Chapter 1116: A Grand Scheme

After Mu Wanqing left, Ye Chen once again fixed his gaze on Mu Xuan'gong's Yuan Shen.

For some reason, the curse seal within Mu Xuan'gong's body felt incredibly familiar to him, or perhaps this ancient curse seal was similar to the Taixu curse seal that Yin Zhiping had planted in the Hengyue disciples' bodies years ago.

This was no joking matter!

As he looked, Ye Chen murmured to himself. Its similarity to the Taixu curse seal meant the implications were far-reaching.

After a short while, a middle-aged man entered the bamboo grove. His Qi and blood surged powerfully, his eyes were deep and wise, and his steps were like those of a dragon or tiger, carrying the authority of a superior. He was the Mu family Saint Lord and Mu Wanqing's father: Mu Zhongtian.

Mu Zhongtian entered and bowed to Mu Xuan'gong before turning his gaze to Ye Chen.

However, with his cultivation at the ninth level of the Emperor Realm, he could not see through Ye Chen's true appearance. This piqued his curiosity about Ye Chen's identity. Anyone who could meet their Mu family's ancestor must be no ordinary person.

"Young friend!"

Mu Xuan'gong spoke, looking at Ye Chen.

Ye Chen understood and subtly activated his Xianlun Eye, focusing on Mu Zhongtian. Through his physical body, he examined Mu Zhongtian's Yuan Shen.

Mu Zhongtian felt puzzled but did not ask.

Meanwhile, Mu Wanqing, standing to the side, clenched her jade hands tightly, her expression tense, and a sense of unease stirred in her heart.

By now, Ye Chen, who was examining Mu Zhongtian's Yuan Shen, had furrowed his brow.

Deep within Mu Zhongtian's Yuan Shen, he found the same ancient witch curse as in Mu Xuan'gong's. Without his Six Paths Xianlun Eye and such careful scrutiny, he might not have detected that invisible curse.

After three to five seconds, Ye Chen withdrew his gaze.

"You may go back!"

Mu Xuan'gong waved his hand at Mu Zhongtian, leaving him bewildered. He had no idea what his father and the black-robed Ye Chen were up to, calling him here in the middle of the night just to look at him?

Awkwardly clearing his throat, Mu Zhongtian turned and left the bamboo grove, but not before glancing back at Ye Chen.

"What do you think?"

As soon as Mu Zhongtian departed, Mu Wanqing hurriedly stepped forward, her expression anxious as she looked at Ye Chen. Mu Xuan'gong did the same, staring straight at Ye Chen, hoping for a clear answer.

"Senior Mu has an ancient curse seal in his body," Ye Chen said, taking a deep breath. "Judging by the curse's age, it's nearly four hundred years old."

"Ku Yue, you've gone too far!" Mu Xuan'gong said coldly, his eyes flashing with murderous intent. Four hundred years ago, he had indeed sought a pill from Ku Yue, and the timing matched perfectly.

"Both the Mu family ancestor and the Saint Lord have curse seals, and the other eight great families of Youdu likely do as well. Ku Yue's game is even bigger than we imagined!" Ye Chen said with a sigh. "What worries me now is whether the Zhuque family ancestor also has a curse seal from Ku Yue."

At these words, Mu Xuan'gong was instantly alarmed. If even Ruotian Zhuque had an ancient witch curse, then Youdu would be finished.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's take down Ku Yue," Mu Wanqing said immediately.

"I will go to Youdu's main city right now," Mu Xuan'gong said, suddenly rising to his feet.

"Senior, please hold on," Ye Chen stopped Mu Xuan'gong. "Ku Yue must be dealt with, but there are still too many things we haven't figured out. If we push too hard, he might go down fighting, and the consequences would be unthinkable."

"In that case, I was too rash," Mu Xuan'gong admitted.

"Ye Chen, can you tell where this ancient witch curse comes from?" Mu Wanqing asked, looking at him with hope.

"It's about eighty to ninety percent certain," Ye Chen said slowly. "This curse seal consists of a main curse and a sub-curse. The one in Senior Mu's body is the sub-curse, while Ku Yue has the main curse. The vicious part is that if the person with the main curse dies, then everyone with the sub-curse will have their souls scattered."

"That's so domineering?"

"I need to see Ku Yue in person to make a final judgment," Ye Chen pondered. "Before that, we must not act rashly against him. He's a madman—if he dies, who knows how many people will go down with him."

"If you hadn't come today, Senior, I wouldn't have realized Ku Yue had such a shocking scheme."

"Senior, there's no need to worry too much," Ye Chen said with a slight smile. "Now that we've discovered it, we can find a way to counter it. As for Ku Yue, as long as we don't push him too far, Youdu will remain safe for now."

"Ah!" Mu Xuan'gong sighed. "A grand place like Youdu and the vast Zhuque, held in check by one person—it's truly laughable!"

"We'll handle whatever comes our way. For now, let me heal your Dao injuries, Senior." Ye Chen once again channeled Heavenly Thunder into Mu Xuan'gong's body. "If you can attract the Quasi-Saint heavenly tribulation as divine punishment, it might even erase that ancient witch curse—that would be a bonus."

"Will this alert them?"

"Even if it does, it's fine," Ye Chen smiled. "If the heavenly tribulation erases the ancient curse seal, Ku Yue won't suspect you've discovered it. To him, it would just be a coincidence."

"That's even better."

Mu Xuan'gong smiled, marveling at the young man before him. This Tianjing junior was more impressive than he had imagined—unmoving like a mountain, his true intentions inscrutable. Such composure was rare among his peers.

With a contented smile, Mu Xuan'gong gently closed his eyes, allowing Ye Chen to manipulate the Heavenly Thunder to heal his Dao injuries.

Ye Chen's expression was calm as he carefully controlled the Heavenly Thunder.

Mu Xuan'gong's Dao injuries had accumulated for centuries, making them extremely stubborn. The terrifying crack on his Yuan Shen healed at a painfully slow rate. To avoid damaging Mu Xuan'gong's foundation, he had to be extra cautious.

This was a lengthy process.

Day and night alternated, the sun and moon cycled, and three days passed quietly.

On the fourth night, Ye Chen infused Immortal Fire into the Heavenly Thunder. While healing Mu Xuan'gong's Dao injuries, he also tempered his Yuan Shen and physical body.

As the injuries gradually improved and his Yuan Shen and body were refined, Mu Xuan'gong's aged, pallid face gained a healthy flush, losing its sickly pallor. Even his waning Qi and vitality began to revive.

Seeing this, Mu Wanqing was overjoyed, once again amazed by Ye Chen's skills. The Dao injuries that had plagued her ancestor for centuries were being resolved so effortlessly in his hands.

"Pills!"

In her excitement, Ye Chen spoke calmly.

At his words, Mu Wanqing waved her hand to produce the prepared pills, which she crushed and integrated into Mu Xuan'gong's body—one by one, all spirit medicines that nourished the Yuan Shen.

Ye Chen and Mu Wanqing worked in sync: one controlling the Heavenly Thunder and Immortal Fire, the other administering the spirit pills. Mu Xuan'gong was like an ancient tree rebirth from decay, growing leaves in its nirvana.

What followed was a long period of silence.

During this time, Mu Zhongtian and several Mu family elders visited a few times, but Mu Wanqing turned them away at the bamboo grove's edge. The Mu family leadership might include forces infiltrated by Ku Yue, so the fewer who knew about healing the Dao injuries, the better.

It wasn't until the ninth night that Ye Chen finally exhaled deeply and slowly withdrew the Heavenly Thunder and Immortal Fire.

Mu Wanqing rushed forward but was stopped by Ye Chen.

Mu Xuan'gong sat cross-legged with his eyes closed, like an old monk in meditation. Divine light enveloped his entire body, intertwined with various visions. Though in his twilight years, his blood energy surged like a vast ocean, exuding the formidable pressure of an Emperor Realm peak.

"That's another good deed done." Ye Chen wiped the sweat from his brow and sat down on the ground, pulling out a wine flask from his robe.

"You've helped my Mu family again."

"And three favors owed—keep track," Ye Chen said, holding up three fingers straightforwardly.

"Got it, all noted," Mu Wanqing chirped, though in good spirits.

"Hey, let me ask you something," Ye Chen said with a grin, looking at Mu Wanqing.

"Go ahead." Mu Wanqing sat down as well.

"Have you and that jerk Xie Yun slept together?"

"You're not supposed to be that direct."

"I was just curious—hmm?" Ye Chen's words trailed off as he suddenly turned to Mu Xuan'gong. His aura was surging rapidly, approaching a peak.

"He's about to break through." Mu Wanqing, who had just sat down, jumped to her feet.

"The heavenly tribulation suppressed by his Dao injuries is indeed building up for a big breakthrough." Ye Chen stood up too, smiling.

"Break!"

As soon as Ye Chen finished speaking, Mu Xuan'gong shouted lightly. His blood energy instantly roiled like waves, vast as the sea, and the powerful pressure made the entire bamboo grove freeze.

Boom!

The quiet night was shattered by a sudden thunderous boom that echoed across the entire Zhuque Star.

Quasi-Saint!

In Youdu's Ninth Heaven, Ruotian Zhuque suddenly stood up, staring in astonishment at a distant point, as if he could see through countless miles to Mu Xuan'gong's figure. "With Dao injuries, how could he still advance?"

Impossible!

In Youdu's Eighth Heaven, Ku Yue stood atop a mountain, narrowing his eyes as he stared toward the Mu family city. "Mu Xuan'gong, with Dao injuries, you've advanced to Quasi-Saint? I've underestimated you. It seems I need to give you another pill. Even as a Quasi-Saint, you won't escape my grasp."

Mu Xuan'gong, you're something else!

The other eight great families of Youdu saw aged figures ascending to the skies, all ancestor-level figures. Without exception, their gazes were fixed on the Mu family direction, their expressions a mix of surprise and envy. They were all at the Emperor Realm peak without Dao injuries, yet they had never found a breakthrough opportunity. But Mu Xuan'gong, burdened with injuries, had defied the heavens to advance.

Quasi-Saint! Someone has advanced to Quasi-Saint!

Everyone in Youdu looked up in that direction, their emotions stirred with excitement and awe.

Quasi-Saint! Quasi-Saint!

The most excited were the Mu family members. They never expected their ancestor, suppressed by Dao injuries, to break through against all odds. This was a great fortune—gaining a Quasi-Saint meant the Mu family would rise to new heights.

The Quasi-Saint tribulation?

On an ancient star far from Zhuque Star, two old men suddenly rose, staring intently at Zhuque Star's direction.

These two were no ordinary figures: the two great ancestors of Qinglong Star, both Quasi-Saint level cultivators. In the Tianyuan Star Domain, they were known as the Qinglong Twin Kings—one the Tianlong King, the other the Dilong King.

"Who on Zhuque Star has broken through to Quasi-Saint?" Dilong King's face darkened.

"No matter who it is, they must die." Tianlong King snorted coldly. "Summon Yin Shi Wang and inform him that Qinglong Star agrees to his conditions. Make sure he comes tonight—we cannot let that person on Zhuque Star succeed in their tribulation."