Chapter 1642: Pursuit

Ye Yuan's departure was somewhat shabby. Aside from the Xuanyu lineage, Leng Yu, and Zheng Qi, no one else came to see him off.

Leng Yu patted Ye Yuan on the shoulder and encouraged him, "Kid, you can do it. I'm waiting for the day you leap over the dragon's gate."

Ye Yuan smiled and said, "I've never doubted that."

Leng Yu laughed heartily upon hearing this and said, "Good lad, you're the first young man I've met who's so calm. But this journey is long and perilous; you must be careful!"

Ordinary geniuses, if stuck at a realm for so many years, would inevitably become weary of life and give up on themselves.

But Leng Yu could not see any such negative emotions in Ye Yuan.

He remained optimistic and gave off a composed and unhurried feeling.

This also gave Leng Yu and the others great confidence, making them feel that Ye Yuan would surely break through.

Ye Yuan nodded and said, "Rest assured, I have some means of self-preservation. Just wait for good news. However, I won't be able to treat Grand Elder Zheng Qi for now."

Zheng Qi's spirits were very low at the moment, but he could barely cling to life.

When he heard that Ye Yuan was leaving, Zheng Qi insisted on seeing him off.

"If not for you, I wouldn't even have this broken life left. Now that my master's revenge is complete, I have no more worries. Go ahead with peace of mind. Even if I have to hold on, I'll hold on until the day you return!" Zheng Qi said with a smile.

Seeing Zheng Qi in good spirits, Ye Yuan nodded with a smile.

Beside them, Ning Siyu was very unhappy, pouting and saying, "That Ning Tianping is truly ungrateful. He clearly promised to see us off, but now he's nowhere to be seen."

Four hundred years had passed, and Ning Siyu had now broken through to the Divine Lord realm, becoming a Four-Star Divine Alchemist.

This was also a point of criticism among the crowd.

Ning Siyu could be considered half a disciple of Ye Yuan. Now even the disciple had broken through, while the master remained at the Return to Void realm, which was a laughingstock.

But Ning Siyu herself did not feel this way; she was very grateful to Ye Yuan.

Without Ye Yuan, she would not have broken through so quickly, let alone achieved such attainments in the Dao of Alchemy.

Ye Yuan smiled and said, "It's like the sky wanting to rain or a mother wanting to marry again—you can't force it. I'm already very grateful that you all came."

A friend in need is a friend indeed!

The number of true friends you have is not measured by how many people surround you when you are in power, but by how many laugh and chat with you when you are down and out.

Clearly, these people before him were Ye Yuan's precious treasures in the Eagle Emperor City.

However, Ning Tianping's absence was somewhat unexpected to Ye Yuan.

Based on his understanding of Ning Tianping, he should not be so snobbish.

Unless he had hidden it too well.

But a scion of a noble family like Ning Tianping should not have such deep cunning.

"Alright, seeing me off a thousand miles must end in a farewell. Please, all of you, go back."

Ye Yuan cupped his hands to the crowd, bid farewell, and left.

……

Inside the Martial Tower, the two men watched Ye Yuan leave.

“Brother Zuo, do you really think so highly of Ye Yuan?” He Chong asked the middle-aged man beside him.

For He Chong to address him as Brother Zuo, this man was naturally the elusive city lord of the Tianying Imperial City, Zuo Shujie.

Zuo Shujie smiled and said, “This child is no ordinary fish in a pond! A temporary setback counts for nothing; the one who laughs last is the true winner.”

He Chong said in surprise, “Judging by his appearance, his potential may already be exhausted, and breaking through to the Divine Lord realm will likely be very difficult. Such geniuses are not uncommon. In comparison, I still think it’s more reliable to get the Primordial Magnetic Divine Mountain in hand.”

Zuo Shujie looked at He Chong, shook his head, and laughed, “You! You need to take a longer view! Do you think the Primordial Magnetic Divine Mountain is the only treasure Ye Yuan carries?”

He Chong’s expression changed, and he said, “Exactly! That’s why I wasn’t sure and didn’t make a move.”

Zuo Shujie smiled and said, “Good thing you didn’t, or I would have had to personally stop you!”

He Chong asked in surprise, “Why is that?”

Zuo Shujie said, “Back when this child was still in the outer city, he caught my attention. With such terrifying talent in both alchemy and martial arts, the secrets Ye Yuan carries must be far more than just the Primordial Magnetic Divine Mountain! And unlike most young geniuses, he is composed, wise, and leaves nothing to chance, with the bearing of a great general. A man like that has an extremely resilient mind and possesses almost all the qualities needed to become a peerless powerhouse! With his character, how could he easily put himself in danger?”

The more He Chong listened, the more alarmed he became. “What do you mean?”

Although both were Heavenly God experts, when it came to scheming and wit, he was far inferior to Zuo Shujie.

Zuo Shujie said, “Back then, I issued a decree making him an elder of the Alchemy Tower. If he had refused, it would have meant he had no means of self-protection. He carries a huge secret; if a Heavenly God expert coveted it, wouldn’t that bring him deadly trouble? But he accepted—what does that signify?”

He Chong shuddered and said, “It means he has the means to protect himself and is not afraid of us!”

Zuo Shujie smiled and said, “At the very least… we can’t kill him! For someone like him, if you can’t kill him, the consequences are terrifying. That Qin Xiao of the Wumeng Royal City might be our future fate!”

He Chong suddenly understood and broke out in a cold sweat. “So that’s it! Brother Zuo, your foresight is truly deep! But if that’s the case, with all the rumors in the city, why didn’t you speak up to stop them or even retain Ye Yuan?”

Zuo Shujie said, “He is a genius, yes, but only an ungrown one. Keeping him here would only harm him. Besides, given his character, even if we wanted to keep him, we probably couldn’t. Now, the Divine Lord realm is clearly a huge hurdle before him. If he crosses it, the path ahead is smooth; if not, he will become just another ordinary person. Still, from my observations over the years, I have some confidence in him.”

…

Ye Yuan had no idea that Zuo Shujie thought so highly of him.

Traveling swiftly, he had already covered a million li.

In a dense forest, Ye Yuan suddenly stopped.

“This place is quite remote, perfect for murder and robbery. Why don’t you show yourselves? What are you waiting for?” Ye Yuan suddenly said.

He hadn’t activated the Violet Extreme Hall along the way precisely because, as soon as he left the city, he noticed several tails following him.

Sure enough, as soon as he spoke, four figures darted out from the forest and surrounded Ye Yuan.

“Heh, worthy of being an elder, I underestimated you!” the leader, a Divine Lord Triple Heaven expert, sneered.

Ye Yuan recognized the leader; his name was Hao Liang, a senior protector of the Martial Tower and a close friend of Lin Dong.

This assassination attempt was likely inseparable from Lin Dong.

“One Divine Lord Triple Heaven, three Divine Lord Double Heavens—you really think highly of me!” Ye Yuan said with a faint smile.

Hao Liang, looking as if he had Ye Yuan in the bag, laughed and said, “Who doesn’t know that Elder Ye, though at the Guixu realm, has the strength to kill a Divine Lord First Heaven? No amount of caution is too much when dealing with you! But with this lineup, it should be enough to kill you.”

Ye Yuan, however, smiled and said, “Isn’t there one more? Why not let him come out?”

At these words, Hao Liang and the other three couldn’t help but change expression.