Chapter 1409: Your Old Acquaintance

Blood flowed freely in the Yang Jia mansion, every corner stained crimson. Two Zhun Sheng Wang had fallen consecutively, the Sheng Ren were all dead, and most of the Zhun Sheng experts were eliminated. The remaining Huang Jing powerhouses were no match for Ye Chen, like ants before him. With a thunderous crash, the last peak of the Yang Jia collapsed, vanishing into the annals of history.

Unseen until then, Ye Chen emerged slowly from the Yang Jia, gripping his killing sword. His entire being was covered in blood—his hair, clothes, arms, and flesh. Fresh blood still dripped from the blade in his hand. He looked like a god of death stepping out from the underworld. Behind him, the Yang Jia mansion crumbled inch by inch into ruins, buried beneath the blood.

The onlookers were frozen with fear, their eyes wide in disbelief at the bloody scene. Was this still the Yang Jia? It was more like a hellish domain, utterly destroyed by a single god of slaughter, leaving not a single living soul.

The crowd instinctively retreated on both sides, clearing a path for Ye Chen. A single Zhun Sheng had annihilated an entire Yang Jia. If word of this spread, no one would dare to believe it.

"How clever of me to stay put." In a small tavern, a portly old man shivered uncontrollably. If he had foolishly rushed out to help earlier, he'd likely be chatting with the Yang Jia folks on the road to the underworld right now, and probably quite cheerfully at that.

He was truly grateful for his decision, especially compared to Kai Yuan Zhen Ren, who had clearly lost his mind. That fool had squandered his hard-earned cultivation in one go.

Ye Chen stepped into the transmission array once more. Before leaving, he couldn't help but glance toward the direction of the refining hell, as if he could see through the vast distance to that barren, lifeless scorched earth.

After he departed, news from Zhou Jia's ancient city reached this one: The Yang Jia's one Zhun Sheng Wang, six Sheng Ren, dozens of Zhun Sheng, and hundreds of Huang Jing experts had all been slain by a single Zhun Sheng. Along with them, a cultivator named Kai Yuan Zhen Ren had met a similarly gruesome end.

The people in the city gasped in shock. So, before destroying the Yang Jia, that monstrous Zhun Sheng had already wiped out two Zhun Sheng Wang in another ancient city. This record was enough to overshadow all rivals.

Now, the land within millions of li around was at peace. With the Yang Jia, that colossal power, eradicated, many families breathed a huge sigh of relief and laughed with unbridled joy.

Moreover, on the same day, elders from numerous families visited the Zhou Jia, all eager to forge connections. Because of Ye Chen, the monstrous Zhun Sheng, the Zhou Jia was on its way to becoming another terrifying giant.

The Zhou Jia was bustling with visitors, welcoming everyone without exception. This stroke of fortune had come so unexpectedly.

As the Zhou Jia enjoyed the excitement, Xu Nuo Yan and the four reincarnated individuals set out. As people of Da Chu, they too had a duty to search for their homeland's kin. They couldn't leave the burden solely on Ye Chen's shoulders.

That night, Ye Chen streaked across the starry sky like a divine light, adding a touch of brilliance to the heavens.

Since leaving the Yang Jia's ancient city, he had visited over a dozen ancient cities in succession, finding many reincarnated people and sending them out to develop separately. Yet, his journey remained one of solitude.

It wasn't until a night a month later that he stopped in a range of mountains. He hadn't wanted to pause, but the heavenly tribulation had struck again, more ferocious than ever, tormenting his body.

The mountains at night were not peaceful; Ye Chen's arrival stirred the demon beasts into unrest. The aura of the heavenly tribulation caused swathes of trees and flowers to wither one after another.

In a mountain cave, Ye Chen sat in meditation, no longer resembling a human being. His body was a bloody mess as the heavenly tribulation tore at every inch of his Sheng Ti, attempting to devour him time and again, but failing each time.

He remained there for three days, finally enduring the heavenly tribulation as his shattered Sheng Ti healed.

On the fourth night, he stretched lazily and stepped out of the cave, glancing at the hazy void above with eyes full of anger and resentment. The heavenly tribulation had tormented him for over two hundred years, turning it into an unending feud.

His defiance provoked the heavens' fury, thunder rumbling through the nine skies and shaking the very earth.

"Damn, is that rain coming?" Voices echoed from afar, drawing Ye Chen's attention.

It was a white-clothed elder accompanied by a white-clothed youth. The elder ignored the thunder in the nine skies, while the youth kept looking up repeatedly.

Ye Chen stood obediently on the mountain peak, behaving himself, for the white-clothed elder was a genuine Da Sheng, and he couldn't afford to offend him, or the consequences would be severe.

As they spoke, the white-clothed elder and youth soared through the sky, glancing at Ye Chen. Seeing he was only a Zhun Sheng, they quickly averted their gaze and headed toward the distant horizon.

Ye Chen cleared his throat and removed his bloodstained clothes, casually replacing them with clean ones.

Then, he pulled out a massive map and continued planning his next route for searching for people.

As he looked, his brows furrowed slightly. He instinctively glanced toward the edge of the sky, where another figure passed by—a black-robed person, a Zhun Sheng Wang cultivator.

"Fast on your feet, running this far." Ye Chen put away the map, cracked his neck with a grin, and smiled with what seemed like delight. He knew this person.

"Senior, your old acquaintance." He took out a divine talisman, which sealed a person inside—the elder from Tai Qing Gong, the black-clothed Sheng Ren who knew the secret art of Yi Tian Huan Di. Ye Chen had captured him long ago and kept him sealed in the talisman.

"You've sealed me for so long—finally letting me out?" The black-clothed Sheng Ren snorted coldly. "As I said, once Yin Zhong is destroyed, I'll hand over the full Yi Tian Huan Di technique."

"Well, here we are! Take a look—is that face familiar?" Ye Chen lifted a seal on the divine talisman, allowing the black-clothed Sheng Ren inside to see the outside world.

The black-clothed Sheng Ren narrowed his eyes and stared at the black-robed figure soaring through the sky.

"Yin Zhong?"

"That guy is covered in a black robe and using some profound secret art to hide himself—how did you recognize him?"

"I'd know him even if he turned to ash." The black-clothed Sheng Ren's old eyes gleamed with icy killing intent.

"What a deep grudge!" Ye Chen sighed in admiration and readily drew his killing sword.

Indeed, the black-robed person was Yin Zhong, the one Ye Chen had chased across the Xuan Huang Star Sea.

Tai Qing Gong was millions of li away, and it was a surprise to encounter Yin Zhong here. But since fate had brought them together, Ye Chen couldn't let him escape—it would save the trouble of hunting him down later.

He needed Yin Zhong's life to exchange for the Yi Tian Huan Di secret art from the black-clothed Sheng Ren.

A breeze blew, and Ye Chen stepped into the void space, stealthily flying toward Yin Zhong.

As for Yin Zhong, he was moving quickly, like a dark light, his old eyes glowing with a sinister gleam in the night, his entire body radiating cold killing intent—he had clearly slain many.

Hmm? Mid-flight, Yin Zhong frowned and suddenly halted, darting backward at full speed.

But he was still too slow. Ye Chen ambushed him with a sword strike, severing one of his arms. Yin Zhong dodged just in time; otherwise, that sword would have split him in half.

"Underestimated you." Ye Chen chuckled lightly, his voice echoing mysteriously through the surrounding heavens.

"Who are you? Show yourself!" Yin Zhong roared in fury, regenerating his severed arm and sweeping a palm across the void, shattering space and forcing Ye Chen out.

"Senior, long time no see!" Ye Chen landed gracefully, smiling at Yin Zhong.

"I have no grudge with you—why the ambush?" Yin Zhong gritted his teeth, glaring at Ye Chen without immediately attacking. He couldn't discern Ye Chen's cultivation or true appearance, but anyone who could sever his arm with one sword was no ordinary foe.

"How can you say there's no grudge?" Ye Chen removed his Gui Ming mask, revealing his sharp, defined features. "Have you forgotten the Xuan Huang Star Sea? We had quite the thrilling fight back then."

"You're Ye Chen?" Yin Zhong furrowed his brows, his eyes narrowing into slits.

"That's me." Ye Chen bared two rows of white teeth. "Senior must have missed me a lot."

"Good, very good." Yin Zhong laughed, his teeth gleaming white, his eyes flashing with malice, his face twisting into a demonic expression. "I've searched high and low, and here you are without any effort."

"Looks like you really missed me—and I missed you too." Ye Chen blew on his killing sword, then wiped it with his sleeve. "I've been looking for you for a long time."