Chapter 1490: Returning to the Old Profession

Beneath the dark night, Nan Tian Ancient City collapsed with a tremendous roar, burying everyone within and turning into a massive tomb.

He did not take the Zi Yi woman with him. Since her memories were not unlocked before her death, she remained unaware of Da Chu or her past events. Buried here, she could at least accompany her child and family.

In the biting cold wind, his white hair gradually transformed strand by strand into blood-red locks. Gripping the trembling, blood-dripping Chi Xiao sword, he exuded an overwhelming murderous aura, like a god of death emerging from Jiu You, making the heavens and earth wail in response.

He had no intention of getting involved in Nan Domain affairs again, but Jin Wu and Kun Peng had truly crossed the line.

To kill a thousand rather than let one slip away—this was an immense grudge. Even though the Huang Gu Sheng Ti was already dead, they still refused to spare his old friends and family, causing widespread suffering and unleashing a bloody catastrophe.

Her death left her eyes wide open in unrest, and it weighed heavily on his heart. Since the laws of this world were so cruel, his own heart should turn ice-cold as well. The path of the killing god would be paved with blood and bones.

In the pitch-black night, he walked until he suddenly vanished, pressing onward through the darkness.

As dawn approached, he finally stopped in a vast ancient city and headed straight to a shop.

"Fellow Daoist, you look unfamiliar."

The shop owner smiled awkwardly, subtly sizing up Ye Chen. His face was hidden behind a mask, making it impossible to see his true features, so of course he looked unfamiliar.

"Do you have the materials listed here?" Ye Chen handed over a large sheet of paper, which was covered with thousands of items: Hun Ling Si Yu, Yue Yang Shi, Tian Lu Xian, Yun Cang Jin.

Indeed, these were all materials for refining Yin Ming Dead Generals, and each one was of high grade.

He did not rush into a full-scale massacre, as the Jin Wu and Kun Peng clans were too powerful, with deep foundations and vast influence. Even with his strength alone, how many could he truly kill?

Thus, he needed assistance, and Yin Ming Dead Generals would be a good choice. Earlier, in the ancient ruins, he had collected bodies of many powerful experts, including Great Saints and Saint Kings.

The higher the level of the Yin Ming Dead General, the more demanding the materials required. Along his journey, he had gathered quite a few, but he was still far from complete, and some were extremely hard to find.

The main issue, however, was not just the materials—it was the lack of time. Most of his energy had been spent searching for reincarnated individuals. Now, with Jin Wu and Kun Peng causing havoc, he had finally resolved to make them pay a heavy price, but that required enough time.

With sufficient time, he could create an army of Yin Ming soldiers. As the saying goes, open attacks are easy to defend against, but hidden arrows are hard to guard. With a formidable Yin Ming army, he would have the confidence and leverage he needed.

He did not expect to wipe out the two clans—his power alone could not achieve that—but justice must be served, and blood debts repaid in blood. The two clans had to pay the price in kind.

The shop owner took the paper and glanced over it, furrowing his brow. "Fellow Daoist, our shop only has a few dozen of these materials. They're not cheap, as they're rare and hard to come by."

"A few dozen it is, then. I'll take as many as you have."

"As many as we have?" The shop owner paused, thinking he might have misheard. "These materials are indeed expensive. If you want them all, it'll cost at least five million Yuan Shi."

"Money isn't an issue. Please hurry." Ye Chen's eyes remained calm, without a ripple.

"Very well." The shop owner gave a dry laugh and turned to go inside, not daring to delay. As a Saint-level cultivator, he couldn't see through Ye Chen's true appearance, so he suspected he might be dealing with a senior expert.

He was efficient, returning in less than a minute with a large storage bag, which he handed to Ye Chen. "This is all we have. I hope you understand."

"Thank you." Ye Chen accepted the storage bag and handed over another containing five million Yuan Shi. Then, he turned and left as quickly as he had come, leaving no trace behind.

"How strange." Watching Ye Chen's departing figure, the shop owner scratched his head. But seeing the storage bag in his hand, his mood instantly improved. He hadn't expected to make such a big deal right after opening the shop—five million Yuan Shi was no small sum.

The streets were bustling with people, and Ye Chen passed through lightly, his expression unchanging from start to finish.

He visited shop after shop, buying up any materials he found without hesitation. Money truly wasn't a problem; from his history of plunder, he possessed an unimaginable fortune.

After searching this ancient city, he headed straight to the next one, checking them one by one.

For over a dozen days, he continued like this, visiting over a hundred ancient cities and tens of thousands of shops, until he had spent every last Yuan Shi he had, not a single piece left.

Not only Yuan Shi, but he also sold off many magical artifacts, yet still ended up with nothing.

However, his efforts were not in vain—he managed to gather materials for over a dozen sets. But that was far from enough; he still needed much more. The most frustrating part was being out of money; he needed more Yuan Shi to buy materials.

With no other choice, he went to find Xiao Yuan Huang and Kui Niu and their group, hoping to borrow some Yuan Shi to tide him over.

He had considered robbing Jin Wu and Kun Peng, but that would tip them off, which was not what he wanted. He needed to refine the Yin Ming Dead Generals for a swift, thunderous strike.

He also thought about allying with the Kui Niu clan and Dou Zhan Sheng Yuan clan, but that was essentially impossible. Such large clans wouldn't go to war over him, especially against Jin Wu and Kun Peng.

The Jin Wu and Kun Peng clans had both produced Great Emperors and possessed ultimate emperor weapons. No clan could completely destroy them, and none would dare lightly engage in war with them.

In the end, this was a personal grudge, and he didn't want to drag the Kui Niu clan or Dou Zhan Sheng Yuan clan into a conflict. Once war broke out, it would engulf the entire Nan Domain and lead to countless unnecessary deaths.

In a mountain range, Xiao Yuan Huang and his companions arrived. Seeing Ye Chen, they couldn't help but grin.

"The Peacock Ming Wang said you left, so where the hell did you pop up from?""I missed you all!" Ye Chen laughed and pulled out wine flasks, handing one to each of them."Cut the crap." Xiao Yuan Huang pursed his lips. "You must have something up your sleeve.""We're brothers—spit it out." Kui Niu draped an arm over Ye Chen's shoulder and winked. "Did you fall for some princess or something?""Loan me some money." Ye Chen chuckled awkwardly. "I'm broke and need you big brothers to help out.""That's easy; we've got cash." Wu Xiong slapped his chest. "How much do you need?""Ninety million.""Damn, are you still asleep?""Wait, ninety million each.""Holy crap, I need to take a piss." Da Di Wu Xiong chickened out and turned to leave. Xiao Yuan Huang and Kui Niu and the others did the same, scampering away like cowards, each one slipping off smoothly."Where do you think you're going?" Ye Chen hurried after them, blocking their path, with black lines crisscrossing his forehead. "Is this how you treat your brother? Borrowing Yuan Shi isn't like asking for your lives.""Come on, Old Seven, that's way too much." The six scoundrels grimaced, looking as if they'd eaten something foul. "Five million each? Are you trying to buy a Quasi-Emperor weapon?""Three hundred million wouldn't even get you a Quasi-Emperor weapon." Ye Chen took a swig of wine. But speaking of Quasi-Emperor weapons, he actually had one—Fen Ji, the life weapon of the Blood Robe Quasi-Emperor. Back in the ancient ruins, after defeating the Blood Robe Quasi-Emperor, it had fallen into his hands.

He did have a Quasi-Emperor weapon, but he couldn't use it. The weapon spirit was too ferocious and hard to refine; if he tried to wield it in battle, it might backfire on him.

Inevitably, as Ye Chen's expression grew darker, Xiao Yuan Huang and Kui Niu and the six scoundrels shook their heads, their faces all saying the same thing: No money, but we've got lives to give.

"If you're not lending, that's fine. Just get me a hundred sets of these materials." Ye Chen pulled out the large sheet of paper again, with its thousands of items neatly listed, leaving Xiao Yuan Huang and the others dazzled.

"Compared to five million, gathering these materials might be easier." They stroked their chins thoughtfully. Though precious, their clans' treasuries were vast and stocked with all sorts of treasures.

"I'll wait three days. Hurry up." Ye Chen said, handing each of them a sack."You got it." The six didn't hesitate and vanished in an instant. As Ye Chen's brothers, they knew him well—he needed money and materials for something big.

It's worth noting that before leaving, they all gave Ye Chen a meaningful look.

Although Ye Chen hid it well, they could still sense the suppressed murderous intent and killing energy deep within him. They didn't ask; if he didn't say, there must be a reason.

After they left, Ye Chen didn't idle. He found a cliff, carved out a cave, set up barriers and formations to seal the entrance, and concealed the aura there.

Once done, he waved his hand to produce a body—it was a Saint King-level corpse from the ancient ruins, belonging to some unknown force, but its combat strength in life had been decent.

He summoned his immortal fire and heavenly thunder, enveloping the Saint King-level body. Before refining the Yin Ming Dead General, he first tempered the corpse to maximize its strength.

Next came the various materials, which he sent flying one by one into the Saint King-level body.

Calculating the time, it had been a while since he last refined a Yin Ming Dead General, but his technique was still skillful, even more advanced than the methods of the former Ming Wang. He had grasped the essence of it.

However, this time the Yin Ming Dead General was of a much higher level, and he had never refined one like this before. The pressure was immense, rivaling that of refining an eight-pattern pill.

Everything proceeded smoothly, and divine light gradually appeared on the Saint King-level body.

As night fell, Ye Chen withdrew his divine powers. Before him stood the Saint King-level corpse, its expression blank and eyes hollow—a true puppet without emotions.

Or rather, it was now a genuine Yin Ming Dead General, a real Saint King-level one.

Ye Chen didn't pause to admire his work. He took out another Saint King-level corpse and repeated the process: tempering the body and integrating the materials.

By dawn, another Yin Ming Dead General was complete. By nightfall, the third one emerged.

For three days, he didn't rest at all. Until the fourth morning, he finally sat down exhausted. Refining such high-level Yin Ming Dead Generals had drained even his robust vitality.

His achievements were commendable—in three days and nights, he had successfully refined six Saint King-level Yin Ming Dead Generals, one per day and one per night.