673: Chapter 673 Living Up to the Lord's Trust!

Conflicted!

So conflicted!

The people around couldn't help but look at Daoist Priest Qingfeng.

Because...

They wanted to see...

What exactly was the Sect Leader thinking?

Their Huashan Sect had no other choice but to follow this path to the end.

Daoist Priest Qingfeng stood where he was, took a deep breath, and spoke one word at a time.

"Lord!"

He cupped his hands and knelt on one knee.

"Our Huashan Sect is willing to join your banner!"

"From now on, everyone in the Huashan Sect is willing to go through fire and water for the Lord, without hesitation!"

Seeing this, Daoist Priest Qingxuan followed suit and knelt on one knee without hesitation.

"This humble Daoist... is willing to follow the Lord!"

The seven or eight core disciples of the Huashan Sect behind them looked at each other, then knelt down in unison.

"We are willing to follow the Lord!"

Ye Chen looked at the Huashan Sect members kneeling on the ground and said indifferently.

"Since you have chosen this path, do not regret it."

Daoist Priest Qingfeng raised his head and looked at Ye Chen.

"Rest assured, Lord. Since our Huashan Sect has chosen to follow you, we will never betray you."

"If we violate this oath, may heaven and earth destroy us, and may we die a miserable death."

He made a solemn oath.

A Cultivator making a solemn oath is no joking matter.

The Heavenly Dao is conscious; once an oath is made, it is equivalent to carving a shackle onto oneself.

If violated, when the tribulation comes, one's cultivation will be lost at best, or their soul will be scattered at worst.

Ye Chen glanced at him and nodded.

"Alright, stand up."

Daoist Priest Qingfeng stood up as if he had received a great pardon.

The Huashan Sect disciples behind him also stood up one after another.

Ye Chen scanned the reception hall and spoke indifferently.

"Bring me brush, ink, paper, and inkstone."

Daoist Priest Qingfeng was startled, then quickly ordered, "Quick! Go get brush, ink, paper, and inkstone!"

A disciple turned and ran, returning in less than two minutes trotting with a set of the Four Treasures of the Study.

The Xuan paper was spread out, the ink was ground, and the brush was fully soaked.

Ye Chen walked to the table, lifted the brush, pondered for a moment, and then began to write.

His brush moved like dragons and snakes, completing the task in one go.

Everyone held their breath, their eyes fixed on the Xuan paper under Ye Chen's brush.

They didn't know what Ye Chen was writing.

But they knew that anything written personally by Ye Chen was definitely no ordinary thing.

As expected!

Ye Chen put down the brush, picked up the Xuan paper covered in writing, blew on the ink, and handed it to Daoist Priest Qingfeng.

"The cultivation technique your Huashan Sect practices has a ceiling that is too low; even at its limit, it only reaches the peak of the Tianyi Realm."

"This 'Great Pure Wind Manual' is a technique I filtered out based on the circulation of True Qi in your bodies. It has a higher ceiling and leads directly to the Golden Core."

"Take it. From now on, the Huashan Sect will switch to this."

Directly to the Golden Core!

These words were like four bombs, causing an uproar in the reception hall.

Everyone's pupils shrank suddenly, and their breathing became rapid.

Golden Core!

That's the Golden Core!

The martial arts world of the Secular World hasn't seen a Golden Core expert in a hundred years!

Because all those Golden Core experts went to the Kunlun Ruins and didn't stay in the Secular World at all.

But Ye Chen said this technique leads directly to the Golden Core?

Doesn't that mean... their Huashan Sect has a chance to cultivate its own Golden Core expert?

Daoist Priest Qingfeng's hands were trembling as he took the Xuan paper.

He looked down and saw the Xuan paper covered in tiny, regular script.

He recognized every word.

But when put together, they felt extremely unfamiliar to him.

It was a cultivation route he had never seen before; it was somewhat similar to the technique he had practiced for over seventy years, yet different in every way.

But with his vision at the middle stage of the Tianyi Realm, he could tell at a glance that this technique was far superior to their original cultivation method.

If the original technique was a country path, then the 'Great Pure Wind Manual' was a road to the heavens.

Daoist Priest Qingfeng raised his head, his eyes red.

"Lord, this great gift... our Huashan Sect is unworthy of it!"

Ye Chen waved his hand.

"This is a meeting gift."

"Since you've taken my things, you must handle matters well."

"Otherwise..."

"What I gave you, I can take back at any time."

Ye Chen spoke very calmly.

But...

Everyone knew that Ye Chen was not joking.

He could give it to you, and he could take it back.

He could let you break through, and he could also cripple you.

Daoist Priest Qingfeng took a deep breath, holding the technique in both hands, and bowed ninety degrees.

"Rest assured, Lord. Everyone in the Huashan Sect will not fail your trust!"

Ye Chen nodded.

Then...

He turned and walked out of the reception hall.

Yan Qingwu and the other three looked at each other and followed right behind him.

Daoist Priest Qingfeng straightened up and looked at Ye Chen's back.

"Respectfully seeing off the Lord!"

The Huashan Sect disciples behind him shouted in unison, "Respectfully seeing off the Lord!"

The voices echoed in the reception hall and throughout the entire villa.

Ye Chen didn't look back; he just waved his hand and continued walking, striding out of the villa's main gate.

After getting into the car...

Yan Qingwu sat next to Ye Chen and couldn't help asking, "Do you trust them that much?"

Generally speaking...

Ye Chen was a little fox; he would never make a losing deal.

But this series of actions today was no different from being a complete sucker.

She even suspected a little...

That Ye Chen had a purpose for doing this.

Ye Chen leaned back in his seat, his eyes closed as he napped. Hearing this, he didn't even lift an eyelid: "I don't trust them."

Yan Qingwu was stunned.

"You don't trust them, yet you still gave them the technique?"

"That's a technique that leads directly to the Golden Core, and you just gave it away so casually?"

She really had the urge to call Ye Chen a nouveau riche.

Giving such a top-tier technique to someone you don't trust...

No one would believe it if they heard it.

"Casually?"

Ye Chen opened his eyes and glanced at her sideways, "My hand got sore from writing it, and you call that casual?"

Yan Qingwu's lips twitched: "Is that what I meant?"

"Then what do you mean?"

"I mean..."

Yan Qingwu took a deep breath.

"Are you so sure that old man Qingfeng won't turn on you?"

"Won't he take the technique you gave him and turn around to curry favor with the Tianyi Sect?"

"What if he offers the technique to them, and the Tianyi Sect is so happy they give him even more benefits?"

Ye Chen looked at her and suddenly smiled: "Are you worrying for me?"

Yan Qingwu rolled her eyes at him.

"Nonsense! You've already offended enough people. If even the Huashan Sect can't be relied on and they stab you in the back later..."

"Let them stab then."

Ye Chen interrupted her nonchalantly, "If they dare to stab me, I'll dare to pull the knife out and shove it back in."

Yan Qingwu: "..."

She stared at Ye Chen's calm face, momentarily at a loss for words.

Is this person truly confident, or just pure reckless?

Having known Ye Chen for so long, her womanly intuition told her...

It wasn't that simple!

Yan Qingwu bit her lip and asked persistently, "Can't you be a bit more serious? I'm talking business with you."

"I'm also talking business."

Ye Chen opened one eye and looked at her lazily, "Do you think my things are so easy to take?"

As soon as he said this...

Everyone, including Shen Qingyi, couldn't help but look over.

Ye Chen continued.

"One more Huashan Sect isn't too many, and one less isn't too few."

"With them, we can get the specific situation of the One Clan, Three Sects, Five Gates of the Kunlun Ruins immediately, allowing us to be fully prepared in advance."

"If they choose to take the benefits but play the backstabbing game with me, then at most I'll just expend a little effort to wipe them out."

"Besides..."

Ye Chen arched an eyebrow, looking at the street scene flying past outside.

"They aren't stupid; they know who is the right person to follow."

"After all, no matter how strong the Kunlun Ruins forces are, they cannot enter the Secular World so blatantly; they are also subject to regulations."

Hearing this, everyone finally realized.

"Indeed."

No matter how strong the Tianyi Sect is, it is only a force from the Kunlun Ruins.

They can manipulate from the shadows and send people to infiltrate, but they definitely wouldn't dare to enter the Secular World on a large scale so blatantly.

The Dragon Kingdom's line of defense is not just for show.

Those armies, nuclear bombs, and heavy weapons specifically targeting Cultivators are all sharp swords hanging over the heads of the various forces in the Kunlun Ruins.

They dare to make a move in the Secular World?

Then they can wait to be suppressed by the Dragon Kingdom officials.

Yan Qingwu nodded, her beautiful eyes scanning Ye Chen as her lips curled up slightly: "So you're certain that the Huashan Sect won't turn on you, and also certain that the Tianyi Sect won't dare to enter the Secular World in force?"

"It's not about being certain."

Ye Chen shook his head, "It's just how they are—a bunch of bullies who fear the strong. They're only bold within the Kunlun Ruins; once they step out that door, they wouldn't dare to let out a peep."

Yan Qingwu couldn't help but laugh.

The way this man spoke was as heart-stabbing as ever.

But surprisingly, it made a lot of sense.

Shen Qingyi sat to the side, remaining silent the whole time.

She watched Ye Chen quietly, her eyes filled with something indescribable.

This man, who was a few years younger than her, seemed to act on a whim, even appearing a bit unreliable.

Yet every step he took landed on the most critical position.

Every move was flawless.

The technique that seemed to be given away casually was actually a nail, firmly driven between the Huashan Sect and the Tianyi Sect.

From now on, even if the Huashan Sect wanted to turn on him, they would have to weigh whether the Tianyi Sect would let them off after learning the truth.

After all, once you switch to a different cultivation technique, the traces can never be completely erased.

The people of the Tianyi Sect aren't fools; with just a bit of investigation, they would discover that the Huashan Sect had changed their technique.

At that time, even if the Huashan Sect claimed they were innocent, would the Tianyi Sect believe them?

No.

They would only think that the Huashan Sect had betrayed them long ago.

This was an Overt Scheme.

Gifting you benefits openly and then letting you choose which side to stand on.

Jiang Daoxuan and Shu Yuan looked at each other, their eyes filled with admiration.

They were truly in awe of Ye Chen, their new Sect Master!