It was already late at night, and the courtyard was very quiet.
Ye Chen and Xiao Xiao walked side by side casually. The two did not speak, and the atmosphere was somewhat heavy.
"I accidentally heard a rumor."
Finally, Xiao Xiao was the first to speak. "You're participating in the Battle of Dynasties this time and intend to seize the position in the top 10 for the sake of a woman called Murong Xue. You want to break off her engagement with Duanmu Yu and allow her to regain her freedom, right?"
"That's right."
Ye Chen nodded, not hiding anything. This matter had already spread, and the entire Tianwu City was in an uproar. If Ye Chen denied it, it would appear that he had ulterior motives.
Furthermore, there was no need for him to hide it.
"Is it worth it for a woman?"
Xiao Xiao was somewhat agitated. She looked at Ye Chen and said, "Duanmu Yu has already stepped into the Saint Realm. His strength is unfathomable. Furthermore, he has been working with the various dynasties recently, vaguely wanting to form an alliance. If you are so stubborn and insist on canceling this engagement, he will definitely use all means to take your life."
"Even if I don't do it for Murong Xue, Duanmu Yu will not let me off."
Ye Chen smiled faintly. He had devoured the divine flame and the meteorite, completely disrupting the Heavenly Flame Dynasty's plan to annex him. He had already formed a grudge with the Heavenly Flame Dynasty. Only one of them could survive. If Ye Chen lived, Duanmu Yu would not survive.
"You are too rash!"
Xiao Xiao's voice suddenly turned cold. She took a deep breath and said, "The marriage alliance concerns the prestige of the Heavenly Flame Dynasty. Even if you get into the top ten and cancel the engagement, the Heavenly Flame Dynasty will not let you off. This matter is different from the divine flame. Duanmu Yu only suspected the divine flame and did not have any evidence. However, everyone knows about the marriage alliance. Even the Heavenly Deity Palace came out for it. If anything goes wrong, countless people will pay attention to it. There is no way to hide it."
When she finished speaking, Xiao Xiao's entire face turned red. There was deep helplessness in her eyes. Ye Chen was simply too impulsive. The one he wanted to slap was the Heavenly Flame Dynasty, not Duanmu Yu alone.
At this moment, the night deepened.
A gust of night wind blew past, blowing up Ye Chen's long black hair. On his handsome face, a pair of eyes were as deep as an ancient well, without any ripples.
"House Master Xiao, why did you embark on the path of cultivation?"
Suddenly, Ye Chen retorted, causing Xiao Xiao's gaze to tremble slightly. Her expression became even gloomier, "Does this question have anything to do with what I just said?"
"Of course."
Ye Chen's eyes were filled with determination. He paused for a moment, then said indifferently, "The reason I embarked on the path of cultivation is to protect, to protect the people in my heart, the people I love. For them, even if I have to go through mountains of blades and seas of fire, even if I have to face millions of enemies, I will not be afraid, and I will not shrink back."
"Murong Xue holds an extremely important position in my heart. If it wasn't for her, perhaps there wouldn't be the current Ye Chen. Now that she's in deep trouble, I naturally have to do my best to save her. If I choose to shrink back, it will go against the principles in my heart.
"If even the principles are lost, then what's the point of having strength?"
At this point, Ye Chen did not speak any further. He turned his head and stared at the beautiful woman in front of him. Waves of bright light flickered in his eyes.
As for Xiao Xiao, her gaze trembled slightly. It was as if a string in the depths of her heart had been touched by Ye Chen's words.
"Why did you walk the path of cultivation?"
This question reverberated in Xiao Xiao's heart. She raised her head and glanced at Ye Chen. She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but in the end, she didn't say a word.
The entire space sank into silence once more.
At the same time, at one of the entrances of Heaven Martial City, two flying spiritual beasts streaked across the night sky and directly plunged into the city.
Two men stood on the two flying spiritual beasts. They were covered in dust and wore black light armor. On their faces, there was a bronze mask, which made them look exceptionally ferocious and conspicuous.
"We're finally back!"
The skinny man looked into the distance with a hint of excitement. They rode on flying spiritual beasts. After half a month of traveling day and night, they finally returned to Heaven Martial City. Fortunately, they weren't too late and didn't miss the Battle of the Empire.
"Wu Gui, you left the Heaven God Palace after the riot at the thirteenth palace. You should have been wandering outside for more than a year, right?" The skinny man looked at the person beside him and asked in a low voice.
"I was ordered by the Palace Master to thoroughly investigate the whereabouts of that thief. How can you say that I was wandering?"
The other person's voice was rather calm. He took off his bronze mask, revealing a clear face. He wasn't handsome, but he exuded a resolute aura. It was hard to forget this face when one looked at it.
If Ye Chen was here, he would definitely recognize this person.
He was the number one Heavenly General of the Heaven God Palace, Mo Wu Gui.
"I was just joking. Why are you angry?"
The skinny man rolled his eyes. He wasn't displeased by Mo Wu Gui's attitude. He raised his eyebrows and asked in a low voice, "Did you find any clues in the past year?"
The riot at the thirteenth palace and Left Glabella broke out of the seal. When he left, he even said that he would make the Heaven God Palace pay with blood. To the Heaven God Palace, this was undoubtedly a strong enemy. They naturally didn't dare to be careless and immediately sent out more than ten Heavenly Generals to investigate this matter. Now that more than a year had passed, the investigation was still ongoing.
As the number one Heavenly General, Mo Wu Gui naturally shouldered a heavy responsibility. However, because the Battle of the Empire was about to begin, he had no choice but to return to the Heaven God Palace.
"I found some clues. I'm following up."
Mo Wu Gui lowered his head and looked at the bronze mask in his hand. He said slowly, "A few months ago, I accidentally passed by the Qinwu Empire and stayed in the Imperial City for a few days. I discovered a trace of an aura that was extremely similar to that thief's in the Imperial City. I followed this aura and chased after it. I came to a ruin, but it was a pity that the ruin was completely destroyed and I couldn't find anything."
"So you're saying that the thief is from the Qinwu Empire?"
"At first, I thought so too. However, a few days ago, I passed by Luo Yan City and discovered this aura in the city. Moreover, this aura was even stronger. It seemed to have stayed for a long time," Mo Wu Gui said.
Mo Wu Gui added as he shook his head helplessly, "My guess is that this thief didn't settle down in one place. Instead, he left his aura everywhere to confuse us and avoid our pursuit. Otherwise, it would be impossible for him to move back and forth between the two empires in such a short period of time."
"What you said makes sense."
That person nodded and suggested, "However, no matter what, these clues are extremely important. We must report this truthfully to the sect leader. Moreover, other than this matter, the battle between the empires this time around is also related to our dreams. We must not be careless. After all, both of us have fought for three years. If we do not grasp this opportunity, I'm afraid that there will be no more hope."
"Of course!"