Nine Astra Skies

The Emerald Cloud Sect was not far away. A round trip would take no more than two days.

Ye Chen summoned Little Wingsy and Little Tanuki.

"Little Tanuki, Little Wingsy, let's go to the Emerald Cloud Sect!" Ye Chen's current cultivation base was at the beginner Earthly Venerable Rank, but he could defeat a mid-Earthly Venerable expert. With his Astral Body, he could surely defeat a beginner Heavenly Venerable fighter. Moreover, in addition to Little Wingsy's power, he would not have to fear that old b*stard Nie Qingyun at all!

"Big Brother Ye Chen, why are we going to the Emerald Cloud Sect?" Little Wingsy asked, puzzled.

"To fight," Ye Chen replied in a low voice. He was rather anxious and hoped he would arrive on time.

"Fight? Fighting is my favorite thing to do!" Little Wingsy was delighted.

They headed to Master Apothecary Xuanyi's alchemy room together. Before going to the Emerald Cloud Sect, Ye Chen wanted to take his leave from Master Apothecary Xuanyi.

"Ye Chen, do you want us to go with you? After all, the Emerald Cloud Sect is a major sect with swarms of experts." Master Apothecary Xuanyi was rather worried.

"Master, don't worry. Nie Qingyun is no match for Little Wingsy. Even if we can't defeat them, we're more than capable of surviving," Ye Chen replied confidently.

Previously in Xuan Pavilion, Nie Qingyun had been taught a painful lesson by Little Wingsy. This was still fresh in everyone's mind. Master Apothecary Xuanyi gave it some thought and nodded. "Be careful on your way. Currently, there are quite a few people outside who are watching you."

"We will. We'll be back in ten days at most." Ye Chen bobbed his head. "Master, please let Great Emperor Mingwu know that for these few days, I won't be able to go fishing with him."

Master Apothecary Xuanyi nodded slightly. "Go on then."

After saying goodbye to Master Apothecary Xuanyi, Ye Chen changed his clothes. Thereafter, he carried Little Wingsy and Little Tanuki with him and mounted the Vermillion Spirit Condor that had delivered the letter.

The Vermillion Spirit Condor gave a low screech, flapped its wings, and soared into the air. It flew in the direction of the Emerald Cloud Sect in the east.

Ye Chen wondered how Ye Xuan was doing in the Emerald Cloud Sect. Ye Chen was very fond of his cousin, Ye Xuan as she was warm and kind. They had grown up together in the House of Ye. Although they had not spoken much, they shared a deep bond akin to that of an older brother and a younger sister.

At the main peak of Emerald Cloud Mountain, the mountain range was precipitous and the forest was dense. Some mystical beasts would show up now and then in the valleys. A mountain road, paved with bluestones, wound up to the peak. Among the swirl of clouds and mist, a massive building could be vaguely seen.

This was the legendary Emerald Cloud Sect, one of the Three Major Sects of the Xiwu Empire. The Emerald Cloud Sect had tens of thousands of disciples, all of whom were martial arts experts from various families throughout the Xiwu Empire.

When Ye Chen was very young, each time his clan members brought up the Emerald Cloud Sect, they would do so in a tone of reverence. To them, the Emerald Cloud Sect was an existence out of their reach. Everyone would be extremely proud if one of the clan members was chosen by the Emerald Cloud Sect to join the sect. Therefore, Ye Chen did not stop Little Xuan from joining the Emerald Cloud Sect back then. If he could turn back time, Ye Chen would surely have turned his nose up at this Emerald Cloud Sect.

There would come a day when the Ye Clan would be an existence the Emerald Cloud Sect looked up to!

Searching for Little Xuan in such a colossal building was rather troublesome.

Little Tanuki leaped down from the Vermillion Spirit Condor and raced into the Emerald Cloud Sect while Ye Chen used his Astral Body to examine the buildings in the Emerald Cloud Sect.

Ye Chen's Astral Body had two overpowering auras. One of them was a Heavenly Venerable Rank fighter, which must be Nie Qingyun. The other aura was in a cave in the cliff. Was it a top Heavenly Adept Rank Celestial Beast?

Nie Qingyun was currently together with that Heavenly Adept Rank Celestial Beast!

This was a new development. Ye Chen did not know what Celestial Beast that was. His Astral Body went in deeper and saw that the Celestial Beast had taken on a human form. It was an old man who had blazing red hair and beard, a stooped posture, and the appearance of senility. The beast's original form was an Eclipsing Firebird. This Eclipsing Firebird had lived for so many years that it had cultivated to the level of a top Heavenly Adept.

In this old man's presence, Nie Qingyun appeared to be extremely respectful. He straightened the waist of his fleshy body, but he still looked like a ball.

"Great Ancestor, although my son, Nie Chengfeng, did not quite make something of himself, reaching the beginner Tenth Level at thirty-five years old means that his talent is decent. With just one Human Tier medicinal pill, he might still be able to take on great responsibility. As for Zhuang Zhe, he's an illegitimate child of Lord Elder. Although his talent is extraordinary, having reached the beginner Tenth Level at twenty-seven, it's difficult to say whether he'll be able to progress to mid-Tenth Level before he's thirty-five." The flesh on Nie Qingyun's face swayed as he beseeched softly.

"A debauchee wouldn't do well with responsibility." The old man seemed to disdain Nie Chengfeng.

"But, Great Ancestor, doesn't Zhuang Zhe's eyes stray to a female disciple too?" Nie Qingyun asked gloomily. The Great Ancestor was six hundred years old and held a high, revered position in the Emerald Cloud Sect. Back then, if it were not for the Great Ancestor's agreement, Nie Qingyun would not have become the leader of the Emerald Cloud Sect. If the Great Ancestor insisted that Nie Chengfeng should not succeed Nie Qingyun as sect leader, Nie Qingyun was powerless.

"In any case, Nie Chengfeng is not suited to be the leader. Head back." The old man waved his hand impatiently.

Ye Chen's mind spun slightly. This old man who was transformed from an Eclipsing Firebird appeared to have such a lofty position in the Emerald Cloud Sect. He could decide who the sect leader would be?

At this point, the old man seemed to sense something and yelled angrily, "Who's there?"

Ye Chen withdrew his Astral Body.

"Great Ancestor, what's wrong?" Nie Qingyun asked, mystified.

The old man shook his head doubtfully. "I was probably just paranoid. It's nothing. Go back."

It looked like if Ye Chen experienced any emotional fluctuations while using his Astral Body, he would still be detected by Celestial Beasts above the Heavenly Adept Rank. He was still not familiar with how his own Astral Body worked! A Heavenly Adept Rank Celestial Beast was hidden in the Emerald Cloud Sect. How inconceivable.

Nonetheless, Ye Chen did not have to fear a Heavenly Adept Rank Celestial Beast. As long as a Daemon King did not personally show up, Ye Chen was not afraid! If he slightly unleashed some of his Astral Body's energy, would not a Heavenly Adept Rank Celestial Beast be scared witless?

In another courtyard in the Emerald Cloud Sect.

"Ye Xuan, is the firewood ready? Hurry up, the kitchen is waiting!" A fat woman with a fierce face kicked open the door of the courtyard and walked in, shouting sternly.

"It's almost ready." Ye Xuan lowered her head in vexation and continued chopping the firewood. Her initially fair, soft hands were now covered in scars that had recently developed.

The fat woman cast Ye Xuan a glance and snorted coldly. "You're lucky that Young Master Nie took a liking to you. Don't make that shameless face of yours or you'll suffer in the future!"

Ye Xuan had joined the Emerald Cloud Sect for close to half a year. Her talent was exceptional and she was diligent in her cultivation in addition to taking physics such as the Fetal Ginseng. When she was sixteen, she reached the mid-Ninth Level, and her cultivation improved extremely quickly. Soon, she became distinguished among the younger generation but trouble soon followed as well. The sect leader Nie Qingyun's son, Nie Chengfeng, took a liking to Ye Xuan. He tried to force himself on her a few times but she would rather die than submit to him. Nie Chengfeng dared not push too hard, so he asked his underlings to constantly make things difficult for her and arrange heavy labor for her.

When she first joined the Emerald Cloud Sect, Ye Xuan was full of anticipation. She had wanted to hone her cultivation base then return to the Ye Clan but the reality was crueler than dreams. It was too difficult for a girl to go out in the world and make something of herself. Ye Xuan felt mistreated and wished to return to the House of Ye. There, her father, her many uncles, her granduncle, and Big Brother Ye Chen - all treated her as the apple of their eyes. She had thought about escaping from the Emerald Cloud Sect a few times, but ultimately swallowed her tears and stayed on. Although she was tormented here, she endured it all. This was because she did not want to be constantly sheltered by her parents, her elders, and Big Brother Ye Chen. She wanted to be like Big Brother Ye Chen - someone the clan could rely on - a protector of the clan! No matter how tiring or bitter this was, she must hold on!

"Bring the chopped firewood to the kitchen!" the fat woman shouted harshly. "Stop dithering about!"

Ye Xuan gritted her teeth and lifted the firewood.

"Did I say you can use Celestial Chi? I told you not to use Celestial Chi." The fat woman walked over and slapped Ye Xuan's face.

Ye Xuan took the slap and fell to the ground. Her fair face began to swell and tears gathered in her eyes.

"Oh my, what a thoroughly pitiful sight. I truly feel sorry for you. If it were me, I would've given in to Young Master Nie long ago. He's the son of the sect leader. If you go with him, you'll get fine clothes. What an illustrated position the Emerald Cloud Sect holds in the Xiwu Empire! It's better than staying in some lousy clan. Although I hear that someone from your clan has become some Second-rank Prince, of what use is that? With one command from Young Master Nie, anyone can be killed, so don't cause trouble for your clan!" The fat woman went to Ye Xuan and slapped Ye Xuan's face repeatedly with her thick hands. "I know that you want to flee but where can you go? Back home? Can that so-called clan of yours protect you?"

As the fat woman spoke, her voice turned sharp and vicious. She was the daughter of the Emerald Cloud Sect's Lord Elder and had a decent cultivation base. At thirty-five years old, she was already at the beginner Tenth Level. She had a high status in the Emerald Cloud Sect, otherwise, she would not bully and humiliate this female disciple so wantonly. The only thing she was ashamed of was her fat flesh that weighed nearly three hundred catties. Due to her weight, she suffered no end of teasing from her elders. Throughout her life, she resented most of all those pretty, delicate female disciples who seduced men all day long!

Jealousy toward Ye Xuan was buried deep in the fat woman's heart. As she tyrannized Ye Xuan, she felt an indescribable thrill. 'So what if Ye Xuan looked like a goddess? So what if she has exceptional talent? Isn't she at my mercy all the same?' If it were not for Young Master Nie who had warned her not to get too rough, she would have tormented Ye Xuan even more brutally.

The fat woman noticed Ye Xuan's delicate, exquisite figure, and clicked her tongue in mock praise. "Looking at you close up, you're really pretty. Who can tell how shameless you'll act in bed? Stop pretending to be so chaste in front of me. I'll give you three days. If you don't agree to Young Master Nie in three days, hmmph, I'll make you strip naked and strut around in front of the male disciples. See if you can still act chaste then!"

When Ye Xuan heard this, her face turned pale and her eyes glinted with resolve. In that case, she would rather die!