The scene unfolding before them left the others utterly bewildered, wondering what on earth was going on between these individuals.
The two celestial maidens, who had initially appeared ethereal and detached, shattered their perceptions by engaging in a petty squabble.
Ye Yun, however, seemed to grasp something. He recalled being surrounded by cultivators from the Black Demon Sect in the ancient city of Fenglong. If Yu Wenya's words were true and Lan Zhaoyue had attempted to help him from the shadows, then a misunderstanding indeed seemed to have occurred.
He raised an eyebrow and asked the dejected Lan Zhaoyue, "So, when you wanted to buy the Nine-Leaf Exquisite Flower back then, you revealed your Immortal Palace origin not to threaten me?"
If anyone held animosity towards Lan Zhaoyue, it was certainly rooted in this incident.
"Huh? Threaten?"
Lan Zhaoyue, who was busy reprimanding Yu Wenya, paused upon hearing this. She then fell into thought.
One second, two seconds, three seconds, and then she suddenly understood, as if a lightbulb had flickered on in her mind.
"So that's how it is..."
Lan Zhaoyue, now comprehending everything, looked at him with a mixture of anger and realization.
"You scoundrel, you truly judge a gentleman by a villain's standards! The reason I said that was to tell you this Palace doesn't lack spirit stones, or other heavenly treasures. You could have made any condition!"
In fact, the Nine-Leaf Exquisite Flower itself wasn't overly rare to her; it was merely that its effects were particularly potent and useful.
Her intention at the time was for Ye Yun to name his price, perhaps in exchange for even more precious heavenly treasures through bartering. She never imagined Ye Yun would interpret it as a threat.
Hearing her explanation, Ye Yun was left speechless. He finally shot her a glare and said, "If you blame anyone, blame your poor communication skills. Saying something like that in public, any normal person would consider it a threat."
Yu Wenya, standing nearby, chuckled lightly. "See? I told you she's an idiot and occasionally does things without thinking."
Ye Yun shook his head. "Fine, regardless of what happened, it was indeed my misunderstanding. Please forgive my words back then."
If the other party harbored no ill intentions, then the sarcasm he had directed at her earlier needed to be retracted. Though, in his opinion, Lan Zhaoyue was still essentially a beautiful but brainless individual.
"That's more like it!"
Lan Zhaoyue let out a soft huff, a look of satisfaction on her face, feeling that the trip hadn't been in vain.
Yu Wenya, however, glanced at her and said, "You should also reflect. As the heir to the Immortal Palace, don't let future interactions lead to misunderstandings when you eventually lead it."
Lan Zhaoyue shrugged at her counsel. "Got it. I'll be more careful next time."
Whether she had truly taken it to heart was anyone's guess.
Yu Wenya sighed, then shifted her gaze back to Ye Yun and said, "Let's put the misunderstanding aside. Elder Ye, let's discuss something important."
Ye Yun was slightly taken aback.
"What important matter? Tell me."
He knew this woman wouldn't have sought him out just for idle chatter.
Yu Wenya carefully chose her words and slowly began.
"It's like this. Not long ago, at the junction of our Eastern and Western Regions, within the Ancient Dragon Mountain Range, the tomb of an ancient sage was discovered."
This single sentence sent a jolt through Ye Yun.
"The tomb of an ancient sage? Is that true?!"
On this continent of Xuanhuan, which had endured for countless ages, many sages had emerged during its peak ancient times, naturally leaving behind numerous tombs.
Over the millennia, many ancient sage tombs had been discovered and explored. Each exploration invariably led to the emergence of ancient treasures, and fortunate individuals would even obtain sage legacies, soaring to unparalleled heights!
Consequently, every appearance of a sage's tomb would draw countless powerhouses and prodigies from all sides, igniting a series of bloody contests!
However, as time wore on, the number of sage tombs dwindled. It had been nearly a thousand years since the last sage tomb was discovered, and now another one had appeared?
Yu Wenya nodded solemnly. "Of course, it's true. There have been multiple anomalies within the Ancient Dragon Mountain Range recently."
"A spatial anomaly is constantly occurring, accompanied by a sustained leakage of Xuan Qi. Based on previous records, there's a ninety-nine percent chance it's a sage tomb hidden within the void."
"And according to the seniors in our various Immortal Palaces, the entrance to the sage tomb will open within half a month at most, at which point a world-shattering phenomenon will occur, attracting the attention of all cultivators on the continent."
After hearing her words, Ye Yun raised an eyebrow. "Meaning the news of the sage tomb has not been fully disclosed yet?"
Yu Wenya smiled. "That's right. While many cultivators in the vicinity have discovered it, the overall information is still being suppressed by us. However, it's unlikely to be contained for much longer."
After all, the later others received the news, the less time they would have to prepare, which was naturally a good thing for their various Immortal Palaces. It was all part of their strategy.
Ye Yun couldn't help but ask, "In that case, why are you telling me this, Palace Master Yu?"
"Naturally, it's to invite Elder Ye to become an ally and join my exploration team with Palace Master Lan to delve into the sage tomb."
Yu Wenya smiled at him, her words surprising Ye Yun somewhat.
"Why invite me? There are plenty stronger than me within your Falling Feather Immortal Palace."
Not to mention the Life-Death realm powerhouses; in past sage tomb discoveries, the major Immortal Palaces had dispatched top-tier cultivators at the Dao Foundation realm. Why invite him?
At this point, Yu Wenya couldn't help but sigh.
"That was indeed the case initially. However, this particular sage tomb is unusual. The spatial stability is extremely poor, unable to accommodate cultivators of excessively high cultivation levels."
"It's estimated that any combat exceeding the sixth level of the Life-Death realm would cause the sage tomb to collapse. To be safe, our Immortal Palaces have jointly agreed to cap the entry into the sage tomb at the first level of the Life-Death realm."
"Our Immortal Palace powerhouses will jointly oversee this, prohibiting anyone above this cultivation level from entering."
"Consequently, for those below the second level of the Life-Death realm, the stronger one's actual strength, the greater their advantage."
Now, Ye Yun finally understood her intention.
"So, you've taken a liking to my ability to fight above my level?"
"Precisely."
Yu Wenya candidly admitted and continued, "Regarding treasures discovered, each will obtain them through their own abilities. What Elder Ye needs to do is offer assistance when our two Immortal Palaces encounter trouble."
"In return, should Elder Ye encounter the main forces of the Futuo Immortal Palace outside the sage tomb, I will ensure you are not attacked."
"This transaction, what does Elder Ye think?"
Seeing her earnest expression, Ye Yun began to ponder the pros and cons.
The sage tomb would undoubtedly contain many treasures. Upon obtaining them, he could bestow them upon his disciples, or trade them for even more precious items. It was quite enticing.
Moreover, there would be many prodigies exploring the sage tomb, and perhaps he could find some disciples with exceptional talent.
Although he didn't solely recruit based on talent, having disciples with high potential was always beneficial. Their cultivation speed would be faster, and he could impart more knowledge during each lesson.
With these two advantages, it seemed exploring this sage tomb was indeed a necessary endeavor.