Chapter 755: Return to Pill City

The next day, before dawn, Ye Chen stretched lazily and walked out of his cave dwelling, full of energy and vitality.

After a night of refining his body with Chaos Qi, he looked radiant and full of vigor, his aura as vast as an ocean and his presence as imposing as a towering mountain. His entire body was enveloped in divine light, with strands of Chaos Qi flowing around him, as if he had been reborn.

Refreshing!

With a long, satisfying roar, he stepped into the Void Sky and headed straight for Dan Cheng.

After he left, Heng Yue Zong was not idle. The various halls of Heng Yue and the departments of Yan Huang, along with the major families, were secretly mobilizing their forces. Their target was not Zheng Yang Zong directly, but its affiliated families.

This operation was on a scale no smaller than the previous siege of Zheng Qi Hall, and most importantly, the lineup of powerful experts involved was unprecedentedly strong.

As a result, the already unstable Southern Chu was shrouded in gloom, and those with keen spiritual senses could already detect the scent of blood in the air.

By this point, Ye Chen had used multiple teleportation arrays to arrive at the gates of Dan Cheng. The ancient city was as grand and majestic as ever, standing as a symbol of the land.

"Coming back here is truly full of emotions!" Ye Chen looked up at the city walls, over a hundred zhang high, and stepped into Dan Cheng.

Just like his first visit, the city formed its own world inside, with majestic halls and pavilions, scattered mountains and peaks, and bustling streets filled with crowds. The endless calls of vendors highlighted the city's prosperity.

"Have you heard? Another prodigy has emerged in Northern Chu, seemingly named Ye Xingchen."

"How prodigious could he be compared to Ye Chen?"

"That's true. Ye Chen commands such a massive army of cultivators—Ye Xingchen can't even be mentioned in the same breath."

Walking through the crowd, Ye Chen overheard discussions mostly about himself and his Dao body, Ye Xingchen. This made his expression turn strangely awkward along the way, as he wondered what the people of Dan Cheng would think if they knew Ye Xingchen was his Dao body—they might just explode in shock.

Ye Chen paid no mind to the ongoing chatter. As he walked, he scanned the stalls on both sides of the street, hoping to find a treasure or two. Although it was just a street market, it wasn't impossible to discover something valuable—after all, his Ba Long Saber had come from one such place.

However, this time he was disappointed. The stalls were numerous, and the items for sale were bizarre and varied, but nothing caught his eye. He didn't even find any materials for refining Tian Ji Dan.

"Young friend, how about some pills for eternal youth? I'll give you a good price."

"Sure." Ye Chen stopped at the stall. Pills for eternal youth were practically useless for male cultivators, but for female cultivators, they were priceless treasures—who wouldn't care about their appearance?

"Eternal Youth Pill, four patterns." Ye Chen picked up a pill and examined it closely in his hands, easily detecting the soul mark inside, which belonged to a female alchemy master.

"Thirty thousand spirit stones per pill." The stall owner, an old man, saw Ye Chen's interest and held up three fingers, flashing a set of yellowed teeth. "Absolute genuine article, that's my lowest price—no lower."

"I'll take it." Ye Chen was generous about it—mainly because he was wealthy beyond measure. In a hurry to get to Dan Fu, he didn't bother haggling. He tossed out a storage bag, grabbed the pill, and left while examining it in his left eye. By capturing the complete soul memory within, he essentially mastered the refining method, which was his greatest gain.

"Dan Saint!" A shocked voice suddenly rang out, making Ye Chen turn around.

Behind him was a gray-clothed elder, not particularly old at around a hundred years, with a cultivation at the Kong Ming Realm. He was an old acquaintance of Ye Chen's—the same gray-clothed elder who had handled his registration for the Dan Dou Grand Meeting. Back then, because Ye Chen lacked a referral from an alchemy master, the elder's attitude hadn't been very friendly.

"You recognized me even with the mask?" Ye Chen looked at the gray-clothed elder in surprise.

"Recognized you, absolutely." The elder was excited and pointed to his right eye. "My eye is half a Tian Yan—it works sometimes, but not always."

"Half a Tian Yan." Ye Chen stepped closer and stared at the elder's right eye, where mysterious light flickered intermittently, giving off a malnourished vibe.

"With the Dan Saint's arrival, Dan Cheng is truly honored!" The gray-clothed elder felt uncomfortable under Ye Chen's gaze and smiled awkwardly—mainly because of his unfriendly behavior during the registration, he was worried Ye Chen might hold a grudge.

"Elder, your words are too flattering. Just call me Ye Chen."

"You are the Dan Saint personally appointed by the Dan Ancestor, so you deserve such honor."

"Well, let's head to Dan Fu first!" Ye Chen coughed, not wanting to chat further with the elder.

"Of course, of course. I'll lead the way for you." The gray-clothed elder was very attentive, treating Ye Chen with utmost respect, afraid of any slight that might cause offense.

The two set off toward Dan Fu in the center of Dan Cheng.

Along the way, although the gray-clothed elder was overly polite, Ye Chen could see that the old man was using it to mask his embarrassment and guilt. Little did he know that Ye Chen hadn't given the past incident a second thought—it wasn't some deep grudge worth dwelling on.

In the grand hall of Dan Fu, dozens of figures stood in silence, but the atmosphere was oppressively heavy, with everyone wearing grim expressions.

"What force is behind this?" Dan Chen, at the head, held a piece of paper imprinted with divine sense, his face darkly overcast. Just the day before, his disciple Xuan Nu had been abducted, and only moments ago had they received the kidnappers' message on this paper.

"Could it be the three sects of Southern Chu?" Dan Yi pondered. "After the battle at Ancient Cang Yuan, Dan Cheng made enemies of them. They might have kidnapped Xuan Nu to get revenge."

"That's possible."

"Despicable!" A white-robed elder snorted coldly.

"For now, our priority is to ransom Xuan Nu back as soon as possible." A white-haired elder stroked his beard gently.

"The problem is, they want the Wan Dan Compendium."

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone's eyes turned to Dan Chen.

Everyone present was a renowned alchemy master in Dan Cheng and Greater Chu, well aware of the Wan Dan Compendium's significance—it was Dan Cheng's greatest treasure, priceless beyond measure. Compared to Xuan Nu, its value seemed even greater.

Dan Chen's expression was troubled, his brows furrowed. As the city lord of Dan Cheng, he knew better than anyone the compendium's worth, making his disciple Xuan Nu seem almost insignificant in comparison.

However, as her master, he also recognized Xuan Nu's potential. Though not as monstrous as Ye Chen, she was a rare alchemy prodigy in the world. If Ye Chen didn't take the role, she would likely become the next city lord, making her value equal to the Wan Dan Compendium.

Most crucially, they still didn't know who the enemy was. The compendium was too important—who could guarantee the kidnappers wouldn't renege after getting it? In the end, they didn't dare to gamble.

The hall fell into a dead silence, with all eyes on Dan Chen, whose face shifted between shadows. The kidnappers seemed to know Dan Cheng's situation well and understood Xuan Nu's value, which is why they demanded so boldly. Asking for spirit stones or pills would have been negotiable, but the Wan Dan Compendium? That was a lion's demand.

"What's going on here?" A voice soon broke the silence from outside the hall. Ye Chen, having removed his mask, walked in slowly.