Chapter 40 Publicly Exposed

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“Miss, before you announce the final result, may I have a word with this gentleman, Young Master Lin?”

“He and I are old acquaintances. We have not seen each other in a long time, and I have missed him dearly!”

With that, Ye Fan ignored whether Murong Qian agreed and walked straight onto the arena.

The instant Lin Yi saw Ye Fan, his entire body went on alert.

Wherever Ye Fan appeared, trouble was sure to follow.

“Ye Fan, what are you trying to do?”

“The tournament to choose a husband is over. You have no right to participate.”

Lin Yi struck first, trying to drive Ye Fan off the arena.

Ye Fan merely replied calmly, “Who said I wanted to participate? I already told you—I only came up here to reminisce with you.”

“Besides, I am curious. Young Master Lin, I thought your heart held only your beloved junior sister. So what brings you here to take part in a tournament to choose a wife?”

“Oh, I see now! Could it be that Chu Ling’er alone cannot satisfy you, so you have come looking for a second wife?”

“Or have you simply grown tired of the old and begun seeking the new?”

The moment those words were spoken, Lin Yi exploded with rage.

“Ye Fan, stop spouting nonsense!”

“The only woman I, Lin Yi, admire is Miss Murong!”

Ye Fan gave him a contemptuous smile. “Oh? Is that so?”

“In that case, I shall tell everyone here a little about your exploits!”

“Everyone, our Young Master Lin is quite the renowned figure in the Northwest Region.”

“Knowing full well that his junior sister was betrothed, he still met with her in secret.”

“After the affair was exposed, he refused to admit anything. In order to obtain more cultivation resources for himself, he stopped at nothing.”

“A man like that—”

“Shut up!”

“Ye Fan, shut your mouth!”

Lin Yi’s fury had reached its peak. He had gone to great lengths to seize this opportunity to attach himself to a powerful patron, and he absolutely would not allow anyone to ruin it.

In the grip of rage, he immediately attacked Ye Fan.

His long sword, infused with surging spiritual power, shot forward in a thrust.

Yet Ye Fan casually caught the blade between two fingers.

No matter how hard Lin Yi struggled, he could not pull the sword free from Ye Fan’s grasp.

“I thought the winner of this tournament would be impressive. Is this all the strength you have?”

“Have you not eaten? You cannot even muster the strength to draw your sword?”

“Miss, are you certain this man is worthy of you?”

Ye Fan’s successive taunts stripped Lin Yi of all dignity, yet he could do nothing about it.

But in the next instant, a wisp of black mist suddenly emerged from the center of his brow. It then flowed along the sword and coiled toward Ye Fan’s fingertips.

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Feeling the aura of the black mist, Ye Fan’s expression froze.

“This aura… Could it be…”

His thoughts instantly returned to the time before his reincarnation.

There was no mistaking it. This was the aura of an extraterrestrial demon!

How could such an aura exist within Lin Yi?

Ye Fan stopped holding back. He circulated all the spiritual power in his body and struck out violently, forcibly driving the black mist back into Lin Yi.

Taking advantage of the moment, Lin Yi successfully yanked his sword free.

Just as he was about to launch another attack, Ye Fan voluntarily stepped down from the arena.

Until he uncovered the truth, he did not want to alert his enemy.

In any case, Lin Yi was clearly hiding some unspeakable secret.

“Miss, I have finished reminiscing with Young Master Lin. As for what you decide, that is up to you!”

With that, Ye Fan turned to leave.

“Please wait, Young Master Ye!”

“Although Young Master Ye did not participate in the tournament, I greatly admire your abilities.”

“With your cultivation, had you entered the competition, you would undoubtedly have claimed the championship!”

“I am willing to offer my entire fortune, asking only that you take me as your Dao companion and grant me your protection!”

Murong Qian openly sought to win Ye Fan over. In her eyes, no one could resist the temptation of wealth.

What was more, she possessed exceptional beauty.

She had expected Ye Fan to agree without hesitation, but the result left her bitterly disappointed.

“Your kindness is wasted on me, Miss.”

“As I said, I came only to reminisce. I have no interest whatsoever in this tournament to choose a husband.”

No matter how Murong Qian tried to persuade him to stay, Ye Fan never once looked back.

…

The forbidden grounds of the Linghan Sect.

Taking advantage of the absence of Ye Fan’s four demigod experts, Chu Zhongtian slipped inside.

He glanced nervously from side to side, afraid that someone might discover him. After all, the forbidden grounds concealed a secret known only to him.

Everyone had merely heard that the secret realm contained the essence of Heaven and Earth, and that only a person chosen by fate could find such an opportunity.

They were unaware that this place also contained treasures left behind by the sect’s founding ancestor.

Only the successive sect masters knew of this secret.

The ancestor had left strict instructions: only when the Linghan Sect faced a calamity could the current sect master enter the forbidden grounds and retrieve the treasures to overcome the crisis.

Now, the Linghan Sect was beset by troubles both within and without. It was time to bring those treasures out.

After entering the forbidden grounds, Chu Zhongtian soon found the place where the ancestor’s relic had been concealed.

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After taking a deep breath, he began forming hand seals.

When the final seal was completed, a great formation suddenly appeared before him.

After a burst of violet light, a staircase slowly rose from the center of the formation.

Atop the steps stood a bronze pagoda radiating an ancient aura, grandly revealed before Chu Zhongtian.

At a glance, the pagoda had seventeen levels, its entire body engraved with profound and inscrutable Dao patterns.

Chu Zhongtian could clearly sense a force within the bronze pagoda powerful enough to destroy Heaven and Earth.

If he could take control of this object, his strength would surely rise tremendously.

“Thank you, Ancestor!”

“Even Heaven itself has not abandoned our Linghan Sect!”

Overwhelmed with excitement, Chu Zhongtian approached the steps. His trembling hands reached out and stroked the pagoda.

The instant he touched its body, the bronze pagoda transformed into a streak of light and plunged into Chu Zhongtian’s body.

In the blink of an eye, Chu Zhongtian’s cultivation broke through without warning.

The development left him both shocked and delighted.

Simply obtaining the bronze pagoda had already brought him such tremendous benefits.

If, in time, he completely mastered it, just how powerful would he become?

It was said that the founding ancestor of the Linghan Sect had once been a supreme powerhouse who shook the entire Profound Heaven Continent.

Now, it seemed that the rumors were most likely true.

At that thought, a sharp light flashed through Chu Zhongtian’s eyes.

“Ye Wumian and Ye Fan, just you wait!”

“One day, I, Chu Zhongtian, will personally make every member of your Soaring Firmament Sect submit!”

…

The Central Province, Netherworld Sect.

“Useless! Every one of you is useless!”

“A mere wastrel from the Northwest Region actually managed to kill two of my beloved disciples!”

News of Lu Cheng’s death had reached the old man surnamed Zhao, sending him into a furious rage.

Lu Cheng had been his most favored disciple, and he had carried out countless unsavory tasks on his master’s behalf.

He had never imagined that one of his most trusted assistants would perish in the insignificant Northwest Region.

“Master, let the four of us senior and junior brothers go together this time. We will surely avenge Senior Brother Lu Cheng and Junior Brother Zhou Xu!”

The old man surnamed Zhao narrowed his eyes slightly and immediately gave the order:

“You had better bring me that little bastard’s head!”