Chapter 1590: Fuxi, the Human King

A new day dawned, casting a warm, auspicious glow over Da Chu. Having absorbed the origins of the heavens, the vast mountains and rivers teemed with vitality once more, and all living things revived, a scene of thriving life.

Below Tianxuan Gate, the cultivators of Da Chu had kept vigil through the night. Not a single eye had closed; they were still gazing upward into the ethereal mist, as if they would not leave until Ye Chen emerged alive.

"You promised to marry me."

Xiyan clutched her plain zither, her small hands clasped tightly in prayer. In her youthful form, her clear eyes, filled with a woman's tender affection, were blurred by tears that held only thoughts of Ye Chen.

"You have to live." Liu Ruyan, Shangguan Yuer, Biyou, and Lin Shihua were also praying. Never before had they felt such deep concern; that person was right above them, clinging to his last breath, on the brink of separating into yin and yang.

"Ye Chen's legend needs Ye Chen to continue it." Xie Yun, Situ Nan, and Xiong Er murmured softly, their fists clenched white within their sleeves. These loyal brothers had never felt so useless before. In his past life, they had protected him with their lives, only to burden him further, burying his prime years and leaving him scarred with pain.

"Child, come home. Open your eyes and see your home!" Yang Dingtian, Xu Fu, and Pang Dachuan, the elders among them, spoke in hoarse voices, silently praying to the heavens. They had heard of all the events across the myriad realms of Zhutian—each incident, each affair, carried a sense of solitude and sorrow. No one could have imagined the hardships that young man, once full of vigor, had endured over three hundred years in search of his reincarnated self.

"How dare you sleep, or I'll go after your wife myself."

Millions were praying, but one person was shouting and causing a ruckus, darting everywhere without pause. That was Xiao Lingwa, who had been cursing nonstop since arriving at Tianxuan Gate, not even stopping for a breath. It was only because Ye Chen's confidantes were too preoccupied to pay him any mind that he hadn't been throttled already.

Amid the crowd's watchful eyes, a brilliant immortal light streaked across the sky. Looking up, they saw it was Donghuang Taixin, carrying a young man in her hand. He was quite refined in appearance.

He wore plain clothes and white hair, dangling limply with his hands and feet, his robes somewhat disheveled, as if he had been beaten badly.

"I'm still a human king, after all. Don't treat me like this—it's so embarrassing." The young man looked utterly defeated.

"Still calling yourself a human king? You're something else!" Donghuang Taixin scolded. "Why run anywhere else? You had to come to Da Chu."

"These tribulation matters are unpredictable—who can say for sure? You can't blame me. Besides, I just regained my memories and hadn't even caught my breath before you dragged me here. Who am I supposed to complain to?"

"I'm not in the mood to listen. If you don't save Ye Chen today, I'll slap you to death." Donghuang Taixin said fiercely.

With that, Donghuang Taixin stepped into Tianxuan Gate. Seeing her return with someone in tow, the Nine Emperors of Da Chu and Jian Shen's eyes flashed with a glimmer of hope.

Donghuang Taixin was as bold as ever, tossing Fuxi to the ground. Once done, this woman instantly reverted to her ladylike demeanor, all because Zhutian Jian Shen was present.

Fuxi looked utterly wretched—such an indignity for the human king.

A hundred Zhundi surrounded him, scrutinizing Fuxi from head to toe. Their expressions were odd; most of them had seen the human king before, but this version didn't match their memories. How to put it? The Fuxi of old was godlike and ethereal, as serene as an ancient well, a true outsider immortal. But the one before them seemed completely unlike that—somewhat sleazy, like a petty thief up to no good.

For some reason, whether it was Jian Shen or the Nine Emperors, they all felt an inexplicable urge to beat him.

"This girl is really beautiful." Fuxi rubbed his hands, eyeing Yue Huang with a leering grin, his expression growing even more sleazy.

Yue Huang froze on the spot. Was she being flirted with?

The emperors of Da Chu, the Zhundi at their peak, and the supreme queen herself were all caught off guard for a moment. Meanwhile, Yanhuang and the other Da Chu emperors exchanged glances. Then, the emperors stepped forward and dragged Fuxi away.

Soon after, screams of agony like ghostly wails filled the air. No wonder he was the human king—even his cries were impressively bold.

Jian Shen cleared his throat, Dan Zun did the same, and the Zhundi of Tianxuan Gate followed suit, their mouths twitching with a mix of amusement and disbelief. Donghuang Taixin, on the other hand, looked eager to join in, but held back because Jian Shen was there.

Before long, the emperors returned, their faces beaming with satisfaction. As for Fuxi, he had been beaten to tears, his face swollen and bruised, blood streaming from one nostril, and footprints all over his body. He was truly subdued now; this group was ruthless—they didn't care if you were a human king or anything else; they'd beat you all the same.

"Come here." Donghuang Taixin yanked him over to Ye Chen's side. "There he is. Hurry up and save him."

Fuxi wiped the blood from his nose and began circling Ye Chen with his hands tucked in his sleeves. "Why does this guy look so familiar?"

"He resembles the Emperor Zun." Dan Zun spoke up.

"He's exactly like the Emperor Zun." Fuxi raised an eyebrow. "I thought he was just like the one from the Six Paths."

"So much nonsense." Donghuang Taixin snapped.

"Tch!" Fuxi shrugged it off and kept circling Ye Chen—two circles clockwise, two counterclockwise.

"Who came up with the Zhou Tian Evolution? What a waste of time!"

"Still an Huanggu Shengti, with Chen Zhan's origins and sacred bones. Hmm, no divine repository, but he has the Xian Yan of the immortal clan."

"Emperor's baleful aura, the fox's blessing, and he's unlocked the bloodline limit."

"Reverse-cultivated the Chaotic Dao, suffered more than one Dao injury."

"Gone to the underworld and even visited brothels—not a virgin."

As he circled, he muttered incessantly. The crowd fell silent, suppressing the urge to strike him. Even Yue Huang, who had been flirted with, said nothing, repeatedly eyeing Fuxi. This shady character—could he really save Ye Chen?

It wasn't until sometime later that Fuxi stopped circling, shaking his head without a word.

"What's with the head shaking?" Donghuang Taixin asked.

"If he had even a trace of cultivation, I could reverse the heavens for him." Fuxi sighed and shook his head. "But with only one breath left, even a human emperor might not be able to help."

"Stop beating around the bush, or I'll make you." Donghuang Taixin drew her killing sword, its blade gleaming sharply.

"I really can't do it." Fuxi hurriedly protested his innocence.

"You're the human king, aren't you? If you say you can't save him, who would believe it?" Donghuang Taixin said with a sly smile.

Her smile made Fuxi shiver all over.

"In one word, if you can't save him, you're not leaving." Zhan Wang cracked his neck, his domineering aura on full display.

"Well, there is a way." Fuxi suddenly cowered without warning, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "Borrow a life for him, and it can extend his years."

"Borrow a life?" The crowd frowned. "How does that work?"

"As the name implies, exchange one life for another—straightforward enough."

"So, you're saying any living person will do?"

"Do you think this is a game?" Fuxi glanced at them and tucked his hands away again. "There are conditions, and even with the exchange, he can only live for three years at most. Once those three years are up, I won't be able to save him."

"Only three years?" Everyone's faces darkened.

"Like I said, he has no cultivation." Fuxi shook his head. "Zhou Tian has severely damaged his fate. A mortal's soul can't withstand the strain; that's the root of the problem."

"It's because we were too late." The crowd was filled with self-reproach. If Da Chu had returned sooner, or if they had reached Ye Chen before his cultivation was depleted, things wouldn't have been so dire.

The hundred Zhundi grew angrier the more they thought about it, and Zhutian Jian Shen felt the same. Their anger was directed at the myriad realms of Zhutian and even the heavens themselves, for targeting him alone and leaving him so battered.

"Whether to save him or not is up to you all." Fuxi said leisurely. "You don't much time to decide."

"Save him."