Li Feihuang stood frozen, stunned by Ye Chen's actions.

What was he doing? Why had he left without a word? Was he dissatisfied with her conditions? It was just handing over the True Dragon Treasure Technique and leaving a wisp of his soul for a soul lamp.

Sure, it might seem a bit excessive, but the Great Chu Dynasty, with its ten-thousand-year legacy, naturally had to take precautions with outsiders. It wasn't as if she truly wanted his soul—she just needed a guarantee!

She, the imperial princess, was willing to take him as her dao companion and even bear his child. Wasn't that sincerity enough? And yet, Ye Chen still wasn't satisfied?

A flicker of anger flashed through Li Feihuang's eyes. She shot forward, swiftly blocking Ye Chen's path, her voice cold. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Ye Chen gave her an indifferent glance, too exasperated to bother with words. "I can't measure up to your standards. Find someone else to be your Imperial Consort."

He had hoped to pick a few treasures from the dynasty's treasury, but instead, she'd turned his goodwill against him. He couldn't even be bothered to spare her another look. With that, he stepped around her and continued toward the palace gates.

His attitude only fueled Li Feihuang's anger. She was offering him the honor of being her dao companion, showering him with glory, and he dared to reject her so rudely? All for a mere wisp of soul and the True Dragon Treasure Technique? So, everything he'd done before was just an act.

Li Feihuang stood rooted in place, her expression icy. "If you walk away today, don't ever set foot in the Great Chu Dynasty again!"

Ye Chen didn't pause for a moment. He strode toward the palace gates without hesitation.

Li Feihuang clenched her teeth, her fists tightening. "Don't regret this!"

Ye Chen didn't look back. Without the slightest hint of reluctance, he stepped out of the palace.

When his figure finally vanished from sight, Li Feihuang's knuckles were white, her palms bleeding from where her nails dug into her tender skin. She hadn't expected this.

The Ye Chen who had once unhesitatingly given her his true disciple quota, who had gifted her phoenix blood, who had gone bankrupt to buy her Star River Purple Sand—the Ye Chen she thought would always stand behind her, supporting her unconditionally—had walked away so decisively.

Shock, anger, and a faint, almost imperceptible trace of loss flickered in her eyes.

Clad in her imperial robes, Li Feihuang stood motionless for a long time before silently turning back to the Chu Emperor Hall.

Deep down, she was convinced Ye Chen would come to regret this. Perhaps in ten years, perhaps in a hundred. When that day came, he would realize what he had lost today.

The falling out between Ye Chen and Li Feihuang was witnessed by countless palace attendants. Word spread quickly, reaching the ears of the four major families, including the Wang Clan. They learned that Ye Chen had left the Great Chu Palace and was heading out of the imperial city. He was clearly leaving.

The other three families were delighted, though they didn't know why he was departing. To them, Ye Chen's absence meant one less rival to contend with. As for whether a prodigy like Ye Chen leaving was a loss to Great Chu? They couldn't care less.

But the Wang Clan Patriarch's eyes gleamed with excitement upon hearing the news. Unlike the other families, the Wang Clan had a deep blood feud with Ye Chen. Wang Ming had died at Ye Chen's hands—an irreconcilable enmity.

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As long as Ye Chen remained in the Great Chu capital, revenge was impossible. But now that he was leaving, the opportunity for vengeance had arrived.

The Wang Clan Patriarch immediately pulled out a transmission talisman and activated it, speaking swiftly: "Senior Beiming, the cultivator named Ye Chen has left the Great Chu capital!

"This brat must have obtained the Northern Emperor's inheritance, and he's carrying the top-tier Sword Peng Heart Refining Technique gifted by the Holy Son. If Senior Beiming and Senior Zhanye can take him down, the rewards will be immense.

"Moreover, I acquired the Nether Bird Visualization Diagram from the Champion King's seclusion site. If you confirm Ye Chen's death, I'll personally deliver it to you!"

Moments later, the talisman glowed, and a resonant voice responded.

"Good!"

A grin spread across the Wang Clan Patriarch's face.

The Wang Clan had been tasked with handling the Champion King's estate, reaping rich rewards and secretly hoarding many treasures, including the visualization diagram. For a Nascent Soul cultivator aiming to break through to the Deity Transformation stage, such a diagram was critical—it allowed their Nascent Soul to evolve into a Law Manifestation, achieving Deity Transformation.

The rogue cultivator Beiming Ancestor had clashed with the Champion King over this very diagram but failed to suppress him. The Champion King had escaped using his war chariot. After acquiring the diagram, the Wang Clan Patriarch sent Wang Lun to contact Beiming Ancestor, successfully forging an alliance to take down Ye Chen and exact revenge.

The Wang Clan Patriarch's face was alight with satisfaction. Wang Ming, though publicly known as his third brother's son, was secretly his own. How could anyone tolerate the murder of their own child?

Now, the chance to settle this blood debt had finally come. He could hardly wait to celebrate with three hundred cups of wine. But soon, his brow furrowed. Wang Lun should have returned by now. Why was there still no sign of him?

With Ye Chen's impending demise and Wang Lun's chance to become the Imperial Consort, time was of the essence. After sending a few more messages to Wang Lun's transmission talisman, the Wang Clan Patriarch settled in to await news of Ye Chen's fall.

Ye Chen was formidable, and Beiming Ancestor alone might not suffice. But Beiming had enlisted his friend, Zhanye Ancestor, to join forces in their original plan to kill the Champion King and seize the diagram. Now, with the Champion King dead, two Nascent Soul powerhouses were turning their sights on Ye Chen.

Ye Chen was as good as dead.

...

Deep within the Great Chu Palace, the Ancestor popped two medicinal pills into his mouth, followed by a couple of spiritual fruits. His cold eyes watched Ye Chen's departure from afar.

In truth, he had long wanted to emerge from seclusion, as he felt no sign of a breakthrough. But leaving now would be awkward. As the Ancestor, he couldn't simply ignore the Champion King's death.

Yet, taking action was risky—if he failed to suppress Ye Chen and let him escape, it would be a humiliating loss of face. Caught in this dilemma, he had chosen to bide his time.

Ye Chen's departure came as no surprise. The Ancestor had long suspected Li Feihuang was overthinking things. The conditions she'd proposed were deliberately harsh at his subtle urging.

As for Ye Chen leaving and the Great Chu Dynasty losing a prodigy with the potential to reach the Nascent Soul stage? The Ancestor couldn't care less.

Compared to the prosperity of Great Chu, he was far more concerned with whether the dynasty remained under the Li Clan's control. Ye Chen was too powerful, enough to make even the Ancestor uneasy. While he was alive, he might barely keep Ye Chen in check, but after his death? Ye Chen could easily usurp the dynasty, changing its name and legacy with a flick of his wrist.

So, Ye Chen's departure was for the best. The only pity was that Ye Chen hadn't left something behind with Li Feihuang—a child, perhaps. Keeping the child and discarding the father would have been ideal. But that was clearly impossible now.

As he mulled this over, the Ancestor's brow twitched. Through the grand formation of the Great Chu capital, he faintly sensed two early Nascent Soul cultivators chasing after Ye Chen's departing figure. He immediately pieced it together.

Rising to his feet, the Ancestor quietly slipped out of the subterranean palace, leaving the capital without a sound.

Ye Chen carried secrets, and the Ancestor didn't dare act directly. But these two cultivators could serve as probes, clashing with Ye Chen like clams and snipe fighting over a prize. And he? He would play the fisherman, reaping the rewards from the shadows.

Ye Chen had disrespected the Li Clan, acting with reckless abandon, refining souls and seizing pills—he deserved death.

As for those two Nascent Soul cultivators, skulking around Great Chu's territory and coveting its treasures? They, too, deserved death.

When no opportunity presented itself, the Ancestor had remained in quiet seclusion, avoiding trouble. He had even endured the refining of his descendants' souls in the capital. But now, sensing a chance…

The Ancestor bared his ferocious fangs. Without hesitation, he prepared to strike.

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