Chapter 102 The Third Daoist Partner?

Ye Fan, clad only in a pair of shorts, sat cross-legged and quickly recovered from all his injuries.

"Phew... The Yin-Yang Nirvana Method is truly miraculous. My injuries have healed so quickly."

Amid his joy, Ye Fan suddenly wore an awkward expression. What had just happened wasn't something one could easily forget, especially with the System delivering that final blow at the critical moment.

"Congratulations, Host, on binding your third Dao Companion. May you walk ever further on the path of relying on women."

"...Can I unbind it?" Ye Fan asked, his face expressionless.

"Warning! Unbinding failed. Proceed with forced unbinding?"

"Forced unbinding?"

"Warning! After forced unbinding, the Dao Companion will take half of the Host's cultivation. Future reward multipliers will be reduced to five times."

"..."

With a speechless look on his face, Ye Fan could only abandon the thought of unbinding.

As he was lost in thought, a pair of jade-like arms wrapped around his neck from behind. An intense sensation pressed against his back, making his breathing instantly become ragged.

"What are you thinking about, Little Brother Ye Fan?"

You Tan's tone was utterly captivating. Even without using any illusion or charm techniques, it still made Ye Fan struggle to maintain control, requiring great effort to barely calm down.

"Stop messing around. Your injuries have just healed; you should rest more now," Ye Fan said somewhat helplessly.

"Little Brother Ye Fan, you really are fickle. You weren't like this just now," You Tan said with a touch of resentment.

"You weren't like this just now either. Do you need me to help you remember?"

Seeing that Ye Fan was serious, You Tan's pretty face instantly flushed crimson. She quickly fell silent, not daring to cause more trouble.

Though the taste of her first experience was enchanting, the ordeal had left You Tan's bones feeling weak. If they were to go again, she probably wouldn't even be able to move a finger.

"By the way, was that giant serpent your Spirit Beast? Why did it save me?" You Tan hurriedly changed the subject.

This question had also puzzled Ye Fan for a long time. After much thought, only one possibility remained.

"The senses of Yao Beasts are different from ours, especially their sense of smell, which is far superior, a hundred or even a thousand times better."

"Xiao Hei probably caught my scent on you and thought we were acquainted."

"Your scent?"

You Tan's pretty face flushed slightly again as she recalled the days spent alone with Ye Fan in the Trial Grounds.

She never expected that after so long, Xiao Hei could still detect the lingering scent. It seemed their meeting today was truly fated.

"Little Brother Ye Fan, how about you join my White Lotus Sect?"

"With your Aptitude, I can persuade my Revered Master to establish you as a Dao Child. What do you think?" You Tan suddenly proposed.

Upon hearing this, Ye Fan refused outright. Forget about being a Dao Child; even if they offered him the position of Sect Leader, Ye Fan could never betray the Joyous Union Sect.

"Heh, is it because you can't bear to part with your beloved little wife Dao Companion, or do you think I, a wicked demonic outsider, am not worthy of you?" You Tan said, somewhat annoyed.

Ye Fan offered no further explanation and simply asked the same question in return.

"How about you join the Joyous Union Sect? I can't promise you'll become the Saintess, but whatever I have, I guarantee you'll have the same. What do you think?"

As expected, You Tan also flatly refused. Their identities and positions made this an irreconcilable conflict.

The previously ambiguous atmosphere gradually dissipated, and the situation became somewhat awkward. In the end, it was Ye Fan who broke through this layer of pretense.

"Let's consider today's events settled between us. Let's never bring it up again."

You Tan was slightly taken aback. A flicker of strange emotion passed over her charming face before it returned to its usual color.

"Naturally. This elder sister wouldn't cling to you."

"From now on, you walk your broad road, and I'll cross my single-plank bridge. When we meet again, we'll be mortal enemies."

You Tan's voice gradually turned cold. After changing back into her own clothes, she strode away without giving Ye Fan another chance to speak.

Watching You Tan dissipate into a white lotus, Ye Fan sighed helplessly, unsure if what he had just done was right or wrong.

He had repaid the debt of saving her life, but it seemed he had also gotten himself into some serious trouble.

"Damn it, I forgot to ask her about the purpose of the Five Demonic Sects coming to the Heavenly Demon Palace."

He had been too preoccupied with... healing... earlier and had forgotten such an important matter.

"Forget it. With her temperament, even if she knew, she wouldn't tell me."

Ye Fan sighed and continued searching deeper into the Heavenly Demon Palace, completely unaware of the charming figure on the distant mountainside.

Biting her fragrant lip, You Tan stared in the direction where Ye Fan had disappeared, her expression indescribably complex. It took a long while before she composed herself and continued to fulfill her mission.

Ye Fan calculated that he had already been inside the Heavenly Demon Palace for more than half a day. The great battle outside should have been decided by now.

Yet, no reinforcements had arrived for so long. Either the Nine Great Sects had lost, or they were temporarily unable to break through the spatial barrier.

Regardless of the reason, it seemed he wouldn't be able to leave this place anytime soon.

Ye Fan slashed and killed a Yao Beast that attempted to ambush him. In the short span of time it takes an incense stick to burn, he had encountered at least four or five second-tier Yao Beasts, a frequency noticeably higher than before.

"It seems the Yao Beasts in the mountains have been stirred up. The coming time is going to be difficult."

The reality was just as Ye Fan had guessed. As a large number of Cultivators entered the Ruins of the Heavenly Demon Palace, the sounds of fierce battles awakened more and more Yao Beasts. If this continued, who knew what kind of behemoth might be drawn out.

Just as Ye Fan thought of this, he was startled by a cry for help that sounded somewhat familiar.

He instinctively rushed toward the source of the sound and saw Disciples from the Righteous and Demonic Factions in a fierce clash, among them several Joyous Union Sect Disciples.

"They look familiar, probably Disciples from Profound Spirit Peak."

Several Joyous Union Sect Disciples were all wounded and clearly couldn't hold out much longer.

Seeing this, Ye Fan hesitated no longer. The red lotus sword streaked through the night sky like a meteor. Several Demonic Path Cultivators were decapitated before they could even react.

"The Heaven Concealing Art is truly a Divine Artifact for ambushes. No one of the same cultivation level can detect me."

Under the stunned gazes of the group, Ye Fan slowly emerged from the shadows. Recognizing him, everyone was overjoyed.

"It's Junior Brother Ye Fan!"

"It really is Junior Brother Ye Fan! That's great!"

The group wore expressions of having narrowly escaped death, secretlyFortunatelying at their good fortune.

If they hadn't met Ye Fan, their lives would likely have ended here.

"Alright, save your words for after you've stabilized your injuries."

Ye Fan took out several Medicinal Pills for them to consume. After some refinement, their complexions improved slightly.

Upon Ye Fan's inquiry, he learned that they had all barely managed to escape into the Heavenly Demon Palace. But before they could catch their breath, the surviving Disciples from both factions engaged in another chaotic battle at the entrance, its intensity no less than the great battle inside the spatial passage.

The two sides seemed evenly matched, unable to determine a victor in a short time.

In the end, the commotion grew too loud, attracting a beast horde that scattered and dispersed the crowd.

These few had been lucky to find each other, only to encounter an ambush by demonic Cultivators halfway.

If they hadn't met Ye Fan, they would have been done for by now.

"I see... Has anyone seen Wan'er?"

"Junior Sister Murong?"

Everyone was taken aback. That battle had been too chaotic; they had been fighting in a frenzy and hadn't noticed Murong Wan's figure.

In a sense, not seeing her was also good news. Ye Fan believed it wouldn't be long before he saw Murong Wan again.