Ye Qingyun could not live with Ye Qianwen for the time being.
Naturally, Gao Qiang would not let go of such an opportunity to curry favor.
He directly presented Ye Qingyun with the finest hilltop villa in Jiangning City—Heaven-Tier Villa No. 1!
"Young Master Ye, we have arrived."
Gao Qiang parked the car steadily and said respectfully to Ye Qingyun.
As soon as Ye Qingyun stepped out of the car, he saw the cluster of luxurious villas spread out before him.
"Young Master Ye, the one at the top of the mountain is the villa I'm giving you. Heaven-Tier Villa No. 1, with a market value of over a hundred million," Gao Qiang said, pointing toward a luxurious villa halfway up the mountain.
A trace of reluctance flickered in his heart.
He had only acquired Heaven-Tier Villa No. 1 in this Yunyuan Villa complex today. Originally, he had wanted to enjoy it himself.
Yet now, without having spent a single night in it, he was handing it directly to Ye Qingyun.
Still, Gao Qiang felt completely willing; trading a villa to secure the throne of the Underworld was a bargain indeed.
Following the direction of Gao Qiang's finger, Ye Qingyun looked up. Although it was already late at night, the entire road leading up to the villa was illuminated by streetlamps, glowing brightly enough to reveal the luxurious mansion halfway up the slope.
Just a single glance told him it was worth a fortune.
Only...
As Ye Qingyun gazed at Heaven-Tier Villa No. 1, his eyes narrowed slightly. There was clearly something unclean lingering up there!
A flash of golden light crossed Ye Qingyun's eyes. Under the observation of a pupillary technique he cultivated—the Eye of Insight—he could clearly see a thick shroud of black gas hovering around the villa.
Evil energy!
This kind of evil energy was a malignant force. Once inhaled by an ordinary person, it would result in full-body paralysis at the very least, or sudden death on the spot!
Logically speaking, a villa complex of this scale would have been surveyed by professional geomancers, and the selected site must be a blessed piece of feng shui land.
It was utterly impossible for it to naturally generate evil energy.
Someone was meddling behind the scenes!
Ye Qingyun quickly made up his mind.
He cast his gaze toward Gao Qiang, whose face was plastered with a flattering smile.
Ye Qingyun said in a deep voice:
"Gao Qiang, you have some nerve! How dare you try to harm me?!"
Hearing this, Gao Qiang's heart shuddered violently.
With a sudden thud, he dropped straight to his knees in front of Ye Qingyun, cold sweat pouring down his forehead.
"Young Master Ye... I am just your loyal dog, how could I ever dare to harm you?"
Seeing the genuine sincerity on Gao Qiang's face, which didn't look faked at all, Ye Qingyun continued:
"The villa you gave me has a problem."
"Young Master Ye, this Heaven-Tier Villa No. 1 is the most top-tier villa in all of Jiangning City! It was only recently completed and was originally meant for the Queen of the Underworld to live in, but now that she has been killed by you, this villa passed through several hands before finally landing in my possession..."
At this point, Gao Qiang suddenly thought of something, and his expression underwent a wild transformation.
"I understand! Young Master Ye, it must be that bastard Zhao Laosi making trouble behind the scenes! This Yunyuan Villa is worth one hundred million, yet he transferred it to me for just ten million. I thought he was just trying to show respect upon seeing me rise as the new king of the underground world, but it turns out he was playing a dirty trick!"
Gao Qiang gritted his teeth as he spoke.
"Who is Zhao Laosi?"
"Zhao Laosi is just like me, operating in the underworld. His strength is on par with mine—both of us are Six-Star Martial Artists. He and I have always been at odds, and he couldn't stomach seeing me become Young Master Ye's capable subordinate. That's why he gave me a problematic villa, hoping to harm me! Damn that bastard! I'm going to find him right now and settle the score!"
Gao Qiang's face turned fierce.
Fishmonger Qiang had finally caught a lucky break today, managing to cross paths with such a noble figure as Young Master Ye.
Yet Zhao Laosi had actually tried to sabotage him from the shadows. This was no different from the vengeance owed for a murdered father!
Fishmonger Qiang absolutely had to avenge this!
"Young Master Ye, this matter is my fault! It was my oversight for failing to inspect Heaven-Tier Villa No. 1. I still have a Earth-Tier Villa No. 5 which is my current residence; please make do with that for now. Here is the key to Earth-Tier Villa No. 5."
With that, Gao Qiang pulled a key from his breast pocket and held it out to Ye Qingyun.
Without taking the key, Ye Qingyun replied:
"No need. I'll stay in Heaven-Tier Villa No. 1."
"This... Young Master Ye, didn't you say there's something wrong with that house? You mustn't risk yourself like this!"
Gao Qiang's face was filled with genuine concern.
His worry was real.
If anything were to happen to Ye Qingyun, he would lose his backing, and his throne over the underworld would vanish along with it!
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing," Ye Qingyun said.
Although Heaven-Tier Villa No. 1 was shrouded in evil energy, it had to be said that its location deeply appealed to Ye Qingyun.
Situated halfway up the mountain, embraced by mountains to the east, it welcomed the auspicious purple qi from the east and possessed a rich concentration of Spiritual Energy.
For a Cultivator, it offered immense benefits.
As for the evil energy, Ye Qingyun dismissed it casually—he had ways to resolve it.
"Very well then, Young Master Ye. This is the key to Heaven-Tier Villa No. 1."
After speaking, Gao Qiang hesitated for a moment, but finally blurted out:
"Young Master Ye, that bastard Zhao Laosi deliberately sent a problematic villa to frame you—his crime is unforgivable! That Zhao Laosi cannot be allowed to live! Since my strength is on par with his, I beg Young Master Ye to take his dog's life for me!"
Hearing this, Ye Qingyun glanced sideways at Gao Qiang.
The villa Zhao Laosi had sent was clearly intended to target Gao Qiang, only for Ye Qingyun to end up living in it through a twist of fate.
Gao Qiang was clearly trying to borrow a knife to kill his rival.
However, Ye Qingyun was quite satisfied with Gao Qiang; the man was very loyal.
At this thought, Ye Qingyun flicked his wrist, driving two golden needles into Gao Qiang's body, and spoke simultaneously:
"Handle Zhao Laosi's matter yourself. A small-time character like that isn't worth my time."
A flash of disappointment crossed Gao Qiang's heart.
Still, if he was going to be the man who ruled as the new king of the underworld, how could he get by without a few tricks of his own?
He could just use Zhao Laosi to establish his dominance!
Suddenly, Gao Qiang realized something was terribly wrong!
He could feel the blood in his entire body surging, with a terrifying torrent of power rushing into all four of his limbs and bones!
His face filled with shock.
"This... what is happening?!"
With a slight clench of his fist, a cracking sound echoed from his knuckles.
A gentle wave of his arm produced a sonic boom.
This was a level of power he had never possessed before!
Withdrawing the golden needles, Ye Qingyun explained indifferently:
"I used a secret technique to open your Governor and Conception vessels, doubling your strength. This state will last for an hour. Surely you can deal with Zhao Laosi now?"
Gao Qiang swallowed hard and nodded repeatedly.
"I can, I can! Young Master Ye, rest assured. With this kind of strength, I will definitely take that dog Zhao Laosi's head! If I fail, I'll bring you my own head to atone for it."
A profound sense of reverence and shock toward Ye Qingyun bloomed in Gao Qiang's heart!
What kind of divine ability was this?
It doubled a person's strength just like that!
"Mm."
Having received this assurance, Ye Qingyun turned and headed toward Heaven-Tier Villa No. 1.
Gao Qiang stood rooted to the spot, watching Ye Qingyun go.
Until he could no longer see Ye Qingyun's figure, he clenched his fists tightly, a ferocious grin spreading across the corners of his mouth.
"Zhao Laosi, this time next year will be your anniversary!"
With that, he climbed into his car and sped away into the night!