Chapter 2030

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

In the dead of night, the sound of arrows piercing the air was chillingly cold. Hundreds of deadly arrows rained down like a storm, each one gleaming with a sinister, piercing light, aimed at killing Ye Chen.

Ye Chen's expression remained calm and unmoving.

From within him, inner energy surged and gathered, condensing into a protective shield of qi.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The sharp ring of metal colliding echoed clearly.

The arrows struck the qi shield, sparking off it, but none could penetrate.

"Tian Gang Hu Ti." Gui Wuchang's face changed drastically as he stepped back, staring at Ye Chen in terror. "You're Yang Xuan."

"Yang Xuan?" Not only the three hunchbacked elders, but also the hundreds of archers and Yinshan Laodao, all instinctively retreated. They had all heard of that name—the third-ranked expert in the martial world, whose Tian Gang Hu Ti technique was overwhelmingly dominant, with an unbreakable defense.

This was exactly why everyone feared him.

Being third in the martial world rankings meant he wasn't just tough; he was also incredibly powerful. If he went berserk, at least half of those present would die.

Ye Chen said nothing, neither confirming nor denying. Keeping things vague made him even harder to read. If they thought he was Yang Xuan, then playing that role was fine. From their expressions, it seemed Yang Xuan was someone they greatly feared, so he must be exceptionally formidable.

The world around them fell into a terrifying silence, broken only by the sound of heartbeats.

The three hunchbacked elders turned pale, their legs trembling. Only now did they realize that the person they had tried to kill was a peak martial arts expert. In that instant, they felt as if they were already at death's door, their bodies ice-cold without a trace of warmth.

They were shaking, and Gui Wuchang wasn't faring much better. The tenth rank versus the third was a world of difference in strength. Yang Xuan could take him down in three moves.

As for the archers, their hands gripping their bows were trembling. They had numbers on their side, but Yang Xuan was unbeatable in defense and incredibly offensive. Their arrows couldn't breach his shield, and a single strike from him could knock out a crowd.

The one who remained relatively composed was Yinshan Laodao.

This old man knew yin and yang, understood the eight trigrams, and had even raided imperial tombs. He was a man of great experience and a honored guest of Yan Wang. He stayed calm in the face of crisis.

Most importantly, he had no grudge against Yang Xuan. As fellow prominent figures in the martial world, Yang Xuan wouldn't completely disregard his face. He couldn't possibly kill him over nothing, could he?

With that thought, Yinshan Laodao chuckled and bowed his hands. "So it's Brother Yang Xuan. My apologies for the oversight."

"No problem at all." Ye Chen smiled faintly and slowly approached Yinshan Laodao.

At the sight, Yinshan Laodao, who had just stepped forward, retreated again. Not only him, but Gui Wuchang at his side and the hundreds of archers also backed away.

The only strange thing was Ye Chen's smile—it felt unnatural. Though he was smiling, to them, it was like the grim reaper beckoning, sending chills through their entire bodies.

"What's with the retreat? I'm not going to kill you." Ye Chen dusted off his shoulder.

Yinshan Laodao said nothing but continued to back away, cursing inwardly. You're smiling like that—who knows what you're thinking?

"Speaking frankly, I like your ring." Ye Chen looked at Yinshan Laodao with a grin.

"Are you trying to extort me, Brother Yang?" Yinshan Laodao said darkly.

"If you don't give it, that's fine. I can just take it myself—and while I'm at it, take your life too." Ye Chen's words turned ethereal as he closed the distance in a few steps.

"You..." Yinshan Laodao raged and tried to flee.

But his speed was far inferior. He was an expert at tomb raiding, but in combat, he was outclassed, especially against someone like Ye Chen.

In an instant, the ring was stripped from his hand and grasped by Ye Chen.

"Yang Xuan." Yinshan Laodao roared, "You're making an enemy of Yan Wang."

"Using him to scare me won't work." Ye Chen's movements were mysterious as he vanished into the night, his faint voice echoing back. As if a mere feudal lord from the mortal realm could intimidate him? Armies of thousands or millions were nothing but a joke to him.

If the real Yang Xuan knew what Ye Chen had done tonight, he might jump up and curse. You bastard! Causing trouble and leaving me to take the blame. You're not afraid, but I am! You stole the treasure—why not just eliminate them all? Are you deliberately making things worse for me?

In hindsight, Ye Chen's actions did have some flaws—he really should have silenced them.

"Damn you!" Behind him, Yinshan Laodao's furious shout echoed through the mountains and forests, his killing intent toward Yang Xuan uncontrollable.

"Report to Yan Wang and wipe out his entire clan!" Gui Wuchang shouted.

"Worthless! A bunch of worthless fools!" Yinshan Laodao's face twisted with rage, like a mad dog, cursing Gui Wuchang and the others thoroughly. At his age of nearly a hundred, he had never lost face like this. If this group had been competent, how could he have ended up so humiliated? With hundreds of people, they hadn't even dared to fight.

After his tirade, Gui Wuchang and the others dared not retort.

Not everyone was as fearless as Yang Xuan. They feared Yinshan Laodao, and even more, the Yan Wang behind him. Provoking this old daoist would bring not only pursuit from the martial world but also an imperial warrant. The consequences would be dire.

"And you," the one with the least sense was the black-clad young man, who tentatively looked at Yinshan Laodao and asked, "So, are we still going into this ancient tomb?"

"Get out!" Yinshan Laodao slapped him. All of this humiliation stemmed from these three. If not for them, he wouldn't have crossed paths with Yang Xuan or lost his family heirloom.

With the treasure gone, what was the point of tomb raiding? Right now, he wanted revenge on Yang Xuan more than anything.

"Tell Yan Wang that if he wants me to raid tombs, bring me Yang Xuan's head first." Yinshan Laodao snorted coldly, flicked his sleeve, and stormed off without even using his cane—his departure was nothing short of domineering.

The crowd followed behind him dejectedly.

What a mess! They had come full of excitement to raid an ancient tomb, only to get robbed as soon as they arrived. It was infuriating.

Still, they should count themselves lucky that Yang Xuan had only taken the treasure. If he had gone on a killing spree, few would have survived.

Meanwhile, Ye Chen hummed a tune as he strolled back, casually tossing the source crystal ring between his hands. To Yinshan Laodao, it was a priceless treasure, but to Ye Chen, it was just a toy. Having seen the world, he was unfazed.

"On a mere mortal ancient star, where did all this source crystal come from? It's strange."

On his way back, Ye Chen muttered to himself, even trying to absorb the source crystal to cultivate true qi in his sealed state.

Unfortunately, the evil demon's seal was too stubborn. Anything related to cultivation was blocked, including his dantian. Any true qi he generated had nowhere to go.

"Fine, I give up." Ye Chen put away the ring, feeling deflated, and abandoned the idea of absorption.

Late at night, he returned to his small garden.

As soon as he entered, he saw a figure pacing anxiously. It was Yang Ge Lao.

"Why aren't you sleeping in the middle of the night? What brings you here?" Ye Chen said casually.

"You're back! Quick, come with me to save someone." Ye Chen had barely steadied himself when Yang Ge Lao pulled him out of the garden. The old man was extremely urgent, his face full of worry.

Ye Chen glanced at him but didn't ask questions.

Soon, they arrived at the courtyard behind the tavern and headed straight to a room.

"Blood scent." Ye Chen raised an eyebrow as they entered.

"My friend, she's on the verge of death. Please save her." Yang Ge Lao stood by the bed, his eyes filled with hope.

Ye Chen stepped forward and saw a woman lying there—a middle-aged beauty, elegant and noble, but her face was deathly pale and bloodless, her breath weak. Pain was etched between her brows, and black blood occasionally trickled from her mouth. Clearly, she had been poisoned. Only her inner energy was keeping her alive; otherwise, she would have died.

"Who is she?" Ye Chen asked, gently lifting the blanket to reveal a wound on her right shoulder—from a poisoned sword. The toxin was spreading through her body. Even with her inner energy protecting her, she wouldn't survive the night.

"I don't know who she is." Yang Ge Lao replied. "Last night, she was being pursued and gravely injured. She happened to fall into my courtyard, so I saved her. The attackers were experts from the Xuan Ming sect; I eliminated them. As for her identity, I haven't figured it out yet."

"This is quite the heroic rescue scenario." Ye Chen said meaningfully.

"Don't joke around. Can she still be saved?"

"I'm not a doctor—why do you always come to me for everything?"

"You're a hidden master, capable of anything." Yang Ge Lao's words were sincere, his face a mix of anxiety and expectation.

Ye Chen took in his expression. No doubt, this old man had taken a liking to the woman; otherwise, he wouldn't have risked provoking the Xuan Ming sect for her.

This might just be what they called love at first sight.

"Come on, let's create another good karma." Ye Chen pulled out the ring from Yinshan Laodao.

"This ring..." Yang Ge Lao stared, recognizing it as Yinshan Laodao's treasured heirloom, which he never left his side. How had it ended up with Ye Chen?

A few seconds later, a guess formed in Yang Ge Lao's mind: Was he Yinshan Laodao's disciple? Otherwise, how would he have given away the family treasure?

But his imagination fell short. If he knew what had happened tonight, he'd be shocked speechless.

"What's with the daze? Help me lift her up." Ye Chen said impatiently.

Yang Ge Lao snapped out of it and quickly helped prop up the woman.

Ye Chen held the ring against her wound, channeling his inner energy to activate it and draw out the toxin. This was source crystal, after all—highly effective. Strands of black poison were visibly sucked out, dark and foul-smelling, incredibly toxic.

As the toxin was gradually extracted, the woman's breathing steadied, and a hint of color returned to her pale face.

"My friend, you're truly remarkable." Yang Ge Lao was overjoyed, placing his hand on her shoulder to channel his own inner energy and aid in detoxifying her, feeling quite pleased with himself.

"This destined romance—how does it feel?" Ye Chen chuckled.

"Are you saying..."

"Fate brings people together; you can't stop it."