Chapter 1786: Heavenly Child

Chapter 1786: Tian Zhi

The spatial black hole was deathly silent, utterly devoid of any life.

As a gust of chilling wind brushed by, Ye Chen's sacred body trembled slightly, then awakened. He exhaled a long breath and opened his eyes, his gaze deep and vast like the starry cosmos, encompassing the heavens and earth, with endless Dao principles evolving within.

Now, he had become a Quasi-Saint King, having eradicated the imperial Dao killing intent within him, with the aura of the emperor's malice extremely thick.

This malice was impossible to imitate; only those who had slain an emperor possessed it. It was both a stroke of fortune and supreme glory.

"Return to the natural state," Xi Zun murmured softly, gazing at Ye Chen.

Though they were at the same level, the pressure Ye Chen exerted on him came from the soul itself, like a massive mountain.

Facts proved that he and Ye Chen were no longer on the same plane; the Desolate Ancient Sacred Body was the true monstrosity.

Ye Chen said nothing, only quietly staring into the black hole. After so many years, returning to the black hole again filled him with endless emotions.

Once, in search of his homeland's reincarnation, he had wandered through this endless darkness for a full century, enduring loneliness and isolation.

It was this boundless darkness that had repeatedly turned danger into safety for him, with the desolate black hole bringing both peril and opportunities.

What was different now was that in the past, he had relied on the Xian Lun Eye, but today, he possessed eyes that could connect to the black hole even more powerfully than the Xian Lun Eye—this was his own fortune.

"What's got you spacing out?" Kui Niu reached out and poked Ye Chen.

"How long was I asleep?" Ye Chen slowly gathered his thoughts.

"Already half a month—slept long enough," Li Changsheng coughed dryly.

"Indeed, long enough," Ye Chen stretched lazily, his face radiant with glory. He twisted his neck vigorously, his entire body brimming with surging power.

"Let's head home! No more fooling around," Kui Niu grumbled.

"Let's go," Ye Chen smiled, about to activate the Da Lun Hui Heavenly Dao. But as soon as he lifted his foot, he instinctively turned his head and gazed into the deep darkness, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"What are you looking at?" The three of them asked upon seeing this.

"There's an aura of the Honghuang Clan," Ye Chen said lightly.

No sooner had he spoken than a shadowy figure emerged from the depths of the darkness: a woman with purple hair, clutching her right arm as she staggered forward, clearly fleeing from pursuers.

Behind her was a monstrous creature chasing her.

That monster was extraordinarily ferocious, with three heads and six arms, each head massive and bearing only a single eye. Its body was covered in scales, and its three bloody maws—one spewing lightning, one flames, and the last roaring.

Its roars were filled with demonic power; anyone who heard them would feel their mind grow dazed, and their divine sea would rumble.

"What the heck is that?" Li Changsheng peered out from the bronze furnace's rim, swallowing hard—the monster was terrifyingly frightening.

"Never heard of anything like it," Xi Zun and Kui Niu frowned, even with their vast experience, they had never seen such a creature.

Compared to them, Ye Chen was much more composed. Having spent a long time in the black hole, he had seen all sorts of monsters and was no longer fazed.

His eyes narrowed further; he didn't know exactly what the monster was, but he could tell it was thick with resentment and malice, likely a form of evil spirit that had coalesced into this shape.

Shifting his gaze, he focused on the purple-haired woman. Her beauty was unparalleled, rivaling that of Qian Shangyue.

She was severely injured, her cultivation only at the Quasi-Saint King level, her aura weak, and her protective immortal light dim.

Yet her bloodline was extraordinarily pure. Even from a distance, his Desolate Ancient Sacred Blood stirred restlessly.

Suddenly, he activated his Lun Hui Eye and saw through her true form: she was a peacock, a colorful one.

"There's actually someone else in the black hole," Xi Zun remarked.

"Don't just stand there! Save her!" Kui Niu said urgently, rubbing his hands eagerly. "Save her and let me have a go."

"And me," Li Changsheng grinned shamelessly.

Ye Chen ignored the two of them, gripping his Quasi-Emperor Weapon, the Shen Dao, and dashed straight toward the purple-haired woman. He had to save her.

The Qi Cai Peacock Clan, as noted in the ancient scrolls from Jiu Chen, was far more reliable than creatures like Qiongqi or Taotie.

At least, after the Honghuang was unsealed, the Qi Cai Peacock Clan had not caused trouble and had always maintained neutrality.

There was another reason, too—it related to Qian Shangyue.

In this life, Qian Shangyue's true form was also a peacock.

Both sharing the peacock bloodline, Qian Shangyue and the purple-haired woman must have a deep connection; they could even be close relatives. Encountering a peacock in distress, how could he stand by and do nothing?

In the distance, the monster surged forward with a sea of blood, catching up to the purple-haired woman. It spewed lightning and flames directly at her primordial spirit and true form.

The purple-haired woman abruptly turned around, forcibly channeling her powers and burning her vital energy to quickly form seals. Before her, a magnificent divine mirror materialized, blocking the attacks—a defensive secret art that could rebound enemy assaults.

This technique was quite similar to Ji Ningshuang's Xuan Ling Mirror.

However, though the peacock divine mirror was profound, it was as fragile as paper before the monster's thunder and flames. It wasn't that she was too weak, but the monster was overwhelmingly strong.

In terms of level, the monster's combat power rivaled that of a Saint King; even an average Great Saint would struggle to defeat it.

In an instant, the divine mirror shattered. The monster's lightning and flames, with destructive force, pierced straight through the purple-haired woman.

Blood sprayed out strikingly, each drop gleaming with radiance.

Seeing the purple-haired woman wounded, the monster let out a grotesque laugh, its three massive eyes sinister and bloodshot. It gathered lightning and flames once more, fusing them into a single blast laced with malice and resentment, shooting toward her.

The purple-haired woman swayed unsteadily, barely able to stand.

She was only a Quasi-Saint King, while the monster was on par with a Great Saint. Surviving even one strike was impressive enough.

"Will I perish here?" In her final moments, she smiled bitterly and beautifully, knowing her death was inevitable.

Yet, just as she was about to close her eyes, a golden figure plummeted straight down from above, dazzling and radiant, causing her to instinctively open her eyes again. She stared dazedly at the scene before her, the golden light warm and comforting.

Ye Chen had arrived, rushing just in time.

In her moment of daze, he swung his golden hand, manifesting Chaos secret arts in his palm. With a single, overpowering palm strike, he obliterated the monster's lightning and flames.

The monster roared in fury, its bloody maw gaping wide, its demonic howls disrupting one's mind.

More importantly, the scorching golden divine light on Ye Chen filled it with disgust—that was the opposition of ultimate yang to ultimate yin; it belonged to yin, while Ye Chen was yang.

Ye Chen ignored its roars completely; he disliked such creatures and slashed out with his sword.

Empowered by the Quasi-Emperor Weapon, his strike was like a galaxy of light, radiant with gold and infused with myriad annihilation laws.

A wail echoed as the monster knelt on the spot, its massive body split in two, spraying dark blood.

In mere moments, the battle ended. The monster dissolved into blood mist, lingering with wails, resentment, and evil thoughts.

"This guy's got style," Kui Niu said meaningfully. With a Quasi-Emperor Weapon, he was just that arrogant.

"Keep it low-key," Ye Chen replied casually, then turned away.

Behind him, the purple-haired woman parted her lips slightly, her expression full of surprise. How could another Quasi-Saint King be so powerful?

Realizing her rudeness, she quickly bowed her hands. "Thank you, fellow Daoist, for saving me. This kindness I will never forget."

"Why come to the black hole of all places?" Ye Chen crushed a pill— an eight-pattern one, incredibly precious—and merged it into her body to help heal her wounds.

"I am Tian Zhi, princess of the Qi Cai Peacock Clan. Half a year ago, I went out for training and was caught in a reverse spatial storm, which pulled me into the black hole," the purple-haired woman recounted her misfortunes with a weary smile, clearly having suffered greatly.

"Half a year ago?" Ye Chen muttered to himself, roughly estimating the time—he had still been in the Yin Cao underworld back then.

As he spoke, he raised his hand again, channeling Desolate Ancient Sacred Body essence into her.

Then came heavenly thunder, directed straight to her divine sea. From battling the monster, she had sustained Dao wounds on her primordial spirit.

Fortunately, his heavenly thunder could heal such wounds.

This was all thanks to meeting him; otherwise, the purple-haired woman would likely have already descended to the Yellow Springs. In a way, he was her benefactor.

"Were you also pulled into the black hole by a spatial storm, fellow Daoist?" Tian Zhi wiped the blood from her mouth and looked at Ye Chen. Though she wanted to see through his true appearance, Ye Chen wore a Gui Ming mask shrouded in mysterious power, which her level of insight and cultivation couldn't penetrate.

"Sort of," Ye Chen smiled, then withdrew his hand.

"We're both in the same boat, then," Tian Zhi said with a bitter smile.

"Let's get out first," Ye Chen said, then waved his hand.

"Out," Tian Zhi began, but before she could finish, her vision blurred in an instant.