Chapter 1879: Emperor's Body Appears

After leaving Da Chu, Ye Chen activated the Yu Men and headed straight for the western region. The Tian Zun relic was located in the distant starry sky, requiring the use of a Yu Men to travel. The universe was vast, and the areas he had traversed were merely a small corner of the iceberg.

While in the Yu Men passage, he occasionally scanned the hazy void, sensing that vague feeling of being watched, which seemed to flicker in and out.

About three hours later, he emerged from the passage and appeared in the starry sky. This region was devoid of any signs of life, a desolate star domain where even the ancient stars lacked any glow.

Glancing at the star chart, he prepared to continue his journey, but as soon as he lifted his foot, he stopped and abruptly turned back, his expression one of surprise.

"Why did you follow me here?"

As he spoke, the space distorted, and a figure stepped out. The person was slender, like a frail scholar.

Upon closer inspection, it was indeed Ji Ningshuang—or more precisely, Ji Ningshuang disguised as a man. Her long hair was tied up, making her look strikingly handsome.

"The Tian Zun relic offers chances for fortune and enlightenment. I want to join in on the excitement."

Ji Ningshuang coughed dryly, thinking she had hidden well but still getting caught, which was truly embarrassing.

"Don't mess around. Go back now."

Ye Chen spoke sternly, subtly glancing at the void as he did so.

"I've already come this far."

Ji Ningshuang looked around, showing no intention of leaving. On the surface, she claimed it was for the opportunities, but in reality, she was worried about Ye Chen and wanted to help him in battle.

Ye Chen said nothing, his eyes narrowing as he stared intently ahead.

In the starry sky before them, a massive rift was torn open, and an ancient figure slowly stepped out from within.

It was the Di Qu of the Teng She Emperor. Its eyes were empty, its expression wooden, its entire body covered in dust and exuding an aura of ancient desolation. Its oppressive presence made the surrounding starry sky rumble, with various destructive phenomena swirling around it. Its eyes were like bottomless abysses, impossible to see into, occasionally flickering with a faint, eerie light.

"The Teng She Emperor's Di Qu."

Ji Ningshuang frowned deeply.

"It's finally shown itself."

Ye Chen's face darkened. As another emperor's corpse, this Teng She Emperor's Di Qu was far stronger than the Tian Mo Emperor's Di Qu he had encountered in the Ling Yu earlier. It was just as people said—the great emperors of the Tian Mo domain were not as powerful as those of the Zhutian, and even their Di Qu were no exception.

Without hesitation, he summoned a transmission Yu Men.

The Teng She Emperor's Di Qu remained silent, only stiffly turning its neck. A glimmer of eerie light flashed in its emperor eyes, manifesting visions of stars collapsing. That trace of intelligence was slowly awakening. It moved, lifting a foot and taking heavy, ancient steps toward Ye Chen. Each step caused the starry sky to tremble violently, with waves of emperor's malice surging and rolling.

"Go!"

Ye Chen shouted coldly, suddenly reaching out and pushing Ji Ningshuang into the Yu Men passage, sealing it behind her and activating the transmission.

But he did not enter himself. Instead, he fled into the depths of the starry sky. The Di Qu's target was him, and if Ji Ningshuang stayed by his side, she would be in grave danger.

His guess proved correct.

The Di Qu was indeed after him, chasing relentlessly.

As soon as they left, Ji Ningshuang broke through the Yu Men passage, but due to spatial misalignment, she ended up in a different part of the starry sky.

"Ye Chen."

With a call, she entered the starry sky, scanned her surroundings, and dashed off in one direction.

Meanwhile, Ye Chen streaked through the stars like a brilliant immortal light and once again activated a Yu Men, stepping into the passage in an instant.

But in the next moment, the Yu Men passage was shattered by the Di Qu's attack, blasting him out and sending him tumbling through the void.

The Di Qu closed in, stepping across space as if treading on the river of time, defying spatial laws to catch up with Ye Chen. It struck down with a palm print that covered eighty thousand zhang of starry sky.

Ye Chen steadied himself abruptly, activating his Ba Ti, summoning his Fa Shen, unfolding the Hun Dun phenomena, and enhancing it with the power of the Di Bing.

Yet, his defenses were fragile against that overwhelming emperor palm. His Ba Ti was forcibly dispersed, his Fa Shen instantly crushed, and the Hun Dun realm collapsed.

In an instant, he slammed down onto one knee in the starry sky, spitting out a mouthful of fresh blood. Even with the protection of the Ji Dao Di Bing, he could barely withstand the strike, nearly being ground to dust.

"Get up!"

Ye Chen roared, his golden vital energy surging, his essence burning, and various forbidden techniques activating as he raised both hands to forcibly lift the emperor palm.

For this, he paid a bloody price—his Sheng Qu cracked open, and his Sheng Gu shattered, stained with sacred blood, a gruesome sight.

After lifting the palm, he didn't even catch his breath before turning and fleeing, steering clear of any ancient stars with life and heading into the desolate star domains.

The Di Qu said nothing, like a soulless puppet, striding stiffly through the starry sky. It raised its hand lightly, with threads of destructive emperor light coiling around its fingertip, pointing remotely at the fleeing Ye Chen from across the vast starry sky.

That finger beam was devastatingly powerful, obliterating everything in its path.

The space of the starry sky was like a thin sheet of paper, pierced straight through, causing countless desolate stars to collapse and turn to ash along its way.

Ye Chen's expression turned grim. Though the finger beam was still several ten thousand zhang away, his back already felt icy and stinging, as if his entire Huang Gu Sheng Qu were being sliced apart.

"Hua Yu Wei Chen."

In this moment of crisis, he invoked a secret technique, escaping into the Chen space in an attempt to evade the finger beam.

But as soon as he entered, the Chen space collapsed, unable to bear the Di Qu's oppressive force.

Or perhaps, that finger beam had locked onto him completely—wherever he fled, it would follow.

"Tai Xu Dong."

Ye Chen snorted coldly, stabilizing his form and conjuring a black vortex before him, empowered by the Di Bing, hoping to swallow the Di Qu's finger beam with this secret technique.

However, even with the Ji Dao Di Wei added, the Tai Xu Dong shattered in an instant.

Blood splattered as Ye Chen's chest was pierced by the finger.

Dazzling golden sacred blood sprayed across the vast starry sky, and the killing intent carried by the finger beam rampaged through his body, disrupting his Dao foundations.

"Suppress it!"

Ye Chen growled, his eyes bloodshot, mobilizing the Ji Dao Di Bing along with his Sheng Ti essence and bloodline power to forcefully eradicate the emperor's killing intent.

In that very instant, the Di Qu arrived again, sweeping out with another palm.

Ye Chen was hit, his Sheng Qu shattering as he was flung back tens of thousands of zhang, like a meteor crashing through stars. His domineering Sheng Gu fractured inch by inch. Without the Ji Dao Di Bing's protection, that single palm would have obliterated him. A half-emperor level entity was far too terrifying.

After smashing through the ninth star, he finally halted, blood pouring from his mouth nonstop. He frantically operated the Sheng Dao Hui Tian to heal his Sheng Qu. If his Sheng Qu were destroyed, leaving only his Yuan Shen, he would surely die today.

The Di Qu was overwhelmingly powerful, and he was no match. Dragging his blood-soaked Sheng Qu, he fled desperately, burning his essence blood to boost his speed.

His pace reached the pinnacle of his cultivation path.

But the Teng She Emperor's Di Qu was even faster. Though its steps were stiff and ordinary, it ignored spatial laws, defying norms and outpacing Ye Chen utterly.

Their pursuit created massive disturbances, leaving the starry sky in ruins wherever they went, with not a single intact star remaining, all reduced to cosmic dust under the Di Qu's pressure.

This scene vividly illustrated the difference between a ruler and an ant. Even a Sheng Ti armed with a Di Bing couldn't withstand a single strike from the Di Qu, highlighting just how fearsome a true Teng She Emperor must be—capable of destroying heavens and earth with a wave.

Ye Chen stumbled onward, leaving a trail of blood behind him, gritting his teeth without a moment's respite.

He considered using the Di Dao Tong Ming to summon experts from the Ming Realm and, with the Di Bing, suppress the Teng She Emperor's Di Qu.

But the problem was, the Di Qu wouldn't give him even a second.

A single instant could mean his instant death.

He should feel grateful—for luring the Di Qu away from Da Chu and sending Ji Ningshuang to safety. If the Di Qu had rampaged in Da Chu, countless lives would have been lost. And if he had stayed with Ji Ningshuang, both of them might have been annihilated.

As he spoke, the Di Qu approached once more, unleashing another finger beam of divine light.

The vast starry sky was pierced through, and so was Ye Chen, his blood-drenched Huang Gu Sheng Qu suffering catastrophic damage as he slammed into a massive ancient star, causing it to collapse.

Amid the flying debris, he staggered to his feet, barely able to stand, his bloodied form no longer resembling a human. Facing a half-emperor, the fact that he was still alive was a miracle, one that could stand proud against the heavens.

Thumping sounds echoed rhythmically. The Di Qu was coming, its steps heavy as mountains, making the starry sky quake, with rolling waves of emperor's malice outlining scenes of destruction.

"Senior, I have no choice but to use your sacred blood."

Ye Chen gripped a jade bottle tightly; inside was the sacred blood of Di Huang, which he could use to enhance his combat power.

Back in the Ling Yu, it was with the Ji Dao Di Bing and Di Huang's blood that he had defied the heavens to slay the Tian Mo Emperor's Di Qu.

This time, he didn't expect to use the same method to destroy the Teng She Emperor's Di Qu, as it was far superior to the Tian Mo one, especially since he only had one Ji Dao Di Bing.

He couldn't destroy it, but escaping should be possible. With enough time, he could mount a comeback.

But just then, the starry sky behind him exploded violently, and two figures locked in battle emerged.

Those two were quite the sight—identical in appearance, like twin brothers, both expressionless and wooden.

They were fighting fiercely, each unleashing world-shaking divine abilities. Every clash sent waves of light rippling out across the seas and wilderness, shattering the starry sky inch by inch.

No need to guess—it was Hong Chen and Liu Dao.

Ye Chen froze in place, his expression shocked. He never expected to encounter Hong Chen and Liu Dao here, nor that after so long, the two were still battling, though he had no idea why. It seemed they wouldn't stop until one was dead.

Glancing at the approaching Di Qu, it too halted because of Hong Chen and Liu Dao. Staring at them, a flicker of confusion ignited in its empty eyes, its meaning unclear.

At this stare, Hong Chen and Liu Dao ceased fighting. After a forceful clash, they each stood in their own section of the starry sky.

Their movements were perfectly synchronized as they turned their heads toward Ye Chen and the Di Qu, stiffly twisting their necks, their eyes also flashing with confusion, as if gaining human emotions.

In that instant, the starry sky fell into a dead silence. Hong Chen and Liu Dao said nothing, and the Teng She Emperor's Di Qu remained quiet.

Ye Chen felt the most awkward, stuck in the middle, not daring to break the stillness. Today was truly eventful.