Chapter 2009: Your Grandfather

Ye Chen set off, observing and calculating as he went, to pursue Taotie Zhundi.

Because Taotie had fled, the intense fluctuations of the great battle ceased. The five Honghuang clan Zhundi were unwilling to let it end, exchanging glances before scattering in different directions to search. Taotie was already on the brink of death, and they couldn't let him slip away so easily. Who knew, they might actually find him, and that would mean getting their hands on the immortal gold, which was indestructible.

Behind them, the shattered starry sky finally fell into silence.

It wasn't until some time later that people arrived to investigate, mostly human cultivators.

"Is that a war? So devastating."

"The aura of Honghuang is thick. The participants must include major Honghuang clans. Are they stirring up another massacre?"

"Wanyu is destined to be unsettled."

The human cultivators chatted back and forth, sharing their speculations, all of them deeply worried, sensing that something ominous was afoot. After circling around a few times without finding anyone, they each went their separate ways.

This was a desolate star, barren and lifeless.

In a deep mountain, a figure in black robes sat cross-legged on an ancient altar, meditating like an old monk in serene repose. Upon closer inspection, it was indeed Taotie Zhundi—or more precisely, his avatar. It was this avatar that had reverse-summoned Taotie Zhundi's true body.

As space twisted, Taotie’s true body materialized.

Perhaps due to his severe injuries, Taotie Zhundi stumbled and nearly collapsed. Even someone as powerful as him had been beaten to a pulp, covered in countless sword wounds. Every gash was ringed with a eerie glow that drained his vital energy, causing the wounds not only to fail to heal but to spread outward. The most horrifying sight was his back, where his spine had been torn out, sending chills down anyone's spine.

However, all these injuries were worth it.

After a fierce battle, the immortal gold had fallen into his hands, making him the ultimate victor.

"Fighting against this king? What a joke." Taotie sneered, his face twisted and terrifying.

As he spoke, he took out the immortal gold and held it in his palm. The golden immortal gold shone brightly in the night, its lingering Dao essence profoundly mysterious. This kind of divine material was truly heaven-defying.

After putting away the immortal gold, Taotie sat down cross-legged.

Then, four array flags flew out from his body and planted themselves in the four directions, forming a barrier.

He was cautious, even as a half-dead Zhundi, fearing a surprise attack.

The night grew deeper, and the star without any living beings was truly desolate, without a single sound.

As Taotie healed, he closed his eyes slightly, swallowing many pills to mend his body, erase the killing intent within, and draw on his clan's innate greed to plunder the essence of heaven and earth.

A gentle breeze blew in, and Ye Chen arrived.

He was as stealthy as ever, using Zhou Tian to conceal his aura and move with great care.

"Taotie, you're no fool—you even set up a barrier." Ye Chen narrowed his eyes, scanning the barrier, his gaze finally settling on the array flags. Those were the foundation of the barrier, maintaining the formation.

After some observation, he found the flaw.

Though the barrier was profound, in his eyes, it was nothing to fear. What worried him was that breaking it might wake Taotie, leading to another fierce battle. Even a half-dead Zhundi would be troublesome.

With no other choice, he manifested his Saint War Dharma Body.

"Boss, you're sending me in first, right?" the Dharma Body said, shaking its head.

"You know it."

"Got it!" The Dharma Body merged with a Great Saint weapon and stepped out of space, charging into the barrier.

"Who is it?" Taotie opened his eyes and sprang up abruptly.

"Your grandpa." The Dharma Body cursed loudly and lunged at Taotie.

"A mere Saint King, seeking death." Taotie Zhundi scoffed, seeing through the opponent's Saint King realm. The reason he could break the barrier was likely due to the Great Saint weapon enhancing his power.

As he spoke, the Dharma Body had already closed in, thrusting a sword with wind-like speed straight at Taotie.

Taotie looked on with utter contempt, merely raising his hand to clamp the sword tip precisely between his fingers. With a flick of his fingers, he shattered the killing sword and sent the Saint War Dharma Body staggering back. Though gravely wounded, he felt no pressure—a Zhundi's dignity was not to be challenged.

"A Zhundi is still a Zhundi, what a pain." The Dharma Body spat out blood in large mouthfuls.

"With your level, you dare attack me?" Taotie snorted coldly, moving like a ghost and reappearing in front of the Dharma Body, thrusting a finger of divine light toward its brow, targeting the core of its formation—the primordial spirit.

But before he could strike, a red killing sword suddenly appeared, stabbing out from the void. It was as fast as a phantom, swift as lightning, and most importantly, its killing intent was bone-chillingly cold.

Taotie's expression changed, his pupils contracting. He hadn't even noticed someone hiding in the void, and as a Zhundi, he had detected nothing. He only knew that this sword was aimed at his primordial spirit—a fatal strike. Even before it hit, his primordial spirit throbbed with intense pain, as if about to shatter.

In a flash, he retreated instantly.

As he backed away, Ye Chen pursued relentlessly, the tip of his killing sword just half an inch from Taotie's brow.

In this back-and-forth chase, the two darted several hundred zhang.

Since their speeds were evenly matched, Ye Chen's killing sword never advanced beyond that half-inch. In just a moment, he could pierce Taotie's skull, but Taotie's speed was too great.

Taotie's face was deathly pale, not daring to pause for even a second.

Like Ye Chen, he only needed a moment to evade the fatal blow, but Ye Chen's speed matched his own. Every step he retreated, Ye Chen advanced, leaving no opening. He was certain that any hesitation would result in being skewered—he was not at his peak but half-dead, and a fatal strike would end him.

"Who exactly are you?" Taotie shouted coldly.

"Guess." Ye Chen laughed, revealing two rows of white teeth.

Taotie said nothing, his killing intent raging as he continued to retreat, needing first to escape this deadly sword.

"Where do you think you're going?" The Dharma Body also gave chase, forming a seal with one hand.

Immediately, Taotie felt a binding force envelop him.

It was the Saint War Dharma Body exerting the restraint.

Without a Zhundi weapon to empower it, the binding was quite weak. Even so, it was enough to make Taotie pause for a brief instant, and that was all Ye Chen needed to deliver the fatal blow.

And that's exactly what happened.

Under the restraint, Taotie's body halted for a split second.

In that same instant, Ye Chen's killing sword arrived.

With a puff, blood sprayed out, vivid and crimson.

Ye Chen's sword pierced straight through Taotie's skull, extinguishing his primordial spirit along with it.

Taotie's body froze, his sea of consciousness shattered, and his true form destroyed.

In his final moments, his dimming eyes widened in disbelief as he finally saw Ye Chen's true face. That countenance was etched deep in his soul—he was the Archaic Holy Body, Ye Chen, the eternal enemy of the Honghuang clans.

In that instant, he understood.

The warnings from Gui Ji earlier were true—there was indeed someone in the shadows, and that person was Ye Chen.

But now that he knew, it was too late.

"Rest in peace!" Ye Chen's voice was flat as he withdrew his killing sword.

Taotie toppled backward, the bloody hole in his brow still gushing fresh blood. If anyone died the most unjustly, it wasn't Jin Ni or Gui Ji—it was him, a Saint King having slain a Zhundi.

He was furious, full of resentment, but it was all pointless now.

"Boss, nicely done." The Dharma Body hurried over, grinning cheerfully.

"You're not bad yourself." Ye Chen smiled and sheathed his killing sword.

This time, without the Dharma Body's coordination, slaying Taotie wouldn't have been so straightforward. A half-dead Zhundi was still a Zhundi, and if he fought back desperately, Ye Chen could end up severely injured—or worse, attract powerful foes during the battle, which would be a real mess.

Without further thought, Ye Chen used a great divine ability to break open the small world within Taotie's body.

All the treasures inside were released.

The spoils were quite abundant: at least several tens of billions of source stones, along with countless magical tools, treasures, and secret scrolls. But what tempted him most was that piece of gleaming immortal gold.

"So this is the immortal gold!" The Dharma Body leaned in for a closer look.

"The real deal." Ye Chen chuckled, his voice trembling with excitement. He held the immortal gold in his palm, and only upon touching it did he truly appreciate its extraordinary nature. It was incredibly heavy, its Dao essence profoundly mysterious. Gazing closely, he could see visions appearing one after another—the indestructible immortal gold, an invaluable treasure.

Indeed, the level of immortal gold surpassed even the Daluo body.

With a buzz, the Chaos Cauldron flew out.

This cauldron was quite opportunistic, swooping in while Ye Chen was admiring it and swallowing the immortal gold into itself.

"There go over two hundred million source stones." The Dharma Body clicked his tongue.

"Don't choke on it." Ye Chen scolded, not stopping it. After all the hardship to seize the immortal gold, it was all for the divine cauldron. Absorbing it would surely bring about a great transformation.