Chapter 1367: The Seven Sons of Donghua

"Hmm, that's it. Take him back and study him properly." Amidst the strange looks from everyone, the small old man finally stopped his wandering and darted over to Ye Chen like an old acquaintance. Without a word, he grabbed Ye Chen's hand and started walking off, as if Ye Chen belonged to him.

Ye Chen, being pulled along, scratched his head in confusion. "Am I losing my mind here?"

"How dare you!" Taiqing Shenzi jumped out as the small old man tried to drag Ye Chen away. "Where did this dwarf come from? How dare you snatch someone from Taiqing Palace? Are you tired of living?"

"Fellow Daoist, let him go, and we'll have no trouble." Taiqing Shenzi's stern words also roused the three great saints, their ethereal voices echoing through the heavens. Their tone wasn't overly aggressive, as if they had already sensed the small old man's extraordinary power—likely on the same level as them.

"Come here, you three." The small old man waved his hand, and with that single sentence, the three great saints in the void sky felt a sudden blur before their eyes. In an instant, they reappeared at his side.

"Shifting heaven and earth!" The three great saints were shocked, and so were all the onlookers. Such a casual manipulation of space was an incredible divine ability. Compared to them, Ye Chen remained calm; with his Xian Yan, he could see the small old man's cultivation level clearly—the methods of a Zhun Di were truly domineering.

"We didn't realize a senior had arrived; this junior has been disrespectful." The three great saints quickly backed down, bowing hastily with the politeness of juniors, leaving everyone else stunned. What kind of cultivation could make even three great saints call someone a senior? Perhaps a legendary Zhun Di?

"We didn't realize a senior had arrived; this junior has been disrespectful." The experts from the three factions also bowed in unison. If even the great saints referred to him as a senior, who were they to do otherwise? Taiqing Shenzi, in particular, was nearly scared to tears, his body shaking uncontrollably as a chill ran through him.

"Do you see that mountain over there?" The small old man spoke up, floating in mid-air with one hand on the shoulder of the Taiqing Palace great saint and the other pointing toward a majestic peak in the distance.

"Of-of course we can see it." The three great saints wiped away their cold sweat.

"Then go play over there!" The small old man waved his hand, and in the next moment, the three great saints who had been at his side were sent flying through the sky like three divine rainbows, hurtling straight toward the distant mountain. They traced three elegant arcs in the air.

"Wow!" Not just Ye Chen, but everyone present tilted their heads up, their eyes following the path of the three great saints. The sight was impressively domineering.

Soon, a rumbling noise erupted from that direction, shaking the entire realm with a buzzing tremor.

Even from far away, the onlookers could still make out the scene: the three powerful great saints were firmly embedded in the mountain's rock wall, forming three neat characters.

Everyone couldn't help but swallow hard. Those were three great saints, after all! Yet they had been swatted away with a single palm, so effortlessly that it made people question reality.

In the next instant, everyone on site bowed deeply once more to the small old man. Anyone who could slap three great saints away like that had to be at the Zhun Di level!

Hmm!

The small old man stroked his mustache and shuffled along with his short steps, pulling Ye Chen and vanishing into the void sky.

Long after he left, the heavens remained eerily silent, especially among the experts from the three factions. They were all drenched in cold sweat, their bodies trembling stiffly, their faces pale as death. No one could speak.

Just moments before, they had felt like they were brushing against the gates of the underworld, as if the grim reaper was smiling and beckoning them with a spine-chilling grin.

It wasn't until some time later that people began to snap out of it, collapsing to the ground as if drained of all energy. Many had been so frightened that they wet themselves—it wasn't an exaggeration; it really happened.

"I told you, that kid has heavenly protection." Watching the scattered figures on the ground, Xiao Lingwa and the others had already slipped away arm in arm. "Good thing we didn't charge in recklessly earlier."

"By my estimate, the three factions' bounty on us should be lifted now." Man Shan grinned.

"What I'm curious about is the relationship between that Zhun Di senior and Junior Brother Ye Chen." Liu Yi pondered. "Is it possible he took an interest in the Desolate Ancient Saint Body bloodline and came to claim him?"

"A Zhun Di wouldn't be that shameless, right?" Man Shan scratched his head.

"Trust me, Ye Chen will be absolutely fine." Xiao Lingwa shook his head thoughtfully, his words laced with deeper meaning.

Meanwhile, Ye Chen was being whisked away by the small old man, constantly crossing through the void sky. The mountains and rivers blurred past his eyes, and the injuries he had sustained earlier were healed by the small old man's powerful techniques.

Ye Chen couldn't help but glance at the small old man beside him repeatedly, sighing in amazement. People really couldn't be judged by appearances—this short old man, barely over a meter tall, was actually a Zhun Di. In this wondrous world, who could he even complain to?

Still, his curiosity remained unresolved: why had this small old man saved him? He had no memory of such a person, and the old man was incredibly powerful.

As for the small old man, he seemed completely at ease, sitting cross-legged on a purple gold gourd, hugging a wine gourd and sipping liquor while humming a tune, as carefree as could be.

"He's Chi Yangzi." After a long silence, Ruotian Vermilion Bird's voice echoed from the Chaos Cauldron to Ye Chen, as if he recognized the small old man and knew his background.

"Chi Yangzi? Who's that?" Ye Chen asked quickly, surprised that Ruotian Vermilion Bird knew.

"Have you ever heard of the Donghua Qizi?"

"Nope." Ye Chen thought for a couple of seconds and shook his head helplessly; he really hadn't.

"Taixu Zi, Xiaoyao Zi, Wuji Zi, Tianchen Zi, Xuanzhen Zi, Yunxiao Zi, and Chi Yangzi—these are the Donghua Qizi, renowned across the Xuan Huang Dalu. And this old man next to you is Chi Yangzi, ranked seventh among them."

"If the seventh is this impressive, the first must be terrifying." Ye Chen felt a shiver in his heart. "Probably on par with the Sword God—someone only a great emperor could suppress."

"The Donghua lineage has an extremely ancient inheritance, said to descend from the nine divine generals under the Donghua Empress."

"The Donghua Empress?" Ye Chen stroked his chin and glanced at the small old man in front of him. He was starting to understand why the old man had saved him—it was likely due to the Donghua Empress's connection to Di Huang. All Saint Bodies had ties to Di Huang, which explained it.

"Legend has it that those nine divine generals once joined forces to severely wound an emperor-level expert." Ruotian Vermilion Bird spoke softly. "Now, it seems that wounded emperor-level expert must have been from the Heavenly Demon Realm."

"Wounding an emperor-level expert—that's quite a glorious feat." Ye Chen couldn't help but click his tongue.

"It's nothing compared to you."

"You know, you're right about that."

"Boy, what's your connection to Liu Dao?" While they were talking, Chi Yangzi, who had been drinking, slowly turned around. His bleary eyes sharpened as he looked at Ye Chen, his gaze subtly sweeping over the Xuan Cang Jade Ring on Ye Chen's right finger.

"Liu Dao?" Ye Chen raised an eyebrow, recalling why Chi Yangzi had rushed to him earlier—he must have mistaken him for Liu Dao. And he was certain Liu Dao had beaten Chi Yangzi before, leaving a deep scar, or else he wouldn't have scared him so badly.

"I'm asking you." Chi Yangzi kept staring at Ye Chen, waiting for a clear answer.

"He's my ancestor."

"No wonder." Chi Yangzi muttered to himself. "No wonder you two look exactly alike."

"My ancestor wanders the world and might come to see me in a few days. He's not the friendliest." Ye Chen made up the story on the spot, straightening his posture to intimidate Chi Yangzi and ward off any ill intentions.

"He's coming again?" Chi Yangzi shuddered, feeling uneasy all over, especially on his face.

"Success." Ye Chen thought to himself with a smirk; Liu Dao's name was still effective.

"Enough about your ancestor Liu Dao. Let's talk about your Six Paths Xian Yan—where did it come from?" Chi Yangzi gathered his thoughts and fixed his gaze on Ye Chen again, lingering a bit longer on his left eye.

"What Xian Yan? I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't lie—I can see it. Why is Taixu Zi's Xian Yan with you?"

"Taixu Zi?" Ye Chen was stunned and, after a couple of seconds, tentatively asked Chi Yangzi, "Dare I ask, senior, is the Taixu Zi you mean the one named Jiang Taixu?"