"I never thought I'd make it back alive!" Tang Boguang had tears streaming down his face.
One after another, members of the Tang Clan stepped forward from the crowd to recognize and greet their long-lost kin.
From the roughly one hundred and ten thousand people Ye Yunfei had rescued from the Guyao Realm, about five thousand were members of the Tang Clan! Among these five thousand Tang clansmen were many who had once been the backbone of the Tang Clan in the Northern Wastelands Domain. Several of them had even held status equivalent to that of Elder Tang Wu back in the day.
Elder Tang Wu and the Tang clansmen residing within the Underground Cave Complex proceeded to reunite with each of the five thousand newly-rescued clansmen, creating a lively and emotional scene.
The others stood to the side. Among them, some hailed from the Xuanhuang Star Domain, while others originated from various small worlds.
"Is anyone among you from the Tianxuan Continent?" Ye Yunfei's gaze swept over them as he asked loudly.
"Young Master Ye, I am from the Tianxuan Continent," a thin, withered elder stepped forward and replied respectfully.
"How many of you are from the Tianxuan Continent?" Ye Yunfei asked.
"Young Master Ye commands it. All those from the Tianxuan Continent, step forward!" the thin elder announced.
Soon, about thirty thousand people stepped out.
"Young Master Ye, the truth is, the Ancient Demon Race captured hundreds of thousands of humans from the Tianxuan Continent back then and brought them to the Guyao Realm as slaves. However, over time, most of those people were tortured and worked to death under the demons' relentless enslavement. We are all that's left," the thin elder explained sorrowfully.
"Hmm. Elder, with your strength at the seventh level of the grotto-heaven back in the day, you must have been a rather notable figure on the Tianxuan Continent. What is your name?" Ye Yunfei nodded and inquired.
"I am Cao Guang, Young Master Ye," the thin elder answered in surprise, his reply swift. He had indeed been at the seventh level of the grotto-heaven, a truly famous individual on the Tianxuan Continent. However, his Dantian had been shattered by the Ancient Demon Race long ago, rendering him useless. He was astonished that Ye Yunfei could discern his former cultivation level with a single glance.
"It's like this. You should all settle down here for now. If you wish to return to the Tianxuan Continent, I will find a suitable time to send you back," Ye Yunfei declared, his voice ringing clear as his eyes scanned over the thirty-thousand-plus people from the Tianxuan Continent.
"Send us back to the Tianxuan Continent?!"
The Tianxuan Continent natives all wore expressions of utter disbelief. It was common knowledge that the Xuanhuang Star Domain and the Tianxuan Continent were isolated from each other, not directly connected. Returning from the star domain to the continent was easier said than done.
"Do not worry. Returning to the Tianxuan Continent is very simple. I came from the Tianxuan Continent myself. I, too, am from the Tianxuan Continent," Ye Yunfei stated.
Upon hearing Ye Yunfei's words, those from the Tianxuan Continent stared at him with stunned gazes.
"Young Master Ye... is that true? You are also from the Tianxuan Continent?" Cao Guang asked, his voice trembling.
"That's right. I am indeed from the Tianxuan Continent. I am from the Hudao Academy in Central State," Ye Yunfei confirmed with a nod.
"So that's how it is!"
Hearing his words, the people from the Tianxuan Continent harbored no further doubts.
"Young Master Ye, I am also from the Hudao Academy! My name is Long Huilin. I was an acolyte in the Hudao Academy back then. I was captured during a battle with an Ancient Demon Race army," a sallow-faced and emaciated man with a large frame stepped forward, speaking excitedly.
"So you are Acolyte Long," Ye Yunfei nodded with a smile.
Following that, several hundred others from the Hudao Academy came forward one after another to identify themselves to Ye Yunfei. All of these few hundred individuals had once been elite members of the Academy!
It could be said that the vast majority of the slaves kept by the Ancient Demon Race had been martial artists back in their day! In fact, many among them had been high-ranking members of the factions and organizations the Ancient Demon Race had annihilated.
Aside from the Tang Clan members and those from the Tianxuan Continent, over eighty thousand people still stood to the side.
"All of you, prepare yourselves. I will provide each of you with a sum of wealth, then arrange for someone to escort you back to your homes," Ye Yunfei addressed the eighty thousand-plus people, speaking in a clear, loud voice.
"Young Master Ye, we are from the Lin Family of the Tianhan Domain in the Xuanhuang Star Domain. However, our Lin Family was completely wiped out by the Ancient Demon Race long ago. We have no home to return to now. Young Master Ye, you are the one who saved us. We are willing to stay by your side and serve you as your lifelong servants." A short, elderly man stepped forward leading over a thousand people, knelt before Ye Yunfei, and made his plea.
"We beg Young Master Ye to take us in!" the thousand-plus people shouted in unison.
"Young Master Ye, we are in the same situation. We hail from the Chen Family of the Xiling Domain. The Chen Family has perished. From now on, we are willing to serve Young Master Ye, doing any task no matter how difficult."
"Young Master Ye, we are from the remote Tianmu Star. The Tianmu Star has now become an outpost of the Ancient Demon Race. We cannot return. We wish to stay by Young Master Ye's side, serving tea and running errands."
...
Batch after batch of people, over a dozen groups in total, stepped forward, knelt before Ye Yunfei, and begged to be allowed to stay with him. The factions these people belonged to had already been annihilated by the Ancient Demon Race. Moreover, they had now lost their cultivation bases and could no longer practice martial arts, essentially becoming cripples. They truly had nowhere else to go.
"Very well. Since you wish to stay, you may remain for the time being," Ye Yunfei said after a moment of thought.
"We thank Young Master Ye for your graciousness in taking us in! From this day forward, we are Young Master Ye's servants and will follow you forever!"
Those people were overjoyed. One after another, they knelt to Ye Yunfei again. Ye Yunfei had the ability to rescue them from the Guyao Realm. The strength required for such a feat was unfathomable. To be able to follow such a person was naturally a stroke of immense fortune.
There were also tens of thousands who wished to return home.
"Elder Tang Wu, Sect Leader, please handle the arrangements. For those who wish to return, provide them with a sum of wealth and arrange an escort for their journey. For those who wish to stay, find proper places for them."
In the end, Ye Yunfei assigned the tasks to Elder Tang Wu and the Houtu Sect Leader.
"However, there is one crucial point to note. The location of these underground caves must not be leaked. When escorting those leaving out, first seal off their sensory perception," Ye Yunfei instructed.
"Rest assured, Young Master Ye. I understand what needs to be done," Elder Tang Wu nodded in acknowledgment.
"By the way, Young Master Ye... is there any possibility of Boguang's cultivation being restored?" Elder Tang Wu suddenly asked, remembering vividly how Ye Yunfei had previously restored the Dantiens of Xue'er and Li Zhong.
"It can. Not only can Elder Tang Boguang's cultivation be restored, but the cultivation of the vast majority of the Tang clansmen here can be as well," Ye Yunfei affirmed directly with a nod.
"Truly?!"
Elder Tang Wu's body trembled slightly upon hearing this.
"Of course it's true," Ye Yunfei nodded. For Ye Yunfei, physical injuries, including those to the Dantian, were not particularly serious matters.
"This is wonderful!" Elder Tang Wu was extremely excited. One must remember that most of the five thousand-plus Tang clansmen Ye Yunfei had rescued were the elite members of the clan from back in the day! If these five thousand-plus people could recover their cultivation, the overall strength of the Tang Clan would instantly increase several-fold!
"Good. Elder Tang Wu, Sect Leader, I will be going into seclusion for a while," Ye Yunfei stated.
Following this, Ye Yunfei entered the Shadowless Pagoda and began pill concoction.