At the same time, the Righteous Divine Lineage had achieved an initial victory. As the Evil You Ancestor City had surrendered to Ye Fan, mining in the Outer Realm became increasingly frequent. The entire Outer Realm was now completely under his control.
However, Ye Fan soon put a stop to this rampant mining. The others did not understand his reasoning. Why would he halt it? The Righteous Divine Lineage was in a crucial period of development, and these Immortal Mines were incredibly important. Who would have thought that Ye Fan, the Master of Righteous God, would be the one to stop it all? Many were unconvinced.
Ye Fan knew he had to handle this matter carefully, as it involved the interests of several Main Gods. Fortunately, he already had a plan.
He addressed the Main Gods who had come to ask about the situation. "Senior Brothers! I know you find my methods puzzling, but I must tell you something about Earth, a matter concerning our mortal realm.
"On Earth, a hundred years ago, there was plenty of oil. Back then, while it wasn’t everywhere, no one lacked it. Oil propelled the progress of modern technology and benefited all of humanity. But due to uncontrolled extraction later on, the Earth’s oil resources were exhausted within a century.
"Oil is a natural resource. After it was depleted, scientists developed substitutes, but they couldn’t replace oil in every aspect.
"Our mining is the same. If we continue to extract without limit now, the Righteous Divine Lineage will make great leaps forward, but what about ten thousand years from now? Would you bear to let your descendants see a desolate Divine Domain with not a single Immortal Mine resource left?
"You must understand that Immortal Mines are not like oil; they cannot be replaced by anything else. Every bit we use is a bit gone forever, unless there is an epochal change! Otherwise, the resources of the Divine Domain will be completely depleted by our unrestrained consumption.
"Even with restraint, the Immortal Mine resources will eventually run out, but at least our generation will not be the cause of their reckless exhaustion. Therefore, I believe we must begin to regulate the mining of Immortal Mines! Not for our sake, but for the sake of our descendants!"
Hearing Ye Fan’s words, the Main Gods were left speechless. Indeed, despite being Ancient Main Gods, they lacked his foresight. They had all overlooked these seemingly small issues, having never even considered such a problem.
Now that everything was clear, they were reassured. There was truly nothing to complain about, and the Main Gods apologized to Ye Fan one by one. Ye Fan was very satisfied. He had managed the situation smoothly, and the outcome pleased him greatly.
Subsequently, the mining of Immortal Mines was reduced to a third of its previous rate. Ye Fan found himself with some rare leisure time, which he spent either cultivating or accompanying his women. Of course, sometimes, on a whim, he would visit the training grounds to drill the troops. It was something he used to do in the past before his path in Martial Arts left him no time for it.
However, at this very moment, something utterly unthinkable occurred.
Qiu Ji appeared at his doorstep.
It must be said, this was truly beyond his expectations. He decided to meet this Qiu Ji—the woman who looked exactly like Li Ruoxuan—in person. Although he did not know her purpose, Ye Fan was confident that no trick of hers could escape his eyes, no matter how clever she might be.
Today, Qiu Ji was dressed very simply, completely lacking the aura of the Divine Domain’s number one female prodigy. The halo that usually surrounded her no longer glowed. Gone was the feeling of approaching an untouchable fairy; all that remained was an endless simplicity. She seemed like the girl next door, giving off a particularly refreshing impression.
Just then, she saw Ye Fan.
"This humble servant, Qiu Ji, pays her respects to the Master of Righteous God!" she said, kowtowing to him.
"We’re old acquaintances, no need to be so polite. Just be casual," Ye Fan said with a chuckle. "Still, the feeling of being kowtowed to is really exhilarating!"
He laughed, but Qiu Ji said nothing. Ye Fan was surprised she could be so tolerant. In the past, she would have already exploded with anger, but this time she was surprisingly composed.
He asked her, "Aren’t you angry?"
"I dare not!" Qiu Ji replied immediately.
Ye Fan smiled. "It’s rare to see you so docile. Go on, what are you up to this time?" he asked, cutting straight to the chase.
"For no other reason than to seek refuge with you!" Qiu Ji stated.
"So direct?"
Ye Fan had not expected Qiu Ji to declare her intentions so openly. He did not believe for a second that she wanted to seek refuge with him; after all, she was one of the people who most wanted him dead. For Qiu Ji to come to him for shelter was as unlikely as the sun rising in the west.
He asked her, "Why?"
"Because under these heavens, you are now the one who calls the shots. That includes the God Monarch Palace. They no longer have the strength to resist your advance!"
"Are you suggesting I attack the God Monarch Palace?" Ye Fan asked, amused.
"No," Qiu Ji said. "Attacking the God Monarch Palace now would not be wise. Although they have been defeated, their deep reserves remain!"
"If their reserves remain, then why come to me for refuge? You could just go into seclusion to cultivate and grow strong enough to confront the Righteous Divine Lineage one day!" Ye Fan countered.
But Qiu Ji shook her head. "No. Although their reserves are strong enough to fight the Righteous Divine Lineage for now, they are all doomed in the future. All their reserves will become a joke!"
"Oh? And why is that?" Ye Fan asked curiously.
"Because of you," Qiu Ji stated.
"Because of me?"
The two continued their back-and-forth.
Qiu Ji explained, "Because you’re growing too fast. You have already entered the Main God Realm and are invincible within it. Once you step into the realm of the Divine Monarch, even if those five join forces, they will be no match for you. With your growth rate, becoming a Divine Monarch is hardly your final goal—it is merely a stepping stone. Once you cross that threshold, their deep reserves will be nothing but a joke!
"They don’t dare attack now, but if you grow just one step further, you can seize the initiative. When that happens, the God Monarch Palace will surely be annihilated! Rather than clinging to an illusory fantasy, it is wiser to align myself with you now. At the very least, my choice is a sensible one!"
Qiu Ji laid out her reasoning step by step for Ye Fan. He found her logic very compelling.
"You’re very persuasive," he commented, "but that’s still not enough to convince me! So, continue."
"You’re right. Persuasion alone is not enough to join you," Qiu Ji said. "However, I am willing to offer everything I have! Including my lifebound soul, and my body!"
Qiu Ji had just offered two things that would normally be unacceptable for her to give up: her body and her soul. This meant that if Ye Fan wanted her dead, she would have to die. She would even become his plaything. This was far more convincing. Nothing could be more persuasive than this.
Ye Fan remarked, "Very well. That is indeed convincing. I’ll tentatively believe you. Hand over your soul."
Without hesitation, Qiu Ji handed her soul to Ye Fan.
"As for your body," Ye Fan added, "we’ll see when I get interested."
"Yes!" Qiu Ji nodded in agreement.
She then retreated, leaving Ye Fan standing alone in the great hall.
Qiu Ji is being so direct; there must be something fishy. She must know I’m suspicious of her. But since you’ve delivered yourself to my doorstep, don’t blame me for being impolite.
He immediately secured Qiu Ji’s Soul Source. Now, if he so much as crushed it, Qiu Ji would undoubtedly die.