Chapter 934

Chapter 934: Reminiscing the Past

A warm breakfast was finished in a strange atmosphere.

Ye Chen wiped the grease from the corner of his mouth and, seeing the women gathered around Xiao Ruoxi, coughed lightly and stepped out.

By the time he reappeared, he was in the underground palace of Hengyue Zong, where over a dozen massive Xuantian transmission arrays were located. His purpose today was to visit the headquarters of Tian Court. As the Holy Lord of Tian Court, he still had no idea what the headquarters looked like.

"Activate the array, to Tian Court headquarters!"

Ye Chen spoke as he stepped onto the massive transmission array.

The three elders quickly formed hand seals, and the array spun rapidly, with mysterious spatial forces surging wildly.

It was unclear how much time passed before Ye Chen emerged from the transmission array.

"We have seen the Holy Lord!"

The elders in front of the transmission array all bowed respectfully.

"No need for such formalities."

Ye Chen smiled and took a step out of the underground palace.

Once outside, he stepped into the void and overlooked the misty immortal realm below.

The Tian Court headquarters was grand and imposing, with nearly a thousand spiritual mountains, each shrouded in haze. Faintly visible were immortal cranes dancing in the clouds. The entire Tian Court radiated brilliant divine light, bursting with vibrant colors.

"What a grand undertaking!"

Even with Ye Chen's composure, he couldn't help but sigh in admiration. This was practically an empire.

Then, he descended from the void and arrived at the main hall of Tian Court.

As soon as he entered, he caught sight of a graceful figure from behind. Upon closer inspection, it was Ji Ningshuang, who was quietly gazing at the two majestic characters engraved on one side of the hall: "Tian Court."

She was dressed as a man as always, her three thousand strands of black hair fluttering without wind, each one tinged with divine radiance. Her back appeared somewhat desolate, bearing the marks of time's passage, yet it could not conceal her peerless elegance.

Ye Chen said nothing and approached slowly, standing beside her before smiling slightly.

"Three years have passed, and you've changed quite a bit."

"You as well."

The usually aloof Ji Ningshuang managed a faint smile, though a trace of self-mockery flashed in her beautiful eyes.

Their simple exchange left the hall in prolonged silence.

The two stood side by side, quietly regarding the characters "Tian Court," like strangers or long-lost friends who needed no words to convey everything.

They were no longer the people they once were—one the Archaic Holy Body, the other the Xuanling Body; one the Holy Lord of Tian Court, the other the Sect Leader of Zhengyang.

Meeting again felt like a lifetime apart.

Year after year, three years and then another three, the entanglements of love and fate, the intersections of cause and effect—former lovers had finally stood together once more.

In the unseen threads of destiny, it was strangely inevitable, with faint connections binding them. Through storms and trials, they had forged legends while leaving behind the scars of time.

"Looking at your figures, it fills me with emotion!"

A sigh broke the hall's silence.

As the words fell, a person appeared beside Ye Chen. He stood tall and strong, with black hair like a waterfall, exuding kingly majesty. Upon closer look, it was Zhou Ao, the Sect Leader of Qingyun Zong.

"Who could say otherwise?"

Another sigh arose, and a person appeared beside Zhou Ao.

Liu Yi had also arrived; he was now the Sect Leader of Hengyue Zong. Despite his position, he remained low-key and restrained, like a scholar, his eyes calm and devoid of any cultivator's aura.

The four stood in a row, all gazing quietly at the characters "Tian Court," reminiscing about their glorious past.

This scene would surely evoke sighs from anyone who witnessed it.

Reminiscing the past, during the Three Sects Grand Competition, they were the most dazzling four disciples, fiercely competing.

Time had flown by, and they had each reached the peaks of their lives—one the Holy Lord of Tian Court, one the Sect Leader of Hengyue, one the Sect Leader of Zhengyang, and one the Sect Leader of Qingyun—collectively the most powerful figures in Tian Court.

"Young people sure have quick legs!"

After some time, the hall's silence was broken again.

From outside, figures entered—one after another, it was Dao Huang, Dugu Ao, Tian Zong Ancestor, Zhong Jiang, and others, totaling over a thousand shadows, all at the Quasi-Heaven Realm, members of Tian Court's Supreme Elder Council.

"We have seen the various elders."

Ye Chen and the other three collected their thoughts and bowed respectfully.

"No need for so many formalities. Everyone, take a seat!"

The crowd smiled.

"Sit, sit, everyone sit."

Gu Santong called out loudly, though the swollen state of his face made everyone's expressions turn a bit odd.

Everyone took their seats, with Ye Chen, as the Holy Lord of Tian Court, naturally sitting in the highest position. This might be the first true assembly since Tian Court's establishment, and it had not come easily.

"Who can tell me about the current state of Nan Chu's Tian Court?"

Ye Chen spoke up, scanning the room before his gaze finally settled on Hongchen Xue.

"In the past three years, Tian Court has incorporated 372 new forces, all from Bei Chu, and they have been integrated into the Three Sects, Nine Halls, and Eighty-One Gates."

"The Supreme Elder Council has added 37 new members, all ancestors from major families."

". . ."

"The entire Dan City has relocated to Nan Chu, situated south of Tian Court headquarters."

". . ."

"Tian Court has built 36,000 new cities, 98,000 new spiritual mountains, and 109,000 new transmission arrays."

". . ."

Hongchen Xue continued speaking, being straightforward and thorough, going on for over an hour, to the point where a few old fellows started dozing off.

After hearing Hongchen Xue's report, Ye Chen was filled with amazement and admiration.

In those three years, while he had stirred up a storm in Bei Chu, Zhong Jiang and the others had been equally busy.

Not to mention the new cities and spiritual mountains, just the construction of Nan Chu's walls was an enormous project. Now, Tian Court was not only rich in talent but also impregnable.

"With so many people, we should get to work properly."

Ye Chen kept sighing.

"Hengyue Sect Leader, Ren Huang wants to request someone from Hengyue."

As he sighed, Hongchen Xue spoke again, this time addressing Liu Yi.

"Ren Huang's selections are beyond the Supreme Elder Council's authority, so I have no objections. But I wonder which person Elder Zhong Xiao wants."

Liu Yi smiled slightly.

"Xi Yan."

"Well . . ."

Liu Yi coughed and looked at Ye Chen.

"I have no objections. You can ask her master."

"I've said it before: Ren Huang's selections are not for anyone to question, including myself."

Ye Chen smiled, which meant he agreed.

Xi Yan possessed the Wanhua Pupils and the innate Soul Search divine ability, making her a natural fit for intelligence work.

Moreover, as her master and someone from the Intelligence Pavilion himself, Ye Chen knew full well the trials Intelligence Pavilion disciples faced. Sending the clever and mischievous Xi Yan to Ren Huang would be a valuable tempering experience.

Hongchen Xue said no more and returned to her seat.

No sooner had she sat down than Zhong Jiang stroked his beard and spoke, looking at Ye Chen.

"Now that Nan Chu is stable, it's time to discuss Bei Chu."

"Hold off for now."

Ye Chen waved his hand lightly.

"Because of Tian Court's pressure, they've been forced to unite, putting Bei Chu in a full defensive state. If we attack, it'll be a siege war. Pushing too hard could backfire—desperate people are the most dangerous. Besides, it's a cross-regional expedition with a long front line. As the saying goes, a strong dragon doesn't suppress a local snake; we won't have the advantage in timing, geography, or popular support, and we'll suffer heavy losses."

"So, we're just waiting?"

Wuya Daoist scratched his ear.

"Of course, we're waiting."

Ye Chen smiled leisurely.

"Bei Chu's forces are complex and intertwined. United they may be for now, but they will eventually divide. Once they're locked in mutual strife and both sides are weakened, that'll be the perfect time for Tian Court's army to sweep through Bei Chu."

"In that case, we're back to having nothing to do!"

Gu Santong stretched his hands.

"I've been cooped up for three years, just waiting to pull off something big."

"If there's nothing to do, you can reinforce the city walls!"

Zhuge Laotou laughed slyly.

"Besides, Tian Court is full of talented juniors. You could take a few as disciples—after all, idle hands are the devil's workshop."

"I don't have time for that."

Gu Santong coughed.

"Tomorrow, I'll head to Bei Chu for a spin, kidnap a few more, and make some spiritual stones along the way."

"Hey, hey, hey? That sounds promising."

The group of old fellows' eyes lit up, and they huddled together on the spot. Although Tian Court's army wasn't advancing on Bei Chu, that didn't mean they couldn't cause trouble, like kidnapping someone for ransom—they were experts at that.

"Alright, enough."

Tian Zong Ancestor spoke gravely, then turned to Ye Chen, who was massaging his brow.

"Perhaps, during this downtime, we could hold another Three Sects Grand Competition. Tian Court still hasn't selected its nine great true disciples."

"This is feasible."

At the mention of juniors duking it out publicly, the old fellows' eyes instantly sharpened.

Moreover, nearly everyone's gaze in the hall fell on Ye Chen, Ji Ningshuang, Zhou Ao, and Liu Yi.

In the past Three Sects Grand Competition, they had been the brightest stars, and many of the old fellows present had attended. They still vividly remembered the battle between Ye Chen and Ji Ningshuang.

Now, the young generation in Da Chu was the Xuan generation.

People like Ye Chen, Ji Ningshuang, and Liu Yi belonged to the Qing generation and were no longer considered part of the youth.

Figures like Hu Wa, Xi Yan, and Zhao Zichu were of the Xuan generation, each a formidable talent. This would undoubtedly be a dazzling contest, perhaps even more spectacular than before.

"Then, let's set it for nine days from now!"

Seeing everyone's enthusiasm, Ye Chen smiled.

"Fair! Just! Open!"

In the following discussion, the hall buzzed with activity as they talked about many matters, with a few old fellows shouting and carrying on, making Ye Chen, as the Holy Lord, feel rather embarrassed.

It wasn't until nightfall that this first true assembly of Tian Court finally concluded, and the crowd dispersed.

"Zhong Jiang, Zhong Kui, Zhong Li, Zhong Xiao, the four elders, please stay a moment."

Ye Chen stood up and called out to them.

The others glanced over but said nothing, leaving the hall one by one.

Now, only the five of them remained in the hall.

Ye Chen waved his hand to summon a barrier, enclosing the entire hall, which made Zhong Jiang and the others look puzzled at the secrecy.

"There's something I need the four of you to answer truthfully."

Ye Chen looked straight at them without glancing away.

"Feel free to ask."

"Is your master—my predecessor as the 97th generation Holy Lord of Yanhuang, Hongchen—really dead?"