No one expected Patriarch Ye Ding to suddenly single out the steward, Uncle Fu, questioning him with a deadpan expression.

Although Uncle Fu held a high status within the Ye family, a steward was ultimately still a servant.

Under Ye Ding's interrogation, Uncle Fu jolted, his face draining of color until it was as pale as paper.

Terrified, Uncle Fu bowed his head and bent his waist, his heart filled with regret. Even if Ye Ding and the young ladies of the Ye family were in the wrong, that... that was not something a mere servant like him had the right to criticize.

Now that Patriarch Ye Ding had seen through his thoughts, his days ahead would likely be...

At this thought, Uncle Fu hastily tried to explain:

"No! Patriarch! This old servant... this old servant..."

But before Uncle Fu could finish, Ye Ding, who believed he had already "seen through everything," waved his hand impatiently and spoke with overbearing authority:

"Uncle Fu, there is no need to explain. As the Patriarch of the Ye family, do you think I am blind to what weighs on your mind?"

Hearing this, the last traces of blood vanished from Uncle Fu's face, and his body trembled violently.

No matter how muddled Ye Ding was! No matter how incompetent!

He... he was still the Patriarch of the Ye family! Since his private thoughts had been exposed, then...

So be it! Young Master Chu Chen, this old servant will follow you now! I will go to the underworld to serve you! I will...

"Haha, Uncle Fu, your cultivation must also be hindered, haunted by that little beast's vengeful spirit. Am I right?"

Ye Ding laughed aloud, pointing at the utterly despairing Uncle Fu as he blurted out his deduction.

Uncle Fu was completely dumbfounded, freezing in place, entirely unsure whether to nod or shake his head.

"Ling'er, the idea you proposed is not bad, but..."

Ye Ding sat upon the Patriarch's throne, straightened his back, and waved his hand grandly, his voice ringing out like a great bell:

"But it is too merciful! Too slow! Too hesitant!"

"That little beast is no longer just harming a few of us. If I am not mistaken, the collateral branches of our Ye family, and even our tens of thousands of disciples, are likely all suffering under his persecution. Not only is their cultivation hindered, but there are frequent cases of Qi Deviation and shattered Dao Hearts."

"In my opinion, there is no need to wait for the seventh day of mourning to pass, nor should we wait for that little beast to leave on his own. This matter is of grave importance. Ling'er, go directly and invite cultivators from the demonic sects!"

"Capture that little beast's soul directly, refine it into a demonic artifact, and condemn him to eternal damnation, never to be reincarnated!"

"Do not forget, the Ancestor is also in Secluded Cultivation attempting a breakthrough. If this little beast delays the Ancestor's cultivation, then... then even a hundred deaths could not atone for our sins!"

With those words, Ye Ding rose from the Patriarch's throne. Clasping his hands behind his back, his eyes flashed like lightning as he gazed through the palace gates at the sprawling Ye family estate, speaking with absolute self-righteousness:

"Chu Chen, do not blame your father!"

"Besides being a father, I am also... the Patriarch of this Ye family!!"

...

As soon as Ye Ding finished speaking, Ye Ling'er, Ye Qingqing, Ye Han, and the others were filled with profound awe.

As for Uncle Fu, he could no longer bear to watch. He lowered his head and closed his eyes, choosing blindness over the agony of witnessing their delusion.

At the same time, in every corner of the immortal Ye family estate, sounds of quarreling, shouting, and lamentation rose to the heavens.

"I have been cultivating for over thirty years. By all logic, I should have broken through to the Sea Cleaving Realm long ago. Why did I fail this time?!"

"I am a grand third-tier alchemist! How could I fail to refine even the lowest-grade Spirit Gathering Pill?"

"Pfft! My Spiritual Qi is in chaos, my Meridians are severed! My cultivation! My cultivation!"

...

"Senior Brother Ye Shi, stop! Stop!"

"You have already fallen into Qi Deviation! You cannot force a breakthrough anymore!"

...

"Disaster! Disaster! Senior Brother Ye Shi failed his breakthrough and exploded to death!"

"Senior Sister Ye Zhen's Dao Heart is shattered! Her cultivation is completely lost, and she has been reduced to a mortal!"

"And Junior Brother Ziyang-his Meridians are all severed, and the Spiritual Qi in his body has completely dissipated!"

...

"Heavens! What is happening to our Ye family?"

"Our Ye family has never done anything to incur heaven's wrath or human resentment. Why is this happening? Why?!"

"Our Ye family was just promoted to an immortal aristocratic family, governing the ninety-nine Spiritual Veins of the world. How could we end up like this?"

...

Due to the loss of Providence and the rampant surge of Calamitous Qi, the tens of thousands of disciples and servants across the entire Ye family were suffering a severe karmic backlash.

The more powerful Elders fared slightly better; their cultivation was merely hindered, leaving them with no hope of breaking through.

But those who had just embarked on their cultivation journey, or disciples with meager strength, were heavily afflicted by the pervasive Calamitous Qi. Many fell into Qi Deviation, while others had their Dao Hearts shattered.

Even Ye Shanhe, the Ye family Ancestor currently in death-sealed Secluded Cultivation attempting to break through to the Quasi-Emperor realm, was now entangled by thick strands of pitch-black Calamitous Qi. His wrinkled old face twisted in pain and struggle.

...

At the same time, on Wenxuan Peak, where the Spiritual Qi of the Ye family was most abundant.

A grand Formation enveloped the entire mountaintop, shielding it from all external prying eyes.

Ye Xuan stared intently at the massive alchemy furnace before him, his gaze unblinking and his face taut with tension.

Inside the furnace, over a dozen stalks of Spirit Grass and spiritual herbs had been refined into a medicinal liquid, on the verge of coalescing into a pill embryo. This was the most critical step in refining a Pill.

"Teacher, do... do you have the confidence to successfully refine this Divine Flame Breakthrough Pill?"

Ye Xuan looked at the soul body manipulating the flames beside the furnace, swallowing hard as he spoke:

"Our Ye family's Providence has plummeted, and Calamitous Qi runs rampant. Everyone in the family is facing bottlenecks in their cultivation. If we don't find Chu Chen soon, I fear I won't be able to break through..."

Slap!!

Before Ye Xuan could finish, the soul body, Old Man Dan, angrily swung his hand. A surge of soul force directly slapped Ye Xuan across the face:

"Shut up! I am at a critical juncture in refining this Pill. If your incessant noise causes this refinement to fail, I will rip out your soul and forge it into a demonic artifact!"

"At worst, I will simply find a new Host!!"

...

"T-Teacher, please calm down. This disciple... this disciple will never dare again."

After being slapped, Ye Xuan instantly deflated. Covering his red, swollen cheek with one hand, he bowed his head and admitted his fault.

Ever since Chu Chen left, Old Man Dan, who had previously been kind and benevolent, had become increasingly irritable and quick to anger.

The cause was simple.

Once Chu Chen left, the Ye family's Providence plummeted, and Calamitous Qi surged. It wasn't just the Ye family members who were affected, but also Old Man Dan, who was recuperating inside the ring!

Not only had the loss of Providence drastically slowed Old Man Dan's recovery, but the rampant Calamitous Qi had even caused a strand of black mist to unknowingly manifest within his soul body.

This was driving Old Man Dan mad. He was now more anxious than anyone, more desperate to know whether Chu Chen was alive or dead. And the only one who could divine this truth was Ye Lingyue.

Thus, this Divine Flame Breakthrough Pill absolutely had to be refined successfully!

It had to be!!

"Fuse!"

The soul body of Old Man Dan manipulated vast amounts of soul force, completely enveloping the alchemy furnace. He then forcibly fused the refined medicinal liquid together for further tempering:

"Pill embryo, form!!"

Boom!

With a violent tremor, Spiritual Qi ran rampant. An invisible shockwave swept across the entirety of Wenxuan Peak, blasting Ye Xuan back dozens of steps before he fell to the ground with a heavy thud.

Fortunately, Wenxuan Peak had long been concealed by an aura-hiding Formation, and the servants and maids had been driven off the mountain in advance. Otherwise, such a massive disturbance would have undoubtedly attracted the entire Ye family.

"Haha, it is done! Finally done!!"

Amidst Old Man Dan's unrestrained, wild laughter, the formed pill embryo underwent its final tempering, transforming into a perfectly round, smooth Pill that suspended itself in mid-air.

The Pill contained incredibly dense fire-attribute Spiritual Qi, as if a literal flame were burning within its core. An inexplicable Dao rhythm coiled around it, clearly indicating its extraordinary nature.

"This... this is the Divine Flame Breakthrough Pill that can allow a cultivator in the Divine Fire Realm to break through their bottleneck?"

"Excellent! Excellent!!"

"Teacher, to be able to refine such a Pill, you must possess the potential to become a Pill Grandmaster!!"

Ye Xuan stared greedily at the Divine Flame Breakthrough Pill, not forgetting to flatter Old Man Dan.

"Hmph, do you think becoming a Pill Grandmaster is so easy?"

Old Man Dan snorted coldly, then glared fiercely at Ye Xuan, issuing a stern warning:

"Do not think I am blind to your thoughts, boy. This Divine Flame Breakthrough Pill can only be consumed by cultivators in the Divine Fire Realm. If you forcibly swallow it, you will undoubtedly explode and die!!"

"I... I wouldn't dare..."

Startled that his inner thoughts had been exposed, Ye Xuan quickly lowered his head and cupped his hands in apology.

"To refine this Divine Flame Breakthrough Pill, I have consumed a great deal of soul force. I will soon enter a deep slumber."

"Deliver this Pill to Ye Lingyue. Help her break through to the ninth level of the Divine Fire Realm, and then have her perform a divination technique to uncover Chu Chen's whereabouts. We must know whether he is alive or dead!"

"A Child of Providence is not so easily destroyed unless their Providence is completely stripped away."

As soon as he finished speaking, Old Man Dan cast another cold glance at Ye Xuan. The icy look sent shivers down Ye Xuan's spine:

"I warn you, if you do not handle this matter before I awaken, then you will have no reason left to live!!"

Whoosh!!

With those final words, Old Man Dan's increasingly ethereal soul body turned into a streak of light, directly burrowing into the black ring on Ye Xuan's finger and vanishing from sight.

"That... that old bastard! Just you wait!!"

Ye Xuan cursed inwardly, his face twisted with resentment.

Then, with a wave of his hand, he grasped the Divine Flame Breakthrough Pill in his palm and rushed straight toward Lingyue Peak, where his eldest sister, Ye Lingyue, resided.

Find out if Chu Chen was alive or dead.

Find out Chu Chen's whereabouts.

This concerned the Providence of the entire Ye family, as well as his own cultivation. This matter could not be delayed.

Besides, Ye Lingyue was at a critical juncture in her breakthrough. Delivering the Divine Flame Breakthrough Pill to her at this exact moment would surely move his eldest sister to tears, wouldn't it?

A meaningful smile curled at the corner of Ye Xuan's mouth. As he traveled, he sent voice transmissions to Ye Ling'er, Ye Qingqing, Ye Han, and even Patriarch Ye Ding, urging them all to gather at Lingyue Peak.

When doing a good deed, of course, one had to let the whole world know!

Otherwise, what was the point of doing good deeds?

"Damn you, Chu Chen. Once I find out your whereabouts, I will definitely... definitely have those brainless Ye family members capture you!"

"I, Ye Xuan, will break your hands and feet, lock you in the stables, and raise you like livestock. Then, bit by bit, I will strip away all the Providence that belongs to you."

"And those six older sisters and one younger sister of yours, each one more beautiful than the last-they will all be taken into my harem!"

"Hahaha!!"

...