Chapter 1517: Farewell

The Yao Zu Sheng Wang remained silent, his bloodshot eyes fixed on the large iron pot nearby. The water inside was boiling vigorously, emitting a rich aroma as it cooked his own body. He was boiling with rage.

What a sight it was, watching his own flesh being boiled. It was easy to understand his state of mind. These individuals before him were truly like monstrous fiends, making him clench his teeth in hatred.

"Answer my question." Ye Chen said calmly, holding up Xiao Chen's portrait and suspending it before the Yao Zu Sheng Wang. "What is this person's background, and why is your Yao Zu clan pursuing him?"

"If you release me, I will tell you." The Yao Zu Sheng Wang replied coldly, stubbornly defiant.

"Always preferring the difficult path over communication." Ye Chen scoffed, placing his palm on the Yao Zu Sheng Wang's crown and activating a soul-searching secret technique to forcefully extract his memories.

However, to his frustration, he discovered an ancient seal on the Yao Zu Sheng Wang's primordial spirit.

This ancient seal blocked his soul search. In fact, if he forced it, the Yao Zu Sheng Wang's primordial spirit would shatter, and his memories would be lost entirely.

"You are more troublesome than I anticipated." Ye Chen withdrew his divine ability, and the half-dead Yao Zu Sheng Wang, overwhelmed by the effects of the soul search, collapsed into unconsciousness. He was then shoved back into the large cauldron.

"This fellow looks so familiar!" Kui Niu sidled over, stroking his chin as he stared at the wanted poster in Ye Chen's hand, scrutinizing Xiao Chen's portrait.

"Boss, your memory is failing you. That is the Lei Ting Zhan Ti." Da Di Wu Xiong glanced at the portrait and recognized it immediately. "We fought him once back in the day. He is incredibly resilient."

"It completely slipped my mind." Kui Niu slapped his forehead. "No wonder he seemed familiar!"

"Lei Ting Zhan Ti?" Ye Chen raised an eyebrow. "What kind of bloodline is that? I have never heard of it."

"It is understandable if you haven't. Not many people know about it." Xiao Yuan Huang was chewing on a piece of dragon meat as he spoke. "You have heard of the Hong Huang Zhan Ti, right? The Lei Ting Zhan Ti is one of its branches."

"Hong Huang Zhan Ti." Ye Chen's heart stirred. It was a supreme bloodline from the primordial era, with an ancient lineage and overwhelming power, even surpassing the Huang Gu Sheng Ti.

The god of war, Xing Tian, was a Hong Huang Zhan Ti, the foremost figure below the great emperors and a mythical existence.

As a branch of the Hong Huang Zhan Ti, this bloodline was undoubtedly formidable. Ye Chen felt a sense of pride—his homeland of Da Chu had produced another remarkable figure. Xiao Chen's combat prowess must be extraordinarily dominant.

"From the look on your face, is this fellow related to you?" Everyone turned to Ye Chen.

"He is indeed a good brother of mine." Ye Chen smiled leisurely. "Treat him with respect when you see him later."

"Absolutely no problem. He shall be our eighth brother." Kui Niu grinned shamelessly.

Da Di Wu Xiong and Xiao Yuan Huang exchanged excited glances, their eyes gleaming with anticipation. They could hardly wait to track down the Lei Ting Zhan Ti and form a blood brotherhood pact. The blood ritual would surely be thrilling.

Seeing their enthusiasm, Ye Chen couldn't help but smirk. This group of brothers were all like wild beasts—if they encountered someone with a powerful bloodline, they would likely be unable to resist sampling some blood.

The dragon meat in the pot was fully cooked, so the group stopped their chatter and gathered around the iron pot, the aroma of wine permeating the air.

Ye Chen did not join them. Instead, he used a secret technique to awaken the Yao Zu Sheng Wang for further questioning.

The Yao Zu Sheng Wang awoke, but he was disoriented, his divine sea buzzing and his head throbbing as if it might explode. It was only because he was at the Sheng Wang level that he endured it—if he were a Zhun Sheng Wang, the soul search would have been fatal.

"If you refuse to speak, I will eventually find out." Ye Chen's voice was icy as he stared directly at the Yao Zu Sheng Wang. "You can resist, but I will make you speak in the end."

"He is the Lei Ting Zhan Ti." The Yao Zu Sheng Wang relented, believing Ye Chen could make his life a living hell. "He killed three of our clan's princes, enraging our Sheng Zhu. That is why we issued the order to hunt him."

"Have you found him?" Ye Chen's gaze was sharp, causing the Yao Zu Sheng Wang to tremble all over.

"We tracked him from Bei Yue to Zhongzhou, then lost his trail. We heard he came to Xi Mo, so we chased him here." The Yao Zu Sheng Wang explained, his eyes dimming.

Ye Chen asked no more. With a wave of his hand, he sealed the Yao Zu Sheng Wang into the Hun Chao Ding. A sense of worry crept into his heart.

The Yao Zu clan was no ordinary group—it was one of the ancient nine clans, with deep foundations, Zhun Di protectors, and emperor weapons. If they pursued Xiao Chen relentlessly, tragedy could ensue.

As he pondered, Ye Chen suddenly felt his Xian Yan tremble. The curse from the nine emperor weapons had vanished.

This surprised him. He had been puzzling over how to break the curse, and now it had lifted on its own.

The sudden joy caught him off guard. He sensed his pupil power rapidly recovering, a surge of immense strength making his eyes glow brightly. His trump card was back, boosting his confidence.

Amid the delight, he felt puzzled. Emperor weapon curses did not disappear without reason. "Could they have assumed I am dead and withdrawn the curse to avoid damaging their emperor weapons?"

"We are heading back." While Ye Chen was lost in thought, Kui Niu and Xiao Yuan Huang's group had already stood up in the distance, each looking up at the southwestern sky with an enigmatic expression, as if deep in contemplation.

Ye Chen's train of thought was interrupted, and he turned instinctively. "Heading back where?"

"Our families are all returning to their ancestral lands." Kui Niu and the others explained, sitting down again. "Just as we mentioned earlier, they are self-sealing themselves away—who knows when or if they will return."

"Ancestral lands?" Ye Chen furrowed his brow. "So, your families are not native to Xuan Huang?"

"Of course not." Xian Wang He smiled. "Our ancestors all came to Xuan Huang in ancient times. They only return to their ancestral lands during catastrophic events, like this time with the family self-sealing."

"The ancestral lands are deep in the starry skies, or rather, in the cosmic borderlands." Bei Ming Yu chimed in. "Even we do not know the exact location. The distance is incredibly vast."

"It is not just us. Many forces on Xuan Huang Continent, like the ancient nine clans, the Xian clan, and the Feng Huang clan, are not native either. Their ancestral lands are also in the depths of the stars."

"The Jin Wu clan and Kun Peng clan have probably returned to theirs too. Your crisis is temporarily resolved." Xiao Yuan Huang chuckled. "The universal manhunt is over, so you will not be under their thumb anymore."

"No wonder." Ye Chen stroked his chin, murmuring to himself. "No wonder the seal on my Xian Yan has been lifted. It must be connected to their return to the ancestral lands. What a pleasant surprise."

"Even without our families' support, we can still make our mark." Kui Niu raised a large wine jar. "This is our chance for tempering. Our brothers' names will echo across all of Xuan Huang."

His words instantly energized the atmosphere, with the brothers sharing a heartfelt bond.

Ye Chen felt a deep sense of admiration for Kui Niu and the others' resolve. As heirs to great clans, they chose to venture out alone instead of retreating with their families, knowing Xuan Huang was full of dangers.

This was likely what their elders wanted—to grow through trials and tribulations, emerging stronger amid chaos.

By dawn, the group finally rose unsteadily, dispelling the effects of the wine, and stepped into the sky.

As the sun rose, the seven of them returned to Ci Bei City. The morning streets buzzed with discussions about yesterday's events—the seven monstrous fiends had pulled off quite a feat.

"Finally, we have made a name for ourselves." Xiao Yuan Huang smoothed his monkey fur, walking with extra vigor.

"Stick with the seventh brother, and you will have endless chances to show off." Da Di Wu Xiong said with a meaningful smile.

"Honestly, being the boss feels a bit awkward." Kui Niu scratched his head vigorously.

"Enough small talk—what are your plans?" At the teleportation array, Ye Chen stopped first and looked at Kui Niu and the others with interest. "No sappy goodbyes. Let's keep it straightforward."

"I am heading to Dong Huang." Chuan Shan Jia smiled. "I will check out the most beautiful woman there, then cross the Xuan Huang Star Sea to the Eastern Starry Sky for a long adventure."

"We are going the opposite way, to the Western Starry Sky." Xian Wang He and Bei Ming Yu linked arms, their personalities perfectly in sync. "We haven't left Xuan Huang yet, so it is time to see the world."

"We are off to the north." Xiao Yuan Huang slung his Wu Jin iron rod over one shoulder and draped an arm over Da Di Wu Xiong's. "The Northern Starry Sky should be lively. We have to go stir things up."

"What about you?" Ye Chen grinned at Kui Niu. "You are not going home, right? How about the Southern Starry Sky?"

"Do not joke around—I have serious business." Kui Niu cracked his neck. "I came to Xi Mo for Xi Zun. That guy beat me up plenty of times. I am going to make him regret it."

"Perfect, we will go together. We can check out Wang Chuan if we have time." Ye Chen laughed.

"In that case, farewell for now. The paths of the jianghu are long, my friends."

"Let us just go—stop with the emotional stuff." Before Xiao Yuan Huang and the others could finish, Kui Niu kicked each of them into their respective teleportation arrays. "Trying to make me cry? What are you thinking?"

"We love the boss's style." Xiao Yuan Huang and the rest entered different arrays, waving back at Ye Chen and Kui Niu without turning around. "Until we meet again, each cherishes the other."

"It is a bit sentimental, is it not?" Ye Chen was fine, but Kui Niu seemed on the verge of tears.