Chapter 1958: Sacred Heart Technique

Ren Wang finished speaking and fell silent. His feigned rest had turned into true sleep. He looked like an old man in his twilight years, resting peacefully and quietly.

Seeing Ren Wang like this, Ye Chen wanted to speak but stopped himself. He remained silent and did not disturb him. He quietly turned and sat under the old tree, contemplating the deeper meaning behind Ren Wang's words. On the surface, they seemed like an explanation of principles, but Ye Chen had a vague feeling that Ren Wang was trying to pass on some secrets to him.

Under the moonlight, he sat still and calm, lost in thought. Although Ren Wang had erased the curse, the demonic words and the bloody scenes still lingered in his soul like etchings. Two conflicting voices tormented his mind.

These were inner demons—two opposing inner demons, a flaw in heart refinement. One represented Ye Fan, the other the common people.

Suddenly, he sat cross-legged and gently closed his eyes. He needed to eliminate these two inner demons, or they would eventually become karmic obstacles.

With his eyes shut, he could clearly sense that in his divine sea, two distorted human-like figures hovered around his primordial spirit. They were faintly visible with ferocious faces and eyes glowing with a greenish light.

"Kill Ye Fan, save the common people." One voice cackled, chattering endlessly.

"Destroy the common people, save Ye Fan." The other voice sneered sinisterly, laughing maniacally without end.

These were the two inner demons, using demonic words to tempt him, as if they would never stop until he gave an answer.

Ye Chen let out a light rebuke and silently recited a calming incantation in his heart.

It was a tranquility mantra, or more precisely, the Sheng Xin Jue, passed down from Yao Chi Sheng Di. It was a supreme method for dispelling evil thoughts, taught to him by Ji Ning Shuang in the past. Using it against inner demons was ideal, as inner demons were essentially evil thoughts.

Indeed, as the immortal sound of the Sheng Xin Jue echoed in his divine sea, the two inner demons' bodies twisted even more grotesquely. Their ferocious faces contorted in pain as they wailed pitifully.

"Get out of my body," Ye Chen snorted coldly, his words icy and authoritative. He infused the Sheng Xin Jue with his cultivation power and dao principles, amplifying its might. The ethereal immortal sound was filled with divine force, becoming the inner demons' natural nemesis.

In his divine sea, the Sheng Xin Jue's immortal sound transformed into strands of divine light, converging into a vast divine sea that submerged the two inner demons. The purifying and exterminating power made them clutch their heads and wail.

The inner demons were suppressed, struggling in agony within the Sheng Xin Jue's divine sea like two evil spirits, doomed to be eternally sealed.

From the outside, Ye Chen's body was enveloped in brilliant divine light. The Sheng Xin Jue not only purified his soul and divine sea but also refined his sacred body, shedding layers of worldly impurities.

The night grew deeper, and the small garden remained tranquil, with only a gentle breeze occasionally rustling a few fallen leaves that drifted down onto Ren Wang's body and Ye Chen's shoulders.

One day passed quietly, with Ye Chen still in meditation and Ren Wang asleep.

Two days slipped by swiftly, Ye Chen remaining cross-legged with his eyes closed, and Ren Wang showing no signs of waking, utterly peaceful.

It was not until the third night's evening that Ye Chen's sacred body trembled slightly. Then, strands of golden radiance suddenly appeared, swirling around his body, along with various profound visions intertwining in the night, dazzlingly brilliant.

In the next instant, he opened his eyes, and two beams of tangible golden light shot from his pupils, piercing holes in the space around him.

After three days, he had finally eradicated his inner demons, bringing peace to his mind.

He was truly formidable—twenty years of heart refinement, constantly tormented by demonic words and bloody visions, day after day for two full decades, yet he had not been brainwashed. This demonstrated the unyielding strength of his will.

Of course, this was unique to him; others might have fallen. Compared to the thousand years in the six paths of reincarnation, these twenty years of heart refinement were merely a minor trial, not worth dwelling on.

Calming his thoughts, Ye Chen rubbed his eyes. Even after twenty years, his vision was still impaired from when he had sealed himself and consumed Zaohua Shenwang's blood, which had not yet restored.

All along, he had relied on his divine sense to enhance his eyes, allowing him to see the outside world, though it felt unnatural.

This lesson taught him that one should not casually consume others' blood, especially from someone like Zaohua Shenwang, whose defenses were extraordinarily powerful.

Given that his own ancient sacred blood was precious, he had infused it with mysterious power. If anyone were to draw his blood and consume it in the future, they would be severely harmed by that power.

Naturally, if he willingly offered his sacred blood, it would not contain such power. This was all for protection—one had to stay vigilant.

After handling that, he stretched lazily, his bones cracking with pops.

A gentle breeze blew, and the Hun Dun Ding emerged, hovering before him and buzzing with vibration, as if joyful or perhaps showing off. Its surface now bore many more Dun Jia heavenly characters, each golden rune shimmering brightly.

Ye Chen raised an eyebrow, staring in astonishment. He knew better than anyone how many Dun Jia heavenly characters were imprinted on the Hun Dun Ding—over a hundred new ones had appeared, an unexpected delight that caught him off guard.

Instinctively, he glanced at Ren Wang. Clearly, during Ye Chen's twenty years of heart refinement, Ren Wang had not been idle and had sought out these heavenly characters for him, another form of serendipity.

As he thought about it, he stood up and approached Ren Wang.

Ren Wang seemed deeply exhausted, still asleep and oblivious to his arrival—this was not typical for a quasi-emperor.

"Time to hit the road," Ye Chen said, kicking him with considerable force.

He felt grateful toward Ren Wang but also quite frustrated.

Over these twenty years, although his mind had been trapped in the illusion, he was aware of external events. Being led around by Ren Wang for two decades had tarnished his reputation as a hero!

However, despite the heavy kick, Ren Wang showed no reaction, sleeping soundly—or perhaps he was like a living corpse.

Ye Chen frowned and leaned closer, narrowing his eyes to peer through Ren Wang's body into his divine sea.

Upon closer inspection, he realized Ren Wang's mind was in a dormant state, unresponsive to the outside world.

Helpless, he returned to the old tree, pulled out a wine gourd, and quietly drank. With Ren Wang in hibernation, he wouldn't wake soon, so Ye Chen decided to rest as well—the journey ahead was long.

In the dead of night, he leaned against the old tree and fell into a deep sleep, the first truly restful one after twenty years of torment.

Sometime later, the small garden stirred with activity, coming from Ren Wang's direction.

A large hole had been torn in Ren Wang's storage bag, and a bronze furnace flew out, hovering in the air and buzzing.

Ren Wang remained unresponsive, but Ye Chen was jolted awake from his sleep.

Ye Chen did not open his eyes—his blindness made it pointless—and he stayed still, sitting quietly while using his divine sense to observe the bronze furnace.

From the furnace, two dark, grimy hands emerged, gripping the edge, followed by a head poking out. It was Zaohua Shenwang, Lin Xing.

Ye Chen stared in surprise, almost wanting to give Lin Xing a thumbs-up. You truly are impressive—breaking free from a quasi-emperor's sealed artifact.

"Dammit," Lin Xing muttered as he climbed out of the furnace, gasping for breath and cursing. His face was as black as charcoal, having been sealed inside for twenty years, which would make anyone lash out.

"You seal me, you steal my treasures, you worthless scum," he grumbled, kicking Ren Wang repeatedly. Each kick was forceful and bold, brazenly attacking a quasi-emperor.

Most importantly, Lin Xing had noticed Ren Wang was in hibernation, which explained his audacity.

Remarkably, Ren Wang showed no response to the assault; the more soundly he slept, the more vigorously Lin Xing kicked.

Ye Chen watched it all unfold without intervening, feeling an inexplicable sense of satisfaction. He had long wanted to deal with Ren Wang and even considered joining in.

In Ye Chen's view, once Lin Xing tired himself out, he got down to business.

His so-called business was outright robbery. He took Ren Wang's storage bag, though its contents were trivial to a quasi-emperor like Ren Wang.

Ren Wang's true treasures were stored in his internal world, a privilege of quasi-emperors that Lin Xing, with his current cultivation, could not access. So, he settled for the storage bag and some ornaments on Ren Wang's person.

Ye Chen remained motionless, amused as he watched Lin Xing plunder, feeling no urge to stop him—it was quite entertaining and even made his hands itch.

He had always dreamed of robbing Ren Wang, whose treasures were priceless and could cause a sensation in the world. Robbing him alone would ensure a lifetime of comfort.

Unfortunately, his own cultivation limited him to mere fantasies, but now Lin Xing had done it for him.

As Ye Chen observed, Lin Xing finished and grinned with excitement.

To his credit, Lin Xing had some principles; although he looted Ren Wang's treasures, he left him a change of clothes.

If it had been Ye Chen, he would have stripped Ren Wang completely, leaving only underwear—that was his style.

What a pity for Ren Wang's storied reputation, now tarnished by a saint king.

No wonder he was Zaohua Shenwang—Lin Xing was ambitious. After robbing Ren Wang, he scurried over to Ye Chen.

"Truly admire your guts," Ye Chen thought to himself, smirking inwardly. It was always him robbing others, and no one had dared to target his treasures before. You’re the first.

"A quasi-emperor's disciple should have plenty of treasures," Lin Xing chuckled, rubbing his hands together, his eyes gleaming with mischief—a look that screamed of his shady dealings.

However, to his embarrassment, Ye Chen had nothing on him—not even a storage bag or ornaments, just clothes.

Of course, Ye Chen was an expert at robbery and had anticipated this, so he kept his valuables elsewhere.

"This can't be right!" Lin Xing muttered, his restless hand reaching into Ye Chen's robes to rummage for treasures.

"What are you looking for?" Ye Chen finally opened his eyes, flashing a grin with his pearly white teeth, his smile seeming rather sinister as he watched Lin Xing.