Heaven-Dominating Martial Emperor

Seeing Ye Chen's thoughtful expression, Jieling asked softly, "Are you suspecting that the lantern is what drew him here?"

"That soul imprint was very strong. It probably wasn't left by the Celestial Slaughter Nether Venerable… But he must have a way to sense it."

"When you erased the soul imprint, he was alerted and followed that faint sense all the way here."

Ye Chen said thoughtfully.

The only thing that surprised the Celestial Slaughter Nether Venerable was that Fairy Luoxia was also present.

Even though she was just an impostor, the thought that the soul imprint had been so easily erased must have already raised his suspicions. When he then ran into Fairy Luoxia, he didn't doubt it for a second. He was scared out of his wits and fled immediately.

At this thought, Ye Chen couldn't help but let out a long sigh.

'Just who in the world is this Fairy Luoxia?'

Seven or eight years ago, she already possessed the strength to dominate an entire generation.

'How much stronger has she become now?'

'Qin Ruotong is training under her sect. What has she achieved by now?'

Although Ye Chen's own accomplishments were already dazzling.

Forget Lei Province; it would be difficult to find another young prodigy comparable to him even looking across all the major provinces in the eastern part of the dynasty.

But Ye Chen never felt complacent.

The thought of the vast, unknown gap between himself and Fairy Luoxia, and of not knowing when he would see Qin Ruotong again…

...filled Ye Chen with a sense of urgency.

'I've made up my mind. If I don't find anything in the Kunlun Mountain secret realm to help me condense my Primordial Mansion, I'll have to use the Five Elements Pill, no matter what.'

'Putting it off isn't a solution.'

'Others are probably advancing by leaps and bounds in their training. I can't just stay where I am.'

...

Morning came quickly.

Ye Chen was practicing his swordsmanship in the inn's courtyard.

Just as he sheathed his Cangming Sword, he heard a clamor of voices in the distance, a noise that was steadily growing louder.

'Has the Martial Arts Tournament started?'

Ye Chen raised an eyebrow but didn't pay it much mind.

To him, the Martial Arts Tournament was indeed just child's play.

"Young friend Ye, we are all departing. Do you want to come with us?"

Yu Xiaoran and the others entered the courtyard, already dressed and poised for action, just waiting for the Martial Arts Tournament to begin.

"To think we only arrived in Kunlun City yesterday and the tournament is already today. The schedule is pretty tight."

Ye Chen looked at Yu Xiaoran and smiled faintly.

Hearing this, Yu Xiaoran looked a bit embarrassed. "To be honest, our original plan was to arrive here two days ago."

Ye Chen nodded. He understood what Yu Xiaoran meant.

Between meeting up with Ji Yuanshan and the interference from those evil cultivators, the group from Songyin Sword Mansion had indeed been delayed quite a bit.

Just then, Jieling also came down from upstairs.

"What are you doing here?" Ye Chen asked, startled. 'Does Jieling want to go see what the fuss is about, too?'

"It looks like fun out there. I want to go see," Jieling said, winking at Ye Chen. Her normally cool expression held a surprising hint of playfulness.

Ye Chen froze for a second.

He suddenly remembered that Jieling's true form was that of a lively and adorable loli.

'Faced with such a bustling scene, she probably couldn't contain her curiosity any longer, could she?'

Yu Xiaoran and the others glanced over as well.

As their eyes fell upon Jieling, they were all struck by her beauty.

Ji Yuanshan managed to remain composed.

But the two younger disciples, Lin Heng and Qu Yuanfei, weren't nearly as calm. A single stolen glance at Jieling was enough to make their hearts pound and their faces turn bright red.

"Can't you two just look at her properly?"

"Why are you sneaking glances?"

Lu Fanyan couldn't help but roll her eyes at the two of them.

Being called out by their Second Senior Sister in front of everyone left Lin Heng and Qu Yuanfei mortified; they wished the ground would swallow them whole.

"Ahem!" Yu Xiaoran cleared his throat and said seriously, "Alright, it's getting late. We should be on our way."

At his words, Jieling looked at Ye Chen with hopeful eyes.

"Oh, alright. Let's go take a look."

Ye Chen glanced back at the inn. Seeing that Song Yubing was still deep in her cultivation, he decided to go with Jieling.

As they walked, the streets were thronged with people, a tide of humanity surging toward a distant point.

It seemed the Martial Arts Tournament was quite a draw. Everyone wanted to witness the clashes between these young geniuses.

Soon, Ye Chen's group arrived at the venue.

The tournament was being held on the training grounds of the City Lord's Mansion. The surrounding area had already been set up, and many people were already finding their seats.

Only the very front row was still empty.

Yu Xiaoran led the group directly to the front row of the audience, which was guarded by men from the City Lord's Mansion.

Seeing Yu Xiaoran, the guard immediately said respectfully, "Elder Yu of the Songyin Sword Mansion, please take your seats this way."

Yu Xiaoran gave a faint nod. As a genuine Primordial Mansion Realm cultivator, he was highly respected.

Ye Chen and Jieling naturally followed him, taking seats in the front row.

"You have to give it your all, Eldest Brother!"

The other disciples all cheered Ji Yuanshan on.

With Ye Chen's help, the Bone-Corroding Soul Curse in his body was mostly cleared away. His complexion looked much better, but he was still a ways off from his peak condition.

"Don't worry," Ji Yuanshan said, his gaze firm. "I will do my best."

"The City Lord is here!"

Just then, someone in the crowd shouted loudly.

The packed crowd suddenly parted, creating a path as everyone turned to look, their gazes filled with awe.

A contingent of iron-clad guards marched in perfect formation, flanking a slender figure.

He walked with a powerful, confident stride, his face stern and majestic. His deep-set eyes glinted sharply as they swept over the crowd, and he radiated an immense aura!

He was the City Lord of Kunlun City, Nie Kun!

"Kunlun City is located on the border of the Great Hong Dynasty, so the Dynasty specifically appointed a City Lord to garrison it."

"There are all sorts of factions in the city, big and small, but every single one of them survives at the City Lord's pleasure. You could say he's the uncrowned king of this place!"

Ye Chen nodded slightly as he listened to Yu Xiaoran's explanation.

This place was remote, after all. Even if the Great Hong Dynasty wanted to assert its authority, it couldn't reach this far.

The City Lord stationed here naturally became the ultimate authority, looking down on all from his lofty perch!

Following the arrival of City Lord Nie Kun, the other major factions filed in and took their seats around the arena.