Chương 837: Chapter 836: The Holy Son Has Returned!

Reading the notification, Ye Chen's mouth couldn't help but twitch. Human trafficking, of all things… But the system's blunt response finally killed any lingering hope he had of gifting people to trigger massive rewards. He had been fantasizing—if giving away a Saint King really worked, he could start handing out high-multiplier maids to the women around him. A few dozen-fold, hundred-fold maids… the feedback would skyrocket into thousands-fold, tens of thousands-fold. He'd ascend straight to the heavens.

Clearly, that wasn't going to happen. Still, Ye Chen wasn't disappointed. After carefully inspecting the Saint King inside and out on Fan Qinghe's behalf—confirming the Desolate Seal was perfectly rooted and without issue—He prepared to depart. Ignoring the women's reluctant pleas, under their wistful gazes, he stepped onto the Heavenly Evolution Holy Land's flying ship and drifted away. At that moment, the ancestral master also appeared to bid him farewell.

Ye Chen gave her a calm nod, flashed Fan Qinghe a gentle smile, then boarded the ship and left. The Ancestor felt the distance even more keenly now. Ye Chen clearly had no interest in her. The ginseng fruit was something she could never obtain. A bitter smile tugged at her lips. In the end, she simply wasn't young anymore. But the very next moment, Fan Qinghe took out a jade box and presented it before the Heavenly Desire Ancestor.

"Ancestor, please accept this." The Ancestor's mature, peerlessly beautiful face froze.

"This…" A ginseng fruit… it really was a ginseng fruit? The Heavenly Emperor's heir had given this… to her? The grandmaster quietly explained: "Qinghe risked angering the Holy Son by mentioning your limited lifespan. Because he dotes on Qinghe so much, he gave her the ginseng fruit that was originally meant for an elder." Hearing those words, the Ancestor's heart surged with emotion. She looked at Fan Qinghe with complicated feelings. She and Fan Qinghe had never truly met before.

After all, Fan Qinghe was only a little over a hundred years old. She never imagined the girl would go this far for her.

"Qinghe… you've made things difficult for yourself." Normally silver-tongued, the Heavenly Desire Ancestor could only manage these few words. She was too moved—too overwhelmed—to speak more words of gratitude. Fan Qinghe loved the atmosphere of having elders present in the sect. It gave her warmth, the feeling of a real family. So she waved her hand lightly.

"When the sect was in danger, Ancestor emerged without hesitation… It's only right that I feel heartache for you." Time was of the essence. The Ancestor's voluptuous figure sat cross-legged at once. She parted her red lips and consumed the ginseng fruit. An overwhelming surge of life essence instantly rampaged through her body, filling her to bursting—so much that it even seeped out from her pores… The blissful sensation drew a soft, involuntary hum from her throat.

And her mind—previously too clouded by the shadow of death to think clearly—now began to turn. With three hundred and sixty more years of life… Would she be able to wait until Ye Chen reached the peak of the Sixth Heaven? Her disciple, grand-disciple, and great-grand-disciple had all participated. So… could she also have a chance to join the next ceremony? If so, she might finally break through her limits and step into the Great Saint realm.

But Qinghe had been so kind to her, and here she was secretly thinking about tasting her protector's flavor. Guilt gnawed at her—she felt like a bad woman. Moreover, Ye Chen clearly had no interest in her. The ginseng fruit had only been given because of Qinghe. Would he even allow her to participate when the time came? Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. Her mind instantly became a tangled mess.

And in the midst of it, the image of her mother surfaced—followed by a wave of melancholy… No one knew that, back then, her mother had secretly achieved a perfect Sixth-Heaven transformation and broken through to the Seventh-Heaven Great Saint realm. But right after the ceremony, her protector—her father—had been left extremely weakened. Enemies took the chance to strike. Her mother fought desperately to protect him. In the end, her father fell on the spot.

Her mother, freshly ascended to Great Saint, suffered grave injuries. Her origin was damaged, and with the loss of her Dao companion, her heart turned to ash. She entered the Land of Fallen Immortals and was never seen again. With her mother's strength, she should have perished long ago. If only her mother had never gone to the Land of Fallen Immortals…

The Heavenly Desire lineage's cultivation was grueling, but in this generation, an unbelievable existence like Ye Chen had appeared—capable of bearing the enormous consumption and feeding three or even more at once. If her mother were still alive—even with her father gone— Her fate would surely have been different… The flying ship of Heavenly Evolution Holy Land did not return to its own sect. Instead, it flew straight toward the Heavenly Intention Holy Land. The purpose was obvious.

Yet none of the great powers aboard voiced a single complaint. On the contrary, they welcomed it with open delight. Some even sighed nostalgically, reminiscing about their own youthful days of romantic adventures as they watched Ye Chen's dashing, carefree demeanor. Their generosity, of course, stemmed purely from their kind and virtuous natures. It had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that Ye Chen had personally gifted each of them something splendid while on board the ship.

Feng Baiyu sat face-to-face with Ye Chen, discussing the Dao. The fan he now gently waved was no longer the previous Golden Crow tail-feather fan. It was a phoenix tail-feather fan. His presence had instantly risen to a whole new level of elegance.

"To reach the peak of the fourth layer in one go… truly rare! It seems you won't be long in breaking through to become a Saint." Even Feng Baiyu couldn't hide his astonishment as he spoke. Just how deep must Ye Chen's foundation be to leap three minor realms in a single breakthrough, landing directly at the peak of Half-Saint? Since when had cultivation become so effortless? And looking at the Heavenly Desire Divine Maiden's cultivation soaring upward, it was obvious she had "absorbed" something.

Even her master, grandmaster, and the others seemed to have benefited as well. Yet every time Ye Chen emerged from these encounters, he looked radiant and invigorated—as though he were the one who had been nourished. Just what exactly was going on? Was Ye Chen actually serving as their cauldron? If he really was… that would be far too ridiculous. To be "drained" and still grow this monstrously strong? If he wasn't being drained, wouldn't he simply ascend to the heavens outright? Unfathomable. Truly unfathomable.

Feng Baiyu felt that, given enough time, Ye Chen might genuinely become the next Heavenly Emperor—or perhaps even surpass him. If another Heavenly Emperor were to rise… Perhaps the Immortal Realm could be sustained for another million years! … Meanwhile, Ye Chen looked at his own Holy Master with genuine bewilderment. When had his Holy Master become a Saint? The aura of a Saint radiating from him was unmistakable. Hadn't he been only at the early stage of King realm before?

How had he crossed two full major realms in such a short time? Even with his Heavy Pupils, Ye Chen couldn't see through him. What in the world was happening? Sensing Ye Chen's confusion, Feng Baiyu felt a rare surge of satisfaction. After all, with Ye Chen's terrifying growth speed, opportunities to show off in front of him would only grow rarer in the future. So he simply gave a faint, unruffled smile and spoke casually, as if it were nothing: "I was merely concealing some of my cultivation."

Ye Chen was rendered speechless. Concealing two entire major realms at once? Yet considering his Holy Master's usual style of doing things, Ye Chen suddenly felt it wasn't all that outrageous. He knew the Holy Master had secrets. But in Heavenly Evolution Holy Land, aside from every generation's second and third Holy Sons, almost everyone carried their own hidden inheritances and mysteries. Ye Chen didn't press the matter. After all, the Holy Master was one of his own people. The stronger he was, the better. …

Seven days later, the flying ship finally descended outside the Heavenly Intention Holy Land. The moment Ye Chen appeared at the mountain gate, the entire Heavenly Intention Holy Land was thrown into an uproar. Countless female disciples streamed forth like returning wild geese, arranging themselves in perfect formation as they flew out to welcome the return of their own Holy Son. Even the powerhouses of the Heavenly Intention Holy Land emerged one after another.

After all, during the previous battle at the Myriad Races Immortal City, many great beings from Heavenly Intention had been present. They had reaped considerable benefits. Everyone had personally witnessed the Holy Son's gratitude and loyalty in return. Such an outstanding junior was naturally treated as family. In short, Ye Chen's arrival at the Heavenly Intention Holy Land caused an even greater commotion than his return to Heavenly Evolution.