Cradled in Ye Yun's arms, Xia He and Qiu Lan exchanged a startled glance, their eyes wide with disbelief.
The sudden shift in Ye Yun's demeanor was simply too dramatic.
Never before had they experienced such gentle treatment at his hands, making them question whether they had slipped into a dream.
"T-This... Young Master, you..."
Qiu Lan parted her lips several times to speak, yet the words caught stubbornly in her throat.
She knew with absolute certainty that the man standing before them was indeed the Young Master they served, not an impostor.
Yet confronted with such a drastic transformation, her natural suspicion was entirely understandable.
Xia He harbored the exact same inner turmoil, held back only by the fear of provoking her master's wrath.
Observing the hesitation flickering across their expressions, Ye Yun easily guessed their underlying thoughts.
"Alright, put your minds at ease. I am still myself; I have simply conquered my heart demon, which is why you perceive a subtle change in me."
Attributing his transformation entirely to overcoming the heart demon was a pretext Ye Yun had prepared in advance.
A heart demon altered a cultivator's mind in unpredictable ways; claiming to have vanquished it fully justified any shifts in his temperament.
Hearing his explanation, Xia He and Qiu Lan shed their remaining doubts, their anxiety dissolving instantly.
After all, for an outside entity to steal the body of their Young Master directly within the central domain of the Ye Clan was an absolute impossibility.
Even a supreme powerhouse at the Sovereign Paramount Realm could never pull off such a feat.
Cultivation within the Immortal World was structured across multiple distinct stages, progressing from Physical, Spiritual Awareness, Palace Swirl, Supernatural Powers, Dao Comprehension, Great Power, Marquis, King, Pseudo-God, Virtual God, True God, King God, Immortal, Quasi-Saint, Saint, Great Saint, Saint Sovereign, Sovereign Master, Quasi-Supreme, Supreme, Venerable, Quasi-Emperor, to the ultimate Great Emperor.
Each stage was further subdivided into four distinct sub-levels: Early, Mid, Late, and Peak.
Having just broken through to the Great Power Realm, Ye Yun currently occupied the sixth major tier of cultivation.
To reach such a tier at his age went far beyond what could be described as mere genius.
An expert at the Great Power Realm possessed the minimum qualifications required to establish their own faction.
Of course, reaching that tier met only the bare minimum threshold; without far greater strength, protecting a newly established force remained an impossible dream.
The Ye Clan—also known throughout the lands as the Ye Family—stood as the undisputed number one power among the Seven Great Factions of the Immortal World.
Their domain lay at the very heart of the Immortal World, commanding boundless territories and holding sway over countless subordinate forces.
Ye Yun's father, Ye Changkong, served as the current Patriarch of the Ye Clan, maintaining a public cultivation level at the Sovereign Master Realm.
Across the entire Immortal World, there existed only Seven Great Factions, and the ruler of each faction was invariably a supreme powerhouse at the Sovereign Master Realm.
Only by possessing a ruler at the Sovereign Master Realm did a force acquire the right to be recognized among the elite supreme factions.
Aside from these Seven Great Factions, no other power possessed a Sovereign Master Realm expert, leaving smaller sects with no choice but to attach themselves as vassals to the top seven.
Snapping back to the present, Xia He suddenly remembered that the Patriarch and his wife were still waiting inside the main palace.
She urged anxiously.
"Young Master, since you have awakened, you should go pay your respects to the Patriarch and Madam immediately. They have been waiting anxiously for days."
"Neither of them has closed their eyes for days, desperately waiting for the first word regarding your recovery."
They dared not delay matters any longer; if word of the Young Master's awakening reached the Patriarch while they dithered here, punishment would surely follow.
Ye Yun understood Xia He's underlying concerns immediately.
His private residence was hardly guarded by just these two maidservants; his father had undoubtedly stationed countless hidden guardians in the shadows.
The moment he pushed open his chamber doors, those hidden guards had certainly dispatched messages to his father.
"Very well, I shall visit Father and Mother first."
Ye Yun recognized the necessity of meeting Ye Changkong.
Though he possessed little actual memory of this father figure, he knew the man harbored genuine, deep affection for his son.
Qiu Lan chimed in immediately.
"Please wait a moment, Young Master. I will prepare transport at once."
With that, Qiu Lan hurried off toward the outer court.
The Ye Clan estate was immense, vast beyond ordinary imagination.
Relying on foot travel to reach the main family palace would consume a considerable amount of time, making a dedicated mount or carriage essential.
As the Young Master of the Ye Clan, Ye Yun naturally enjoyed the absolute finest accommodations available.
Before long, Qiu Lan hurried back to his side.
"Young Master, everything is prepared. We may depart immediately."
Ye Yun nodded, feeling a quiet pulse of curiosity about his personal mounts.
Guided by the two maidservants, Ye Yun stepped out of his inner courtyard; the sheer scale of a single rear court was staggering, hinting at the terrifying domain his faction commanded.
Moving with swift grace, the trio quickly arrived outside the manor gate, where four divine Qilin auspicious beasts stood waiting instead of ordinary mounts.
Intriguingly, aside from subtle variations in their scale coloration, the four Qilins looked virtually identical.
They appeared as though cast from the exact same divine mold, separated only by their distinct elemental hues.
These four Qilins had been acquired by Ye Changkong in the past and gifted to Ye Yun when he was still a young child.
At that time, all four Qilins were mere infants, small and fragile.
As Ye Yun grew over the years, the four young beasts had matured alongside him into formidable adult entities.
Each of these four Qilins currently commanded power equivalent to the King Realm.
Furthermore, they had not yet reached full physical maturity; upon reaching complete adulthood, their power would naturally ascend to the Saint Realm—a testament to their divine heritage.
Ye Changkong had originally offered to provide Ye Yun with more intimidating, aggressive mounts, but Ye Yun had declined them all.
Having these four divine Qilins was more than sufficient; he cared little for other beasts and saw no reason to accept more.
The four Qilins possessed distinct elemental affinities, each representing one of four fundamental elements: Wind, Lightning, Water, and Fire.
The crimson Fire Qilin caught sight of Ye Yun and immediately let out a joyful, resonant roar.
The remaining three Qilins followed suit, raising their heads to roar in chorus.
Each beast radiated palpable excitement, celebrating the awakening of their master.
The four Qilins held immense affection and loyalty toward their owner.
Ye Yun had never mistreated or struck them, consistently providing them with high-grade spirit herbs and delicacies, prompting the divine beasts to view him as their true master.
Reaching out, Ye Yun gently patted each of their heads in turn before shifting his gaze to the structure behind them.
Harnessed to the four Qilins was an extraordinarily opulent carriage, radiating an undeniable air of noble splendor and immense wealth.