Chapter 1985: Drinking

Ye Chen took the lead, stepping into the void. "He has my mark on him, so he's easy to find."

Ren Wang followed, his face growing darker. As the remnant soul of the Human Emperor, to be kicked around like that was an insult he wouldn't forget.

They first searched the nearby star systems but found no trace of the evil demon. Guided by Ye Chen's mark, they headed straight for the southern part of the cosmos. Lin Xing's location was pinpointed with precision.

Three days later, they landed on an ancient star, inhabited by both cultivators and mortals. There were no particularly powerful individuals here; the highest cultivation level was merely the first stage of the Great Saint realm.

They appeared in an ancient city where Lin Xing was hiding. When Ye Chen and Ren Wang arrived, Lin Xing was leisurely drinking in a tavern, and he wasn't alone. Across from him sat a young man in black with a relatively low cultivation level, only in the Emperor Realm.

At first glance, the young man in black looked somewhat familiar, and upon closer inspection, he was indeed very familiar—he looked exactly like Ye Chen, like twin brothers. It was none other than Liu Dao, currently undergoing tribulation.

"What a coincidence!" Ye Chen and Ren Wang sighed, but they didn't approach. Since he was undergoing tribulation, they had to maintain their distance to avoid interfering with his karma.

The two also sat down, deliberately keeping their distance from Lin Xing and his companion, especially Liu Dao.

"Drink up." Lin Xing was boisterous, clearly not recognizing Ye Chen and Ren Wang. At that moment, he was chatting happily with Liu Dao.

The Saint King was drinking with someone in the Emperor Realm for a reason—it was entirely because Liu Dao looked so much like Ye Chen. That's why he was so interested in Liu Dao.

Not far away, Ye Chen and Ren Wang each held a wine cup, their hoods still covering their faces, deliberately concealing their true appearances.

They ignored Lin Xing and focused more on Liu Dao. After his tribulation, Liu Dao was no longer muddled; he laughed and chatted with human emotions. His bloodline was ordinary, the common kind you could find anywhere.

Who would have thought that before his tribulation, he was a formidable figure who could contend with a Great Emperor? After the tribulation, he was so ordinary, showing no sign of anything extraordinary.

"Liu Dao's fate isn't very stable," Ren Wang remarked casually.

"Don't scare me." Ye Chen transmitted his voice while pouring wine for Ren Wang. "He can't die; Di Ji is still waiting for him."

"That depends on his own fortune," Ren Wang replied, his words vague and ethereal.

Ye Chen didn't respond, just let out a sigh. Seventy years had passed, and too many people undergoing tribulation had died. He didn't want Liu Dao to suffer the same fate. At the very least, Liu Dao should know who he was in his previous life.

The two fell silent, but Lin Xing and Liu Dao continued to drink merrily.

The scene was quite poignant: one was a God King blessed by fortune, the other a peerless ruthless figure, both living under different identities for various reasons, neither aware of their past selves.

Time passed slowly, and the sky gradually darkened. The ancient city at night was still bustling, especially the taverns, which were the most lively.

Lin Xing and Liu Dao drank for a whole day, while Ye Chen and Ren Wang waited for a whole day. They had come for Lin Xing, and encountering Liu Dao undergoing tribulation was unexpected. They couldn't act rashly and had to wait.

It wasn't until late at night that Lin Xing and Liu Dao finally stood up. They hadn't used their powers to sober up and were staggering, barely able to stand.

"Come on, I'll take you to a great place." Lin Xing slung his arm over Liu Dao's shoulder, his face flushed and neck red, burping nonstop.

Liu Dao was in a similar state. The two linked arms and stumbled along, looking from behind like a pair of rowdy buddies.

Behind them, Ye Chen and Ren Wang also got up and followed, keeping their distance.

The streets of the ancient city at night were much quieter, with few people around—mostly drunkards, just like Lin Xing and Liu Dao.

However, at this hour, there was one place that remained lively.

Lin Xing led Liu Dao straight there—it was a gathering spot for beauties, each one as lovely as a flower.

That's right, it was a brothel, and business was booming late at night.

The two went inside, but Ye Chen and Ren Wang stopped at the entrance, their mouths twitching. Those two sure knew how to pick a spot.

"This needs to be recorded for posterity. Later, show it to Di Ji." Ye Chen said matter-of-factly, taking out a memory crystal to capture everything, whether it should be filmed or not.

"How about we go in and take a look around?" Ren Wang stroked his chin.

"I'm a married man," Ye Chen said righteously.

Ren Wang didn't reply and just sized up Ye Chen again. For some reason, hearing Ye Chen say that made him want to laugh. You still remember you have a wife? You've been to places like this plenty of times—back in Da Chu, you even took your wife along to visit brothels.

Ye Chen didn't mind and turned to leave, heading to the tavern across the street. He found a table by the window and ordered a pot of good wine.

Ren Wang followed him up, not heading to the brothel. He was joking—he was Ren Wang, with near-divine divination skills, and he carried treasures in his possession. Why would he need to go to a brothel?

And so, the two sat there drinking, while Lin Xing and Liu Dao drank across the way. The difference was that the other two were drinking with courtesans.

"What are we drinking for? Let's get to the main event!" The two over there had their eyes wide open, eager for the show—live and in person, no less.

Awkwardly, after three hours, Lin Xing and Liu Dao were still just drinking, as if they wouldn't stop until the end of time. It seemed like they had come just to drink.

"Looks like we overthought it." Ren Wang rubbed his eyes.

Ye Chen stopped watching too, withdrawing his gaze from the brothel and quietly sipping his wine. The two of them were just bored, coming here to watch others drink.

Another long silence followed, and they just kept drinking, nothing out of the ordinary.

After a while, Ye Chen finally raised his hand, pointing to his eyes, and asked Ren Wang, "Is there a way to unseal my Reincarnation Eye? It's been self-sealed for seventy years."

"Not getting you killed by it is already good enough. You still want to unseal it?" Ren Wang said leisurely. "One thing counters another—it's no joke. Not just seventy years; even seven hundred years is possible."

"Looks like I'll have to use the Great Saint Heavenly Tribulation." Ye Chen coughed dryly.

"The Great Saint Tribulation of a Sacred Body—I'm actually looking forward to it." Ren Wang said casually. "If things go as expected, your tribulation this time will involve thirty-two Emperor Dao Dharma Bodies. When it comes to the Quasi-Emperor Tribulation, it'll be even more lively—sixty-four of them!"

Hearing that, Ye Chen couldn't help but rub his brow. He could do the math too—one becomes two, two becomes four, four becomes eight. If it really came to that, he'd have to take on all one hundred and thirty emperors of the Xuan Huang Realm to finish it.

By the time of the Great Saint Tribulation, he would need to undergo nirvana again, and he had to succeed. Otherwise, how could he survive those thirty-two Young Emperors? That kind of disaster was a trial of ten deaths and no life—one misstep, and it would be eternal damnation. This wasn't a joke.

The two fell silent again, drinking cup after cup with no sign of drunkenness.

As dawn approached, the two, who had been buried in their thoughts, finally looked up toward the sky. Peering through the void, they gazed at the vast universe.

"Wu Lei Zhi Cheng." Ren Wang stood up and left the tavern.

Ye Chen followed, and the two left the ancient star one after the other.

In the vast starry sky, stars shone like dust, each one dazzling. Strands of flowing sand intertwined and drifted through the space.

Suddenly, a massive ancient city slowly materialized, floating in the starry sky, shrouded in mist and enveloped in fairy light.

It was incredibly wondrous, like a dream or an illusion. Every inch of its walls was bathed in immortal light, radiant and crystalline, with various phenomena faintly visible. Though right before them, it felt more distant than a dream. The ethereal music of the Nine Serenities echoed, making one's mind hazy.

The appearance of the immortal city stirred the starry sky, attracting a swarm of cultivators.

Even Lin Xing and Liu Dao in the brothel stopped their flower wine drinking. They dispelled the alcohol and hurried over, moving quickly.

"In this lifetime, to witness this immortal city is truly a blessing of three lives." Many elder cultivators sighed. Wu Lei Zhi Cheng wasn't unknown to descend upon the heavens, but they had never caught it before. This time was pure coincidence, manifesting in this part of the starry sky.

"Whenever Wu Lei Zhi Cheng descends, a blood tribulation follows. From ancient times, who knows how many have fallen on the Nai He Bridge." More people sighed. They knew all too well what the descent of Wu Lei Zhi Cheng meant.

"The only one to cross the Nai He Bridge and survive is the Sacred Body Ye Chen. He's the real ruthless one, blazing a new trail."

"I wonder how many will perish this time." Sighs echoed from all sides, forming waves, their tones laced with resentment toward Wu Lei Zhi Cheng. It forcibly separated loving couples.

"Resent it all you want, but keep your voices down." Many elders warned.

At those words, the old folks shivered. They had to keep it down—Wu Lei Zhi Cheng was not to be trifled with. Last time, the lord of Wu Lei Zhi Cheng lost his temper and slapped dozens of Quasi-Emperors away, sending them flying who knows how far. They almost got wiped out in one palm.

"Any thoughts?" In a corner of the crowd, Ren Wang smiled at Ye Chen.

"I'd rather fight a Quasi-Emperor than step on the Nai He Bridge." Ye Chen shook his head with a smile. Those eight simple words perfectly captured the terror of the Nai He Bridge. Back then, if he hadn't defied the heavens to awaken his bloodline limit, he would likely have perished on the bridge. That bridge was too horrifying.

Speaking of Wu Lei Zhi Cheng, he had many questions about its origins and was quite curious. When he was in the Spirit Realm, he had even seen the lord of Wu Lei Zhi Cheng, who looked exactly like Chu Ling. It was very strange.

"The Nai He Bridge has appeared." Amid the discussions, someone shouted, drawing everyone's gaze.

There, an immortal bridge extended from the city—it was the Nai He Bridge of Wu Lei Zhi Cheng, ancient and profound, its railings woven from vines with flower buds slowly blooming into vibrant red flowers. From afar, it looked like a rainbow arching across the starry sky, adding a splash of brilliance to the deep universe.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, three or five women stepped onto the Nai He Bridge. They all wore flowing immortal robes and veils over their faces, untouched by the mortal world.

They were all disciples of Wu Lei Zhi Cheng, like the Wu Lei Immortal from back then, cultivating in the heavens and now being summoned back.

"This is bad." Ren Wang frowned, his expression ugly. Beside him, Ye Chen's face wasn't any better.

It wasn't for no reason—they had spotted someone: a youth who was now walking toward the Nai He Bridge.

That youth was a cultivator and also someone undergoing tribulation. The two knew him—it was Tian Jiu, the fifth divine general under the Emperor Venerable.

"Why would the fifth divine general get entangled with Wu Lei Zhi Cheng?" Ye Chen's brows furrowed even deeper, his face paling. Having crossed the Nai He Bridge himself, he knew its horrors all too well. Once you stepped on it, it was basically a path to death.

"Man proposes, but heaven disposes. The divine general's fate is sealed." Ren Wang sighed.