Chapter 1648: A Big, Bold Move

"Hurry up." As Ye Chen stood there in a daze, a shout came from nearby, from Niu Tou, and Ma Mian also scolded, pushing Kui Niu forward.

"Damn it, I'll walk on my own." Kui Niu cursed loudly, even in the underworld, his temper was as fiery as ever, with the stubbornness typical of those from Zhu Tian.

"How dare you act so arrogantly here." Niu Tou and Ma Mian snapped coldly, immediately raising their whips to strike Kui Niu.

However, their whips never fell—in fact, they were seized by someone, gripped tightly in one hand.

The one who acted was Ye Chen. He stepped forward in an instant, snatching the whips away and blocking Niu Tou and Ma Mian's path.

"Don't interfere with official duties. Get out of the way."

Ye Chen ignored them completely, only looking at Kui Niu. His eyes brimmed with hot tears, and his hands trembled as he grasped Kui Niu's shoulders.

"Old... Old Seven?" Kui Niu was stunned, his eyes bulging in disbelief as he stared at Ye Chen, thinking he must be seeing things.

"It's me."

"You're here in the Yin Cao Netherworld too." Kui Niu's massive body shuddered, and his huge eyes instantly filled with tears.

In the past, Ye Chen had slain the Tian Mo Emperor but perished in the starry sky.

As sworn brothers, Kui Niu had been overcome with grief and had crossed the stars to Da Chu's Zhu Tian Gate, which was Ye Chen's homeland.

But now, they met in the Yin Cao Netherworld. With his mind reeling, Kui Niu felt dizzy, unable to distinguish between illusion and reality.

The two embraced, sobbing uncontrollably. Though they had been separated for only a short time, it felt like an eternity. Both from Zhu Tian, they were like fellow countrymen meeting in the underworld—the depth of that emotion was beyond words.

"The time has come; it's time to go."

"To hell with that, get lost." Ye Chen roared, shattering Kui Niu's shackles and breaking his chains, his dominance absolute.

"How dare you disrupt the reincarnation process."

Ye Chen snorted coldly and threw a punch that shook the eight directions, sending Ma Mian flying. When Niu Tou lunged at him, he was knocked away as well, with overwhelming power.

Kui Niu was his brother; now that he was in the underworld, Ye Chen had to protect him.

Even if reincarnation was inevitable, it would wait until after they had caught up.

Even if reincarnation happened, Ye Chen would first help Kui Niu form a Yuan Shen, giving him an innate advantage in talent.

"Old Seven, you..." Kui Niu's face turned pale.

"Let's go." Ye Chen grabbed Kui Niu and soared into the virtual sky.

He moved like a divine ray, incredibly fast. Niu Tou and Ma Mian gave chase but were left far behind, forcing them to report to Yanluo Hall.

Ye Chen streaked past one ghostly mountain after another, flying at full speed for half an hour before landing in a dark valley.

"Don't worry about me. I can just reincarnate; don't get yourself into trouble."

"It's fine; I'll handle everything." Ye Chen smiled casually.

"I never imagined that we brothers would meet in the underworld. We all thought you'd vanished completely." Kui Niu said through tears, still hardly believing it.

"Don't talk about me—what about you? How did you die?"

"I fought someone and lost my life." Kui Niu sighed.

"Lost your life in a fight?" Ye Chen raised an eyebrow. "Among Zhu Tian's younger generation, few could kill you. Who was it? Nan Di? Bei Sheng? Xi Zun? Zhong Huang? Or Dong Shen?"

"It was Tao Wu."

"Tao Wu? The ferocious beast Tao Wu from Hong Huang?"

"The ninth prince of the Tao Wu clan." Kui Niu nodded slightly. "He's incredibly strong, strong enough to make one's soul tremble."

"The Tao Wu clan has been unsealed?"

"Not just them—many terrifying races from the Hong Huang era have been unsealed, like Qiong Qi and Tao Tie."

"They've sparked a massive chaos in Zhu Tian, causing countless people and innocent lives to perish."

"What about Da Chu? Has Da Chu been affected?"

"It was drawn into the war, but there were no substantial casualties."

"How is that possible?" Ye Chen clenched his fists tightly, his knuckles cracking. "With so many experts in Zhu Tian, how could they not hold them back?"

"You're underestimating the Hong Huang races. They were the first beings in the world, with bloodlines, physiques, and origins that absolutely suppress Zhu Tian. Out of the 130 emperors in Xuan Huang, sixty percent were born in Hong Huang—you can imagine how terrifying they are. They hold sixty percent of Zhu Tian's total power."

"If they have that kind of strength, where were they when the Tian Mo invaded?"

"The chaos lasted only a few days before it ended." Kui Niu continued. "Zhu Tian and the Hong Huang giants signed an agreement: the younger generation would compete, but the elders wouldn't get involved."

"Then what happened?"

"Zhu Tian's younger generation—all except the missing Dong Shen Yao Chi—were utterly defeated. That includes Nan Di, Bei Sheng, Zhong Huang, and Xi Zun, as well as the talents from your Da Chu."

"Did anyone die?"

"Wu Xiong was nailed to death on Zhu Tian Mountain; Chuan Shan Jia was refined into a shield; Bei Ming Yu was beheaded. Of our seven brothers, only Xiao Yuan Huang is still alive, but his cultivation was crippled."

"As for the others, Xie Yun's divine body exploded, and he fell into slumber; Di Jiu Xian's Yuan Shen was wounded with a Dao injury; Bei Sheng's Dao roots were damaged, and his cultivation plummeted; Nan Di had his bloodline stolen..."

"Our Zhu Tian prodigies—some defeated, some dead."

Kui Niu's voice was hoarse, and as he spoke, he let out a sorrowful laugh, tinged with self-mockery and helplessness.

Ye Chen fell silent, his eyes calm but wordless.

He hadn't known that after his death, Zhu Tian had undergone such upheaval, with his brothers and loved ones dead or maimed.

Kui Niu was lucky—he'd entered the underworld and could still reincarnate.

But the others? Most had likely dissipated completely from the world, never to be seen again in this life—a true farewell.

All of this was the fault of the Hong Huang races. They hid during the crisis, and once the Tian Mo were repelled, they emerged to cause bloodshed.

His anger toward them was no less than toward the Tian Mo.

His killing intent was uncontrollable, icy to the bone.

The world around them froze over, with terrifying killing energy rampaging everywhere, turning many wandering souls to ash in its path.

Suddenly, the heavens stirred with fierce winds, and void lightning thundered. A powerful pressure descended abruptly.

Ye Chen rose abruptly, narrowing his eyes as he scanned the surroundings.

Dark mist surged from all directions, and eight figures materialized together—all at the Great Saint level, the Xuan Ming Generals.

These eight stood like gods, perched in the virtual sky, gazing down with fierce, menacing eyes, exuding immense authority.

They certainly thought highly of him—sending eight Xuan Ming Generals, all Great Saints, just to capture a minor Quasi-Saint like him.

"You petty ghost king, what audacity to obstruct the reincarnation process."

Ye Chen suddenly spat blood, his legs bending under the pressure, nearly forcing him to kneel. The aura of a Great Saint was overwhelmingly powerful.

Kui Niu fared worse, almost having his soul scattered. If the eight Xuan Ming Generals hadn't held back, he would have been obliterated in an instant.

"Ye Chen, are you courting death?"

From the misty void above, a stern voice echoed—it was Pan Guan.

"He is my brother. I ask Pan Guan to show mercy and give us some time."

"Speak no more. Come to Yanluo Hall to see me."

At the command, the eight Xuan Ming Generals summoned iron chains, binding Ye Chen and Kui Niu, and dragged them straight to Yanluo Hall.

"Old Seven, I've gotten you into this mess." Kui Niu sighed.

"It's nothing; Pan Guan is reasonable." Ye Chen chuckled. As he said before, he didn't believe Pan Guan truly wanted to destroy him.

He was a valuable asset—even when the underworld collapsed, he wasn't punished. Clearly, he had worth to the underworld.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have defied authority so many times.

Soon, the two were brought into the grand hall of Yanluo.

Pan Guan sat at the head, with Hei Bai Wuchang standing by, and rows of Niu Tou and Ma Mian lined up, all with solemn expressions.

The gloomiest face wasn't Hei Bai Wuchang's, but Pan Guan's.

His subordinates had truly embarrassed him—first disrupting the cycle of reincarnation, then collapsing the underworld, and now blocking a soul's reincarnation.

If not for Ye Chen's talent and the emperor's instructions, Pan Guan would have struck him down long ago. All he did was cause trouble.

"I want to reincarnate."

"Whether you reincarnate or not isn't up to you." Pan Guan thundered, his face full of authority, making the hall rumble.

"Then who decides?"

"If Ming Di orders it, I will let you go."

"Then I ask Pan Guan to relay my request—I wish to see Ming Di."

"Insolence! Ming Di isn't someone anyone can see. Even the Ten Kings of Hell don't have that privilege."

"I was rash." Ye Chen coughed awkwardly. The Great Emperor was supreme; he had indeed overreached.

"Have you done few rash things?" Pan Guan snorted coldly, glancing at Kui Niu. "I don't care what your connection is. Since his name is in the Book of Life and Death, he must reincarnate. By stopping Niu Tou and Ma Mian, you've already delayed the timing."

"I dare to ask for some leeway—give us a little time."

"Nonsense." Pan Guan blew his beard in anger. "Meng Po lost her position because of you. Do you want me to lose mine too?"

"I don't care about that." Ye Chen outright played stubborn.

"I..." Pan Guan was about to erupt, but a faint voice whispered in his ear, making him stop.

That voice carried great authority, instantly easing his fierce expression.

He settled back into his seat and glared at Ye Chen with a dark face. "Three months—that's all you get. After three months, he must reincarnate. That's the absolute limit I'm granting."

"Thank you, Pan Guan." Ye Chen bowed gratefully.

"Get out! Leave now."

"I'm going, I'm going." Ye Chen laughed dryly, leading Kui Niu out of the hall. Three months was enough time for him to accomplish a lot.

"Is that it?" Kui Niu scratched his head, surprised at Ye Chen's influence—he'd even gotten Pan Guan to back down.

But how could he know that Pan Guan wasn't giving face to Ye Chen, but to the emperor? That faint voice earlier had come from the emperor.

Otherwise, things wouldn't have ended so smoothly. Even if they didn't kill Ye Chen, they would have made him suffer.

"Emperor! You don't have to scare people like that."

As Ye Chen's figure receded, Pan Guan wiped away cold sweat, wondering what the emperor had said to frighten him so.