Chapter 56: Chapter 52 Murderous Intent
The disciples of the Heavenly Net Sect that had surrounded the little girl also saw the figure that suddenly appeared. When they saw his face, these disciples and the little girl alike revealed expressions of disbelief: "Ye Chen, is that Ye Chen?!"
They had thought that Ye Chen would hide in Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain and not dare to show his face.
They had thought that Ye Chen was captured, his Qi Sea destroyed, and that he was brought back to Qingyun Sect in a miserable state.
They even thought that Ye Chen, knowing he couldn't escape pursuit, would obediently come back and beg for mercy, kowtowing and asking for their elder's forgiveness.
But they had never considered that Ye Chen would return to Qingyun Sect directly like this, all by himself.
Not only did he return, but he also took action immediately, injuring one of them.
This was clearly a provocation to all the Heavenly Net Sect disciples present! It was a direct challenge to Zhou Yuntian, the Heavenly Net Sect elder still in Qingyun Sect!
Was Ye Chen actually this audacious?!
These Heavenly Net Sect disciples couldn't believe it at all.
They wanted to shout, to call others to capture Ye Chen, to pass the news of Ye Chen's appearance to their elder Zhou Yuntian, but none of them dared to speak.
Just now, Ye Chen had easily chopped off the leading man's hand, such a powerful attack that it frightened them into not daring to make a move.
For a moment, all the Heavenly Net Sect disciples were as muted as cicadas in winter, bringing an eerie silence to the place.
Even the fair-faced youth whose hand had been chopped off by Ye Chen, upon realizing who their assailant was, abruptly stopped his cries of pain and frantically retreated while holding his severed hand.
The person who had lopped off the hand of that Heavenly Net Sect disciple and was now approaching the little girl was none other than Ye Chen!
The moment he spotted the little girl, Ye Chen immediately flew toward her.
Because, to him, this little girl was extremely familiar.
This little girl was Tao'er, Ye Chen's personal maid before he had joined Qingyun Sect!
Over the years of Ye Chen's absence from the clan, it had always been Tao'er who came to Qingyun Sect to deliver silver coins and letters to him. Seeing Tao'er now surrounded by several Heavenly Net Sect disciples, with one even attempting to snatch her arm, how could Ye Chen allow such a thing to happen?
He struck instantly, sending that person's hand flying off!
Afterward, he paid no attention to the expressions of the Heavenly Net Sect disciples and walked straight toward Tao'er.
"Young Master, is it you, really you?"
Tao'er, the little girl, ran up to Ye Chen and excitedly looked him up and down with a glowing face.
The sudden appearance of Ye Chen before her, with such formidable strength, was something she hadn't anticipated at all.
But just after she had taken a few glances at Ye Chen, Tao'er seemed to think of something, and her face abruptly changed: "Young Master, why have you come back? Run, run away!"
"Tao'er is here to find an opportunity to tell you not to come back! Don't let anyone discover your whereabouts! Your Lord Father and Lady Mother, they've all been captured and brought here to Qingyun Sect, the man can fly and burrow through the earth, he's too terrifying!"
"Young Master, he also wants to kill you..."
Tao'er, who was speaking anxiously, was out of breath when Ye Chen suddenly interrupted her hurried words.
Looking at Tao'er's eyes, which were so anxious they had reddened a bit, Ye Chen smiled and said, "Tao'er, stop talking, I already know about these things."
"It's me who has brought trouble upon Father and Mother, and you."
"This time I've come back is to resolve this matter."
"But, Young Master!" Tao'er stomped her feet anxiously, "You can't handle that man, the Martial Arts masters in our family say he's like a deity who can fly and burrow through the earth, even they wouldn't dare to provoke him!"
Tao'er explained frantically about the terror that was Zhou Yuntian.
Clearly, when Zhou Yuntian had gone to Qingyang City and captured Ye Chen's parents, he had terrified the little girl greatly.
But even though she was this frightened, Tao'er still risked danger by running to Qingyun Sect to pass on the message to him, which touched Ye Chen even further.
This was the little girl who had grown up with him, who, like his father and mother, was extremely good to him!
"This matter should come to an end!"
Ye Chen looked at Tao'er, whose little face was flushed with anxiety, and patted the little girl's shoulder.
Then, he turned his gaze toward the Heavenly Net Sect disciples, who were as quiet as cicadas, and spoke indifferently to them: "Your Heavenly Net Sect elder Zhou Yuntian wants to capture me, right?"
"Go tell him that I, Ye Chen, am back!"
"Let's settle our affairs directly, without involving anyone else!"
Go tell him that I, Ye Chen, am back!
Ye Chen's words stunned the Heavenly Net Sect disciples for a moment, before they came to their senses.
This Ye Chen was openly challenging their elder!
"Has Ye Chen consumed the gall of a bear and a leopard to dare challenge the elder?"
"Fine, he wants us to pass on a message, so we shall!"
These Heavenly Net Sect disciples were simultaneously frightened and mocking of Ye Chen—frightened of another attack from him, and mocking his apparent ignorance of the harshness of reality!
Soon, their loud shouts spread across the entire main gate square: "Ye Chen has appeared! Hurry and inform the elder, Ye Chen is right here in the main gate square!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Following their shouts, groups of Heavenly Net Sect disciples flew in from various parts of Qingyun Sect, landing on the main gate square and surrounding Ye Chen.
And the news of Ye Chen's return to Qingyun Sect also spread through the Outer Sect disciple area on the outer mountain of Qingyun Sect, reaching all corners of the Outer and Inner Peaks and to the main hall of the Inner Peak, "Qingyun Hall."
...
Inside Qingyun Sect, within the main hall of the Inner Peak "Qingyun Hall."
Zhou Yuntian was sitting in the grand hall chair, conversing with the elders and sect master of Qingyun Sect.
"Report to the elder, Ye Chen has appeared!"
A frantic reporting voice suddenly shouted from outside, and the content of this voice made Zhou Yuntian, who was seated, stand up abruptly.
"Has Ye Chen appeared?"
"Good! Good! It seems that capturing his parents has indeed forced him to show himself!"
Zhou Yuntian laughed heartily, his blood robe swirling as he transformed into a beam of escaping light and flew outwards. Arriving outside, Zhou Yuntian grabbed the person who brought the news: "Where is Ye Chen now?"
"He is at the entrance plaza of the outer mountain of the Qingyun Sect!" The disciple hastily replied.
"The entrance plaza?"
A chilling intent shone in Zhou Yuntian's eyes as his blood robe swirled again, turning into a streak of blood light and shooting towards the Qingyun Sect's entrance plaza!
"Ye Chen is back?"
In the Qingyun Hall, the Qingyun Sect's sect master and elders looked at each other, their faces somewhat astonished.
"Let's go take a look!"
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
These figures also transformed into beams of escaping light, following behind Zhou Yuntian, heading towards the entrance plaza.
...
"Jing, I heard Ye Chen has returned to the Qingyun Sect alone, and he's at the entrance plaza!"
"Now, the people from the Heavenly Net Sect have completely surrounded Ye Chen, and even Zhou Yuntian, an elder of the Heavenly Net Sect, has already gone to that entrance plaza!"
In the mountain peaks where the disciples of the Outer Sect of Qingyun Sect resided, a tall young girl was about to walk outside with a food container when a sturdy young boy suddenly barged in and spoke to her.
Bang!
The tall girl's food container fell straight to the ground: "Hong Man, are you saying Ye Chen... Ye Chen, he's back?"
"Yes! Jing, I'm afraid it's bad news. Ye Chen is so smart, why would he suddenly come back? This place has become a dragon's lair and a tiger's den where they want to capture him!" The sturdy youth's face was full of worry.
The tall girl and the sturdy youth were none other than Lin Jing and Hong Man, who had once joined Ye Chen in hunting beasts at Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain!
"I'm going to have a look!"
Upon hearing the news about Ye Chen, Lin Jing could no longer contain herself. She picked up the food container, checked that the food inside was intact, and shoved it into Hong Man's hands: "Hong Man, take this food container to my uncle and aunt, bribe those Heavenly Net Sect disciples guarding my uncle and aunt with some patterned silver. I'm going to the entrance plaza to see!"
After speaking, Lin Jing hurried towards the outer peak's entrance plaza.
After running a few steps, she seemed to remember something and quickly turned to Hong Man: "Remember, don't tell my uncle and aunt about Ye Chen's return, to keep them from worrying!"
The recipients of the food container that she wanted Hong Man to deliver were none other than Ye Chen's father and mother, who were being held by the Qingyun Sect!
...
"Ye Chen, you must not be in any trouble!"
"You absolutely must not be in trouble!"
At the moment when Ye Chen appeared in the Qingyun Sect's entrance plaza and openly challenged Zhou Yuntian, an elder of the Heavenly Net Sect.
High above in the sky of Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain, a dazzling beam of escaping light was streaking towards the Qingyun Sect at high speed.
Within this beam of light was a beautiful young girl with hair cascading like a waterfall down to her waist.
This girl was none other than Jiang Yao, who had left the Taixuan Sect to investigate news of Ye Chen in Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain.
After investigating around Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain, she finally learned of the trouble Ye Chen had encountered through the words of the many Heavenly Net Sect disciples there.
When she realized that Ye Chen's opponent was Zhou Yuntian, a mid-stage Spirit Sea Realm strongman from the Heavenly Net Sect, Jiang Yao's heart sank into a panic.
The only way for Ye Chen to deal with the mid-stage Spirit Sea Realm strongman Zhou Yuntian was to unleash the second battle capability of his flying sword, causing it to suffer damage to its spirit.
If Zhou Yuntian had other trump cards, Ye Chen might even have to use the third battle capability of his flying sword, causing it to self-destruct!
Whether it was the spirit damage to the flying sword or a self-destruction, it would be a significant loss for Ye Chen, potentially leaving him seriously injured!
How could Jiang Yao allow such a thing to happen.
"Ye Chen, wait for me!"
"You must wait for me!"
"If that Zhou Yuntian dares to hurt you, even if he is an elder of the Heavenly Net Sect, I will make him pay with blood for blood!"
"No, you won't get hurt, you absolutely won't be in trouble!"
Jiang Yao, speeding through the sky toward the Qingyun Sect, had a look of concern in her beautiful eyes, and her hair that reached her waist flared wildly as she accelerated even faster.
...
At the Qingyun Sect's entrance plaza.
"Young Master!"
"I'm afraid..."
Tao'er clutched Ye Chen's robe tightly, her eyes full of worry as she looked at the Heavenly Net Sect disciples closing in on her and Ye Chen.
"Don't worry, Tao'er, everything will be alright."
Ye Chen patted the little girl's shoulder and said with a light smile.
As he was speaking, he suddenly looked up towards the sky above the inner mountain of the Qingyun Sect.
A streak of blood-colored light was rapidly approaching from outside the mountain.
"Zhou Yuntian, is that you?"
Ye Chen eyed the blood-colored light, a sharp glint flickering in his gaze.
At the same time, the eyes within that blood light, sensing his gaze, also looked towards Ye Chen.
In those eyes, there was a piercing intent to kill, bursting forth!