Chapter 2141: Finding Treasures

Chapter 2141: Finding Treasures

Listening to the trio's scolding, Ye Chen went to Xiong Er's mountain peak. He wasn't there to flirt with Tang Ruxuan, but to check if she also had Tianmo Benyuan in her body.

Fortunately, Tang Ruxuan was normal, and so was Xiong Er.

After that, he went to other mountain peaks, moving as stealthily as a ghost.

It could be said that in the entire Hengyue Sect, from the ancestors down to the disciples, and even the spirit beasts they kept, he checked each one thoroughly. Along the way, he accidentally stumbled upon several intimate scenes—for example, Long Yi and Murong Miaoxin were busy on the bed; another time, Zixuan had just emerged from the spirit pool after bathing; and so on.

However, those details weren't important. What mattered was that they were all normal.

In other words, in the whole Hengyue Sect, only he and Xiong Er had Tianmo Benyuan.

On the mountain path, Ye Chen walked slowly, his eyes flickering with uncertainty.

There was the God of Creation ahead, the skinny old man behind, and now even he himself had it—surprisingly, Xiong Er also carried Tianmo Benyuan. It all felt strangely suspicious, hinting at some shocking conspiracy.

During this time, he had tried to contact Ming Yanluo, thinking that the Underworld Emperor and Di Huang might know something.

But unfortunately, the underworld and the heavens were still isolated from each other.

As he walked, a figure suddenly appeared at the end of the path. Upon closer inspection, it was Ji Ningshuang.

"Handsome, truly handsome."

Ye Chen murmured deeply, gazing at his own physical body from afar. It truly looked elegant and imposing, with an air of regal presence. Without realizing it, he was impressed by his own handsomeness.

"Switch bodies back."

Ji Ningshuang approached, a bit frantic. She was here precisely for this—to swap bodies as soon as possible, otherwise who knew what nonsense Ye Chen might pull.

"There's no rush. Focus on comprehending the Shen Zang first—that's the priority."

Ye Chen spoke earnestly.

"We can comprehend it later."

"Huh? Why isn't Chu Xuan wearing any clothes?"

Ye Chen exclaimed lightly, even tiptoeing to peer over Ji Ningshuang's shoulder. His eyes lit up brightly as he looked.

Hearing this, Ji Ningshuang instinctively turned around.

But behind her, there was no unclothed Chu Xuan—in fact, not even a bird in sight.

Realizing she'd been tricked, Ji Ningshuang spun back around, but Ye Chen had already vanished.

Ji Ningshuang stood there stunned for a second, then squatted down, covering her face. She felt an urge to cry. She really never learned her lesson—Ye Chen had fooled her again, pulling tricks on her every few days.

Meanwhile, Young Master Ye had already left Hengyue Sect, streaking through the air like a beam of immortal light amid wind and thunder.

"Clever me."

Ye Chen chuckled to himself.

Who was he? He was the holy lord of the Heavenly Court, the emperor of Great Chu, the genuine master of deception. His acting skills were purer than his combat prowess—absolutely at the level of a film emperor.

Ji Ningshuang was different. Though her fighting strength was formidable, her intelligence left something to be desired—it was the chest-over-brain type, a total bookworm. How could she be his match? He could trick her every time.

Of course, he had his reasons for tricking his wife. He'd finally convinced Ji Ningshuang to switch bodies, so he needed to study it properly. Maybe he could unlock one or two more dominant Shen Zang. If they switched back now, with her personality, who knew when she'd agree to do it again.

And so, he put on another show of acting and, incidentally, gave his wife a good lesson.

He stopped again, this time at Qingyun Sect.

To avoid unnecessary trouble, he covered himself with a black robe and hid his face with a ghost mask before stepping inside. His purpose was to see if there was anyone here like Xiong Er, carrying Tianmo Benyuan.

Qingyun Sect's sect leader, Zhou Ao, was quite idle. When Ye Chen arrived, Zhou Ao was flirting with Yue Chi Xun. It looked like he was about to head to bed for a quick nap and then get to know her even better.

Ye Chen's sudden appearance caught Zhou Ao off guard, interrupting his good moment. Naturally, his expression soured as he sized up Ye Chen.

"Daoist friend, who are you?"

"Gather everyone in the sect."

Ye Chen replied calmly, holding the Heavenly Court holy lord's token in his hand.

Zhou Ao frowned slightly, recognizing the sword token. As long as the token was there, it was as if the person were present—seeing the token was like seeing the person. But he was puzzled—how did the Heavenly Court holy lord's token end up in this stranger's hands?

"You idiot, hurry up."

Ye Chen grew impatient and stepped forward to kick him.

As soon as he said that, Zhou Ao recognized the voice. His mouth twitched—he was baffled by Ye Chen. The real person was right here, so why bother with the token? It was completely unnecessary.

Still, nonsense aside, the matter had to be handled. No one dared defy the Heavenly Court holy lord's command. Zhou Ao immediately left the bamboo grove to summon the disciples and elders. With Ye Chen here in person, something big must be happening.

After he left, Ye Chen relaxed and turned to Yue Chi Xun with a grin.

"Big sister-in-law, do you sleep in separate rooms at night, or share a bed? Any special activities?"

Yue Chi Xun gave a dry laugh, neither shaking nor nodding her head. She'd heard about Ye Chen's nature—putting it nicely, he had no principles; putting it bluntly, he was shameless. Whether to respond or not was up to her.

Ye Chen felt awkward, scratched his nose, and left.

Zhou Ao was efficient. Soon, the sect's disciples and elders gathered in a massive crowd in front of the Qingyun main hall. Many were yawning, a mix of all sorts.

It wasn't until Ye Chen landed that the disciples and elders stood straight, even the sect leader showing respect. Clearly, his identity was no ordinary one.

Ye Chen said nothing, slowly walking through the crowd, his gaze fixed and piercing. Though his Lunhui Eye was sealed, his vision remained sharp. No one present could escape his scrutiny.

Zhou Ao scratched his head, completely baffled about what Ye Chen was doing. Was he catching a thief?

The Qingyun Sect disciples and elders were equally confused. Whenever Ye Chen stared at someone, they felt uneasy, as if all their secrets were exposed.

Ye Chen remained silent, scanning one person after another. He even got a clear view of the treasures in their storage bags.

It was worth noting that, regardless of age or gender, everyone had Great Chu specialties in their storage bags. As the Heavenly Court holy lord, this made him extremely pleased—they were right on track.

Only after half an hour did he withdraw his gaze and breathe a slight sigh of relief. Everyone in Qingyun Sect was normal; no one carried Tianmo Benyuan.

"What exactly are you looking for?"

Zhou Ao couldn't hold back his curiosity and asked via voice transmission.

"Finding treasures."

Ye Chen replied casually, then turned to leave. But after a few steps, he doubled back and kicked Zhou Ao for no particular reason—just because he felt like it.

Zhou Ao's face darkened again. He strongly suspected Ye Chen was just here for fun, making the entire Qingyun Sect wait around while kicking their sect leader—without a shred of face.

Ye Chen didn't stop there. He went straight to Zhengyang Sect, doing the same as at Qingyun Sect: summoning everyone and checking them one by one. This left Yang Zhen, the grand commander, full of questions.

Ye Chen arrived quickly and left just as fast. The entire Zhengyang Sect was normal.

Night fell quietly, but he moved like a ghost, appearing in various corners of Southern Chu. Carrying the holy lord's token, he checked everywhere he went. All the major forces in Southern Chu bore his shadow, and even the mortal realm wasn't overlooked. As long as there were living beings, none escaped his scrutiny.

"What on earth is that guy looking for?"

In Tianxuan Gate, Tian Lao stood with his hands behind his back, staring at the Illusory Heaven Water Curtain, muttering this for not the first time.

Donghuang Tai Xin was also there, silent. Ye Chen had been searching for half a month, and she'd been watching for just as long. Tian Lao didn't know what Ye Chen was after, and neither did she. It was all so mysterious—it had to be something significant. But she wasn't worried; Ye Chen would come to Tianxuan Gate eventually.

Under their watchful eyes, Ye Chen entered Dancheng.

Though night had fallen, Dancheng remained bustling. Walking the streets, the thick scent of medicinal herbs was everywhere. Besides the original residents, there were people from Danzun Hall and many alchemists from other forces who had joined. Dancheng's alchemy lineup was unprecedentedly massive, ensuring a steady supply—if war broke out, it would be like having an army of cultivators.

Ye Chen kept a low profile this time, not summoning anyone outright. Alchemists were different from ordinary cultivators; they hated disturbances the most, so he conducted his checks discreetly.

In the night, his figure flitted like a ghost through Dancheng's corners, his divine eyes sharp. No one escaped his gaze.

After his inspection, he stopped at the Dan Estate, hiding in the void and quietly observing the pavilion.

In the pavilion sat a white-robed elder named Dan Qi, of the same generation as Dan Chen and Dan Yi. He had attended the grand alchemy competition back in the day and was a high-level alchemist now.

Indeed, Dan Qi harbored Tianmo Benyuan in his body—he was the only one in Dancheng. From his expression, he seemed unaware, just like Xiong Er and the skinny old man.

Ye Chen stood still for a while, examining Dan Qi inside and out. Besides the Tianmo Benyuan, there was nothing unusual.

Soon, a female elder arrived. She was also from Dancheng, strikingly beautiful and still alluring despite her age. She stood beside Dan Qi, gazing at the bright moon.

Ye Chen cleared his throat and quietly retreated. If he kept watching, it might get inappropriate.

Before leaving, he left a mark on Dan Qi's divine soul, then exited Dancheng. Once he finished searching Southern Chu, he would take him to Tianxuan Gate. This matter involved the Tianmo, so he couldn't afford to be careless.

On the vast expanse of land, he continued onward, drawing close to the Southern Chu city walls.

The night should have been peaceful and quiet, but the city walls were lively. People crowded the walls and the area below, mostly experts in formations. Gu Santong and Wuya Daoist were among them, working diligently to inscribe array patterns and set up formations.

Ye Chen didn't reveal himself, just swept his gaze over and couldn't help but sigh in admiration.

The current Southern Chu city walls were incredibly formidable: a formation every three zhang, a cannon every five zhang, and each city tower equipped with Void Killing Arrays. Protective barriers covered the walls—it was as solid as an iron fortress. Any outsider trying to attack from here would pay a bloody price.

This wasn't overkill; it was preparation in advance. After experiencing the Tianmo invasion, they understood the walls' importance. This would be a stronghold—if the walls couldn't be taken, Great Chu couldn't be conquered.

"Hurry up, no slacking off."

"I'm talking to you, big guy. Go carry another mountain."

Gu Santong and Wuya Daoist's scolding rang out loudly. The "big guy" they referred to was Manshan. As soon as he heard it, he charged over with his spiked club.

In the end, the big guy got beaten, only because Gu Santong and Wuya Daoist had damaged emperor artifacts. Even with a crowd, they couldn't match the two, so who would dare cause trouble in front of emperor weapons?

Thus, Manshan turned back into a docile lamb and honestly went to carry mountains.

Ye Chen didn't leave, fixing his gaze on Manshan. He also carried Tianmo Benyuan—though just a trace, faint and elusive, it was clearly visible, identical to Xiong Er and the others.

"How could this be?"

Under the moonlight, Ye Chen murmured softly, a haze settling over him. He truly couldn't figure it out—without the foundation of the Tianmo pillars, where had this Tianmo Benyuan come from?