!

"Teacher, are you absolutely certain?"

Ye Xuan froze. The incessant, chirping voices of his older sisters' concern buzzed in his ears, sparking a dull throb in his temples.

Yet, that headache was nothing compared to the sheer shock paralyzing his tongue. The words of the soul within his ring had left him utterly dumbfounded.

It isn't the Ye family sheltering Ye Chu Chen, but Ye Chu Chen anchoring the Providence of the entire Ye family?

How is that even possible? The Ye family is an immortal lineage upon the Desolate Ancient Continent!

No matter how heaven-defying one person's Providence might be, it shouldn't be enough to...

Before Ye Xuan could finish his thought, the soul within the ring ruthlessly cut him off.

"Hmph! What would a transmigrator from Blue Star understand?"

"Blue Star is a withered realm bereft of Spiritual Qi. How can you compare it to the Desolate Ancient Continent? Ye Chu Chen is a legendary Child of Providence! He possesses a Supreme Divine Body and the destiny of a Great Emperor!"

"Though he has fallen and become a cripple, his Providence remains intact. Because he could no longer cultivate, his boundless Providence bled out to nourish the entire Ye family. Now that he has been driven away, not only has most of the Ye family's Providence scattered, but their lack of virtue to hold such a status has birthed a plague of ominous energy!"

The soul within the ring possessed mysterious origins, wielding divination arts far surpassing even Eldest Sister Ye Lingyue. It had instantly deduced the catastrophic collapse of the Ye family's fortune.

"I hardly need to explain it. Ever since you broke through to the Sea Cleaving Realm, your cultivation speed has crawled to a halt, failing to advance a single inch."

"And it isn't just you. Even these women of the Ye family, along with their Patriarch and Ancestor, have suffered a crippling drop in their cultivation speeds due to Ye Chu Chen's departure."

"If Ye Chu Chen does not return, the Ye Patriarch will never break through to the Saint King realm! The Ye Ancestor will forever be barred from the Quasi-Emperor realm! As for these doting sisters of yours... Hmph!"

"And you, Ye Xuan. Your innate talent is utter garbage. If you cannot plunder Ye Chu Chen's Providence and devour it for yourself, I fear you will spend the rest of your life as a..."

A violent shudder wracked Ye Xuan's frame before the soul could even finish. The blood drained from his face, leaving it as pale as bleached parchment.

Loath as he was to admit it, Ye Xuan knew his teacher spoke the absolute truth.

"Little Xuan, what's wrong?"

"Why are you so pale? Are you feeling unwell?"

"Xuan'er, are you alright?"

...

Ye Ling'er, Ye Han, and Ye Qingqing swarmed him, fussing over his sudden pallor like ants scurrying across a hot pan.

"Sisters, I... I am fine."

He let out a soft, choked sob.

Forcing himself to steady his breathing, Ye Xuan respectfully cupped his fists, bowing deeply toward Ye Ding on the high throne and the sisters flanking him. He widened his eyes, brimming them with innocent, trembling worry.

"Father, sisters... It just pains me to think of Brother Chu Chen wandering alone after being driven away. I don't know if he is safe, and my heart just..."

"I... I already miss Brother Chu Chen so much!"

"The wilds are crawling with Demon Beasts, and Brother Chu Chen can no longer cultivate. If something terrible were to happen to him, I never meant for things to end up this way..."

A few crystalline tears spilled down his cheeks, instantly shattering the hearts of his doting sisters all over again.

"Oh, Little Xuan, you were just worrying about that piece of trash! You scared me to death."

Ye Ling'er patted her chest, exhaling a long breath of relief.

"I thought something was wrong with your meridians! Why waste pity on that ingrate? He deserves to rot in the wilderness!"

Beside her, Ye Qingqing let out a cold snort, her chin raised in haughty disdain.

"Exactly! He's nothing but a crippled burden, yet he constantly dared to threaten us with his departure."

"He actually thought Father would be intimidated by such a bluff. Good riddance! I hope he never returns; the mere sight of his face sickens me!"

Ye Han's expression frosted over. Remembering something vile, her killing intent flared.

"Father, Little Xuan, there is something you do not know."

"Before that ungrateful wretch fled the estate, he mercilessly slaughtered his own maidservant, Die'er, and stole her Storage Ring!"

"Such depravity is indistinguishable from the demonic path! Banishing him was a mercy; we should have severed his meridians and severed his tendons!"

Her revelation ignited a fresh storm of furious curses echoing through the grand hall.

By the sidelines, Uncle Fu hesitated, wishing to step forward to defend Ye Chu Chen. Yet, before his foot could even touch the floor, a single, venomous glare from Ye Han pinned him in place.

"That unfilial beast! To slaughter an innocent so casually! I should have atomized him with a single palm!"

"Xuan'er, your sisters are absolutely correct. Your heart is simply too gentle."

Patriarch Ye Ding slammed his hand against his throne, a cold snort ripping from his throat. Just the thought of that treacherous son stoked an inferno of rage within his chest, threatening to burn away his reason.

"Casting that ingrate out into the Desolate Ancient Continent will force him to taste true despair. Only as he bleeds in the mud will he realize how deeply the Ye family pampered him, and how blissful his life truly was!"

"Born into paradise but blind to his blessings! I loathe such ungrateful trash! Absolute scum!"

"He severed our ties, did he not? Good! I have no such son!"

...

Listening to the venomous curses spewing from his father and sisters, even a genuine Villain like Ye Xuan was utterly speechless.

Ye Chu Chen was your own flesh and blood! Your actual brother!

His cultivation is shattered, he's cast out to die, and yet you, his closest kin, don't feel a shred of worry. Instead, you're leaving me, an outsider...

However, recalling his teacher's command to plunder Providence, Ye Xuan battered his innocent eyes and offered another deep, trembling bow.

"But... But Father, sisters... Brother Chu Chen still bleeds the blood of the Ye family."

"I only thought... if he were to die in a ditch, it would stain our Ye family's honor. Why don't we bring him back? We could gently confine him to Spirit Beast Valley for the rest of his life. That way, it would protect him, and it would also stop him from... from spreading malicious rumors about Father and sisters to outsiders, ruining our family's prestige."

The so-called Spirit Beast Valley was nothing more than the clan's sprawling beast pens.

To put it bluntly: it was a filthy stable.

He was suggesting they drag Ye Chu Chen back and cage him with livestock until he rotted!

Whoosh-

The moment the words fell, Ye Ding, Ye Ling'er, and the others were struck by profound enlightenment. They finally understood Ye Xuan's painstaking intentions!

It turned out, all Ye Xuan had been thinking of...

Was them!

He was thinking entirely of the Ye family's immaculate reputation!

Seeing the moral pressure shift perfectly in his favor, Ye Xuan immediately bowed toward the Patriarch's throne.

"I beg Father's permission. Allow me to bring Brother Chu Chen home."

...

Ye Ding's brows furrowed deeply before he waved a dismissive hand.

"Fine! Have it your way!"

"Only out of respect for your boundless kindness, Xuan'er, will I allow that traitor to be dragged back."

"However, that beast cruelly slaughtered the maidservant Die'er. He is a bloodthirsty savage! Once he is back, I will personally sever his tendons and cripple his limbs! Let none of you dare stop me! Anyone who pleads for mercy will face clan punishment!"

Ye Ling'er and the others practically glowed with joy, their faces blooming into radiant smiles.

As for Ye Xuan?

As long as he could lock Ye Chu Chen up and drain his Providence, he didn't care.

Severing the trash's limbs and throwing him in a horse stall was actually perfect; it saved him the headache of the cripple running away.

"Third Elder. Accompany Xuan'er and drag that piece of garbage back."

Space twisted and shattered the moment Ye Ding spoke. A hunched old man stepped out from the spatial rift, materializing in the center of the hall.

"Understood, Patriarch!"

The hunched elder was none other than the clan's Third Elder, a terrifying Saint Realm expert who had grasped the laws of space, capable of tearing the void with his bare hands.

Ye Xuan had just entered the Sea Cleaving Realm. How could Patriarch Ye Ding possibly rest easy without a Saint-level expert guarding his precious heir outside the estate?

"Holy Son, please follow me."

The Third Elder stepped up to Ye Xuan. Channeling spatial power into his gnarled fingers, he violently tore the air apart, ripping a gaping cavern into the void.

Ye Xuan nodded. Enveloped in the Third Elder's Saint Pressure, the two vanished into the spatial fissure.

Space shredded open once more. When they emerged, they were far beyond the Ye clan's borders, standing at a desolate crossroads.

"Holy Son, this is strange. My Divine Sense cannot lock onto Ye Chu Chen's aura at all. Does he harbor some supreme Dharma Treasure that blinds heavenly secrets? No, that's impossible!"

The Third Elder frowned heavily. He was a Saint Realm cultivator with mastery over space itself! If word spread that he couldn't track a crippled mortal, he would become the laughingstock of the continent.

"There is a fork in the road here. To the left lies Sky Demon Gorge, an abyss swarming with Demon Beasts. To the right is the official thoroughfare leading straight to Qingshui Town."

"Holy Son, shall we-"

Ye Xuan cut him off with a decisive wave of his hand.

"To the right. We march to Qingshui Town!"

"That crippled wretch doesn't have the gall to step foot near Sky Demon Gorge. Even if I loaned him a hundred lives, he wouldn't dare!"

The Third Elder cupped his hands in profound admiration.

"Holy Son is truly wise!"

...

Meanwhile, in the skies above the Ye estate.

A woman of picturesque beauty and graceful curves blurred her fingers into rapid incantation seals. A colossal Eight Trigrams Formation, woven purely from starlight, erupted into the heavens.

"Pfft!"

A violent mouthful of blood sprayed from Ye Lingyue's lips. Her terrifying aura instantly withered away, the vast reserves of Spiritual Qi within her meridians draining completely dry.

High above, the massive Formation shuddered violently. Countless rivers of starlight collapsed inward, miraculously forming the silhouette of a young man.

However, the youth's features were shrouded by heavy veils of chaotic Qi, impossible to discern.

BANG!

Just as Ye Lingyue forcefully channeled starlight into her eyes, straining to identify the figure's face, the grand Formation violently detonated. Rivers of shattered starlight blasted across the sky.

Blood spilled freely down Ye Lingyue's chin. Her body convulsed as if struck by a divine hammer, and a full century of her lifespan was instantly ripped away by the Heavenly Dao.

Heavenly secrets were not meant for mortal eyes!

...