Limitless Ascension: Strength Amid Adversity – Chapter 378

Elder Qingyang barely held back his excitement and cautiously stated, “Leader Ye, I’m here to clear up a misunderstanding.”

“Oh? Please elaborate!”

Ye Junlin thought to himself, he hadn’t even had any interaction with the guy, where could a misunderstanding come from?

“That day, although the Ten Thousand Demons Alliance was established on my territory, I was completely forced by Bull Dominator! Honestly, I really wanted to distance myself from him, but that guy is just too ruthless. I had no choice but to stand with him, but I swear to the heavens, I never thought of going against you before!”

As he spoke, Elder Qingyang clasped his hands and bowed with a pleading tone, “I hope Leader Ye will see the truth!”

Ye Junlin understood and glanced quizzically at Green Lotus Sword Immortal.

Green Lotus Sword Immortal spoke solemnly, “Leader, it’s true. After investigating we found out that Bull Dominator went straight to Qingyang Dao Palace right after he ascended to Immortal Emperor, so we have reason to suspect that this old goat must have been stirring the pot behind the scenes, using some sort of shady means!”

“Hmph, only now do you come to admit your guilt? Let me tell you, it’s too late for that!” Zhang Qingzheng looked at Elder Qingyang with a cold smile.

Feeling the hostile glares surrounding him, Elder Qingyang broke into a cold sweat and cried out, “I’m innocent! I was forced!”

“Then you better come clean, does Bull Dominator’s quick recovery of his cultivation level have anything to do with you? If so, what did he do?” Green Lotus Sword Immortal stepped forward to question.

Many of the Resurrected present were curious as well; after all, these days, everyone wants to take shortcuts.

“Uh…” Elder Qingyang stuttered, seeming to have a hard time, as this was his biggest secret.

If Bull Dominator had been taken down, there would be no one left to know, but now being interrogated on the spot, if he revealed the secret, wouldn’t a whole bunch of people find out?

Seeing Elder Qingyang unwilling to spill the truth, Ye Junlin turned to Bai Xiaoxi and asked,

“小兮, how do you make a whole roasted lamb taste better?”

Upon hearing this food-related question, Bai Xiaoxi immediately perked up, counting on her fingers as she sweetly explained,

“First, kill the lamb, and after scalding it all over with hot water, remove the fur and clean the insides. Then, make several small cuts in the thick parts of the lamb’s belly and the inner thighs.”

“Inside the lamb, place cut green onions, ginger slices, Sichuan pepper, star anise, and a sprinkle of fennel, and rub in some fine salt for flavor. For the cuts on the inner thighs, season with spices and salt.”

“Pierce the tail with a metal skewer into the belly, hold the chest back, and hang the limbs with metal hooks, brush with soy sauce, caramel, and sesame oil, then roast it until the skin turns crispy and golden while the meat remains tender!”

At these words,

everyone had strange looks on their faces.

Li Wujie stroked his chin and clicked his tongue, “Wow, just hearing that makes me want to dig in.”

Having heard the whole roasted lamb recipe, Elder Qingyang’s legs turned to jelly, collapsing to the floor, feeling like a sheep in a wolf’s den, destined to be devoured.

Senior Gou looked at him sympathetically, recalling how terrified he felt when he first learned about how dog meat was prepared, fearing for his own life.

“Spare me! I’m old and tough and smell bad—it’s not even worth eating!”

Elder Qingyang began to wildly self-deprecate.

Little did he know, Ye Junlin replied seriously, “Really? I don’t believe you!”

Elder Qingyang: “…”

Soon, with his mental defenses shattered, Elder Qingyang, like a deflated balloon, had no choice but to spill the beans.

Upon learning the role of the lamb’s horns, everyone had strange expressions.

What left them more speechless was that the arrogant Bull Dominator actually had a thing for cuckoldry.

“Well, it’s no surprise he’s a bull-headed man! Impressive, impressive,” Ye Junlin felt deeply shocked and sighed.

Looks like that mother sheep named Xiaomei was the real winner behind this relationship.

That kind of lamb must taste quite rotten, huh?

“No wonder the horns on your head are cracking like that; seems they were ruined by that bull-headed guy!”

Ye Junlin joked.

Elder Qingyang laughed awkwardly, “Leader Ye, you really have quite the sense of humor!”

Then he thought of something and pleaded desperately, “Could you keep this a secret for me? If it gets out, I won’t have any peace anymore…”

Ye Junlin waved his hand, “Don’t worry, your horns are only useful to the demon clan. We can’t be bothered to promote you; it’s not advantageous for us either.”

“As for you, since you were coerced, we’ll forget about the previous debt.”

Elder Qingyang was overwhelmed with emotion, tears in his eyes, stammering, “Thank you, Leader Ye, for your keen insight! I’m truly grateful!”

Seeing this, everyone decided not to push the matter any further; it seemed to be resolved.

“Given that you’re the first ancient demon to surrender and can play a pioneering role, once you go back, set a good example. From now on, all Immortal-level beings from various tribes must fall under the governance of the Immortal Dao Alliance, including the Resurrected present, because…”

Ye Junlin paused, speaking in a grave tone, “My rules are rules!!”

His voice carried an undeniable authority and a deep sense of pressure.

In everyone’s eyes, this young man’s image was greatly elevated, practically on par with the heavens.

Elder Qingyang’s scalp tingled, “Yes…”

“Do you have something else to say?”

Ye Junlin raised an eyebrow, noticing the other hadn’t moved.

“Leader Ye, I want to report an ancient great demon! Previously, it wreaked havoc in the Central Region, devouring countless living beings. If this demon isn’t dealt with, it would be a crime against nature!” Elder Qingyang mustered his courage, shouting out.

“Who…?”

“Venerable Toad!”

Hearing these three words, everyone’s expressions became subtle.

“Do you have a grievance with him?” Ye Junlin asked curiously.

Elder Qingyang steeled himself to explain, “This demon is notorious, terribly infamous in our circle. I’m afraid if it gains power in the future, countless beings will suffer even more. If we can take it down early, it would be a great service to the cultivation world!”

The main reason was that Venerable Toad was greedy and would swallow anything, not even sparing his own kind. Elder Qingyang feared that if the creature came to Golden State, it would devour countless demon beings, hence he decided to take the initiative and expose this menace.

Ye Junlin shook his head, “No need, because just before you arrived, that toad has already died under my sword!”

“What?!”

Elder Qingyang was shocked, unable to believe the result.

“Let it be known, I didn’t go looking for it; it came over to cause trouble,” Ye Junlin said with disdain, “It was even worse than that bull demon; at least with the latter, you could have a meal!”

“Master is right,” Li Wujie and the others agreed wholeheartedly.

Elder Qingyang gulped down hard, struggling to say, “In that case, I have nothing more to say, I’ll take my leave then.”

“Don’t you want to stay for a bite?” Ye Junlin asked.

“No, if I stay any longer, I might not be able to live with it…” Elder Qingyang wiped the cold sweat off his forehead, laughing awkwardly.

He was afraid this group might suddenly change their minds and want to eat him.

Or demand a leg be cut off for roasted lamb legs or something.

So, it was best to slip out respectfully!