Chapter 1485: Life's Peak

People from all directions retreated, sighing and lamenting with lingering regret. They muttered to themselves in a daze as they went.

Looking once more at that stretch of heaven and earth, Honghuang Zhisen was no more. It had been reduced to a wasteland of scorched earth under the great chaos of the myriad races and the unprecedented divine punishment. Fresh blood stained the ground and splattered across the void.

This truly evoked a sense of melancholy. What should have been a harmonious gathering of the myriad races had, in just a single day, been struck by successive disasters, ultimately turning it into mere dust in the annals of history.

A gentle breeze blew, carrying a chill that stirred the drifting blood mist and added a mournful wail to the air. It was as if those buried in this land were settling into eternal rest along the river of time.

In the black hole, Ye Chen sat cross-legged, perfectly still, like an old monk in meditation. His demeanor was dignified and serene.

His shattered sacred body had regenerated, yet a fierce aura rampaged within him. This aura was intangible but more terrifying than any weapon of slaughter. Only those who had slain emperors possessed it, etched into their souls across lifetimes.

At that moment, he was striving to suppress the wounds of the emperor’s path. Strands of order and laws lingered within his body, seeking to bind his dao and destroy his dao roots—this was the backlash of the emperor.

This battle had been extraordinarily perilous. Four emperors had besieged him, a calamity of epic proportions. Had he not undergone another nirvana, he would likely have become nothing but ashes in the flow of time. The emperors’ laws had even overturned the great dao itself.

Yet, calamity was also opportunity. He had gained enlightenment on the edge of life and death, transforming through nirvana.

Just as he had once slain the Tianmo Di, he had touched realms beyond others’ reach, honing his mind and allowing his chaotic dao to evolve and transmute.

The black hole was windless, but his white hair drifted as if alive. Each strand was infused with the weight of ages, exuding an air of weariness.

Three days later, he finally opened his eyes. His gaze was as calm as an ancient well, clear yet tinged with turbidity. Blood trickled from his cracked lips—not from battle wounds, but from injuries tied to his life force.

“Completely advanced to Sheng Ren.”

He murmured softly, examining his body and primordial spirit inwardly. His ancient sacred body and innate primordial spirit had both reached the pinnacle of his cultivation journey.

Yet, he knew this pinnacle was merely an illusion. His life was like a stone thrown into the air, reaching its highest point before inevitably falling back to the earth.

He was fully aware of his situation, more so than anyone else. Like that stone at its peak, he was now on the verge of decline, a fate that could not be reversed.

Suddenly, he moved his fingers, performing the Zhou Tian evolution, secretly divining his own destiny.

As he had suspected, his lifespan was critically short, or rather, extremely limited.

Moreover, as he performed the Zhou Tian evolution, he could clearly sense his cultivation slipping slightly and his lifespan diminishing just as much, vanishing inexplicably.

It was just as Zhou Yi had said in the past: after reaching Sheng Ren, each use of Zhou Tian evolution came at the cost of lifespan and cultivation, until one became a powerless mortal, waiting for the end.

“I’ve never felt so helpless.”

Ye Chen shook his head helplessly, his eyes dimming with resignation. The one who had always defied fate had finally reached this point, and it had come faster than expected.

The Chaos Shen Ding seemed to sense his sorrow, hovering at his side and trembling with a low hum.

In the midst of the four emperors’ heavenly tribulation and divine punishment, it had undergone another transformation, successfully advancing to a quasi-Sheng Wang weapon. Its surface was now etched with profound and mysterious patterns, traces of the great dao, truly remarkable.

Ye Chen put away the ding and turned to leave the black hole, landing in the ruins of Honghuang Zhisen.

Honghuang Zhisen at night was not entirely deserted. Looking into the distance, one could spot a few figures here and there, each holding a divine lamp and searching intently, as if looking for something.

These individuals were not highly cultivated; the strongest among them was merely a quasi-Sheng. They moved cautiously, on edge as they searched.

Ye Chen didn't need to ask to know what they were after. The great chaos of the myriad races had claimed countless powerful lives and shattered innumerable artifacts. Those artifact fragments might mean little to the strong, but to these people, they were priceless treasures.

“This area is ours! You lot go search elsewhere.”

Voices rang out roughly, one after another—people staking claims and dividing territories to search more thoroughly.

This led to brawls among several small groups. They hadn't found a single treasure yet, but they had already started numerous fights, turning the supposedly quiet ruins into a noisy spectacle at night.

Ye Chen didn't leave. Instead, he walked toward one side, a jade bottle hovering above his head with a vortex at its mouth.

Wherever he passed, the blood essence lingering in the air and the fresh blood still wet on the ground were all drawn into the jade bottle—strand by strand, in various hues, dazzling under the night sky.

This was valuable indeed. The chaos of the myriad races had caused heavy casualties across many clans, including those with special bloodlines. Though they were dead, their residual blood essence remained, and when combined, it could forge new bloodlines.

He was collecting it likely for Man Shan. Man Shan’s bloodline had been devoured by the Jinwu, leaving him without bloodline power. By gathering this blood essence and refining it into him, it could help forge a new bloodline.

“It's just too brutal. A fine gathering of the myriad races turned into total chaos.”

Many treasure seekers were chatting as they searched, clicking their tongues in amazement.

“I heard there was even a heavenly tribulation from four emperors—utterly ferocious. That Huanggu Sheng Ti is incredibly defying.”

“What's the point of defying heaven? He still got wiped out.”

Many snorted dismissively, then sighed. “Such a hero would have become a great powerhouse in time, yet he couldn't escape the hidden fate decreed by the heavens.”

“Because of his death, the myriad races nearly went to war. Plenty of major clans showed up with their Jidao Di weapons. That massive standoff nearly scared me to death—thankfully, it didn't erupt.”

“Speaking of the Sheng Ti, it's such a shame. One appears only once in a hundred thousand years. What a waste! If we could find even a drop or two of Sheng blood, that would be a real find. Sheng Yuan blood would do too!”

“You're dreaming! He's been reduced to ashes—what's the use? Ah, forget about Sheng blood.”

Just as the treasure seekers were chatting excitedly, Ye Chen approached with the jade bottle overhead. Though he had concealed his aura, the pressure of a Sheng Ren was unmistakable.

“Even as a Sheng Ren, you're coming to snatch treasures from us small fries.”

Many grumbled inwardly, but they kept it to themselves—no one dared say it aloud, lest it invite disaster.

Whether Ye Chen had overheard their thoughts or simply found them irritating, he stopped as he passed by, his calm eyes fixing on a burly man.

The burly man froze, his hair standing on end, his heart pounding. He didn't dare move, his face paling under the weight of Ye Chen's presence. Was this Sheng Ren about to kill and rob him?

“Dao friend, would you sell the copper bracelet on your wrist?”

Ye Chen smiled faintly, his gaze briefly glancing at the bracelet, which bore an ancient character: Dunjia Tianzi.

“Sell, sell, sell.”

The burly man stammered nervously, not daring to breathe. He held up five fingers, but quickly thought better of it and lowered two, leaving three.

Ye Chen chuckled, tossing over a storage bag with one hand and taking the bracelet with the other. Then, he turned and walked away, the jade bottle above his head still trembling as it collected scattered blood essence.

Once Ye Chen was gone, the burly man let out a huge sigh of relief, as if he had escaped the gates of hell. When he peered into the storage bag, he froze. “Thirty... thirty thousand?”

Piles of source stones dazzled him. By the heavens, he had only meant three thousand with his three fingers—the bracelet wasn't worth more in his eyes.

“Senior, I have a pile of these bracelets. Do you want more? Just three thousand each.”

The burly man hurriedly followed, eager now that he knew their value—he wished he had worn a string of them on his arm.

Ye Chen heard him but didn't slow down. Not every bracelet caught his eye. If it hadn't borne the Dunjia Tianzi, he wouldn't have bothered glancing at it.