Chapter 1966: A Keen Eye

The purple-robed elder left, heading straight for his lair without delay. He was eager to study Lin Xing and Ye Chen before refining them into pills.

Inside the copper furnace, Ye Chen and Lin Xing sat facing each other, cross-legged, eyes wide. One felt a stomachache, the other a groin ache, and they were unable to move a muscle.

Lin Xing sent a message: "We need to find a way out, otherwise, we'll die a very ugly death.""Have you contacted your family's Zhun Di?"

Ye Chen replied, "I'm trying to communicate."He then closed his eyes, using the Zhoutian evolution as a medium to call out to the Ren Wang.

However, the Ren Wang remained unresponsive to his calls; his mind was in a state of dormancy, impossible to awaken, as Lin Xing had proven with his angry kicks earlier.

After calling out for a long time with no result, Ye Chen's heart sank.

He realized he couldn't rely on the Ren Wang; his survival depended on himself. If he could break the seal on his body, he'd have a way out—he could use the Emperor Dao to summon Yan Luo from the underworld for battle.

Ye Chen transmitted to Lin Xing, "Is there a way to break the seal?"

Lin Xing coughed drily, "Don't joke around. This is a Zhun Di seal—how could I, a Sheng Wang, break it? Even if I could, it wouldn't help much; a Zhun Di could slap us both to ashes. In my opinion, contacting your family's Zhun Di is still the best bet."

Ye Chen responded, "If I could contact my family's Zhun Di, would I be wasting time chatting with you? I'm not kidding—if we break this seal, we're out of this dead end. Let alone one Zhun Di, even if ten or eight more came, we'd beat them all to tears."

Lin Xing raised an eyebrow, looking at Ye Chen suspiciously. Judging by his expression, it didn't seem like bragging—the guy who had slain emperors and created countless myths must have some trump card; no one would doubt that.

Ye Chen asked again, "Stop wasting time—just say if you have a way or not."

Lin Xing laughed awkwardly, "No, I really don't."

Ye Chen fell silent, not blaming Lin Xing. After all, he wasn't in his state as the Fortune God King right now; if he were, breaking a Zhun Di seal would be simple.

Indeed, everything still depended on himself. Ye Chen sank into deep thought.

Being captured by a Zhun Di wasn't the embarrassing part; what was embarrassing was not being able to contact the Ren Wang, having no Zhun Di weapons or emperor weapons on him, and being sealed so tightly that he couldn't even move. This dead end was truly hard to escape.

As the two pondered, the purple-robed elder had already landed on an ancient star.

This ancient star was extraordinarily vast, comparable in size to Wang Xuan Star, a cultivator's star brimming with abundant spiritual energy. Majestic mountains and rivers stretched across it, with grand rivers flowing, exuding an absolutely magnificent aura.

The purple-robed elder stayed far from areas where cultivators gathered and entered a range of mountains.

Then, he dove underground, where a massive underground palace lay hidden, forming a vast realm of its own—dim, desolate, icy, and eerie, with piles of bones scattered at the walls, a grim sight.

In addition, the scent of pills permeated the entire underground palace.

As Ye Chen had guessed, the purple-robed elder was an alchemist of high rank, on par with the deceased Dan Zun, and with his level of skill, he could likely refine nine-marked immortal pills.

In the midst of this, the purple-robed elder set down the copper furnace and reached in, grabbing Lin Xing out like a chick.

Ye Chen couldn't see the outside, so he could only hear Lin Xing shouting and yelling, mostly trying to scare the purple-robed elder, but the elder was a Zhun Di—such tactics wouldn't work on him.

Ye Chen was full of worry; the purple-robed elder was a Zhun Di with keen insight, and there was a chance he might recognize Lin Xing's true identity and strike him down with a palm, which would be a tremendous loss for the heavens.

After some time, Lin Xing's noisy cries faded, and he was shoved back into the copper furnace, sprawled out in a big spread-eagle position.

Ye Chen glanced over and couldn't help but twitch his mouth; Lin Xing's treasures had all been stripped away, and he was beaten black and blue, his face swollen.

For some reason, seeing this guy get beaten gave Ye Chen a strange sense of satisfaction, much like when Lin Xing had kicked the Ren Wang that day.

Lin Xing struggled to his feet, his face dark with frustration, as if knowing what Ye Chen was thinking. "Don't laugh at me; you're next."But in an instant, a mysterious force pressed him down into a sitting position again, sealing him just as before, unable to budge.

Ye Chen coughed and let out a breath of relief, glad that the purple-robed elder hadn't uncovered Lin Xing's identity. That was good news, though their situation was still dangerous. Until the last second, no one could say for sure if a turnaround might appear.

Above, the purple-robed elder's large hand appeared again, reaching into the copper furnace. Ye Chen, still deep in thought, was suddenly grabbed out and suspended in midair by a powerful force.

"A secret technique to conceal your true appearance— even I couldn't see through it. You're no ordinary one," the purple-robed elder said with a sinister laugh, his old eyes gleaming with greed as he stared at Ye Chen, making him feel chilled to the bone. Even now, he couldn't discern Ye Chen's real face, but the more elusive it was, the more excited he became, for that secret technique to hide origins would soon be his—a massive windfall.

Ye Chen remained silent, far calmer than Lin Xing, neither shouting nor causing a fuss, his expression serene and his eyes like still water.

"You're quite composed," the purple-robed elder said with a sinister laugh, even more interested in Ye Chen, seeing great research value in him.

Ye Chen shrugged. "It's just death, sooner or later. I'm at peace with it."

The purple-robed elder smirked mockingly. "With that mindset, I'm quite pleased." He flicked his sleeve, confiscating all of Ye Chen's treasures.

Originally, Ye Chen's valuables were hidden extremely well, even evading Lin Xing's notice, but this man was no Lin Xing—he was a genuine Zhun Di, and no matter how well concealed, nothing escaped him. Everything was taken in one go.

"A mere Sheng Wang like you possessing so many treasures—it's truly surprising," the purple-robed elder said as he sorted through the spoils, his eyes sparkling with delight. Secret artifacts, magical treasures, pills—there were countless, and the sheer abundance shocked even his Zhun Di-level composure. None of these items were ordinary; they were all priceless.

Ye Chen watched in agony, feeling worse than if he'd been killed.

After all, he'd painstakingly accumulated these treasures bit by bit over the years, only to have them all wiped out in an instant, setting him back decades as if he'd returned to square one.

"Hmm?" While Ye Chen winced in pain, the purple-robed elder furrowed his brow, his old eyes narrowing sharply as he fixed on Ye Chen's great cauldron.

This cauldron was extraordinary—massive and heavy, ancient and unadorned, with chaotic qi inside and Dun Jia heavenly characters etched on its body. Listening closely, one could hear the intertwining heavenly sounds of the Great Dao.

"Chaotic God Cauldron," the purple-robed elder murmured, as if recognizing it.

"Senior, you really know your stuff—it's quite valuable," Ye Chen said with a smile.

The purple-robed elder turned his head, staring intently at Ye Chen. "Where did you get this cauldron?" Since he recognized the Chaotic God Cauldron, he also knew its owner—a legendary ruthless figure.

Ye Chen looked at him and laughed. "I didn't steal it, didn't pick it up, and didn't rob it. This cauldron is my life-bound magical weapon."

The purple-robed elder's brow furrowed deeply at those words, and with a wave of his hand, he dispelled Ye Chen's concealment secret technique, revealing his true face.

"You're Ye Chen?" Upon seeing the face, the purple-robed elder, a dignified Zhun Di, actually recoiled a few steps in shock.

"Senior actually knows me—I'm honored," Ye Chen said with a laugh, still as calm as ever, showing no sign of fear.

Now, it was the purple-robed elder who fell silent, his face turning ugly. He never imagined that the person he'd captured was the legendary Desolate Ancient Holy Body.

What was laughable was that he only realized it now. If not for the cauldron and the technique being dispelled, he wouldn't have known he'd caught such a notorious figure.

"To speak of my family's ancestors, they're all fine in every way—except they have a bit of a temper," Ye Chen said leisurely, waiting right there for the purple-robed elder. A mere Sheng Wang like him wasn't much to fear, but the Da Chu was different. Among single forces, excluding the five forbidden zones and the Hong Huang clans, the Da Chu's Zhutian Gate was the ultimate threat to use for intimidation.

Ye Chen's words hit hard, making the purple-robed elder's heart tremble.

A Sheng Wang-level Holy Body wasn't frightening, but the Da Chu behind Ye Chen was—the Zhutian Gate was a true colossus.

In the past, when Da Chu returned to the heavens to avenge their fallen heroes, they had wiped out four ancient clans in a rage.

Seventy years ago, the Teng She Crown Prince had been foolish enough to provoke them, leading to the Teng She clan's annihilation—a bloody example repeated time and again.

Such a force was beyond what he could provoke. If Da Chu wanted to destroy him, it would take no more than an instant.

"Senior, it's best to leave some room in all matters. If you release us now, my Da Chu ancestors will never learn of this," Ye Chen said again, not daring to push too hard, his words subtle.

The purple-robed elder remained silent, his brow furrowing deeper, his eyes flickering uncertainly as he wrestled with the decision.

To release or not—this was the question. If he released them, he'd be safe; if not, should Da Chu find out later, their thunderous wrath would mean his certain death.

Ye Chen watched tensely, knowing this might be his last card. If the purple-robed elder chose mutual destruction, he was doomed to perish here today.

In the underground palace, the silence between the two made the atmosphere oppressively heavy.

After more than ten seconds, the purple-robed elder finally looked up, his eyes turning blood-red. He feared Da Chu, yet he coveted Ye Chen's bloodline and treasures. In the end, greed overcame his fear.

In an instant, his face twisted into something more ferocious, with murderous intent radiating from his eyes. How could he easily give up the heavenly fortune he'd already claimed?

Ye Chen saw it and thought badly—this Zhun Di had no intention of letting him go.

"Fortune favors the bold—trying to scare me with Da Chu won't work," the purple-robed elder snarled with a grin, his teeth gleaming menacingly.

"Senior, you should think this through—the consequences will be severe," Ye Chen said, no longer calm, making one last effort.

"How severe?" the purple-robed Zhun Di laughed even more sinisterly. "Refining a nine-marked immortal pill with your bloodline and swallowing it could let me achieve emperorship. Would I fear your Da Chu? Whether it's Da Chu, Hong Huang, or the myriad domains, under my imperial might, it's all just a big joke."