Chapter 1070

Boom! Bang! Boom!

In the dark night, within the peaceful mountain forests that should have been, thunderous roars shook the heavens. From afar, one mountain peak after another collapsed, turning what was once a lush forest into a scene of devastation, all due to the fierce battle between Ye Chen and the San Yan Lao Zhe.

Below, the reincarnated Xiao Ying, protected by divine light, gazed up at the sky with a bewildered expression, his sharp eyes fixed on Ye Chen. He couldn't understand why Ye Chen had saved him, risking his life to fight a Quasi-Emperor, but he felt an oddly familiar yet strange sense of closeness toward Ye Chen, like reuniting with a long-lost relative.

Puff! Puff!

As he watched, blood rained down from the sky, some golden, some red. The battle between Ye Chen and the San Yan Lao Zhe was incredibly brutal—a Tian Jing first-level cultivator clashing with a Quasi-Emperor. If word got out, no one would believe it.

The San Yan Lao Zhe looked increasingly disheveled and was growing more shocked with every exchange. He had severely underestimated Ye Chen, whose combat prowess and comprehension of the Dao shattered his expectations. Little did he know the kind of dominant feats the young man before him had achieved.

Indeed, Ye Chen's understanding of the Dao far exceeded the San Yan Lao Zhe's expectations. Having once battled an emperor and even slain a great emperor, Ye Chen's enlightenment had been profoundly elevated through his fight with the Tian Mo Great Emperor. That level of confrontation was a heaven-defying opportunity for Ye Chen, infusing his immense power with a deep, soul-piercing aura of killing intent and Dao principles—something other cultivators could never attain in a lifetime.

No, you're a Huang Gu Sheng Ti!

In the midst of the battle, the San Yan Lao Zhe exclaimed in shock, as if his third eye had pierced through Ye Chen's secret. Instantly, his eyes burst with sharp, piercing light.

The Huang Gu Sheng Ti—a heaven-defying bloodline that appears only once every hundred thousand years, invincible in its realm, and the only lineage among countless bloodlines capable of standing shoulder to shoulder with emperors. Every drop of its sacred blood was as precious as a divine elixir.

Excellent! Excellent! Excellent!

The San Yan Lao Zhe laughed maniacally three times, overcome with excitement. Compared to Ye Chen's formidable combat strength, this secret thrilled him even more. The Huang Gu Sheng Ti was a rare treasure, a walking trove of riches. Seizing it would be a heaven-defying fortune.

Yuan Shen out of body!

Without a second thought, the San Yan Lao Zhe released his Yuan Shen, transforming into a beam of divine light that shot straight toward Ye Chen, intent on taking over his sacred body.

Ye Chen sneered, a flash of divine light emerging from his brow as the Shen Shang divine beam instantly fired out, entwined with thunder force, Yuan Shen power, and reincarnation force. This was the first time he had used the divine beam secret technique since condensing his Yuan Shen.

At the sight, the San Yan Lao Zhe's expression changed drastically. He hadn't expected Ye Chen to master such a dominant Yuan Shen technique. He collided head-on, his Yuan Shen body suffering severe damage and being pierced through, nearly dissipating entirely.

Damn it!

The San Yan Lao Zhe's face twisted in rage as he retreated, trying to flee back to his physical body and deal with Ye Chen later.

Once you're out, you don't get to go back that easily!

Ye Chen chuckled coldly, stepping forward to shrink the ground into inches, then shifting heaven and earth. At the moment the San Yan Lao Zhe's Yuan Shen was about to return, Ye Chen swapped places with the elder's physical body.

You...!

The San Yan Lao Zhe's face turned pale with shock, caught off guard as Ye Chen's blade sent him flying.

Your physical body is mine now!

Ye Chen swiftly seized the San Yan Lao Zhe's body, sealing it away into the Hun Dun Shen Ding.

A thousand zhang away, the San Yan Lao Zhe stabilized himself, his expression twisted in fury. He had been too hasty and greedy, thinking only of quickly seizing Ye Chen's Huang Gu Sheng Ti, which led him to release his Yuan Shen. Unbeknownst to him, Ye Chen was far more troublesome than anticipated, unleashing secret technique after secret technique and leaving him reeling.

Now, with his physical body taken and his Yuan Shen wounded, unable to return, his combat strength was greatly diminished in this state. Defeating a Huang Gu Sheng Ti would be extremely difficult.

In contrast, Ye Chen was grinning brightly. Fighting a Quasi-Emperor for victory would have left him barely alive, even with his strength. But the San Yan Lao Zhe's overconfidence in releasing his Yuan Shen had given him the perfect opening.

Now, facing just a Yuan Shen body, it was far easier than battling a full Quasi-Emperor.

Suppression!

The San Yan Lao Zhe roared in anger, unwilling to give up. The Huang Gu Sheng Ti was a once-in-a-hundred-thousand-years opportunity, a stroke of heavenly luck. Greed made him overlook his peril, still believing that fortune favored the bold.

He summoned his life-bound artifact, a blood-red copper furnace radiating sinister blood light.

That furnace of yours won't work!

Ye Chen charged across the sky in a single step, releasing the Hun Dun Shen Ding. It hovered in the void, instantly expanding to a hundred zhang and shattering the San Yan Lao Zhe's copper furnace. The elder suffered a terrifying backlash, his Yuan Shen body nearly ground to dust.

Da Luo Shen Tie?

As he retreated, the San Yan Lao Zhe stared in horror at the Hun Dun Shen Ding suspended in the air, recognizing the divine material it was forged from. When he saw the Dun Jia Tian Zi circling it, his body trembled violently in shock.

And there's even more fun to come!

Ye Chen's voice echoed mysteriously as the Hun Dun Shen Ding tilted, unleashing a torrent of Hun Dun Qi that roiled like a vast ocean, crushing the void. Every wisp of the Qi was as heavy as a mountain.

Hun... Hun Dun Qi!

The San Yan Lao Zhe staggered back, then turned and fled. A Shen Ding forged from Da Luo Shen Tie, combined with Hun Dun Qi and Dun Jia Tian Zi—these three divine treasures sealed his defeat.

Stay right there!

Ye Chen pointed from afar, unleashing a sealing secret technique.

Immediately, the San Yan Lao Zhe, who had fled only a dozen zhang, was bound in place.

Break for me!

The San Yan Lao Zhe bellowed, forcing his way out of the seal, but he felt a bone-chilling killing intent on his back.

Instinctively turning, he saw the ocean-like Hun Dun Qi surging toward him, making his eyes bulge and his pupils contract in terror.

No... no!

In his final moments, the San Yan Lao Zhe regretted it all, cursing his own overconfidence that had led to his doom.

The San Yan Lao Zhe was engulfed, his consciousness pulverized into ash, leaving only pure Yuan Shen essence refined by the Hun Dun Qi and absorbed into Ye Chen's divine sea as nourishment for his Yuan Shen.

After dispatching the San Yan Lao Zhe, Ye Chen moved in a few flashes to stand before the reincarnated Xiao Ying.

At Ye Chen's approach, Xiao Ying stepped back abruptly, eyeing him with fear. A Quasi-Emperor had just been slain—what if Ye Chen decided to refine him into pills or drain his bloodline?

Don't be afraid!

Ye Chen smiled gently and flicked a beam of divine light into Xiao Ying's brow.

Xiao Ying's body trembled, his eyes of fear and confusion clearing as the light merged with his Yuan Shen. His past life's memories unlocked in that instant.

After the time it takes to burn a joss stick, Xiao Ying's sharp eyes brimmed with crystalline tears as his previous memories fully returned.

Big brother!

Xiao Ying recognized Ye Chen, rushing into his arms like a child, crying out repeatedly as if pouring out the hardships of the past hundred years. He never expected to reunite with Ye Chen here.

Everything will be alright!

Ye Chen gently stroked Xiao Ying, his own eyes misty with tears.

It was like old friends meeting after a long separation, a moment beyond words. Ye Chen was still the same Ye Chen, and Xiao Ying was still the same Xiao Ying. No changes in strength or bloodline could erase the precious memories forged by time.

The two quickly left the area, finding a secluded mountain forest.

Xiao Ying had been severely wounded by the earlier shot and needed to heal.

Ye Chen was generous, offering his sacred blood to cleanse and restore Xiao Ying's body.

Watching Xiao Ying in meditation, Ye Chen smiled with contentment. This Xiao Ying was no longer the weak version from his past life. Bearing the powerful bloodline of the Lie Yan Jin Ying, his cultivation had already surpassed Ye Chen's, reaching the peak of Tian Jing. His pursuit by the San Yan Lao Zhe stemmed from prior injuries that left him weakened, compounded by being hunted by multiple Quasi-Emperors, tipping the scales against him.

Ye Chen was certain that Xiao Ying at his peak would far outmatch the San Yan Lao Zhe.

The Lie Yan Jin Ying bloodline was no joke; ancient secrets revealed that their ancestors could rival the Feng Huang.

Smiling again, Ye Chen retrieved the San Yan Lao Zhe's storage bag.

The elder's collection was far more impressive than that of the Bai Pao Qing Nian—nearly 98,000 Yuan Shi alone, plus various pills, divine liquids, secret scrolls, and artifacts.

Ninety-eight thousand!

Ye Chen stroked his chin, thinking he could scrape together enough to buy a low-grade property in You Du. Though only ten zhang square, it would be sufficient for him and Xiao Ying, and most importantly, safe.

He hadn't planned to waste Yuan Shi on a house in You Du, but with reincarnated individuals still on Zhuque Xing, who knew how long it would take to find them? Having a secure place was a good idea.

Deciding on that, Ye Chen stowed the storage bag and pulled out the San Yan Lao Zhe's physical body.

The elder's body was massive and perfect for refining into a Yin Ming Si Jiang, which he could sell for some extra cash—after all, he was short on funds.

As he thought about it, Ye Chen waved his hand and extracted the San Yan Lao Zhe's third eye, plundering its Tian Yan essence and letting his Xian Lun Yan absorb it.

That third eye was no ordinary immortal eye; its ability was divination, similar to Zhou Tian Yan Hua but not quite as advanced.

As dawn approached, Xiao Ying finally opened his eyes.

After a night of cultivation, nourished by Ye Chen's sacred blood, Xiao Ying not only returned to his peak but also broke through to the Quasi-Emperor realm. Even Ye Chen felt an overwhelming pressure from him.

Ye Chen was confident that the current Xiao Ying could face the Chi Yan Xiong Shi head-on.

With a mighty cry, Xiao Ying soared into the sky, his body expanding to ten zhang, his wings spanning thirty zhang and ablaze with golden flames. Every feather was as sharp as a golden blade, shimmering with brilliant golden light, especially his eagle eyes, which gleamed with piercing radiance that deterred all gazes.

Let's go!

Ye Chen smiled and stepped into the air.

Xiao Ying let out a joyful cry and followed, shrinking his massive form to the size of a palm, transforming into a golden sparrow that perched on Ye Chen's shoulder.