Chapter 387 Forbidden Ancient Lands
Upon hearing Ye Chen's inquiry, the two Heavenly Saints from Heavenly Saint Mountain hurriedly explained the situation in full detail.
Through the descriptions of the two Heavenly Saints, Ye Chen finally understood why these two groups of people were fighting each other here.
It turned out that the two Heavenly Saints from Heavenly Saint Mountain had, like Ye Chen, headed towards the Second Mountain while searching for treasures in the First Mountain.
Although they were early-stage Heavenly Saint martial artists, they had to be extremely cautious in the perilous Five Elements Mountain.
Eventually, they encountered other adventurers and, facing a large group of Five Elements Phantom Beasts, joined forces to break free from the pursuit of the beasts.
As a result, they decided to team up together.
Among the group, there were eight early-stage Heavenly Saint martial artists and one mid-stage Heavenly Saint martial artist. Together, they formed a force not to be underestimated and safely made their way towards the Second Mountain.
Just the day before, the group had accidentally encountered a mid-stage Five Elements Phantom Beast during a chase and, following it, had stumbled into a cave behind a waterfall, leading to an astonishing discovery.
They managed to acquire many precious treasures in the cave and even found a clue to the location of a map to the Forbidden Ancient Lands.
The treasures in the cave alone were shocking to the Heavenly Saints, and it was clear that the meticulously preserved map to the Forbidden Ancient Lands would be even more valuable than the treasures in the cave.
The group was then inspired to seek the treasures of the Forbidden Ancient Lands together.
They should have been on their way to hunt for treasure, but the only mid-stage Heavenly Saint in the team got greedy and quietly contacted four other mid-stage Heavenly Saints while the others were not paying attention.
With the betrayal of this mid-stage Heavenly Saint, the five mid-stage Heavenly Saints joined forces to take the treasures and the newly discovered map to the Forbidden Ancient Lands from the hands of the eight early-stage Heavenly Saints in their party.
Moreover, to ensure the map's information did not leak, they even contemplated murdering their former allies.
By the time Ye Chen arrived, the two Heavenly Saints from Heavenly Saint Mountain and the other six early-stage Heavenly Saints were almost unable to hold on any longer.
If Ye Chen had come any later, he might have only found several corpses, and even then, it was possible their bodies would not be left behind.
Hearing the account of the two Heavenly Saints from Heavenly Saint Mountain, Ye Chen sighed and shook his head.
Before entering the Five Elements Mountain, the ancestor of Heavenly Evolution and Mystery Heavenly Saint had said that most adventurers ended up killed by other adventurers.
Ye Chen had faced attempted murder by Ao Lei and his group, and now these early-stage Heavenly Saints were likewise facing betrayal and murder for treasure by mid-stage martial artists.
Probably, similar incidents were continually happening in other regions of the Five Elements Mountain as well.
"Ye Chen, you must save us; otherwise, we won't escape the clutches of those people," pleaded the two Heavenly Saints from Heavenly Saint Mountain after explaining the situation.
Originally, because of the betrayal by the only mid-stage Heavenly Saint and the joining of four more from the same stage, they were already prepared for death.
They had not anticipated encountering Ye Chen.
These two Heavenly Saints from Heavenly Saint Mountain were aware of Ye Chen's prowess.
Although Ye Chen had entered the Heavenly Sacred Palace much later than them, upon his arrival, he instantly caused a sensation at the Holy Temple Tower, attracting the attention of the powerful Heavenly Saints of Heavenly Saint Mountain and the two palace masters.
Later, they heard that even Palace Master Yuan Li from Heavenly Sacred Palace highly esteemed Ye Chen and that he had even killed Feng Lun Heavenly Saint.
If it was just about killing Feng Lun Heavenly Saint and being regarded highly by the three palace masters of Heavenly Sacred Palace, they would have only considered Ye Chen an exceptional genius.
But upon arriving at Rift Sky City in Heavenly Evolution Continent, they heard even more about Ye Chen's gambling duel with the Little Saintess from the Leaving Fire Continent and his conflict with Ao Lei at the Sand Sea Palace auction.
They also heard that Ye Chen had demonstrated techniques at the peak of the mid-stage Heavenly Saint level and had been aided by two late-stage Heavenly Saint seniors!
Techniques at the peak of the mid-stage Heavenly Saint level!
Aid from two late-stage Heavenly Saint seniors!
When they heard this news, their perception of Ye Chen instantly shifted from exceptional genius to a true powerhouse capable of fighting with top mid-stage Heavenly Saint warriors.
With the support of the two seniors, he was even a powerhouse daring to contend with late-stage Heavenly Saints!
Now, facing a crisis between life and death, encountering a strong warrior like Ye Chen naturally filled them with immense surprise.
It certainly gave them a glimpse of hope for survival.
As long as Ye Chen agreed to help and one of his two late-stage Heavenly Saint seniors intervened, all eight early-stage Heavenly Saint martial artists would be able to survive the hunt by the five mid-stage Heavenly Saints.
Bearing this thought, the two of them naturally implored Ye Chen for help.
"Fellow Daoists, you are my fellow sect members. If I hadn't seen your situation, that would be one thing, but having seen it, of course I must help you," Ye Chen said in response to their pleas, gesturing dismissively as he spoke to the two Heavenly Saints from Heavenly Saint Mountain with a smile.
Ye Chen's consent instantly thrilled the two Heavenly Saints.
The two of them felt as though the weight that had been hanging over them had been completely lifted.
The other six early-stage Heavenly Saints nearby, having discussed among themselves when Ye Chen inquired, already knew of Ye Chen's background.
At this moment, hearing Ye Chen's willingness to help them, they were equally overjoyed!
On the other hand, the five mid-stage Heavenly Saint powerhouses were extremely frustrated. They had almost seized the treasures and the map, only to run into Ye Chen unexpectedly.
Hearing the feats of Ye Chen, as relayed by the two knowledgeable mid-stage Heavenly Saints, all five were fully informed.
The thought of confronting Ye Chen, a man daring enough to gamble with the Little Saintess from Leaving Fire Continent, left them without the courage to fight.
Now, hearing Ye Chen's intention to intervene, the several mid-stage Heavenly Saints were completely panicked.
Upon Ye Chen's agreement, the five mid-stage Heavenly Saints glanced at each other before simultaneously bolting away in retreat.
With each breath, the five had already fled several miles away, burning their true qi completely in the process.
"Hmm?"
Ye Chen had already noticed the movements of these few.
He said he would handle this matter, and of course, he meant it.
Among the five, the most detestable was that mid-stage Heavenly Saint who had previously been with eight early-stage Heavenly Saints and later betrayed them for a treasure and clues to the Forbidden Ancient Lands.
The other four mid-stage Heavenly Saints had developed murderous intents for the treasure, ruthlessly killing the eight early-stage Heavenly Saints just moments ago—a scene Ye Chen witnessed vividly.
Ye Chen certainly wouldn't let the five escape so easily.
The moment those five were fleeing, Ye Chen raised his hand and instantly, there appeared five stunning golden arc lights in his palm.
These five terrifying golden arc lights vanished the moment they appeared in Ye Chen's hand.
In the next instant, the eight early-stage Heavenly Saints watched in horror as something unexpected occurred.
The suddenly vanished five golden arc lights flashed through the void in an instant, reappearing directly above the heads of the fleeing five mid-stage Heavenly Saints.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
Without any effort, the five golden arc lights directly slashed down upon the five men.
One of the arc lights instantly killed the betraying mid-stage Heavenly Saint, leaving not even ashes behind.
The remaining four were pierced through their qi sea and meridians by the arc lights in an instant, crashing to the ground and rendered disabled on the spot.
In just one move!
He killed one mid-stage Heavenly Saint and disabled four other mid-stage Heavenly Saints!
Ye Chen's action had completely changed the expressions of the eight early-stage Heavenly Saints at his side.
They had originally thought that to deal with these five mid-stage Heavenly Saints, Ye Chen would have one of the two late-stage Heavenly Saint elders take action. What they didn't expect was that Ye Chen would take matters into his own hands.
What was even more unexpected was the ferocity of Ye Chen's attack!
With one move, he killed one and disabled four!
This method of attack, striking in two different ways within a single move, was even more difficult than killing five at once!
And these were all mid-stage Heavenly Saints!
The eight early-stage Heavenly Saints realized that if Ye Chen had wanted to kill the other four, it would have been just as effortless.
It was his intention to execute the ringleader and severely punish the other four that led to such an attack.
Ye Chen's strength was not merely on par with the top-tier mid-stage Heavenly Saints. It was almost approaching that of a late-stage Heavenly Saint!
With this thought, the eight early-stage Heavenly Saints were naturally filled with shock!
As these eight early-stage Heavenly Saints looked at Ye Chen with changed faces and increasing awe, Ye Chen moved and was already in front of the four disabled mid-stage Heavenly Saints.
"I will not kill you four," he said.
"Not far from here, there should be a spatial teleportation point for returning. You can head there and, when the three-month exploration period ends, teleport out. Of course, your cultivation is now wasted, so whether you can survive until then depends on your fortune."
After finishing his words, Ye Chen didn't bother with the several warriors lying on the ground, wailing. His figure flickered in the void and he was back beside the eight early-stage Heavenly Saints.
"Ye Chen!"
"Thank you, Ye Chen, for your assistance!"
At this moment, the two Heavenly Saints from the Heavenly Sacred Palace and the other six early-stage Heavenly Saints spoke to Ye Chen again, now with utmost politeness.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
It was different from hearing about him to seeing his strength firsthand.
Ye Chen's move had scared them terribly.
"Alright, this matter here is settled, and I should be on my way," Ye Chen said to them with a smile, gesturing with his hand, preparing to depart.
Although two among these people were Heavenly Saints from the Heavenly Sacred Palace, this expedition was everyone's own opportunity. Ye Chen did not intend to take them along with him.
While Ye Chen thought this way, the several Heavenly Saints exchanged glances, then all bowed to Ye Chen, "Ye Chen, please wait."
"Hmm?" Ye Chen looked at the eight with some confusion.
The strongest among them, a Heavenly Saint from the Heavens Continent who had previously blocked the attacks of a mid-stage Heavenly Saint, glanced at the other Heavenly Saints and then addressed Ye Chen, "Ye Chen, you must know about our ambush, so you probably also know that those people came for the map to the clues of the Forbidden Ancient Lands."
"We have a favor to ask. Even though our strength is not bad, the Forbidden Ancient Lands might not be easy to traverse. We hope that Ye Chen can travel with us to that place."
"Should treasures be found, we will let Ye Chen choose first, and then we will distribute the rest!"
After this Heavenly Saint finished speaking, the others nodded in agreement, "Yes, with Ye Chen's assistance, our chances of obtaining the treasures of the Forbidden Ancient Lands will be greater. Moreover, Ye Chen has saved our lives; it's only right that you should have a share of the treasures."
They're inviting me to explore the Forbidden Ancient Lands?
Ye Chen felt a moment's hesitation upon hearing the words of these Heavenly Saints.
After a brief pause, Ye Chen nodded and looked at the Heavenly Saints: "Show me the map of the clues to the Forbidden Ancient Lands first."
Hearing Ye Chen's words, the leading Heavenly Saint from the Heavens Continent exchanged a look with the others before taking out an ancient scroll and handing it over to Ye Chen.