Chapter 1959: Should We Try Rescuing Again?

Lin Xing was momentarily stunned, feeling a bit bewildered as he locked eyes with Ye Chen. What was even funnier was that his hand was still tucked inside Ye Chen's embrace.

They held each other's gaze for a full three seconds, almost as if experiencing love at first sight, nearly sparking some kind of romantic feeling.

Ye Chen was calm, a smile on his face, but Lin Xing's expression was both awkward and rather amusing. So, this guy had been awake the entire time?

Ye Chen smiled at Lin Xing, breaking the silence.

"What are you looking for?"

"Uh, hehehe." Lin Xing chuckled awkwardly, his restless hand quickly pulling away from Ye Chen's embrace. He'd been caught red-handed trying to steal, and even with his thick skin, he felt a surge of embarrassment, unable to handle the situation.

As he laughed, the fellow spun around and bolted. His speed was incredible, as if he'd activated some sort of cheat, flashing out of the small garden and straight into the void.

"Where do you think you're going?" Ye Chen stood up and gave chase. It didn't matter if Lin Xing ran, but if the Zao Hua Shen Wang escaped, it would cause chaos. With Ren Wang still asleep, the task of catching him fell to Ye Chen.

Besides, Ren Wang's treasures also piqued Ye Chen's interest. He planned to snatch them all from Lin Xing and not say a word about it to Ren Wang.

As Ye Chen closed in, Lin Xing's legs moved even faster, bursting out of the ancient star like a wisp of smoke, like a divine ray cutting through the starry sky. His escape maneuvers were incredibly smooth.

Ye Chen was no slouch either. Among those at the same level, his escape speed was unmatched, and his pursuit skills were peerless. If Lin Xing was a divine ray, then Ye Chen was an immortal light, chasing relentlessly.

"If you can catch me, I'll take your last name." Lin Xing cursed loudly, directing his anger at Ye Chen, a mix of frustration at his own situation and his resentment towards Ren Wang.

"Hey!" Ye Chen was provoked by the challenge, his speed surging and closing the distance between himself and Lin Xing significantly.

"You bastard, are you cheating?" Lin Xing stopped cursing and fled without any pretense of dignity, pushing his speed up another notch.

The starry sky grew restless as the two figures, one in front and one behind, like a divine ray and an immortal light, added two brilliant streaks to the vast cosmos.

Passing cultivators watched with wide eyes. They had seen fast runners before, but none this quick—able to race with a Zhun Di.

Ahead, they entered another stretch of starry sky, where three figures could be seen. They were all burly and menacing, radiating thick bloodlust, their eyes red. One held a ghost-headed broadsword, clearly marking them as bandits who specialized in murder and robbery.

"Business is here." The leader spotted Lin Xing from afar, and the other two licked their lips with sinister grins.

"Get out of the way!" Lin Xing didn't slow down, yelling from a distance.

"Leave your treasures, and we'll spare you—" The three lunged forward, but before they could finish speaking, Lin Xing slammed into them, sending them flying.

The embarrassment continued. The three hadn't even hit the ground when Ye Chen arrived, pulling off a flurry of moves that sent them soaring again. It took them ages to come down.

As bandits, they had really put their hearts into their work, but they hadn't managed to snatch a single treasure. In fact, they hadn't even gotten a good look at their targets before being knocked away twice in a row.

By the time the three landed, Ye Chen and Lin Xing had already sped off far into the distance.

Then, booming sounds echoed back. It wasn't because Ye Chen had caught Lin Xing, but because Ye Chen was unleashing attacks while chasing, blasting huge holes in the starry sky's space.

This commotion drew quite a crowd, but some unwise individuals got too close and ended up knocked over.

It wasn't until sometime later that the booms faded, and the starry sky returned to calm.

Lin Xing stopped, landing on a star, panting heavily. His wild dash had left him exhausted, his vital energy waning.

Ye Chen arrived shortly after, his breath unsteady too. He had underestimated Lin Xing's speed and gone all out without catching him.

"I say, is your speed a family heirloom?" Ye Chen said with a laugh.

"Not bad." Lin Xing flicked his head and smoothed his hair.

"Will it be me making a move, or will you go back quietly?" Ye Chen smiled at Lin Xing. "Friendly tip: my temper isn't great."

"As if anyone's temper is." Lin Xing cracked his neck fiercely. "Do you really think I ran because I was scared of you? Don't kid yourself. If I wasn't worried about waking that Zhun Di, I'd cripple you in a minute."

"Then let's see how confident you are." Ye Chen chuckled lightly, stepping forward and shattering the void. His nine paths of Bahuang fused in an instant, incorporating Chaos Dao Ze and enhanced by his bloodline power.

"Tch." Lin Xing didn't back down, advancing instead. He channeled a divine ability in his palm, etching seal scripts between his fingers. His palm strike was overwhelmingly dominant, clashing head-on with Ye Chen.

Their fist and palm collided, producing a thunderous boom, and that patch of sky exploded on the spot.

Looking at the fighters, Ye Chen stood like an unshakeable monument, completely unmoved.

Lin Xing, however, was in a sorry state, stumbling back over ten zhang, his palm bloody and mangled, with fresh blood trickling from his mouth.

"Feeling alright?" Ye Chen stood gracefully, his words ethereal.

"Damn it, you're a Sheng Ti." Lin Xing shook his hand vigorously, grimacing in pain. Only after that direct clash did he realize Ye Chen's bloodline was the legendary Archaic Sheng Ti.

"How's that? Doesn't look like it?" Ye Chen laughed, stepping through the sky step by step. Now that he'd been seen through, there was no need to hide. His golden vital energy blazed like fire, rampaging wildly, his entire body radiating golden light. His Sheng Ti was as tough as steel, forged from gold, appearing from afar like a brilliant sun.

His confidence stemmed from his soul—a belief of unparalleled dominance.

Lin Xing was strong, but he wasn't the true Zao Hua Shen Wang yet.

If it were a same-level Zao Hua Shen Wang, Ye Chen would be cautious, but now, Lin Xing couldn't control the power of creation. His combat strength was only between Tai Zi and Di Zi levels.

Moreover, Ye Chen had slain countless at the Di Zi level. After seventy years of cultivation, his comprehension of the Dao had reached a new peak. His power surpassed Lin Xing's, so there was no reason he couldn't take him down.

"Alright, I've hit a tough one." Lin Xing coughed dryly, his expression awkward. Sealed in the copper furnace for twenty years, he hadn't realized Ye Chen was a Sheng Ti. If he'd known earlier, he wouldn't have bothered fighting.

The Sheng Ti was the Archaic Sheng Ti, a peerless force that had slain emperors. From supreme beings to Qi Condensation cultivators, he'd killed them all. The myth of invincibility at the same level wasn't a joke. Lin Xing's current strength wasn't even in the same league as Ye Chen's. If they fought now, it would be a disaster.

"Should we try to rescue it again?" Ye Chen smiled brightly.

"Fine, I give up." Lin Xing deflated instantly, retracting his peak aura and strength, adopting a posture of surrender.

"That's more like it!" Ye Chen said with a laugh. "Now, head home quietly."

"Hey? Why isn't that woman wearing any clothes?" Lin Xing exclaimed lightly, staring behind Ye Chen with gleaming eyes.

However, his acting, though skillful, fell short against the master actor Ye Chen, who didn't even turn around and just smiled at him. Trying to trick me? You're not quite there yet.

"Must be my eyes playing tricks." Lin Xing rubbed his eyes, hiding his embarrassment. He'd hoped to distract Ye Chen and slip away.

But Ye Chen wasn't fooled, living up to the starry sky's legends. The Sheng Ti Ye Chen's combat prowess was domineering, his acting impeccable, and his reputation for outsmarting even gods wasn't for nothing. There probably wasn't anyone in the world who could deceive him.

"Cut the nonsense. That won't work on me—I'm naturally immune to tricks." Ye Chen stepped forward and draped an arm over Lin Xing's shoulder. "Come on, let's head back with me like a good brother."

"Will I get out if I go back?" Lin Xing teared up, sniffling dramatically. Since tricking didn't work, he switched to a sob story. "That Zhun Di will wake up and smack me dead. I've got family depending on me—you can't be that heartless?"

"Don't worry, you're a treasure—he won't bear to." Ye Chen replied, grabbing Lin Xing regardless and pulling him along.

"Hmm?" Lin Xing started to say something, but it cut off abruptly. He suddenly looked up at the void.

This time, it wasn't an act. Above the void, a refining furnace materialized out of nowhere, its pressure overwhelming like a mountain, crushing the sky inch by inch.

At the same moment, Ye Chen's expression changed drastically, his face darkening. He could tell the copper furnace was at the Zhun Di level, and it was being powered by a true Zhun Di.

Sure enough, a figure emerged in the void—a gaunt old man in purple robes, with surging vital energy. The Zhun Di's pressure made the heavens tremble, and terrifying, mysterious visions manifested behind him, outlining a vast realm.

"Today's luck is truly on my side." The purple-robed elder's sinister laugh echoed through the nine heavens, cold and desolate, eerie and authoritative, laced with supreme demonic power that disrupted the mind.

"Damn, what rotten luck!" Lin Xing spat blood under the pressure, his legs buckling, unable to move, his face pale.

"At a glance, he's no good sort." Ye Chen fared no better, pinned in place by the Zhun Di's pressure. Though not at the peak Zhun Di level, it was beyond what they could handle.

Moreover, Ye Chen could sense the purple-robed elder was a high-level alchemist. Clearly, he intended to capture them for refining pills—a common tragedy in the cultivation world.

In the void, the refining furnace hummed to life, its mouth facing downward to swallow everything. Lin Xing and Ye Chen were both sucked inside.

The purple-robed elder's eyes gleamed as he peered through the furnace at the two. With a Zhun Di's vision, he could see their extraordinary bloodlines, especially Ye Chen's, which he couldn't fathom.

The more mysterious, the more exciting. A bloodline even he couldn't discern must hold secrets worth studying back home.

Inside the furnace, Ye Chen and Lin Xing sat cross-legged, still suppressed and unable to move, just as outside.

"What's the holdup? Contact your Zhun Di." Lin Xing sent a message. "I don't want this old guy turning me into a pill."

"He's in hibernation—I can't reach him." Ye Chen replied helplessly. The moment the purple-robed elder appeared, he had tried to connect with Ren Wang, but got no response.

"If I'd known, I should've just stayed put in the small garden." Lin Xing muttered curses, feeling a stomachache. He'd escaped, only to be caught by another Zhun Di. What bad luck—and what a strange fate with Zhun Di levels. Wherever he went, he got captured. Did he have a face made for it?

"If I'd known, I should've caught you when you ran." Ye Chen felt frustrated too. He'd enjoyed watching Lin Xing kick Ren Wang, but let him slip away in a moment of carelessness. Now, after chasing him down, they were both caught by a Zhun Di.