Chapter 81 The Conference Ends

At this moment, Su Ningxue looked to be in terrible shape. Her spiritual power was depleted, and her devastatingly beautiful face lacked any color. Her chest heaved violently, as if she had just sprinted tens of thousands of miles.

"Junior Sister, how did you get here?!"

Qing Mingzi was also full of astonishment. Su Ningxue had left the venue early and could not have entered via the Teleportation Array.

This meant that a journey originally scheduled for an entire day, she had covered in just a few hours. The price she paid for this speed was easy to imagine.

"Ningxue..."

Seeing Su Ningxue's weak state, Ye Fan couldn't help but clench his fists, feeling as if his heart were bleeding from the pain.

Murong Wan also bit her lip tightly, inwardly cursing herself for being so useless, causing her Revered Master such trouble.

Su Ningxue's words made Dao Xuan and the others' expressions turn ugly. With her Revered Master present, the situation immediately changed.

Because, in a sense, Su Ningxue's Master had more standing to intervene than the Sect Head.

It turned out that the Nine Great Sects had a tacit understanding: they could poach members from one another, but only those below the level of Personal Disciple.

After all, Personal Disciples were the inheritors of a Core Formation Realm Cultivator's legacy, and many viewed them as more important than their own lives.

If even Personal Disciples could be poached so casually, the Nine Great Sects would have engaged in countless skirmishes long ago.

But to everyone's surprise, Su Ningxue did not seem to oppose the matter; she actually allowed Ye Fan to make his own choice.

"Ye Fan, do you wish to change your affiliation? If you are willing, you may decide for yourself."

"Junior Sister, you are confused! Ye Fan is..."

"Sect Head Senior Brother, please do not interfere."

"You..."

Qing Mingzi knew his Junior Sister's personality well. Once she made a decision, no one could change it, so he could only turn away in a fit of anger.

Dao Xuan and the others also hadn't expected Su Ningxue to be willing to let him go. Their gazes toward Ye Fan lit up, all waiting for his answer.

This time, even Murong Wan looked at Ye Fan, feeling somewhat nervous in her heart.

To be fair, facing the sky-high offers from the major Sects, even Murong Wan felt deeply tempted. She dared not imagine if she could maintain her original resolve if she were in his position.

Almost everyone believed Ye Fan would leave the Joyous Union Sect; the only suspense was which Sect he would join.

Who knew that Ye Fan showed no hesitation? He cupped his hands and thanked all the Sect Heads.

"Thank you all, Seniors, for your kind regard. The grace shown to this Junior by my Sect Head and Revered Master is as boundless as the heavens and the sea. I can never forget it, and I could never repay such kindness even if I died. I absolutely dare not change my affiliation."

Ye Fan's expression seemed utterly sincere. His words were flawless, greatly moving Qing Mingzi, who inwardly exclaimed 'Good' three times.

Murong Wan also breathed a sigh of relief, instinctively gripping Ye Fan's hand, their fingers interlocked, unwilling to part.

Su Ningxue did not speak, but the taut string in her heart finally relaxed.

Although Abbot Sorrowless and the others were surprised, since things had come to this, they could only let it go.

If they persisted shamelessly any longer, it would tarnish their status as leaders of their respective factions.

In their hearts, they couldn't help but look at Ye Fan with higher regard. To refuse such temptation and not leave the Joyous Union Sect—such mental fortitude far surpassed that of ordinary Prodigies.

During the time the major factions were vying for him, the Trial Grounds had been turned into a slaughterhouse.

The remnants of the Blood Demon Sect, having nowhere to run or hide, were surrounded and killed by the combined forces of the Nine Great Sects in less than half a day.

After the aftermath and tallying by all parties, the Disciples of the Nine Great Sects suffered nearly half casualties. The vast majority of these deaths were at the hands of the Blood Demon Sect—a loss that truly felt like cutting off flesh.

They had been drained of their blood by Li Xiao using a secret technique, becoming nourishment for his Core Formation Breakthrough. Their deaths were gruesome, with not even their souls left behind.

If Ye Fan had not turned the tide at the last moment, the elite Prodigies of this generation from the Nine Great Sects would have all been wiped out, and it would have taken at least a hundred years to recover their Origin Qi.

The Blood Demon Sect and the numerous Demonic Path Sects could then have seized the opportunity to rise, and it would no longer be certain who would rule the Southwest lands in the future.

For the Blood Demon Sect to infiltrate with so many people unnoticed, even knowing the core location of the Trial Grounds, there must have been an internal spy at work. The primary suspect naturally fell upon the Qingyun Sect.

After all, they were the hosts for this Heavenly Pride Assembly, making it significantly easier for them to employ foul tactics.

Of course, the other Sects could not be entirely ruled out either. During this period of self-inspection by the major Sects, chaos was inevitable.

Dao Xuan already had a belly full of suppressed anger with nowhere to vent it, and he secretly vowed that if there truly was a traitor among his own ranks, he would ensure that person met a terrible end.

Due to the massive disruption caused by the Blood Demon Sect, the Heavenly Pride Assembly had to be forcibly terminated. However, determining the rewards for the participating Disciples became a difficult issue.

Since kill points and survival points could not be normally ascertained, in the end, each faction had to swallow their pride and bitterness, distributing rewards to their own Disciples as they saw fit.

As for the surviving Loose Cultivators, they were simply divided up among the Nine Great Sects to be taken in as Disciples—this was considered their reward for the Trial.

Only Ye Fan became an exception. Given that he had slain Li Xiao, foiled the Blood Demon Sect's conspiracy, and saved countless Disciples of the Nine Great Sects, the Sect Heads decided he absolutely deserved a generous gift.

Ye Fan initially intended to accept it gladly, but then a sudden thought occurred to him.

If it succeeded, he would wake up laughing in his dreams.

He insisted he wanted none of the rewards, stating frankly that slaying demons and eliminating evil was the duty of us Righteous Path Cultivators.

His righteous and awe-inspiring demeanor made him look exactly like a humble gentleman dedicated to the Dao. Anyone who didn't know Ye Fan might easily be fooled by him.

Only at the very end did he pivot, stating directly that if a reward must be given, it should all go to Murong Wan; he would not touch a single bit of it.

The Sect Heads couldn't help but give him an unimpressed look, believing Ye Fan was doing this simply to win the beauty's favor.

Qing Mingzi and the others naturally didn't care about such trivial matters, saying it was the same whether the two of them received it, and thus they gave all the rewards to Murong Wan.

"Reporting to the Sect Head and Revered Master, this Disciple was severely injured in that battle just now and needs to immediately enter seclusion to recuperate. This Disciple will take his leave now."

Ye Fan was not skilled at dealing with these people. As he spoke, he feigned a look of exhaustion, appearing as if he might faint at any moment.

"Wait, I will accompany you into seclusion to recover."

Su Ningxue suddenly interjected. The others didn't sense anything amiss, assuming she was simply going to heal her beloved Disciple.

Dao Xuan immediately ordered his Disciples to escort the two to a healing location, allowing them to choose the best secluded chambers freely.

As for Murong Wan, protected by the yin-yang dharma robe, she was completely unharmed throughout the ordeal; she only suffered a significant drain on her spiritual power, which recovered substantially after taking a few Qi Replenishing Pills.

Although she had a stomach full of questions, it seemed she could only wait until Ye Fan's injuries healed.

The two entered the secluded chamber one after the other. Su Ningxue swept her Divine Sense over the area and found nothing amiss, then slowly spoke with a stern face.

"Stop pretending. Besides being a bit drained, you aren't injured at all."

Su Ningxue had no need for external propriety. She had already used her Divine Sense to scan Ye Fan thoroughly; she had just been too lazy to expose him.

Ye Fan smiled helplessly, knowing he couldn't hide anything from Su Ningxue.

"Ningxue, I..."

"Silence!"

Su Ningxue's tone suddenly became sharp, and her Flying Sword pointed directly at Ye Fan's throat, looking as if it could pierce his body at any moment.

Ye Fan's pupils contracted sharply, but he quickly returned to normal, clearly having expected this.

Su Ningxue, having reached her limit, finally asked the question that had been troubling her heart.

"Who exactly are you?"