Chapter 233

Chapter 233: Are You Worthy?

Ji Dian arrived in a starry expanse. Not far away, a group of powerful figures stood together, each radiating an extraordinarily terrifying aura.

An elderly man at the front spotted Ji Dian and hurried over, bowing respectfully. “Greetings, Young Master!”

“Greetings, Young Master!”

Behind the elder, the rest of the powerful figures also quickly bowed in respect.

Ji Dian gave a slight nod. “Let’s head back.”

The elder quickly said, “Young Master, we have confirmed that the one who triggered the cosmic anomaly was not Yang Jia, but the young man called Ye Tianming. He has yet to fully spread his wings, making this the perfect time to eliminate him.”

Ji Dian shook his head. “No need.”

The elder looked puzzled.

Ji Dian said calmly, “He has already been won over by my personal charm. He’s called me big brother.”

What the hell?

Upon hearing Ji Dian’s words, the elder’s eyes went wide, his face filled with disbelief.

The others were equally stunned.

A person born with a mortal body had called the Young Master his big brother?

Ji Dian glanced at everyone and said calmly, “The world isn’t just about fighting and killing — it’s about human relationships. Stop jumping straight to kill, kill, kill. Use your heads. Your heads. Understood?”

Everyone: “…….”

Ji Dian turned to glance down at the Buddha Demon Sect below, then said, “Let’s go.”

With that, he turned and vanished into the end of the starry river as a streak of light.

The elder remained silent. Behind him, a guard said in a low voice, “Third Elder, did the Young Master really bring that mortal-body youth to heel?”

The elder looked at him. “Can the Young Master be wrong? Can he?”

The guard: “…….”

The elder also turned to glance downward, then said, “Send word back — Yang Ye is dead, and the mortal-body youth has been taken in as the Young Master’s follower. Have the clan prepare a victory banquet in advance……”

The guard hesitated, then said, “Third Elder, I feel like the Young Master isn’t entirely reliable…….”

The elder looked at him and shook his head. “That brain of yours…… I always tell you to read more, but you never do. Now you’re being foolish, aren’t you?”

The guard quickly said, “Please enlighten me, Third Elder.”

The Third Elder said quietly, “The Young Master likes to boast, sure — but do you think he’s strong?”

The guard nodded immediately and said earnestly, “Strong.”

Within the Ji Clan, Ji Dian stood in a league of his own among the younger generation. Not just among the young — even measured against the older generation, he was considered exceptionally formidable.

The Third Elder said, “First layer: the Young Master is at the height of his power, the undisputed next clan leader. Whatever he says, we naturally go along with. What are you doing going against him? Trying to show how clever you are? Is the Young Master less clever than you?”

The guard felt a little embarrassed.

The Third Elder continued, “Second layer: after the Young Master came to this real world, he clearly already made contact with that mortal-body youth. The fact that he didn’t make a move comes down to one of two reasons — first, he couldn’t win, or second, as he said, he truly won that Tianming youth over.”

He looked at the guard and said, “If he couldn’t win, and you keep pressing him on it, that’s not just showing off how clever you are — that’s asking to die. No matter the situation, you must always consider the face of those above you. Do you understand?”

The guard quickly nodded. “Understood…… Third Elder, is there a third layer?”

The Third Elder said quietly, “The third layer is this: the Young Master didn’t win that youth over — he became friends with him. But fearing that our Ji Clan would continue targeting him, he said it the way he did.”

The guard looked puzzled. “Friends?”

The Third Elder nodded. “The Young Master himself is a rare genius. For a mortal-body youth to achieve a mortal body, he’s certainly no ordinary person. It’s unlikely someone like that could be won over, but becoming friends — that’s entirely plausible.”

The guard said softly, “I see. But the Grand Priest once said this mortal-body youth could become our Ji Clan’s greatest enemy in the future…….”

The Third Elder shook his head. “Nothing is absolute. He may become a great enemy in the future, but he could just as well become a powerful ally. Couldn’t he?”

The guard nodded and said softly, “That’s true enough.”

The Third Elder smiled. “Either way, the matter here is resolved. We can go back and report in.”

With that, he walked off into the distance. After a few steps, he suddenly looked back at the guard. “Do you know the fourth layer?”

The guard froze. “There’s a fourth layer?”

The Third Elder took a long look downward, then said quietly, “For a person with a mortal body to have survived until now, there must be someone protecting them. Especially since someone was able to conceal that Tianming youth’s cultivation level and mortal-body aura so thoroughly that even the Young Master couldn’t see through it……”

He gave a slight shake of his head. “In other words, the backing behind that person may not be any weaker than our Ji Clan’s.”

The guard said in disbelief, “How is that possible…….”

The Third Elder glanced at the guard and smiled. “Travel the world more, and you’ll find that you are very, very small.”

With that, he vanished into the end of the starry river as a streak of light.

Left alone, the guard was silent for a moment, then shook his head with a smile. “The Third Elder is just too cautious, too careful. That kind of mindset is fine for holding ground, but it’ll never accomplish great things.”

With that, he too disappeared from the scene.

Guzhe Sect.

Inside the hall, the members of Guzhe Sect had gathered together. At the front was Gu Mu, and at this moment, the faces of the Guzhe Sect’s powerful figures were all looking extremely grim.

They had just received word that Yang Jia was no longer in this universe.

It was over.

They hadn’t expected that Ye Tianming would actually defeat Yang Jia, and even less had they expected that Yang Jia would simply vanish after being defeated.

So what were they supposed to do now?

They had counted on Yang Jia as their safety net, but now…… Yang Jia was gone entirely.

And the Immortal Treasure Pavilion and Guanxuan Domain had apparently gotten a new person in charge, one who didn’t give them the time of day.

Just then, Gu Mu at the front suddenly said quietly, “Our ancestors really did have vision.”

The others fell silent.

The ancestors had chosen Ye Tianming. They had been mocking the ancestors for it before, but now it was clear — they were the ones who had been fools all along.

It proved that the founding elders were still the founding elders.

Those who could establish a sect and found a lineage were on a level their successors simply couldn’t match.

One of the Guzhe Sect’s powerful figures said in a low voice, “What do we do now?”

Another said, “Go and pledge allegiance to Ye Tianming?”

“No!”

Gu Mu suddenly stood up. “Going to pledge allegiance to Ye Tianming now — it’s already too late.”

One of the powerful figures said in a low voice, “Elder Mu, are you going to go down with the ship?”

Gu Mu looked around at everyone, then said, “My friends, I firmly believe that Yang Jia will make a triumphant return.”

The powerful figure shook his head. “Elder Mu, we have to admit that Yang Jia’s state of mind is simply not on par with Ye Tianming’s. Even in the most optimistic scenario, if he makes a triumphant return, do you think Ye Tianming will just stand still? Three times — Yang Jia has lost to Ye Tianming three times already!”

Gu Mu said firmly, “Third time’s the charm!”

“Oh, come on!”

The powerful figure couldn’t hold back his anger. “Third time’s the charm? Elder Mu, things have come to this point — can we stop being stubborn? Our ancestors already chose someone for us. Why are we going against our own ancestors?”

Gu Mu was about to say something more, but the powerful figure continued, “If you want to wait for Yang Jia, wait by yourself. I’m going to the Buddha Demon Sect to prostrate myself and beg forgiveness.”

With that, he turned and walked out.

Another person said, “Elder Mu, a person can’t be pigheaded. Even setting aside the future of Guzhe Sect, think about ourselves. Otherwise, when the ancestors appear, are you going to go a few rounds with them?”

With that, he too turned and left.

Soon, the rest of them turned and left one by one, heading straight for the Buddha Demon Sect.

Before long, only Gu Mu remained in the great hall. Looking at the empty hall, Gu Mu slowly closed his eyes. “The Yang family will never give up on Yang Jia. He will make a triumphant return, and when that day comes…… every single one of you will regret this!”

He would wait.

Wait for Yang Jia to return.

The Heavenly Court.

Xiao Wu, the current head of the Heavenly Court, and a group of its powerful figures all wore expressions of deep worry.

Yang Jia had been defeated. Yang Jia had disappeared.

It was over.

Xiao Wu felt as though the sky itself had collapsed.

Now they faced a choice: keep waiting for Yang Jia, or go find Ye Tianming?

Xiao Wu looked out at the crowd below. “Say something.”

One of the Heavenly Court’s powerful figures said in a low voice, “Ye Tianming was chosen by the previous Heavenly Court master. Going to pledge allegiance to him is only right and proper — completely justified.”

The others nodded in agreement.

Xiao Wu looked at everyone. “Can any of you guarantee that Yang Jia will never rise again? If Yang Jia makes a triumphant return and defeats Ye Tianming, then at that point……”

One of the Heavenly Court’s powerful figures said in a low voice, “Then we pledge allegiance to Yang Jia again.”

Everyone: “…….”

The powerful figure looked around at them. “Why are you all staring at me like that? Back whoever wins — what’s wrong with that?”

One of the Heavenly Court’s powerful figures said in a low voice, “We do need to keep at least a little dignity.”

But the powerful figure shook his head. “Ye Tianming wins, we pledge allegiance to Ye Tianming — that’s not betrayal, that’s turning over a new leaf. And it’s completely justified, because Ye Tianming inherited our Heavenly Court’s legacy, which means he has a responsibility and an obligation to look after us!”

Everyone: “…….”

The powerful figure continued, “And if Yang Jia returns and defeats Ye Tianming, and we then pledge allegiance to Yang Jia — is that betrayal? No! To borrow a phrase from the Milky Way: that’s called keeping your heart with Han while serving in Cao’s camp. We endured humiliation and bore heavy burdens, and in the end dismantled Ye Tianming from within……”

Everyone: “…….”

Xiao Wu looked at the powerful figure. “I can see it now — you don’t belong in our Heavenly Court. You belong in Guzhe Sect. After all, those scholars can be pretty shameless sometimes.”

Everyone: “…….”

Xiao Wu suddenly stood up. “Those who want to go pledge allegiance to Ye Tianming, go. Those who want to stay and wait for Yang Jia’s return, stay…… Your fate is yours to choose.”

Soon, only Xiao Wu remained in the hall.

Xiao Wu slowly closed his eyes. “Third time’s the charm. I refuse to believe Yang Jia can lose again!!!”

Gu Zhou.

At this moment, Yang Jia felt utterly drained, because the body of the original owner was in truly terrible shape — he was no different from a cripple right now.

Just then, a commotion suddenly broke out outside.

Yang Jia furrowed his brow. “What’s going on?”

Outside the door, a maidservant said in a trembling voice, “Young Master, the Immortal Treasure Pavilion is outside trying to forcibly demolish our house…….”

The Immortal Treasure Pavilion!

A cold glint flashed in Yang Jia’s eyes. He dragged his sickly body out to the front of the estate. By now, the Immortal Treasure Pavilion’s powerful figures had completely surrounded the Ye family’s residence.

Not far away, a middle-aged man stepped forward. He was Zhou Gu, the Immortal Treasure Pavilion’s manager in charge of the demolition in this area. Zhou Gu smiled and said, “Why must you be so stubborn? Demolition and relocation is a policy set by the Young Master himself — it benefits the nation and the people. Resisting like this, are you trying to rebel?”

A middle-aged man from the Ye family said in a low voice, “Zhou Gu, if this were a proper demolition, our Ye family would naturally not resist. But speak for yourself — our neighbors the Li family are getting 3,000 spirit crystals per square meter. Why is our Ye family only getting 300 per square meter?”

Zhou Gu fixed the middle-aged man with a cold stare. “Your neighbors the Li family have someone serving as an official at the academy. Does your Ye family?”

The middle-aged man was about to respond, but a cold glint flashed through Zhou Gu’s eyes. “Bulldoze it straight through. Anyone who tries to stop us will be charged with inciting trouble and killed on the spot.”

“Outrageous!”

At that moment, Yang Jia suddenly stepped forward. He stared at Zhou Gu. “The Guanxuan Law on demolition set by the Young Master clearly states that all demolitions must be lawful and compliant, and must……”

Zhou Gu suddenly stepped up and slapped him across the face.

Crack!

Yang Jia was sent sprawling to the ground by the slap, rolling several times before stopping.

Zhou Gu glanced down at Yang Jia rolling on the ground, his face full of contempt. “Quoting the Guanxuan Law at me? You little brat — who do you think you are?”