Chapter 1204: Name Your Price

Ye Chen carried Zhou Ao on his back, strolling through the starry sky.

It was unclear when Zhou Ao finally woke up, looking dejected and utterly silent.

Ye Chen offered no words of comfort, knowing that such deep sorrow couldn't be eased with a few simple phrases. It would take time and the passage of years to fade. So, the two of them remained quiet, wandering through the stars like a pair of travelers.

Day turned to night, and night gave way to day.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

It wasn't until the dawn of the fourth day that they stopped at a stretch of starry space.

In the distance, there was an ancient star, similar in size to Chi Yan Xing, teeming with life forms. Even from far away, Ye Chen could sense the presence of cultivators, including some with obscure auras.

Ye Chen went over to check, but he soon returned, his face full of regret—he hadn't found any reincarnated individuals.

The two set off again, following the route and directions Ye Chen had planned. Whenever they came across an ancient star, Ye Chen would go in for a look.

However, their luck seemed poor. Over the next half month or so, they visited more than a dozen ancient stars, some inhabited by cultivators and others by ordinary people, but they didn't find a single reincarnated person from Da Chu.

Still, along the way, although they hadn't located the ones they sought, the dejected Zhou Ao had regained some spirit and energy. It was as if he had found a purpose in life: to search for the reincarnated individuals alongside Ye Chen.

Another long journey followed, with the two diligently checking every ancient star that harbored life.

Yet, they still came up empty-handed.

Ye Chen felt helpless and pulled out a flask of wine, handing one to Zhou Ao as well. "If we keep searching like this without stopping, day and night, it might take eight hundred years to cover everything. The myriad domains of the heavens are just too vast."

"We have plenty of good years ahead." Zhou Ao gave a weary smile, his voice hoarse. "We'll find them eventually."

"I believe that." Ye Chen smiled and passed a storage bag to Zhou Ao. "This is the Huang family's treasure. It will help you reach the peak."

"You keep it."

"I don't need the money." Ye Chen insisted, shoving it toward him. "The world is too chaotic. You need to grow stronger in the shortest time possible, and the Huang family's treasure will be a major boost on your cultivation path."

"Thank you." Zhou Ao didn't refuse again, but his grip on the storage bag was tight with effort.

"It should return to its rightful owner." Ye Chen waved his hand and produced a sword, handing it over along with the bag. It was the Wuji Jian, Zhou Ao's life-bound divine sword from his previous life. A hundred years ago, after Zhou Ao had fallen in battle, Ye Chen had picked it up and carried it with him ever since. Now that he'd found Zhou Ao, he was returning it.

"A hundred years have passed." Zhou Ao gently stroked the Wuji Jian. It was the same as Liu Yi's Taiji Jian, both forged by Xuan Chen in the past and passed down to Yu Ji and Yun Qiu, until it reached this generation.

"This sword is quite impressive." As they spoke, a mocking laugh echoed from nearby.

Ye Chen looked up to see a silver-haired youth approaching through the air, his eyes gleaming as he stared at the Wuji Jian in Zhou Ao's hand, clearly recognizing its value.

The silver-haired youth seemed to be of high status, with a black-robed elder and a white-robed elder following him, both at the peak of Huang Jing realm.

"Name your price. I want this sword." The silver-haired youth smirked playfully, eyeing Zhou Ao with interest.

"Not for sale." Zhou Ao replied flatly, flipping his hand to put the Wuji Jian away.

"It's your honor that our holy son has taken a liking to your sword. Don't act ungrateful." The black-robed elder behind the silver-haired youth snapped coldly, unleashing the pressure of the Huang Jing realm in an attempt to intimidate them.

"What's wrong with this world? People are so bold about strong-arming others." Ye Chen sighed.

"This doesn't concern you. Get lost." The black-robed elder glanced at Ye Chen.

"You've got some nerve." Without another word, Ye Chen swung a palm at him.

"You're asking for it." The black-robed elder snorted and struck back at Ye Chen. The silver-haired youth and the white-robed elder both smirked, as if they could already see Ye Chen's gruesome demise.

But the bloody scene they imagined didn't happen.

Ye Chen wasn't struck down. Instead, the black-robed elder was sent flying, tumbling through the starry sky for over twenty somersaults before crashing down, spitting out a mouthful of fresh blood upon impact.

This...!

The silver-haired youth and the white-robed elder were stunned, their expressions changing drastically.

Ye Chen casually stretched his neck and said leisurely, "Hand over all your valuable treasures."

"Fellow daoist, you're going too far." The white-robed elder said coldly.

"You're the ones who are wrong here!" Ye Chen grinned at the white-robed elder. "You all started it—attacking without a word. I've never seen anyone so arrogant."

"You—"

"Enough talk." Ye Chen cut off the white-robed elder. "Hand over your treasures. Make it quick."

"Do you know who I am?" The silver-haired youth retreated a step and shouted, "I'm the holy son of Qing Yao Xing. If you touch me, the old ancestors of Qing Yao Xing won't let you off."

"I don't care what star you're from." Ye Chen stepped forward to pursue him.

"Holy son, run!" The white-robed elder shouted loyally, stepping in to block the way. But his bravado lasted less than a second before Ye Chen slapped him down to his knees.

"Not so fast." After felling the white-robed elder, Ye Chen used Shrinking Earth into Inches to catch up and bring the silver-haired youth to his knees as well.

"Qing Yao Xing won't let you get away with this." The silver-haired youth looked at Ye Chen in terror.

"I'm just robbing your wealth, not your virtue. Look how scared you are." Ye Chen waved his hand and stunned the silver-haired youth with a palm.

What followed was all too familiar for Ye Chen. He stripped the silver-haired youth and the two elders clean, leaving them in nothing but their undergarments.

Witnessing this, Zhou Ao couldn't help but cough dryly.

Who would have thought that the holy lord of the Heavenly Court, the emperor of Da Chu, and the mighty Desolate Ancient Holy Body would act like such a mischievous rogue?

"Not bad at all—they're seriously wealthy." Ye Chen, on his end, was tallying the spoils with endless sighs of admiration.

"I've heard of Qing Yao Xing before." Zhou Ao pondered. "Their foundation is deeper than the Huang family's, with three Quasi-Saints in residence. They've caused trouble in the Xuan Tian Star Domain for centuries."

"These three must have been on their way to a wedding ceremony." Ye Chen said, handing over an invitation he had found.

"It's the wedding of the Ming Wang Godson." Zhou Ao took it and exclaimed in surprise.

"The Ming Wang Godson—based on the name, he must have a strong connection to the Ming Wang Xing we're heading to." Ye Chen unfolded a star chart. "It's a massive ancient star. There might be reincarnated people from Da Chu there."

"No time to waste."

"Let's go." Ye Chen put away the star chart and took the first step, with Zhou Ao following. The two shot through the starry sky like divine rays.

Though the distance of two hundred thousand li was far, with their speed, it only took about an hour.

After some time, they finally stopped.

In the distance, a massive ancient star came into view, not much smaller than Wang Gu Xing. It was enveloped in swirling star clouds, shrouded in mist and mystery—that was the so-called Ming Wang Xing, a colossal force in this part of the starry sky and a major power in the Xuan Tian Star Domain.

As Ye Chen and Zhou Ao gazed at it, divine rainbows streaked from all directions, all heading toward Ming Wang Xing.

Their presence drew quite a few curious stares, and the looks they received were odd.

It wasn't surprising, given how low their cultivation levels were.

After all, who came to Ming Wang Xing for a wedding ceremony without a group of Huang Jing experts? Here they were, just a Quasi-Emperor and a Ling Xu Jing cultivator—hard not to stand out.

Ye Chen didn't mind at all and took the lead in moving forward.

Once they entered Ming Wang Xing, they were greeted by a scene of prosperity. The territory was incredibly vast, brimming with abundant spiritual energy that nourished the star's inhabitants, making everything thrive.

Ye Chen withdrew his gaze and began calculating with his fingers.

Zhou Ao stayed silent, waiting with a glimmer of hope, wishing Ye Chen would bring him some good news.

After seven or eight seconds, Ye Chen finished his divination, his eyes still flickering with light. "Finally, we've got one."