Invincible Soul Emperor

Chapter 319: Chapter 319 Preparing for Alchemy

If Long Xingchen had once considered Ye Qingchen a rival, now he chose to ignore him completely.

Long Xingchen nodded at Xiao Xiao, agreeing to her request.

Xiao Xiao then pulled Ye Qingchen aside and said tenderly, ”Young Master, I’m returning to the Wuji Immortal Palace now. You must take good care of yourself!”

Ye Qingchen felt a pang of melancholy. The last time they parted, Xiao Xiao had left secretly, and it hadn’t felt so painful. This face-to-face farewell, however, left a heavy feeling in his heart.

Xiao Xiao took out a scroll from her robes and handed it to Ye Qingchen. ”Young Master, in one year, the Seven-Star, Eight-Star, and Nine-Star Sects will jointly hold a martial tournament for new disciples. You must come watch me compete and cheer for me! This is a spectator ticket for the event. Here! Remember, you have to be there.”

Ye Qingchen took the scroll, smiling as he nodded. ”Then you’d better practice hard. Don’t end up crying if you lose.”

After speaking, he affectionately ruffled Xiao Xiao’s hair but failed to notice the tears already brimming in her eyes.

Xiao Xiao turned her head away, nodded at Long Xingchen, and then left with him and Know-It-All.

Only after Long Xingchen was gone did Liang Fei dare to breathe a deep sigh of relief. The pressure from Long Xingchen had been immense!

Liang Fei sighed. With a background like that, pursuing Xiao Xiao wouldn’t be easy.

But it doesn’t matter. A goddess who loves me back is no goddess at all.

Liang Fei adjusted his mood and approached Ye Qingchen. ”Ye Qingchen, we’re comrades who’ve braved life and death together. I can see your strength is decent. Why not join our Thunder Valley? I’ll have my father give you special training.”

Having failed to show off in front of Xiao Xiao, Liang Fei hoped to regain some face with Ye Qingchen. In his mind, Ye Qingchen was only at the Fifth Layer of the Martial Spirit Realm. While Ye Qingchen had fought the Demon King with them, Liang Fei believed Xiao Xiao deserved all the credit. Therefore, he thought he could at least recover some of his wounded pride in front of Ye Qingchen.

But to his surprise, Ye Qingchen didn’t gratefully accept as he had imagined. Instead, he simply smiled faintly and shook his head.

Just as Liang Fei was about to speak again, two more figures rushed over.

Ye Qingchen focused his gaze and saw it was Li Qingfeng and Venerable Heize.

Both men breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing Ye Qingchen. Li Qingfeng strode over, laughing heartily. ”Qingchen, the procedures and rewards for the Qingyun Sect’s advancement to a Two-Star Sect have been secured! We can return to the sect now.”

Venerable Heize was also in high spirits. ”The Qingyun Sect’s promotion to a Two-Star Sect was entirely thanks to Ye Qingchen,” he said. ”He single-handedly turned the tide. Sect Master, when we get back, we must reward Qingchen properly.”

Overjoyed, Li Qingfeng couldn’t stop grinning as he laughed and nodded in agreement.

Hearing their conversation, Liang Fei stood rooted to the spot, completely stunned.

Ye Qingchen is only at the Fifth Layer of the Martial Spirit Realm. How could he possibly elevate a One-Star Sect to a Two-Star Sect all by himself? Is his combat prowess really that high?

Liang Fei’s stomach churned. He knew that despite being at the Eighth Layer of the Martial Spirit Realm, he could never accomplish such a feat. He recalled his attempt to recruit Ye Qingchen, and a bitter taste filled his mouth. Looks like I’ve failed to show off again!

Li Qingfeng patted Ye Qingchen’s shoulder and asked, ”Qingchen, how was your trip to the Demon Region? Did you get what you needed?”

Both Li Qingfeng and Venerable Heize knew the purpose of Ye Qingchen’s journey, and they watched him with concern.

Ye Qingchen nodded. ”The Demon Core is in hand. The trip wasn’t in vain.”

Li Qingfeng and Hei Ze exchanged a happy look. ”Now that you have the Demon Core, we shouldn’t delay. Let’s hurry back to the Qingyun Sect to refine the Life Extension Pill for your father!”

Ye Qingchen nodded, bid Liang Fei farewell, and left with Li Qingfeng and Hei Ze.

Rejected in succession by both Xiao Xiao and Ye Qingchen, Liang Fei remained standing there dumbfounded, watching until Ye Qingchen’s figure disappeared into the distance.

The Left Protector saw Liang Fei’s stunned expression and said with concern, ”Young Master, since things here are concluded, we should hurry back to the sect.”

Liang Fei snapped back to his senses and demanded, ”Why didn’t my father come to get me himself? I’m not going back! I’m going to travel and train to increase my strength!”

He was furious. If his father had come, he might have been able to salvage some face with his status.

The Left Protector saw Liang Fei’s resolute expression and felt helpless. Although the Sect Master had repeatedly instructed him not to reveal the truth, he would surely be blamed if he failed to bring Liang Fei back.

After a moment of internal struggle, the Left Protector sighed. ”Young Master, the Sect Master forbade me from telling you, but since you’re being so reckless, I must disobey his orders. The Sect Master’s wife has suffered a relapse of her old illness. He is currently gathering various Alchemy Masters to treat her, so naturally, he could not come to pick you up.”

Hearing this, Liang Fei became extremely anxious. ”Why didn’t you say so earlier!”

With that, he rushed off in the direction of Thunder Valley.

「Within the Qingyun Sect」

The first thing Ye Qingchen did upon his return was visit his father, Ye Changqing.

As soon as he entered the room, he froze. The Ye Changqing before him had none of his former vigor. Though he should have been in the prime of his life, his hair was now completely white and his face was etched with deep wrinkles. His aura had also become very unstable, and his life force was faint.

Heartbroken, Ye Qingchen strode to his father’s side and knelt on the ground.

Seeing his son return, Ye Changqing tried to help him up but found he couldn’t even move his own body. He could only manage a few muffled sounds.

Unable to hold back his tears, Ye Qingchen shuffled closer on his knees, taking his father’s hand. ”Father, don’t worry. I’ve found the Demon Core. I will go to Pavilion Master Zhang now and ask for his help in refining the Life Extension Pill! Father, just hold on for a few more days. Once the Life Extension Pill is ready, you will be restored to health.”

Ye Changqing made a few muffled sounds, seemingly trying to console his son, but his body was too weak for him to speak.

Ye Qingchen sighed, his heart aching as if pierced by a thousand knives. He said his goodbyes and ran towards the Alchemy Pavilion.

I have the Demon Core. I must succeed in extending Father’s life!