Chapter 1740: Find a Place to Drink!

"I'm getting a bit impatient," Ye Chen said, taking a deep breath.

For some reason, a hint of nervousness filled his heart. The spiritual contract had been sealed, and he could be summoned back to the Various Heavens at any moment.

Returning to his homeland, how could he not be excited? He missed home dearly.

To others, it had only been a year or two since his death, but for him, over a thousand years had passed.

The journey had been so tiring, his heart had grown weary, and he longed to return to his roots like a fallen leaf.

Beside him, Qing Chuan's eyes sparkled, and he rubbed his hands together in eager anticipation. He seemed even more excited than Ye Chen.

Just imagine, if Ye Chen returned, the Various Heavens would surely erupt in chaos.

Qing Chuan didn't even need to see it to know how wonderful the expressions on everyone's faces would be.

There were also the princes of the Primordial Great Clans, each acting arrogantly, having bullied everyone around and caused countless bloody disasters. Ye Chen, the Desolate Ancient Sacred Body, would become their nightmare.

The more Qing Chuan thought about it, the more thrilled he became, already picturing the scene in his mind.

As he thought, he couldn't help but laugh, burying his head and chuckling to himself. The others all raised their eyebrows: This guy must be crazy!

Qing Luan coughed dryly and kicked Qing Chuan aside.

Qing Chuan felt embarrassed; he had to admit, he was a bit too excited.

The mountain peak was not entirely peaceful, with people arriving one after another, both men and women, none of them with particularly high cultivation—the strongest was only at the Saint level.

They came from various clans, like Qing Chuan, staying in the Various Heavens as spiritual beasts, and had all returned not long ago.

When they saw Ye Chen, they were so excited they nearly knelt down.

The Sacred Body Ye Chen was already known to be dead throughout the Various Heavens and Ten Thousand Domains, and the legends he created still echoed across the starry sky.

But who would have thought that the Sacred Body was still alive, and in the Spirit Domain no less?

Not long ago, he had defied the heavens by slaying a Half-Emperor. A Half-Emperor was still an emperor, so in this life, he had slain three emperors.

To see this legendary figure in person was a stroke of immense fortune.

Ye Chen smiled and didn't waste time, asking each of them about their hosts, hoping they might be acquaintances.

Regrettably, he didn't find any; he hadn't heard of a single one.

Qing Luan was very efficient, collecting detailed information on all their hosts and handing it to Ye Chen, so he could search for them later.

For safety's sake, they would bring those hosts back to Great Chu first, then perform the spiritual summoning to avoid any accidents on the way.

"Stay with my clan for the next few days and don't go out unnecessarily," Qing Luan said with a smile. "We need to borrow your spiritual contracts."

"Understood." Everyone nodded busily, all of them beaming.

"Being around Sacred Body Ye Chen for a while will give us so much face when we go out."

"I appreciate that kind of attitude," Ye Chen said deeply.

"Kid, go ahead and leave with peace of mind. I'll take care of your wife for you." Ming Jue patted Ye Chen on the shoulder, flashing a grin with his two rows of white teeth. Though he was smiling, it looked anything but normal.

"Since we're about to part ways, let's find a place to drink!" Ye Chen said meaningfully, wrapping an arm around Ming Jue's neck and dragging him along, whether he wanted to or not, straight into the depths of the mountain peak.

Soon, screams echoed out, like ghosts wailing and wolves howling, full of dominance.

Looking into the distance, the mountain peak where they went was rumbling loudly.

It was Ye Chen showing his might, grabbing Ming Jue by one leg and slamming him into the ground repeatedly. Not to boast, but he was slamming him with full force.

Everyone's mouths twitched, especially the spiritual beasts, their hearts pounding. They didn't need to see it; just hearing it hurt.

They had heard that Sacred Body Ye Chen had a bit of a temper and would fight at the drop of a hat. Today, they saw it was true to the rumors.

As for Chu Ling, Bai Zhi, and Qing Luan, the three women were surprisingly in sync, each holding a small mirror and only focused on fixing their hair.

For some reason, listening to those screams made them feel inexplicably refreshed.

It was just joyful, just wanting to laugh—what a strange thing.

Not long after, Ye Chen strolled back unsteadily, the word "satisfied" written all over his face, big and bold.

As for Ming Jue, he had just returned from the gates of the underworld and was now snoring away, hung up in a tree by Ye Chen.

After that little interlude, everyone dispersed from the mountain peak, leaving the final time for Ye Chen and Chu Ling.

The mountain peak became quiet, turning into their private world, undisturbed.

Outside, it was extraordinarily lively. The Various Heavens Spirit Realm had proactively announced to the Spirit Domain that they were honoring Sacred Body Ye Chen as the Holy Lord of the Spirit Realm.

As soon as this news spread, the Spirit Domain was shaken, and people from all sides came to pledge allegiance.

No one from any clan opposed it, and it even drew in many scattered cultivators. The Spirit Domain's cohesion reached its peak because of Ye Chen.

The next day, the reincarnated people in the Spirit Domain gathered at the mountain peak.

Ye Chen personally cooked, preparing tables full of exquisite delicacies.

The scene was emotional, with tears and laughter, as they talked about past events, reminisced about glorious years, and looked toward their homeland in Great Chu.

Here, there were no Holy Lord and subordinates, only people from the homeland.

Fortunately, all the reincarnated ones were still alive. Once Ye Chen returned to the Various Heavens and found those hosts, he could summon them.

Night gradually deepened, and the people from the homeland drank until they were dead drunk, arms around each other's shoulders, staggering down the mountain, full of weariness.

"Are you excited?" Chu Ling asked, linking arms with Ye Chen and batting her beautiful eyes innocently, smiling like a young girl unaware of the world.

"Excited," Ye Chen said, laughing as he gazed into the void, his expression weathered, as if he could see through the endless haze to the mountains and rivers of Great Chu.

The starry sky of the Various Heavens and Ten Thousand Domains was still so vast and profound.

The flowing sands wandered, drifting into the depths, with no beginning and no end, forming star rivers that witnessed the changes of the seas and mulberry fields.

Stars twinkled with light, outlining beautiful scenes.

In the starry sky, a graceful figure moved silently, dressed in white robes, with white hair and a white cloak, surrounded by fairy mist and radiant immortal light.

She was truly like a fairy descending from the heavens, untouched by mortal affairs, free from worldly dust, radiantly elegant and purely sacred.

This woman, upon closer inspection, was indeed Ji Ningshuang.

Her face was peerlessly beautiful, yet haggard, with tear stains at the corners of her eyes. Her delicate body was frail, her eyes dim, evoking a pitiful sorrow.

Having broken her seals, she had finally left the River of Forgetfulness and the Mysterious Wasteland.

She wandered like a lost soul, not knowing how long she had roamed, wanting to return to Great Chu, but that land no longer had anyone named Ye Chen.

Before an ancient star, she stopped, standing still for a long time.

This ancient star was far from the prosperity of the Various Heavens, infinitely close to the edge of the universe. It had living beings, but they were all ordinary mortals.

"Hua Fan Star," she murmured softly. She had never been here before, but it was marked on the star map in her divine sea.

Its name, Hua Fan, truly meant ordinary, with no trace of cultivators.

She stepped inside. The three hundred years of her past and present lives had been so draining; she wanted to hide away here, away from the world's troubles.

She would give birth to her child here and live as an ordinary person.

On the highest peak of Hua Fan Star, she gently landed.

The ancient star was not large, but it had towering mountains and flowing rivers. At the foot of the mountains and along the rivers, there were small villages.

Everything was simple and ordinary, peaceful and serene.

As she watched, a sudden cold wind raged, carrying Primordial aura, violent and bloodthirsty, with rolling dark clouds shrouding the vast sky.

Ji Ningshuang turned back, looking toward the empty sky behind her, where a figure materialized—an elder in a long, flowing robe.

He was a Quasi-Emperor, with blood-red hair billowing, his vital energy surging. His old eyes were crimson, deep and boundless, like dark abysses.

"Tao Wu Clan," Ji Ningshuang frowned. Since leaving the River of Forgetfulness, she had heard the most about the Primordial Great Clans, and the Tao Wu Clan was one of the most terrifying among them.

"I was just passing by, but I never expected to encounter the Yao Pond Immortal Body. What a stroke of luck," the blood-haired elder licked his lips, his expression greedy and ferocious, his eyes flashing with lewd intent.

"The Various Heavens and the Primordial have a truce agreement. Are you trying to ignite the flames of war again?" Ji Ningshuang said.

"Secretly eliminating you—who will know?" The blood-haired elder sneered, reaching out with a withered hand to suppress her.

A Quasi-Emperor's palm was terrifyingly powerful, and the heavens were already collapsing under it.

Ji Ningshuang's expression turned grave. She wanted to escape, but she was already locked in place by the Quasi-Emperor's aura, unable to move.

However, in that instant, a crystalline jade hand suddenly appeared out of nowhere, from some distant era, slapping toward them.

On the spot, the blood-haired elder was sent flying, flipping eight hundred zhang away. His domineering body exploded, nearly being obliterated.

Ji Ningshuang was astonished; she never expected such a powerful cultivator—a Quasi-Emperor, and a terrifying one at that—on this small ancient star.

"Who are you? Come out!" The blood-haired elder roared in fury, transforming into his true form, a massive beast, with violent energy surging. His blood-red eyes stared fixedly at a section of the sky.

His roar went unanswered, and another crystalline jade hand struck from afar, dazzling and sacred.

This palm was even more domineering. The blood-haired elder, who had been acting so arrogantly, was instantly struck back into human form.

Fresh blood rained down, spilling across the sky and staining the heavens red.

This time, the Tao Wu Clan's blood-haired elder cowered. Without a second thought, he turned and fled. Clearly, he was no match.

"Thank you for saving me, senior," Ji Ningshuang bowed and paid her respects to that direction. This was a life-saving favor.

There, a woman in green robes appeared, approaching slowly, her steps mysterious, as if walking on the river of time.

Her body had no immortal light surrounding it; she was plain and ordinary, with no trace of cultivator aura, like a mere mortal.

Ji Ningshuang could see that she had returned to her natural state. With just two palms, she had nearly destroyed a Quasi-Emperor; she must be an incredibly powerful master.

As for her appearance, it was absolutely stunning, perfect and flawless. Her clear eyes made everything in the world seem dim in comparison.

The woman in green reached her, but in Ji Ningshuang's eyes, she felt more distant than a dream, something longed for but unattainable.

"Heaven's Punishment," the woman in green said lightly, her expression indifferent, her voice like heavenly music. Her eyes quietly gazed at Ji Ningshuang's lower abdomen, seeing through it at a glance.

"Di Xuan," Ji Ningshuang murmured softly, staring blankly at the woman in green, her gaze fixed on the imperial mark on her brow. That was an imperial pattern, representing one's identity.

"The sister of the Immortal Martial Emperor?" Ji Ningshuang's expression grew dazed. She recognized that imperial mark; across the entire Various Heavens and Ten Thousand Domains, no one else had the Emperor's divine pattern on their brow.

The sister of the Emperor, a legendary existence, was still in the world. Ji Ningshuang's usually calm heart rippled with waves.

"Run, keep running!" As the two women murmured, shouts came from the sky. The Tao Wu Clan's blood-haired elder, who had fled earlier, was back—and he had been beaten back.

The one who beat him back was indeed an acquaintance: the sixth divine general under the Immortal Martial Emperor, Hua Qingluo.

He was the only one bold enough to wander during an emperor's tribulation.

No wonder he was called a divine general; he was incredibly fierce. The Tao Wu Clan's blood-haired elder, a full Quasi-Emperor, was stomped to death by him on the spot.