Chapter 1252: A Lively Scene

Welcome back!

Ye Chen smiled again, listening to the overwhelming cheers from below, his eyes flickering with tears of excitement.

A whole century had passed!

The Da Chu reincarnated people knelt forward, prostrating on the ground, still weeping uncontrollably.

From past lives to the present, a hundred years had slipped away like a fleeting dream. Their last memories were of dying on the battlefield, and upon waking from that dream, a full cycle of reincarnation had gone by. Reuniting with their homeland's people brought an overwhelming sense of emotion.

This must be a gift from the heavens, a surprise that came so unexpectedly.

Get up and speak!

Ye Chen smiled faintly, and from his body as the center, a gentle halo spread out in all directions. Everywhere it touched, those still kneeling were lifted by the soft force.

Then, thirty thousand strands of divine sense were transmitted into the minds of everyone in the ancient city. It contained information about Da Chu and all the reincarnated people Ye Chen had found along his journey. After all, so much had happened that it was impossible for him to explain everything one by one—using divine sense was the most convenient way.

The Da Chu reincarnated people fell silent, their eyes welling up with hot tears once more. They had no idea so many events had occurred after their deaths.

Suddenly, everyone's gaze converged on Ye Chen again.

Even without him saying a word, they could guess the countless hardships he had endured over the past century to find the reincarnated people. He had not let the people of Da Chu down.

Drink!

Ye Chen laughed heartily and raised his wine flask.

Drink!

The Da Chu reincarnated people all took out their wine flasks, raising them high as their shouts echoed through the heavens.

It was a magnificent scene. Ye Chen held his wine flask and walked along, looking at every face of the Da Chu reincarnated people, each as clear as they had been a century ago, even after reincarnation.

Just like him, the Da Chu reincarnated people also held their wine flasks and walked along, observing everything.

Thirty thousand reincarnated people was an enormous number.

Among them, some had known each other in their past lives—many were from the same family, many were couples, many were lovers, many were enemies, and many were blood brothers. Now, they gathered in groups of three or five, wiping away tears together, drinking together, and talking about the hardships of their past lives.

Ye Chen paused and gazed at a peach blossom tree in the distance, where Long Yi and Murong Miaoxin leaned against each other affectionately.

Murong Miaoxin no longer resisted Long Yi; she was truly like a gentle and virtuous wife, just as she had promised in her past life—to continue their unfinished fate in this one.

Ye Chen smiled and quietly walked away.

When he reached a garden, he glanced sideways. Inside were two people: Situ Nan and Ye Ruxue.

Ye Ruxue was trying to hide her aged appearance, not daring to look directly at Situ Nan. Which woman didn't love beauty? Now, with the passage of time leaving its marks, she felt somewhat reluctant in front of her beloved.

Ye Chen smiled faintly and flicked out a pill.

It was a spiritual elixir that would preserve a woman's youth forever—a seven-pattern Dan Yao that entered Ye Ruxue's body. As the medicinal power took effect, her aged form visibly restored to youth.

Ye Ruxue was stunned, watching the changes in her body in astonishment.

By the time she and Situ Nan looked around, they only saw Ye Chen's retreating figure in the bustling crowd.

Ye Chen paused again and looked off into the distance.

There, in front of a stall, dozens of figures stood—people who had all been connected to him in the past, like Zhao Kang from Zhengyang Zong, whom he had encountered in the past; Li Yuanyang and Yuan Bin from the alchemy competition; and from Hengyue Zong, Huang Tao, Wei Ming, Xu Kang, Tang Chao, and Song Yu.

As Ye Chen looked at them, they looked back but quickly lowered their heads.

Ye Chen smiled slightly and turned to walk away.

Past grievances belonged to past lives; he wouldn't carry them into this one. Even if those people had made mistakes back then, they had also shed their blood on the battlefield during the great war against the demons. He wouldn't hold onto it.

Watching Ye Chen's departing figure, the crowd chuckled self-mockingly, realizing how foolish they had been in their past lives.

Ye Chen continued walking, like a tourist, stopping here and there, observing everywhere. All he saw were reincarnated people, giving him the illusion that he wasn't in the myriad realms of the heavens, but in Da Chu.

We've seen the Shengzhu!

We've seen the Shengzhu!

Along his path, the words he heard most were these. Everywhere he went, groups of people bowed to him—some from older generations, some younger, some former enemies, some old friends. The thirty thousand people nearly encompassed all the forces of Da Chu, with at least one or two from every faction.

Ye Chen smiled and waved lightly, then moved on to another area. He transformed several Da Chu people who had reincarnated as spirit beasts back into human form and restored youth to many who were elderly.

However, throughout his walk, besides Murong Miaoxin and Ye Ruxue, he hadn't found anyone particularly familiar to him.

Sheng... Shengzhu!

As he was walking, Ye Chen suddenly heard a timid call, making him instinctively turn his head.

Before him stood a woman in white, graceful and elegant. Her face wasn't devastatingly beautiful, but it was extremely lovely. Her watery eyes avoided meeting Ye Chen's directly.

Su Xin Yue!

Ye Chen murmured in his heart, his expression dazed.

The killing intent is too heavy; it's hard to achieve true fruition!

That phrase echoed in his mind. He seemed to recall the stormy arena from over a hundred years ago, their first meeting, when they were both in the prime of their lives.

I'm sorry!

Ye Chen's thoughts were interrupted by Su Xin Yue's words. When he snapped back, she was already kneeling on the ground, this act of kneeling for the wrongs she had committed in her past life.

That was in the past life!

Ye Chen chuckled lightly, summoning a gentle force to help Su Xin Yue up. Even if he held grudges, time had long buried them. He didn't blame her. In the great war against the demons, she had also met her end in a state of near transcendence, fighting alongside Hengyue Zong to defend Da Chu's mountains and rivers until the very end.

Su Xin Yue silently shed tears, her expression dazed. Who would have thought this karma would follow from their past lives into this one?

Ye Chen walked on, once again like a tourist.

In this small ancient city, the full spectrum of human life was on display, with the scent of wine permeating the air.

Night quietly fell, but the ancient city remained lively.

No one knew when it would quiet down. Everyone fell silent, holding their wine flasks and quietly gazing up at the vast starry sky, as if they could see the magnificent mountains and rivers of Da Chu through the endless star domains.

In the dead of night, many people drifted off to sleep in their drunkenness, sleeping more peacefully than ever.

However, some individuals were anything but peaceful, like those two troublemakers, Long Yi and Situ Nan. The pavilions they stayed in shook more violently than the others. Even though they tried to keep their voices down, Ye Chen could still hear them.

It wasn't just them; the Da Chu reincarnated people were all pairing up on their own.

As a result, as Ye Chen walked through the streets, he kept seeing shaking pavilions, hearing creaking bed boards, and listening to the men's heavy breathing and women's soft gasps, one wave after another.

How awkward!

Ye Chen cleared his throat. With so many people making such a racket on the same day in the same ancient city, it was hard to ignore.

Suddenly, two graceful figures flashed through Ye Chen's mind. If they were here, the ancient city would be even more lively. That scene would be wonderfully beautiful, and just thinking about it made his thoughts wander.

Thinking too much!

Ye Chen shook his head and entered the city lord's mansion.

We've seen the Shengzhu!

As soon as he stepped into the city lord's mansion, an elder hurried over and bowed respectfully to Ye Chen.

This elder was the city lord of this ancient city, a former elder of the Heavenly Court in his past life—Liu Neng—who was the successor of the Long-seeking lineage. To put it nicely, he sought dragons; to be blunt, he was a tomb raider.

In the past, when South Chu was unified and Ye Chen went to North Chu to find Chu Xuan, Liu Neng had been a great help. He wasn't much good at fighting, but when it came to tracking people, he was exceptionally skilled.

In fact, Liu Neng and Dao Zhi got along famously, often getting together to exchange experiences.

Haven't gone tomb raiding?

Ye Chen teased with a smile, looking at Liu Neng with interest.

Liu Neng gave an awkward laugh, not expecting Ye Chen to remember his old trade, which he hadn't forgotten even across lives.

Don't worry about me; go rest!

Ye Chen waved with a smile and vanished like a ghost, finding a quiet bamboo grove where he lay down to sleep.

The night passed without incident, and dawn arrived in the blink of an eye.

Early in the morning, before the sky was fully light, the Da Chu reincarnated people were awakened by a powerful pressure.

Looking up into the sky, three figures descended from beyond the heavens: a purple-haired elder, a demonic young man, and a black-robed middle-aged man, all at the Quasi-Saint level and from the same force.

Perhaps their arrival was too conspicuous, as the Da Chu reincarnated people in the ancient city all emerged, their faces not looking good.

The three landed above the ancient city, adopting a superior posture, and a vague, majestic voice rang out:"The city lord, come out and see us."

In the bamboo grove of the city lord's mansion, Ye Chen was also awakened. He stretched lazily, glanced at the sky, and then looked at Liu Neng, who had just entered the bamboo grove, asking, "Who are those three?"

"People from Hua Long Zong," Liu Neng replied hastily.

"Hua Long Zong? Never heard of them, but they don't seem to be here for anything good."

"Indeed, nothing good," Liu Neng sighed. "Our Hua Fan Star is weak and has long been under the protection of Hua Long Zong. This time, they're probably here to collect protection fees, which is a regular occurrence."

"In the world of the strong, it's understandable," Ye Chen said with a smile.

"The city lord, come out and see us." As they spoke, the purple-haired elder among the three shouted coldly again.

"Coming, coming." Liu Neng hurriedly ascended and bowed respectfully to the three. "I didn't know the three envoys had arrived; please forgive my lack of a proper welcome."

"No nonsense." The demonic young man smirked playfully.

"Understood, understood." Liu Neng nodded obsequiously and quickly handed over a storage bag, containing one million Yuan Shi—the protection fee for Hua Long Zong this time.

"In these troubled times, one million isn't enough." The black-robed middle-aged man chuckled eerily.

"This..." Liu Neng furrowed his brow.

"What's the matter? Got an opinion?" The demonic young man curled his lips into a teasing smile, eyeing Liu Neng with interest.

"The three envoys, isn't two million a bit too much?" Liu Neng said humbly.

"Too much?" The purple-haired elder smirked. "Our Shenzi has decreed it: you're to pay two million Yuan Shi, and Hua Fan Star must offer nine women as tribute. Otherwise, you know the consequences. You're a smart man—don't go looking for trouble. You should understand our Shenzi's nature; wiping out Hua Fan Star would be just a word from him."

"You..."

"And what if we don't give it?" Before Liu Neng could finish, Ye Chen's faint voice drifted up from below.