Taihuang Sacred Land.
Inner Sect.
Ye Chen lowered his head and returned in silence to the residences of the inner disciples.
Along the way, many people pointed at him, their whispered discussions all revolving around him. In just a short while, the news of Ye Chen challenging Chu Ge had spread through most of the Taihuang Sacred Land.
"So this is Ye Chen?"
"Heh, this guy really has some nerve—he actually dared to challenge Senior Brother Chu!"
"Tsk tsk, there's never a shortage of brainless fools in this world. One popping up now and then is nothing strange. I just want to see what he'll look like a month from now when Senior Brother Chu tramples him underfoot!"
"It's bound to be quite a spectacle, hahaha!"
Ye Chen raised his head. Not far ahead, beside his own residence, a dark mass of several dozen people had gathered, completely blocking the road so tightly that not even water could pass through.
He knew very well—every single one of them had come to watch him make a fool of himself.
The gazes cast upon him were filled with mockery, ridicule, contempt, and even pity.
For a moment, Ye Chen felt dazed, as if he had returned to those days years ago in his clan, when his kingly physique had fallen overnight into a crippled body and he had been laughed at by his own people.
Back then, the looks people gave him were exactly the same as these ones today!
"Crack!"
Ye Chen clenched his fists tightly, the joints cracking.
"Well, well, isn't this Ye Chen? It's only been a few hours since we last met, and you've already made quite a name for yourself in the Sacred Land again! Congratulations, hahaha!"
From within the crowd came a flippant, mocking voice. A young man dressed in luxurious attire slowly strolled out.
"Dan Tai Lan!"
Ye Chen's eyes narrowed, his gaze instantly sharpening.
"Tsk tsk tsk, Ye Chen, I really didn't know you had such guts. You even dared to offend Senior Brother Chu, a personal disciple. Could it be that you've really grown a leopard's gall?"
Dan Tai Lan sauntered toward Ye Chen, looking him up and down with a teasing gaze, clicking his tongue repeatedly.
"Dan Tai Lan, get out of my way! If you keep pestering me, I won't mind going to the Punishment Hall once again!"
A vicious glint flashed through Ye Chen's eyes, his voice low and hoarse, like a feral beast about to choose its prey.
The humiliation he had suffered at Chu Ge's hands was still blazing in his heart. Now, running into someone he loathed from the bottom of his heart like Dan Tai Lan—who was still constantly provoking and ridiculing him with words—was nothing short of pouring oil on the fire.
"You're quite imposing, Ye Chen!"
Under Ye Chen's savage glare, Dan Tai Lan couldn't help but feel his heart tighten, taking half a step back.
But when he realized that most of the people around him were on his side, his courage immediately surged again.
"Hmph! Ye Chen, times are different now. Everyone here is a fellow disciple who's close to me—do you think you can run wild here as you please?"
An evil smile curled at the corners of Dan Tai Lan's lips.
In his mind flashed the order issued not long ago by that exalted figure within his clan who held an extremely lofty status in Taihuang.
That person was someone even the leader of his own branch had to bow his head before!
With such a powerful backer supporting him, he was determined to vent his long-suppressed resentment today, no matter what!
"I'll say it one more time—get lost!"
Ye Chen growled, a blood-red light flashing through his eyes.
"Heh heh, Ye Chen, all your fellow disciples are watching. Do you still dare to act violently under so many eyes?"
"Let me tell you plainly—Cousin Xuan Yin is now already a personal disciple of Yunmiao Pavilion, and her cultivation has reached the Fourth Heaven Realm. That so-called three-year agreement of yours is simply laughable! You even dared to dream of making Cousin Xuan Yin your servant—are you worthy?"
"With a heaven-defying genius like Cousin Xuan Yin, countless prodigies have broken their heads in pursuit and still failed. Only a peerless hero like Senior Brother Chu is worthy of her!"
"And you? You're nothing but a mud-legged nobody! I advise you to abandon those delusions as soon as possible and get out of Taihuang!"
Dan Tai Lan's words became the final straw that broke the camel's back, completely incinerating the last shred of reason in Ye Chen's mind in the raging inferno of his fury!