Chapter 1185: Face Problem

Chapter 1185: A Matter of Face

Instantly, Ye Chen and Bi You’s group were imprisoned. Even the two quasi-saints, Hei Bai Lao Yu, were not spared.

Saintly dao techniques formed a heavenly prison cage.

Ye Chen and the others were trapped by this sealing secret art.

Seeing this, people from all directions turned their gaze toward the Tianfu Shen Chao city, holding their breath in fear.

The situation was clear even to a fool: the ancestor of Tianfu Shen Chao was enraged. The younger one had been defeated, so now the elder was stepping in to save face. Otherwise, if Ye Chen were allowed to leave, where would Tianfu Shen Chao’s authority stand?

However, it was beyond everyone’s expectations that a minor Tianjing realm junior could alarm a saint.

He was likely doomed!

Most people looked at Ye Chen with pity.

The Archaic Holy Body was strong, but it was still only at the Tianjing realm. Tianfu Shen Chao, on the other hand, had saints—and not just one, but three.

“What do you mean by this, senior of the Shen Chao?”

Ye Chen smiled leisurely as he looked toward the Shen Chao city.

“What do I mean?” A cold snort echoed immediately. “You nearly killed the Shen Chao’s divine son, so aren’t you going to give us an explanation? If we let you go this time, where would Tianfu Shen Chao’s dignity be?”

“It’s just a sparring match! Injuries are inevitable.”

Ye Chen smiled faintly.

“How dare you argue?”

“Senior, what are you saying?”

Ye Chen couldn’t help but laugh. “Everyone here just saw it. He forced me into the fight. I’m a person born of parents too, so I can’t just stand there and let him hit me!”

“You—”

“Senior, my side may have been a bit heavy-handed this time, so I hope you’ll give Lingxiao Gong some face.”

Bi You spoke up. As the divine daughter of Lingxiao Gong, her status carried significant weight.

“Lingxiao Gong’s face doesn’t work here.”

A cold rebuke came from the Shen Chao city.

“Lingxiao Gong’s face doesn’t work, but what about its face?”

Ye Chen spoke casually, waving his hand to produce a large bell that hovered in the air, radiating brilliant divine light.

“Donghuang Zhong.”

Three figures emerged like ghosts, flying out from the city one after another: a white-haired youth, a woman in green robes, and a black-robed elder. These three were no ordinary individuals—they were the three saints of Tianfu Shen Chao: Dongyang Zhenren, Qingyue Xianzi, and Zhenxuan Daoren.

“It’s the Donghuang Dao principles.”

Dongyang Zhenren narrowed his eyes as he stared at the Donghuang Zhong.

“No mistake about it.”

Qingyue Xianzi, a saint of this generation, spoke with a hint of urgency in her voice.

“Where did you get this bell?”

Zhenxuan Daoren barked coldly, fixing his gaze on Ye Chen with the pressure of a saint.

“Before I answer, could you first lift the imprisonment on us?”

Ye Chen replied calmly, his tone neither hurried nor slow. After all, Zhenxuan Daoren had imprisoned them and even scolded him earlier.

“You don’t have the leverage to negotiate with this saint.”

“Zhenxuan, my junior brother, don’t use force to intimidate.”

Qingyue Xianzi said sternly, and as she spoke, she released the imprisonment on Ye Chen and the others.

“Hmph.”

Zhenxuan Daoren snorted coldly, his face flushed with anger.

“Little friend, we offended you earlier on behalf of the Shen Chao.”

Dongyang Zhenren looked at Ye Chen with a warm smile, showing no airs of a senior. “We hope you’ll tell us where this bell came from.”

“It comes from Donghuang, of course.”

Ye Chen chuckled. His words weren’t entirely untrue—this bell was indeed a Tianjing realm artifact left by Donghuang in Da Chu. Donghuang had given it to his direct descendant Zhou Tian Yi when he left Da Chu, and Zhou Tian Yi had died in the great battle against the demons. Ye Chen had found the Donghuang Zhong and carried it with him for a hundred years.

“Don’t spout nonsense.”

Zhenxuan Daoren snapped. “How could Donghuang predecessor pass the Donghuang Zhong to you?”

“Zhenxuan.”

Dongyang Zhenren said sternly, and only then did Zhenxuan Daoren fall silent.

“Little friend, could we speak privately for a moment?”

Qingyue Xianzi smiled gently, leaving the onlookers astonished. This was an invitation from a saint—an supreme honor for someone at the Tianjing realm.

“Of course.”

Ye Chen replied casually.

“Little friend, follow me.”

Dongyang Zhenren flicked his sleeve, and the four of them vanished from the heavens and earth in an instant.

“What a profound divine ability of shifting heavens and earth.”

Shocked voices rose from below.

“The means of saints are truly heaven-defying.”

“Do you think the Shen Chao will take Ye Chen back and kill him?”

“Saints transcend the mundane; if they kill, it’s done openly, not by dragging someone back. From what I see, the Donghuang Zhong in Ye Chen’s hand must be extraordinary.”

An older cultivator laughed.

“Divine daughter, what about us?”

Hei Bai Lao Yu both looked toward Bi You.

“Just wait here. He’ll be fine.”

Bi You smiled, glancing at Hua Tian Du, who had just been dragged out of the ground by the Shen Chao elders. He was unconscious and beaten beyond recognition.

By now, Dongyang Zhenren and the others had brought Ye Chen to a bamboo grove.

Cui Xian Bamboo!

As soon as Ye Chen landed, he was surprised, his eyes flashing with brilliance as he looked at the crystal-clear bamboo stalks. It seemed he recognized their origin—they were supreme divine treasures.

Ancient legends said that Cui Xian Bamboo came from the immortal realm, formed from the essence of the Daluo Female Golden Immortal and nurtured by the essence of the sun and moon. It was an immortal treasure, and even a single stalk was a rare wonder.

Ye Chen couldn’t help but smack his lips in amazement. He never expected the depths of the Shen Chao to hold such treasures—and in such abundance.

You should go back for now!

While Ye Chen was inwardly smacking his lips, Dongyang Zhenren had already sent Zhenxuan Daoren out of the small bamboo grove. Perhaps to avoid conflict between Zhenxuan Daoren and Ye Chen, he had him leave early.

Zhenxuan Daoren was unhappy but didn’t dare disobey his senior brother’s order, so he left with a belly full of anger.

After Zhenxuan Daoren left, Dongyang Zhenren and Qingyue Xianzi turned to Ye Chen with warm smiles. “Little friend, now can you tell us where this bell really came from?”

“The Donghuang Zhong comes from Donghuang, of course.”

Ye Chen replied casually while still eyeing the Cui Xian Bamboo.

“Did Donghuang give it to you?”

Qingyue Xianzi asked hastily.

“Before I answer your question, could you two seniors answer some of mine first?”

Ye Chen finally shifted his gaze from the Cui Xian Bamboo and smiled at Dongyang Zhenren and Qingyue Xianzi.

“Little friend, feel free to ask.”

“Have you two seniors heard of Da Chu?”

Ye Chen looked at them expectantly.

“Da Chu?”

The two frowned, glancing at each other before looking back at Ye Chen. “We don’t know, little friend. Is this Da Chu a force, an ancient star, or a star domain?”

“It’s the Zhutian Gate.”

“What’s the Zhutian Gate?”

“It seems you two seniors haven’t heard of it either.”

Ye Chen said, then continued, “What about Kunlun Xu, Daluo Zhutian, Daxia Huangchao, Jiuhuang Tian, and Shendian? Surely you’ve heard of those.”

“We don’t know them.”

Dongyang Zhenren and Qingyue Xianzi both shook their heads.

“That’s really a shame.”

Ye Chen rubbed his brow in frustration, feeling an urge to go mad. Even saints didn’t know about Kunlun Xu and the others, making him seriously doubt whether the forces mentioned by Donghuang Tai Xin even existed in the Zhutian Wanyu. Why did no one know about them?

“Little friend, have you finished your questions?”

“Not yet.”

Ye Chen quickly composed himself and looked at them again. “Do you two seniors know where Donghuang predecessor is now?”

“He’s been gone for a long time. We don’t know where he is, and there’s been no news.”

“What did Donghuang leave behind before he left? Anything related to Da Chu?”

Ye Chen probed.

“No.”

The two answered firmly.

“Absolute secret? Something even Donghuang didn’t dare reveal?”

Ye Chen murmured to himself.

“Little friend, can you answer our question now?”

Dongyang Zhenren and Qingyue Xianzi still stared at Ye Chen, their minds fixed on the origin of the Donghuang Zhong, as it was a matter of great importance to the Shen Chao.

“This bell came from Donghuang’s direct descendant.”

“Direct descendant of Donghuang.”

Dongyang Zhenren and Qingyue Xianzi exchanged glances and narrowed their eyes, staring straight at Ye Chen. “May we know the name of this direct descendant you speak of?”

“Zhou Tian Yi.”

“Yes, yes, that’s indeed the name.”

Dongyang Zhenren and Qingyue Xianzi stood up excitedly. Donghuang had a son named Zhou Tian Yi, which was an absolute secret known only to them in the entire Shen Chao—not even Zhenxuan Daoren knew. Now that Ye Chen had named Zhou Tian Yi, it proved his words were true.

“In the past, Donghuang predecessor sealed Zhou Tian Yi and entrusted him to my master.”

Ye Chen said leisurely, spinning a tale with a meaningful expression. “He was only unsealed a hundred years ago.”

“There’s such a thing.”

Dongyang Zhenren and Qingyue Xianzi said, then asked, “And your master is?”