Heaven-Dominating Martial Emperor

"Fellow Daoist, what do you think of my earlier proposal?" Li Jianyin's voice came from behind.

Ye Chen leisurely came to a halt. "After the Peach Blossom Banquet, if you haven't changed your mind, I see no reason why we can't have a talk."

Hearing this, Li Jianyin couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

He smiled faintly. "In that case, I'll look forward to tomorrow."

Ye Chen lingered no longer, taking the Buddha's Son with him and leaving Lingtian Pavilion without a backward glance.

"We should leave soon, too."

Chi Ming and the others watched Ye Chen's retreating figure. Seeing that Ye Chen apparently had no intention of acknowledging them yet, they didn't make any rash moves.

Li Jianyin surveyed the room and said apologetically, "My deepest apologies, everyone. Please forgive my poor hospitality. After the Peach Blossom Banquet, if we have the chance, I would be delighted to share a proper drink with all of you."

His words were exceedingly polite.

But everyone understood the underlying message.

'He's kicking us out!'

Evidently, after the earlier farce, Li Jianyin had lost all enthusiasm for continuing the feast.

Or, to put it another way, the one person who had truly piqued his interest was no longer there.

Since the host himself had spoken, the guests couldn't very well linger. They politely bid Li Jianyin farewell before departing one after another.

"We should go, too."

Song Tianxing and his group departed, their expressions dark.

No matter how unwilling they were, they could only swallow their anger and endure the humiliation.

"Do you think that guy is really Ye Chen?"

Song Tianxing turned to Song Jun, his brow deeply furrowed.

"I'm almost certain it's him!" Song Jun's voice held a trace of doubt. "But I just don't understand how he knows the techniques of the Buddhist Sect."

'Could I really have been wrong?'

"If that guy really is Ye Chen, how in the world did he get involved with the Buddha's Son?" Song Tianxing's voice was ice-cold. "But if he's not, why did he step in when we were confronting Song Yubing?"

"What's done is done. There's no use dwelling on it now."

Jin Shengquan glanced at the two men, murderous intent surging in his eyes. "We'll have our answer when the Peach Blossom Banquet begins tomorrow."

"He'll have to show his face then, whether he wants to or not!"

At his words, a knowing smile crept across the faces of Song Tianxing and Song Jun.

...

"Damn it... I will never let that bastard go... Never!!!"

A streak of white light shot through the streets of Dongxuan City like a panicked stray, finally landing on the top floor of a teahouse.

This teahouse was quite famous in Dongxuan City. It sold Spirit Tea that could unlock potential and advance one's cultivation, and it remained bustling with a constant stream of patrons even at night.

However, the top floor was completely empty, save for a lone middle-aged man seated in the center.

The man appeared to have reserved the entire top floor for himself. He was leisurely sipping his Spirit Tea, admiring the stars that dotted the night sky.

The white light dissipated, revealing the figure of a man in white.

He was gasping for breath. The moment he materialized, he collapsed in a heap on the floor. His white robes were soaked through with blood, and a massive, bone-deep sword gash was carved across his chest.

Yet, despite the immense pain, he forced himself to slowly clamber up and bowed his head respectfully to the man before him.

"What happened to you? How did you get into such a wretched state?"

The middle-aged man frowned. The thick stench of blood overpowered the delicate aroma of tea, and he was both displeased and surprised.

'Who in this backwater Dongxuan City could have possibly injured Bai Yujie this badly?'

'Was it Li Jianyin?'

At this thought, the middle-aged man snorted. Musing aloud, he said, "I doubt any of the old fossils in Dongxuan City would have the guts to touch you. Did you have a run-in with that Li Jianyin fellow?"

"You could say that..." Bai Yujie nodded, his face full of resentment. The slight movement aggravated his wounds, making him grimace in pain.

"He's not one to act without measure... What did you do to provoke him?" the middle-aged man asked with a frown.

Bai Yujie dared not hide anything, and gave a rough account of what had transpired inside Lingtian Pavilion.

"Oh? People from Jingkong Temple were at the Dongxuan Restaurant, too?" The middle-aged man's eyebrow arched, a flicker of interest in his eyes.

"What... do you mean?"

Bai Yujie froze. He sensed an unspoken meaning in the man's words. "You mean people from Jingkong Temple have actually come to Dongxuan City?"

"That's right." The middle-aged man set down his teacup and said nonchalantly, "When word got out that the Master was coming to Dongxuan Province, those old bald donkeys at Jingkong Temple sent someone, too."

"But from what I know... the people from Jingkong Temple haven't made any contact with the people from the Sacred Temple since they arrived in Dongxuan City!"

"So, the true identity of that 'Jingkong Temple expert' you mentioned who was with the Buddha's Son... that's quite a curious matter."

Bai Yujie's eyes widened. He felt as if he had just stumbled upon some earth-shattering news.

"Damn it! That bastard from the Sacred Temple dared to lie to me?!" he seethed, but the movement sent another wave of agony through him, his expression twisting in pain.

"The fact that he could wound you with a single sword strike means his power is truly extraordinary... Could he be another reclusive expert, here for the Master?"

The middle-aged man stroked his chin, the smile on his face growing ever deeper.

"Speaking of which, where is the Master now?" Bai Yujie couldn't help but ask.

"She has gone to meet an important personage in person... and the background of that personage is truly beyond imagination!"

The middle-aged man looked at Bai Yujie, the smile fading from his face to be replaced by an expression of utmost seriousness.

"An important... personage?!"

Bai Yujie sucked in a sharp breath.

In the eyes of the Cultivators of Dongxuan Province, the Master's status was already astoundingly exalted. Even the Governor of the Dongxuan Prefecture had postponed the Peach Blossom Banquet by a month just to accommodate her!

And now, another figure had appeared—one so important that even the Master had to go and meet them in person!

'Just how frighteningly powerful must this person's identity be?'

...

"How do you know the techniques of the Buddhist Sect?"

"Those are the sacred scriptures of my Sacred Temple, passed down through generations and never revealed to outsiders. How did you learn them?"

Outside the Dongxuan Restaurant, the Buddha's Son looked at Ye Chen with suspicion.

As the heir to the Sacred Temple, he knew full well that the Buddhist Sect techniques Ye Chen had demonstrated had nothing to do with Jingkong Temple. They came from his Sacred Temple!

It was only because the others weren't Buddhist Cultivators and had never been to Jingkong Temple that they were unaware of what the temple's techniques actually looked like.

"I've killed Saint Monks from your Sacred Temple. More than one, in fact."

Ye Chen explained coolly, "And that is why I also possess the sacred scriptures of your Sacred Temple."