Upon returning to the sect, Ye Chen gave a general account of what had transpired. However, he didn't mention anything about Su Yuxuan or Manjusaka. He merely said that the old monster from the Misty Sect had tried to possess someone, and he had struck at a critical moment, annihilating her soul.

The Elder of External Affairs widened his eyes in disbelief.

The old monster of the Misty Sect… was dead? Wouldn't that mean the sect was now without a leader?

The elder immediately reported the matter to the sect master. The sect master arrived at once, his aged face full of incredulity as he stared at Ye Chen.

"That old monster… is truly dead?"

Ye Chen nodded.

"Dead. Soul scattered, no chance of return. As for the elders who were trapped in the Misty Sect, I've brought them back as well."

With that, Ye Chen took out the Human Emperor Banner. After sorting through the situation, the aged sect master was overjoyed.

"That damned old hag is finally dead. Back then, when I had just broken through to the Golden Core stage, that old woman screwed me over hard—nearly beat me into the ground..."

"..."

The sect master, in his excitement, realized he'd said something inappropriate and quickly shut his mouth. Then he turned to the Elder of External Affairs.

"Assemble a force immediately! While the other families and sects are still unaware of her death, we strike first and attack!"

Every sect or family had its own sphere of influence. These territories often contained mines, secret realms, and other valuable resources. Now that the Misty Sect was leaderless, it was the perfect opportunity. Otherwise, once the other factions caught wind, they'd rush in to carve out their share.

The Elder of External Affairs nodded at once.

The sect master looked at Ye Chen with a broad smile and gave his shoulder a firm pat.

"You've rendered a great service this time. Whatever you want, just name it. The treasures in the sect's vault—all yours to choose from!"

Ye Chen nodded in thanks, though not a trace of excitement showed on his face. He had visited the vault once after a previous achievement. Frankly, it wasn't even as interesting as the contents of his own storage ring.

Ye Chen glanced toward Sword Peak—his master had yet to emerge from seclusion.

"Sect Master, why hasn't my master come out yet?"

The old sect master followed his gaze to the summit and sighed.

"The better the Golden Core one forms, the longer the time required for closed-door cultivation. Looks like your master really might be forming a ninth-grade Golden Core."

It was obvious—the old sect master was in excellent spirits. The sect now had successors to carry on its legacy. Gu Yunyun alone was already monstrously talented. Now with Ye Chen, who was even more of a monster. And their age-old enemy, whom they'd been at odds with for over a thousand years, was finally on the verge of destruction.

The old sect master felt that even if he died tomorrow, he could go in peace. If there really was an afterlife, he'd be seated right at the center of the ancestral hall.

"The sect will make its move against the Misty Sect tomorrow. Ye Chen, would you be willing to lead the charge?"

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

The old man looked at Ye Chen with anticipation. But Ye Chen shook his head.

"I've already reached the peak of Foundation Establishment and am preparing to break through to the Golden Core stage. So next, I'll be heading to Divine Will City to search for a suitable core-forming spiritual item."

His master had yet to come out of seclusion. So Ye Chen decided it was time to focus on his own breakthrough. Although Manjusaka felt somewhat unreliable, that phoenix blood was, without doubt, a top-tier core-forming item. If he could get his hands on it, gift it, and trigger a critical hit, Ye Chen couldn't even imagine what kind of feedback he might receive.

...

Upon hearing Ye Chen's words, the old sect master nodded without pressing further. He simply sighed with emotion. With Ye Chen and Gu Yunyun as master and disciple, the Green Cloud Sect was truly on the rise. As long as the two of them didn't fall out with each other, the Green Cloud Sect might very well ascend to become a Nascent Soul-level sect—and even replace the Divine Will Sect.

So, the old sect master stood beside Ye Chen and spoke with heartfelt sincerity, "Gu Yunyun... I watched her grow up. She's the type who's cold on the outside but warm inside. She's just not good at expressing herself. Her master was also a traditionalist, so Yunyun might not easily accept anything too unconventional. But she truly cares about you as her disciple. So even if she rejects you, don't give up. But don't push too hard either—Yunyun is a bit thin-skinned. When I was a young man, just starting out in the sect, I was also directly accepted as a disciple by my master. She was very beautiful..."

Ye Chen started to feel that something was off the more he listened.

What exactly was the old sect master talking about? Was this... a lesson on how to become a rebellious disciple who flirts with his own master? And the story didn't quite match up either.

Last time, while chatting by the pool, his master had mentioned the sect master's tragic love story, that he had devoted himself to cultivation and missed his beautiful senior sister, who had died waiting for him to return from his journey. So where did this beautiful master and forbidden romance come from now?

Ye Chen couldn't help but interrupt.

"Sect Master, didn't you have a senior sister?"

The old sect master was getting into his story with great enthusiasm. Hearing Ye Chen's question, he paused for a moment, then quickly recovered.

"Yes, yes, the senior sister… she was also... You see, someone like me—exceptionally talented—naturally attracts a lot of attention... Anyway, let me continue telling you about my master. My master couldn't accept that we had developed such feelings, but I stayed by her side for years, day in and day out. And at a critical moment, I stepped in to protect her—my Golden Core nearly shattered. That injury is the reason I never broke past the early Golden Core. And at the time, my master clutched me and cried her heart out..."

"..."

After listening to the sect master's tragic and heroic tale of forbidden love, Ye Chen offered a few polite words of admiration while suppressing the twitch at the corner of his mouth. Then, taking his leave, he returned to Sword Peak.

After confirming that there were still no signs of his master exiting seclusion, Ye Chen made his way to Pill Peak, where Yao Xi resided.

Yao Xi wasn't especially gifted—her strength ranked near the bottom among the elders. But because of her relationship with Ye Chen, no one dared to underestimate her. Even her cave dwelling occupied one of the best locations.

Upon hearing that Ye Chen was heading to Divine Will City in search of a core-forming spiritual item, Yao Xi's beautiful face lit up with joy. But Ye Chen, ever observant, could also sense a faint trace of disappointment in her.

Watching him climb higher and higher, feeling the growing gap between them, how could she not feel a little down?

Yet that wasn't the only reason. Part of her sadness stemmed from the fact that Ye Chen hadn't fully accepted her yet. With their relationship already where it was, everything should have fallen into place naturally by now.

Understanding what was on her mind, Ye Chen gently wrapped an arm around her slender waist and whispered softly, "Senior Sister, don't be anxious…"

This trip to Divine Will City, beyond acquiring the phoenix blood, Ye Chen also intended to find a spiritual item to help raise her innate talent.

Now that the system had upgraded, as long as her aptitude reached a hundredfold, even after claiming her, she would still qualify for feedback, with the bonus multiplier from being a Dao Companion.

Ye Chen spent the night at Yao Xi's residence, doing his utmost to soothe and comfort his senior sister.

The next morning, as he prepared to leave, Yao Xi straightened his collar, her eyes filled with reluctance.

"Junior Brother, travel safely."

Ye Chen smiled gently and was about to take his leave. But a sudden thought struck him, and he turned back to ask, "Senior Sister, do you know who the sect master's master was?"

Yao Xi nodded immediately.

"I just happened to read about it in the sect records. The sect master's master was the previous sect leader, Green Mountain Daoist, the only one among several generations of Green Cloud Sect leaders to reach the late Golden Core stage."

Ye Chen raised an eyebrow.

"Male or female?"

Yao Xi frowned and thought for a moment.

"Should be male, I think? The Green Cloud Sect hasn't had a female sect master in ages."

At that, Ye Chen's mouth twitched again.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.