Chapter 1995: Making More with Less

Chapter 1995: More is More!

Leaving the main street, Ye Chen turned a few corners and rented a small garden in a quiet place.

Then, he set up a *jie jie* to cover the garden.

Only after that did he sit down cross-legged, using *Zhou Tian* as a medium to call out to Ren Wang.

Today, he had caused such a stir, so there was no reason for Ren Wang not to know about it, yet there was no response at all, which was truly strange.

After three or five seconds, he opened his eyes and shook his head silently.

Despite calling several times, he still couldn't contact Ren Wang.

Helpless, he had to put it aside for now.

With a light wave of his hand, a drop of fresh blood appeared—it was Qin Guang Wang's blood—and he merged it into the void while forming the *Tong Ming* seal.

Regrettably, this attempt at *Tong Ming* also failed.

He furrowed his brow slightly and gazed into the void, as if he could peer through the haze to see Ming Jie.

The failure of *Tong Ming* wasn't due to him; the problem lay in Ming Jie. He could sense it most acutely now—there was indeed a mysterious force enveloping Ming Jie, isolating the human and underworld realms.

"What the hell is going on?" Ye Chen muttered to himself, convinced that something must have happened in Ming Jie, otherwise it wouldn't be like this.

However, he wasn't worried about Ming Jie's safety.

Among the three realms—heaven, earth, and underworld—Ming Jie was the most powerful, with a *Da Di* and a fully accomplished *Sheng Ti*, essentially two supreme beings, making it impregnable.

This was best proven by the previous invasion of the heavenly demons. The demons had traveled thousands of miles to attack Ming Jie but were completely wiped out. It was perhaps the most embarrassing defeat in their invasions, with two *Da Di* being slaughtered in such a brutal manner.

Thinking of supreme beings, Ye Chen couldn't help but think of Tian Jie.

Tian Jie also had a living *Da Di*, namely Dao Zu Hong Jun.

Tian Jie had Dao Zu, Ming Jie had Ming Di and Di Huang, all with supreme beings, but Ren Jie had none, which puzzled him greatly. They were all part of the three realms, so why was Ren Jie so weak? It must be a matter of luck or character.

At that thought, he rubbed his hands vigorously, determined to improve his cultivation as quickly as possible and bring over Di Huang. Only then would the three realms be balanced, each with a supreme being.

The sky had turned to night.

Ye Chen closed his eyes and meditated, adjusting his mindset before releasing a hundred kinds of *Shou Huo*.

In the dark night, the hundred kinds of *Shou Huo* floated suspended, their flames flickering and casting various colorful glows, quite dazzling.

"If they were all *Zhen Huo*, that would be great." Ye Chen shook his head with a smile.

As he spoke, the Xian Huo within his body rushed out.

The moment Xian Huo appeared, the hundred kinds of *Shou Huo* trembled, their flames nearly extinguishing—this was the suppression of rank. Even *Zhen Huo* couldn't compare, let alone *Shou Huo*, which was several levels below.

Soon, Xian Huo transformed into a sea of fire, enveloping all the *Shou Huo*.

This time, it wasn't about fusion; it was direct absorption. *Shou Huo* had no intelligence, so there was no need for communication—just absorb it.

The process took no more than a minute.

After absorbing the *Shou Huo*, Xian Huo returned to Ye Chen's *dantian*, looking a bit listless, as if it hadn't eaten its fill. More accurately, it looked down on *Shou Huo*. For it to show any real interest, the flames would have to be at least at the level of San Mei Zhen Huo.

Ye Chen looked inward at his *dantian*, observing the Xian Huo.

Indeed, after absorbing a hundred kinds of *Shou Huo*, Xian Huo's rank had only improved slightly. This showed just how insignificant those *Shou Huo* were compared to a single *Zhen Huo*.

"*Ju Shao Cheng Duo* Ma!" Ye Chen smiled, soothing the Xian Huo. "Wait for tomorrow's auction; I'll get you something good."

His words made Xian Huo perk up a bit, jumping around in the *dantian*, full of excitement.

"You bastard, let me out!" From inside the copper furnace, Lin Xing cursed and grumbled, his face as black as charcoal. If his glare could kill, Ye Chen would have died a thousand times over.

"Let you out? Fine, but first, tell me where the person who was with you went." Ye Chen said with a laugh.

"I don't know."

"Then maybe you want to know why he looks so much like me?" Ye Chen asked, full of interest.

With that one sentence, Lin Xing's anger dissipated by half.

He had to admit, he really wanted to know.

He had followed that person all along, primarily because the person looked so much like Ye Chen, and secondarily because of the secrets hidden within that person's body. Even he hadn't figured them out, but he was certain that the person was connected to Ye Chen.

"Tell me where he went, and I'll tell you what our relationship is." Ye Chen smiled at Lin Xing.

"Like I'd believe someone like you?" Lin Xing scolded.

"You have to understand my position." Ye Chen sat down and released Lin Xing from the copper furnace, but bound him so he couldn't move. Then he sighed, "It's not that I don't want to return your *Zhundi Bing*, but if I do and you run off, how would I find you? I wouldn't know how to explain it to my *Zhundi* either."

"Keep bluffing." Lin Xing scowled and cursed, having lost all faith in Ye Chen's character and integrity. He'd only heard before that the Huang Gu *Sheng Ti* was a slippery character, and he hadn't believed it, but after this experience, he truly believed it. It wasn't just slippery—it was utterly shameless. Not returning borrowed treasures was child's play; this guy was on another level.

"Don't sweat the small stuff." Ye Chen patted Lin Xing on the shoulder.

"If you want to know where he went, that's fine, but you have to tell me first about your relationship with him." Lin Xing glanced at Ye Chen. Having been tricked once, he was smarter this time.

"Alright, see for yourself, and don't cry about it." Ye Chen sent a strand of divine sense into Lin Xing's brow. The divine sense contained the origins of that person, their relationship, and the true secrets of the six paths—nothing was held back.

Lin Xing closed his eyes and focused on reading the divine sense.

Most importantly, he didn't trust Ye Chen and needed to verify its authenticity—he couldn't be fooled again.

Soon, his eyes widened in shock, and he stared at Ye Chen in disbelief. "The six paths?"

"Looks like you've heard of the six paths." Ye Chen said with a smile.

"A world-shaking figure—hard not to know about him." Lin Xing stared intently at Ye Chen.

Having read the divine sense, he learned too many secrets. It was the six paths of tribulation, which was completely unexpected.

What shocked him most was the connection between the six paths and Ye Chen, involving the laws of time and space. Hong Chen was the future Ye Chen, and the six paths was the future Hong Chen. Both were infinitely close to becoming *Da Di*, yet neither belonged to this time and space. Their roots all traced back to Ye Chen.

Ye Chen said nothing, just leisurely sipping his wine.

This matter would leave anyone stunned for a while. After all, it involved time and space, defying the laws and hard to comprehend. He needed to give Lin Xing time to process it.

Indeed, Lin Xing was a bit dazed, his mind struggling to wrap around it. Even with his wisdom, his thoughts were in chaos.

The world was vast and full of wonders. If not for Ye Chen revealing it, he wouldn't have known such secrets existed in the heavens.

For a full half an hour, Lin Xing sorted through his thoughts.

Ye Chen was considerate and didn't interrupt.

It wasn't until an hour later that Lin Xing looked at Ye Chen again, his eyes narrowing. "Is what you said true?"

"I swear on the glory of the *Sheng Ti* lineage that everything I said is absolutely true."

"Hearing you talk has totally upended my worldview!" Lin Xing exclaimed with a wry smile, clicking his tongue in amazement.

"I've told you what you needed to know, so now for my question?" Ye Chen said casually.

"I chased after Hong Huang with you, and I went too. When I came back, he was already gone." Lin Xing explained slowly, without hiding anything. "But he has a mark I left on him, so finding him won't be hard."

"You're not so dumb after all." Ye Chen chuckled. "Still thought to leave a mark."

"Are you trying to make me curse you out?" Lin Xing's face darkened again, veins bulging on his forehead. From the moment Ye Chen appeared, he had realized why Ye Chen could track him so easily—it was because Ye Chen had planted a mark on him. And hilariously, he hadn't noticed it at all.

"Come on, head back in and rest." Ye Chen waved his hand, stuffing Lin Xing back into the copper furnace, and added over a dozen seals to lock him in tight. This guy's previous incarnation was the Zaohua Shen Wang, with significant abilities and connections—he couldn't afford to let him escape again.

The night fell back into quietness.

Ye Chen sat under an old tree, hands propping up his chin, waiting peacefully for the auction to begin the next day. He harbored a hope that the *Zhen Huo* at the auction would be of an extremely high rank, and no matter the cost, he had to obtain it.

At some point, he leaned against the old tree and fell asleep.

However, he didn't notice that the Xianwu Di Jian hidden underground had emerged on its own, hovering in front of him and trembling slightly. In the end, it took three drops of his *Sheng* blood before vanishing without a trace.