ISWI Chapter 384-385

Chapter 384: I Have a Friend…

Ye Chen stood in the void, calmly inspecting his arms. The punch from Yao Gu's Heaven and Earth Manifestation had felt formidable, carrying the force of void severance with devastating power. Yet, it left not a single mark on his body.

A satisfied smile spread across Ye Chen's face. The Indestructible Scripture was indeed a technique surpassing even immortal scriptures. Even at the introductory level, its effects were already this potent.

Beyond that, Ye Chen was equally pleased with his mastery of the Ten Vicious Treasure Techniques. Cultivating beneath the Enlightenment Tea Tree had allowed him to refine his skills and address his weaknesses.

As expected, his command of the Ten Vicious Treasure Techniques had advanced significantly. This sparring session had served its purpose.

Ye Chen glanced at Yao Gu, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. Yao Gu was clearly rattled, back to calling him "brother-in-law." But Ye Chen could tell his eyes lacked genuine sincerity. So, in an instant, he surged forward…

"Brother-in-law, no!"

"Brother-in-law, not there!"

"Brother-in-law, please, not the face!"

"Brother-in-law, I swear I know I was wrong—stop hitting me!"

In a flash, the Heaven and Earth Manifestation shattered with a boom. All that remained was Yao Gu's voice, pleading for mercy as he took a beating.

…

Not far from the courtyard, in a hidden pocket of the void, Yao Gu's protector shook his head as he listened.

"I told him not to provoke him, but he just had to court trouble. Now look—he's getting thrashed."

The protector had no intention of intervening. Ye Chen wasn't radiating killing intent; this was clearly just a lesson. If Ye Chen meant to kill, Yao Gu would already be dead. So, the protector wasn't worried. Instead, he marveled with a hint of admiration, "Our Holy Son is truly impressive!"

Elder Mo rolled his eyes, correcting the shameless old man. "That's our Heavenly Evolution Holy Land's Holy Son."

Yao Gu's protector shook his head. "You're mistaken! The Fourth Holy Son and our Holy Maiden are practically family. Our Holy Maiden has awakened her Primordial Spirit Body. The clan is sparing no expense to boost her cultivation, teaching her immortal scriptures and even opening a special secret realm just for her. All to help her grow. In a few years, when she emerges from seclusion, they'll marry, and the Fourth Holy Son will belong to both our families."

Elder Mo smirked, a touch of schadenfreude in his voice. "No one in your Yao family's been giving the new Holy Maiden a hard time, right? Let me tell you, Ye Chen's incredibly petty when it comes to his women. Here's something outsiders don't know.

"Back at the Sword Sect, a male cultivator pursued Ye Chen's master, right? Ye Chen thanked him to his face but then gifted treasures to the guy's junior sister right in front of him. When he left, he even took the junior sister back to the Holy Land.

"Word is, that male cultivator couldn't handle it and turned gray overnight. Our Holy Son's vindictiveness is unmatched. He doesn't just kill—he destroys hearts. If anyone in your Yao family dares bully the new Holy Maiden, he'll storm your gates. Your son-in-law might just turn into your enemy."

Yao Gu's protector was stunned. That happened? The Fourth Holy Son's methods were ruthless indeed. He seemed decent in other respects, not particularly petty. But when it came to women, he held grudges like no other.

Watching Yao Gu take a beating now, the protector was even more convinced of Ye Chen's vengeful streak. If they wanted to stay on his good side, they'd better handle things properly. When he returned, he'd have to check—make sure no one in the clan was secretly mistreating the Holy Maiden.

…

Seeing Yao Gu's eyes finally clear with sincerity, Ye Chen stopped his assault.

The chaos qi dissipated, and the pure land dissolved into nothingness.

With a faint smile, Ye Chen looked at Yao Gu and said calmly, "Feeling clear-headed now? Still want me to compensate for the chariot?"

At the mention of compensation, Yao Gu—who looked barely human after the beating but had startlingly lucid eyes—shuddered. He immediately gazed at Ye Chen with gratitude. "Brother-in-law, I'm wide awake! After my breakthrough, I was swayed by inner demons. I thought I was invincible and did a lot of foolish things.

"Thankfully, I ran into you here in White Emperor City, and you personally beat some sense into me, banishing those demons. If it weren't for you, I'd have surely perished in the future. Brother-in-law, you've practically saved my life. This debt of gratitude is hard to repay. In my next life, I'll turn into a woman and serve you!"

Ye Chen's mouth twitched.

You've got some wild dreams, huh? Turning into a woman to mooch gifts off me?

Still, Yao Gu's quick change of tune was impressive. As a scion of a great clan, he knew how to bend when needed. Even when acting cocky, he never burned bridges completely, always leaving room to backpedal. No wonder he'd survived two thrashings from Ye Chen. If Ying Tianjing had half this awareness, he wouldn't have ended up dead by Ye Chen's hand.

Ye Chen sat cross-legged on his soft couch, looking at Yao Gu calmly. "How's Yao Xi doing?"

As Ye Chen settled down, Yao Gu hurriedly crouched and answered earnestly. "The Holy Maiden is doing well. She's awakened her Primordial Spirit Body, thanks to consuming the Glazed Pure Water. The results were remarkable. Her cultivation is progressing rapidly. She's already reached early Nascent Soul.

"Don't worry, brother-in-law. Our clan's closely guarded methods ensure her rapid progress won't harm her foundation. Before I left, an elder took her to a secret realm overseas owned by our Yao family to acquire some inheritances. She'll stay there until she breaks through to Deity Transformation."

Ye Chen smiled at the news. Yao Xi was already at early Nascent Soul? As expected of an ancient immortal clan like the Yao family—their resources were profound. Still, her being in an overseas secret realm was a bit disappointing. He'd planned to visit his senior sister after wrapping things up in White Emperor City.

Yao Gu's attitude, though, pleased Ye Chen greatly. As expected, a good beating made him talk sense.

"The Heavenly Desire Sect's divine maiden will appear in three days?"

Ye Chen shifted to another topic that piqued his interest.

Yao Gu nodded immediately, a flicker of excitement in his eyes. "Indeed, three days from now, this generation's divine maiden will officially begin her worldly cultivation by the Pure Moon River. I have a friend who… well, not exactly sneaked in, but was fortunate enough to be invited to the Heavenly Desire Sect to discuss the Dao with one of their elite female disciples.

"On his way out, he caught a fleeting glimpse of this generation's divine maiden. Though he didn't see her face clearly, it still left… my friend utterly stunned. He said she's the most perfect being in the world. All the other Heavenly Desire Sect disciples combined couldn't compare. Even the sect leader, the previous divine maiden, pales in comparison! Her amber… Uh, anyway, my friend thinks she's flawless. In terms of appearance, she's on par with Yi Qingwu, each with their own unique charm."

Yao Gu spoke with conviction.

Ye Chen raised an eyebrow.

Your friend? Yeah, right. It's obviously you.

No wonder Yao Gu had been hyped about the divine maiden's debut years ago. And the moment he arrived in White Emperor City, he'd come straight to Ye Chen to borrow his chariot. But Yao Gu, as a member of an ancient immortal clan, must have seen countless female cultivators. To be this awestruck without even seeing her face?

That made Ye Chen even more curious about this Heavenly Desire Sect divine maiden. He asked casually, "Has the name of this divine maiden spread yet?"

Without hesitation, Yao Gu replied, "Fan Qinghe!"

Chapter 385: They're All My Wings!

Fan Qinghe? A rather ordinary name, wasn't it? But amber-colored? What was that about?

To Ye Chen, amber was close to the shade of honey. What part of her could be that color? Her eyes? Or… something else?

If it was the latter, and even someone like Yao Gu had caught a glimpse during a casual visit to the Heavenly Desire Sect, then plenty of others must have seen it too. She'd hardly be pure anymore. A female cultivator like that, no matter how talented, wouldn't trigger his system. If that was the case, no matter how beautiful she was, Ye Chen wouldn't be interested.

"Amber-colored what?"

Ye Chen asked directly.

Yao Gu's eyes lit up with awe as he answered, "Her amber skin—it's like her entire body is bathed in celestial honey, crystalline and utterly captivating. All the fairies I've seen have skin as white as snow, some like fine porcelain, others like moonlight. But Fan Qinghe is different. Her skin isn't fair, yet it exudes a unique charm."

As he spoke, Yao Gu seemed to drift into a reverie.

Ye Chen raised an eyebrow. Amber-colored skin? That was indeed rare.

Now Ye Chen was curious. He wanted to see what could leave Yao Gu so awestruck, stunned to this degree.

Ye Chen's evident curiosity—asking about her name and details—made Yao Gu suspicious. "Ye… brother-in-law, why are you asking so many questions? You're not planning to go too, are you?"

Ye Chen nodded matter-of-factly. "Of course I am!"

Yao Gu panicked. "Brother-in-law, you can't go!"

Ye Chen was handsome and well-built—Yao Gu didn't feel inferior in those regards. But Ye Chen's talent was monstrous, his status lofty, his reputation massive. And word was, he was filthy rich. If Ye Chen showed up, how was Yao Gu supposed to compete?

Yao Gu blurted out, "Everyone in the cultivation world knows about your… romantic escapades. But I'm your brother-in-law! The Pure Moon River is a place for dalliances. It's not right for us to go together. Besides, wouldn't that be a bit unfair to my sister? I strongly suggest you don't."

Ye Chen's lips curved into a smile. "No worries! I treat all my partners equally, never favoring one over another. They're all my wings, and they understand me. As for you, isn't it normal for a brother-in-law to take his little brother-in-law out for some fun?"

Yao Gu's mouth twitched.

How shameless did you have to be to call them all your wings? And didn't you have too many wings? Even the Celestial Clan, nearly wiped out by the Heavenly Emperor back in the day, didn't have as many wings as you, did they?

But then Yao Gu's expression shifted, a sly grin forming. "Brother-in-law, even if you go, you've got no shot. She'd never choose you as her protector."

His tone was resolute.

Ye Chen raised an eyebrow, squinting at Yao Gu.

You little punk, making up stories to compete with your brother-in-law for a woman? Looks like that beating wasn't enough.

Noticing Ye Chen's narrowed eyes, Yao Gu shivered, the memory of his thrashing in the pure land flooding back with dread. He hurriedly explained, "I'm not making this up! It's just that ever since the Heavenly Emperor set the precedent, too many prodigies have tried to freeload. Some succeeded, but they were all top-tier prodigies, like my brother. They used clever techniques and countermeasures to turn the divine maiden into their cauldron, boosting their own cultivation. That's made the Heavenly Desire Sect extra wary of top prodigies.

"Plus, the holy lands don't want their prodigies to fall into temptation, so they've issued discreet warnings. As a result, the divine maidens of the last ten or so generations haven't chosen first-rate prodigies like my brother. They've gone for people like me—just a step below the absolute best.

"For example, the previous divine maiden chose a legacy disciple from the Heavenly Intention Holy Land. And the one before that, I think, picked a prodigy from a Unity clan. As for you, brother-in-law, you're slightly below my brother but still barely in the first-rate prodigy tier. You're also the Fourth Holy Son, highly valued.

"Your Heavenly Evolution Holy Land would never agree to it. And this generation's divine maiden is said to be the most outstanding in ten thousand years. She'd never risk choosing someone like you who could turn the tables on her. So, brother-in-law, don't bother going. You're doomed to fail."

Yao Gu's words made Ye Chen frown. Too many freeloading prodigies, so being too outstanding was now a disadvantage? Where was the logic in that?

Ye Chen almost wanted to curse out the Heavenly Emperor. Killing the Enlightenment Tea Tree, shattering the Jianmu Tree, leaving his mark in the Heavenly Tribulation to make things harder for future prodigies, and now freeloading off the Heavenly Desire Sect's divine maiden? You're practically blocking every path for cultivators of later generations!

Still, obstacles or not, Ye Chen wasn't ready to give up. He planned to check it out in three days. If she triggered his system, he couldn't pass up the opportunity. If not? No big deal. He wouldn't be too disappointed—after all, he still had his fiancée.

Though she hadn't shown herself earlier, Ye Chen had learned she was already in the city. He'd even seen a recording crystal delivered by a servant. She was indeed stunning. Her title as the greatest female immortal of Great Yan Continent was well-earned.

Add to that her status—not as the fiancée of the Heavenly Intention Holy Son, but as the Heavenly Intention Holy Maiden—and Ye Chen was quite curious about her potential multiplier.

"Three days from now, come find me. We'll go together."

Ye Chen spoke calmly.

Yao Gu panicked. Sure, divine maidens usually avoided first-rate prodigies. But cultivators like himself were eager to try their luck, thrilled by the danger. What if this generation's divine maiden had the same idea? What if, knowing Ye Chen was a tough nut to crack, she leaned into the challenge?

After all, rumor had it that the Heavenly Desire Sect's Heart-Seed Demon Nirvana Scripture yielded greater rewards the higher the cauldron's quality. Who could say she wouldn't be tempted?

Yao Gu was genuinely interested in this divine maiden. He needed someone to play the supporting role, not a blazing sun like Ye Chen stealing the show. So he tried his hardest to dissuade him. "Brother-in-law, you really shouldn't go. It's a waste of time, at best. More importantly, it'll tarnish your reputation. Look at my brother, Hua Yunfei, or the Heavenly Intention Holy Son—none of them showed up.

"Top prodigies are meant to chase the immortal path. How can they drop everything and rush over just because a Heavenly Desire Sect woman makes her debut? It's beneath them. It's no help to your future cultivation either.

"So, brother-in-law, focus on your training and charge toward greatness. Leave this trivial stuff to me. I'll check it out for you. If I manage to win over the divine maiden, I'll bring her to have a casual dinner with you. But when the time comes, just look—don't touch! A brother's wife is off-limits!"

Yao Gu's nagging grated on Ye Chen's nerves. Done with the chatter, he said calmly, "If you don't come find me in three days, I'll head to the Pure Moon River myself and help you purge your inner demons again—right in front of the divine maiden."

Yao Gu: "…"