattered. He doubted he’d ever fall in love again.

“They all came because of the Ye family?” Ye Feng asked, his voice low, resignation in every word.

“Hmph! Just a bunch of fence-sitters. As for our real allies, we’ve never lost touch!” Ye Tianya curled his lip in disdain.

“I don’t understand—why did they choose this moment to come to Zhetian City? Does it have to do with the Sacred Grounds? Or is it because of Fifth Uncle?” Since he wasn’t getting the answers he wanted, Ye Feng tried to lead him on.

At this, Ye Tianya nodded. “With the family resurfacing, how could the Sacred Grounds, our perennial enemies, not show up? Fortunately, Fifth Uncle returned in time, so the elders from the Sacred Grounds can’t interfere. Strictly speaking, all this is because of you…” He shrugged, smiling as he looked Ye Feng up and down. “The family needs a representative, and since all this came out into the open because of you, you’ll be the one to take that role.”

“So you’re saying all these people visiting our home are just here to gawk at me?” Ye Feng was displeased—once again treated like a curious animal on display.

“Not entirely. Word is that the Sacred Grounds have sent their young prodigies to challenge the Empire, and they’ve already defeated the champions of eighteen cities. The next stop is Zhetian City. Many young people have come to meet that challenge.”

“Am I expected to fight too?” Ye Feng closed his eyes, sorrow rising within him. Where was his right to choose…

“Of course you are! You’re the leader!” Ye Tianya calmly picked up another cup of tea, as if it were only natural.

“What if I’m unlucky enough to be beaten to death?”

“Well… in that case, we’ll have to go into hiding again!”

As the situation became clear, Ye Feng forced a bitter smile. At least he wasn’t totally useless; this time, he’d be drawing all the fire.

Now that all was clear, he knew how he would respond.

“The Sacred Grounds? I can’t beat the old ones, but as for their young pups—hmph! I’ll take some interest from them first!” He drained his tea, speaking quietly to himself.

“By the way, those celestial fruits are extremely useful—they’ve already helped many of the family’s younger generation break through to the postnatal realm. If possible, try to find more!”

P.S.: Four updates today—nearly ten thousand words. Humbly asking for your support! Please bookmark! Please send flowers!