Chapter 2092: Eating Human Flesh?

Chapter 2092: Chi Ren Rou Ma?

Regarding Taowu's shocked expression, Ye Chen paid it no mind, showing no hint of pity. He simply raised his hand and struck with a palm, directly targeting its true form and erasing its Yuan Shen.

A Honghuang-level Quasi-Emperor died in such a humiliating manner, not at the hands of another Quasi-Emperor, but slain by two minor Saint Kings. If word got out, it would undoubtedly become a laughingstock.

Once again, this proved that underestimating the myriad heavens came with severe consequences.

Though Taowu died in humiliation, it left behind a considerable fortune for Ye Chen and his companions. In the cultivator world, such spoils were typically divided among the victors.

No wonder Honghuang Quasi-Emperors were so wealthy. Their storage bags were filled with an abundance of magical artifacts, source stones, secret scrolls, and elixirs, piled up like small mountains, dazzling to the eye.

Generally speaking, cultivators who reached the Quasi-Emperor realm would open a small world within their bodies, an ideal place to store treasures. But Taowu was an exception; it kept everything in its storage bag instead. Had it not, Ye Chen couldn't have acquired its hoard so easily.

"Come on, come on, everyone who sees it gets a share. Don't be shy, help yourselves."

Ye Chen was the most proactive, stepping forward first to pick and choose. He selected a phoenix feather hairpin made of immortal jade, crystal clear and shimmering with radiant light, and placed it on Ji Ningshuang's hair. He also picked out several sets of jewelry and bracelets for his wife.

In just over ten seconds, Ji Ningshuang's hair was adorned with more than a dozen hairpins, and her wrists were stacked with over a dozen bracelets that Ye Chen had slipped on one after another.

Ji Ningshuang couldn't help but laugh and cry at the same time, though she felt secretly delighted inside.

Thinking about it, Ye Chen had never properly given her anything before.

Chu Lingyu pouted and glanced at Ye Chen, annoyed by this public display of affection.

She wasn't polite either, going straight for the most valuable items.

Yang Xuan and the others were released as well. Among them, a couple of people were true to the Da Chu style. One carried a large sack, stuffing it full of magical artifacts and source stones without discrimination, their movements seamless and natural.

Xiao Yanglan was the cutest, hugging a spirit fruit and munching on it happily.

Of course, the most precious spoil wasn't overlooked. That was Taowu's life-bound weapon, essentially that chamber pot, which Ye Chen summoned back with his great divine abilities. It was a true treasure, forged from special immortal metal and refined over countless years, utterly priceless.

Soon, a campfire was lit, and Ye Chen set up a large iron pot. Taowu's entire body was full of tonic materials, so nothing could be wasted. He filled the pot with meat and stewed it until it was fragrant.

"In the cultivator world, do people really eat human flesh?" Shangguan Jiu coughed dryly.

"Why does this make me feel so nauseous?" Yang Xuan looked at the iron pot, where the meat was indeed being stewed. In their mortal realm, people died often, but cultivators didn't act this way as a matter of course.

"Is this actually scaring you?" Ye Chen stirred the meat soup while chuckling leisurely. "Spend enough time in the cultivator world, and you'll find that these things are all quite ordinary."

Though his words were casual, they made Yang Xuan and the others shudder inwardly.

The phrase "quite ordinary" was apt, though Yang Xuan didn't fully understand it. But Ji Ningshuang and Chu Lingyu, as cultivators, knew all too well. The brutality of the cultivator world was raw and bloody.

Before long, the hot stew was ready, its aroma wafting through the air.

Ye Chen ate with great relish, but Yang Xuan and his group couldn't bring themselves to touch it.

Ye Chen didn't force them. With time, they would get used to it.

"You wife-beater, let me ask you something!" Chu Lingyu took a sip of the meat soup and glanced at Ye Chen, emphasizing the words "wife-beater" heavily.

Ye Chen coughed awkwardly. "Go ahead and ask."

"When will the Hong Chen tribulation pass?" Chu Lingyu's eyes were full of hope.

"I truly don't know." Ye Chen shook his head. "His fate is tied to the six paths, all in a state of chaos. Not even I, let alone the Ren Wang, can calculate it."

Chu Lingyu looked disappointed and lowered her gaze, saying nothing more.

Ye Chen didn't say anything else either, just gulped down the meat soup, feeling warmth spread through his body.

After some time, Chu Lingyu stood up and stepped into the sky, leaving.

Ye Chen couldn't help but sigh inwardly. He knew Hong Chen's current state all too well. Whether he could survive the tribulation was uncertain, and even if he did, he might live on as a dazed shell. In other words, she and Hong Chen Xue might have to spend their lives watching over a walking corpse.

Outside the ancient star, the human cultivators were still observing.

When they saw Chu Lingyu emerge, they were all stunned.

They had watched her fall into the ancient star earlier, and Taowu had followed her in. How had she come out alive? Had the Quasi-Emperor Taowu shown mercy?

Chu Lingyu's expression was indifferent as she summoned a domain gate and disappeared.

The human cultivators exchanged glances, hesitated for a couple of seconds, and then entered the ancient star one after another. What they saw were just a few people gathered around a large iron pot, eating stew. There was no sign of Taowu the Quasi-Emperor.

Ye Chen let out a satisfied burp, put away the iron pot, and led the group into the sky, departing.

The human cultivators watched with puzzled expressions, unaware that there were others on the ancient star. They couldn't make out their true appearances, only sensing their extremely powerful auras and unusually dominant bloodlines.

Back in the starry sky, Ye Chen also summoned a domain gate, heading straight toward Da Chu.

In the transmission passage, Ye Chen kept rubbing his brow, his mind dizzy. He had used the Great Sun Rulai Cleansing Curse again, and now another illusory Buddha shadow had appeared in his divine sea, occasionally reciting that majestic scripture with an irresistible, demonic power.

He knew he had formed a karmic tie with the Great Sun Rulai. It must be due to his karmic obstacles.

Ji Ningshuang said nothing, fully aware of Ye Chen's worries, but there was nothing she could do.

The karmic obstacles had come on too fiercely. Compared to the tribulation, the Cleansing Curse was preferable.

Suddenly, a trickle of fresh blood overflowed from the corner of her mouth. It wasn't from her fight with Taowu the Quasi-Emperor, but from the injuries inflicted by the demonic Ye Chen earlier. Severe hidden wounds that had affected her origin and Yuan Shen, and they wouldn't heal quickly. The only blame was that Ye Chen was too strong.

Having truly fought Ye Chen, she now understood the terror of the Sheng Ti.

Even now, she couldn't fathom the Sheng Ti lineage. It harbored a mysterious and ancient power, something no other bloodline possessed.

Perhaps it was that power that made the Sheng Ti innately immune to emperor's might.

More than anyone, she knew that if Ye Chen had been in his right mind, she wouldn't have stood a chance against him. Even if she had used the Ninth Phoenix Dao, she would likely have lost. The myth of the Sheng Ti being invincible at the same level was no exaggeration, and this generation's Sheng Ti had a combat mindset unmatched by anyone.

"Was I that heavy-handed in my demonic state?" Ye Chen coughed, showing some consideration as he wiped the blood from the corner of Ji Ningshuang's mouth. His expression was still awkward.

"Not just heavy, you were trying to kill me!" Yang Xuan chimed in.

With that remark, Ji Ningshuang puffed out her cheeks, looking like a playful young girl.

This demeanor caught Ye Chen off guard.

How many years had it been? Ever since he left Zhengyang Sect in his previous life, he and Ji Ningshuang had always maintained a respectful distance. Even sharing a bed, he had never crossed that line, thick-skinned as he was.

And she had been the same.

After a full cycle of reincarnation, this was the first time she showed such a feminine side to Ye Chen, like a little wife complaining to her husband about some grievance.

"This calls for a big hug." Shangguan Jiu nudged with his elbow.

"I think setting up a bed would be more reliable." Yang Xuan said meaningfully.

With those comments, Ye Chen went ahead and hugged her, reaching out to wrap his arm around Ji Ningshuang's slender waist. Then, with a tap of his toe, he darted away like a streak of light.

Before he could steady himself, the space passage exploded.

Yang Xuan and the others were startled and quickly retreated, realizing that Ye Chen's hug had been to save Ji Ningshuang. He must have sensed the danger and pulled her away.

In an instant, Ye Chen exited the domain gate passage.

He had encountered this before. It was likely that a massive battle in the surrounding starry sky had affected the transmission channel, causing it to collapse.

However, what puzzled him was that this stretch of starry sky was eerily calm. There were no signs of battle, not even a single person in sight. It was strange, why had the passage collapsed for no reason?

Ji Ningshuang was equally baffled, looking around at the vast emptiness with no stars in view.

Suddenly, Ye Chen furrowed his brow and instinctively looked up into the void.

What he saw was a vast, illusory scene. Hundreds of thousands of people streaking through the air like beams of immortal light. There were male and female cultivators alike. The men clad in armor like war gods, the women in battle attire like queens, forming a haze of light that blurred his vision.

"Is that... the hundred thousand divine generals?" Ye Chen murmured.

In a daze, he seemed to spot Long Teng, the son of the Tai Wang; Xiao Chen, the son of the Zhan Wang; Zhou Tianyi, the son of the Dong Huang; and also Xie Yun, the Little Ape Emperor, Kui Niu, and others among them.

What shocked him most was the one leading the hundred thousand divine generals.

That person looked exactly like him. Or rather, it was him, clad in the Hun Tian battle armor, with the Chaos God Cauldron hovering above his head, his figure as towering as a mountain, his presence shaking the universe and dominating the eight directions.

As he watched, that person turned his eyes back and smiled faintly at him.

Not just him. Even Long Teng, Xiao Chen, Zhou Tianyi, and the hundred thousand divine generals all turned at the same moment, giving him a weary, sorrowful smile.

Ye Chen froze, thinking it was a dream, but it felt real.

He even watched as the hundred thousand divine generals vanished into the river of time.

For some reason, their backs were filled with tragedy, as if they were marching toward death.

It took him a long while to snap out of it, staring blankly in that direction, unsure which era that vision belonged to or where he was leading the hundred thousand divine generals.

"Ye Chen?" Ji Ningshuang called softly, waving her hand in front of his face.

Ye Chen came to his senses and frowned at Ji Ningshuang. "Did you see that?"

"See what?" Ji Ningshuang asked, puzzled.

"The illusory vision that just manifested in the void, you didn't see it?"

"What vision?"

"That can't be right!" Ye Chen was stunned, but Ji Ningshuang's expression didn't seem like she was lying.

"You must be tired." Ji Ningshuang smiled gently.

Ye Chen rubbed his brow, certain he hadn't imagined it, yet Ji Ningshuang hadn't seen it.

A few seconds later, he muttered to himself and continued on his way.

"Did you see it?" On the Ming Mountain of the Ming Realm, the Ming Emperor glanced at Di Huang.

Di Huang said nothing, just shook his head lightly.

"That's strange." The Ming Emperor stroked his chin.

"Even we didn't notice it, but Ye Chen did. It's probably a glimpse of the future." Di Huang pondered aloud. "It must be because of his Lunhui Eye."