"Better than nothing."
Ye Cheng put away the nine spirit bones. Even if he didn't absorb them himself, they would be excellent resources to gift to others or to cultivate his subordinates in the future.
Meanwhile, on another front.
After the video ended, numerous factions across the continent, such as the Royal Family, Spirit Hall, the Upper Three Sects, and other major powers, immediately sprang into action.
They ordered their people to investigate everything about this Ye Cheng.
One should never underestimate these factions that had been entrenched on the continent for many years, possessing long histories; their intelligence networks were truly terrifying. Once they genuinely decided to investigate someone, they could find out the color of your underwear in minutes.
As expected, the information gathered by the various factions was almost identical to the clips shown in the video.
Clues about a "Ye Cheng" could be found in many places across the continent. When compared with the information revealed in the video, they matched perfectly.
In other words, everything in the video was real, not fabricated.
There really was such a Limit Douluo with twin martial souls in the world; it was just that this "Ye Cheng" had been too low-key in the past, never revealing his strength in public, which led to his obscurity in the Soul Master World. He had grown up silently, right under their noses.
If not for the Q&A session exposing his background, everyone would still have been in the dark.
This person was terrifyingly powerful!
...
However, everything the factions had investigated about Ye Cheng was not actually real. Instead, it was the influence of the "Persona" power, which distorted reality and created traces of "his" existence in certain places. Even the memories of some people were silently altered to fit the persona's settings.
This power had forcibly modified history, turning the experiences of the twin martial soul-wielding Ye Cheng into a part of it. It made something false become a real existence.
This was what was truly terrifying!
...
Balong City!
Following the broadcast of the video that showed its future destruction, this city, rebuilt on the ruins of White Cloud City, transformed from a formerly prosperous and bustling metropolis into an empty, ghost-like city in just half a month.
The lords of the city, the Wang Family, had naturally fled long ago. They packed up their valuables and scattered in all directions.
On a hilltop in the distance.
From here, one could perfectly observe the entire city.
Twenty years ago, after his escape, Ye Cheng had stood in this very spot, gazing at the distant ruins of White Cloud City and silently vowing revenge!
Twenty years later.
Ye Cheng once again set foot in this place.
He gazed at the deserted Balong City below. His powerful perception allowed him to clearly sense that there truly wasn't a single person left inside. However, hidden in the shadows in all directions were the auras of many Soul Masters. Ye Cheng had his suspicions about their origins. Most of them were probably sent by that biological father of his.
Knowing he had such a powerful son, especially one who possessed the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda that the sect had always yearned for, he would naturally be eager to mend their relationship.
As for the others, they were likely sent by other factions. After all, for such a powerful individual to return to the continent and come here was like someone carrying a nuclear warhead into another country; it would naturally cause apprehension. This was only human nature.
"They fled quite quickly... but do you think you can escape?"
Ye Cheng was not surprised by the Wang Family's premature escape; he had anticipated it when creating the video. However, he wasn't worried about them hiding somewhere he couldn't find them. With his current status and position, countless people would want to curry favor with him.
Knowing he had an irreconcilable feud with the Wang Family, countless people would surely be willing to help him keep an eye on their whereabouts. If he so wished, he could even have those people tie up the entire Wang Family and drag them before him.
This was the effect of strength.
A favor from a peerless Limit Douluo of this era was something no faction could ignore. Countless people would rush to offer him benefits, to butter him up, and to curry his favor...
As he was pondering, Ye Cheng's expression suddenly shifted. He then declared loudly, "Since you're here, why not show yourself?"
As his voice fell...
"...Heroes are truly born from the young."
Not far behind him, a white-haired figure suddenly appeared, stepping out from a hiding spot.
This was an elder who appeared to be in his sixties or seventies, dressed in a white robe. His hair and beard were completely white, his long hair neatly combed back, and his features were simple and dignified. Although clearly an elder, his skin was not wrinkled like that of a typical old man; instead, it was as smooth and delicate as a youth's, perfectly embodying the meaning of having a youthful complexion despite white hair.
"A Level 96 Titled Douluo, with such strength, and a keen edge to your aura... If I'm not mistaken, you must be the famous Sword Douluo of the Soul Master World, the one they call Sword Dao Chen Xin." As he spoke, Ye Cheng slowly turned around, scrutinizing the person who had suddenly appeared behind him.
Similarly, Sword Douluo Chen Xin was also sizing him up.
Tall and poised, with an exceptional bearing.
With just one glance, he was absolutely certain that the person before him was Ning Fengzhi's offspring. The two were simply too alike; anyone who saw them would be certain of their father-son relationship. Not to mention, the previous video had already exposed their connection beyond any doubt.
In fact, Sword Douluo had arrived here days ago, lying in wait for Ye Cheng.
As for his purpose in waiting here, it was naturally to establish a good relationship with the only remaining owner of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda martial soul in the world. Of course, if he could also get him to acknowledge his lineage and return to the ancestral sect, that would be even better.
After all, if Ye Cheng returned to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, not only would the sect gain the peerless combat power of a Limit Douluo, but most importantly, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect could henceforth be renamed the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect.
For the longest time, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had been plagued by the inherent flaw of their martial soul. They constantly dreamed of compensating for this defect and allowing the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Soul Masters to break the shackles that prevented them from ever advancing past the Soul Douluo realm. Unfortunately, this had always remained an unrealized dream.
And now, a Soul Master who truly possessed the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda martial soul had suddenly appeared.
To the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, this was simply a gift from the heavens!
It could be said that as long as Ye Cheng was willing to acknowledge his lineage and return to the sect, it would be no problem at all for Ning Fengzhi to immediately abdicate his position, allowing Ye Cheng to directly assume the seat of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect Master.
But unfortunately, Sword Douluo's plan was destined to fail.
Ye Cheng would absolutely not join the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
Firstly, it did not align with his "persona."
Secondly, once he joined a sect and formed attachments, it would be difficult to stir up trouble or pull off something big later on.
Thirdly, and most importantly...
Joining the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect offered him no significant benefits. After all, this was a world where strength was paramount, and with his current power, he could already run rampant and do as he pleased across the continent.
The resources and power of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect were merely icing on the cake for him—nice to have, but not necessary.
If he truly joined, the benefits would be minimal. In return, he would gain a father figure he didn't ask for, along with a host of uncles and elders. Ye Cheng would never do something so thankless.
(end of chapter)