Chapter 2016: The Immortal Execution Formation

Chapter 2016: Zhuxian Town

Ye Chen stood firm, cupping his hands in a bow with a serious expression, no trace of jest.

This was the first time he had been so formal with Ren Wang.

His words of farewell carried deep meaning, like a goodbye that might be forever.

“Do not forget your original intention, and you will achieve the great Dao,” Ren Wang smiled, his demeanor gentle and benevolent.

His words were both a warning and something like a final message.

The evil demon arrived and frowned upon seeing Ren Wang’s condition, recognizing it as his destined tribulation.

“Cang Lan, I have a favor to ask,” Ren Wang said weakly.

“Speak freely.”

“It’s all within this; you’ll understand at a glance.” Ren Wang did not elaborate, only offering a wisp of his divine sense.

As he spoke, his primordial spirit rapidly disintegrated.

In just three to five breaths, Ren Wang’s primordial spirit turned to ashes.

Ye Chen stood silently, saying nothing, feeling a profound sense of loss and deep sorrow. Ren Wang, also known as Fuxi, this seemingly unreliable elder, had helped him immensely along the way.

The evil demon was silent as well.

After a few seconds, she waved her hand, sealing Mu Liuqing and Lin Xing into a magical artifact.

“Until we meet again.” Ye Chen cupped his hands in salute and turned to leave.

With Ren Wang undergoing his tribulation, this seventy-year cultivation journey could be considered at an end.

After seventy years, he longed to return home.

But as soon as he stepped into the void, the evil demon pulled him back.

“Anything else?” Ye Chen asked tentatively.

“Ren Wang’s dying wish is for me to continue your training,” the evil demon said indifferently.

Hearing this, Ye Chen’s mouth twitched uncontrollably, overcome with the urge to curse. He felt like dragging Ren Wang back just to give him a proper scolding: You damn well went through your tribulation and died, yet you still won’t let me go. Why pick her of all people? Don’t you know this woman is trouble?

The evil demon ignored Ye Chen’s dark expression and kept summoning domain gates.

This journey lasted three months.

In those three months, the evil demon crossed countless star domains, bringing them ever closer to the edge of the universe.

“Where are you taking me?” Ye Chen asked more than once.

“To the place you need to go.” The evil demon’s tone was cold. She emerged from one domain gate, summoned another with a wave, and vanished into it, never once setting Ye Chen down.

Ye Chen gave up asking, letting his hands and feet dangle, feeling utterly hopeless.

Being trained by Ren Wang at least allowed for some casual chats when there was nothing else to do, but the evil demon was different—this queen was like a powder keg, ready to explode at the slightest spark. Who knew what shape he’d be beaten into following her? Whether he could even get home was uncertain.

Shifting his gaze from the evil demon, Ye Chen looked inward at his body.

He saw that the two purple-golden small gourds had fused into one, radiating brilliant light and colorful hues, with profound Dao essence flowing from it, exuding an ancient and desolate aura that was quite extraordinary.

He had wanted to take it out for a closer study.

However, the gourd’s transformation was not yet complete, so he had to let it be.

It was only in the fourth month that the evil demon stopped, landing on an ancient star.

This was a star inhabited by mortals, marked on the star charts as Luofan Star. It was roughly the size of Zhuque Star, with a slightly dim halo and thin spiritual energy, but the scenery was quite beautiful, featuring mountains, rivers, and a simplicity and rusticity rarely found in the cultivation world.

Ye Chen looked around but saw nothing particularly special.

The evil demon moved with graceful steps, her divine poise elegant, carrying Ye Chen as she stopped in front of an ancient town.

Zhuxian Town!

Ye Chen turned his head and glanced at the stone tablet at the town’s entrance, which bore its name.

The evil demon did not look, as if she had been here before.

This mortal town had no cultivators in sight, yet it was bustling with activity—cries of vendors hawking goods filled the air, with street performers spitting fire, juggling, and brandishing weapons, drawing waves of applause.

“Why did you bring me here?” Ye Chen finally spoke.

The evil demon said nothing, her expression indifferent. She gently raised her hand and placed it on Ye Chen’s shoulder. A glow of immortal light manifested in her palm, forming an ancient divine pattern that entered Ye Chen’s body through his shoulder.

Immediately, Ye Chen’s sacred body trembled violently.

Then, his dantian sea, divine sea, primordial spirit, true form, bloodline, origin, and cultivation realm were all sealed—or rather, anything related to cultivation on him was completely suppressed.

The mighty Archaic Sacred Body was sealed into that of a mere mortal by the evil demon.

Not only that, this woman had also confiscated all of Ye Chen’s possessions—not exaggerating, not a single item remained. To put it simply, Ye Chen had nothing left on him except the clothes he was wearing.

“What’s the meaning of this?” Ye Chen frowned at the evil demon.

“Ren Wang’s instruction is for you to train here, or more precisely, to wait for someone here.”

“Wait for someone?” Ye Chen raised an eyebrow.

“You’ll know in time. The seal will lift when she arrives.”

“Wait, fine, but why seal me?”

“Once Fuxi passes his tribulation, you can ask him yourself.” The evil demon said flatly, then vanished in an instant, leaving Ye Chen standing there dumbfounded, his mouth twitching repeatedly.

The street was crowded with people, and he stood out as the most peculiar.

“Move aside, don’t block the way.” A stern voice came from nowhere—it was a burly man pushing a cart, a peddler who had gotten up late and missed his timing, rushing along. Seeing Ye Chen blocking the middle of the street, he grew furious.

Ye Chen coughed awkwardly and stepped aside to the edge of the street.

Wait for someone?

Ye Chen murmured to himself, unsure who the evil demon meant. All he knew was that, sealed as a mortal, he was stuck in Zhuxian Town and couldn’t leave until that person appeared. This so-called training would likely be more frustrating than he imagined.

Gurgle!

As he pondered, his stomach protested in dissatisfaction.

Ye Chen clutched his belly and scanned around before heading straight to the tavern across the street. Now, he was just an ordinary person—everything was sealed, so when he was hungry, he needed to eat.

The tavern’s business was thriving.

As soon as Ye Chen entered, a waiter greeted him with a smile. “Sir, are you here for a meal or to stay?”

“Something to fill me up—whatever you have.”

“Right away!”

Ye Chen spoke casually and went straight to the second floor, finding a table by the window.

From the window, he could clearly see the street below.

Zhuxian Town was full of life’s varied scenes—fortune-tellers, beggars, travelers—all sorts of characters abound. Watching them, his cultivator’s heart gradually calmed.

This might just be adapting to the local ways.

“Sir, your food and wine—enjoy your meal.” The waiter arrived, setting down a full table of dishes.

Ye Chen withdrew his gaze, rolled up his sleeves, and dug in heartily.

The tavern grew even busier, with customers coming in waves, and conversations at the tables were inevitable, though they were all mundane matters—family affairs and trivial daily life, nothing to do with cultivation.

Half an hour later, Ye Chen stood up with a satisfied burp.

How many years had it been? The feeling of being full was indescribably wonderful.

“Sir, was the food to your liking?” The waiter approached again.

“Not bad.”

“Then, if it’s not too much trouble, could you settle the bill?” The waiter rubbed his hands, smiling.

Ye Chen chuckled. “For a meal, do you think I’d skip out?”

“Well, it’s just that lately, there have been so many who eat and run. Our boss is a bit on edge.” The waiter laughed awkwardly. “Please don’t hold it against a small fry like me.”

“How amusing.” Ye Chen laughed again and reached for his money pouch.

But as he felt around, he came up empty.

Ye Chen’s eyes darted side to side as he remembered—all his belongings had been confiscated by the evil demon. He didn’t have a single copper coin on him, nothing except his clothes.

The waiter waited patiently at his side, almost ready to help search.

After fumbling around and finding nothing, Ye Chen smiled awkwardly. “I was in a hurry and forgot my money.”

“Everyone who eats and runs says that.”

“What’s this ‘eats and runs’? Don’t put it like that—I…”

“Boss, we’ve got another one trying to dine and dash!” Before Ye Chen could finish, the waiter yelled out. The already lively tavern fell silent at his words, and Ye Chen became the center of attention. Those gazes seemed to say: No money, why eat?

Ye Chen rubbed his forehead, feeling embarrassed for the first time.

From the stairs, three burly men appeared, bare-armed and fierce, heading straight for Ye Chen. Their eyes were sharp and brutal—like guards, but more like bandits.

“You’ve got some nerve, trying to eat for free!” One of the burly men cursed.

“Don’t make it sound so bad—just forgot my money, that’s all.” Ye Chen shrugged. The three were tough, but in his eyes, they were no different from toddlers. Even sealed as a mortal, he was once the emperor of Grand Chu; his fighting skills were still there. He could take on ten of them single-handedly.

“Still talking back? Drag him out and beat him!” The burly man ordered.

At his command, the other two lunged at Ye Chen.

What followed was obvious from the street outside—all you could hear from the second floor was a cacophony of crashes, like a robbery in progress—pots, pans, bowls, tables, and chairs shattering everywhere, drawing passersby to look up. Clearly, a fight was underway.

Not long after, the noise gradually subsided.

Now, the tavern was a mess.

The expected scene of Ye Chen being beaten down didn’t happen—he was still standing steadily. As for the three burly men, they weren’t faring well; they were plastered against the wall, faces swollen and bruised, foaming at the mouth, covered in footprints.

Gulp!

The waiter swallowed hard, staring at Ye Chen like he was a monster.

Gulp!

The other diners did the same, eyes wide in shock.

This guy must be a martial arts master!

They had watched the whole thing from start to finish. Ye Chen might look refined, but his moves were ruthless—he took down the three burly men in a flash.

“Talk it out if you won’t listen—now look what happened.” Ye Chen dusted off his clothes.

With that, he headed for the stairs.

But before he could reach them, another figure came up.

This time, it was an elder in purple robes, hands clasped behind his back, holding an ancient book. He was a mortal, with no spiritual fluctuations, yet he exuded a sense of returning to simplicity.

Seeing the purple-robed elder, the beaten burly men limped over to him.

He seemed to be their boss.

“Yang Lao, this guy’s something else,” one of the burly men said, clutching his face.

The purple-robed elder didn’t respond, only looked at Ye Chen and smiled. “Paying for a meal is only right.”

“Forgot it—I’ll bring it tomorrow.” Ye Chen said, trying to leave again.

“I’m afraid you can’t go.” The purple-robed elder stepped forward, blocking his path.

“Can you stop me if I want to leave?”

“That remains to be seen.”