Butterfly Effect

Chapter 14: Butterfly Effect

"Little Huo really is down on his luck, but it won't be long before he turns things around."

Tang Ya and Bei Bei had already gone up to talk to Huo Yuhao, while Ye Chen lingered behind, lost in thought.

It had been eleven years since he came to this world, and he had gradually adapted to life here.

Although he possessed the memories of his past life and a general understanding of this world's plot, he was still filled with questions about everything concerning himself.

That leaf had brought him into this world and granted him unmatched talent, yet it had told him nothing.

The cheat ability he had always expected never appeared. Everything, including his two martial souls and his mysterious Twin Pupils, had to be explored by himself.

Unlike Huo Yuhao, who had both Sky Dream Ice Silkworm and Electrolux as cheats, with someone there to answer any question he had.

At that thought, a rare trace of envy rose in Ye Chen's heart.

"Big brother, please have one too." A slightly childish voice broke Ye Chen from his thoughts.

Huo Yuhao looked at Ye Chen curiously and held out the grilled fish in his hand.

His eyes are so strange. Could they be a martial soul similar to my Spirit Eyes? Huo Yuhao thought.

Ye Chen's Twin Pupils were simply too eye-catching. Combined with his rare hair color, they made Huo Yuhao feel especially curious.

Ye Chen froze briefly before accepting the golden grilled fish with a smile. "Thank you."

He would not be like Bei Bei, putting on a dignified act and refusing again and again, only to accept the grilled fish in the end anyway.

With that thought, Ye Chen shot Bei Bei a disdainful glance. It left Bei Bei baffled, wondering how he had offended this little ancestor again.

"Little brother Huo Yuhao, you'll be at a loss if you call him big brother. This guy might not even be older than you!"

Tang Ya lay lazily on the grass and directly exposed Ye Chen's secret.

Apparently, while Ye Chen had been lost in thought, the three of them had already introduced themselves to one another.

"Hello, Huo Yuhao. My name is Ye Chen. You can call me Brother Chen from now on. I've got your back!"

Seeing that the situation was turning against him, Ye Chen draped an arm over Huo Yuhao's shoulder and casually began acting like sworn brothers with him.

At the same time, his gaze shifted between Bei Bei and Tang Ya with a hint of threat.

Huo Yuhao stared straight at Ye Chen with his large eyes. No matter how he looked at him, Ye Chen did not seem younger than himself.

"Hello, Brother Chen."

Though he was somewhat confused, he still called him that after hesitating.

He could sense that none of the three were bad people. Moreover, the boy with Twin Pupils gave off a warm aura that made him feel especially comfortable.

Tang Ya and Bei Bei watched Ye Chen, who had already started calling Huo Yuhao his brother, with speechless expressions but said nothing.

The more one spoke, the more likely one was to slip up. Bei Bei feared that if he continued, Ye Chen might suddenly call him "big nephew," and that would be utterly humiliating.

And with Huo Yuhao as Ye Chen's newly acknowledged little brother, wouldn't that mean he had gained another little uncle?!

Come to think of it, Ye Chen might not actually be older than Huo Yuhao. Perhaps due to his martial souls and cultivation, his body had developed relatively quickly.

That was why he looked one or two years older than Huo Yuhao.

Ye Chen only knew that Huo Yuhao was also eleven years old. He was not entirely sure of his exact age, which was why he felt a little guilty.

Shaking his head and forcibly suppressing the chaotic thoughts in his heart, he took a bite of the grilled fish in his hand.

In an instant, Ye Chen's gemlike eyes lit up.

"My God, this is way too delicious!"

The Little Huo-brand grilled fish Ye Chen had been yearning for truly lived up to its reputation.

Not long afterward, Huo Yuhao left first.

Bei Bei and Tang Ya wanted to recruit him into the Tang Sect, so they planned to follow him and protect him along the way.

"Why haven't we run into Huo Yuhao yet? It's almost evening already."

Ye Chen trailed about two paces behind Bei Bei and Tang Ya. He looked up at the sunset on the horizon, a trace of confusion appearing on his face.

According to Ye Chen's memories, they should have encountered Huo Yuhao soon.

The three of them had walked for two or three hours and had even entered the outskirts of the Star Dou Forest long ago, yet they had not seen even a shadow of Huo Yuhao.

Ye Chen was not the only one confused.

"Strange. Where did little brother Huo go? At our speed, we should have caught up to him long ago, shouldn't we?" Bei Bei said curiously, his tone as gentle as that of his great-grandfather, Mu En.

"Don't tell me he was eaten by a soul beast. Little brother Yuhao is so weak. If he ran into a hundred-year or even thousand-year soul beast, he wouldn't even be enough to fill its teeth!" Tang Ya's tone was anxious, and worry filled her clear autumn-water eyes.

"Don't jinx it. Little brother Huo is such a kind person, so his luck can't be too bad. Besides, we haven't found any traces of fighting along the way. Even if he was instantly killed, there would still be some clues left behind."

Although Bei Bei was comforting Tang Ya, he was worried as well, no longer maintaining his previous elegant demeanor.

To be honest, he had no idea either.

"Xiao Ya, watch out!" Bei Bei had been about to say something, but his expression suddenly changed. His right hand shot up, making a grasping motion toward Tang Ya. There seemed to be a pulling force in his palm that dragged Tang Ya through the air toward him.

What is going on? We actually encountered the Mandala Snake ahead of time! Ye Chen's heart leaped into his throat.

He could no longer make sense of the current situation.

Could it be that because of his appearance, this little butterfly had already flapped its wings?

As poisonous mist carrying a sweet fragrance swept over them, a pitch-black figure landed on the ground. Ye Chen recognized the soul beast in an instant.

Just as he had expected, that pitch-black figure was the thousand-year soul beast, the Mandala Snake.

Though Bei Bei did not yet know what kind of soul beast it was, he still activated his three-soul-ring Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon martial soul and charged forward at once.

Faced with this sudden development, Ye Chen temporarily suppressed the doubts in his heart. An ultimate radiance spread from his body, slowly gathering into a strange little tree that emitted a sacred aura.

This was Ye Chen's Fusang Divine Tree martial soul!

Compared with five years ago, the Fusang Divine Tree martial soul had evolved once more after obtaining its second soul ring.

It had grown to nearly Ye Chen's height, and its branches and leaves were even more luxuriant than before. In addition to its two main trunks, several smaller branches had grown out.

The greatest change was that a Three-legged Golden Crow stood atop each of the two trunks!

One had brilliant red feathers, while the other's feathers were a deep blue-black. Anyone who saw it seemed able to feel a chilling dread, as if they had fallen into hell.

A bright purple soul ring likewise encircled its body.

Unlike other soul masters, when Ye Chen summoned the Fusang Divine Tree martial soul, his soul rings floated above the martial soul.

First and second soul rings, thousand-year!

At that moment, Bei Bei and Tang Ya were fully focused on the black figure ahead and did not notice this.

Just then, after the purple soul ring flashed, the bright-red Three-legged Golden Crow flew up from the Fusang Divine Tree. The light around its body blazed, as though it had transformed into a miniature sun.

That intense radiance illuminated the surrounding area like daylight for a short time, making everything clearly visible.

I posted three chapters this afternoon, and I'll post another two tonight. I'm already doing my utmost to write, but my typing speed is too slow. I need more practice!