"She's fine. She's simply exhausted from expending too much of her Origin Bloodline and has fallen into a deep sleep," Ye Yunfei stated flatly. He was already preparing himself, ready to flee if these people showed any signs of hostility towards him. Of course, that was the worst-case scenario.
Ye Yunfei understood that with an expert like Cui Hong present, escape might not be a sure thing.
But the red-clad woman hadn't woken up yet, so he had to prepare for the worst.
"Cui Xia expended too much of her Origin Bloodline?" The Grand Elder of the Fire Clan furrowed his brows slightly.
"Yes. She should wake up soon. You can ask her yourself what happened once she regains consciousness," Ye Yunfei nodded.
At that moment, Cui Hong suddenly turned his gaze towards Ye Yunfei. Those two terrifying gazes felt like two heavy divine mountains, causing Ye Yunfei's legs to buckle slightly, almost forcing him to sit on the ground.
"Young man, why do you have the Origin Bloodline of our Fire Clan within you?" Cui Hong asked in a commanding voice.
"What?
He has our Fire Clan's Origin Bloodline in him?
How is that possible? Could he be a descendant of our Fire Clan?" The Grand Elder and the other Fire Clan members were greatly shocked by Cui Hong's words.
"No, he is a pure-blooded human. But his body indeed contains the Origin Bloodline of our Fire Clan. It's possible he used some secret technique to strip it from one of our clan members and then fused it into his own body," Cui Hong said slowly.
"So that's it!
Kid, tell us honestly, what's going on? Did you strip Cui Xia's Origin Bloodline?!" The Grand Elder's expression darkened upon hearing this, and he demanded sternly.
The other Fire Clan members also looked furious, their gazes towards Ye Yunfei turning hostile.
"It's true that I have your Fire Clan's Origin Bloodline in me," Ye Yunfei said, feeling the pressure on him growing increasingly terrifying. His body swayed, barely able to stand. "But Cui Xia willingly gave it to me. It's best if you wait until she wakes up to ask about everything.
I doubt anything I say now would be believed."
"Regardless, since you are not of the Fire Clan, you cannot possess our Origin Bloodline.
If you obtained it through coercion, then prepare to pay the price now," Cui Hong spoke slowly. He then raised a hand and beckoned.
Ye Yunfei felt his body lose all control, lifting into the air and drifting towards Cui Hong.
"I will now extract our Fire Clan's Origin Bloodline from your body," Cui Hong stated indifferently.
In a moment of desperation, Ye Yunfei erupted with all the energy within him, trying to break free from Cui Hong's control.
But it was useless. This Cui Hong was far too strong. Even an ordinary Perfected Demigod would be instantly annihilated before him, let alone Ye Yunfei.
"The Ancestor is right. One who is not of our Fire Clan absolutely cannot possess our Origin Bloodline!" The Grand Elder fully agreed with Cui Hong's approach.
Cui Hong forcibly brought Ye Yunfei before him, then extended a hand and gave a light grasping motion towards Ye Yunfei's body. Instantly, Ye Yunfei felt all the bloodlines within his body begin to boil and churn.
Ye Yunfei's face flushed crimson. His blood vessels swelled, seeming on the verge of explosion.
"This is how you repay kindness! So the Fire Clan is a bunch of ungrateful wretches!
If we hadn't helped that Cui Xia earlier, your Fire Clan would have had no chance to break the seal at all! And now, you Fire Clan people want to burn the bridge after crossing the river? This is utterly outrageous!" The Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm, seeing this scene, flew into a rage. Disregarding everything, it began to curse loudly.
Hearing the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm's tirade, the Fire Clan members were taken aback, expressions of confusion appearing on their faces.
They didn't know whether the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm's words were true or not.
"So it's a Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm. However, your words alone cannot prove anything.
Regardless, non-members of our clan cannot possess our Origin Bloodline," Cui Hong said calmly.
At that moment, Ye Yunfei could feel the Fire Clan's Origin Bloodline within his body seemingly starting to truly separate from his own bloodline.
But before this Cui Hong, Ye Yunfei simply couldn't resist.
At this critical juncture, a woman's voice suddenly rang out.
"Ancestor, please be merciful!"
"Cui Xia, you're awake!" The Grand Elder of the Fire Clan exclaimed with joy.
"Grand Elder," Cui Xia said rapidly as soon as she awoke, taking in the situation and hearing the Dragon Silkworm's curses and Cui Hong's words, "this Young Master is a great benefactor to our Fire Clan! It was only with his help that I could locate Ancestor Cui Hong's energy form and bring it here. It was this Young Master who held off the siege and interference of those Source Fire Sect members, allowing me the chance to use my own Origin Bloodline to awaken Ancestor's energy form. Without his righteous assistance, the seal on our Ancestral Land would never have been broken! Moreover, the Origin Bloodline within him... I gave it to him willingly!"
After speaking to the Grand Elder, Cui Xia immediately scrambled up, ran before Cui Hong, and knelt down. "Ancestor, please spare him! Don't harm this Young Master! If Ancestor must punish someone, please punish me!" she pleaded loudly.
Cui Hong listened to Cui Xia's words and fell silent for a moment.
"Is what you say true?" Cui Hong's gaze turned to Cui Xia as he asked.
"Reporting to Ancestor, every word I speak is true.
Allow me to tell Ancestor of the events that transpired earlier," Cui Xia answered hurriedly.
She then gave a brief account of everything that had happened.
"So that's how it was!" Upon hearing Cui Xia's explanation, the gazes of the surrounding Fire Clan members towards Ye Yunfei gradually turned friendly.
After all, without Ye Yunfei's help, Cui Xia alone truly couldn't have found their ancestor's energy form, nor would she have had the chance to break the seal on the Ancestral Land.
"Cui Xia, the greatest credit for the breaking of the seal and freeing our Fire Clan, allowing us to see the light of day again, belongs to you. This young man also provided significant help.
Very well. Since you plead for him, I will not hold it against him. Moreover, according to your account, he has indeed shown kindness to our Fire Clan."
After listening, Cui Hong fell silent for a moment, then finally nodded slowly.
As he spoke, Ye Yunfei felt the pressure on his body dissipate completely, the energy that had been suppressing him vanishing.
Ye Yunfei took a step back, instantly putting a considerable distance between himself and Cui Hong.
Cui Hong's strength was far too terrifying; Ye Yunfei didn't want to deal with him any more than necessary.
"To have such talent and cultivation at such a young age is truly remarkable," Cui Hong remarked softly, having noticed Ye Yunfei's swift retreat.
"Thank you, Ancestor, for your magnanimity!" Cui Xia said gratefully.
"Well, this little girl at least has a conscience, not making your earlier efforts to help her in vain," the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm sent a Sound Transmission to Ye Yunfei, relieved that the crisis was over.
"Young Master, thank you for your help earlier, which gave our Fire Clan the chance to escape imprisonment. And thank you for feeding me those healing pills!" Cui Xia turned to Ye Yunfei and said gratefully.
She had expended so much of her Origin Bloodline that her body was at its weakest; she had even wondered if she would perish as a result. But later, Ye Yunfei had acted in time, feeding her a large number of healing pills to replenish her energy, allowing her to pull through safely and regain consciousness.
"Miss Cui, there's no need for thanks. I promised to help you, and I naturally won't go back on my word.
Now, we owe each other nothing," Ye Yunfei replied.
Ye Yunfei's tone was very flat, but Cui Xia could still detect a hint of coldness in his words and couldn't help but be slightly taken aback. Then she realized it must be because of what had just transpired, which had displeased Ye Yunfei.
"If not for this Young Master's help, I would never have been able to bring the Ancestor's energy form here to break the seal. He is a benefactor to our entire Fire Clan, and to me personally. Earlier, my Origin Bloodline was severely depleted; if he hadn't given me so many potent healing pills to consume in time, I'd probably be dead now. I can't let his heart grow cold towards us."
Cui Xia glanced at Ye Yunfei with eyes full of apology. She gritted her teeth, turned, and walked back to Cui Hong.
"Reporting to Ancestor, this Young Master's main purpose in coming to the Fire Realm was to capture a Fiery Dragon for cultivation purposes. I intend to help him find one," Cui Xia said respectfully.
"He wants to capture a Fiery Dragon for cultivation?" Cui Hong repeated, his gaze shifting to Ye Yunfei.
"I see. Young man, if you wish to capture a Fiery Dragon, it's probably to aid in your cultivation of the Nine-Yang Ancient Scripture.
The Nine-Yang Ancient Scripture is a remarkable cultivation technique. I didn't expect it to still exist in the world," Cui Hong said, staring at Ye Yunfei and, to his surprise, discerning that Ye Yunfei practiced the Nine-Yang Ancient Scripture.
"The Fire Realm indeed has Fiery Dragons suitable for cultivating the Nine-Yang Ancient Scripture. These dragons are treasures of our Fire Clan, and given your current strength, even if I let you try, you might not necessarily be able to capture one," Cui Hong added.
"Ah well, all things considered, you have shown kindness to our Fire Clan. Our clan has always held our debts and favors clear. I will give you a Fiery Dragon as a gift.
What this little lass really means is for me to help you capture one."
Cui Hong pondered for a moment, then nodded.
Cui Xia blushed. While she had said she would accompany Ye Yunfei to capture a dragon, deep down she had indeed hoped this powerful ancestor would lend a hand, saving a lot of trouble.
"Thank you, Ancestor!" Cui Xia exclaimed with delight upon hearing Cui Hong's words.
"You little girl, leaning outwards instead of inwards," Cui Hong glanced at Cui Xia with a smile.
Everyone could see the indulgent expression in his eyes.
This was because Cui Xia held the greatest merit for the breaking of the seal that had imprisoned the Fire Clan for so long. Cui Hong naturally understood this clearly. Moreover, he had suddenly discovered that Cui Xia's Fire Clan bloodline was extremely pure and her talent remarkably high. Thus, he felt great fondness for this descendant of his.
As soon as the words left his mouth, Cui Hong suddenly extended a giant hand towards a certain direction. The hand stretched out endlessly into the distance, the powerful energy it emitted causing the entire Fire Realm to rumble.
Soon, an angry roar sounded from a distant location.
Then everyone saw the giant hand Cui Hong had extended clutching a massive Fiery Dragon, its entire body blazing with raging flames, slowly retracting.
The Fiery Dragon struggled desperately within Cui Hong's palm but was utterly unable to break free.
Then, this massive dragon was continuously compressed within Cui Hong's palm, growing smaller and smaller. Finally, it was compressed to the size of only an adult's fist, completely sealed, and unable to move.
"Young man, take this Fiery Dragon as a token of gratitude from our entire Fire Clan," Cui Hong said, then lightly waved his hand, sending the dragon towards Ye Yunfei.
"Thank you, Senior," Ye Yunfei said immediately, his earlier displeasure towards Cui Hong somewhat lessened by this demonstration of clarity in matters of debt and favor. He then stored the Fiery Dragon inside his Illusionary Tower.
Obtaining this dragon made this trip to the Fire Realm entirely worthwhile, as it had been his primary objective.
At that very moment.
"Remnants of the Fire Clan, prepare to die!"
A colossal figure suddenly materialized outside the Fire Realm.
Immediately, an overwhelmingly terrifying aura of energy seeped from outside into the interior of the Fire Realm. Everyone present, except for Cui Hong, felt their hearts tremble with fear under the pressure of this terrifying energy, some even unable to stand steady. Many weaker individuals collapsed onto the ground on the spot.
"That's energy at the Deity level!
It seems the Source Fire Sect's ancestor has arrived!
A dreadful battle between Deities is likely to follow! Although both are probably not true Deities in the strict sense, but rather projections left by ancient Deities, they are still far stronger than any Demigod!" Hun Lao promptly sent a Sound Transmission to Ye Yunfei.