Chapter 2057: Don't Be Shy!

Kill!

The pitch-black night was far from peaceful, filled with thunderous shouts of battle. Overlooking the land, dark masses of figures charged on horseback under the glow of blazing torches. The armies of the Eight Kings’ warlords pushed forward with unyielding momentum. Their spirits were high, sweeping through everything in their path as they captured one city after another from Yan Wang. Some cities were even abandoned, completely undefended, falling with ease.

Yan Wang led his forces in a desperate resistance, but they suffered defeat after defeat. He tried to consolidate his troops and fortify the cities, yet he couldn't even establish a foothold before the enemy arrived. The Eight Kings' allied forces pressed on relentlessly, giving him no chance to catch his breath. From the fall of Bei Lang Cheng, it had been just over a month, and now they had advanced to the capital of Yan Di, surrounding the city with eight hundred thousand troops, leaving no escape.

In the distance outside the city, Yin Shan Laodao stood quietly, gazing into the distance as if he could see through the darkness into the grand hall within. Yan Wang, clad in his dragon robe with disheveled hair, raged like a mad dog, issuing plea after plea for aid. But none of his generals, who still commanded significant forces, came to his rescue. It was truly a situation of being surrounded on all sides, with allies turning against him and isolation complete.

He was now like a trapped turtle in a jar; the fall of the capital was only a matter of time, and death awaited him. His downfall perfectly illustrated an ancient truth: one wrong move, and the entire game is lost.

The tide had turned irreversibly! Yin Shan Laodao withdrew his gaze from that direction and silently turned away. As the most powerful warlord in the realm, with defenses as solid as iron, Yan Wang's domain had crumbled in just a month. It wasn't that his soldiers lacked the will to fight; it was that Yan Wang had long lost the people's hearts. The foundations laid by his forebears were wiped out in an instant.

"Yin Lao, what is our next move?" At his side, Gui Wuchang whispered. As a guard under Yan Wang, he hadn't stayed by his lord's side when the armies attacked. Like Yin Shan Laodao, he had slipped away in the hours before the capital was besieged. After all, as a martial arts expert ranked tenth in the world, his future was full of potential—he couldn't afford to throw his life away.

"Go to Zhu Xian Zhen," Yin Shan Laodao replied flatly.

"You're still going there?" Gui Wuchang was stunned. He had been there that night and witnessed Yin Shan Laodao being robbed. Wasn't he upset about returning to the same place?

"This old man must investigate that ancient tomb to see if it's truly as ferocious as the rumors say, even more so than demons." Yin Shan Laodao spoke as he mounted his warhorse.

Seeing Yin Shan Laodao leave, Gui Wuchang frowned for a moment but did not follow, heading off in another direction instead. With Yan Wang's forces utterly defeated and the world's powers about to realign, as a former guard of Yan Wang, he would likely be hunted. He needed to find some remote mountain hideaway and lie low for a while.

In the morning, with gentle sunlight, Zhu Xian Zhen welcomed a new day. Compared to the chaos in the outside world, this place remained peaceful, tucked away in a remote area with no fame or resources, thus untouched by the flames of war.

Ye Chen stepped out of his small garden, and after a month, he was once again carrying his fortune-telling tools to offer divinations. As usual, Yang Ge Lao was waiting, and he wasn't alone—Xia Lan was with him.

Seeing Ye Chen arrive, Old Yang quickly stepped forward. "I'll handle this."

"You're getting more sensible by the day." Ye Chen was happy to relax. This old man, ever since reuniting with Xia Lan, had been radiating vitality every day, looking years younger. Glancing at Xia Lan, she too was glowing, her stunning face still flushed with a hint of red. It was clear at a glance that this elderly couple hadn't been idle last night—the scene was quite romantic.

"So, what will you divine today?" Ye Chen asked lazily as he sat down, tucking his hands into his sleeves.

"Divine when she'll have a child—boy or girl?" Yang Ge Lao chuckled with excitement, making Xia Lan blush. She stepped forward and kicked him.

"Don't be shy!"

Yang Ge Lao shamelessly pulled Xia Lan back as she tried to turn away, seating her beside him at the table.

Ye Chen said nothing, his eyes fixed—one on Yang Ge Lao and one on Xia Lan. He didn't need to use his fingers for calculation; the omens were clear in his sight. With his mastery of Zhou Tian's evolution, if he wanted to know, he could see it in an instant.

He only looked at Yang Ge Lao for a few seconds, but his gaze lingered longer on Xia Lan. Without even taking her pulse, he knew she was already pregnant. Yang Ge Lao's dedication made it no surprise. A tiny life had begun to form.

However, as he looked, his brows furrowed.

Noticing this, Yang Ge Lao and Xia Lan exchanged glances, then both looked at Ye Chen. What did that furrowed brow mean?

"Tian Sha Gu Xing," Ye Chen murmured to himself inwardly. By all that was fair in heaven and earth, he had never divined their future child before. But now, the omen showed a fate filled with calamity. Xia Lan carried a girl, but unfortunately, it was a Tian Sha Gu Xing fate—the Lone Star of calamity—that would bring harm to family and parents, the most unfortunate destiny in the world.

"How could this be?" Ye Chen's brows furrowed deeper. His fingers moved in his sleeve, afraid he had miscalculated, but the result was the same. Yang Ge Lao and Xia Lan's child was indeed a Tian Sha Gu Xing, born with innate misfortune.

This was awkward. Yang Ge Lao and Xia Lan were deeply in love, having finally formed a beautiful union. If the child brought them harm, it would be the greatest tragedy.

"My friend?" Seeing Ye Chen remain silent, Yang Ge Lao waved a hand in front of him.

"It's fine, very good," Ye Chen replied, his expression returning to normal, though with a meaningful tone.

"That's it?" Yang Ge Lao twitched his mouth. "At least tell us if it's a boy or a girl! You're sighing and everything—don't scare us like that!"

"Heaven's secrets cannot be revealed." Ye Chen stroked his beard.

"We're just bored, coming here early in the morning to listen to your nonsense." Yang Ge Lao grumbled irritably, pulling Xia Lan along as they left. When Ye Chen wasn't reliable, it made him itch to act. If they didn't leave, he might flip the table.

As soon as they were gone, Ye Chen's brows furrowed again.

Tian Sha Gu Xing was something that might not appear once in tens of thousands of years, yet it had happened to them—a pair of ordinary people. All his efforts to bring them together had still left this one flaw.

He couldn't bear to tell them this bad news. After all, it was a living life—could he really snuff it out in the cradle? If so, Yang Ge Lao and Xia Lan would carry guilt for the rest of their lives.

But if he didn't tell them, the moment the Tian Sha was born would be when Xia Lan's life ended. That blow would be devastating to Yang Ge Lao.

"Ignoring this god comes with serious consequences." As Ye Chen pondered, a seductive female voice rang out. He had been so lost in thought that he hadn't noticed her arrival.

Sitting across from him was a stunning beauty, her allure enough to bring ruin to nations. She looked mischievous, smiling faintly—it was the Xie Mo.

Ye Chen's heart skipped a beat. Every time this happened, a single thought crossed his mind: run.

"Where do you think you're going?" Xie Mo reached out and pulled him back.

Now, Ye Chen sat obediently, like a tame lamb, not daring to move, afraid of provoking this woman and ending up half-paralyzed again. Every time she came, she beat him, each time harder than the last. She wasn't just mischievous; she was truly trouble, never doing anything normal in her life.

"Am I that frightening? You run every time you see me." Xie Mo smiled at Ye Chen.

"I thought you were going to hit me again." Ye Chen forced a laugh, his whole body covered in goosebumps. Being stared at by Xie Mo made him feel chilled to the bone. It wasn't an exaggeration—her attacks came without warning and were brutally forceful, treating him like he wasn't even human.

His words made Xie Mo laugh. He was clearly terrified of being beaten. She was the first to scare an Archaic Holy Body like this, and just thinking about it filled her with pride.

"That thunderstorm at Gui Shan—was it you who summoned it?" Ye Chen quickly changed the topic, tentatively eyeing Xie Mo.

"Otherwise, with your cultivation, could you have fought off the Tian Mo?"

"I knew it! It was too coincidental." Ye Chen chuckled, confirming his suspicion. Ren Wang must have instructed Xie Mo to bring him here for a reason—he wouldn't be allowed to die so easily. With Xie Mo protecting him in secret, what did he have to fear? Any demons or spirits would crumble under her slap.

Xie Mo across from him couldn't help but sigh. That thunderstorm was indeed her doing, giving Ye Chen a chance. She wanted to see just how much potential this reincarnated Archaic Holy Body had.

The result had shocked her. A mortal defeating a Half-Immortal, a Half-Immortal slaying an Immortal—Ye Chen was truly a monster, surpassing even the Great Emperors of his era. The Archaic Holy Body lineage had never shamed its eternal reputation.

"Great god, could you spare me a Yuan Jing?" Ye Chen smiled and rubbed his hands together. "Or, you could go save Qin Xiong—he's barely hanging on."

"No Yuan Jing, and who's Qin Xiong? Never heard of him. Not saving him."

"He's the reincarnation of Da Chu's people."

"So what? Not saving him means not saving him." Xie Mo shrugged, leaving Ye Chen fuming.

His face darkened like charcoal, but Xie Mo just laughed happily. For some reason, seeing Ye Chen like this brought her inexplicable joy. That was right—she was here to annoy him, dropping by every so often. If she didn't leave him with aching liver and stomach, she wouldn't be Xie Mo.

Ye Chen finally held back his temper and put on a smiling face again. "Then, have you heard of Tian Sha Gu Xing?"

"What do you want to ask?" Xie Mo said casually.

"Is there any way to change the fate of Tian Sha Gu Xing?"

"Impossible. Altering something like that is beyond even Ren Wang's power—let alone if Ren Huang were alive, they couldn't do it." Xie Mo answered without a second thought, her tone absolute. "When Tian Sha is born, the mother dies—this is an eternal law. A Tian Sha Gu Xing's life is destined to be filled with calamity until death. As for you..."

She glanced at Ye Chen before continuing, "In your past life, you were half a Tian Sha Gu Xing yourself. Not by fate, but because you provoked the heavens, bringing heavenly retribution."

"I understand that." Ye Chen took a deep breath.

"Why suddenly ask about Tian Sha Gu Xing? Is there really one in this land?"

"Yes."

"Boy or girl?"

"A girl."

"Then you've really found a treasure." Xie Mo sighed.

"What do you mean?" Ye Chen was confused.

"A Tian Sha Gu Xing and a body under heavenly retribution—don't you think they're a perfect match?"