Chapter 1971: Nine You Submits

Listening to the words of the Xie Mo, Ye Chen suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to curse, as if he had fallen into a bottomless pit with no way out.

Indeed, the title of Xie Mo was well-earned; the terror of Canglan Jie was no joke. Even the Emperor Dao Tong Ming could be completely isolated, and he truly couldn't imagine how to escape.

A gentle breeze wafted by, carrying a woman's fragrance. The Xie Mo appeared; this woman wasn't standing straight at all—her entire body was tilted, as if she never did anything normally.

"Senior, I can help you refine the pills, but could you let me go home and check on things?" It was time for his top-notch acting skills. Ye Chen's eyes brimmed with tears. "It's been seventy years, and I haven't been home in ten."

"Do you think this god is a fool?" The Xie Mo wore that same wickedly charming smile. "What kind of place Da Chu is, this god knows all too well. If I let you go home, how could I ever bring you back?"

"I'm just a Saint King. Refining the legendary Jiu Zhuan Huan Hun Dan would require at least Quasi-Emperor level cultivation. Are you really going to trap me for thousands of years?" Ye Chen said with a mournful expression, genuine tears welling in his eyes.

"Then there's nothing I can do." The Xie Mo shrugged casually. "I originally chose Dan Huang Chu Qing, but who would have thought he was killed by you? With him gone, you're the one who has to step in."

"It was him who insisted on capturing me for refining pills—we were just defending ourselves normally." Ye Chen's face darkened, and the urge to curse grew even stronger. He should have spared Chu Qing's life back then.

"More talk is pointless. I only want the Jiu Zhuan Huan Hun Dan." The Xie Mo laughed. "And don't even think about escaping, because this god's temper isn't good at all. Just behave and don't provoke me."

The moment she said that, Ye Chen shuddered. Judging by the Xie Mo's stance, if he said another word, she'd slap him without hesitation. Whether he was the Huang Gu Sheng Ti or a Da Chu emperor, he'd be turned into a fool under her palm.

Ye Chen was utterly deflated, hanging his head like a prisoner in forced labor. His luck was truly rotten; ever since he started cultivating under Ren Wang, things had never gone right—he was captured every few days.

"It's not like I'm making you refine for nothing; there will be rewards." The Xie Mo smiled.

"Rewards?" Ye Chen, who had been staring at the ground, suddenly looked up. His golden eyes lit up brightly. Refining pills for demons and evil spirits, and getting rewards? That was truly touching.

"When the Jiu You Xian Yan truly submits to you, this god will give you a great opportunity." The Xie Mo smiled leisurely but didn't specify what it was. With that, she vanished in an instant.

Behind him, Ye Chen's eyes shone even brighter. Who was the Chi Mei Xie Shen? She was a primordial great god on par with the Hong Lian Female Emperor. Anything she called a great opportunity had to be a heaven-defying stroke of fate.

As he thought about it, he quickly turned his focus inward to his Dantian Sea, gazing at the Jiu You Xian Yan and calling out to it with his divine sense, hoping for a response.

However, the Jiu You Xian Yan's temperament was extraordinarily stubborn; it never reacted to his calls at all. It simply floated quietly, like an old monk who had transcended the mortal world, ignoring everything and giving no one face.

Ye Chen didn't give up and kept calling out relentlessly. The Jiu Wu Xian Yan and Tian Lei were also helping him, circling around the Jiu You Xian Yan, trying to persuade it to submit so that everyone could be happy.

One person, one fire, and one thunder—they surrounded the Jiu You Xian Yan, coaxing, deceiving, and persuading non-stop, with no intention of quitting until they succeeded. The three of us have all the time in the world.

And so, one day passed quietly, followed by two days of day and night cycles, then three days of sun and moon rotations, with the three of them never pausing.

But what frustrated Ye Chen was that the Jiu You Xian Yan still showed no response—it was as if it were saying, no matter what you say, I'm not listening.

Another deep night fell, and Canglan Jie was peaceful and silent.

Ye Chen stood up, sending out his divine sense, but he couldn't find the Xie Mo. Maybe she wasn't in Canglan Jie and had gone out to gather materials.

After retracting his divine sense, Ye Chen mustered his energy and shot upward like a divine ray. With the Xie Mo absent, he had to find a way out—he couldn't stay trapped here forever; thousands of years wasn't something to take lightly.

Embarrassingly, the moment he ascended, an invisible force pressed him back to the ground. Not only did he fail to find the exit, but he also slammed his forehead painfully, and his sea of consciousness buzzed loudly.

Ye Chen grimaced in pain, yet his resolve remained strong. He scanned every inch of the heavens and earth, hoping to spot a flaw and escape.

To his despair, however, Canglan Jie had no flaws whatsoever. It wasn't just an ordinary spatial realm; it was reinforced with Emperor Dao fresh blood. With his current level of cultivation, breaking through was utterly impossible.

After a series of attempts, he finally gave up and headed to the small bamboo grove.

The bamboo grove was enveloped in faint light and swirling immortal mist, an ideal spot for secluded cultivation. Every bamboo stalk was lush and crystalline; upon closer inspection, one could see that each was inscribed with array patterns—or rather, the entire bamboo grove was itself an array.

Fortunately, Ye Chen's mastery of arrays was quite advanced, so he made his way deep into it.

On the stone bed lay the white-haired youth named Mu Liuqing, still quietly there like an ice sculpture, completely motionless, with no signs of life—just a soulless body.

"Senior, you're really impressive! You even took down the Xie Mo."

"You wouldn't have killed yourself because you couldn't stand the Xie Mo not doing things normally, right? This junior's guess is probably spot on."

"Your wife isn't playing fair; she's imprisoning me to refine pills."

Ye Chen chattered away, circling the stone bed, and occasionally leaned in to check for any treasures.

Not to brag, it was a good thing Mu Liuqing was in a sealed state; otherwise, with Ye Chen's personality, he definitely would have drawn some blood from him.

To stay on topic, there's no denying that Mu Liuqing was truly powerful.

This was something Ye Chen felt deeply; even with just a physical body left, Mu Liuqing's pressure still made it hard for him to breathe.

For the Chi Mei Xie Shen to admire him so much, Ye Chen had every reason to believe that in that distant and ancient era, this white-haired youth named Mu Liuqing must have been a peerless immortal king.

"If the Jiu Zhuan Huan Hun Dan can really revive you, senior, this junior doesn't mind giving it a try." Ye Chen smiled, pulling out a wine flask and sprinkling some wine on the ground, muttering endlessly, "Refining pills is fine, but ask your wife to let me go home for a visit—thousands of years is an incredibly long time!"

He kept rambling on, but Mu Liuqing gave no response at all.

Of course not—he was already gone; if he responded, it would be like rising from the dead.

Mu Liuqing didn't respond, but Ye Chen's Dantian Sea stirred with activity.

It was the Jiu You Xian Yan; without being summoned, it flew out on its own, transforming into a black flame and hovering above the stone bed.

Ye Chen watched in astonishment; since the Jiu You Xian Yan had entered his Dantian Sea, this was the first time he'd seen it act this way, and he had no idea what it was doing.

Under his gaze, the Jiu You Xian Yan moved, first circling the stone bed once, then flying back to his Dantian Sea.

Upon its return, the Jiu You Xian Yan had changed; it became extremely lively, jumping around in Ye Chen's sea, darting about with the Jiu Wu Xian Yan and Tian Lei, appearing very joyful.

That's right—the Jiu You Xian Yan had submitted. Ye Chen didn't need to ask; just from its reaction, he knew it had come around.

In an instant, a mysterious power washed over his entire body.

That power came from the Jiu You Xian Yan; now that it had acknowledged Ye Chen as its master, it held nothing back, and the divine power it carried began subtly merging into its new master's body.

Ye Chen's spirits lifted; in that moment, he felt his origin become much more abundant, and even his Huang Gu Sheng blood began to boil.

This surprise came so suddenly that it caught Ye Chen off guard.

In addition to the surprise, Ye Chen glanced back at Mu Liuqing; the Jiu You Xian Yan had circled the stone bed before submitting, which was very odd. What could it have sensed?

For a moment, Ye Chen's curiosity about Mu Liuqing peaked; there had to be some secret that had prompted the Jiu You Xian Yan to submit.

"Ignoring this god's array and walking right in here—it seems Ren Wang Fu Xi taught you quite a few array secrets." As Ye Chen pondered, a ethereal voice suddenly echoed through the heavens and earth, laced with demonic power that nearly made him lose his composure.

The Xie Mo had returned, manifesting in front of the stone bed. Though she was right there, she seemed more distant than a dream, giving an unreal feeling.

Ye Chen coughed awkwardly and instinctively stepped back. He had thought the Chi Mei Xie Shen would take ten days or half a month to return, but she came back so soon. Entering without permission was quite rude.

"The Qihuan Linglong Grass—take it." The Xie Mo lightly waved her hand, and a purple immortal grass floated in front of Ye Chen.

"You even found this?" Ye Chen was amazed; he knew how precious this immortal grass was. Legend had it that it had gone extinct even in ancient times, yet the Xie Mo had actually obtained it—how could that not shock him?

"The Jiu You Xian Yan has submitted—that's truly unexpected for this god." The Xie Mo glanced at Ye Chen's Dantian Sea and let out a sigh of admiration.

Ye Chen's train of thought was interrupted; speaking of the Jiu You Xian Yan, his eyes instantly lit up, and he rubbed his hands eagerly, staring at the Xie Mo with gleaming eyes.

"Senior, in front of your husband, you have to keep your word; don't try to deceive me—I won't stand for it."

"Since I said I'd give you a great opportunity, I won't go back on it."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's do it!"

The Xie Mo smiled, sat on the stone chair, and crossed her legs again, building suspense as she looked at Ye Chen with interest.

"Da Chu's Dan Saint, have you ever heard of Chaos Fire?"

"As a refiner, who hasn't heard of it?" Ye Chen replied immediately. "Legend has it that Chaos Fire is the first flame born when chaos first opened, upholding the heavens' will and bearing the earth's essence. It's the most perfect flame in this world, without equal. But that perfect flame has long been extinct from the heavens and earth."

"Then, do you want the Chaos Fire?" The Chi Mei Xie Shen smiled.

"Do... do you have the Chaos Fire?" Ye Chen held his breath and stared straight at the Xie Mo, eager for a clear answer.

"Since it's extinct, this god naturally doesn't have it." The Xie Mo smiled leisurely. "However, I can help you create the Chaos Fire."

"Create?" Ye Chen was stunned. "Can Chaos Fire be created?"

"The vast world has endless wonders; bloodlines can revert to their ancient origins, so why not flames?" The Xie Mo chuckled, her words full of implication. "I am the great god of the Chi Mei clan—don't underestimate me."

"This works too?" Ye Chen's mouth went dry; judging by the Xie Mo's expression, she wasn't deceiving him. For Mu Liuqing's sake, this woman wouldn't lie to him; otherwise, who would help her refine the pills?