Chapter 1294: Collective Search

The starry sky was silent and vast, boundless and immense.

Bathed in starlight, Ye Chen and Jian Shen Dao Shen stepped out of the Beidou Star Domain and entered a new star domain.

Compared to the Beidou Star Domain, this star domain was like a small stream next to a great river, less than a tenth its size.

However, this star domain still had many ancient stars, nurturing numerous living beings. Among them were powerful entities and many ancient hidden sects, making it a place full of hidden talents.

The two moved like streaks of divine light, streaking across the starry sky without setting foot on any ancient stars they encountered.

Only when they reached the center of this star domain did they finally stop.

Jian Shen has arrived!

As soon as they stopped, Ye Chen took a deep breath and let out a domineering shout.

This roar carried secret techniques, blended with his cultivation power, and was enhanced by Jian Shen Dao Shen's heaven-defying divine abilities. Centered on the two of them, it spread out without limit, echoing throughout the entire star domain.

This was something they had planned before coming—using Jian Shen's name to draw everyone in the star domain together, making the search more efficient than checking one star at a time.

There was no denying that Jian Shen's name was highly effective. The entire star domain shook, and the quiet night turned chaotic.

"Is that really Jian Shen? Or just someone bluffing?"

The cultivators rushing over looked to their elders for answers.

"It must be real," the elders replied, their expressions filled with excitement. "Jian Shen appeared in the Beidou Star Domain earlier, and our Tianjue Star Domain is nearby, so it's almost certainly him passing through."

"Who would dare to falsely claim Jian Shen's name?"

"We'll know soon enough." Some Sheng Ren cultivators shot forward like beams of immortal light, cutting across the vast starry sky.

In an instant, the star domain became lively.

What was once a silent night in the starry sky was now filled with people—some flying through the air, others riding swords, and still others on spirit beasts. They came in groups of three or five, one cluster connecting to another.

Looking down from above, those streams of figures were like rivers flowing toward the center of the star domain.

Many had already arrived and could see Jian Shen Dao Shen standing beside Ye Chen from afar. Even as a Dao Shen, he carried the same aura as Jian Shen himself, with an overwhelming pressure that made the starry sky tremble and was impossible to imitate.

"It's really Jian Shen." Too many people spoke with voices trembling in excitement.

"We pay our respects to Senior Jian Shen." Many rushed forward to bow respectfully, whether they were Sheng Ren or quasi-saints. In the presence of a Zhutian myth, they were all juniors.

"I ask you to spread the word: I wish to see all living beings in this star domain, excluding mortals. That includes cultivators, spirit beasts, demon beasts, immortal herbs, immortal stones, and even imprisoned criminal cultivators," Jian Shen Dao Shen said calmly, his words ethereal and carrying a hint of authority, resonating through the starry sky.

"Understood, we will notify everyone at once." The elders flew off in all directions.

Jian Shen's words were recorded and spread using secret techniques, passed from one person to ten, and ten to a hundred, quickly covering the entire star domain. No one dared to neglect it upon hearing.

Though they didn't know what Jian Shen intended, since it was his command, all cultivators would do their utmost.

Such was Jian Shen's influence, and Ye Chen was borrowing that very prestige. With Jian Shen's help, finding the reincarnated souls would no longer be so difficult. Perhaps in their lifetime, they could search through all the Zhutian domains.

More and more people arrived, forming crowds that merged into vast waves, like an ocean covering sections of the starry sky. The sheer number was enough to make one's scalp tingle.

Not everyone had arrived yet—more groups of cultivators were still converging from all sides, along with spirit beasts and demon beasts. Many held immortal herbs and immortal stones in their hands.

"We pay our respects to Senior Jian Shen."

"We pay our respects to Senior Jian Shen." Such voices echoed through the starry sky, wave after wave, making it tremble.

"No need for such formality." Jian Shen nodded gently, the Zhutian myth wearing a warm smile that felt like a spring breeze, without any trace of his fearsome aura. Among those gathered, many might be reincarnated from Da Chu, all of whom had died fighting to protect the myriad domains. Even Jian Shen himself owed them his life, and this debt of gratitude was as vast as the heavens.

"Jian Shen—that's the Jian Shen of the Zhutian!"

Jian Shen Dao Shen's response sent waves of excitement through the surrounding cultivators.

"I can't believe I'm seeing a living Zhutian myth."

"The myths of the Zhutian—perhaps one day he will become a great emperor. His visit to the Tianjue Star Domain is our great honor."

"Jian Shen's name is truly powerful." Listening to the excited voices around him, Ye Chen couldn't help but sigh.

"Are there any reincarnated souls?"

"Of course there are, and quite a few." Ye Chen smiled. From the moment the first person arrived, he had already activated his Zhoutian evolution technique. He could precisely identify who was a reincarnated soul from Da Chu. Even before everyone in this star domain had gathered, he had already found over three thousand of them.

"Thank you for your help, Jian Shen." Ye Chen looked at Jian Shen Dao Shen with gratitude.

"Everyone in the Zhutian domains owes a life debt to Da Chu. Finding them is your lifelong wish, and it's also Jian Shen's." Jian Shen Dao Shen smiled warmly. "Thank you, Da Chu, for protecting all living beings."

"On behalf of the nine million heroic souls of Da Chu, I thank you, Jian Shen." As Ye Chen spoke, he suddenly raised his hand and released not a single beam of immortal light, but a wave of it, forming ripples that spread out from him as the center, merging into the brows of each reincarnated soul.

Immediately, those touched by the immortal light shuddered.

Among them were cultivators, spirit beasts, and demon beasts, as well as immortal herbs and stones.

This sudden scene left the surrounding people stunned, staring in astonishment at those clutching their heads and groaning, unsure of what was happening or what Ye Chen had done to them.

"There's no need to worry." Jian Shen Dao Shen spoke up, his face still wearing that warm, comforting smile, reassuring the cultivators around them to prevent any panic.

With Jian Shen's assurance, no one dared to doubt further. Jian Shen's power reached the heavens—who needed such methods for deception? If he wanted to kill, no one in this star domain, not even the Sheng Wang, could escape.

Ah!

Groans of pain echoed through the starry sky. As the immortal light integrated, the reincarnated souls began to unlock their past memories, recalling their previous lives and the bloody battles they had fought.

Ye Chen took a deep breath and stood quietly in the starry sky, watching with a somewhat weary expression.

There weren't few reincarnated souls, nearly encompassing almost all forces from Da Chu—some from Southern Chu, some from Northern Chu, elders and juniors, men and women, some he had met before, others he hadn't. They were all heroic souls who had fallen in the great war against the demons.

What disappointed Ye Chen was that none of them were people he was extremely familiar with. The only one he somewhat knew was an elder from Hengyue Sect, with whom he had crossed paths a few times.

Sometime later, the groans of pain in the starry sky faded away.

The reincarnated souls, having unlocked their past memories, lifted their faces, their eyes filled with tears as they stared at Ye Chen standing beside Jian Shen Dao Shen. That figure was etched into their souls across lifetimes—it was the holy lord of the Heavenly Court, the one who had avenged Da Chu.

"Welcome back!"

Ye Chen smiled, his own eyes glistening with tears.

A hundred years had passed!

The over three thousand reincarnated souls choked back sobs, and with a collective thud, they knelt in the starry sky.

Ye Chen waved his hand immediately, summoning a gentle force to lift them up.

Wiping away their tears, the reincarnated souls surrounded him from all sides.

Past and present lives felt like a dream. In the dream, they had stood on the walls of Southern Chu, fighting to protect their homeland, and upon waking, they could see their holy lord from the past. Their emotions were beyond words.

The scene was warm and moving. As time passed, the reincarnated souls gathered together, speaking of the events of that year, shedding tears of emotion, remembering old comrades, and longing for their homeland.

This sight left the surrounding cultivators bewildered. Among those people, many were from their own families, and they had no idea what was happening or why they were crying.

Meanwhile, Ye Chen had transformed the demon beasts, spirit beasts, immortal herbs, and stones among the reincarnated souls into human form. "There are still many people I need to find. For now, all of you stay in this star domain. Once I've found everyone, I'll bring you back to the Da Chu homeland."

"That day won't be far off." At the mention of the Da Chu homeland, the reincarnated souls wiped their tears one by one.

"I do not wish for any harm to come to these people." Jian Shen Dao Shen's ethereal words spread through the starry sky.

"We will not fail in our duty to Jian Shen."

"Thank you." As Jian Shen Dao Shen spoke, he gently waved his sleeve, carving a star river into the starry sky. It was his insights into the Dao, gathered within that river, as a way to forge karma.

At the sight, the surrounding cultivators turned their attention from Ye Chen, their faces filled with excitement as they gazed at the star river. It was incredibly radiant, flickering with mysterious light and carrying an indescribable Dao essence—the insights of a Zhutian myth, a rare opportunity for enlightenment.

Jian Shen Dao Shen smiled faintly and turned lightly, walking into the distance, with waves of respectful farewells echoing behind him.

Ye Chen glanced one last time at the reincarnated souls and followed, also met with tides of respectful send-offs.

Under the watchful eyes of all, Ye Chen and Jian Shen Dao Shen walked side by side, their figures growing faint until they vanished completely—arriving as quickly as they had left.

It was some time before the cultivators withdrew their gazes.

The reincarnated souls were led away by their family elders, who asked many questions, but the reincarnated souls simply smiled and revealed nothing about Da Chu, leaving each family elder puzzled.

It was worth noting that the surrounding cultivators now looked at the reincarnated souls with a sense of deeper respect. For Jian Shen to personally entrust them, their identities must be significant, and they couldn't be provoked lightly.

After this brief interlude, the crowds of cultivators sat cross-legged beneath the star river, quietly comprehending its essence. This was a stroke of fortune—a pathway of the Zhutian myths, something encountered but not sought.

Thus, the starry sky, which had been bustling just moments before, fell into profound silence.

In the ether, ancient sounds of the Dao echoed through the star domain, carrying endless essence. The gift of a Zhutian myth was destined to influence an entire generation, marking a transformation and rebirth of the Dao.