Chapter 805: The Sick

Excellent!

The warm morning sunlight cast a dreamy glow over the Hengyue Sect, yet the place was filled with lively energy. Howls like wolves echoed non-stop from the four troublemakers – Xiong Er, Xie Yun, Situ Nan, and Huo Teng – who seemed to be competing to see who could shout the loudest.

From a distance, a large crowd had gathered, all watching with intense interest.

In that direction, Ye Chen sat steadily, calmly imparting his cultivation insights. He was truly dedicated, explaining everything with perfect clarity.

Whoosh!

Just as the four mischief-makers were mid-howl, a graceful figure appeared like a phantom. Dressed in multi-colored immortal robes and bathed in divine light, she resembled a blooming lotus, pure and flawless. Upon closer inspection, it was clearly Chu Ling'er.

The moment they saw Chu Ling'er arrive, Xiong Er and the others, who were about to let out another yell, instantly clamped their mouths shut.

"Very creative!" Chu Ling'er said, arms crossed, smiling at Situ Nan and the others.

Uh-heh-heh!

Seeing her amused expression, the four of them chuckled awkwardly, feeling a chill run through them.

Sure enough, in the next instant, they were huddled together – or more accurately, tied up with a rope in what could only be described as a classic group huddle.

"So creative, I'll send you up to the heavens for some fun," Chu Ling'er said boldly, hoisting all four of them up and kicking them skyward with all her might.

Whoa!

The disciples below tilted their heads back in unison, eyes wide, watching as the four vanished from sight.

"Ma-ma-mi?" Ye Chen subconsciously swallowed. Though blind, he tilted his face upward, sensing that Situ Nan and the others had been launched into the sky and wouldn't be coming down anytime soon.

"Still looking? Can you even see?" Chu Ling'er grabbed his clothes and hauled him off toward Jade Maiden Peak.

This sight made the disciples' mouths twitch. The esteemed sect leader of Hengyue, the holy lord of Yanhuang, and commander of the three armies being carried away like a helpless chick – it was a truly delightful spectacle.

However, this absurd drama didn't end just because Situ Nan and the others were airborne or Ye Chen had been taken away.

The onlookers remained in place, each stroking their chins and gazing up at the sky, eager to see when those four troublemakers would finally descend.

"Situ my friend, you've got quite the grandson!" On a spiritual mountain, the Xiong family ancestor remarked, head tilted back as he stared at the vast sky, his expression full of amusement.

"Your little chubby one isn't bad either," Situ Longshan coughed beside him, also looking up, as if he could peer through the misty clouds to spot Xiong Er and the others high above.

"Judging by the height, they'll splatter like a pile of mess when they fall," Shangguan Xuanjiang said from the side, stroking his beard with a meaningful look. "Lucky for us, we've got our two precious daughters."

At that, the Xiong family ancestor and Situ Longshan both turned to eye Shangguan Xuanjiang. "What a humble way to show off."

By now, Chu Ling'er had already brought Ye Chen back to Jade Maiden Peak and unceremoniously tossed him into the secluded cave chamber.

"I'm a patient here – could you be a bit gentler?" Ye Chen scrambled up awkwardly, grimacing in pain. "And I finally made some time to share my cultivation insights, but you drag me back like this. It's embarrassing for me."

Bang! Boom! Clang!

Chu Ling'er said nothing, simply setting down two stone tablets and a plaque in front of him. The bold characters on them stood out starkly: 801 per night, no refunds, guaranteed satisfaction.

"What's this stuff?" Ye Chen felt around the tablets and plaque, completely baffled.

"Nothing much – just some gifts from your good brothers. I brought them back for you," Chu Ling'er replied, pulling out a small mirror and casually fixing her hair while adding, "You'll love these. Wait till you can see again, and you'll realize how wonderful the world is."

"Making it all so mysterious." Ye Chen couldn't help but pout.

"Can you tell me what happened when you went out with Ji Ningshuang?" Chu Ling'er put away the mirror and stared straight at Ye Chen.

"It's hard to explain in a few words." Ye Chen shook his head.

"Can I help with your injury?"

"Of course you can! I couldn't do it without you." Ye Chen said confidently, fumbling his way over to her. As he spoke seriously, he began undressing her. "This injury needs yin-yang balancing. Strip down and let me sleep with you for the night – I'll be jumping around full of energy by morning."

Gazing at Ye Chen's earnest face and listening to his utterly infuriating words, black lines appeared on Chu Ling'er's cheeks, and sparks seemed to flicker in her beautiful eyes.

Slap!

A sharp smack echoed through the cave chamber.

Soon after, Chu Ling'er stormed out, clearly irritated.

As for Ye Chen, he was now sprawled out on the ground in a perfect starfish pose. His face was swollen and lopsided, and his eyes were crossed like a fighting cock's.

A few seconds later, he clumsily got up, rubbing his face. "Long Ye, by tradition, you should be sending me a teasing message right now."

As he muttered to himself while nursing his swollen cheek, the Taixu Ancient Dragon didn't respond this time. Due to issues with Ye Chen's true self, the last remnant of his avatar in Zhengyang Sect had dissipated, severing their connection.

Though the Taixu Ancient Dragon stayed silent, the voice of Ye Chen's stellar dao body rang out. "Boss, you can't play it like this. I let the last one slide, but this time you're trying to get me killed!"

"This was an accident." Ye Chen coughed, sensing that his stellar dao body had been affected and badly injured.

"Couldn't you at least warn me before your accidents?" The stellar dao body complained loudly. "Good thing I was just out for a stroll this time. If I'd been in the middle of a fight, I'd be a smear by now."

"Cut the nonsense." Ye Chen snapped, quickly changing the subject. "Tell me, any news on my master?"

"None." Ye Xingchen shook his head and tentatively asked, "Boss, are you sure she's in Northern Chu?"

"At least she's not in Southern Chu." Ye Chen took a deep breath.

"Then have you considered that with all the commotion you've caused in Southern Chu these days, if she were in Northern Chu, she should've heard by now? It's been so long with no word – maybe she's..."

"Don't say it. Her soul jade is intact."

"That's strange, then." Ye Xingchen scratched his head in confusion.

"Keep looking. The Southern Chu matter will wrap up in a few days, and then I'll head to Northern Chu myself." Ye Chen inhaled deeply and started to sever the link with his stellar dao body.

"Hold on, I have more to say."

"Spit it out."

"I saw that weird guy again – the one who can cross ten thousand zhang in a single step."

"He can use 'Ten Thousand Swords United'."

"'Ten Thousand Swords United'?" Ye Chen's brows furrowed slightly. This was his own original technique, known only to his stellar dao body and Ji Ningshuang across all of Great Chu.

"Are you sure it's 'Ten Thousand Swords United'?"

"I'm your dao body – I know your techniques inside out. It was definitely 'Ten Thousand Swords United'." Ye Xingchen said firmly. "And his version was insanely powerful. Every sword in that swarm had the force of a unified strike. With that group attack, he wiped out over a thousand Kongming Realm experts in less than ten seconds."

"He wiped out over a thousand Kongming Realm experts in less than ten seconds." Even Ye Chen, with his composure, was stunned. Not even the Saber Emperor could achieve that – it demanded an overwhelming level of power.

"Someone this strong can't be unknown in Great Chu." Ye Chen's gaze turned cryptic. "Could there have been someone before me who comprehended the Sword of Ten Thousand, and at a level far beyond mine?"

"Get back to it!" Ye Chen finally said. "Lay low these days. Too many ancient and powerful beings are emerging, and there are plenty who could one-shot me. Stay under the radar."

With that, he cut off the connection to his stellar dao body.

A few seconds later, he took a deep breath and gently closed his eyes, calming his mind.

Next, he continuously gathered the essence of his sacred body to refine his physique, expelling that invisible and mysterious force from within. He followed with immortal fire to forge his body and heavenly thunder to temper his soul.

This was a lengthy process, and his previously erratic aura gradually stabilized and grew even as time passed.

Not until nightfall did his sacred body tremble slightly.

In that moment, his mind was drawn into a wondrous realm. There, he saw a divine sword piercing the heavens, like a pillar holding up the sky, spanning the cosmos and shaping chaos itself.

"Is this the sword of Xuanyuan the Great?" Ye Chen murmured, gazing up in awe. In its presence, he felt utterly insignificant. Even in this realm, it pressed down on him like a weight, and he dared not look directly at it. Though it appeared ordinary, it carried the might of world-ending destruction.