Chapter 776: Blade Emperor

As dawn approached, Du Gu Ao led Ye Chen to a valley filled with blooming flowers.

Wan Hua Gu?

Ye Chen glanced around, recognizing the place—it was the same Wan Hua Gu that the old man Zhuge had brought him to before. That time, he had helped Fu Ling refine a *wu zhu* curse.

"Senior, how did you find me?" Ye Chen looked around again, then fixed his gaze on Du Gu Ao.

He had asked this question countless times along the way, but Du Gu Ao remained cold and aloof, responding mostly with silence, like a block of ice that left Ye Chen feeling awkward.

"You have my seal on you," Du Gu Ao spoke lightly as he navigated through the flower maze.

"A seal?" Ye Chen raised an eyebrow and searched himself thoroughly. If Du Gu Ao hadn't mentioned it, he wouldn't have known about it, and even now, he couldn't find it.

"That seal can only be activated once." Sensing Ye Chen's confusion, Du Gu Ao explained.

"I see." Ye Chen grinned, then tentatively looked at Du Gu Ao. "Du Gu Senior, have you met Xue Wang before?"

"Yes." Du Gu Ao replied curtly, his tone still cold.

"Then do you know if he's connected to Zheng Yang Zong?" Ye Chen quickened his pace to keep up with Du Gu Ao.

"Zheng Yang Zong?" Du Gu Ao furrowed his brow, clearly unaware of any link between Xue Wang and Zheng Yang Zong.

"Ji Ning Shuang told me herself. Senior, you might not know, but before I met Xue Wang, I encountered Ji Ning Shuang, who was being hunted. The ones chasing her were sent by Xue Wang—well, not people exactly, but some strange creatures called *kui*. They're incredibly formidable! But what I didn't expect was that Xue Wang himself showed up. It still gives me chills just thinking about it..."

"The Xuan Ling body is the next sect leader of Zheng Yang Zong. If Xue Wang is from Zheng Yang Zong, why would he hunt her?" Du Gu Ao interrupted Ye Chen.

"He's collecting special bloodlines," Ye Chen explained. "Ji Ning Shuang said so herself. Even my *Sheng Ti* bloodline, Shangguan Han Yue's Dao Ling bloodline, and Huo Zun's Tai Yin bloodline are on his list. It seems Xue Wang wants to create a more powerful bloodline."

Du Gu Ao fell silent after hearing this, his sharp eyes flickering with a hidden, uncertain light.

Soon, the two arrived deep in Wan Hua Gu.

There, Ye Chen spotted Fu Ling standing quietly.

"Who wounded you like this?" Fu Ling stepped forward, her delicate brows furrowed as she looked at Du Gu Ao. She knew his strength well, so whoever had injured him must be an unparalleled powerhouse.

"It's nothing serious." Facing Fu Ling, the usually proud and indifferent Du Gu Ao managed a rare smile.

"It was someone from Zheng Yang Zong." Before Du Gu Ao could speak, Ye Chen chimed in. "More precisely, Xue Wang."

"Xue Wang?" Fu Ling's expression changed, as if she knew of him.

"No wonder you're so badly hurt." The voice came from the pavilion, where the old man Zhuge appeared like a ghost. He glanced at Du Gu Ao first, then stroked his chin as he looked at Ye Chen. "Tsk tsk, who's this?"

"Hmph!" Seeing the old man Zhuge's smug face, Ye Chen just rolled his eyes.

"Ye Chen." Bi You emerged too, perhaps too excitedly, as she stopped abruptly a *zhang* away from him, probably because Du Gu Ao and the others were there—otherwise, she might have thrown herself into his arms.

"Long time no see." Ye Chen greeted her politely.

"Yes, long time no see." Bi You bit her lip, avoiding his eyes, with a faint blush crossing her cheeks.

"Alright, bring him out. Ye Chen might be able to save him," Du Gu Ao said indifferently from the side.

Him?

Ye Chen raised an eyebrow, realizing why Du Gu Ao had brought him to Wan Hua Gu—it was to save someone.

"Oh, right, the main thing!" Zhuge Yu turned around hastily. "Kid, let's handle the important matter first, then we can chat later."

"Sure, sure." Ye Chen agreed casually while glancing toward the pavilion, curious about who they wanted him to save.

Soon, Zhuge Yu carried out an ice coffin, making Ye Chen's mouth twitch. "I can't save a dead person."

"Nonsense, he's not dead yet!" Zhuge Yu set the ice coffin down with a thud, earning glares from Fu Ling and Bi You for his roughness.

"Young friend, please take a look." Fu Ling turned to Ye Chen.

"Let me check." Ye Chen hurried over and gently opened the ice coffin.

A surge of domineering energy rushed out, surprising him.

Inside lay a middle-aged man, tall and imposing, with sharply chiseled features like those carved by a knife, stubble on his chin, and a weary expression. Though his eyes were closed, the wild dominance in his brows was unmistakable.

Ye Chen frowned at the sight. Even in a sealed state, he could sense the man's immense power.

Suddenly, Ye Chen's left eye, the Xian Lun Eye, faintly activated, fixing on the middle-aged man.

His left eye narrowed as he spotted a strange curse seal in the man's skull—it was a *wu zhu* curse, one he had seen before, in Tian Xuan Men's Fu Ya and in Fu Ling, both of which he had refined.

"Why are there so many people with *wu zhu* curses in Da Chu?" Ye Chen muttered to himself, his eyes growing obscure.

"Young friend, since you could refine my *wu zhu* curse, you should be able to refine his too, right?" Fu Ling asked, her beautiful eyes filled with hope.

"Of course I can refine it." Ye Chen nodded, but his brows remained furrowed. "However, Senior, it's not just a *wu zhu* curse for this predecessor. The curse is secondary—he also has dao injuries."

"He has dao injuries?" Fu Ling and the others frowned deeply; they hadn't realized it until Ye Chen pointed it out.

"I can refine the *wu zhu* curse and heal the dao injuries, but those are still secondary. The real root of his problem is the cultivation method he practices."

"The cultivation method?"

"Yes, the cultivation method." Ye Chen nodded firmly. "His technique is far too domineering. I don't know what it is, but it's beyond what this predecessor can handle."

At that, Ye Chen looked at Fu Ling and the others. "Could you tell me who he is?"

"He's my father." Before anyone else could answer, Bi You bit her lip, her eyes misting as she gazed at the man in the coffin, her face full of sorrow.

"Your... father?" Ye Chen's expression turned strange; this was his first time hearing about it.

"He's Dao Huang," Du Gu Ao said flatly.

"Dao Huang?" Ye Chen was stunned, glancing at the four of them, then at the middle-aged man in the ice coffin, and back again.

"You heard right—it's Dao Huang." The old man Zhuge shrugged casually.

Seeing that the old man Zhuge wasn't joking, Ye Chen felt a wave of unrest.

Dao Huang—that was a title of sheer dominance. Even not at his peak, he had forced the nine supreme elders of Shi Xue Dian to retreat in defeat, mastering the dao of the blade to its pinnacle. He was a legend in Da Chu, a true peerless powerhouse!

Ye Chen felt a bit dizzy; he never imagined he'd encounter such a legendary figure here.

"Bi You's father is Dao Huang? I didn't expect her to have such an incredible dad." After the shock, Ye Chen couldn't help but sigh in admiration. "No wonder Du Gu Ao treats her so well."

But as he thought about it, something occurred to him, and he looked at Bi You oddly. "Dao Huang is your father, and Fu Ling Senior is his sister, so why do you call Fu Ling Senior 'grandmother'? Doesn't that mess up the generations?"

"Well..."

"We'll discuss that later." Fu Ling interjected firmly, cutting off Bi You and looking at Ye Chen with hope. "Young friend, can you heal my brother?"

"Well..." Ye Chen stroked his chin. "I'm not entirely sure. Dao Huang Senior's condition is terrible—the *wu zhu* curse, the dao injuries, and the backlash from his domineering technique. One wrong move could cost him his life."

"Regardless, please try, young friend."

"I'll need to think it over." Ye Chen turned back to Dao Huang in the ice coffin.

Fu Ling and the others fell silent, not wanting to disturb him—they saw him as the only one who could truly save Dao Huang.

Ye Chen pondered for a while but couldn't come up with a solid plan.

In desperation, he called out to Tai Xu Gu Long. "Dragon Lord, do you have any way to help?"

"Is that you asking for my help?" Tai Xu Gu Long looked at Ye Chen with interest.

"Fine, consider it me begging you." Seeing Tai Xu Gu Long's smug attitude, Ye Chen held back his urge to curse.

He genuinely wanted to save Dao Huang—not just for Fu Ling and Du Gu Ao's sake, but because he was a legendary figure. Saving him would be a life debt, and if Heng Yue or Yan Huang ever faced danger, Dao Huang would surely help.

"I can help, but only if you owe me for the favor I already owe you, plus one more condition—give me some more *Sheng Ti* essence blood."

"Damn." Ye Chen cursed abruptly, startling Fu Ling and the others.

"What the hell's wrong with you?" Zhuge Yu scowled and snapped.

Ye Chen ignored him, glaring at Tai Xu Gu Long with a dark expression. "You're really pushing it!"

"Take it or leave it—help or not." Tai Xu Gu Long tossed out the words, nearly making Ye Chen choke.

"Fine." Ye Chen took a deep breath and gritted his teeth.

"It's settled then."

"You can tell me now!"