Chapter 1875

At night, the guests gradually departed, and Yu Nu Peak became much quieter. After dinner, Ye Chen and the women gathered romantically under the old tree, gazing up at the starry sky.

The two little ones snuggled close to him, one on each side, occasionally nuzzling his chest with their small heads.

It was a beautiful evening scene, utterly romantic, yet they simply stared at the stars, leaving the secret observers anxious.

Was Ye Chen overly virtuous? Not at all. With so many beautiful wives, it would be strange if he didn't harbor such thoughts.

However, he was burdened by a great calamity, a person under heavenly punishment. Since his rebirth in this life, after being intimate with Chu Xuan, he had not touched any other woman, fearing they would also suffer heavenly retribution.

If he had known about this heavenly punishment from his past life to this one, back at Tianxuan Gate, he would never have approached Chu Xuan.

He understood this, and so did the women. Little Ye Fan was already a bloody example; they couldn't risk affecting the next generation.

As the night deepened, the women rose one by one and returned to their rooms, leaving Ye Chen alone under the old tree.

"I'll end up with internal injuries sooner or later," Ye Chen muttered, patting off the dust. He glanced at the women's rooms before heading back to his own.

Once in his room, he offered a drop of blood and formed seals with his hands, invoking the Di Dao Tong Ming to summon someone for a chat.

Soon, the ground rumbled, and a coffin slowly rose. The lid fell away, revealing a burly figure.

It was Qin Guang Wang, the Yanluo of the first hall of the Yin Cao underworld. Once consciousness was granted to him, his face turned pitch black, as he had been sleeping soundly before being dragged over by Ye Chen.

"Old bro, long time no see." Ye Chen smiled cheerfully, always feeling inexplicably refreshed whenever he saw a Yanluo with a dark face.

"The ten Yanluo of the underworld—why must you always connect to my hall?" Qin Guang Wang cursed loudly, feeling like he had become Ye Chen's personal spirit beast, summoned at a whim. He was a Yanluo under the Ming Emperor, and this was utterly humiliating.

"No choice, I just like you." Ye Chen grinned and waved his hand. "I called you over this time to ask about something important. Please seek answers from the Emperor and the Ming Emperor."

"This is the first time I've been summoned without being pulled into a battle—it's quite unusual." Qin Guang Wang glanced at Ye Chen, found a chair to sit on, and crossed his legs. "Whatever you want to know, I'll clear up your doubts."

"My son, Ye Fan," Ye Chen got straight to the point. "Is there a way to remove his heavenly punishment?"

"No." Qin Guang Wang answered without a second thought, his response blunt. "That's also the answer from the Emperor and the Ming Emperor. A body of heavenly punishment can't be rid of it."

Ye Chen's heart turned ice-cold in an instant. If even the two supreme beings couldn't help, whom else could he turn to?

"Don't be too pessimistic." Qin Guang Wang said leisurely, "The Emperor and the Ming Emperor both said that since it's a body of heavenly punishment, it will naturally come with heavenly thunder tribulation. Suffering is inevitable, but remember, only through enduring great hardships can one become truly exceptional. If your son can withstand it and harness the heavenly punishment for himself, given enough time, he will become an eternal giant."

"I'd rather he live an ordinary life." Ye Chen sighed. "After experiencing war and witnessing so much slaughter, I know how precious ordinariness is. Being a common person isn't so bad."

"Having a wife and children has made you so cautious." Qin Guang Wang chuckled. "Or is it that because of them, you've started compromising with the heavens?"

"You're going off topic." Ye Chen gave a dry laugh and asked again, "Regarding the female Sheng Ti in the Yao Chi underground palace, does the Emperor have any insights? Has there ever been a female Sheng Ti in the history of the Zhutian?"

"Your doubts are the same as those of the Emperor and the Ming Emperor." Qin Guang Wang frowned. "Even the two supreme beings can't see through it, and they've never heard of any legends about a female Sheng Ti."

"That's strange." Ye Chen rubbed his brow. "A female Sheng Ti suddenly appearing out of nowhere—it's caught us off guard, upending the norms and disrupting the laws. It's too odd."

"The Zhutian is full of interesting mysteries." Qin Guang Wang picked up a wine jug. "There are mysterious existences that even the two supreme beings can't fathom. Besides the female Sheng Ti from Yao Chi, there are a few others, like Ruoxi, and Chu Xuan and Chu Ling."

"I can understand Ruoxi, but why Chu Xuan and Chu Ling?" Ye Chen was stunned, staring straight at Qin Guang Wang. "Did the Emperor and the Ming Emperor mention them?"

"They didn't say it outright." Qin Guang Wang replied, "But you should know that whether it's Ruoxi, or Chu Xuan and Chu Ling, none of them are as simple as they seem. They all hide great secrets."

Ye Chen furrowed his brow, his mind clouded with confusion from these words, his thoughts in disarray.

In the past, he had used his Lunhui Eye to observe Chu Xuan and Chu Ling and found nothing amiss, yet the two supreme beings evaluated them this way, which was completely unexpected.

After Qin Guang Wang's words, he began connecting the dots.

When they were young, Chu Xuan and Chu Ling looked exactly like little Ruoxi. Clearly, when Ruoxi grew up, she would look just like them. The three of them, along with the Wulei City Lord, must have some kind of connection.

"These mysteries will be uncovered once the Emperor returns to the Zhutian. For now, you should worry about something else." Qin Guang Wang took a swig of wine.

"Something else?" Ye Chen's train of thought was interrupted.

"Of course, it's the Teng She Di Qu." Qin Guang Wang answered. "Did you really think throwing it into a black hole would solve everything? That's an emperor's body, once belonging to a great emperor. If it develops even a trace of intelligence, a black hole won't hold it."

"Has it escaped?" Ye Chen's face changed, as the Lunhui Eye prevented him from using the Tiandao.

"I don't know if it's escaped, but the Teng She Di Qu has indeed gained some intelligence. If it wants to leave the black hole, it could do so in an instant." Qin Guang Wang spoke slowly.

"If I'm not mistaken, the one that's been following us is the Teng She Di Qu." Ye Chen's frown deepened.

"Looks like you're not as foolish as I thought." Qin Guang Wang tossed the wine jug aside. "You should be grateful it's only developed a trace of intelligence, so it won't attack proactively; it'll just trail behind you. But that doesn't mean it won't attack later. You know the saying: open attacks are easy to defend, but hidden ones are hard. A Di Qu with intelligence is like a half-emperor—if it goes berserk, more than one or two people will suffer."

Ye Chen fell silent, his expression grave. He knew all too well how terrifying a Di Qu could be. He had been too reckless, leaving such a disaster for the Zhutian. If it led to widespread catastrophe, he would bear the blame.

"The Honghuang great clans aren't as simple as you think. They were the first beings in the world, with terrifying foundations. The Teng She clan deserved destruction, and your method wasn't wrong, but you underestimated the Honghuang clans." Qin Guang Wang patted Ye Chen on the shoulder. "The Emperor said that in the future, you should act with caution. It's fine to have minor skirmishes with the Honghuang, but don't try to wipe out a whole clan on your own. Wait until he returns to the Zhutian; he'll make the decisions."

"Understood." Ye Chen nodded, having learned a hard lesson, one that could have extremely serious consequences.

"Don't put too much pressure on yourself. The Da Chu dynasty isn't powerless either." Qin Guang Wang said, his body gradually fading as he prepared to return to the underworld. "Next time, connect to someone else."

With that, he turned to ash, leaving Ye Chen alone, rubbing his brow intensely. If not for Qin Guang Wang's words, he wouldn't have known about this troublesome matter.

The night passed without incident, and dawn arrived in the blink of an eye. Heng Yue welcomed a new day, with the gentle morning light enveloping the immortal realm.

At Yu Nu Peak, the two little ones, Ye Fan and Ye Ling, were up early, full of energy and vitality.

"I'm your sister, so from now on, you have to listen to me." Ye Ling stood with her hands clasped behind her back, her voice childish but serious, like a little boss.

Meanwhile, little Ye Fan sat obediently on a small stool, quietly listening to Ye Ling's instructions, being very well-behaved.

"Whoever bullies you, tell me, and I'll make them cry." Little Ye Ling continued, waving her small fists impressively. Though she was small, if a fight broke out, she was fierce—her Kong Ming realm cultivation wasn't for show.

"Ye Ling." A childish call came from nearby as the three little ones—Xiong Xiao Er, Xie Nan, and Situ Yun—approached, with Situ Nan and his unreliable group of fathers trailing behind.

It was clear these three had brought their sons over for a free meal—or more accurately, to flirt with the girls.

The little ones greeted each other with excitement, running wildly across the grass, their giggles echoing throughout Yu Nu Peak.

Little Ye Fan, however, was picked up by Xiong Xiao Er and surrounded by Situ Nan and Xie Yun on either side.

"Come on, nephew, put this in your dad's wine." Xiong Xiao Er handed a packet to little Ye Fan, winking suggestively with a sleazy grin.

"What's this?" Little Ye Fan asked curiously, his bright eyes looking at Situ Nan and the others.

"Good stuff." Xie Yun smirked sleazily. "Do as big uncle says, and he'll buy you candy."

"Uh." Little Ye Fan nodded obediently, glanced at the packet in his hand and the wine gourd on the table, then toddled over to it.

"Let's go, let's go." Xie Yun and the others quickly turned and left, hurrying down the mountain to wait for the show.

Sure enough, little Ye Fan was dutiful; he hugged the wine gourd and carefully poured the powdery contents inside, all the while thinking about the candy.

"Son, what are you doing?" Ye Chen emerged from his room, stretching lazily, and squatted down when he saw Ye Fan.

But when he noticed the powder in little Ye Fan's hand, his whole demeanor changed. He knew exactly what that powder was: a Da Chu specialty.

He couldn't help but twitch his mouth, his expression a mix of amusement and exasperation as he looked at little Ye Fan, as if to say: Are you really trying to slip me an aphrodisiac? So thoughtful?

"Xiong Xiao Er gave it to me. He said to put it in your wine, and he'd buy me candy." Little Ye Fan kept his head down, still pouring carefully to avoid spilling any.

"I see!" Ye Chen raised an eyebrow, guessing that those three scoundrels were behind this.

With a quick scan, he spotted Xie Yun and the others hiding at the mountain base, waiting eagerly for the spectacle, their grins as sleazy as could be.

"Little fatty, come here." Ye Chen turned his gaze and beckoned to Xiong Xiao Er in the distance.

The little fatty obeyed, waddling over with his plump body, his eyes mere slits, just like his father's.

Xie Nan and Situ Yun followed, while little Ye Ling was still chasing butterflies.

"Come on, one packet each. When you get home, secretly put it in your dad's wine." Ye Chen pulled the three little ones aside and handed each a packet. "Secretly, got it?"

"Uh-huh." The three little ones nodded, all good kids, tucking the packets away before running off to join Ye Ling.

"Keep an eye on them." Ye Chen said with a meaningful smile.

What he gave them wasn't an aphrodisiac, but a potent laxative—specially refined, odorless and colorless, with effects strong enough to make someone question their existence. A single packet would do the trick.

Of course, it all depended on whether the little ones pulled it off successfully. If they did, those three would be in for a rough few days.