Chapter 288: The Awakening of Ye Feng

During the time Ye Feng was unconscious, he had no idea what was happening outside. He was too preoccupied with the internal struggle within his body to pay attention to anything else.
When the chaotic and weak energy within Ye Feng gradually stabilized, Babu knew he could wake up at any moment.
Sure enough, Ye Feng slowly opened his eyes. Seeing the somewhat unfamiliar ceiling and room, he was filled with confusion. Noticing a man in golden armor smiling at him inexplicably, Ye Feng paid him no mind. “Where am I? Who are you? Where are my friends?”
“This is my residence. My name is Babu, and I’m from the Demon Realm. As for your friends, they’re still on Agri Planet,” Babu replied patiently to Ye Feng’s questions.
“I’ve answered your questions. Now it’s your turn to answer mine!” Babu continued. “Why are you in the Death Star Region? Don’t try to deceive me with excuses. Also, what exactly happened there? Where did that palace that appears from time to time go?”
“I already said I was just looking for a herb in the area when I sensed abnormal energy fluctuations, so I went to investigate. Those guys in bronze armor must be your accomplices, right?” Of course, Ye Feng couldn’t reveal the truth—the other party was clearly after the Flowing Palace. “I don’t know what happened there, but I’ve heard that a celestial uprising occurred after I left. As for that palace you mentioned, I did visit it once, but it disappeared over three hundred years ago. How would I know where it went?”
“Playing dumb is indeed a good trick!” The man in golden armor wasn’t easy to fool. “Ever since you appeared, massive uprisings have started among the celestial bodies in the Death Star Region. Is this just a coincidence? Or did you do something you’re well aware of? Also, I’ve investigated you. You did go on that palace expedition three hundred years ago, but you got trapped inside, right? Ye Feng, am I correct? Anyone who says they don’t know where the palace went, I believe them. But only if you say it yourself will I believe it!”

“Your dantian was sealed by me long before I kidnapped you. You’re completely useless now—unable even to fly, let alone leave this planet. In two days, if you still refuse to change your mind, I’ll have no choice but to take you back to the Demon Realm. There, I’ll have all the time in the world to deal with you.” Babu pressured Ye Feng, “Remember, it’s only two days. If you honestly tell me everything, I’ll send you back intact. Otherwise, you’ll come with me to the Demon Realm. From there, if you want to return, you’ll have to defeat me. Oh, I forgot to mention—my cultivation level is at the peak of Xuanmo, equivalent to the peak of Xuanxian in the Immortal Realm, just one step away from the Absolute Demon realm.”

After hearing this, Ye Feng frowned deeply. He checked his dantian, only to find that the seal was long gone. His dantian had been upgraded three times, and its current level was unknown—it was far beyond what anyone in the Heavenly Realm could seal. However, Ye Feng’s cultivation level had slightly declined, as the black energy had consumed some of the crystals within him, causing his power, which was once at the peak of the immortal realm, to drop to the middle to late stages.

Although there was nothing wrong with his dantian, escaping from a Xuanmo was no easy task, let alone defeating them. Moreover, he had nowhere to go after escaping—none of Fatu or the others could match this guy; otherwise, he wouldn’t have been kidnapped. If he escaped and this guy caused trouble for Fatu and Lilith, it would be counterproductive. Initially, only he was in danger, but then all his friends would be at risk as well.

Now that things had reached this point, even if he revealed the secret of the Liuluan Palace, it was unlikely the other party would spare him. They would definitely try to seize it. The only solutions were to kill them or… turn them into his own allies.

“The Ultimate Repair Right…” Thinking of this, a faint smile appeared on Ye Feng’s lips.

“I need some time to consider whether to tell you the truth.” Ye Feng’s sudden willingness to compromise surprised Babu slightly. He hadn’t expected his threats to work so quickly.

“No problem. I said I’d send you back within two days. I’m not in a hurry—you should be!” Babu said proudly.

“No need for two days; a few minutes will do!” Ye Feng said with a smile. As soon as he finished speaking, he sent his mental energy into the Void Realm.
“Qiankun Silk, a third-tier consumable item that can instantly capture warriors at the Xuanxian level and below, causing them to lose all their vital energy. For Xuanxian-level warriors, it takes one day; for Jinxian-level warriors, ten days; for Tiexian-level warriors, a hundred days—increasing as the cultivation level drops. It requires one million points of third-tier domain energy.”
“It’s you then. Just give me one minute, and the Ultimate Repair Power will completely transform him into my subordinate.” A slight smile appeared on Ye Feng’s lips.
“Confirm purchase!”
“Purchase successful. One million points of third-tier domain energy consumed!”
Watching Babu sit motionless there as if in deep meditation, Ye Feng felt a sense of anticipation. To him, Ye Feng was like a cooked duck—completely unable to escape his grasp. After some threats and inducements, it was only natural for Ye Feng to yield. If he could obtain that palace, which was comparable to a divine weapon, his strength would also increase significantly.
Seeing Ye Feng sitting there, he thought that Ye Feng must be undergoing a fierce internal struggle at that moment.
Suddenly, Ye Feng opened his eyes.
“Have you made up your mind?” Babu asked eagerly.
“It should be me who asks that question. Your name is Babu, right? Be my subordinate!” The slight smile on Ye Feng’s lips made Babu pause momentarily.
“Have you gone mad?” It took him a while to utter those words. “You want me to be your subordinate? Only if you can defeat me can that happen.”
“Is that so?” Ye Feng’s smile became even more eerie, causing Babu to feel uneasy. “But I’m not asking for your consent. You have to agree, or else I’ll kill you.”
“Uh… Is this guy really gone crazy?” Babu murmured to himself, resting his chin in his hand.
At that moment, a strange sensation arose—his connection to his dantian was suddenly severed, and his physical energy seemed to be separated by something. A strong sense of weakness overcame him.
“What’s going on?” Babu asked in horror, looking at Ye Feng. “What have you done to me?”
“Nothing much. I just used some methods to seal all your energy inside you.” Ye Feng stepped closer to Babu. “You’re just an ordinary person now. If I kill you, even if your seal is lifted someday, you won’t be able to revive.”

“So, your choice is simple—die, or become my subordinate!” Ye Feng stared at Babu with a cold gaze, leaving no room for hesitation.
“I…” Facing Ye Feng’s expression, even Babu, who was used to tough situations, felt uncertain. Just by looking at his decisive eyes, he knew Ye Feng wasn’t joking. If he refused, he might indeed be killed.
“I’ll give you one minute to think!” Ye Feng’s lips curled into a smile once again. To Babu, it seemed even more sinister than that of the Demon Realm’s great demon king.
Babu never expected it would be his turn to make such a difficult decision. Usually, it was him watching others make such choices. He was deeply conflicted—he certainly didn’t want to serve Ye Feng. Though he couldn’t gauge Ye Feng’s strength, he could sense that Ye Feng wasn’t stronger than him. If he had to rely on someone, it would be a true strongman. But refusing Ye Feng might really get him killed.
“I can’t die! My revenge for killing my wife isn’t fulfilled yet—I absolutely can’t die here!” Recalling past events, Babu’s eyes turned red. After taking a few deep breaths, he finally looked at Ye Feng.
“I can acknowledge you as my master, but don’t get too proud. I, Babu, only believe in the strong. There’s no other way to earn my respect but by becoming stronger.” Babu’s gaze was clear; clearly, his decision was the result of careful thought. “If it weren’t for my unfinished business, I would never agree to form a contract with you.”
“What do you think strength is? Is high cultivation level equal to strength?” Ye Feng shook his head and laughed. “The fact that you’ve fallen into my hands now shows that I have the ability to bring other strongmen with similar strength to their knees as well. This proves that despite your higher cultivation levels, your actual strength isn’t as great as mine!”
“Do you prefer to believe in a strongman whose cultivation level will be destroyed by me, or do you prefer to believe in me?” Ye Feng’s words made Babu fall into deep thought.
“I’ll tell you plainly—no matter how many times you fight me, you’ll end up with the same result as now! You can’t win against me!” Ye Feng spoke with a serious expression. “What is strength? Although the witchcraft used by the Witch Clan differs from any other cultivation system, its status is still recognized by others. Though they’ve declined now, they once were glorious. Have you ever seen a sword cultivator deny the strength of a physical cultivator? My cultivation method is just different from yours. If you refuse to acknowledge my strength because of that, that would be a huge mistake!”

“If you’re not convinced, we can try again, but the result will still be your loss!” Ye Feng said with a confident expression.
Babu lowered his head and stared at Ye Feng, his face showing some hesitation…
To yield or not to yield—just a matter of a moment’s decision…