Chapter 946: Ancient Demon Clan

The purple creature smiled foolishly, a carefree expression on its face. It lifted its injured leg, stretching it as if to show it was fine, telling Ye Fan not to worry. Yet, it shivered with pain.

Ye Fan quickly stopped it, not allowing it to move further. The little creature was clearly seriously injured, but its innocent attempts to please him were heartbreaking.

"Who hurt you like this? Who has been here?" he asked softly. His expression appeared gentle, but rage surged within him.

Its body was filthy, having wandered for unknown days. Its once lustrous, purple, silk-like fur had dulled, indicating it had been greatly frightened; otherwise, it wouldn't have rushed towards him so quickly, trembling slightly, upon seeing him.

Its injured leg had been cut by a sharp weapon. If this little creature hadn't possessed profound cultivation, the leg would surely have been severed. The attack was truly ruthless, precise, and vicious. As Ye Fan carefully treated the wound, he noticed faint wisps of dark, corrosive light flowing within it, which explained why it hadn't healed for so long.

He used his magical power to neutralize the dark light, while also taking out a bottle of divine spring water, brought from a forbidden zone, to cleanse its wound before carefully bandaging it.

During the process, the little squirrel trembled continuously from pain but neither struggled nor cried out. It endured silently, trying to appear unharmed, which made Ye Fan pity it even more.

With Ye Fan's personal attention, such an injury was naturally minor. The divine spring water from the ancient forbidden zone possessed immense vitality, and soon after, the squirrel's leg began to recover.

The little creature blinked its large eyes, looking down at its injured leg with a surprised expression. After so many days of pain, it was now rapidly healing, making it incredibly happy and causing it to instantly forget all its suffering.

Ye Fan questioned it seriously. Naturally, he couldn't just let someone try to kill the little squirrel without consequence; retaliation was his style.

Back in the Beidou Star Domain, many formidable enemies had fallen at his feet, earning him a fearsome reputation. His path was built with blood and bone. Now, back on Earth in the Age of Dharma Decline, how could he tolerate being bullied?

The little squirrel, being very gentle and kind, recounted the events of that day. Ye Fan had been away for half a month, and during that time, someone had found this place. The purple creature, timid by nature, had hidden in the house, not venturing outside, just as Ye Fan had instructed before leaving, telling it not to run around.

The visitor was an unusual, demonic-looking young man with cultivation, who seemed to be injured and spat out a mouthful of blood. The little squirrel, pure and kind, had taken a small piece of the Scarlet Moon Fruit that Ye Fan had given it and carried it to the man, only to be nearly killed.

The man had conjured a divine cone, injuring the purple creature's leg, and then unleashed flashes of lightning, creating a barrier that blocked its escape back into the house.

The little squirrel had an almost innate fear of lightning. Its mother had been injured protecting it and died during a thunderstorm, and the squirrel itself had once almost been struck dead on a rocky mountain.

Therefore, when attacked by the strange young man this time, it nearly met with disaster, fleeing in panic and leaving the area.

It had waited for many days, hiding in sewers and next to garbage bins, terrified, until Ye Fan returned.

Upon learning all this, Ye Fan said nothing more, gently stroking its head. This little creature was as pure as a blank sheet of paper. In the past, it had only a small stone Buddha for company, meditating alone under the moonlight, with no contact with humans. After Ye Fan brought it out of the Tibetan region, it had always assumed everyone was like him, unaware of the wickedness in human hearts, viewing everyone with its own kind nature.

Even at this point, the little creature was still confused, asking Ye Fan, puzzled, why that person had treated it like that and what it had done wrong.

"You did nothing wrong. It's just that human hearts are too complex; you will understand in time."

"Oh..." The purple creature murmured, blinking its large eyes, still confused and bewildered.

Ye Fan decided that in the future, he would take it to experience more, as only then would it truly understand.

The little squirrel, cleansed of dirt and having drunk some divine spring water, finally recovered. It became lively and nimble again, then carefully presented a small pile of pine nuts to Ye Fan.

Ye Fan accepted with a smile and handed it a Jade Serpent Orchid, which radiated vital energy and a rich fragrance. On the day he and Pang Bo were about to leave, he had spent a large amount of resources to acquire and bring back many spiritual herbs.

The purple creature's large eyes sparkled. It held the orchid, immensely happy, instantly forgetting all its past suffering, laughing carefree, and easily satisfied.

Ye Fan could guess without much thought that the incident was likely related to the jade and pure vase from the auction, as only they could attract cultivators. Sure enough, a clue soon emerged: it was the strange young man who had successfully bid three times. The auction house had his detailed information. After Ye Fan showed the photo to the little squirrel, it confirmed that he was the one who had attacked it.

"He has already left B City... But it's useless even if you flee to the ends of the earth," Ye Fan murmured to himself.

That day, he traveled south, arriving in Jiujiang, Jiangxi.

This was a villa complex, not far from Mount Lu, where mountains and water coexisted, creating beautiful scenery. It was safe to say that ordinary people could not afford the prices; every villa was astronomically expensive.

Ye Fan observed from a distance, a curious expression on his face. He was not only a cultivator but also skilled in Origin Techniques, making him an expert in the flow of mountain ranges and earth veins.

This place possessed faint, elusive dragon qi, drawing a stream of essence from the rising purple dragon vein in distant Mount Lu. This was crucial in the Age of Dharma Decline, as it could aid cultivation.

Furthermore, upon closer inspection, he noticed something unusual: the construction of this villa complex also held a hidden secret. If he wasn't mistaken, this entire area belonged to a single family.

Perhaps outwardly, the homeowners appeared independent with different surnames, concealing their true nature. However, he believed this was a single clan, living in seclusion here, with a meticulously designed layout.

"There's a faint wisp of demonic aura..." Ye Fan murmured to himself, then strode inside. The little squirrel tilted its head, curiously observing the villa complex. It simply found the scenery beautiful, nestled by mountains and water, with vital energy flowing that could be absorbed.

Ye Fan disappeared with each step, reappearing deeper within the complex, stopping before the central villa that had the strongest demonic aura. This spot offered the best view, and the underground purple dragon vein was most concentrated here.

"Master of this place, come out and meet me."

His words instantly alerted the entire villa complex. With his powerful divine sense, he could clearly perceive at least dozens of pairs of eyes sweeping towards him, observing from the shadows.

Immediately, someone emerged from the central villa. It was an elder whose complexion was as rosy as a baby's and whose hair was like snow. He had excellent color and looked exceptionally vigorous.

Ye Fan's expression remained unchanged. This was definitely a person with cultivation, whose attainment was at the Divine Bridge realm, the third minor stage of the first secret realm, the Wheel Sea.

"Young man, how may I help you?" he asked with a smile.

"Both of us are cultivators; there's no need for pretense. Since I've been able to find this place, any falsehoods are pointless," Ye Fan said.

The elder's expression immediately became solemn. He gestured for Ye Fan to come inside to talk, and he also took a careful look at the little purple squirrel on Ye Fan's shoulder.

Ye Fan's expression was calm as he stepped inside. From this small area, he understood where current cultivators were located. This place, close to Mount Lu, made cultivation possible.

His Heavenly Eye could directly perceive the elder's origin: a few faint strands of demonic blood, not entirely pure, flowed within him, indicating this lineage was likely descended from ancient demon clans.

After entering the hall, the elder invited Ye Fan to sit and had tea served. He spoke very courteously, asking the reason for Ye Fan's visit.

"I believe you know why I've come. Have that young man come out; there's nothing more to discuss," Ye Fan said faintly, sipping his tea.

"Fellow Daoist, please calm your anger and your mind." Seeing Ye Fan's aggressive demeanor, the elder quickly put on a conciliatory smile.

He claimed the young man was his unruly grandson who had acted rashly, causing this great trouble, and now understood his mistake. They were willing to compensate, asking Ye Fan to be lenient.

"Those are nice words. Rash action? Without reason, he suddenly struck with malicious intent, trying to kill the little squirrel. What use is such a character? Have him come out and meet me," Ye Fan said, his face sinking.

Meanwhile, the little squirrel was quite curious, hopping around the room with an innocent expression, constantly examining the antiques and other objects.

The elder immediately looked troubled, saying, "Please forgive us, Fellow Daoist. We were in the wrong, but we ask for your forbearance. Can we let this matter go?"

"I'll ask only once: Will you bring him out, or should I do it myself?" Ye Fan took a small sip of the fragrant tea, then set down the cup, his expression growing cold.

"My grandson was naturally curious upon seeing a spirit beast, so he tried to subdue it. But he didn't harm anyone; it's merely a pet. Fellow Daoist, aren't you making a mountain out of a molehill?" The elder also became a little displeased.

"Are you talking about the little squirrel? In my opinion, many humans are less humane than it. I am curious, though, what did your grandson use to injure the little squirrel? Seeing as you know him, he's not even worthy." Ye Fan sneered coldly.

"You... you are being far too aggressive!" The elder's face darkened. Then, with a swish, he revealed a divine cone, its eerie glow emanating a sense of ancientness.

"A Sect Master-level artifact," Ye Fan exclaimed in surprise. It was truly rare to see such a powerful weapon in this Age of Dharma Decline.

He quickly understood: in ancient times, Earth was filled with numerous sects and a multitude of experts, so it was natural for many powerful individuals to have existed, and their surviving weapons were not surprising.

"This is the weapon," the elder stated. Clearly, his display of the artifact was intended as a deterrent.

Upon seeing the glimmering divine cone, the little squirrel's body instantly trembled, evidently recalling its encounter that day. Ye Fan gently stroked its head and said, "I'll refine this into a small knife for you, for trimming your nails later."

The elder's expression changed instantly. "Young man, you are far too arrogant and presumptuous!" he exclaimed.

At the same moment, the door was pushed open, and another elder emerged. He was actually a cultivator of the Dao Palace secret realm, and he said coldly, "You should know that in this world, there are some people you cannot provoke. Our clan has been inherited from ancient times until now, never falling. Who dares to act so presumptuously here?!"

"So, you consider yourselves an ancient, immortal lineage?" Ye Fan smiled.

"Alas, for so many years, no one has dared to cause trouble here. Young man, your age is too small, and you are too ignorant. Haven't you heard of this place, Jiujiang? It's not somewhere you can provoke," the elder who had just entered said, shaking his head.

At the same moment, a young man walked out, precisely the strange young man Ye Fan was looking for, and sat down brazenly nearby.

The little squirrel's body immediately trembled. Its previous injury had clearly left a deep impression. It had kindly brought out a spiritual herb to help someone, only to be almost killed, and it still didn't understand what it had done wrong.

Ye Fan pointed a finger, and the young man was instantly pinned to the wall. With a light wave of his hand through the air, five finger marks immediately appeared on the young man's face, accompanied by a crisp slapping sound.

"You... you go too far! How dare you act wildly in Jiujiang!" Both elders' faces changed color.

"Is that so? Indeed, I am arrogant, and I just want to provoke you. Let's see what you can do. If you truly anger me, I'll turn Jiujiang upside down!"

"You won't leave today! You'll regret this!" the two elders roared, shouting outwards for their disciples to summon reinforcements. Clearly, they had already realized that Ye Fan was not to be trifled with.