Chapter 1426: Jealous?

Chapter 1426: Jealous?

Emerging from the black hole, the purple-haired youth and the bald old man first scanned their surroundings before cupping their hands and bowing to Ye Chen. "Sheng Zhu, the jianghu roads are long; we shall meet again."

"You're just being dramatic. Get lost." The two rarely took things seriously, but Ye Chen kicked both of them. "Make sure you stay alive. One day, we'll all return home together."

"Got it." The purple-haired youth and the bald old man waved with a smile and turned to leave.

Ye Chen sighed and shook his head, then headed off in a certain direction.

Three days later, he landed in an ancient city and stepped into a humble little tavern. He found a table by the window, ordered a pot of cheap wine, and finally took a moment to rest.

Though the tavern was small, it was lively. There were always a few burly men drinking until their faces were red, their chests bare, and they were loudly shouting, "You didn't see it—the scene outside Donghuang Gucheng that day. The Desolate Ancient Saint Body fought twenty-seven godchildren alone and took down eighteen of them. He was on a killing spree, even defeating the godchild of Dan Zun Hall."

"What a pity! A Saint Body that only appears once in a hundred thousand years was still destroyed." Many people sighed. "It's his own fault for provoking so many major sects and sacred lands. Even Jiu Xiao Zhen Ren couldn't protect him."

"And that Dan Zun goddess is quite something." Another person lamented, "She publicly killed the godchild of Dan Zun Hall—utterly lawless. She's probably been dealt with by now. If you ask me, the Dan Zun godchild brought it on himself, jumping around for no reason and getting what he deserved."

"Speaking of Dan Zun Hall, I heard they've sealed themselves off too." A drunkard burped after taking a sip. "Just like Donghuang Gucheng, a whole stretch of immortal mountains has vanished without a trace."

"Dan Zun Hall has sealed itself off?" At the window table, Ye Chen frowned slightly, a vague worry stirring in his heart about whether this was related to Hong Chen Xue killing the godchild.

Lost in thought, he didn't notice someone sitting across from him. It was a slight youth, appearing like a scholar, but in reality, it was a woman disguised as a man.

Ye Chen looked up instinctively and froze. Sitting opposite him was none other than Hong Chen Xue.

"You sure made me search." Hong Chen Xue tied up her hair and pulled out a small mirror. After finishing, she stuck on a fake mustache.

"Are you part dog? You recognized me anyway?" Ye Chen clicked his tongue in amazement.

"Stop messing around. I left a mark on you earlier." Hong Chen Xue pouted.

"That's why they call you the Saint Lord of the Human Emperor." Ye Chen sighed and poured her a cup of wine. "So, did the old folks at Dan Zun Hall give you any trouble?"

"They wanted to, but they didn't dare." Hong Chen Xue laughed. "They're waiting for my master to decide."

"I heard Dan Zun Hall has sealed itself off. What's going on?" Ye Chen asked, looking at her curiously.

"It's my master's decree. Donghuang Gucheng sealed itself, so Dan Zun Hall did the same." Hong Chen Xue said casually, "As for the reason, I don't know. I also don't know how long it will last."

"They've all sealed off, and yet you managed to sneak out. Impressive skills." Ye Chen smiled.

"I was worried you'd have a hard time searching alone, so I came to help." Hong Chen Xue took a sip of the cheap wine.

"Your reason is spot-on." Ye Chen said dismissively, "You came all this way just to fool me. If you want to look for Hong Chen, just say so. Don't make up all this stuff—you almost had me touched."

"How about it? Jealous?"

"What do I have to be jealous about?" Ye Chen laughed. "Someone like you—I couldn't handle you. Who knows, one day I might get strangled in my sleep, and then who would I complain to?"

"Speaking of sleeping, there's something I really want to ask you."

"Go ahead."

"With so many women around you, which one's the most comfortable? Chu Xuan, Chu Ling, Ji Ning Shuang, or Shangguan Yue Er?"

"Don't talk like that. I'm a proper gentleman."

"Tch." Hong Chen Xue stood up and strolled toward the door. With her back to Ye Chen, she waved and left a faint voice behind, "I wish you find them soon."

"I wish you find Hong Chen soon too." Ye Chen replied, but he didn't get up to see her off.

The tavern remained noisy, with cultivators coming and going, all stopping for a break.

Ye Chen stayed by the window, quietly drinking and gazing outside at the bustling street, observing the various aspects of human life. As a bystander, he found himself lost in a daze.

After a while, he stood up, tossed down a piece of source stone, and strode out. After this brief rest, he had to embark on a new journey, one that would be incredibly long.

He crossed the crowded street and arrived at the city center, intending to use the teleportation array to leave.

There weren't many cultivators using the teleportation array, and he lined up behind a young man in white robes.

The white-robed youth was acting strangely, clutching a storage bag tightly and trembling nervously. He wiped sweat from his brow from time to time, making him look like a thief at first glance.

Ye Chen scanned the white-robed youth up and down. His cultivation was only at the Tianjing level, and seeing him so tense, Ye Chen instinctively thought he must have done something wrong.

Soon, the white-robed youth stepped forward, sweating profusely as he did.

"Where to?" the black-robed elder guarding the array asked flatly.

"Senior, to Wu Yue Gucheng." The white-robed youth hurriedly handed over the storage bag he was clutching.

The elder took it and frowned. "Not enough. You're short by eight hundred source stones."

"This is all I have, senior. I beg you to make an exception. I'll repay it another day." The white-robed youth bowed hastily, his tone humble and pleading.

"Can you use other treasures to make up for it? Otherwise, no deal."

"To be honest, senior, I was robbed, so I have nothing else." The white-robed youth wiped his sweat again and pulled out a token from his robes. "All I have left is this."

Ye Chen, standing behind, narrowed his eyes slightly at the sight of the token, not because it was valuable, but because of the three prominent characters on it: Heng Yue Zong.

"A broken token isn't worth eight hundred source stones." The elder tossed the storage bag back on the ground. "If you want to use the array, come back when you have enough source stones."

"Senior..."

"Hurry up."

The white-robed youth hadn't finished speaking when he was interrupted by someone behind him.

"Step aside."

The white-robed youth picked up his storage bag, his face pale and full of bitterness, and started to leave.

Ye Chen stepped forward, pulled him along, and entered the teleportation array. He threw a storage bag to the elder. "I'll cover his fee. Activate the array—to Wu Yue Gucheng."

The elder weighed the storage bag in his hand, glanced at the black-robed Ye Chen, and said nothing more. He directly set the coordinates and activated the spatial array.

As the array activated, Ye Chen and the still-dazed white-robed youth vanished into it. Once in the teleportation channel, the youth snapped back to reality and bowed quickly. "Thank you, senior."

Ye Chen didn't respond. Instead, he waved his hand, drawing the token from the youth's robes.

Gazing at the token, Ye Chen fell into a trance. He never expected to see the words "Heng Yue Zong" again on the Xuanhuang Continent, and even less that there would be a sect here with the same name.

"Senior?" Seeing Ye Chen lost in thought with a strange expression, the white-robed youth called out tentatively, unsure of what was happening.

Ye Chen came back to his senses and returned the token. "Where is your sect located?"

"On the outskirts of Wu Yue Gucheng." The white-robed youth replied respectfully. "I came out for training with my sect elders, but we were ambushed by bandits, and the elder died protecting me."

Ye Chen fell silent, now understanding why the youth had been so nervous earlier.

Wu Yue Gucheng was at least four million li away, and with the youth's Tianjing-level speed, it would take him ages to fly back. Eight hundred source stones wasn't a small amount for someone at his level.

The white-robed youth said no more, standing quietly to the side, afraid of upsetting Ye Chen.

Half an hour later, the two stepped out of the teleportation array and appeared in Wu Yue Gucheng.

Perhaps due to its remote location, this ancient city was much smaller, with few Huangjing cultivators in sight. To Ye Chen's disappointment, he didn't see any reincarnated people from Da Chu.

"Take me to your Heng Yue Zong."

"Senior, it's to the southeast." The white-robed youth didn't dare delay and pointed in the general direction.

Ye Chen immediately set off, his steps covering thousands of zhang at a time, leaving the white-robed youth stunned. Such speed and divine abilities were beyond even the ancestors of his Heng Yue Zong.

Before long, they landed in front of a range of spiritual mountains. At the base stood a three-zhang-tall stone stele inscribed with three bold characters: Heng Yue Zong.

Ye Chen glanced at the stele and smiled faintly, pausing for a few seconds before stepping inside.

Like the Heng Yue Zong in Da Chu, this one had a set of stone stairs leading upward. As he walked halfway, he glanced sideways, but there was no small spiritual garden on the side of the stairs.

He withdrew his gaze and continued upward, step by step, just as he had when he first ascended the Heng Yue Zong in Da Chu—each step firm and steady.

The difference was, back then he was filled with aspirations for the future, but now he was immersed in memories of the past, seeking a sliver of solace in self-deception.

It felt like a cycle, his state of mind quietly elevating in the silence. Suddenly, a powerful pressure spread out, forcing the white-robed youth behind him to kneel on the ground.

That saintly aura came from his state of mind advancing, pushing his cultivation toward the Saint realm bottleneck once more. In the midst of it, a force hammered against his seal, as if he could achieve sainthood on the spot.

Ye Chen mentally scolded himself and sealed off the breakthrough opportunity again. He couldn't become a saint yet.