Chapter Twenty-Five: Once You Join, You Cannot Leave Easily

The expression on Difference of Three Years’ face had turned ashen, the cold light flickering in his eyes enough to devour anyone in its path. The tension between Liang Ye and Difference of Three Years seemed almost tangible, sparks igniting in the air as their gazes locked.

At that moment, Difference of Three Years spoke curtly, “Let’s go.”

An Ye responded with a sneer, “Safe travels—I won’t see you off. See you at nine tonight.”

An Ye’s words stirred up a commotion. Despite the gap in levels, Difference of Three Years was a heavy spender in the game, and though reaching level thirty would take some time, he still had a chance to close the gap. So, the party of twenty-six slunk away, defeated, through the circle of onlookers.

Liang Ye stood there, unshaken as a mountain. Even faced with imminent disaster, he remained calm—not because of any particular skill, but because he had absolute confidence in himself. This was why Zhishang Technologies was willing to forego higher profits to forge an agreement with this player, whose gaming talent seemed limitless.

Word of what happened here spread rapidly, growing with every retelling. Only now did the people at Zhishang Technologies truly realize Liang Ye’s strength.

Liang Ye turned to his companions. “They shouldn’t bother you anymore.”

Warm Breeze replied, “Thank you. May I ask—”

Liang Ye responded, “Hmm?”

Warm Breeze continued, “Are you also in Qing City?”

When Ye Yu saw this message, his expression changed subtly; a trace of emotion flickered across his usually calm face, and a hint of repression flashed in his eyes. He couldn’t understand how someone had guessed his location within the game.

Liang Ye asked, “What makes you think I’m in Qing City?”

Warm Breeze answered, “You’re playing with the Divine Mourning headset. Anyone using it has a silver crown icon beside their name, but both parties need to be using the headset to see it.”

At this, Ye Yu finally understood. He glanced toward Warm Breeze and noticed the faint silver crown icon shimmering above her avatar—indeed, it was the sign of the Divine Mourning headset.

Liang Ye asked, “I see. But how can you be certain?”

Warm Breeze explained, “So you really are in Qing City, aren’t you? Right now, only players in Qing City can use the Divine Mourning headset to play Divine Mourning.”

At this, a faint smile curled Ye Yu’s lips. He looked at the girl standing not far away, her blue robes fluttering gently in the breeze, the hem of her garment carrying a subtle fragrance that lingered in the air.

Xiao Mei blushed under Liang Ye’s gaze, her eyes darting away in embarrassment. Hundreds of players from Divine Mourning’s Purple Void Realm server had gathered here, and at this moment, Liang Ye was the center of them all.

Liang Ye, the guild master, spoke up: “Thank you, everyone.”

Knowing Human Nature, the guild’s deputy leader, responded, “No need for thanks. We’re all on your side.”

A guild member, Not Dead Just Asleep, chimed in, “Boss, you’re too polite. If you need our help, we’ll go through fire and water for you.”

Another, Melancholic Soul, echoed, “That’s right!”

July Seventh Clear Day, a guild elite, laughed, “Boss, if you need help with any future quests, you must lend a hand!”

Great God What a Coincidence, another elite, agreed, “Exactly!”

Unlucky But Waiting, also an elite, added, “But Boss, you’ve never joined the guild voice channel. When will you come?”

Knowing Human Nature reassured them, “The boss will come when the time is right.”

Liang Ye replied, “If you need help with storyline quests, message the deputy leader. I’ll help a few people each day, as time allows. For now, leveling up in the new server is our top priority. As for guild contributions, I’ll leave that to all of you.”

After Ye Yu sent this, he went offline, letting the ever-active guild chat run wild. Managing these conversations always gave him a headache; fortunately, Luo Feng, who excelled at organization, took over alongside Knowing Human Nature.

As the crowd atop Nine Mountains Ridge dispersed to pursue their own quests, players took advantage of the double experience week in the new server—a rare opportunity not to fall behind in levels.

Yet Xiao Mei’s mind was still unsettled, a trace of astonishment lingering on her face.

Is the Great God really from Qing City? Where in Qing City could he be? Or… is he at Qing University too?

As this thought struck her, she forcibly doused her own imagination with cold water, trying to steady herself.

“Xiao Mei, what nonsense are you thinking?” she muttered, lightly knocking her head with her left hand and wincing at the sting.

Liang Ye addressed the six, “You shouldn’t run into trouble again. Since everything’s settled, I’ll be on my way.”

Under the moonlit flowers, Flower Under the Shallow Moon said, “Thank you, Great God, for your help.”

Entering the Heart, Lowering the Curtain added, “Safe travels, Great God.”

Micro Chill waved, “Goodbye, Great God.”

Fragrance Among the Flowers called, “Farewell, all six Rose Goddesses!”

Wushan—sending a flying kiss—laughed, “Bye, Great God!”

One by one, everyone said their goodbyes, except for Warm Breeze, who seemed lost in thought, her face blank. Ye Yu almost laughed at her dazed look but stifled it, watching as the six turned to leave.

After walking a little way, Ye Yu turned back to the six and spoke, leaving everyone slightly stunned.

Liang Ye said, “Once you’ve joined the Purple Void Realm, you can’t just leave the guild at will.”

With that, Ye Yu and his five companions vanished from Xiao Mei’s sight. She finally snapped out of her reverie and looked around.

“Where did they go?”

“What happened to you just now?”

“Is your headset malfunctioning?”

Hearing their questions, Xiao Mei realized that while she’d been lost in thought, Liang Ye had already left, leaving behind the words: “Once you’ve joined the Purple Void Realm, you can’t just leave the guild.” It was almost like he’d set a rule.

Meanwhile, Ye Yu was being questioned by his own friends.

“Third Brother, what’s going on? What do you mean you can’t just leave the guild? Why didn’t you say that to anyone else?”

Huang Hong put on a knowing look, and Ye Yu could only respond with a wry smile and a shake of his head.