Chapter 1669: The Old Drunkard

"Regardless, I owe you one! Take this sword. If you ever need anything, you can come find me in Qianling Imperial Capital."

Leng Qiuling handed Ye Yuan a small, exquisite jade sword.

The jade sword was crystal clear, and holding it gave a cool, penetrating sensation—clearly no ordinary item.

Ye Yuan did not refuse. He said calmly, "Alright, I'll take it. That sticky pest is gone now. Fairy Leng, you should head back and rest early."

Ye Yuan had no intention of seeking out Leng Qiuling, but he accepted the gift to put her at ease.

Ning Tianping beside him was astonished. He never expected such an icy beauty, a favored daughter of heaven, to willingly give Ye Yuan something.

Even more shocking was that Ye Yuan was actually driving away such a delicate beauty!

Leng Qiuling was clearly surprised too. In five hundred years, this was the first time she had met someone like this.

Others, even knowing there was no hope, would still want to spend more time with her.

But this man before her was actually trying to send her away!

"Mm, thank you."

Given Leng Qiuling's nature, she naturally wouldn't say she wanted to stay. She took her leave directly.

But in her heart, she felt a little uncomfortable.

Halfway out, she turned back and said to Ye Yuan, "Oh, and I advise you not to go to Tongshen Mountain. Throughout history, no Return to Void realm martial artist has ever come down alive!"

She paused, then added, "Not even the most talented!"

Ye Yuan smiled and said, "Thank you for the reminder, Fairy. I'll be careful."

Seeing Ye Yuan's attitude, Leng Qiuling knew he hadn't taken her words to heart. She felt a bit annoyed and turned to leave.

Watching Leng Qiuling go, Ning Tianping said with a sigh, "Tsk tsk, the master is truly the master, unmoved even by such a beauty."

Ye Yuan scolded with a laugh, "My own love life is a tangled mess; how could I have the heart to be moved by other women?"

Ning Tianping's gossip instinct flared up. He pressed, "Oh? The master has romantic interests, and more than one! You've never mentioned it!"

Ye Yuan said irritably, "Don't pry into things you shouldn't!"

The two watched Leng Qiuling leave, then headed to a great hall in the center of the small town.

Entering the hall, it was very empty. Only one person sat lazily on a couch, drinking wine from a flask.

"Hey, another Return to Void realm fool coming to die! Kid, I advise you, Tongshen Mountain is no fun. Go back where you came from!" the man said without turning around.

The drunkard seemed inebriated, but Ye Yuan couldn't see through his depth.

"Thank you for the advice, senior, but I must go to Tongshen Mountain!" Ye Yuan said firmly.

"Heh, a reckless brat! But... you're too late! The tokens for this year were all given out just before you arrived. If you want to enter Tongshen Mountain, wait another year," the drunkard chuckled.

Ye Yuan was speechless. Was his luck really that bad?

Had he just missed the last chance?

Ye Yuan refused to give up. He cupped his hands and said, "Senior, could you make an exception?"

Before he finished speaking, two figures appeared out of nowhere and blocked his path.

The fierce killing intent made Ye Yuan frown slightly.

"Haha, kid, do you think this place is some kind of inn? Get out, get out! If you don't leave, I won't be polite," the drunkard said, waving his hand while drinking.

Ye Yuan sighed and was about to leave when his expression suddenly changed.

"Heh, millions of years gone by, and you old drunkard have quite the airs!"

Suddenly, a figure appeared in the hall.

To Ye Yuan's surprise, Wuchen had revealed himself.

The drunkard's expression changed. He set down his flask and stared intently at Wuchen.

"You two, leave. Don't come in without my orders!" the drunkard said in a deep voice.

"Yes!" The two armored men acknowledged and vanished instantly.

Ye Yuan also said, "Tianping, go out for a walk."

Ning Tianping was shocked inside, but he acknowledged and left the hall.

With the place cleared, the drunkard suddenly stood up, looking at Wuchen in disbelief. "You... you are truly Lord Wuchen!"

Wuchen smiled. "If not me, then who?"

"Hahaha..." The drunkard burst into laughter, tears streaming down his aged face. "Heaven has eyes! Lord Wuchen, you are still alive!"

The old drunkard laughed and cried, appearing quite mad.

Seeing this, Ye Yuan was inwardly shocked.

He hadn't expected the old drunkard to be an old acquaintance of Wuchen.

Wuchen looked at the old drunkard, also filled with melancholy, clearly stirred by memories.

After a bout of madness, the old drunkard quickly said, "Lord Wuchen, please sit!"

Wuchen was merely an illusory figure, but the old drunkard treated him with great respect.

Wuchen didn't stand on ceremony and sat down on the couch.

Wuchen looked at the old drunkard and smiled. "It seems you've been doing well all these years!"

The old drunkard smiled bitterly. "Lord Wuchen, you misunderstand. I hate myself for being useless, so I drown my sorrows in drink every day! For millions of years, I've trained hard, wanting to avenge Lord Xianlin, but... I can't even break through to the Heavenly Sovereign realm! Over the years, I've also tried to find Lord Xianlin's small world, but he hid it too well; I simply can't find it!"

Wuchen sighed. "You have a good heart! But you don't need to search anymore, because... Xianlin already has a successor."

The old drunkard trembled all over and looked at Ye Yuan in surprise.

Over the years, the old drunkard had guarded the Southern Foothill Town and seen countless geniuses.

Compared to them, Ye Yuan fell far short.

"Him? Lord Wuchen, forgive my bluntness, but this kid looks quite ordinary! He came to Tongshen Mountain because he couldn't break through to the Divine Lord realm, right? If he can't even break through to the Divine Lord realm, how can he avenge Lord Xianlin?" the old drunkard said skeptically.

Wuchen smiled. "The Realm Boundary Stele and the Soul-Calming Pearl have both acknowledged him as master; there's no mistake. As for his inability to break through to the Divine Lord realm, I can't go into the reasons, but it's definitely not due to lack of talent. You just need to know that his future achievements will far surpass Xianlin's!"

The old drunkard was astonished. Ye Yuan looked unremarkable, with nothing special about him.

Yet Wuchen's evaluation of him was so high.

The old drunkard knew Lord Xianlin's talent too well. How could this kid, who couldn't even break through to the Divine Lord realm, compare?

The old drunkard nodded. "Since Lord Wuchen has chosen him, I, the old drunkard, naturally have no objections. But Lord Wuchen, you know that Return to Void realm martial artists who go to Tongshen Mountain never return—this is no joke!"

Wuchen laughed. "You old drunkard, do you think I would send him to his death? Rest assured, he'll be fine!"

The old drunkard looked at Ye Yuan curiously, trying to see something different about him.

But no matter how he looked, he couldn't see anything.