Ye Chen’s tone was filled with resentment.
He was once a proud son of heaven, blessed by fate, indeed extraordinary.
Although he encountered many setbacks on the surface during his cultivation journey, he always managed to turn danger into safety and had never truly suffered a devastating blow.
Therefore, he had always maintained a positive and optimistic attitude.
But this time, the blow came suddenly and heavily, his strength was crushed, his friends and family scattered.
It was too much for Ye Chen to bear, and even his personality began to distort.
"The most important thing now is to find a way to get out of here..."
Ye Chen scanned his surroundings.
The destruction of the inner residence was not a fatal blow to him.
After all, as long as he had the Divine Talisman Stone Tower and even a little bit of spiritual energy, he could use the tower's mysterious functions to recover from his injuries.
The problem was… he was now bound by the Fire Jade Chains and couldn't mobilize any spiritual energy at all.
"Am I really destined to be trapped here?"
Ye Chen's expression flickered, shifting unpredictably.
At that moment, the sound of light footsteps rang out, making Ye Chen's eyes narrow as he quickly turned his head.
In the corner, a thin figure cautiously peeked in.
"Y-Young Master?"
It was a girl around fourteen or fifteen years old, plain in appearance, her eyes red from crying, as she hurriedly stepped inside.
"Ling'er?"
Ye Chen was stunned.
He recognized this girl.
Back when Ye Chen left home and was taken into Cangyun Dao Sect, he wasn’t alone—he had brought along a maid named Ye Ling.
Ye Ling was from the main Ye family and had followed Ye Chen since childhood.
She had always harbored feelings for him and remained unwaveringly loyal.
Ye Chen naturally understood her thoughts, and their relationship had been quite good.
But after entering the dao sect and broadening his horizons, especially after meeting a stunning beauty like Qin Yingluo from Cangyun, his feelings changed, and he gradually distanced himself from Ye Ling.
The last time they met, Ye Chen had even called her "little sister" to comfort her.
Ye Chen, filled with anger before, had actually forgotten that he still had someone on his side within Cangyun Dao Sect.
"Ling'er!"
"What are you doing here?"
Ye Chen was both surprised and delighted.
Ye Ling was frail, covered in sweat, clearly struggling to resist the scorching power of the Flame Abyss.
"Young Master, you've suffered so much."
Seeing Ye Chen’s condition, Ye Ling’s eyes reddened even more. "I will help you now."
She stumbled forward, but the moment she touched the Fire Jade Chains, she was burned by the scorching fire energy and cried out in pain.
"These Fire Jade Chains carry the power of hell fire. Your cultivation is too low, you can't touch them."
Ye Chen quickly warned.
"Th-Then what should we do?"
Ye Ling looked flustered.
"There is a way."
Hope flashed in Ye Chen's eyes. "I need something to replenish my spiritual energy—pills, spiritual herbs, anything will do."
"As long as I can get even a sliver of spiritual energy, I can break free from these chains and restore my cultivation!"
"Something to replenish spiritual energy..."
Ye Ling's face showed hesitation.
She was just a maid. Though she had been cultivating, she had not yet reached the Divine Sea Realm.
She held no real status in Cangyun Dao Sect.
Back when Ye Chen was powerful, people respected her out of deference to him.
But now… Ye Chen realized this as well, his expression darkening.
Even though Ye Ling was loyal to him, she was simply too weak.
Elixirs and spiritual herbs for replenishing energy varied in quality, but even the lowest grade ones were beyond Ye Ling’s reach.
Damn it!
If it were before, even if Ye Ling begged for them, the elders of Cangyun Dao Sect would have smiled and willingly given them to her without hesitation.
But now, trapped in this predicament, there was no way anyone would help him for free.
"I have an idea."
Ye Chen’s face shifted several times before he gritted his teeth and made a decision. "I’ll open my mouth, and you pull out one of my front teeth."
Although confused, Ye Ling followed his instructions.
"Ahh.."
Ye Chen screamed but soon calmed down.
Ye Ling successfully plucked one of his front teeth, but when she closely examined it,
"A ring?"
Ye Ling looked at the tiny object in her hand, it was an incredibly small ring.
"Hmph, when Cangyun Dao Sect imprisoned me, they searched me, but they didn’t realize that my jade ring was hidden here."
Ye Chen looked pleased with himself before continuing, "This ring stores my belongings. Take it to Elder Yu from the Medicine Hall. You must trade it for spiritual energy elixirs!"
Ye Chen's expression was solemn.
This was his only hope.
Inside the jade ring was everything Ye Chen had gathered from his adventures, an astonishing fortune.
Unfortunately, without spiritual energy, he couldn't activate the ring or retrieve anything from it.
Otherwise, why would he need to rely on others for elixirs?
But it didn’t matter. As long as he could recover his strength and escape this place, any price was worth it.
"Besides, my Divine Talisman Stone Tower is hidden inside my body."
"As long as it remains safe, everything else is worth sacrificing!"
Despite telling himself this, Ye Chen’s expression still revealed a trace of pain.
Though the ring didn’t contain the Divine Talisman Stone Tower, it did have… a Divine Talisman!
The Extreme Ice Talisman!
He had only refined thirty percent of this Talisman’s power.
Even so, the portion he could use was already terrifyingly strong, unstoppable by anyone.
But since he hadn’t fully refined it, he couldn’t store it inside the stone tower.
"Fortunately, only those who possess the Divine Talisman Stone Tower can use this Extreme Ice Talisman."
"Even if that elder gets it, it’ll be useless to him."
"One day, I will personally take it back!"
Ye Chen gritted his teeth.
"Young Master, don’t worry! No matter what it takes, I will save you!"
Under Ye Chen’s repeated instructions, Ye Ling's eyes filled with determination.
Tears welled up in her eyes as she took one last deep look at Ye Chen before turning and leaving the Flame Abyss.
....
....
One incense stick later.
Su Ming was playing with the ring in his hand, looking down at the kneeling Ye Ling, a faint smile on his lips.
"You did well."
"Thank you, Emperor's Son."
"This is yours now."
Su Ming casually tossed over a jade bottle.