Chapter 781: Three Goods, Two Bads

Over here, Ye Chen had already flown out of Wanhua Gu, speeding like an eternal lightning bolt toward Hengyue Zong.

Even now, his mind was still dizzy, and everything felt somewhat unreal to him.

In just three short days, his experiences and encounters were enough to make anyone sigh in amazement. Figures like Dan Mo, the Moyu Mowang, the daughter of Yue Huang, Yin Ming Wang, and Dao Huang—each one a legendary existence—yet he had crossed paths with all of them.

However, beyond the sighs, the gains were substantial. He had formed an alliance with Dan Cheng, another with Guanghan Gong, and now one with Dao Huang and his group. Such a lineup was truly formidable.

It was nearly dawn when Ye Chen returned to Hengyue Zong.

Upon entering the grand hall of Hengyue, he discovered that the high-ranking members of both Yan Huang and Hengyue were all present, seated in two neat rows.

"Yo, everyone's here?" Ye Chen said casually, without any of the demeanor expected of a holy lord or sect leader—instead, he came across like a mischievous rogue. He casually took the central seat facing south.

"This old man can sense it— this guy's about to start showing off." Wuyuan Daoren and Gu Santong, the two of them, playfully pinched their fingers as if performing divination, like a pair of charlatans, their expressions dead serious.

Although Gu Santong and Wuyuan Daoren were just joking around, the gazes of Tian Zong Lao Zu and Hengyue Lao Zu, among others, all converged on Ye Chen without exception.

"Dan Cheng has agreed to form an alliance," Ye Chen said with a grin under everyone's watchful eyes. "And on top of that, I've become the city lord of Dan Cheng."

The moment these words were spoken, everyone in the hall was stunned.

What kind of place was Dan Cheng? It was the gathering ground for alchemists in Da Chu, with influence far beyond any other faction in Da Chu. Not only had they agreed to the alliance, but they had also let Ye Chen take the role of city lord.

In an instant, the way all the old folks looked at Ye Chen changed.

"That night in Dan Cheng, we were attacked by experts from the Moyu, including Dan Chen's grand-uncle Dan Mo and the unseen Moyu Mowang Kui Yujiang," Ye Chen added, dropping a less favorable piece of news just as everyone was rejoicing, which instantly cast a shadow over the hall.

Moyu—the mere mention of this ancient and massive force made everyone present feel a heavy oppression.

In the ancient times, Moyu had stirred up bloodshed and chaos on this land more than once. At its peak, it had nearly unified the entire region. Only because Yan Huang had suddenly appeared and united the forces to suppress them was Da Chu's history preserved as it is.

At this moment, especially for the people of Yan Huang, their faces looked the worst. After all, it was Yan Huang who had suppressed Moyu in the past. Now that Moyu had resurfaced, they would surely target Yan Huang as their primary enemy. They could imagine just how brutal the revenge would be.

"Guanghan Gong has also agreed to ally with us," Ye Chen said with a chuckle, trying to lighten the mood as everyone wore grim expressions.

"Guanghan Gong?" Hearing those three words, the crowd who had looked somber just a second ago now showed signs of astonishment. They never expected that after the bad news, there would be such an unexpected surprise.

"The Guanghan Gong founded by Yue Huang has agreed to ally with us. Isn't that awesome?" Ye Chen said, smirking smugly.

"Awesome." Even the old folks couldn't help but blurt out that word. In the era of Yue Huang, Guanghan Gong was the dominant force on this land. Although it had declined over the years, its foundations remained incredibly deep. Forming an alliance with them would be like adding wings to a tiger for both Yan Huang and Hengyue.

"Little guy, we're curious—how did you even get connected to Guanghan Gong?" Hengyue Lao Zu and the others asked, all eyeing Ye Chen with puzzlement.

"It was an accident. I met the daughter of Yue Huang in Dan Cheng," Ye Chen explained with a laugh, sensing their confusion. "Honestly, running into Qian Shang Yue in Dan Cheng was a surprise for me, but we had a pretty good chat."

"The daughter of Yue Huang, Qian Shang Yue, was hiding in Dan Cheng." Everyone sighed in amazement, truly taken aback.

"Still, with Guanghan Gong as an ally, our strength will skyrocket, and we won't have to fear Moyu anymore." Everyone took a deep breath, and the shadow cast by Moyu vanished in an instant. The atmosphere in the hall shifted from oppressive to joyful.

"On my way back, I was ambushed by Yin Ming Wang." Just as everyone was beaming with smiles, Ye Chen dropped another bombshell.

"You bastard, can't you just say it all at once?" Gu Santong and Wuyuan Daoren cursed. "One good news, one bad news, another good, another bad—this way of doing things, are you just bored out of your mind?"

"Yin Ming Wang?" As the two grumbled, Hengyue Lao Zu and Tian Zong Lao Zu looked at Ye Chen with probing eyes.

"Just as you're thinking, it's the legendary Yin Ming Wang who was said to have been killed by Zhan Wang."

"How is he still alive?" The hall's atmosphere shifted from joy to oppression in an instant.

What kind of figure was Yin Ming Wang? He had founded the Yin Ming Shengyu and was once Zhan Wang's greatest rival. In that era, he and Zhan Wang were recognized as the two most likely to ascend to the imperial realm. He had even forced Zhan Wang to flee to the remote borders of Da Chu. Only later did Zhan Wang surpass him and achieve the imperial realm first; otherwise, Da Chu's history would have been rewritten back then.

Legend had it that in that epic battle, Zhan Wang had beheaded Yin Ming Wang, and the world believed him dead. If Ye Chen hadn't mentioned it today, they might never have known that this supreme expert was still alive.

"As I mentioned before, Zhengyang Zong has a hidden supreme expert lurking there," Ye Chen said slowly. "And that expert is exactly the Yin Ming Wang I just spoke of."

"So that's how it is." Everyone's expressions changed involuntarily.

"Therefore, we need to reassess Zhengyang Zong's strength," Ye Chen continued. "Yin Ming Wang was able to force Zhan Wang to flee to Da Chu's borders not just with his supreme combat power, but also with his endless Yin Ming dead soldiers and the even more mysterious Kui spirits. Now that he's still alive and has been in hiding for countless years, no one knows how many Yin Ming armies he controls. As the saying goes, know yourself and know your enemy to win every battle. I think rushing into war without investigating this could lead to catastrophic losses."

"Agreed." Everyone nodded, but the hall was once again enveloped in a layer of gloom.

"Then, there's one last piece of news." Ye Chen spoke up again.

"Hope it's not so shocking." Many had already clutched their chests; Ye Chen's revelations kept coming, each more startling than the last, and their hearts couldn't take much more.

"Guess who I ran into." Ye Chen grinned mysteriously, looking at everyone.

"So mysterious—it must be no ordinary expert. Don't keep us hanging; who did you see?"

"Dao Huang." Ye Chen uttered the two words lightly.

"Dao Huang?" The hall erupted in an instant, with expressions of shock all around.

It wasn't surprising; Dao Huang's name was too renowned, recognized as the most promising cultivator to reach the heavenly realm in this era. His battle records were glorious, and many present still vividly remembered the battle at Dongling Gu Yuan, where he single-handedly routed the nine supreme elders of the Shixue Dian. His power was awe-inspiring.

Yet, such a powerful figure had vanished a hundred years ago, with no word since—whether dead or alive, no one knew. Now, with Ye Chen claiming to have seen him, how could they not be shocked?

"This kid goes out for a trip and comes back having met so many legendary figures—Dan Mo and the Moyu Mowang first, then the daughter of Yue Huang and Yin Ming Wang, and now Dao Huang. Is he cheating or what?" In their shock, the old folks looked Ye Chen up and down.

"Dao Huang, Du Gu Ao, Zhuge Yu, and Fu Ling—these four seniors have all agreed to ally with us." As everyone murmured, Ye Chen finally dropped this explosive news.

"Is this true?" The old folks in the hall breathed heavily, their eyes burning with excitement. That was Dao Huang, a supreme existence, and not just him—Du Gu Ao, Zhuge Yu, and Fu Ling were nearly as formidable. Though few in number, each one was extraordinarily powerful.

" Kid, tell me straight—any more bad news?" Wuyuan Daoren stared intently at Ye Chen. "If not, we can start celebrating."

"I swear to the heavens, that's all." Ye Chen flashed two rows of white teeth.

"Three good news and two bad ones— we're even!" Wuyuan Daoren was the first to celebrate, waving his hand to bring out his long-hoarded fine wines. "Come on, everyone, drink up. It's on me!"

With his antics, the atmosphere in the hall truly heated up, sweeping away the earlier gloom completely.

"The feeling of being the hero— it's not bad at all." Watching everyone's joyful faces, Ye Chen couldn't help but smile. All his efforts in running around to build alliances hadn't been in vain; it was all worth it.

Hmm?

Just as Ye Chen was feeling pleased, he sensed a strange gaze on him.

He glanced over and saw it coming from the direction of Tian Zong Lao Zu—more precisely, from Chu Ling Yu beside him. She was looking at Ye Chen with a calm expression, her eyes oddly intense.

As their gazes met, Ye Chen suddenly felt something off. Today's Chu Ling Yu seemed different, nothing like the one in his memories.

In the past, she would have jumped up at such good news, but now she sat like a statue of ice, her stare making Ye Chen feel uncomfortable all over.

Ahem!

Perhaps noticing the eye contact between Ye Chen and Chu Ling Yu, Tian Zong Lao Zu cleared his throat lightly.

"Father, was it necessary to keep me in a daze for so many years? Did you already know, or perhaps, in some year long ago, you met that person too?" Chu Ling Yu withdrew her gaze and spoke softly, her tone indifferent. Her voice was so low that only Tian Zong Lao Zu beside her could hear.

"Yes, I have met him!" Tian Zong Lao Zu took a deep breath, glancing subtly at Ye Chen before quickly looking away. "As for sealing your memories, it was indeed my mistake, but Yu'er, I hope you can understand my good intentions."

"I don't understand." Chu Ling Yu replied indifferently once more, suddenly rising and striding out of the hall.