Chapter 1712: Serious Miscalculation

Chapter 1712: Yan Zhong Shi Suan

Night had fallen, but the immortal mountains were far from peaceful. A layer of gloom shrouded the Qing Luan Clan, with shadowy figures darting through the virtual sky. Layer upon layer of barriers activated, and array after array awakened.

The scent of war and smoke had spread across the entire Qing Luan Clan. From the ancestors down to the disciples, everyone's faces were grave, as if the clan might be wiped out that very night.

Yet, the Qing Luan ancestor held onto a glimmer of hope: that scoundrel Ye Chen. His identity was extraordinarily special. Not just in the Zhutian, but throughout the entire Ling Yu, everyone owed him a debt of gratitude. He was the benefactor of all living beings.

In a moment of crisis, invoking him might offer a chance for survival.

In the pavilion, Ye Chen sat quietly in meditation, like an old monk in deep contemplation. The elegant Jiu You Xian Qu still echoed in his ears, ethereal and faint, as if only he could hear it.

He still didn't know where this Jiu You immortal melody originated. All he knew was that the tune was deeply sorrowful, carrying a thick wave of emotion that made him want to cry. His eyes were already moist.

Starlight spilled in through the window cracks, illuminating his white hair with a brilliant glow, though it couldn't brush away the dust of time. The years had stretched on too long; he had grown somewhat aged.

At some point, his Sheng Ti trembled lightly, and he suddenly opened his eyes. Two beams of divine light shot out, as domineering as thunder, with unmatched power, piercing two holes in the wall.

His eyes were as profound as the vast starry sky, encompassing heaven and earth.

As he listened to the qin melody, the last traces of confusion in his eyes dissipated. The haze vanished completely, leaving only clarity.

Whether it was the Zhutian Wanyu, the Yin Cao Di Fu, or the Liu Dao Lunhui, all his memories had returned in full.

He smiled, his expression tinged with world-weariness and many emotions. A whole millennium—how endlessly long, how utterly lonely it had been. Thinking back now, it still filled him with dread. If his Dao Xin had wavered even slightly, he might have been lost forever in the Liu Dao Lunhui, no different from death.

It truly was a cycle of reincarnation, so unreal, like a dream.

After steadying himself for a few seconds, he took out a storage bag. This bag was given to him by Di Huang when he entered the Liu Dao Lunhui, with instructions that he could only open it after passing through the six paths.

Inside, there were only two items: a jade slip and a jade bottle.

Ye Chen picked up the jade bottle and held it in his hand. It contained golden blood—more precisely, Di Huang's Sheng blood.

He wasn't surprised that Di Huang had given him the Sheng blood. To bring Di Huang out from the Ming Jie through Tong Ming, Di Huang's blood was an indispensable prerequisite for the Di Dao Tong Ming.

He stood up, his mind clear, and drew out a drop of the blood. Then, he pressed his palms together and rapidly formed seals. The drop of Di Huang's blood fell and merged into the ground.

"Di Dao: Tong Ming." He suddenly shouted softly, his seals locking in place as a mysterious force manifested.

The ground trembled, and a coffin slowly emerged.

It was indeed a coffin, but only about an inch of it protruded.

Ye Chen's face flushed red, veins bulging on his forehead, his eyes bloodshot and crimson, blood trickling from the corners of his mouth.

He was performing Tong Ming, but the coffin stopped rising after emerging just an inch from the ground, stuck in place.

"Come out!" Ye Chen roared lowly, gritting his teeth.

In that instant, the Sheng bones in his body fractured piece by piece, and his Sheng Ti began to crack, fresh blood spurting from the gaps.

In the void, it seemed a force was ravaging him. It was backlash—the backlash of Di Dao Tong Ming, incredibly terrifying.

If anyone entered now, they would be startled by his appearance. He looked like a blood-soaked figure, drenched from head to toe.

Yet, even so, the coffin refused to budge. It was just that one inch, trembling slightly but neither sinking nor rising, stuck there and causing frustration.

With a puff, Ye Chen spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed to the ground. The protruding coffin vanished without a trace.

A severe miscalculation—Ye Chen lay on the ground, coughing up blood. He had thought too simply, believing that mastering Di Dao Tong Ming and having Di Huang's blood would allow him to succeed. But he had overlooked one crucial point: Di Huang's cultivation level.

Di Huang was a Da Cheng Sheng Ti, on par with an emperor, like an eight-thousand-zhang mountain that an ant like him couldn't budge. It was all because Di Huang was too powerful, strong enough to make one's heart tremble. And because his own cultivation was too low, attempting Tong Ming at the Sheng Ren level was utterly impossible. His strength fell far short.

Forcibly trying had invited backlash, nearly destroying him. Thankfully, he had stopped in time; otherwise, anything could have happened. Was the Huang Gu Sheng Ti impressive? If it needed to be destroyed, it would be.

"How embarrassing." Struggling to sit up, the scoundrel wiped away the blood and stuffed a handful of pills into his mouth to heal his injuries.

The backlash from Di Dao Tong Ming was domineering; that force still rampaged in his body, making his wounds slow to heal. Helpless, he activated his Ba Ti to speed up the recovery.

The pavilion fell silent, filled only with the sounds of bones cracking and reforming as his powerful Sheng Ti gradually mended.

"He's settled down now." On Jie Ming Mountain, Ming Jue smirked. "Di Dao Tong Ming isn't something to mess around with."

"Shizun actually passed on this Di Dao immortal technique to Ye Chen." Bai Zhi sighed, taking it in stride without any jealousy.

"Senior, if he can't Tong Ming you, how will you return to Zhutian?" Chu Ling'er stopped playing the qin and looked at Di Huang with hope.

"Returning to Zhutian is easy."

"But you should prepare yourself. If I can't be Tong Minged, you can be."

"Tong Ming me?"

"Is that possible?"

"Of course it is." Di Huang smiled warmly. "The explanations for him are all in that jade slip. It won't take long."

As he spoke, he gently raised his hand and infused an Di Yin into Chu Ling'er's brow. "With this seal, if you're Tong Minged, you won't have to return. You can go back to Zhutian with him and grow old together."

Chu Ling'er's body trembled, her watery eyes instantly welling with hot tears. She had waited for this day as if for endless ages.

But she was also afraid—that even if Ye Chen learned the truth, he might refuse to Tong Ming her back, since he had already let go.

That act had been played too convincingly, truly hurting him deeply. Though it was for his own good, it had genuinely deceived him.

"Since you'll soon meet, you should be happy." Bai Zhi smiled lightly. "Who knows when we'll see each other again after you go."

Chu Ling'er cried and laughed, gently stroking her lower abdomen.

Meanwhile, Ming Jue rubbed his hands together, grinning at Ming Di. "Shizun, I want to go to the Ling Jie for a spin too."

"You've got your eye on that girl, haven't you?" Ming Di asked with interest.

"What girl? I want to go help Ye Chen." Ming Jue said righteously, his words earnest and convincing.

"I'm your shizun—do you think I don't know what you're thinking?" Ming Di chuckled, looking at his treasured disciple with growing amusement.

"Snagging a wife wouldn't be bad either." Ming Jue grinned.

"I knew it! That's why you've been cursing that Huo Feng Crown Prince." Bai Zhi rolled her eyes at Ming Jue.

"They just don't match." Ming Jue shook his head.

"You two don't match either." Bai Zhi retorted.

"Nonsense, we're a perfect match." Ming Jue straightened his collar and smoothed his hair, as if he were about to fan open a folding fan.

"Going to Zhutian for a turn isn't a problem." Di Huang smiled leisurely. "That's the true holy land of cultivators, full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers."

"Then I'm going too." Bai Zhi chuckled playfully.

"As you wish." Di Huang smiled and raised his hand, sending two Di Yin into Ming Jue and Bai Zhi's bodies.

"Immortal, could you trouble yourself to give my blood to Ye Chen?" Ming Jue took out a jade bottle and filled it.

Seeing this, Bai Zhi also drew some blood—Tong Ming required blood, after all.

"No need; that kid already has some." Ming Di said with a faint smile.

"He has? Where from?" Ming Jue and Bai Zhi were both stunned.

"From the battle at Xiu Luo Hai back in the day, he collected quite a bit."

"Including you two, the Ten Temple Yan Luo, and many Quasi Emperors. He's got quite the ambition—all thinking of Tong Ming them out for Ben Di."

"Truly planning to bring the entire Ming Jie army back in force!"

"Impressive." Bai Zhi and Ming Jue both grinned.

He knew so much! It turned out he'd planned it all out. If he Tong Minged them all out, Zhutian Wanyu would really liven up.