Battle Through the Heavens: The Alchemist Starting from the Ye Family

Unlike Ye City, Qingyue City is much smaller in scale because it doesn't have a behemoth like the Ye family that relies on the Pill Tower for support.

Although it is not large in area, Qingyue City is quite prosperous. The city lord, Lin Qingyue, is also a four-star Dou Zong level expert, and is considered a master in this region.

After all, in the early stages of Battle Through the Heavens, when the Central Plains were relatively stable, Dou Zun experts were basically the ceiling of combat power and rarely appeared.

A four-star Dou Zong level expert is enough to support a city to survive in this region.

Of course, Lin Qingyue's ability to single-handedly keep Qingyue City standing for decades was not solely due to her strength...

Passing through the bustling crowd, Ye Chen and his companion entered the city gate directly.

Of course, Ye Chen didn't react at all when facing the city guards collecting city fees at the city gate; he simply handed over the money.

After all, it's just a few gold coins. He's not stupid; he won't get entangled with these people for no reason and waste his time.

Just as Ye Chen was pondering whether he should go to the inn or the pharmacy first, suddenly a number of people around him, carrying knives and swords, started running in one direction, their faces filled with excitement...

This scene left Ye Chen somewhat bewildered. He couldn't help but grab a man passing by and ask, "Brother, what's going on up ahead? Why is everyone heading in that direction?"

The man Ye Chen had grabbed looked to be in his thirties or forties, with a full beard and a fierce expression; he was clearly not someone to be trifled with.

Especially when he discovered that the person pulling him was merely a Grand Master, his eyes widened like copper bells, and he opened his mouth, ready to unleash a torrent of abuse...

Unfortunately, he had barely opened his mouth when an immense pressure came down on him from above, almost causing the man's legs to buckle and him to kneel on the ground!

His gaze shifted to the handsome young man who was pulling him along, but the bearded man only saw a thin old man casting a faint glance at him…

With just that one glance, the bearded man felt as if he had fallen into hell!

Fortunately, Hu Tian only gave him a small warning to prevent this brute from speaking rudely. Otherwise, with a guy who was not even a Dou Wang, he would probably have been scared to death by the pressure of Hu Tian, ​​who was a half-step Dou Zong!

Chapter Twenty-Four: Heroines Among Women

Hu Tian's terrifying presence immediately snapped the bearded man back to his senses. He forced an awkward smile and cautiously asked, "Young master, is there something you need from me?"

Ye Chen didn't bother arguing with someone from a lowly position, but instead chuckled and asked his question again.

Hearing that Ye Chen only wanted to know what had happened, the bearded man breathed a sigh of relief and immediately said respectfully, "Young master, this is your first time in Qingyue City, so you may not know this. Three years ago, the city lord of Qingyue City, Lord Lin Qingyue, founded a fighting arena called the Wind and Cloud Arena. A battle is held every month, and the winner can not only join the city lord's offering group, but also obtain considerable cultivation resources, attracting powerful figures from thousands of miles around..."

Upon hearing the man's words, Ye Chen's eyes lit up, and he chuckled, "I never expected that the City Lord of Qingyue City would have such methods and courage!"

Using arena battles and abundant resources to attract strong individuals to join? That's a good way to quickly increase your own strength!

However, this approach also presents two problems: it requires an enormous amount of resources and it's difficult to attract truly powerful individuals...

“Who says otherwise?” The bearded man became more talkative when he saw that Ye Chen didn’t have the arrogant demeanor typical of a scion of a powerful family.

"With a monthly Wind and Cloud Arena, at least twelve powerful individuals join each year, totaling thirty-six in three years. Moreover, those who can win are at least high-level Dou Huang level experts. Qingyue City's power has expanded tremendously in these three years!"

Ye Chen nodded, not paying much attention, and planned to just go and see what the commotion was about.

However, a casual remark from the bearded man made him pause slightly...

"However, the Wind and Cloud Arena was indeed initially used to select talents for the City Lord's Mansion, but now, over the past year or so, it has been completely controlled by the City Lord's Mansion's heirs..."

Ye Chen, who had already taken a step, paused slightly, then turned his head with some curiosity and asked again, "Oh? What do you mean by that?"

Perhaps caught up in the conversation, the bearded man appeared unusually excited, as if he were a gossip enthusiast who had heard some special secret.

"Young master, you don't know, the city lord of Qingyue City is a true heroine. In the first half of her life, she had seven husbands, and each of them had a considerable background..."

Ye Chen's eyes widened...

Seven husbands? Does this woman think she's a queen, keeping her own harem?

This is truly... well, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call her a heroine!

"Of course, the most important thing is not these seven husbands, but that each husband has a child with this city lord. So the city lord of Qingyue has a total of seven children, four sons and three daughters. Among these four sons and three daughters, four adult children are most likely to inherit the position of city lord of Qingyue City. Over the years, the four of them have been fighting each other endlessly!"

Ye Chen narrowed his eyes slightly, feeling that Qingyue City was becoming more and more interesting...

“Let’s go check out the Wind and Cloud Arena.” After saying that, Ye Chen turned to the bearded man and said directly, “Continue to tell me about the city lord’s heirs. Don’t worry, you won’t suffer any losses.”

As he spoke, he tossed a medicine bottle to the ground.

"A Grade Three Qi-Recovery Pill can quickly restore battle qi..."

The bearded man caught the medicine bottle, his eyes immediately lighting up.

What was originally a submission born of fear suddenly became much more compliant.

"Thank you for your generosity, young master! I will tell you everything I know in detail!" The bearded man patted his chest and promised.

Ye Chen didn't pay attention to the other party's change in attitude, and simply indicated that he could continue speaking.

"Hehe, young master, please listen..."

"These four heirs of Qingyue City are no ordinary people!"

Having kept Ye Chen in suspense for a moment, and seeing that Ye Chen didn't give any response, the bearded man didn't dare to continue and immediately said, "This eldest son of the Qingyue City Lord is named Lin Yuheng. He's rather arrogant, but his strength is considerable. He's not even thirty years old this year, yet he already possesses the strength of a three-star Dou Huang, and he's also the most powerful among the four heirs. It's said that his father comes from the Black Fire Sect, and he also has the Black Fire Sect's support behind him..."

Black Fire Sect?

The name stirred something within Ye Chen.

According to his memories from his previous life, when Xiao Yan was invited by Xin Lan to the Ye family for the first time in the original story, it seemed that the Ye family was being forced to come to their door, and the identity of the person who came seemed to be from the Black Fire Sect!

Ye Chen glanced at Hu Tian beside him. The latter had been in the Ye family for decades and should know something about the Black Fire Sect.

Seeing Ye Chen's gaze, Hu Tian whispered, "The Blackfire Sect is also a formidable force in the Pill Domain, even stronger than the Qiu and Bai families. Rumor has it that the sect leader of the Blackfire Sect is a peak Dou Zong expert, whose fire-attribute Dou Qi is terrifying..."

Ye Chen nodded slightly.

I never imagined that this sect, which was such a minor character in the original story, would actually possess such formidable strength...

Even among the Ye family, only the ancestor Ye Xun, a peak Dou Zong level expert, could compare to him.

However, as a family of alchemists, and with the support of the Pill Tower, the Ye family's influence is unmatched by ordinary forces.

Let alone the Blackfire Sect, which only has one peak Dou Zong, even the Ice River Valley has to give the Ye family some face...

Unfortunately, since the fall of the Ye family patriarch, the Ye family's influence has declined significantly. Otherwise, in the original story, it would not have fallen to the point where the Black Fire Sect came knocking on their door!

"Black Fire Sect..." Ye Chen murmured the name to himself, then his expression darkened and he said nothing more.

Although he didn't know what was wrong with the Blackfire Sect, the bearded man could tell that the young master in front of him seemed to have some kind of animosity towards him.

However, seeing Ye Chen's gloomy expression, he dared not speak or ask, and could only grit his teeth and continue explaining the matter of the Qingyue City heir...

"Ahem, well, the second young master of Qingyue City is named Lin Yucheng. He is also a three-star Dou Huang, and his background is not simple either. It is said that his father comes from the Lei family of Tianyuan City. Although the Lei family is not a big family in the Dan Domain, its overall strength is comparable to that of Qingyue City. It is one of the three major families in Tianyuan City. With their support, young master Lin Yucheng has a great chance of winning in the competition."

This surprised Ye Chen once again...

"What exactly is Lin Qingyue up to? How come all the husbands she's chosen have such extraordinary backgrounds? Isn't she afraid that the forces behind these people will usurp her place?"

Moreover, this situation must have been intentional on her part, right? But isn't she just asking for trouble?

Chapter Twenty-Five: Lin Yutong

Ye Chen naturally didn't care what Lin Qingyue's hobbies were.

However, Qingyue City isn't far from Ye Chen. Although it's just a small city, its strength is quite considerable. If possible, it might be possible to make a move...

"Isn't it said that the Lord of Qingyue City has four sons and three daughters? Could it be that all four heirs are men?" Ye Chen couldn't help but ask, realizing something.

"No, no, no, there is a woman..." The bearded man shook his head repeatedly before saying, "Although this young lady from Qingyue City rarely appears in public, she is quite famous in Qingyue City. It is said that her beauty is in no way inferior to the city lord, and may even surpass him. She is known as the number one beauty in Qingyue City!"

As he spoke, the guy secretly glanced at Ye Chen, seemingly trying to find something on the latter's face.

Unfortunately, Ye Chen, having just been tricked by a woman, had entered a state of sage-like composure and had no interest in the so-called beauty this guy was talking about.

"Anything else? Is being pretty the only good thing about this young lady?" Ye Chen glanced at her and asked casually.

“No, that’s not it!” the bearded man quickly said.

"The eldest daughter of Qingyue City is named Lin Yutong. She is the most talented among all the children of the Qingyue City Lord. Before she was even twenty-five years old, she had already cultivated to the level of a five-star Dou Huang. She is also the strongest among the four. However, she is the least likely to win the succession struggle among the four heirs!"

Ye Chen raised an eyebrow. "Why is that?"

The bearded man explained, "Among the seven children of the Lord of Qingyue City, only this young lady has no respectable backing. We don't even know who her father is, and she has never appeared in front of outsiders..."

For a time, rumors even circulated in Qingyue City that this young lady was not the city lord's biological daughter and had no right to inherit the position. It was only through the personal intervention of the city lord that the rumors were suppressed.

"Hehe, it seems the competition among these people is quite fierce." Ye Chen chuckled.

It's obvious that those rumors were likely spread by one of the other competitors in an attempt to eliminate a rival, and there might even be more than one culprit.

However, the fact that these people would resort to such tactics in the struggle for succession suggests that there is no longer any affection between them.

Ye Chen was curious: Didn't this Lord of Qingyue City care at all? How could he allow his children to fight to this extent? Was he trying to raise a treacherous spirit? But this had already caused damage to the entire Qingyue City, hadn't it?

It is foreseeable that no matter which of the four heirs becomes the Lord of Qingyue City, Qingyue City will experience great turmoil in the future, unless the Lord of Qingyue City is confident that he can control everything.

However, with external forces like the Blackfire Sect and the Lei family involved, can she really do it with just a four-star Dou Zong?

Shaking his head inwardly, Ye Chen began to question the last of the four heirs.

"This last one is also the youngest of the four, a year younger than Miss Lin Yutong. However, his cultivation has just broken through to the first-star Douhuang level, but he is the one that Qingyue City is most optimistic about to inherit the position of city lord."

Ye Chen was surprised again and asked, "Oh? Why is that?"

The bearded man explained, "Although this third young master is young and not very strong, he comes from the best family! His father comes from a sect called Lingyun Sword Sect in the northern region of Zhongzhou."

"Lingyun Sword"

"A sect? Is this sect very powerful?" Ye Chen was a little curious. In his memory, there didn't seem to be such a powerful sect in the original work.

The bearded man shook his head and said, "Well, I don't know either. But there's a rumor, a rumor, though I'm not sure if it's true. It's said that the Lingyun Sword Sect, where this Third Young Master's father belongs, is a branch sect of the Myriad Swords Pavilion, a top-tier power in the Central Continent. The Third Young Master's father met the City Lord of Qingyue City when he was young and came to the Pill Domain to make his way in the world. Later, because of his great talent, he was valued by the Grand Elder of the Myriad Swords Pavilion, who was an eight-star Dou Zong, and was taken in as a personal disciple..."

Ye Chen suddenly realized.

One hall, one tower, two sects, three valleys, and four pavilions—this is a well-known first-rate power in Zhongzhou.

Although the Four Directions Pavilion is only at the bottom, in this era where Dou Sheng is not appearing and even high-level Dou Zun rarely shows up, a force with a Dou Zun-level expert is completely different from those forces without a Dou Zun-level expert!

Although the Myriad Swords Pavilion is very far from the Pill Domain, the presence of a Sword Venerable makes it impossible for either Qingyue City or the Blackfire Sect to underestimate it in the slightest.

"The Ten Thousand Swords Pavilion, it seems this Third Young Master truly possesses an extraordinary identity," Ye Chen remarked.

Although Ye Chen knew that in the later stages of Doupo, Dou Zun were everywhere and Dou Zong were as worthless as dogs, and that a being like Sword Venerable, who was around a two-star Dou Zun, was just cannon fodder.

At this moment, at least for the next few years, even the Ye family, backed by the Pill Tower, cannot afford to offend such an existence.

In the time it took for the two to finish speaking, they had already arrived at the center of the city. At the same time, Ye Chen also saw the huge black stone arena at the very center.

The entire Fengyun Arena is a kilometer in size, with five smaller arenas on the side. Normally, it can accommodate unnamed challengers at the same time, thus speeding up the update speed of the Fengyun Arena.

The arenas were already surrounded by people, but no challengers had appeared on the arenas yet, meaning the challenges hadn't started yet...

Ye Chen looked around and saw four luxurious seats not far apart under the largest arena in the center, surrounded by many guards, most of whom were at the Dou Ling level.

"So that's the guard of Qingyue City. They seem quite strong," Ye Chen thought to himself.

However, his gaze did not linger on the guards for long, but quickly fell on the four young men and women sitting on the seats...

The four heirs of Qingyue City!

"Brother Hu, can you tell what these people are like?" Although he had already heard about these people from the bearded man, Ye Chen still wanted to confirm.

Hu Tian's gaze swept over the other person, but paused slightly in one direction.

"Young Clan Leader, the strength of those four people is about the same as what that person just said. However, that woman is not a five-star Dou Huang, but a six-star one! She must have just broken through, and judging from the icy aura around her, she must be cultivating an ice-attribute technique. More importantly, the old man behind her is probably no less powerful than me!"

"Oh?" Ye Chen raised an eyebrow. It seemed the bearded man was right; this young lady of the city lord's family truly possessed exceptional talent, and she cultivated ice-attribute techniques...

He even has a half-step Dou Zong level expert protecting him. How can you say he has no background?

"Heh, could this woman be connected to the Ice River Valley?"

Ye Chen suddenly realized that, in his memory, the only powerful force that cultivated ice-attribute techniques seemed to be the Ice River Valley.

Chapter Twenty-Six: Taking Action

It's quite intriguing that a young lady with no background, rumored to be without any connections, is now accompanied by a half-step Dou Zong level expert who is even stronger than the people behind those three young masters.

As Hu Tian's gaze fell upon the mysterious expert behind Lin Yutong, the other party instantly noticed and his sharp eyes followed, scanning over them.

The old man noticed a smiling young man in the audience looking at him, who even nodded to him as he glanced over. This made the old man wary.

"Miss, a powerful figure has appeared..."

Lin Yutong wore a beautiful white dress. Although she had a stunningly beautiful face, she did not give off a sense of oppression. Instead, she exuded an elegant and gentle temperament that made people feel comfortable and couldn't help but feel close to her.