Chapter 1752: Nine Dust

Chapter 1752: Jiu Chen

Ignoring Kui Niu, Ye Chen turned and vanished into space, traveling through the void and continuing his journey, for the road ahead was still long.

Inside the furnace, Kui Niu was lost in pleasant thoughts, chuckling to himself with his head down.

The starry sky was vast and deep, boundless and endless, and Ye Chen did not pause for a moment.

Refugee cultivators kept appearing one after another, but not a single member of the Honghuang race was in sight, which frustrated Ye Chen endlessly.

It was not until the fourth night that a major fluctuation came from the bronze furnace.

It was Li Changsheng, who had overcome the Tianren Wusui. Now, he was a true Sheng, his entire body enveloped in brilliant divine light.

Kui Niu approached, staring with his round, bulging cow eyes, gazing intently at Li Changsheng until it made him feel uneasy all over.

"You... who are you?" Li Changsheng asked with a dry laugh, instinctively stepping back, mainly because Kui Niu's gaze was disturbingly abnormal.

"Just call me Niu Ge," Kui Niu said, patting Li Changsheng on the shoulder with a profound tone. "From now on, I'll have your back."

"Uh." Li Changsheng coughed awkwardly, feeling that this cow was unreliable; it was safer to stick with the Shengti Ye Chen.

"Business is here," Ye Chen said as the two were joking around, speeding through the void toward a section of the starry sky.

Hearing this, the two quickly peered over the edge of the cauldron, looking in that direction.

That stretch of starry sky was filled with rolling clouds and surging Honghuang energy. Roars echoed incessantly, and murderous intent rampaged, stirring up torrents of blood rain everywhere.

It was another Honghuang clan causing chaos. Massive creatures, like towering mountains, had eyes as large as massive wine jars, and they were incredibly savage.

"Gui Qu," Ye Chen narrowed his eyes into slits, recognizing the race—they were one of the first beings in the world.

In a certain sense, the Gui Qu were even more bloodthirsty than Qiong Qi or Tao Wu, having wrought countless catastrophes and earning a notorious reputation.

The ones being besieged were from a small sect, with only one Sheng Wang among them. Although these Gui Qu were not of the royal clan, the sect was still powerless to resist.

"Kill them all, kill them clean!" the Gui Qu snarled viciously, licking their scarlet tongues, their eyes blood-red as they recklessly devoured the human cultivators.

The scene was extremely bloody. The human cultivators were helpless to fight back—some were swallowed whole, others torn to pieces, their screams echoing through the starry sky.

Ye Chen let out a cold shout and was about to charge in, his icy killing intent surging forth.

However, before he could emerge, a person descended from the sky, landing straight in the battlefield. His true appearance was unclear, but as soon as he landed, a layer of halo spread infinitely in all directions.

That halo was strangely powerful, a kind of formidable sealing secret technique.

Though the Gui Qu were strong, upon touching the halo, they were all bound in place, frozen in mid-air like stone statues.

"Old Seven, can you tell that person's background?" Kui Niu asked.

"Obscured by ancient power; it would take a secret technique to see through it," Ye Chen replied. "But one thing's for sure—he's from the Honghuang race."

"The Honghuang race?" Kui Niu was stunned, confused. "A Honghuang race member sealing the Gui Qu and saving human cultivators?"

"It seems not all Honghuang races are bad," Li Changsheng said thoughtfully, stroking his chin in fairness.

In the starry sky, seeing the Gui Qu sealed, the human cultivators were overjoyed and looked toward the one who had intervened—this was a life-saving favor.

However, the person was entirely blurred; with their level of insight, they could only make out a hazy silhouette.

"Thank you, senior, for saving us," the human cultivators bowed collectively.

"Go on! Flee as far as you can," the person said casually, then turned to leave, his movement technique as if stolen from the heavens.

The human cultivators stepped forward, wanting to ask for his name to repay the favor one day, but he had already gone far, and chasing him was impossible.

"Let's go," the human sect's ancestor ordered immediately, vanishing in an instant, with the cultivators following suit. They did not bother attacking the sealed Gui Qu.

Even sealed, the Gui Qu's defenses were beyond what they could break. It was better to use the time to escape quickly.

In an instant, the vast battlefield became much emptier.

The Gui Qu gnashed their teeth in fury, watching their delicious prey slip away right before their eyes, all while unable to move—a frustrating situation.

Ye Chen stepped out, shaking his head and chuckling lightly.

Just because the human cultivators didn't act didn't mean he wouldn't; and just because they couldn't break the Gui Qu's defenses didn't mean he couldn't.

The Gui Qu frowned, realizing belatedly during their frenzied battle and feasting that someone had been hiding in the void.

"A lonely road is no fun—let's all go together," Ye Chen sneered, suddenly swinging his hand and wiping them out with a dominating palm.

The Gui Qu's eyes bulged in shock; they wanted to speak but couldn't, wanted to move but were frozen, wiped out entirely in a scene that was almost earth-shattering.

Ye Chen didn't linger; he darted around, collecting the spoils of war.

Once done, he concealed himself in space again, chasing after that person, mainly out of curiosity—why would a Honghuang race member save human cultivators?

In a section of starry sky, that person had already retracted his immortal light, revealing his true form.

He was a young man, carrying a wine gourd, his clothes disheveled and hair messy, like a drunkard, utterly unrestrained.

This demeanor was somewhat similar to that of Xie Yun.

Ye Chen didn't underestimate him at all.

Generally, there were two kinds of people who were the most terrifying: the first appeared ordinary, like a common mortal, but had returned to their primal state.

As for the second, like the person not far away, he seemed carefree and wild, yet was frighteningly powerful.

"Old Seven, he's no simple character!" Kui Niu furrowed his brow.

"More than that—he's downright terrifying," Ye Chen said, his eyes flashing with golden light as he took a deep breath. "I must have been blind not to see it earlier. He's a Honghuang Qilin, of the imperial bloodline, a Huo Qilin."

"Honghuang Qilin?" Kui Niu's eyes widened in shock.

"So, he's on the same level as the Honghuang Ancestral Dragon?" Li Changsheng swallowed hard, feeling his bloodline pulse with awe—the pressure from the young man's bloodline was even greater than that from Shengti Ye Chen.

"Truly, you can't judge a book by its cover," Ye Chen remarked. "He looks so laid-back, yet has a background that shakes the world."

"Compared to him, the Nan Emperor's bloodline is like child's play—that's his ancestor."

"A real sacred beast—I've finally seen one in the flesh. A Qilin from the Honghuang era, a living fossil if there ever was one!"

"What a surprise, truly a surprise." Ye Chen was deeply shocked.

The Honghuang Qilin was a titan among the first beings of the world, a true sacred beast standing shoulder to shoulder with the four divine beasts.

In terms of bloodline, who in the current Zhutian could compare to Jiu Chen?

Because bloodlines on par with the Honghuang Qilin had long gone extinct, like the Honghuang Ancestral Dragon or the Honghuang Yuan Feng.

As for seniority, probably no one in the entire Zhutian could match him—not even Pangu Dadi could compare.

"You're following me all this way—what do you want?" The young man stopped and slowly turned around, staring at Ye Chen through the void.

Ye Chen coughed awkwardly and stepped out of space—hiding was pointless now. He had been tailing quietly, mostly just wanting to chat.

"Oh ho, the Huanggu Shengti," the young man exclaimed in surprise, rushing over with bleary, drunk eyes flashing with a hint of light.

Ye Chen was startled; he had concealed his aura with Zhoutian, and even most Quasi-Emperors might not see through his bloodline.

Yet, the young man had spotted it instantly—what remarkable insight, surpassing even the Quasi-Emperor level.

But thinking of the young man's bloodline, Ye Chen understood.

A bloodline equal to the Honghuang Ancestral Dragon—without the Hunlun Ti, who could rival it? Such a dominant bloodline naturally came with extraordinary vision.

"Come, let me have a look." The young man waved his hand and pulled out a scroll, which depicted Ye Chen's portrait.

He glanced at the painting, then at Ye Chen, and sighed. "I knew it—how could there be two Huanggu Shengti in one lifetime? So, it's the deceased Ye Chen."

"Well, this guy's smarts aren't just for show," Ye Chen laughed, removing his mask without any surprise.

"If I'm not mistaken, the so-called Chen Ye is also you," the young man said, putting away the painting and eyeing Ye Chen with interest.

"As you said." Ye Chen shrugged, not hiding it.

"Then that's strange—you weren't buried in the starry sky?"

"Yan Wang wouldn't take me, so I came back." Ye Chen chuckled mysteriously.

"Good that you're back." The young man clicked his tongue and tossed over a wine flask. "My name's Jiu Chen. I have a soft spot for freaks like you."

"Honestly, I admire you too." Ye Chen caught the flask, suddenly feeling a sense of meeting too late.

This was the tacit understanding between world-shaking freaks and peerless talents.

In terms of seniority, he couldn't compare to Jiu Chen, but in age, they were both just over three hundred years old.

In other words, Jiu Chen had self-sealed during the Honghuang era and only partially lifted the seal in this age.

"I like you too—let's become sworn brothers!" Kui Niu burst out, rubbing his hands shamelessly, his eyes on Jiu Chen gleaming as if ready to draw blood.

"You little Kui Niu, you're quite amusing." Jiu Chen laughed, and with just one glance, he saw through Kui Niu's origins.

"Could you tell me, as a member of the Honghuang great clan, why you helped the human cultivators?" Ye Chen asked Jiu Chen with a smile.

"They just rubbed me the wrong way." Jiu Chen took a swig of wine.

"That's a reason that's top-tier and sophisticated." Ye Chen said meaningfully, yet he could sense the deeper intent in Jiu Chen's words.

The Honghuang period was more chaotic than any other era.

There were too many powerful races, and their grudges ran deep. Now, with each unsealing, the ancient chaos continued, demanding settlement.

Of course, their mutual hatred was only one aspect.

On another level, Jiu Chen must have been quite sensible, knowing that Zhutian was fighting against the Tianmo, making them, in a way, his benefactors.

Just that alone changed his view of the Honghuang races.

As Li Changsheng had said, not all Honghuang races were bad; there were a few outliers, like this Jiu Chen. As a sacred beast with a broad vision, he clearly distinguished between grudges and gratitude.

"Ba Yuan's sacred bone, Chen Zhan's origin, Di Huang's divine treasury—you've got quite the collection! The three most astonishing Shengti in Zhutian's history, and you've claimed them all." Jiu Chen grinned.

"You're from the Honghuang era—have you seen the later Shengti?" Ye Chen was stunned, once again shocked by Jiu Chen's insight.

"Self-sealing is like sleeping; when I wake up, I go out for a stroll, then go back to sleep. Coincidentally, every time I came out, I ran into a Shengti. I must have some fate with the Shengti lineage."

"Since we're so fated, let's not say more—find a place and swear brotherhood with blood!" Ye Chen grinned, rubbing his hands. Kui Niu wanted Jiu Chen's blood, and so did he—the Honghuang Qilin's blood was a heaven-defying treasure.

"Once, a Shengti wanted to become my brother and draw my blood—yeah, Ba Yuan, Chen Zhan, and Di Huang. But they all ended up bedridden for half a month. I wonder if you can take a beating." Jiu Chen let out a wine burp.

Ye Chen's mouth twitched, his expression wonderfully complex, as if struck by lightning.

What a character! Even the three most astonishing Huanggu Shengti had been taken down by you? You're quite the show-off!

Subconsciously, Ye Chen looked up at the void, as if he could see through the haze to Di Huang at the peak of Jieming Mountain.

And sure enough, Di Huang was looking back, his expression a bit awkward.

The Ming Emperor beside him glanced over, his face even more entertaining.

This was quite the anecdote—the Di Huang, who had once clashed head-on with the Five Emperors, had such a glorious history. Truly splendid.