Chapter Sixty-Five: America!

Aboard the Sky Patrol.

Yang Ye took out thirty-six wooden boxes, each filled with beast cores.

One by one, the boxes were opened.

In truth, though the boxes appeared large, they were not entirely filled with beast cores. Each box contained thirty-six compartments, with a single beast core in each.

After counting, there were one hundred and eighty star-level beast cores in total.

Of those, thirty-six were late-stage star-level, seventy-two were mid-stage, and another seventy-two were early-stage.

The remaining thirty-one boxes were all filled with planetary-level beast cores.

Yang Ye kept one box containing early-stage star-level beast cores; as for the rest, he discarded the boxes and put all the beast cores into his storage ring.

“Molly, you’re in charge of distributing these beast cores. Some people are due for advancement to the star level,” Yang Ye said calmly.

“Yes, Inspector Ye!” Molly replied, her excitement barely contained.

Of the fifty people who had originally followed Yang Ye, it was time for Molly to advance as well.

“I might be away for a while. The training is up to you all,” Yang Ye instructed, and with that, he leaped into the sea.

Wearing the Sunfire Gloves, Yang Ye easily entered the Dragon Palace.

As soon as Yang Ye stepped past the Dragon Gate’s stone threshold, Little Qing left his body.

Since leaving the underground chamber, Little Qing hadn’t said a word.

Only now did Yang Ye notice that Little Qing’s entire body was a bright red, as though she had been boiled like a shrimp.

Upon touching the ground, Little Qing staggered as though drunk, her steps erratic and unsteady.

“Qing, what’s wrong?” Seeing this, Yang Ye’s heart tightened. He crouched down, reaching out a hand to her.

But before his hand could touch her, he felt a wave of searing energy.

At the same time, Little Qing, her eyes wild with frenzy, lashed out at Yang Ye with a claw.

A sharp hiss cut through the air.

Her razor-sharp dragon claw pierced right through the defense of the Sunfire Gloves, slashing Yang Ye’s arm and leaving three deep wounds.

Yang Ye leaped back, ignoring the pain in his arm. Alarmed, he called out, “Steward Mu, what’s happening to her?”

“Master, don’t touch the young miss! She’s lost all reason, overcome by her beast instincts,” Steward Mu explained. He raised his hand, a glowing orb appearing in his palm.

With a wave, he drew Little Qing into the orb.

Once inside, the wildness in her eyes gradually faded. She closed her eyes, a look of contentment spreading across her dragon face.

Seeing her calm, Yang Ye finally relaxed. Curiously, he asked, “Steward Mu, what is this orb? And what’s happening to her?”

Steward Mu replied, “This artifact in my hand is a vessel refined from a female dragon’s placenta. The young miss has absorbed too much energy, which is why she’s like this. Fortunately, our master left behind this placenta. Otherwise, we’d have no choice but to forcibly extract the excess energy from her, which would be a terrible waste.”

He continued, “Now that you can freely use the Sunfire Gloves, you may begin using the Sunfire Boots. But as with the gloves, you’ll need time to adapt. I’ve placed nine layers of seals on them as well.”

“When will Qing be able to come out?” Yang Ye asked, taking the Sunfire Boots from Steward Mu.

“It’s hard to say exactly, but at the earliest, a month,” Steward Mu replied.

Though Little Qing was safe in the care of Steward Mu, Yang Ye still chose to stay and watch over her.

Each day, he wore the Sunfire Gloves and Sunfire Boots for his training.

With Little Qing undergoing her second transformation in the placenta, Yang Ye’s new sparring partner became Steward Mu.

Yang Ye’s progress was as rapid as ever. In just five days, he broke through the first seal on the Sunfire Boots.

On the morning of the sixth day, just after breakfast, his phone rang.

Seeing his sister’s name on the screen, Yang Ye slapped his forehead and smiled wryly.

He’d been so preoccupied with Little Qing these past days that he’d forgotten all about his sister.

“Master, you’ve been working too hard. Even cultivation requires rest. You should take a break—Miss Qing will need some time yet,” Steward Mu advised.

Yang Ye nodded. “I’ll leave Qing in your care, then!”

“That is my duty,” Steward Mu replied.

...

After leaving the Dragon Palace, Yang Ye returned to the Sky Patrol.

In only five days, fifteen people—including Zhou Hun, Molly, and the others—had successfully advanced to the star-level realm.

Five others, however, failed during their attempts, their astral bodies shattering.

Yang Ye could only sigh.

Cultivation was never smooth, especially when it came to breakthroughs. Mindset, physical condition—countless factors affected success.

Of twenty who tried, only five failed. That was already an impressive success rate.

For those who failed, Yang Ye instructed Molly to take good care of them and ensure their families wanted for nothing.

The Sky Patrol set a course for America at top speed.

This was the first time in more than two years that Yang Ye had been so far from Little Qing, and a strange melancholy arose in his heart.

He had grown used to having her by his side.

“What a shame I can’t bring Qing with me to meet my sister openly this time...” he murmured, standing at the bow of the ship, gazing at the calm sea.

...

Ten days later, the Sky Patrol entered American waters.

Ye Tianzu—the infamous killer known worldwide—had arrived in America!

This caused a state of high alert throughout the country.

Though Yang Ye had notified them in advance, America immediately deployed a large number of cultivators along the coast.

The Sky Patrol did not dock at any American port. Instead, it turned around several dozen nautical miles from shore and sailed away.

The Americans breathed a collective sigh of relief.

To the rest of the world, this seemed like Inspector Ye was flexing his military might.

It was exactly what the Americans used to do before World War III—sending fleets to the borders of other nations.

This time, Yang Ye gave the Americans a taste of their own medicine.

Though the Sky Patrol sailed off, Yang Ye remained behind.

He returned to his original appearance before going ashore: a young man of eighteen or nineteen, dressed in a black suit, exuding masculinity and charm.

Upon landing, Yang Ye purchased a visa and took a train to the majestic landscapes of Arizona.

At this moment, Yang Ye felt grateful to his master, who had forced him to master fluent English.

Yang Yu’s best friend, Charlotte, owned a vast estate in this state—in fact, it was an enormous ranch.

As Yang Ye appeared on the ranch, a silver off-road vehicle sped across the golden grass toward him.

With a screech, the car stopped by his side.

The doors opened, and two elegant women stepped out.

“Beautiful lady, come give me a hug!” Yang Ye called out, arms wide.

Yang Yu laughed, running into her brother’s embrace.

“Hey there!” Yang Ye spun his sister around several times before setting her down.

When they let go, Yang Yu introduced him, “Ye, this is my good friend Charlotte.”

“Miss, you’re truly beautiful! Delighted to meet you!” Yang Ye said with a smile, shaking Charlotte’s hand.

“What a sweet talker!” Charlotte laughed. “You’re a handsome young man yourself, full of masculine energy! Pity I’m already past my prime, or I wouldn’t let you get away!”

Yang Ye feigned surprise. “You’re only in your early twenties—how can you call yourself old?”

Seeing his earnest expression, Charlotte burst out laughing.

“All right, enough chit-chat. The wind’s strong out here—let’s head inside,” Yang Yu said with a smile.