Chapter 1963: I

Ren Wang led Ye Chen along, strolling leisurely without any particular destination or direction. The clinking of the iron chain remained as crisp as ever.

The two of them had become a unique sight in the starry sky, a vibrant spectacle. Anyone who saw them couldn't help but stroke their chin thoughtfully, thinking, "This person is so high-class and sophisticated! Everyone else walks their dogs, but he’s strolling a person through the stars."

Ren Wang was utterly shameless about it, swaggering along without a care in the world. This was only possible because the Jiu Huang of Da Chu were occupied with their tribulations, and no one knew the truth. If they did, they would surely beat him to death for treating a Da Chu Huang like a dog – what audacity!

Behind him, Ye Chen’s steps were still stiff. He wasn't wearing a cloak anymore, nor did he need to, as his disheveled long hair had completely covered his face. No one could recognize him without getting up close.

In the illusion realm, he was truly suffering. He was forced to listen to that accursed incantation over and over, and forced to watch those bloody scenes replay endlessly. He knew it was an illusion, but what difference did that make? In that environment, the memories were branded into his mind repeatedly, impossible to erase. Over time, even if he didn't go mad, he would sink into a daze.

That madman Ren Wang seemed intent on keeping him trapped in the illusion forever, all just to wring one answer out of him.

This period of cultivation was endlessly long. In places where many cultivators gathered, people always brought up this oddity when chatting about starry sky tales: an old man in a cloak leading someone around the stars, and what a temper he had!

Quite a few people went to see for themselves, shaking their heads in amazement. "What an era this is—there are more idle folks than ever this year. No wonder they say Zhun Di can be so capricious."

In the starry sky, Ren Wang didn’t stop, sipping his wine and humming a tune. He probably had no idea he had become a refreshing topic of conversation across the heavens. He had elevated the art of leading someone around to a divine level, a true king in his own right, dragging his bronze companion through mountains and waters, enjoying life to the fullest.

By the sixty-first year since leaving Da Chu, Ye Chen’s hair had turned completely white. By the sixty-third year, his nails had grown longer than his fingers, and his beard had extended past his chest, wild and unkempt, making him look like a shaggy monster.

For the first time, Ren Wang showed some mercy and released Ye Chen from the illusion realm. As soon as he was out, Ye Chen stumbled and collapsed onto the starry sky, lying there for a long time without getting up, utterly haggard and unrecognizable.

"If killing Ye Fan could save all living beings, how would you choose?" Ren Wang asked Ye Chen with a smile, posing the same old question.

"Choose your sister," Ye Chen rasped, his voice hoarse and weary, full of defiance. It was a perfect display of the Sheng Ti’s unyielding spirit.

For three years, he had been constantly subjected to those bloody scenes and that demonic incantation. Now, in his mind, two additional voices had emerged—or rather, two extra presences—one urging him to kill Ye Fan, the other to save all living beings, forever at odds.

He knew they were Xin Mo, constantly disrupting his thoughts. One slip of compassion, and they could devour him.

"Since you won’t choose, go back and stay a few more days." Ren Wang stretched lazily and sent Ye Chen back into the illusion realm once again. Then, he summoned his flying sword and continued on his way, unhurried.

Just as Ming Di had said, neither he nor Di Huang treated Ye Chen as a mere person. They were tempering him to the brink of death, as if in their eyes, a monster like Ye Chen could withstand any torment.

Three days later, Ren Wang finally stopped and descended onto an ancient star. Soon after, booming noises echoed from the star, creating quite a commotion.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out Ren Wang was battling someone—a Zhun Di, no less, though he was beating his opponent mercilessly.

The clash of two Zhun Di stirred up massive waves, drawing many cultivators from all directions. When they saw it was Ren Wang, they were stunned.

Exclamations of surprise filled the air as people gave him a thumbs-up. "Now that’s a real character—dragging someone along and still managing to fight like a beast!"

The battle ended quickly. That scoundrel Ren Wang sauntered out, still leading Ye Chen, with a storage bag in hand—clearly his spoils of war.

As for the other Zhun Di, he was flat on the ground, spread out like a star, and no one knew why he’d been thrashed.

"If you’d just handed it over earlier, we could’ve avoided this. You couldn’t beat me anyway—what were you trying to prove?" Ren Wang sat cross-legged on his flying sword, rifling through the storage bag. He pulled out a bronze mirror, a powerful artifact.

This mirror was extraordinary, or more precisely, the characters engraved on it were. They were golden and radiant, with divine light flowing over them.

They were Dunjia Tian Zi, over a dozen of them, and it was these that made the mirror so exceptional.

"What effort I’ve put into this!" Ren Wang muttered, then took out Ye Chen’s cauldron and etched the Dunjia Tian Zi onto it.

Ye Chen, of course, was oblivious; he was still enduring torment in the illusion realm, suffering from the demonic incantation, the bloody scenes, and the Xin Mo’s whispers—a triple assault on his mind.

Ren Wang set off again, stirring up unrest across the starry sky. This guy had some kind of fixation, picking fights left and right. Wherever he went, ancient stars erupted in chaos—he’d battled everyone from Zhun Di to Tianjing realm cultivators.

It wasn’t for nothing, though; he always came away with something, like more Dunjia Tian Zi. That’s how skilled he was—he knew exactly where to find them, hitting the mark every time.

In the blink of an eye, sixty-seven years had passed. Ren Wang was still full of energy, but the Ye Chen he led was in a pitiful state, his once-dominant Sheng Ti reduced to skin and bones.

Once again, Ren Wang released Ye Chen and asked the familiar question: "Ye Fan and all living beings—how do you choose?"

"Choose... your... sister," Ye Chen spat out the three words with fierce defiance, spraying Ren Wang with spittle. His bloodshot eyes were terrifying to behold.

"You’ve got my stubborn streak, all right." Ren Wang wiped his face nonchalantly and tossed Ye Chen back into the illusion realm.

"Are you just bored out of your mind?" Before Ren Wang could continue, a scolding voice rang out from his sleeve.

It was a woman’s voice, and upon listening closely, it belonged to Donghuang Taiyi. She had regained her cultivation and was using her great divine abilities to send a message to Ren Wang, while also peering at the scene through her powers.

"Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing," Ren Wang replied with a laugh.

"If anything happens to him, I’ll kick you to death, you old fool!" Donghuang Taiyi cursed again. She stood before the Huan Tian Water Curtain, her beautiful eyes blazing with anger, having seen everything clearly.

"Big chest, no brains—that’s you," Ren Wang shot back, then hastily cut off the connection and vanished.

His remark set Donghuang Taiyi off completely. If she knew where he was, she’d hunt him down for a beating.

Compared to her, Tian Lao and Di Lao were far more composed, stroking their beards endlessly and occasionally glancing at Donghuang Taiyi’s ample curves. Indeed, those two mounds were quite impressive.

Donghuang Taiyi didn’t say a word; she slapped them both with a resounding smack.

Tian Lao and Di Lao, those unfortunate brothers, were sent flying out of Tianxuan Gate together.

Meanwhile, Ren Wang crossed another stretch of the starry sky, sitting on his flying sword, constantly calculating with his fingers, muttering and acting mysteriously.

Three more years passed, bringing them to the seventieth year since leaving their homeland.

In that decade, Ye Chen had become like a dried-up corpse, like an ancient monster. Whenever Ren Wang took him to a city, he’d scare children to tears—it was just how frightening he looked.

Cultivators in the starry sky pitied Ye Chen immensely. To be led around like that for a full decade, turning a perfectly normal person into a monster—it was more humiliating than dying by self-explosion.

On a quiet night, Ren Wang led Ye Chen to a mortal ancient star and entered a city, renting a small garden.

With the decade ended, he released Ye Chen from the illusion realm for the third time. At the same time, he gently waved his hand, erasing the two curses imprinted in Ye Chen’s divine sea, restoring his peace.

Only then did Ren Wang find a lounge chair and lie down comfortably.

On the ground, Ye Chen, now back in control of his mind, knelt there, gasping for breath. His long hair covered his face, and through the strands, one could see his bloodshot eyes, sunken sockets, and eerie gaze.

It had been twenty years of torment. For the first time, there were no bloody scenes before his eyes, no incantations in his mind, and he felt this lightness.

Yet, he still couldn’t give an answer. Even if trapped for another hundred, thousand, or ten thousand years, he’d respond the same way. He’d already braved the six paths of reincarnation; his resolve was harder than Xuan Tie.

For a long time, the small garden remained silent. Ren Wang gently rocked in his chair, dozing off contentedly, while Ye Chen said nothing.

"This time, why aren’t you asking?" Ye Chen staggered to his feet, breaking the silence, staring straight at Ren Wang. As he spoke, his hair and nails returned to normal, and his withered Sheng Ti filled with surging divine power once more, restoring its former glory as golden blood energy rolled forth.

"Asking you won’t get me an answer, so why bother?" Ren Wang replied casually, never once opening his eyes. But the more nonchalant he was, the more suspicious it made Ye Chen feel. After twenty years of tempering, to end it without a question—was Ren Wang really that idle?

"Have you divined something?" Ye Chen pressed, eyes fixed on him.

"I’ve divined many things, but heavenly secrets aren’t for leaking," Ren Wang said with a smile. "Just like the question I asked you, which you can’t answer, I can’t either. Do you understand?"

"Twenty years of tempering, and this is the result?" Ye Chen frowned.

"Twenty years without forcing an answer doesn’t mean there isn’t one. The path of tempering leads to nirvana, but not today—it’s for the future," Ren Wang said calmly. "In a person’s life, there are countless difficult choices and endless helplessness. When you finally reach that height, you’ll realize that what we call right and wrong are just laughable illusions. When you’re truly powerless, you’ll understand—it’s not that you won’t choose, it’s that you have no other option."