Chapter 277: Chapter 278: Integrating the Loose Cultivators

Wangtianya

"Greetings, Law Enforcement Elder!"

"Greetings, Law Enforcement Elder!"

As the white-robed figure walked out of the city gate, a group of disciples greeted him with reverence.

Many among them were at the Eighth or Ninth Layer of True Essence, yet none showed a hint of disrespect. On the contrary, their reverence was profound and came straight from the heart.

Ye Wushuang’s astonishing feats in the Earth Palace had left them utterly shocked.

Back then, at only the True Essence Sixth Layer, he had ascended to the legendary ninety-ninth floor, becoming the only one to have ever done so.

Those disciples all worshipped powerful geniuses, and Ye Wushuang’s performance had undoubtedly earned their recognition.

Furthermore, immediately upon his return, he had forcefully slain An Shijie of the Spiritual Spring Realm. The strength he displayed was beyond imagination. Not only had this caught the Sect Master’s eye and earned him the title of a peak master, but it had also filled their hearts with deep admiration.

Ye Wushuang gave a faint nod in return. He knew this was all due to his strength; only with strength could one command respect.

Without breaking his stride, he continued into the distance.

"Kid, the one with the Saber Demon Body is in the woods over there." After they had walked for over a dozen li, the Dragon Cat suddenly appeared on Ye Wushuang’s shoulder, pointing at the dense forest beside them.

Ye Wushuang’s powerful Divine Sense swept out and immediately retracted. He then turned and headed into the woods.

Not long after entering the forest, Ye Wushuang came to an abrupt halt and turned to look behind him.

BOOM!

A sudden loud noise erupted from behind him as a flash of Sword Light flickered.

In an instant, the sound vanished.

An elegant young man cradling an Ancient Sword walked toward Ye Wushuang.

"Jian Bufan."

Ye Wushuang watched the newcomer, a faint smile on his face.

"You’re not surprised?"

Jian Bufan looked at the calm Ye Wushuang, who showed no surprise at all at his arrival.

"Not at all."

Ye Wushuang smiled. "I knew someone was following me." 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

Jian Bufan walked closer and asked with a smile, "Then why didn’t you make a move?"

"Didn’t you already take care of it?" Ye Wushuang replied with a slight smile. He had, of course, been aware of the person tailing him and had planned to deal with them after going deeper into the forest, but Jian Bufan had beaten him to it.

"True enough!" Jian Bufan chuckled. "I saw you had a tail right after you left, so I took care of it. You seem busy, so go on ahead."

"I’m meeting a few friends. You’re welcome to come along if you’re interested," Ye Wushuang said with a smile, then turned and started walking.

This took Jian Bufan by surprise. After a moment’s hesitation, he followed.

About ten li away, several figures stood under a lush Ancient Tree, gazing into the distance. As if sensing something, they all took a step forward.

They saw Ye Wushuang and Jian Bufan approaching.

Seeing Ye Wushuang, Feng Jue stepped forward and said, "I’ve brought the two of them."

Ye Wushuang nodded.

Feng Jue then took his place behind Ye Wushuang.

This gesture greatly surprised Jian Bufan, Su Mu, and Xiang Tianxiao. They could all sense how strong Feng Jue was; now at the Spiritual Spring First Layer, he gave off a terrifying aura.

Yet, Feng Jue willingly stood behind Ye Wushuang like a loyal guard. The three were not just surprised but also shocked, unable to understand the reason.

After a moment, Su Mu and Xiang Tianxiao came to their senses and cupped their fists. "Brother Ye!"

"Brother Su, Brother Xiang!"

Ye Wushuang returned the gesture, then looked at Jian Bufan and introduced him. "This is Jian Bufan!"

"I am Su Mu."

"And I, Xiang Tianxiao."

Su Mu and Xiang Tianxiao bowed to Jian Bufan. Sensing his cultivation, they grew deeply apprehensive.

"Brother Su, Brother Xiang!"

Jian Bufan smiled, nodding in greeting while holding his sword, giving off a rather carefree air.

After the greetings, Su Mu and Xiang Tianxiao turned to Ye Wushuang. Su Mu said with a laugh, "We always thought you were an ordinary Sect Disciple, Brother Ye. We never expected you to be an Elder of the Ancient Spirit Sect! We almost made fools of ourselves asking the other Ancient Spirit Sect disciples about you just now."

"Hahaha, I only got the position yesterday. The seat isn’t even warm yet," Ye Wushuang laughed.

"So that’s how it is." Xiang Tianxiao’s eyes lit up with understanding. He looked at Ye Wushuang, a question on his mind. He decided to skip the pleasantries and asked directly, "By the way, Brother Ye, you had Brother Feng find the two of us. What is it you need?"

Hearing this, Ye Wushuang didn’t beat around the bush. "To be honest," he said directly, "I did ask you two here today because I have a favor to ask."

"Oh?" Xiang Tianxiao and Su Mu exchanged a glance. Then Xiang Tianxiao said, "Whatever it is, Brother Ye, if there’s any way I can be of use, I will certainly do everything in my power to help."

"Since you both put it that way, I won’t keep you in suspense."

Ye Wushuang kept his eyes fixed on the two of them as he spoke. "Back in the Earth Palace, I ran into you Loose Cultivators several times. I noticed that most of you have extraordinary strength and talent, but you’re disorganized and without unity, making you prey for other factions. So, an idea came to me then: I want to unite the Loose Cultivators, form a faction for you, and put an end to this situation where you’re constantly being hunted."

"Of course, this has nothing to do with the Ancient Spirit Sect. It’s purely my own idea. You two hold significant status among the Loose Cultivators, which is why I’ve invited you here. I want to ask if you would be interested."

Ye Wushuang’s expression was solemn as he watched their faces for any change. To be frank, as a disciple of a Sect, he was worried they might be suspicious of his motives for wanting to unite the Loose Cultivators.

After a moment of silence, Su Mu spoke. "What you’ve said is all true, Brother Ye. We’ve had the same idea before. However, you should know that we Loose Cultivators are not like the Sects. We have no school, no faction, and no foundation whatsoever. Without powerful backing, I’m afraid that even if we did unite, we wouldn’t be able to gain a foothold."

"That’s right, Brother Ye," Xiang Tianxiao added with a bitter smile. "We Loose Cultivators live precarious lives, constantly facing the danger of being killed. Of course we want to unite. But just as Su Mu said, without any foundation, even if we build something, it will quickly be crushed by other powers. We won’t be able to stand our ground. I tried to establish something before, but it was suppressed by the Celestial Sword Sect, and they’ve been hunting me ever since."

"GAGAGA, what foundation? This kid’s got it. Stick with him, and you’ll have everything."

SWOOSH! The Dragon Cat shot out from the side, gnawing on a Treasure Medicine held in its paw. It looked incredibly punchable.

"Ye Wushuang, what is this..."

The men were slightly taken aback at the sight of the Dragon Cat.

"Allow me to introduce myself. Lord Cat is the one and only, supreme... Heaven-Devouring Dragon Cat in all of heaven and earth! The future National Guardian Beast of the Grand Emperor First Dynasty! The cat that all other—"

WHAM!

"AHH!"

Before it could finish, Ye Wushuang casually sent it flying with a single kick.

"You damn kid! You ambushed me again!"

A furious roar echoed from the distance.

Ye Wushuang, however, acted as if he hadn’t heard a thing. He simply smiled faintly and returned to the topic at hand. "Brother Su, Brother Xiang, if I can help solve the difficulties you mentioned, how confident are you that you can unite the Loose Cultivators?"

"You can solve them, Brother Ye?"

At his words, Xiang Tianxiao and Su Mu were startled. They stared at Ye Wushuang in disbelief. The foundation needed to unite the Loose Cultivators was no small matter. Besides a massive amount of resources, it also required a powerful backer!