Chapter 1215 Small talk
Upon hearing that they would be sent back to undergo arduous training, the two girls' expressions instantly changed.
Xie Purou, in particular, immediately looked dejected and rushed to Ye Chen's side, tugging at his sleeve and acting coquettishly.
"Master, we were wrong! We will never dare to do it again!"
You Ruo nodded frantically, her big, bright eyes looking pitifully at Ye Chen, while her other hand quietly grabbed a fairy fruit that emitted a glowing light.
She looked as if she was afraid that if she was even a step too late, all the delicious food on the table would be out of her reach.
Looking at the two lively characters, Ye Chen's lips curled into a barely perceptible smile.
"Then let's eat."
Upon receiving the pardon, the two girls cheered.
They no longer cared about maintaining a ladylike image and immediately transformed into gluttons, launching an attack on the table full of delicacies.
"Wow! This is a Ten-Thousand-Year Soaring Fruit! Eating it can increase one's cultivation by a thousand years!"
"This is a dragon liver! The liver of a genuine pure-blooded dragon!"
"Senior sister, don't snatch it! That piece of phoenix marrow is mine!"
Xie Purou and You Ruo ate while scrambling and fighting over food, their mouths stuffed full and greasy.
These dishes are all made with the finest ingredients and the rarest meat and blood of exotic beasts.
Each bite contains a vast amount of life essence and fragments of the laws of the Dao.
Not to mention them, even a God-Emperor level expert would benefit greatly from eating it.
While these ingredients can play a significant role in cultivation, they are actually of little use to powerful individuals like the Formless Saint Emperor and Ye Chen, who are at the Saint Emperor level.
Eating these ingredients is simply a matter of enjoying delicious food.
The Emperor Wuxiang, standing to the side, watched this scene, so out of place with the solemn atmosphere of the palace, and a faint smile appeared in his deep eyes.
He had ruled the divine kingdom for countless epochs and was used to the respect and fear of his subjects. He had never seen such an innocent and carefree scene.
"Brother Ye, your two disciples are quite lively."
The Saint Emperor Wuxiang raised his wine cup and offered a distant toast to Ye Chen.
Ye Chen took a sip of wine, and as the liquid entered his throat, it transformed into a warm current that flowed through his entire body.
"It made you laugh."
"No." The Formless Holy Emperor shook his head. "This is good."
He put down his wine glass, his gaze falling on Xie Purou and You Ruo, who were enjoying their meal, his tone tinged with a hint of emotion.
"Innocence and naivety are the most precious states of mind on the path of spiritual practice."
At this point, his gaze sharpened slightly, as if he could see through the very essence of the two girls.
"Their physical condition... is quite unusual."
Ye Chen remained expressionless, simply watching him quietly without saying a word.
With the realm of the Formless Saint Emperor, it would be no difficulty at all for him to see through the physical origins of these two little girls.
"The Nine Tribulations Immortal Body is extremely rare throughout history. Each time it reaches its peak, it is accompanied by a world-destroying tribulation of lightning, demonstrating its ability to defy the heavens and challenge the Dao!"
The Emperor Wuxiang's gaze fell on the lively Xie Purou, and he spoke slowly.
"The Azure Mermaid was originally just an ordinary bloodline, but it seems to have undergone an extraordinary evolution, becoming some kind of divine bloodline! Once it reaches its full potential, it can command all waters, be in harmony with the Great Dao, and possess limitless potential!"
His gaze then turned to the quiet You Ruo.
Either of these two girls, if placed in the outside world, would be enough to cause a frenzy of competition among major powers, even to the point of starting a war.
But now, they have become Ye Chen's apprentices.
Ye Chen put down his wine glass, neither admitting nor denying it.
"You can see clearly."
"Brother Ye, you jest." The Formless Saint Emperor gave a wry smile. "It's just that, although these two girls are exceptionally talented, their temperaments..."
He glanced at Xie Purou and You Ruo, who were still busy eating, and hesitated before speaking.
His temperament was still too impetuous, like an uncarved jade, sharp and unsharpened, but also prone to premature death.
Ye Chen seemed to understand his meaning and smiled faintly.
"The path of spiritual practice is inherently free to follow one's heart."
"If external things bind your true mind, then what kind of path are you cultivating?"
Upon hearing this, the Formless Saint Emperor's body trembled slightly.
Looking into Ye Chen's calm and still eyes, he seemed to see a wider and freer world within them.
Yes.
He governs the divine kingdom and bears the fate of billions of lives; every word and action must prioritize the greater good.
He had long forgotten his original aspiration when he embarked on the path of cultivation: to roam freely between heaven and earth.
The Emperor Wuxiang remained silent for a moment, then picked up his wine cup again.
"Been taught a lesson."
He downed the wine in his glass in one gulp, as if he were drinking away the long-dormant shackles in his heart.
Ye Chen didn't say anything more, and instead started talking about something else.
Not long ago, I went to a small world.
His tone was casual, as if he were talking about something trivial.
Upon hearing this, the Saint Emperor Wuxiang also became interested.
The matter that Ye Chen brought up must be something significant, right?
"Oh? Did you find anything?"
"I discovered something interesting."
Ye Chen lightly tapped the air with his fingertip.
A faint breath emanated from his fingertips.
That was a... dark red power.
The moment it appeared, the surrounding light seemed to be swallowed up.
A chilling, eerie, and ominous aura instantly enveloped the entire palace.
Xie Purou and You Ruo, who had been laughing and joking, suddenly froze.
They felt as if their souls were being gripped by an icy hand, and an overwhelming sense of disgust and fear, stemming from their very life instincts, surged up from the depths of their hearts.
"Master...it's that strange power again!"
Xie Purou's face turned deathly pale instantly, and she even forgot to wipe the oil stains from the corners of her mouth.
You Ruo instinctively hid behind Ye Chen, her eyes filled with solemnity as she looked at this strange power.
Both of them had personally experienced the invasion of strange forces.
When invaded by a strange force, one's body, bloodline, and soul seem to no longer belong to oneself!
This is an extremely terrifying power. Once you are tainted by it, ordinary people have no chance to resist and will soon become like a different person!
The expression on the face of the faceless Holy Emperor sitting opposite him completely changed the moment he saw this dark red power!
That composure and calmness in ruling the divine kingdom vanished without a trace!
Instead, there was an unprecedented solemnity, even tinged with a hint of... fear!
"A strange power!"
He blurted it out almost without thinking.
"You actually encountered something like this?!" The King of No Form raised his voice considerably.
Ye Chen withdrew that wisp of aura, and the oppressive feeling in the palace instantly dissipated.
He raised an eyebrow as he looked at the Wuxiang Saint Emperor, whose reaction was enormous.
“Yes, I happened to run into them when I was traveling around.” Ye Chen nodded.
