The entire great hall fell dead silent as they stared at the grief-stricken Ye Lingyue, listening to her wild, venomous claim that the Ye family would never again stand at the pinnacle of the Desolate Ancient Continent.

A moment ago, Ye Han, Ye Qingqing, and Ye Ling'er had still been making excuses for embezzling Chu Chen's monthly allowance.

Now, they shrank back, staring at their eldest sister in disbelief, their beautiful eyes wide with feigned innocence and utter bewilderment.

Ye Ding sat upon the patriarch's throne, his body rigid and his face an ashen mask of fury.

His sharp eyes locked onto Ye Lingyue. His Saint Pressure descended like violent thunder from the Nine Heavens, causing the surrounding void to crackle and warp under the crushing weight.

No one expected Ye Lingyue to use the future of the entire Ye clan as a weapon in this argument.

If the Ye family ancestor heard such words, clan rules dictated she would inevitably face severe punishment.

But...

Wasn't it just the death of a piece of trash?

Why be so furious over it?

Besides, if Chu Chen died in the jaws of a Demon Beast, he had brought it upon himself.

Why did he have to go mad and insist on severing ties with the Ye family? If he had just obediently surrendered the position of Saint Son, wouldn't all this trouble have been avoided?

He was the one who couldn't accept reality and went to the Sky Demon Gorge to seek death, nearly dragging Ye Lingyue down to the grave with him.

No matter how one looked at it, this was entirely Chu Chen's fault!

Why should a cripple who sought his own ruin turn around and lay the blame at their feet?

"Eldest... Eldest Sister, what has gotten into you?"

Ye Ling'er stepped forward, affectionately tugging at Ye Lingyue's sleeve with a spoiled pout.

"That trash is dead, so be it. He couldn't cultivate anyway. He was useless to our Ye family, and keeping him around would only cause us trouble."

"Even if it was wrong of us to take his monthly allowance, you didn't have to curse the entire Ye family! And..."

"And spout such nonsense about our Ye family's Providence scattering and misfortune breeding just because Chu Chen left."

The concept of Providence was inherently profound and ethereal.

Aside from terrifying existences who had stepped into the Emperor Realm, or esoteric masters skilled in the Eight Trigrams and divination arts, ordinary cultivators simply could not glimpse its mysteries.

Among those present, aside from the visibly shocked Ye Xuan, everyone else-including Patriarch Ye Ding-merely assumed Ye Lingyue was speaking delirious nonsense because she could not accept Chu Chen's tragic death.

"Lingyue, I know you grieve for that little beast... for Chu Chen's death, but you cannot spout such wild, treasonous words in this hall."

"As your father, I will overlook your transgression today, but you are never to speak such nonsense again!"

"If Chu Chen wished to sever our father-son bond and cut all ties with the Ye family, that was his own choice. Even if he died out there, he brought it upon himself!"

With Ye Ding setting the tone, Ye Han, Ye Qingqing, and the others immediately found their backbone, pointing fingers at Ye Lingyue and launching a barrage of accusations.

"Exactly! We don't even know if this so-called Providence exists, yet you claim our Ye family's Providence will scatter just because Chu Chen left?"

"Is Chu Chen's Providence alone stronger than our entire Ye family's? How ridiculous!"

"Our Ye family's current glory is entirely due to the ancestor's and father's wise leadership. It was built by the blood and sweat of our own people."

"Even without Chu Chen, our Ye family's ascension to an Immortal Aristocratic Family is a foregone conclusion."

Facing their relentless doubts, Ye Lingyue let out two bitter laughs. She didn't bother to defend herself, merely stumbling two steps backward.

She knew Chu Chen had suffered in the Ye family these past few years, and that her father and younger sisters often bullied him, but she never imagined...

Seeing Ye Lingyue offer no rebuttal, Ye Han and the others grew even more aggressive.

"Eldest Sister, you accuse us using this so-called Providence, but what about yourself?"

"I remember a time when Chu Chen went to the back mountain to find you, and you threw him off the cliff. He shattered his arms and legs, lay bedridden for over half a year, and nearly died."

"Hmph, the pot calling the kettle black. What right do you have to judge us?"

"..."

At those words, Ye Lingyue's expression changed drastically.

Yet no matter how hard she searched her memories, she could not recall ever pushing Chu Chen off a cliff.

However, when she confronted Chu Chen at the Sky Demon Gorge, he had also mentioned this incident. It must have... truly happened.

But what misunderstanding lay hidden here? Why couldn't she remember a single detail?

"Father, elder sisters, please calm down."

Seeing the atmosphere in the great hall turning hostile, Ye Xuan, who had remained silent all this time, suddenly stepped forward and cupped his hands respectfully.

"Although Brother Chu Chen has left the Ye family, in my heart, he will always be one of us. I will gladly join Eldest Sister in searching for him."

"Eldest Sister, please do not be so anxious. Didn't you say that Brother Chu Chen is blessed with great Providence? If so, he wouldn't perish so easily in the jaws of a Demon Beast."

Upon hearing this, Ye Lingyue, who had been on the verge of exploding, felt a sudden spark of clarity. Most of her anger dissipated.

That was right!

Anyone blessed with great Providence possessed the Fate Pattern of a chosen one. As long as their Providence wasn't plundered, they were destined to rise. None of them bore the signs of an early death.

Although the Sky Demon Gorge was fraught with peril, it was by no means an absolute dead end.

That Saint-level flood dragon had been drawn out by Ye Lingyue activating her Saint artifact, the Thirteen Star Radiance Bracelet. Naturally, she had become its primary target.

Meanwhile, Chu Chen had lost all his cultivation and become a mere mortal. He posed absolutely no threat to a Saint-level Demon Beast.

What dragon would care about an ant beneath its claws?

"Xiao Xuan, you are right. I must see him if he is alive, or see his corpse if he is dead."

"Since we haven't found Chu Chen's corpse, he must still be alive."

Ye Lingyue cast a deeply grateful glance at Ye Xuan. Without looking back, she rushed out of the great hall, sprinting toward the small courtyard where Chu Chen used to live, muttering to herself as she ran.

"As long as I break through to the ninth level of the Divine Fire Realm, I can use a secret technique to track your whereabouts, Chu Chen."

"Chu Chen, wait for your sister! You must wait for me!!"

After Ye Lingyue left, Ye Ling'er, Ye Qingqing, and the others let out cold snorts, clearly still sulking.

"Honestly, that trash Chu Chen is dead, so be it. Eldest Sister actually blames us for his sake. I really don't know what she's thinking."

"Exactly. 'See him alive, or see his corpse dead'-it would be better if that waste was completely digested by a Demon Beast."

"Xiao Xuan is just too kind-hearted. Even at a time like this, he still speaks up for that piece of trash."

......

Seated upon the patriarch's throne, Ye Ding was also thoroughly irritated. Seeing Ye Lingyue leave, he found a brief excuse before shattering the void and departing.

With their father gone, the oppressive atmosphere in the hall instantly lifted.

Ye Ling'er, Ye Qingqing, and Ye Han immediately crowded around Ye Xuan, inviting him out to relax. Ye Xuan merely offered a gentle smile, cupped his hands to his sisters, and politely declined, claiming he needed to cultivate. He then walked out of the great hall alone.

"Teacher, is that waste Chu Chen really dead?"

The moment he stepped out of the great hall, Ye Xuan eagerly rubbed the black ring on his finger, transmitting his voice inward.

"If he's dead, whose Providence am I supposed to plunder? How will I cultivate? How will I break through to the next realm?"

"Damn it! If I had known that waste's Providence was so heaven-defying, I wouldn't have snatched his Saint Son title or forced him out of the Ye family!"

Ye Xuan was a transmigrator. He had crossed over from Blue Star to this Desolate Ancient Continent. During his first few years here, no matter how hard he cultivated, he couldn't make a single inch of progress. The Spiritual Qi he painstakingly absorbed into his body always vanished without a trace. He had suffered endless humiliation, living a life worse than a dog's.

Fortunately, having read countless webnovels back on Blue Star, Ye Xuan knew the heavens were merely testing him. Even though he couldn't retain his cultivation, he stubbornly absorbed Spiritual Qi into his body every single day, refusing to give up.

A few years later, having absorbed enough Spiritual Qi, the dormant soul within his black ring finally awakened. From that day on, Ye Xuan welcomed his very own Gold Finger.

This soul entity seemed incredibly powerful. He possessed vast ancient knowledge and was exceptionally skilled in refining Pills.

However, he had apparently offended a terrifying enemy and was beaten until his physical form and spirit were utterly destroyed. Only a single wisp of his soul imprint survived, taking refuge within the black ring.

None of that mattered. What mattered was that the moment the transmigrator Ye Xuan met this soul entity-Pill Elder-he was destined to embark on a glorious path of trampling over native protagonists and crushing Children of Providence.

And indeed, that was exactly what happened. The perfect opportunity soon presented itself.

Three years ago, Chu Chen fought a desperate battle against the demonic path's Empress, Lin Shuwang. His divine body was shattered, and his cultivation was entirely crippled.

Under Pill Elder's guidance, Ye Xuan orchestrated several "chance encounters" with Ye Ding, Ye Qingqing, Ye Ling'er, and the rest of the family.

For a transmigrator like Ye Xuan, manipulating women was child's play.

After all, back on Blue Star, he had worked as a gigolo, a male model, and a fitness trainer. Although he had taken his fair share of beatings from jealous husbands, he knew exactly how to capture the hearts of naive young girls and lonely older women.

For instance: in the Demon Beast Forest, while others risked their lives fighting monsters, Ye Xuan was busy grilling barbecue for Ye Han.

Or hiding in the bushes to peep at Ye Qingqing bathing in a lake. When discovered, he vehemently insisted it was a tragic misunderstanding, even drawing a sword and clamoring to commit suicide to atone for his "sin."

Or spending a few taels of silver to hire bandits to kidnap Ye Ling'er. Right before Ye Ling'er could defend herself, Ye Xuan would heroically charge out, slaughter the bandits, and leave her moved to tears.

......