Around him, a vast surge of spiritual power swept across the entire scene.
Powerful laws of the Heavenly Dao intertwined and evolved around him, as though chaos were splitting open and the universe being born.
Within his deep, brilliant eyes were dazzling stars and the birth and death of the cosmos.
On closer inspection, faint Dao traces flowed through the air with his every movement, profound and obscure.
At that moment, in everyone's eyes, Ye Chen was the incarnation of the Heavenly Dao, his entire being brimming with Dao intent.
Facing this figure who was almost the Dao itself, High Person Xueqing and Chen Xue could not stop trembling.
To them, the Dao was heaven, an existence they could never reach in all their lives, or even glimpse.
That was a domain reserved for those above Saints.
Only Saints were qualified to come into contact with the Dao.
Yet today, they had witnessed an existence like the Heavenly Dao with their own eyes.
An existence like this demanded that they spend their lives looking up to him and prostrating themselves before him.
Before such an existence, they were ants, the lowliest of beings.
They were like grains of sand beside the blazing sun, tiny and base.
At the sight of such an existence, their hearts overflowed uncontrollably with agitation, excitement, curiosity, fear, and the urge to fall down in worship. They could not muster any impulse to resist.
"Ancestor!"
Sharp-eyed, Ye Yan recognized Ye Chen at a glance.
He stopped attacking and shouted excitedly.
Hearing him, the others looked toward the figure in the sky whose presence overshadowed all the heavens, then shouted in excitement.
"Ancestor!"
"Ancestor, you've finally returned!"
"Heaven has blessed our Ye Lineage! Our ancestor has returned!"
"With our ancestor here, let's see if those two bitches still dare act so wildly!"
"Our ancestor has returned! The Ye Lineage is saved!"
"..."
No one was unafraid of death, not even those who had put life and death out of their minds.
Ye Chen's return let them see hope of survival.
In their eyes, Ye Chen was the Ye Lineage's savior and guardian deity.
Even Ye Xuan's eyes grew a little moist.
The older generation of the Ye Lineage were so moved that tears fell.
Ye Chen had first killed the Breeze Sect elder and preserved the Ye Lineage, then given them countless resources and spirit stones, allowing them to break through their bottlenecks and advance further.
It could be said that, in their hearts, Ye Chen had long since become their pillar of strength, the soul of the Ye Lineage.
Only with Ye Chen did they have the confidence to face everything.
When High Person Xueqing heard the Ye Lineage members call Ye Chen their ancestor, her cool eyes filled with shock, disbelief, and utter panic.
"H-how could this be?"
"How could this figure, almost the Dao itself, be the Ye Lineage's ancestor?"
"Impossible, impossible!"
"If the Ye Lineage had such a powerful ancestor, how could they stay in a place like this?"
"Impossible, absolutely impossible!"
"Don't think you can fool me!"
She stood there in a daze, shaking her head incessantly as though she had gone mad.
She could not believe, and was unwilling to believe, that the existence who seemed so far beyond her reach was the Ye Lineage's ancestor.
It was like seeing a beggar, despising and mocking him wildly, even feeling that a single word from you could decide his life or death, only to suddenly discover that he was the son of the richest man in the world!
How utterly absurd that was!
She could not understand it!
She only felt that she was the one who was utterly laughable and foolish beyond measure.
She was the lowest and most worthless ant.
Unable to accept this reality, she was overcome by rage. Her Dao heart shattered, her dantian and meridians were utterly destroyed, and she became a complete cripple.
She plummeted from high in the sky and slammed into the ground, blood covering the corners of her mouth, her eyes blank and lifeless.
Her lips were still murmuring, "Impossible."
Clearly, she had gone mad.
Chen Xue was hardly any better off.
Her face was deathly pale, her expression filled with extreme panic. She could not believe that everything before her was real.
She had thought she was the one who stood high above, controlling the lives and deaths of others.
She had never expected that she herself was the ant.
The feeling of falling from the clouds brought her to the verge of collapse.
She cried out, "You can't kill me! My master is the sect master of the Falling Snow Sect!"
"That's right, you can't kill me, you can't kill me! My master will come looking for you!"
The situation had been reversed the instant Ye Chen arrived.
The townspeople watching were also stunned, standing there dumbstruck.
They swallowed unconsciously, yet their throats remained unbearably dry. Their eyes were wide open, as though they had seen something they simply could not believe.
"I-is this an immortal from the legends?"
"H-he should be!"
"So powerful. Truly terrifying beyond belief!"
"The Ye Lineage is saved!"
"Who would have thought the Ye Lineage had such a terrifying ancestor!"
"He's too powerful. I feel like one look from him would finish me!"
"Stop flattering yourself. Think about whether you're even worthy of a glance from him!"
Ye Chen glanced coldly at High Person Xueqing and Chen Xue and said, "Those who insult the Ye Lineage die!"
His voice was like heavenly thunder, shaking the universe, like the might of heaven itself, making people want to kneel in worship.
Before his words had faded, Ye Chen threw a punch. Both women perished, reduced to fine dust.
Today, he had released a few wisps of imperial might precisely to let everyone know that the Ye Lineage still had a powerful ancestor. They were not something any random cat or dog could trample on.
Withdrawing the pressure emanating from him, he came before Ye Yan and said with a smile, "Very good!"
Everything that had just happened had been within the perception of his divine sense.
Hearing his ancestor praise him, Ye Yan was beside himself with excitement.
The others also stood straight, one after another, looking at Ye Chen with burning eyes as they waited for him to praise them.
Looking at the impassioned crowd, Ye Chen smiled and said, "You all did very well!"
At those words, many flushed red with excitement.
"All right, since you've already taken action, why not see it through to the end!"
Ye Chen continued with a smile.
"See it through to the end?"
"What does our ancestor want us to do?"
"Why ask so many questions? Whatever our ancestor tells me to do, I'll do it!"
"That's right! Whatever our ancestor says goes!"
"Let's just fucking do it!"
"..."
Seeing how eager everyone was, Ye Chen said nothing more and led Ye Yan and the Ye Lineage's senior members back to the council hall.
"Ancestor, what did you mean by seeing it through to the end?"
Once they reached the hall, Ye Yan was the first to ask, unable to hold back.
Seeing Ye Yan being somewhat disrespectful, Ye Xuan glared fiercely at him.
However, he too was curious about why their ancestor had summoned them to the Lineage hall separately.
The other elders also gathered closer, undisguised anticipation in their eyes.
It was simply that Ye Chen gave them far too much every time. They could not help looking forward to it.
Ye Chen swept his gaze over everyone and smiled. "I see that everyone's fighting spirit has been thoroughly ignited today!"
"That's very good!"
"Originally, I planned to let you deal with the Breeze Sect yourselves after your cultivation improved."
"But now, first, the Breeze Sect is courting death. Second, the Ye Lineage urgently needs a battle to intimidate the surrounding powers!"
"So,"
Ye Chen paused, his sharp gaze turning toward the Breeze Sect. "Today, the entire Ye Lineage will mobilize and wipe out the Breeze Sect!"