109: Chapter 108 Reunion

"Where is Grandma?" Ye Chen asked.

"Grandma is in the house." Yun Xi skipped into the house, "Grandma! Big Brother Ye is here!"

Ye Chen followed her inside.

Inside, a woman sat by the window, mending an old garment by the sunlight. Hearing the commotion, she looked up, a kind smile appearing on her face. "Little Ye is here, come and sit."

Ye Chen sat down, his gaze sweeping across her face.

Qin Wan had grown old.

Seven or eight years had passed, and the woman who once possessed lingering charm was now full of white hair. The wrinkles on her face had deepened, her back was slightly hunched, and the veins on her hands protruded; her needlework had become slower and slower.

Ye Chen knew why she had aged so quickly.

Worry.

Worrying day and night.

Although he had comforted her many times, saying that with Yun Ming's ability, he would surely turn misfortune into luck, she still couldn't let it go. That blood-colored infant that blotted out the sky had long since become her nightmare.

Yun Xi brought tea and sat down next to Qin Wan.

Ye Chen took a sip of tea, asked about some daily matters, and then gave some guidance on Yun Xi's cultivation. Yun Xi's Aptitude was average, but she made up for it with diligence; one could tell from her questions about cultivation that she had put in hard work.

After chatting for a while, Ye Chen put down his teacup and said seriously, "I came this time to tell you both that I am going out for experiential training."

Both of them were stunned.

"Training?" Qin Wan was a bit worried. "How long will you be gone?"

Ye Chen shook his head. "It's hard to say. It could be a few months, or it could be several years. It depends on Opportunity."

He paused and looked at the two of them. "Do you want to come with me?"

Qin Wan and Yun Xi looked at each other.

Yun Xi opened her mouth as if to say something, but then swallowed it back.

Qin Wan was silent for a moment, then slowly shook her head. "No."

She smiled, a smile that was a bit bitter yet held a hint of determination. "With the low cultivation level of us mother and daughter, following you would only be a burden. If you are alone outside, you can act freely. Taking us along would instead restrict you everywhere."

Yun Xi lowered her head and said softly, "I want to wait for Master to return."

Ye Chen was silent for a moment.

He knew their thoughts.

He also knew that he didn't actually want to bring two burdens along with him.

"Alright." He stood up. "Then take care of yourselves. If anything happens, go find the people of the Sect and give them my name."

Qin Wan and Yun Xi saw him to the door.

Just as Ye Chen was about to step out, his footsteps suddenly paused.

Within the range of his Divine Sense, an unfamiliar aura appeared.

Golden Core Stage.

It was rapidly approaching in this direction.

Ye Chen's brow furrowed slightly.

In the Qingxuan Sect territory, how could an unfamiliar Golden Core Cultivator break in?

He didn't make a scene, but simply turned back to the two of them and said, "I'm leaving, you two go back inside."

After saying that, his figure flashed and he disappeared into the air.

Qin Wan and Yun Xi stood at the door, looking at the empty courtyard gate for a long time without moving.

In the blink of an eye, Ye Chen arrived in front of that aura.

He stood with his hands behind his back, his entire body radiating a cold Sword Intent.

In the distance, a figure came riding on a cloud.

Ye Chen did not hesitate.

He raised his hand and slashed down with his sword.

It was a simple strike, yet its power was incredibly immense.

The sword light burst through the air, and the sharp Sword Intent tore through the air along its path, letting out a sharp whistle.

His Late Golden Core Stage cultivation was fully revealed in this strike, without any concealment, nor any need for it—this was the Qingxuan Sect's territory, and he had the right to make any uninvited guest retreat in the face of difficulty.

However, in the next instant, Ye Chen's gaze narrowed.

When that sword light fell before the opponent, it was actually blocked by a faint layer of lightning. With a flash of lightning, the sword light vanished into nothingness, and the opponent hadn't even retreated a single step.

He blocked it.

He blocked it so easily.

Ye Chen's heart shook slightly. Although he hadn't used his full strength in this strike, it still had fifty percent of his power. Even those in the same Late Golden Core Stage wouldn't dare say they could block it so nonchalantly; at the very least, they would be forced back several yards.

But the opponent remained motionless.

That unfathomable aura caused a raging Battle Intent to ignite in Ye Chen's eyes.

Having rarely met an opponent in the Golden Core Stage, his hands had long been itching for a fight.

In a breath's time, Ye Chen's figure flashed and he was already in front of the opponent. The long sword in his hand transformed into a sky full of sword light, descending like rain and covering everything. Each beam of sword light contained pure Sword Intent; it was a top-tier sword technique taught to him by Elder Xuan, and no one of the same rank could withstand it.

The sword light wove into an airtight net, completely covering the opponent.

The opponent, however, was not flustered.

He raised his hand and formed a seal.

In the next instant, lightning bloomed across the sky!

Purple lightning fell from the Nine Heavens, crashing violently into the sky full of sword light! The clash of lightning and sword exploded in circles of terrifying ripples; the heavens and earth changed color, and the surrounding clouds were instantly torn apart, revealing the azure sky behind them. The aftershocks of the explosion spread out, causing countless birds and beasts in the mountain forests below to flee in panic, leaving a mess behind.

In the depths of the Qingxuan Sect, a Divine Sense swept past.

That was the perception of the Nascent Soul Old Ancestor.

He had intended to come out and see which blind fool dared to cause trouble at the gates of the Qingxuan Sect. However, when his Divine Sense touched the two figures, he discovered that one was Ye Chen, and the other... was actually fighting on equal terms with Ye Chen. Moreover, as the two exchanged blows, they even had the leisure to look at each other, with no killing intent in their eyes.

The Old Ancestor was slightly stunned.

He then chuckled, withdrew his Divine Sense, and only sent a voice transmission: "Next time you catch up and spar, do it further away from the Sect."

Hearing the voice transmission, Ye Chen's sword momentum paused.

He looked up at the person opposite him, and with this look, he was stunned on the spot.

That face, he had seen it before.

Although seven or eight years had passed, and although the opponent's temperament had become more steady, with a bit more of the majesty of a Golden Core Cultivator between his brows, he would never mistake that face.

"Senior... Senior Yun Ming?"

Yun Ming was also stunned.

He looked at the high-spirited young man before him with his radiating Sword Intent, looking at that young yet determined face, and suddenly smiled.

"Ye Chen?"

Ye Chen put away his long sword and stepped in front of him, looking him up and down, his eyes full of disbelief. "Senior, it really is you! How... how are you here? And your cultivation, Golden Core Stage? When did you break through?"

Yun Ming was also sizing him up, and the more he looked, the more alarmed he became. "I wanted to ask you the same thing. Late Golden Core Stage? Approaching Perfection? This speed of yours..."

Ye Chen scratched his head and smiled somewhat sheepishly. "Just luck, just luck."

Yun Ming chuckled. "It's more like I had some luck. If you call this luck, how are others supposed to live?"

The two looked at each other and suddenly both laughed.

Ye Chen kept calling him "Senior," which Yun Ming found awkward. He waved his hand and said, "Your Realm is higher than mine now; it should be me calling you Senior Brother."

Ye Chen shook his head repeatedly. "That won't do. I'm used to calling you that, I can't change it. You will always be my Senior."

Yun Ming didn't argue with him and suddenly remembered something, saying seriously, "Ye Chen, I want to ask you about something—"

Ye Chen raised his hand to interrupt him. "Senior, don't ask yet. Come with me, there are two people who have been waiting for you for a long time."

Yun Ming's heart skipped a beat. "Who?"

Ye Chen smiled, said nothing, and turned to fly toward that residence on the mountainside.

Yun Ming was stunned for a moment, then wild joy surged in his eyes. He pushed his taiqing wanderer technique to the limit and followed closely behind.

At the entrance of the residence, Ye Chen pushed the door open and entered.

"Grandma, Xi'er, look who's here."

Qin Wan was sitting by the window in a daze, and hearing the commotion, she looked up.

Yun Xi ran out from the inner room, shouting "Big Brother Ye."

Then they saw the figure behind Ye Chen.

Time seemed to freeze for an instant.

"Mother."

Yun Ming called out softly.

Qin Wan's whole body shook, and the needle and thread in her hand fell to the ground. She stood up tremblingly, wanting to walk forward, but her legs wouldn't move, and tears had already burst from her eyes.

"Ming'er... Ming'er..."

Yun Xi stared blankly at that person, at that face that had appeared in her dreams countless times, and suddenly burst out crying with a "wah," plunging into Yun Ming's embrace.

"Master—! You're finally back! I thought you were dead! I thought I'd never see you again!"

Yun Ming held her, rubbed her head, and laughed. "Your Master is immortal. Alright, alright, you've cried so much your face looks like a mess." He then praised, "You've made quite some progress, already at the Late Qi Refining Stage. Truly my disciple."

Then he looked up at the woman with white hair and a face full of tears, walked over, and gently knelt down.

"Mother, I've come back late and made you worry."

Qin Wan crouched down, her trembling hands stroking his face, tears falling onto his face as she cried and laughed. "It's good that you're back... it's good that you're back..."

Ye Chen stood at the door, watching this scene, and quietly backed out, leaving the space to them.

An hour later, Yun Ming finally came out of the house.

With a smile on his face, he walked up to Ye Chen. He said nothing, only patted his shoulder.

Then he took out a Jade Box from his robe and handed it to Ye Chen.