Chapter 1376: Becoming a Sage Instantly

Late at night, Ye Chen landed in an ancient city and rented a small garden for a thousand yuan stone.

Only then did he release Hong Chen, and along with him, the Yao Wang and the others were set free as well.

Hong Chen remained expressionless, his eyes vacant and lifeless, sitting motionless like a stone statue carved in place, indifferent to everything around him, as silent as death itself.

Ye Chen watched quietly, his gaze unwavering, fully certain that Hong Chen was a Zhun Sheng. He had no Liu Dao Xian Yan, no special bloodline—just an ordinary cultivator in every sense.

Suddenly, Ye Chen activated his Xian Yan and focused on Hong Chen's Shen Hai. To his surprise, Hong Chen's Shen Hai was a chaotic void, impenetrable even to his Xian Yan.

Beyond that, Ye Chen could faintly sense a mysterious force hidden within Hong Chen's body, appearing and disappearing erratically, so elusive that it inspired a deep sense of wariness and unease in him.

Yao Wang was also observing, his eyes filled with profound meaning.

"The same Zhun Sheng, yet his combat power is no less than Ye Chen's," Xue Wang murmured thoughtfully.

"It's only because he didn't resist that the Sun and Moon Godzi could capture him. If he fought back, he could suppress the Sun and Moon Godzi with a single palm," Gui Wang said, taking a deep breath. "I can't see through him at all."

As the three pondered, Ye Chen had already bent down and tentatively called out to Hong Chen. But Hong Chen showed no response, sitting there blankly like a dust-covered ice sculpture.

"Do you still remember Chu Ling'er and Chu Xuan'er?" Ye Chen persisted, his tone as gentle and calm as possible. "Do you remember your wife, Chu Ling Yu, and your disciple, Hong Chen Xue?"

At that, Hong Chen reacted slightly— a flicker of confusion passed through his vacant eyes, but it vanished instantly, leaving him once again unresponsive, no matter how Ye Chen called to him.

Ye Chen frowned. The current Hong Chen was identical to his past self, unchanged even after reincarnation. He still couldn't escape the backlash of time and space. His memories and consciousness were rejected by this world, turning him into an emotionless shell, wandering aimlessly through the heavens and earth.

Ye Chen stopped calling and instead cast a powerful seal, immobilizing Hong Chen in place.

"What's going on with him?" the puzzled Yao Wang and the others turned their gaze from Hong Chen to Ye Chen. "Did something go wrong during his reincarnation?"

"You could say that," Ye Chen replied with a slight nod, choosing not to reveal the secrets between him and Hong Chen. Even if he did, the Yao Wang and the others might not believe it, as the matter defied all norms.

"This involves reincarnation— it's truly mysterious," the three said, furrowing their brows, feeling completely helpless.

"Enough about Hong Chen; let's talk about the reincarnated ones," Ye Chen said, waving his hand to produce a mountain of jade slips. "Each jade slip contains a sealed memory of Xian Guang. I need the three of you to help me search for the reincarnated individuals. If you encounter anyone similar, crush the jade slip to test them."

"Understood," the three replied without pretense, each taking a third of the jade slips.

"Da Chu will take a long time to return, so the three of you must act discreetly. At least until the Da Chu Nine Emperors come back, don't draw too much attention."

"You mean the Da Chu Nine Emperors?" the three kings asked, frowning at Ye Chen. "Are they still alive?"

"Yes, they are," Ye Chen said with a smile, sharing an ancient secret. "In the past, the Da Chu Nine Emperors didn't die; they left Da Chu and went to the various heavens and myriad domains. A hundred years ago, the emperors of past generations, along with the Zhutian Jian Shen and many other experts, headed to Da Chu. They're on their way back now."

"So they're still alive— excellent!" the three kings exclaimed in unison, their eyes gleaming with excitement. "We lost to them in our past lives; in this one, we'll compete fiercely with them."

"That might be a bit difficult," Ye Chen said with a dry cough.

"How so? Underestimating us?" they asked.

"I'm just worried you three might get beaten," Ye Chen replied, scratching his ear.

"Who says we won't be the ones doing the beating?" the three kings snorted in unison.

"The Da Chu Nine Emperors are all, without exception, at the Quasi-Di peak level."

"Maybe we should just go look for the reincarnated ones!"

"Yeah, that sounds more reliable."

"Searching for the reincarnated ones is the priority," Ye Chen added, and with that, the three kings turned and left without hesitation, their departure as sudden as it was cowardly. So much for competing— not a chance against Quasi-Di peak experts, who were just a step away from becoming Di Jun. One of their farts could obliterate the three of them. How embarrassing.

"Based on my calculations, those three are total fools," Ye Chen muttered to himself, watching them dash off faster than rabbits, stroking his chin with a meaningful expression. Quite awkward, indeed.

In the blink of an eye, the three kings were gone, their speed impressive and their postures dramatically over-the-top.

Ye Chen shifted his gaze back to Hong Chen.

Hong Chen was truly like the rolling red dust— defying time and space, traversing reincarnation, his battered body and riddled memories long buried in the cycles of time.

For some reason, looking at his future self, Ye Chen felt a faint ache in his heart. The future Bahuang Zhan Shen was now nothing but a walking corpse. Was it the twilight of a hero, or the relentless cruelty of time?

In the future, he must have watched helplessly as his family, loved ones, disciples, brothers, and elders fell one by one in the starry sky, leaving him alone to fight on.

Ye Chen understood that pain better than anyone. He could almost envision the tragic scene: the white-haired Bahuang Zhan Shen, bearing the blood debts of the masses, embarking on a path to defy the heavens, all to fight for a future for posterity, even if it meant losing his most precious memories.

A gentle breeze blew, stirring Hong Chen's long hair and unsettling Ye Chen's thoughts.

Ye Chen turned away, gazing up at the vast starry sky, resolving to visit the Yao Chi Sheng Di. He might just encounter Chu Ling Yu there— as a disciple of the Zhutian Jian Shen, she was likely to go as well. If luck was on his side, he might even see Zhong Xiao Hong Chen Xue.

This was a love story spanning time and space. Whether it was Chu Ling Yu or Zhong Xiao Hong Chen Xue, he wanted to bring them this hope, so they could continue their destined bond in the red dust.

It wasn't until sometime later that Ye Chen abruptly turned back, sitting cross-legged beside Hong Chen and closing his eyes quietly.

The night remained peaceful.

The brilliant starlight continued to shower down on the two of them.

Who would have thought that Ye Chen from two different timelines would sit in the same small garden on this tranquil night— one clear-minded, the other dazed and lost? Yet their existence perfectly illustrated a tragic path: defying the heavens, only to grow old along the way.

Time slipped away quietly, passing through dawn and into another silent night.

Under the moonlight, Hong Chen's body trembled slightly, enveloped in radiant Xian Guang.

Ye Chen was startled awake, turning sharply, only to have his eyes dazzled by the Xian Guang from Hong Chen. Even with his cultivation, it left his vision blurred and his Shen Hai buzzing.

When his sight cleared, he witnessed an astonishing sight: the sealed Hong Chen had risen, ignoring the seal entirely, his entire form bathed in starlight, dazzling and radiant.

What was truly shocking was Hong Chen's cultivation— in an instant, he had advanced to Sheng Ren.

Ye Chen was stunned. Advancing from Zhun Sheng to Sheng Ren required surviving the Tian Ren Wu Shui Jie, yet Hong Chen had achieved Li Di Cheng Sheng, rendering the Tian Ren Wu Shui Jie meaningless for him.

Hong Chen moved, lifting his stiff legs and stepping out of the small garden.

Seeing this, Ye Chen used Shrinking Earth Into Inches to chase after him, reaching out to grab Hong Chen.

However, he was a step too slow. His hand hadn't even touched Hong Chen when Hong Chen had already escaped eight thousand zhang away, leaving only a fading shadow.

Without hesitation, Ye Chen pursued again, his deep eyes fixed firmly on Hong Chen ahead. For every step Hong Chen took, Ye Chen followed, afraid of losing him if he blinked.

What followed was bizarre: Hong Chen's body alternated between illusory and solid states. Each step he took was simple, yet he covered distances that even Ye Chen couldn't match, leaving Ye Chen struggling to keep up. In just three breaths, Hong Chen was far ahead.

Thus, the two sped on, one like Xian Guang and the other like Shen Mang, crossing mountains and rivers, traversing deep valleys and vast plains, adding two streaks of brilliance to the profound night sky.

It was clear that Ye Chen's proud speed was utterly outmatched by Hong Chen. As he chased, the distance between them didn't close— it only grew.

For three full days, neither stopped, crossing nearly ten million li of mountains and rivers. Even Ye Chen's powerful Huang Gu Sheng Ti blood began to wane from the pursuit.

As the gap with Hong Chen widened, Ye Chen's eyes turned blood-red. He had never found chasing someone so difficult. Hong Chen was incredibly elusive— always in sight, yet as distant as a dream, forever out of reach.

It wasn't until the fourth night that Ye Chen finally slowed to a halt, gasping for breath.

He didn't stop because he was tired, but because Hong Chen's figure had vanished from ahead. In the midst of the chase, he had simply disappeared, leaving no trace of his aura in the world, as if he had evaporated.

Nonsense!

Ye Chen cursed under his breath, swallowed a handful of Dan Yao, and began searching in one direction, calling out as he went. His voice, amplified by secret techniques, echoed endlessly, while his Shen Shi spread out infinitely.

This search lasted another three days. He didn't find Hong Chen, but he did locate several reincarnated individuals, whom he sent off to find others, spreading out for optimal results.

Ahead lay a mountain range, and Ye Chen dragged his weary steps into it.

Huh?

As soon as he entered, his eyes lit up— not because he found Hong Chen, but because of a reincarnated person.

In the distance, he saw a scholar carrying a book basket, seemingly passing through the mountains on his way to the capital for exams. The scholar was diligent, holding an ancient book and reading even as he walked.

The scholar appeared frail and delicate, almost petite, resembling a woman at first glance— or perhaps he was a woman disguised as a man.

"Reincarnated through past and present lives, and you still enjoy dressing as a man?" Ye Chen chuckled, his laughter tinged with weariness and complexity, as if recalling an ancient memory.

"Ye Chen, if there's a next life, will you promise me a lifetime of love?" As he looked at the scholar, those poignant words echoed in his ears, frozen in Dan Cheng two hundred years ago. It was a peerless woman named Ji Ning Shuang, the last to stand before him in the great battle against the demons, and the last to die in his arms.