Chapter 1914: Primordial Purple Energy

Chapter 1914: Hong Meng Zi Qi

"Single combat, if you have the guts for single combat." Inside the Tianzun Yiji, the air was filled with Ming Jue’s constant shouting and yelling. He cursed nonstop while keeping his feet moving; among the many Di Zi Ji, he was the fastest one running.

"Prepare to be slain." Behind them, the Hong Huang Di Zi roared furiously. Dozens of Di Zi Ji, each radiating overwhelming power like immortal kings, surged forward with the aura of Hong Huang, devouring the heavens and earth as they advanced.

"A wise man knows when to avoid immediate loss." Ri Yue Shen Zi scoffed, ignoring the Hong Huang Di Zi's insults and refusing to stop. A one-on-one fight might be feasible, but the enemy was clearly gearing up for a group assault. Fighting when you know you’ll lose is foolish, and these dozens of Hong Huang Di Zi were no joke.

"Pair up and split up to escape," Mu Yang said.

"Got it!" Ming Jue was the most responsive, teaming up with Xiao Chen and heading straight toward the southeast.

The other Di Zi Ji quickly found their partners and scattered in different directions.

Seeing the Zhutian Di Zi Ji splitting up, the Hong Huang Di Zi also divided into teams and chased after them in various directions.

"Is this what you call strategy?" Ye Chen chuckled lightly, pairing up with Ji Ning Shuang and fleeing toward the south.

However, whether it was because of his handsome appearance or Ji Ning Shuang's beauty, over a dozen Hong Huang Di Zi charged at them with ferocious momentum, determined not to stop until they were finished.

"You're all Di Zi Ji, but you're the ones standing out?" Ye Chen cursed loudly. The ones chasing others were only in groups of three or five, but the ones after them were more than double that number—clearly special treatment.

"Don't even think about escaping." Ye Chen's outburst only fueled them; the dozen or so Di Zi Ji seemed invigorated, speeding up even more. They thought, "Standing out? The most standout is you, you scoundrel. A dozen chasing you is already lenient—if our Hong Huang army were here, millions would swarm you."

"Fine, I admit defeat." Ye Chen coughed dryly, summoning his escape technique and fleeing alongside Ji Ning Shuang.

Their speed and agility were evenly matched, incredibly swift, leaving the Hong Huang Di Zi far behind.

Boom! Bang!

In the other directions, things were far from peaceful, with explosions erupting one after another.

It was clear that the Di Zi Ji had engaged in battle, but it was just minor skirmishes—fighting while retreating.

As night fell, Ye Chen and Ji Ning Shuang finally shook off their pursuers.

Bathed in moonlight, the two entered a desolate forest side by side.

Ye Chen scanned the surroundings and, seeing no sign of the Hong Huang Di Zi, pulled out a wine flask, took a swig, and then turned to Ji Ning Shuang. "Tell me about it—what kind of fortuitous encounter did you have in the space realm?"

"Guess," Ji Ning Shuang said with a charming smile.

"Uh." Ye Chen paused, taken aback. After so many years, seeing Ji Ning Shuang tease him again left him momentarily unprepared. Their relationship had always been one of mutual respect.

Ji Ning Shuang didn't keep him in suspense any longer. With a gentle wave of her hand, an ancient book materialized in her palm, simple and unadorned.

Curious, Ye Chen took it and flipped through it, only to find it blank. He raised an eyebrow. "Wu Zi Tian Shu?"

"The fortuitous encounter hidden in the space realm of the underground palace is precisely this Wu Zi Tian Shu," Ji Ning Shuang said with a light smile. "It wasn't easy to obtain—it was guarded by a powerful figure in purple robes, and I nearly perished at his hands."

"There's a purple-robed figure as well." Ye Chen murmured softly. This was strikingly similar to his own encounter in the abyss space realm. If someone could almost defeat Ji Ning Shuang, that purple-robed individual's strength must be terrifying. Ye Chen was certain that whether it was the one he faced or the one she encountered, both were connected to Daozu Hong Jun. This Tianzun Yiji held far too many secrets.

"I heard you also have a Wu Zi Tian Shu." As Ye Chen murmured, Ji Ning Shuang produced another Wu Zi Tian Shu, the one given to her by the Ren Wang in the past. With this new one, she now had two.

"I do." Ye Chen waved his hand, manifesting his own Wu Zi Tian Shu. Like Ji Ning Shuang, it was a gift from the Ren Wang, and thanks to it, he had once reversed his aging.

With the three Tian Shu gathered, they began to tremble lightly. Their pages turned on their own without any wind, revealing no words but emanating a profound Dao essence, faintly outlining the supreme principles of all things.

Ye Chen and Ji Ning Shuang exchanged glances before turning their attention back to the three Tian Shu. They orbited each other, their pages flipping at the same rhythm, their origins identical—they clearly came from the same source.

"Did the Ren Wang ever mention how many Wu Zi Tian Shu there are?" Ye Chen asked.

"Four in total: heaven, earth, profound, and yellow," Ji Ning Shuang replied. "These three before us should be earth, profound, and yellow. We're missing the heaven one. The Ren Wang once said that if we gather all four, it might connect to the Tian Jie."

"Connect to the Tian Jie." Ye Chen glanced at the void. "That would be interesting."

"What a shame we only have three." Ji Ning Shuang sighed regretfully, then waved her hand gently, merging the three Tian Shu into Ye Chen's body. She smiled and added, "I've tried it before—fusing the Tian Shu into your body can refine your Dao roots."

"Is it really that miraculous?" Ye Chen said in surprise, immediately checking his internal state.

Upon inspection, the three Wu Zi Tian Shu that had just entered his body slipped out on their own.

Then, as if by agreement, the three Wu Zi Tian Shu fused into Ji Ning Shuang's body.

This sight left Ye Chen stunned. What was going on? Did they not like him?

Ji Ning Shuang was also bewildered, unsure of the situation. She tried to force them out, but the three Tian Shu seemed stubborn, clustering together and refusing to leave her—as if they'd found their true home.

Once the three books entered her body, Ji Ning Shuang's immortal form was enveloped in a layer of Dao essence, obscuring her origin. Even Ye Chen, concentrating his vision to the utmost, couldn't see through it clearly—in fact, it made his eyes blur.

"Not bad at all." Ye Chen stroked his chin, his gaze roaming from her head to her toes and back again.

Ji Ning Shuang felt uncomfortable under his stare, as if she were exposed despite being fully clothed.

At that moment, a deafening boom echoed from the depths, drawing their attention.

Looking over, they saw visions of the heavens collapsing, with clouds churning and a wisp of purple light shooting into the sky.

"Hong Meng Zi Qi," Ye Chen and Ji Ning Shuang said in unison, immediately setting off.

Hong Meng Zi Qi, the essence from the dawn of creation, contained the purest origins of heaven and earth. It was the supreme treasure for cultivators, something encountered only by fate, even for great emperors.

Now, the Hong Meng Zi Qi had appeared in the Tianzun Yiji, beyond their expectations. With items like the Da Luo Shen Tie and Wu Zi Tian Shu already present, and now this, each fortuitous encounter was extraordinarily heaven-defying.

The two crossed the desolate forest and soared over the mountains, moving like immortal rays or divine lights, at maximum speed.

But the wisp of Hong Meng Zi Qi was even faster, flickering in and out of sight, heavy as a mountain and crushing the skies in its path. Wherever it went, visions of the world's creation unfolded, evolving on their own.

"Don't run! Let's chat about your ideals," Ye Chen called out playfully, making Ji Ning Shuang laugh.

Eventually, on a vast ocean, the Hong Meng Zi Qi came to a halt, darting around as if searching for something. Ye Chen and Ji Ning Shuang had no idea what it was after.

"There, that's more like it!" Ye Chen grinned widely, his teeth showing, and stepped into the ocean.

However, someone was faster. A hand reached down from the sky, grabbing for the Hong Meng Zi Qi.

"Hey!" Ye Chen cursed, summoning his Dao sword and slashing through the heavens, severing the hand.

Only then did he see who it was—an old acquaintance, the Qiu Nao Di Zi. Beside Qiu Nao Di Zi was the Tao Tie Di Zi; they must have been nearby and spotted the Hong Meng Zi Qi.

"Oh, what a small world," Ye Chen sighed.

"I've been looking for you for a long time." Qiu Nao Di Zi gritted his teeth, and Tao Tie Di Zi's expression was equally savage. Without another word, they attacked, one on the left and one on the right—one forming a massive seal, the other wielding a palm blade, both infused with thousands of secret arts and divine powers, aiming to take down Ye Chen in one strike.

Ji Ning Shuang let out a cold shout and engaged Tao Tie, her palm strike sending him spitting blood.

Ye Chen was equally dominant, his sword forcing Qiu Nao to retreat.

In this two-on-two matchup, Ye Chen and Ji Ning Shuang held no fear. Without interference, they even planned to eliminate Qiu Nao and Tao Tie Di Zi—such a rare opportunity to catch them alone couldn't be missed.

"Go get the Hong Meng Zi Qi," Ye Chen said, summoning his Dharma body.

"You got it!" The Dharma body grinned and dashed straight for the Hong Meng Zi Qi.

"Stay right there!" Qiu Nao and Tao Tie roared in anger, trying to pursue the Dharma body.

"As if we're just air?" Ye Chen sneered, activating his vision domain to block Qiu Nao, while Ji Ning Shuang did the same, deploying her vision domain to trap Tao Tie in the void.

"Then we'll take you down first," the two Hong Huang Di Zi thundered, unleashing torrents of murderous aura in their assault.

"Overconfident, aren't you?" Ye Chen countered Qiu Nao Di Zi with his Ba Huang Fist, which dominated utterly, shattering the skies. Though Qiu Nao was strong, he couldn't withstand the sacred body’s golden fist; his divine form nearly exploded, splattering crimson blood across the sky and dyeing the ocean waves red.

Bang! Boom!

On the other side, Tao Tie Di Zi fared no better.

With the three Wu Zi Tian Shu fused into her, Ji Ning Shuang's combat power hadn't increased, but her Dao principles were incredibly refined. She attacked relentlessly, targeting Tao Tie's Dao roots. In less than three rounds, Tao Tie was in dire straits.

The battle erupted in full, with thunderous booms shaking the heavens.

While this side was intense, the Dharma body's side was just as chaotic.

The Hong Meng Zi Qi was playful, evading the Dharma body's grabs time and again.

"You little troublemaker, you're asking for it." The Dharma body grumbled, deploying the Tai Xu Long Jin Cage.

The Hong Meng Zi Qi, still darting about, was instantly trapped.

"Run now, why don't you?" The Dharma body chuckled, rubbing his hands as he approached.

But before he could seize it, the Hong Meng Zi Qi escaped the Tai Xu Long Jin Cage in a flash, zipping out of the ocean and into a stretch of endless mountains.

"Dammit." The Dharma body nearly coughed up blood in frustration and chased after it, plunging into the mountains.

Behind them, the battle raged on.

In the two-on-two fight, Ye Chen and Ji Ning Shuang had the absolute upper hand.

As for Tao Tie and Qiu Nao, their conditions were pitiful—especially Qiu Nao, who had been battered by Ye Chen, his bones exposed and looking even more grotesque than before.

"We're Di Zi Ji; we won't be defeated," the two howled like mad dogs, their eyes blood-red as they fully suppressed Ye Chen and Ji Ning Shuang with their bloodlines, yet still couldn't overcome them, fueling their rage.

"Off to the afterlife together, no loneliness there," Ye Chen said, his killing intent soaring as he raised his Dao sword for another attack.

But before he could strike, a boom echoed from the mountains.

Then, a figure was sent flying out.

Upon closer inspection, it was Ye Chen's sacred war Dharma body. As it flew, its body shattered inch by inch, unable to stop, until it exploded into a mist of blood in the distant sky.