Chapter 1839: Asking for Directions

In the vast starry sky, Ye Chen spared no expense, frequently using Yu Men to cross star domains, his mind urgent and restless, fidgeting endlessly.

Hua Fan Xing was on the fringes of the cosmic wilderness, far from the bustling regions, and infinitely close to the extremes from Da Chu.

Fortunately, the Yu Men he deployed were of a decent level, so reaching that star domain was only a matter of time.

As he spoke, he emerged from another Yu Men, but as soon as he stepped out, he was met with blood mist and constant roars and screams of agony.

Clearly, a great battle was underway. At a glance, he could see the flags of the Hong Huang, with massive Teng She serpents, even larger than azure dragons, towering like mountains, their eyes flashing with lightning and mouths spewing blood light.

On the opposing side were human cultivators, from some unknown force, being overwhelmingly suppressed by the Teng She clan. One after another, vivid human figures exploded into brilliant blood flowers, blooming in the starry sky.

The battle was brutal and bloody, with stars shattering one by one into ashes, a sight that shocked the eyes.

Ye Chen frowned, though he felt inclined to help, he still entered another Yu Men. He was no savior and couldn't turn the tide of fate; he only knew that his wife and child were waiting for him on the other side of the star river.

The rest of the journey was far from peaceful, accompanied by fresh blood. Too many star regions were in chaos, with the shadows of Hong Huang everywhere, ignoring the truce agreements and slaughtering living beings en masse.

To this, Ye Chen only sighed, without pausing for a moment. He was like a passing traveler, coming quickly and leaving just as fast.

Meanwhile, in the tranquil Da Chu, a beam of immortal light descended from beyond the heavens, hovering in the void.

"What is that?"

Beneath the heavens, countless people looked up, unaware of what that beam of immortal light signified.

Under the gaze of all, the immortal light exploded, and a sinister laugh echoed out:

"Ye Chen, this king awaits you in Xuan Huang for battle."

With that single sentence, the people of Da Chu understood—it was a challenge letter, and one from the Hong Huang great clans at that.

"It's finally here."

Donghuang Taiyi rubbed her brow.

"Keep an eye on that Ye Chen boy; don't let him slip away."

"You can stop him for a moment, but not forever."

Yan Huang chuckled. "You know his temperament well."

"Then he still can't go."

Donghuang Taiyi waved her hand dismissively.

"The prince of the Hong Huang clan is no joke."

"Now, the younger generation of the heavens relies entirely on him to hold the line. If he doesn't go, the Hong Huang might press even harder."

"Haven't any of you noticed that Ye Chen isn't in Da Chu?"

Ren Wang raised an eyebrow, scanning the group of Zhun Di.

"How's that? He's not in Da Chu."

The Zhun Di were stunned, hurriedly activating their heavenly eyes to scan Hengyue Sect.

At this sight, they all twitched their mouths, their expressions turning comical. They hadn't realized Ye Chen had already slipped away and left Da Chu.

"What's everyone standing around for? Let's go!"

Ren Wang called out.

"Xuan Huang is about to get lively."

The Zhun Di followed, each looking awkward, unaware of when Ye Chen had departed.

"Beat them! Kick their asses!"

From the direction of Hengyue Sect, shouts rang out loudly, especially from that kid Ming Jue.

"Are you sure you're going?"

Bai Zhi asked lightly, smiling at Ming Jue.

"The emperor's disciple can't back down."

Ming Jue stepped up into the sky and summoned a massive Yu Men, towering like a great mountain.

"The disciple of Di Huang won't disgrace his master's name."

Bai Zhi replied with a light laugh, then stepped into the Yu Men.

"Anyone else?"

Ming Jue turned back and bellowed, "If you're going, get in now—don't dawdle like idiots."

His shout drew a crowd in a rush, a mix of young and old, nearly trampling him.

To be fair, Ming Jue's transmission Yu Men was top-notch, personally refined by Ming Di, with speed beyond compare.

Not to brag, but even though Ren Wang and the others left first, they absolutely wouldn't arrive ahead of Ming Jue's group—the difference in Yu Men levels was just that vast.

On this end, Ye Chen emerged from another Yu Men and stopped in the starry sky.

In the distance, a star hung suspended, without any dazzling halo or bursts of exotic light—everything about it was utterly ordinary.

That was Hua Fan Xing, a star inhabited only by mortals, not particularly large or remarkable in any way.

Ye Chen took a deep breath. He was about to see Ji Ningshuang and their child, and for some reason, he felt inexplicably nervous, his heart pounding.

"Young friend, may this old one ask for directions?"

Before Ye Chen could enter, he heard a voice.

Turning instinctively, he saw an old man with a hunched back behind him, leaning on a cane.

The old man was quite advanced in years, nearing the end of his lifespan, but his cultivation was nothing special, only at the Quasi-Saint level.

"Young friend, do you know which direction Xuan Huang Continent is in?"

The hunched old man smiled kindly, like a gentle grandfather.

"Xuan Huang is still quite far away."

Ye Chen replied casually, then pulled out a mirror to tidy his hair. He was about to meet his wife and child, so he needed to look sharp.

"Distance doesn't matter."

The old man laughed. "My life is drawing to a close, and I haven't been to Xuan Huang yet. I want to see that sacred land of cultivators before I die, to fulfill a lifelong wish."

"I'm afraid you might not even reach Xuan Huang before getting wiped out by the Hong Huang clan midway. I've seen plenty of that on my way."

Ye Chen said as he removed his soiled outer robe and changed into a new dao robe, still fussing with his appearance.

"So be it, if I die."

The hunched old man chuckled. "I've heard that the Teng She clan's prince has set up a battle platform in the central state of Xuan Huang, challenging the Sacred Body to fight. I also want to see that."

"The Teng She prince is challenging the Sacred Body? Is that what's happening?"

Ye Chen raised an eyebrow, but after thinking about it, he figured it made sense—it was probably the challenge issued after he left Da Chu.

"This news has spread far and wide! Even on the edges of the cosmic wilderness, people know about it."

Ye Chen sighed, then took off his shoes and put on a new pair. He decided not to change his socks—after all, no one would see them.

"Having slain two emperors in his lifetime, this old one also wants to witness the Sacred Body's glory. That way, my life would be without regrets."

The old man said with a smile.

"You'll see it."

Ye Chen couldn't help but smile.

"If you know the direction, young friend, please tell this old one."

"The northeastern direction."

Ye Chen laughed and entered Hua Fan Xing. Now that he was all spruced up, he was ready to meet his wife and child.

The night on Hua Fan Xing was exceptionally quiet, with all sounds hushed. It truly was a mortal ancient star, devoid of any spiritual energy.

Following the spatial coordinates, he found the deep mountains and, likewise, the secluded bamboo grove cut off from the world.

The bamboo grove was serene, bathed in moonlight, exuding a peaceful aura—a perfect place for seclusion, simple and tranquil.

"Once I see her, what should I say? Start with a hug?"

"Has it been so many years? Will she punch me?"

"Should I open with something subtle or bold?"

Ye Chen stepped in slowly, glancing left and right, mumbling to himself. The mighty ruler of Da Chu was genuinely nervous at that moment.

However, upon reaching the depths, his brows suddenly furrowed. The scene before him was a mess, as if a great battle had occurred. The fallen peach petals were even stained with blood.

Besides that, remnants of Great Saint aura lingered in the bamboo grove, and faintly, he could detect the traces of Zhun Di Dao principles.

"What happened?"

Ye Chen's face turned deathly pale in an instant. His powerful divine sense spread out explosively, centered on himself and sweeping in all directions, searching inch by inch.

Yet, after scanning the entire Hua Fan Xing, he found no sign of Ji Ningshuang or their child—not even a trace of any cultivator's aura.

"Heaven's Evolution, Trace to the Origin."

Ye Chen shouted coldly, invoking the Zhou Tian Evolution technique. Using the bamboo grove as the foundation, he performed this heaven-defying divine ability to deduce what had happened.

In the void, he glimpsed a scene: over a dozen black-clad figures had burst into the bamboo grove, all at the Great Saint level. They had severely injured Ji Ningshuang and abducted their sleeping child.

"The Teng She clan."

Ye Chen's eyes were filled with bloodlust; he had already seen through the origins of those dozen Great Saints—they were Teng She.

"Dammit."

He spun around abruptly, using Shrinking Earth into Inches to leave the ancient star. His eyes were blood-red, his fists clenched and bleeding. Everywhere he passed, the heavens froze into ice, and the rolling killing intent made the starry sky rumble.

He was too late; he had arrived too late and failed to protect his wife and child. As a husband and father, he had truly failed.

Amid his fury, he also felt a glimmer of relief—Ji Ningshuang and their child were still alive, taken captive by the Teng She clan.

"No end until death."

His icy words echoed through the starry sky as he summoned another transmission Yu Men and vanished in an instant.

This time, his target was Xuan Huang. The Teng She prince had to be there; finding him would mean finding Ji Ningshuang and their child.

This journey was incredibly swift, with one Yu Men after another activated madly, no longer caring about the cost in source stones.

Covered in dust from the road, he reappeared in the Xuan Huang star sea.

Awkwardly, his Yu Men had been completely depleted, so he had to summon a Zhun Di soldier warship. Compared to flying, piloting the warship was several times faster.

The Zhun Di-level warship was enormously vast, like a mountain from afar, majestic in its momentum. As it sped along, it churned the star sea into massive waves.

Perhaps in his haste, Ye Chen simply barreled straight through.

Because of his warship, many smaller vessels were smashed to pieces, their cultivators flailing in the water.

"You idiot, what's wrong with you? In a hurry to reincarnate?"

"A Zhun Di warship makes you so great? Come down and fight one-on-one if you've got the guts."

"Don't let me see you again—I'll beat you every time I do."

Curses rang out endlessly. Looking down at the star sea, many people were clinging to debris, shouting at the top of their lungs.

Ye Chen ignored them entirely; he had no time for that. He stood at the bow, staring fixedly at the Xuan Huang Continent.

Now, his mind was filled only with thoughts of Ji Ningshuang and their child. His killing intent toward the Teng She clan was unstoppable. This trip to Xuan Huang meant no quarter until death.

"Hey? That guy looks familiar—Ye Chen?"

Many people caught sight of Ye Chen and were astonished.

"Clearly, he's here to answer the challenge."

An elderly cultivator stroked his beard. "The Teng She prince has been waiting for him a long time."

"The battle between the Archaic Sacred Body and the Teng She prince—this will surely shake the heavens and earth."

Too many people were excited.

"It's just unknown if Sacred Body Ye Chen can continue his undefeated legend."

Quite a few cultivators couldn't help but worry.

Amid the discussions, Ye Chen piloted the warship and landed on the coast.

The Xuan Huang coast was much emptier than usual, with no one stirring up trouble or coming to fence stolen goods.

Or rather, they had all rushed to the central state to watch the show—the Teng She clan was causing trouble, and their prince was personally involved.

Ye Chen donned a Ghost Underworld mask and sped away like a bolt of lightning, heading to an ancient city. With no Yu Men left, he had to use a transmission array.

The nearby ancient city wasn't small, and it wasn't short on people—those using the transmission array were mostly heading to the central state.

Ye Chen was bold about it; he cut in line directly. Fused with a Zhun Di soldier, his oppressive aura was overwhelming. The elder guarding the transmission array didn't dare utter a word, afraid of provoking a powerful figure.