Aside from the Ye family's ancestral Extreme Dao Imperial Armament, the Heaven-Reaching Mirror, the true foundation of the clan lay in their ancestor, Ye Shanhe.

Across the Desolate Ancient Continent, the righteous and demonic paths stood in eternal opposition.

Sacred lands, ancient clans, and immortal lineages were locked in a ceaseless web of overt wars and covert schemes.

Without overwhelming strength to deter their rivals, even a clan honored as an immortal lineage like the Ye family would struggle to survive in this ruthless world.

Thus, Ye Shanhe's cultivation and combat prowess largely dictated the Ye family's standing upon the Desolate Ancient Continent.

Generally, for a clan to ascend to the exalted ranks of an immortal lineage and secure its throne,

two decisive conditions had to be met simultaneously.

First, they must possess an Extreme Dao Imperial Armament. Second, they must harbor a living Quasi-Emperor.

An Extreme Dao Imperial Armament was a peerless divine weapon forged by a Great Emperor. Though the Emperor might fall, their weapon would endure, shielding their bloodline for generations.

Yet, to truly unleash the apocalyptic might of such a weapon, one had to stand within the Imperial realm.

Even a Quasi-Emperor would suffice, for they had at least crossed the threshold of that supreme domain.

The Ye family had merely been a declining second-rate clan. Ascending to an immortal lineage should have taken centuries of bloody struggle. However, three years ago, Chu Chen single-handedly shattered his own divine body and sacrificed his cultivation to suppress the Empress Lin Shuwang, averting a catastrophic war between the righteous and demonic paths.

This monumental karmic merit was directly bestowed upon the Ye family, elevating them to an immortal lineage overnight and granting them dominion over ninety-nine spiritual veins.

Yet, the Ye family still lacked a Quasi-Emperor. Their exalted title rested entirely upon Chu Chen's sacrifice. Now that he was a crippled mortal, the so-called immortal Ye family bore the humiliating reputation of being an empty shell.

Thus, the Ye family was ruthlessly pragmatic.

To them, producing an Imperial realm expert-even just a Quasi-Emperor-was an absolute necessity for their very survival!

According to the prophecies of the Heaven-Reaching Mirror, this fragile hope lay with eight individuals.

Chu Chen's seven sisters, Ye Xuan, and the clan ancestor, Ye Shanhe.

The eldest sister Ye Lingyue, third sister Ye Qingqing, fifth sister Ye Han, youngest sister Ye Ling'er...

These seven sisters all possessed the innate talent to reach the Quasi-Emperor realm, destined to conquer the myriad Daos of alchemy, forging, and talismans.

Ye Xuan was even more terrifying, blessed with the providence of a true Great Emperor.

Given enough time, even if he failed to dominate the ages as a Great Emperor, ascending as a Quasi-Emperor was an absolute certainty.

Meanwhile, the clan ancestor stood at the tenth heaven of the Saint King realm, a mere half-step from the Quasi-Emperor threshold. If the heavens willed it, Ye Shanhe would shatter that bottleneck within years, ushering the clan into eternal glory.

In short, apart from Chu Chen-the useless parasite leeching their cultivation resources-the entire Ye family was flourishing.

Therefore, violently stripping Chu Chen of his Holy Son title to pave the way for Ye Xuan was simply the natural order of things.

Had he obeyed, they might have turned a blind eye and kept him leashed like a dog, tossing him scraps to watch him beg for their amusement.

But since the rabid cur dared to bite back, he was banished to the harsh world outside, left to rot and die on his own.

Yet, not a single one of them realized the horrifying truth. It wasn't the Ye family's Providence protecting Chu Chen. It was Chu Chen alone who anchored the destiny of the entire Ye family!

The moment he left, over half of their Providence evaporated. A suffocating cloud of black fog converged above the estate, festering into malignant, ominous energy that refused to scatter.

Deep underground, Ancestor Ye Shanhe was at the absolute climax of his Secluded Cultivation, a hair's breadth from the Quasi-Emperor threshold. Yet, due to the sudden collapse of the clan's Providence, his perfectly smooth breakthrough was violently severed.

Worse still, the encroaching plague of ominous energy shattered his focus. The ink-thick malice invaded his meridians, nearly plunging the mighty ancestor into a catastrophic Qi Deviation.

"Dammit! This Quasi-Emperor threshold truly defies the heavens!"

"It must be that trash, Ye Chu Chen. The commotion over his banishment has disturbed my Dao heart and birthed inner demons!"

"I should have crushed that little beast with a single palm..."

Ye Shanhe inhaled sharply, ruthlessly suppressing his chaotic True Essence. Cursing Chu Chen with every breath, he desperately purged the ominous energy from his flesh to salvage his realm.

Little did the old fool know, the reality of his failure was the exact opposite of what he believed.

...

Elsewhere, Eldest Sister Ye Lingyue emerged smoothly from Secluded Cultivation. As a direct disciple of the Divine Calculator, her spiritual perception was unparalleled; she was the first to detect the bleeding Providence and the suffocating ominous energy.

Ye Lingyue didn't waste a single breath. Spiritual Qi surged through her meridians as her fingers blurred into complex incantation seals. Massive Eight Trigrams Formations, shimmering with astral light, erupted into the sky above the Ye estate.

She had to isolate the source of this catastrophic decay at all costs.

This karma wasn't just tied to her own cultivation-it threatened the very existence of the Ye family!

...

Meanwhile, within the Ye family's grand hall, several sisters swarmed around Ye Xuan, their voices an endless stream of fawning praise.

"Little Xuan, congratulations on claiming the seat of Holy Son! This is an Earth Core Fire Lotus Seed I just procured. It will work wonders for your cultivation."

"Xuan'er, take this Formation scroll. I just finished refining it. Keep it for your protection."

"Little Xuan! Look at this flying sword I bought! It's forged from Black Gold Profound Stone-a genuine Divine Flame-grade Dharma Treasure. Its blade is as cold as winter water and can sever a hair on the wind. It's all yours!"

...

Ye Xuan was barely in his teens. Just days ago, he had been agonizing over his bottleneck at the Sea Cleaving Realm, yet now, Ye Ling'er casually tossed him a Divine Flame-grade Dharma Treasure.

Even Ye Xuan couldn't suppress the wet sheen forming in his eyes.

On the Desolate Ancient Continent, Dharma Treasures mirrored the strict hierarchy of cultivation realms across ten distinct grades:

Qi Gathering, Essence Condensation, Sea Expansion, Heaven Opening, Spirit Communication, and Divine Flame-grade Dharma Treasures.

Weapons forged for Great Saints were exalted as Saint Artifacts, while those wielded by Saint Kings were Saint King Artifacts.

Above them sat Quasi-Imperial Armaments, weapons harboring world-ending devastation.

And at the very pinnacle rested treasures forged by true Great Emperors. Artifacts so supreme they could single-handedly suppress entire sacred lands and immortal lineages...

Extreme Dao Imperial Armaments!

...

The moment Ye Han, Ye Qingqing, and Ye Ling'er saw him, they practically emptied their Storage Rings to pile gifts upon him.

Their suffocating doting and unabashed fawning would leave any outsider completely speechless.

High upon the Patriarch's throne, Ye Ding gazed down at the spectacle and nodded with profound satisfaction.

As a father, nothing warmed his heart more than seeing his bloodline so harmoniously united.

A unified clan prospers against all heavens.

If only that wretched trash had been half as filial as Little Xuan. If he hadn't forced their hand...

He deserved everything he got!

Watching the sisters empty their hoards, Ye Ding decided to bestow his own grace.

"Xuan'er, your ascension to Holy Son brings me great joy. As your father, I naturally must contribute."

He waved his hand, flooding the grand hall with scalding, fire-attribute Spiritual Qi. A crimson jade bottle materialized over his palm, instantly hooking the greedy stares of Ye Xuan and his sisters.

"This bottle of Fire Spirit Marrow might pale next to a millennia-old Fire Ganoderma, but it will guarantee your breakthrough into the Sea Cleaving Realm. You are the Holy Son now. Supplying your cultivation is the clan's absolute priority. Rest assured, I will..."

BOOM!

Before Ye Ding could finish, Ye Xuan offered a polite bow. Without warning, the tyrannical aura of a Sea Cleaving Realm expert erupted from his small frame!

"The Sea Cleaving Realm!"

"Heavens! Little Xuan, when did you successfully break through?"

"Even without that trash's thousand-year Spirit Pill, our Xuan'er shattered his bottleneck flawlessly!"

"See? What did I tell you? Only that pathetic rat treats a millennia-old Ganoderma like some peerless treasure, daring to use it to blackmail his own family!"

"A mayfly trying to shake a towering tree! Utterly laughable!"

...

As Ye Ling'er, Ye Han, and Ye Qingqing showered Ye Xuan with ecstatic praise, they couldn't resist habitually spitting on Chu Chen's name.

It was as if their meridians would ache if they went a single day without cursing his existence.

"Xuan'er is truly worthy of his title! A true Son of Heaven graced with the destiny of a Great Emperor!"

Atop his throne, Ye Ding grinned so wide his face nearly split.

"The resurgence of our Ye family is finally at hand!"

"..."

Ye Xuan blushed demurely, respectfully cupping his fists toward his father and sisters in quiet humility.

He wasn't trying to be humble. It was just that the memory of the thousand-year Spirit Pill-the one Chu Chen had mercilessly ground into the dirt and beast filth-tasted absolutely vile.

Back when Chu Chen was still a crippled servant in the estate, Ye Xuan and the girls had forced him to shovel muck and clear out the spirit beast pens daily.

They called it "sharing the clan's burdens."

Who could have predicted that in the end...

The karmic retribution would land squarely in his own mouth!

Just recalling the grainy, foul texture made his stomach violently churn.

He wanted to dry heave.

But just as the family basked in their triumphant harmony, the pitch-black ring on Ye Xuan's finger pulsed with an ominous, dark luster. An ancient voice frantically echoed directly into his mind:

"Little Xuan, disaster! We were all completely wrong!"

Ye Xuan stiffened. He had been drowning in the euphoric high of his breakthrough and the sheer joy of banishing Chu Chen. Why was the soul within his ring screaming?

"Teacher, what's wrong?"

The ancient soul's voice vibrated with raw, undisguised terror:

"How did the karmic backlash arrive so quickly?! No! That Ye Chu Chen cannot be allowed to leave!"

"He alone anchors the Providence of the entire clan-and your own! If he vanishes, whose Providence are you supposed to plunder?!"

"At all costs, drag him back! Drag him back immediately!"

"..."

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