Chapter 148: Five Years

Despite enduring excruciating pain, Ye Chen stared resolutely at Tantai Ling.

Ye Chen's agonizing but resolute expression moved Tantai Ling's stone-cold heart a little.

"Dao is the originator of the undivided universe. The realization of Dao comes from all worldly things and the enlightenment of Dao comes from love?" Tantai Ling kept muttering this sentence as if she had comprehended something. The Absolute Martial Truth that she had been enlightened in the past was way too inferior as compared to the true meaning behind this one sentence.

Ye Chen only understood a tiny bit of the vast truth behind this famous sentence from the Daoist doctrine. His understanding was not as deep as it seemed to be and it could be described as just a drop of water dripping into the sea. However, to Tantai Ling, such a sentence carried enough weight like a deafening thunder!

Tantai Ling's trident-wielding hand trembled slightly and a faint glint of confusion flashed in her eyes. Could it be that the Dao that she had always adhered to was wrong?

"If you give me five years, I can prove that your Dao is wrong!" Ye Chen stared directly into Tantai Ling's eyes. If Tantai Ling wanted to, she could kill him right away. Ye Chen also knew that he was indeed too weak compared to Tantai Ling. Ye Chen was taking a chance - one that Tantai Ling would not kill him. Seeing the look on Tantai Ling's face, Ye Chen knew that he had successfully fooled Tantai Ling. There were no man-made philosophies in this world. Every concept had to be realized by the person. Tantai Ling's Martial Truth was not so profound either. She was an avid martial artist and had been painstakingly searching for the Absolute Martial Truth all her life. The reason that she had challenged so many strong fighters everywhere was not to kill but to improve her cultivation! If Ye Chen was able to stimulate Tantai Ling's martial arts potential, she would not kill him!

"Ridiculous! Five years... Do you think you can beat me in five years?" Tantai Ling looked at Ye Chen. Although there were some disdain and disbelief in her heart, the young man below her was unusually certain. There was an oddly convincing power in him, especially his explanation of that sentence about Dao earlier. It shook even Tantai Ling's lifelong faith.

"I didn't say I want to defeat you. I just said I wanted to prove your Dao wrong."

"Is there a difference?" Tantai Ling scoffed but she was too lazy to pursue this issue. "I'll give you five years. I shall see how you're going to prove it! If you can't prove it by then, I'll end you along with this tanuki!" She glanced at Little Tanuki next to him.

"Don't even think of getting away. Even if both of you flee to the ends of the world, I can still find you." A cold voice crept from the edges of Tantai Ling's mouth.

"After five years, I'll make it! You may threaten me but don't you dare even touch Little Tanuki. I'll hunt you down even if I've been reduced to ashes!" Ye Chen tussled, staring coldly at Tantai Ling. By suggesting that she might kill Little Tanuki, Tantai Ling had completely enraged Ye Chen.

"Hunt me down? Are you capable of that?" Tantai Ling raised her eyebrow as her white gauze dress fluttered in the wind. "Better not to say such things when you're not capable of doing it. Don't think I don't dare to kill you!" Tantai Ling stared back at Ye Chen, whose eyes were filled with murderous intent. Even though he had suffered such a serious injury, he still wanted to defend that little tanuki. These "feelings" were so meaningless!

The trident in Tantai Ling's grasp was emitting rainbow-colored mystical light. She stood upright with utmost confidence, her gauze dress fluttering in the wind. Her fair skin emitted a faint glimmer in the night like a fairy from a moon palace, a dazzling elegance exuding from all over her.

"Five years later, I'll find you." Ye Chen said determinedly, staring back at Tantai Ling's cold, frosty gaze. 'What an arrogant woman!' He thought.

Ye Chen knew that he was being looked down upon by Tantai Ling. He had the lower hand now. He might have reached the Tenth Level at a young age but he was still too far behind Tantai Ling's superior capabilities. If not for his Astral Body's roar earlier, which only barely shocked Tantai Ling, coupled with the philosophy that he had made up, Tantai Ling would disregard anything he said.

Anyway, five years! 'In these five years, I must become stronger and not be looked down upon by anyone else again!'

"Once you think you have grown powerful enough, I'll gladly entertain you. You can come to the North Sea to find me at any time," Tantai Ling said disdainfully. After all, she was Tantai Ling and she would never be afraid of anyone's challenge! She had been quite lonely at the top for a while now and it had been a long time since she had met an opponent who was her match. "Hopefully you won't disappoint me!" Tantai Ling's voice echoed back as she leaped into the air.

Tantai Ling's white gauze dress fluttered along with the wind and she disappeared into the infinite darkness.

"Squeak squeak." Little Tanuki looked at Ye Chen tearfully.

"Little Tanuki, are you worried about me? I'm fine, this minor injury will recover soon!" Ye Chen smiled and touched Little Tanuki's tiny head. Even in the face of a powerful enemy like Tantai Ling, Little Tanuki did not even flinch one bit and that moved Ye Chen. "Tantai Ling is a martial arts fanatic. She has devoted herself wholeheartedly to the Martial Truth. As long as I can get a good hold of her weakness, she won't kill me. I can then stop her from killing me five years later, just like how she didn't today. Besides, I won't necessarily reach the same level as her after five years." Ye Chen felt extremely discontented. He did not want to be treated like a puny ant ever again!

Like the little girl and her grandparents, if Ye Chen could not protect himself, he would suffer the same fate as them! Unfortunately, he was not able to save them and that made him feel sad.

Ye Chen's comprehension of Dao was not as deep as that of Tantai Ling. However, his knowledge was more vast than that martial arts fanatic, Tantai Ling. One sentence of Dao philosophy was all it took to blow Tantai Ling away! Although his strength was not the same level as hers now, Ye Chen had a great deal of self-confidence that he would sooner or later surpass Tantai Ling.

Ye Chen found that the things that he knew about this world were still too little. In addition to humans, mystical beasts, evil spirits, and Celestial Beasts, there were also Sea Demons. Moreover, the Winged Serpent seemed to be largely different from a typical mystical beast or Celestial Beast. From what Tantai Ling had described, the Winged Serpent seemed to be some ancient species.

Ye Chen's Astral Body was wounded and the Celestial Chi in his body was also mostly depleted. Ye Chen quickly reorganized his thoughts and slowly circulated the Celestial Chi in his body.

On the edge of the town, three figures silently emerged in the darkness. After about ten minutes after the battle ended, the trio of Zhou Yan returned.

"Who knew that Tantai Ling was so powerful. From the way she dominated the entire combat, her powers were no longer less than Heavenly Venerable Rank!" Zhou Yan said with a face full of horror. The three of them hid on the mid-mountainside outside the town and had a clear view of the battle between Tantai Ling and the Winged Serpent. It was the first time they had ever witnessed such a level of combat.

"That Tantai Ling was a Sea Demon, luckily we..." Lin Tao was also trembling with fear. Legend had it that some Sea Demons lured unwary humans by singing sweetly and would subsequently feast on their marrow.

So, Tantai Ling was a Sea Demon. It was not surprising that her beauty was out of this world. It was true what they said - indulging in lust often ended in fatal consequences. The three men finally gained a deeper understanding of it.

"I saw the image of a gold-armored soldier appearing in the sky earlier and it didn't seem like it was Tantai Ling. Who was it exactly?" Wang Yue remarked. Although the image appeared a bit illusory, he still caught sight of it. The gold-armored soldier's roar made him feel a shudder from the deepest etches of his heart.