Chapter 49: Born to Be Subservient

Bai Qingsong ordered his men to fetch the sect’s only supreme heavenly material treasure and personally handed it to Ye Fan.

“Young Sect Leader Ye, please accept this!”

“Thank you, Sect Leader Bai. I shall take my leave now.”

After receiving it, Ye Fan immediately set off for the next sect.

To him, a single supreme heavenly material treasure was clearly insufficient; he needed to borrow more resources.

Watching Ye Fan leave so easily, several elders of the Divine Blade Sect showed their dissatisfaction.

“Sect Leader, you actually gave him the supreme heavenly material treasure just like that?”

“Although he emphasized it’s a loan, if he doesn’t return it, there’s nothing we can do!”

“Exactly, officially it’s a loan, but in reality, it’s outright robbery!”

“Sect Leader, you’re being naive. Why not just say there isn’t any?”

“Could Ye Fan really force a search of our Divine Blade Sect?”

“Even if he’s the young sect leader of Lingxiao Sect, he wouldn’t dare, right?”

Facing their doubts, Bai Qingsong explained calmly, “I understand all your concerns.”

“Do you honestly think I wanted to lend it? I had no choice but to.”

“Putting Lingxiao Sect aside, Ye Fan’s identity seems intricately tied to the Heavenly Sword Sect of Zhongzhou.”

“It’s said that the Saintess of the Heavenly Sword Sect is his private tutor, which shows just how powerful Ye Fan’s true background is.”

“For a sect like ours, we must rely on a great tree to withstand the storms.”

“Though the supreme heavenly material treasure is precious, if it can secure a lifetime of peace for the Divine Blade Sect, it’s a great gain for us.”

“Moreover, since Ye Fan used the word ‘borrow,’ it means he owes us a favor.”

“Ye Fan’s favors are highly valuable.”

“Rather than giving him the treasure, it’s more like an exchange.”

Hearing Bai Qingsong’s reasoning, the elders fell silent.

Elsewhere, after leaving the Divine Blade Sect, Ye Fan immediately headed to the second sect, the Fiery Flame Sect.

The sect leader Ao Lie came out with other senior members to welcome him.

In the northwest region, Ye Fan’s visit was a monumental event!

Ye Fan straightforwardly stated his purpose, and Ao Lie agreed without hesitation.

However, when handing over the supreme heavenly material treasure, Ao Lie noticed Chu Ling’er trailing behind Ye Fan.

Ao Lie was a man fond of gossip.

He immediately smiled and said, “Congratulations to Young Master Ye and Fairy Chu on their reconciliation!”

“I always thought that in the entire northwest region, only the fairy-like Chu Ling’er could match Young Master Ye!”

“With Chu Ling’er’s ethereal beauty, not just in the northwest, but across all of Zhongzhou, she stands unparalleled!”

Ao Lie lavished praise on Chu Ling’er, as maintaining good relations with her was tantamount to staying close to Ye Fan.

Hearing this flattery, Chu Ling’er grew proud.

She recalled when she had run around trying to secure resources for Lin Yi.

Back then, she had come to the Fiery Flame Sect only to be scolded harshly by Ao Lie and thrown out.

Now, simply standing behind Ye Fan, Ao Lie’s attitude was completely different.

Chu Ling’er wanted to use Ye Fan’s influence to settle the score.

“I can’t bear Sect Leader Ao’s praise.”

“I remember it was you who scolded me the worst back then; why the change of heart now?”

Upon hearing this, Ao Lie suddenly felt uneasy.

He was about to explain when Ye Fan abruptly turned and scolded Chu Ling’er.

“Shut up!”

“The master is speaking with Sect Leader Ao; what right do you have to interrupt?”

“Besides, didn’t Sect Leader Ao scold you rightly?”

“You deserve to be scolded!”

This scene left Ao Lie dumbfounded. What on earth was Ye Fan up to?

Before Ao Lie could react, Ye Fan bluntly said, “I haven’t reconciled with her; she’s not worthy.”

“Chu Ling’er is merely my temporary attendant now; there’s no need to be polite with her.”

Hearing this, Ao Lie perked up delightedly.

“Haha! So that’s how it is!”

“I thought so! I wouldn’t even glance at such a worthless woman standing naked before me.”

“How could Young Master Ye fancy her?”

“I was really fooled by her just now.”

“What a filthy woman—reduced to an attendant and still putting on airs!”

Chu Ling’er never expected Ye Fan to expose her so publicly.

Her newly found pride was trampled underfoot by Ao Lie’s mockery.

She dared not retort for fear of angering Ye Fan.

Deep down, she was utterly disappointed in Ye Fan—the man who once belonged to her had now completely turned away.

All she hoped for now was that Lin Yi could rise swiftly and avenge her humiliation someday.

...

After a full day, Ye Fan had visited all the nearby sects.

Most had produced some supreme heavenly material treasures.

Only a few sects claimed to have none.

Ye Fan said nothing more.

After all, he was borrowing, and no one was obliged to lend.

Moreover, some sects were too weak to possess any supreme treasures.

Back at Lingxiao Sect, Ye Fan immediately began seclusion.

This time, his harvest was quite good—dozens of supreme heavenly material treasures in total.

But this was not a long-term solution, merely a temporary relief.

Regardless, refining was the priority.

How to acquire more resources would be figured out later.

Inside the secret chamber, Ye Fan continuously ingested the treasures.

A familiar sensation surged once again.

His Devouring Heaven Body activated, rapidly digesting the immense medicinal power.

Yet Ye Fan had underestimated the threshold for breakthrough; after absorbing the power of more than a dozen treasures, no sign of advancement appeared.

Once digested, the supreme treasures vanished like a ripple flowing into the sea.

This seclusion lasted three full days.

Only after exhausting all resources did he sense himself nearing a breakthrough.

With a bit more supplementation, he might achieve the peak of the Transformation God stage.

“Such a pity, still just a bit short,” Ye Fan sighed as he left the chamber.

Unsatisfied, he decided to see if any ordinary heavenly materials could be salvaged for use.

But upon opening the storage cabinet, he found many treasures had disappeared.

“Fourth Brother, what’s going on here?” Ye Fan suddenly asked the void.

At that moment, a voice immediately responded, “Reporting to Young Sect Leader, it was Chu Ling’er.”

“She secretly brought Lin Yi here while you were in seclusion and took away a number of heavenly materials.”

Upon hearing this, Ye Fan’s expression darkened—of course it was Chu Ling’er.

Even reduced to an attendant, she remained unruly.

Though the stolen treasures were not crucial for Ye Fan, to others they were extremely precious resources.

“Some people are born pests; leave them unchecked for just a few days and they start acting up.”

“Chu Ling’er, get over here!”