Chapter 684: The Ye Family Army

This burly man was none other than Chu Shi, whom Ye Yuan had not seen for half a year.

And the tens of thousands of people he brought were naturally the group of martial artists Ye Yuan had rescued back in Chiguang City.

Only, the number seemed to have dwindled considerably.

"I'm just being arrogant, so what?"

Chu Shi turned his head while speaking arrogantly, but when he looked back, the word "what" came out trembling.

A moment ago, he was a mighty tiger; the next, he turned into a sick cat, utterly deflated.

"Ye... Ye Yuan, sir! Ha... haha, it's you? You... how did you end up here?" Chu Shi stammered, his tongue tied.

Ye Yuan smiled and said, "Weren't you looking for me? Now that I'm here, what do you think?"

Chu Shi broke out in a cold sweat, his eyes darting around slyly, clearly trying to come up with an excuse to smooth things over.

"Bang!"

Chu Shi was kicked flying by someone—who else could it be but Zhu Changzhi?

Zhu Changzhi bowed deeply to Ye Yuan and said, "I've warned this guy many times not to be arrogant, but he never listens! We just didn't expect that the recently renowned Youyun Sect would be led by you, Ye Yuan!"

Ye Yuan was delighted to see old friends coming to join him and said with a smile, "I came from the mortal world and entered the Youyun Sect. Now that I'm making a comeback, it's only natural to fly the banner of my own sect."

Back then, Chu Shi and the others were all rogue cultivators. They only knew that Ye Yuan had a big background, but had no idea he came from an unremarkable small sect.

The special nature of the Youyun Sect was known only to the top echelons of the Northern Domain.

"Ha... haha, Ye Yuan, sir, we three brothers have missed you so much! We haven't slept well these past few days, worrying about you day and night. Who would have thought you'd burst onto the scene and become the master of Luming City!" Chu Shi scurried over, shamelessly grinning.

Zhu Changzhi laughed and scolded, "I told you long ago that Ye Yuan, sir, is blessed by heaven. How could mere curse power hold him back?"

Chu Shi curled his lip and said, "Who was it that sighed all night, praying to heaven for Ye Yuan, sir's safety?"

"Get lost! You just offended the sir, aren't you going to kneel and apologize?" Zhu Changzhi roared.

"I... I..."

Chu Shi shot Zhu Changzhi a fierce glare, blaming him for bringing up what should have been left unsaid.

Watching this scene, Ye Yuan felt a warmth in his heart.

These rough men might be crude, but their concern for him was genuine.

Though they came from the grassroots, they valued loyalty above all.

Such people would shed blood and lay down their lives for you and would never betray you.

Ye Yuan smiled and said, "Forget it, forget it. No blame for the unknowing! But why are there only so few of you left?"

Before coming, Ye Yuan had already observed this army—less than thirty thousand in number, half of what it used to be.

Chu Shi's expression darkened, and he fell silent.

Zhu Changzhi sighed and recounted their experiences after parting ways with Ye Yuan.

It turned out that after Ye Yuan left, Qin Yan, Guo Taoqun, and the others had taken City Lord Su Hu back to Wufang City.

They had originally wanted to bring Chu Shi and the other martial artists along, but Chu Shi and his group were unwilling.

These people were all rogue cultivators, used to a free and unrestrained life, and not accustomed to disciplined living, so they did not go.

Logically, these people were just a bunch of rogue cultivators who didn't know each other.

But to Chu Shi and the other two's surprise, the vast majority of these tens of thousands of martial artists chose to stay, with only a few leaving.

In the end, nearly fifty thousand people chose to stay, and they elected Chu Shi and the other two as their commanders.

Their purpose was simple: their lives were given by Ye Yuan, and from then on, they would follow only Ye Yuan's orders.

Moreover, Ye Yuan had left alone, pursued by Divine Travel realm experts, and they were all worried, insisting on waiting for news of his safe return.

Thus, this group became a guerrilla force, specifically targeting the Wildwind Realm army.

Surprisingly, while the armies sent by the Boundless Alliance were almost completely routed, this guerrilla force won battle after battle, killing countless Wildwind Realm martial artists.

However, Chu Shi and the other two were selective in their attacks, never daring to go where Divine Travel realm experts were present.

But their existence eventually caught the attention of the Wildwind Realm's high command.

After the fall of Wufang City, the Wildwind Realm finally had the resources to deploy their Divine Travel realm experts, sending them out to hunt down Boundless Realm's Divine Travel experts.

To deal with Chu Shi's army, the Wildwind Realm even sent a Divine Travel Fourth Layer expert.

What followed was a fierce and bloody battle.

But... that Divine Travel expert never dreamed that this army's combat strength would be so formidable!

He was engulfed by the sea of enemies and had no chance to escape!

In the end, after suffering twenty thousand casualties, Chu Shi and his men managed to kill that Divine Travel Fourth Layer expert!

This outcome was something Chu Shi and the others had never expected.

They themselves hadn't realized that the training Ye Yuan had given them could produce such tremendous power!

An army without a single Divine Travel expert had slain a Divine Travel Fourth Layer expert!

But after this, Chu Shi and his group realized a problem: they wouldn't be so lucky next time!

If the Wildwind Realm sent another late-stage Divine Travel expert, they would still face total annihilation.

Just then, they heard news of the Youyun Sect's relentless slaughter of Wildwind Realm forces. After some discussion, Chu Shi and his group decided to seek refuge with the Youyun Sect.

They never expected that the Youyun Sect was actually founded by Ye Yuan himself.

And Chu Shi, thinking he had killed a mid-stage Divine Travel expert, wanted to intimidate the Youyun Sect to maintain his independence.

Who would have thought that Chu Shi would make a huge blunder, nearly offending Ye Yuan.

"By the way, Ye Yuan, sir, our army's designation is 'Ye Family Army'!" Zhu Changzhi added.

Ye Yuan was somewhat surprised to hear about their experiences over the past half year.

It seemed this army's growth had exceeded his expectations.

Over these six months, Chu Shi and the others had been through countless battles. Tempered between life and death, their strength had greatly improved.

Now, Chu Shi and his two companions had actually broken through to the peak of Soul Sea Ninth Layer, just one step away from the Divine Travel realm.

"Since you're all here, stay. But your strength is still a bit lacking. In the next couple of days, I'll refine some pills to help you break through to the Divine Travel realm. With your current combat power, once you break through, your strength will skyrocket. Even late-stage Divine Travel experts might not get the better of you," Ye Yuan said.

Many people had come to seek refuge these days, but few were truly capable.

The arrival of Chu Shi and his group finally gave Ye Yuan a real helping hand.