46: A storm is brewing
Space distorted, and light and shadow shifted.
When Ye Chen's feet touched solid ground again, he had already returned to the base of Myriad Sword Peak. Behind him, the silver vortex slowly closed and vanished. The old man guarding the cave remained sitting cross-legged, though his face seemed a shade paler, clearly having exhausted a significant amount of energy to maintain the passage and guide his return.
"Thank you for your assistance, Senior!" Ye Chen suppressed the turmoil in his heart and bowed solemnly to the old man. If not for that jade talisman, he likely would have struggled to escape the gaze of that terrifying existence in the depths of the Sword Tomb.
The old man slowly opened his eyes, his gaze landing on Ye Chen, lingering for a moment on the increasingly solid "Heaven Slaying" intent deep within his Divine Soul. A flicker of complexity crossed his clouded eyes. "It seems you encountered something extraordinary inside... and obtained an extraordinary Legacy. Fortune and misfortune are two sides of the same coin; take care of yourself."
He didn't ask further, closing his eyes once more as if turning back into a literal rock.
Ye Chen knew the old man had discerned something, but since the other party didn't ask, he wouldn't say more. After bowing again, he turned to leave. His experiences within the Sword Tomb, especially the fragmented consciousness of the Heaven Slaying Sword Attendant, Yin Xiao, and the terrifying existence awakened in its depths, weighed heavily on his heart.
"The demonic calamity rises again... the Dark Hall revives... reforging Heaven Slaying..." These words were like heavy shackles pressing on his heart. He had originally thought he had merely inherited the Legacy of some ancient powerhouse, but he hadn't expected to be drawn into a massive vortex concerning the fate of the Myriad Realms.
"Strength! I must increase my strength as quickly as possible!" An unprecedented sense of urgency gripped Ye Chen's heart. No matter what he faced in the future, powerful strength was his only reliance.
He walked quickly back to the Ding-Character Courtyard, closed the door, and immediately began checking himself. His cultivation remained at the Kaiyuan Realm Sixth Level, but the activation progress of the zhutian sword soul fragment seed in his Divine Soul had reached 3%, and the intent it radiated was clearer. His Nirvana Sword Intent was stable at the "Well-Versed" stage, its power formidable.
He took out a kettle, preparing to drink some water to calm down before planning his next steps in cultivation. However, the moment the spout was about to touch his lips, his movements suddenly jerked to a halt!
Under the Luminous Sword Heart, an extremely subtle, almost imperceptible sense of dissonance came from the kettle. It wasn't an abnormality in taste or color, but rather... an extremely obscure fluctuation of spiritual power, carrying a hint of cold toxicity!
Someone poisoned it!
Ye Chen's eyes instantly became as cold as knives! If not for his Luminous Sword Heart and his Divine Soul's sensitivity far exceeding those of the same level, he probably wouldn't have discovered this colorless, odorless poison specifically targeting a Cultivator's spiritual power Foundation! "Spirit-Eroding Powder"! This poison could slowly corrode a Cultivator's Meridians and ruin their spiritual power Foundation; it was hard to detect in the Early Stages, and by the time it was discovered, it often had already damaged the core, making further progress in cultivation impossible!
What a sinister method! They wanted to destroy his Dao Foundation!
"The Lin family... or 'Blood Blade'?" These were the first two parties Ye Chen thought of. He calmly set the kettle down, his Divine Sense like the finest net, meticulously scanning the entire courtyard.
Soon, in the gap of the window frame, he discovered a faint residue of a special Aura that almost blended into the shadows. This Aura's concealment technique was extremely high; if not for his powerful Divine Sense and his recent tempering in the Sword Tomb, he definitely wouldn't have found it.
"Someone indeed came in." Killing intent surged in Ye Chen's heart. Within the academy, the opponent didn't dare to act openly, so they used such underhanded methods! If he hadn't discovered it in time, the consequences would have been unthinkable!
He didn't make a scene, quietly disposing of the poisoned water and carefully checking other items. Only after confirming there were no more problems did he begin to think of a countermeasure.
The enemy was in the dark while he was in the light, making it impossible to guard against everything. Continuing to stay in the academy was relatively safe, but it was inevitable he would be harassed by such insidious methods. Moreover, the Inner Court Assessment was imminent, and what he needed was an environment where he could improve peacefully without interference.
"Perhaps... I should take the initiative?" A thought rose in Ye Chen's heart. Rather than defending passively, it was better to find a way to drag the rats out from the shadows, or... directly strike the mastermind hard enough that they wouldn't dare reach out again!
He thought of the half parent-child communication jade (Child Jade) he had obtained from Lin Hong and the ancient Cultivator's Immortal Cave. This item could sense the Parent Jade in Lin Batian's hand; perhaps he could use it to make a move.
And then there was the mysterious "Dark Hall"... Since the Lin family was on the periphery of the Dark Hall, perhaps he could find more clues about the Dark Hall from Lin Batian?
A bold plan gradually took shape in Ye Chen's mind.
He first used Uncle Fu to secretly spread news, claiming he had run into trouble with his cultivation, damaging his Meridians, and needed to go into seclusion to recover, temporarily refusing visitors. This was to lull those spying on him into a false sense of security.
Then, he took out that half of the parent-child communication jade, using his own pure spiritual power to simulate Lin Hong's Aura fluctuations. He carefully injected it, attempting to reverse-sense the position of the Parent Jade and transmit some vague, intermittent thoughts of seeking help or discovering important intelligence.
This process was extremely dangerous; once Lin Batian saw through it, he could likely follow the trail to find him. But relying on his Luminous Sword Heart's exquisite control over power and the Nirvana Sword Intent's perfect simulation and concealment of Aura, Ye Chen tried cautiously.
Once, twice... Finally, after several failures, he vaguely captured a faint sensation from outside the academy, in a certain direction of Liuyun City! The sensation flashed and disappeared, being extremely obscure, but it definitely existed!
"It really is in Liuyun City!" A cold light flashed in Ye Chen's eyes. As the instructor of the City Lord's Mansion, Lin Batian's base was bound to be within Liuyun City.
He didn't continue further to avoid alerting the enemy. Knowing the general direction was enough.
For the next few days, Ye Chen kept a low profile. On the surface, he was "in seclusion to heal," but in secret, he was constantly familiarizing himself with his surging power, especially his control over the "Nirvana Sword Intent," striving to release and retract it at will without leaving a trace. At the same time, he also gathered information through Uncle Fu regarding the Liuyun City Lord's Mansion, particularly Lin Batian's residence layout and guard strength.
He was like a crouching leopard, sharpening his claws in the dark, waiting for the moment to strike a fatal blow.
However, the tree wants to be still, but the wind won't stop.
On this day, while Ye Chen was practicing the Silent Shadow Sword Art in the courtyard, a voice full of provocative intent rang out from outside the courtyard:
"Ye Chen! Get out here and face your death!"
The voice was loud and clear, containing the spiritual power of the Kaiyuan Realm Seventh Level, causing the courtyard's Formation barrier to ripple.
Ye Chen sheathed his sword and stood still, his gaze calmly looking toward the gate. What was meant to come had finally arrived. And it seemed that what came was not a rat poisoning him in the dark, but... an open challenge.
He pushed open the courtyard gate and saw a burly young man with a fierce expression wearing Inner Court robes standing outside. Ye Chen had some impression of this person; his name was Lei Lie, known in the Inner Court for his fierce strength, and he was one of Lin Hong's loyal followers.
Behind Lei Lie, many Disciples from the Inner and Outer Courts were watching the commotion, many with gloating looks in their eyes.
"Senior Brother Lei, do you have any instructions?" Ye Chen's tone was flat.
Lei Lie folded his arms across his chest, chin slightly raised, looking at Ye Chen through his nostrils as he sneered, "Instructions? I'm here to clean house on behalf of Senior Brother Lin Hong! I heard you used some insidious methods to harm Senior Brother Lin Hong? Today, I will break your limbs and cripple your cultivation, letting you know the consequences of offending our Lin faction!"
He made no secret of his intentions and stance, clearly having been instructed by certain people to come and test him, or rather, to execute "family law"!
The surrounding Disciples immediately broke into an uproar.
"Senior Brother Lei Lie is personally taking action!"
"He is at the Kaiyuan Realm Seventh Level Peak; his strength is comparable to the eighth level!"
"Ye Chen is finished! No matter how much of a Genius he is, it's impossible for him to cross two Realms to fight Lei Lie, right?"
Everyone believed that Ye Chen was doomed this time. After all, the gap in cultivation was real.
Ye Chen looked at the aggressive Lei Lie, his eyes remaining calm, though a cold arc slightly curled at the corner of his mouth.
"Clean house? Just with you?"
He slowly raised the qingfeng sword in his hand, the tip pointing directly at Lei Lie.
"Just as well, I'll use you to test my sword."