Chapter 2859: 青元 True Lord, Ye Tongtian

This is no rumor; Fairy Xuanyue herself spoke of it, and the news has spread throughout the human race on Xuanling Continent. With Fairy Xuanyue's personal endorsement, the fame of the Azure Lotus Immortals has spread far and wide, making it difficult for them to maintain a low profile.

"It was nothing," Wang Changsheng said vaguely. "Thanks to Fairy Yang's help, we were able to eliminate that alien." He didn't want to elaborate. The less the outside world knew about them, the better. It was always wise to live modestly and achieve great things quietly, as the unknown was the most formidable. For seasoned Integration Realm cultivators like True Monarch Qingyuan and Fairy Xuanyue, the outside world had some understanding of their divine abilities, which was not ideal.

When the Beiming family's secret realm opened, Wang Mofei died at the hands of True Monarch Ice Toad. Wang Qingxiao and others then eliminated True Monarch Ice Toad and discovered that Ice Toad had been collecting information on human experts, including Wang Changsheng. The outside world had little information about Wang Changsheng, and much of the intelligence True Monarch Ice Toad collected was erroneous. This discovery further heightened Wang Changsheng's vigilance.

"Fellow Daoist Wang, you are too modest," a deep male voice rang out. "Junior Sister Yang told me the whole story. You two, in a two-on-two battle, eliminated one early-stage and one mid-stage Integration Realm alien."

As soon as the words fell, a slender, short-bearded Daoist in a green robe entered. He had a green wooden hairpin in his hair and piercing eyes. Walking beside him was a fair-skinned young man in a red shirt. The young man stood nine feet tall, with a broad back and muscular physique. His arms were powerfully built, his steps were steady, and his clothes bore the image of a nine-headed ice lion.

"True Monarch Qingyuan!" Wang Changsheng recognized the green-robed Daoist. True Monarch Qingyuan, along with Fairy Xuanyue, was one of the Nine Sons of Xuanqing. The young man in the red shirt was clearly a cultivator from the Ye family, though Wang Changsheng had never met him before.

"I am Ye Tongtian. Greetings, fellow Daoists," the red-shirted young man said courteously, cupping his hands in a bow.

The cultivators did not dare to be negligent and returned the greeting, introducing themselves. True Monarch Qingyuan was at the mid-stage Integration Realm, while Ye Tongtian was at the late-stage Integration Realm.

"Fellow Daoist Wang, is what Fellow Daoist Liu said true?" True Monarch Jinhu asked curiously. Before this, the outside world believed that the Azure Lotus Immortals had defeated one mid-stage Integration Realm alien in a two-on-one battle. While defeating a mid-stage Integration Realm alien in a two-on-one fight was indeed impressive and achievable with numerical advantage and treasures, completely annihilating enemies in a two-on-two scenario was different. Moreover, the Azure Lotus Immortals had only entered the Integration Realm less than five thousand years ago.

"Fellow Daoist Wang, you truly keep a low profile! If Fairy Xuanyue hadn't revealed it, few would have known about this. Fellow Daoist Wang is truly a model for cultivators of our generation," Guo Yulin remarked meaningfully. Had it been other Integration Realm cultivators, they would likely have spread the news far and wide. Yet, Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan hadn't uttered a single word about it, nor had the Wang family publicized the matter.

Wang Changsheng nodded. "Fellow Daoist Guo, you flatter me. I've heard that the Ye family has ten formidable Integration Realm cultivators, renowned as the Ten Prodigies of the Ye Family. I have long heard of Fellow Daoist Ye's great name and am pleased to finally meet you in person." Every major power would select promising individuals for focused cultivation. The Xuanqing Sect had its Nine Sons, and the Ye family had its Ten Prodigies. Ye Tongtian was one of the Ye family's Ten Prodigies, well-known by reputation, though few had ever met him in person.

"Fellow Daoist Wang, you're too kind. It's merely an empty reputation, not worth mentioning," Ye Tongtian said modestly.

"Alright, let's stop with the pleasantries and get down to business!" Long Tianheng quickly steered the conversation towards cultivation.

After chatting for more than half an hour, Liao Zhongyan spoke: "Fellow Daoist Ye, you've reached the late-stage Integration Realm at such a young age. It seems you're not far from the Mahayana stage. The next time we meet, I might have to address you as Senior Ye."

"Lady Liao, you jest. How can the Mahayana stage be so easy to enter?" Ye Tongtian's expression turned solemn. "Not to mention the Eight-Nine Heavenly Tribulation, just perfecting one's Dharma Idol has stumped countless fellow Daoists."

"Fellow Daoist Ye, perfecting one's Dharma Idol is one of the conditions for assaulting the Mahayana stage. What's the difference between a Mahayana cultivator's Dharma Idol and ours? Is it just more powerful?" Wang Changsheng asked humbly. The Ye family had a long heritage, and Ye Tongtian was extremely knowledgeable. This was an excellent opportunity to clear his doubts, and Wang Changsheng was not about to let it slip.

"A Mahayana cultivator's Dharma Idol can merge with the cultivator," Ye Tongtian explained. "This provides immense help, whether in combat or in enduring major heavenly tribulations. Therefore, one must be extremely cautious when selecting materials for the Dharma Idol, and not simply use whatever is convenient." Some Integration Realm cultivators, seeking convenience, would use any Dharma Idol materials that aligned with their cultivation technique to condense their Dharma Idol. Even if they fortuitously entered the Mahayana stage, their strength wouldn't be particularly high, relying more on external objects.

"A Mahayana cultivator's Dharma Idol can merge with the cultivator?" Wang Changsheng's expression tightened. This was the first time he had heard such a concept, truly worthy of a Ye family descendant.

"Fellow Daoist Ye, you must have heard about the Lizard Race's situation, right?" Guo Yulin asked with full curiosity. "If a race war breaks out on Xuanling Continent, will your family participate?" If the Ye family joined, it would certainly make things easier for the human race.

"No, we won't," Ye Tongtian said with a solemn expression. "Our Ye family has an agreement with the Three Great Clans not to interfere in racial conflicts in other regions. If we were to participate, the Three Great Clans might send troops to aid those alien races." He explained that while the Ye family could easily sweep away the alien races on Xuanling Continent if they joined the fight, it would also provoke the Three Great Clans to intervene, making the situation difficult to conclude.

With the Ye family present, the alien races on Xuanling Continent could at most seize more territory; they wouldn't dare to exterminate the human race, nor could they achieve it. The Azure Glass Sea Region and Xuanling Continent were connected by cross-continental teleportation arrays, allowing for convenient reinforcement.

"What if the Three Great Clans tear up the agreement and intervene to help the Lizard Race?" Guo Yulin pressed.

"What good could the Lizard Race possibly offer to persuade the Three Great Clans to act?" Ye Tongtian scoffed. "The Three Great Clans are arrogant and look down on the Lizard Race entirely. Unless the Lizard Race could produce high-grade Tribulation Transcending treasures or Profound Heaven Treasures, they wouldn't even warrant a glance. But if they did, then our Ye family would also take action." He added that the Xuanyang Realm had nearly a thousand races, and the Three Great Clans had no interest in dealing with small, weak races.

The Three Great Clans of the Xuanyang Realm rarely concerned themselves with conflicts among other races, but the presence of a Profound Heaven Treasure or high-grade Tribulation Transcending treasure would change that. The Xuanqing Sect possessed a Profound Heaven Treasure, the Xuanling Heaven-Transforming Banner, but it was incomplete. The Three Great Clans had no interest in it, as they sought genuine artifacts. Of course, with the Ye family's protection, the Three Great Clans hadn't acted; otherwise, the Xuanqing Sect wouldn't have been able to keep even a damaged artifact.

Guo Yulin's face showed regret as he said, "If your Ye family were to join the war, we might have been able to exterminate the Lizard Race. I heard that a Mahayana cultivator of the Lizard Race has died; I wonder if it's true."

"Even if the Lizard Race's Mahayana cultivator hasn't died, if the three major human clans unite, the Lizard Race would be severely weakened, even if not destroyed," Liao Zhongyan analyzed. "Judging by the Lizard Race's reactions in recent years, their Mahayana cultivator has likely passed away."

"I've long heard about the abundant resources of the Northern Cold Ice Plains. Fellow Daoist Ye, could you enlighten us?" Guo Yulin said with a smile, his face full of anticipation. They had traveled a long distance, certainly not just for idle chatter.

"Fellow Daoist Long is the host, so please, you go first!" Ye Tongtian said courteously, looking at Long Tianheng.