Chapter 769: Phoenix Pavilion's Invitation

Ye Chen took the scroll and slowly unrolled it, imprinting all the content into his divine sea.

“There are still quite a few mistakes,” he muttered to himself as he read, but he was genuinely surprised that Dan Chen had managed to deduce such a complex half of the dan fang. After all, Dan Chen didn’t have the Liu Dao Xian Lun Yan, and achieving this level was already impressive.

“How does it compare to what you’ve been working on?” Dan Chen asked with a smile.

“It’s mostly the same,” Ye Chen replied, handing the scroll back to Dan Chen. “There are definitely some differences in the details.”

As he spoke, he imprinted his own alchemy method onto another scroll and passed it to Dan Chen. “Mine isn’t complete either, but if we combine them, we should have about seventy percent of the dan fang.”

Indeed, his version wasn’t complete because he only had half of a Tian Ji Dan, so the soul imprint was damaged. However, to his delight, the half of the dan fang that Dan Chen had deduced filled in many of those gaps. Although together they only added up to seventy percent, it was still a positive development.

“Brilliant, absolutely brilliant!” Dan Chen exclaimed as he examined the scroll from Ye Chen, unable to contain his admiration. “How did I not think of that? Of course, that’s it!”

Only after some time did he put the scroll away and hand it back to Ye Chen. The way he looked at Ye Chen had changed completely.

He had spent hundreds of years deducing just half of the Tian Ji Dan’s dan fang, and it still contained many errors. Yet Ye Chen had figured out something so intricate in just one year. Although Ye Chen’s version was also incomplete, when compared side by side, Dan Chen, as the lord of Dan Cheng, had to admit he was thoroughly outdone.

“The younger generation is truly formidable,” Dan Chen said with a mix of awe and satisfaction. “Dan Cheng has a worthy successor now.”

“You’re teasing me again, senior,” Ye Chen said with a laugh. “What I’m thinking about right now is the You Ming Hei Shi auction that happens every three years.”

“You’re hoping to bid on a Tian Ji Dan to take back for research, right?” Dan Chen asked, looking at Ye Chen.

“That’s right,” Ye Chen said, taking a deep breath and not denying it. “I need a complete Tian Ji Dan. Only then can I deduce the full dan fang.”

“That might disappoint you,” Dan Chen sighed.

“What do you mean?”

“The You Ming Hei Shi auction does happen every three years, but a Tian Ji Dan isn’t auctioned every time. The intervals when it does appear are completely unpredictable. For example, back in the day, the two auctions that featured it were over a hundred years apart.”

“You’re kidding me. There’s such a rule?” Ye Chen couldn’t help but twitch his mouth in disbelief at Dan Chen’s words.

“Tian Xuan Men never plays by the rules,” Dan Chen said with a helpless shake of his head. “The next You Ming Hei Shi auction might have a Tian Ji Dan, or it might not. Until the information is released, no one can be sure. It’s all unknown.”

“Oh, come on!” Ye Chen rubbed his forehead in frustration. “If it really takes another hundred years for a Tian Ji Dan to show up, I’ll be in a real bind.”

“It all depends on fate,” Dan Chen said, equally helpless. “If I’d known a talented junior like you would come along, we should have kept a Tian Ji Dan back in the old days for research. What a waste!”

It was a real waste! Ye Chen thought to himself, lowering his head and smirking. Some people had eaten several Tian Ji Dans, after all.

Of course, he wouldn’t say that out loud. He just felt a deep regret—like trying to hold back something that wouldn’t come out.

“I’m heading back to Heng Yue,” Ye Chen said finally, shaking his head and preparing to leave.

“Aren’t you going to wait for Luo Xi to come out of seclusion?” Dan Chen smiled warmly from behind. “After you died, that young girl was heartbroken.”

“I’ll come back after I wipe out Zheng Yang Zong,” Ye Chen said, flashing a grin and showing his white teeth. Then he stepped into the void, streaking across the sky like a divine rainbow.

“I’ve gotten old,” Dan Chen murmured wistfully as he watched Ye Chen’s retreating figure.

“Master.” Soon, Xuan Nu approached in white robes, addressing him as master, but her beautiful eyes followed Ye Chen’s back until he vanished from sight. She stood there, still staring blankly.

Seeing Xuan Nu like this, Dan Chen couldn’t help but smile. “That young man certainly has quite the charm!”

At those words, Xuan Nu snapped out of her daze, quickly looking away. A blush crept across her cheeks, though her eyes still held a mix of admiration and self-mockery.

“I’ve decided to make him the next lord of Dan Cheng,” Dan Chen said, gently stroking his beard. “Xuan Nu, don’t hold it against your master.”

“He’s a Dan Saint— no one is more suited to be the lord of Dan Cheng,” Xuan Nu replied without any resentment, smiling. “Don’t worry, master. I’ll do my best to assist him and help Dan Cheng regain its former glory.”

“I’m glad you feel that way,” Dan Chen said.

By now, Ye Chen had left the Dan estate and put on his mask again.

The streets were still bustling, but Dan Cheng’s major actions had everyone on edge. This was Dan Cheng, after all—if they decided to target someone, there was little resistance possible.

“Why are you arresting me? What’s the reason?” Ye Chen heard such cries repeatedly as he walked.

As Dan Chen had mentioned, Dan Cheng was purging other forces, with groups like the Xue Ji Dian as primary targets. Other factions were generally left alone.

“Dan Cheng is doing well,” Ye Chen muttered, withdrawing his gaze and quickening his pace.

“Young friend, please wait a moment. Would you care to come into our pavilion for a chat?” A voice suddenly echoed in Ye Chen’s divine sea.

Ye Chen furrowed his brow and instinctively looked to the side, his eyes settling on a shop with the elegant characters “Feng Huang Ge” on its signboard.

Seeing those three words, Ye Chen raised an eyebrow.

He was quite familiar with this place—it was where he had bought the Qi Cai Feng Yi and Qi Cai Xian Yi for Chu Xuan’er and Chu Ling’er. The owner was friendly and had even given him two Feng Yu Zan as gifts, though those dresses had cost him several tens of thousands of ling shi.

With that in mind, Ye Chen subconsciously stepped forward and walked up the stone steps of Feng Huang Ge.

The Dan Cheng elders guarding the entrance seemed to recognize him and didn’t stop him, allowing him to enter.

As soon as Ye Chen stepped into Feng Huang Ge, he saw the woman in white standing there, smiling faintly at him.

“Senior, is there something you need?” Ye Chen asked, eyeing the woman tentatively.

“Young friend, please come inside.” The woman in white spoke with a gentle smile and extended her jade-like arm. “My master has been waiting for you for quite some time.”

“Understood.” Ye Chen nodded with a smile and walked into the inner chamber.

The moment he entered, his eyes lit up. The back of Feng Huang Ge turned out to be its own realm—a bamboo grove with lush, orderly bamboo shoots, their leaves glistening with dew.

“What a great spot,” Ye Chen said, looking around as he made his way deeper. Along the paths on either side of the grove, he saw spirit herbs planted everywhere, some of them extremely rare and essential for alchemy.

“This owner is no simple person!” Ye Chen thought to himself as he continued walking without slowing down.

Deeper in the bamboo shadows, he spotted a graceful figure. She wore spotless white robes that exuded a divine glow, her flowing hair shimmering with an ethereal light. From afar, she looked like a dreamlike illusion, akin to the Guang Han Xian Zi, untouched by the mundane world.

“Impressively strong,” Ye Chen murmured, his brow furrowing slightly. Though the woman appeared pure and flawless, she gave him an overwhelming sense of pressure.

“There’s actually such a powerful female cultivator hidden in Dan Cheng,” he added quietly, composing himself as he approached.

Only when he got closer did he notice that she had a painting before her—or rather, she was in the midst of painting. Each stroke carried an indescribable charm, like that of a serene and exquisite artist.

“This junior, Ye Chen, greets you, senior,” Ye Chen said politely, cupping his hands in respect as he stood behind the woman in white.

“What do you think of my painting?” the woman asked, her voice as melodious as heavenly music.

Her question caught Ye Chen off guard—he hadn’t expected that as her first words.

Still, he turned his attention to the painting. At first glance, he froze—it was a portrait of him. Every contour of the face matched perfectly, except for a two-inch sword scar on the brow in the painting.

“Senior, this is...” Ye Chen coughed awkwardly and looked back at the woman.

She didn’t answer, only smiled lightly, adding the final stroke with her brush. She admired her work for a moment before rolling up the painting.

“It’s for you,” she said, turning around and handing the rolled-up painting to Ye Chen.

Only then did Ye Chen clearly see her face—it was utterly perfect, the most beautiful he had ever encountered in his cultivation journey. Her eyes were crystal clear, without a trace of impurity.

Perhaps he stared a bit too long, as he momentarily forgot to take the painting.

Seeing this, the woman smiled and said, “I’m Qian Shang Yue.”

At her words, Ye Chen snapped back to reality, feeling a bit embarrassed, and quickly took the painting. “Wait a minute...”

Ye Chen seemed to realize something and looked at her questioningly. “You’re surnamed Qian Shang?”

The woman didn’t speak, just nodded gently.

“Then, the Yue Huang is...” Ye Chen asked tentatively, gazing at the woman named Qian Shang Yue, because in Da Chu, only the people of the Yue Huang’s clan used that surname.