Chapter 90: Headlong Departure Without Looking Back

**Chapter 90: Disappearing Without a Backward Glance**

This was a tranquil place, rarely visited by cultivating disciples on ordinary days. Small wooden cabins, meant for the servants, dotted the verdant bamboo forest.

A gentle breeze stirred, causing the entire bamboo grove to sway softly. The emerald bamboo leaves rustled, and fresh air wafted by.

Li Xiaoman, dressed in white, floated gently with the wind, appearing ethereal and unworldly. Her dark, thick hair, jade-like skin, and eyes like water gazed at Ye Fan. She said, "You are a mortal; the 'Source' is of no use in your hands."

"Though I am but a mortal, I know the value of such a thing. You cultivators value it so highly; how can you say it's useless to me?" Ye Fan weighed the 'Source' in his hand and chuckled, "It contains a vast amount of life essence. I imagine for a mortal, extending one's lifespan wouldn't be a problem, would it?"

"You... a mortal using the Source to extend your life? What a waste!" The young men and women nearby all showed displeasure.

"If you wish to increase your lifespan and strengthen your body, there are actually many methods. You could completely exchange this 'Source' for some hundred-herb liquid to consume."

"Precisely. If you are willing to give up this 'Source,' we will naturally ensure you are satisfied."

The young men and women all spoke thus. The allure of the 'Source' was too great for them; they desperately wanted to exchange for it.

"I'm sorry, I don't wish to exchange it. What you're talking about doesn't interest me." Ye Fan could not possibly part with the 'Source' and flatly refused.

The young men and women all changed their expressions. For them, the 'Source' held immense significance; it was a waste, like a pearl collecting dust, for it to be in the hands of a mortal. They all wanted to claim it for themselves.

Li Xiaoman stood silently, her white robes fluttering, her hair dancing lightly in the wind. She said, "You don't understand what it means for a mortal to possess the 'Source.' It isn't wealth; it will only bring you disaster. You are merely an ordinary person; you cannot possibly keep it safe."

"Are you suggesting you'll try to seize it?" Ye Fan put away the 'Source' and looked at the few people in front of him.

Apart from Li Xiaoman, whose expression remained calm, the others all looked unfriendly, staring intently at Ye Fan.

"Even the Second Master of Purple Yang Grotto-heaven didn't try to intimidate me with his power. Are you gentlemen planning to take it by force?"

Li Xiaoman's voice remained unruffled. She said, "It's no longer a secret that you possess a 'Source.' Once this news leaks out, even if you remain safe for a while, your future security will be hard to guarantee."

"Are you implying I have no choice but to exchange it?"

Li Xiaoman nodded. She said, "Exchange it with a cultivator, and from then on, you will benefit endlessly for the rest of your life. You will no longer need to toil, and you can live peacefully as a wealthy man, enjoying glory and riches your entire life."

"Your strength isn't particularly profound. The life essence contained within this 'Source' is probably not something you can refine."

Seeing that Ye Fan's stance seemed to be softening, the people nearby spoke up one after another.

"Although we cannot refine it directly, we can hand it over to our seniors in the sect."

"That senior earlier, whose cultivation is profound, is the Second Master of our Purple Yang Grotto-heaven. He once helped Junior Sister Li regain her youth. If Junior Sister Li can present this 'Source' to him today, she will certainly be even more appreciated, and we too will be able to approach that senior and listen to his teachings."

Ye Fan smiled, said nothing, and looked at Li Xiaoman.

"Yes, I do indeed want to give this 'Source' to that senior." Li Xiaoman's expression was serene. She gently brushed aside the strands of hair covering her forehead, looked quietly at Ye Fan, and said, "I will not owe you anything; I will make sure you are satisfied."

Ye Fan shook his head, offering a faint smile. "Just like the old you..." he said.

Li Xiaoman did not refute him. She took a few steps forward, gazing at Ye Fan. She said, "I know you are very confident and capable, and unwilling to be a mere mortal. But the truth is, your physique prevents you from cultivating; you can only be an ordinary person. I hope you can peacefully accept your life as a mortal, not overthink things, sober up, and let go of those unrealistic fantasies. The 'Source' truly is useless to you. Accepting reality and being an ordinary person might not be a bad kind of happiness."

"It seems we don't truly understand each other," Ye Fan said, adding nothing more.

"People always strive upwards..." Li Xiaoman paused slightly before adding, "Immortals and mortals belong to two different worlds."

"'Immortals and mortals belong to two different worlds?'" Ye Fan chuckled, speaking casually, "Who can say what the future holds? Perhaps I, too, will appear on your path, and then you might accidentally find yourselves surpassed by this ordinary person."

Beside them, the young disciples of Purple Yang Grotto-heaven all showed surprise. They felt the conversation between the two had an unusual undertone, not as simple as that between neighbors, especially since Ye Fan did not at all seem like an eleven or twelve-year-old child.

"In any case, I will not give up this 'Source.' Please leave." Ye Fan gestured for them to depart, effectively dismissing them.

"You..."

The disciples of Purple Yang Grotto-heaven all looked displeased. Before turning to leave, Li Xiaoman looked at Ye Fan and said, "Accept reality sooner and be an ordinary person."

Suddenly, there was a great commotion outside Purple Yang Grotto-heaven, with shouts of reprimand. Then, streaks of crimson light cut through the sky, and cultivators began to battle in the distance.

"Let's go, let's see!" The young disciples in the bamboo grove quickly rushed out.

Ye Fan's heart instantly skipped a beat. Someone was breaching the mountain gate. He immediately thought of the Jiang family's knights and decided to hide among the crowd to observe and prepare himself.

At this moment, Purple Yang Grotto-heaven was in an uproar. Many cultivators rushed towards the mountain gate. When Ye Fan arrived, he saw that several people had already been severely wounded and were being carried back.

"Who is so audacious as to infiltrate our Purple Yang Grotto-heaven and then brazenly fight after being discovered?"

"It's a powerful knight, riding a terrifying strange beast. He defeated five of our Purple Yang Grotto-heaven's masters in a row and nearly broke through. Now he's been stopped by our Martial Uncle-Grandmaster."

Listening to the crowd's discussions, Ye Fan was almost certain that the Jiang family's knight had found this place.

"They're truly relentless!" This made him frown.

Just then, cheers erupted from the front. Someone shouted, "Martial Uncle-Grandmaster is truly powerful; he has captured that terrifying knight!"

A middle-aged man, around thirty-six or thirty-seven, walked back unhurriedly through the air. He was precisely the Second Master of Purple Yang Grotto-heaven, whom Ye Fan had seen not long ago. Now, he carried back a savage beast and an unconscious knight, dropping them heavily onto the ground. He then said, "First, escort him to the stone prison."

"It's time to leave. Purple Yang Grotto-heaven has done me a great favor; it's best if they hold this hot potato for a few more days..." Ye Fan could imagine that once the people of Purple Yang Grotto-heaven learned the knight's identity, they would surely be filled with regret.

Ye Fan exited the mountain gate of Purple Yang Grotto-heaven and quickly ran, heading out towards the mountains. But just then, a few people noticed his departure. They exchanged glances and immediately gave chase.

"If I can escape this calamity, I need to find a quiet place to cultivate properly!" Having experienced a series of events, Ye Fan desperately wished to become stronger; he yearned for unparalleled power.

After running for dozens of li, Ye Fan gradually felt something was amiss. Someone was following him, moving at a speed no slower than his, about to catch up. His heart tightened. In an instant, he dashed into a chaotic stone forest, hiding behind a large boulder, and peered back.

"It's him..."

The person who arrived was around twenty-six or twenty-seven years old, one of Li Xiaoman's senior brothers, who had recently been coveting his 'Source.' He was very fast, entering the stone forest in the blink of an eye.

"I see you. Come out. Leave the 'Source,' and I'll give you a way out."

"As expected, he wants to seize my 'Source'..." Ye Fan remained still behind the boulder. This person's strength was considerable; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to catch up to him.

"Even if he gets the 'Source,' he definitely won't let me go. In that case, why not strike first?" Ye Fan made his decision.

"If you don't come out, don't blame me for not leaving you a path to survival once I find you." This person was cautious. He felt Ye Fan's speed was too fast, almost shaking him off, which was clearly abnormal for a mortal.

As the person rounded the boulder, a golden light suddenly shot forth, instantly piercing the void, and with a "swish," it spun and sliced through.

"Pfft!"

Blood splattered, a head rolled down, and the headless body gushed blood two meters high before falling to the ground with a "thud."

Ye Fan retracted the golden book. Just then, his expression changed as several more figures appeared behind him, rapidly approaching. He quickly glanced back, then flew away like the wind. He didn't know if Li Xiaoman was among them, as the dense vegetation in the mountains made it hard to see clearly.

"I hope you're not among them..." Ye Fan vanished into the distance without a backward glance.