The one who descended upon Mount Chaofeng was none other than Xu Binglan, the Elder of Mount Hongchen, who had ‘dual cultivated’ with him not long ago and had recently advanced to the Emperor tier!
She still possessed that slightly dazed and ethereal aura, only now amplified by the pressure of an Emperor tier powerhouse.
Ye Yun hadn't expected her to appear at this time.
Sensing his surprise, Xu Binglan spoke with a hint of guilt.
"I'm truly sorry. I was in seclusion before and only recently heard about the situation at Mount Chaofeng. I've come to help you resist the Heavenly Dao Temple, of course, in a personal capacity."
Not long after reaching the Emperor tier, she had entered seclusion, remaining ignorant of external affairs. It was only upon emerging recently that she learned from others about Mount Chaofeng being besieged by the Heavenly Dao Temple and its allied forces. She had immediately taken her leave from the Great Emperor of Hongchen, intending to offer support.
Ye Yun blinked, a wry smile on his face. "So that's how it is. Elder Xu, you've come a bit late."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
Xu Binglan didn't understand his words and glanced around curiously.
"Speaking of which, what's the situation here? Where are the allied forces of the Heavenly Dao Temple? I don't see any of them."
As she approached Mount Chaofeng, she had prepared herself to break through any encirclement. Yet, she hadn't encountered a single cultivator on the way, which left her quite puzzled.
As they spoke, Feng Qingxian and the others arrived.
Upon seeing Xu Binglan, Feng Qingxian smiled and said, "It seems you're not aware, but this battle has already concluded."
"Ah?"
Xu Binglan froze, staring at Ye Yun. "What do you mean? Did the Heavenly Dao Temple retreat?"
Clearly, she couldn't fathom any other reason for the battle to end.
Hearing this, Ye Yun chuckled. "Not retreated, they were defeated. Their Temple Master has even been captured alive by me."
The sheer volume of information was utterly shocking to Xu Binglan. Even she, usually composed, displayed extreme surprise.
"How is that possible? I heard she was at the peak of the Emperor tier!"
"It's simple, because I am now also at the peak of the Emperor tier."
Ye Yun's smile was light and effortless, but to Xu Binglan, it felt almost unreal.
"Emperor tier peak?!"
"That's right."
As he spoke, his body exuded Xuan Qi, releasing an aura of majesty. The power of this aura far surpassed that of Xu Binglan and everyone else present. Without a doubt, he had indeed reached the peak of the Emperor tier!
Xu Binglan's lips parted slightly, seemingly in disbelief. After a long moment, she pursed her lips, her voice filled with emotion.
"As expected of Elder Ye. I always felt you were destined for greatness, and now you've truly soared."
"At this point, I suppose I'm no longer worthy of you."
Her voice carried a hint of regret at the end.
Ye Yun couldn't help but chuckle. "Elder Xu, there's no need to be so modest. To reach the Emperor tier at such a young age is incredibly impressive, and you are also very beautiful."
Normally, such polite exchanges and compliments would be perfectly fine. However, Ye Yun had inadvertently forgotten about the person standing beside him.
Xing Wu, overhearing their conversation, asked with a playful smile.
"Say, Ye Yun, who is this little beauty...?"
Ye Yun stiffened. Damn, he'd forgotten about the one beside him. He immediately cleared his throat and explained with an awkward laugh.
"Her? This is Xu Binglan from Mount Hongchen, the one I mentioned before."
Back in the illusory abyss, in that special space, Zhao Wansheng, that scoundrel, had mentioned Xu Binglan to Xing Wu, along with their ‘dual cultivation’. As expected, Xing Wu remembered that incident.
She nodded thoughtfully, maintaining her smile. "Oh, the one who dual cultivated with you, is that right?"
Her words carried a distinct undertone.
Ye Yun said helplessly, "Let me be clear, nothing happened between her and me. It was purely an exchange of Xuan Qi."
"Oh, right, right, right, nothing happened at all..."
Xing Wu remained noncommittal regarding Ye Yun's explanation.
Meanwhile, Xu Binglan noticed Xing Wu and asked in surprise.
"Could this be the legendary Senior Xing Wu?"
After all, Ye Yun had mentioned that the one he loved was Xing Wu. It was highly likely that the person speaking to him so familiarly was her.
Hearing this, Xing Wu looked at her and smiled kindly. "I didn't expect you to have heard of me."
"Yes! I've long admired your reputation, Senior!"
In many ways, Xu Binglan was a remarkably pure-hearted individual. Lacking the typical subtleties of many girls, she directly asked upon seeing Ye Yun and Xing Wu.
"By the way, Senior Xing Wu, are you and Elder Ye immortal companions?"
It was clear that even now, she was struggling to accept the reality.
However, Xing Wu answered this question with absolute decisiveness this time.
"That's right, this emperor is indeed his immortal companion."
As if to assert her claim, she linked her arm with Ye Yun's. Then, she smiled at Xu Binglan. "And you? Do you perhaps like him too?"
At this moment, any normal person would likely have shaken their head. But Xu Binglan's honesty was precisely her trait. Faced with Xing Wu's question, she nodded directly.
"Yes, Elder Ye is very outstanding. I like him very much."
"You've only met once, perhaps it was love at first sight?"
"Yes, I fell in love with Elder Ye at first sight."
Xu Binglan felt no embarrassment, nodding like a straightforward girl. People naturally admire outstanding individuals. Her falling in love with Ye Yun at first sight was no different from how those men fell for exceptional heavenly daughters. She didn't think there was anything wrong with it, nor anything to be ashamed of.
"Love at first sight..."
Xing Wu nodded thoughtfully, then turned to Ye Yun and smiled. "It seems you truly are, no matter the time, always surrounded by romantic admirers."
Feeling the sharp edge of her smile, Ye Yun chuckled awkwardly and said, "It's not that exaggerated."
"Oh really?"
Xing Wu raised an eyebrow and surveyed the surroundings with a smile. "Do you even need to ask the three people in front of you?"
The three she referred to were naturally Feng Qingxian, Xing Meng, and Xu Binglan.
"Ahem, coincidence, it's all just coincidence."
Ye Yun understood her meaning perfectly. Xing Meng, Feng Qingxian, and even Xu Binglan present all had some degree of ambiguous history with him. To say he had a flourishing love life was indeed accurate.
At the same time, Ye Yun was immensely relieved that he hadn't let Lin Xueyan and the others out. Otherwise, this situation...
He could already imagine a scene of utter chaos and heartbreak...