Chapter 1330: Zhou Tian

This was an extraordinarily massive ancient star, comparable in size to Ziwei Xing. Even before entering, one could feel a surging and majestic aura rushing forth, making it clear that it teemed with vibrant life forms.

This was Yu Ling Xing, the ancient star of the Yu Ling family, shining like a brilliant pearl in the cosmos.

At night, Xingyue Shengnu and the Zifa Qingnian arrived from afar, entering Yu Ling Xing one after the other.

Following them, Ye Chen arrived as well.

It proved that his ability to conceal himself was truly exceptional. Even Xingyue Shengnu, who carried the Dao Ling bloodline, had not detected him. How could she have imagined that someone had been secretly protecting them throughout their journey through the stars?

This vast ancient star must have reincarnated individuals.

Ye Chen thought to himself as he stepped inside, landing on a towering mountain peak and gazing out in all directions.

Yu Ling Xing was indeed bursting with life, its spiritual energy exceptionally pure. Misty clouds enveloped the landscape, with grand rivers and mountains exuding an imposing presence. Standing there, one felt their state of mind elevate, their spirit broadening considerably.

Ye Chen had already begun his calculations, his eyes flickering with sharp light. From the moment he set foot on Yu Ling Xing, he sensed the presence of reincarnated individuals. As he performed Zhou Tian Yanhua, even more of them were revealed.

His luck was still holding up. Yu Ling Xing was enormous and nurtured a multitude of life forms, and the number of reincarnated individuals was quite substantial—nearly a thousand in total, scattered across all directions.

As he calculated, Ye Chen furrowed his brow slightly. He could precisely identify nearly a thousand reincarnated individuals, but there was one person he could not figure out. It was as if a mysterious force in the shadows was obscuring his insight, and even Zhou Tian Yanhua could not penetrate that barrier.

Who could it be?

Ye Chen withdrew his divine abilities and stepped into the void, heading straight for the nearest reincarnated individual. As for the one whose identity he could not determine, he would save that for last.

Yu Ling Xing's territory was vast, featuring not only the immortal mountains of the Yu Ling family but also numerous majestic ancient cities.

Ye Chen flew into one of these ancient cities, slipping like a ghost into a small garden.

A few seconds later, he emerged, carrying an old man in his hand. The old man was fast asleep, snoring with a deep, resonant sound, slumbering like a dead pig. Even as Ye Chen held him, he remained undisturbed, his snores maintaining a steady rhythm.

This old man was an acquaintance of Ye Chen's, named Huang Daogong. Their first meeting had occurred at the birthday celebration of Lingzhen Shangren in Zhengqi Dian, and he had some connections to the Haotian Shijia.

Ye Chen remembered Huang Daogong vividly, not for his combat prowess, but for the scene of his death.

Huang Daogong had been a member of the Da Chu expeditionary force. Back then, he was the last one to pave the way for Ye Chen, aside from Zixuan, Chu Ling'er, and Taixu Gulong. With his white hair and frail body, he had expended his lifespan and primordial spirit, self-destructing his aged form to create a bloody path.

He was fortunate to have reincarnated, far better off than those Da Chu heroes who could not reincarnate or were reborn as mortals. At least, he could live another life and return to his homeland.

A gentle breeze blew, and Ye Chen turned and vanished.

He did not wake the sleeping Huang Daogong or unlock his past memories. Instead, he placed him into the Chaos Cauldron and added a seal to prevent him from shouting upon awakening.

In another ancient city, Ye Chen arrived quietly and took away a man and a woman, both reincarnated individuals.

From then on, he was quite busy. In the quiet of the night, he continuously moved between ancient cities, like a fleeting phantom—appearing without a trace and vanishing just as quickly.

Like with Huang Daogong, he did not awaken their past memories. He planned to wait until he had found all the reincarnated individuals on Yu Ling Xing before unsealing them together, saving the trouble of explaining the cycle of reincarnation to each one individually.

It was not until dawn was approaching that he let out a deep breath.

After a night of effort, aside from the one whose identity he could not determine, all the other reincarnated individuals had been located.

During this time, he had also glanced from afar at the immortal mountains of the Yu Ling family, which boasted thousands of peaks and were teeming with experts. Among them, he detected an extremely subtle aura belonging to a Saint King.

He did not go in to investigate, as the Yu Ling family's immortal mountains held only one reincarnated individual: Xingyue Shengnu.

Beyond that, he caught a whiff of another strange aura, faint and elusive, accompanied by faint, low dragon roars. But when he tried to trace it, the aura had already disappeared.

Now, he stood before a mountain valley. The reincarnated individual was inside that valley. He could pinpoint the exact location but still could not determine the identity.

Who could it be?

Ye Chen murmured to himself and stepped into the valley.

The valley was profoundly serene, filled with lush bamboo, untouched by any worldly impurities. Walking through the bamboo grove, one felt infected by its secluded tranquility, as if their state of mind returned to a state of pure simplicity.

This sensation felt familiar to Ye Chen, as if he had experienced it somewhere before, incredibly vividly.

Eventually, deep in the bamboo forest, he spotted an elderly figure bathed in the morning light. The old man was plucking bamboo leaves and placing them into a basket on his back, seemingly intending to take them home and fry them into dried tea.

Sensing someone watching him from behind, the old man paused and instinctively turned around, looking toward Ye Chen.

Only then did Ye Chen clearly see his face, and his mind went blank for a moment, as if recalling events from many years ago. It was a ordinary town, where a blind old man carved wood and, on his deathbed, passed on a secret technique called Zhou Tian Yanhua to him—an ability that had never faded.

Indeed, the tea-picking old man was the blind elder from the Qingxian Ancient Town: Zhou Yi.

Zhou Yi had died during the invasion of the heavenly demons. Without any cultivation, even his heaven-defying divination skills could not withstand them. However, his Zhou Tian Yanhua had become a great asset to Ye Chen.

While Ye Chen was lost in thought, the reincarnated Zhou Yi slowly approached, his kind eyes warmly regarding Ye Chen, with a hint of confusion in his gaze.

"Young friend, have we met somewhere before?"

"We have indeed."

Ye Chen smiled and flicked his finger, sending a beam of immortal light into Zhou Yi's forehead.

Like the other reincarnated individuals, Zhou Yi showed a look of pain as the light entered.

Ye Chen said nothing, merely watching Zhou Yi quietly. Unconsciously, he activated Zhou Tian Yanhua again, trying to divine the man before him. Even at such close range, he still could not see through it.

Only then did he begin to understand why he could not identify Zhou Yi earlier—it must be due to his past cultivation of Zhou Tian Yanhua. In his previous life, as an uncultivated diviner, his unique identity had allowed him to pierce through too many heavenly secrets, so even after reincarnation, that mysterious force lingered.

However, the current Zhou Yi was not an uncultivated diviner; he had cultivation, though only at the Emperor realm.

Ye Chen speculated that it was because of reincarnation that Zhou Yi's special identity as an uncultivated diviner had been erased.

A breeze rustled by, and Zhou Yi's aged body stopped trembling. He stared blankly at Ye Chen, his expression dazed.

Ye Chen smiled.

"More than two hundred years have passed since those days, Senior Zhou Yi. You have reincarnated."

"It seems my luck isn't too bad."

After his daze, Zhou Yi chuckled and shook his head.

"You don't seem very surprised, Senior."

Ye Chen said with a smile.

"Having pierced through so many heavenly secrets, I've seen enough that nothing surprises me anymore."

Zhou Yi smiled warmly.

"What I find remarkable is that, after two hundred years, I get to see you again."

"Through reincarnation and the passage of two centuries, you remain as you were back then, Senior."

"You as well, still traveling through the dust of the world."

Zhou Yi laughed kindly, grasped Ye Chen's wrist, and led him deeper into the forest.

"It's rare for us to meet again. Let me brew some tea for you."

Deep in the bamboo forest stood a bamboo house with a bamboo chair out front. The two sat facing each other.

Their reunion as reincarnated individuals was surprisingly calm, much like the serene valley—without a single ripple of worldly disturbance. One had unraveled too many secrets, and the other had endured vast changes; their minds were already worldly-wise, unmoved by even shocking events.

The aroma of tea soon filled the bamboo forest, rich in scent but light in flavor.

After a cup of tea, Ye Chen looked at Zhou Yi.

"Does Senior still possess the art of divination?"

"Since my memories have been awakened, Zhou Tian Yanhua is naturally with me."

Zhou Yi smiled slightly and refilled Ye Chen's cup.

"The difference is, I can no longer reach the heights I once did."

"With your mastery of heavenly secrets, returning to the peak should not be difficult."

Ye Chen replied slowly.

"Piercing through too many secrets isn't necessarily a good thing."

Zhou Yi shook his head with a smile, his expression tinged with regret.

"I somewhat regret my decision back then, pushing you onto a path of no return."

"There's no need for regret, Senior."

Ye Chen smiled.

"Since you could divine that Da Chu had formed its own cycle of reincarnation, you must have also foreseen that I would need Zhou Tian Yanhua to find the reincarnated individuals. What you left me was not just a divination technique, but also hope. I've never regretted cultivating it, for it truly helped me locate so many Da Chu heroes."

"Even so, I still can't find peace in my heart."

"You're being too hard on yourself, Senior. The choice was mine."

"Zhou Tian Yanhua will begin to truly devour your cultivation after you pass through the five declines of heaven and man."

Perhaps out of deep regret, Zhou Yi began explaining the ancient inheritance.

"That will mark the start of your path to becoming an uncultivated diviner. Each bit of cultivation it consumes will enhance your divination by a degree. The moment your cultivation is fully expended, your art will reach its peak. Once you become an uncultivated diviner, you can no longer walk the path of cultivation—unless you reincarnate like I did. But this isn't Da Chu; there is no cycle of reincarnation here."

"What about the lifespan of an uncultivated diviner? How long can one live?"

Ye Chen looked at Zhou Yi with hope.

"That depends on how many secrets you pierce."

Zhou Yi said slowly.

"From the moment you become an uncultivated diviner, each divination shortens your lifespan. That's heaven's retribution for those who unravel secrets. So, once your cultivation is gone and you become an uncultivated diviner, avoid using Zhou Tian Yanhua at all costs. The so-called heavenly secrets are your personal taboo."

"Does that mean I might not find all the reincarnated individuals in my lifetime?"

Ye Chen smiled bitterly.

"My lifespan will be an insurmountable chasm in my search for them."