43: Huang Wuji's request, the Desolate Ancient Secret Realm

Ye Chen, after all, still ascended Emperor Mountain earlier than planned.

Facing Huang Wuji, he bowed deeply, his face filled with guilt as he said, "Old Huang, this Junior was reckless back then and stole four petals of your nine revolutions blood flower. Today, I have come to atone."

"There's no need to bring up the past!"

"The Great Dao is incomplete; no Emperor emerges!"

"Even refining the entire nine revolutions blood flower wouldn't be of much use to me. Giving it to you is making the best use of it."

Huang Wuji's voice carried a hint of the vicissitudes of life, having seen through all worldly matters, his pursuit of the Dao hopeless.

He paused for a moment, his cloudy gaze falling upon Ye Chen, as if he had made a certain decision.

"Ye Chen, you have already completed your Great Nirvana with the nine revolutions blood flower. You will soon be able to ignite your Divine Fire, and becoming a Core Disciple is just around the corner."

Huang Wuji's tone shifted, becoming profound.

"Have you ever considered how you will walk your path from now on?"

"From now on?"

Ye Chen was slightly taken aback!

He felt that Old Huang was exceptionally different today!

Why did he suddenly ask about the future? They never had such a habit when they interacted before.

"This Junior only wants to become stronger as quickly as possible!"

"To have reached this point, it's all thanks to Old Huang's care. Without Old Huang, I'm afraid I would still be struggling in the outer sect."

"This old man merely went with the flow; you seized the Opportunity yourself, and your efforts earned it."

Huang Wuji waved his hand, a complex bitter smile appearing on his face, and continued, "The reason I told you to come back a month later was to estimate the time required for this old man to refine the remaining medicinal power."

"But now I realize I was wrong."

He looked up, his gaze seeming to penetrate the tree hollow, looking towards the vast and indistinct Great Dao of Heaven and Earth.

"Whether or not I refine the complete nine revolutions blood flower is no longer important to me; it is not my Opportunity to become an Emperor."

"The Emperor Realm is too difficult; I don't have that fate."

Saying this, he took out the remaining nine revolutions blood flower.

Two petals, one leaf!

Although its medicinal power was greatly diminished, it was still precious.

"Though the medicinal power of these items has mostly dissipated, they can still benefit your Foundation."

"I can give them all to you, but..."

Huang Wuji hesitated.

"Old Huang, please speak!"

Ye Chen straightened his back, very tactfully speaking.

"Even without this emperor medicine, as long as this Junior is capable, I will not shirk my duty!"

Huang Wuji looked at him, a trace of relief flashing in his eyes, but deeper was an unspeakable sorrow.

He took a deep breath, his voice trầm xuống:

"This old man comes from the Huang Family of the Imperial Capital; you should have heard of them."

"The Huang Family appears prosperous, but in reality, its interior has long been in decline, with dwindling talent, and its decline is already a certainty."

Speaking of the Huang Family, he paused, seemingly a little heartbroken.

"This old man left home at a young age, followed His Majesty the Martial God, and fought bloody battles to earn this Family fortune..."

"But one person, after all, cannot support the eternal Foundation of a Family. Once I leave, the Huang Family will be like rootless duckweed..."

"And this generation of the Huang Family is even... even without a single male capable of bearing the burden; they are all women."

The hero was growing old!

He had to find a Prodigy to revitalize the Huang Family.

He had set his sights on Ye Chen.

Ye Chen, possessing the Divine King Body, with his help and the support of the Huang Family, would undoubtedly be like the midday sun in the future.

"This old man wants to ask you to marry the contemporary Divine Maiden of my Huang Family."

Huang Wuji's cloudy eyes stared fixedly at Ye Chen, awaiting his reply.

"This..."

Ye Chen instantly froze in place.

His face was filled with shock and difficulty, he subconsciously took half a step back, and then shook his head.

"This... Old Huang, you know, the girl I like is from the Jiang Family."

"...This matter... this matter, I cannot obey!"

Ye Chen shook his head, refusing.

He already had someone in his heart, so how could he marry another?

Moreover, he was being asked to marry a woman he had never met; how could he accept that?

"Ye Chen!"

Huang Wuji sighed deeply.

"The threshold of the Jiang Family is too high. By the time you truly climb up there, perhaps that girl will already be someone else's wife."

"How can everything in the world go as one wishes?"

He grabbed Ye Chen's hand, looked at Ye Chen, and said with an almost pleading gaze, "My Huang Family's daughter is of superior character, appearance, and talent; she will definitely not disgrace you."

"Old Huang! You can ask me to do anything else, but only love cannot be a transaction!"

Ye Chen's attitude was firm, and he refused again.

"Although I, Ye Chen, come from humble origins, I also understand the principle of mutual affection! This matter is truly impossible!"

"Old Huang, please don't make it difficult for me!"

Huang Wuji fell silent.

He slowly walked out of the tree hollow, his hunched figure stretching long in the setting sun, looking up at the sky, remaining silent for a long time.

"Alas! So be it! So be it!"

His voice was hoarse, filled with endless desolation.

"Perhaps that girl doesn't have this blessing, and my Huang Family's fate is meant to be this way!"

"The next Family Competition will also be the beginning of my Huang Family's complete decline; fate has decreed it!"

Although he was a quasi-Emperor expert, possessing an incredibly long Lifespan, his early campaigns across the land and the secret techniques he Cultivated consumed too much Lifespan.

Now, he was in his twilight years, with not much Lifespan left.

If not for the nine revolutions blood flower prolonging his life for a few years, he would have already sealed himself away, serving as the Huang Family's last trump card.

"Old Huang, what is the Family Competition?"

Ye Chen asked curiously.

He had been in the Imperial Capital for some years, but he had never heard of any Family Competition.

Huang Wuji composed himself and explained, "That is a competition held by the top twenty Families of the Imperial Capital to compete for resources, limited to the younger generation below the True God Realm."

"The Huang Family now... can only offer three Divine Fire Realm cultivators. Last time, we fell to eighteenth place. If we lose again this time, we will definitely fall out of the top twenty, lose the qualification to enter the Ancient Secret Realm, and the Family's decline will begin from there..."

Ye Chen was very surprised upon hearing this.

Ancient Secret Realm!

This piqued his interest somewhat.

He thought for a moment, his eyes lit up, and he suggested, "Old Huang! Perhaps I can pretend to be a Huang Family Disciple and fight on behalf of the Huang Family?"

"That's impossible! The Bloodline verification step cannot be faked; you can't disguise it!"

Huang Wuji shook his head, but immediately changed his words.

"However, if you are willing to pretend to marry into the Family and get engaged to my Huang Family's Divine Maiden, becoming a member of the Huang Family in name, then you can participate in the competition legitimately."

"Many Families recruit Prodigies from other surnames using this method. My Huang Family has also used it before, but the people chosen weren't very good."

"Pretend to marry into the Family?"

Ye Chen's eyebrows twitched upon hearing this.

If the matter of marrying into the Family spread, how could he face Miss Jiang? That wouldn't do.

He was about to refuse when Huang Wuji interrupted him, stating directly, "It's just a temporary measure!"

"This old man can swear that as long as you help the Huang Family overcome this difficulty, I will definitely find an Opportunity to clear your name and return your freedom!"

"Ye Chen, if that Miss Jiang truly cares for you, she will definitely discern right from wrong and understand your actions!"

"And the Ancient Secret Realm has produced Immortal-grade Dao Seeds. If you enter and obtain an Immortal-grade Dao Seed, your future is limitless."

Ye Chen hesitated upon hearing this.

He wanted the Immortal-grade Dao Seed, and he also wanted to help Old Huang and the Huang Family with their difficulties!

But marrying into the Family was still difficult for him to accept!

After much thought, Ye Chen made up his mind.

"Old Huang! I agree to this matter."

"However, you must also obtain the Huang Family's Divine Maiden's personal consent! If she is unwilling, this matter is dropped!"

He wanted to enter the Ancient Secret Realm and obtain the Dao Seed.

Of course!

There were other Opportunities in the Secret Realm that he also wanted!

"Good! Good! This old man will go back and talk to her now! You wait here and come down the mountain tomorrow!"

Huang Wuji said joyfully, quickly descending the mountain to return to the Huang Family and bring that Junior over.

Ye Chen sat alone in front of the tree hollow, his thoughts racing.

"Junior Brother Ye! You actually snuck onto Emperor Mountain again!"