Chapter 2292: Fishing

Ye Yuan settled down on Feather Mountain, entering seclusion to digest the gains of these past days.

Exchanging insights with a towering figure like Yi was, admittedly, an exhausting endeavor.

Even for someone of Ye Yuan's caliber, digesting it was no easy task.

Since entering the Cloud Heart Realm, Zhengming Heavenly Emperor had taken Old Wine Fellow to Cloud Heart City to gather medicinal herbs.

Cloud New City, the host of this Ten Thousand Realms Alchemy Conference, gathered countless herbs.

Eighth-grade herbs were not commonplace goods; even in the Cloud Heart Realm, one couldn't simply buy them at will.

Moreover, the herbs for the Nine Refined Cloud Heaven Pill were among the high-end eighth-grade herbs, so acquiring them naturally required some effort.

Old Wine Fellow, having come to such a sacred place, naturally wanted to see the sights, so he followed Zhengming.

Half a month later, Ye Yuan emerged from seclusion, having gained a deeper understanding of the origin of the Great Dao.

However, much of this understanding was too profound; Ye Yuan could not fully comprehend it for now and had to leave it for gradual digestion later.

This discourse also made Ye Yuan keenly aware of the strength of beings like the Medicine Ancestor and the Saint Ancestor.

Their prowess in the Dao of Alchemy was truly awe-inspiring.

“Ye Yuan, Senior Zhengming and Old Wine Fellow have been gone for over a month and still haven't returned. Could something have happened?” Bai Qingyan asked worriedly.

Ye Yuan looked puzzled. “Still not back? It's possible something did happen! But don't worry, they know Zhengming and Old Wine Fellow are my people; they won't harm their lives.”

As his words faded, a voice sounded from outside.

“Changdong of the Great Sorrow Realm requests an audience with the Sub-Saint!”

Ye Yuan smiled upon hearing this. “See? Here they come. Probably someone couldn't resist the urge to challenge me.”

Bai Qingyan's beautiful eyes sparkled, a surge of pride rising within her.

This was the man she had chosen, a man who now stood atop the clouds of the Tongtian Realm!

Changdong Heavenly Emperor felt a pang of surprise upon seeing Ye Yuan.

He hadn't expected the Sub-Saint, renowned in the alchemy world, to be so young.

But soon, his heart settled.

How could such a young fellow be a match for his young master?

It seemed the widespread tales of the Sub-Saint's greatness were mostly biased.

With this thought, his reverence for the title of Sub-Saint diminished considerably.

“What business do you have with me?” Ye Yuan said indifferently.

Changdong stood with his hands behind his back, saying calmly, “Changdong is here on behalf of my young master. My young master is Zhao Zixuan, a disciple under Yixian Heavenly Emperor of the Great Sorrow Realm. Surely the Sub-Saint has heard of him.”

Ye Yuan looked puzzled. “I'm sorry, but I really haven't heard of him. Hmm... Is Yixian Heavenly Emperor of the Great Sorrow Realm very famous?”

Changdong was taken aback, then enraged, and said solemnly, “The Great Sorrow Realm is a top alchemy sacred land in the Tongtian Realm, and you pretend not to have heard of it! I can take these words as a provocation against the Great Sorrow Realm!”

Ye Yuan spread his hands helplessly. “I haven't heard of it, so I haven't. You can't expect me to pretend I have, can you?”

He truly had never heard of the Great Sorrow Realm; even the Cloud Heart Realm he had only learned of recently.

As for Yixian Heavenly Emperor, naturally, he had never heard of him either.

Since entering the Tongtian Realm, Ye Yuan's knowledge of the alchemy world was limited to the Medicine Ancestor and the Saint Ancestor's High Priest.

He hadn't paid much attention to other alchemy sacred lands.

Changdong Heavenly Emperor fumed, “Very well, I will surely convey the Sub-Saint's words to Lord Yixian!”

Ye Yuan waved his hand dismissively. “As you wish. Now, what exactly do you want with me?”

Changdong said with a dark face, “The Sub-Saint's two attendants offended my young master in the market and have been detained by us. If the Sub-Saint wishes to redeem them, please come to Cloud Heart City in person!”

Changdong expected Ye Yuan to fly into a rage and rebuke him, but Ye Yuan merely said a faint “Oh” and added, “Then let's go.”

With that, he walked out the door.

Changdong found that all the speeches he had prepared were now useless.

After all, Ye Yuan was the Sub-Saint of the Sacrificial Shrine, with a status equivalent to the second-in-command of major sacred lands—nothing ordinary.

They had prepared thoroughly to find fault with Ye Yuan.

But who knew this guy wouldn't play by the rules, leaving Changdong feeling like he had punched empty air.

It took Changdong a while to snap out of it, and he quickly followed.

…

“You blind fools! How dare you snatch the herbs we had our eyes on? Hit him! Beat him hard! You wretched servants, if we don't teach you a lesson, you won't know your place!” Zhao Zixuan said viciously.

“Heh, Brother Zixuan, why bother getting angry at two servants? When their master arrives, we'll seek justice then,” said a handsome young man beside him.

“I never thought the Sub-Saint, with such a big reputation, couldn't even manage his own men. How embarrassing!” another young man chimed in.

…

In the bustling market, Zhengming Heavenly Emperor and Old Wine Fellow were hung upside down on a rack, covered in whip marks, looking utterly disheveled.

Seeing this, Ye Yuan frowned slightly.

Their lives were naturally safe, but this treatment was clearly meant to humiliate him and slap his face.

Though Zhengming Heavenly Emperor was formidable, how could a top sacred land like the Great Sorrow Realm lack ninth-level Heavenly Emperor experts?

Changdong Heavenly Emperor himself was a great expert at the ninth level of Heavenly Emperor.

Changdong approached Zhao Zixuan and bowed, saying, “Young master, the Sub-Saint has arrived.”

The young men turned to look at Ye Yuan, and upon seeing his youthful face, they felt a surge of contempt.

“So this is the famous Sub-Saint? Hah, your two men were terribly rude. The Sky Mallow Flower I had my eye on—they dared to snatch it! When I refused, they even insulted me. So I had no choice but to discipline them on your behalf,” Zhao Zixuan said cheerfully, looking at Ye Yuan.

Zhengming Heavenly Emperor looked at Ye Yuan with a face full of shame.

The Sky Mallow Flower was a main ingredient for the Nine Refined Cloud Heaven Pill. He had scoured Cloud Heart City and finally found it in a medicine shop.

But just as he entered, the Sky Mallow Flower had been bought by Zhao Zixuan and his group.

Anxious, he immediately approached Zhao Zixuan and the others, hoping to buy it from them.

Zhao Zixuan and his group spoke to Zhengming Heavenly Emperor with great disdain, their provocation palpable.

However, seeing that Zhao Zixuan and his group were not strong and their clothes were not particularly lavish, Zhengming underestimated them.

After some back and forth, Zhengming Heavenly Emperor flew into a rage and was about to teach Zhao Zixuan and his group a lesson.

But then, several powerful experts suddenly appeared and subdued him in an instant.

Only then did Zhao Zixuan and the others reveal their identities, startling Zhengming Heavenly Emperor out of his wits.

Each of these men came from a top alchemy sacred land in the Tongtian Realm.

Even as dense as he was, he finally understood.

He had been set up!

These fellows had been playing the pig to eat the tiger, deliberately baiting him. No wonder he had searched all of Cloud Heart City without finding the Sky Mallow Flower.