Supreme Cultivation Master

"Oh? And what makes you so sure I wouldn’t dare?" Ye Fan said coldly.

The Left Protector declared, "Because this is the Purple Elixir Sect!"

"You guessed wrong." With a flash, Ye Fan’s fist pierced through his body.

"AHHH!" The Left Protector shrieked, writhing on the ground in agony.

At this, Xiao Lian and Little Rou were terrified. They had never expected that this Protector, a man whose strength was second only to the Sect Leader’s, would be so utterly defenseless before Ye Fan. He was pathetically weak.

Ye Fan turned to Xiao Lian. "How do you want him to die?"

"I... I... I wouldn’t dare!" Xiao Lian stammered. After all, she was just a maidservant, leagues below the Left Protector in status. Even with Ye Fan there to protect her, she was still paralyzed by fear.

"Don’t worry," Ye Fan reassured her. "His life is completely in my hands. You can decide how he dies."

"Stop!" a stern voice commanded.

Ye Fan turned to see it was none other than the Purple Elixir Hall Master. Her body looked as if it had been bathed in blood and was covered in wounds. She was completely disheveled, yet she had still rushed over.

Holding the Left Protector like a dead dog, Ye Fan declared, "He deserves to die!"

"I know, but shouldn’t we be forgiving under the circumstances?" the Purple Elixir Hall Master pleaded.

Ye Fan’s tone grew cold. "He almost beat Xiao Lian to death just now. And you still keep a beast like him in your Sect!"

Xiao Lian and Little Rou dared not say a word. They knew the Purple Elixir Hall Master held the power of life and death over them and could command their every action.

The Hall Master continued, "I know. Even if he had killed Xiao Lian, she is only a maidservant. What we would have lost is a Protector!"

She turned her gaze back to Ye Fan. "Right Protector, please, don’t be rash. Do this for my sake, can you?" As she spoke, she glanced at the two young women. They immediately began pleading for the Left Protector’s life, though their hearts were not in it.

"Fine," Ye Fan said, his eyes locking onto the Hall Master with keen interest. "But if he ever provokes me again, no one’s words will save him. Not even your Sect Leader’s."

The Purple Elixir Hall Master was startled for a moment, then quickly agreed. "Alright! I promise!"

Ye Fan looked down at the trembling Left Protector. "You’re lucky this time. Let’s hope you’re this lucky again."

The Left Protector shuddered, seeing the terrifying coldness in Ye Fan’s gaze.

Ye Fan then tossed him to the ground before leaving with Xiao Lian and Little Rou.

Back in their courtyard, he immediately tended to Xiao Lian’s injuries. After helping her onto the bed, he said, "Your injuries aren’t severe. It’s a good thing we arrived in time."

"Thank you for saving me, Protector!" Xiao Lian said, her voice filled with gratitude. "From this day on, my life is yours."

"My life is yours as well!" Little Rou quickly added.

It was the first time they had ever heard of someone in the Purple Elixir Sect standing up for them. Even though they were considered disposable, to Ye Fan, they were his people.

"Don’t worry, it was nothing," Ye Fan said. "If he dares to trouble us again, I’ll make sure he dies without a grave." Ye Fan had always been a man of his word.

While grateful, the two women couldn’t help but admire his strength. It was simply immense, beyond comparison. Even the Left Protector, who held the same rank, couldn’t even fight back against him.

Unfortunately, such a man was beyond their reach. Their greatest satisfaction was just being able to see him.

As the sun set, Ye Fan stood on a mountain peak as he often did, admiring the continent’s lush landscape. It was even more expansive than the Divine Domain. So far, all he knew was that this land was called the Martial Arts Continent, and its people lived and thrived through the practice of Martial Arts. Of course, the Divine Domain was also centered around Martial Arts, but the mortal world was unique. Although Martial Arts also flourished there, it was an era dominated by technology.

Five thousand years of development had given rise to a technological civilization. Ye Fan was optimistic about the mortal world. Perhaps one day, when its technology reached its peak, it could actually compete with Martial Arts.

"Right Protector, you certainly have refined tastes!" a voice called out.

Ye Fan turned to see the Purple Elixir Hall Master approaching. She had changed into clean clothes that accentuated her curvaceous figure, though her face remained hidden from view.

"Appreciating this boundless scenery is a pleasure in itself," Ye Fan remarked.

The Purple Elixir Hall Master sighed. "It’s just a shame that beneath this boundless scenery lies endless slaughter."

"Are you injured?" Ye Fan asked.

"Yes, I was hurt while dealing with the Blood Demon Sect, but it’s nothing serious now. I came today specifically to explain the rules of this world to you."

"I’m listening," Ye Fan said.

The Purple Elixir Hall Master began, "This world is actually very simple, yet also very complex. It has always been a place where Sects and other powers run rampant. The Martial Arts Continent is vast, larger than you can imagine. We minor Sects can only exist on the periphery. It’s said that the closer one gets to the center, the more powerful the Sects and factions become. It’s also said that the central powers all have Ancestor Realm masters presiding over them!"

"Have you ever been there?" Ye Fan asked.

The Hall Master shook her head. "I haven’t. There are boundaries between the territories of the Sects, and only a Super Sect can move to the continent’s center. My Purple Elixir Sect is not yet qualified."

"What qualifies as a Super Sect?"

In Ye Fan’s mind, only colossal powers like the Holy Clan and the Soul Clan could be considered ’Super.’

"A Super Sect must have an Ancestor Realm master presiding over it," the Hall Master explained. "Unfortunately, for Sects in these borderlands, it’s rare for a cultivator to reach the Ancestor Realm even once in a thousand years."

"I see. Then do you know which powers are the strongest in this world?" Ye Fan inquired.

"The Sword Sects and the Demon Clans," she replied. "One faction belongs to the righteous path, the other to the Demon Path. The righteous path is comprised of thirty-six Sword Sects, and the Demon Path has seventy-two Demon Clans. They are the strongest powers at the heart of this continent and have been its overlords for many years."

"The Sword Sect has the Sword Ancestor, and the Demon Clan has the Demon Ancestor. These two mighty figures stand at the pinnacle of the Martial Arts Continent. Both are at the Ninth Grade Ancestor Realm. Therefore, their status has remained unshakable for ages. The righteous and Demon paths are mortal enemies, so countless people die in their conflicts every year. Nevertheless, their dominant positions are never threatened."

Ye Fan drew a sharp breath. He hadn’t expected the Ancestor Realm to have different grades. He had assumed that once someone reached the Ancestor Realm, that was it. Who could have imagined there were such distinctions? Perhaps this was what people meant by everything having its own rank and station.