Although Ye Yan had her own opinions regarding Ye Rou, she could only keep them to herself. If Ye Rou were to wed Zong Yi, the young lord of the House of Storms, the conflict between the Scarlet Flame Sect and House of Storms would be resolved. The great crisis they face would also be averted, Ye Rou served as the catalyst to all of this!

Ye Min noticed Ye Yan’s displeasure with the situation. She approached closer. “Miss Rou, the Grand Supreme Elder makes a good point. From what I can tell, the brat from Xiwu Ye Clan is at most Heavenly Venerable Rank. With something as valuable as the Heaven Rumbling Cauldron under his possession, he’s sure to attract the attention of various forces. It’s only a matter of time before a fatal disaster comes to him. Such disaster may even befall our Scarlet Flame Sect. It’s best to keep our distance from him.”

Ye Rou gazed absently in front of her, a glimpse of worry appeared in her eyes. She was not concerned about herself, she was only worried about Ye Chen’s safety.

When there was no response from Ye Rou, Ye Min assumed that she had spoken some sense into Ye Rou. She was pleased and continued, “The way I see it, the little brat is all bark but no bite. It’s a nonsensical fantasy for the Xiwu Ye Clan to ever hope to be in the same league as our Central Empire Ye Clan. If they keep this up, the Xiwu Ye Clan is bound to be wiped out.” When Ye Min recalled Ye Chen’s slight toward the Central Empire Ye Clan, she was filled with a grudge.

Ye Rou glared at Ye Min and rebuked angrily. “Who are you to criticize the Xiwu Ye Clan?” Ye Rou was by nature a gentle and kind person hence she very seldom made enemies. She could no longer sit by idly and listen to Ye Min running her mouth, mocking the Xiwu Ye Clan. She hated their scornful tone and their arrogant attitude like they were far above the Xiwu Ye Clan. Did they learn nothing from Big Brother Ye Chen previously outshining them up in the tournament arena?

“Are you scolding me?” Ye Min was stunned as she turned toward Ye Rou. At the end of the day, she was still Ye Rou’s aunt. A flash of rage appeared in her eyes.

“Miss Rou, I hope you don’t forget that you’re one of our Central Empire Ye Clan!” Ye Yan was not pleased. She had never thought Ye Rou would stand up for the Xiwu Ye Clan and scold Ye Min.

“And I hope you don’t forget that I grew up in the Xiwu Ye Clan!” Ye Rou stared right back at Ye Yan, showing no signs of fear.

The conversation between Ye Rou, Ye Yan, Ye Ming, and the others was heard around the tournament arena. The people of the tournament arena all turned toward their direction. They were not happy with Ye Rou. Even though Ye Chen did show them up in the tournament arena the other day, it was only due to the cauldron that he had!

“Miss Ye Rou is pushing her luck. Our Central Empire Ye Clan has been leading the Scarlet Flame Sect in the Central Empire for over a thousand year. So what if one or two prodigies emerge from the Xiwu Ye Clan? What difference does it make if the Xiwu Ye Clan still don’t dare step out of Xiwu Empire?”

“That Ye Chen’s cultivation base is only Heavenly Venerable Rank. He only managed to defeat the House of Storms’ Zong Yi thanks to the cauldron. Does he dare to lead the Xiwu Ye Clan to the Central Empire?”

The crowd began to criticize Ye Rou. They said that Ye Rou did not know her place, that she only cared about the Xiwu Ye Clan and held a grudge toward the Central Empire Ye Clan. There were even whispers among some of them saying that the Scarlet Flame Sect would not even be in this mess with the House of Storms in the first place if it was not for Ye Rou.

Faced with the condemnation of the Scarlet Flame Sect apprentices, Ye Rou felt horrible. If she truly did not care for the Central Empire Ye Clan and his parents, why would she choose to stay here? She felt tears begin to well up within her eyes. Why did nobody understand her? She felt like she was stranded by herself on an island in the Scarlet Flame Sect with no one around to help her.

Ye Rou wanted to retort but she was surrounded by apprentices of the Scarlet Flame Sect. Even if she somehow managed to grow another ten pairs of mouths, it still would not be enough to argue with them. She never felt any hostility toward the Central Empire Ye Clan, she just could not stand their attitude toward Xiwu Ye Clan!

Ye Rou wanted to cry her heart out. She thought about how nice it would be if she had Big Brother Ye Chen by her side now. If Big Brother Ye Chen was here, she need not fear what anybody had to say. All she had to do was stand behind Big Brother Ye Chen.

Just as the apprentices of the Scarlet Flame Sect were growing more heated, a thunderous voice erupted from the skies above. “Hmmph, Central Empire Ye Clan, my *ss! If you lot of the Central Empire Ye Clan think so lowly of the Xiwu Ye Clan, then at least bring out something to show for it. Lest you get looked down by the members of my Xiwu Ye Clan!”

When Ye Rou heard the familiar voice, a look of disbelief immediately came upon her face. She was overjoyed, a single teardrop gently brushed past her cheeks. At that moment, she felt like she could not care less about the japes of the apprentices of the Scarlet Flame Sect. As long as Big Brother Ye Chen had safely returned, nothing else mattered.

“Who dares challenge my Central Empire Ye Clan, show yourself immediately!” the blunt end of Ye Yan’s crutch slammed heavily onto the ground. The greenstone on the floor was cracked open following a loud “thump”. It could be seen that Ye Yan was enraged.

Ye Min, who stood beside her, began to turn red with anger as well.

“It seems like you lot haven’t learned a lesson from the last time and you still haven’t had enough!” Ye Chen approached from a narrow corridor faraway. He took slow and steady steps, oozing confidence and charisma with every step he took.

There was a small uproar among the apprentices when they saw that it was Ye Chen. They could not believe it was Ye Chen. How did the brat manage to return? When they recalled the day of the tournament, they turned beet red. There were so many of them and yet not one of them dared to answer Ye Chen’s public challenge so they would rather not be reminded of such a shameful incident. They were even beginning to celebrate among themselves, thinking that Ye Chen was probably killed off by some other sects out there.

Even though they did not dare to confront Ye Chen directly, they still held a grudge toward Ye Chen.

“You dare to enter my Scarlet Flame Sect on your own accord without getting permission? Is my Scarlet Flame Sect a joke to you?” Ye Yan was enraged, the Celestial Chi in her body was already beginning to channel.

Ye Rou instantly tightened and she began to channel her Celestial Chi as well while staring at Ye Yan.

“Ye Rou, are you going to oppose my Scarlet Flame Sect all for one man?” Ye Yan asked angrily.

“The Scarlet Flame Sect is my mother and father’s Sect, I will not oppose the Scarlet Flame Sect. If any enemies arrive, I’ll also do my part and fight for the Scarlet Flame Sect. But if anyone wants to bring harm to my Big Brother Ye Chen, I, Ye Rou, will not permit it!” Ye Rou’s innocent face was filled with determination as she defiantly glared at Ye Yan.

“Ye Rou, don’t pay mind to her. To me, the Scarlet Flame Sect is nothing more than an empty threat. A measly Mystique Venerable Rank cannot harm me!” Ye Chen scoffed. “Old hag, if you keep bullying her, don’t blame me when I throw you down the mountain!”

“I’m more curious to see just what you’re capable of!” Ye Yan immediately leaped up and brandished her crutch, viciously swinging it down at Ye Chen. Even the air around her began to screech.

Ye Chen could not even be bothered with Ye Yan. He activated the Soul Pearl. “Come out, Little Wingsy, there’s a fight waiting for you!”

“Nice,” Little Wingsy shouted excitedly. He instantly appeared out of thin air. He clenched his fist and thrust it at Ye Yan.

Ye Yan’s crutch landed square on Little Wingsy’s fist. Following a loud burst, the crutch was smashed into smithereens by Little Wingsy. The color instantly drained from her face as she stumbled several steps backward. Little Wingsy suddenly disappeared from her sight. Before she even had time to read the situation, in the blink of an eye, Little Wingsy had appeared on her right again. He thrust his fist forward.

“Thump thump thump”, Ye Yan took one punch after another. Her horrific shrieks began to echo, her frail tangerine skin turned into a swollen purple.

“You dare to hurt a member of our Scarlet Flame Sect, d*mn you!” Ye Min and the others were growing increasingly vexed but they could not interfere in a battle between Mystique Venerable Rank fighters.

“Brat, how dare you!” A group of apprentices of the Scarlet Flame Sect could not take it anymore and they charged together.

Ye Chen glanced at them and raised his eyebrow, a gust of Mystique Venerable Rank aura swept toward their direction. The group of apprentices was instantly blasted away, their faces turned pale instantly. The ferocious Celestial Chi was comparable to the aura of the Grand Supreme Elder of the Scarlet Flame Sect

“This, this is Mystique Venerable Rank cultivation base?” a top Heavenly Venerable Rank apprentice of the Scarlet Flame Sect questioned, his face turning white as a sheet of paper. He was thirty-six-year-old and had cultivated to top Heavenly Venerable Rank, this was already considered a rather outstanding feat. Yet, this young Ye Chen before him was already Mystique Venerable Rank at just eighteen or nineteen-years-old. This was unbelievable!

Furthermore, it did not seem like Ye Chen’s cultivation base was just beginner Mystique Venerable Rank. He then glanced at Little Wingsy, a mere five to six-year-old child who was completely suppressing Grand Supreme Elder Ye Yan. He could not stop himself from trembling.

How could something so otherworldly exist?

The apprentices of the Scarlet Flame Sect did not dare take even half a step further. They could not stand up against Ye Chen’s aura.

Ye Chen coldly glanced at the apprentices and mocked. “I thought you guys looked down on the Xiwu Ye Clan? I’ll give you a chance now. Anyone of you may challenge me, feel free to come up at me together. I’m curious to see what makes you think that you folks of Central Empire Ye Clan have the right to mock my Xiwu Ye Clan! If you still insist that I’m the only strong one in the Xiwu Ye Clan and my victory here doesn’t prove anything, feel free to challenge the Xiwu Ye Clan. See for yourself if the elders of the Xiwu Ye Clan or the Central Empire Ye Clan are stronger!”

The group of Scarlet Flame Sect apprentices did not utter a single word before the presence of a Mystique Venerable Rank fighter. Their pride was once again brutally squashed. Previously, during the tournament when Ye Chen fought against Zong Yi, the cultivation base he had displayed was only Heavenly Venerable Rank. The most threatening part was just the cauldron, so they were not satisfied with the outcome of the battle. This time around, Ye Chen had shown Mystique Venerable Rank cultivation base. It was the equivalent of a Grand Supreme Elder in the Scarlet Flame Sect!

Merely how much time had passed since the last time? Ye Chen suddenly had a breakthrough and advanced into a far more powerful realm. They felt like they were never going to reach Ye Chen’s level as the gap between them was only going to grow wider!

Perhaps this was the gap between ordinary people and a prodigy.

“Where’s the attitude you showed earlier? How come none of you are saying anything now?” Ye Chen shouted angrily.

“I’d rather die than be humiliated. If you’re going to just keep humiliating us like this, why don’t you just kill us all here and now!” Several apprentices glared venomously at Ye Chen.

“You call this humiliation? Hmmph, weren’t you lot mocking and humiliating my Xiwu Ye Clan as well?” Ye Chen responded coldly. He was only returning the favor.

The apprentices of the Scarlet Flame Sect did not know what to say to that. When the members of the Xiwu Ye Clan were at the Scarlet Flame Sect, none of them had been treated hospitably. They could not bring themselves to retort what Ye Chen was telling them now.

“I’ll only be staying here for a moment before taking my leave. During this period, anyone who wants to challenge me is welcome to do so.”

Ye Chen turned toward Little Rou, he saw Little Rou looking toward him as well. He could see gratitude written onto those pearly eyes of hers.