Chapter 955: Drink It!

"Tian Ting's first true disciple, Hu Wa."

"Tian Ting's second true disciple, Xi Yan."

"Tian Ting's third true disciple, Xiao Ling Wa."

"Tian Ting's fourth true disciple, Niu Ben."

"Tian Ting's fifth true disciple, Zhao Zi Yun."

"Tian Ting's sixth true disciple, Bei Chen Feng."

"Tian Ting's seventh true disciple, Nan Gong Zi Yue."

"Tian Ting's eighth true disciple, Ou Yang Shao Tian."

"Tian Ting's ninth true disciple, Dao Zhi."

As Dao Xuan Zhen Ren's booming voice echoed through the venue, nine figures stepped forward onto the cloud stairs.

"What about Zhao Zi Yun, Nan Gong Zi Yue, and Dao Zhi? Weren't they eliminated earlier?" Ye Chen asked in surprise, turning to Hong Chen Xue beside him. "Didn't they get knocked out already?"

"You disappeared for two whole days, so you might have missed a lot," Gu San Tong said, scratching his ear.

"What happened?"

"The Tian Ting's nine true disciples are selected based on a comprehensive evaluation of their combat strength," Hong Chen Xue explained softly. "Between the semifinals and the finals, they added a challenge round. Zhao Zi Yun, Nan Gong Zi Yue, and Dao Zhi are special cases—they fought their way in through that challenge. Their current rankings are well-deserved."

"I see," Ye Chen murmured, glancing over at Gong Xiao Tian Er, Wang Biao, and Shao Yu. They all looked beaten up, with bruised faces, clearly having taken a beating in the challenge round.

As the three of them chatted, Hu Wa and the others had already made their way up to the cloud platform.

Watching the nine figures, the spectators in the audience all broke into satisfied smiles. They would be the leaders of the new era.

Not bad at all!

Ye Chen waved his hand and produced nine storage bags, the rewards for Tian Ting's nine true disciples.

Naturally, the rewards varied by rank, serving as both an honor and motivation for the Xuan generation disciples.

"Thank you, Holy Lord!"

The nine of them bowed in unison with perfect timing.

It was worth noting that everyone subtly glanced at Dao Zhi, who was at the end of the line.

Why are you all staring at me?

Dao Zhi felt uncomfortable under their gazes. His title as the Thief Saint wasn't for nothing, which was exactly why he was getting this special attention.

With that, this edition of the Three Sects Grand Competition, which had lasted nearly nine days, finally came to a proper close.

Soon, the aroma of wine filled all of Nan Chu. Looking down from above, the three sects, nine halls, and eighty-one branches were all hosting banquets.

Tian Ting's celebration was especially lively. Every now and then, a playful young girl would sneak over to the Zhao family side, only to be dragged back by a group of stern elders. But before long, she'd vanish again without a trace.

This, of course, referred to Nan Gong Zi Yue. The girl was full of spirit, far more outgoing than the shy Zhao Zi Yun.

Watching the scene, Ye Chen couldn't help but smile.

It really lived up to what he'd said—people in Tian Ting paired up on their own, like Ling Hao and Zi Yan, Qing Yun and Li Xing Hun, Nan Gong Zi Yue and Zhao Zi Yun, Liu Yi and Nan Gong Yue, Xiong Er and Tang Ru Xuan, Ling Xiao and Xiao Xiang.

Of course, there were a couple of exceptions.

Take those two scoundrels, Long Yi and Long Wu, for example. One was shamelessly persistent, the other completely unapologetic, both hounding Murong Miao Xin and Dong Fang Yu Ling. They'd already been hauled out and beaten by Heng Yue Zhen Ren and the others more than once.

"I've fallen for a woman." Just as Ye Chen was lost in thought, Xie Yun, who was drunk and red-faced, blurted out tearfully, looking utterly dejected—an unusual sight for someone normally so spirited.

"Oh, man!"

Xiong Er, Si Tu Nan, and the others all sighed in sympathy.

"Which family's girl is she?" Ye Chen asked with a smile, turning to Xie Yun.

"The Mu Yun World family."

"Then go marry her!" Xiong Er and the others chimed in noisily. "Don't act like a coward."

"Her family doesn't agree," Xie Yun said, tossing back the wine in his bowl in one gulp.

"Damn, which old fool doesn't agree?"

"Her husband."

"Her husband?" The group, now thoroughly tipsy, scratched their heads in confusion, sensing something off.

"Get lost!" A second later, they erupted in a chorus of furious shouts.

"Scumbag." Ye Chen rubbed his forehead, momentarily believing it before realizing how deep the deception ran.

"Master, when will you marry me?" Xi Yan propped her chin in her hands, her bright eyes blinking at Ye Chen. The young girl was flushed from drinking, her gaze hazy and entranced.

"When you grow up."

"I've already grown up. I..."

"Come here, little one." Wu Ya Dao Ren pulled out a small packet from his robe and tucked it into Xi Yan's arms, adding with a meaningful grin, "Slip it into his drink sometime. It works wonders."

"Really?" Xi Yan took it and immediately opened it. In her drunken haze, she sprinkled the white powder from the packet into Ye Chen's wine cup right in front of everyone.

"Master, here, you drink it!"

"The wine from Xi Yan? Of course I'll drink it." Ye Chen took the cup at once, drawing everyone's eyes. Oh, brother, don't you know that's Hehuan Powder?

Pfft!

The next second, Ye Chen spat out the wine he'd just sipped, spraying it perfectly onto Gu San Tong's face.

Uh...

The whole table fell silent, mouths agape.

Heeheehee!

Women like Chu Xuan and Chu Ling burst into laughter.

Gu San Tong's face darkened completely—who'd expected Ye Chen to pull that stunt?

Ye Chen, however, just shook his head as if nothing had happened. Try to trick me? You're not even close.

"Master, why did you spit it out?"

"It was too bitter."

"Then will you marry me?"

"I..."

"Holy Lord." Before Ye Chen could finish, he was interrupted by a group of elders rushing over. It was people from the Ou Yang family, each one more excited than the last.

"What brings you seniors here?"

"Holy Lord, you've met our ancestor, haven't you?" An Ou Yang family elder asked Ye Chen breathlessly.

"How about it? Has Ou Yang Wang not returned to the Ou Yang family?" Ye Chen asked, puzzled.

"Ou... Ou Yang Wang?" Ye Chen's words drew everyone's attention, including Knife Emperor, Zhong Jiang, and Tian Zong Old Ancestor, their eyes gleaming with intense light.

No one there was foolish. From Ye Chen's words, they could tell what it implied—Ou Yang Wang was still alive.

This was shocking news!

The Chu Sea God Soldier Ou Yang Wang had once single-handedly held off an entire ghost clan army, buying time for Tian Zang Emperor to break through. That battle was still legendary, and Ou Yang Wang's story was the stuff of myth.

If not for Ye Chen mentioning it today, who would have thought that the mighty Chu Sea God Soldier was still in the world?

"I knew it, I knew it—he's still alive!" Amid the shock, the Ou Yang family elders were so emotional they nearly cried on the spot.

"Isn't Ou Yang Wang supposed to be dead?" Su family Old Ancestor stared at Ye Chen in disbelief.

"He's still alive," Ye Chen smiled.

"This is truly astonishing!" Dan Chen marveled. "To meet Ou Yang Wang in this lifetime would be the greatest honor."

"You've already met him, senior."

"I have?"

"The one who fought Dan Mo that night was Ou Yang Wang," Ye Chen chuckled. "I only found out later."

"This..." The elders from Dan City looked utterly stunned. They knew the old man who faced Dan Mo was incredibly powerful, but they never imagined it was the Chu Sea God Soldier Ou Yang Wang.

"Holy Lord, do you know where our ancestor is now?" After their excitement, the Ou Yang family elders all turned to Ye Chen.

"I'm afraid I don't know that, junior though I am." Ye Chen shook his head helplessly, compiling his memories of Ou Yang Wang into a divine sense message and sharing it with everyone. No need for explanations that way.

Once they'd read Ye Chen's divine sense memories, the group sighed, marveled, and reflected.

Who would have thought that Ou Yang Wang, once on par with Tian Zang Emperor, would end up in a space black hole, only to be rescued by Ye Chen? It must be fate—Ou Yang Wang was destined to survive.

Still, when they saw Ou Yang Wang, Di Fan, and Ghost King gathered at Tian Zang Emperor's statue, many wore strange expressions.

All in all, Ou Yang Wang being alive was joyous news, not just for the Ou Yang family, but for Tian Ting as a whole. He was a legendary king, and with him still in the world, Tian Ting's overall strength had grown even more formidable.