The Unfortunate Ye Wuchen, A Title Warning

The void, devoid of any heat source, was bitterly cold.

But no matter how frigid it was, it paled in comparison to the chill in Ye Wuchen’s heart at this moment.

Since crossing over eight thousand years ago, his unparalleled talent, coupled with a little help from the chat group, had allowed him to look down on all others, dismissing them as mere weaklings unworthy of his attention!

Even those ranked higher than him in the chat group’s individual peak rankings were, in his eyes, nothing more than old-timers who had simply started earlier. Given time, he was certain he could catch up—even surpass them!

Yes, he was proud, even to the point of arrogance.

But now, in this moment, that pride shattered with a resounding crack.

He never could have imagined that the powerhouse who had effortlessly crushed him was merely an avatar—and worse, its true identity was none other than the leader of Chat Group 108, someone he had once looked down upon!

How was this fair?

It wasn’t!

Yet, here was the undeniable truth.

Before this supreme expert, who had joined the chat group less than ninety days ago, even he was nothing more than a weakling.

Watching Gu Yuan, that useless fool, eagerly fawn over the man, Ye Wuchen felt an inexplicable twinge of jealousy.

The reason was simple: Gu Yuan had mentioned that the leader of Chat Group 108 was a true monster, not even a thousand years old, and had achieved everything entirely on his own—without relying on the chat group...

Damn it!

How was he so ridiculously strong?!

Even after eight thousand years of grueling cultivation with the chat group’s help, Ye Wuchen couldn’t compare to a fraction of his power!

If only he could turn back time, he would never have ignored the tasks uploaded to the public section, nor would he have dared to speak disrespectfully to the leader of Chat Group 108 in private messages.

Once, an opportunity to befriend this heaven-defying expert had been right in front of him, but he hadn’t cherished it. Only after being ground into the dirt did he realize his regret...

"Ye Wuchen, you useless trash, quit pretending to be dead! Once you’ve recovered, get over here—Brother Yi wants to make a deal with you!"

On the other side, Gu Yuan was basking in triumph. After enduring endless insults from Ye Wuchen without daring to retort, he finally had the chance to hurl them back, backed by a true powerhouse.

The satisfaction was indescribable!

Ye Wuchen glared at him darkly. "You’ve really come up in the world, haven’t you? But tell me, can someone as opportunistic and treacherous as you really be trusted?"

Gu Yuan smiled faintly. "So what? My life is in Brother Yi’s hands. As long as he doesn’t give the word, who dares kill me? Who can kill me?!"

Ye Wuchen’s lips twitched violently. "You’re truly shameless."

With that, he ignored Gu Yuan and strode over to Chen Yi, bowing deeply. "May I ask what kind of transaction Senior seeks?"

Though this man was younger in age, in the world of cultivation, strength dictated seniority. Addressing him as "Senior" was only proper.

Chen Yi glanced at him. "Don’t play dumb!"

While pretending to be unconscious earlier, Ye Wuchen couldn’t have missed Gu Yuan’s estimation of his assets. His feigned ignorance was just an attempt to withhold part of his wealth—which also confirmed that Gu Yuan’s guesses were mostly accurate.

Ye Wuchen forced an ugly smile. "Senior, could you... leave me a little?"

Chen Yi shook his head slightly. "I’m young, after all. Naturally, I’m a bit greedier."

In that instant, Ye Wuchen felt as if an arrow had pierced through time and space to strike him—an arrow he himself had loosed.

So, Chen Yi still held a grudge over being casually blocked by him!

With a long sigh, Ye Wuchen relented. "Fine. Gu Yuan’s estimate was indeed close. Right now, my chat group account holds 8.8 million Immortal Yuan Stones..."

Before he could finish, Chen Yi cut him off. "Your heart tells me the exact number is 8,825,602 Immortal Yuan Stones, with an integral balance of 562 billion."

Ye Wuchen shut his eyes in agony. "Very well. Take all these worldly possessions as a gesture of goodwill. But Gu Yuan is just a regular member—there are many rules he doesn’t know. There are a few points I must clarify."

Chen Yi watched him calmly and gave a slight nod.

"First, your demand for twenty high-combat members is unrealistic. Only three members can be traded between different chat groups—a rule I’m sure you’re aware of!"

"As for kicking them into the free channel for you to recruit... that only works for chat groups below Level 50!"

"Once the Demon-Slaying Trial module is unlocked, every member becomes a fixed asset of the chat group. If I kick them out, they’ll take a portion of the group’s privileged assets and become independent freelancers, answering to no one but themselves."

"In that case, there’s over a 90% chance they won’t join your group. Worse, it would cause Group Two’s territory in the Exorcism Dungeon and Demon-Slaying Trial to shrink drastically. Senior... please, leave me some foundation."

By the end, Ye Wuchen’s voice was choked with tears.

It was just too painful.

Nearly eight thousand years of accumulated points.

Five hundred years of grinding the peak rankings, finally breaking into the top fifty eighty years ago, earning a thousand Immortal Yuan Stones daily—saving every scrap beyond cultivation needs.

Decades of hoarded wealth, drained in a single sweep.

Gone! All of it!

Tears of helplessness slid into the corners of his mouth.

Bitter. So bitterly bitter...

Seeing his genuine despair, Chen Yi actually felt a twinge of guilt.

Admittedly, it was a bit excessive. He had merely wanted to "eat fish," so Gu Yuan—the small fry—took the bait first. Finding him insufficient, Chen Yi then used Gu Yuan to hook Ye Wuchen, the big fish.

Now, he could feast to his heart’s content, even to the point of excess.

But for Ye Wuchen, wasn’t this cruelty?

Yet, there was no helping it. The essence of this world was the law of the jungle—the strong prey on the weak!

Chen Yi was strong but dirt-poor, while Ye Wuchen, though not weak, was obscenely wealthy.

Thus, the saying went: "While my neighbor hoards grain, I hoard guns—my neighbor is my granary."

Don’t want to be devoured?

Simple. Grow stronger!

Only by climbing step by step to the very top, by gathering every fish in the pond under his control, could he one day grow tired of feasting and instead enjoy watching the fish tear each other apart for his amusement.

"What are you crying for? What are those tears? What’s that expression supposed to mean?!"

Chen Yi clapped Ye Wuchen on the shoulder magnanimously, then spread his hands. "Fine, keep your integral points for now. Just hand over the Immortal Yuan Stones and trade me three members."

"Eh?!" Ye Wuchen’s eyes flew open in shock. "R-Really?!"

Chen Yi nodded. "Really."

"Thank you! Thank you, Senior! You—you’re truly a saint!"

Watching the old man babble in joy, Chen Yi couldn’t help but chuckle.

It wasn’t that his heart had softened.

Rather, the chat group had detected abnormal activity in his account and promptly locked some functions as a warning.