Chapter 1508: Passing the Test

Chapter 1508: Sneaking Past the Barrier

The golden divine mirror pulsed with golden light, emitting brilliant divine rays that fell upon the Yin Ming Si Jiang.

Inside the cauldron, Ye Chen and Yan Long stood still, holding their breath. They weren't sure if the mirror would reveal anything; it was merely a test. If it succeeded, it would be a fortunate turn of events.

To their relief, the mirror showed no abnormalities and gradually withdrew its divine light.

However, the three Sheng Wang guarding the Chuan Song Zhen frowned slightly, having detected faint traces of deathly aura on the Yin Ming Si Jiang. It didn't belong to the living; it was more akin to the aura of the dead.

"How much longer are you going to stare?" Ye Chen spoke through the mouth of the Yin Ming Si Jiang, letting out a cold snort.

The three Sheng Wang didn't reply. They gave the Yin Ming Si Jiang one last look before activating the Chuan Song Zhen.

The Yin Ming Si Jiang stepped inside, its movements a bit stiff but steady and powerful.

The Chuan Song Zhen activated, and spatial forces surged. The Yin Ming Si Jiang vanished instantly within the array.

The three Sheng Wang still frowned, sensing something was off but unable to pinpoint it. They knew the Yin Ming Si Jiang was strange—lacking any aura of the living, yet able to speak and exude a powerful presence.

In the spatial channel, the Yin Ming Si Jiang stood tall and unmoving, like a spear planted there. Its cold aura made others in the channel keep their distance.

"Come, let's have two cups." Inside the great cauldron, Ye Chen had already taken out a wine pot and casually handed one to Yan Long. This guy even had the mood to prepare some side dishes.

"The mirror didn't detect anything, so we're good to go all the way out of the Nan Yu." Yan Long chuckled, in high spirits. He rolled up his sleeves and started guzzling, his nature as carefree as ever.

"Better to be careful and sail ten thousand years. Take it slow, as long as we avoid any mistakes." Ye Chen smiled, waving his hand over Yan Long to draw out a strand of fresh blood, which he infused into the Yin Ming Si Jiang. "It's a dead thing, after all. I'll use your blood to add a touch of vitality, just in case it raises more suspicions."

"So that's what you mean! Come on, have some more." Yan Long immediately extended his sturdy arm.

"Then let's have a bit more?" Ye Chen didn't hold back, reaching out and drawing out a clump.

He had to use Yan Long's blood because it carried the aura of the Sheng Ti. If the mirror caught that, it would definitely be exposed, which would be a real mess.

Naturally, Yan Long's blood also contained traces of Jin Wu and Kun Peng bloodlines, which Ye Chen stripped away. This was a critical time, so everything needed to be handled with caution—he was always one for prudence.

With more of Yan Long's blood infused, the deathly aura on the Yin Ming Si Jiang was greatly suppressed, replaced by more signs of life. This made the people in the channel look at it with strange eyes.

Only then did Ye Chen relax. He held the wine pot in one hand and the piece of Di Jue fragment he'd bought earlier in the other, fusing it with the Di Jue he already had, which emitted an unusual aura.

However, the Di Jue was still incomplete, missing a piece about the size of a pinky finger.

"Based on your estimate, how long until Da Chu returns?" Seeing Ye Chen focused on the Di Jue, Yan Long couldn't help but ask. "Honestly, I'm really starting to miss home."

"At least a hundred years." Ye Chen put away the Di Jue and gazed into the distance, his smile tinged with fatigue.

"I wonder if our comrades are doing okay." Yan Long hugged his wine pot and tilted his head upward, as if he could see through the vast ancient skies to that beautiful land of mountains and rivers—his homeland.

That single sentence plunged both into silence. In the cauldron, they passed the wine back and forth, reminiscing about their glorious past and cherishing those memories more precious than life itself.

The invasion of the Tian Mo had stained the beautiful land with blood and buried countless lives in catastrophe. The blood-soaked path forged by ninety million Da Chu cultivators was a testament to their loyalty to the common people and their Dao hearts.

They didn't know when, but eventually, the two used their magical power to dispel the wine's effects, as the channel was nearing its end.

When they reappeared, it was in a new ancient city, with dawn approaching. The city was bustling and prosperous.

Through the eyes of the Yin Ming Si Jiang, Ye Chen scanned the surroundings and noticed many hidden experts lurking in the shadows, including Sheng Wang and Da Sheng from the Jin Wu clan, Kun Peng clan, and Ba Qi Da She clan.

Ye Chen unfolded a map and marked it with a pen, plotting the shortest route out of the Nan Yu. If all went well, they could pass through this path in less than ten days.

He didn't head straight to the Chuan Song Zhen in the city center. Instead, he turned and entered a shop.

"What are you up to? Still in the mood to shop?" Yan Long couldn't help but interject.

"Just in case, I'm buying some Chuan Song Zhen platforms." Ye Chen replied casually. "If something goes wrong, we can use them to create an escape route. It won't waste much time."

"Chuan Song Zhen platforms are all one-time use; they break after activation, and their teleportation distance is pitifully short. They're only for escaping. Even ten platforms might not match one proper Chuan Song Zhen. Using them to build a road? You'd need a massive number."

"With enough of them, it's completely possible." Ye Chen laughed. "We've been sweeping through places on our way, so we've looted quite a few Chuan Song Zhen platforms already, though still not enough."

"What would you like, Dao You?" Outside, the shop owner had approached, smiling at the Yin Ming Si Jiang. He was a middle-aged cultivator with the cultivation of a Sheng Ren.

"Do you have Chuan Song Zhen platforms?" The Yin Ming Si Jiang spoke flatly, getting straight to the point.

"Of course." The middle-aged cultivator smiled. "We have low-grade, mid-grade, and high-grade ones. Low-grade can teleport fifty thousand li for fifty thousand Yuan Shi; mid-grade, one hundred thousand li for one hundred thousand Yuan Shi; high-grade, one hundred and fifty thousand li for one hundred and fifty thousand Yuan Shi. Which one do you want?"

"How many do you have? I want them all." The Yin Ming Si Jiang's tone was even, its expression unchanging.

"How many do you have? I want them all?" The middle-aged cultivator was stunned, thinking he'd misheard. He eyed the Yin Ming Si Jiang tentatively. "So many Chuan Song Zhen platforms won't come cheap."

"What's with all the nonsense? How many you have, I want that many." The Yin Ming Si Jiang responded with a stern tone.

The middle-aged cultivator felt a bit awkward, realizing this customer was no ordinary person, so he didn't ask more. He hurriedly turned and went into the back room. In less than ten breaths, he returned with a storage bag.

"That's all we have." The middle-aged cultivator said with a smile. "Two high-grade, six mid-grade, and plenty of low-grade—twenty of them. Total cost: one million nine hundred thousand Yuan Shi."

The Yin Ming Si Jiang didn't speak. It simply handed over a storage bag full of Yuan Shi, took the one from the middle-aged cultivator, and turned to leave, coming and going as swiftly as the wind.

The middle-aged cultivator watched with a puzzled expression. Chuan Song Zhen platforms were essential life-saving items, extremely precious and single-use. Most people could never afford even one, let alone so many.

The Yin Ming Si Jiang had already stepped into the noisy street, listening to the discussions around before entering another shop.

Chuan Song Zhen platforms were indeed rare; though the city had many shops, few carried them, and even those that did had very limited stock. They were all swept clean by him.

Only after buying the platforms did he head to the city center. As expected, besides the guards, there was also the golden divine mirror by the Chuan Song Zhen, radiating brilliant divine light.

The line was long, but Ye Chen and Yan Long weren't in a hurry, quietly waiting at the end.

Though the mirror was mysterious, it didn't uncover the secret of the Yin Ming Si Jiang. It was designed to target the Huang Gu Sheng Ti—specifically its origin, bloodline, primordial spirit, or Xian Yan.

Since the Yin Ming Si Jiang had none of these and now carried signs of life, it didn't arouse any suspicion.

Ye Chen and Yan Long bluffed their way through once again. Once in the channel, they pulled out their wine pots and started drinking.

Upon reaching the new ancient city, Ye Chen began sweeping for more Chuan Song Zhen platforms. He continued this pattern, crossing city after city while purchasing them along the way.

The journey was relatively safe, without raising any alarms—this was exactly what the two had hoped for.

Meanwhile, the Jin Wu clan and Kun Peng clan were getting anxious. The manhunt for Ye Chen had been ongoing for three days, yet they hadn't caught him or even glimpsed his shadow.

"Could it be that the Kong Que clan or Sheng Yuan clan has intervened?" Jin Wu Huang said coldly.

"The ancient cities around their territories are heavily guarded; Ye Chen couldn't possibly slip through." Kun Peng Huang pondered. "Unless he's flying and avoiding the Chuan Song Zhen altogether."

"Over five thousand races have sent experts to search, each carrying a Tian Ji Shen Jing. Even if he avoids the cities, he couldn't evade the search parties. Unless Kong Que Da Ming Wang or Sheng Yuan Lao Zu personally steps in to escort the Huang Gu Sheng Ti to their clan."

"That's unlikely." The ancient Xue Yan Huang said flatly. "All the clans are in the midst of self-sealing, with their ancestors personally managing the sealing arrays. They wouldn't bother with a single Sheng Ti."

"Or maybe Ye Chen has gone into hiding, concealing all his aura in a secret location."

"The Ji Dao Di Bing positioning will take some time to complete. Once it's activated, if he's still in the Nan Yu, he'll be impossible to escape from the clans' pursuit. No matter how capable he is, he won't break this encirclement."