Chapter 1646: Not Enough?

Gui Quan Ming Jiang departed, nursing internal injuries and seething with fury.

He had thought a small bribe would easily get him the travel permit.

Who knew that Ye Chen, that wretched fellow, would suddenly appear and cause trouble, and the judge was protective, refusing to give him any face.

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became, his killing intent towards Ye Chen utterly unrestrained.

In the hall, Pan Guan wore a pained expression, genuinely regretting the loss of the Ding Wang copper furnace—it was a rare treasure, worth a fortune.

It was just bad timing that Gui Quan Ming Jiang had shown up.

It was also unfortunate that he and Ye Chen had crossed paths; if he had given the permit to Gui Quan Ming Jiang, Ye Chen, with his temperament, certainly wouldn't have stood for it.

In the end, everything fell through, a complete waste, like a cooked duck flying away.

"Big boss, your integrity and uprightness are truly heartening." Ye Chen remarked meaningfully, having stirred up quite a storm.

Pan Guan's forehead veins bulged with irritation; if it weren't for this guy, Ye Chen, he could have gotten that treasure. Now, it was gone.

"Alright, I've reached the Ming Jiang level. Give me the travel permit." Ye Chen pulled out his merit record booklet.

Pan Guan took it, curious to see how Ye Chen had accumulated his merits so rapidly, climbing without pause.

Flipping it open, even with his composure, he was instantly stunned.

"Killed one Nie Hai evil dragon, rewarded with one hundred merits."

"Killed one Nie Hai evil dragon, rewarded with one hundred merits."

"Killed one Nie Hai evil dragon, rewarded with one hundred merits."

The phrase was repeated over a dozen lines on the merit book.

Among them, there was even one Saint-level evil dragon—that was a ferocious beast, something even a Saint might not handle.

Yet, that terrifying evil dragon had been slain by Ye Chen.

What shocked Pan Guan the most were the two largest merit entries, both from the gambling arena, totaling three to four thousand merits.

He could imagine which unlucky arena master had lost that many merits—probably heartbroken to death.

"Monster." Pan Guan muttered, clicking his tongue in amazement, his gaze towards Ye Chen changing. Was there really a Huang Jing cultivator this formidable?

"Stop with the nonsense and give me the travel permit, quickly." Ye Chen reached out, eager to go see Chu Ling.

"Merits are sufficient, but is your cultivation level up to par?" Pan Guan scolded.

"How so? Huang Jing peak isn't enough?" Ye Chen was stunned.

"That's nonsense." Pan Guan shoved the merit book back. "With your cultivation, you can't even reach the Gui Wang divine position. Just having merits is useless—what's the point? Both need to meet the requirements."

"You're trying to fool me!" Ye Chen stared intently at Pan Guan.

"Have you ever seen a Ming Jiang at Huang Jing? Or a Gui Wang at Huang Jing?" Pan Guan glanced sideways. "I don't have time to fool you."

"Then, what cultivation level do I need to reach Ming Jiang?"

"Assuming merits are sufficient: Zhun Sheng advances to Gui Wang, Sheng Ren to Ming Jiang, Sheng Wang to Xuan Ming Jiang, Da Sheng to Di Ming Jiang, Zhun Di to Tian Ming Jiang, and Zhun Di peak to Ming Wang—that's the level of the Ten Halls of Yan Luo."

"Saint level." Ye Chen's mouth twitched, his expression extraordinarily vivid. When in the world would he reach that?

"A talent like you will rise to Ming Jiang quickly." Pan Guan patted Ye Chen's shoulder earnestly. "I keep my word—as soon as you reach Ming Jiang, I'll give you the travel permit."

"Then, can you let me go to Nai He Bridge first?" Ye Chen rubbed his hands, smiling at Pan Guan.

"No." Pan Guan refused outright, though he was grinning broadly.

"I'm done." Ye Chen's face darkened as he turned to leave.

"Don't you want the reward?" Pan Guan called out leisurely from behind.

"Reward?" Ye Chen's eyes lit up, and he quickly turned back.

"Accumulating merits quickly has its perks." Pan Guan laughed, pulling out a storage bag and tossing it to Ye Chen.

Ye Chen chuckled, catching it and opening it eagerly.

The rewards were indeed plentiful—twenty thousand Ming Shi alone, plus Ming Qi, secret scrolls, and pills.

"I knew it! You have to give some consolation." Ye Chen grinned, grabbing all the pills inside.

Then, he popped a handful of pills into his mouth, letting his Saint Body essence refine them into surging vital energy that merged into his body.

His aura climbed steadily, golden vital energy surging powerfully, making even Yan Luo Dian hum and vibrate.

"Desolate Ancient Saint Body." Pan Guan suddenly stood up, his eyes flashing with sharp divine light, his expression full of disbelief.

If Ye Chen hadn't revealed it himself, he wouldn't have known that Ye Chen possessed the Desolate Ancient Saint Body, the same bloodline as the emperor.

"No wonder he could slay so many Nie Hai evil dragons." Pan Guan's eyes narrowed into slits as everything clicked.

The Desolate Ancient Saint Body stood shoulder to shoulder with the emperor, not just in the mortal world but in the underworld as well—the emperor was the best proof.

A fully developed Saint Body could clash head-on with the Ming Di; in the entire underworld, only Di Huang could do it, with absolutely heaven-defying combat power.

Now, with a second Saint Body appearing in the underworld, how could he not be shocked? The emperor's special care made sense.

As he marveled, a soft pop echoed from Ye Chen's body.

He had broken through, advancing from Huang Jing peak straight into Zhun Sheng level, radiant golden light shining brilliantly.

With the cultivation breakthrough, a faint halo manifested above his head, forming the characters for "Gui Wang," appearing and disappearing.

That was the mark of the divine position—he was now a Gui Wang.

Pan Guan's expression was priceless; swallowing a dozen pills and breaking through just like that? How high was this guy's aptitude?

Ye Chen laughed, feeling utterly content; the breakthrough was a surprise, and the dominant power flowing through his body had grown immensely stronger.

"Truly a talent." Pan Guan smacked his lips, clicking his tongue nonstop.

"Got any more pills? Give me some." Ye Chen chuckled.

"Not even if I have them." Pan Guan replied bluntly.

"We've got money; let's go buy some." Ye Chen shook his head and strolled out, humming a tune—his cultivation breakthrough left him in high spirits.

Gazing at Ye Chen's departing figure, Pan Guan stroked his beard and said meaningfully, "Courting a girl really drives progress!"

"Zhun Sheng?" Outside Yan Luo Dian, cries of surprise rang out.

The two gate-guarding Gui Wangs stared at Ye Chen in astonishment.

He had entered as Huang Jing and emerged as Zhun Sheng?

And seeing the faint "Gui Wang" characters above his head, their expressions grew even stranger. Did he have that many merits?

"Hey, we're on the same level now. Be polite next time I come." Ye Chen smoothed his hair and stepped into the void.

The two Gui Wangs twitched their mouths—indeed, the three of them were now equals.

Leaving Yan Luo Dian, Ye Chen headed straight for Nai He Bridge.

His goal was simple: find all those who dared to court Chu Ling and bury them alive, beating them to death.

The underworld was full of mountain ranges, dark and gloomy, echoing with ghostly wails.

Passing by a ghost mountain, Ye Chen raised an eyebrow and paused in the void, watching a certain spot with interest.

There, a figure materialized, clad in black armor with surging vital energy—it was Gui Quan Ming Jiang.

"I've been waiting for you." Gui Quan Ming Jiang stepped through the air, baring his sinister fangs, his laugh eerie and terrifying. "You've actually advanced to Zhun Sheng—I really underestimated you."

"Since you're delivering yourself, I won't have to go looking." Ye Chen smiled leisurely, cracking his neck forcefully.

"Dare to oppose me, a Ming Jiang, and you'll die a horrible death." Gui Quan Ming Jiang shattered the void with a step, charging forward and forming a yin-yang hand seal, slamming it down from above.

"Who gave you that confidence?" Ye Chen sneered, gripping the universe in one hand and fusing various secret arts, unleashing a punch that shattered the eight directions.

Fist met palm, thunder exploded, collapsing that stretch of void; the ghost mountain below shook, sending rocks flying.

Ye Chen stood firm, unmovable as a mountain.

But Gui Quan Ming Jiang fared poorly—his palm exploded, blood and bone scattering as he was flung back dozens of zhang before halting.

"How is that possible?" His expression was one of shock, his dark ghost eyes bulging with bloodshot veins.

He was a full Ming Jiang at Sheng Ren level, yet defeated in one punch by a Zhun Sheng—utterly crushed in a single move.

"Fight me, and you'd better not get distracted—the consequences are severe."

As Gui Quan Ming Jiang reeled in shock, Ye Chen arrived in an instant, crossing the void and launching a barrage of punches without a word.

Gui Quan Ming Jiang reacted and retreated, but still got flipped by Ye Chen's punch, sent flying a second time.

This time, he flew farther, crashing into a mountain peak.

This time, he was more gravely injured—half his body mangled by Ye Chen, exposing black blood and bone, a ghastly sight.

"You deserve to die." Gui Quan Ming Jiang roared ferociously, bursting from the rubble with a war sword in hand.

One sword cleaved a river, splitting heaven and earth.

"You're far from it." Ye Chen met it head-on, his palm striking Gui Quan Ming Jiang off-balance, shoulder bone shattering as blood sprayed.

"Ah!" Gui Quan Ming Jiang's eyes turned blood-red, forcing himself upright against Ye Chen's palm, thrusting a divine light toward Ye Chen's forehead.

Ye Chen dodged with a tilt of his head, swinging his palm and slapping Gui Quan Ming Jiang squarely across the face.

Hey, that handsome face was smacked sideways.

Gui Quan Ming Jiang was furious, completely enraged, unleashing a forbidden art; a divine mark appeared on his forehead, his aura surging instantly.

His form changed too—his black hair turned blood-red, his body wreathed in lightning like writhing serpents.

"Activate as many forbidden arts as you want—I'll still take you down." Ye Chen shouted, striding through the void and soaring through the nine heavens, his afterimages filling the sky.

"I'll kill you for sure." Gui Quan Ming Jiang bellowed, forming seals with one hand as a vast black ocean manifested, churning with monstrous waves.

The commotion was massive—the black ocean blanketed the sky, plunging the already dim world into total darkness.

This secret art was indeed extraordinary, pulverizing the heavens inch by inch; anyone swallowed by it, even at Zhun Sheng, would perish.

But Ye Chen was an exception, a beast in human form.

He summoned two golden hands, tearing the ocean apart.

Gui Quan Ming Jiang suffered backlash, stumbling backward, spewing blood with each step, his body rupturing further.

Before he could catch his breath, Ye Chen was upon him, unleashing the Nine Divine Plagues—agonizingly effective.

Gui Quan Ming Jiang was dazed, his head buzzing as he wobbled in the void, his origin soul severely damaged.

Ye Chen went wild, pouncing and attacking relentlessly, secret techniques flying one after another, keeping Gui Quan Ming Jiang on the defensive.

When the rumbling finally faded, the battle ended.

Gui Quan Ming Jiang was defeated, sprawled in a perfect spread-eagle on the ground, unconscious and sealed by Ye Chen.