Chapter 288: I’ll Make You Unable to Reach Me!

Li Feihuang’s mind went blank.

Young Master Ye? She, the Empress of Great Chu, was supposed to address Ye Chen as Young Master Ye?

Her thoughts screeched to a halt as she carefully observed her clan’s Ancestor. Only then did she notice that while Ye Chen appeared unscathed, the Ancestor… well, something was off. His spiritual robe, though outwardly intact, was clearly damaged. Not a trace of spiritual qi lingered in its fabric. And there was something else—a faint aura on the Ancestor, the telltale residue of the Moon Phoenix Body’s healing source being activated.

So… the Ancestor had taken a beating? Her Ancestor, a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, had been beaten by Ye Chen and was now calling him Young Master?

The realization hit Li Feihuang like a tidal wave, her heart churning with disbelief as she stared at Ye Chen. How could this be possible?

Sure, Ye Chen defeating the Champion King might suggest he had the combat strength of a Nascent Soul cultivator. But to overpower a mid-stage Nascent Soul Ancestor? That was beyond comprehension.

What in the heavens was going on?

Still reeling from shock, Li Feihuang barely registered the Ancestor’s next words. “My dear son-in-law,” he said, “if you insist on returning to the Divine Will Sect, why not take Feihuang with you? She could serve as your attendant, looking after your needs. Besides, Feihuang has told me how much she misses her time at the Divine Will Sect.”

Li Feihuang’s eyes widened in outrage.

When did I ever say that?

She, the direct descendant of the Li Clan, the Empress of Great Chu, bearer of the Moon Phoenix Body and master of the True Phoenix Treasure Technique—someone who could walk into any Holy Land and claim a spot as a direct disciple—serving as someone’s attendant?

Her pupils burned with fury. Even if it was the Ancestor speaking, she would never agree to such a thing. And Ye Chen? Oh, he’d probably jump at the chance. But if he thought she’d willingly submit, he was dreaming. If Ye Chen dared to use his strength to force her, she’d rather die than yield.

Yet, as Li Feihuang glared at Ye Chen, bracing herself for his inevitable enthusiasm, he merely glanced at her with calm indifference. “No thanks,” he said flatly. “I’m heading to the Wang Clan.”

His rejection was so casual, so decisive, it left no room for argument. From what had just transpired, Ye Chen could tell Li Feihuang wasn’t a bad person. She had her principles, a moral baseline. But her judgment? Questionable at best.

Back when he was a child in his past life, his mother had warned him to steer clear of people with poor sense. Why would he want an attendant who’d only cause him headaches?

With that, Ye Chen boarded his war chariot without a second glance.

The Ancestor sighed, a tinge of regret in his expression. To think that Ye Chen, still at the Golden Core stage, could so effortlessly defeat a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator—his future was boundless.

He had already submitted to Ye Chen, so why not go all in? If Li Feihuang could stay by Ye Chen’s side, she might one day whisper in his ear on behalf of the Li Clan, securing their future when Ye Chen rose to greater heights. But Ye Chen didn’t even want her as an attendant. What a pity.

With a resigned sigh, the Ancestor led the way toward the Wang Clan, leaving Li Feihuang standing alone. Her delicate hands trembled, her eyes blazing with humiliation.

To be offered up by her own Ancestor as Ye Chen’s attendant was already the height of disgrace. She’d assumed Ye Chen’s earlier refusal to form a Dao partnership with her was due to his impossibly high standards. Surely, he’d leap at the chance to have her as an attendant now. She’d been ready to fight back, to resist with every fiber of her being.

And yet… Ye Chen hadn’t even spared her a second look. He’d rejected her outright, without hesitation. She, the Empress of Great Chu, might not match his combat prowess, but to be deemed unworthy even as his attendant? She didn’t want to serve him, but how dare he not want her?

Li Feihuang was certain of it—Ye Chen’s rejection was rooted in spite, a petty retaliation for her earlier demands. Those harsh conditions weren’t her idea; the Ancestor had forced her hand. What was she supposed to do? Besides, the moment she heard Ye Chen had been captured, she’d rushed to his rescue.

What more did he want?

Her teeth clenched so hard that her rosy lips turned pale. Her eyes burned as they followed Ye Chen’s departing figure, but her feet remained rooted to the ground. She swore to herself: one day, she would make him regret this.

Today, you brush me off like I’m nothing. Tomorrow, I’ll make sure you can’t even dream of reaching me!

…

The Wang Clan.

“Two Nascent Soul cultivators ambushed him. Ye Chen must be dead by now,” the Wang Clan Patriarch mused, his mood buoyant. Feeling inspired, he turned his attention to guiding his third brother’s wife in her cultivation to see if they could produce another prodigy like Wang Ming.

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As he immersed himself in the training, his thoughts drifted to his eldest son, Wang Lun. Where had that boy run off to? Why hadn’t he returned?

His musings were cut short by a terrifying pressure descending upon the Wang Clan. The Patriarch’s arms, propped up moments ago, collapsed under the weight of it.

This was the aura of a Nascent Soul powerhouse.

His expression shifted, but he didn’t panic. This was Great Chu, after all, where the Great Chu Ancestor held sway. Even a Nascent Soul cultivator wouldn’t dare cause trouble here. But when the Patriarch rushed outside and looked to the sky, his face paled.

Above the Wang Clan, a golden war chariot gleamed like a blazing sun. Atop it sat Ye Chen—the man he’d assumed was dead. And beside the chariot stood a golden-robed elder, looking for all the world like a humble charioteer.