Chapter 1425: I Am Guilty

Chapter 1425: I Have Sin

Ah!

Dan Zun Shen Zi's screams echoed through the heavens and earth. His yuan shen was destroyed, and his physical body withered away.

He was terrified, truly terrified this time. Even before his life was fully extinguished, he felt as if he had been dragged into Jiu You Di Yu. Though filled with anger, he couldn't hide the fear in his heart, for one foot was already in the gates of the underworld.

Only now did he understand what regret truly meant. He regretted scheming against Ye Chen, regretted provoking the Shen Nv of Dan Zun Dian, and thus bringing calamity upon himself, even risking his life and everything he had.

Hong Chen Xue showed no pity for his screams as she seized Dan Zun Shen Zi's zhen huo.

It wasn't that she was overly ruthless; it was simply that Dan Zun Shen Zi's previous actions had crossed not only Ye Chen's boundaries but hers as well. If he were left alive, he would surely become a future threat.

So, she hardened her heart, just as in her past life when Huang Sheng Zhu was cold and unfeeling, decisive in killing. For the sake of her homeland's people, she didn't hesitate to bear the sin of executing her own Shen Zi.

The screams eventually faded away. The mighty Dan Zun Shen Zi turned to dust in the wind.

His death was utterly frustrating. If he had been killed by Ye Chen, that might have been acceptable, but he met his end at the hands of his own Shen Nv. He might not have been the most formidable Shen Zi in Xuan Huang, but he was certainly the most absurdly killed one.

“I could have handled it for you, so why did you have to do it yourself?” Ye Chen sighed and transmitted his voice.

“Even if I eliminated him, I’m still the Shen Nv of Dan Zun Dian.” Hong Chen Xue replied with a smile, “Before my master returns, Dan Zun Dian won’t dare touch me. But it’s different for you.”

“Will Dan Zun come back and strike me down with a single palm?” Ye Chen couldn’t help but cough awkwardly.

“You have quite the nerve.” As soon as she emerged, the two Da Sheng of Dan Zun Dian sealed her in place, their eyes blazing red with anger. “He was the Shen Zi of Dan Zun Dian—how could you bring yourself to do it?”

“The deed is done. Do you two elders intend to take my life in retribution?” Hong Chen Xue responded calmly.

“We...” The two Da Sheng trailed off, unsure of what to say. They didn’t have the audacity to demand the life of the Dan Zun Dian Shen Nv in exchange, even for such a grave offense. As long as she remained the Shen Nv, no one except Dan Zun himself could harm her.

“I have sinned, and I admit it.” Hong Chen Xue spoke leisurely, “But you two elders are no different. Things escalated to this point because you indulged the Shen Zi too much. If you had lifted the seal earlier, none of this would have happened. That’s the price for ignoring me as your Shen Nv.”

“You...” The two Da Sheng were flushed with embarrassment but had no retort. The Shen Nv was right—they had spoiled the Shen Zi and treated her like a mere figurehead from the start. They had underestimated her ruthlessness and coldness, which far exceeded their expectations.

“The sin is mine to bear.” Hong Chen Xue transmitted her words, “You two elders should know when to adapt. The Shen Zi is dead, and as the Shen Nv, I’m the only one left to inherit Dan Zun’s legacy. Of course, you could also try to destroy me and use my life to answer to Dan Zun.”

“Shen Nv, forgive us—we were rash.” The two Da Sheng quickly changed their expressions. Having lived for thousands of years, they knew how to discern the situation. Their role wasn’t to accuse her but to protect her at all costs, for in the future, Dan Zun Dian would be her domain.

“Return to Dan Zun Dian.” With the seal released, Hong Chen Xue stepped into the void. Before leaving, she glanced back at Ye Chen. She knew of his mastery of tian dao escape and had no need to worry.

The two Da Sheng of Dan Zun Dian hurriedly followed, already formulating their excuses in their minds. No matter what, they had to safeguard the Shen Nv—she was their future pillar.

Watching the three depart, sighs and tuts of amazement rose from behind.

Especially among the younger cultivators, they thought to themselves that they must mend relations with their own Shen Nv upon returning, lest she one day turn on them as well. Today’s events were a bloody lesson.

Once the people from Dan Zun Dian had left, all eyes turned to the jie jie. Ye Chen hadn’t gone yet; he was still inside, shaking his head as if nothing had happened.

A swarm of Da Sheng rushed over, surrounding the jie jie so tightly that not even a drop of water could pass through. If they had known Dan Zun Shen Zi couldn’t kill Ye Chen, they wouldn’t have wasted so much time.

“Holy Lord, aren’t you going to use tian dao to escape?” Seeing Ye Chen targeted, the purple-haired youth and the bald old man in the Chaos God Ding urged him anxiously, “This isn’t a joke.”

“If I escape now, it won’t be long before over a hundred factions join forces to hunt me down.” Ye Chen replied leisurely, “I don’t want to live in constant fear and secrecy.”

“So, Holy Lord, you plan to fake your death?” The two probed, looking at Ye Chen.

“I doubt anyone would bother hunting a dead man.” Ye Chen smiled slightly, stepped out of the Jiu Xiao Jie Jie, and exposed himself fully to the range of the Da Sheng’s killing intent.

“Coming out on his own—clearly asking for death!” Ye Chen’s action caused an uproar at the scene.

“Even if he didn’t come out, he wouldn’t survive.” The older cultivators sighed, “With this lineup today, even Jiu Xiao Zhen Ren can’t protect the Holy Body. Whether he dies now or later, the outcome is the same.”

“Kill!” The Da Sheng charged from all directions with palm strikes, sword beams, killing formations, and magical tools, sweeping down like a tidal wave and shattering the void.

Ye Chen lifted his gaze slightly and glanced at the sky. In the instant the deadly techniques were about to hit, he activated tian dao and vanished into a space black hole, evading the catastrophic assault.

However, the overwhelming attacks didn’t dissipate just because he disappeared; they continued to crash down. The already ravaged patch of heaven and earth completely collapsed under this barrage.

When the smoke cleared, all that remained was drifting blood mist, with no sign of Ye Chen.

At the sight, sighs echoed from all sides. The Huang Gu Holy Body, which appeared only once every hundred thousand years—an unmatched existence in its realm, with bloodline rivaling that of emperors—had been extinguished in such a tragic manner.

In contrast, those Da Sheng grinned maliciously, and the Shen Zi of the Feng Huang Clan were even more unrestrained in their laughter. Watching Ye Chen’s destruction brought them unprecedented satisfaction.

“Ye Chen.” Xiao Jiu Xian called out, her voice choked with tears, her eyes brimming.

“He actually bore the Six Paths Immortal Eyes.” Jiu Xiao Zhen Ren murmured to himself. While the Da Sheng-level figures were oblivious, as a Zhun Di, how could he not see through it? He had uncovered Ye Chen’s secret.

“What a oversight.” Jiu Xiao Zhen Ren shook his head with a smile, sheathed his immortal sword, and led Xiao Jiu Xian away step by step. Their figures gradually faded from view until they vanished completely.

“The grand spectacle is over.” The onlookers dispersed one after another, their sighs and murmurs filling the air.

“Let’s go.” The Da Sheng of the Feng Huang Clan, Shen Clan, and Yao Clan turned abruptly, with other factions following suit. The crowd scattered like a tide, disappearing in all directions.

The vast expanse of heaven and earth was left in ruins, with blood mist drifting in the eerie silence.

In the space black hole, Ye Chen had already removed his bloodstained clothes, washed himself, and changed into fresh attire. He even smoothed his hair as he muttered, “Clever me, dodging another disaster.”

“Now that the world thinks the Holy Body is dead, you can roam freely again, Holy Lord.” The purple-haired youth and the bald old man emerged one after another from the Chaos God Ding, grinning mischievously.

“I really enjoy you two’s style.” Ye Chen glanced at them, then pulled out numerous storage bags—all spoils from the battle. True to form, he never forgot to collect treasures amid the fight.

“What about Zhong Xiao predecessor? Will Dan Zun Dian execute him?” The purple-haired youth and the bald old man squatted in front of Ye Chen, hands tucked in their sleeves, “Killing their own Shen Zi is no small crime.”

“No need to worry about her—she’s fine.” Ye Chen replied casually while sorting through the treasures, “She’s the Shen Nv of Dan Zun Dian; no one dares touch her except Dan Zun himself.”

“That puts our minds at ease.” The two relaxed, knowing that if Ye Chen said so, it must be true.

“Take whatever catches your eye.” Ye Chen was generous, piling up the treasures from the storage bags into a mountain—magical tools, secret scrolls, formations, and source stones, all in abundance.

“How could we?” The two said, though they each grabbed a large storage bag, like massive sacks, and started taking whatever they saw without a hint of politeness.

“I’m truly gratified.” Ye Chen remarked meaningfully with a glance, then focused on studying the small Mo Ding he had bid on at the auction. He used immortal fire to refine a drop of mo blood from within.

After swallowing that drop of mo blood, he waved his hand, bringing out the other four small Mo Ding.

As the five small Mo Ding came together, they began to hum in unison, circling each other as if excited, all radiating mo light and weaving faint, ancient visions.

It was a land of mo soil, like a real world with towering mo mountains, roaring rivers, and boundless vastness. A colossal, heaven-piercing figure stood there, inspiring awe.

“What place is this?” Ye Chen stared until his eyes stung, and two streaks of fresh blood seeped out.

Even he was affected this way, so the startled purple-haired youth and bald old man fared worse. Just one glance left them bleeding from seven orifices, their divine seas roaring, as they clutched their heads and groaned.

Ye Chen abruptly closed his eyes and sealed one of the small Mo Ding into the Chaos God Ding.

With one missing, the faint ancient visions dissipated into nothingness. The remaining four small Mo Ding retracted their mo light and fell, which Ye Chen sealed one by one.

Only then did he open his eyes, placing one hand on the purple-haired youth’s shoulder and the other on the bald old man’s, channeling his ben yuan power to soothe their backlash.

After a long while, the two finally regained consciousness, their expressions filled with lingering terror from what they had glimpsed.

Ye Chen withdrew his hands, his brows furrowed slightly. Even just the visions had caused such terrifying backlash, confirming that the Mo Yuan was a Zhun Di—and an extraordinarily powerful one at that.

As for that mo soil, it undoubtedly had a significant origin, closely tied to the Mo Yuan and these five small Mo Ding. He just didn’t know what it truly represented.

“Holy Lord, what was that exactly?” The purple-haired youth and the bald old man asked in confusion.

“I don’t know.” Ye Chen shook his head, activated tian dao, and led the two out of the space black hole.