Chapter 1639: Soloing the Dragon

As soon as the words were spoken, Hei Wuchang vanished without a trace, leaving only his domineering voice echoing endlessly in Ye Chen's ears.

Ye Chen covered his ears, grimacing in pain.

That single sentence made his head buzz so much that he couldn't fathom where Hei Wuchang's immense anger had come from.

Can't even make a joke? And he dares to lose his temper with me?

Ye Chen made a firm decision: once he became a Ming Jiang, the first thing he'd do is beat up Hei Wuchang—and take Bai Wuchang down with him.

Once he left the Gongde Dian, the Gui Wangs on both sides glanced collectively at Ye Chen, all because Hei Wuchang's words had been so loud.

Ye Chen shook his head and swaggered out.

After leaving the Gongde Dian, he headed first to the Naihe Bridge area.

The two great ghosts guarding the Huangquan Road checkpoint stood ramrod straight, looking fierce and menacing, as if someone had tried to steal their money.

Those two were truly impartial, turning away anyone who tried to enter and flirt, whether they were big ghosts, small ghosts, or even Ming Jiangs.

Ye Chen watched from a distance and didn't go any closer to stir up trouble.

Even Ming Jiangs were being turned away, so there must be restrictions on this checkpoint—if he forced his way in, he'd likely be obliterated into ashes.

With those two gatekeepers watching over it, Ye Chen wasn't worried about Chu Ling.

The goddess of the Naihe Bridge wasn't someone just anyone could flirt with.

Even if someone did try, it had to be him—after all, she was his wife. All other ghosts and demons could stay out of it.

"Wait for me; once I've earned enough gongde, I'll come to get you."

Gazing quietly toward the Naihe Bridge, Ye Chen's eyes grew more determined, as if he could see Chu Ling'er through the haze.

After one last look, he turned and headed straight for the Niehai.

Hei Wuchang had said that the Niehai was the fastest place to accumulate gongde, so he couldn't pass it up—what they say about seeking fortune in danger is true!

Ye Chen traveled nonstop, crossing over a hundred great mountains of the Ming Realm, then a vast plain and a massive river.

After journeying nearly ten million li in all directions, he finally reached his destination.

In the distance, a vast ocean came into view, stretching endlessly with swirling yin fog and raging waves.

Even from far away, Ye Chen could see ghosts struggling in the ocean, their faces twisted and sinister.

That ocean was the Niehai, one of the great dangerous places in the Ming Realm.

Just imagine, a place even the Ming Realm Great Emperor couldn't completely eradicate—how terrifying it must be, which is why no one comes here to cultivate gongde.

Nie yuan, an intangible force much like karma, was elusive and troublesome when it gathered.

Ye Chen landed but didn't get too close, nor did he charge in recklessly. He stopped cautiously several thousand zhang away from the Niehai.

Looking out, the sea's surface was filled with frightening sights.

Massive ghost faces, pitch-black evil dragons, and sinister monsters— their howls blended into a chorus that unsettled the mind.

"A little ghost like you, coming to the Niehai? Looking to die?"

As Ye Chen observed, three figures descended one after another—three Gui Wangs, each at the Quasi-Saint level.

Clearly, the "little ghost" they referred to was Ye Chen.

The difference in their gongde ranks was a full level, and their cultivation as Gui Wangs completely suppressed Ye Chen.

"You're here to kill the evil dragon?" Ye Chen said casually, as if they were old acquaintances.

"Or maybe for a leisurely stroll?" The three Gui Wangs sneered, eyeing Ye Chen with utter contempt.

Without waiting for his response, the three headed toward the Niehai, each drawing their weapons, their expressions turning serious.

Ye Chen rolled his eyes—if hurting them wouldn't cost him gongde, he'd definitely give those three a thrashing. So what if they're Quasi-Saint level?

Seeing how confident they were, he got interested. He found a black rock, shoved his hands in his pockets, squatted down, and settled in to watch the show.

It was his first time at the Niehai, and he knew nothing about it. These three Gui Wangs could test the waters for him—after all, survival came first.

Under his watchful eye, the three Gui Wangs approached the Niehai cautiously, stepping onto the beach with weapons gripped tightly.

Soon, one of them scattered a handful of powder.

Once done, the three turned and fled, their escape techniques incredibly swift.

No sooner had they left than the Niehai's waves surged wildly, and a black dragon roared out, coiling its body as it chased them.

What a massive creature—its body was dozens of zhang long.

Ye Chen perked up, focusing on the evil dragon. It was pitch-black, with enormous, violent eyes full of bloodlust.

Truly a product of nie yuan—Ye Chen saw only turbid energy, with evil thoughts, resentment, and dark intentions woven together to form that evil dragon.

As he watched, the three Gui Wangs were already clashing with the evil dragon.

Their teamwork was spot on: one cast restrictions, binding the dragon with iron chains, while the other two launched a frenzy of attacks.

The evil dragon wasn't about to go down easy, thrashing violently. Its dragon roars were deep and sinister, making one's mind waver.

"You three aren't up to it," Ye Chen muttered to himself.

Sure enough, the three Gui Wangs retreated in defeat. The iron chains binding the dragon snapped, and one Gui Wang nearly got wiped out on the spot.

They didn't dare fight anymore and fled using their escape techniques.

The evil dragon roared in fury, refusing to let up. It spiraled through the air in pursuit, spitting out strands of black lightning.

One Gui Wang was hit, his ghost body exploding instantly, leaving only a faint yuan shen desperately fleeing.

The other two weren't much better— their bodies shattered from the blasts, their yuan shens affected, as they ran while spitting blood.

Seeing this, Ye Chen stood up and cracked his neck.

"Give me gongde, and I'll save you from this mess."

He shouted from his rock, timing it perfectly— it was up to the Gui Wangs to decide between their gongde and their lives.

His words made the three Gui Wangs collectively spit blood.

We three Gui Wangs are getting beaten badly, and this little ghost thinks he can turn things around? And he wants our gongde?

"If I don't show some real power, you really will think I'm made of paper."

Ye Chen let out a shout, unleashing his full combat strength. Golden vital energy surged forth, his aura as powerful as a saint's.

This stunned the three Gui Wangs—even at Quasi-Saint level, they felt a tremor, unable to believe this was just a little ghost.

"Offer up your gongde, and I'll save you," Ye Chen said with a smile. "I'm not trying to kick you while you're down—just fifty per person."

Another outburst made the three Gui Wangs spit blood again. Fifty each, and he calls that not much? You've got some nerve.

Distracted for a moment, the evil dragon caught up, firing three lightning bolts that sent them flying, its maw wide open.

"We'll give it. We give it." The three Gui Wangs caved in an instant—compared to gongde, their lives were more important.

"Price just went up—sixty now." Ye Chen shrugged.

The three nearly cried from frustration.

"Seventy." Ye Chen scratched his ear, completely unhurried.

"Give it, give it, we'll give it." The three fled while pulling out their gongde books, afraid he'd raise it again.

They could see it now—this guy was totally taking advantage of their situation, no morals whatsoever, just shameless.

Yet the evil dragon was still on them, chasing and blasting lightning that was brutally powerful—they couldn't take much more.

In an instant, seventy gongde was deducted from each of their books.

In that same instant, they felt a sharp pain, worse than losing money.

Ye Chen quickly pulled out his own gongde book—his three points of gongde had shot up to two hundred and thirteen.

Hey, what a boost! So efficient, lightning fast.

And right then, his rank rose from little ghost to big ghost. This gongde came easy as pie.

"Why aren't you helping?" the three Gui Wangs yelled desperately, driven mad by the fearsome evil dragon's pursuit.

Ye Chen stroked his chin, wondering what would happen if he just left now—would these three Gui Wangs die of rage?

But he wasn't that unscrupulous—taking money and running would be wrong, and it could cost him gongde.

More importantly, he wanted to take on that evil dragon himself.

With that, he charged in, manifesting two golden hands that grabbed the dragon's tail and hurled it away.

The three Gui Wangs stared in disbelief at the sight.

A hundred zhang away, the evil dragon hit the ground and fixed its massive eyes on Ye Chen, roaring as it charged with bolts of lightning.

It had no intelligence, only knew to attack.

Ye Chen leaped forward in a single step, landing right on the dragon's head.

The evil dragon roared, its huge body twisting wildly in the air, trying to shake him off and devour him into nothingness.

But Ye Chen wouldn't let that happen—like sticky gum, he clung on no matter how it thrashed. I'm sticking to you for good.

What followed was utter chaos.

Perched on the dragon's head, Ye Chen went all out—one hand gripping a dragon horn, the other pounding away relentlessly.

His punches were ferocious, each one drawing blood.

The three Gui Wangs, now safely distant, watched with wide eyes—they'd never seen such a badass little ghost.

It was ironic— just earlier, they'd mocked him.

This was a real slap in the face. He might be a little ghost, but he was unstoppable, beating that evil dragon into submission single-handedly.

As they watched, the evil dragon finally collapsed. Its head exploded, and its entire body disintegrated into nothingness.

Ye Chen pulled out his gongde book again—two hundred and thirteen points instantly became three hundred and thirteen.

Hey, another big jump! Way faster than those guys like Niutou and Mamian—this was like cheating.

"This really is the perfect spot for gongde." Ye Chen chuckled.

"Are all the little ghosts in the Ming Realm this monstrous?" The three Gui Wangs swallowed hard in awe— he was insanely powerful!

Even the three of them together had been thrashed and nearly killed, yet he took on the evil dragon alone.

In that moment, the way they looked at Ye Chen shifted to a mix of reverence, astonishment, and shock.

"Come over here, I have a question." Ye Chen called out.

The three Gui Wangs wiped their sweat and approached, stumbling with every step—they were injured and thoroughly shaken.

"That powder you threw into the Niehai earlier—what was it?" Ye Chen asked curiously, eyeing one of the Gui Wangs.

He'd seen clearly—it was that powder that lured out the evil dragon, more effective than any divine artifact.

"It's Zhao Long San," the Gui Wang replied immediately. "Specifically for evil dragons—we use it to draw them out."

"There's actually something that good? Do you have more?"

"We do have some," the Gui Wang coughed, not really wanting to hand it over. The other two wore the same reluctant expressions.

Now that they were safe, they remembered how he'd extorted their gongde—fifty points each! It still stung just thinking about it. They hadn't even killed the dragon or gained any gongde, and now they'd lost seventy.

"I'm not taking it for free." Ye Chen pulled out the few Ming Shi he had.

"Not for sale." The three Gui Wangs spoke in perfect unison.

"If that's how you're playing it, I might just rob you—worst case, I lose a bit of gongde!" Ye Chen cracked his neck threateningly.