Heaven-Dominating Martial Emperor

'This guy... does he really think he's Ye Chen?'

'A mere Spirit Sea Realm Cultivator daring to provoke him...' Hong Zhi almost lost his temper.

But in the end, he forced himself to hold back and didn't act rashly.

Li Yue's background was anything but simple.

With Li Yue dead, this was no longer a simple matter of pride between two academies.

'I have to get back and report this immediately!'

"We're leaving!"

Hong Zhi flicked his sleeve, about to depart.

Before he left, he shot a cold glance at Yu Xiaoran. "Elder Yu, if you insist on protecting this disciple, the consequences are not something you can bear."

"You don't need to trouble yourself with that, Elder Hong," Yu Xiaoran said with a casual smile.

'Nonsense. It was just Li Yue. With Ye Chen's ability, killing him was nothing. Would the Clearmoon Sword Mansion dare to seek revenge?'

'Even if they did, they'd just be a bunch of small fry to Ye Chen. Who would even care?'

Watching Hong Zhi and his group retreat in disgrace, everyone slowly breathed a sigh of relief.

However, when disciples like Lin Heng and Qu Yuanfei looked at Ye Chen, their gazes held a new level of awe and respect.

After all, this was the same Ye Chen who had carved out a fearsome reputation in the Dragon Prison Cave!

'If it really is him, then it's not strange at all.'

'That idiot Li Yue, daring to provoke Ye Chen without knowing what's good for him. He deserved to die!'

"Brother Ye, I'm truly sorry for dragging you into this!"

Ji Yuanshan looked at Ye Chen with shame. He struggled to his feet and cupped his fists in a salute.

"It's a trivial matter, not worth mentioning."

Ye Chen shook his head. If Li Yue hadn't come looking for death on his own, he really couldn't have been bothered to get involved.

But since he was already involved, if that Clearmoon Sword Mansion dared to seek revenge, he'd just kill them all.

"Eldest Brother, what on earth happened? How did you end up like this?"

Lu Fanyan and the others looked at Ji Yuanshan with worried eyes.

Ji Yuanshan was the strongest among them, with cultivation talent unparalleled in the Songyin Sword Mansion and the strength of the Ninth Layer of the Spirit Sea Realm!

But now, he was being bullied at will by a silk-pants young master at the Blood Coagulation Realm, completely unable to fight back. Something was very wrong!

"Sigh, it's a long story."

Ji Yuanshan heaved a long sigh, a glint of pain in his eyes.

Yu Xiaoran glanced at Ji Yuanshan and smiled. "It's fine. As long as you're safe."

"Since it's a long story, we can head into the city first and talk about it slowly. There's no rush."

After the people from Clearmoon Sword Mansion left, there were no more incidents on the road.

About an hour and a half later, the group finally settled into an inn in the city.

Inside Ye Chen's room, Song Yubing spoke with a strange look in her eyes, "Are you two really planning to get just one room?"

The Realm Spirit said flatly, "But of course. I won't be too far from my Master."

Ye Chen, standing to the side, cleared his throat. "Since she's put it that way, I certainly have no objection."

Song Yubing took a deep breath, still finding the situation bizarre.

This beautiful young woman before her, so pure and otherworldly she looked like a celestial fairy, was calling him "Master" far too skillfully.

She couldn't help but size Ye Chen up again.

'I never expected that for someone with such world-shattering talent and astonishing combat power, Ye Chen would have such... kinky tastes in private.'

'As expected, young or old, all men are the same in this regard...'

"Alright." Ye Chen couldn't stand Song Yubing's probing gaze any longer. In truth, the Realm Spirit's form of address was making him a little awkward too. "Time to go down for a meal."

The ground floor of the inn was the dining area.

After everyone settled into their rooms, they naturally planned to have a big feast.

They were all weary from their long journey, so it was a rare chance to relax and enjoy themselves. Ye Chen naturally wouldn't refuse Yu Xiaoran's invitation.

Besides, Yu Xiaoran had already said he would treat him well in the city.

Inside the private room, after a few rounds of drinks, Ji Yuanshan's face finally gained some color, and he looked a little better.

But the weakness in his eyes was still palpable. It was clear he was suffering from an internal injury.

This was most likely why he had been bullied by Li Yue and his cronies earlier.

"Young Friend Ye, you mentioned earlier that Ji Yuanshan was afflicted by some kind of... Bone-Gnawing Soul Curse, is that right?"

Yu Xiaoran asked worriedly.

"That's right. If I recall correctly, it's a Secret Technique of evil cultivators."

Ye Chen drained the fine wine from his cup and then said, "It seems Brother Ji has had a run-in with evil cultivators."

Facing the many questioning gazes, Ji Yuanshan sighed deeply. He finally began to speak, recounting the recent events.

Apparently, after the Dragon Prison Cave closed, he learned about the upcoming martial arts tournament and had been making his way toward Kunlun City.

At that time, Yu Xiaoran and the others had also detoured to Lei Province, and along the way, they had sent the sisters Chuyu and Chuxue to meet up with Ji Yuanshan.

And that was when the trouble started.

According to Ji Yuanshan, just as he was about to meet the two sisters, a powerful evil cultivator suddenly appeared and took them away!

Shocked and anxious, he followed the evil cultivator's trail, intending to attempt a rescue.

However, he was eventually discovered by the evil cultivator and fled all the way to Kunlun City.

Although he was lucky to escape with his life, he was struck by the evil cultivator's Bone-Gnawing Soul Curse. His cultivation was corroded, leaving him completely unable to use his strength.

And as luck would have it, he ran into Li Yue and his group at the gates of Kunlun City.

Li Yue and his group were from the Clearmoon Sword Mansion, a faction that had been rivals with the Songyin Sword Mansion for many years. Along with the Songyin Sword Mansion, they were known as the two great top-tier powers of Xu Province.

In the past, Li Yue had always been arrogant, overbearing, and condescending, and had bullied the ordinary disciples of the Songyin Sword Mansion on more than one occasion.

Because of this, Ji Yuanshan had often stepped in to teach him a lesson.

But because Li Yue had a powerful older brother, whose cultivation and talent surpassed even Ji Yuanshan's, Ji Yuanshan was sometimes powerless against Li Yue's villainy.

And during this chance encounter at the gates of Kunlun City, Li Yue noticed that something was wrong with Ji Yuanshan's condition.

Naturally, he wouldn't let such a golden opportunity pass. He intended to get his revenge, which led to the scene Ye Chen and the others had witnessed.

Listening to Ji Yuanshan's account, Lu Fanyan and the others were all shocked by his perilous journey.

"I can't believe Chuyu and Chuxue were actually taken by an evil cultivator!"

"What could an evil cultivator possibly want with them?!"

Lin Heng and Qu Yuanfei furiously clenched their fists.

Even Yu Xiaoran's expression turned grim.

"Do you remember where the evil cultivator took the two of them?" Ye Chen asked after a moment of thought.