Ye Chen's lips twitched slightly. A dragon vein sorcerer was an unexpected bonus. Before he could figure out how to settle Peter, Taishan brought another person back. This time, it was a human from Blue Star, an Awakened One.
Ye Chen raised an eyebrow, looking puzzled. Why would a legitimate Awakened One from Blue Star be stuck here? And why was he brought back by Taishan, who was only at the peak of the 4th rank?
He didn't believe that Taishan had such strength, and since he hadn't seen this person during the previous battle, he must have been hiding somewhere. He wondered what his purpose was in appearing now.
Ye Chen quietly observed the other party without speaking. Tao Ping was also observing Ye Chen. Only after stepping onto this planet did he truly realize the other party's extraordinary nature. All the familiars were people he had never heard of or seen before.
A white rabbit hoeing in the field, a radish running away, an old man burrowing into the soil... everything looks so novel and... strange?
"Are you one of those lords' men?" After a long pause, Ye Chen finally asked.
Tao Ping snapped out of his daze, looked at Ye Chen, and smiled calmly, "That was true before, but it doesn't matter anymore!"
As Tao Ping spoke, a barely perceptible hint of sadness and regret flashed in his eyes.
"So you've betrayed your master?" Ye Chen said sarcastically. He could roughly guess what the other party meant, but he dared not use an Awakened One who would easily betray his master.
"No, not at all. My relationship with Zhang Qian was just a transaction. Now that the transaction is over, I have naturally regained my freedom. I cannot bear the name of betraying my master!" Tao Ping silently shook his head and explained. No one dares to bear the name of betraying their master.
"Then what brings you here today?" Ye Chen nodded, neither saying he believed nor disbelieved, though such things were quite common between lords and awakened beings.
"I wish to borrow your land to return to Blue Star!" Tao Ping replied. He was only an Awakened One. Although he could walk in the dark starry sky, he did not have the ability to travel through space. If he wanted to return to Blue Star, he would either need to use a space item or borrow the territory of the lords.
"I'm sorry, I'm not going back to Blue Star for the time being, so I'm afraid I can't let you pass!" Ye Chen immediately refused. It was common for awakened beings to pass through, and lords usually wouldn't refuse. However, his territory was vast and sparsely populated, and it had many secrets, so it was inconvenient for him to let someone stay.
Moreover, he also needed to find Fatty on this trip to discuss matters related to the Duobao Trading Network. Leaving an outsider on his territory would inevitably cause many inconveniences.
As for whether the other party could survive after leaving the territory, that was not within Ye Chen's consideration. A lone sixth-level expert was actually much less dangerous than a lord, since he was a smaller target.
As long as you don't unfortunately stumble into a group of dark creatures or encounter a high-ranking dark creature, surviving in the dark plane shouldn't be a problem.
However, it's hard to say how long it will take to find another territory where they can stay. After all, without spatial teleportation, simply flying in the dark plane takes years.
"My lord, I can pay the fee for passing through. Besides, I am now all alone and would like to take this opportunity to find another place to stay!" Tao Ping frowned, then quickly said.
He hadn't expected Ye Chen to refuse so decisively, showing no regard for a sixth-tier expert whatsoever. This undoubtedly left him feeling somewhat bewildered and anxious.
Putting everything else aside, if Ye Chenzheng didn't grant him passage, how long would it take him to get back? He might actually end up trapped in the dark dimension and devoured by dark energy.
Ye Chen was about to refuse when he saw the other person take out something, and the words that were already on the tip of his tongue were swallowed back down.
The reason was simple: the toll was far too substantial, amounting to a seventh-tier energy crystal.
"The lord whom Tao Ping once served has perished in the darkness, leaving me only these few relics to save my life. Now this energy crystal is useless to me, but I can use it as travel expenses to ask the lord for passage. Is that alright?" Tao Ping asked with a nostalgic look as he looked at the energy crystal in his hand.
Great! Absolutely fantastic!
Ye Chen shouted in his heart, but his face remained calm.
The value of a seventh-tier energy crystal is beyond measure in monetary terms. Even true seventh-tier lords have limited access to exchange for energy crystals of this level, let alone lower-tier lords like them.
High-grade energy crystals are always priceless treasures.
However, the thought of letting such a powerful figure reside in his territory made him feel a pang of pain. The main reason was that, apart from Mount Tai, there was no one in his territory who could truly suppress the other party. If the other party really came with a purpose and suddenly launched an attack, it would inevitably bring huge losses to his territory.
We can't really let a living person like him live with Oros in Fengdu City, can we? Even if he ends up gaining a King of Hell.
It doesn't seem like it's impossible?
"Your previous lord died in the darkness? Then what is your relationship with that lord from earlier?" Instead of answering, Ye Chen asked, wanting to understand the other party's background before making a judgment.
"It was just a transaction!" Tao Ping said. "I previously served Lord Xiong Ying, a sixth-tier peak lord. Unfortunately, we encountered powerful dark creatures, and the entire territory was destroyed. Only a few followers managed to escape with their lives."
"I was fortunate to escape with my life thanks to the lord's favor! I happened to run into Zhang Qian and his men who were passing by at the time."
"In order to send my seriously injured colleague back to Earth for treatment, I had no choice but to make a deal with him and serve him for three years. Now that my term is up, I am free again!"
Upon hearing Tao Ping's words, Ye Chen's heart skipped a beat. Ye Chen knew about Xiong Ying, a sixth-tier peak lord, after all, he was a sixth-tier lord who had even made the news three years ago.
That invasion of darkness resulted in the deaths of more than just this one lord; a total of ten sixth-tier lords perished, and two seventh-tier lords suffered severe injuries.
Therefore, the news on Earth was broadcast extensively to praise the lords' great achievements.
"Lord Xiong Ying, no wonder!" Ye Chen said softly, feeling sympathy for the other party's identity. This was once an Awakened One in a powerful territory, but he had never expected to fall to such a state.
There are no negative rumors about this lord online. All that is known is that he is generous and exceptionally talented, and his subordinates are probably not bad either.
But Ye Chen knew that the rumors were just rumors, and having such a powerful figure in his territory made him uneasy.
"But that's a seventh-tier energy crystal!" Ye Chen stared at the object in the other person's hand with conflicted eyes, his mind in turmoil.
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