“To achieve such a level of infamy is truly unique in the world! Haha, this is the first time I have heard of someone so notorious that the entire city avoids even mentioning the name ‘Ye Chu’!” Pang Shao laughed heartily. Ever since learning that Ye Chu was from Yao City, Pang Shao had been eagerly digging into his past. The more he uncovered, the more shocked he became. Ye Chu’s reputation as scum in Yao City had reached an astonishing, jaw-dropping degree. Pang Shao’s own notoriety in the imperial capital was bad enough, but compared to Ye Chu, he realised he was far behind.
Ye Chu completely ignored Pang Shao’s contempt, patted his shoulder, and said, “Committing evil is a long and arduous path. You are still very weak and need gradual cultivation! The kinds of misdeeds you commit, I grew tired of long ago. Now I pursue a higher realm.”
“What is this higher realm?” Pang Shao felt Ye Chu had truly transcended the ranks of ordinary scum. To treat villainy as a profession with such shamelessness, what did his own petty evils amount to?
“Family secret! Not to be shared!” Ye Chu shook his head.
“Family secret my arse!” Pang Shao could not help cursing. “But I do want to hear just how high the realm of a villain like you can reach.”
“I am a man of principle. If I say I will not share, I will not! Neither threats nor bribes work on me, so give up on that idea. Of course, if you give me a hundred or eighty gold coins, I might tell you.” Ye Chu said firmly, as if nothing could shake his resolve.
Gold coins meant nothing to Pang Shao. Without a word, he tossed over a handful. Watching Ye Chu catch them with a beaming smile, Pang Shao felt deep scorn. Principles? What principles!
“For the sake of the gold coins, I will give you a lesson today, brother. What true villainy really is!” Ye Chu pocketed the coins, thinking they would keep him going for a while. Otherwise, penniless as he was, he could not even find a place to stay.
“The methods you use, bullying men and dominating women, coercing and enticing to harm them, belong to the lowest level.” Ye Chu said. “The highest realm of villainy is to ravish her body and still have her grateful, her heart bound to you. In simple terms, sell her and have her count the money for you.”
“Do you take women for fools?” Pang Shao cursed, thinking this was indeed wicked enough, but how difficult to achieve.
“That is why you remain stuck at this low level. The women you play with are all withered flowers and broken willows. You cannot touch a single truly fine woman.” Ye Chu said with disdain. “Think of how the famous ladies in the imperial capital all look down on you. You will realise how pitiful you are, yet you still feel proud of yourself!”
Pang Shao recalled the women he had been with; indeed, none could be called top-tier. Remembering how, when Ye Chu was in the imperial capital, those ladies willingly gathered around him, his eyes suddenly lit up as he stared straight at Ye Chu.
“Do you not think conquering a woman’s body and heart brings far greater sense of achievement and difficulty than merely conquering her body? As for how to conquer, that depends on individual talent! However, I think you have considerable potential. Though currently at an infant level, with practice it will develop. Use that little saintess as practice. If you can conquer her, you will have reached mastery.” Ye Chu said, looking at Pang Shao.
“Get lost!” Pang Shao wanted to kick Ye Chu to death. This was clearly digging a pit for him to jump into. Conquer the Saintess Highness? He did not have a death wish!
“Fine! If you cannot advance in the face of difficulty, you will forever remain at this beginner stage where everyone curses you. Roughly the level I was at three years ago, no, four or five years ago.” Ye Chu shrugged. “Let us not talk about something that discourages you. What are you doing in Yao City this time? Do not tell me it is really just to find women. I do not believe you came to such a remote kingdom merely for that.”
At this, Pang Shao’s expression grew serious. “The Great General’s tomb has been robbed!”
The words made Ye Chu’s heart jolt, his face turning extremely grave. “When did this happen?”
The empire had existed for countless years, with innumerable great generals. Yet only one from hundreds of years ago, a legendary figure whose strength shook heaven and earth and made ghosts weep, was buried in what was called the Great General’s tomb. He had suddenly died violently. The empire built a tomb for him comparable to an imperial mausoleum, burying everything he owned in life. Given the man’s stature, the treasures were beyond count. Moreover, rumour had it his peerless strength came from obtaining a supreme treasure.
This news had driven countless people to attempt entering the Great General’s tomb. Ye Chu and Pang Shao had once tried themselves, only to fail. That time, their group had nearly died inside, a memory that still gave Ye Chu chills.
The Great General’s tomb was riddled with traps and utterly perilous. That was not the worst of it; it was filled with murderous aura that made movement extremely difficult for cultivators.
Cultivators focused on refining their Primordial Spirit, absorbing the essence of sun and moon, seizing the fortunes of heaven and earth; these were the three realms. But no matter the realm, all involved absorbing spiritual energy. Spiritual energy was a general term; it could be the essence of sun and moon, the vital essence of medicines, or the primal energy of heaven and earth. Anything beneficial to cultivators that could integrate into the body was called spiritual energy.
Yet there existed something diametrically opposed to spiritual energy: murderous aura! Just as heaven and earth produced spiritual energy suitable for humans, they also produced violent aura capable of destroying and extinguishing life. Murderous aura was a cultivator’s nightmare; invasion by it caused injury at best, death at worst.
The murderous aura in the Great General’s tomb was so terrifying it had developed rudimentary consciousness, nearly becoming demonic. Even Ye Chu, with his special constitution, had nearly died there! In such an unparalleled death ground, even the terrifying Supreme Emperor of the imperial capital had said he dared not enter the Great General’s tomb. Ye Chu could not imagine who could break in and rob it.
Ye Chu exhaled lightly, looked at Pang Shao, and asked, “What does this have to do with Yao City?”
“Many people entered the Great General’s tomb this time, but the first one to go in is in Yao City.” Pang Shao secretly rejoiced that he had been guarding the tomb entrance at the time, spotted the person, and followed them all the way here.
“What did he take from the Great General’s tomb?” Ye Chu’s eyes brightened.
“I do not know that. What I am certain of is that he has been invaded by the murderous aura! He probably will not live long, so I followed to see.” Pang Shao laughed sinisterly. “Do you want to come with me? Perfect, you have special methods! If he goes berserk, I will not be afraid!”
Ye Chu thought for a moment and nodded. “Let us go take a look! The murderous aura in the Great General’s tomb is no trifling matter. If this person was already strong enough and the aura seizes his consciousness, causing him to rampage, even I may not be able to handle him.”
Pang Shao naturally understood this. He could not help asking Ye Chu, “What level has your strength reached now? It has been nearly a year. You should have long reached the upper grade of the second realm and be close to breaking through to the third, right?”
“It is not that simple!” Ye Chu shook his head. “You cultivate yourself; you should know cultivation is far more difficult than imagined!”
“Then what level have you reached?” Pang Shao asked.
“Want to test it?” Ye Chu gave a sinister laugh, looking at Pang Shao.
Pang Shao’s expression changed dramatically. He quickly moved farther away, laughing awkwardly. “I was just asking, nothing else! Hehe, just asking!”
Pang Shao knew this fellow’s methods all too well. If they really tested it, he probably would not get out of bed today. In the past, the guy always tricked him by saying he would hold back, yet every time Pang Shao ended up bedridden. His “holding back” meant one touch and you were down!
