Chapter 196

Chapter 196: My Instinct Was to Beat You to Death!

Fomozone.

After returning to Fomozone, Ye Tianming’s life fell back into its usual routine.

Reading in the morning, cultivating at noon, and reading again at night.

Whether reading or cultivating, it was all about grounding himself.

During this period, he had absorbed far too many ideas and concepts. He needed to properly settle himself and give his mind a good “reset.”

The more times like these, the less one could afford to be restless.

On top of that, he had one important thing to do — cultivate in reverse to lower his realm.

Although he had already established his Dao, he was well aware that his current realm had some moisture in it. He hadn’t climbed up step by step, which simply meant his Dao foundation was unstable.

Cultivating in reverse was about making that foundation solid.

Most importantly, he was currently at the Dao Establishment stage, which meant the Second Law of All Beings — All Beings Are Equal — could not be used.

Using the Second Law of All Beings meant empowering the opponent!

The day he reversed his cultivation all the way back to the Body Tempering realm, that was when the Second Law of All Beings — All Beings Are Equal — would truly become terrifying.

One use of All Beings Are Equal, and the opponent’s realm would be wiped clean to zero.

Yet his, Ye Tianming’s, true realm would still be Dao Establishment!

Of course, this kind of clever trick was something he only entertained as a passing thought and didn’t truly dwell on. He naturally wouldn’t place his focus there.

His goal was the vast sea of stars.

Night.

Ye Tianming was reading when Cang Han suddenly walked in carrying a basin of water. She gently set the basin down in front of him and began removing his shoes.

Ye Tianming tried to stop her, but Cang Han looked at him stubbornly.

Unable to win against her, he had no choice but to let her be.

After Cang Han removed his shoes, she placed his feet into the basin and began washing them gently.

Ye Tianming smiled and said, “While I was away, did you keep reading?”

Cang Han nodded eagerly. “Yes, yes, Teacher, I’ve learned to write so many characters now.”

“Is that so?”

Ye Tianming immediately took out a sheet of paper and placed it on the desk, smiling. “Let me see.”

Cang Han said, “Wait, let me finish washing your feet first.”

Ye Tianming smiled. “Alright!”

A moment later, Cang Han took out a towel and gently dried his feet, then picked up the basin and walked out.

Xiao Hun suddenly said, “Young Master, you could tell her that cultivators can directly use divine power to cleanse themselves of impurities — there’s no need for water.”

Ye Tianming smiled and said, “She grew up as an orphan in that kind of environment. She must have a deep lack of security. Even though she now treats this place as her home, she still lacks that sense of security. She wants to feel like she has value, because only when she feels valuable can she stay here with a clear conscience.”

Xiao Hun giggled. “I see.”

At that moment, Cang Han walked back in and came to Ye Tianming’s side. He handed her the brush, and she took it and began writing. The first thing she wrote was her own name — this time it was very neat. Then she wrote Ye Tianming’s name, also very neatly.

After finishing, Cang Han looked at Ye Tianming with anticipation.

Ye Tianming smiled. “Written very well.”

Cang Han immediately broke into a sweet smile. “Teacher, I want Uncle Jiang Zuo to take me to buy some books. Is that okay?”

Ye Tianming said, “I have some here…”

Cang Han shook her head. “Teacher, the books you have are too profound. I can’t understand them. I want to go pick some that I can actually read.”

Ye Tianming thought for a moment, then smiled. “Alright.”

After reading with Cang Han for about an hour, he noticed she was getting drowsy and told her to go rest. But she wouldn’t leave. She leaned against him, then held a book over her face and fell asleep.

At that moment, Jiang Zuo quietly walked in. His footsteps were light. He gave Ye Tianming a slight bow. “Sect Master.”

Ye Tianming nodded. “You did very well while I was away.”

During his absence, Jiang Zuo had renovated the entire Fomozone from top to bottom. It could be said that the Fomozone now looked completely renewed on the surface. Moreover, under Jiang Zuo’s management, the sect had begun recruiting new members again. Though the numbers were modest, the Fomozone did have some fresh blood.

Jiang Zuo said respectfully, “It is all what this subordinate should do.”

Ye Tianming said, “I heard you’re planning to build several cities at the foot of the mountain?”

Jiang Zuo nodded. “Yes, that is what this subordinate has in mind. Our Fomozone needs fresh blood. Recruiting from other places is too troublesome. It would be better to cultivate our own. So this subordinate plans to build several cities, then offer generous benefits to attract people from other places to relocate here. That way, our Fomozone will have a continuous supply of new blood.”

He paused, then added, “Of course, this matter still requires the Sect Master’s decision.”

Ye Tianming smiled. “That’s a great idea. You may proceed.”

Jiang Zuo nodded quickly. “Understood.”

Ye Tianming said, “Jiang Zuo.”

Jiang Zuo looked at him. Ye Tianming smiled and said, “As for relocating people — wait until after the Martial Arts Grand Tournament before doing so.”

Jiang Zuo was briefly taken aback, then understood. He nodded. “Understood.”

Ye Tianming asked, “Have you been back home?”

Jiang Zuo nodded.

Ye Tianming asked, “How was it?”

Jiang Zuo gave a faint smile. “Naturally, it was quite the spectacle. Everyone came to flatter me…”

Ye Tianming nodded. “The human heart’s tendency toward snobbery is incurable. Best to just let it go.”

Jiang Zuo said, “This subordinate has already let it go. From now on, this subordinate’s life belongs to the Sect Master.”

Ye Tianming smiled. “What I need is for you to handle things for me, not your life.”

Jiang Zuo said nothing, only bowed deeply.

After Jiang Zuo left, Zou Ru walked in. He said in a low voice, “Sect Master, the Martial Hall, the Demon Hall, and the Death Hall have all refused to allow the Sect Master to train at their facilities.”

Ye Tianming nodded. “Understandable.”

He was now openly at odds with the Guanxuan Domain. Anyone who dared to form good ties with him was essentially forming bad ties with the Guanxuan Domain.

Zou Ru said in a low voice, “That Hall Master of the Martial Hall really has no conscience. He was even someone the Sect Master helped rise to his position, yet now he turns his back without a second thought.”

He let out a quiet sigh. “What a shame — our Wen Hall’s training grounds are just too small…”

Ye Tianming said, “It’s fine. I’m not in a great rush. It can wait a little longer.”

Zou Ru let out a quiet sigh.

Right now, across the entire Guanxuan Universe, not a single faction dared to offend the Guanxuan Domain. Yang Jia was now not only the young lord of the Guanxuan Domain, but also the successor of both the Heavenly Court and the Ancient Zhe Sect. It could be said that the Yang family was on the verge of unifying the entire real world.

Under these circumstances, who would dare offend the Guanxuan Domain?

Ye Tianming naturally understood this as well. Here, being an enemy of the Guanxuan Domain was almost the same as being an enemy of the entire real world.

“Oh my!”

Just then, a voice suddenly came from outside the door. “Little friend Ye, you’re finally back.”

Ye Tianming looked up. The person who entered was none other than Old Yang. He trotted in with a face full of smiles.

After walking in, Old Yang looked Ye Tianming over carefully, then smiled. “Tsk tsk, impressive, truly impressive. To have already reached Dao Establishment in such a short time — tsk tsk, that’s just outrageous.”

He hadn’t figured it out by looking. He had already spoken with Ya Shi before coming.

Ye Tianming smiled. “Senior, where have you been all this time?”

Old Yang said, “Went somewhere to see someone…”

He let out a quiet sigh. “That person is truly pitiful. For the sake of someone, not only did they sacrifice all their cultivation, they ended up becoming a beggar. And worst of all, they can’t receive any fortune or luck. Sigh…”

Ye Tianming’s brow furrowed. He fixed his gaze on Old Yang. “Senior, if you have something to say, feel free to say it directly.”

Old Yang smiled. “It’s nothing, just feeling a bit moved. Let’s talk about you instead! I knew you’d improve going in this time, but I never expected you to improve this fast. You really are a bit outrageous.”

Ye Tianming said, “Senior, there’s something I’d like to ask you about.”

Old Yang said, “What is it?”

Ye Tianming said, “I paid a visit to the Dao Alliance…”

He fixed his gaze on Old Yang’s eyes. “Senior knows about the Dao Alliance, right?”

Old Yang blinked, then let out a hearty laugh. “Heard of it, heard of it!”

Ye Tianming nodded. “When I was at the Dao Alliance, aside from the True Master whom I didn’t get to meet, there was one other person I also didn’t see. Under normal circumstances, that shouldn’t have been the case, yet that person never appeared…”

Old Yang asked, “Who didn’t you get to see?”

Ye Tianming said, “The Divine Dao Master.”

Old Yang’s brow furrowed. “Why wouldn’t they see you?”

Ye Tianming kept his eyes on Old Yang. “I don’t know either. So I came to ask Senior.”

Old Yang thought for a moment, then said, “I think the other party may have felt the timing wasn’t right.”

Ye Tianming smiled. “Alright then!”

Old Yang looked Ye Tianming over and smiled. “You’re already at Dao Establishment now. Are you really going to cultivate in reverse from here?”

Ye Tianming said, “Cultivating in reverse is both about forging an entirely new path and solidifying my Dao foundation.”

Old Yang nodded. “It’s good that you’ve thought this through.”

Although Ye Tianming had already reached Dao Establishment, in Old Yang’s view, this Dao Establishment was a castle in the air — unstable. If he were to face a truly powerful Dao Establishment cultivator, he would suffer greatly.

“Oh, right!”

Old Yang said, “I heard you’re looking for a place to train? I know of a place you can go.”

Ye Tianming glanced at him. “Then many thanks to Senior.”

Old Yang laughed heartily. “It’s nothing, a small matter, a small matter!”

He glanced at the sleeping Cang Han beside Ye Tianming, then said, “You carry on. I’ll be off.”

Ye Tianming said, “Take care, Senior.”

Old Yang turned and walked out. As he walked, he suddenly began to sing, “There’s no one in the world like your mother dear, a child with a mother is a treasure rare, in this world…”

Ye Tianming suddenly called out, “Senior.”

Old Yang stopped and turned to look at him. Ye Tianming said with utmost sincerity, “Senior, could you please stop singing? Otherwise, I have an instinctive urge to beat you to death.