Chapter 1965: Don't Try to Save Her

Lin Xing was stunned, looking a bit confused as he just stared into Ye Chen's eyes. What was funny was that his hand was still inside Ye Chen's embrace.

They locked eyes for a full three seconds, it almost seemed like love at first sight, nearly sparking some romantic tension.

Ye Chen was calm, with a warm smile, while Lin Xing's expression was a mix of awkwardness and embarrassment. Turns out this guy had been awake all along.

Ye Chen smiled at Lin Xing, breaking the silence.

"What's up?"

"Uh, heh heh heh." Lin Xing chuckled awkwardly, quickly pulling his restless hand out of Ye Chen's embrace. He'd been caught red-handed in the act, and even with his thick skin, he felt embarrassed and couldn't smooth things over.

As he laughed, the guy turned and bolted, his speed exploding as if he'd activated a cheat code, streaking out of the small garden and straight into the void.

"Where do you think you're going?" Ye Chen stood up and chased after him. It wasn't a big deal if Lin Xing ran, but if the Zao Hua Shen Wang escaped, it would cause trouble. With Ren Wang still in a deep sleep, the task of catching him fell to Ye Chen.

On top of that, he had his eye on Ren Wang's treasures and planned to snatch them all from Lin Xing, then keep it quiet from Ren Wang.

As Ye Chen closed in, Lin Xing picked up the pace even more, darting out of the ancient star in a flash, like a divine ray cutting through the starry sky. His escape moves were incredibly smooth.

Ye Chen was no slouch either. In the same realm, his escape speed was unmatched, and his pursuit skills were second to none. While Lin Xing was like a divine ray, Ye Chen was like an immortal light, hot on his heels.

"Chase me down, and I'll take your last name!" Lin Xing cursed loudly, venting his anger at Ren Wang onto Ye Chen as well.

"Hey!" Ye Chen got fired up at those words, his speed surging as he closed the gap.

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

The starry sky grew chaotic. The two raced on, one like a divine ray and the other like an immortal light, adding two brilliant streaks to the vast cosmos.

Passing cultivators stared wide-eyed. They'd seen fast escapes before, but never ones that could rival a Zhun Di's speed.

Up ahead, another stretch of starry sky came into view, where three burly figures stood, radiating fierce energy with bloodshot eyes. One held a massive ghost-headed blade, 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 shouted without slowing down.

"Hand over your treasures, and we'll spare—"

The three lunged at him, but before they could finish, Lin Xing plowed right through them, sending them flying.

The embarrassment didn't end there. Before the trio even hit the ground, Ye Chen caught up and pulled off his own maneuvers, sending them soaring even higher. It took ages for them to come down.

As bandits, they'd really committed to the role, but they hadn't managed to rob a single thing—not even getting a good look at their targets—before getting knocked around twice in a row.

By the time the three landed, Ye Chen and Lin Xing were already far out of sight.

Soon after, booming sounds echoed back, not because Ye Chen had caught Lin Xing, but because Ye Chen was unleashing attacks as he chased, blasting massive holes in the starry sky's space.

The commotion drew a crowd, but some foolish onlookers got too close and ended up flipped head over heels from the impact.

Eventually, the booms faded, and the starry sky returned to calm.

Lin Xing stopped 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'd underestimated Lin Xing's speed and, even at full throttle, hadn't caught him.

"I'd say, is that speed of yours a family heirloom?" Ye Chen said with a laugh.

"Not bad." Lin Xing flipped his hair back casually.

"Should I make a move, or will you come quietly?" Ye Chen smiled at him. "Friendly tip—my temper's not the greatest."

"As if anyone's is." Lin Xing cracked his neck. "You really think I was running because I was scared? Cut the crap. If I wasn't worried about waking that Zhun Di, I'd cripple you in a minute."

"That confident? Then let's have some fun." Ye Chen chuckled lightly, stepping forward and shattering the void. His nine paths of the eight wastelands fused in an instant, enhanced with chaotic principles and boosted by his bloodline power.

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

Their fist and palm collided, erupting in a thunderous boom that shattered the surrounding sky.

In the fight, Ye Chen stood like an unmovable monument, steady as a rock.

Lin Xing, on the other hand, was in bad shape, staggering back over ten zhang with his palm mangled and blood trickling from his mouth.

"Feeling alright?" Ye Chen asked, floating gracefully, his voice 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 Huang Gu Sheng Ti.

"Doesn't look like it?" Ye Chen laughed, striding through the air without hiding it anymore. His golden vital energy blazed like fire, rampaging wildly as golden light radiated from his body. His sacred physique was like steel forged in gold, resembling a brilliant sun from afar.

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.

Ye Chen might respect a same-realm Zao Hua Shen Wang, but Lin Xing couldn't control the power of creation, so his combat strength was only between prince and emperor levels.

Besides, Ye Chen had slain countless at the emperor level, and seventy years of cultivation had elevated his understanding of the Dao to new heights. His power surpassed Lin Xing's, so there was no reason he couldn't take him down.

"Damn, ran into a tough one." Lin Xing coughed awkwardly, his expression embarrassed. 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, especially the Huang Gu Sheng Ti, was a legendary force that had slain emperors. From supreme beings to qi condensation cultivators, he'd cut them all down. The myth of invincibility in the same realm wasn't a joke. Lin Xing's current strength wasn't even in the same league, and if they fought, it would be a disaster.

"Do you want to try to rescue again?" Ye Chen grinned brightly.

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

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

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

But his acting, though skilled, 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 awkwardness. He'd hoped to distract Ye Chen and slip away.

Who knew Ye Chen wouldn't fall for it? Just as the starry sky legends said, Ye Chen's combat prowess was formidable, his acting impeccable, and his reputation for outsmarting gods wasn't for nothing. There probably wasn't anyone in the world who could fool him.

"Save the useless tricks—those won't work. I'm naturally immune to bluffs." Ye Chen stepped forward and draped an arm over Lin Xing's shoulder. "Come on, let's head back with me nice and easy."

"Will I get out once we go back?" Lin Xing teared up, sniffling dramatically, switching to a tragic act since bluffing hadn't worked. "That Zhun Di will wake up and slap me dead. I've got family depending on me—can you really stand by?"

"Don't worry, you're a prized asset—he won't let that happen." Ye Chen replied, grabbing Lin Xing regardless and pulling him along.

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

This time, it wasn't an act. A massive alchemy furnace suddenly appeared in the sky, its pressure overwhelming like a mountain, crumbling the void inch by inch.

At the same time, Ye Chen's expression shifted dramatically, his face darkening. He could tell the furnace was at the Zhun Di level, controlled by a true Zhun Di.

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

"Today's my lucky day." The purple-robed elder's sinister laugh echoed through the nine heavens, cold and desolate, eerie and authoritative, laced with a hypnotic, corrupting power.

"Shit, what rotten luck!" Lin Xing spat blood under the pressure, his legs buckling as he struggled to move, his face paling.

"Looks like bad news." Ye Chen fared no better, pinned in place by the Zhun Di's aura. Though not at the peak Zhun Di level, it was beyond what they could handle.

He could sense the purple-robed elder was a high-level alchemist, clearly intent on capturing them for refining pills—a common horror in the cultivation world.

The furnace in the sky hummed to life, its mouth facing downward to engulf everything. Lin Xing and Ye Chen were both sucked inside.

The purple-robed elder's eyes gleamed as he peered through the furnace at them. With his Zhun Di vision, he saw their extraordinary bloodlines, especially Ye Chen's, which he couldn't decipher.

The more mysterious, the more exciting—this bloodline surely hid secrets worth studying back home.

Inside the furnace, Ye Chen and Lin Xing were forced to sit cross-legged, just as immobilized as before.

"What's the holdup? Contact your Zhun Di." Lin Xing sent a mental message. "I don't want this old geezer 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'd tried connecting with Ren Wang, but got no response.

"If I'd known, I would've stayed put in the 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 knack for crossing paths with Zhun Di levels. Did he have a face made for getting captured?

"If I'd known, I would've grabbed you the second you ran." Ye Chen grimaced. He'd enjoyed watching Lin Xing kick Ren Wang, but let him slip away, and now they were both caught by a Zhun Di.