Chapter 1505: Receiving Disciples

"I know why you are all here. And of course, I must show respect to Demon Sage Qitian. However, to gain my support, you must first pass a test."

The stunningly beautiful Female Demon Sage was direct and to the point, not one to beat around the bush, which earned Xu Yang's admiration.

"Let me guess. If I'm not mistaken, you will invite me into your residence—or rather, a dream realm you've created—to help you resolve a barrier that has blocked you for tens of thousands of years."

As soon as Xu Yang spoke, the beautiful Female Demon Sage in front of him froze.

"How did you know?"

Xu Yang smiled without answering, then gently waved his palm, sending a soul message to each of his companions. Immediately after, he and the beautiful Female Demon Sage transformed into a wave, their original forms dissipating as they vanished mysteriously before everyone's eyes.

Of course, there was no hostility in the actions of the Demon Sage and Xu Yang. As soon as they vanished, all the surrounding demon tribes put away their weapons and adopted a friendly demeanor, no longer bothering Xiao Xiang and the cool-headed young woman beside her.

Clearly, an unspoken understanding had been reached among everyone. The establishment of a cooperative relationship would likely be finalized upon Xu Yang and the beautiful Female Demon Sage's triumphant return.

With their combined strength, Xu Yang and the Female Demon Sage reappeared almost instantly inside the Crystal Palace at the bottom of the beautiful Female Demon Sage's private Mirror Heart Lake.

Unbeknownst to many, this incredibly spacious Crystal Palace was, in fact, a dream realm created by the beautiful Female Demon Sage herself, a culmination of her tens of thousands of years of cultivation.

Otherwise, who could possibly construct such an exquisite palace in the deep waters, under such immense wave pressure?

That this dream realm could withstand such intensity proved the Female Demon Sage's own power was formidable, at least no less than that of Demon Sage Qitian.

When they reappeared in the center of the palace, the beautiful Female Demon Sage had lost her previous haughty and imposing demeanor. Beside Xu Yang, she seemed to have reverted to the appearance of a young woman.

"I could tell at a glance that your strength far surpasses ours. It seems you genuinely wish to use your influence to help the Kunlun Divine Path resolve the age-old conflict between humans and demons."

"By my estimation, your power should at least be on par with one of the top ten Saints."

Xu Yang smiled and nodded. "Those rankings are mere illusions; I don't care about them at all. However, this layer of affliction within your dream realm is much more resilient than I imagined. To resolve it for you, your soul, which is sealed within your demon body, must be forcefully separated."

"This means that for a period, you will lose your Demon Sage-level of power. It's equivalent to undergoing cultivation anew."

"But once you succeed, all the impediments within you will be completely shattered. At that point, your demon physical body and human soul will perfectly merge within you, becoming an entirely new entity."

"Your strength will then far surpass all other demons in the entire Kunlun Abyss, and the so-called Level 10 power rating will no longer be adequate for you."

"Of course, this process will be incredibly arduous. It's conceivable that in the Kunlun Abyss, losing your original combat power would mean facing the fate of being mercilessly devoured. In other words, you'll need someone powerful enough to protect you safely through this period of forced separation and weakness."

The Female Demon Sage's eyes swept around before finally settling on Xu Yang.

"I wonder if you could grant me such an opportunity? If you are truly willing to be my protector, then once I recover my peak strength, I will devote my entire life to following you, no matter what role I may play by your side. I will accept it willingly."

In fact, the Female Demon Sage's words carried a significant implication for Xu Yang: 'no matter what role I may play' meant she was willing to be his woman, or even his servant, his attendant, his everything.

Xu Yang, of course, didn't much care for such things. Yet, he felt an inexplicable connection with the Female Demon Sage before him. From the moment he first saw her, he'd felt a strange sense of closeness.

Suddenly, she reminded him of his only female disciple from his own journey of cultivation. However, Xu Yang had long since lost any trace of where Miss Bai might be.

Perhaps she had been lost in the dust of hundreds of thousands of years of history, impossible to find again. Seeing the almost perfect-looking woman before him, Xu Yang sighed helplessly.

He couldn't help but tell the young woman about his past: founding a sect, taking Miss Bai as his disciple, and even obtaining the Nine Heavens Divine Lotus to help her reconstruct her body and bring her back from the dead. But time had flowed like water, centuries had passed, and in a blink, it had been hundreds of thousands of years ago.

"Very well, if you are willing to take me as your master, I will make an exception and accept you as my second disciple. This way, I will have sufficient reason to keep you by my side and protect you until you regain your peak strength."

Upon hearing this, the Female Demon Sage immediately knelt before Xu Yang, her hands clasped over her chest, clearly performing the highest reverence unique to the demon race.

"Your disciple greets Master. Please bestow a name upon me."

Xu Yang let out a long sigh. "From today forward, your name shall be Bai Lian."

With a gentle wave of his palm, Xu Yang retrieved a ten-thousand-year-old Saint Lotus from his spatial storage. This was a supreme-grade Saint Lotus he had inadvertently collected from the Angel Clan's base when he helped Xiao Hua secure leadership among them.

It wasn't originally from the main continent, but this Saint Lotus was a rare, top-tier item for reconstructing physical bodies. Xu Yang had initially intended to use it to help Xiao Hua reshape her body.

However, Xiao Hua's current strength had already exceeded what this Saint Lotus could accommodate, making it a perfect choice for the young woman before him.

Thus, Xu Yang renamed the young woman after the Saint Lotus, and the name Bai Lian would accompany the Female Demon Sage in the future, bringing her a second, true rebirth.

"Actually, according to the unique cultivation system of the Kunlun Divine Path, once a human soul is bound to a demon body, you lack the ability or qualification to break free from such constraints through your own cultivation."

"Therefore, this punishment is suppressed by the unique will of the Supreme God of the Kunlun Divine Path. No matter how strong your cultivation talent, you can never separate your human soul from the bound demon body by your own efforts."

"However, within your dream realm, I can exert my full strength. In this way, it might even be possible to shield us from the will of the Supreme God."

"Coupled with your unique cultivation method, which allows a portion of your soul essence to detach prematurely, it has created these exclusive and unique conditions for you."