Chapter 935: Pairs

A single sentence made Zhong Jiang and the other three furrow their brows, looking at Ye Chen with puzzled expressions.

"Why are you asking that?"

"I suspect he's still alive," Ye Chen said casually.

"That's impossible," Hong Chen Xue replied immediately. "I saw his soul jade shatter with my own eyes."

"Ye Chen, have you discovered something? Or have you seen my master?" Zhong Kui probed, gazing at Ye Chen. Not just him, but Zhong Jiang, Zhong Li, and Hong Chen Xue all turned their eyes toward Ye Chen.

"In Bei Chu, I encountered such a person," Ye Chen began slowly under their watchful gazes. "He wore a black mask, his mind was unclear, somewhat dazed and muddled. He was very mysterious and extremely powerful."

At this point, Ye Chen looked at the four of them with deep meaning. "Most importantly, he had the Liudao Xianlun Yan in his right eye."

"His mind unclear, and the Liudao Xianlun Yan..." the four murmured in unison, then all turned back to Ye Chen. "And then?"

"In battling him, I fell into his illusion technique without even noticing." Ye Chen took a deep breath. "He knew all the divine abilities I know—Xiannian Gangqi, Fengshen Jue, Wan Jian Chao Zong, Bagua Zhentu, Shen Shang..."

"And then?" The four were already breathing heavily. As disciples of Hong Chen, they seemed to have guessed most of it.

"Then he just left," Ye Chen said lightly, ultimately concealing the fact that Hong Chen had tried to kill Ruo Xi.

"It's my master, it has to be my master!" Hong Chen Xue was the most emotional, the dignified Huang Shengzhu acting flustered and disorganized, like a rough-and-tumble young girl.

"But my master's soul jade clearly shattered," Zhong Li said, glancing at the other three.

"And his age doesn't match up either," Zhong Kui added thoughtfully. "If my master is still alive, he would be at least fifteen hundred years old. It's impossible for someone at the Zhun Tian Jing to live that long."

"What if my master broke through to the Tian Jing?" Hong Chen Xue said hastily.

"That's absolutely impossible," Zhong Jiang refuted immediately. "If a Tian Jing expert emerged in Da Chu, there would be world-shaking phenomena. Besides, I haven't felt the suppression of any newly ascended Tian Jing Dao principles."

"Then there's only one possibility," Ye Chen said slowly.

"What is it?"

"He's sealed himself," Ye Chen said calmly, "just like the descendants of the Huangzhe or the successive generations of kings."

"But how do we explain the shattered soul jade?" The others raised their doubts one after another.

"It's probably because of the passage of time—the soul imprint on the soul jade faded away on its own."

"Do you know where my master went?" The four looked at Ye Chen breathlessly, hoping for a definitive answer.

"When I woke up, he was already gone." Ye Chen shook his head helplessly.

Upon hearing this, Hong Chen Xue suddenly turned and stepped toward the exit of the Tian Ting palace.

Seeing this, Ye Chen frowned and stepped forward, his form like a ghost, blocking her path. "What are you doing?"

"I'm going to find my master," Hong Chen Xue said with a cold and indifferent expression.

"I won't let you go until we've figured this out," Ye Chen's voice was ethereal, carrying the authority of a king. "As I said, he's not in his right mind right now, and even I was completely defeated. Do you think you could handle even a few of his moves?"

"He's my master; he won't hurt me," Hong Chen Xue's expression grew even colder, as if she had forgotten her own status.

"How well do you really know your master? Do you truly understand him?" Ye Chen asked sternly.

"What do you mean?" Hong Chen Xue stared at Ye Chen coldly.

Ye Chen raised his hand, revealing the Xuan Cang Jade Ring. "This is a sacred artifact of Yanhuang, but do you know how it reacted when I saw your master? It was trembling. Why was it trembling? Because it was afraid. Is that how a sacred artifact of Yanhuang should react to its former lord?"

Hong Chen Xue's body trembled, and mist gathered in her beautiful eyes. Perhaps her emotions ran too deep, causing her to lose her usual wisdom.

"I won't deny that he's your master," Ye Chen's tone softened a bit, "but he's no longer the Hong Chen of the past. The fact that the Yanhuang sacred artifact fears him is the best proof."

"Let me investigate this matter," Hong Chen Xue said, the mist in her eyes vanishing in an instant as she looked at Ye Chen with hope.

"You're not in the right state of mind for an intelligence cultivator. I can't let you handle it," Ye Chen refused outright.

"Then let us do it," Zhong Kui and the other three stepped forward.

"The three of you are the same," Ye Chen took a deep breath. "Not just you—all those connected to Hong Chen must stay out of this. You have no idea how terrifying he is."

With the Tian Ting Shengzhu speaking, the four fell silent, standing like statues.

The palace fell into quietness.

After a long while, Ye Chen quietly looked at the four. "Trust me and stay in Tian Ting. I can responsibly tell you that he will definitely come back."

As soon as he said this, the four, who had been silent, suddenly lifted their heads, their emotions stirring again. They didn't know why Ye Chen was so certain, but they believed him unconditionally.

"This matter is known only to the five of us. Don't spread it." Ye Chen had already left the palace, his voice echoing faintly behind.

"Understood." From behind, the four took deep breaths, but they couldn't suppress their excited hearts. Even though they were hundreds of years old, they still cherished their master's kindness deeply—this sentiment was truly precious.

By now, Ye Chen was walking along the winding paths among the scattered Ling Shan peaks.

His certainty that Hong Chen would return wasn't just because of Ruo Xi; it was also based on an extremely strong intuition.

He believed his intuition was accurate. At his level of cultivation, such feelings were sometimes more reliable than prophecies, just like in the Nan Zhao imperial palace, where his intuition hadn't been wrong.

"I've... seen the Shengzhu!

After pondering, a soft voice rang out—it was a female voice, pulling Ye Chen back to reality.

Before him stood a woman in white, her appearance not the most stunning, but still possessing a beauty that could captivate a nation. Her cultivation wasn't overwhelmingly strong, but she was enveloped in brilliant divine glow, her clothes spotless, like a banished immortal.

Seeing this woman in white, Ye Chen subconsciously coughed and his expression turned a bit strange.

She was an acquaintance—the former jewel of the Su family in Chunqiu City, the granddaughter of Su family's ancestor Su Yuan: Su Xin Er.

Why was his expression strange? It was because of that night when, by a twist of fate, he had accidentally seen her body in the ice lake.

But that wasn't his fault. That night, Nanming Yushu had gone berserk and was flying all over, and he was chasing it everywhere. In the midst of the chase, Nanming Yushu slapped him away, leading to that embarrassing scene.

"It's been a long time. How have you been?" Ye Chen coughed again.

"I'm... I'm fine." Noticing Ye Chen's strange expression, Su Xin Er subconsciously lowered her eyes, a blush flashing across her cheeks. As an unmarried woman, it was embarrassing to have her body seen completely.

The atmosphere became awkward. Even the usually wise Ye Chen struggled to handle the situation.

Oh my! Who's this?

Soon, their silence was broken by another voice.

When Ye Chen looked over, he saw a man and two women—it was Ling Hao, Zi Yan, and Qing Yun from the Tian Zong family.

Ling Hao and Qing Yun seemed fine, but Zi Yan's expression was a bit unnatural. The once arrogant her had looked down on Ye Chen more than once in the past. Now, just a few years later, her arrogance had vanished completely.

"Everyone's pairing up when they go out—such a lovely sight!" Ye Chen couldn't help but tease.

"Don't joke around; we just happened to meet. I—"

"We're getting married." Before Ling Hao could finish, Qing Yun linked her arm with his. Unlike that scoundrel Ling Hao, she was straightforward, making Zi Yan and Su Xin Er stifle their laughs.

"So, does that mean I have to give you wedding gifts?" Ye Chen looked at Ling Hao with interest.

"You definitely have to." With the truth out, Ling Hao stopped pretending and reverted to his shameless self. "Hey, you're the Shengzhu of Tian Ting and the Dan Sheng of Dan City, so don't skimp on it."

"I just love your shameless style."

"Oh boy, this is getting lively." Another person arrived, full of vigor and poise—it was Li Xing Hun, the former second true disciple of Qingyun Zong.

"Aren't you staying in Qingyun Zong? Why are you always coming to Tian Ting? In a good mood, huh?" Ling Hao laughed at Li Xing Hun, as if he knew his intentions.

"There are plenty of beauties in Tian Ting!" Li Xing Hun scratched his ear and shook his head, naturally positioning himself next to Zi Yan. He then smiled gentlemanly, "Zi Yan girl, do you have time tonight? Let's watch the moon together."

"Can you change that opening line?" Zi Yan laughed and glared at Li Xing Hun.

"As long as it works." Li Xing Hun grinned.

"Are people in Tian Ting all pairing up on their own?" Ye Chen's expression grew strange again. He never would have imagined Li Xing Hun and Zi Yan ending up together—this was the legendary idea of keeping resources in the family?

"Looks like I'll have to prepare another wedding gift." Ye Chen couldn't help but smile. He was happy to see lovers unite.

As for his words, Li Xing Hun and Zi Yan didn't respond.

The atmosphere on site turned a bit strange again.

Ling Hao and Qing Yun were together, Li Xing Hun and Zi Yan were together, and all eight eyes were fixed on Ye Chen and Su Xin Er, making the two feel uncomfortable, like unwanted third wheels.

"How about you two stand a bit closer?" Ling Hao suggested tentatively.

"You know, you two really do look like a couple." Li Xing Hun stroked his chin thoughtfully.

"Looks like you two want to take a trip to the heavens." Ye Chen looked at his palm with interest.

"See, don't start fighting over nothing." Ling Hao and Li Xing Hun immediately backed down. A palm from the Tian Ting Shengzhu could send them who knows where, and they might not land for days.

"I—"

"I... I have things to do." Before Ye Chen could finish, Su Xin Er interrupted him and quickly left, as if escaping.

"Look, you scared her off!"

"Get lost."