Chapter 1975: Don't Force It

With a twitch at the corner of his mouth, Ye Chen waved his hand to summon a cloak, covering his face, and used the Zhou Tian technique to conceal his own origin. Afterward, he shifted his position by a thousand or so zhang, deliberately distancing himself from the young man and the woman, simply because they were both Ying Jie individuals.

This wasn't anything new, but what was fresh was their identities: one was Di Ji, and the other was the Third Divine General Bei Lin. Now appearing together, they seemed like a couple, and quite a matching pair at that.

This was why Ye Chen was smirking. After all, Di Ji was paired with the Six Paths, and if she ended up in bed with Bei Lin during the Ying Jie, it would be incredibly awkward once the Six Paths regained his senses.

"Is this the Nie Hai starry sky?" Ye Chen mused to himself as he stood with his hands clasped behind his back, when Di Ji spoke up, curiously gazing at the desolate starry sky.

It was evident in Di Ji's beautiful eyes that, beyond the novelty, there was more wariness, as if she had heard of the Nie Yuan and knew of its terror.

"This is my first time seeing it too," Bei Lin said with a smile, his eyes narrowing slightly, unable to hide his own wariness. Knowing the strangeness of Nie Yuan, how could he not be afraid? That kind of power was far too mysterious.

"Not a couple," Ye Chen muttered on the other side, stroking his chin as he glanced at Di Ji and then at Bei Lin. He could discern that their bloodlines and origins were somewhat similar, suggesting they likely belonged to the same clan, probably siblings.

"It's better if they're siblings," Ye Chen said with a meaningful expression. Though it was the Ying Jie period, where anything was possible, they couldn't afford to mess things up, or it would be awkward for both once they returned.

Speaking of Ying Jie, it was hard not to sigh. The Zhun Di involved in Ying Jie had truly taken on all sorts of roles, like the Yao Chi Xian Mu and the Wine Sword Immortal, or in this case, Di Ji and the Divine General Bei Lin.

Turning into humans for Ying Jie was normal enough. Compared to those who turned into spirit beasts or immortal herbs, this was far better.

"That person feels so familiar," Di Ji said after looking at the Nie Hai, turning her head toward Ye Chen's direction, a hint of confusion in her beautiful eyes.

At her words, Bei Lin also looked over, his brows furrowing slightly. With his level of insight, he couldn't see through the cloaked figure at all. He only knew that the person was extremely powerful and oddly familiar.

Ye Chen turned sideways, giving them a half-profile, and pulled his cloak lower to completely hide his face.

To avoid suspicion, he had to steer clear of Ying Jie individuals. He didn't want to disrupt the trajectory of their tribulation any further—there had been enough chaos already.

The three fell silent, but the Nie Hai starry sky was in utter chaos, filled with shrieks and thunderous booms that made the stars tremble.

In addition to that, thick yin fog spread across the starry sky, eerie and icy cold, prompting Ye Chen to retreat once more.

Bei Lin and Di Ji retreated even farther. Having only undergone Ying Jie for seventy years, their cultivation was merely at the Huang Jing level. If even Ye Chen was forced back, they certainly couldn't afford to get too close.

It was unclear when the Nie Hai finally fell silent, with no evil demons emerging, only faint wails and sporadic rumbles echoing.

Ye Chen furrowed his brows, sensing an ominous premonition.

Having entered the Nie Hai before, he knew all too well how terrifying its inner sea was. The longer one stayed inside, the greater the danger, even for evil demons. He had never doubted that.

In the distance, the pale-faced Bei Lin and Di Ji turned and left, for the Nie Hai was too strange to linger near.

The two departed together, stepping through the void, and even after traveling far, they didn't look back at Ye Chen or the Nie Hai, gradually vanishing into the starry sky.

Only after they left did Ye Chen return to his original spot, silently praying in his heart that these two Zhun Di predecessors would successfully pass their Ying Jie.

Putting that aside, he turned his gaze back to the Nie Hai, which was now eerily calm.

An hour later, the Nie Hai erupted with thunder again, this time with even greater turmoil. Various horrifying scenes intertwined, forming bloody visions of mountains of corpses and seas of blood, enough to make one's scalp tingle.

"Senior, do not force it," Ye Chen called out with his divine sense.

However, what responded was only the shrieks from the Nie Hai. He wasn't even sure if the evil demon had heard him, nor did he know how far the evil demon had gone, for the Nie Hai was vast beyond measure.

Half a shichen later, the chaotic Nie Hai fell silent once more.

But the silence didn't last long before it stirred again.

For nearly a full day afterward, the Nie Hai continued in this manner: yin fog roiling, malevolent ghosts howling, falling into silence at intervals, only to erupt into chaos again in a cycle.

This abnormality attracted many cultivators, from Huang Jing level up to Da Sheng, all pointing and discussing fervently, until they were all scared away. Everyone knew better than to mess with Nie Yuan.

Day and night alternated, time slipping by unnoticed, and in the blink of an eye, three more days passed.

Ye Chen remained there, his sense of foreboding growing stronger. There were a few times he nearly entered, but he wasn't foolish enough to do so with his current level—he would only be a burden inside.

On the fifth day, another person arrived: a hunched old man, leaning on a dragon-headed staff, walking with shaky steps. His head of disheveled white hair obscured his aged face, but his old eyes were not cloudy—in fact, they were somewhat blood-red, sending chills down one's spine.

"Zhun Di," Ye Chen murmured to himself, casting a subtle glance and discerning the old man's cultivation, while also catching a whiff of his murderous aura. It was thick and bloody; he must have killed many.

Instinctively, Ye Chen felt that this hunched old man was no good sort, giving him an urge to turn and flee.

But thinking of the evil demon, he dismissed the idea. If he left, and the evil demon emerged gravely injured, it would surely be targeted by the old man.

In a way, his presence as a Xiao Sheng Wang still had some value. Though the hunched old man was a Zhun Di, his aura was unstable, indicating he had just recently advanced. With Ye Chen's current combat strength, plus various secret techniques, he could hold his own for a few exchanges.

Of course, he had his trump cards—if he couldn't win, he still had the Yan Luo to call upon. A single Yan Luo would suffice for a Zhun Di at the first heaven level.

The hunched old man glanced at the Nie Hai before sweeping his gaze toward Ye Chen, his blood-red old eyes narrowing slightly. He could see through Ye Chen's cultivation but couldn't fathom his formations or bloodline origins.

"How interesting," the hunched old man said with a slight curl of his lips, his smile playful and sinister, his wrinkled old face full of gloom.

In the long wait that followed, Ye Chen stood motionless, keeping one eye on the Nie Hai and the other on the old man to guard against any surprise attack.

The hunched old man didn't move either, occasionally glancing at Ye Chen, his old eyes flickering with a eerie light.

For some reason, the atmosphere between them grew increasingly oppressive, as if a single spark could ignite a full-blown battle.

"Senior, please don't push yourself—come out!" Ye Chen's calls never ceased, but from start to finish, he saw no sign of the evil demon. Each time the turbulent Nie Hai fell silent, his heart would tighten, fearing the evil demon had been destroyed.

And sure enough, what he feared came to pass. The Nie Hai calmed amid the chaos and remained still for a full three shichen.

Ye Chen grew anxious. Activity would at least prove the evil demon was alive; this silence was the most worrisome. Who knew if the evil demon had been devoured—it wasn't impossible.

Meanwhile, the hunched old man lingered, showing no intention of leaving.

He kept eyeing Ye Chen, and Ye Chen was constantly watching him. Ye Chen couldn't figure out what this old fellow was up to—was he planning to rob him? But he was certainly taking his time about it.

Since the old man wouldn't leave, Ye Chen wouldn't either. Let's just wait it out.

In the silence, another thunderous boom echoed—the Nie Hai stirred for what seemed like the umpteenth time, and this time the disturbance was larger than any before, with surging yin fog rolling like tidal waves.

Then, a beam of purple immortal light shot out from the fog, moving at incredible speed. Upon closer inspection, it was the evil demon.

Seemingly gravely injured or something, the evil demon stumbled upon landing, nearly falling over. Her figure swayed unsteadily, her delicate body covered in fresh blood, and her face deathly pale.

"Senior!" Ye Chen dashed over, using a gentle force to support her. The mighty Chi Mei Evil God had been fought to such a state, showing just how terrifying the entities in the Nie Hai were.

"Go," the evil demon said weakly, barely able to stand, her eyes dim and lifeless, blood continuously spilling from her lips. Her injuries were severe, affecting even her Dao roots.

Without needing her to say more, Ye Chen summoned a domain gate and instantly escaped with the evil demon. They weren't alone here—there was a Zhun Di lurking menacingly, and with the evil demon so badly hurt, they had to flee quickly.

"Not so fast." The hunched old man let out a sinister laugh and struck with a palm from afar.

A thunderous boom erupted, and before the domain gate could fully close, it was shattered by the old man's force, sending Ye Chen tumbling out. He fared okay, but the evil demon spat out another mouthful of blood.

"You're asking for it," the evil demon snarled coldly, her beautiful eyes filled with killing intent.

But weakened as she was, she staggered after just one step, on the verge of collapsing. If uninjured, she could have crippled the hunched old man with a single palm, but now, she was as good as half-dead.

Truly, the mighty Chi Mei Evil God in this state perfectly illustrated the saying: a tiger brought low is bullied by dogs.

"If you can't hold on, don't force it!" Ye Chen flicked his sleeve, stowing the severely injured evil demon into the Chaos Cauldron for safety. If the Chi Mei Evil God were to be destroyed like this, it would be utterly ridiculous.

"Hand her over, and I'll let you leave with your life," the hunched old man said with a chilling laugh, his voice desolate and icy, like a heavenly decree, as he looked down on Ye Chen. He was a Zhun Di, and Ye Chen merely a Sheng Wang—a vast realm apart, like heaven and earth.

"Do you even know who she is?" Ye Chen asked with genuine interest.

"It doesn't matter who she is—a half-dead Zhun Di is no more than an ant," the hunched old man sneered playfully, slowly advancing with his dragon-headed staff. Zhun Di-level pressure radiated from him, centered outward and shaking the starry sky, his aged face twisted in sinister menace, like that of a malevolent ghost.

Under the Zhun Di-level pressure, Ye Chen's burden suddenly intensified.

Still, the pressure wasn't enough to immobilize him completely. This hunched old man was far inferior to the previous Dan Huang Chu Qing—one at the eighth heaven, the other at the first, a difference of seven minor realms, once again like heaven and earth.

"Your blood must be quite exquisite," the hunched old man suddenly reached out, aiming to suppress Ye Chen with a single palm.

"Drinking my blood will cost you dearly," Ye Chen snorted coldly, showing no fear. He stepped forward, shattering the stars beneath him, clenching his golden fist infused with countless secret techniques and enhanced by Chaos Dao principles. He wanted to test just how wide the gap was between him and a Zhun Di.