The party had since left the vicinity of the Blood Dragonfruit Tree but the maidens were all laughing jovially heartily.
Xuan Danfeng looked at Fan Yuqing and Xiaofang as she chuckled, "To think that our high and lofty Devil Goddess here will actually be a maidservant to Xiaofang."
Fan Yuqing smiled, "It is only a tease to teach those cultivators from the other fraternities a little lesson."
Ye Jing giggled, "Servant Yuqing, it is your turn to serve our Master Dugu tonight…"
When she had said that, Xiaofang had immediately turned flustered as he groaned unhappily…
Fan Yuqing shot back immediately at Ye Jing, "You are the one that say that your role is to serve his every whims and fancy. Not me. Why don't you go and serve your Master Dugu tonight instead?"
Ye Jing chuckled as she took a shy step aside as she turned to look at the rest, "Jokes aside. Why don't you eat from the Blood Dragonfruit?"
Xuan Danfeng smiled, "Actually you shouldn't have finished the Blood Dragonfruit so fast. You should find a quiet spot to meditate over it first. Then you will gain more insights and better benefits than directly consuming it."
Ye Jing had a sheepish look, "I didn't know better…"
Xuan Danfeng smiled weakly as she looked at Fan Yuqing and Ye Jing, "Never mind about that. It seems that you are doing just fine with that…"
Feng Minyue nodded as she smiled, "By right, if you have consumed the Blood Dragonfruit so recklessly like this, there may actually be a backlash. After all, this is an immortal fruit. However, it seems that you are all doing alright."
Ye Jing laughed as she danced around them, "I've actually feel so energized than ever before. It seems that my vitality has received a great boost."
She did not actually fully consume the Blood Dragonfruit but had left behind some for Yu'Er and Jian'Er. The benefit for consuming the full Blood Dragonfruit was minute as the one that she had picked was a large one.
At this moment Jian'Er was happily eating Ye Jing's Blood Dragonfruit.
Xiaofang nodded as he looked at Xuan Danfeng, "I have the intention to share half of my Blood Dragonfruit with Nanyan so I'm not eating it here."
Fan Yuqing smiled at Xiaofang, "We have actually got one extra Blood Dragonfruit. We can leave that for her. I will suggest that you finish yours here so that we can borrow your strength later. After all, we won't have it easy in the Empyrean Warrior Labyrinth, especially on the higher levels."
Xiaofang stammered as he looked at everyone, "Will that be alright?"
Ye Jing smiled, "I don't mind."
Feng Minyue was also smiling, "I don't mind either."
Xuan Danfeng laughed, "I'm not the one that picks the Blood Dragonfruit so how could I've mind? Moreover it is for my Protégé Nanyan, my designated successor. I am only too glad for them!"
Fan Yuqing smiled as she tossed the last remaining Blood Dragonfruit to Xiaofang who caught it, "It is decided then."
All of a sudden she had frozen on the spot as she whispered, "Jian'Er, quickly hide inside your master spiritual sea. We have company."
Jian'Er was alarmed as she quickly vanished in a form of light.
Ye Jing smiled weakly as she whispered, "It seem to be those cultivators that we have met earlier."
Sure enough, a group of five cultivators had emerged from the vicinity and one of them was Saint Liyang who had tried to recruit Fan Yuqing to his clan earlier.
Xiaofang quickly moved in front of the maidens and said, "So I wonder who it is, so it is Saint Liyang. What do you want?"
Saint Liyang walked up to him as he said politely, "Nothing. It is just that I want to befriend Celestial Dugu…"
All of a sudden he had thrown a marble that was aimed at Xiaofang. As Xiaofang had seen it coming, he was able to dodge it easily as the missed marble suddenly exploded in a shimmering bright light around him.
This startled Xiaofang and the maidens…
There was a golden glow that was around Xiaofang but it had quickly vanished.
Fan Yuqing muttered, "This is the Aura Pellet…"
"Huh? What is this thing?" Ye Jing asked.
Saint Liyang was smiling all of sudden and the four other cultivators had all drawn their swords.
This Aura Pellet was actually harmless but it was extremely precious and costly. Saint Liyang had only one such Aura Pellet. The main use for the Aura Pellet was to reveal the cultivation level of the opponent.
When the Aura Pellet had exploded, they were able to see that the cultivation level of this Master Dugu was only at the upper golden celestial level. Therefore they were quite relieved. It was because earlier when Ye Jing and Fan Yuqing had taken the Blood Dragonfruits, they really could not believe that this Master Dugu was only an upper golden celestial for even his maidservants were so formidable.
Saint Liyang smiled coldly, "It seems that the cultivators from the Nine Celestial Fraternity are only good in cultivating the mystic laws. But I wonder if they are equally good in their combat abilities than the cultivators from the Desolate Celestial Fraternity."
The fraternity of the Desolate Celestial Fraternity was more ruthless than the Nine Celestial Fraternity and it was the survival of the fittest there.
Ye Jing was startled. She had long wanted to visit the Desolate Celestial Fraternity. From the look of it, they seemed to be unfriendly.
Xiaofang asked, "So what do you want?"
Saint Liyang laughed aloud, "I am someone who is extremely easy to talk with. Surrender your remaining Blood Dragonfruits and women to us. Then we shall spare you. This is but a small price for your precious life."
Xiaofang hummed coldly, "What if I refuse you?"
Saint Liyang smiled, "I am not the only saint in my group. There is one other saint and three peaked golden celestials that are with me. Do you think that you are able to stop us from seizing what we want?"
The four other cultivators were all staring coldly at Xiaofang and in a blink of an eye, they were all ready to tear Xiaofang to pieces.
They were of course waiting for Xiaofang to willingly surrender the Blood Dragonfruits to them. This would save them a lot of unnecessary troubles.
Saint Liyang had purposely looked in the direction of Fan Yuqing as he smiled warmly, "Celestial Yuqing, we have met again."
Fan Yuqing hummed coldly as she looked away.
When Saint Liyang saw her cold expression, he had mistaken it for her shyness and laughed aloud. "It seems that she is a shy one."
Xiaofang said coldly, "Please leave immediately or I will really be impolite."
Saint Liyang laughed aloud, "Do you own this piece of road? I'm sure you don't. Therefore we are free to come and go as we pleased."
One of the four cultivators behind him said coldly, "Let's not waste more time on pleasantries. The rest of you shall settle him while I help to settle these maidens…"
With that he had flashed forward to seize Ye Jing. It was because he had already had an eye for her from the very start.
Ye Jing saw that he was a peaked golden celestial.
Xiaofang was startled when the cultivator behind had suddenly flashed forward to attack Ye Jing. Just as he was about to react, Saint Liyang shouted. "Where do you think that you are going?"
At the same time he was surrounded by the other cultivators and one of them was even a saint level cultivator!
Ye Jing shouted, "Xiaofang, don't worry about me…"
The cultivator who had flashed to Ye Jing was trying to grab her with his hands but to his astonishment, he seemed to be grabbing air. No matter how many times he had reached out for his hands at her, this beautiful goddess was like a phantom…
Ye Jing looked unhappily at him as she suddenly lifted her palm and exploded the Big Dipper Hands on his face.
This was too sudden and the cultivator gave a soft yell as he stumbled backward. This amount of injuries was actually not enough to hurt him seriously but before he could react further, Ye Jing had used her other hand to display the Starlight Fingers as she sent him to fly all the way back to where he had started.
Saint Liyang was startled. It was because it was unthinkable for a half-step golden celestial to send a peaked golden celestial to fly backward in this manner. But before he could fully gauge what was going on, Xiaofang had displayed his immortal sword and sent him everyone to fly backward at the same time!
Xiaofang had an angry expression when he saw that Ye Jing was being attacked and he had used all his martial strength.
Saint Liyang coughed out blood as the sword energies of the immortal sword pierced through his spirit inner core. He simply could not believe that this Celestial Dugu would actually possess a heaven-step immortal sword!
Even the other saint cultivator was shocked, "He actually has an immortal sword…"
Saint Liyang picked himself up as he released his profound aura, "Brother Saint Ke, I want his immortal sword. This is nigh time that we be a little serious."
Saint Ke nodded, "All five of us will attack him at the same time. Even if he has an immortal sword in his hands, he won't be a match for us."
Saint Liyang agreed, "We are a little careless earlier and we didn't use our full strength."
Saint Ke said coldly, "Brother Liyang, I only want this immortal sword. You can have the maidens."
Saint Liyang nodded, "Then you shall you have it."
Saint Ke smiled coldly, "Don't forget what you have said."
Xiaofang was actually not paying them any attention. Instead after he had beaten them off temporary, he had quickly flashed next to Ye Jing and said. "Jing'Er, are you alright?"
Ye Jing looked up to him with a smile as their eyes locked, "I'm alright."
Then she turned to look at Xuan Danfeng, Feng Minyue and Fan Yuqing. "Hey sisters, why didn't you help me?"
Xuan Danfeng was smiling, "Aren't you safe now?"
Feng Minyue gave a faint smile and acted like this was none of her business.
Fan Yuqing smiled, "He is after you and not us so why should we help you? We are all weaker than you. If our Master Dugu were to lose this fight then we will naturally follow our new master. There is no need to get involved in the men's fight."
Saint Liyang was delighted when he had overheard her. Did she mean that if they could defeat this Celestial Dugu, they would naturally be following him?
Ye Jing knew that Fan Yuqing was purposely fanning the flames of discord to encourage these badass cultivators. She did not know if Xiaofang was able to handle them alone. After all, they were all at the same level or above Xiaofang in their cultivation level.
Xiaofang whispered to her, "Jing'Er, their main target is me. Why don't you take a backseat first? I will be alright."
Ye Jing looked at Xiaofang and it seemed that he was telling her that this time round, he would be the one who would be protecting her and moreover, this was an opportunity for him to challenge himself.
Ye Jing sighed softly as she walked to where the other three maidens were standing, "Alright then…"
She groaned softly as she stared unhappily at the three maidens but they were all trying to act cool by acting as though nothing had happened. But Ye Jing had been with them for such a long time that she could see the curves of their brows as they were all trying not to laugh aloud.
It was as though they were all saying silently at the same time, "It is time to give Xiaofang an experiential training on his own and to teach these people a lesson."
Xiaofang had turned to face the five cultivators as he grinned, "You want to come at me together or one by one?"
A cultivator with a beautiful beard shouted, "Preposterous!"
When he had shouted that, all five cultivators had attacked with their swords and Xiaofang had also lifted his immortal sword with a bright shimmering light.
Xuan Danfeng gasped softly behind her curtain head veil, "This is my clan's Lofty Empyrean Sword Energies…"
Although the five cultivators were extremely swift with their attacks but Xiaofang was even swifter. In that single instant that he had imbued his sword energies, he had also displayed the Lofty Empyrean Sword Energies as he sent a sword energy arc that flew like an avoidable blade that struck all five of the cultivators at the same time.
Three precious swords of the cultivators were shattered in the same instant. As for the two swords that were shattered, it was because they were divine swords hence were not easily shattered. However there were cracks that appeared from the divine swords.
Immediately all five of the cultivators had spurt blood and blood was spilled from their bodies. Xiaofang did not hold back at all!
Saint Liyang and Saint Ke could not believe that their golden saint aura would give way so easily in that instant against a mere golden celestial.
Xiaofang was not an ordinary golden celestial. He was also an Ascend Divinity Golden Celestial. In short, he was a double golden celestial and his martial strength could be comparable to an initial saint. With the heaven-step immortal sword that was in his hand plus the technique that he had used was the Empyrean Sword Energies, he was not someone that a mere saint could have easily contested with.
Ye Jing was delighted as she shouted, "Master Dugu, why don't you cripple their cultivation core and expel them from here? I don't want to see the likes of them here."
When Saint Liyang and Saint Ke heard Ye Jing, they were horrified and attempted to stand but Xiaofang sword was instantly upon them and they were sent to the ground in the next instant with more blood that was spilled!
In the end, all five cultivators were not able to move due to the suppression aura of the immortal sword that was like a deadly death specter that was looming above their heads!
Xiaofang said coolly, "It is better than we send them to their graves so that others will not be harmed by them. They aren't good guys…"
All of a sudden Fan Yuqing said, "There is someone else that is coming our way."
No sooner had she said that, a dark flash of light could be seen arriving at the scene as an old cultivator gravely shouted. "Master Dugu, please stay your hands!"
Saint Liyang stammered, "Martial Uncle you are here. With your aid, we can still take him down. If he did not have an immortal sword then we would have already finished him by now…"
The old cultivator shouted angrily, "Shut up! Do you know you are all in trouble?!"
Then he bowed with his hands respectfully at Xiaofang and toward the four maidens, he said respectfully. "Great Saintess, please accept our humble apologies…"
All five cultivators were startled when the old cultivator had suddenly addressed turned toward the maidens and addressed one of them as a Great Saintess.
Saint Liyang stammered, "What? One of them is a Great Saintess?!" If there was a great saint in this group then they would be in serious trouble. Even an intermediate saint like his Martial Uncle was hardly able to fight a great saint. They could only hope that the great saint was not a formidable fighter in order to have the better odds.
The old cultivator had rushed here because Saint Tianjian had sneered coldly at him, "It seems that your filial nephew and his friends have secretly left to pursue them. But what a pity, what a pity…"
The old cultivator asked, "What do you mean?"
Saint Tianjian smiled coldly, "These four maidens are not half-step golden celestials but they are all at the saintess level. So do you think that your martial nephew is able to handle them? He seems to be only a half-step saint. As for that Saint Ke, he may be a formidable initial saint and his martial strength is equaled to many intermediate saints but three of the maidens are actually great saintess. They can easily crush their party like an ant."
The old cultivator muttered, "How is it possible for three great saintess to appear in the same group? This is unheard of…"
Saint Tianjian smiled, "If they are not great saintess, why do you think that they can get the Blood Dragonfruits in such an easy manner?"
Then he smiled, "If you are late then you will be collecting their corpses later."
The old cultivator did not need to wait for Saint Tianjian to give him more subtle hints. In the next instant, he was gone and that was why he had appeared here.
The old cultivator was stammering as he looked at the four maidens. He knew they were now in terrible trouble.
Fan Yuqing said coolly, "This great saintess here will forgive them then…"
Just as the old cultivator was expressing his utmost gratitude, "We shall never forget this great gratitude from you…" Fan Yuqing had flashed next to the five cultivators and had raised her white flute to strike their backs furiously.
Her movements were simply too fast and unstoppable!
In the next instant all five cultivators had been expelled from the Empyrean Warrior Labyrinth and had vanished!
The old cultivator was shocked as he said, "This is…"
Fan Yuqing replied coldly, "I have exercised my mercy and had crippled half of their core cultivation. It may take them some time to cultivate back to the golden celestial level. This act of mercy is only because you have pleaded with me. Even until their last moments, they are still unrepentant."
Then she turned away and said coldly, "You're not a good thing either. If I am not in a good mood today, I would have killed you today. Now scram."
The old cultivator immediately freaked out when he had heard her, "Thank you for your great mercy….may I know the name of the merciful goddess…"
Fan Yuqing smiled and said, "I'm the Nine Celestial Goddess of the Nine Celestial Fraternity. Remember my name well."
The old cultivator had already bolted from the scene in the next instant.
Fan Yuqing shouted behind him with a soft chuckle, "Don't forget who I am."
Ye Jing was speechless when she had heard her, "This…is…framing me…right in front of me some more…how shameless…"
Fan Yuqing smiled, "Since you want to intervene earlier, it is as good as reporting your celestial name to them already. I may as well borrow your name to help you. In this way, you can be as lazy as you want and there will be someone who will help you to do your work."
She smiled, "So does this make sense to you or not?"
Ye Jing put her fingers on her chin to ponder, "This seems to make some sense…but why does it seem so wrong somewhere…"
Feng Minyue, Xuan Danfeng and even Xiaofang were all chuckling when they saw the confuse look that was on Ye Jing.
Ye Jing suddenly lit a smile, "I have also decided to masquerade as the Devil Goddess in the future…"
Fan Yuqing was startled as she panicky said, "Don't! I…I apologize to you. This won't happen…again…"
Ye Jing chuckled, "It is not as if you got a good reputation…"
Fan Yuqing pleaded, "Just don't please."
"Why?"
"Because you are not as sexy as I am. You will ruin the good impression that I've painstaking taken to build."
"..."
Xuan Danfeng was looking quietly at Fan Yuqing, "If I were her. I would have already put them to the sword. After all, they are potential enemies…"
Today she had finally realized why the Devil Goddess had so many enemies in the past but yet very few people had actually been killed by her. Although she appeared to be cruel by crippling their cultivation core but it was only a partial cripple. In time to come, they would be able to cultivate back. Those that were killed by her were all known villains or evil cultivators that practiced the heretic arts.
She had remembered that there was one time the Devil Goddess had narrowly won a battle with a great saint. She had let him go and had merely said to him, "Ten years. For the next ten years, you shall not intervene in my affairs."
That was the reason why although the Devil Goddess had terrorized the entire fraternity for a short few years and was infamous, there were actually many saints that were in seclusion that took no action against her.
But of course, all things had their own boiling point and eventually a group of celestial practitioners that was led by Saintess Mu Huiyin decided to lead a punitive vendetta against the Devil Goddess as they had enough of her insufferable antics.
It was only recently that she had known that the Devil Goddess was only a 22 year old cultivator back then…