Chapter 1859: Unchanged

Regarding Mu Yang's charming eyes, Ji Ningshuang showed no expression. She only continued casting spells, adding seals to Li Fengqiu's body. This Dizi had gone into Zou Huo Ru Mo, which was far too dangerous to take lightly.

Mu Yang shrugged it off and smoothed his hair again."Whether you admit it or not doesn't matter. I'm still handsome anyway."

Meanwhile, Ye Chen remained crouched there, staring intently at Mu Yang. The gaze was so intense that it made one's hair stand on end and sent chills down the spine.

The implication seemed to be: Keep talking nonsense, and I'll make you cry, no matter if you're a Dizi or not.

Mu Yang pursed his lips and straightened up a bit, then waved his hand to produce a Shen Zhu.

The Shen Zhu was extraordinary, surrounded by a halo of light that radiated divine glow. It bore the imprints of laws, carried the might of a Zhun Di, fused with Dao essence that was profoundly mysterious, and emitted pure primordial spirit energy.

If one looked closely, a shadowy figure could be seen sitting cross-legged inside the Shen Zhu, though their features were indistinct.

"Ben Ming Yuan Shen Zhu?" Ye Chen's eyes narrowed slightly as he leaned in closer. Even Ji Ningshuang turned her head to look.

"As you see, this is the Ben Ming Yuan Shen Zhu of Tian Que's Dizi," Mu Yang said slowly. "More precisely, it's his Yuan Shen Zhu from before his tribulation. It's been in my possession."

"You took someone else's Ben Ming Yuan Shen Zhu— no wonder they're chasing you."

"Don't wrong me." Mu Yang tucked the Yuan Shen Zhu away again. "I didn't take it. Li Fengqiu gave it to me personally, like entrusting it for safekeeping. He'll come to retrieve it when the time is right."

"You're trusted to hold onto a Yuan Shen Zhu? You two must have an incredibly close bond!" Ye Chen clicked his tongue in amazement.

"Using a divine essence to nurture another?" Ji Ningshuang asked tentatively.

"You're as perceptive as expected from Yao Chi," Mu Yang said, pulling out a wine flask. "My Yuan Shen is unique and can nurture his damaged one. That's why Li Fengqiu entrusted this pearl to me. Everything is to help rid him of his inner demons."

At that, Mu Yang rubbed his brow. "Come to think of it, I must have been bored out of my mind to help Li Fengqiu in the first place. It's been three hundred years— every time he goes into Zou Huo Ru Mo, he comes looking for a fight. Do I just have a face that screams for trouble?"

"You've got it tough." Ye Chen patted Mu Yang on the shoulder.

"Who asked me to be so kind-hearted?" Mu Yang said with a meaningful smile.

"Then you're on your own." Ye Chen stood up, brushing off his clothes, and called to Ji Ningshuang, "Let's go home."

"You two are heading to Xuan Huang, right? Take him along too," Mu Yang said, glancing at Li Fengqiu. "Deliver him to Tian Que Emperor's City so his ancestors can look after him."

"Since the Dizi asked, we'll handle it. That's a favor, and you'll owe me one later." Ye Chen waved his hand, sealing Li Fengqiu into a Shen Fu and tucking it away as he left.

Ji Ningshuang followed, stepping through the stars side by side with Ye Chen, their figures growing distant and perfectly matched.

Watching their retreating backs, Mu Yang took a deep breath, his eyes full of profound meaning, especially toward Ye Chen.

Though he hadn't been at the battle that wiped out the Teng She clan, he could imagine the scene: mountains of corpses and a sea of blood.

And then there was the divine punishment of the sixteen emperors, which had shaken the entire universe. Now, Ye Chen, the Sheng Ti, already possessed the aura of a young emperor.

He finally understood why his father, the Zhu Tian Great Emperor, had arranged for him to be unsealed in this era. This time was truly extraordinary.

On the other side, Ye Chen had already summoned a domain gate, heading straight for Xuan Huang.

The starry sky was much calmer now compared to the past, with no more chaos from the Hong Huang great clans. In Ye Chen's view, the destruction of the Teng She clan served as a strong deterrent to the Hong Huang.

In the spatial passage, the air was filled with the giggles of little Ye Fan. The little one was still full of energy, darting around chaotically.

Ji Ningshuang followed closely behind him, never straying far, worried that the passage might be affected by some great battle as before.

As for Ye Chen, that scoundrel was up to no good again. He released Li Fengqiu from the Shen Fu.

Li Fengqiu was completely sealed and in a state of deep slumber, like a statue, utterly still. He exuded an ancient and沧桑 aura, with faint Dao principles circling his body.

Ye Chen rubbed his hands together and began rummaging through Li Fengqiu's belongings, like a thief hunting for treasures.

To his frustration, all he found on Li Fengqiu was the clothes on his back— not even a single Yuan Shi.

"A Dizi shouldn't be this poor!" Ye Chen didn't give up and kept searching, almost stripping the clothes off him.

After thoroughly searching, he gave up in exasperation. Poor— the Dizi was incredibly poor, more so than anyone he'd ever robbed.

Or perhaps Li Fengqiu wasn't poor at all; his valuables had likely been taken by someone else.

And that someone was undoubtedly Mu Yang. When it came to robbing a Dizi, he didn't hold back at all, leaving only the clothes. Ye Chen felt a bit gratified about that.

"Delivering you isn't easy— I should at least get something out of it." Ye Chen stroked his chin and muttered to himself.

With that, he rolled up his sleeves and got to work, holding a jade bottle in one hand and a small knife in the other.

He was drawing blood. The Dizi's bloodline was powerful, and with him in a coma, Ye Chen figured he might as well take some.

Ji Ningshuang returned, cradling Ye Fan. The little one had tired himself out playing and was now nestled in her arms, fast asleep.

Seeing what Ye Chen was doing, she couldn't help but smile wryly.

From past life to this one, Ye Chen hadn't changed a bit— always up to his sneaky tricks.

Even more awkward, Ye Chen was in the middle of it when Li Fengqiu woke up. The Dizi's deep eyes were full of confusion.

"Mu Yang really went too far with that beating. Look at the state he's left you in, kid." Ye Chen quickly stashed the jade bottle and knife, turning what was clearly bloodletting into an act of healing.

He wasn't kidding— his acting skills were Oscar-worthy. Ji Ningshuang covered her mouth to stifle a laugh at how fast he adapted.

"Where is this?" Li Fengqiu rubbed his brow as he sat up, probably dizzy from losing so much blood.

"We're on the way to Xuan Huang." Ye Chen cleared his throat, narrowly avoiding getting caught red-handed— thank goodness for his quick reflexes.

Li Fengqiu glanced at Ye Chen, his eyes narrowing sharply. Ye Chen was a famous figure; his portrait had spread across the realms, and this face was unmistakable.

Of course, it wasn't just the face— Ye Chen's bloodline aura was the most authentic, the only Huang Gu Sheng Ti in the universe.

"Dizi, I hope you're well." Ji Ningshuang smiled.

"You're here from Yao Chi too." Li Fengqiu laughed as he stood up.

He had already heard about Ye Chen and Ji Ningshuang's relationship, so seeing them together didn't surprise him at all.

"If you're going into Zou Huo Ru Mo, stay home and rest! Don't wander the starry sky. You're lucky we ran into you this time." Ye Chen said with his hands behind his back, lecturing the Dizi straight-faced.

"Did I harm any innocents?" Li Fengqiu rubbed his brow.

"No innocents were hurt, but you did beat Mu Yang pretty badly." Ye Chen tucked the blood-filled jade bottle deeper into his clothes, just in case Li Fengqiu noticed.

"That's a relief." Li Fengqiu chuckled. It was a good thing Mu Yang wasn't around; if he heard that, he'd probably explode.

What do you mean, "that's a relief"? You beat me up and don't even feel sorry? And you act like it's completely justified!

"You owe me a favor. Don't forget to repay it someday." Ye Chen coughed.

"I won't forget." Li Fengqiu smiled immediately.

As the son of Tian Que Great Emperor, his seniority was intimidating, but he held genuine respect for Ye Chen. The myths Ye Chen had created had already surpassed him and even the young great emperors.

Little did he know that Ye Chen had just been drawing his blood— if he found out, he might lose his temper on the spot.

As they spoke, an emperor's seal in Li Fengqiu's body began to hum, breaking the seals around him as his surging Qi and blood flowed out.

No longer in Zou Huo Ru Mo, his aura had weakened somewhat, on par with Mu Yang.

Even so, it made Ye Chen and Ji Ningshuang wary. The oppressive force of his bloodline was incredibly dominant.

"Take it easy, don't accidentally go into Zou Huo Ru Mo again." Ye Chen coughed, still remembering how terrifying Li Fengqiu had been— it took three Di Bing to suppress him.

Li Fengqiu didn't reply; he was busy checking his own body, his expression strange, as if searching for something.

What was he looking for? Naturally, his treasures. He clearly remembered having them before going into Zou Huo Ru Mo.

After searching, he looked up at Ye Chen. He'd heard about Ye Chen's reputation and suspected this guy might have taken them— and cleaned him out thoroughly.

"Don't mess around. I didn't take anything— whoever did will be struck by lightning." Ye Chen scratched his ear, genuinely innocent this time.

Ah-choo! In the starry sky, Mu Yang sneezed so hard he nearly fell. "Damn it, who's cursing me?"

In the spatial passage, Li Fengqiu gave an awkward laugh, feeling a bit embarrassed. He probably already knew who had stolen his treasures.

"Until we meet again." Li Fengqiu cupped his hands and stepped out, vanishing in an instant, ignoring the passage entirely.

"Good thing I hid it well." Ye Chen chuckled, pulling out the blood-filled jade bottle. It was a spatial artifact with plenty of room— he'd drawn quite a bit.

"You really haven't changed at all." Ji Ningshuang smiled again. She was the only witness to the whole thing, and as a father, Ye Chen was quite the role model.

"How does that sound like an insult?" Ye Chen said, opening the jade bottle and drawing out three drops of blood, which he fused into little Ye Fan's body. This was emperor's blood— an absolute treasure.

But to his surprise, as soon as the three drops entered, they were rejected and expelled from Ye Fan's body. It wasn't the blood that was the problem— it was Ye Fan.

"This is awkward." Ye Chen's expression turned troubled. He'd drawn the Dizi's blood for the child's sake, after all.

"The Tian Chan Zhi Ti rejects all bloodlines; it's the complete opposite of the Dizi of the Earth. One repels everything, while the other merges with all beings." Ji Ningshuang said softly. "The power of the Tian Chan Zhi Ti comes from heavenly punishment."

Ye Chen raised an eyebrow but frowned. He'd planned to use Sheng blood to refine Ye Fan's body, but now it was all rejected.

As they spoke, the domain gate reached its end. Ye Chen and Ji Ningshuang stepped out, one after the other, drawing closer to Xuan Huang.

However, as soon as they emerged, both furrowed their brows. They exchanged a glance, then turned back together.

What they saw was the void, where they felt a pair of cold, lifeless eyes secretly watching them.

That sensation was eerily captivating, piercing their souls as if they were falling into an abyss, causing their minds to blur repeatedly.