Chapter 2234 - 2230: Accepting the Terms

Although Xi He was indifferent to Han Ying—in fact, in her eyes, this kind of Immortal posed no threat to her at all—she still felt some misgivings when Han Ying proposed to meet Ye Fan in private.

Xi He thought to herself, "I’ve already discovered some unusual things in the Immortal realm, and I haven’t yet had the chance to inform Young Master of them. If Han Ying reports them to him first, wouldn’t that be the same as me deceiving Young Master? This Han Ying does pose a certain threat to me!"

Xi He raised her guard against this woman; she had even already entertained killing intent.

"You have something to say to me?" Ye Fan frowned slightly, then glanced at Xi He. With Ye Fan’s current cultivation, he could almost see straight into people’s hearts. No matter how Xi He hid things, some matters simply couldn’t be concealed from him. Ye Fan immediately understood that Xi He was keeping something from him, and the crux of it might lie in Han Ying and the Immortal realm.

"Exactly." Han Ying said, "There are some words I will only speak to you alone, Alliance Hierarch Ye. Are you not interested in knowing?"

"Mm." Ye Fan nodded slightly and said, "Since you put it that way, I really do want to know what’s going on. Whatever you have to say, explain it to me as fully as you can... The rest of you, withdraw for now."

Xi He originally had objections, but since Ye Fan had already given an order, she no longer had any possibility of staying. She could only bow respectfully and withdraw together with the three Immortals Han Ying had brought, as well as the clueless Huan’er.

And once they had gone down the stairs, Ye Fan extended a hand and sealed off the entire top floor of the Hundred Immortals Building.

"You can speak now." Ye Fan looked at Han Ying and said, "If what you offer holds no value to me, you should know exactly how I’ll punish you."

"You don’t need to use the safety of our Immortal realm to threaten us." Han Ying said, "After Daoist Zhang Tian died, our Immortal realm became nothing but loose sand. If there’s any chance we can still hold together, it’s only under your protection. Yet instead of helping us, you plan to slaughter everyone in the Immortal realm. What you’re doing is practically daring us to our last limit!"

Ye Fan shook his head and said, "I don’t have that much time to listen to you ramble. You need to present enough reasons, or something that truly moves me, before I’ll grant your Immortal realm any shelter."

Han Ying said, "In the Immortal realm, there is a powerful source of energy. This source is different from any force in the entire universe. It was the primary reason we were able to withstand heavenly tribulations before. You should know I’m not lying to you."

"Where is it?" Ye Fan extended a hand, and without feeling anything at all, Han Ying found herself instantly transported into the Immortal realm.

Ye Fan’s cultivation was so formidable it left Han Ying deeply astonished. She could only forcibly maintain her composure and say, "After the upheaval in the Immortal realm, it has been this power that keeps the realm running."

Han Ying raised her head to gaze at the sky. Up there seemed to be a fountainhead of power, yet that power was extremely obscure. Ye Fan closed his eyes to sense it; he could indeed feel that there was a source of energy here, but what exactly this power was, how great its potential might be, even with his cultivation he could not probe it clearly.

"We people of the Immortal realm want to trade this power for safety. We absolutely will not go anywhere you, Alliance Hierarch, forbid us to go. If we violate this, everyone in the Immortal realm is willing to be punished collectively!"

Han Ying gritted her teeth and laid out a condition that seemed almost impossible to refuse.

Yet Ye Fan was still observing that power source. The entire Immortal realm was shrouded in mist, visibility was low, and that power’s origin was truly mysterious and unfathomable. Ye Fan still did not know what this power ultimately signified.

"This isn’t an environment created by humans." After speaking, Ye Fan took Han Ying along to the source of that power. But they could only approach it and could not enter its depths. It wasn’t that Ye Fan didn’t dare go in; he was worried that the power in his own body might trigger the source into exploding.

Han Ying asked, "Do you accept the terms or not?"

Ye Fan said, "You’re calling this your bargaining chip with me? This place exists here regardless. Even if you said nothing, this secret would still fall into my hands sooner or later."

"What, are you trying to go back on our deal?" Han Ying flushed with both shame and anger. She even felt an urge to fight Ye Fan, though she knew full well that her cultivation was not worth mentioning in front of him.

But Ye Fan kept sizing up that source of power. Only after a long while did he shake his head and say, "Compared to my cultivation, this power falls far short. Perhaps this really is just the sustaining power source of the Immortal realm. It bears a certain resemblance to the forces of the too?ancient era, so it doesn’t hold that much value for me."

"But surely you don’t want this power falling into the hands of certain people—especially those you find dangerous. If we Immortal realm folk guard it for you, is that not acceptable? All we ask now is to remain in the Immortal realm. You can seal the gates of the realm. As long as we do not leave, we won’t be able to pose any threat to you, will we?"

Han Ying was still trying to persuade Ye Fan.

Ye Fan waved his hand again, and Han Ying saw the scene around her shift; in an instant she was back on the top floor of the Hundred Immortals Building.

Han Ying looked at Ye Fan and discovered he seemed to be pondering something.

Han Ying said, "From now on, the people of the Immortal realm will no longer be your subordinates, but your slaves. We will also confer upon you the title of Master. You can use any means to suppress us. If we harbor any treacherous intent, you may kill us at any time."

"Looks like you’ve made up your mind." Ye Fan said.

"Yes. We people of the Immortal realm are fighting to secure our own survival. If even you refuse to shelter us, it seems we have nothing left but a dead end." Han Ying said sadly.

Ye Fan did not answer Han Ying. He walked step by step up to her, carefully sizing up the mature, charming woman before him.

He had seen many women like this, perhaps, but what set this one apart was her identity as an Immortal.

Ye Fan said, "Do you also intend to say that from now on, you can act in my name to manage the order of the Immortal realm?"

"Yes." Han Ying said, "My cultivation in the Immortal realm was never the highest, but now there is no one who surpasses me. If you don’t pick me, who else can you pick?"

Ye Fan shook his head and said, "With your cultivation, you still cannot fully suppress everyone in the Immortal realm. If anyone wants to oppose you, they could join forces and defeat you. Just how capable do you think you are of keeping everything in hand?"

Han Ying also seemed somewhat embarrassed and said, "But aside from me, you don’t have a better option."

Ye Fan’s lips curled into a smile. "Since that’s the case, I’ll accept your terms."