System Possession, One Sword Shocks the Gods

123: Fragments are moving erratically; a storm is brewing.Tianfeng City, Listening Rain Cottage.

Ye Chen sat cross-legged in the guest room, his Chaos Gang Qi slowly circulating to repair the hidden injuries caused by forcibly tearing through space, while simultaneously struggling to calm his turbulent Divine Soul. The experience in the bronze ancient hall, though brief, was far more perilous than his fierce battle with the Dark Hall Elder, especially that terrifying roar at the end that seemed to come from the ancient primordial era; the mere thought of its pressure still left him with lingering fear.

He slowly opened his eyes, the color of Chaos swirling within his pupils. His aura had returned to stability, and due to his struggle on the edge of life and death and the impact of that ancient information, his cultivation had subtly improved, leaving him only a hair’s breadth away from the Earth Fiend Realm Third Layer.

His gaze landed on the dark gold fragment placed before him. The fragment lay silently, dull and lusterless, covered in cracks, as if it were merely a piece of ordinary metal scrap. Yet, Ye Chen could clearly feel the vast, ancient, and majestic power contained within—a power that transcended ordinary Laws—though it currently lay dormant, like a frozen volcano.

He tried to probe it with his Divine Sense once more, but was again blocked by an invisible barrier. Injecting Chaos Gang Qi was like throwing a stone into the sea; it could not trigger even the slightest bit of its power.

”Chaos monitoring... order collapsed...” Ye Chen muttered to himself, recalling the fragmented, ancient information. These words, when combined, revealed an unsettling meaning. Monitoring what? Why did order collapse? Did this fragment and the chaos spirit pearl seem to represent some opposing yet unified power?

He took out the dark gold fragment and the chaos spirit pearl together and placed them side by side. As they drew close, there was no repulsion, nor did they fuse; they simply radiated their own unique essence, like two parallel Daos, interfering with neither, yet together forming a far grander whole.

”It seems that unraveling their secrets is no easy task. It requires Opportunity, and perhaps a higher cultivation Realm.” Ye Chen stopped forcing it and carefully put both items away. The urgent priority was to deal with the threat from the Dark Hall.

He recalled what he had seen and heard in the underground palace. The Dark Hall used Prodigies as sacrifices to nurture a holy egg, welcoming the arrival of the so-called ”Holy Venerable.” Their plot was enough to overturn the entire Tianfeng City and even reach further. And the moon-eater token fragment in his hand was actually the key to their plan.

”They will never give up.” Ye Chen’s eyes turned cold. The Dark Hall was likely searching the entire city for him right now. Fortunately, he had changed his appearance and aura at the time, so the Dark Hall did not know his true identity, only that the fragment was in his possession.

He needed to use the information asymmetry to gain the initiative.

With a thought, he once again took out the purple gold VIP token he had obtained from Liu Yun of the Hundred Herbs Pavilion. His Divine Sense sank into it, and aside from the refreshing scent of herbs unique to the Hundred Herbs Pavilion, he did not find any tracking or surveillance marks. Liu Yun and the Green Bamboo Sect should have nothing to do with the Dark Hall.

”Perhaps I can use the information channels of the Hundred Herbs Pavilion...” Ye Chen calculated in his mind. As one of the Empire’s largest Medicinal Pill trading firms, the Hundred Herbs Pavilion was bound to have well-informed news sources, and perhaps he could learn about the Dark Hall’s overt movements and the latest situation regarding the Heavenly Prodigy Sword Debate.

Just as he was about to set off for the Hundred Herbs Pavilion, the moon-eater token fragment belonging to the Dark Hall in his bosom suddenly vibrated slightly without warning, emitting a faint yet distinct burning sensation!

”Hmm?” Ye Chen’s expression tightened, and he immediately took it out.

He saw that on the surface of this black fragment, those twisted runes were flashing with an extremely faint red light, and an obscure fluctuation was attempting to spread outward, as if emitting some kind of signal!

”They are actively searching for the fragment!” Ye Chen instantly realized. The Dark Hall must have a special method to activate or sense the fragment within a certain range! This place was no longer safe!

He did not hesitate; Chaos Gang Qi surged out, transforming into countless fine runes that wrapped around the moon-eater token fragment layer by layer, forcibly suppressing and isolating the fluctuation that was trying to spread! The vibration and burning sensation of the fragment quickly subsided, returning to calm.

But Ye Chen knew that the fluctuation from just a moment ago had likely exposed his approximate location!

”I must leave immediately!”

His figure flashed, and he appeared outside the guest room window, like a wisp of mist merging into the night, leaving the Listening Rain Cottage silently without disturbing any Restrictions.

Almost less than half an incense stick of time after he left, several ghost-like black shadows quietly surrounded the Listening Rain Cottage. Powerful Divine Senses swept through the guest room where Ye Chen had previously stayed like a comb, but they found nothing.

The leader was the Second Elder with tattoos on his face from the underground palace! His expression was terribly gloomy, and he held a constantly rotating black compass in his hand. The compass needle shook violently at the location of Ye Chen’s guest room before losing its target.

”He got away again!” The Second Elder gritted his teeth, his voice filled with violence. ”This brat is as slippery as a loach, and he can isolate the sensing of the moon-eater token; he is definitely no ordinary person! Pass down the order: increase the search intensity, and focus on all suspicious strangers who have entered the city recently and have cultivation around the Earth Fiend Realm! Better to kill the innocent by mistake than to let one go!”

”Yes!” The black shadows behind him acknowledged the order and quickly dispersed.

The Second Elder stood where he was, his sinister gaze sweeping across the surroundings, finally looking toward the direction of the majestic Imperial City in the center of the city, a cruel arc curling at the corner of his mouth.

”Run, run to your heart’s content... When the ’holy egg’ hatches and the Holy Venerable arrives, the entire Tianfeng City will turn into a purgatory. Let’s see how long you can hide!”

...

Ye Chen, like a fish in the dark night, wove through the intricate alleys and eaves. He constantly changed directions, while simultaneously using the Myriad Transformations Divine Ability to simulate various different auras, sometimes like a down-and-out Loose Cultivator, other times like an ordinary merchant, perfectly blending into the still-bustling night crowd of Tianfeng City.

He did not move far from the west of the city; the so-called most dangerous place is often the safest. He stopped in a dark alley not far from the Hundred Herbs Pavilion, restraining all his aura, like a lifeless stone, silently sensing the movement around him.

Sure enough, he could detect several powerful and obscure Divine Senses sweeping back and forth in this area, filled with scrutiny and killing intent.

”They reacted so quickly.” Ye Chen felt a chill in his heart. The Dark Hall’s influence in Tianfeng City was indeed deeply rooted and possessed immense energy.

He waited patiently, until the moment the Divine Sense locking onto this area slightly relaxed due to a long period without results, he darted out like a civet cat, and with a few leaps, he had already arrived at the back street of the Hundred Herbs Pavilion.

It was much quieter here compared to the front entrance, mostly storage and internal staff passages. Ye Chen found a shadowy corner and did not enter directly, but instead took out the purple gold VIP token, channeled a trace of imperceptible Protective Aura, and gently touched a secret rune inside the token that represented emergency contact.

This was the usage method Liu Yun had secretly told him when she gave him the token that day; it was not to be used unless absolutely necessary.

The rune was triggered, the token heated up slightly, and then returned to calm.

Ye Chen waited patiently. About the time it takes for a cup of tea, the back door of the Hundred Herbs Pavilion opened a crack silently, and a slender figure flashed out—it was Lin Suxin. Her expression was somewhat nervous, her eyes scanning the surroundings vigilantly, and she quickly locked onto the shadow where Ye Chen was.

”Senior?” Lin Suxin walked over quickly and lowered her voice. ”You triggered the emergency contact rune; did you encounter some trouble?”

Ye Chen looked at her and asked directly: ”Is it still safe inside the Hundred Herbs Pavilion right now? Are there any strange experts spying?”

Upon hearing this, Lin Suxin’s expression changed slightly, and she whispered: ”To be honest, Senior, since this evening, a few waves of Cultivators with unknown identities have indeed come to the Pavilion. They claimed to be purchasing items, but in reality, they were scouting everywhere. Their auras were all quite cold. Junior Martial Uncle Liu suspects they have ulterior motives and has already strengthened the Pavilion’s defenses. Senior, you...”

”I am fine.” Ye Chen interrupted her, understanding in his heart that the Dark Hall’s search had already reached the Hundred Herbs Pavilion. ”I need news about the recent Heavenly Prodigy Sword Debate, as well as the movements of all parties in the city, the more detailed the better.”

Lin Suxin breathed a sigh of relief and quickly took a Jade Slip from her bosom and handed it to Ye Chen: ”This is what Junior Martial Uncle Liu asked me to give to you. It records the latest arrangements for the Sword Debate and some rumors worth noting in the city recently, including... including that the Zhao family seems to be in frequent contact with some forces of unknown origin.”

Ye Chen took the Jade Slip, swept his Divine Sense through it, and the information was indeed quite detailed. He nodded: ”Thank you on my behalf to Deacon Liu. In addition, tell her that there may be a drastic change in Tianfeng City in the near future. The Hundred Herbs Pavilion and the Green Bamboo Sect need to take precautions early and be cautious in their words and actions.”

Seeing Ye Chen’s serious expression, Lin Suxin knew the matter was of great importance and solemnly agreed: ”Yes, this Junior will definitely pass it on!”

Ye Chen said no more, put away the Jade Slip, and with a flicker of his figure, he merged into the darkness again and disappeared.

Lin Suxin watched the direction he disappeared, her heart filled with worry and an inexplicable palpitation. She felt that this mysterious Senior seemed to be getting drawn into a huge storm.

And at this moment, Ye Chen had already fled several streets away, found an abandoned warehouse with no guards, and hid inside.

He sat cross-legged and carefully read the information in the Jade Slip. The Heavenly Prodigy Sword Debate would officially begin in three days at the ”Sword Discussion Stage” in the Imperial City. The Geniuses from all sides had basically arrived, among whom the Disciples of top Sects like the Blazing Sun Sect, Xuanbing Pavilion, and Spirit Wind Valley were the most prominent. As for the Imperial family, there seemed to be some unusual movements, and they had strengthened the defense of the Imperial City.

Regarding the Zhao family, the Jade Slip mentioned that they had been in close contact with some mysterious Guest Elders recently, and there were unexplained capital flows in many of their businesses, seemingly preparing for something.

”The Zhao family... the Dark Hall...” Cold light flashed in Ye Chen’s eyes. The collusion between the two was almost a certainty.

He put away the Jade Slip, his gaze seeming to pierce through the walls of the warehouse, looking toward the east of the city where the evil underground palace was hidden.

”Three more days...”

He must find a way to stop the Dark Hall’s plot within these three days, or... unite the forces that could be united.

The storm was coming.