Chapter 374: The Secret of the Purple Extreme Venerable

Ye Feng’s battle against two true god-level warriors from the demon race was witnessed by many. When Ye Feng emerged victorious without a single scratch, everyone could hardly believe their eyes.
After all, those were two true god-level warriors. Even the strongest figures in various realms would hardly be able to kill them in just a few minutes and remain unharmed.
“That blade edge is simply terrifying!” A peak true god warrior was filled with shock. He had originally thought that situation was a dead end for Ye Feng. Yet, it was the two true god warriors who perished instead.
This caused those who had intended to take advantage of the situation to scatter like birds and beasts.
The Heavenly Sword Venerable slowly opened his eyes. Thanks to the ultimate repair ability, his strength had fully returned to its peak.
“Lord!” He bowed slightly toward Ye Feng.
“No need. We’re all brothers. Besides, you have a bright future ahead—there’s no need to bow to me,” Ye Feng waved his hand. “Go do what you need to do. We’ll discuss future matters after this crisis passes. I’ll contact you then.”
The Heavenly Sword Venerable nodded before soaring into the sky and disappearing from Ye Feng’s sight.
No one else heard their conversation. They thought Ye Feng must have used some method to save the Heavenly Sword Venerable, and that his bowing was merely an expression of gratitude. They never imagined that the Heavenly Sword Venerable had now become Ye Feng’s subordinate.
The Heavenly Sword Venerable chased after the true god warrior from the immortal realm, while Ye Feng headed in another direction—toward where the Purple Extreme Venerable was.
In less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Ye Feng caught up with the Purple Extreme Venerable. This time, he didn’t appear directly but hid and observed secretly.
After all, he was somewhat familiar with the Purple Extreme Venerable. If he showed up in front of him openly without offering help, that would be bad. But if he intervened, he’d be fully drawn into this conflict. Previously, he had killed those two true god warriors from the demon realm because they had first attacked him. Killing them was justified, and he hadn’t interfered during the battle between the Heavenly Sword Venerable and those warriors.
Saving the Heavenly Sword Venerable could also be justified by claiming he had an earlier agreement with him and couldn’t bear to see him perish, so he helped. This wouldn’t count him as part of the immortal realm faction.
But if he joined the Purple Extreme Venerable’s camp now, he’d truly give others a reason to hold him accountable.

He currently doesn’t belong to any faction, which means that the powerful figures from those factions won’t take the initiative to provoke him. But once he chooses a faction, those powerful figures will have an excuse to target him. Ye Feng isn’t stupid—he would never do something that requires effort with no reward.

The reason he hid here was, first, his concern that Zi Ji Zun Zhe might perish; at least if he was only severely injured, he could still find a way to treat him. Second, he felt that Zi Ji Zun Zhe seemed different from before these past few days, and he wanted to know where this change came from.

At that moment, Zi Ji Zun Zhe was under attack by over a dozen people, including two gods and thirteen demi-gods. What surprised Ye Feng even more was that there were already several dead bodies on the ground, and their clothing indicated they belonged to the same faction as those attacking Zi Ji Zun Zhe.

“He actually killed eight people in this period?” Ye Feng frowned slightly. “That means he withstood the attacks of twenty-three people before, including at least two gods. And looking at his current state, his energy remains stable—seems he hasn’t used up much of his true essence…”

Ye Feng, who had fought against Zi Ji Zun Zhe before, knew well his strength. But what he saw now made him realize that Zi Ji Zun Zhe had been hiding his true power all along.

“Good job hiding it well, Zi Wu Ji!” one of the gods among the attackers sneered. “No wonder no one’s heard of you passing the divine trial these years—turns out you already stole someone else’s divine essence to reach the godly realm.”

“Your reaction is rather slow, isn’t it?” Zi Ji Zun Zhe said disdainfully.

“Is this your true form?” another god asked tentatively. “The one who fought with Dao Feng before must have been just an avatar.”

“Many people naively think that I, Zi Ji Zun Zhe, the greatest immortal in the immortal realm, really only possess such strength,” Zi Ji Zun Zhe’s words reached Ye Feng’s ears clearly. “But no one knows that the one I left behind in the immortal realm to guard it is just an avatar.”

“Just an avatar guarding the immortal realm?” Ye Feng frowned tightly. “So, the one who developed feelings for Pearl before was just an avatar?”

“No wonder he became strange after the auction and became much colder toward Pearl…” Ye Feng thought to himself. “I originally thought he was too preoccupied with the auction and didn’t have the energy to care for Pearl, but it turns out it was someone else entirely…”

“But how could his clone develop feelings for Pearl? Was it an act? Or did the clone truly feel something?” Ye Feng frowned deeply, unable to determine whether the Purple Extreme Venerable had ulterior motives toward Pearl or if it was merely an accident.
“Since I’ve revealed so many secrets to you, then perish here!” The Purple Extreme Venerable began forming strange hand seals.
Ye Feng recognized them as the same seals used in their previous battle. The ones he was forming now were similar to the third palm technique. When used by the true master, such techniques were significantly more powerful. Even the speed and intensity of the gathering dark clouds in the sky increased greatly.
“Don’t wait for him to finish this move! Otherwise, we’ll all suffer!” someone in the crowd shouted. He must have witnessed the power of this move before, hence his reaction.
“You have some insight, but it’s too late!” The Purple Extreme Venerable stopped moving his hands, looked up at the sky, and uttered four words: “Thunderstorm!”
As soon as he spoke, countless bolts of lightning descended from the storm clouds, like a torrential rain…
From afar, Ye Feng watched helplessly. This move was similar to the thunderstorms he created using lightning energy, but the Purple Extreme Venerable could only summon the storms without controlling their exact locations. His own technique allowed him to do that, though not with such dominance—each had its advantages and disadvantages.
The Purple Extreme Venerable’s move was truly overwhelming. It took several minutes for the storm clouds to disperse, leaving only two people standing there in distress. Their vital energy was nearly exhausted, and their bodies were numb. They could only watch helplessly as the Purple Extreme Venerable approached, destroying their dantians and extracting their divine essences…
After collecting all the spoils, he turned his gaze toward where Ye Feng was hiding. “Have you had enough to see?”
Ye Feng hadn’t expected the Purple Extreme Venerable to have the ability to detect his probing. Yet he wasn’t afraid of him and slowly revealed himself.
“You? I wondered who it could be.” The Purple Extreme Venerable also hadn’t anticipated that the one observing him secretly would be Ye Feng.
“I just happened to pass by and take a look. I didn’t expect you to hide your true strength.” Ye Feng placed his hands behind his back and stopped about five meters away from the Purple Extreme Venerable.
“You heard everything?” The Purple Extreme Venerable remained calm, smiling faintly.

“I just want to know one thing.” Ye Feng didn’t answer the deliberately asked question from the Venerable Zi Ji.
“Go ahead and tell me!” The Venerable Zi Ji raised his eyebrows.
“About Pearl…” Ye Feng couldn’t think of the right words for a moment.
“It was an accident!” The Venerable Zi Ji immediately understood what Ye Feng wanted to ask. With a wry smile, he said, “The clone technique I practice is an extremely advanced one; the physical clones have self-awareness.”
“Due to the long period of seclusion and the need to avoid disturbance, I cut off the connection between the clone and my true self. I never expected such a thing to happen…” The Venerable Zi Ji also felt helpless about it.
“I’ll take Pearl with me. You don’t object, right?” Ye Feng didn’t want to hear any more explanations. At least this situation was harmful to Pearl, though it wasn’t intentional.
“I have no objection. I’ll explain things to the clone.” The Venerable Zi Ji also didn’t want to provoke a strong warrior like Ye Feng. He knew that even as his true self, he might not be able to defeat Ye Feng. Of course, he still didn’t know that Ye Feng had just killed two True God-level warriors. But based on his past battles, Ye Feng was already enough to be feared. Besides, there were still unfinished tasks in the Immortal Realm.
“I also have a question for you.” The Venerable Zi Ji paused briefly before looking at Ye Feng.
“What is it?” Ye Feng was curious about what the Venerable Zi Ji would ask.
“I originally planned to ask why your strength has grown so fast. But I suppose you won’t answer that either. So, I’ve decided to ask something simpler.” With a sly expression, the Venerable Zi Ji asked, “What’s your relationship with Pearl?”
“Friends, I guess…” Ye Feng hesitated for a moment before giving that answer, though he was also asking himself the same question.
“Is it really just as simple as friends?” The Venerable Zi Ji wore a mocking expression.
Ye Feng remained silent; he didn’t know the answer to that question either.
Seeing that Ye Feng stopped talking, the Venerable Zi Ji put away his smile and continued, “Based on some information I got from the clone, I can confidently tell you that Pearl likes you.”
Ye Feng raised his eyelids slightly and glanced at the Venerable Zi Ji. “Since you don’t need my help, I’ll be leaving… As far as I know, your faction assigned different tasks to each of you, right?”
“Who else have you met before?” the Venerable Zi Ji quickly asked.
“The Venerable Tian Jian. He’s already on his way.”

“Alright, it’s time for me to go. Take care of yourself,” said Violet Extreme Sage before disappearing from Ye Feng’s sight.