Chapter 1246: Fated Enemies

"No," Long Yi said, taking a deep breath. He glanced at Lin Shihua, whose face was contorted in agony, and ultimately lowered his hand seal. If he forced the soul summoning any further, she would likely be completely destroyed.

As Long Yi released the hand seal, the spirit-summoning array dissipated.

Ye Chen hurried forward and caught the unconscious Lin Shihua, channeling his gentle spiritual power to soothe the pain in her soul. Only then did her face gradually regain its healthy color in her sleep.

"With just my own strength, it's difficult to summon her soul back. I need someone to assist me," Long Yi said helplessly.

"Can I assist?"

"You can't," Long Yi shook his head and replied slowly. "It requires someone else with a dragon soul, like Long Wu or Long Ye—they would both work. Long Ye would be the best choice. If all three of us joined forces, the spirit-summoning array would be at its most powerful, allowing us to retrieve her soul in the shortest time possible."

"Have you ever heard of Tian Jie?" Ye Chen asked, looking at Long Yi.

"I have some vague memories," Long Yi replied thoughtfully. "Tian Jie, along with Ming Jie and Ling Jie, exists on the same level as the various heavens and myriad domains. They are all different planes, yet each is intricately connected to the various heavens and myriad domains, much like how Ling Jie is for spirit communication and Ming Jie is for the realm of death."

"I've met someone who can borrow power from Tian Jie. Could that help you?"

"It's hard to say," Long Yi pondered. "It depends on that person's level. Whether it's channeling from Ling Jie, summoning from Ming Jie, or borrowing from Tian Jie, a certain level is required."

"The last time I saw him, he was at the peak of Huang Jing and borrowed the power of Si Ming Xing Jun from Tian Jie."

"It's not about cultivation level; it's more about merit and opportunity," Long Yi explained. "Borrowing Si Ming Xing Jun isn't an extremely high level, but it's not low either. If you can find him, it's worth trying."

"In that case, I'll look for him on this trip," Ye Chen said, continuing to use his yuan shen power to comfort Lin Shihua's soul. "If they're in this star domain, I think it'll be easy to find them."

"The secret technique you use to find reincarnated souls—is it Zhou Tian Yan Hua?" Long Yi asked, finding a comfortable spot and pulling out a wine flask.

"It seems you know this technique."

"Zhou Tian Yan Hua is exclusive to those who cultivate the heavens," Long Yi said. "Such a lineage has existed since ancient times, even predating Tai Xu Long Di. Their existence was astonishing even to the supreme beings, but people from this lineage never meet a good end. It's not just about losing their cultivation—it's far worse."

"I know that, but I have no choice," Ye Chen shrugged.

"The backlash from Zhou Tian Yan Hua has already begun, hasn't it?" Long Yi asked, eyeing Ye Chen without turning his head. "Just like how mirrors can't reflect your face anymore—your traces are being erased bit by bit."

"If only it were that simple, as you think."

"What exactly are you hiding?"

"Let's not dwell on these troublesome things. Come, help me analyze these two paintings." Ye Chen pulled out two scrolls from the Hun Dun Ding—one from the Chu family ancestor and one from the Mo family ancestor. Both depicted the same person, each wearing a Xuan Cang Yu Jie.

"Xuan Cang Yu Jie," Long Yi said, scanning the scrolls and then glancing at the ring on Ye Chen's finger. "Isn't the person in these paintings you? What's there to analyze?"

"These two scrolls were gifts from two seniors. The one on the left has been passed down for over five thousand years, and the one on the right is even older, dating back nine thousand years."

"Were those two seniors from the various heavens and myriad domains?"

"As you said."

"Hold on, I'm a bit confused," Long Yi scratched his head.

"That's exactly how it should feel," Ye Chen glanced at Long Yi. "The person in these scrolls—whether it's me or someone from the mortal world—doesn't make sense no matter how you explain it. The time, place, and people just don't match up."

"This is truly bizarre," Long Yi sighed.

"Looks like you can't figure it out either." Ye Chen put away the scrolls, then sealed the unconscious Lin Shihua and placed her in the Hun Dun Shen Ding. Finally, he stepped into the void sky. "Let's go."

"What's the issue here!" Long Yi followed, muttering to himself as he went.

The two shot through the air like beams of immortal light, leaving the ancient star behind.

The night sky was vast and even more magnificent.

The pair diligently visited star after star, hoping to get lucky and find Long Wu and Long Ye.

Unfortunately, they had no success.

Though they didn't find Long Wu or Long Ye, they didn't return empty-handed. They located several other reincarnated individuals from Da Chu, all disciples of the Xuan generation, though none were particularly familiar.

Day and night cycled, the sun and moon revolving.

They searched for nine days straight but still found nothing.

On the tenth day, they paused in a stretch of star space and, one after the other, changed their appearances. They also donned black robes and used secret techniques to conceal their auras.

It wasn't without reason—they spotted two figures approaching through the sky: a man and a woman.

Upon closer inspection, it was the fatty old man and the woman named Gu Lan.

As they spoke, the fatty old man and Gu Lan arrived, stopping in front of Ye Chen and Long Yi.

Long Yi scratched his ear and swayed about, acting completely carefree.

Ye Chen, however, subtly glanced at the storage bag hanging from the fatty old man's waist—it was his own—and for a moment, he nearly lunged to snatch it back.

The fatty old man and Gu Lan both narrowed their eyes, sizing up the two of them. After a thorough look, the fatty old man pulled out a scroll and held it up in front of them.

The person in the scroll was, naturally, Ye Chen.

Ye Chen sighed inwardly. Even after all this time, these two were still so persistent in hunting him.

"Have you seen this person?"

The fatty old man stared straight at Ye Chen and Long Yi.

"No."

Both answered in unison, shaking their heads firmly.

"Let's go!"

The fatty old man grumbled in frustration as he rolled up the scroll.

Upon hearing this, Ye Chen and Long Yi started walking, initially at a slow, steady pace. But as they went, their steps quickened inexplicably, until they were outright running.

The fatty old man and Gu Lan were stunned, their expressions puzzled.

For some reason, the way the two ran— their backs and postures—seemed oddly familiar.

As they watched, the fatty old man and Gu Lan exchanged glances.

"Chase them!"

The fatty old man howled and dashed across the star space like a divine ray, with Gu Lan keeping pace, heading straight in the direction Ye Chen and Long Yi had fled.

"They're catching up!"

Long Yi glanced back as they fled.

"Go!"

Ye Chen surged with qi and blood, increasing his speed, while Long Yi's brow lit up with an ancient divine pattern, boosting his speed as well. Both used the Suo Di Cheng Cun secret technique.

"If I don't catch you, I'll take your surname!"

Behind them, the fatty old man cursed nonstop, also activating his secret technique. As a saint, his speed was already formidable, and with the technique, he moved faster than lightning.

Gu Lan didn't hold back either, employing a mysterious divine ability that matched the fatty old man's pace.

Unlike last time, the fatty old man and Gu Lan had locked onto Ye Chen dead on.

Thus, another pursuit unfolded, with four beams of immortal light streaking through the star space at incredible speeds, leaving passing cultivators in awe. They'd seen those in Huang Jing move fast, but never this fast.

They didn't know when they entered a busier star region, where figures multiplied and divine rainbows flew constantly, all heading in the same direction.

Ye Chen and Long Yi didn't care; they zipped through, knocking people aside as they went.

"Are you blind when you walk?"

Curses echoed behind them from those they bumped.

But as soon as those people steadied themselves, they were knocked over again by the pursuing fatty old man and Gu Lan.

"Watch where you're—"

The curses cut off midway, as they realized the fatty old man and Gu Lan were saints. You couldn't just insult saints— one slap from them could end you.

"Why are there so many people?"

Ye Chen and Long Yi marvelled aloud while fleeing, glancing around.

This star region was indeed crowded, with divine rainbows from all directions converging in one spot, everyone rushing as if to witness some grand spectacle.

Ye Chen and Long Yi blended seamlessly into the crowd, changing their appearances once more as they followed the flow.

When the fatty old man and Gu Lan arrived, they scanned the throng but saw no sign of Ye Chen and Long Yi, frustration etched on their faces—they'd lost them again.

"They must be in this crowd!"

The fatty old man joined the masses, changing his and Gu Lan's appearances as they flew along, scanning for clues.

"Search everywhere!"

Ye Chen and Long Yi exchanged smiles, strolling boldly now.

After some time, the gathered crowd came to a halt, surrounding a desolate ancient star in layers upon layers.

Ye Chen and Long Yi stopped as well, eyeing the ancient star before turning their gazes to the hazy void.

Thick clouds roiled in the void above, laced with raging thunder, and a pressure that made the heavens tremble began to emerge, causing weaker cultivators to shudder.

"Tian Jie!"

Ye Chen and Long Yi shifted their focus back to the ancient star, confirming that the one undergoing the tribulation was there.

Only then did they understand why everyone had come—to witness a cultivator's heavenly tribulation firsthand.

Long Yi stroked his chin, even from this distance sensing the tribulator's powerful bloodline. It had to be extraordinarily dominant to summon such a formidable Tian Jie.

"A reincarnated soul!"

Ye Chen murmured, a glint in his eyes.

The fatty old man and Gu Lan arrived too, stopping amid the crowd. They glanced at the void before focusing on the ancient star, spotting the one undergoing the tribulation.

"What a powerful Tian Jie!"

Gu Lan whispered, already feeling the pressure even before it fully manifested.

"Must be a special bloodline."

The fatty old man stroked his beard, thinking that if he couldn't find Ye Chen, capturing this tribulator might still count as a success. But he preferred Ye Chen—compared to the holy body bloodline, this one was far inferior.