Chapter 2547: Openly

Unsure of the time, Dan Jun finally withdrew his gaze, just as Ye Chen had anticipated. His cultivation wasn't quite up to par; after scanning everything inside and out, he still couldn't spot the Qilin Fruit or detect its aura. He confirmed that Ye Chen hadn't lied.

Since Ye Chen hadn't lied, that meant Ba Tai Zi had.

"Good one, Yin Ming, daring to deceive me."

Dan Jun snorted coldly in his heart, now fully believing Ye Chen's side of the story. He instinctively assumed that Ba Tai Zi didn't want to give him the Qilin Fruit and had fabricated the lie.

Realizing he'd been played, Dan Jun's face darkened even more. Others might fear Ba Tai Zi, but he didn't. Yin Ming's father was the Yu Di, yet his own master was the Dan Shen. Not just Yin Ming—even the Yu Di would show him respect.

Ye Chen remained unfazed, simply sipping his tea leisurely.

Perhaps fueled by his anger, Dan Jun's gaze toward Ye Chen lacked any warmth, and he couldn't help but take it out on him. Snatching the Qilin Fruit from Ye Chen would be easy, but getting it from Ba Tai Zi was nothing short of a pipe dream.

And now, Ye Chen had already given the Qilin Fruit to Yin Ming.

After a long while, Dan Jun finally spoke.

"I hear you have a divine staff."

"I borrowed it," Ye Chen replied with a smile.

"I don't care where it came from," Dan Jun said flatly. "Bring that divine staff to me, and I'll take you into my Dan Shen Hall."

Dan Jun delivered these words calmly, but his tone was far from negotiable. It carried an air of command, as if instructing a subordinate.

Across from him, Ye Chen felt like laughing.

This was outright brazen theft! Had he wandered into the wrong scene? Who the hell cares about your Dan Shen Hall?

"What's the matter? Unwilling?" Dan Jun's tone grew heavier, laced with a hint of intimidation. He'd heard of Ye Chen's divine staff—a powerful divine weapon. Though he was a pill refiner, he had a keen interest in collecting such artifacts. How could he pass it up?

Besides, he couldn't imagine any reason for Ye Chen to refuse.

The Dan Shen Hall in the Heavenly Court wasn't somewhere just anyone could enter. Whether in the Upper Immortal Realm or the scattered immortal realms, countless pill refiners would go bankrupt just to get in. Who would pass up such an opportunity?

"Of course I'm willing," Ye Chen said with a cheerful laugh, playing his role perfectly and slipping back into his bluffing mode. "The staff isn't mine, after all. Give me some time to discuss it with its owner."

"Once you've decided, come to the Dan Shen Hall to find me."

With that, Dan Jun rose and flicked his sleeve, stepping through layers of space as he walked away. His expression remained sour, his chest full of pent-up anger, just waiting for Yin Ming to emerge from seclusion so he could settle the score. If you won't give it, fine—but deceiving me is going too far.

Behind him, Ye Chen couldn't help but sneer. You want my divine staff? Dream on. You'll be waiting forever, and it still won't happen.

As for the Qilin Fruit, he wouldn't trade it for anything. Not even for a divine pearl, or even the Wan Mie Xian Yan—he'd refuse it all.

And this mess? Ba Tai Zi would have to take the fall.

Everything Ye Chen had said today would leave Yin Ming unable to clear his name, because in Dan Jun's eyes, he was already guilty of deception. Whether they fought or argued, that was between those two.

It had to be said, Ye Chen had masterfully redirected the trouble. Already targeted by Ba Tai Zi, he had no desire to draw Dan Jun's attention too. His mission was to find the reincarnated ones, and he had no time to waste on them.

Soon, three figures entered the residence: Si Ming Xing Jun, Taiyi Zhenren, and Tai Bai Jin Xing. They'd come for the promised drinking session, right on time.

"When we came in earlier, we saw Dan Jun, and he didn't look too pleased," Taiyi Zhenren said as he sat down, grabbing a spirit fruit and taking a bite before glancing at the young master Ye. "You didn't go and provoke him, did you?"

"Don't be ridiculous. I'm as honest as they come," Ye Chen said dismissively.

Si Ming Xing Jun burst out laughing. He'd believe anyone else claiming to be honest, but not the man in front of him. A guy who stirred up trouble wherever he went? Hardly innocent. All those he'd beaten half to death were probably still cursing him at home.

"Better not have," Tai Bai Jin Xing said as he sat down, offering some sage advice. "It's best not to cross him. His temperament isn't much better than Ba Tai Zi's. One relies on his father being the Yu Di, the other on his master being the Dan Shen—they're both insufferably arrogant."

Ye Chen didn't respond, just focused on munching his spirit fruit. He'd dealt with plenty of arrogant types before. If they didn't bother him, fine—but if they did, they'd get a taste of the divine might of the Great Chu Emperor.

"Dan Shen is in seclusion," Taiyi Zhenren said casually. "When he comes out, he'll surely summon you. With your pill refining talent, you might even be taken into the Dan Shen Hall. Don't refuse—it commands respect from all immortals."

"That would be a solid backer, more intimidating than Hua Shan."

"I get the idea," Ye Chen said with a smile. He was well aware of the Dan Shen Hall's reputation. As recorded in the Hua Shan Tibetan Scripture Pavilion, over sixty percent of the Heavenly Realm's pill refiners were in the Dan Shen Hall. It was like the Dan Fu of Great Chu or the Dan Zun Hall of Xuan Huang—full of pill refiners whom no one dared provoke. Pill refiners might not excel in combat, but their influence was immense. Even immortal lords had to humble themselves to get their services, and it wasn't uncommon for them to hire assassins.

After the conversation, Ye Chen brought out some fine wine.

The banquet kicked off in an instant. Ye Chen, for once, showed some restraint and didn't spike the wine with Great Chu specialties—the effects were just too strong.

As dawn approached, the three guests staggered away, off to the morning court.

This time, Ye Chen didn't go; he'd genuinely taken the day off.

In the days that followed, he did the same, skipping the morning court and roaming all over the Heavenly Realm. There were many residences, numerous immortal mountains, and vast ancient cities—he searched one after another, never tiring.

His efforts paid off. He found quite a few reincarnated ones, and his avatars in the upper and lower realms kept sending good news. One by one, his relatives were located, some demons, some cultivators. Whenever they were found, they were sent to Hua Shan in batches.

"Are these all his relatives?"

The Hua Shan Goddess stood at the peak, expressing her surprise every time a new group arrived. She had no idea where Ye Chen had so many kin.

The Hua Shan Zhenren and Hua Shan Xianzi remained composed. Since Ye Chen had sent them, they'd take good care of them. And among these people, many had exceptional talents—true gems. Hua Shan loved talent and welcomed as much as possible.

In Great Chu, the Ren Wang sat on a mountaintop, hands in his sleeves and head bowed, looking dejected. From time to time, he wiped blood from the corner of his mouth. It wasn't from a beating—it was from severe backlash. He'd uncovered too many heavenly secrets, and it had become routine.

He'd tried multiple times to forcibly borrow the laws of the Heavenly Realm, but each attempt ended in failure. It wasn't that the method didn't work; it was the barriers in the Heavenly Realm. He didn't know when they'd dissipate, so he kept trying daily, hoping to make a connection.

"Even the all-knowing Ren Wang can't figure out when the barrier will lift?" Dong Huang Tai Xin descended from the sky, accompanied by the Great Chu quasi-emperors.

Ren Wang sighed and shook his head. He was all-knowing, sure, but that was in normal times.

This era was different, with innate changes in the emperor's path. The future was in constant flux, with no fixed outcomes. His Zhou Tian evolution was full of variables in this age of upheaval—he couldn't calculate it, not because he lacked the ability, but because it was impossible.

"If you can't calculate it, watch for omens," Qin Guang Wang said leisurely. "The Heavenly Realm and the Nether Realm have many similarities. Barriers always come with subtle omens, and their dissipation does too."

"As if I wouldn't know that?" Ren Wang lowered his head again. Since he couldn't calculate, he had to observe, waiting constantly for those subtle omens.

Stung by Ren Wang's retort, Qin Guang Wang was annoyed, and the other nine Yama Kings didn't look pleased either. They shared a silent understanding: one dark night, they'd drag this guy out for a beating.