Chapter 1640: Climbing Up

"Don't you have any shame?" The three Gui Wang’s faces darkened.

"I don't like hearing that," Ye Chen said, looking displeased. "If it weren't for me, the three of you would be dead. Do you understand what saving a life means?"

"You didn't save us for nothing." The three of them looked even more upset. "Do you know how long it takes to accumulate those seventy Gongde?"

"So you're saying I was wrong to save you? Your three lives are only worth two hundred and fifty?" Ye Chen muttered.

"What two hundred and fifty? It's two hundred and one!" The three of them retorted.

"Seriously, I added forty extra, and you're still not happy?" Ye Chen pouted. "Three Gui Wang, and that's all you're worth—two hundred and one."

"I..." The three Gui Wang were left speechless by his barrage.

"If I hadn't saved you three, you'd be dead by now and still fussing about this."

"Forget seventy, even if it was a hundred, you'd still have to pay up."

"I'm actually asking for less than I should. I should really fleece you guys."

"What's the point of Gongde if you're dead? Might as well make soup with it?"

Ye Chen went on and on, each line different from the last, until the three Gui Wang couldn't even lift their heads.

The three Gui Wang kept spitting blood, and it wouldn't stop.

They could see it clearly now—this guy was ruthless in a fight and equally deadly with his words. A shameless type like him was truly a rare sight.

"Hand over the Zhao Long San, quickly." Ye Chen extended his hand, no longer bothering with formalities – he wanted it directly.

"Here, we'll give it." The three Gui Wang immediately gave in.

They had no choice; with his shameless behavior, who knew what he might do? Robbery and murder weren't out of the question.

The three storage bags felt heavy as they handed them to Ye Chen, still reluctant to let go, gripping them tightly.

Zhao Long San wasn't cheap—it had cost them a fortune.

Now, not only had they lost their Gongde, but also the Zhao Long San, and on top of that, their dignity was completely shattered.

A little ghost robbing a Gui Wang—this was likely a first in the underworld. Hey, what a coincidence—they were the ones to experience it.

"Now that's more like it!" Ye Chen laughed without a shred of shame.

This was the true style of the Da Chu emperor—wherever he went, he stuck to his old ways. For treasure, he'd throw shame to the wind.

"Next time something like this comes up, come find me. I'm always available."

Ye Chen dropped that line and headed straight for Nie Hai.

Behind him, the three Gui Wang’s mouths twitched. "Still find you? This was a one-time thing—we're questioning our lives as it is."

Though they were angry, the three didn't go far.

Each found a safe spot and watched from a distance as Ye Chen lured the dragons, curious to see just how many he could take down.

Ye Chen reached the beach, looking around here and there.

Then, he waved his hand and scattered the Zhao Long San.

It worked like a charm—barely a second later, Nie Hai's waves surged, and a vicious dragon burst out.

Ye Chen dodged instantly and took a direct hit from the dragon's lightning.

Once that was done, he leaped onto the dragon's head, hammer in hand, smashing away with all his might.

The dragon was utterly humiliated, never even managing to flip over before it exploded. Its massive body vanished into dust in an instant.

With its death, Ye Chen's Gongde ledger updated again, jumping by another hundred to four hundred and thirteen.

Below that, a line of text read: Slain one vicious dragon.

That Gongde ledger was like a little account book, listing everything clearly—these were all records of achievements.

From not far away, the three Gui Wang watched with mouths agape and tongues clicking in amazement.

A Nie Hai vicious dragon wiped out just like that—it felt unreal even to watch. Was that guy cheating or something?

What do you call out-ghosting the ghosts? This was pure proof—the three Gui Wang couldn't compare to one little ghost.

Ye Chen didn't stop, slipping back to the Nie Hai beach.

The third vicious dragon emerged, bigger than the previous two, fiercer, and with a worse temper.

But no matter how tough you were, you couldn't handle Ye Chen's savagery.

At the peak of the imperial realm, he had the strength to go toe-to-toe with saint-level opponents. Anything below that, he'd crush them all, no matter how many came.

The lawless scene repeated: one vicious dragon after another lured out, and one after another blasted apart—quick and clean.

The three Gui Wang gawked, truly left questioning their existence.

Where did this guy come from? They'd never heard of anyone like him in the underworld—outrageously strong, a total prodigy.

"In Yan Luo Dian, where's that kid run off to?" The Pan Guan was in a frenzy, his expression wildly animated.

He held a much larger Gongde ledger than usual, so any changes under his watch were crystal clear to him.

One glance was all it took to startle him silly.

Ye Chen's Gongde was shooting up—rub rub rub—not just one by one, but in hundreds, nonstop.

Hei Bai Wuchang crowded in for a look, their expressions even more dramatic than the Pan Guan's.

How many years had it been since they'd seen anything this insane? Building Gongde like it was a game, more overpowered than cheating.

In no time, his rank had risen from little ghost to Gui Wang.

It was a good thing Niu Tou Ma Mian didn't know about this, or they'd be furious. There was no way to do it like that.

We have to escort ten thousand ghosts to earn one Gongde, and here you are, racking them up by the hundreds!

"Go, bring him back." The Pan Guan issued the order directly. "I want to see for myself how he's earning Gongde so fast."

Hei Bai Wuchang set off immediately, vanishing from Yan Luo Dian in a flash.

After they left, the Pan Guan scratched his head fiercely. "The emperor introduced him—what's his background? Does he have to be this over-the-top?"

At Nie Hai, Ye Chen blasted another vicious dragon to pieces, sweating profusely, but grinning as he hugged his Gongde ledger.

His Gongde had surpassed a thousand, and his rank had climbed to Gui Wang. Reaching Ming Jiang level was just a matter of time.

He didn't lure more dragons—not because he didn't want to, but because he was out of Zhao Long San. The three Gui Wang's supply was all used up.

Helpless, he glanced over at the three Gui Wang in the distance.

That glance sent the three Gui Wang turning tail and running. "We're out—nothing left. If you want more, go buy it in Gui Cheng."

With that, they bolted faster than ever before—their all-time record.

They'd watched with their own eyes as Ye Chen took down dragon after dragon, and as his rank shot up from a mere little ghost to Gui Wang.

Terrifying—utterly terrifying. The underworld's prodigies were on another level.

"Am I really that scary?" Ye Chen shrugged it off.

Honestly, he had considered robbing those three Gui Wang of their Ming Shi. After all, buying Zhao Long San required money.

But the problem was, he was broke—dead broke.

The only ten-plus pieces he had were snatched from Bao Tou Jing, and that probably wasn't even enough for a pinch of Zhao Long San.

"I've got to find a way to make some money." Ye Chen muttered to himself, then stepped into the air and headed straight for the ancient city.

Two hours later, he returned to Gui Cheng.

"The underworld has a prodigy! A little ghost at the imperial realm went to Nie Hai and killed over a dozen vicious dragons in a day."

"Is that real? Are you sure it was a little ghost at the imperial realm?"

"We saw it with our own eyes. Never seen anything so fierce."

The moment Ye Chen entered Gui Cheng, he heard discussions everywhere.

The whole ghost street—whether pedestrians, stalls, taverns, or tea houses—was buzzing with it, full of sighs, tongue-clicking, and shock.

Ye Chen looked puzzled. This was the underworld, the realm of the dead, and yet they had gossip? And it spread so fast.

"Come on, come on, tell me how you pulled off that bragging act. How'd you train for it?" From the side, Zhao Yun popped up out of nowhere and dragged Ye Chen to a corner of the ghost street.

"Whoa, where'd you get that body from?" Ye Chen didn't answer Zhao Yun's question. Instead, his eyes lit up as he circled Zhao Yun, studying his physical form.

Zhao Yun's body was incredibly dominant, made of golden blood and flesh, shimmering with a golden glow. Strands of his vital energy were overwhelmingly heavy.

Peering inside, there were all sorts of mysterious phenomena intertwined, and deep within, a powerful force lay dormant.

Zhao Yun's bloodline and origin—he was sure he'd never seen anything like it. This strange bloodline even made his own saintly blood pulse.

"Yours isn't bad either." Zhao Yun stroked his chin, sizing up Ye Chen in return. "What a dominant aura."

"Looks like you haven't been idle since we parted."

"You can't compare to me." Zhao Yun chuckled and shook his head.

"Enough chit-chat—do you have any Ming Shi? Lend me some." Ye Chen rubbed his hands together, grinning at Zhao Yun.

"I don't have any, but there's a place with plenty." Zhao Yun smiled, grabbed Ye Chen, and started walking. "I'll take you somewhere good. For you, making money will be a breeze."