A flash of enlightenment briefly came to Tantai Ling as the energy in her body rose quickly. She seemed to have figured how to ascend to greater heights. She looked at Ye Chen before withdrawing her trident and heaved a long, winded breath. Recalling when Ye Chen told her that “You’ll understand one day”, she felt like she finally understood a little.

Tantai Ling lowered her head to look at Ye Chen. Ye Chen’s sharp and distinct features were full of fatigue. She remained silent for a long time and faintly said, “The reason I didn’t kill you today is because of the five years promise between us. I want to see which one of us will win five years from now.” After she had finished, she threw two objects beside Ye Chen. One was a sheepskin paper roll and the other was Emperor Ming’s Belt. Then, she turned away and headed out.

Would Tantai Ling one day come to regret not taking the chance to kill Ye Chen? That she did not know. She did not even know why she decided to leave behind those two items.

Just as Tantai Ling turned around, the Illusory Pearl that levitated nearby suddenly glowed brightly. A faint projection appeared above the Illusory Pearl. It was a graceful and beautiful lady. Mere words were not able to describe her immense beauty.

She was like a blossoming snow-white lotus.

She was like the fairest fairy in all the realms between heaven and earth. Her features were slightly different from a human’s. She had pointed ears and eight swaying tails. These characteristics did not take away her beauty but instead, enhancing it. Only her face was slightly pale, giving off a frail and weak impression.

Little Tanuki looked at Tantai Ling’s figure from behind, her clear voice earnestly expressed, “Thank you.” She saw everything that Tantai Ling did from within the Illusory Pearl.

Tantai Ling turned back and looked at Little Tanuki. Even though she was taken aback by Little Tanuki’s appearance, she did not let it show on her face as her expression remained unchanged. She quietly said, “No need, I didn’t do anything.” Tantai Ling walked away. After walking another ten steps, she jerked to a stop. “Did you willingly sacrifice yourself for him at the time? Why?”

Little Tanuki lowered her head, her beautiful cheeks flushed red as she nodded her head and said, “I don’t understand as well. All I know is that I have no regrets because he was the last person I saw before I died.”

Tantai Ling stood still for a long time before continuing on her way, disappearing at the entrance of the ancient tomb.

Little Tanuki watched as Tantai Ling’s figure vanished. She was not sure what Tantai Ling was thinking. Tantai Ling had always been good at masking her emotions as she was like a glacier mountain that did not let anyone approach her. Still, Little Tanuki’s Astral Body was able to sense that there was restlessness in Tantai Ling’s heart.

Little Tanuki looked back at Ye Chen. He was sleeping soundly.

Little Tanuki worriedly looked at the direction which the Soul Pearl flew in and muttered, “I wonder what happened to Little Wingsy…”

“Little Wingsy, I’m sorry. I can’t just leave Ye Chen here. I’ll look for you in the future,” said Little Tanuki. Ye Chen was in a deep sleep. Dark spirits lurked around this area and appeared from time to time. If she did not stand guard here for Ye Chen, anything could happen to him.

Little Tanuki silently looked at Ye Chen’s face, her slender fingers brushed over his face. She lay her head on top of Ye Chen’s chest to feel Ye Chen’s warmth.

“How I wish we could continue being together. I’m sorry I can’t stay with you. We’ll see each other again in the future,” Little Tanuki muttered, her eyes wet with tears. She longingly looked at Ye Chen and with a “whoosh”, her body returned into the Illusory Pearl.

The Illusory Pearl radiated a milky-white light, silently levitating above Ye Chen’s cheeks.

Days passed. Ye Chen, who was in a deep slumber, still did not awake.

As time passed by, the dark energy on Ye Chen’s face faded away altogether, only small remnants remained in his Dantian. The Flying Dagger in his mind continuously released Celestial Chi which spread through his body. The Nine Astra located in his Dantian also underwent some transformation where a materialized orb slowly grew bigger in the center of the Chi Circle. As time went on, the nine Chi Circles materialized and turned into orbs, each one of them a different color – gold, green, red, gray…

The nine orbs rotated rhythmically, each of their rotations signified a deeper Dao trance.

“Grr!”

Ye Chen’s stomach grumbled abruptly. He suddenly sat up, then looked around his surroundings blankly. He could remember Little Tanuki and Little Wingsy and his heart still throbbed in pain. He suddenly noticed the Illusory Pearl which levitated above him that shone with a milk-white light. He reached for it and grasped the Illusory Pearl in his hands.

The Illusory Pearl in Ye Chen’s palms faintly glowed a mellow ray of light. Deep in his heart, Ye Chen felt a warm sensation as tears uncontrollably fell.

“Little Tanuki, you’re still alive right? Little Tanuki, I can feel your energy, you must still be alive!” Ye Chen held the Illusory Pearl close to his chest like he was hugging Little Tanuki. He felt a heartbeat that beat along the rhythm of his heartbeat.

Little Tanuki must have stayed in the Illusory Pearl due to some unknown factors. Ye Chen still was not willing to accept that Little Tanuki had truly died as he felt that Little Tanuki must still be alive.

“No matter how long it takes, no matter when it’ll be, I’ll be waiting for you,” Ye Chen said with determination. He looked at the Illusory Pearl and he felt that Little Tanuki was right by him and had never left his side.

Ye Chen looked everywhere and still did not see the Soul Pearl. He dreamt that Little Wingsy had said his farewells. Little Wingsy said that he was going to cultivate himself and after his cultivation, it would be his turn to protect Big Brother Ye Chen and Big Sister Tanuki.

Ye Chen did not know where the Soul Pearl went. He stayed silent for a long time. Maybe it was not just a dream.

Ye Chen lowered his head, looking at the Illusory Pearl, his eyes glowed with determination. “Little Tanuki, Little Wingsy, I was too weak. I didn’t protect you two like I was supposed to. I’ll become stronger and I believe that you two are still alive and we’ll meet one day!”

Ye Chen sat up and properly kept the Illusory Pearl on him. He took some food from the armguard space and gorged down on them. Tears fell down his cheeks as he ate.

Ye Chen lowered his head and saw Emperor Ming’s Belt and the sheepskin paper roll. It was only then when he noticed that Tantai Ling had left.

Tantai Ling was merely a passer-by hence it was not surprising to Ye Chen that she had left. He just did not expect Tantai Ling to have left two items for him. When he thought about Tantai Ling’s cold personality, he was puzzled.

Ye Chen did not remember how he had managed to avoid the soul chains and all the events that followed. He had completely forgotten everything, not even a tiny impression of what had happened was left in his mind.

‘Did Tantai Ling save me? In that case, I’ll have to properly thank her next time we meet.’ Ye Chen thought. He picked up Emperor Ming’s Belt. Even though its uses were still unknown, judging by its aura, the belt should be an incredibly valuable treasure.

Ye Chen did not know what material the belt was made of. It was bright yellow and a bright gem was embedded on it. Its radiant shone everywhere, showcasing its magnificent presence.

Ye Chen strapped Emperor Ming’s Belt on his waist, noticing that it was a perfect fit for him. It also matched well with his clothes so it did not stand out too much.

The moment Ye Chen put on Emperor Ming’s Belt, two gushes of energy – one hot and the other cold – surged into his belly and started to channel in his body.

What was going on? Ye Chen panicked as he could feel the overwhelmingly hot and cold energies entering his body, wildly stirring up the Celestial Chi within. There seemed to be a mysterious power seeping into his own Astral Body.

Ye Chen looked down at Emperor Ming’s Belt. The belt’s aura seemed extraordinary. There seemed to be golden mystical beasts dancing around it.

When he channeled the Nine Astra within his Dantian, Ye Chen realized that the nine Chi Circle in his Dantian had transformed. They had turned into thumb-sized orbs. The nine orbs constantly rotate and infuse Celestial Chi within themselves, in turn empowering themselves.

When Ye Chen was in that deep slumber, his body had undergone a fascinating transformation. Emperor Ming’s Belt had further provoked a stronger reaction from his body.

Ye Chen shut his eyes. He felt the hot and cold energies in his abdomen constantly fluttering around, just like the Tai Chi as was told in legends. The cold was known as Yin and the heat as Yang. The ice-cold Chi surged to his left palm as the scorching hot Chi surged to his right. The left palm held the Yin and the right palm the Yang. A majestic Celestial Chi overflowed from within. The human body could be separated into sections of Yin and Yang, the two elements alternating, creating the day and week cycle. If there was too much Yin Chi, the body would freeze, organs would cease to function and even deteriorate. If there was too much Yang Chi, then the body would burn like raging flames, quickly extinguishing the flames of life. Only when Yin and Yang work in perfect harmony would the human body achieve a perfect balance. Then, the practitioner would be able to invoke both Yin and Yang.

All martial arts practitioners longing to learn such creations must develop their cultivation techniques. Although many experiences from others could be referred to and taken from, each man had to find his cultivation technique. Certain things could be understood with sudden enlightenment. Yet, there were more infinitely profound elements waiting to be discovered.

Cultivation was a process of discovery. It was not as straightforward as climbing up a flight of stairs. Once you have taken the first step, you may not even know where to place your next step and which way to go because the way ahead was pitch black. It could be another step ahead or flat ground. If you were not careful, you would miss your step.

Ye Chen was embarking on a path of cultivation that was different from most people.

Under the influence of the Yin and Yang Chi, Ye Chen could hear a constant hum ringing from his mind. Celestial Chi surged like a rapid river, spreading through his entire body and hitting every artery of his body. Under the effect of the Celestial Chi, the arteries constantly expanded, growing stronger.

Ye Chen felt the Nine Astras circling and the Celestial Chi flowing in his body. The intertwining Yin Chi flow and Yang Chi flow passed through the Nine Astras. Ye Chen felt his cultivation base had been boosted by several folds.

This was a beginner Heavenly Venerable Rank!

‘I have finally achieved Heavenly Venerable Rank!’ Ye Chen was exhilarated as his cultivation base had finally improved to the next level.

Unless there existed some other people with a special bloodline, there was scarcely any person who had improved as fast as Ye Chen did. Having reached beginner Heavenly Venerable Rank, Ye Chen was still not satisfied. He knew that his cultivation base still had a long way to go.

Ye Chen slowly entered a trance state, feeling the Chi flow transformation in his body. At that moment, his heart was as devout as a monk.

Inside the surging Celestial Chi, Ye Chen finally solidified his cultivation base, setting himself in the stage of beginner Heavenly Venerable Rank!

Ye Chen looked again at the captivating Emperor Ming’s Belt. To think that this belt contained two such extraordinary energies, helping him advance to beginner Heavenly Venerable Rank. Feeling the flowing energy from Emperor Ming’s Belt, Ye Chen felt that this was not all that it was capable of!

After a while, Emperor Ming’s Belt grew dimmer. Other than the elegant ornate, it seemed just like an ordinary belt.

Ye Chen wondered how strong Emperor Ming was. He must have been superhuman. Since the belt was Emperor Ming’s relic, it must be special too. It looked like he would have to take his time to unravel the mysteries of Emperor Ming’s Belt.

There was still the sheepskin paper roll beside him. When Ye Chen opened it, he found out that it was a map. The paths charted on the map must be the way out of the ancient tomb. Tantai Ling probably left this behind so that he would not be stuck in this place, unable to find a way out.

When he thought of Tantai Ling’s cold expression, Ye Chen smiled bitterly. Tantai Ling’s personality was far too cold. It was not easy to approach her but it seemed like deep down, she was not a bad person.

Ye Chen’s Celestial Chi cultivation base had finally advanced to beginner Heavenly Venerable Rank. In that case, his Astral Body prowess should have also grown substantially. He wondered how powerful his Astral Body had become!

With a small huff, waves of Astral Body energy with his Celestial Chi shot into the sky. Above Ye Chen’s head, a gold-armored soldier stood in the air. The gold-armored soldier was about fifteen meters tall and the longsword it wielded was about seven to eight meters long. It was clad in golden armor and it looked like an invincible godly figure.

If a Daemon King’s Psyche manifestation had encountered the mighty gold-armored soldier and were not aware of the gold-armored soldier’s true power, even it would shudder in fear.

At this point, the gold-armored soldier’s level was near beginner Mystique Venerable Rank!

Ye Chen was uncertain just how powerful his Astral Body was. With a low groan, the gold-armored soldier instantly moved twenty to thirty meters and swung its sword forward. A gigantic crescent-shaped blade slammed downward.

Boom boom!

The boulders piled on the ground were smashed into smithereens by the impact of the sword. This was before infusing the sword with Blazing Internal Energy. If he had done that, it would be far more powerful!