Chapter 47: Chapter 47: The Legend of Emperor Ye
"Young Master Ji has arrived, we’ve been waiting for quite some time."
As Ji Chen approached, he saw the Eldest Princess stand up from the crowd to personally greet him.
Everyone present couldn’t help but show a look of curiosity upon seeing this.
Evidently, they did not recognize Ji Chen and couldn’t understand why such a distinguished person could warrant such respect from a nation’s Eldest Princess.
"Allow me to introduce to everyone here, this is Ji Chen, the Young Sect Leader of the Lingyun Sect." The Eldest Princess smiled as she introduced Ji Chen to the crowd.
"Oh?"
"So you are Ji Chen?"
"The Young Sect Leader of the Lingyun Sect... I have long heard of your illustrious name!"
The people were quite surprised by this, as it was clear that most of their forces were not from the Chu Kingdom, but came to Celestial Essence City for the Queen of Chu’s birthday.
However, before coming, they’d heard about the recent happenings in the Chu Kingdom.
The Celestial Profound Sect had fallen, and the Lingyun Sect had become the largest Sect in the Chu Kingdom, with overall strength second only to the royal family.
Regarding such a Sect, they certainly did not dare to underestimate it.
As the Young Sect Leader, Ji Chen naturally became a key figure of interest to them.
Rumor had it that he was once nothing but a hedonistic young master.
Yet, recently, he had transformed into a Second Grade Alchemist of the Alchemy Master Alliance.
Moreover, they also learned that Ji Chen was still only nineteen years old.
Such a young Second Grade Alchemist, even throughout the entire Profound Domain, was a rare existence.
"I am Ji Chen, greetings to everyone."
Ji Chen cupped his hands slightly towards everyone present.
As he had guessed, many of these young people had extraordinary backgrounds.
The Sects or families they belonged to would not be weaker than the Lingyun Sect in overall strength.
These were young geniuses from various countries within the Profound Domain, and for them to be personally received here by the Eldest Princess, one could naturally infer that their identities were anything but ordinary.
Soon, Ji Chen took a seat in the vacant spot next to the Eldest Princess.
Initially, his arrival only caused a slight surprise among the crowd, without garnering much further attention.
Strictly speaking, they were all outstanding members of various major forces within the Profound Domain. In terms of strength and status, for them, Ji Chen as a so-called Young Sect Leader was hardly significant.
After all, in the entire Profound Domain, the Lingyun Sect at best could only be considered a third-rate force.
"With the Emperor Ye Ancient Ruins opening, does anyone have any information? Feel free to share, so we can discuss it together." Someone in fine clothes suddenly spoke up during the chatter amongst the crowd.
This statement immediately piqued Ji Chen’s interest.
His main purpose for coming to Celestial Essence City was precisely this. He had been pondering about how to gather some information from the Eldest Princess, not expecting someone else to start the topic.
This happened to suit his intentions perfectly.
"It’s said the entrance to the ancient ruins is located within a valley in Li Yuan’s Tomb. It’s rumored to be the burial site of Emperor Ye. Over countless years, numerous have attempted to explore this ancient site, but it is so vast that even today, no one has been able to fully explore it."
"How splendid was Emperor Ye in his day? He was arguably the foremost of the Profound Domain’s history, the only human emperor to have truly unified the lands of the Profound Domain, a feat even the Cyan Emperor could not achieve." One person marveled.
The Cyan Emperor of those days was dazzling enough, yet ultimately did not unify the Profound Domain.
Throughout ancient times, the only one to have accomplished this was Emperor Ye of the Ancient Era.
He was a figure born ten thousand years ago, known as the first human emperor of antiquity.
Unfortunately, as mighty as Emperor Ye was, he too could not escape the ravages of time. It’s said that in his later years, he dismissed all his trusted followers, thus beginning an era of fragmented kingdoms, eventually forming today’s Ten Countries of the Profound Domain.
Emperor Ye’s life was full of battles, leaving behind countless immortal legends.
Most memorably, ten thousand years ago, the Profound Domain faced an Apocalypse Beast Tide—a great army of millions of demon beasts appeared from nowhere, causing havoc in the Profound Domain, leaving nothing but devastation; countless Sects and families vanished overnight.
The Beast Tide’s path was said to be truly barren!"
Yet it was during that time that Emperor Ye stood out; with only a ’Black Iron Heavy Halberd,’ he battled a million demon beasts under the starry sky alone, eventually crushing the Beast Tide and bringing peace for future generations in the Profound Domain.
However, it was after that battle that Emperor Ye’s Spiritual Sea suffered irreparable damage, and he never appeared before the world again.
Legends say that in his later years, after he dismissed all his trusted followers, Emperor Ye went alone to Li Yuan’s Tomb.
The Emperor Ye Ancient Ruins originated from there!
Many say that the site is Emperor Ye’s burial place, but in the ensuing millennia, no one has truly ever seen Emperor Ye’s tomb within the ruins.
There are even claims that Emperor Ye is not dead, that the site is a unique space he created, where he sleeps and has successfully lived a second life. He may very likely awaken in the future, wielding the Black Iron Heavy Halberd to fight for the world once more!
But how things truly are, no one can say for certain.
Nonetheless, from the discussions around him, Ji Chen learned that Emperor Ye was indeed extraordinary.
It is said he gained fame in his youth, sweeping away strong foes of his generation with no one able to stop him, and went undefeated all his life, hence he was also known as the Emperor with a Hundred Crowns by the world!
He was a Saint from the Ancient Era, born ten thousand years ago but whose name remains immortal. In later generations, statues of Emperor Ye can still be seen in various Sect mountain gates within the Profound Domain, a testament to the world’s remembrance of Emperor Ye’s unparalleled achievements in quelling the beast tide.
"It’s said that with the opening of Emperor Ye’s ancient ruins this time, aside from the Sword King Sect, the Purple Cloud Sect will also have many young talents participating. Hopefully, once inside the ruins, we won’t encounter them. Otherwise, when it comes to seizing opportunities, we certainly couldn’t compete with them." Someone said.
"Why is it always some young talents?" Ji Chen couldn’t help but look puzzled.
The crowd turned their gazes towards him, and the Eldest Princess smiled, saying, "Young Master might not be aware? Since the Cyan Emperor Era, whenever Emperor Ye’s ancient ruins open, all the major families and Sects in the Profound Domain only allow the younger generation to enter. This has long been a consensus, regarded as a form of training for the young."
"Oh?"
Hearing this, Ji Chen’s eyes couldn’t help but light up.
Before, he worried that given the vastness of the Profound Domain and the multitude of prominent families and Sects, once the ruins truly opened, countless renowned elderly figures would enter.
In such an environment, how could he compete with his current cultivation level?
But what he hadn’t expected was that a rule like this had long been tacitly accepted among all the major powers.
If only the younger generation enters the ruins, then without a doubt, this is good news for Ji Chen!