"Master, are you alright?" Ji Fuyao's beautiful eyes narrowed slightly as she looked at Lu Xuan, a faint tremor running through her heart. That poke to the throat seemed genuinely painful. She raised her delicate hand, wanting to gently pat his back, but hesitated and withdrew it.
Lu Xuan felt a wave of bitterness. Sigh... What was the point of marking that spirit fish? I still ended up taking the hit!
Lu Xuan looked at Ji Fuyao and gave a faint smile. "Fuyao, I'm fine." He then continued to devour the spirit fish.
Tianxing Old Ancestor said, "Didn't you say you were full?"
Lu Xuan replied, "I eat even when I'm full."
Tianxing Old Ancestor chuckled, his thick beard trembling with amusement.
Soon, everyone realized that Lu Xuan had eaten so much of the spirit fish, yet nothing seemed to happen to him. This shouldn't have been possible for Lu Xuan to withstand!
The others—Tianxing Old Ancestor, Cangxuan Old Ancestor, the Sect Master, and Ji Fuyao—all had the profound mysteries of the Grand Dao Scripture flowing through them. Ji Fuyao, in particular, had gained deep comprehension of the scripture.
Tianxing Old Ancestor scanned Lu Xuan, then shook his head. "Lu Xuan's body is a giant, bottomless pit. Even the supreme truths of Heaven and Earth cannot fill it. It might be the legendary Congenital Cultivation Waste Body!"
"The Congenital Cultivation Waste Body!" The Sect Master sighed. "No matter how hard one tries, a person with that body can never raise their cultivation!"
Ji Fuyao offered a barely perceptible smile. Only she knew that her Master was merely concealing his true cultivation.
But Lu Xuan couldn't care less. Who cares about the Heaven-Burning Saint Body, the Desolate Ancient Saint Body, the Invincible Sword Body, or the Eternal Life Body? They all have to cultivate! Me? I have the Congenital Cultivation Waste Body. I can lie down and still raise my cultivation! This is the most comfortable way to live!
Just then, the System's voice rang out.
"Ding! Host's eldest disciple, Ji Fuyao, has gained comprehension of the Grand Dao Scripture. Synchronization commencing!"
The moment the voice fell, countless profound mysteries of Heaven and Earth flooded Lu Xuan's mind. It was an incredibly subtle and wondrous feeling that left his mind clear and his spirit utterly refreshed.
A moment later, Lu Xuan slowly opened his eyes and looked at Ji Fuyao. "Disciple, eat more."
Ji Fuyao gently touched her flat stomach, looked at Lu Xuan, and said with a serious, determined expression, "Master, I can still eat."
The Sect Master glared at Lu Xuan.
An hour later, Lu Xuan had finished eating and was lying on a large rock beside the long river.
Tianxing Old Ancestor laughed, scolding him good-naturedly, "This kid really can eat and sleep."
The others continued to eat, absorbing the profound mysteries of Heaven and Earth with every bite.
Several hours passed. The group finally stopped.
Lu Xuan slowly rose from the rock and asked, "Tianxing Old Ancestor, can we proceed with the Great Emperor Dao Pattern Baptism now?"
Tianxing Old Ancestor wiped the oil from his mouth with his hand, then casually rubbed his hand on his robe. "What's the rush? Let Fuyao rest a bit. We'll fish for a while."
Lu Xuan was stunned. It looks like the Tianxing Old Ancestor is getting a bit obsessed!
Soon, Tianxing Old Ancestor walked to the riverbank and dipped his feet into the long river. He began to sing loudly, "When the long river is clear, I can wash my tassel; when the long river is muddy, I can wash my feet..."
Quite the unrestrained character! He began to fish.
Ji Fuyao sat cross-legged nearby, watching Tianxing Old Ancestor and Cangxuan Old Ancestor fish while simultaneously absorbing the profound Dao mysteries within the long river.
The next day.
Lu Xuan asked, "Old Ancestor, are you done yet?"
Tianxing Old Ancestor's face flushed red. "Just one more day of fishing!"
Lu Xuan was speechless.
Another day passed.
Tianxing Old Ancestor cursed loudly at the river. "You son of a bitch!"
Lu Xuan reminded him, "Old Ancestor, the Great Emperor Dao Pattern Baptism..."
Before he could finish, Tianxing Old Ancestor snapped, "Don't talk!"
Lu Xuan was utterly speechless.
Three days went by like this.
Ji Fuyao finally couldn't help but ask, "Old Ancestor, are we still going to fish?"
Tianxing Old Ancestor's old face reddened. "Actually, watching Cangxuan's Grand Dao Long River here is also a form of cultivation. How about you give me two more days?"
Ji Fuyao parted her delicate lips and replied, "Oh."
Lu Xuan's face darkened. Is this really cultivation? How is this Old Ancestor even better at bullshitting than I am? This is too much, seriously.
***
Meanwhile, in the Ancient Martial Emperor Inheritance Secret Realm.
Chen Changsheng continued his search for opportunities.
He soon arrived at an ancient mountain range. The range was uneven, stretching for dozens of miles. Some peaks were broken and ruined, while others sank into the earth, becoming deep, secluded valleys. A wild, primal aura emanated from the whipping gales.
Chen Changsheng swept his divine sense across the surroundings. He frowned slightly, spotting a figure on a nearby peak. "Huh... isn't that Ye Chen?"
In the next instant, his figure blurred and vanished into the fabric of Heaven and Earth.
Chen Changsheng found a hidden spot and sat cross-legged, preparing to divine the terrain to see if there was any opportunity. He took out an ancient turtle shell, and his hands performed spirit seals. Countless obscure forces flowed over the ancient shell, looking incredibly mysterious and cryptic. Profound energies surged, and rings of divine light and spirit runes appeared around him.
"Qian, Kun, Zhen, Xun, Kan, Gen, Li, Dui!"
A moment later, Chen Changsheng slowly opened his eyes, looking at the hexagram before him.
"The Kun Hexagram! 'Dragons battle in the wilderness, their blood dark and yellow!'"
Upon reading this, Chen Changsheng knew that there must be a heaven-defying opportunity here, and that Ye Chen would inevitably clash with the younger generation of other major powers to seize it. A bloodbath was imminent!
Chen Changsheng quickly put away the ancient turtle shell, concealed his figure, and began exploring the mountain range. At the same time, he extended a wisp of his divine sense and attached it to Ye Chen. Since Ye Chen possessed the Power of Destiny, he wouldn't need to lift a finger; Ye Chen would find the heaven-defying opportunity himself!
I'll leave it to him.
Chen Changsheng noticed bloodstains on Ye Chen's robe, but the blood didn't carry Ye Chen's aura. He mused, It seems Ye Chen has already fought some prodigies! Clearly, Ye Chen won.
At this moment, Ye Chen was exploring the mountain range.
A few days ago, he had encountered some disciples from the Heavenly Net Hall and the Heavenly Blade Gate and had casually cut them down. However, this had caused the Heavenly Net Hall to lock onto his aura.
Ye Chen didn't care. He had been following Yao Yan's guidance, searching for opportunities, and his harvests over the past few days had been excellent! He had acquired several Quasi-Emperor-tier spirit herbs and even a few Two-star Emperor-tier spirit herbs!
Besides that, he had found some martial arts techniques, but they were only of the Saint-tier. Now that he possessed the Desolate Heaven Art, he naturally wouldn't waste time cultivating such low-grade techniques.
Today, he arrived at this location, and Yao Yan instructed him to stop, telling him that a great opportunity lay here.
The ancient jade pendant on his chest flickered slightly, and Yao Yan's voice transmitted, "Chen'er, I sense the aura of a spirit mine here, and it seems to be a Supreme-grade Spirit Mine!"
A Supreme-grade Spirit Mine!
Ye Chen was excited. If he could obtain this mine, he wouldn't lack Spirit Stones for a long time! He could even share half with his Senior Sister!
Yao Yan took out an ancient formation plate and gave Ye Chen a spiritual seal technique. "To find a spiritual vein, look for the coils of the mountain; one layer of the formation reveals one layer of spirit..."
Ye Chen immediately followed Yao Yan's method, activating the spiritual seal technique. A brilliant divine light surged around him as he began to sense the spirit mine's aura.
Before long, Ye Chen found the entrance!
The spot was concealed by massive boulders, and the ancient steps leading down were overgrown with spirit herbs. If one didn't look closely, the entrance would be completely missed. Ye Chen observed that the ancient seal and restriction at the entrance were incredibly dilapidated, like a tattered net full of holes.
Just then, Yao Yan warned, "Chen'er, be careful. Just a moment ago, I sensed a faint fluctuation. Someone seemed to be probing us. I scanned with my divine sense but found nothing. Perhaps I was overly cautious."
Ye Chen nodded. "Understood, I'll be careful. There might be unknown dangers within this Supreme-grade Spirit Mine."
With that, Ye Chen put away the black formation plate and slowly walked toward the entrance.
Not far away, Chen Changsheng, hidden among the dense spirit herbs, was completely undetected by Ye Chen. A slight smile played on his lips. He muttered, "Ye Chen truly is a Child of Destiny. Following him led me straight to the entrance of this spirit mine."
However, Chen Changsheng did not move forward. He was contemplating how to avoid Ye Chen. He knew the rumors were true: Ye Chen had a Quasi-Emperor protector. Chen Changsheng had just caught a wisp of the Quasi-Emperor's aura!
Naturally, he didn't want to meet the Quasi-Emperor. First, he didn't want to accrue unnecessary karma, and second, he didn't want to become enemies with Ye Chen. Chen Changsheng knew that a Child of Destiny like Ye Chen was tied to too many powerful forces. To cross Ye Chen was to offend the Grand Dao Sect and the peerless expert backing him. Killing Ye Chen was even more unthinkable—that was a direct path to death.
Therefore, Chen Changsheng decided the best course of action was to secretly intercept some of Ye Chen's opportunities. As long as Heaven knows, Earth knows, and I know, but Ye Chen doesn't, it's fine.
***
Just then, a series of thunderous booms echoed in the sky.
More than a dozen divine rainbows streaked across the void, shooting toward Ye Chen's location.
The arrivals were disciples of the Heavenly Net Hall, with disciples of the Heavenly Blade Gate following closely behind!
A furious voice, like rolling thunder, boomed across the sky.
"Ye Chen! You killed our Heavenly Net Hall disciples! In this Secret Realm, you have nowhere to run, nowhere to hide! Your aura has been locked onto by us! Did you think you could escape by running here?"
As the voice faded, Ye Chen slowly turned to face the void.
He sneered. He hadn't expected the Heavenly Blade Gate and the Heavenly Net Hall to collude. He hadn't even bothered to hunt them down, and yet they had come looking for him!
Well, that saves me the trouble of searching.
Boom!
Ye Chen stepped into the air, a terrifying aura surging around him. The aura of a First-stage Profound Venerate—a deliberate disguise—was vast and deep as the ocean. His white robe billowed, and his martial will was unleashed, making him look like a Divine King descending to the mortal world, utterly domineering.
On the other side, the disciples of the Heavenly Net Hall and the Heavenly Blade Gate stopped a thousand feet away from Ye Chen.
The Heavenly Blade Gate disciples all drew their spiritual blades. Their eyes were bloodshot and filled with murderous rage. One of them snarled, "Ye Chen, you killed our Heavenly Blade Gate brothers! Today, we will cut you down to mourn their spirits in the heavens!"
Their spiritual blades trembled, emitting a metallic clang. The Path of the Blade was inherently overbearing! Standing together, they pointed their blades at Ye Chen. Cold light flashed, and their blade aura condensed, faintly forming a river of blade intent that surged with immense power.
In front of the Heavenly Blade Gate disciples, several Heavenly Net Hall disciples stood loosely.
A black-robed youth slowly stepped forward, his body radiating the aura of a Third-stage Profound Venerate. He smiled mockingly and said slowly, "Ye Chen, do you know that your head is worth a fortune right now? My Senior Brother Luo Feng has put a bounty on it! He's right behind us and will arrive soon..."
Ye Chen frowned slightly. He said coldly, "Too much nonsense."
Boom!
Ye Chen's figure instantly blurred, and he attacked!
In a flash, terrifying spiritual energy coalesced into a storm around Ye Chen. His martial will filled the sky, like a vast ocean or a mighty river, surging endlessly.
In the space of a breath, Ye Chen traversed thousands of feet. His figure was like a phantom, appearing directly in front of the black-robed youth. He threw a punch.
The black-robed youth's face drastically changed. He looked at Ye Chen in utter shock. "How are you so fast..."
He tried to retreat, but it was too late.
Ye Chen's punch, infused with the will of a First-stage Profound Venerate, was fierce and powerful, capable of shattering metal and stone. It slammed directly into the black-robed youth's head!
One Punch, Exploding Your Head!
Pfft!
The young man's head burst open like a watermelon. His corpse plummeted from the sky.
Blood splattered everywhere!
An instant kill!
Seeing this, the disciples of the Heavenly Net Hall and the Heavenly Blade Gate froze.
The scene fell into a dead silence.