Chapter 1537: A Grand Show

In the early morning, smoke rose gently from the kitchens of Shanhe Village, creating a scene of peace and harmony.

Laughter echoed endlessly as children played and toddled about with innocent, radiant smiles.

At the foot of the mountain, before a modest gravestone, the elderly cultivator who had been crying until his eyes were swollen red had now risen and was clearing the weeds around the grave.

The young child came to help, acting a bit clumsily and naively.

The old cultivator smiled and patted the child's head, treating him like family and relying on him for companionship.

Everything proceeded smoothly and orderly.

In the mountains, Ye Chen remained in a deep slumber, with drifting leaves covering his body as if to bury him.

"Wait until the Heavenly Demon rushes the Seven Sha, then it will be the time for all immortals to war against the heavens."

In the haze, an ancient voice seemed to echo in his ear, causing him immense pain.

As a light breeze brushed over him, he suddenly opened his eyes.

His face was pale, sweat beaded on his forehead, and he gasped heavily, as if he had just awoken from a nightmare.

After a few seconds of daze, he rubbed his brow fiercely.

Once his mind cleared, he recalled the Di Jue realm.

The ancient scenes were vivid: a powerful female emperor, Nü Di, was locked in a fierce battle with an unknown foe, the fight unimaginably brutal.

Even after waking, the sight of the emperor's blood splattering across the sky remained vivid and unforgettable in his mind.

He hadn't seen the end and didn't know if the Zhu Xian Sword had slain the Nü Di—everything was unknown.

That Nü Di was mysterious, not among the 130 emperors of Xuan Huang, and she had connections to the major forbidden zones.

This realm, from some unknown era, cast a fog over his wisdom, impossible to dispel.

"Di Jue, what is the true origin of your master?"

Ye Chen murmured softly, instinctively looking inward at his divine sea.

However, when he checked, Di Jue was gone.

He frowned, as its disappearance was unexpected.

From the time he obtained the first fragment of the broken piece until Di Jue became complete, over two hundred years had passed, and now it was simply gone.

He had thought Di Jue would bring him some opportunity.

But no opportunity came, and even Di Jue had vanished.

"It must have its own spirit and has likely gone to find its master."

Ye Chen shook his head silently, not forcing it to return.

Since it was the jade of an emperor, it was no ordinary existence. It had its own story and remembered the Nü Di's tragedy.

Slowly collecting his thoughts, he rose and walked toward the outside of the mountain.

Passing by the small grave, the old cultivator who was still tending it hurried over and knelt down with a thud.

The child, confused, followed suit and knelt as well.

"In the years to come, what are your plans?"

Ye Chen smiled, summoning a gentle force to lift the two of them up. Afterward, he handed the child a spirit fruit.

"Guarding my hometown and my parents."

The old cultivator gave a weary smile, tears in his aged eyes. "If I had known it would come to this, I never would have set foot on this tragic path back then."

Ye Chen smiled but said nothing, stepping into the sky.

Behind him, the old cultivator waved his hand, as if bidding farewell.

This was a karmic tie and a favor—Ye Chen had given him a chance and brought him back to his hometown.

Ye Chen soared through the heavens, following the map, heading east toward the nearest ancient city to continue his journey of seeking people.

After a quarter of an hour, he flew out of that barren land.

The world before him was now greener, teeming with life, lush and verdant, and the spiritual energy of heaven and earth was much denser.

Approaching a prosperous area, the number of cultivators increased as well.

Looking into the distance, divine rainbows filled the sky, each one a person—some riding flying swords, others traveling on clouds, and some mounted on spirit beasts. There were many of them.

These cultivators all seemed to be in a hurry, as if rushing to be reborn, each one frantic.

And their direction was remarkably consistent.

Ye Chen raised an eyebrow and casually grabbed a sleazy young man flying by. The young man's cultivation was not high, only at the Huang Jing level.

Flying along perfectly, he was suddenly yanked out of the air. The sleazy young man trembled in fear, looking at Ye Chen with terror.

"Is there some rare treasure about to descend?"

Ye Chen asked the sleazy young man with interest.

"N-no, it's not a treasure. It's... it's the Huang Gu Sheng Ti."

The sleazy young man stammered nervously, not daring to breathe loudly.

"Sheng Ti?"

"The enemies of the Sheng Ti have captured the Sheng Ti's old friends and locked them at the base of Zhutian Mountain—hundreds of them. They've declared that if the Sheng Ti doesn't show up, they'll kill one person every day until he's forced to appear. We're all heading to Zhongzhou to watch the spectacle."

Upon hearing this, Ye Chen's mind buzzed like thunder, and a killing intent surged. The heavens and earth froze with ice in response.

The sleazy young man's face turned ashen, all color draining away, as if he had fallen into the nine underworlds.

The passing cultivators were also affected by the spillover, plummeting from the sky in droves, unable to withstand Ye Chen's pressure.

"What strong killing intent."

Many cultivators felt a chill in their hearts, staring at Ye Chen in alarm. They didn't know who he was, only that he was incredibly powerful, his pressure making the heavens tremble.

Ye Chen was already on his way, his body like a streak of immortal light, racing straight toward the ancient city.

His killing intent could no longer be contained. His golden divine eyes blazed with cold light, filled with ferocity.

The might of the Sheng Ti was overwhelming, causing the void to rumble as he charged forward.

His speed was too fast; he didn't avoid the path, and the cultivators flying in the sky were knocked tumbling along his route.

It wasn't until some time later that he entered a vast ancient city.

"No sooner had I arrived than I heard people stirring up trouble for the Sheng Ti. That must be worth checking out."

Just entering the ancient city, Ye Chen was met with waves of discussions. The crowd was surging toward the city center.

"From what I can tell, this event will be even bigger. The ones who captured the Sheng Ti's old friends are all top-tier experts, with a massive lineup. The Sheng Ti is in grave danger this time."

"You're underestimating the Sheng Ti. He's a tough one."

"There's no guarantee the Sheng Ti will go. It's a death trap. If I were the Sheng Ti, I definitely wouldn't show up."

Amid the discussions, Ye Chen barreled straight through, knocking pedestrians on the streets head over heels.

Curses naturally followed, but when they saw Ye Chen's overbearing killing intent and pressure, everyone wisely fell silent.

At the front of the ancient city's transmission array, a long line had formed—all heading to Zhongzhou for the big show.

Ye Chen arrived and didn't wait in line; he stepped directly onto the stone platform.

"Go to the back and line up."

The guardian of the transmission array was a purple-robed elder, his tone gloomy and authoritative.

"Exactly, with so many people here, how dare you cut in line?"

Curses erupted from below, swelling like a tide.

"Get down here, you bastard, don't go looking for trouble."

"The old man has a bad temper—hurry up and line up."

Ye Chen ignored them completely and stepped into the transmission array.

"Hey, I've got a short fuse."

Someone lost their patience—it was a bald burly man who swung a palm at him.

This was a Huang Jing peak expert, his palm as heavy as a mountain, not holding back at all, intent on making Ye Chen pay for his arrogance.

Ye Chen said nothing and countered with a palm of his own, clashing directly.

Blood splattered as the bald burly man was sent flying on the spot, his body shattering and crashing into the pavilion opposite.

"A Huang Jing peak expert, taken down just like that?"

The people around were shocked, and many backed away in astonishment.

"Friend, you've broken the rules."

The purple-robed elder in charge of the transmission array snorted coldly and thrust a palm at him.

This man was no weakling, a Sheng Ren, far stronger than the bald burly man, confident in his own power.

Ye Chen still didn't speak, but his dominance was unmatched. He met the attack with the Ba Huang Fist, its power utterly supreme.

More blood sprayed as the purple-robed elder dropped to his knees on the spot, his arm turning to mist and his physical form collapsing.

Hiss!

Sounds of sharp intakes of breath filled the air as everyone paled.

That was a Sheng Ren! In just one exchange, he was utterly defeated. What was this person's cultivation? How could he be so strong?

"The Sheng Ti! He's the Sheng Ti."

In the midst of the shock, the purple-robed elder staggered to his feet, his old eyes bulging in disbelief as he stared at Ye Chen.

"Sheng Ti?"

That single phrase triggered cries of alarm from all around, with every gaze fixed on Ye Chen.

"It's really the Sheng Ti. He's actually in Xuan Huang's Northern Yue."

Everyone's expressions turned dramatic; they never imagined the main character of the Zhongzhou death trap would appear here.

"Disguised as an old man— no wonder we didn't recognize him."

The crowd collectively retreated, especially those who had cursed earlier, their faces turning pale and their hearts trembling.

The bald burly man who had attacked Ye Chen and the purple-robed elder in charge of the array nearly prostrated themselves, fearing retribution from Ye Chen.

The Sheng Ti was too formidable, his notorious reputation preceding him—a ruthless figure even the ten thousand races' manhunt couldn't eliminate. He was not to be provoked.

If the Sheng Ti went on a killing spree, no one here could survive. His combat prowess had surpassed certain limits.

However, everyone's worries were unfounded.

Ye Chen didn't settle scores or waste time on them. He had already activated the array himself, adjusting the spatial coordinates.

The transmission array hummed and spun rapidly, and he vanished in an instant.

After he left, the scene remained frozen for a long time, with no one moving.

It wasn't until much later that someone jumped into the transmission array. "Quick, quick, activate it. This time, there's going to be a big show."