After a span of nearly four years, Ye Chen finally returned to the Heavenly Gate, receiving the cheers and welcome of the entire sect.
Aboard the thousand-zhang divine ship, Ye Chen stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his majesty peerless as he piloted the vessel into the Heavenly Gate's domain.
"Is this the Heavenly Gate?"
Only a few close friends like the Thirteenth Prince dared to approach Ye Chen, stepping onto the ship's bow to look down from their commanding height upon the vast, magnificent Heavenly Gate and the towering, seemingly insurmountable Du Peak. All the Heaven's Prides on the divine ship revealed expressions of shock and awe.
The Heavenly Gate was far too extraordinary. Not only was its spiritual energy abundant, but Du Peak was no less majestic and imposing than the Divine Mountain. Moreover, powerful auras manifested one after another within this heaven and earth; it was truly a place where dragons and tigers lay hidden.
Ye Chen smiled faintly. "Indeed, this is the Heavenly Gate. From now on, you can cultivate here."
The Thirteenth Prince sighed softly. "Truly worthy of being the overlord force of the myriad realms. I had long heard of the Heavenly Gate, but seeing it surpasses mere hearsay. It is extraordinary. Just the density of heaven and earth spiritual energy surpasses that of the Tian Du Continent many times over."
This was something no one could help but marvel at. The Heavenly Gate was clearly exceptional.
Vivian stepped forward, arriving before Ye Chen. A maiden's unique fragrance wafted over, tinged with a hint of shy delight. She said softly, "Brother Ye Chen, you seem very popular here. I see the disciples looking at you with such admiration."
Ye Chen merely gave a faint smile. "It's passable."
Before Du Peak, numerous figures suddenly appeared. All of them gazed at the stern, majestic Battle Saint King on the ship's bow, their eyes blazing with intense worship.
These were the many disciples of the Heavenly Gate. Upon receiving the relevant news, they had rushed out at the first opportunity, solely to welcome the return of the Battle Saint King.
Even the various Elders appeared one after another.
Without a doubt, over these years, Ye Chen had become the undisputed leader of the Heavenly Gate's younger generation—both peerlessly invincible and glorious in his achievements, having established one brilliant legendary feat after another.
Not just within the Heavenly Gate, but across the myriad realms, he was a Heaven's Pride whose fame shook the world, regarded by various True Kings as the greatest competitor on the path to contending for the Human Sovereign title.
He had been gone for almost four years. During that time, the Heavenly Gate had recruited many elite geniuses from various domains. While many were drawn by the sect's strength, a considerable portion came specifically for the Battle Saint King, who was at the peak of his fame, viewing him almost as an idol.
Seeing the densely packed figures covering the mountains and plains, the young talents from the Tian Du Continent and the Ancient Lan World on the divine ship, like the Thirteenth Prince, finally truly understood Ye Chen's popularity. Even they couldn't help but show looks of astonishment.
From his commanding height, Ye Chen nodded towards the Heavenly Gate's many outstanding disciples, a smile on his face, eliciting thunderous cheers louder than ever before.
During this, even the high-ranking Elders of the Heavenly Gate came out to welcome him, as did several Heavenly Kings within the sect. Such a display of prestige further captivated many of the younger generation, setting their blood boiling.
Suddenly, a graceful, moving figure appeared before the divine ship. She wore a mint-green robe that outlined her exquisite, well-proportioned figure.
The maiden was stunningly beautiful; saying she was peerlessly elegant and the most beautiful under heaven was no exaggeration at all. Three thousand strands of soft, silky black hair cascaded like a waterfall, containing an innate spiritual grace. Her eyes were like autumn water, her skin like ice and jade, her lips red and teeth white. Born with such world-toppling, transcendent beauty, she could be admired from afar but not profaned. Many on the divine ship were left dumbstruck.
They hadn't expected such a stunning, brilliant fairy to exist within the Heavenly Gate, far surpassing any woman from the Tian Du Continent or Ancient Lan World. Many young men couldn't help but feel their hearts flutter, viewing her as the fairy of their dreams.
As if in response to them, the fairy smiled towards the divine ship, revealing shallow dimples on both sides. Her bright eyes and gentle smile were enchanting in just the right measure. Not just the men, even many women couldn't help but feel captivated and, at the same time, feel overshadowed and incomparable.
A warm, heartfelt smile appeared on Ye Chen's face. Under the gaze of the multitude, he stepped through the air, striding out from the ship's bow and arriving instantly before the fairy. He affectionately patted her head and said, "Have you been waiting long?"
Ruo Xi shook her head, smiling—happy, joyful, enough to make all things lose their color, becoming the sole focus of this heaven and earth.
She parted her red lips, her voice like silver bells, a heavenly melody, beautiful and pleasing to the ear: "As long as you've returned, that's enough."
Hearing this, the hearts of many on the divine ship shattered instantly. Countless men who hadn't yet confessed their feelings hung their heads dejectedly, shaking their heads with helpless sighs. Indeed, a fairy of this level was only worthy of being possessed by a peerless Heaven's Pride like Ye Chen.
"So she was waiting for Brother Ye Chen... no wonder Brother Ye Chen is like this..." Vivian's eyes instantly dimmed, her expression turning somewhat pale. Her delicate body trembled slightly. Princess Hong Rong beside her hurriedly supported the maiden, asking with concern, "Vivian, are you alright?"
Vivian shook her head lightly, barely steadying herself. She gave a hollow laugh, tinged with desolation. "Sister Hong Rong, don't worry about me. I'm fine."
Fine? She was clearly in such a state.
Princess Hong Rong thought to herself but didn't voice it, only letting out a soft sigh filled with unspoken regret. If one had to blame something, it could only be that Ye Chen was far too outstanding.
On another side of the divine ship, an equally beautiful and outstanding woman also sighed dejectedly. She was the former Sixth Princess, Yang Miaoxue.
After that year, her connection with Ye Chen had only been a minor interlude, somewhat ambiguous, nothing more. There could be no deeper relationship.
Subsequently, Ye Chen had the Heavenly Gate's Elders arrange for the young generation geniuses from the two worlds on the divine ship to cultivate within the Heavenly Gate. Those sufficiently outstanding would become Heavenly Gate disciples, while those slightly less so would be given the status of nominal disciples.
After all, the Heavenly Gate's criteria for selecting disciples were now many times stricter than before. Ye Chen only allowed close acquaintances like the Thirteenth Prince to directly become disciples. Others would need to undergo strict selection before qualifying.
After returning to the Heavenly Gate, Ye Chen's first action was to visit the main hall to pay his respects to the Heavenly Gate's Gate Lord and seniors like Wang Chen. After their meeting, Ye Chen naturally informed them of everything that had transpired in the Ancient Lan World, all proceeding logically.
The Heavenly Gate's Gate Lord looked at Ye Chen, unable to suppress a smile. "Qian Yue, these past years, you seem to have gained much. You've grown stronger. Although you're still a Half-Saint, you're far beyond that now. It should be about time to prepare to break through to the Saint Realm, shouldn't it?"
Ye Chen smiled. "Almost."