524: How could a mere Earth Immortal be your master?

Before long.

A group of people approached from a distance. Each had fair skin; the men were handsome, and the women were breathtakingly beautiful. Leading them was a young man of about twenty-five. He wore a white robe, and five white tails trailed behind him. His appearance was astonishing, like a beautiful man who had stepped out of a scroll painting.

If such looks were seen in Jueyang City, one could only imagine how many women would be drooling over him.

He was indeed the Lord of Fox Mountain, the current Nine-Tails Clan Chief, Bai Lin.

However, Bai Lin's face was somewhat pale, making him look as if he were injured.

Ye Lan saw the group approaching, and upon seeing Bai Lin in particular, she became extremely excited and hurriedly ran to him.

"Grandpa Clan Chief, Ye Lan missed you so much."

Although Bai Lin looked young, he was actually the oldest member of the entire Nine-Tails Clan.

Bai Lin coughed twice, appearing weak, but he still gently rubbed Ye Lan's head. With a hint of concern in his voice, he said, "You silly girl, why have you been away for so long? Don't you know we were all worried about you?"

He glanced at the four tails behind Ye Lan, his eyes narrowing slightly as his expression turned solemn.

He had examined Ye Lan when she was born. Her Bloodline was stronger than that of an average clansman; it was possible for her to reach four tails in the future, with a certain probability of reaching five.

But that was supposed to be in the future, not now.

He had also been born with three tails. It had taken him nearly three hundred thousand years to reach four tails, and the progression from four to five was even longer, taking nearly five million years.

Time was only one factor; the key was that increasing Bloodline Power required an enormous amount of resources.

In comparison, Ye Lan's progression was incredibly short, which must have been the result of using countless resources.

Ye Lan felt a bit embarrassed. After being captured, she had lost all contact. If not for Su Chen, she might never have been able to return in this lifetime.

Bai Lin didn't say much more. He smiled and said, "It's alright, it's good that you're back. We can talk about the rest later."

Ye Lan suddenly looked behind him and asked curiously, "Grandpa Clan Chief, where are my parents? Why don't I see them?"

Hearing this, Bai Lin's expression immediately turned troubled, as if he found it difficult to speak.

Not just him, but the other clansmen behind him looked the same way.

Ye Lan also sensed that the situation was delicate. The smile on her face gradually faded, and she asked Bai Lin again, "Grandpa Clan Chief?"

Bai Lin sighed. "Your parents were seriously injured before and are currently recovering in the Pool of Myriad Souls."

Ye Lan's body trembled. To be sent to the Pool of Myriad Souls for recovery meant their injuries were extremely severe, perhaps even life-threatening.

Bai Lin added, "But don't worry, their lives are not in danger. It's just that there might be some lasting effects."

Ye Lan's racing heart relaxed slightly. As long as they were alive, everything else could be managed.

She was about to ask more, but Bai Lin waved his hand to stop her. "I'll tell you about that later. Your parents' lives aren't at risk, so rest assured. Let's solve the problem at hand first."

Although Ye Lan was anxious about her parents' safety, since Bai Lin said they were fine, she could only calm her emotions. Then, she looked at Su Chen nervously.

Bai Lin and the others also turned their gaze toward Su Chen, but many of them looked at him with sharp, piercing eyes the moment they saw him.

Over the years, the Nine-Tails Clan had suffered greatly at the hands of the Human Race. Many clansmen who ventured out had been captured, which forced them to be extremely cautious whenever they left the depths of the Hengduan Mountains, or even made them afraid to leave at all.

Bai Lin looked at Su Chen, his voice full of coldness. "Young friend, was it you who raised Ye Lan to four tails?"

As he spoke, a heart-palpitating wave of energy was released from his body, invisibly putting pressure on Su Chen.

Su Chen was completely unaffected. With his hands behind his back, he nodded calmly. "Yes."

Bai Lin asked again, "When Ye Lan was captured years ago, were you also the one who saved her?"

Su Chen nodded again.

Bai Lin's sharp aura softened slightly. He looked at Su Chen once more. "My Nine-Tails Clan is not unreasonable. I will give you two choices: either leave on your own, or complete my clan's trial and become Ye Lan's true man."

"But I must make it clear to you that our clan's trial is not simple. Essentially, there is no possibility of success for anyone below the Profound Immortal realm."

This trial had been established countless years ago. The Nine-Tails Clan worshipped the strong, so a candidate naturally had to meet the requirement of being powerful to earn their respect. The trial was designed to verify one's strength.

Therefore, it was extremely dangerous.

"Clan Chief, this absolutely cannot be!"

Suddenly, a middle-aged man with three yellow tails growing from his back stepped forward. He looked at Su Chen with murderous intent and said with utter loathing.

"This is a human! How many of our clansmen have been harmed by them? Letting him leave is already an act of mercy. How can we let him participate in our clan's trial?"

The hatred in the speaker's eyes was overwhelming. Especially when he looked at Su Chen, his eyes were bloodshot.

Bai Lin looked helpless at the sight. Huang Shihuai's younger sister had been captured a few years ago and was still missing, so he harbored an extreme hatred for the Human Race.

This sort of thing wasn't happening for the first time. The Nine-Tails Clan didn't have the power to go deep into human territory to search, so they could only give up.

In Huang Shihuai's view, sparing Su Chen's life was already a sign of great restraint.

If not for the fact that he had helped Ye Lan, Huang Shihuai would have killed Su Chen directly.

A mere Earth Immortal actually wanted to be Ye Lan's man.

Never mind that Ye Lan now had four tails; in his eyes, Su Chen wouldn't even be worthy if she only had three.

"That's right, Clan Chief. Let's forget about the trial and just let him leave on his own."

"Allowing him to take the trial is equivalent to acknowledging him, isn't it? A mere Earth Immortal Cultivator—we cannot possibly accept him."

One person after another voiced their opposition.

When the various branches within the Nine-Tails Clan intermarried, they didn't place special emphasis on cultivation levels, as long as they were roughly similar.

But if it involved marrying outside the clan or recognizing a master, the requirements for cultivation were extremely high.

To participate in the Nine-Tails trial, they first had to be satisfied with the person before giving him a chance. But who among them was satisfied with Su Chen now?

Who was willing to accept Su Chen?

Absolutely no one.

Even though they knew Su Chen would surely die in the trial, they were still unwilling to give him the chance to participate.

Because Su Chen simply wasn't worthy!

Seeing the crowd's indignation, Bai Lin found it difficult to handle. Ye Lan could only plead slightly.

"Fellow clansmen, my master is not like what you think, nor is he like other humans. When I was captured and taken to Jueyang City in human territory to be sold, it was my master who bought me."

"Master has been very good to me and never forced me to do anything. My Bloodline was also raised with his help."

"It can be said that without Master, I could not have returned today. Perhaps I would have become someone's plaything in Jueyang City, living a life worse than death."

Hearing this, the members of the Nine-Tails Clan fell into silence one after another...