The Golden Doll attempted to use a peculiar mental realm to snatch some gold ingots from Ye Chu, but no matter how he channelled it, Ye Chu showed no signs of being entranced. This reminded the Golden Doll that Ye Chu had remained clear-minded even while possessing the Supreme Intent, so he promptly abandoned the notion.
He felt rather exasperated. Along the entire journey, he had played the role of the God of Wealth in every city, amassing countless gold ingots. He had not expected to cross paths with Ye Chu here, prompting the Golden Doll to curse loudly at his rotten luck.
“Why are you here to spoil things?” The Golden Doll, rather exasperated, watched as the massive golden palace projected in the void vanished. The golden light coiling around his body also dissipated. Without the divine radiance of these mystic trappings, he instantly dropped from the status of a God of Wealth to a mere fat man.
Ye Chu rolled his eyes and said with disdain, “If you can come, why can I not?”
The Golden Doll lacked the energy to argue with Ye Chu. He merely swept out a flash of light, and the mountain of gold piled on the ground vanished. This drew Ye Chu’s sharp stare. Though Ye Chu deeply disliked the fat man, he had to concede his formidable strength. The mountain of gold weighed at least tens of thousands of jin, yet the man had gathered it all effortlessly.
Those who had been entranced by the Golden Doll recovered their senses. They glared at him one by one, eager to reclaim their gold. The Golden Doll, however, simply flicked his wrist. Everyone was sent flying backwards. Though they were unharmed, they landed a hundred metres away.
The display startled the crowd. Realising just how formidable the Golden Doll was, nobody dared to act rashly again.
“Meeting you is such rotten luck!” the Golden Doll muttered. He then produced an object and tossed it to Ye Chu, saying, “The Old Madman guessed you are close to reaching the fifth tier of the Profound Life Realm. He instructed me to give this to you once our paths crossed.”
Ye Chu accepted the jade box but did not open it in front of the crowd. With so many eyes upon him, he had no desire to attract unwanted attention. Whatever the Old Madman sent was certainly no ordinary item.
Still, Ye Chu was rather surprised by the Old Madman’s sharp perception. How had he known Ye Chu was nearing the fifth tier of the Profound Life Realm?
“Did the Old Madman not tell you to seek out the Qingmi Mountain faction in Weiyang Province?” the Golden Doll muttered. He had taken this item to look for Qingmi Mountain disciples back then, but they all claimed never to have seen Ye Chu, leaving him with no choice but to search elsewhere.
The Golden Doll had always considered Ye Chu rather foolish, and now he found him even more so. Locating the Qingmi Mountain’s forces in Weiyang Province would have opened so many convenient doors. Ye Chu was actually clueless about securing some resources, despite the fact that his current status as a core Qingmi Mountain disciple carried considerable authority.
“Who on earth knows where the Qingmi Mountain forces are in Weiyang Province!” Ye Chu was equally frustrated at this. Having been hunted by Bai Xin and Bai Rou for days, he had also hoped to find Qingmi Mountain allies to lay low, or perhaps summon a few members to demonstrate his strength to the women. Yet he had not encountered a single Qingmi Mountain disciple.
The Golden Doll shot Ye Chu a scornful look. “The Qingmi Mountain forces are located deep within Weiyang Province. Do you not know that the further one travels towards the centre, the more suitable the province becomes for cultivation?”
Ye Chu was naturally aware of this, but venturing deeper required a step-by-step approach. Besides, rushing in blindly without sufficient strength would be incredibly perilous.
Ye Jingyun listened to their conversation, concluding that Ye Chu indeed shared a close bond with the Golden Doll. Furthermore, judging by their remarks, it appeared they both shared the same mentor, the Old Madman.
Yang Hui and Yang Ning’s eyes also lit up. Though they did not know who this Old Madman was, the fact that he had produced a figure like the Golden Doll meant he was undoubtedly a peerless master. If that were true, then Ye Chu…
The Golden Doll was about to speak when his expression suddenly shifted. He glared furiously towards one side. “Bloody hell. How did that bastard catch up so quickly?”
The Golden Doll levitated into the air, his body shimmering with golden light, and fixed his gaze on a distant point.
“Golden Doll, let us see where you flee to this time!” A thunderous roar echoed, and a group of figures shot forward from the distance. Every one of them wore multi-coloured golden armour, their presence overwhelming. Even the weakest among them possessed strength no less than that of a King.
Leading the group was a young man. His eyes burned like torches, crackling with lightning. He stood at the forefront, clad in iridescent armour, wearing an imperial crown, and wielding a seven-foot halberd. Like a God of War, he stood rigid in the void, while his followers descended behind him like celestial troops.
“Tch…”
Everyone gasped at the sight, Ye Chu included. He could not gauge the depth of the young man at the front, but every single follower behind him had reached King-level strength. Moreover, they were all clad in Sun and Moon grade equipment.
What an extravagant display. Ye Chu stared blankly at the young man at the front, then glanced at the Golden Doll, wondering what feud lay between them.
“You insignificant worm! This God of Wealth shall not trouble himself with you, so do not provoke my wrath.” The Golden Doll glared at his opponent. Golden light flickered across his body, making him once again shine dazzlingly like a deity, radiating opulence.
“Golden Doll, you are merely a disgraced heir now. Do you truly still fancy yourself the Son of the God of Wealth?” the young man wielding the halberd laughed loudly while staring at him. “You are just deceiving yourself!”
The Golden Doll reacted as if someone had stepped on his tail. He leapt up and roared, “You are the disgraced heir! This God of Wealth is the richest man in the world. I possess mountains of gold. Do you believe I could crush you to death with it?”
As he spoke, the Golden Doll produced massive handfuls of gold and hurled them fiercely at the young man.
“Drop dead! This God of Wealth will bury you under gold. No one in the world is wealthier than me. I am a being you ought to look up to, and I have never known disgrace. Your family is bankrupt, and your ancestors for eighteen generations were raised on filth!” the Golden Doll bellowed. Between curses, he hurled block after block of gold, repeatedly shrieking about burying them under his wealth.
The man with the halberd glared furiously at the Golden Doll. The gold that struck near him shattered and exploded, dissolving into golden dust that drifted through the air. It gleamed brilliantly against the sunlight.
Ye Chu stared at the halberd wielder, thoroughly bewildered. He had no idea where this figure had emerged from, or why he dared to challenge the Golden Doll. Furthermore, could the Golden Doll truly have been the Son of the God of Wealth in the past?
The Golden Doll was clearly rattled by his opponent’s words, as he kept hurling gold without pause. To the Golden Doll, gold was his very life. He was the sort who would never part with a single piece. Yet now he kept throwing it away, clearly driven to madness.
“Trash remains trash. You hid for so many years, yet I still found you. Since that is the case, then perish!” the young man with the halberd bellowed. His shout shook the very heavens, and the resulting tremors caused all things to stir and quake, radiating an aura of boundless, peerless sharpness.
Ye Chu watched the scene in a daze, deeply shaken by the young man’s overwhelming dominance. The man was simply too powerful, far beyond his expectations.
Ye Jingyun, however, stood frozen on the spot. Gazing at the mark on the young man’s forehead, she could not help but recall another legend. Upon remembering it, she stared at the Golden Doll with sheer terror.
He dared to provoke members of that family? Was he utterly mad, or did he himself possess an extraordinary background?