Heaven-Dominating Martial Emperor

Clearly, Ye Chen was far too young.

The woman in the red dress immediately pegged him as a typical silk-panted young master, the kind who relied on his background to throw his weight around.

'If he didn't have some astonishing background, how could a junior this young possibly hold the position of an Elder?'

'Did he really think an Elder Token from their Treasure Gathering Chamber of Commerce was so easy to come by?'

Therefore, the woman in red had given Ye Chen a cold look from the very first glance.

He Daoyun simply kept his head down the entire time, not daring to object.

The woman before him was of far too high a station. Even if he wanted to argue, he was powerless to do so.

"Why don't you tell me how exactly you came to hold the position of Elder?"

The woman in red stopped questioning He Daoyun, her pair of bright, beautiful eyes turning to land coolly on Ye Chen.

What surprised her somewhat was that while she knew nothing about the young man before her, his composure, at least, seemed quite impressive.

Even when facing her, he remained perfectly calm and composed.

"Could you first tell me who you are?"

Ye Chen glanced at the woman in red and spoke calmly.

"Oh?"

"Trying to turn the tables on me?"

The woman in red shook her head with a scornful laugh. "I might as well tell you. My name is Murong Dai, and I am the second-in-command of the Treasure Gathering Chamber of Commerce's Punishment Office."

"The Treasure Gathering Chamber of Commerce… Punishment Office?"

Hearing this, Ye Chen's brow twitched as understanding dawned on him.

As the largest chamber of commerce in the Great Hong Dynasty, the Treasure Gathering Chamber of Commerce had an internal department called the Punishment Office.

The Punishment Office was akin to the Censorate of the Great Hong Dynasty. Its sole purpose was to police the Chamber's own personnel, preventing anyone from abusing their power for personal gain or exploiting their position for private profit.

For an organization on the scale of the Treasure Gathering Chamber of Commerce, the Punishment Office was practically indispensable.

Otherwise, if the heads of the various branches were left unchecked, they could use the Chamber's influence without fear of reprisal to secretly sell off treasures and Spiritual Objects, or to skim profits from transactions…

Only an organization like the Punishment Office could effectively prevent such detrimental activities.

And this gorgeous, enchanting woman in the red dress was actually the second-in-command of the Treasure Gathering Chamber of Commerce's Punishment Office!

The realization sent a jolt through Ye Chen. He hadn't expected such a major figure to be on the same Cloud Mist Tower Ship as him.

But it was just a jolt, nothing more.

He was merely a guest Elder of the Treasure Pavilion; his relationship with them wasn't particularly close to begin with.

It was unlikely he would have any dealings with the Treasure Gathering Chamber of Commerce's Punishment Office in the future, either.

Murong Dai watched his expression, a radiant smile gracing her lips, though it felt rather cold. "I imagine you now understand the responsibilities of our Punishment Office."

"So, are you ready to tell me how you came to be an Elder?"

"Don't worry. Even if I'm not satisfied with your answer, I won't do anything to you. At most, I'll just have your title of Elder revoked."

"If anyone is to be held accountable, it will be the person backing you."

To put it bluntly, in her eyes, the person powerful enough for Ye Chen to use as a backer was the one who truly deserved to be punished.

Hearing this, Ye Chen couldn't help but smile.

But his eyes grew cold.

"If I recall correctly, I received this Token because someone wanted to curry favor with me," he said calmly.

"Curry favor with *you*?"

He Daoyun's head snapped up in astonishment.

Murong Dai, on the other hand, got an "I knew it" look on her face and sneered, "I knew it. You must be the scion of some great power or major family, aren't you?"

"To curry favor with the power behind you, someone within the Treasure Gathering Chamber of Commerce abused their authority to give you this Elder Token!"

"You can tell me now. Who was the one who gave you the Token?"

Ye Chen frowned and took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.

"First, let me make something clear. There is no great family or major power backing me. I have gotten this far on my own abilities, from start to finish."

"Second, I can tell you who gave me this Token."

"But if you use your prejudice as an excuse to retaliate against that person… I will absolutely not let you get away with it!"

As he spoke the last words, Ye Chen's tone turned cold and resolute, tinged with a terrifying killing intent.

He Daoyun stared at Ye Chen in shock, as if he couldn't believe Ye Chen would dare speak that way to the second-in-command of the Chamber's Punishment Office.

Murong Dai was stunned for a moment as well, but then she broke into a laugh born of pure fury. The aura around her began to roil unstably.

'In all my years, I have never seen a Cultivator so audacious as to threaten me!'

'And a young man not even twenty years old, at that!'

'Truly, a newborn calf fears no tiger!'

Murong Dai's eyes locked onto Ye Chen, her gaze chilling. "You say there's no great power behind you?" she sneered. "Do you really think I'd believe that?"

"If not for a great power backing you, on what grounds could you possibly hold the position of Elder in our Chamber of Commerce?"

As the second-in-command of the Punishment Office, she had seen far too many high-ranking members of the Chamber abuse their power for personal gain.

They would abuse their authority to please some bigwig or curry favor with a major power, either by appointing their noble offspring to a high position or by granting them enormous benefits.

Seeing Ye Chen meet her gaze unflinchingly, without the slightest intention of backing down, Murong Dai gave a disdainful scoff. "Fine. Then you tell me. What 'ability' did you use to get this Token?"

"If your reason doesn't satisfy me, not only will I go after your backer, but I'll make sure to punish you along the way!"

Clearly, Ye Chen's earlier threat had thoroughly enraged her.

At the side, He Daoyun was lamenting his bitter fate.

'Ye Chen is too young, after all. He speaks without thinking.'

'If he had just been a bit more respectful to Murong Dai, she wouldn't have found an excuse to come after him!'

And after this incident, he was afraid Murong Dai's impression of him would be ruined as well.

Ye Chen's eyes narrowed. Murong Dai was angry, but had he not also been provoked by her aggressive, overbearing attitude?

Even the Crimson Nether Flame Prison Carving couldn't bear to watch any longer. It stood on Ye Chen's shoulder, looking ready to lash out at any moment.

Its eyes, sparkling like a pair of rubies, were filled with a bone-chilling killing intent as they fixed on Murong Dai.

"Fine. Then, as you wish."

Ye Chen spoke calmly, "The reason I was able to obtain this Token is that I am an Alchemist."

"Someone from your Chamber of Commerce valued this identity of mine and bestowed the Elder Token upon me."

"An Alchemist?" Murong Dai laughed with contempt. "What rank?"

It wasn't that she'd never seen a young Alchemist before.

But they were usually just apprentices, who were by no means qualified to serve as an Elder of the Chamber!