Heaven-Dominating Martial Emperor

It was as if the Buddha's Son was the only one who could feel the fire seed.

Ye Chen had once said that no cultivator weaker than himself could possibly detect the fire seed inside the Buddha's Son.

The Buddha's Son had originally clung to a sliver of hope, thinking that with Master Jialan's abilities, he could surely be freed from Ye Chen's control.

But in the end, his heart turned to ash, and he completely resigned himself to his fate.

But Ye Chen had also said that as long as he focused on serving him, Ye Chen might spare him after they left Dongxuan Province.

For now, all the Buddha's Son could do was hope for that.

He even found himself hoping that the Peach Blossom Banquet would arrive sooner.

'Once the Peach Blossom Banquet is over, Ye Chen should have no more reason to linger in Dongxuan Province, right?'

'With his power, he's more than strong enough to make a name for himself in the Central Province. What's he still doing in Dongxuan Province?'

In his room, Ye Chen felt utterly bored. He had absolutely no interest in whatever banquet the Buddha's Son had mentioned.

He didn't know anything about Li Jianyin either. He only gathered from the Buddha's Son's tone that this person was supposedly extraordinary, with a talent that surpassed all other young cultivators in Dongxuan Province.

Ye Chen merely chuckled at this and paid it no mind.

With his level of power, he had long since stopped paying attention to cultivators of his own generation in the eastern part of the dynasty.

The only ones who could pose a threat to him were those reclusive, ancient cultivators.

Besides, he didn't need to worry about Chi Ming.

After all, Chi Ming was a Divine Might Realm cultivator. For him to participate in a competition like the Peach Blossom Banquet, which was for the younger generation, was nothing short of bullying.

He had looked into past Peach Blossom Banquets. Even the most peerless geniuses had never reached the Divine Might Realm.

Therefore, Ye Chen was very confident about Chi Ming's performance at tomorrow's Peach Blossom Banquet.

He wouldn't even need to lift a finger. First place at the Peach Blossom Banquet was already a sure thing.

'They say the peaches have immense benefits for the cultivation of Divinity Transformation Realm cultivators.'

'I wonder if, with my current foundation, my strength will see a significant increase after I get the peaches?'

Ye Chen mused to himself.

Outside the room.

The Buddha's Son's expression flickered uncertainly. He stared at the closed door before him without a word.

After waiting for a long while and hearing nothing more from Ye Chen, the Buddha's Son couldn't help but let out a heavy sigh and prepare to leave.

Suddenly, as if he had received some message, his eyelid twitched.

"Lord Ye Chen, are you sure you won't attend the banquet?" the Buddha's Son asked again.

"If you want to go, then go. I won't stop you, but I'm not interested," Ye Chen replied, frowning with a hint of impatience.

'Why is this Buddha's Son buzzing around like a fly?'

"But from what I've heard, Song Yubing and the others have already left for it," the Buddha's Son said, his eyes glittering meaningfully.

"They actually went?" Ye Chen was taken aback for a moment, but he wasn't surprised.

'For geniuses like Song Yubing who come from outside Dongxuan Province, the chance to see the legendary number one prodigy of Dongxuan Province in person must be quite exciting, right?'

But if that was the case, Ye Chen couldn't just ignore it.

After all, if Song Yubing was attending the banquet, then Chi Ming and the Realm Spirit would most likely be there too, not just standing on the sidelines.

'No one should dare to make a rash move in a place like that. Even the Song family, who are targeting me, would have to consider the reputation of Li Jianyin, the son of the provincial governor, right?'

But Ye Chen still felt a little uneasy.

A strange sense of foreboding crept into his heart, as if he could already feel that something bad was about to happen.

Outside, the Buddha's Son watched the door in silence.

After an unknown amount of time, the door suddenly opened. The tall, imposing figure of the young man walked out and stood before the Buddha's Son.

"Let's go."

A smile immediately appeared on the Buddha's Son's face.

But just as quickly, his smile froze on the spot.

He saw Ye Chen put that old straw hat back on his head.

No matter how you looked at it, that getup was ridiculously conspicuous!

'Do you really have to torture me like this?!' The Buddha's Son wanted to scream his lungs out.

Ye Chen's appearance would instantly arouse suspicion!

Clearly, this was another one of Ye Chen's tests for him!

His previous words and actions might have been able to deceive Song Jun of the Song family, but fooling someone like Li Jianyin would be far too difficult!

Not to mention, there was supposedly another figure with a shocking background at the banquet!

To deceive these incredibly perceptive people without revealing even a hint of Ye Chen's identity would undoubtedly be a huge test of the Buddha's Son's ability to improvise!

"How you smooth things over, that's your problem."

"I am your savior, after all. You wouldn't want to disappoint me, would you?" Ye Chen said with a faint smile.

The corner of the Buddha's Son's mouth twitched, and he couldn't help feeling a pang of regret.

'If I had known this would happen, I never should have brought Ye Chen along.'

'It would have been better to just sneak in by myself later!'

With their skills and cultivation, they all possessed at least some rudimentary disguise techniques.

There was absolutely no need for Ye Chen to use a straw hat to hide his identity.

But he insisted on doing it this way!

And with the fire seed planted inside him, if he failed to cover for Ye Chen, he would face the threat of death at any moment!

This made the Buddha's Son miserable beyond words.

'What kind of mess is this?!'

'How did I ever provoke this bastard who deserves to be cut into a thousand pieces?!'

"By the way, if I were to destroy the Saintly Temple, what would you do?"

The two of them had already left the inn and were now walking down the street, the cool evening wind blowing against them.

Ye Chen suddenly spoke, his voice indifferent.

The Buddha's Son froze, then quickly replied with reverence, "Naturally, I would stand by and watch, without getting involved in the slightest."

Ye Chen gave him a strange look. "You are the Buddha's Son of the Saintly Temple. With the temple in crisis, you actually plan to just stand by and watch?"

"Who asked them to be so blind as to provoke Lord Ye Chen?"

The Buddha's Son was still smiling. "I will do my best to persuade them not to make an enemy of you, my lord. But if the matter is truly beyond saving, then there's nothing I can do."

Hearing this, Ye Chen smiled as well. "I might as well tell you. I may spare your life, but I will definitely eradicate the Saintly Temple!"

The Buddha's Son's heart trembled, but his face remained impassive. "Everything is as you command, my lord."

...

The Dongxuan Restaurant, eleventh floor, Lingtian Pavilion!

On the surface, it looked like an ordinary room.

In reality, however, the interior of Lingtian Pavilion had been expanded by a spatial Forbidden Array, making it astonishingly vast!

In the center of the room was a large, turquoise lake, from which a splendid, misty glow rose, creating a captivating scene.

Along the lake's edge were numerous tables and chairs where many young people were currently toasting each other, their cups clinking back and forth. The atmosphere was incredibly lively.

And at the center of this gathering of prodigies sat a young man with a gentle and tranquil demeanor.

A simple, ancient-looking sword sheath rested by his hand. His expression was calm, his aura restrained. At first glance, he was completely unremarkable.

And yet, the gazes of everyone present were filled with admiration, curiosity, and awe as they looked at him.