"The Ye Lineage retreated defeat after defeat. At the critical moment, the Heavenly Emperor's divine soul awakened and unleashed a heaven-destroying, earth-shattering sword strike. Beneath that single strike, several supreme experts of the foreign races retreated with grievous injuries, and hundreds of millions of their experts were reduced to dust.
"But there were simply too many enemies, especially the scum of the human race, who were utterly ruthless.
"The Ye Lineage could not withstand them, and its experts fell in battle one after another!"
Tears streamed down Ye Xuan's face. Although he had never experienced any of it, at that moment, he felt as though he stood in that world-shaking battle.
"In the end, only the Saint ancestor of my branch escaped with some younger members of the Ye Lineage, gravely wounded. Before long, he himself died with his eyes still open, filled with profound unwillingness and endless hatred."
"After that battle, the situation on the Heavenly Profound Continent changed so drastically that heaven and earth seemed overturned. Countless factions secretly suppressed or even wiped out the Ye Lineage's experts."
"Afterward, the Ye Lineage concealed its name and identity, living a life of hiding here and fleeing there."
"In the end, my grandfather brought us here to hide, barely clinging to life!"
Ye Xuan wept bitterly.
"As far as I know, didn't the Ye Lineage have several Great Emperor experts?"
Ye Chen's expression was rather grim.
He had never imagined the Ye Lineage had endured so much.
"They say one went missing. Of the others, some died in battle and some were imprisoned. We still don't know how things stand now!"
"Understood. You may leave!"
Ye Chen said mildly, "Oh, and summon the clansmen back!"
At those words, a trace of embarrassment appeared on Ye Xuan's face, though he felt far more exhilarated.
The ancestor truly was formidable. He saw through my little maneuver at a glance.
This gave him confidence in the Ye Lineage's future.
"Yes!"
He replied respectfully. Just as he was about to withdraw, something else occurred to him, and he asked with utmost deference,
"Ancestor, may I let everyone know of your existence?"
The Ye Lineage had swallowed its anger for far too long. If the clansmen knew an ancestor of theirs still lived, it would undoubtedly raise the entire lineage's morale enormously.
"You may!"
"Yes!"
Ye Xuan withdrew with his back bent.
Inside the secret chamber, Ye Chen remained deep in thought.
It seems there are many secrets surrounding the Ye Lineage's affairs!
He had learned from the divine sense of that ugly woman from the Huayun Sect that all the Ye Lineage's Great Emperor experts had died in battle, yet Ye Xuan's account differed.
Too much time had passed. Neither of them could be very clear about what had happened back then.
Besides, with such a major disaster befalling the Ye Lineage in the lower realm, the ancestor should have been able to resolve it simply by sending any Ye Lineage immortal down.
Yet he had sent none.
Still, it was certain that the Ye Lineage was currently being secretly targeted and suppressed.
"Hmph!"
Ye Chen snorted coldly. "I hope you can hide yourselves well!"
He would definitely get to the bottom of the Ye Lineage's affairs.
A day had already passed since his descent to the lower realm, and he had yet to check in today.
He wondered what reward he could get.
System, check in!
Ye Chen recited silently.
Ding! Congratulations, host, on successfully checking in at the Heavenly Profound Ye Lineage. Reward: one billion low-grade spirit stones!
Ye Chen: ...
That's it? That's it???
He had more immortal crystals than that in his storage ring.
Still, he really did not have any low-grade spirit stones. Even the lowest grade he had was top-grade, so these low-grade spirit stones would come in handy now.
Better than nothing!
In the Ye Lineage's main hall, Ye Xuan had summoned all the clansmen back to the estate.
Ye Yan entered the hall. Seeing Ye Xuan, he hurriedly asked, "Father, what did you and Big Brother Ye Chen discuss in the secret chamber just now?"
Ye Xuan rolled his eyes.
Big Brother?
Even I have to call him Ancestor, yet you call him Big Brother. Wouldn't that make you my ancestor?
"You little brat, that's our ancestor!"
"A-Ancestor?"
Ye Yan stared at Ye Xuan in shock, unable to believe what he had heard.
Back in the hall, when Ye Chen had said, "I'm your ancestor," he had thought Ye Chen was joking.
He had never expected his own father to acknowledge it.
"Father, you're not joking, are you?"
"What joke? Does your father look like someone who jokes?"
Ye Xuan said solemnly, "He is our Ye Lineage's long-lost ancestor. You must not be disrespectful to him from now on!"
He certainly could not reveal Ye Chen's true identity. It concerned the Ye Lineage's greatest secret.
Ye Yan was completely dumbfounded and stood frozen in place.
Ye Chen did not look much older than him, yet he was actually someone from his ancestors' generation.
Still, he had read in ancient records that some experts whose cultivation reached through heaven and earth could remain youthful in appearance even with a bone age of over a thousand years.
Perhaps his Big Brother Ye Chen-oh, no, Ancestor Ye Chen-was just such an old monster who had cultivated for over a thousand years!
In the hall, the Ye Lineage's members, old and young alike, had all gathered.
Ye Xuan glanced at everyone seated below him, unable to conceal the excitement in his eyes.
"I gathered everyone here today to announce something of utmost importance!"
At those words, everyone's hearts rose into their throats.
They had all witnessed Ye Chen kill Wang Shuiyan and the Breeze Sect elder in public earlier.
Afterward, several clan elders had led them away from the Ye estate.
Clearly, they had feared retaliation from the Breeze Sect and decided it was best to leave first.
Now they had been summoned back.
Could it be that we can't escape and are preparing to fight to the death?
"Our Ye Lineage's ancestor has returned!"
Ye Xuan announced loudly, his face filled with excitement.
Ancestor?
Returned?
Everyone looked at one another.
To them, ancestors were powerful beings found only in factions that towered high in the clouds, like the Breeze Sect.
Although they had heard that the Ye Lineage's forebears had included experts, in their eyes, those experts had been at the Xiantian Realm at most.
No higher than that.
Thus, they had never associated the word "ancestor" with the Ye Lineage.
Ye Xuan's announcement today was like a depth charge, stirring towering waves in their hearts.
"We have an ancestor too?"
"Where is the ancestor?"
"To think our Ye Lineage has an ancestor still living!"
"Heaven blesses our Ye Lineage!"
"..."
Everyone was beside themselves with excitement.
Just then, Ye Chen's figure slowly materialized in the hall.
He had just been cultivating the Chaos Dao Scripture in the secret chamber, but nothing happening in the hall could escape his divine sense.
Since Ye Xuan had told the Ye Lineage's members about his existence, he certainly needed to make an appearance.
The moment Ye Xuan saw Ye Chen, he immediately bowed. "Your descendant Ye Xuan pays his respects, Ancestor!"
At those words, everyone was stunned.
They had all heard what Ye Chen had said in the hall earlier.
At the time, they had thought that although Ye Chen possessed some strength, he was far too arrogant.
But judging by the situation now, wasn't he the ancestor their patriarch had mentioned?
But doesn't Ye Chen look far too young?
In their minds, shouldn't an ancestor be someone with one foot in the grave?
Still, since even the patriarch acknowledged him, they naturally would not defy him.
Besides, given that Ye Chen had slapped a Breeze Sect elder to death and could appear out of thin air in the hall, he had to be at least at the Xiantian Realm, or perhaps even a distinguished Origin Core Realm expert.
At that thought, everyone became tremendously excited.
"Your unworthy descendants pay their respects, Ancestor!"
They all bowed in greeting.
As Ye Yan looked at Ye Chen now, a trace of embarrassment involuntarily flashed in his eyes.
Still, seeing even his father bow respectfully, he naturally dared not be disrespectful.
"Your unworthy descendant pays his respects, Ancestor!"
He bowed along with everyone else.
"Mm, dispense with the formalities!"
Ye Chen said with a smile, then glanced at Ye Yan. "Ye Yan, come with me!"
Ye Yan's heart clenched.
It's over. I'm barbecued.
I called the ancestor Big Brother all the way here. He isn't going to give me a few whacks, is he?
Ye Chen waved his hand, and the two arrived in the secret chamber.
Ye Chen looked at Ye Yan with a smile. "Ye Yan, let me ask you, where nearby can I buy cultivation resources?"
Resources were indispensable if he wanted to improve the Ye Lineage's strength.
Although his storage ring contained countless resources of every kind, their quality was too high. Most were immortal-grade, and even the lowest were saint-grade. The Ye Lineage's members could not use them at all right now.
Thus, he planned to buy a tiny amount of resources.
Besides, so many spirit stones took up far too much space in his storage ring. He needed to clear them out quickly.
Meanwhile, Ye Yan was still mourning his own fate, not even realizing he had arrived in the secret chamber.
Ye Chen's words jolted him awake.
Only then did he discover that he had actually arrived in his father's secret chamber.
!!!
He was frightened.
How strong is the ancestor?
He brought someone to another place out of thin air-and into a secret chamber protected by formations and restrictions, at that.
What kind of strength would it take to do that?
As far as he knew, no one could possibly accomplish such a thing. Even the Breeze Sect's ancestor probably could not.
Terrifying!
Far too terrifying!
He trembled all over, unsure whether it was from excitement or fear.
Seeing him standing there dumbly, Ye Chen could not help laughing and repeated himself.
"Ah!"
Only then did Ye Yan react. He hurriedly answered, "Feng City, not far from Clearwater Town, has plenty of cultivation resources for sale!"
"Come with me!"