Heavenly geniuses had gathered in droves. Aboard the countless towering ships, groups of two or three sipped tea and wine while awaiting Ye Chen's arrival.

Prince Lu Ya and the Little Peacock King stood at the center of admiring crowds. Both were peak existences among the myriad races. Neither was necessarily inferior to the Holy Prince. If Ye Chen somehow defied the heavens and defeated the Holy Prince against all odds, they would step in without hesitation.

Prince Lu Ya's golden hair fluttered in the wind as he stared toward the Great Yan Continent, killing intent blazing in his eyes. Ye Chen had wronged his little sister. Several nights, she had raged in private, gnashing her teeth at the mere mention of Ye Chen's name. Fortunately, his unique constitution had protected him from real harm.

Beyond that, Lu Ya strongly suspected the newborn Fusang Divine Tree was now in Ye Chen's possession. The Heavenly Emperor had been utterly wicked and incomparably cunning. He would surely have left countless contingencies for his descendant.

If the tree truly lay in Ye Chen's hands, Lu Ya had to seize it. To the Golden Crow clan, the Fusang Divine Tree was priceless. If he obtained it, he could borrow its divine power to raise his talent yet another level. So if the Holy Prince failed, he would personally take the field.

As these thoughts churned in his mind, a bronze war chariot thundered across the horizon. Two figures atop it instantly seized every gaze in the Endless Sea.

The first, naturally, was the Heavenly Emperor heir himself. Unrivaled in bearing, his handsome face showed not the slightest trace of tension before a life-and-death battle. Instead, he looked positively delighted. His arm was casually wrapped around the slender waist of the War God Clan's princess, Luo Bingling, who stood beside him.

Luo Bingling's violet hair whipped in the wind, her battle intent surging like a storm, making onlookers sigh—how could the world produce such a fiercely magnificent woman?

The Heavenly Emperor's heir had finally arrived. The entire battlefield fell deathly silent. Every eye locked onto Ye Chen. Even the Holy Prince, who had been seated in meditation beneath the stone stele, slowly lifted his eyelids and rose to his feet. He did not retract the tablet; it continued to hover above his head. Anyone could see that the stele bearing the Stasis Secret was no mere inheritance—it thrummed with profound and terrifying power.

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Ye Chen's gaze first fell on the Holy Prince. Just by standing, the monkey's flesh alone warped the void around him.

Ye Chen's eyes brightened. Then he spotted the stele. His mood improved even further. Sweeping his gaze across the crowds, he instantly picked out the Little Peacock King and Prince Lu Ya, both surrounded by fawning admirers.

The arc of his smile grew wider. And when his eyes landed on an old acquaintance—Yao Yuekong—a flicker of genuine delight flashed through them.

Of course, it had nothing to do with Yao Yuekong himself. That guy had once been an enemy; being spared was already his good fortune. He didn't deserve a smile. What truly thrilled Ye Chen was the female cultivator standing beside Yao Yuekong.

Graceful as a jade willow, delicate and refined, her exquisite features and gently arched brows evoked. Her figure wasn't overly voluptuous, but when judged by the ratio of that tiny waist, it was more than respectable.

Of course, Ye Chen wasn't the sort to fixate on such things. What truly mattered was the system prompt that rang out in his mind.

[Ding! Matched Gift Target Detected!]

[Yao Yuezhi: 5,000x!]

Five thousand times. And from the name alone, she was clearly Yao Yuekong's younger sister. To be honest, this multiplier caught even Ye Chen by surprise. He had always assumed the upper limit for a Heavenly Demon Body was around four thousand times.

Yet Yao Yuezhi had actually hit five thousand. She now surpassed both Lan Nuo and his fiancée, sitting firmly as the undisputed number one beneath Yan Qingcheng. What was even better—her cultivation had reached the absolute peak of the Third Heaven.

Ye Chen had already been wondering who he should gift the Stasis Secret to once he obtained it. The Nine Secrets were precious beyond measure and almost guaranteed critical returns.

Breaking through from the Third Heaven to the Fourth required comprehending the Laws of Time. Gifting it to a woman already at the peak of the Third Heaven would clearly yield far richer feedback. Talk about perfect timing.

Yao Yuezhi clearly sensed his gaze. Their eyes met for a brief instant. Her lovely face flushed crimson at once, and she lowered her head, refusing to look at him again.

Ye Chen's smile widened. He couldn't yet tell if she was the teasing type or genuinely innocent. But five thousand times was more than enough to make him want to find out—thoroughly. He shifted his gaze and glanced at Yao Yuekong once more.

Yao Yuekong was staring back, his expression complicated. He had escaped with his life, true, but because of Ye Chen's infamous reputation, he had been branded a sister-selling coward. Even the Little Peacock King mocked him for it. He could barely hold his head up these days. Still, when their eyes met, Yao Yuekong forced a stiff smile and gave Ye Chen a small nod from afar.

Ye Chen immediately returned a warm, friendly smile and nodded back.

Yao Yuekong was instantly flattered beyond words. But the very next moment, he realized something and turned to look at his sister. Seeing her shyly hiding her flushed face, the corner of his mouth twitched violently. He suddenly didn't feel like speaking anymore.