Chapter 768: Chapter 0686: Refusal
"A Secret Realm Guardian doesn’t just need immense talent and strength, they must also have no ties to any Ancient Martial Sect. Throughout Huaxia, you are the absolute choice; no one can compare to you!"
He slightly raised his head, his gaze filled with the passage of time.
"I have guarded the Secret Realm for over a hundred years. When the previous Secret Realm Guardian entrusted this great responsibility to me, I was sixty years old!"
"I never expected that the next Secret Realm Guardian I would find would be less than twenty years old!"
A smile appeared on the Dragon King’s face as he finished speaking.
Even with all his imagination, he never thought that someone like Ye Qingfeng, a peerless genius who defies the heavens, would appear in this world.
"Ye Jiujie, this is the emblem of the Secret Realm Guardian. If you accept it, from this day forward, you will be the Secret Realm Guardian!"
The Dragon King took out a carefully crafted brooch from his pocket, on which a pair of Dragon Lion Symbols exuded an aura of majestic dignity. Even from ten meters away, Ye Qingfeng could see it clearly.
As the Dragon King was about to throw the brooch, Ye Qingfeng suddenly raised his hand.
"Hold on!" He looked on calmly, nodding lightly, "I think you’ve got it wrong. I am who I am. As for being a Secret Realm Guardian, I have no interest at all!"
"As for those foreign fools who don’t know their limits, let them come. I, Ye Jiujie, am ready anytime!"
Ye Qingfeng stepped back into the carriage, heading to his seat, no longer giving the Dragon King a glance.
Once seated, Ye Qingfeng’s voice reached the Dragon King’s ears again.
"What needed to be discussed has been enough. You better find someone else for this Secret Realm Guardian role!"
After speaking, Ye Qingfeng reclined his seat, rested his head on his hands, and closed his eyes.
The brooch remained in the Dragon King’s palm, and his expression was momentarily dazed, with a hint of surprise.
Ye Qingfeng’s attitude was beyond his expectations.
Pausing for more than ten seconds at the connection between carriages, the Dragon King chuckled softly, put the brooch back, and turned to head to another carriage.
"Ye Jiujie, we will meet again. Remember my name!"
"Long Youhui!"
After speaking, his figure had already disappeared into another carriage.
"Long Youhui?"
Though Ye Qingfeng remained motionless with eyes closed, he had already memorized the name in his heart.
Returning to his carriage, Long Youhui saw an old man in a robe sitting motionless beside his seat.
Seeing him return, the old man immediately asked, "Dragon King, how was it? Does he have the qualification?"
Long Youhui sat down, a smile returning to his lips, and spoke with a calm voice, causing the old man’s expression to suddenly freeze.
"In terms of strength, he is probably on par with me. If it comes down to a fight, the outcome is hard to predict!"
The old man’s face filled with horror. While he had heard much about Ye Qingfeng’s feats, in his mind, Long Youhui was an invincible god, and he naturally leaned more towards Long Youhui in a comparison to Ye Qingfeng.
Even if Ye Qingfeng was strong, he was just a kid not even twenty years old, and the old man did not value him highly.
But now, Long Youhui said that fighting Ye Qingfeng would have an uncertain outcome?
Long Youhui’s next words left the old man utterly stunned.
"In terms of talent..."
"Three Long Youhui cannot compare to one Ye Jiujie!"
Hearing Long Youhui’s confirmation, without exaggeration, the old man in robes was deeply shocked.
Long Youhui, though having an ordinary appearance, blended in like the average person, was actually incredibly powerful. He had once thwarted countless foreign masters invading Huaxia; even the mighty World Court had sent dozens of top experts to besiege him without success, being defeated by him alone.
Long Youhui’s arrogance was higher than the sky.
But now, he was praising a newcomer many generations younger than him with admiration, even admitting his own inferiority. This was hard for him to accept.
"Is Ye Jiujie really so terrifying?"
The old man probed further.
Long Youhui nodded slightly, without a hint of exaggeration, saying, "In Huaxia, no, throughout the world, even in the entire history, there has been no such genius as him."
"I feel that I am truly getting old!"
Shock engulfed the old man’s heart, as he could only think of Ye Qingfeng as being the only one whom the Dragon King, who had protected Huaxia’s secular Martial Arts World for over a century, would praise so highly.
"Did Ye Jiujie agree?"
Upon hearing the old man’s question, Long Youhui bitterly smiled and shook his head.
"Ye Jiujie is wilder than I imagined. Such a person will never be bound by any burden or responsibility. In his eyes, besides family and friends, others are like weeds!"
"He could definitely take on my burden now, but he refused. This is something that cannot be forced!"
Disappointment flashed in the old man’s eyes. If Ye Qingfeng was as formidable as Long Youhui claimed, accepting the role of Secret Realm Guardian would make the Secret Realm invincible with their joint force, unthreatened by any enemy.
But Ye Qingfeng’s outright refusal left him feeling deeply regretful.
"What should we do now?"
Long Youhui pondered for a moment before slowly speaking, "Ye Jiujie will not become the Secret Realm Guardian, I understand that now!"
"However, considering his international achievements, even the World Court would be a bit wary, not daring to blatantly enter Huaxia!"
"Yet I worry that the World Court might seek an opportunity to eliminate him, just like they attempted with me decades ago!"
The old man was surprised, "How can that be? Didn’t the World Court fail once after sending twenty-two Peak Battle Kings to kill Ye Jiujie? Have they not learned their lesson?"
Long Youhui shook his head vigorously, saying solemnly, "Old Xu, don’t underestimate the World Court!"
"While twenty-two Peak Battle Kings is indeed a terrifying lineup, within the World Court, a Peak Battle King is merely a third-rate expert; their real masters are at least War Emperors!"
His eyes were focused, and his tone carried a slight chill.
"In this world, no matter the strength of a master, they cannot withstand the siege of numerous strong enemies. The World Court is the force with the deepest foundation globally, and the strength and number of its experts are incalculable."
"Ye Jiujie’s refusal to bow before strength, his extreme arrogance, and his ignorance of retreat are strengths yet may also be fatal weaknesses!"
Long Youhui’s eyes narrowed sharply, "The World Court dares not act in Huaxia because they fear I would intervene, but if they lure Ye Jiujie abroad, it would be a definite death trap!"
"Having failed once, they will never give up a second chance!"
Old Xu was left agape; he realized that he had been viewing the world too narrowly, and the threat of the World Court was just the tip of the iceberg to him.
"Should we warn Ye Jiujie?"
He asked further.