Chapter 2045: Reliable

Hearing their conversation, Ye Chen cleared his throat. Things had been made so obvious that if he still didn't understand, he would be a complete fool.

Clearly, the person who had leaped across earlier was Ling Feng, the top-ranked on the martial arts list, the legendary Dugu Jian Sheng – the real deal.

"No wonder his inner force surpasses Yang Xuan and Shangguan Jiu," Ye Chen thought to himself. As the number one, he naturally stood above the second and third place holders.

What surprised Ye Chen was that Dugu Jian Sheng, who dominated the martial world, turned out to be a twenty-year-old youth. Even with his steady state of mind, Ye Chen was a bit startled. To be able to suppress the entire martial world at such a young age, his talent was unusually extraordinary.

"What a collection of talents in the mortal realm!" Ye Chen couldn't help but click his tongue in admiration.

"What are you muttering about? We're asking you a question!" Yang Xuan and Shangguan Jiu poked Ye Chen.

"Alright, alright! I taught it." Ye Chen coughed lightly, his eyes not blinking as he casually spouted a lie. Since Yang Xuan and Shangguan Jiu had mistaken him for Dugu Jian Sheng, he had to keep playing the part. He had been acting the whole time, and his performance was worthy of an Oscar, successfully fooling Shangguan Jiu and the others into not recognizing the true Dugu Jian Sheng.

"That's not cool at all." Yang Xuan and the others' faces darkened. "We've asked you more than once to teach us Fei Tian Yun Zong, but you never did, and now you've passed it on to someone else."

"Once we get out of here, I'll teach you both an improved version of Fei Tian Yun Zong."

"Now that's more like it."

"Let's go." Ye Chen tapped his toe on the ground and leaped up, performing Tai Xu Bu to its utmost. His movement was even more graceful than Dugu Jian Sheng's Fei Tian Yun Zong, imbued with an inexplicable Dao essence. It left Yang Xuan and Shangguan Jiu staring in admiration.

"The improved version of Fei Tian Yun Zong is really something." The two of them smiled and followed suit, easily leaping to the other side of the cliff. However, their lightness skills were still a notch below.

Once on the other cliff, they entered another stretch of forest, filled with trees that were nothing but dry, dead wood, devoid of any moisture or vitality.

Yang Xuan and his companion were in high spirits, humming tunes along the way as they looked forward to learning Fei Tian Yun Zong once they left Gui Shan.

Ye Chen, on the other hand, looked more pensive, constantly stroking his chin in thought.

With the real Dugu Jian Sheng around, there was a chance of them running into him, the impostor. Ye Chen needed to figure out how to diffuse the awkward situation and come up with a touching explanation for Yang Xuan and Shangguan Jiu – one that would completely confuse them.

Besides that, he was thinking about something else.

This matter involved the paths of Ling Feng, Shangguan Jiu, and Yang Xuan.

The three of them had exceptional talent, absolute prodigies among prodigies. They could reach the peak in the mortal realm, and if placed in the cultivation world, they would be on par with emperor-level heirs. With their qualifications, if he guided them onto the path of cultivation and gave them enough time, they could become eternal giants in the future.

"Reliable." Ye Chen couldn't help but smile. As the emperor of Da Chu, recruiting talents for his empire was his duty. That way, when the day came to fight battles, he'd have allies by his side.

"This place is quiet—let's rest up a bit." Deep in the forest, Yang Xuan plopped down on the ground, dusted off a spot, and pulled out his wine flask.

Shangguan Jiu was even quicker, already gripping his wine flask and chugging it back.

Ye Chen set aside his thoughts and leaped onto a dead tree, perching on the tip as he gazed into the depths. He could see demonic shaqi gathering, occasionally forming ghostly faces that grinned menacingly at all living beings.

He knew they were getting closer to Gui Yu Zhi Cheng, and the aura of the heavenly demon was growing thicker.

Unfortunately, he couldn't calculate the details because of the limitations imposed by the mortal realm, which prevented his Zhou Tian evolution from functioning at full capacity.

Since he couldn't figure it out, the heavenly demon's strength remained an unknown.

Suddenly, he closed his eyes and began calling out to the evil demon.

This was a dangerous situation, and handling it himself would be troublesome and risky. But if the evil demon showed up, it would be a breeze. That woman was incredibly fierce—her single palm strike could flatten Gui Shan entirely; whether it was a heavenly demon or a demonic heaven, they would all be forced to submit.

The frustrating part was that the evil demon didn't respond at all. Ye Chen was certain she could hear him; she just didn't want to bother.

"Dropping the ball at a critical moment."

Ye Chen muttered under his breath, about to jump down from the dead tree, when his peripheral vision caught a familiar figure.

It was an old man in a black robe, approaching from the distance. As he entered the forest, Ye Chen realized it was Yang Ge Lao.

Ye Chen raised an eyebrow and jumped down from the tree, landing with a thud that startled Yang Ge Lao.

"Well, if it isn't the new groom?" Yang Xuan and the others stood up, recognizing Yang Ge Lao. Their tone was a bit odd, mainly because encountering him here was surprising. He should have been at home enjoying newlywed bliss, not traveling all the way to Gui Shan for trouble.

Yang Ge Lao paused, then recognized Ye Chen and his companions.

"Why aren't you staying put in Zhu Xian Zhen? What brings you here?" Yang Xuan asked with a laugh.

"It's a long story." Yang Ge Lao gave a weary smile, his face pale and a trace of fresh blood at the corner of his mouth.

Seeing this, Yang Xuan and Shangguan Jiu frowned. It was clear Yang Ge Lao was injured, and seriously so.

"What about the Yao Yue Gong master?" Ye Chen remained calm, stepping forward slowly and placing his hand on Yang Ge Lao's shoulder to channel inner force and heal him.

"On the third day after the wedding, the ten elders of Yao Yue Gong showed up and forcibly took Xia Lan away." Yang Ge Lao sighed and shook his head. "I chased after them, but ended up being hunted by the experts from Yao Yue Gong. I fled all the way here and got cornered in Gui Shan."

"Just as expected." Yang Xuan patted Yang Ge Lao on the shoulder.

"The rules of Yao Yue Gong have always been like that. You should have been prepared—marrying their master was bound to bring trouble. Try to let it go." Shangguan Jiu offered some comfort, and he was spot on. Even if people from Xuan Ming Jiao hadn't gotten involved, those from Yao Yue Gong would have.

"If I make it out of Gui Shan alive, I'll go with you to Yao Yue Gong." Ye Chen said lightly, withdrawing his hand. It wasn't that he was meddling unnecessarily; he was genuinely annoyed.

As someone who valued deep emotions, he couldn't stand seeing lovers torn apart. This couple had been happy together, only to be separated—it was unacceptable. He had to have a serious talk with them about ideals and make sure true love prevailed. After all, he had time to kill.

"Count me in." Shangguan Jiu laughed boldly, fully embodying the domineering spirit of the blade maniac.

"And you can't leave out old Yang here." Yang Xuan chuckled. He was always up for chaos, especially with Dugu Jian Sheng and the blade maniac—the top two on the rankings—backing him up. Add his own third-place rank, and they had nothing to fear. Stealing back a Yao Yue Gong master? Or even overturning the entire Yao Yue Gong? It was all doable.

Their words left Yang Ge Lao deeply grateful, never imagining he had such influential connections. The one he was most thankful for was Ye Chen—this young friend had helped him more times than he could count.

"Since you're here, let's travel together." Ye Chen smiled and took the first step.

"From now on, I'll have your back." Shangguan Jiu thumped his chest and, regardless of whether Yang Ge Lao wanted it, slung an arm around his neck and walked on. He was the epitome of being overly familiar.

Yang Ge Lao chuckled awkwardly, glancing at Yang Xuan and then Ye Chen, his eyes seeming to ask: You two, care to introduce this guy?

"Shangguan Jiu." Yang Xuan smiled.

"Shangguan Jiu?" Yang Ge Lao stumbled at the name, nearly tripping. As a martial arts figure, he knew it well—the legendary blade maniac, second on the rankings, a peak expert right below Dugu Jian Sheng, and an absolute force to be reckoned with.

"With the top three on the martial arts rankings all here, walking with us three must make you feel extra proud, right?" Shangguan Jiu said with swagger, flashing a toothy grin.

Yang Ge Lao was a bit dazed by what he heard. He knew Yang Xuan and the blade maniac, but who was this third top-ranked person? Could Dugu Jian Sheng be here too?

Ye Chen was quick to act, hurriedly pulling Yang Ge Lao aside and whispering, "Don't pay attention to their nonsense. And whatever you do, don't spread my identity around. You have to keep it under wraps, got it?"

"Why?" Yang Ge Lao asked in surprise.

"Because it would make people curse up a storm."