The Bronze Ancient Palace, a streak of brilliant starlight, completely disregarded the Great Emperors and shot into the sky. Everyone was dumbfounded. It was so effortless, like a child toying with a pack of Great Emperors!
The massive palace, radiating divine light, tore itself from the ground and vanished into the distant void.
The Cangxuan Old Ancestor, Qin Wuyang, Yuan Qingzi, and the other Great Emperors exchanged grim looks. They quickly made a decision.
"Chase!"
They instantly ripped open the void and pursued the Bronze Ancient Palace.
The onlookers were astonished. So many Great Emperors, yet the Ancient Supreme Artifact had escaped?
The Cangxuan Old Ancestor’s voice echoed, "Grand Dao Sect, return to the mountain."
Qin Wuyang, the Ancient Qin Family Patriarch, issued his own command: "Ancient Qin Family, head home!"
All the overlord factions began ordering their people to leave.
The Sect Master looked at Ye Chen, unfurled his hand, and an Ancient Spirit Boat, vast and ancient, appeared.
Lu Xuan and Ye Chen stepped aboard.
Ye Chen turned to Lu Xuan, a hint of shame in his voice. "Master, I apologize for causing such a commotion."
Lu Xuan chuckled, waving a dismissive hand. "What's this? Just a small scene."
Ye Chen blinked. As expected, Master supports me fighting!
Ye Chen’s face hardened with resolve. "Master, when I face Qin Xiao in the future, I won't bring shame upon you."
Lu Xuan nodded, his tone casual but firm. "When you fight Qin Xiao, don't hold back. Kill him. Let the Qin Family find a new Young Master, and the Supreme Profound Sect find a new Divine Son candidate."
A sharp glint flashed in Ye Chen's eyes. "Understood."
Meanwhile, Qin Xiao watched the retreating figure of Ye Chen, his face a mask of icy displeasure. He hadn't anticipated their inevitable life-and-death battle being temporarily shelved.
Qin Xiao knew the Ancient Supreme Artifact, the Bronze Ancient Palace, was a matter of paramount importance. Compared to it, his feud with Ye Chen was insignificant.
Besides, with the Bronze Ancient Palace escaping, even the Qin Family Patriarch, Qin Wuyang, didn't have the presence of mind to worry about the death of the Sky Blade Sect Master. It seems Ye Chen gets to live a few more days.
The Sky Blade Sect disciples stood in the air, utterly lost and crestfallen, watching the Grand Dao Sect's spirit boat vanish. Rage and disappointment warred within them.
They had been this close to seeing Young Master Qin Xiao annihilate Ye Chen! Who could have predicted the Bronze Ancient Palace would suddenly act up and escape?
What the hell! Their Sect Master was dead, along with a dozen genius disciples!
The most despairing person in the field was Nangong Baixue. Her eyes burned with endless resentment as she watched the spirit boat carrying Ye Chen tear through the void.
He just left? How could that waste Ye Chen be so lucky! If the Bronze Ancient Palace hadn't intervened, he would be a corpse right now!
Nangong Baixue muttered under her breath, "Damn that Bronze Ancient—" Before she could finish, a profound sense of dread, a chilling, heart-stopping power, made her scalp crawl.
Her body trembled, and she instinctively pressed herself against Qin Xiao. What... what kind of power is that? The sheer terror instilled in her a profound reverence for the Ancient Supreme Artifact.
A moment later, she composed herself, forcing out a few tears as she leaned into Qin Xiao's chest. "Husband, that waste Ye Chen slipped away again."
Qin Xiao sneered. "No one I, Qin Xiao, intend to kill can escape!" He kissed her delicate cheek. "Baixue, don't worry. I will kill Ye Chen! But for now, let him live a few more days."
The Qin Family Patriarch approached, his face cold. "Ye Chen is ruthless and now possesses talent in both the Dao of Alchemy and the Martial Dao. This child absolutely cannot be allowed to live!"
Qin Xiao replied coolly, "Father, rest assured. Killing Ye Chen is as easy as slaughtering a chicken."
Soon after, the overlord factions departed.
The Qin Family Patriarch and his entourage descended upon the Sky Blade Sect. The sect's elders looked grief-stricken, having gathered the bodies of their Sect Master and fallen disciples, arranging them neatly outside the main hall.
Seeing this, the Qin Patriarch's killing intent toward Ye Chen intensified.
A grey-robed elder spoke, "Patriarch, our Sect Master is dead, and we've lost over a dozen genius sword cultivators. Are we simply going to let this matter rest?"
The Qin Patriarch scoffed. "How could we? Ye Chen must die! The Ye Family must be annihilated!"
He tossed several storage rings onto the ground. "Take these cultivation resources. Furthermore, I grant the Sky Blade Sect ten spots to cultivate within the Qin Family. Consider this compensation for your losses."
The Sky Blade Sect elders immediately bowed in gratitude. "Thank you, Patriarch! Thank you!"
Once the Qin Patriarch left, the Sky Blade Sect elders looked at the corpses, their eyes gleaming with cold malice. They swore a solemn oath to the heavens: "Until Ye Chen is dead, our cultivation shall not advance a single step!"
***
High above the void, the Grand Dao Sect's Ancient Spirit Boat traversed the expanse like a floating domain.
Fang Yan, Liu Xuan, Luo Lingkong, and the other top true disciples gathered around Ye Chen.
Liu Xuan offered a charming smile. "Junior Brother Ye Chen, your martial prowess is about to make you famous across the Southern Wilds."
Fang Yan frowned slightly. "I worry that exposing yourself so early is unwise. It gives Qin Xiao time to prepare. Now, the Sky Blade Sect, the Supreme Profound Sect, and the Ancient Qin Family all harbor intense killing intent toward you. This is a great disadvantage."
The Sect Master smiled faintly. "It was bound to be exposed eventually. True strength cannot be concealed."
Lu Xuan nodded in agreement.
Ye Chen's lips twitched, but he held his tongue. I want to say, hasn't my Master been hiding his strength perfectly for all these years? Even now, the entire Southern Wilds believes Master is only in the Qi Condensation realm! Yet, in reality, he stands at the absolute pinnacle of this world!
At that moment, Lu Xuan looked at Ye Chen. "Ye Chen, if you were Qin Xiao, would you suppress your cultivation realm for a fair fight?"
Ye Chen answered without hesitation, "No."
Lu Xuan nodded. "Excellent. Never emulate Qin Xiao. The Invincible Stance isn't about pitying the weak. If they are an enemy, give them no quarter. Kill them immediately. Never agree to a 'three-year pact' or any such nonsense." He paused, his voice dropping to a profound, casual tone. "In this world, there are only two kinds of people: friends, and dead enemies. Pity for an enemy is cruelty to yourself."
Ye Chen silently repeated Lu Xuan's words, deep in thought. Master's philosophy is exactly mine. Fighting an enemy by lowering your realm? That was the act of an idiot! Would the Cangxuan Old Ancestor suppress his realm to Saint King to fight the Sky Blade Sect Master? Of course not!
Fang Yan, Liu Xuan, and the others stared at Lu Xuan in shock. It was hard to imagine such a ruthless, pragmatic statement coming from Lu Xuan's mouth!
Even the Sect Master was astonished. Lu Xuan had hidden away on Azure Mystery Peak for years, never engaging in a single battle—how could he possess such a hardened, battle-forged mindset?
"Lu Xuan," the Sect Master asked, smiling wryly, "where did you hear that?"
Lu Xuan shrugged. "I just said it casually."
The Sect Master: "..."
Everyone: "..."
Ye Chen smiled knowingly. Master is simply too low-profile! When he finally decides to act, the Southern Wilds will be rocked by an earthquake!
***
Half a day later, they returned to the Grand Dao Sect. The Sect Master escorted Lu Xuan and Ye Chen back to Azure Mystery Peak.
He looked at Ye Chen and smiled. "Wait for word from the Cangxuan Old Ancestor. Perhaps there will be some opportunity regarding the Bronze Ancient Palace."
Ye Chen was slightly taken aback. "A treasure of that caliber... I doubt we can touch it."
The Sect Master shook his head. "Not necessarily. The Bronze Ancient Palace will certainly not allow Great Emperors to enter. We shall see. Once the Cangxuan Old Ancestor and the others manage to suppress it, they will establish the rules."
Ye Chen nodded. "Very well."
The Sect Master quickly departed.
Ye Chen turned to Lu Xuan. "Master, the Bronze Ancient Palace was truly shocking today! And the power displayed by the Cangxuan Old Ancestor and the others was absolutely terrifying!"
Lu Xuan smiled faintly, effortlessly painting a grand picture. "Work hard. One day, you will surpass the Cangxuan Old Ancestor. When that happens, you will be able to suppress a mere Bronze Ancient Palace with a casual wave of your hand!"
Ye Chen instantly felt a surge of excitement! Surpass the Cangxuan Old Ancestor! Suppress the Bronze Ancient Palace with a wave of his hand! The thought alone was exhilarating!
A massive wave crashed in Ye Chen's heart. My Master is Lu Xuan! How can I possibly tarnish his name?
Suddenly, Ye Chen asked, "Master, why didn't you secretly intervene today when the Bronze Ancient Palace escaped?"
Lu Xuan’s face twitched. Uh... what the hell? Seriously, how strong does this kid think I am? He had seen the Cangxuan Old Ancestor and Qin Wuyang spitting blood from the Palace's backlash. If he had gone up there, he would have been instantly annihilated!
But seeing the profound reverence in Ye Chen's eyes, Lu Xuan cleared his throat and spoke casually. "Matters concerning the younger generation should be handled by the younger generation. The Southern Wilds is vast; I cannot personally intervene in every single affair."
Ye Chen’s expression immediately shifted to one of deep respect. Ah, yes! How could a supreme magnate like Master personally handle every trivial matter? If he hadn't begged his Master to attend, Lu Xuan probably wouldn't have even bothered to look at the Bronze Ancient Palace!
Ye Chen felt a wave of embarrassment. That was a rather low-EQ question, wasn't it?
Ye Chen looked at Lu Xuan. "Master, I'm going to cultivate now!"
Lu Xuan nodded. "Go on."
Watching Ye Chen's hurried retreat, Lu Xuan let out a sigh of relief. It has to be the disciple's own wild imagination doing the heavy lifting! It’s exhausting to maintain this facade! But since he chose to put on the act, he had to see it through, even if he had to "cry and kneel" to keep it going.
Soon, Lu Xuan returned to his cave dwelling and lay down. The System's voice echoed in his mind.
[Ding! Second Disciple Ye Chen is cultivating! Beginning cultivation synchronization!]
[Ding! Second Disciple Ye Chen has gained enlightenment in the Martial Dao! Beginning synchronization!]
[Ding! First Disciple Ji Fuyao is cultivating! Beginning cultivation synchronization!]
[Ding! First Disciple Ji Fuyao has gained enlightenment in the Path of Spirit Fire! Beginning synchronization!]
A wave of pure spiritual energy surged into Lu Xuan's body, rushing through his meridians like a great river. The intense comfort made his body tremble slightly, a pleasant, tingling sensation. Simultaneously, his comprehension of the Martial Dao and the Path of Spirit Fire increased.
A moment later, Lu Xuan murmured to himself, "I wonder how Fuyao is doing with the Drunken Immortal Pavilion situation? She shouldn't have run into any trouble, right?"