Chapter 2563: Taking the Money

The fiery alchemy competition finally drew to a close.

As people departed, they sighed in amazement, utterly astounded by Ye Chen. The Five Peaks Battle had first made him famous in the Scattered Immortal Realm, and now his victory in the alchemy competition had resonated throughout the Upper Immortal Realm. In the future, it was likely his name would be known to everyone in the Heaven Realm.

In front of Lingxiao Hall, the dense crowd gradually dispersed.

Some were happy, some were sad. Those who had bet on Ye Chen winning hurried off to collect their winnings, while those who had backed Dan Jun went home with empty hands, lamenting their losses.

"We should visit Ziwei Daofu more often."

"That Little Star Sovereign is probably easy to get along with. The materials are all prepared; we should ask him to refine some pills."

"I wonder what the Pill God will think when he comes out of seclusion."

The immortals of the Heaven Court murmured among themselves, stroking their chins thoughtfully. Building a good relationship with Ye Chen was essential. Even Dan Jun couldn't compare; in the Heaven Realm, when it came to alchemy skills, no one surpassed Ye Chen. His potential was boundless.

Meanwhile, Ye Chen followed Kunlun Laodao and had already crossed the Milky Way One-Line Sky, returning to the Scattered Immortal Realm. His power concealment technique was so advanced that Kunlun Laodao and Kunlun Shenzi didn't notice a thing; they just kept chatting non-stop.

Ahead lay a stretch of desolate mountains.

Hey!

A sudden roar startled the two of them.

From the mountains emerged a figure, cloaked in a black robe that hid their face and cultivation, making it impossible to discern their background. All that was clear was that this was a bandit, wielding a massive ghost-headed broadsword with an arrogant demeanor.

This person was, of course, Ye Chen. He had quickly moved ahead a few steps to block their path and play the role of a bandit, ready to rob them.

"This road is mine, this tree is mine. If you want to pass, leave your toll behind."

Ye Chen delivered the bandit's lines smoothly; he was no stranger to ambushes and robberies. He was skilled in all eighteen martial arts.

Kunlun Laodao was amused, and so was Kunlun Shenzi. It had been years since anyone dared to rob members of the Kunlun Sect.

"Old Daoist, rest for a while. I'll handle this."

Kunlun Shenzi stepped forward boldly, crossing through space with a wave of his hand, unleashing a palm strike that descended from the sky.

But his dramatic pose didn't last long. Not only did he miss Ye Chen, but he was also slapped away by Ye Chen in return. Ye Chen had held back; otherwise, Kunlun Shenzi would have been sent straight to the underworld.

"So strong?"

Kunlun Laodao raised an eyebrow and unleashed a great divine ability, transforming Dao principles into a massive illusory bronze furnace engraved with divine patterns, which swallowed Ye Chen whole.

Open!

Ye Chen roared and cleaved the furnace in two with his blade, sending Kunlun Laodao stumbling backward. Before the old daoist could steady himself, Ye Chen was already upon him, pointing a finger at his forehead and sealing his primordial spirit, leaving him stunned.

"Elder!"

Kunlun Shenzi snorted coldly and charged from behind.

In the end, he also collapsed, sent into a deep sleep by Ye Chen.

After knocking them out, Ye Chen rubbed his hands together and used the Stealing Heaven Technique to reach into Kunlun Laodao's inner world, rummaging around.

Soon, all the treasures inside were pulled out.

No wonder he was an elder of Kunlun; he was incredibly wealthy, with an impressive collection. There were plenty of heavenly stones, magical artifacts, secret scrolls, and pills—too many to count.

However, what frustrated Ye Chen was that after searching thoroughly, he couldn't find the materials for refining the Nine Turns Soul-Returning Pill.

"Hidden them away?"

Ye Chen smirked. It wasn't hard to guess that Kunlun Laodao had stashed his valuables back at Kunlun. This was getting annoying.

So, he casually grabbed a few items and vanished. Later, two rays of immortal light flew back, lifting the seals on the two men.

They soon woke up, one rubbing his forehead and the other his head, both feeling dizzy. Once they regained their senses, they exchanged glances and then checked their treasures. Nothing major was missing, but their egos were a bit bruised.

When Ye Chen returned to the Upper Immortal Realm, he headed straight to the marketplace to collect his winnings from the bets.

"That's my entire fortune!"

"You two scoundrels, cheating us little immortals out of our money—you're shameless!"

"Tens of thousands gone just like that!"

From afar, Ye Chen could hear the angry shouts. A large group of immortals had gathered, yelling at the top of their lungs as if they'd been drugged and pumped full of energy, their faces flushed with rage.

The targets of their curses were, of course, the Bull Demon King and the Jiao Dragon King. Those two bookmakers had disappeared right after the alchemy competition ended, running off with the money.

What was ridiculous was that the bettors still had no idea who they were.

Ye Chen walked by quietly, shaking his head in sympathy.

They only had themselves to blame for getting scammed; they had placed bets without even knowing who they were dealing with.

In contrast to the Bull Demon King and Jiao Dragon King, the people of the Upper Immortal Realm were more reliable. All the immortal lords who had set up betting tables were still there. Those who had bet on Dan Jun winning didn't bother showing up, but the ones collecting money were those who had bet on Ye Chen and won. Even though they had won, they all looked pained, regretting not betting more.

Ye Chen arrived, still cloaked in his black robe, and presented a jade slip.

"Fellow Daoist, you certainly have sharp eyes! You called it perfectly." The old immortal lord sighed and handed over a large storage bag, stuffed full—he had no idea how much was in there. There was no helping it; Ye Chen's bet had been enormous, and the odds were sky-high.

Ye Chen smiled, took the bag, and turned to leave. On his way, he peeked inside; the mountain of heavenly stones glittering within was dazzling. His original bet of a million source stones had multiplied several hundred times over.

This was just one table; there were many more ahead.

What followed was a string of collections. At each betting table, the bookmakers grimaced in pain. Without Ye Chen's massive bet, they could have made a huge profit. As it was, paying out to him left them with barely anything, essentially turning their losses into gains for him.

"That guy must be Ye Chen!"

"Most likely—his bets were spot-on, and he bet so lavishly. It has to be him."

"You little rascal."

The bookmakers whispered among themselves, speculating about Ye Chen's identity. His black robe and the mysterious force concealing him made it impossible to see through.

Once he left the marketplace, Ye Chen went straight to the Jade Emperor's palace. The money wasn't the main thing; what mattered was the Longxian Grass. Now that he had defeated Dan Jun, no one else could compete for it—he was the only one qualified to negotiate.

It was the same pavilion as before, but the Jade Emperor wasn't there; only the Eighth Prince, Yin Ming, was present.

"Ziwei Star Sovereign, what a clever move, defeating Dan Jun like that." Yin Ming smiled insincerely, his tone mocking and playful. "Now you have the qualifications to discuss the Longxian Grass."

"There's no need for you to beat around the bush, Your Highness. Just speak plainly."

"If you want the Longxian Grass, exchange it for the entirety of Huashan Emperor's Essence."

Yin Ming took a sip of tea, saying it casually.

Ye Chen frowned at this. He had known getting the Longxian Grass wouldn't be simple, but he hadn't expected Yin Ming to pull something like this.

Huashan Emperor's Essence was incredibly precious; it could produce a Dao scripture every hundred years, and even that would be worth the Longxian Grass. Yet Yin Ming wanted it all—this wasn't a deal; it was outright robbery!

In truth, Yin Ming had no intention of giving up the Longxian Grass. Even if Ye Chen brought the Huashan Emperor's Essence, Yin Ming wouldn't hand it over.

Besides, Ye Chen couldn't possibly part with it; it was the foundation of Huashan. Without the essence, the mountain would crumble.

"Does the Jade Emperor know about this?"

"Whether my father knows or not is irrelevant."

Yin Ming chuckled darkly. "What matters is that the Longxian Grass is in my possession."

"Your Highness has quite the scheme in mind."

"So, what's your choice?"

"This decision isn't mine to make; I need the Huashan sect leader to decide."

Ye Chen said this and turned to leave, suppressing his killing intent. Being toyed with like this was infuriating. As a Great Saint, taking the Longxian Grass from Yin Ming by force was impossible for now. Since it wasn't being given, his only option was to seize it openly—once he reached the Quasi-Emperor realm.

"You're still too green to challenge me."

Watching Ye Chen's retreating figure, Yin Ming's smile grew even more mocking and sinister, with flickers of malice in his eyes. He was deliberately pushing Ye Chen to rebel. Once he became the ruler of the Heaven Court, he'd have the perfect excuse, and Huashan would be the first sect he destroyed.