Chapter 352: Invincible

Since their last encounter at the hospital, Li Jingjing hadn't contacted Yang Chen again. Whether she had been in touch with Lin Ruoxi, Yang Chen did not inquire. Deep down, Yang Chen didn't hold any grudge against Li Jingjing. She was just an ordinary woman, and everyone has both positive and negative emotions. Few people are entirely devoid of good intentions.

Reflecting on the time she was manipulated by Zeng Xinlin, although Li Jingjing was partly to blame, the saying "every hateful person must have a pitiable side" came to mind. Yang Chen was only angry in the moment and didn't pursue the matter further. He believed that Lin Ruoxi, being a woman herself, probably saw things more clearly. Thus, when Li Jingjing called, she decided to answer the phone.

Li Jingjing seemed to say something that surprised Lin Ruoxi. For once, a rare expression of astonishment and slight sadness appeared on Lin Ruoxi's usually calm and composed face.

"Have you already decided?" Lin Ruoxi asked over the phone.

After a while, she added, "In that case, I'll see you off at the airport tomorrow. He will come too. You don't need to say more, I will be there on time."

Seeing Lin Ruoxi hang up, Yang Chen frowned and asked, "What's going on with Jingjing?"

Lin Ruoxi gave Yang Chen a complex look and said, "She said that the school has a program to send outstanding young teachers to study in the United States, and she has been selected. She has decided to go. The flight is tomorrow, and her visa and everything else have long been processed. She feels that leaving without saying anything would make us think she doesn't respect us and that she's avoiding something. So, she called to inform me. I've decided to go to the airport to see her off tomorrow morning. You should come too, as you're the one who knows her best."

"Studying in the United States?" Yang Chen was momentarily taken aback, feeling a bit parched inside. After a long pause, he sighed and asked, "Did she say how long she'll be gone?"

"She mentioned it would be about a year and a half to two years, studying English at the University of California, San Diego," Lin Ruoxi said calmly.

Yang Chen nodded, "I understand. I'll go."

Seeing Yang Chen agree, Lin Ruoxi didn't say more and turned to go upstairs.

Yang Chen stood at the bottom of the stairs, his mind filled with mixed thoughts that he couldn't easily settle.

Although Li Jingjing had stopped contacting him, and he didn't know how to face the girl who once felt like a little sister, at least they were still in the same city. Now, this young woman was heading to the United States alone for her studies. While it was undoubtedly a good thing, Yang Chen couldn't help but feel a subtle sense of loss and reluctance.

Even though she wasn't his lover, she was like half a family member. Yang Chen shook his head, deciding not to dwell on it any further.

Meanwhile, in a different part of Zhonghai, in the large residence of the Cai family within a military district compound, an entirely different scene was unfolding.

The Cai family, though originally a prominent clan in the Yan capital, had gained considerable influence in the Zhonghai region over the years due to their patriarch Cai Yuncheng's position there. This dual influence in both Yan and Zhonghai was flourishing. At this moment, dressed in moss green military attire with the rank of lieutenant general, Cai Yuncheng stood with a grim expression outside a simply decorated room. Inside, lying on the bed, was a young man.

That man was Yang Lie, who had survived Yang Chen's attack but was now severely injured and weak.

Yang Lie's master, Yu Jizi, still wore his green robe, but on their journey back, Yang Lie's blood had stained it, making him look somewhat disheveled now. Yu Jizi's brows furrowed deeply as he looked at his disciple, who was unconscious with a pale face, appearing helpless.

"Elder Yu, is Yang Nephew really so badly injured? If he can't participate in the upcoming battle, it'll be a significant loss for our faction," Cai Yuncheng said solemnly.

Yu Jizi shook his head with a sigh. "Our Kunlun Sect excels in offense, not in healing injuries. I'm just a mediocre practitioner, far from being proficient in such matters. Lie has been practicing with me since childhood; if there were a solution, we would have used it long ago. His injuries are severe, affecting multiple internal organs with extensive bleeding."

"How could he sustain such horrific injuries? Yang Lie's combat prowess is second only to Master Yun Miao among our Eight Divisions," Cai Yuncheng muttered in puzzlement.

"If not for my use of Kunlun's Tian Shan secret medicine to build his foundation since he was young, along with supplementary medicinal baths and bone refinement, Lie wouldn't just be facing simple injuries," Yu Jizi's expression turned grim. "Even for an old daoist like me, a strike from that young man would likely have had similar consequences. Had he truly used his full strength, there would probably be few who could match him in the entire Yan Xia region who wouldn't stay in the mountains."

Just then, a disdainful female voice came from outside the door.

"Hmph, those old men coming out of the mountains are no match for Yang Chen's brat. Besides, do you think my Shu Mountain's 'Derivation Sutra' is something you can easily discuss?" Wearing a gray-purple daoist robe with a nun's hat, Master Yun Miao strolled in, followed by Cai Ning who had come to greet her.

"The 'Derivation Sutra'?" Yu Jizi exclaimed in astonishment. "Master, are you saying that young man has been cultivating Shu Mountain's 'Derivation Sutra'? But that divine technique was said to be mastered solely by your senior brother, Song Tianxing! Could it be that the young man is a hidden disciple of your Shu Mountain?"

Yun Miao cast a disdainful glance at Yang Lie lying on the bed. "Yang Chen is the direct disciple my senior brother took in overseas. His 'Derivation Sutra' prowess surpasses even that of my senior brother, reaching the pinnacle of the Eighth Layer of Complete Mastery. Even you, with the seventh-layer power of my senior brother back then, might not have matched him, let alone Yang Chen's eighth layer."

"The eighth layer?" Yu Jizi was mocked by Yun Miao but remained unruffled. "Does the internal strength of the eighth layer of the 'Derivation Sutra' allow one to achieve innate perfection?"

"What?! Innate perfection?!" Yun Miao was shocked. "Are you saying Yang Chen has reached the realm of innate perfection?!"

Yu Jizi was dumbfounded. "Master, you didn't know? This morning, when I saw his move, I immediately concluded he had indeed reached the realm of innate perfection. Another step, and he would be a legendary figure."

Yun Miao pondered deeply for a moment and said seriously, "Although the eighth layer of the 'Derivation Sutra' can lead one into the realm of innate perfection, true attainment of innate perfection requires the ninth layer, and at its peak, to be possible."

This time, Yu Jizi was thoroughly dumbstruck. "But isn't it said that only the creator of the 'Derivation Sutra,' the senior ancestor of Shu Mountain, reached such a realm?"

"Exactly. Since then, hardly anyone has reached even the eighth layer," Yun Miao smiled smugly. "It seems our Shu Mountain has gained another peerless expert."

After contemplating for a while, Yu Jizi asked puzzledly, "But even if he has reached innate perfection, Master, how can you say those who haven't left the mountains are not his match?"

Yun Miao looked at Yu Jizi as if he were a fool. "Before you left the mountains, did you bother to check the current distribution of power provided by the Yan Huang Iron Legion?"

"What do you mean?" Yu Jizi admitted he hadn't paid much attention to it.

Impatiently, Yun Miao continued, "Don't you know that Yang Chen is also the inheritor of the 'Underworld Ring'?!"

"What?!" Yu Jizi felt his brain was insufficient for processing this information. Cold sweat broke out on his forehead. "Are you saying he has comprehended divine power?"

"According to intelligence, he was the first human in history to kill the main deity, ascend to the divine status, and inherit divine power. In other words, he is the first human to become a god by slaying a god. If he were merely using martial arts, those old men who haven't left the mountains might match him. But in terms of true power, unless those old men break through that legendary limit, they are no match for him at all," Yun Miao explained.

Standing at the doorway and listening to Yun Miao and Yu Jizi discussing Yang Chen's power, Cai Yuncheng, though a core figure in the military, found it hard to grasp. After all, he wasn't familiar with the world of cultivation.

Turning to his eldest daughter, Cai Ning, he asked, "Ning'er, is this Yang Chen really that invincible?"

Cai Ning, even facing her father, remained indifferent, nodding slightly. "If there's no way to deal with him, I believe almost every powerful organization in this world wants him dead, including our generals."

"Why? I heard he hasn't provoked anyone after returning to Yan Xia," Cai Yuncheng puzzled.

"Because he holds things that too many people want," Cai Ning's eyes flickered with a hint of melancholy. After saying this, she turned and walked away, unwilling to say more.

Cai Yuncheng watched his daughter's cold and clear figure, sighed softly, his eyes filled with affection.