Having cultivated myself into an immortal, all I want to do is raise female disciples.

He knew who these people were.

That's why he didn't go all out. Even he wouldn't dare to cause trouble for the entire Ranshan Sect over something like this. It wouldn't benefit Ding Bo himself, and it would be even worse for Ren Yao.

Yunping neither interfered with nor said anything about Ding Bo's actions.

He was different from the previous Emperor Xuan Lei, whose face was always brimming with arrogance, who dared to give the middle finger to the heavens, and who always acted as if he was the only one who mattered in the world—he had been arrogant for too long… Thinking about it carefully, it didn’t really make much sense.

If this happened during the Tianjue era, and someone dared to act like that in Yunping's face, the outcome might not just be a half-day visit to the spirit field; they might end up being buried in the ground for good.

Inside the courtyard.

Yunping lay under the shade of a tree, enjoying the cool air as if nothing had happened. He crossed his legs, leisurely sipped his tea, and casually observed the scenery of the manor.

Soon, Ding Bo's figure walked towards him.

The old man's face flushed slightly with embarrassment. As always, he stood behind Yun Ping, pondered for a moment, and then his chapped lips moved slightly: "Uncle Yun... although you might not be happy to hear this—"

"But what you did today... might have had a slightly negative impact."

After saying this, Ding Bo didn't wait for Yun Ping's response. He took a deep breath and said in a humble tone, "Sir, you may not take Qin Guang seriously, or even the Ranshan Sect seriously... but Miss Ren is different."

Yun Ping lay on the recliner, squinting his eyes, and said calmly, "Isn't Ren Yao protected by you? With your cultivation level, is it really that difficult for you to protect her in the Ranshan Sect?"

"That's true. Although I can protect Miss Ren, she will definitely be affected as well."

"You may not know this, but Miss Ren grew up in the Ranshan Sect. The Sect Master treated her with immense kindness, like a second parent. For Miss Ren, this is her second home..."

As soon as Ding Bo finished speaking, he turned his gaze to the distance again.

That was the direction the sword cultivators had gone.

His brows furrowed into a deep frown, his already somewhat aged and gaunt face showing even more weariness. Ding Bo lowered his eyes and said in a low voice, "Right now, the Ranshan Sect is in turmoil. Within half a month, a major change is inevitable. This will be a shock to Miss Ren. If the forces represented by the Sect Master win, then everything will be fine, but if they lose..."

"Nobody knows what Qin Guang will do. Maybe... he'll target Miss Ren."

This is exactly what Uncle Ding is worried about.

Qin Guang has a bad reputation within the Ranshan Sect. Many female cultivators from the outer sect try their best to avoid him, yet countless people are still harassed by him.

Moreover, Qin Guang himself came from a distinguished family and had his master, Elder Wufeng, as his backer. For a time, there were really few people in the entire Ranshan Sect who could keep him in check.

Yunping took a sip of tea, then retrieved a stack of peanuts from thin air. He first sat up slightly, then, while cracking open the peanuts, asked:

"Qin Guang is so arrogant in the Ranshan Sect, and he even wants to make a move against Li Junxiao. Doesn't your maternal grandfather intend to do anything about it?"

"My maternal grandfather..."

At this point, Uncle Ding couldn't help but sigh, his face showing a look of dejection and regret.

"She was willing but unable to do it."

"What do you mean?"

“My maternal grandfather is a good friend of the sect leader. She once saved the sect leader’s life. Although she does not belong to the Ranshan Sect, in terms of sect status, she is no less than the other nine peak elders.”

“But ever since my maternal grandfather settled in the Ranshan Sect, the three elders and others have been targeting her constantly. My maternal grandfather has been doing everything he can to protect himself, and he has no energy left to care about others…”

This means that even a clay bodhisattva crossing a river can hardly save himself.

Yun Ping nodded knowingly and continued to crack two more peanuts. "Speaking of which, is it true that the Three Peaks Elders have already sided with the Demon Dynasty?"

"It should be correct."

When the Demon Dynasty was mentioned, a barely perceptible look of unease flashed across Ding Bo's eyes.

As for the term "Demon Dynasty," let alone her, even the entire Lantian Empire would probably have to think twice before acting when facing this mysterious and unpredictable sect.

After all, it is one of the two major powers of heaven and earth with a true immortal in charge. If they really faced each other, how many people would not be afraid?

Ding Bo stood with his hands behind his back, but his shoulders were still trembling slightly, as if he were extremely terrified by the matter. "I never expected the Demon Dynasty to infiltrate the Ranshan Sect so quickly... The Three Peaks Elders and the others have probably completely surrendered to the Demon Dynasty, barring any unforeseen circumstances—"

"They must have all fallen into the demonic path as well."

"He went straight to cultivating demonic arts?" Yun Ping was quite surprised to hear this. "These days, cultivating demonic arts is done openly and honestly?"

In the past, such a thing would have been a major event that would have required the entire sect to be purged.

Practicing the demonic path is almost equivalent to being associated with evil cultivation. Most people who practice the demonic path will have their souls and consciousness become cruel and sadistic, and will do everything they can to refine flesh and blood to improve their cultivation level.

However, if one wants to reach the realm of a saint and become a demonic saint, it is not as simple as taking one or two lives.

Ding Bo shook his head helplessly: "The Demon Dynasty's power is too great. Since the rise of the Demon Dynasty, the number of demon cultivators in the Desolate Heaven Domain has increased countless times. Nowadays, demon cultivators can be seen everywhere and are no longer the targets of open pursuit and extermination by the righteous sects."

Because those prestigious and upright sects don't have that kind of guts.

To attack demonic cultivators would be tantamount to slapping the Demonic Dynasty in the face.

Are there any sects that openly and honestly oppose the Demon Dynasty without fear of death?

Have.

Indeed, there were, but they all disappeared in some unknown form. Not a single person was left in the entire sect, and the mountain gate and entrance were completely wiped out.

Over time, as more and more sects were destroyed, the remaining people learned their lesson. As long as they didn't want to die, they generally didn't dare to openly oppose the Demon Capital. Even if demonic cultivators appeared in their sects, they would turn a blind eye.

The current state of the Desolate Heaven Domain is just like this, utterly absurd.

After listening to Uncle Ding's words, the old rogue had roughly sorted out the situation.

"Okay, I understand."

Yunping waved his hand and collected the entire basin of peanuts.

He then got off the recliner, slowly stood up, and lazily stretched.

He yawned, squinted, and a faint, enigmatic smile played on his lips. He turned to Uncle Ding and said, "Don't worry, Uncle Ding. We'll deal with whatever comes our way. There's always a way to overcome any difficulty."

"Uncle Yun, you... sigh—"

Ding Bo sighed, shook his head, and said, "Well, it's all done... Now we can only pray for the sect competition..."

"The sect competition?" Yun Ping seemed quite interested in this: "What does the struggle between elders have to do with the sect competition?"

"This sect competition will determine the next sect leader of the Ranshan Sect. If nothing unexpected happens, it will be between Qin Guang and Li Junxiao... If Qin Guang wins, then Qin Guang will be the chief disciple of the Ranshan Sect, which means..."

"The scales of power will tip because of this. I'm afraid the Five Peak Elders will take this opportunity to put pressure on the Sect Master... It's questionable whether the Sect Master can withstand the pressure. He might just admit defeat and choose to have the entire sect submit to the Demon Dynasty."

It turned out to be the case.

If Ding Bo hadn't mentioned it, the old rogue would have almost forgotten that the sect competition would also determine a champion.

After all, he had been in a daze these past few days, enjoying a lot of leisure. He had been looking forward to such a comfortable life for a long time, and since he finally had some time to relax, he naturally wanted to enjoy it.

However, it seems that he doesn't really have that much time to enjoy himself anymore.

The Demon Dynasty...

What an impressive force...

For some reason, the old rogue suddenly became somewhat interested in this demonic dynasty, and even wanted to meet the true immortal who called himself the Demon Emperor.

But it was at this time that Ren Yao returned to the manor after a long absence.

This time, however, the girl went straight to Yunping as soon as she came in.

"Um, Mr. Yun... oh no, Grandpa Yun!"

—Because Uncle Ding calls Yunping "Grandpa," Ren Yao felt that continuing to call him "Mr. Yun" would mess up the generational order, so this silly girl simply started calling Yunping "Grandpa" as well.

Yun Ping didn't have anything to say about the form of address. He glanced back at Ren Yao, who was rushing over in a hurry, and asked with a smile, "What's wrong? Why are you in such a rush? Are you that eager to see me?"

"No...no, that's not true!"

Ren Yao blushed and shook her head, then said seriously, "Okay, let's get down to business—"

"What important matter is it?"

"My maternal grandfather says he wants to see you."

……

The place where that maternal grandfather lived was also a manor.

Compared to Ren Yao's manor, it is located in a more remote area, lacking some of the lush vitality and possessing more of a desolate and lonely atmosphere.

Inside the courtyard, Yunping stood next to Ren Yao, staring blankly at the simple house in front of him.

The two were only allowed to enter the manor after being notified; otherwise, they would have been blocked by the protective array outside the manor. Therefore, without the maternal grandfather's permission, outsiders were not allowed to enter.

My maternal grandfather was willing to meet Yun Ping this time, thanks to Ren Yao's influence.

Ren Yao glanced back at Yun Ping, hesitated for a few seconds, then walked to the wooden door, reached out her hand, and knocked on the door.

dong dong dong.

“Grandfather, I have brought the person.”

"it is good."

A cold, clear sound came from inside the house.

Ren Yao took a few steps back and returned to Yun Ping's side. At the same time, the wooden door was slowly pushed open from the inside out.

The young man named Yunping stared intently at the door. The moment the wooden door was pushed open, the figure inside came into view.

The newcomer was dressed in a green robe with a dark blue ribbon, and wore a green hairpin in her hair. Her jet-black hair was tied up with the hairpin, and her slender, snow-white legs stepped forward. When her lotus feet landed, the crisp sound of her footsteps spread through the air.

With delicate yet somewhat cold and austere features, her eyes, which concealed sea-blue pupils, shone with a hint of doubt. The woman parted her cherry lips slightly and stared at Yun Ping with a stern gaze.

His voice was as cold as frost.

"Are you the one who has been searching for me?"

She didn't know Yunping.

And Yunping... didn't know her either.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Hehehe, didn't expect that, did you?

8. Miss Li

Inside the manor.

The young man and the tall, cold-faced woman stood facing each other.