Chapter 1084: Spoils of War

Spare me! Spare me!

Youdu Valley at night was far from peaceful, filled with piercing cries for mercy.

The elder in purple robes lay collapsed on the ground, his body covered in blood and mangled flesh. His cultivation and Dao wounds had been completely destroyed, and he stared in terror at Ye Chen and his companions. He was the only one still alive among the dozen or so who had pursued Ye Chen.

"Tell me, who is your master?" Ye Chen asked calmly, his expression so indifferent it was frightening.

"It's Yue Zhen," the elder in purple robes stammered fearfully.

"Yue Zhen?" Ye Chen narrowed his eyes, his thoughts racing. An image of an elder flashed in his mind—on the day he registered for the Youdu Alchemist selection, the person who had received him was Yue Zhen.

"I've told you everything. Spare me," the elder begged desperately, kowtowing wildly.

"I'm sorry, I can't." Ye Chen's tone remained calm. Without another word, he raised his killing sword, his eyes devoid of any pity, and ended the elder's life on the spot.

"So it's Yue Zhen." At his side, Hu Xian'er furrowed her delicate brows slightly.

"Do you know him?" Ye Chen sheathed his Chi Xiao Jian and turned to Hu Xian'er.

"In Youdu, few people don't know him." Hu Xian'er took a deep breath. "He's the disciple of Ku Yue Zhenren. As for Ku Yue Zhenren, you shouldn't be unfamiliar with him—he's the only seventh-tier alchemist in Youdu, with an exceedingly noble status. Even the head of the Zhuque Family shows him respect. As Ku Yue's disciple, Yue Zhen is no ordinary figure either."

"No matter who it is, anyone who schemes against me will pay in blood." Ye Chen's words were still calm.

"I advise you not to act too rashly." Hu Xian'er quickly warned him. "Yue Zhen isn't the one to fear—it's Ku Yue Zhenren. Take the Ninth Prince of the Zhuque Family, Ruo Tian Xuan Yu, as a bloody example. Legend has it that he accidentally injured one of Ku Yue's disciples, and Ku Yue held a grudge against him. As a result, he tampered with the pills offered to the prince, turning a great talent of the Zhuque Family—the most promising genius to surpass his predecessors—into a complete waste."

"So Ruo Tian Xuan Yu's misfortune is connected to Ku Yue? This is the first time I've heard of it." Ye Chen remarked thoughtfully. "Doesn't the Zhuque Family know about this? Are they just letting Ku Yue act so recklessly?"

"Everyone knows who harmed Ruo Tian Xuan Yu, but no one wants to say it out loud. It's all because Ku Yue's influence in Youdu is too vast—it's deeply entrenched in the upper echelons of the Zhuque Family. The Zhuque Family isn't unwilling to move against him; they simply can't. The reasons are complicated and intertwined."

"How surprising that a prestigious lineage like the Zhuque inheritance could be so constrained by a single alchemist." Ye Chen's words carried a hint of sarcasm.

"As an alchemist yourself, you should understand the role alchemists play in times of war." Hu Xian'er wiped the fresh blood from the corner of her mouth. "The Zhuque Ancient Star is constantly at war with the Qinglong Ancient Star. A seventh-tier alchemist like Ku Yue, along with the alchemists under his command, is equivalent to an army of a hundred thousand in many ways."

"The Qinglong Ancient Star?"

"The Qinglong Ancient Star is the ancient star closest to the Zhuque Ancient Star." Hu Xian'er explained slowly. "Its people are warlike and highly aggressive. In recent years, they've stirred up chaos in this star domain more than once, and the Zhuque Ancient Star has borne the brunt of it. To counter the Qinglong Ancient Star, the Zhuque Family needs a powerful ally like Ku Yue. It's a necessary measure, especially since over eighty percent of the Zhuque Family's pill supplies come from the Ling Dan Ge under Ku Yue's control."

"I see." Ye Chen murmured, beginning to understand the dilemma facing the Zhuque Family. On one side was their family prodigy, Ruo Tian Xuan Yu; on the other, their crucial supporter, Ku Yue Zhenren. After weighing the pros and cons, they had ultimately chosen the latter.

"However, Ku Yue's recklessness has indeed caused dissatisfaction in the Zhuque Family. They've started to realize that constant concessions only make them more vulnerable, so the Zhuque Family has begun to take action. This alchemist selection is a good sign of that."

"Oh?" Ye Chen raised an eyebrow and looked at Hu Xian'er curiously. "This alchemist selection is different?"

"Of course it is." Hu Xian'er replied. "In previous years, the alchemist selections were hosted by Ku Yue's disciples, but this time, it's being hosted by the Ninth Prince, Ruo Tian Xuan Yu. In a sense, this is a power shift—it's the Zhuque Family's tentative declaration of war against Ku Yue."

"In that case, that Ninth Prince is truly pitiful. His life has been full of hardships, yet he's still being used as a tool by the Zhuque Family." Ye Chen said thoughtfully.

"Used as a tool? What do you mean?" Hu Xian'er asked, puzzled as she looked at Ye Chen.

"Do you think the Ninth Prince, whose power has been completely stripped away, stands any chance against someone as deeply rooted as Ku Yue? Probably not even one percent. The Zhuque Family is using him to declare war on Ku Yue, clearly exploiting whatever value he has left. If the Ninth Prince wins, everything will be fine, but if he loses, the Zhuque Family can just push him out as a scapegoat. Win or lose, he's their shield. For the Zhuque Family, a fallen prince like him is no longer important—just a pitiful pawn in this power struggle."

"I see." Hu Xian'er suddenly understood, though she hadn't considered it that way before.

"Enough about Ku Yue and the Ninth Prince. Let me ask you about someone." Ye Chen changed the subject and turned to Hu Xian'er. "Does the Zhuque Family have a princess named Zi Ling? Have you seen her?"

"Yes, I've seen her." Hu Xian'er nodded.

"Come on, show me what she looks like." Ye Chen said hurriedly. Compared to the Ninth Prince and Ku Yue, he was more concerned about the reincarnated person.

Hu Xian'er didn't say anything. She took out a crystal stone and imprinted the image of Zi Ling from her memory into it, then handed it to Ye Chen.

Ye Chen took it but didn't crush it right away. Instead, he took a deep breath.

Ye Chen felt a touch of selfishness in his heart, hoping that Zi Ling was the reincarnation of someone he cared about deeply. Now that the truth was about to be revealed, he felt an inexplicable tension.

A couple of seconds later, Ye Chen gently applied pressure, shattering the memory crystal.

Then, a graceful figure appeared in his divine sea. It was a stunning woman in green robes with purple hair, like an immortal descended to earth—pure and flawless, untouched by the mundane world.

"It's her." Ye Chen paused, staring in a daze, as if recalling events from many years ago.

Seeing Ye Chen lost in thought, Hu Xian'er pursed her lips, feeling an unexplained twinge of jealousy.

That night, she seemed different. Ever since escaping with her life, she hadn't shown her seductive demeanor in front of Ye Chen. Instead, she appeared somewhat reserved, avoiding direct eye contact with his eyes for most of the time.

The valley fell into a long silence because of Ye Chen's distraction.

Sometime later, a divine rainbow streaked across the sky and landed in the valley. Upon closer inspection, it was Fan Tong.

"Oh man, you had me searching everywhere!"

Fan Tong landed with a sleazy grin, rubbing his hands as he approached with a chuckle.

"How dare you come back!"

Hu Xian'er stepped forward and slapped Fan Tong to the ground. Remembering what happened in the forest, she was furious. She'd shouted for help until her voice was hoarse, but he never came back. They were supposed to be a team searching for treasure, yet when trouble hit, he ran faster than anyone.

Ye Chen, still lost in thought, was snapped back to reality.

"You son of a..."

Seeing it was Fan Tong, Ye Chen rolled up his sleeves and started kicking him without a word, his face twisted in anger.

The little eagle was also enraged and pounced, aiming straight for Fan Tong's crotch in a particularly vicious move.

"Ugh!"

Fan Tong grunted in pain, tears streaming down his face. Compared to Ye Chen and Hu Xian'er, the little eagle's attack was the most agonizing.

It wasn't until some time later that the valley grew quiet again.

Fan Tong lay sprawled on the ground in a spread-eagle position, beaten by Hu Xian'er and Ye Chen until he barely recognized his own mother.

"Here, this is yours!"

Ignoring Fan Tong completely, Ye Chen began dividing the spoils.

He pulled out the earth spirit vein and handed one-sixth of it to Hu Xian'er.

Hu Xian'er didn't object and accepted it gratefully. She hadn't expected Ye Chen to share it with her, especially since, with his strength, he could have killed her and Fan Tong to keep it all for himself.

"You jerk, this is yours!"

Ye Chen swung his sword again and tossed one-sixth of the earth spirit vein to Fan Tong. Though Fan Tong hadn't been reliable in helping his teammates, he was the one who had discovered it, after all.

Giving Fan Tong one-sixth was already generous.

For a moment, Ye Chen had considered killing them and taking the entire earth spirit vein, but he ultimately dismissed the idea. He still wanted to leave a shred of hope in this brutal world.

"Little eagle, this is yours!"

Ye Chen swung his sword once more and gave half of the remaining earth spirit vein to the little eagle.

The little eagle didn't refuse. The earth spirit vein was different from the phoenix blood—it didn't conflict with any bloodline or cause backlash. It was a heavenly treasure that would bring immense fortune when consumed.

With the spoils divided, Ye Chen set up a large pot and started stewing meat soup.

Hu Xian'er and Fan Tong gathered around.

Compared to Hu Xian'er, Fan Tong's face remained dark the whole time—it was unclear if it was from the beating or because Ye Chen had only given him one-sixth of the earth spirit vein.

However, once he learned about what Ye Chen and Hu Xian'er had gone through, he quickly turned into a meek little lamb.

Is he really only at the Tianjing second level?

Fan Tong stole glances at Ye Chen more than once, still in disbelief.

Killing two quasi-emperors with just two strikes—Ye Chen's power left Fan Tong in shock. The more he thought about it, the colder his spine felt. If Ye Chen had decided to kill and rob them, he probably wouldn't have escaped. Getting a share of the earth spirit vein was already an act of mercy.

Ye Chen ignored Fan Tong's stares.

He was now holding over a dozen storage bags—these belonged to the people he had killed earlier.

Counting them, it was quite a fortune—enough for him to buy a house in Youdu's third heaven.

He had no intention of sharing this wealth with Hu Xian'er or that jerk Fan Tong, since he was the one who had done most of the work. The biggest effort deserved the biggest reward.

Time to head home!

As dawn broke, the three of them got up and set off toward Youdu.