Not long after, Ye Chen awoke from his meditation.
There was still some time before the known start date of the Alchemy Grand Ceremony. Therefore, Ye Chen did not plan to spend all this time meditating within the treasure pavilion. Since he had come all the way to Dan Tian City, he intended to explore it properly.
Not only was this an Imperial City, but it was also the place in the entire ancient universe that gathered the most alchemists. Alchemists rarely seen in the outside world were abundant here, countless in number, including many alchemy masters renowned throughout the ancient universe.
Even Master Qingye from the alchemy inheritance had once mentioned that if one were to ask where the strongest alchemists were, it would be Dan Tian City.
This spoke volumes.
Moreover, when he had just arrived, he discovered that within Dan Tian City, there were enormous auction halls. And according to some rumors he had picked up, it seemed that because of the proximity to the Alchemy Grand Ceremony, an exceptionally grand auction event would be held tonight.
Some extremely precious treasures would be auctioned, including some peerless divine herbs involved in refining high-grade pills, incredibly valuable, which would attract the participation of many skilled alchemists.
Naturally, Ye Chen also needed to make some preparations. Even though he felt his hope of winning the championship was somewhat slim, he still hoped to strive for the Alchemy Grand Ceremony crown and compete for the Alchemy Emperor's inheritance.
However, it wasn't yet time for the real auction event to begin. Ye Chen had also learned that a special venue had recently opened in Dan Tian City, called the Heavenly Exchange Market.
That place wasn't an auction, but it was within the Dan Realm, and it gathered major forces from across the universe by invitation. Everyone could freely conduct various transactions at the Heavenly Exchange Market. It was not lacking in important intelligence or pill formulas, and divine materials for artifact forging were naturally abundant. Top experts like Heavenly Kings and Great Powers would all gather there, making it very bustling and lively.
Ye Chen naturally wouldn't miss such an occasion either.
He left the treasure pavilion and headed straight for the Heavenly Exchange Market. Although called a 'market', it was no less than a post-city outside the Dan Realm. It was opened in the western part of Dan Tian City, suspended in the sky. Countless experts gathered there, and many had even set up stalls, displaying various rare treasures for sale.
There were divine materials for artifact forging like Star Blue Silver, Gouchen Secret Silver, and Star Sand; there were Chaos Origin Stones containing divine treasures; there were ancient cultivation scriptures; there were peerless secret treasures; and there were also many rare heavenly and earthly treasures.
Here, even ten-thousand-year-old medicinal treasures were not uncommon. Some stalls even had medicinal spirits with tens of thousands of years of age on display, ready for sale, attracting the attention of many experts and making hearts flutter.
Ye Chen directly descended into the Heavenly Exchange Market. Walking through it, he saw many stalls indeed displaying many novel and strange items, some of which were truly extraordinary.
The treasures traded here weren't just related to the Alchemy Grand Ceremony; there were also some special transactions, like treasure map trades, trades involving divine materials, and trades of Dao Realms and secret techniques. The scale was huge, basically having everything one could need.
Moreover, there were even experts from the Dan Emperor Clan present, constantly maintaining order in the Heavenly Exchange Market, not allowing anyone to cause trouble. Otherwise, the Dan Emperor Clan would impose severe punishment.
"Freshly made dragon meat buns, fragrant and sweet, absolutely genuine dragon meat buns!"
"Roasted flood dragon skewers—"
"Come and try, thousand-year wing fruit candied haws—"
"Come take a look, selling a dragon whelp, its body flows with sufficiently pure dragon blood, has the chance to transform into a pure-blooded True Dragon in the future, priceless value!"
"Come quick, peerless treasures excavated from an Ancient Monarch's tomb, likely containing the peerless Dao Scripture of a Primordial Times Monarch, priceless value, can establish a supreme great sect dominating a star domain, founding a ten-thousand-year-old orthodoxy!"
"Here is the Monarch Heavenly Bow of a Primordial Times Monarch. The legendary Primordial Times Monarch Zhan Wuhen once used this heavenly bow to shoot down a true Primordial Times Monarch, peerless value!"
...
At the Heavenly Exchange Market, shouts rose and fell one after another, making Ye Chen feel as if he had returned to the bustling mortal streets of his weak past, as if these cultivators before him were all mortal vendors.
In fact, the cultivation world wasn't much different from the mortal world. In the eyes of mortals, they seemed lofty and aloof, yet they still had all the aspects of the mortal world—transactions, vendettas, factions... all of that, and even magnified countless times.
Ye Chen passed by a stall and actually saw someone who had refined a flood dragon, shrinking it to about a zhang in size, skewered it, and was roasting it with Dao fire, emitting waves of roasted meat fragrance.
He also saw a crocodile dragon at the demon saint level directly chopped into pieces, becoming fragrant meat buns...
Simply put, the food here was extravagantly absurd. Even Ye Chen was somewhat dumbfounded.
"Boss, how much for a roasted flood dragon skewer?" Ye Chen asked.
"Not expensive, equivalent to a divine spirit source worth a million jin of spirit stones!" the boss said.
Divine spirit sources, divine energy applicable even at higher levels.
But Ye Chen frowned slightly. Although the roasted flood dragon was indeed a real flood dragon, it was only at the half-saint level. Moreover, his gaze was incredibly sharp; he immediately saw through that the dragon blood within its body was extremely thin.
But on second thought, if the dragon blood were strong enough, this flood dragon wouldn't have ended up being roasted. Instead, it would have been nurtured, with a chance to evolve into a pure-blooded True Dragon.
Of course, that chance was minuscule.
Ye Chen shook his head and was about to leave. However, at that moment, a dissatisfied shout came: "Damn, this little worm costs the equivalent of a million jin of divine spirit source? Grandma's, truly black-hearted, might as well go rob someone!"
As the grumbling shout fell, Ye Chen, who had just been about to step away, suddenly froze, and even his whole body trembled slightly.
Because this voice was very familiar, even soul-deeply familiar. Turning to look, he saw a figure full of flamboyance standing before the stall selling roasted flood dragon skewers.
Clad in snow-white robes, wearing a jade crown, holding a landscape fan—no matter how you looked, it was the attire of an elegant young master. Yet this person had a wheat-colored complexion, neat and clean short hair, paired with this outfit, it looked awkward no matter how you looked, yet carried such a flamboyant air.
Yet it was precisely this flamboyant figure that seemed so familiar, making Ye Chen stand there stunned. Who else could it be but Will?
Ye Chen was somewhat astonished, never expecting this guy had also come onto the Ultimate Ancient Path and had made it here.
Yet seeing this guy's appearance, the corner of Ye Chen's mouth couldn't help but curl up into a slight arc. It was joy, happiness, the delight of meeting an old friend. He couldn't help but say: "Will!"
Will, clad in snow-white robes, was protesting. Hearing this, he froze for a moment, then turned and saw the imposing Ye Chen not far away. He immediately stared dumbfounded, staying dazed for a long time before snapping back to reality: "Damn, am I seeing things? Are you human or a ghost?!"
"What do you think?"
Ye Chen smiled like a spring breeze brushing his face, arriving before Will, sensing him up close, slightly surprised.
Over a hundred years apart, never expected this guy had also become a Great Power. Although he had just stepped into the Great Power realm not long ago, there was no doubt that as a young Supreme One, he was extraordinarily powerful.
Moreover, faintly, Ye Chen sensed a subtle aura flickering on Will's body, as if hiding some unknown secrets, but he didn't intend to delve deeper.
Will punched Ye Chen's shoulder with a clang, worthy of a Supreme Battle Body, truly extraordinary.
He hooked an arm around Ye Chen's shoulder and said, "I say, Little Moon, what kind of person are you really? Counting from when we first met until now, you've died several times. Why can you come back to life every time? Hurry up and teach your bro the secret. If I get killed someday, I can infinitely revive on the spot, truly fearless, defying heaven to live on."
To be honest, Will was really impressed by Ye Chen's ability to die again and again yet always manage to defy heaven and live. It was practically unkillable, a move that could fill all enemies with fear.
Ye Chen smiled wryly: "What nonsense are you talking? These are all just coincidences. Who can truly be unkillable?"
"You—" Will muttered softly.
"What did you say?"
"Nothing." Will hurriedly waved his hand, then said, "How did you also come here?"
"To participate in the Alchemy Grand Ceremony. What about you?" Ye Chen said.
"I came here to carry out a shocking grand plan."
"What shocking plan?"
At this moment, Will sneakily glanced around, then hooked Ye Chen's neck, lowering his head and carefully whispering: "I'll tell you, but don't tell anyone else. I heard today is the day the Dan Emperor Clan's Imperial Princess leaves seclusion. And a charming young married woman I managed to hook up with from the Dan Emperor Clan, not even sparing my looks, told me that the Imperial Princess will enter the Divine Pool to bathe and change clothes. As long as I sneak into the Divine Pool then and directly rob the Imperial Princess, I'll likely get the Alchemy Emperor's inheritance. Who needs to participate in any Alchemy Grand Ceremony competition? Don't you think I'm very smart, hehehe!"
"You dare to rob the Imperial Princess... of her chastity? You really want to die." Ye Chen was startled.
"What do you mean rob her of that?" Will said. "Do I look like such a lecherous person?"
"No." Ye Chen nodded, but his next words froze the smile that hadn't fully appeared on Will's face: "It just seems like a cover. You're lecherous by nature!"
"Little Moon, I never thought you'd think of me like that." Will looked sorrowful. "You should know, someone as handsome and dashing as me, if I were a woman, I'd want to get on me too. I'm very afraid the Imperial Princess might rob me of my chastity then."
Hearing this, Ye Chen deeply drew in a cold breath. He had seen shameless people, but never one so shameless. With your flamboyant look, you still want the Imperial Princess to rob you?
Will humphed: "What are you looking at? I know you're jealous that I'm more handsome, more dashing, and richer than you. But you can't be so jealous of your bro. At most, I'll teach you a few more moves of the mystical thirty-six bedroom arts of tumbling dragons and phoenixes later. Whether it's dual cultivation or heavenly pleasures, I guarantee you'll be blissfully happy."
When saying the "bliss" part of "blissfully happy," Will even blinked his small eyes, his smile as lewd as could be.
Bah, shameless!
Over the years, Ye Chen had mainly focused on cultivation, and was rather innocent in matters of male-female relations. Now, hearing Will's words, he immediately blushed somewhat.
Will heavily patted Ye Chen's shoulder, looking serious: "Little Moon, these are just the ways of heavenly pleasures. What's there to blush about? Look at me, even if I stripped naked and entered a women's bathhouse, I wouldn't feel the slightest bit embarrassed."
Bah, with skin thicker than an Imperial City, you wouldn't feel embarrassed, my ass! Ye Chen wanted to slap this bastard to death. After all, having skin this thick was probably rare throughout history.
"Alright, let's not talk about this." Will also knew when to stop, then said with a sorrowful face: "Thinking that I might lose my virginity tonight, I can't help but want to cry."
Ye Chen patted Will's shoulder, speaking earnestly: "Will, actually, I'm also very worried that you might face a life-and-death crisis with nine deaths and one life this time. So before you go, I hope you can promise me one thing."
"Say it!" As if infected by Ye Chen's tone, Will also became serious.
Ye Chen said with a straight face: "Before you go, please hand over all the treasures on you. I'm very worried you might not return. If you don't come back, these will be your relics. I'll take good care of them for you and put them to use."
"..."
The two meeting naturally involved many topics, especially since Will was a chatterbox who couldn't stop talking.
Regarding how Ye Chen had defied heaven to come back to life, Will didn't ask too much. He only mentioned that back then, he had also been selected by the Dragon-Phoenix Academy and was among that batch of Supreme geniuses sent onto the Ultimate Ancient Path.
After stepping onto the Ultimate Ancient Path, the journey had been somewhat perilous but ultimately safe. Thanks to the care of the Moon Palace and some old friends from the Sealed Boundary Universe, and because his own cultivation was sufficiently outstanding, he had safely traveled the ancient path for many years.
Moreover, Ye Chen observed that Will's face was rosy and healthy; over these years, he had probably suffered little hardship. On the contrary, it seemed more like a carefree and happy life.
"I thought you'd be deep in the Ultimate Ancient Path. I never expected you to be here. It's quite surprising." Ye Chen said. After all, Will had also been traveling the Ultimate Ancient Path for over a hundred years. It would be reasonable even if he appeared in the deepest parts of the Ultimate Ancient Path like the Goddess.
"I was originally there, but I was being chased by a very powerful figure, so I had no choice but to turn back." Will admitted frankly.
"Very powerful?"
"A peak Great Power, to be precise, an old fossil who has already taken one foot out of the Ancient Monarch realm." Will said with an awkward smile.
Ye Chen's eyes widened, stunned by Will's troublemaking ability: "You guy, how did you manage to provoke such a peerless existence for no reason?"
"Well—" Will gave an awkward smile, somewhat embarrassed: "That day, this old fossil's great-granddaughter was getting married. I snuck in and drank some immortal brew fine wine. Never expected to get drunk. Later, I mistakenly entered the bride's wedding chamber. The bride also thought I was the groom, and we just muddle-headedly fell onto the bed..."