Chapter 1988: Half-Responding to the Tribulation

Chapter 1988: Ban Ying Jie

Due to Ye Chen's sudden outburst, the surrounding drinkers were all startled, their bodies trembling as they looked at him with eyes that seemed to say, "Are you out of your mind?"

For a moment, Ye Chen became the center of attention in the tavern.

The drinkers were watching, and so were Lin Xing and Liu Dao, both looking at Ye Chen with strange expressions.

Liu Dao was fine; in the midst of his Ying Jie, his cultivation was low, so he didn't recognize Ye Chen.

But Lin Xing furrowed his brows slightly, feeling that Ye Chen looked familiar, though as a peak Saint King, he couldn't see through Ye Chen's true appearance. It wasn't that his insight was lacking; it was just that Zhou Tian's evolution was too profound and mysterious.

Ye Chen cleared his throat, realizing his outburst, and awkwardly sat back down.

The brief interruption passed, and the tavern quickly returned to normal. People went back to drinking, playing finger-guessing games, and some who were already red-faced and heated continued their loud arguments.

Lin Xing and Liu Dao also withdrew their gazes and resumed drinking.

Ye Chen pulled his cloak down a bit lower, pretending to drink while actually observing Liu Dao, specifically Liu Dao's Dan Hai. Inside Liu Dao's Dan Hai, there was a person sitting cross-legged, eyes closed like an old monk in meditation, exuding a dignified aura, yet motionless like a stone statue, as if in deep slumber.

What was strange was that this person looked exactly like Liu Dao.

In other words, that person was the real Liu Dao, or more precisely, the Liu Dao from before Ying Jie. The one currently drinking with Lin Xing was the Liu Dao after Ying Jie. That meant the Liu Dao before Ying Jie and the one after existed simultaneously as two separate individuals.

"How could this be?" Ye Chen muttered to himself.

He had heard and seen so much about Ying Jie along his journey, but this situation with Liu Dao was a first. The fact that the before and after versions coexisted completely upended the rules of Ying Jie.

This was why he had lost his composure earlier.

Not just him; even if Ren Wang saw it, he would swear too. Liu Dao had already defied the laws of time and space, and now he was defying the laws of Ying Jie. Anyone would be shocked.

After some observation, Ye Chen figured out a few clues. It was likely that Liu Dao was subconsciously resisting Ying Jie, leading to this current state. Ye Chen even felt certain that the Liu Dao undergoing Ying Jie right now had no idea there was another person hidden in his Dan Hai; he was completely unaware.

The difference between the two was that the post-Ying Jie Liu Dao had his own consciousness, while the pre-Ying Jie one was in a state of slumber, essentially residing within the body of the post-Ying Jie Liu Dao.

For some reason, Ye Chen's thoughts turned to Hong Chen.

That day, he hadn't examined the Ying Jie version of Hong Chen closely, but it was possible that the post-Ying Jie Hong Chen also had the pre-Ying Jie version hidden inside, in a state identical to Liu Dao's.

A moment later, Ye Chen shifted his gaze from Liu Dao to Lin Xing.

Although Lin Xing was drinking, he kept subtly glancing at Liu Dao's Dan Hai. This subtle action didn't escape Ye Chen's notice. Clearly, Lin Xing already knew about the person hidden in Liu Dao's Dan Hai, which was why he had been traveling with Liu Dao all along. His purpose was likely just curiosity.

After looking at Lin Xing, Ye Chen turned his attention back to Liu Dao.

The strangest thing was that amid the Ying Jie craze, Liu Dao was like a unique undercurrent, setting a precedent. Everyone else fully underwent Ying Jie, but he only half did. Just hearing about it sounded fresh and intriguing.

Ye Chen pondered silently: if he destroyed the post-Ying Jie Liu Dao, would it affect the pre-Ying Jie one? And for someone like Liu Dao who was only half undergoing Ying Jie, how would he pass it? Would it require the two versions to merge?

A series of questions left Ye Chen's mind in turmoil.

Thinking of this, he slightly closed his eyes, using Zhou Tian as a medium to call out to Ren Wang. This kind of bizarre matter needed to be discussed with Ren Wang; that guy had seen it all and could probably provide a reasonable explanation.

However, after calling for a long time, he received no response from Ren Wang.

This made him frown involuntarily. Ren Wang's lack of response gave him a sudden sense of foreboding. The black-robed person they had encountered earlier was definitely not simple. Ren Wang had gone after him and might now be in danger.

Still, worry was just worry; he had full confidence in Ren Wang.

After all, Ren Wang was the remnant soul of Ren Huang; he was incredibly capable with plenty of ways to escape. Even if he couldn't win, slipping away wouldn't be a problem. It was better to focus on studying Liu Dao instead of worrying.

As he was researching, the tavern grew even busier, with conversations buzzing everywhere.

"I heard that this auction has true fire among the items."

"I've heard that too, but I don't know if it's real."

"The treasures at the You Ming Continent auctions are always authentic. It might actually be true."

"We'll know tomorrow whether it's there or not."

"True fire? Listening to all this talk," Ye Chen's thoughts were interrupted, and he couldn't help stroking his chin, thinking that You Ming Continent was going all out; true fire was even up for auction. He now understood why Lin Xing and Liu Dao had come here; it wasn't just for drinking; they were here for the auction.

As he thought about it, he glanced at the immortal fire in his Dan Hai.

To create Chaos Fire, he needed an enormous amount of flames. Since true fire was being auctioned, there was no reason to miss it. He had plenty of money, and if that didn't work, he could steal it; or rob it if stealing failed.

"Quick, quick! There's a fight outside the city."

Amid the noise, someone shouted.

As soon as the words were out, the people in the tavern perked up. They stopped drinking and boasting, and rushed out en masse, all eager for some excitement.

The once-crowded tavern suddenly felt empty.

Ye Chen stayed put, took a sip of wine, then slightly turned his head and looked through the ancient city toward the outside. Indeed, there was a battle going on; one side was from the Tao Wu Clan, a peak Saint King, with overwhelming vital energy.

The other side was a woman, and she was from Da Chu: Qian Shang Yue.

Hey!

Ye Chen couldn't sit still any longer. He downed his last cup of wine and hurried out.

Outside the city, a sea of people had gathered, all watching the sky.

In the virtual heavens, two figures were locked in fierce combat, one on the left and one on the right. The one was Qian Shang Yue, daughter of Yue Huang, wielding an immortal sword, radiating unparalleled elegance like a peerless queen. Every sword strike she unleashed could sever the heavens and earth. Combined with her stunning beauty, she had the onlookers' eyes shining with admiration.

On the opposite side, the Tao Wu Saint King had blood-red eyes and a ferocious expression. Compared to Qian Shang Yue, he looked utterly wretched; disheveled hair, body covered in blood and bones, and he was being relentlessly pushed back.

No one knew why they were fighting, but the world around them had turned into a wasteland because of their battle. What should have been a clear day was now as dark as night, with lightning flashing and thunder roaring in the void.

"Ever since the battle at Tian Zun's ruins, the Hong Huang Clan has rarely caused trouble, but now they've shown up on You Ming Continent." An elder cultivator stroked his beard and said leisurely, "It seems that after seventy years of silence, the Hong Huang Clan can't hold back anymore. The appearance of the Tao Wu Clan is surely a sign."

"With the five forbidden zones of Xuan Huang suppressing them, they wouldn't dare start another war." Many people snorted coldly, their words laced with anger toward the Hong Huang Clan. As part of the Hong Huang Clan, how could they be welcomed?

"Speaking of which, what's the background of that woman fighting the Tao Wu Saint King?"

"At the same cultivation level, she's got the Tao Wu Saint King on the ropes." More people were focused on Qian Shang Yue, full of astonishment. After all, the Tao Wu bloodline far surpassed that of human cultivators in the same realm, and human fighters were usually at a disadvantage. But this battle was truly eye-opening.

"What's the big deal? Just think about Sheng Ti Ye Chen; that's child's play compared to him."

No one refuted this. When it came to battle records, Sheng Ti was the real force, making the Hong Huang Clan doubt life. Not to mention others, just at Tian Zun's ruins, he wiped out everyone from the emperor's sons to the princes.

In a corner of the crowd, Ye Chen appeared. Hearing the praises from all sides, he self-consciously removed his cloak, smoothed his hair to strike a pose, and then put the cloak back on before looking toward the sky.

Qian Shang Yue's appearance here surprised him, but it wasn't unexpected.

As the daughter of Yue Huang, she was probably like Long Wu, searching for her lover; Shen Xuan Feng, who was the future Ye Xing Chen and once a king of Da Chu. His bloodline was the Ji Mie body, and his Fei Lei Shen Jue was unparalleled throughout history. In some ancient era, he had even nearly killed Yue Huang.

The ways of the world were truly wondrous.

Even after a great cycle of reincarnation, Qian Shang Yue still hadn't forgotten Shen Xuan Feng.

Unfortunately, that peerless god king had yet to be found, and no one knew if he was still alive.

Thud!

With a splash of blood, the Tao Wu Saint King was defeated, plummeting from the sky and smashing a deep crater into the ground. Perhaps due to his massive body, the impact made the earth and the ancient city rumble.

Qian Shang Yue remained standing in the sky, her expression indifferent, enveloped in immortal light, pure and flawless. She was as beautiful as a dream, leaving the surrounding cultivators in a daze, one moment after another.

"Good!" After a moment of silence, a cheer rang out, coming from Lin Xing.

Perhaps out of habit, Qian Shang Yue glanced in that direction without thinking, spotting Lin Xing and also Liu Dao.

In an instant, her body trembled slightly, and her beautiful eyes grew misty, but it lasted only a moment before her expression turned lonely again. Although that person looked exactly like Shen Xuan Feng, she knew it wasn't him.

Even so, she had no resistance to Liu Dao's face and stared at it greedily, lost in thought.

"Immortal maiden, watch out!" Someone warned, pulling her back from her daze.

It turned out that the Tao Wu Saint King, whom she had struck down earlier, had charged back up, launching a divine light straight at her primordial spirit, aiming to destroy her true form; this was a sneak attack and a killing blow.

"Die!" The Tao Wu Saint King bared his fangs, laughing ferociously.

Qian Shang Yue said nothing, merely waving her hand gently and pressing down from the sky. Etched between her fingers were seal scripts. Her jade hand was crystalline and terrifyingly powerful, collapsing half the heavens.

The Tao Wu Saint King was caught off guard; he had just charged up only to be slapped down again.

Another spray of blood; his divine body turned to ash, leaving only his primordial spirit, which was also obliterated.

With that, the world fell silent.

Qian Shang Yue sheathed her sword, her expression as cold as ice, and lightly stepped toward the ancient city.

"You think you can just walk away after killing one of my clan's Saint Kings?" A cold snort echoed as an elder in python robes blocked her path. He was a Great Saint from the Tao Wu Clan, with surging vital energy, his old eyes gleaming. The terrifying pressure he exuded shook the nine heavens, darkening the sky.

"Then what do you want?" Qian Shang Yue asked indifferently.

"Pay with your life." The Tao Wu Great Saint shouted coldly, looking down at her with an icy, authoritative tone, like a heavenly decree. The Great Saint-level pressure surged, bearing down on Qian Shang Yue.