Chapter 2091: Success in Sealing

Boom! Bang!

After a silence of just three to five seconds, the dim ancient star erupted with thunderous roars once more. Both were in their Modao state, both amplified with combat power, engaging in a brutal battle. Blood rained down from the sky, staining the ground red.

This was truly a peak showdown, lasting nearly a thousand rounds, with neither gaining the upper hand.

Who would have thought that one, a Huanggu Shengti, and the other, a Yaochi Xianti, would both be in the Modao state? The difference was that Ye Chen's mind was clouded, while Ji Ningshuang remained clear-headed from start to finish.

It was evident that neither could overpower the other. Their speed, Dao techniques, divine abilities, source visions, and combat mindset were all evenly matched. Precisely because of this, the fight was so savage, turning this couple's battle into something like a deadly feud between enemies.

Bang!

With another thunderous boom, the heavens that had just healed collapsed once again.

Chu Lingyu furrowed her brow slightly and swiftly retreated thousands of zhang into the sky, as the battle's shockwaves were too intense.

If even she was affected, there was no need to mention Yang Xuan and the others, who were all trembling in fear, their faces pale. The combat of immortals had completely overturned their understanding—once it began, it shook heaven and earth.

In contrast, the two supreme beings from the Ming Realm were more worried about Ye Chen's heavenly tribulation.

Now, with Ye Chen's mind obscured, a single misstep could truly unleash the Great Saint's divine punishment. At that point, thirty-two emperors would appear—what a formidable lineup that would be. In Ye Chen's current state, death would be certain. If the Huanggu Shengti were destroyed like this, it would be utterly absurd.

Suddenly, a dragon's roar echoed through the nine heavens. Ye Chen transformed into a divine dragon, pitch-black all over, shrouded in dark aura, with strands of demonic power coiling around his massive dragon body.

Wow!

Yang Xuan and the others looked up, their eyes wide in astonishment—the dragon was enormous.

Accompanying the dragon's roar was the cry of a phoenix. Ye Chen was not of the Long Clan, yet he had become a divine dragon, and Ji Ningshuang was not of the Feng Huang Clan, yet she had transformed into a phoenix.

Gazing into the void, amid flashes of lightning and thunder, one dragon and one phoenix stood out starkly.

Ji Ningshuang danced through the nine heavens like a phoenix, while Ye Chen coiled through the sky. Both were accompanied by destructive visions, battling from the eastern skies to the western void, then from the western void to the northern heavens. They were drenched in each other's blood, flipping the universe upside down and disrupting the laws. This was the conquest of the Modao Shengti against the Modao Xianti, a clash of Dao against Dao.

Who was stronger?

Chu Lingyu clenched her jade hands, her expression grave. If Ji Ningshuang were defeated now, she herself would be no match for Ye Chen, let alone able to suppress and seal him.

Even now, she didn't know why Ye Chen in his Modao state was fixated on Ji Ningshuang. Was it simply because she was the Yaochi Xianti? Was there some hidden secret involved?

Under everyone's watchful eyes, the roars in the void faded away.

Vaguely, a figure could be seen falling—it was Ji Ningshuang, reverting to human form. Her Yaochi Xianti body was covered in fresh blood, and the immortal light surrounding her had dimmed to its extreme.

Ye Chen fared no better. His massive dragon form was gone, and he too had returned to human shape, plummeting from the sky alongside Ji Ningshuang, the demonic light dissipating piece by piece.

Boom! Bang!

Two thunderous crashes shook the nine heavens. The falling Ji Ningshuang smashed a mountain peak to rubble, while Ye Chen's heavy demonic body obliterated a massive peak in an explosion.

Amid the flying debris, Ye Chen staggered to his feet, gripping a blood-stained killing sword. He walked step by step toward Ji Ningshuang, his face sinister and ferocious, like a demon. His body was drenched in blood, each step leaving a bloody footprint. He had been beaten to the brink of destruction, and among those of the same level, Ji Ningshuang was the first to inflict such damage.

On the other side, Ji Ningshuang also struggled to stand, barely able to keep her balance. After fighting Ye Chen for over a thousand rounds, exhausting all her skills, and nearly perishing, she still hadn't suppressed him. It wasn't that she wasn't strong enough—it was that the Huanggu Shengti lineage was too terrifying.

Ye Chen gritted his teeth, his face twisted in a grotesque manner.

"Die! Die!"

Ji Ningshuang met him with a cold stare, her heart filled with complexity and pain. This was Ye Chen, showing such a vicious expression toward her for the first time. Though it wasn't his true intent, it was frightening all the same.

In that instant, Chu Lingyu descended from the sky, activating a sealing array to trap Ye Chen. Then, she applied over a thousand sealing talismans across his entire body. The dominant binding force, combined with the sealing array, finally suppressed him.

Ye Chen roared, trying to break free from the array, but he couldn't. If he were at his peak, he wouldn't fear these seals, but unfortunately, he had been fought to utter exhaustion, with no demonic power left to surge.

Only then did Di Huang and Ming Di breathe a sigh of relief. Without the heavenly tribulation, everything was manageable.

With Ye Chen sealed, the alternate space dissipated as well.

Ji Ningshuang managed a weary smile, swayed in the wind, and finally collapsed.

Chu Lingyu stepped forward, taking everyone with her as she vanished from the ancient star.

Not long after she left, cultivators arrived, gazing at the devastated ancient star with meaningful expressions. It was easy to imagine that a great battle had occurred here, and it had been intense.

Regrettably, they had arrived too late and didn't know who the combatants were.

Several star domains away, Chu Lingyu emerged from a teleportation gate and entered a mortal ancient star. She didn't dare bring Ye Chen back to the star where the Hongchen Liudao was located, fearing more trouble. Those three were all freaks, and when they got together, nonsense always ensued.

In a mountain range, she finally stopped, summoning an immortal pool and placing the unconscious Ji Ningshuang inside. She then crushed various healing sacred medicines and infused them into Ji Ningshuang's body.

Only after that did she release Ye Chen.

Ye Chen had been sealed into a state of slumber, but his Modao state persisted, with a mysterious force constantly trying to break the seals. She wouldn't give it the chance. Given that Ye Chen was a monster with absurd strength, she struck again, adding over a hundred more seals in one go.

Xiao Yang Lan was released, crying with tears streaming down her face.

She had watched the entire battle from start to finish. She didn't know why her parents were fighting, only that it was terrifying. Those bloody scenes had deeply imprinted themselves on her young mind.

Chu Lingyu waved her hand, putting her into a deep sleep and erasing those memories.

Huang Fei stepped forward, gently picking her up and rocking her lightly.

"You wretched one, you almost got us all killed." Yang Xuan and Shangguan Jiu surrounded Ye Chen. Though he was asleep, these two were furious, cursing nonstop.

Chu Lingyu stepped in, pulling them aside with one hand each.

Compared to them, this woman was far more direct. She rolled up her sleeves and gave the unconscious Ye Chen a thorough beating, perfectly demonstrating that if you can act, there's no need to talk.

Yang Xuan's mouth twitched. What a grudge! He was already on his last legs, and she was still hitting him?

Chu Lingyu ignored it, beating him with unrestrained vigor.

She didn't even know why, but every time she saw Ye Chen's face, she felt an inexplicable rage and an itch to act. Whether he was unconscious or gravely injured didn't matter.

Why not? She was from Da Chu after all—strike when you want, no hesitation. Someone like Ye Chen was lucky she was the Da Chu sovereign; if he were just a common soldier, he'd have been crippled long ago.

"Are the people from your homeland all like this?" Huang Fei asked Qin Xiong quietly, her voice soft as she tugged at his sleeve.

"The folkways of Da Chu have always been this way," Qin Xiong replied meaningfully.

"Maybe we should head home!" Shangguan Jiu glanced at Ling Feng and Yang Xuan.

The two coughed awkwardly. They did feel an urge to go back. People from Da Chu were like this no matter who you picked—if they went there, would they end up beaten to death?

Chu Lingyu finally stopped, completely ignoring the reverent looks from the others. She pulled a small mirror from her pocket, fixing her disheveled hair while looking into it. Not to boast, but beating a Da Chu sovereign like it was nothing.

Now, the world was peaceful. Everyone behaved, not daring to provoke Chu Lingyu.

Under the moonlight, the immortal pool shimmered with colorful light. Ji Ningshuang, lying still within, had her wounds healing one by one, and her fading immortal light was gradually reviving, though she remained unconscious.

She was too severely injured, affecting her source and primordial spirit.

This time, her role in successfully sealing Ye Chen was indispensable.

Chu Lingyu clicked her tongue in admiration for her. The sacred maiden of Yaochi, the Eastern God of Xuan Huang, was no empty title. She had beaten a Huanggu Shengti to near destruction, showing just how powerful she was. In this regard, Chu Lingyu fell short. As the direct disciple of the Jian Shen, she was thoroughly convinced.

Under the moon, she infused more spiritual medicines into Ji Ningshuang's body before standing up.

As for Ye Chen, she didn't bother with him—he was like a beast, he wouldn't die.

In the wait, what interested Chu Lingyu most was Yin Yue Huang Fei, who possessed the legendary Xian Shen Zhiti. Having one Tian Sha Gu Xing was surprising enough, but another such heaven-defying bloodline? Ye Chen collected talents, and so did she—they should all go to her Da Chu.

On the third night, Ji Ningshuang awoke, her face still pale and her aura weak.

"Is there a way to eliminate his karmic obstacles?" Chu Lingyu asked.

"First, we must find his true consciousness." Ji Ningshuang spoke softly, gently placing her jade hand on Ye Chen's forehead, then slowly closing her eyes.

With a breeze, she suddenly vanished.

Yang Xuan and the others didn't know where she went, but Chu Lingyu could see clearly—she must have entered a dream, delving into Ye Chen's dream to search for his consciousness.

Ye Chen's dream realm was a murky expanse, thick with dark aura. Lightning rampaged through the void, and lava flowed across the ground, mirroring the ancient star where they had fought.

When she found Ye Chen in the dream, he was swinging his sword, slashing at waves of encroaching dark aura. In the dream, he was awake, and that dark aura was a manifestation of his karmic obstacles—it was these that trapped his consciousness here, preventing escape.

"Huh?" Ye Chen, in the midst of his onslaught, noticed Ji Ningshuang's true form appear and was somewhat surprised. From his expression, it seemed he knew nothing of the outside world, let alone his battle with her. Of course, with his consciousness trapped here, how could he know?

"You look much better in your normal form." Ji Ningshuang smiled.

"Another dream spanning eternity." Ye Chen stroked his chin, sizing up Ji Ningshuang.

"Do you know why you're like this?" Ji Ningshuang asked gently, manifesting an immortal sword and standing back to back with him, cutting down the surging dark aura. There was so much of it.

"Karmic obstacles." Ye Chen sighed. Trapped here for days, he had pieced together some clues. It was the karmic obstacles from the Hongchen Liudao that had crossed time and reincarnation to backfire on his most fundamental self. The obstacles were infinitely vast, and even he hadn't found a way to break them.