Chapter 10: Ye Chen received the ring back, the Northern Land competition, and the decision of the Sacred Land of the Mist.

Chapter 10: Ye Chen received the ring back, the Northern Land competition, and the decision of the Sacred Land of the Mist. The Elder of the Sacred Land of Mist was fiercely pursuing the shadow but had to halt the chase upon seeing the shadow had escaped into the Dark Forest. This forest, teeming with powerful demons and beasts, was off-limits due to a binding agreement. The forest's power surpassed that of eight Sacred Lands combined. They could only sigh and return to the Sacred Land to report the incident.

In the Dark Forest, the shadow moved towards an ancient tree where a man awaited. If Jiang Yun were present, he would surely recognize this man as the Demon Practitioner who had attacked him previously. The Demon Practitioner asked, "Did you get it?"

The shadow, trembling, replied, "Certainly. The price is as agreed, and you will have to cover the healing costs."

The Demon Practitioner nodded, "Hmm, understood." They exchanged items and went their separate ways.

In the luxurious private room in the City of Ten Thousand Blossoms on the Northern Continent, a man with black hair in a black robe trimmed with gold watched the dancing girls indifferently. This man was Ye Chen. At that moment, the Demon Practitioner entered. Ye Chen immediately asked, "Did you retrieve it?"

Ye Chen had expended a fortune on sacred artifacts and high-grade medicine to hire the Dark Hall of the Central Continent for this mission. It was a painful expense, but he knew it was worth it to inflict suffering on Jiang Yun and retrieve the ring. He had signed a contract with the Dark Hall solely to achieve this goal.

The Demon Practitioner responded, "Indeed." He handed over the ring to Ye Chen. Ye Chen, overjoyed, dismissed him and then asked with concern, "Master, how are you?"

The voice of Long Si Chao echoed in Ye Chen's mind, "I need spiritual energy."

Without hesitation, Ye Chen threw several high-grade spiritual stones to her. Once she absorbed the energy, she spoke with anger, "I will tear that little bastard into a thousand pieces with my own hands."

Ye Chen asked with curiosity, "What happened, Master?"

Long Si Chao suppressed her rage and explained, "That little bastard destroyed my cultivation. For now, don't provoke Jiang Yun. He's peculiar. His techniques and cultivation, as well as his formation skills, are too powerful. Wait until you reach the Saint level before dealing with him in one go."

Ye Chen nodded, agreeing. The previous battle had made him more cautious. He asked further, "What should we do next, Master?"

She replied, "Focus on increasing your power and wait for the Northern Continent Competition in six months."

Ye Chen, hearing this, thought, "Yes, the Northern Continent Competition is my chance to make a name for myself and erase past humiliations." He laughed, as Jiang Yun would likely not participate due to his injuries. Just then, a sound came from outside the room.

Ding ding.

"Oh, they've arrived."

Cutting to the top of the Celestial Peak, Jiang Yun suddenly received a system notification:

[Congratulations to the host for defeating the Daughter of Destiny, Long Si Chao. Long Si Chao's luck value decreased by 2,500,000, and the host gained 25,000,000 villain points. Long Si Chao now has a luck value of 1,000,000.]

Villain Points: 28,000,000

The system continued with an admiring tone:

[Host, you are the greatest genius ever! Your Celestial Concealment Formation is so overpowered, it can drain luck to such an extent. If it reaches the Emperor level, hahaha. And you left something in her, did you? Also, who did the letter sent earlier go to?]

Jiang Yun simply smiled and replied to the system, "It's a secret."

The system continued to probe for the truth from Jiang Yun but ultimately gave up.

Jiang Yun had already known that a Saint-level cultivator was secretly observing from the peak. He had used a formation to detect anyone entering its range. After this, he had masked Long Si Chao's perception and created a doppelganger to stage the return of the ring to Ye Chen, ensuring no one suspected it was his main objective.

After contemplating future plans, Jiang Yun smiled coldly. The system said:

[You seem a bit psychotic. Please don't make that face again! Keep your handsome face instead.]

Jiang Yun paused and berated the system, causing a temporary disconnection.

At that moment, he received a notification that people were entering the peak. Upon checking, he found it was his senior and junior disciples—Zhang Xin Ye, Mu Shu Yuan, and the three dogs: Guan Meng Yao, Li Yu Dong, and Gu Qing Xue.

When the five entered and called out to Jiang Yun, he told them to come in.

Seeing Jiang Yun sitting alone, exuding an aura of power, Mu Shu Yuan immediately asked, "Are you injured?"

Jiang Yun replied with a neutral expression, "No, I am not injured."

Mu Shu Yuan, ignoring Jiang Yun's cold demeanor, asked further, "What happened here, Senior?"

Jiang Yun briefly explained, "A minor incident. Someone attempted to assassinate me. If you want details, you should ask the Master. Is there anything else?"

Before Mu Shu Yuan could respond, Guan Meng Yao, Li Yu Dong, and Gu Qing Xue gently asked, "Could you return the ring to Young Master Ye Chen?"

The atmosphere became suddenly tense and awkward. The three of them froze, unable to move or speak. They had been instantly immobilized without realizing it. Searᴄh the nôvelFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Mu Shu Yuan paid no attention to this and thought they deserved it. She wasn't very close to her junior sisters. Zhang Xin Ye felt that Jiang Yun was going too far. She attempted to intervene but couldn't keep up with his rapid power. Her arm was frozen too as she tried to speak. Jiang Yun then said:

"If you have anything to say on their behalf, keep it to yourself and leave this peak."

Zhang Xin Ye was about to retort but saw Jiang Yun's cold gaze, ready to strike. She thought that if she continued speaking, he would attack. Thus, she could only take her sisters and leave. As she was leaving, she said:

"You've changed so much that I'm not sure if you are truly you, Junior Brother."

Then she departed with her three sisters. Mu Shu Yuan didn't leave but asked, "Will you be participating in the Northern Continent Competition?"

Jiang Yun considered that the Northern Continent Competition was a battle for resources and the right to explore the Emperor-level secret realms. The Sacred Lands would send their disciples to represent them. The sects or dynasties that passed the selection would also participate, sending their strongest disciples, 100 per place, making about 1,600 participants. They would be divided into 100 groups of 16, fighting until only 8 from each group remained, continuing until only 32 were left. These 32 would then be given the chance to explore the secret realm.

He answered, "Certainly."

Mu Shu Yuan smiled and said, "This time, you must take me to eat some delicious food. I insist."

Mu Shu Yuan smiled and bowed before leaving. Jiang Yun paused slightly and smiled at her. He remembered how they used to sneak away to steal lightning birds kept by Elder 2 and roast them, but everything had changed. He dismissed those thoughts and focused on how to handle the Sacred Body Origin of the Radiant Dragon.

He decided to use a normal clone. Once he reached the Emperor realm, he could upgrade the Samsara clone technique, creating a better Sacred Body.

He then summoned the nine Samsara clones and assigned them to travel to different continents in pairs, except for the Eastern Continent, where only one clone was sent due to its weaker status. The main goals were to gather resources, find subordinates, locate lucky individuals, plunder, seize special bodies, intimidate, build power, and more. He hid one clone in the underground hall of the Celestial Peak and created a concealment formation.

After arranging everything, he entered the small world to manage the clones and allocate resources using the 100-fold Soul Gathering Formation and the 1000-fold Time Acceleration Formation. He had nine clones at Earth level, cultivation at the initial stage of Soul level 3, and 1,000 clones at Spirit level, cultivation at Purple Palace level 3. Remembering he already had a Sacred Body of the Radiant Dragon, he created one more clone and inserted the Sacred Body Origin into it to let it cultivate.

Cut to the meeting hall, filled with heated debate. Elder Gongsun Lei of the Sacred Land of Mist proposed immediate war. Others agreed, but Elder Zhang Yu opposed, arguing that with the Northern Continent Competition approaching, starting a war was unwise.

Gongsun Lei shouted back, "Doesn't this show that we fear the Sacred Land of Blood Demons?"

Lin Qing Yi, initially furious and ready for war, calmed down once she learned her disciple was safe. Although she had agreed with Gongsun Lei initially, she decided to consult the Divine Emperor and said, "Let's let this go for now and seek revenge during the Northern Continent Competition. Jiang Yun is unharmed after all."

When people heard this, they were shocked as the attack had come from a Great Saint. Before they could question further, Lin Qing Yi explained that the attack was on Jiang Yun's ice clone. The crowd then understood and agreed with her as starting a war would certainly provoke the remaining six Sacred Lands.

At that moment, someone stood up in anger and walked out immediately. This person was Gongsun Lei. When everyone saw this, they said nothing, including Lin Qing Yi or the Divine Emperor. They understood Gongsun Lei's feelings since his only beloved son had died at the hands of the Sacred Land of Blood Demons six months prior.