Chapter 1364: Escape?

Chapter 1364: Escape?

Ye Chen completely ignored the three's ugly and vicious expressions, instead offering a warm smile to Ruo Tian Zhu Que.

As for Ruo Tian Zhu Que, she stood there utterly stunned, staring at Ye Chen in disbelief. She couldn't believe what she was seeing, and even the mist of tears in her beautiful eyes froze in that moment.

Ye Chen—it was Ye Chen. Even after a hundred years, his face was as clear as it was in her memory. His vital energy was more abundant than any bloodline, the genuine Huang Gu Sheng Ti.

"A hundred years have passed. I hope you've been well."

Ye Chen smiled and gently placed a hand on Ruo Tian Zhu Que's jade shoulder, channeling a surge of pure essence into her to heal the wounds and killing intent within her body.

"Yes, a hundred years." Ruo Tian Zhu Que snapped out of her daze, her laugh tinged with weariness. "Back when we parted, it really has been a hundred years. Time is like a knife, full of emotions."

"So, they are old acquaintances after all. In that case, you can keep each other company on the road to the Yellow Springs." As the two spoke, a sinister laugh echoed from the empty sky above. The purple-robed Quasi-Saint King struck again, raising his hand to press down, while the black-robed Quasi-Saint King and white-robed Quasi-Saint King continued to seal off the surroundings, ready to attack at any moment.

"You three really love this kind of behavior," Ye Chen muttered dismissively, unfazed. Before the purple-robed Quasi-Saint King's massive hand could descend, he grabbed Ruo Tian Zhu Que and vanished into a black hole.

"Disappeared?" The purple-robed Quasi-Saint King's eyes narrowed sharply, as did the black-robed and white-robed Quasi-Saint Kings. Even with their cultivation and insight, they couldn't detect any clues.

However, just as the three frowned in confusion, Ye Chen and Ruo Tian Zhu Que reappeared after only a moment's absence.

Yes, they returned, but both were in a wretched state. Ye Chen, in particular, was covered in fresh blood, his sacred body torn and battered, with a horrifying wound on his chest exposing his gleaming bones.

This was truly awkward. Ye Chen staggered, clutching his Xian Lun Eye and vomiting blood wildly.

Indeed, they had encountered a powerful entity in the space black hole, even damaging his Six Paths Xian Lun Eye. He was lucky to escape quickly; if they had stayed a second longer, both of them would have ended up on the Yellow Springs.

Ruo Tian Zhu Que wasn't faring much better. Already severely injured, her aura was now dramatically weakened, and her face was deathly pale. She vaguely recalled the terrifying scene in the black hole: a bronze ancient coffin radiating an icy, annihilating aura that nearly crushed them.

"Don't worry about me—just escape!" Ruo Tian Zhu Que steadied herself, forcibly gathering her vital energy, and an ancient seal manifested on her forehead, seemingly a powerful forbidden secret technique. She was prepared to fight to the death to buy Ye Chen a moment to flee.

"Escape? I have to take you with me! Otherwise, if I ever see Xuan Chen ancestor, he'd kick me to death on the spot." Ye Chen also stabilized his footing, wiped the blood from his mouth, and let his vital energy surge.

"Escape?" It was the purple-robed Quasi-Saint King again, laughing with a sinister, mocking tone as he extended his hand for the third time.

"You three are the ones who love jumping around. Just wait until the day I get stronger—I'll slap you all to death." Ye Chen cursed loudly, pulled Ruo Tian Zhu Que into the Chaos Cauldron, and without another word, turned and fled.

"Not so fast." The white-robed Quasi-Saint King sneered, waving his hand to erect a powerful barrier that sealed off the empty sky.

"Break for me!" Ye Chen charged like a wild dragon, fusing his fist with numerous secret techniques and enhancing it with Chaos Dao principles, smashing through the barrier. Even the white-robed Quasi-Saint King was forced to grunt and retreat. By the time he regained his balance, Ye Chen had already broken free and shot away like a streak of light.

"Damn it." The purple-robed and black-robed Quasi-Saint Kings erupted in fury and chased after him without hesitation.

It's worth noting that before pursuing Ye Chen, both the purple-robed and black-robed Quasi-Saint Kings shot a glare at the white-robed Quasi-Saint King. How could you fail to stop a mere Quasi-Saint? Why don't you go eat dirt? You still want a share of the Huang Gu Sheng Ti's treasures? Shameless.

Glared at like that, especially with such contemptuous looks, the white-robed Quasi-Saint King's face burned with embarrassment. As a Quasi-Saint King, failing to block a Quasi-Saint was indeed humiliating.

Furious, the more he thought about it, the angrier he got. The white-robed Quasi-Saint King also took to the sky in pursuit, moving even faster than the purple-robed and black-robed ones, like a madman with overwhelming killing intent, his features twisted and ferocious.

The misty night turned extraordinarily lively due to their chase and escape. A vast mountain range was utterly devastated by these four, reduced to ruins in their wake.

"Seeing you again is quite a surprise for me." Inside the Chaos Cauldron, Ruo Tian Zhu Que sighed as she looked at Ye Chen, her beautiful eyes full of admiration. "If Xuan Chen knew, he would surely be overjoyed."

"Have you found Xuan Chen ancestor?" Ye Chen glanced with interest at Yan Fei in the cauldron.

"Not yet." Ruo Tian Zhu Que smiled helplessly. "I've asked around everywhere, but no one has seen him or even knows of his existence. I was planning to search other regions when I ran into this disaster."

"If I told you that Xuan Chen ancestor went to Da Chu a hundred years ago, would you believe it?" Ye Chen said with a leisurely smile.

"Da Chu?" Ruo Tian Zhu Que was stunned, her expression a mix of surprise and amusement. How could that be? I've been searching desperately across the myriad domains for a hundred years, and he just went to Da Chu?

"I saw the Zhutian Sword God a hundred years ago," Ye Chen explained with a smile. "With the Tianmo invasion, Kunlun Xu already knew about it, so they set off with the Da Chu emperor to find him. By now, they've probably located him and are on their way back. Roughly estimating, it should take a few hundred years."

"So that's what happened." Ruo Tian Zhu Que smiled again, her expression distant. The years had stretched on for so long that she couldn't help but yearn to see him immediately, but she'd have to wait another few hundred years.

"A few hundred years is nothing for cultivators—it's over in the blink of an eye." Ye Chen couldn't help but chuckle.

"We're the same kind of people; you don't need to comfort me like that." Ruo Tian Zhu Que pulled herself from her distant thoughts and looked at Ye Chen again. "In the past hundred years, searching for them must have been tough on you."

"This is just another form of cultivation—I'm used to it." Ye Chen shrugged casually.

"Huang Gu Sheng Ti?" No sooner had Ye Chen spoken than a voice of astonishment rang out ahead. It was a large group of cultivators who had come to watch the spectacle, and upon seeing Ye Chen, they were all stunned. They never expected the one being hunted by three Quasi-Saint Kings from Zhizun City would be the wanted Sheng Ti.

"Get out of the way!" Ye Chen roared, charging through like a divine ray. His speed was so fast that the onlookers rushing toward him were scattered in all directions.

"Wow!" Many of them rubbed their eyes, seeing stars and feeling dizzy.

"Scram!" Before those people could steady themselves, the three Quasi-Saint Kings arrived, scattering the crowd even further into the air. Many couldn't withstand the Quasi-Saint King's pressure and exploded into blood mist on the spot, their primordial spirits also dissipating into the misty starry sky, staining it with blood.

"You three beasts." Ye Chen, fleeing ahead, glanced back and grimaced at the sight of the blood mist everywhere. The spectators had truly suffered a catastrophe this time.

"Can you still use the Heavenly Dao?" Ruo Tian Zhu Que transmitted her voice. "At this rate, they'll catch up."

"I can't." Ye Chen shook his head helplessly, gently touching his Xian Lun Eye. "That bronze ancient coffin in the black hole severely damaged my immortal eye. I can't connect to the black hole for now."

"This is really... Watch out!" Ruo Tian Zhu Que's words trailed off into a sudden sharp warning.

She didn't need to say it—Ye Chen had already noticed. From the white-robed Quasi-Saint King's forehead shot a dark beam, which turned out to be a pitch-black Soul-Locking Chain, hurtling toward them at incredible speed.

It was a fearsome artifact, at the Saint King level, covered in ancient runes and refined from vengeful spirits. It specialized in sealing and annihilating both the primordial spirit and physical body.

Everything happened too quickly. Even though Ye Chen had sensed it beforehand, he was still hit on the spot. The eerie Soul-Locking Chain pierced into his sea of consciousness and lunged straight for his primordial spirit.

Ye Chen roared, summoning the Dan Ancestor Dragon Soul and Di Jue that guarded his sea of consciousness to fend it off.

They didn't disappoint. The Dan Ancestor Dragon Soul and Di Jue, working with the Chaos God Cauldron, repelled the Soul-Locking Chain. The three blocked the way, turning Ye Chen's sea of consciousness into an impregnable fortress.

In that brief instant, the black-robed and purple-robed Quasi-Saint Kings also arrived, knowing Ye Chen's escape skills were extraordinary. They didn't hold back, each unleashing their powerful artifacts.

Ye Chen faltered, nearly collapsing under the pressure as the three Saint King weapons ground his sacred body to the point of fracturing, with blood spraying out. Every drop was strikingly vivid, nearly obliterating him in the empty sky.

But since they hadn't suppressed him immediately, it gave him a chance to breathe. His powerful sacred body reformed, his bloodline and Dao principles trembling as he forcibly withstood the three Saint King weapons.

The three Quasi-Saint Kings were all shaken back, their expressions changing for the first time. Ye Chen's strength far exceeded their expectations, truly as outrageous as the rumors—on par with Quasi-Saint King level.

At that thought, their faces turned cold, mainly out of fear of Ye Chen's potential. Someone like him, given enough time, would undoubtedly become a eternal titan. If he grew, he would be a disaster for Zhizun City and had to be eliminated in his cradle.

"Let's have a fair one-on-one if you've got the guts." Trapped in the center, Ye Chen drew his Ba Long Saber and cursed, spittle flying everywhere. "Three Quasi-Saint Kings ganging up on one Quasi-Saint—have you no shame?"

"Winning is the kingly way." The white-robed Quasi-Saint King scoffed, suddenly thrusting out a sea of blood that rolled with overwhelming killing intent, shaking the empty sky as it surged toward Ye Chen.

"Go to hell with your kingly way!" Ye Chen shouted, stepping forward and shattering the empty sky. With one swing of his saber through the Eight Wastelands, he cleaved the blood sea apart. Then, with a flip of his palm reversing the heavens, he struck the white-robed Quasi-Saint King, sending him vomiting blood.

"Attack together!" The black-robed and purple-robed Quasi-Saint Kings charged from both sides, one forming a Yin-Yang Seal and the other wielding a Tai Ji Disc, pressing down on Ye Chen from afar in an attempt to crush him in one blow.

Ye Chen stopped talking and swung his saber, merging the Eight Wastelands strike with over a hundred secret techniques and divine abilities to shatter the Yin-Yang Seal. But before he could turn, the Tai Ji Disc hammered him, causing him to spit blood wildly.

At the same time, the white-robed Quasi-Saint King struck again, his form elusive as he instantly closed in within a hundred feet, controlling the Soul-Locking Chain to try seizing Ye Chen's primordial spirit. However, he was repelled by the Dan Ancestor Dragon Soul and Di Jue.