Chapter 1565: The Thieves' Den

Chapter 1565: Thieves Everywhere

"Damn, where's my wine gourd?"

"Damn, where's my sword?"

"Damn, where's my wife? Wait, no, where's my underwear?"

In the early morning, before dawn broke, the immortal mountains of Tian Ting echoed with a chorus of howls, each one louder than the last.

Looking over, the ones cursing were Xiao Yuan Huang, Long Jie, and Kui Niu, all jumping around wildly.

Their faces were pitch black with anger. They had woken up to find their belongings stolen—what a disaster! They were all there, yelling and swearing.

"What's all the racket? Making a fuss first thing in the morning—can't you let people sleep? Have you got no decency?"

"What are you all staring at? I'm talking about you three: a little serpent, a little monkey, and a dumb old ox."

"I'm in a bad mood, so you'd better behave."

Their words stirred up a storm, with shouts erupting from peaks all around, each wave louder than the one before.

"Hey!" The three of them weren't having it; their tempers flared on the spot, and they started yelling about picking a fight.

Well, that did it! A crowd swarmed in, surrounding the three so tightly they couldn't move.

"A one-on-one fight, if you've got the guts!"

"A one-on-one it is, then."

The people of Tian Ting weren't backing down.

Then, in a flash, over a hundred rushed at them all at once.

What followed was a scene too painful to watch.

So much for a one-on-one—the three young lords were ganged up on right there.

That bunch of beasts didn't hold back; one group beat them, and another took over, nearly killing them.

Afterward, they even looted their treasures, tied them up, and hung them from a crooked tree at the base of the mountain.

From afar, the three swayed in the wind, becoming quite the striking sight on the Tian Ting immortal mountains.

On the peaks above, Nan Di Bei Sheng and the others couldn't help but twitch their mouths.

Only then did they recall Ye Chen's warning from the night before: the folk of Tian Ting are fierce and often have things go missing.

Seeing it now, his words were spot on.

This wasn't just fierce—this was a pack of beasts!

And it wasn't just things going missing—this was outright robbery!

"Here, take yours." On one mountain peak, Dao Zhi was handing out treasures one by one, with people lining up to claim them.

"Dao Zhi is truly the Thief Saint." Xie Yun held up a dragon pearl, examining it in the sunlight. "Hmm, what a treasure."

"Isn't this Ye Chen's Ba Long Dao?" Si Tu Nan gripped a golden broken blade, turning it over in his hands.

"By Buddha's mercy, make way, make way." Long Yi and Long Wu arrived, their foreheads gleaming wherever they went.

These two were the most shameless; each carried a sack and helped themselves without waiting for Dao Zhi, stuffing it full themselves.

"That bullwhip looks good, and the dragonwhip's not bad either—that little monkey's is pretty big too." Xiong Er crouched on the mountain peak with his hands in his pockets, his small eyes fixed intently on Kui Niu and the others.

"Seeing the younger ones carry on like this brings this old man great satisfaction." A group of old fellows stroked their beards as they spoke.

"We want to go home." Kui Niu and his companions were nearly in tears.

This wasn't Tian Ting—this was a thief's den, a lair of five million shameless thieves.

On Yu Nu Peak, Ye Chen watched the whole spectacle from start to finish but acted as if he hadn't seen a thing. "I warned you, but you didn't listen."

"They've got our style." Laughter rang out as a group of five approached, each with an imposing build.

This time, it was the kings of Da Chu: Mo Wang Kui Yu Jiang, You Ming Yan Luo Wang, Gui Wang, Xue Wang, and Yao Wang.

Four of them had been found by Ye Chen.

As for Mo Wang, no one knew which reincarnated soul had encountered him.

The generations of kings weren't all present; Shen Wang Shen Xuan Feng, Shi Hun Wang, Wu Wang, and Wu Zhu Wang were missing.

Not seeing the nine kings standing side by side was a regret, whether in the previous life or this one.

"The most stunning emperor of Da Chu shouldn't be so weak and frail." The five stepped forward, each placing a hand on Ye Chen's shoulder and performing a profound divine art.

It was an ancient secret technique that sealed Ye Chen's deteriorating origin, aiming to slow his aging.

Their words weren't wrong—Ye Chen might not be the strongest emperor of Da Chu, but he was the most stunning.

Just ask among the emperors of Da Chu: which one had achieved the emperor's throne before fifty? And which had slain a true great emperor level opponent?

Clearly, none. Ye Chen's feats and talents were enough to crush them all, fully deserving the title of stunning.

"The sight of the kings united truly evokes memories." Ye Chen coughed, his breath weak and fading.

"It's only temporary." The five kings glanced at the other kings. "Once the world is at peace, we'll settle the victor."

Ye Chen smiled but said nothing. He raised his hand slightly and released five sacred artifacts: two swords, a bronze furnace, a war spear, and a blood-red divine mirror. These were carefully selected by Ye Chen for the five kings.

These were all Da Sheng Bing, spoils he had gathered along the way, most from ancient ruins.

"Where did all these Da Sheng Bing come from?" The five kings were astonished.

"I picked them up." Ye Chen shrugged casually.

"What luck—to pick up Da Sheng Bing like that." The five kings sighed, not believing Ye Chen's story for a second. He claimed they were picked up, but they were probably looted.

"How they came doesn't matter." Ye Chen pushed the five Da Sheng Bing toward them. "When the day of revenge comes, you five will be the main force. You can't go without proper gear."

"Since it's a gift from the holy lord of Tian Ting, we'll accept." The five kings didn't hesitate and each took a weapon that suited them.

The five arrived together and left side by side.

After they departed, more people kept arriving at Yu Nu Peak: Wu San Pao, Tai Yi Zhen Ren, Wu Ya Dao Ren, Gu San Tong, Niu Shi San, Xiao Feng, and Mo Yuan.

Each group that came brought spiritual herbs.

Ye Chen welcomed them all, whether useful or not—it was the thought that counted, warming his aged heart.

Naturally, he wasn't stingy in return, giving away the artifacts and secret techniques he had collected, each one tailored specifically.

For example, he gave mostly array diagrams to those like Gu San Tong.

For people from Dan Cheng, he gave mostly alchemy insights.

For assassins like Di Huang, he gave mostly assassination techniques.

Even on the brink of becoming useless, he still thought of everything so thoroughly.

He sat down again, lost in a daze, though no one knew what he was thinking.

As night fell once more, a graceful figure landed on Yu Nu Peak.

She wore flowing white robes, like an immortal untouched by the mortal world. Her three thousand strands of black hair swayed like rippling waves, each one tinged with divine glow. Under the moonlight, she was dreamlike and ethereal.

This was Chu Ling Yu, the holy maiden of Bei Chu Tian Zong in her previous life, and now the disciple of the Zhutian Jian Shen.

Ye Chen had found her but not her father, Chu Cang Zong—that is, Tian Zong Lao Zu.

In this life, she was even more extraordinary, as a true disciple of Jian Shen, which was no simple matter.

"I don't know why, but seeing you now, so aged, always makes me think of the mortal world." Chu Ling Yu approached, holding a spirit pearl and merging it into Ye Chen's brow.

"In your eyes, I've always been just his shadow." Ye Chen shook his head with a smile, not resisting.

Chu Ling Yu smiled faintly and slowly withdrew her jade hand.

"Out of everyone, you're the one I have the most faith in." Ye Chen took a red sword from his storage and handed it to her.

The red sword hummed with energy, its sword qi overwhelming and surrounded by dao principles, etched with ancient runes that made it truly remarkable.

"The Quasi-Emperor Sword Fen Ji—you must recognize it." Ye Chen offered the killing sword to Chu Ling Yu. "I hope it will shine as it should in your hands."

Chu Ling Yu didn't refuse, waving her hand to store it in her bag, then slowly turning to leave. With each step, her form grew more ethereal, and a faint, mystical sound echoed behind her: "The sword you gave will be stained with the blood of our enemies."

"I believe it." Ye Chen coughed, spitting out a pool of blood into his palm. His lifespan had dwindled a bit more.

Those who came after arrived in pairs, like Wei Wen Zhuo and Dong Fang Yu Yan, or Nan Gong Zi Yue and Zhao Zi Yun.

Li Xiao and Bai Su Su also arrived, bringing their child—Ye Chen remembered his name was Xu Shi Lin.

This family was quite interesting: a snake demon, a human cultivator, and a half-human, half-demon child, all incredibly powerful.

Especially Xu Shi Lin—when Ye Chen had seen him years ago, he was just a baby, and now, at only over two hundred years old, he was already a Quasi-Saint.

The flooding of Yin Xing Hai that submerged Jin Shan Temple back then had brought this couple together, which now seemed like a fated good deed.

The family expressed gratitude, but even more, guilt.

The chaos at Fo Tuo Xing years ago was one factor in Ye Chen's suppression under Wu Zhi Shan. From that point, he had drawn the ire of the Buddha, leading to the Buddha Zu's seal a hundred years later.

The night grew deeper, and Da Chu Huang Yan arrived, accompanied by a scholar-like figure—Ning Cai Chen.

Seeing the two, Ye Chen's eyes lit up.

Da Chu Huang Yan was the nine-tailed royal of the imperial clan; her power was undeniable, a fierce figure in both lives.

As for Ning Cai Chen, his astonishing talent truly surprised Ye Chen. His hidden aura was on par with Da Chu Huang Yan's, and he looked entirely like an ordinary person, with a serene demeanor.

From an average bloodline, without any innate divine treasures, and only starting cultivation two hundred years ago, for him to stand equal with Da Chu Huang Yan—anyone could see how exceptional his talent was.

"This humble one greets the elder brother-in-law." Ning Cai Chen smiled and bowed with clasped hands, still very polite, never forgetting the etiquette of a scholar even as a cultivator.

"I don't deserve to be called brother-in-law; just call me brother." Ye Chen gave a dry laugh; the title "brother-in-law" just felt awkward.

"We're still grateful for your help back then, allowing us to be together without regrets."

"Didn't pass the imperial exams, but you're killing it in cultivation!"

"It's all thanks to elder brother-in-law's good teaching."

"It's elder brother, not brother-in-law." Ning Cai Chen chuckled awkwardly.

The two bantered back and forth, while Da Chu Huang Yan stood quietly to the side, saying nothing—a model of tact.

It wasn't until a dozen seconds later that she stepped forward, still silent, and handed Ye Chen a delicate pouch.

The pouch was exquisite, embroidered with the character for "fox."

Ye Chen was surprised and examined it closely.

"Hu Xian Er has passed away." Da Chu Huang Yan finally spoke. "Before she went, she was still holding your portrait."

Hearing this, Ye Chen's aged body trembled slightly.

He didn't need to ask; he already understood. This pouch had come from Hu Xian Er.

It was a memento, carrying an ancient story.

Memories of the past flooded his mind—the scene of battling the tree demon with Hu Xian and Fan Tong.

The fox's blessing had been planted in You Du two hundred years ago, using the power of nine reincarnations.

Without that blessing's protection, he would have been killed by Zhi Yang long ago.

This might be fate's design: he had saved her life, and she had returned the favor, settling their debts.

That karma dissipated with her death.

Suddenly, he opened the pouch and found a safety talisman inside, with elegant handwriting: Ye Chen.