Chapter 1391: Appearances Can Be Deceiving

Qi Wang continued his introductions, pointing to an elderly gentleman with an air of immortality about him. "That's Jiu Xiao Zhenren. He's incredibly talented, the youngest quasi-emperor on Xuan Huang Continent today."

Ye Chen looked up at him. The old man had a dignified presence, tall and slender, like a scholar, exuding a calm and gentle aura without any trace of malice. He resembled a kind grandfather.

"He's only three thousand years old. That's young enough, right!" Qi Wang grabbed another pantao and stuffed it into his pocket.

"Xuan Huang truly has talents emerging everywhere!" Even Ye Chen, with his usual composure, couldn't help but sigh. At three thousand years old, he was already a quasi-emperor. If this continued, he might even become an emperor one day without anyone noticing.

"Hey, little donkey, bring your wine over here." As they were talking, an untimely voice rang out from the jade stone table next to them. A disheveled drunkard sat there, completely intoxicated, occasionally letting out a few burps.

"Hey!" Qi Wang wasn't having it. He squinted at the drunkard. "You're asking us for wine and being so arrogant about it? I've been on Xuan Huang for a hundred years and never seen anyone like you."

"He's a quasi-emperor level expert, and a top-tier one at that," Ye Chen sent a message to Qi Wang.

"Come on, sir, have a drink." Qi Wang's expression changed in an instant. He hurried over with the wine jug, pouring a full cup for the drunkard, laughing obsequiously and looking as meek as possible.

The drunkard completely ignored Qi Wang's flattery, focusing only on hugging the wine jug and drinking. He didn't touch the pantao on the table, but he went through one jug of wine after another.

Compared to Qi Wang, Ye Chen was much more composed. With his Six Paths Immortal Wheel Eyes, he had already sensed the drunkard's cultivation when they sat down, so he just played it cool and went with the flow.

Ye Chen knew full well that this drunkard was far more terrifying than Jiu Xiao Zhenren. Quasi-emperors varied in strength, and though both were at that level, the gap between them was enormous.

"People can't be judged by their appearance!" Ye Chen kept a straight face, but inside, he was sighing. Who would have thought that a drunkard obsessed with alcohol was actually a fearsome quasi-emperor?

"He's Zui Jian Xian," perhaps sensing Ye Chen's curiosity, Ji Ning Shuang sent him a message.

"His dao title is Zui Jian Xian. Does he have any connection to the Zhutian Sword God?"

"He's the Sword God's senior brother." Ji Ning Shuang smiled lightly. "The Emperor Zun had only two disciples in his life—one is the Zhutian Sword God, and the other is Zui Jian Xian. Both are myths across the myriad domains."

"I really missed that," Ye Chen glanced subtly at the drunkard, Zui Jian Xian. As the senior brother of a heavenly myth and a disciple of the Xianwu Emperor Zun, either title alone could shock the world. This was a true powerhouse, a legendary figure.

"Don't mess with him. He has a bad temper," Ji Ning Shuang offered a friendly reminder.

"Let me ask you something," Ye Chen turned to Ji Ning Shuang in the distance. "Do you know what the Xianwu Emperor Zun looks like? Or does Yao Chi Holy Land have any portraits of the Emperor Zun?"

"Only the Sword God and Zui Jian Xian have seen the Emperor Zun's true face," Ji Ning Shuang spoke slowly. "Legend has it that from the day he started cultivating, the Emperor Zun always wore a mask, even after ascending to the emperor position."

"That's a real shame," Ye Chen murmured to himself, then looked at Zui Jian Xian again.

As a disciple of the Emperor Zun, he must have seen the Emperor Zun's true face. And Ye Chen looked exactly like the Xianwu Emperor Zun, yet Zui Jian Xian showed no curiosity at all, just kept hugging his wine jug and drinking.

Ye Chen couldn't quite figure him out, much like the Zhutian Sword God—profound and unfathomable. As the Sword God's senior brother, his combat strength was undoubtedly on par with the Sword God's. Unfortunately, neither of them could ever reach the emperor level, as the closer they were to the Emperor Zun, the more terrifying the suppression of the emperor's dao.

Meanwhile, Qi Wang returned, his face awkward from being snubbed. He had tried to get chummy with Zui Jian Xian, but the man just kept drinking and ignored him completely.

Ye Chen slowly cleared his thoughts, quietly sipping his wine while casually scanning everyone present. Those attending the Yao Chi gathering were no ordinary folk—there were no fewer than twenty quasi-emperors, and more than half kept a low profile, like Zui Jian Xian sitting in the back.

After looking around, Ye Chen turned back to Ji Ning Shuang with a puzzled expression. "Yao Chi Holy Land even invited the ancient nine clans, so why don't we see anyone from Kunlun Xu, Jiuhuang Tian, Great Xia Dynasty, the Divine Hall, or Daluo Zhutian? Or did you not invite them at all?"

"They sealed their mountains a hundred years ago and recalled all their outer disciples, completely isolating themselves from the outside," Ji Ning Shuang explained. "I heard from the Xianmu that it seems they encountered some kind of incident."

"Did the peak experts all go to Great Chu, which is why they sealed their gates?" Ye Chen pondered aloud.

Ji Ning Shuang stopped sending messages and instead rested her chin on her hands, watching the fairy dancers. If not for the Xianmu's strict orders to act normally, she would have already pulled out an ancient book to read.

Ye Chen fell silent too. He wanted to eat a peach but found the pantao on the table were gone.

Helplessly, he reached straight into Qi Wang's pocket, rummaged around for a bit, and pulled out a large pantao. He even washed it with water before eating.

The pantao was incredibly delicious, fragrant and melting in the mouth, filled with pure spiritual essence. For cultivators, eating it and refining it into their body could extend life, strengthen the foundation, and nourish the essence.

Just for that, Ye Chen held Yao Chi Holy Land in higher regard. Willing to share such immortal fruits with all guests showed their broad-mindedness. A place that produced a great emperor was indeed extraordinary.

Speaking of these pantao, they had a deep connection to the Yao Chi Empress. The first pantao tree in Yao Chi Holy Land was planted by her, and where she planted it became the foundation of Yao Chi Holy Land. Over endless ages, that single tree had grown to cover the entire Yao Chi Immortal Mountain.

The Yao Chi gathering also originated from that era, when the Yao Chi Empress was still alive, and all races paid homage. She entertained them with pantao, creating a legendary tale.

But as time passed and countless changes occurred, the era of Yao Chi faded into the dust of history. Though Yao Chi Holy Land's inheritance continued, the gatherings could no longer recapture the glory of the all-races homage. The Yao Chi Empress had become nothing more than a legend.

Amid the music of lutes and flutes, Ye Chen chewed up the remaining peach pit until it was mush and swallowed it. Then he reached into Qi Wang's pocket again and pulled out another pantao.

Qi Wang's face turned dark. He had only tucked away two for research, but this guy Ye Chen had cleaned him out, not even leaving the pits. How infuriating!

In the clouds, the Yao Chi fairies who had been dancing curtsied and withdrew, drawing a wave of applause.

As the dancers left, a faint voice echoed through the gathering: "The Archaic Holy Body appears only once every hundred thousand years. I wonder if you'd honor us with a spar? It would fulfill a wish of mine."

"The Archaic Holy Body?" Many people exclaimed in surprise, turning their gazes to the eighth prince of the Feng Huang Clan, for the voice had come from him.

"Is the Archaic Holy Body here?" Quite a few scanned the area, especially Tianfa Godzi and Cangling Godzi, whose faces twisted with malice at the mention of the Holy Body.

"Ye Chen, do you dare accept my challenge?" Feng Huang Godzi sneered, flicking a beam of immortal light toward Ye Chen. It stopped half a zhang away from him and transformed into a sheet of paper with three bold characters clearly written: Challenge Letter.

"Is he the Archaic Holy Body?" All eyes focused on Ye Chen. Even the densest person could now see the hint—Feng Huang Godzi's challenge was aimed at the Holy Body.

"Godzi, are you mistaken? I'm just an ordinary mortal, not some Archaic Holy Body," Ye Chen chuckled lightly and waved his hand, casually erasing the challenge letter.

"Playing tricks. From the moment you entered the immortal mountain, this princess already recognized you," Feng Xian'er laughed coldly. "Don't think a secret technique to hide your face can fool everyone."

"What are you saying, Feng Huang Princess? I don't understand," Ye Chen shrugged with a smile.

"Then let me show you this." Feng Xian'er smirked cunningly and gently waved her hand. A phantom of a phoenix emerged from Ye Chen's body, turning into a mysterious mark.

"When did she plant that?" Ye Chen cursed inwardly. "I didn't even notice."

"Still not admitting it?" Feng Xian'er shouted sharply. "There's no point in denying it now."

"Fine, fine, I admit it." Ye Chen shook his head helplessly and finally revealed his true appearance. He could have kept acting, but it was pointless—Feng Xian'er was convinced he was Ye Chen. If he didn't admit it, she wouldn't let up and would only cause more trouble.