The Great Ruler (Web Novel)

Many tents were spread throughout an open space covered with gravel that was deep inside the forest. These tents formed a camp that was covered by the shade of the ancient forest.

Inside the camp, there were numerous figures, and the atmosphere was particularly lively. Moreover, there were people guarding the surroundings of the camp vigilantly and constantly monitoring the situation near the camp.

“Sister Ye has returned!”

Suddenly, a shout resounded throughout the air. A commotion instantly burst out, and numerous people stood up as they stared eagerly towards the outskirts of the camp. In the distance, dozens of figures were rapidly approaching, and, after just a few moments, they landed within the camp.

“Sister Ye!”

As they stared at the leading figure, the beautiful girl dressed in an apricot-colored dress, countless respectful cries could be heard ringing within the boundaries of the encampment.

Ye Qingling returned with a smile towards the crowd. She then turned around and said to Mu Chen, who was beside her: “This is the temporary rest stop of the Ye Clan. Those here are nice individuals.”

Mu Chen nodded. He glanced around and noticed many people looking at him with kindheartedness and curiousity.

“All of them seem to respect you.” Mu Chen was slightly surprised. Although Ye Qingling had the strength of a Spirit Stage, and it wasn’t difficult for her to gain their admiration, he could tell that everybody here respected her in the depths of their hearts.

“Ohoho, Sister Ye has an excellent personality. If it wasn’t for her, many of us would have been robbed by other forces. Ever since she formed the Ye Clan, we have gradually improved ourselves…” Wang Sheng laughed from beside him.

“The creators of other forces probably rob other student’s symbols, but Sister Ye would never do such a thing. She led us to hunt Spiritual Beasts and search for worldly treasures. Moreover, she distributed the majority of the items to us.”

A hint of surprise flashed through Mu Chen’s eyes. No wonder these people respected Ye Qingling so much.

“I’m at the Spirit Stage, so it is easy for me to raise my symbol to Rank 4. However, it isn’t the same for others. If they do not work together, they will be robbed of what they were able to accumulate and, thus, be eliminated from the competition.” Ye Qingling replied gently.

“You really don’t have much ambition. Doing this you will slow down the speed you can increase your symbol’s overall rank.” Mu Chen said.

“If the symbol rank increases, it only means that I will initially be given a much better position and have access to more resources within the Northern Heavens Spiritual Academy. I can slowly obtain these later on. But if you were to be eliminated, there would be absolutely no hope for you. ” Ye Qingling uttered.

Mu Chen shrugged his shoulders. Since Ye Qingling didn’t care about it at all, it was evident that he should not say any more on the topic. Though for a girl to go to such an extent truly impressed him.

Ye Qingling waved her hand and let everyone scatter away. Then, she pulled Sun’Er to a bonfire, took out a few ingredients and began to personally prepare food for Sun’Er.

“You should follow us for the next few days. We are also heading towards the Northern Heavens Spiritual Academy. At the same time, we will search for traces of Spiritual Beasts and worldly treasures. Perhaps there might be some you are interested in…” While she was preparing to roast food for Sun’Er, Ye Qingling smiled and spoke to Mu Chen.

“Also, Ge Qing won’t be able to do anything to you while you’re here. You should stay here for a few days, so that they will give up on you and flee. Then, you can move freely again, how’s about that?”

Mu Chen smiled and did not reply. It seemed that she believed that he had come here for protection…

Just when Mu Chen arrived at the camp grounds of the Ye Clan, Ge Qing was in a gloomy state as he brought the others back to a camp that was located on a cliff that was slightly farther away..

“Ohoho, Ge Qing, you’re back? But what's this? It looks as though you’ve been bullied by others?” In the center of the camp, a burly man laughed as he looked at Ge Qing’s face.

“In this region, there are people that dare to disrespect the Ge Clan?”

Ge Qing sat down furiously. He grit his teeth and said: “It’s those people from the Ye Clan. We were truly unlucky to meet Ye Qingling.”

“Oh? You even met Ye Qingling? Hehe, to be honest, Ye Qingling is quite beautiful and powerful. If you are able to conquer her, you will definitely have a pleasurable life.” Someone said in surprise.

“Pfft, by you? Ye Qingling is at the Spirit Stage. Who else but the boss could be her opponent here?” A person laughed at the other teasingly.

“Big Brother.” Ge Qing ignored them and glanced at the man in the center of the crowd who was wielding a dark-red long sword. The boy had his head down and had exceptionally long hair. He was much older than the people beside him and seemed particularly mature. Moreover, a cold killing intent emitted from him, which made others keep away from him.

“The Ye Clan has gone too far. They didn’t even care to give us face, even when your name was mentioned.”

Hearing this, the man with the dark red long sword smiled faintly. He lifted his head and a hideous scar was revealed on his face. This scar extended out from the corner of his left eye all the way down to his neck. It was as if his face had been divided into two.

This scar was like a hideous centipede and made the man appear more vicious and cold.

“Why did you provoke the Ye Clan? Ye Qingling is quite capable, and she was one of the people who participated in the Spiritual Road. It’d be best if we do not offend them.” Ge Hai replied.

Seeing that Ge Hai wasn’t planning to help him out, Ge Qing could only whisper: “I didn’t plan on doing anything to the Ye Clan. It’s just that Mu Chen has somehow gotten the help of the Ye Clan, even though he wasn’t a part of them…”

Pu!

The dark red blade suddenly slashed across Ge Hai’s palm and blood suddenly flowed out. Everybody instantly became quiet, even Ge Qing stammered and shut his mouth. He stared at Ge Hai, whose hand was injured. At this moment, the latter revealed a violent and vicious aura that he had never seen before.

“Big Brother. Did I say something wrong?” Ge Qing gulped and asked in fear. It was the first time that he had seen such a terrifying presence from Ge Hai.

Ge Hai slowly lifted his head. The hideous scar on his face seemed to creep up at this moment, making him look extremely terrifying. His eyes were bloodshot as he stared at Ge Qing.

“What was the name that you’ve just said?”

Ge Qing’s body froze and he replied: “M-Mu Chen.”

Ge Hai’s body trembled slightly. He seemed to be suppressing something as he asked: “T-Tell me. How does he look?”

Ge Qing was shocked because of Ge Hai’s abnormal state. The surrounding people also felt that something was off but did not dare to mutter even a sound. Then, Ge Qing described Mu Chen’s appearance to Ge Hai.

When Ge Qing’s voice faded away, the entire camp was completely silent. The only sound that could be heard was Ge Hai’s heavy breathing. In his eyes, an increasingly prominent shade of crimson started to appear. His expression had a bit of fear, a bit of craziness and some hatred that was somewhat difficult to contain.

“Right now, is he at the Spiritual Rotation Stage Late Phase?” Ge Hai raised his head and his crimson eyes stared at Ge Qing. But before the latter nodded, he muttered to himself: “That’s right…He did not experience the final step of the Spiritual Road. Thus, his strength was bound to be lowered. Ohoho, Spiritual Rotation Stage Late Phase…Ohoho…”

“Big Brother, what’s wrong?”

Ge Qing was completely stunned by Ge Hai’s strange smile and asked cautiously.

Ge Hai directed a horrifying smile to Ge Qing. His bloody hand touched the hideous scar on his face and said: “Mu Chen is with the Ye Clan?”

“Yes.” Ge Qing hurriedly nodded.

Ge Hai stood up. His eyes were sharp like a wolf and he glanced coldly at the crowd before speaking: “Gather everyone. We will immediately head over to the Ye Clan’s camp. All of you should be prepared. If the Ye Clan dares to stop us, we will eliminate them!”

Everybody was surprised. Does that mean they are going to attack the Ye Clan? What’s wrong with the boss? In the past, they had always maintained a peaceful relationship with the Ye Clan. Why did his killing intent become so rich?

However, while they had doubts within their mind, they did not dare to object. They immediately hurried away and the entire camp became chaotic.

“Big Brother, d-do you know that Mu Chen?” Ge Qing asked timidly.

“I know him. Of course, I know him...”

Ge Hai’s finger ran across the scar on his face. A hint of fear and hatred finally gushed out from his eyes.

“He was the one that left this scar on my face…”

Beside him, Ge Qing was completely frozen. His mind immediately became numb. He never imagined that Ge Hai, who he had always respected, was injured by that seemingly gentle boy.

Just who was he?

Ye Clan Campgrounds.

The entire camp was lively. With Sun’Er’s arrival, the camp was filled with a bit more joy. Everybody liked this cute and innocent little girl.

Beside the bonfire, Wang Sheng was holding a bowl of wine, which he raised to Mu Chen. Then, he drained it completely and patted his chest in high spirits. “Brother Mu Chen, don’t be afraid. With us here, the Ge Clan won’t dare to do anything.”

“That’s right. You and your companion are Sister Ye’s friends. Naturally, you are also our friends. As long as we’re here, we will not let the Ge Clan touch you.” A few individuals nearby agreed as well.

Before they had gathered to drink, the matter regarding Mu Chen and Ge Qing had been spread around by Wang Sheng and the others. In regards to his current situation, many Ye Clan members expressed their support to Mu Chen and were extremely enthusiastic about protecting him.

Mu Chen smiled. Perhaps it was because, under the influence of Ye Qingling, the members of the Ye Clan gave off a decent feeling. They were all easy to get along with.

Ye Qingling walked over and scolded them with a laugh. Then, she directed a smile at Mu Chen and said: “There’s no need to be too concerned. They’re always like this. They like to boast when they’re drunk.”

Mu Chen shook his head and replied: “It’s quite alright.”

Ye Qingling’s eyes stared quietly at Mu Chen. She said with a light laugh: “I don’t know why, but I think that you’re not that simple to deal with…”

“A person who’s at the Spiritual Rotation Stage Late Phase shouldn’t be that difficult for you to deal with.” Mu Chen replied. A girl’s intuition is truly terrifying sometimes. However, he was not interested in exposing himself.

Ye Qingling’s brushed away the hair in front of her forehead. Although Mu Chen was only at the Spiritual Rotation Stage Late Phase, the latter’s aura gave her a feeling that he wasn’t as simple as he looked. However, since Mu Chen was not interested in telling her, she would be considerate and not press him for more information.

Mu Chen stretched himself and stood up. But just when he was about to speak, his expressions changed. His black eyes sharpened slightly as he stared at the outskirts of the camp.

Buzz!

At this moment, the sound of an alarm echoed throughout the camp from the surroundings.

All the Ye Clan members hurriedly got up. They quickly turned their gaze towards the forest outside of the camp. At that location, a large amount of people had rushed over and surrounded the camp.

Everybody’s faces changed slightly as they stared at these individuals. Then, they noticed the red ribbon wrapped around the intruders’ arms.

“It’s the Ge Clan!”