Chapter 255: Face Is Earned, Not Given

Shrouded in black mist, Ye Chen cast a cold glance at Wang Lun before soaring back into the sky.

He hadn’t killed Wang Lun, partly because he wasn’t a demonic cultivator who’d slaughter someone over a few snide remarks. But the main reason was practical: if Wang Lun died, it could disrupt things in the Great Chu Empire, potentially derailing the entire contest. That would ruin his plans.

So, he’d only given him a light beating—just enough to keep Wang Lun quiet and out of his way for the next six months or so.

Glancing around, Ye Chen noticed two streaks of light approaching from the edges of Divine Will City. One carried a dense aura, likely a late Golden Core cultivator.

“Madman, you dare cause trouble in Divine Will City?!” a furious roar echoed. The city’s array flared with blinding white light, illuminating the night like day. The entire city was sealed—nobody could enter or leave. Even a Nascent Soul cultivator would struggle to escape quickly.

Below, Wang Lun, who had briefly regained consciousness despite his mangled head, glared with venomous resentment. No matter what, he’d make sure this attacker died. But in the next moment, his eyes widened in shock.

The black-winged figure flying toward the array’s canopy suddenly radiated brilliant golden light from its wings. Its already terrifying speed surged even further.

The figure shot straight into the array’s barrier and, like breaking through the surface of water, passed through without the slightest resistance. Within a few breaths, it vanished into the Divine Will Mountain Range, leaving no trace.

Wang Lun fell silent.

The two Divine Will Sect elders who had rushed over were equally dumbfounded, clutching the array’s control disc. They could sense no disturbance in the array. So, how had the attacker escaped? Even a Nascent Soul ancestor would need to break the array to get out. And if it was a powerhouse beyond Nascent Soul… why would he even bother running? The elders would be the ones fleeing.

What was going on?

The news quickly reached the Divine Will Sect, stirring the entire sect into action. The Array Peak Master hurried to the scene, and dozens of Golden Core elders were mobilized to search for the culprit.

Divine Will City was the sect’s cash cow, generating immense wealth from rent alone. They couldn’t afford for anything to go wrong.

…

The next day, Ye Chen returned to the Divine Will Sect alongside several Quiet Wonder Peak elders. The elders chatted among themselves.

“I bet that guy had some secret technique to bypass arrays.”

“The sect issued a statement saying the array had a glitch, but it’s been fixed. They’re just calming the city down.”

“Honestly, our search yesterday wasn’t really about finding anyone. It was just to show the public we’re taking it seriously.”

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“That so-called top prodigy of the Great Chu Empire was pathetic. I heard he got taken down with one punch and one kick—his head was practically twisted.”

“The Great Chu Empire’s nothing special. Their princess still needs our Divine Will Sect’s protection, doesn’t she?”

As they bantered, one elder turned to Ye Chen. “Elder Ye, you’re just a guest elder, yet you went out to help with the search. That’s dedication. How about visiting my cave abode later?”

Ye Chen, who had blended into the group, smiled and shook his head. “Another time, for sure.”

Back at the Divine Will Sect, Ye Chen felt refreshed. Beating up someone who annoyed him was as satisfying as expected.

He’d already finalized the design for the spiritual artifact for An Miaoli. With her seclusion nearing its end, he could refine it and present it as a gift, while conveniently asking her to “purge” his lingering Nether Toxin.

As for whether his actions last night would be exposed? Impossible. Shrouded in black mist, he’d altered his aura and passed through the array without engaging any Divine Will Sect elders. No one could trace it back to him.