Under that crushing pressure, changing the subject was Ye Ling's best move.
"Grandmaster, the Demonic Sect is attacking. Shouldn't we talk about this after we deal with the situation?" Ye Ling said, respectful to the point of stiffness.
This Avatar seemed to possess all kinds of unfathomable power. He was afraid that if he misspoke even slightly, getting beaten would be the least of his problems.
Besides, once the time limit ran out and she returned to the Jade Pendant, wouldn't the danger be gone?
"You little brat… are you thinking that once time's up, I'll just go back into the Jade Pendant?"
"…"
"Don't think I don't know what you're thinking."
"Grandmaster, I'm not. I didn't." Ye Ling shook his head quickly. There was no way he'd admit it.
You don't have mind-reading abilities, do you?
"Relax. I don't read minds, but I'm pretty good at reading young men like you," the Avatar said lightly.
"!!!"
"You don't need to be so tense. I understand what's urgent and what can wait."
She patted Ye Ling's stiff shoulder. "Those two Flesh Puppets in your ring are useless. I'll make a trip and eliminate the remaining trouble for Yiyi and the others."
The moment she finished speaking, Ye Ling was dropped back into the outside world, and the Avatar vanished without a trace.
A breeze passed by, and the cold sweat on Ye Ling's back felt even colder.
Since coming to this world, he had never met anyone so overwhelmingly oppressive.
Every little thought he had was completely within her expectations. If he hadn't been cautious enough to keep any strange ideas from forming, she might have casually dealt with him too.
What kind of monster sect did I join?
Ye Ling didn't know whether to be glad or alarmed. If a mere Avatar left behind by his Grandmaster could do this, then once he ascended to the Immortal Realm… wouldn't he be at her mercy?
No. Absolutely not.
If I'm going to ascend, I'm dragging my Masters up with me. I'm not dying alone!
"…"
After standing there in a daze for a moment, Ye Ling was about to head back to the square when a figure blocked his way again.
"Grandmaster… is it… is it done?"
Ye Ling couldn't keep his voice from trembling. That speed was terrifying.
"What are you thinking?" the Avatar snapped. "Those people are too far away. I can't stray too far from the Jade Pendant. Let them bounce around a little longer."
"Whew… I was wondering how Grandmaster could be that efficient." Ye Ling finally relaxed. If a single Avatar could handle absolutely everything, he'd start questioning reality.
"Since that group can't be dealt with right now, take me to handle the ones outside fir—"
The Avatar's voice cut off abruptly, as if she'd sensed something and was searching her memory.
"What is this presence? It feels… familiar…"
"There are enemies outside too?" Ye Ling's expression tightened. He hurriedly said, "Then please go support them, Grandmaster. I'll come right after."
Since he'd already brought out the Nine Heavens Immortal Maiden's Avatar, he didn't want Tianqiong City to suffer heavy losses.
"You're kind-hearted," the Avatar said, sounding faintly amused. "Don't worry, I'm watching. But since you, my grand-disciple, have asked, I'll go first."
From her tone, it sounded like she had acknowledged Ye Ling's identity.
In the next instant, just like before, she vanished again.
Afterward, even from more than ten miles away, Ye Ling still heard a massive, earth-shaking roar from outside.
"She is…?"
Just as Ye Ling was about to move, Leng Qingqiu ran out, holding Eve in her arms.
"She's my Grandmaster. It's fine now," Ye Ling said, answering her first. Then he turned to the nearby civilians. "Rest here for a while. We should be able to go back soon."
After seeing what the Avatar could do, Ye Ling had complete confidence saying that.
That said, the traces of battle would definitely take time to clean up, so he didn't rush everyone to return immediately.
More importantly, these were elderly people, women, and children. Even if spiritual qi had nourished them, and even if fear of death had pushed them onward, they'd still been walking for a long time. They were exhausted.
Then Ye Ling said to Leng Qingqiu, "Come back with me first."
As a cultivator, Leng Qingqiu obviously wouldn't be tired from a short walk like this.
"Mm." Still a little lost from what she'd just witnessed, she nevertheless followed Ye Ling.
When Ye Ling climbed out of the underground tunnel, he happened to see the enormous palm formed from spiritual qi.
His Grandmaster's might was terrifying.
"Is… is it over?"
Leng Qingqiu asked, still shaken.
In that instant just now, she had completely lost control of her spiritual qi. It felt as if she had reverted to an ordinary mortal.
"It's over."
Ye Ling was in better shape than she was, but a bead of cold sweat still slid down his forehead.
He had felt it too. In fact, because he could perceive the laws of heaven and earth, he had lost even that connection for a moment.
"She's your Grandmaster?"
Leng Qingqiu's tone grew cautious. It was like discovering that a friend you thought was merely well-off had suddenly revealed he was the grandson of a billionaire.
Maybe you'd always known he had money. But when he actually showed you how much, it still left you stunned.
"Yes."
Ye Ling nodded, forcing himself to stay composed.
"But I didn't know she was this powerful either."
He had already held the Nine Heavens Immortal Maiden in extremely high regard. Even so, he hadn't expected her to be this terrifying.
Even as a mere Avatar, she seemed capable of suppressing everything beneath the heavens.
But—
"Wait…"
Ye Ling's brows drew together.
"Why hasn't Grandmaster come back?"
Given the Avatar's speed, there should've been some sign by now. Why was there nothing?
Just as the unease rose in his chest, a strange tremor swept through the surroundings, freezing everyone in place.
It was an indescribable sensation, like encountering a natural predator. Even breathing felt difficult.
Then, in the distance, a black pillar of light descended from the sky. It was so dark it seemed to swallow even the light around it, blanketing everything beneath.
All the mortals who glanced at it fell unconscious instantly. Only the cultivators managed to hold on, struggling and no longer daring to look toward it.
"Calm!"
Without caring how shocking it might appear, Ye Ling quickly drew a massive Calming Mind Talisman in the sky.
The moment it formed, it burst into a rain of light that poured down over the entire square.
The unconscious civilians, whose faces had been twisted in terror, gradually relaxed under the light.
The cultivators also steadied themselves, though none dared to lift their eyes toward the black pillar again.
"Are you alright?"
Leng Qingqiu stepped forward to steady Ye Ling. She could clearly feel his weakness.
That was only natural. Covering the entire square was already pushing Ye Ling to his limits.
Moreover, the Calming Mind Talisman he had drawn wasn't a simplified modern talisman. It was written in ancient characters. The consumption was several times greater. An ordinary talisman would have been useless in this situation.
"I'm fine."
Ye Ling quickly sat down cross-legged and activated the Nine Heavens Immortal Maiden's Avatar from his other Jade Pendant, intending to have her guard him.
To his surprise, the Avatar did not manifest into a physical form. Instead, it flew straight toward the black pillar.
Tsk. Looks like I'll have to trust Leng Qingqiu.
It wasn't that he doubted her character. He simply didn't have much confidence in her strength.
Still, he only gave her a brief glance before closing his eyes and entering meditation.
His condition was delicate.
His true qi had been completely drained by the Calming Mind Talisman. As for his mental strength, it had nearly been crushed earlier in that special space when facing Young's terrifying presence.
Anyone who hadn't faced that kind of pressure couldn't imagine it. It was a primal, overwhelming terror that required sheer willpower to resist. An ordinary person would have been scared senseless just by witnessing it.
It was like a tyrant charging straight at you while you stood rooted in place, waiting for death. Multiply that fear a thousand times, and that would approximate what Ye Ling had just experienced.
But surviving that life-and-death terror had its benefits.
The moment he sat down, his cultivation broke through from mid-stage Foundation Establishment to late-stage Foundation Establishment.
The transition was absurdly smooth, like a dam finally giving way after holding back a flood.
"Please step back."
Leng Qingqiu began clearing the crowd around Ye Ling.
She was worried that some demonic cultivator might still be hiding. If someone launched a surprise attack now, Ye Ling would be in serious danger.
To eliminate all risk, she wrapped the unconscious civilians around him in her true qi and gently moved them to an open area nearby.
Everyone had witnessed what Ye Ling had done just now. No one objected to her actions. Some cultivators who still had strength left even stepped forward to help.
Soon, the area around Ye Ling was completely cleared.
However, Leng Qingqiu did not ask the other cultivators to guard him. Instead, she told them to check on others who might need help. She would stay here herself.
After the others left, she sat down cross-legged opposite Ye Ling.
Looking at his sharp, handsome features, she couldn't help but fall into thought.
It wasn't infatuation.
It was shock.
If Ye Ling wasn't deliberately pretending in front of her right now, then his cultivation truly had been only mid-stage Foundation Establishment before… no, now it was late-stage Foundation Establishment.
Within the same major realm, her observation technique could still discern the progress of someone's cultivation.
Cultivation could be concealed at will most of the time.
But breakthroughs could not be hidden.
At least, she had never heard of anyone successfully faking their cultivation level during a breakthrough. When your true realm advanced, your displayed realm would advance as well.
After all, people always chose the safest possible place to break through. Unless forced by circumstances, no one would do it in public.
Which meant—Had I misunderstood him?