Chapter 1845: An Eye for an Eye

The heavens and earth thundered, all due to Teng She. He couldn't expel Ye Chen and kept thrashing about, collapsing vast swaths of the virtual sky.

It was fortunate he was in his Bloodline Limit state; otherwise, Ye Chen would have torn him to pieces.

"Activating Bloodline Limit and still getting beaten like this, Teng She really went all out," Xiao Lu clicked his tongue.

"It's not that he went all out; it's that the Desolate Ancient Sacred Body is just too powerful," Tian Shuo sighed. "I've seen fierce fighters, but none as fierce as this. He can slaughter great emperors, a peerless ruthless one."

"So, sharing an era with him makes us all feel awkward," Chen Yi said with a shake of his head and a smile. The pride of his Emperor Dao inheritance had dimmed considerably because of that peerless war god.

"Break!" As the three discussed, a light shout echoed from the virtual sky, more precisely, from inside Teng She's belly.

Ye Chen erupted, blasting a bloody hole through Teng She's stomach and shooting out like a divine ray.

"I'll kill you!" Teng She roared in fury, his eyes exploding with thunder.

"You're far from it." Ye Chen snorted coldly and struck down with a palm, collapsing half the sky. Teng She was forced into the void, his massive body smashing a deep crater into the ground before transforming back into human form, drenched in blood.

Now, he was no longer in his Bloodline Limit state. His wounds were covered in scars, healing at an excruciatingly slow rate.

People around gasped in astonishment. To force someone out of their Bloodline Limit state, just how fierce was Ye Chen, and how dominant was the Sacred Body?

"Come at me with your life!" Ye Chen thundered, slashing down with a sword from the virtual sky—a deadly strike aimed to annihilate Teng She.

"You can't kill this king." Teng She laughed menacingly. Before the sword could reach him, an ancient divine pattern appeared on his forehead, infused with a strange teleportation secret technique.

In an instant, he vanished without a trace. Ye Chen's sword didn't stop, carving a deep gully into the ground.

"Damn it, he escaped!" Kui Niu and the others cursed loudly.

"Being able to freely control Bloodline Limit, his escape today means he'll be a major threat in the future," Nan Di frowned.

"What a shame he got away." Curses echoed from all sides, the frustration palpable since they were so close.

The ancient clans snorted coldly. With Teng She defeated, they each led their people and withdrew from this realm.

Ye Chen ignored them all, descending from the virtual sky unsteadily.

He had also withdrawn from the Great Reincarnation Heavenly Burial. Though he won, it was a pyrrhic victory. The only reason was that Bloodline Limit was too strong; without the Great Reincarnation Heavenly Burial, he wouldn't have stood a chance.

The women hurried over, each offering healing elixirs.

Ye Chen smiled wearily and took his child in his arms—this was the first time he had held him since the child's birth.

The little one's eyes were clear and bright, curiously gazing at Ye Chen. After a moment, he broke into a smile, innocent and radiant.

"What's your name?" Ye Chen asked with a gentle expression.

"Ye Fan. Mother said she wants me to be an ordinary person," the little one replied in a childish, milky voice.

The word "ordinary" made Ji Ning Shuang's eyes well up with tears. She wanted her child to live simply, even as a mortal, rather than suffer daily torment from heavenly tribulation.

Ye Chen stroked the little one's head, his heart aching at the faint, flickering black lightning on the child's body.

As he stroked, he cast a spell to put the little one to sleep. In his palm, a black vortex appeared—it was the Heaven-Devouring Demon Art—which he gently placed on the child.

His intention was clear: he wanted to draw the heavenly tribulation back into himself. If anyone had to suffer it, it should be him, not letting the child bear the pain in his place.

But wishes were beautiful; reality was cruel.

The Heaven-Devouring Demon Art was profound, yet it couldn't absorb heavenly tribulation.

Not a single trace of the lightning on the child diminished. Even in sleep, the little one's face was twisted in pain.

"It's no use." Ji Ning Shuang choked back sobs. Since the child's birth, she had tried countless methods to remove the tribulation, but nothing worked—except perhaps killing the child.

Ye Chen said nothing, his eyes bloodshot, refusing to give up.

The elders watching sighed, understanding his state of mind as a father—who could bear to see their child suffer like this?

Yet, it was heavenly tribulation; no one could erase it.

Even with Emperor Dao inheritances, peak quasi-emperors, or ultimate emperor weapons, they were all powerless against it.

Ye Chen coughed up blood, his face pale, but his bloodstained hands wouldn't leave the child's body. Even if it damaged his own foundation, as long as he could draw away even a single bolt of lightning, he would do it. He owed the child too much.

"Ye Chen, stop trying," the women urged.

"Child, I'm sorry." Ye Chen's tears mixed with blood, streaming down his face. He had never felt so useless—like a complete waste. He could slaughter great emperors, yet he couldn't save his own child.

"Yao Chi, give up your life!" As the atmosphere grew heavy with grief, shouts erupted from all sides as a dark mass of people gathered.

Over a hundred factions arrived, including many hidden ancient sects.

Their divine sons had all been slain by Ji Ning Shuang. With Teng She's escape, everything had settled, and now they came to demand her life in vengeance for their children.

"You all saw it; Yao Chi had no choice," Yao Chi Xian Mu said softly, her quasi-emperor aura surging.

"A life for a life—Immortal Mother, please don't interfere," a purple-haired elder snapped. "We must kill her today."

His words prompted over a dozen quasi-emperors to step forward collectively, putting immense pressure even on Yao Chi Xian Mu.

However, Yao Chi wasn't without allies. Chen Yi advanced—being the brother of the Yao Chi Empress, he wouldn't stand idle.

With him came Xiao Lu and Tian Shuo.

Not just them; Cang Long Huang, Qi Lin Huang, and Zhu Que Huang also moved. Their lineup was overwhelmingly grand.

The people of Da Chu weren't backing down either, especially Bai Zhi and Ming Jue, who carried several emperor weapons.

The two sides faced off, the atmosphere tense as their auras clashed, making the heavens rumble. Any slight movement could ignite war across the entire Xuanhuang Central State.

"You..." The ancestors of the hundred factions raged.

"We said it was out of necessity—do you have to fight to the death? Can't we just sit down and talk?" Kui Niu Huang snorted coldly.

"Easy for you to say standing there," the ancestors roared in anger.

"If it's my sin, then if you seniors want Yao Chi's life, take it," Ji Ning Shuang said flatly.

"In that case, don't blame us for being ruthless." It was the purple-haired elder again, his fingertip swirling with a chilling glow—a quasi-emperor strike that could instantly kill Ji Ning Shuang.

But at that moment, someone blocked her path—it was Ye Chen, radiating murderous intent like a demon god.

His interference made the purple-haired elder furrow his brow. Ye Chen was strong, but only an untested Saint King; what he feared was the Zhutian Gate behind Ye Chen.

"Why aren't you making a move?" Ye Chen stared coldly at the purple-haired elder.

"This is our grudge with Yao Chi; we hope the Sacred Body won't interfere," the purple-haired elder said coldly.

"She is my woman, the mother of my child—who else should interfere if not me?" Ye Chen tore off his bloodstained robe.

"Then who will pay for my son's life?" the purple-haired elder bellowed, with over a hundred ancestors echoing in rage.

"Do you know what happened at Da Chu's Zhutian Gate three hundred years ago?" Ye Chen's voice was calm. "If not, let this junior tell you: the heavenly demons invaded. Da Chu built a blood-soaked great wall for the myriad realms of heaven. You, all of you, the entire Xuanhuang, all the heavens, all the myriad realms' beings—everyone owes her a life. So, whose life will repay hers?"

"You..." The purple-haired elder was at a loss for words, Ye Chen's speech leaving him speechless, his face turning ashen.

It wasn't just him; the entire realm, whether elders or juniors, fell silent, filled with quiet shame. Ye Chen was right—they all owed Da Chu.

Think about it: three hundred years ago, without Da Chu's desperate defense, the heavenly demon army would likely have overrun the heavens.

The world fell into a dreadful silence; no one could find words to refute. It was a debt of life-saving grace.

"Today, as the tenth emperor of Da Chu, I proclaim to the myriad realms of heaven: harm her, and you harm me, Ye Chen. Harm me, Ye Chen, and you harm Da Chu. Harm Da Chu, and we will pursue you to the ends of the earth for extermination!" Ye Chen's resolute words shattered the stillness, echoing through the nine heavens.

His declaration was like ancient thunder, shaking the eight directions.

Everyone present, from low-level cultivators to peak quasi-emperors, felt deeply moved. No one dared underestimate Da Chu's emperor.

In the past, when Da Chu returned, the nine emperors raged and wiped out four clans.

That battle left mountains of corpses and rivers of blood; Da Chu's name was a nightmare, a legend etched forever in history.

Ji Ning Shuang wept, tears streaming down her face as she sobbed uncontrollably.

She never imagined Ye Chen would defy the world for her sake.

Though she knew he protected her not because she was Ji Ning Shuang, but because she was Ye Fan's mother.

Even so, it was enough; she had no further expectations.

Ye Chen stood tall, his body never as upright as it was now, like an unyielding monument.

Whether it was bullying the weak or using moral obligations as leverage, today he would hold up the sky for his wife and child.

Even if it meant bearing eternal infamy or making enemies of the world, he wouldn't hesitate. This was the duty of a husband and father.

The world fell silent again. Those who wanted to kill Ji Ning Shuang backed down. Beyond the debt of gratitude, just the name "Da Chu" made hearts tremble.

He was certain that if they touched someone from Da Chu today, their entire clan would be wiped out tomorrow.

They feared following in the footsteps of the divine and demon clans—this wasn't about one person; it involved whole lineages.

"Mother, it hurts." The silence was broken once more by little Ye Fan, calling for his mother in his sleep, crying out in pain.

"Don't be afraid, child." Ji Ning Shuang held him tightly, her tears soaking his clothes and seeping into his heart.

"Take good care of our child." Ye Chen left those words and ascended into the sky like a brilliant golden light, hurtling toward the south with overwhelming killing intent and murderous aura.

"Brat, where are you off to?" Seeing Ye Chen's deadly resolve, Xiong Er shouted, but couldn't catch up.

"Tian Xu," came Ye Chen's icy voice from beyond the heavens. "Teng She touched my reverse scale; I'll exterminate his entire clan."