Chapter 1863: Yaoxin

In the dead of night, Ye Chen and Xian Mu left the Di Gong. Xian Mu’s steps were graceful like a lotus, and she remained silent. Ye Chen, on the other hand, was muttering incessantly, truly astonished by the Nü Sheng Ti.

What a pity that the Nü Sheng Ti was already dead; otherwise, the two of them would surely have had much to discuss. The entire lineage of Sheng Ti were all monstrous talents.

"As for my relationship with Hong Chen Liu Dao, what does Xian Mu think it is?"

"That you're keeping it so reserved from me means it's certainly not simple." Yao Chi Xian Mu smiled leisurely, her beautiful eyes filled with deep meaning.

"It's not that I'm hiding anything; it's just that Jiu Jian Xian said my connection with Hong Chen Liu Dao is a big secret. Anyone can know it, except for you, Xian Mu." Ye Chen casually picked another Pán Táo, not only eating it but stuffing it into his sleeve as well, speaking matter-of-factly.

"Why is that?"

"Who knows? If Xian Mu wants to clear it up, why not go straight to Jiu Jian Xian? He's magnanimous—if you pout and then act a little coy, he'd definitely tell you."

"The more you say, the more absurd it gets." Xian Mu glared at Ye Chen. Only this kid would dare say such things to her face. At my age, pouting and acting coy?

"It's not that I'm criticizing you, but if you and Jiu Jian Xian have feelings for each other, why hide it? What a fine romantic fate it is!

"It's a good thing Jiu Jian Xian is upright; if I were Ye Chen, I'd have swooped in long ago and made it a done deal somewhere.

"In Da Chu, under my leadership, things are full of vitality. Unlike you at Yao Chi with all these rules and restrictions—who says you can't get married? Is there no justice?"

Ye Chen kept chattering away without pause, plucking a peach with every sentence he uttered.

His rambling didn't amount to much, but the Pán Táo trees suffered greatly—one after another, stripped bare by him.

As for Yao Chi Xian Mu, her peerless face was now crisscrossed with black lines, and her beautiful eyes blazed with anger.

Have I gone mad? Staying up late just to listen to your lectures. Yes, yes, I know I'm Xian Mu.

Ye Chen was still going on, completely oblivious to Xian Mu's expression, eating and picking as if he owned the place.

As he picked, he suddenly sprawled on the ground—he'd been slapped down by Xian Mu, his entire body embedded in the soil, forming a very straight human-shaped imprint.

Now, the world was quiet. Xian Mu flicked her sleeve and vanished in an instant, leaving Ye Chen lying there.

Her strike was heavy; he was completely dazed. From a distance, you couldn't even tell there was a person lying there.

After some time, a graceful figure passed by.

It was a woman in white, veiled in light gauze, her eyes clear as water with Dao Yun swirling within. Her three thousand strands of black hair flowed like waves, each thread tinged with divine radiance.

This woman was diligent; she had just finished her cultivation and was heading to the Xian Chi for a bath before returning to her mountain peak to rest.

As she passed over Ye Chen, she didn't notice him at first—it was only after stepping on him that she sensed something was off.

Turning back, she saw it was a person stuck in the soil, one hand still gripping a Pán Táo, exuding an air of dominance.

"Who is it?" the woman lightly scolded, gently tapping the ground with her jade foot. A layer of halo spread out, shaking Ye Chen loose.

Well, now he was awake, kneeling there and spitting out dirt, looking utterly disheveled. Xian Mu's blow had been truly forceful.

"Ye Chen?" The woman stepped forward with her sword, recognizing him—it was her Yao Chi Holy Land brother-in-law, no doubt.

"It's me." Ye Chen coughed, speaking seriously without a hint of jest. "I wasn't watching where I was going and fell."

"That must have been some fall." The woman chuckled dryly. And what a reason you've come up with—she's no fool and knows Ye Chen is bluffing. Falling in the middle of the night? At a glance, it's clear nothing good is going on. She's heard all about the Tian Ting Sheng Lord's nature.

"Shang Shan Xian Ti?" Ye Chen scanned the woman up and down, his tone full of surprise, his eyes gleaming brightly. More accurately, it was astonishment—he hadn't expected Yao Chi Holy Land to have another Xian Ti besides Ji Ning Shuang.

"Hello, brother-in-law. I'm Yao Xin, the newly appointed Yao Chi Shen Nü." The woman smiled lightly, her address of "brother-in-law" sweet and pleasant. Her impression of this brother-in-law was quite good.

"The newly appointed Yao Chi Shen Nü—full of potential. I have high hopes for you." Ye Chen stroked his chin, sizing up Yao Xin.

This young woman was indeed beautiful, with a peerless appearance and the legendary Shang Shan Xian Ti. Her Dao Yun was naturally formed, and her cultivation level was not low, making her qualified to be the Shen Nü.

But what Ye Chen was pondering wasn't that; he was thinking of having the unmarried talents of Da Chu find a way to whisk her away too.

"Reliable." Ye Chen smirked slyly. Kidnapping two Yao Chi Shen Nü would surely infuriate Yao Chi Xian Mu, and she'd definitely go to Da Chu to settle scores with him as the Sheng Lord.

Once she went to Da Chu, it would be perfect. Da Chu had plenty of talents and a fierce populace—they could handle everything at once.

"Brother-in-law?" Seeing Ye Chen smile—and smile so slyly—Yao Xin was baffled. She waved her hand in front of his eyes, not understanding why he was grinning like that.

"Just a sudden thought." Ye Chen said with a meaningful expression. "If you have time, you should visit Da Chu."

"Xian Mu said I can go anywhere except Da Chu. She mentioned that the people of Da Chu are all lunatics." Yao Xin blinked her big eyes innocently, speaking without a care, unsure if it was a joke or just naivety.

"Yao Xin, when you go out in the future, don't talk like that—it's easy to get beaten up." Ye Chen said earnestly, patting her shoulder, then tossing his hair and turning to leave.

Good thing she's a fairy; if it were a guy, he'd kick him half to death. Even calling him brother-in-law—or dad, for that matter—wouldn't help. Saying the people of Da Chu are lunatics? Has he lost his mind?

Ye Chen made his way out of the Pán Táo Lin and didn't return to the mountain peak. Instead, he stepped into the vast clouds and left the Xian Shan, heading straight south.

In the morning, the warm sunlight bathed the entire Yao Chi Xian Shan in immortal light, shimmering with peaceful, auspicious hues.

A new day arrived, and the Yao Chi fairies all emerged from their chambers, sitting cross-legged on the mountain peaks to refine the essence of the sun and moon.

Many more fairies were busy preparing for the grand event. From the injured Yao Chi Xian Mu down to the disciples, everyone took the Pán Táo Huì very seriously.

Some were even slacking off, heading to Ji Ning Shuang's mountain peak in groups of three or five to tease little Ye Fan.

"Shen Nü, where's brother-in-law?" A group of fairies chattered, looking around but not spotting Ye Chen.

Ji Ning Shuang smiled but didn't reply, merely lifting her gaze slightly toward the mountains outside, as if she could see through the endless mists to that distant figure, seemingly knowing where he had gone.

Ye Chen moved like a divine rainbow, crossing vast rivers and wildernesses until he descended from the sky near a range of Xian Shan.

The Xian Shan were majestic, numbering in the thousands, occupying a dominant geographical position. With such terrain, they could form a formidable Fǎ Zhèn.

At the base of the Xian Shan stood an ancient stone tablet, weathered and inscribed with four large characters: Tiān Quán Shèng Dì.

Tiān Quán Shèng Dì was a secluded major sect. Though its ancestors had no great emperors, it had produced many world-shaking giants.

Ye Chen's purpose here was clear—he wasn't seeking revenge or causing trouble; he was here to make amends.

Earlier, the Shén Zǐ of Tiān Quán Shèng Dì had been slain by Ji Ning Shuang at Zhu Tian Shan, his form and spirit utterly destroyed.

That day, he had used Da Chu's might to halt the conflicts from all sides, but a grudge of killing a son couldn't be dismissed with words alone.

Regardless of the reason, it was Ji Ning Shuang who had extinguished the Tiān Quán Shén Zǐ, so someone had to take responsibility.

"Ye Chen, how dare you come." Before Ye Chen could speak, roars echoed from the Xian Shan, and hundreds of figures charged out, each radiating killing intent that made the heavens tremble.

Leading them was the Tiān Quán Shèng Lord, devastated by the loss of his child and now in his prime with hair already turned white.

The elders and uncles were all overflowing with murderous aura, attributing the past blood debt to Ye Chen.

"Stop!" At the moment of tension, a stern rebuke resounded through the skies, full of authority. The Tiān Quán Old Ancestor emerged, his face ashen, his Zhǔn Dì aura vast and overwhelming.

"Greetings, senior." Ye Chen performed a junior's salute, his demeanor humble, not resorting to force this time.

"But I wonder, Tian Ting Sheng Lord, what brings you to my Tiān Quán Shèng Dì?" The Tiān Quán Old Ancestor stared coldly at Ye Chen. It wasn't that he didn't dare to kill him; he simply couldn't. The only blame was that the Da Chu behind Ye Chen was too powerful—it had even wiped out the Téng Shé, let alone their Tiān Quán Shèng Dì.

"The matter of your sect's Shén Zǐ being killed fills me with deep regret." Ye Chen said. "I've come specifically to seek reconciliation."

"Reconciliation?" The Tiān Quán Shèng Lord snorted coldly, his eyes bloodshot, his killing intent soaring. "The enmity of a slain son is irreconcilable."

"The dead cannot be revived, and I can't hand over Yao Chi's life to Tiān Quán Shèng Dì." Ye Chen replied.

"Then what's there to discuss?" The Tiān Quán Shèng Lord thundered.

"Human sentiment." Ye Chen waved his hand, producing a command token and suspending it in the air. "Consider it as Ye Chen owing Tiān Quán Shèng Dì a favor. In the future, if Tiān Quán Shèng Dì faces trouble, you can take this token to Da Chu, and I will surely assist."

"A command token in exchange for my son's life?" The Tiān Quán Shèng Lord raged, swatting the token away, his emotions unstable.

"I've said all I can. Farewell." Ye Chen turned and ascended into the sky, employing a Shén Tōng to vanish from sight.

"Bastard." The Tiān Quán Shèng Lord soared upward, sword in hand, his Dà Shèng aura peaking as he intended to pursue Ye Chen.

"Enough!" The Tiān Quán Old Ancestor boomed, reaching out to yank the ascending Tiān Quán Shèng Lord back.

"Just let it go like this?" The Tiān Quán Shèng Lord and the elders snorted coldly, each grinding their teeth, their faces twisted in fury.

"What else can we do? Kill Yao Chi? Or kill Ye Chen?" The Tiān Quán Old Ancestor scolded. "Do you know that Da Chu could destroy our Tiān Quán in three breaths? What do we fight with? Passion? And do you understand what Ye Chen's command token means? It means as long as Da Chu stands, so does Tiān Quán. The Shén Zǐ's life was exchanged for our sect's peace—he died for a worthy cause, with great value. Don't pursue it further. In this iron-blooded world, the rules of survival are cruel. Ye Chen has already shown mercy; if you provoke him, and he truly wipes us out, no one in the world would object."

After this reprimand, everyone fell silent, their terrifying killing intent subsiding. The old ancestor's words were not without reason.

Ye Chen wasn't the threat; it was the giants of Da Chu. With even Téng Shé destroyed, how towering was that mountain? It would become the greatest reliance for Tiān Quán Shèng Dì.

It was just that their Shén Zǐ had been too arrogant; it was also that they hadn't stopped him in time that day.

The Shén Zǐ's death meant Tiān Quán couldn't escape blame. Ye Chen's words weren't wrong—the entire Zhu Tian owed Da Chu, for Da Chu had built a bloody Great Wall for them.

In that case, this favor was actually to their advantage. The command token of the Tian Ting Sheng Lord was as heavy as Mount Tai.