Chapter 1974: Shadow Nether Flower Fruit

Xie Mo’s words completely unsettled Ye Chen. He struggled fiercely, confirming his worst fears—that the eccentric woman was truly planning to spread that rare collector’s edition across the heavens.

He didn’t even need to imagine it; the scene would be incredibly chaotic. This wasn’t just a joke; it was playing with fire. If those supreme empresses lost their temper, it would throw the entire world into turmoil.

*Did I dig this pit for myself during this sweep?*

Ye Chen felt like crying but had no tears. If he’d known this would happen, he never would have rampaged through Canglan Jie, never would have provoked Xie Mo, leading to him being hung from a tree, stripped of all his treasures, and now facing the threat of that collector’s edition being leaked. If it got out, he wouldn’t have enough lives to save himself.

“Great God, I know I was wrong. Don’t do anything rash.”

Ye Chen struggled, shouting at the top of his lungs. He tried to break free from the Kun Xian Sheng, but his powers were sealed. Not only did he fail to escape, but he ended up swinging even more wildly, leaving his head spinning.

Xie Mo offered no response whatsoever.

That woman was amusing herself in the small bamboo grove, sitting by the stone bed and flipping through the collector’s edition with great interest. She even pulled out a magnifying glass for a detailed examination.

It was quite a delightful sight: a primordial great god, an unparalleled empress, not out causing earth-shattering events, but here poring over a collector’s edition. It was one thing if it featured men, but it was about women—what could she possibly find so intriguing?

It was a good thing Mu Liuqing was already dead. If he were still alive and saw Xie Mo like this, who knows what expression he’d have.

He might even join her in looking at it, then head to bed to chat about ideals and get up to some activities that both men and women enjoy.

Night fell once more, turning Canglan Jie into a dreamlike wonderland.

Up in the tree, Ye Chen was still dangling, swaying back and forth with the wind. The mighty emperor of Da Chu, a ruthless killer of emperors, had never felt so embarrassed before. If word got out, no one would believe it.

“Ren Wang, are you awake?”

Ye Chen acted obedient on the surface, but in his heart, he was using Zhou Tian evolution to call out to Fu Xi. He might not be able to beat Xie Mo, but the key was to snatch back that collector’s edition—it concerned both their lives.

Perhaps Ren Wang was still in deep sleep, or maybe Canglan Jie blocked the transmission, because there was no echo to his call.

Ye Chen gave up completely, his heart turning ice-cold. The facts proved he was no match for these sinister spirits and demons.

He hung there for three full days, until the night of the fourth day, when Xie Mo finally appeared. She held a pair of gleaming scissors, making Ye Chen feel a chill run down his lower body.

He’d misunderstood—Xie Mo wasn’t using the scissors on him, but to cut the rope, finally letting him down.

Freed from the Kun Xian Sheng, Ye Chen didn’t dare move a muscle. He stood there obediently. Trying to slip away? Not a chance. Wherever he ran, she’d catch him—after all, she was a Zhun Di.

“Didn’t hurt you too badly, did I?”

Xie Mo crossed her legs again, smirking at Ye Chen. His swollen face was quite a sight.

“It’s… it’s okay.”

Ye Chen touched his face and forced a dry laugh, though in his mind, he cursed Xie Mo a thousand times over. He secretly swore that once he reached Zhun Di level, he’d give her a beating, hang her from a tree, and then ask if it hurt.

“How about it? Still thinking of getting revenge on me?”

Xie Mo pulled out a small mirror, speaking while fixing her hair, as if she knew exactly what Ye Chen was thinking.

“Of course not!”

Ye Chen chuckled awkwardly, his heart pounding with fear. Xie Mo was truly formidable—how did she know everything? This must be some kind of mind-reading immortal technique.

“That’s for the best.”

Xie Mo glanced at him and casually waved her hand, summoning a purple flame that hovered in front of Ye Chen.

The flame was peculiar, like a lotus flower that bloomed intermittently, emitting a strange, demonic glow. Staring at it too long made one’s mind go blank for a moment, much like the innate allure of Xie Mo’s beautiful eyes, which bewitched all who beheld them.

“Zi Lian Yao Huo.”

Ye Chen’s eyes lit up in recognition. This flame was on par with San Mei True Fire and was extraordinarily powerful.

While surprised, he couldn’t help but sigh in admiration. Xie Mo’s abilities were vast; every time she went out, she returned with treasures, whether it was rare alchemy herbs or true fires like this one.

“Once you’ve fused with the Zi Lian Yao Huo, I’ll take you out for a stroll.”

Xie Mo stood up and walked step by step toward the bamboo grove, her figure gradually fading until it vanished completely, leaving only her ethereal, seductive voice echoing through the heavens and earth.

“Got it!”

Ye Chen grinned and immediately sat down cross-legged on the ground.

He drew the Zi Lian Yao Huo into his dantian. As soon as it arrived, the immortal fire and heavenly thunder swarmed around it, circling eagerly.

The Zi Lian Yao Huo flickered as if in fear, not daring to move. It wasn’t afraid of the heavenly thunder, but of the immortal fire. As fellow flames, it was vastly inferior, and its essence trembled in submission.

Ye Chen watched quietly, waiting for the immortal fire to persuade the Zi Lian Yao Huo to submit. The immortal fire was far better at this than he was.

Sure enough, in just a short while, the Zi Lian Yao Huo yielded under the pressure and submitted to Ye Chen.

Ye Chen was pleased but didn’t fuse with it right away. He needed to build a connection first; otherwise, if it resisted during the fusion, it could fail.

Three days later, he finally began the true fusion, merging the two flames.

The process went smoothly. The immortal fire gained another strand of origin, still far from Chaos Fire, but its current level was already terrifyingly powerful.

In the void, Xie Mo manifested and glided lightly toward the outside world.

Ye Chen quickly got up and followed. After being confined for so long, he needed to get some fresh air. If he was lucky, he might even escape to Da Chu and seek help from Donghuang Taiyi.

Once back in the starry sky, Xie Mo paused and closed her eyes for a moment.

At her brow, a brilliant immortal light swirled—it was an eye, likely a type of Xian Yan.

Ye Chen narrowed his eyes, studying Xie Mo’s Xian Yan. He’d never seen anything like it before. It was mysterious and ancient, carrying profound dao essence, its origins unclear.

Xie Mo opened her eyes without a word and grabbed Ye Chen, dashing straight toward the west.

Ye Chen’s face darkened. What happened to the casual stroll? Why was he being carried again? He was a holy body, the emperor of Da Chu, and had even slain a great emperor before. Couldn’t she give him some dignity?

Xie Mo ignored him completely, striding with her jade feet and crossing vast expanses of starry sky, her body still tilted, not moving in a straight line.

Her path was so erratic that it drew attention wherever she went. Many passing cultivators stopped to stare, their expressions full of amazement.

In another stretch of starry sky, Xie Mo halted again, closing her eyes as immortal light flashed at her brow, scanning the surrounding cosmos.

Then, she continued on her way, pausing multiple times to peer into the void with her Xian Yan, as if searching for something.

In the blink of an eye, nine days passed before Xie Mo finally stopped for good. Ye Chen, who’d been carried the whole time, was at last set down.

The two stood silently, gazing into the distance.

Ahead lay a desolate stretch of starry space, shrouded in misty haze and gray gloom. Even with Ye Chen’s vision, he couldn’t see through it clearly. He could only sense a sinister aura emanating from the depths, and if he listened carefully, he heard the wails of malevolent ghosts.

In a daze, terrifying visions appeared within: ghost faces with glowing green eyes and blood-red tongues, grinning menacingly at him.

“Nie Yuan.”

Ye Chen murmured to himself, his face full of wariness.

He recognized it—this shrouded space was filled with Nie Yuan, the lingering evil thoughts, malice, and karmic burdens left by the dead.

Nie Yuan was no stranger to him; it was a strange and formidable force. In the underworld, there was a Nie Hai that even a Ming Di couldn’t fully eradicate. He’d nearly perished there himself.

“You’re familiar with Nie Yuan? Impressive.”

Xie Mo said casually.

“I say, this isn’t a good place. We should leave.”

Ye Chen coughed awkwardly, feeling an instinctive dread toward Nie Yuan. If even a supreme being couldn’t dispel it, what chance did he have?

“Inside, there’s Yinming Huaguo.”

Xie Mo replied indifferently, her third eye at the brow radiating immortal light, as if she could see straight through the Nie Yuan.

Ye Chen furrowed his brow. As an alchemist, he knew of Yinming Huaguo—a yin-based treasure that grew in the most yin-laden places.

Unlike other immortal herbs, Yinming Huaguo drew nourishment from evil thoughts, malice, and karmic burdens, making it an inherently evil existence steeped in yin energy. Weaker cultivators who approached it would be corroded and reduced to ash.

Yet, this very evil item was a key ingredient for refining Jiu Zhuan Huan Hun Dan. Ye Chen still hadn’t figured out why such a material was needed or what its exact role was.

Shaking off his thoughts, he glanced again at Xie Mo’s Xian Yan.

Now, he understood why she always found rare herbs and true fires—it had to be thanks to this Xian Yan. Its ability to seek out heavenly treasures was like a divine cheat.

“Wait here for me. Don’t approach that starry space.”

Xie Mo moved, leaving those words behind as she stepped into the desolate starry expanse.

As soon as she entered, the space erupted into chaos. The yin mist surged wildly, and ghostly howls echoed.

Ye Chen retreated a hundred zhang, watching quietly. He had no desire to tangle with Nie Yuan, or more precisely, the spirits’ karmic burdens—a profoundly mysterious and dangerous force.

Suddenly, the space grew even more turbulent, shaking the heavens.

He could imagine a fierce battle raging inside. Xie Mo must have encountered a formidable opponent and couldn’t subdue it quickly.

Unbidden, a sense of worry for Xie Mo crept into his mind.

Nie Yuan-gathering places were also hotspots for calamities, where misfortune could strike at any moment. Though Xie Mo was powerful, she wasn’t at her peak, and it wasn’t impossible for her to be gravely wounded by Nie Yuan.

As Ye Chen watched, figures appeared in the distance, landing not far away.

It was a man and a woman. The man was dignified and imposing, with eyes like stars and black hair cascading like a waterfall. His slender frame exuded unyielding strength, like an immortal king in the flesh.

Beside him stood a breathtaking woman, radiating divine light and untouched by worldly concerns, like a flawless fairy from the nine heavens, pure and ethereal.

“Come on, give me a break!”

Ye Chen muttered, his mouth twitching as he stared at the pair, his expression a mix of amusement and disbelief.