Chapter 628: Illusion? Hah!

Ye Yuan didn't think about fleeing, and he knew he couldn't escape.

Yu Leng and the other two had clearly come prepared, obviously knowing of his appearance long ago.

Although Ye Yuan didn't know how the Jade-Faced Fox clan had found out, there was no doubt that they had.

Yu Leng and the other two were decent in strength, but surely not the most powerful.

Once those old-timers made a move, Ye Yuan naturally wouldn't fare well.

Even if Ye Yuan could escape back to the Boundless Forest, he would still face Ding Liang's pursuit. Comparatively, Ye Yuan felt this place was a bit safer.

Yu Leng led Ye Yuan into the inner hall, and Ye Yuan instantly felt waves of powerful auras rushing toward him!

Ye Yuan's heart tightened. He never expected that within this Divine Forbidden Demon Domain, there would be a sixth-rank demon clan!

The old crone at the head exuded an aura of immense power, even stronger than Zhao Tianyin—if not a sixth-rank demon clan, then what?

But according to Ye Yuan's understanding, the Divine Forbidden Demon Domain was merely the core area of the Boundless Forest, also part of the Boundless Domain. How could a sixth-rank powerhouse appear here?

"Yu Leng, is this the intruder?" the old crone spoke first.

Yu Leng showed extreme reverence before the crone, bowing as she replied, "Yes, Ancestor Yuhuan!"

Ye Yuan kept sizing up Ancestor Yuhuan. She was covered in wrinkles, leaning on a staff, her body hunched, appearing very aged.

Yet the aura faintly emanating from her was by no means simple!

Yuhuan's gaze now fell on Ye Yuan, and she suddenly made a move!

She lightly tapped her staff, sending a formidable green light hurtling toward Ye Yuan.

Ye Yuan's expression darkened, and he raised his hand to counter with the Coiling Dragon Heaven-Splitting Palm.

"Boom!"

Ye Yuan was sent flying!

The might of a sixth-rank powerhouse was not something Ye Yuan could contend with.

This strike from Yuhuan was merely to test Ye Yuan's depth; if she had struck with full force, Ye Yuan would have had no room to resist.

Yet a faint, barely perceptible surprise flickered across Yuhuan's face. She had thought this blow would at least injure Ye Yuan, but to her surprise, he simply dusted off his clothes and stood up.

"If Ancestor Yuhuan wanted to test me, she could have said so directly. Such rudeness hardly befits the way of a host, does it?" Ye Yuan said indignantly.

Yuhuan must already know that he carried dragon bloodline; otherwise, she would have killed him outright. That earlier move was surely just to probe him.

Ye Yuan understood this clearly, so he had struck with the strongest version of the Coiling Dragon Heaven-Splitting Palm.

He had already sensed that the Divine Forbidden Demon Domain seemed quite hostile to humans. By revealing his dragon bloodline, Yuhuan probably wouldn't harm him.

If she harbored ill intentions toward him, she would have killed him directly instead of going through the trouble of testing him.

Yuhuan slightly raised her eyelids and asked, "You refined true dragon essence blood?"

Ye Yuan knew he couldn't hide it from her and smiled, "Your insight is keen, Senior!"

Upon receiving the affirmative answer, Yuhuan's aura suddenly turned sharp, and she pressed Ye Yuan, "Where did you get the true dragon essence blood?"

"Uh... forgive me, Senior, but I'm afraid I can't disclose that."

The Heavenly Pagoda was Ye Yuan's secret; naturally, he couldn't reveal it to Yuhuan.

Such a peerless treasure would tempt even a sixth-rank powerhouse.

Ye Yuan wasn't familiar with this Yuhuan, and he couldn't be sure she wouldn't harbor malicious intent.

Facing a sixth-rank powerhouse, Ye Yuan currently had no strength to resist.

But Ye Yuan's words clearly angered Yuhuan. She suddenly became unusually agitated, enveloping Ye Yuan with a powerful aura.

"You don't seem to realize your situation. Whether you speak or not is not up to you!" Yuhuan said coldly.

Ye Yuan could barely breathe under the pressure, but he still stubbornly said, "Hey, killing me is up to you, but speaking is up to me! If I don't want to say it, even if you kill me, I won't!"

Yuhuan's expression turned icy, and her aura grew even stronger. The pressure on Ye Yuan increased, crushing his bones until they creaked.

This situation felt familiar to Ye Yuan—much like when Zhao Tianyin had forced him to kneel. But Yuhuan didn't intend to make him kneel; she was merely using Yuan power to pressure him into revealing the origin of the dragon blood.

Ye Yuan clenched his teeth, fine beads of sweat oozing from his forehead. His face twisted in pain, clearly suffering greatly.

Yu Shu, standing nearby, saw Ye Yuan's agony and pleaded, "Ancestor Yuhuan, he means no harm. Please don't kill him! If not for this big brother showing mercy earlier, Yu Shu would already be dead."

Ye Yuan suddenly felt the pressure ease, and the Yuan power binding him dissipated instantly—clearly Yuhuan had withdrawn it.

Ye Yuan looked at Yu Shu and gave a bitter smile. "Haha, little girl, you're really kind-hearted! Speaking up for an outsider, aren't you afraid your old lady will punish you?"

Seeing Yuhuan retract her Yuan power, Yu Shu felt somewhat relieved.

When Ye Yuan asked, Yu Shu blushed and said shyly, "I'm just stating the facts! If not for you showing mercy earlier, I would surely be dead. That shows you're not a bad person!"

In truth, Yu Shu was far older than Ye Yuan, but she kept calling him 'big brother,' which made Ye Yuan's bones feel like jelly.

Ye Yuan was about to tease Yu Shu when he suddenly felt his soul tremble—Yuhuan had launched a sneak attack!

"I'll ask you, what is your name, and where do you come from?" Yuhuan asked, believing she had Ye Yuan under control.

"My name is Ye Yuan, and I come from a mortal kingdom in the southern region of the Boundless Domain." Ye Yuan's eyes were vacant, as if truly controlled by Yuhuan, as he replied.

"Heh, the Jade-Faced Fox clan is known for illusions, but using them on me is like showing off before an expert! Little master here has attained the state of mind as firm as a rock; no matter how high your illusion skills, what can they do to me?" Ye Yuan sneered inwardly.

Yuhuan frowned, clearly not expecting Ye Yuan's background to be so unremarkable.

"Why did you break into the Divine Forbidden Demon Domain?"

"I was being hunted outside and had no choice but to flee here."

"How did you get through the Devouring Mist?"

"I... I don't know either. I just walked and walked, and then I came out."

"Where did you obtain the true dragon essence blood on you?"

"I stumbled into a cave dwelling, found a drop of essence blood there, and swallowed it directly. I didn't expect it to be true dragon essence blood." Ye Yuan fabricated freely.

Yuhuan frowned again, clearly dissatisfied with this answer.

Next, Yuhuan asked a whole host of questions, essentially grilling Ye Yuan thoroughly.

Ye Yuan answered every question, but few words were true—after all, the old lady couldn't tell the difference.

When Yuhuan found she could get nothing more out of him, she waved her hand, and Ye Yuan's eyes instantly regained clarity.

"Huh? What just happened? What's going on?" Ye Yuan asked, looking bewildered.