Chapter 1082: The Fish Has Taken the Bait!
The five women of the Heavenly Desire Sect had prepared far too lavishly. They even set up a round table, positioning themselves like five flower petals that rotated slowly above it. Whoever the turn landed on would be next. They truly knew how to play.
Ye Chen stayed for a full twenty days before he finally forced himself to leave with a firm Dao heart.
The final stop was his Master's place. He had already decided that he would not indulge himself any further. Yet thinking of Gu Yunyun's stubborn, tsundere nature, he could not help feeling a headache coming on.
Sure enough, after a moment of hesitation, the domineering and peerless Gu Yunyun, dressed in red, made her decision.
"I will not go to the Immortal Realm for now. Once I reach the Quasi-Immortal Realm, I will ascend and come find you. After that, I will see whether the Immortal Realm still has any orthodoxy left behind by Senior Dugu. If I can learn the Chaos-Reversing Eight Forms from an Immortal King scripture, that would be ideal."
Gu Yunyun still could not let go. She could not openly stay by Ye Chen's side—the side of this rebellious disciple—and endure the gazes of others. In the end, her mentality was not strong enough. Otherwise, she would not have secretly watched him with her divine sense every night in the past to temper her heart, only to end up falling into chaos.
Hearing her answer, Ye Chen frowned. His Master was different. She had been the ray of light in the heart of his inexperienced younger self. Moreover, her talent and mentality were not top-tier. He could not help worrying about her.
Gu Yunyun sensed his mood and felt a pang of sadness. It was not that she did not love him, but her personality was too conflicted.
The next moment, she bit her red lips, cupped her hands in a bold gesture, and let the hem of her red dress trail across the ground.
"Ye Chen, don't overthink it. Your Master has simply not crossed the threshold in her own heart yet. But there will never be another male cultivator by my side."
Gu Yunyun stood still. For her, taking the initiative like this was already incredibly brave.
Although Ye Chen still felt somewhat unhappy, he could sense her true feelings. He had not planned to stay long, but since his Master had taken such a rare initiative, how could he push her away?
Soon, suppressed sounds came from within the cave residence.
"You rebellious disciple… From the very first time we met, I noticed something wrong with your eyes…"
"And you even smiled…"
"Rebellious disciple, you… you're very pleased with yourself, aren't you?"
…
"Let's go visit the old Sect Master."
Ye Chen's mood had improved. With the Jianmu Sapling, he could return to the lower realm at any time. There was no need to worry about leaving his Master behind. By the time she ascended, his own strength would have advanced by leaps and bounds, more than enough to protect her in the Immortal Realm. So it was not a big problem.
Gu Yunyun nodded in agreement. The old Sect Master had treated them well, and both remembered that past kindness. Since Ye Chen was about to leave the cultivation world, it was time to bid him farewell.
The two departed from the Sword Sect aboard the Western Empress Holy Carriage.
At that moment, the sky darkened as thunderclouds gathered. Clearly, Yan Ruyu was about to ascend.
Ye Chen felt slightly embarrassed. He had truly delayed far too long on this trip.
Gu Yunyun initially raised an eyebrow while watching the tribulation clouds. But she soon glared fiercely at Ye Chen's hand. Just as she was about to scold her rebellious disciple, her words were silenced.
The Western Empress Holy Carriage swayed onward toward the Green Cloud Sect.
…
The Green Cloud Sect was no longer the small, bullied sect it had once been. It had now grown into a major power with Nascent Soul experts in residence, equal in status to the Divine Will Sect and feared by all.
In the past, no one dared provoke the Green Cloud Sect, not because of its Nascent Soul experts, but because the Heavenly Emperor's heir had emerged from it. As long as Ye Chen remained alive, even the Holy Lands would not dare touch the Green Cloud Sect.
"Old Ancestor, won't you come watch the new disciple recruitment this year? Many great clans have sent their top geniuses to our Green Cloud Sect."
Beside the pool at the sect entrance, the current Sect Master—who had once been a personal disciple of Law Peak—spoke cautiously.
The former Sect Master, now retired as an Old Ancestor, continued fishing with full concentration. He waved his hand dismissively. "You can handle these matters as Sect Master. I don't want to bother with them. Besides, during my time as Sect Master, we produced Ye Chen and Yao Xi. Even those few maids who followed Ye Chen back then have all reached Nascent Soul and Unity now. After experiencing that generation, I just can't bring myself to get excited about new recruits anymore. Handle it yourself.
"Oh, right. Didn't the sect receive immortal gold from Ye Chen? See if someone can forge me a new fishing rod. I have a feeling that silver dragon I missed back then is about to bite. My current rod might not hold it. If I let it escape again, I'll regret it for the rest of my life."
The corners of the Sect Master's mouth twitched. His Old Ancestor changed equipment every day, went fishing every day, and talked endlessly about the big fish he had lost years ago. That "silver dragon fish" had somehow grown from a few hundred pounds into an actual silver dragon over the years—an utterly ridiculous exaggeration. Silver dragons had gone extinct in the cultivation world long ago. Still, the old man had to be humored.
The Sect Master nodded and said he would look into it.
…
Once the Sect Master left, the Old Ancestor sighed and gazed at the darkening sky. "Ye Chen should be ascending soon. I never imagined our Green Cloud Sect would produce a true dragon…But that brat Ye Chen hasn't brought Yunyun back to visit me even once. He really doesn't know how to take care of his elders!"
The Old Ancestor had lived an ordinary life. Everything changed after Ye Chen joined the sect. Not only had his lifespan been extended, but he had also broken through to the Nascent Soul realm and even had hope of reaching Deity Transformation in the future—things he had never dared dream of.
At that moment, a smiling voice rang out, "Old Sect Master, how could you say such a thing? I might forget anyone, but I would never forget you."
The Old Ancestor froze. He turned around and saw Ye Chen and Gu Yunyun standing behind him.
Ye Chen looked the same as before, yet he now carried a natural, god-like majesty. An invisible domineering aura radiated from him, inspiring awe. Beside him, Gu Yunyun appeared even more mature and graceful than before.
Seeing the two of them return together, the Old Ancestor beamed with joy. He had always worried that Gu Yunyun's stubborn personality would cause her to cut ties with Ye Chen, especially with so many women around him. It would surely cause her great pain. Now that they had come back to visit him together, it seemed his worries had been unnecessary.
The Old Ancestor stood up and began reeling in his line. "It's not easy for you two to come back. I caught a Blue Blood Crystal Fish a while ago. I'll prepare it for you to try.
"But speaking of fish, I have to mention that silver dragon again. Back then, because Yunyun suddenly wanted to leave, you interrupted me and made me lose the catch…
"That one…Huh?"
Mid-sentence, the Old Ancestor's eyes widened. His fishing rod had suddenly bent—something had taken the bait.
Ye Chen also raised an eyebrow. Deep within the bottomless pool, purple-gold light shimmered and flowed.
Chapter 1083: Young People Shouldn't Be Too Arrogant!
A trace of dragon aura surged forth.
Ye Chen raised an eyebrow. Could there really be a dragon in the pool?
The Old Ancestor no longer cared about Ye Chen and Gu Yunyun. He immediately tried to reel in his line.
Gu Yunyun also sensed that the being in the pool was extraordinary. She reached out at once. "Old Ancestor, let me help you!"
She feared the old man would be dragged under. However, the Old Ancestor shook his head repeatedly. "How can I let others handle something like this? That silver dragon I lost back then—I'm going to reel it in with my own hands this time!"
The next moment, he unleashed the full power of his Nascent Soul and yanked hard on the rod. He had expected fierce resistance, but the moment he pulled, the rod lifted easily.
The entire pool exploded upward, sending a massive curtain of water into the sky.
From within that curtain, a colossal purple-gold figure burst forth.
The whole Green Cloud Sect darkened at that instant. Everyone in the sect, including the Old Ancestor, stared at the sky in utter shock.
A gigantic purple-gold divine dragon now coiled across the heavens. Its body stretched tens of thousands of meters long, with a thickness rivaling a divine mountain. It lay coiled like an entire continent.
The enormous dragon head lowered, its emotionless eyes gazing down at them. Terrifying dragon pressure swept outward as dark clouds gathered and heavy rain poured down.
The Old Ancestor was overjoyed that he had actually caught a dragon. He wanted to boast that he had been telling the truth all along. But when he looked at the thin fishing line still hooked in the dragon's mouth, he could not say a word. He quickly severed the line, smiled awkwardly, and retreated shakily behind Ye Chen.
Gu Yunyun raised her hand to shield the Old Ancestor from the dragon pressure, her brows furrowed. This purple-gold divine dragon's aura was terrifying. Most notably, it had five claws—an extremely rare sign. How could such a powerful being still be hiding in the cultivation world?
Still, with Ye Chen beside her, she felt no fear.
Ye Chen looked at the dragon and raised an eyebrow. "What are you staring at? Planning to eat all of us?"
The purple-gold divine dragon's aura was indeed frightening. At the Quasi-Immortal realm, it was no weaker than the Eight-Crown King. Ye Chen had already guessed its identity from the secrets he had learned at the Heavenly Emperor Hall.
Hearing Ye Chen speak, the purple-gold divine dragon shook its head. "That is not my intention. I once swore that whoever woke me from the depths of the pool, I would follow them. But this old man is too weak to withstand my dragon pressure. You seem suitable. From now on, I will follow you and enter the Immortal Realm together. Once I return to the Dragon Domain, I will grant you a meteoric rise."
Ye Chen smiled, then casually slapped out with his palm.
The seemingly ordinary slap struck the dragon, whose body alone resembled a continent and whose head was the size of a divine mountain. It looked like an ant trying to trip an elephant.
Yet the purple-gold divine dragon's expression changed drastically. It could not resist at all. Its massive head was slapped sideways, nearly snapping off one of its dragon horns. Countless scales shattered and flew off.
Everyone's eyes widened in disbelief. They knew Ye Chen was powerful, but only now did they truly understand how terrifying he was. A being comparable to a true dragon could not even withstand a casual slap from him.
The purple-gold divine dragon let out a miserable roar. Its eyes quickly cleared, and it rapidly shrank in size.
"Young man, isn't this a bit too much?" it said.
Its recovery ability was astonishing. In the blink of an eye, it had returned to its original form.
The corner of Ye Chen's mouth curled up. "I know your origins, and I know exactly why you came looking for me."
As soon as Ye Chen spoke, the purple-gold divine dragon immediately deflated. It looked at him with a sheepish, dejected expression.
"I only made a small mistake when I descended to the lower realm back then. The Heavenly Emperor couldn't kill me at the time, so he crippled my cultivation, placed a seal on me, and trapped me here for a million years…
"But no matter how big my mistake was, there should be a limit, right? This is my last chance to ascend. If I miss it, I'll never get another. I am of the emperor dragon bloodline. I have a great future ahead of me…
"Besides, even if I was wrong in a hundred ways, was the Heavenly Emperor completely blameless? Many people wanted to suppress him back then. It wasn't just me…"
The purple-gold divine dragon grumbled on and on, clearly dissatisfied.
Gu Yunyun and the Old Ancestor looked at Ye Chen curiously.
Ye Chen smiled and explained to them, "This fellow was a True Immortal who descended to the lower realm to seize something from the Heavenly Emperor. He was directly crippled by him. However, his bloodline was too powerful to kill outright, and there would have been complications if he had died. So the Heavenly Emperor sealed him in this realm, forbidding him from ascending, and had him guard the Heavenly Emperor Hall. But even then, he only listened when it suited him and rarely did any actual work. He left the Heavenly Emperor Hall some time ago. I didn't expect him to be hiding here."
After Ye Chen's explanation, the other two were even more shocked. This was an existence from the same era as the Heavenly Emperor. After being crippled for a million years, he still had not reached the end of his lifespan—an outrageous feat. Moreover, even the Heavenly Emperor had not dared to kill him outright. His background was truly frightening.
The purple-gold divine dragon sighed. "I truly know I was wrong. Spare me this once. Having one more friend means one more path. My background in the Dragon Domain runs deep. I might even be able to help you escape the world-ending catastrophe when the Other Domain arrives."
Ye Chen smiled, but he showed no mercy at all. With a calm motion, he took out a talisman from his inner world. The talisman radiated immortal light.
The purple-gold divine dragon's eyes widened in fury. "That's an Immortal Beast Branding Talisman! You want to brand me with it? Impossible! I, the Purple-Gold Divine Dragon, will never become anyone's slave!"
He had never expected Ye Chen to possess such a thing. His original plan had been to trick Ye Chen into lifting the seal and bringing him to the Immortal Realm. Once there, he could fly free and return to the Dragon Domain to live comfortably again. But with this branding talisman, he would be unable to defy Ye Chen's will if it were applied.
Ye Chen nodded. "If you refuse, then forget it. You may leave."
He turned to put the talisman away without hesitation.
The purple-gold divine dragon panicked. His massive body twisted and coiled anxiously around Ye Chen. "What if I swear a heavenly oath? Once I return, I will definitely repay you!"
Ye Chen ignored him completely.
This dragon was no good-natured being. His status was high, and if he returned to the Immortal Realm and sought revenge, it would cause endless trouble. Only by branding him could Ye Chen feel at ease. Otherwise, he would simply leave the dragon behind in the cultivation world.
Ye Chen turned away, ready to take the frightened Old Ancestor inside for a proper chat.
The purple-gold divine dragon seethed with resentment. It was all the fault of those Heavenly Emperor Hall people for revealing everything about him. Otherwise, Ye Chen would never have been so confident in controlling him.
"Heavenly Emperor's heir, let's negotiate… I am the noble Purple-Gold Divine Dragon. Are you really going to deny me this face?"
"Fine, being branded is not completely out of the question, but there must be a time limit, right? Five years? How about that?"
"Young man, don't be too arrogant!"
"Ten years! I, the majestic Purple-Gold Divine Dragon, serving a human for ten years is already extremely humiliating…"
"Big brother, don't ignore me! Just name a number, alright?"