Chapter 1354: Embarrassing Indeed

"Wu Lei Zhi Cheng?" Hearing those four words, Ye Chen suddenly turned his head. His eyes, filled with excitement, looked at Mo Yuan. His gaze sparkled with brilliant divine light. "Senior, have you seen Wu Lei Zhi Cheng?"

"About several decades ago, I came across it by chance," Mo Yuan said slowly, recounting the ancient events. "At first, I didn't realize it was Wu Lei Zhi Cheng. A fairy descended from the misty void, as if she were searching for something. I merely glanced at her once and was met with calamity."

"Several decades ago," Ye Chen furrowed his brows slightly. The ancestor of the Ji family had also seen Wu Lei Zhi Cheng, which was over a hundred years ago, differing by about a century from what Mo Yuan had witnessed.

"Speaking of that fairy, now that I think back, she seems somewhat familiar," Mo Yuan continued.

"I beg your pardon, Senior, but please take a look—is it the person in this portrait?" Ye Chen hurriedly pulled out a scroll and hung it in front of Mo Yuan. The figure on the scroll was, needless to say, Chu Xuan, also known as Chu Ling.

"It's undoubtedly her," Mo Yuan recognized her at a single glance, his tone extremely certain. "The divine pattern on her forehead is quite distinctive, like a teardrop. I still remember it vividly."

"Senior, do you know what she was searching for?"

"I don't know."

"Why wasn't it me she encountered?" Ye Chen's gaze dimmed slightly, his fists clenched tightly.

"If I'm not mistaken, the woman in the portrait should be the peak master of Jade Maiden Peak in Heng Yue Zong," Mo Yuan stroked his beard, still examining the scroll up and down, as if recalling something.

"I'm baffled— you're both part of the Great Chu expeditionary force, and you never met Chu Ling'er?" Xiao Ling Wa glanced at Mo Yuan. "As a divine general of the Sheng Dian, your memory is terribly poor!"

"The years have passed too long," Mo Yuan shook his head with a smile. "Perhaps I've truly become senile."

"Let's not discuss Wu Lei Zhi Cheng for now. First, I'll treat your injuries, Senior," Ye Chen forced a smile, slowly putting away the scroll and collecting his thoughts. He summoned his Xian Huo, Tian Lei, and the essence of his Sheng Ti.

Mo Yuan cooperated, sitting cross-legged on the cloud, gently closing his eyes and guarding his Yuan Shen heart platform.

Ye Chen took action, enveloping Mo Yuan's divine sea with Xian Huo and covering his Yuan Shen with Tian Lei. He used both Xian Huo and Tian Lei to refine the Yuan Shen simultaneously, employing the essence of his Sheng Ti to heal the wounds on the Yuan Shen.

Soon, muffled grunts echoed. Mo Yuan's expression turned pained, his divine sea rumbling as if his head might explode.

For some reason, Ye Chen wasn't quite in form today. Although he was treating Mo Yuan's injuries, his mind was distracted, lost in thoughts of Chu Xuan and Chu Ling, causing his performance to falter. He left Mo Yuan suffering terribly, yet amusingly, he was completely unaware, immersed in his reverie.

Mo Yuan endured it stoically, knowing full well what Ye Chen was thinking and understanding his connection to Chu Ling and Chu Xuan, so he refrained from interrupting and silently bore the pain, his mind growing hazy from the torment.

Hao Tian Xuan Zhen, watching from the side, couldn't stand it any longer and lightly coughed, but it didn't snap Ye Chen out of it.

Xiao Ling Wa took a more direct approach, stepping forward and delivering a fierce blow. "Hey, take it easy! Are you trying to blow him up?"

Ye Chen was finally jolted awake. Seeing Mo Yuan's face twisted in agony, he couldn't help but give an awkward laugh, forcibly suppressing his thoughts and focusing solely on healing Mo Yuan's hidden Yuan Shen injuries.

With his full attention, Mo Yuan's pained expression eased considerably, and he slowly closed his eyes again.

The small garden fell into tranquility, broken only by the rhythmic crunching of Xiao Ling Wa munching on Yuan Shi stones.

As for Hao Tian Xuan Zhen, with nothing to do, he pulled out his wine flask, found a comfortable spot, and sipped the turbid spirits while gazing up at the vast starry sky, seemingly homesick.

Huh?

After some time, the garden's peace was shattered by Ye Chen's soft exclamation.

At the sound, whether it was Xiao Ling Wa chewing on Yuan Shi, Hao Tian Xuan Zhen drinking, or Mo Yuan sitting cross-legged, they all turned with looks of surprise, even Mo Yuan opening his eyes.

Ye Chen had already activated his Six Paths Xian Yan, fixing his gaze on a certain direction. His eyes burned like divine torches, as if he could see through the numerous halls and pavilions to the figure that had just entered Dong Tian Gu Cheng.

It was a burly man, over three zhang tall, with bare arms and muscles like coiling dragons, brimming with explosive power. Perhaps due to his incredibly strong physique, lightning crackled across his body. His Qi and blood were overwhelmingly dominant, like a primordial barbaric dragon.

Ye Chen smiled, not needing to calculate to know that this burly fellow was a reincarnated person from Great Chu—someone he was fairly familiar with: the big guy from Xi Ling Ba Shu, Man Shan.

As Ye Chen watched, Man Shan happened to twist his head and look back, as if sensing someone spying on him, and as if he could see through the halls and pavilions to Ye Chen here.

"What are you staring at?"

That remark left Ye Chen feeling quite awkward—he had underestimated Man Shan's perception; he could actually detect it.

In the next instant, Man Shan's body was enveloped in a layer of radiant divine light, a profoundly mysterious secret technique that instantly concealed his aura and blocked Ye Chen's Xian Yan from peering further.

Ye Chen rubbed his eyes, dazzled by the brilliant divine light on Man Shan's body, seeing stars everywhere.

Like him, Hao Tian Xuan Zhen, Mo Yuan, and Xiao Ling Wa were all rubbing their eyes—they had used secret techniques to observe Man Shan and got flashed by his divine light. "Truly embarrassing."

As the four rubbed their eyes, a domineering roar echoed through the quiet night: "What are you all staring at?"

Then came a thunderous boom, making the entire Dong Tian Gu Cheng tremble as buildings collapsed in droves, debris and dust flying everywhere, with disheveled cultivators scattered among the ruins.

Looking closely, it was Man Shan causing the chaos, swinging a massive wolf-tooth club and battling fiercely with the experts from Tai Qing Gong. As a Quasi-Saint, he was beating nine Saints from Tai Qing Gong so badly they couldn't lift their heads, leaving onlookers from all sides gaping in astonishment.

Ye Chen and the others had already flown out of the small garden, heading straight toward the scene, clueless as to why Man Shan was fighting Tai Qing Gong.

During this time, Xiao Ling Wa summoned a divine talisman, drawing Mo Yuan and Hao Tian Xuan Zhen into it to keep them safe, in case a major battle erupted— their strength was too weak to avoid getting caught in the crossfire.

By the time the two arrived, the area was already a wreck, the landscape scarred and desolate when viewed from above.

The experts from Tai Qing Gong hidden in Dong Tian Gu Cheng had all emerged, a formidable force: nine Saints, eighteen Quasi-Saints, and over a hundred peak Huang Jing experts, surrounding Man Shan with sky-piercing killing intent.

As for Man Shan, he hefted his wolf-tooth club, his body erupting with divine light and thunder, his Qi and blood surging with mountainous pressure, his eyes gleaming fiercely, making it hard for anyone to meet his gaze.

"Lei Dong, provoking Tai Qing Gong like this—is it a death wish?" One of Tai Qing Gong's Saints roared in anger, his face twisted like a demon, grinding his teeth as he glared at Man Shan, with the other Tai Qing Gong experts doing the same.

"Go to hell with your Tai Qing Gong," Man Shan cursed loudly, his voice like thunder. "You bunch of bastards, first scheming against me and then hunting me down—I'm furious, and this time I'm here to settle the score."

"Very well, excellent." The Tai Qing Gong Saint laughed in rage and suddenly swung his sword. "Kill him for me."

"How dare you threaten me." Man Shan sprang into action. Though massive, his movements were elusive; he vanished in an instant and reappeared right in front of that Tai Qing Gong Saint, saying nothing as he swung his club and sent him flying with a single blow, straightforward and brutal with no fancy techniques.

At the sight, the remaining eight Saints, eighteen Quasi-Saints, and over a hundred Huang Jing experts all swarmed forward, unleashing sword beams, palm strikes, and magical weapons, all bearing down on Man Shan. The sky collapsed on the spot, turning into a chaotic realm riddled with spatial cracks.

Man Shan was no pushover either, swinging his wolf-tooth club with devastating force. The Tai Qing Gong experts rushing at him were sent flying in waves, with the Huang Jing ones dropping dead on the spot.

The spectators were stunned, murmuring in awe: "Where did this fierce brute come from?"

"Nine Saints, eighteen Quasi-Saints, and over a hundred peak Huang Jing experts, yet he's beating them all over the sky as a mere Quasi-Saint." Someone pondered aloud. "Just based on combat power, he rivals the Sheng Ti."

"What's going on with Tai Qing Gong these days? First the Sheng Ti, then that wretched donkey, and now this big guy," another stroked his beard. "Tai Qing Gong has quite a few enemies!"

"Who can blame them?" Many others sneered. "It's all because Tai Qing Gong is so arrogant and overbearing."

"Can you tell what bloodline Man Shan has?" Amid the discussions, Ye Chen glanced at Xiao Ling Wa beside him.

"It's definitely the Man Zu bloodline," Xiao Ling Wa rubbed his chin. "But there's another incredibly dominant power hidden within him. I'd guess it's the Bao Long bloodline."

"Bao Long?" Ye Chen raised an eyebrow.

"It's also a type of dragon clan," Xiao Ling Wa said leisurely. "Its status in the dragon clan is second only to Tai Xu Gu Long and Ba Wang Long. Though it hasn't produced a Great Emperor, it's one of the top vassal races. Bao Long have extremely strong physiques, on par with Sheng Ti's, and any one of them is extraordinarily formidable."

"No wonder," Ye Chen sighed in admiration, looking back at Man Shan. That guy's physical body was indeed powerful, withstanding weapons and attacks head-on like an indestructible shield.

"Say, should we lend a hand?" Xiao Ling Wa asked, not forgetting to pop another Yuan Shi into his mouth.

"Better to act before things change," Ye Chen stepped forward and charged into the battle, splitting a Quasi-Saint in half with his sword. His Qi and blood rolled like a torrent, his momentum surpassing even Man Shan's, making the surrounding sky rumble.

"The Huang Gu Sheng Ti?" The onlookers were instantly shocked, and Man Shan himself raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"He's actually in Dong Tian Gu Cheng too." The Tai Qing Gong experts were greatly alarmed, their hearts trembling with fear. Just dealing with Man Shan was trouble enough, let alone adding the Sheng Ti—this was unwinnable.

"Retreat!" The Tai Qing Gong Saint immediately ordered. They knew all too well how ferocious the Sheng Ti was.

"Where do you think you're going?" As the Tai Qing Gong experts tried to flee, Xiao Ling Wa pounced, transforming into a Ba Wang Long. Though only the size of a wine jar, it was overwhelmingly dominant, tearing a Quasi-Saint apart on the spot.

"A Ba Wang Long?" The spectators were shocked again, staring in disbelief at Xiao Ling Wa. "Am I seeing this right? Is that the legendary Ba Wang Long, on par with Tai Xu Gu Long?"

"I like this little dragon cub." Man Shan gave Xiao Ling Wa a once-over, clearly approving.