Chapter 2082: Farewell

The starry sky blazed with lightning and thunder, rumbling incessantly.

Gazing into the distance, over a dozen figures rampaged through the chaos, some in human form, others as Honghuang giant beasts. They trampled the star domains, causing ancient stars to shatter, with various halos of light that were utterly devastating.

As Ye Chen observed, those embroiled in the brawl were the Honghuang Zhundi who had previously attended the auction.

At that moment, the one under siege was Gui Ji. He had transformed into his true form, a towering body like a mountain, covered in scales. His massive pupils were filled with bloodshot veins, so red they seemed about to bleed.

This creature was extraordinarily fearsome.

His enormous body charged through the starry sky, making it rumble as he spat flames and shot thunder from his eyes. A layer of illusory armor enveloped him, his aura dominating the heavens and earth.

Yet, even with his strength, he could not withstand the assault of over a dozen Zhundi.

These were no ordinary human cultivators; they were Honghuang Zhundi, with cultivations on par with his, and some even slightly surpassing him. As powerful as he was, Gui Ji was beaten until blood and bones flew everywhere, dyeing the starry sky a crimson red that was gruesomely vivid.

In the void space, Ye Chen watched quietly, revealing no trace of his presence.

Honghuang Zhundi were far more formidable than human Zhundi; each one was incredibly tough in direct combat, so strategy was essential.

All Ye Chen could do was wait for both sides to exhaust each other.

"Do you really want to fight to the death?" As Ye Chen watched, Gui Ji spat blood again, his roar echoing through the starry sky. His eyes were blood-red with rage, his insides churning with fury. Every attempt to escape was blocked by the group. Since leaving the Youming Ge six days ago, he had been relentlessly pursued, driven to the brink of madness.

"Hand over the Xianjin, and you may live." Qiong Qi sneered maliciously.

"If you want it that badly, take it!" Gui Ji roared in anger, spitting out a treasure box toward the Zhundi before turning to flee. To outsiders, it seemed the Xianjin was inside the box.

Remarkably, the Honghuang Zhundi actually believed it, their eyes gleaming with fiery greed.

Qiong Qi Zhundi was the fastest, reaching out with a massive hand to grab the box.

But to his embarrassment, before he could touch it, Tao Wu charged in and struck him with a sword, sending him flying. Fortunately, Qiong Qi was tough enough to withstand it; otherwise, that sword could have split him in two.

"Tao Wu, you're asking for death!" Qiong Qi thundered in fury, transforming into his true form.

"The Xianjin is mine!" Tao Wu laughed coldly, ignoring Qiong Qi and rushing straight for the box.

However, he too failed to reach it.

For Kui Ba Zhundi had arrived, merging thousands of secret techniques into a single finger that pierced right through him.

In that instant, the other Honghuang Zhundi swarmed in without hesitation.

The melee erupted again, the Honghuang Zhundi turning on each other over the treasure box, unleashing deadly techniques left and right.

"This intelligence..." Ye Chen rubbed his brow.

While the Honghuang Zhundi couldn't see through it, Ye Chen could clearly tell that the box contained no Indestructible Xianjin—it was actually a powerful talisman. In short, Gui Ji was tricking them.

Glancing over, Ye Chen saw that Gui Ji had already escaped several thousand zhang, his eyes flashing with cunning.

Seizing the moment, Ye Chen slipped through the void space and followed Gui Ji. He wasn't after the Xianjin; he just needed to hold Gui Ji back and prevent his escape, letting the other Honghuang Zhundi deal with him. Ye Chen's role was simply to play the fisherman, waiting for the perfect opportunity.

Sure enough, the treasure box exploded.

More precisely, the talisman inside it detonated. The explosion was terrifyingly powerful, sending a devastating halo rippling out from the epicenter. Everywhere it touched, Honghuang Zhundi were flung back, and numerous ancient stars were obliterated.

"Damn it!"

Realizing they'd been duped, the Honghuang Zhundi erupted in rage.

Thus, those who had been fighting each other to the death moments before reformed their alliance and charged off in pursuit.

Meanwhile, Gui Ji had already summoned a domain gate and leaped into it.

"Not so fast!"

Ye Chen smirked coldly and struck with a sword, severing the domain gate's passage.

Thud!

Gui Ji was wounded, tumbling out of the channel. Already gravely injured, the explosion only worsened his condition, sending his blood-soaked body plummeting through the starry sky.

"Who is it?" Gui Ji bellowed in fury, certain someone had ambushed him from the shadows.

Ye Chen, hidden in the space, offered no response.

But his silence didn't mean others wouldn't react. From behind, the Honghuang Zhundi closed in, their killing intent soaring as they spotted Gui Ji. Without a word, they launched a coordinated assault.

Gui Ji was doomed; in a single exchange, his divine body was shattered.

The Honghuang Zhundi were like savage beasts, charging across the stars and pummelling him with lethal techniques.

"Stop! There's someone in the shadows!"

Gui Ji shrieked desperately.

"Do you think we'll fall for that again?" The Zhundi snorted coldly. Far from halting, they intensified their attacks, their coordination flawless. Qiong Qi, with his overpowering physical strength, led the charge, while Jin Ni targeted the Yuan Shen, locking onto Gui Ji's true form. The others showed no mercy.

Thud!

The starry sky trembled violently as blood sprayed. Gui Ji collapsed inevitably, his newly healed body exploding again as he vomited fresh blood. Whether from injury or anger, it was unclear, but even as he knew someone lurked in the shadows, waiting to profit, the others refused to believe him.

"If I were them, I wouldn't believe it either." Ye Chen muttered with a wry smile.

It was the same for anyone in that situation.

Having just tricked them, Gui Ji's credibility was shot—who would trust him now?

"Ah...!"

Gui Ji's howl was shrill and furious. No matter how he warned them, the Honghuang Zhundi ignored it, their attacks ferocious. All they wanted was to reduce him to ashes.

Gui Ji was finished; nothing he said mattered anymore.

As a spectator, even Ye Chen couldn't bear to watch. The Honghuang Zhundi were relentless, blasting Gui Ji's body to pieces, severing his Yuan Shen, and dismembering his true form.

The scene was gruesomely red, with blood mist drifting across the entire starry sky.

"Ah...!"

With Gui Ji's final scream, his Yuan Shen exploded completely, truly turning to dust. In his last moments, he didn't bother warning them anymore, only roaring in rage and malice, "On the road to Huangquan, I'll be waiting for you all."

Before the words faded, that Honghuang Zhundi was utterly destroyed.

Though he was dead, the Honghuang Zhundi continued their battle, still clashing over the Indestructible Xianjin.

The slyest among them was Jin Ni Zhundi.

His speed was unmatched; he had disrupted the spatial laws to seize the Xianjin and flee in an instant.

"You think you can escape?"

Tao Wu Zhundi roared, activating a heaven-swapping secret technique that yanked Jin Ni back.

Caught off guard, Jin Ni barely steadied himself.

But to his despair, the Honghuang Zhundi's attacks were already raining down—palm strikes, fists, sword beams, blade lights, array diagrams, and artifacts filled the sky, engulfing him completely.

Thud!

Jin Ni's divine body burst apart, blood and bones scattering. He tried to flee, but it was too late.

Another Zhundi met his end, even more pitifully than Gui Ji, without so much as a scream.

When the smoke cleared, only a block of golden Xianjin remained.

Tian Xie Zhundi was quick, snatching the Xianjin and soaring into the sky, activating a domain gate to escape.

This time, Ye Chen didn't intervene.

Such tricks were Qiong Qi's specialty too. As Tian Xie entered the domain gate, Qiong Qi followed, unleashing a palm that blotted out the sky, collapsing the stars and shattering the gate's passage.

Thud!

Tian Xie vomited blood and was hurled out, now a bloody mess.

The Honghuang Zhundi were efficient; before Tian Xie could regain his footing, they unleashed a barrage of attacks. By the time he stabilized, all he saw was a wave of apocalyptic light.

The third Honghuang Zhundi was obliterated on the spot.

With three Zhundi fallen in quick succession, the battle showed no signs of stopping; the remaining ones fought even more fiercely.

In the space, Ye Chen folded his arms, his eyes darting around as he tried to keep up with their blinding speed.

What was clear was that the Indestructible Xianjin, that supreme treasure, had become a hot potato. Whoever grabbed it became the next target, and they wouldn't stop until the victim was dead. Counting the earlier three, seven Zhundi had already perished because of it.

What a curse that treasure is!

Ye Chen couldn't help but sigh. At this rate, the Honghuang Zhundi would likely all meet their end.

Thud!

Even as he spoke, another Zhundi exploded into a spray of blood, his Yuan Shen extinguished.

It was Tao Wu Zhundi; he had seized the Xianjin but was swarmed and killed before he could even hold it.

Now, only six Honghuang Zhundi remained in the fray.

With Tao Wu Zhundi dead, the Indestructible Xianjin was once again unclaimed, gleaming gold and eye-catching. The more ownerless it was, the more desperately they fought for it—and without learning their lesson, grabbing it only to lose their lives in the attempt.

Ye Chen wasn't in a hurry; he was still waiting.

He might not be anxious, but his Chaos Ding and Purple Gold Xiao Hulu were restless, eager to emerge.

Ye Chen wouldn't allow it—the timing wasn't right yet.

Elsewhere, the Xianjin fell into the hands of Taotie Zhundi.

The other five Zhundi snorted coldly, their eyes flashing with chilling light as they attacked from all sides, aiming for a decisive kill.

True to form, Taotie transformed into his original body.

The Taotie clan boasted incredibly dominant physical forms, allowing him to withstand the onslaught head-on.

"Hand over the Xianjin!"

Kui Ba Zhundi bellowed, grasping the forces of Qiankun and manipulating Yin and Yang—a peerless secret technique. Ancient scripts etched his palm, and before it even landed, the starry sky collapsed under its overwhelming power.

"Hand over the Xianjin!"

The other four Zhundi struck simultaneously, positioning themselves at the four corners. One wielded an immortal sword, another a divine blade, one deployed an array diagram, and the last controlled artifacts, trapping Taotie in that stretch of starry sky.

Taotie steadied himself, wiping away the blood, his fangs bared in a grin.

His smile was grotesque and sly. Strange divine patterns emerged on his body—or rather, array patterns—that spread across his form, intertwining intricately.

"Reverse summoning?"

Ye Chen raised an eyebrow in surprise, recognizing the patterns. It was a type of summoning array; Taotie must have formed a contract with someone, allowing him to be reverse-summoned through it.

"Stop him!"

The five Zhundi shouted, hastily sealing the space.

But it was too late. The encircled Taotie Zhundi vanished in an instant.

"Damn it!"

The five Zhundi exploded in fury, their roars like ancient thunder, shaking the starry sky to pieces. After fighting so long, they had lost the Xianjin. They had anticipated many twists, but not that Taotie would escape via reverse summoning. Even with their cultivations, they couldn't track where he had gone.

They might not see it, but Ye Chen could.

Though his Samsara Eye was sealed, his vision remained sharp, enhanced by Zhou Tian evolution. He could pinpoint Taotie's location accurately. Once found, everything would fall into place—a half-dead Zhundi's combat power was greatly diminished, and with full-force pursuit, Ye Chen could send him straight to Huangquan.