With my son's help now, the Immortal King shall surely be achieved.

Ye Wuyou did not rise to his feet but instead forced himself to appear moved as he exclaimed, "Honored foster father above! Accept this son’s bow!"

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Ye Wuyou kowtowed three times with resounding knocks, effectively sealing his act of "recognizing a thief as his father."

His display of emotion was three parts feigned, three parts born of humiliation, and the rest stemmed from the exhilaration of surviving a near-death ordeal.

Now that their father-son relationship was established, even a vicious tiger wouldn’t devour its own cub—his life was likely secure.

As long as he lived, there were infinite possibilities. Only then could he avenge today’s humiliation of bowing to a villain!

Ye Wuyou repeatedly consoled himself. In the past, he had endured half a lifetime of abuse from his birth father, biding his time until he finally rid himself of that torment and emerged into the light.

Now, it was merely a repetition of playing the role of a son—something he had experience in. Moreover, with his Demonic Infant physique, attaining the Immortal King realm was within reach!

No matter how strong you are, can you truly surpass an Immortal King?

Endure! Bear the humiliation, and one day, vengeance will be mine!

With these thoughts, the fervor on Ye Wuyou’s face grew even more pronounced.

"From this day forth, this son shall follow you, foster father, through fire and water without hesitation. Henceforth, I am at your command!"

"Keh keh keh..." Gu Qingfeng laughed heartily, thoroughly pleased with his newfound "son." He promptly helped Ye Wuyou to his feet.

"Rare indeed is such filial devotion! With your aid, the Immortal King realm is assured!"

Gu Qingfeng’s laughter sent a chill down Ye Wuyou’s spine.

He stiffened in alarm. With my help, the Immortal King realm is assured?!

Disaster! This old demon must have set his sights on my potential to reach the Immortal King realm. Once I’ve cultivated to fruition, he’ll surely seize my body!

No wonder he helped me cultivate, assisted me in overcoming tribulations, and even took me as his foster son—this was his scheme all along!

Though inwardly shaken, Ye Wuyou felt no fear. As a lifelong assassin, he had always lived on the edge, dancing with death.

He feared not death itself—only dying in vain.

Had his Demonic Infant not succeeded, he would have preferred death over disgrace. But now, with boundless potential ahead, who would willingly perish?

You old fiend want to seize my body? Heh, we’ll see who has the last laugh. For now, I’ll cultivate under your protection, leveraging your resources to grow faster.

You exploit me? Well, I exploit you in turn!

If I could slay my father once, I can do it again!

"Wuyou, my son!" Gu Qingfeng suddenly called.

Ye Wuyou startled, fearing his expression had betrayed him, and hurriedly replied with deference, "Your son is here!"

"Catch."

With that, Gu Qingfeng tossed Ye Wuyou a bloodstained spatial ring.

"Foster father, this is...?"

"Inside are the cultivation resources I’ve prepared for you—immortal jades, elixirs, divine abilities, and rare treasures, all meticulously selected to suit your needs. Take them."

Ye Wuyou feigned deep emotion. "Foster father, I cannot accept this! Having contributed nothing, how dare I receive such generosity?"

Gu Qingfeng’s expression darkened in mock displeasure. "Take it. Your greatest contribution will be cultivating diligently and ascending to the Immortal King realm as soon as possible."

"Many thanks, foster father!" Ye Wuyou said, pretending gratitude while sneering inwardly. Just as I predicted—this demon is eager to nurture me for his own ends. Fine, I’ll use your resources to grow stronger. We’ll see who outlasts whom!

As he thought this, his gaze inadvertently fell upon the bloodstained ring. A flicker of doubt arose. Why is it stained with blood? And why does it look so familiar?

He turned it over and spotted two small characters engraved inside: Wuyou.

His eyes widened in shock.

This... this is the ring from my Wuyou Mountain!

A foreboding feeling surged within him. He hastily opened the ring—and nearly collapsed on the spot, blood rushing to his head, vision darkening, a metallic taste flooding his throat.

The contents were none other than the treasures from Wuyou Mountain’s vault.

At this sight, even Ye Wuyou’s years of cultivated restraint nearly shattered.

You call this a reward?!

You’re giving me my own belongings as a gift?!

What kind of monster does something like this?!

Now he fully grasped Gu Qingfeng’s earlier words:

"These are resources I carefully selected for you—perfectly suited to your needs."

Perfectly suited, my ass! They’re MINE!

Gu Qingfeng observed Ye Wuyou’s trembling figure, mistaking it for overwhelming gratitude. This child must have lacked paternal love. Such modest gifts move him to tears. Sigh, I’ll have to dote on him more in the future.

"Wuyou, my son."

"Foster father, your son is here!" Ye Wuyou forced down his rage, responding respectfully.

"The mortal world is chaotic, and worldly affairs are distractions. You’re young—this is the prime time for cultivation. For your future, I’ve decided to send you to an ideal place to cultivate."

"And to protect you from external threats, I’ll erect multiple layers of defensive formations around you. Once there, focus solely on your cultivation." Gu Qingfeng spoke with a fatherly expression of concern.

An ideal cultivation site?

Ye Wuyou’s heart sank with dread.

But before he could react, Gu Qingfeng waved a hand, transporting him into his palm-world—straight into Wuyou Mountain, now encircled by countless imprisoning formations.

Realizing his surroundings, Ye Wuyou trembled with "emotion," on the verge of tears.

The familiarity gave him a sense of homecoming.

Wait—this IS my home... Wuyou Mountain.

AAAAHHH!!!

Gu Qingfeng, you old demon! Once I’ve cultivated to strength, I swear I’ll slaughter you! SLAUGHTER YOU!!

He roared inwardly, not daring to voice his fury lest his "foster father" overhear.

The entire mountain was ensnared in surveillance, suppression, sealing, and confinement arrays.

After standing rigidly for a long while, Ye Wuyou finally steadied himself. Then, with a swift turn, he knelt and kowtowed toward the sky.

"Foster father above, your son will not fail your expectations. I shall strive to attain the Immortal King realm as soon as possible!" The ever-adaptable Ye Wuyou declared reverently.

Silently, he added: And that’ll be the day you die.

Outside, Gu Qingfeng was deeply moved. Truly, having such a filial foster son warmed his heart.

Moreover, this son understood his "father’s" earnest hopes for his success.

"My son, don’t resent me for being harsh. The world is too alluring, and you’re too young to resist its temptations. Cultivation requires focus—for your sake, this was necessary."

Gu Qingfeng murmured to himself, not bothering to voice these words. There was no need. A father’s love was profound; in time, his son would understand.

With his "son" settled, Gu Qingfeng strolled into a nearby marketplace, entering the most luxurious tavern. He had Shangguan Wan’er and the other two women arrange a feast of immortal delicacies before indulging in leisurely enjoyment.

As for why he didn’t return to his palm-world?

Simple—he didn’t want the Star Extreme Immortal Court’s envoys to miss him.

Among the three family members he cared about most, two were making good progress—his beloved son Ye Wuyou and the family within the Prison Demon Sword.

Only the Star Extreme Immortal King remained elusive, leaving Gu Qingfeng no choice but to frequent conspicuous places, hoping for an early reunion with his kin.