Chapter 1255: Someone's Picking a Fight

Chapter 1255: Someone is Looking for Trouble

The night sky was vast and deep, with scattered stars like dust.

In the underground palace, Ye Chen slumped onto the ground, his appearance disheveled, with stubble around his mouth and exhaustion on his face. Even as the Huanggu Sheng Ti, his complexion was pale.

At that moment, before him stood three rows of ten columns, neatly arranged—thirty Yinming Si Jiang, the result of his efforts over the past few days.

Not bad!

Ye Chen swallowed a Dan Yao and smiled contentedly.

With three Sheng Ren and twenty-seven Zhun Sheng, this force, if news of it spread, would surely shake the entire star domain.

However, Ye Chen understood that these Yinming Si Jiang were still somewhat inferior to cultivators of the same level. After all, they were lifeless constructs, while living beings had thoughts and will, making them incomparable.

After resting for a while, Ye Chen took more Dan Yao before standing up.

Now came the main task. He moved continuously among the thirty Yinming Si Jiang, imprinting his secret techniques and divine abilities into their bodies—a complete set of lethal arts.

It was only late at night that Ye Chen summoned Situ Nan, Long Yi, and Liu Neng into the underground palace.

Damn!

As soon as they entered, the three of them couldn't help but curse. With their experience, they could immediately tell what Ye Chen had been up to in the underground palace these past few days—he was refining Yinming Si Jiang!

Awesome!

The three of them exclaimed in admiration and surprise, never imagining that Ye Chen was undertaking such a monumental feat.

Three Sheng Ren-level Yinming Si Jiang and over twenty Zhun Sheng-level ones—this was an impressive lineup.

One per person, pick your own!

Ye Chen found a comfortable spot and pulled out his wine flask.

The three didn't hesitate and quickly made their choices. Long Yi selected the Shixue Laomo, Situ Nan chose the Hua Long Laozu, and Liu Neng picked the Yinpao Sheng Ren. They imprinted their Yuan Shen into the Yinming Si Jiang.

Afterward, Ye Ruoxue, Murong Miaoxin, and the other twenty-five Da Chu reincarnated individuals were called into the underground palace.

Upon seeing the Yinming Si Jiang that Ye Chen had refined, they were all astonished.

The twenty-seven of them each selected a Yinming Si Jiang. Unlike Situ Nan and the others, the ones they controlled were all Zhun Sheng-level. But it didn't matter—whoever controlled them, they were all meant to protect this immortal mountain and guard the Da Chu reincarnated people.

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

In the morning, the warm sunlight bathed the immortal mountain, adding a brilliant layer to this fairyland.

The reincarnated individuals had emerged from their caves, sitting cross-legged on the mountain peaks to absorb the essence of heaven and earth. Each of them was incredibly diligent, knowing that in this crisis-filled Zhutian Wanyu, they needed to improve their strength as quickly as possible.

Ye Chen walked out of the underground palace and climbed to the tallest peak of the Tian Ting, quietly overlooking the entire immortal mountain. It was just like in the past when he had overlooked Da Chu, and the familiar faces made his mind wander.

Long Yi also stretched lazily as he walked up.

"Looking at so many reincarnated people, don't you have anything to say?"

"Everything is unspoken."

"Tsk!"

"Enough small talk, let me ask you something serious." Ye Chen collected his thoughts and continued, "In your memories, is there any great power who masters dream secret techniques, or someone who can truly connect the illusory and the real?"

"Why are you asking that?"

"I dreamed of Da Chu."

"What's so strange about that? I often dream of Da Chu too."

"But I could truly see the people of Da Chu." Ye Chen spoke again, "They were all real and tangible. I could see them and clearly hear what they said, but they couldn't see me or hear me speaking. There was just a hazy dream between us."

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely certain."

"Di Dao Xian Shu, Meng Hui Qian Gu." Long Yi said thoughtfully, "Connecting the real world through an illusory dream. In my memories, there is indeed such a heaven-defying existence—the Meng Hui Great Emperor, one of the 130 emperors of Xuan Huang. She could also be called the Meng Mo. If Da Ri Rulai is the most bizarre emperor, then she is the most ethereal and dreamlike one. In her later years, due to the entanglement of the illusory and the real, she fell into madness just like you once did, and that's when the title of Meng Mo arose."

"That's truly unbelievable." Ye Chen took a deep breath.

"You're even more unbelievable." Long Yi looked at Ye Chen, his gaze changing. "To actually dream back to Da Chu."

"Hmm?" Ye Chen had just spoken when he frowned and looked toward a distant part of the sky.

"Someone has entered Da Chu Xing." Long Yi followed his gaze. The secret technique covering Da Chu Xing was set up by him, so no one could enter without escaping his notice, just like this time.

As they watched, two figures streaked through the sky—one in a black robe and one in a white robe. Both were Sheng Ren in cultivation, roughly on par with Hua Long Laozu.

The two stopped in the empty sky about 150,000 zhang from the Tian Ting immortal mountain, their eyes narrowed as they observed the area.

"It seems the people who drove away Hua Long Zong have taken over their old nest." The black-robed elder murmured, as if he could see the stone tablet standing outside the Tian Ting immortal mountain from that distance.

"Tian Ting?" The white-robed elder stroked his beard lightly, looking puzzled. "What kind of force is that?"

"This ancient star of Hua Long Zong isn't an ordinary one. Why don't we seize it?" The black-robed elder turned to the white-robed one. "With the two of us, we can probably manage it."

"Have you forgotten what happened a hundred years ago?" The white-robed elder said sternly. "Hua Long Zong has a Nine Dragons Arching the Sky formation, and their mountain-protecting barrier is incredibly strong. If a Sheng Ren controls it, even if we bombarded it for ten days and nights, we might not break through. These people were able to drive away Hua Long Zong, so their strength isn't ordinary. Charging in like this would just be asking for trouble."

"How will we know without trying?" The black-robed elder was unwilling. "We are both Sheng Ren, so we can retreat safely if needed."

"Don't bring disaster upon us."

"I know my limits." The black-robed elder stepped forward, shooting toward the Tian Ting immortal mountain like a beam of immortal light. He stopped in the empty sky outside the mountain, his eyes narrowed as he tried to peer into the scene within, but he was blocked by a mysterious secret technique, seeing only hazy mist.

"Fellow Daoists in the mountain, could you come out for a chat?" The black-robed elder's voice echoed ethereally into the mountain.

"Of course." Ye Chen smiled slightly and stepped out of the immortal mountain, standing in the empty sky and facing the black-robed elder from afar. "But I wonder, Senior, what you wish to discuss by summoning me."

Seeing that Ye Chen was only at the Huang Jing level, the black-robed elder's expression darkened. "As a major force that replaced Hua Long Zong, you send a Huang Jing to speak with me? Is this your Tian Ting's way of hospitality? Hurry up and call your family elder out, or I won't let this slide."

Ye Chen smiled faintly. "I am the Sheng Zhu of Tian Ting. You can speak directly to me, Senior."

"You are the Sheng Zhu of Tian Ting?" The black-robed elder furrowed his brow and sized up Ye Chen from head to toe. After scanning him, his eyes were filled with contempt. "It seems I really overestimated this place."

"What exactly do you want, Senior?" Ye Chen looked at the black-robed elder with interest.

"You can leave now. From today onward, this ancient star belongs to us." The black-robed elder spoke indifferently, stroking his beard as if he were a reclusive expert, his words full of authority.

"And if we don't leave?" Ye Chen continued to look at the black-robed elder with amusement.

"Then you're courting death." The black-robed elder snorted coldly and shifted in an instant, appearing before Ye Chen. His goal was simple: to capture Ye Chen quickly. Since Ye Chen was the Sheng Zhu of Tian Ting, taking him would make the rest easy.

However, he had underestimated Ye Chen. His hand reached out but failed to grasp him.

Underestimating you!

The black-robed elder sneered and pursued, extending his withered palm again. It carried immense Sheng Wei, with seal scripts circulating in his palm—a sealing divine ability aimed at confining Ye Chen on the spot.

Ye Chen remained unfazed, sidestepping mysteriously to dodge once more.

He couldn't help but feel an urge to laugh at the black-robed elder's actions.

Hua Long Zong had one Sheng Ren and nine Zhun Sheng, and we drove them away, which proves Tian Ting's strength. You're just one Sheng Ren, yet you dare to act tough here. Have you lost your mind?

Oh, right, I forgot!

Ye Chen glanced toward the distant horizon, where another Sheng Ren was watching. With two Sheng Ren, they indeed had the capital to challenge Tian Ting. After all, Sheng Ren could escape if they couldn't win.

Where do you think you're going?

The black-robed elder chased again, his face dark and sullen. As a Sheng Ren, he couldn't capture a Huang Jing in the first moment—this would be laughable if it got out.

Ye Chen dodged again and turned to flee into the Tian Ting immortal mountain.

Stay!

The black-robed elder crossed the distance in a step and followed Ye Chen into the mountain.

Fortunately, Long Yi opened the mountain-protecting barrier in an instant; otherwise, he wouldn't have entered so easily.

But entering was easy—leaving would be much harder.

As soon as the black-robed elder entered, three shadowy figures materialized—the three Sheng Ren-level Yinming Si Jiang that Ye Chen had refined. They positioned themselves in the empty sky on three sides, trapping the black-robed elder.

Puppets?

The black-robed elder frowned, instantly recognizing them, and his expression showed shock, for they were at the Sheng Ren level.

No, not quite puppets!

The black-robed elder's brow furrowed even deeper as he examined them more closely. He had seen puppets before, but these three were different—their aura was extraordinarily powerful.

Without thinking further, the black-robed elder turned to leave.

Three Sheng Ren-level entities were no small threat. He wouldn't fear them one-on-one, but if they all attacked together, they could suppress him. The black-robed elder realized the gravity of the situation; Tian Ting seemed shrouded in strangeness, making him uneasy.

Thinking of leaving after coming in?

Ye Chen ascended into the sky, blocking his path. He had lured him in precisely to trap him like a dog in a closed gate.

Get out of the way!

The black-robed elder roared and thrust out a palm, manifesting a dragon head that roared toward Ye Chen.

Ye Chen didn't dodge or evade; he advanced forcefully, delivering a Bahuang Fist infused with dozens of divine abilities and mixed with Chao Dao Ze. The fist pierced through the empty sky, shattering the roaring dragon head on the spot. Even the black-robed elder's body trembled, forcing him to stagger back.