Chapter 1978: Freak

Under the starlight and moonlight, Cang Lan Realm was peaceful and harmonious. Ye Chen was in deep enlightenment, Xie Mo was healing her wounds, and the entire world was silent and still.

Time slipped away like flowing water, and in the blink of an eye, three months had passed.

Beneath the tree, Ye Chen sat as unmoving as a rock, his shoulders covered in dust, his mind fully immersed in a wondrous state.

In the haze, he seemed to glimpse a gate of light—sometimes right before him, within reach, and other times ethereal, more distant than a dream.

That was the threshold he needed to cross next. Surpassing it would allow him to advance to Da Sheng, but he knew how incredibly difficult that step would be. Countless senior cultivators had spent their lives trying and failed to defy the heavens and break through. For him, a young cultivator with only a few hundred years of practice, the gap between Sheng Wang peak and Da Sheng was a terrifying chasm.

In the quiet, a faint fragrance drifted by as Xie Mo emerged from the small bamboo grove.

After three months of secluded healing, the karmic ties within her body had been completely erased, and the scars on her primordial spirit had fully healed. She once again exuded the aura of an evil god, turning a calamity into an opportunity that advanced her cultivation. However, she was still far from her former glory.

In ancient times, during the era when gods walked the earth, she as the Chi Mei Xie Shen had been a true peak quasi-emperor level figure.

Unfortunately, on the path to the emperor's way, she lacked just a sliver of fate compared to Hong Lian. Though unmatched in experience, she had never attained the emperor's throne.

Now, she was nowhere near her peak state. Reclaiming her past splendor would require a long journey, destined to be a arduous path.

Under the spirit fruit tree, she paused and gazed quietly at Ye Chen. She opened her third eye, using that immortal eye to peer at him.

She observed for a long time without speaking, her delicate brows slightly furrowed. With her level of cultivation, she couldn't detect any clues at all, which only made it all the more strange.

She closed her eyes, then suddenly opened them again. Her third immortal eye burst with divine light, radiating profound dao essence as she peered at Ye Chen once more, piercing through his outer appearance to his very source.

Yet, all she saw was a chaotic haze, as if some mysterious force was blocking her view.

Suddenly, a drop of fresh blood seeped from her third immortal eye, and her beautiful face turned pale in that instant, as if she had suffered a backlash from the void that affected her dao roots.

Even so, she refused to close her eyes, enhancing her secret techniques on the immortal eye and continuing to probe. She peeled back layer after layer of chaos, determined not to stop until she uncovered the truth.

As she persisted, she suffered another backlash. The fresh blood from her immortal eye trickled down her cheek, and her gaze dimmed to its limit.

In a blur, she seemed to see a silhouette standing in the vast starry sky, like the ruler of the world, overlooking all living beings.

In just that moment, she spat out blood and staggered, nearly collapsing. Her dimmed eyes were filled with disbelief.

"You have actually formed your own reincarnation cycle. Just who are you?"

"Guai Tai." Xie Mo wiped the blood from her mouth, her gaze toward Ye Chen now laced with wariness. Even with her less-than-sharp mind, she could guess that Ye Chen's background was no simple matter.

Afterward, she sat down. She had only intended to take a quick look, but instead, she ended up suffering a backlash, adding new injuries to her freshly healed ones.

A new day arrived, with warm sunlight bathing Cang Lan Realm.

Ye Chen awoke, stretching lazily without even opening his eyes, exhaling a turbid breath as he felt refreshed.

However, when he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was a fair, jade-like hand swinging toward his face.

It landed with a sharp slap, crisp and resounding.

Ye Chen was stunned, his head buzzing from the hit—not an exaggeration, as his entire face was knocked askew.

Once he recovered, his face darkened completely, his eyes blazing as he glared at Xie Mo.

"Are you out of your mind? Why did you hit me?"

"Not for any reason. I felt like it!"

"I..."

Ye Chen jumped up, choking on his words, nearly suffocating from anger. He had never met such an arrogant woman.

"Let me hit you one more time, and I'll give you a treasure."

"Are you sick?"

"Hey, I was thinking of giving you a strand of true fire. If you don't want it, forget it."

"Well, uh... left cheek or right cheek?"

"Seeing a junior like you, my heart is truly gratified."

"I don't hold grudges."

Ye Chen rubbed his hands, chuckling as he stared at Xie Mo—or more precisely, at her hand. In her palm hovered a flame, its color mottled and somewhat dirty. Though it was fire, it gave off a chilling feeling, making it hard to tell if it was hot or cold.

Indeed, it was true fire, an extremely strange kind. It was called Yin Ming Ye Huo, innately born in a place of extreme yin.

Fire is of ultimate yang, yet it originated from extreme yin, which made it so peculiar.

But precisely because of this strangeness, Yin Ming Ye Huo was extraordinary, its level faintly surpassing San Mei True Fire.

Clearly, the Yin Ming Ye Huo in Xie Mo's palm came from the earlier Nie Hai Starry Sky. She hadn't just obtained the Yin Ming Hua Guo; she had also stumbled upon the Yin Ming Ye Huo and brought it out.

"In three days, I'll go out again." Xie Mo finally handed the flame to Ye Chen with a smile. "If you can fuse this Yin Ming Ye Huo within three days, I'll take you out for another adventure. Just three days—take it or leave it."

"Three days is more than enough."

Ye Chen grinned and dashed off with the Yin Ming Ye Huo, afraid Xie Mo might change her mind and take it back.

Behind him, Xie Mo watched Ye Chen leave. Given his behavior, she could hardly believe he had such a mysterious origin.

On the other side, Ye Chen had found a secluded mountain corner and sent the Yin Ming Ye Huo into his dantian sea.

As soon as the karmic fire entered, the immortal fire approached, circling it curiously, as if asking: Haven't you bathed?

Indeed, the Yin Ming Ye Huo's mottled color made it look unappealing, almost like it hadn't been cleaned.

"Don't waste time. Convince it to submit."

The immortal fire obeyed, transforming from a single flame into a sea of fire, like a dark curtain shrouding Ye Chen's dantian sea.

Unlike Zi Lian Yao Huo, this Yin Ming Ye Huo was incredibly stubborn, refusing to budge and simply floating there. It seemed to say: If you want to fight, go ahead—I'm not submitting.

The immortal fire was straightforward and immediately engulfed the Yin Ming Ye Huo. Who do you think you are? Even Jiu You Xian Yan submitted—what makes you so special?

But the Yin Ming Ye Huo didn't back down, leaping and struggling wildly in the sea of immortal fire, even escaping a few times.

However, its level was far inferior to the immortal fire's. It would escape only to be swallowed back up, suppressed so thoroughly it couldn't lift its head.

"If you're not going to submit, then I'll just devour you."

Ye Chen issued the order, his words echoing through his dantian sea. He needed to assist—threats hadn't worked, so scare tactics it was.

And it worked. The Yin Ming Ye Huo instantly cowered, stopping its struggle and hanging obediently in place, perfectly still.

"Now that's more like it."

Ye Chen chuckled to himself and sat down properly. He wasn't rushing the fusion yet; he needed to chat with the Yin Ming Ye Huo first, discuss ideals, share some small talk. For something like this, true fusion required complete submission.

Three days passed—neither fast nor slow.

On the fourth night, Ye Chen began the fusion. The process was a bit rocky, succeeding only on the ninth try, and it was perfect.

With another true fire integrated, the immortal fire's power grew even stronger.

Moreover, every time a true fire was added, Ye Chen gained significant benefits. His sacred body source was enhanced, and even his bloodline was refined.

"One step closer to Chaos Fire."

Ye Chen smiled contentedly.

As soon as he spoke, he was lifted off the ground—not by his own will, but by Xie Mo.

The three-day limit was up. Xie Mo was heading out again to search for alchemy materials, and Ye Chen had just finished fusing the Yin Ming Ye Huo, so he was right on time.

Xie Mo was as bold as ever, treating the mighty emperor of Da Chu, a ruthless slayer of great emperors, like a helpless chick as she carried him along.

Ye Chen hung there limply, his face dark but accustomed to it by now.

Xie Mo's movement technique was profound; with a single step, she left Cang Lan Realm.

Little did she know, shortly after she departed, a strand of seven-colored immortal light flew into the ancient star, ignoring Cang Lan Realm's restrictions entirely.

If Ye Chen had been there, he would have recognized it. That wasn't immortal light—it was a sword: Zhu Xian Jian.