Chapter 2098: Keep Talking!

As they drew closer to Da Chu, the journey home remained as long and arduous as ever. Once again, the starry sky was filled with drifting blood mist, where broken limbs and severed arms filled the view, as if a brutal war had raged through. Gazing intently, one could still sense the aura of the Honghuang era. No need to guess—it was the Honghuang Clan at work, slaughtering innocent human cultivators and leaving the entire star domain devoid of any living beings.

"This is just too ruthless!" Shangguan Jiu exclaimed, swallowing hard as she watched.

"Little one, be good and don't look outside," Ye Ling said gently, holding Xiao Yang Lan in her arms. Such a bloody scene could harm a young mind, and the sight was far too horrific.

Ye Chen remained silent, striding slowly through the starry expanse.

Ji Ning Shuang said nothing either, her indifferent eyes flickering with a cold light.

Having witnessed countless slaughters, their hearts had grown as cold as ice, yet the sight of this blood-soaked star domain still stirred their anger. The Honghuang Clan was the epitome of bullying the weak while fearing the strong—they dared not face the Tian Mo but repeatedly unleashed catastrophic havoc, earning the wrath of both humans and gods.

Suddenly, a melodious flute melody drifted in from the distance.

Soon after, rumbling sounds followed, with the Honghuang aura spreading like a tide.

Upon hearing it, Ye Chen and Ji Ning Shuang moved simultaneously, rushing toward the source of the rumbles. With the flute, the roars, and the Honghuang aura, it was clear that a great battle was still underway.

"What a mysterious flute tune," Ye Chen murmured softly. The closer they got, the more ethereal the sound became, carrying a power that bewitched the mind. Even with his strong willpower, he felt a slight daze.

"Shifting Flowers and Connecting Jade, Drunken Heart of Heaven and Earth," Ji Ning Shuang muttered, as if she recognized the melody.

Ye Chen didn't ask further and quickened his pace, moving like a streak of divine light.

Before long, they reached the origin of the flute sound—a desolate ancient star, or rather, a mortal ancient star that had fallen silent because all its inhabitants had been wiped out.

In a cluster of shattered mountains, peaks were collapsing one after another as the battle raged on.

Indeed, there were Honghuang beings—three Great Saints: a Gui Ji, a Qiong Qi, and a Jin Ni. And there was someone playing the flute: a woman in white robes, enveloped in a faint immortal glow that obscured her features. Her divine form was untainted and pure, like a dreamlike illusion.

Behind her sat a white-haired young man, cross-legged and covered in fresh blood. He appeared to have been gravely injured in the fight against the Honghuang, with even his primordial spirit affected.

The flute's tune was幽幽 and pleasing, yet it held a terrifying power. The three Honghuang Great Saints were ensnared, each battling a phantom illusion manifested by the flute. Without breaking the flute's sound, they couldn't dispel these illusions.

"Good, very good," the Gui Ji growled, its eyes blood-red and its face twisted in ferocity.

"I'd like to see how long you can hold out," the Qiong Qi snarled through gritted teeth.

"Once we shatter this technique, you'll wish you were dead," the Jin Ni sneered.

The three Honghuang Great Saints exuded overwhelming momentum, their attacks growing even fiercer. They seemed to recognize this ability and knew it wouldn't last forever. Though it would take time to break, their status as Great Saints far surpassed their opponent, who was merely a minor Saint King.

The woman in white stood silently, her form graceful, but the flute's tune grew even more enchanting. Her face was pale, and blood trickled from the corner of her mouth—she had paid a heavy price to hold off the three Great Saints.

"Immortal predecessor, don't worry about me. Escape while you can!" the white-haired young man urged through a transmission.

The woman in white smiled but didn't reply. Being called an "immortal predecessor" by him made her expression turn wistful. The white-haired young man was her master, and though he was now in the midst of tribulation, she had scoured the stars to find him. There was no way she would flee alone.

"Break for me!" the Gui Ji shouted, obliterating one of the illusions with a palm strike.

"Break!" the Jin Ni and Qiong Qi echoed, shattering the phantoms in unison.

The woman in white coughed up blood, suffering severe backlash, and staggered backward, barely able to stand. As a Saint King, holding off three Honghuang Great Saints for so long was an impressive feat.

Unfortunately, she was still just a Saint King, no match for them in the end.

"Blow, keep blowing!" the Qiong Qi taunted from the void, baring its fangs in a grin.

"You lowly human cultivator, your blood must taste exquisite," the Gui Ji Great Saint cackled darkly, licking its red tongue as it extended a sinister claw from the void toward the woman in white.

The woman in white steadied herself and formed a seal with one hand, preparing to activate a forbidden technique on the spot.

But at that moment, a golden sword light slashed in from the distance, destroying the Gui Ji's claw. Then, a golden fist shadow followed, blasting the Gui Ji apart—its physical body, golden form, and even its primordial spirit were obliterated in an instant.

"This..." the Qiong Qi and Jin Ni exclaimed in shock, their expressions changing abruptly. Everything had happened too suddenly.

Even more suddenly, before they could speak, their heads were severed from their necks. The fallen heads exploded into ash mid-fall, their true souls scattering to nothingness.

None of the three had even seen who attacked, making their deaths all the more frustrating.

The woman in white was stunned. Had these three Honghuang Great Saints just been instantly killed?

The attackers were, of course, Ye Chen and his group, who had materialized from the void and descended from the sky.

"Thank you, predecessors, for saving us," the woman in white quickly bowed in gratitude. It was as if fate had intervened—she had encountered noble saviors from the heavens, or she would have surely perished.

Ji Ning Shuang smiled lightly and removed her cloak.

Upon seeing her true face, the woman in white froze. "You... from Yao Chi?"

"Hua Jian Xin, I hope you've been well," Ji Ning Shuang replied with a smile.

"How are you still alive?" the woman in white asked, her mouth agape in disbelief.

"The gates of hell had no door, so I returned through it."

"The East God's Yao Chi lives up to its reputation."

"Is he a tribulation survivor?" Ye Chen asked, having cleared the battlefield, as he approached and narrowed his eyes at the seated white-haired young man. With his insight, he could tell the young man was in the midst of tribulation and had likely been a quasi-emperor before. Unfortunately, Ye Chen didn't recognize him.

Upon seeing him, Ji Ning Shuang quickly replaced her cloak. Ye Chen might not know the young man, but she did. Since she recognized him, it was best to hide her face.

"Do you know he's a tribulation survivor?" Ye Chen transmitted to Hua Jian Xin.

"I know," Hua Jian Xin replied, biting her lip and nodding slightly.

Hearing this, Ye Chen frowned.

If Hua Jian Xin knew, then she had interfered with the tribulation. For this predecessor named Hua Jian Zhuo, his fate was now unstable, and whether he could survive the tribulation was uncertain.

"It was unavoidable; I had no choice but to intervene," Hua Jian Xin sighed.

Ye Chen said nothing, his brow still furrowed as he secretly divined Hua Jian Zhuo's fate.

As he expected, due to Hua Jian Xin's involvement, Hua Jian Zhuo's destiny had become highly unstable, potentially leading to his demise in the tribulation. He couldn't blame her entirely, though—it was like his own past interference with Jiu Jian Xian and Xian Mu. Not acting would have led to quicker deaths.

"Is there a way to fix this?" Ji Ning Shuang asked.

"It would require defying heaven to alter fate," Ye Chen said with a deep breath and a sigh. "Unfortunately, Ren Wang is already in tribulation, and the God of Creation is missing. This will be difficult."

Upon hearing this, Hua Jian Xin's previously flushed face turned deathly pale.

"For now, let's take him with us," Ye Chen said, turning to ascend into the sky.

Ji Ning Shuang frowned slightly and followed.

Hua Jian Xin sealed Hua Jian Zhuo into a artifact and stepped into the void, gazing at Ye Chen's back as she murmured, "He's actually the Tenth Emperor of Da Chu. I was truly blind to that."

The three of them moved one after another into the starry sky, only to encounter someone coming toward them.

It was the same person who had sold Ye Chen the scroll earlier. After studying the star chart carefully, he had finally determined the direction to Xuan Huang to make a fortune—by selling Ye Chen's scrolls, of course. But along the way, he stumbled upon this star domain and its tragic scene.

Ji Ning Shuang didn't react much; seeing the young man again just made her want to smile.

Ye Chen, however, had a darkened expression. Why does he show up everywhere?

Hua Jian Xin, arriving later, was startled and quickly donned a cloak to hide her face. She seemed to know the young man was a tribulation survivor and didn't want to disrupt his path.

"Do you know him?" Ye Chen asked in surprise.

"Wu Tian Jian Zun: Mo Qin," Hua Jian Xin transmitted.

"This guy is Wu Tian Jian Zun?" Ye Chen raised an eyebrow, eyeing the young man up and down. Not long ago, he had been peddling scrolls with a sleazy air—nothing like a sword master. But thinking of Jiang Tai Xu and Jiu Jian Xian, Ye Chen felt resigned. It made sense.

Tribulations really turned everything upside down.

Like Hong Chen, who became a fortune-teller in tribulation;

Like Liu Dao, who became a drunkard;

And this one, who was all about business deals. They never followed the expected path!

"So it's Wu Tian Jian Zun," Ji Ning Shuang sighed. Though she had never met him, she had heard of his legends. No one in the heavens was unaware of him. Along with Jian Fei Dao and Jiu Jian Xian, he practiced the way of the sword and was as elusive as a dragon. The three were of the same generation, masters of the sword in this era, though their strengths remained unknown.

What made Ji Ning Shuang want to laugh was that they had done business together not long ago.

"From what I can tell, he was probably a real character even before his tribulation," Ye Chen said meaningfully, watching the approaching tribulation-bound Mo Qin. Going around selling his scrolls wasn't something just anyone could do.

Of course, Ye Chen knew about Wu Tian Jian Zun—he was a legendary figure. Three thousand years ago, when the Qiong Qi Clan caused chaos in Dong Huang, Mo Qin was there alone, forcing nine Qiong Qi quasi-emperors to retreat in defeat. The clan tried to emerge multiple times afterward but could never find him, and when they did occasionally, they were utterly defeated.

Tribulations truly affected everyone. The three great sword masters hadn't escaped it. Who knew if they would survive?

By the time they finished speaking, the tribulation-bound Mo Qin had arrived and paused upon seeing Ye Chen and Ji Ning Shuang.

This time, Ye Chen, Ji Ning Shuang, and Hua Jian Xin all fell silent and turned to leave. Now that they knew his identity, they had to be cautious.

"Do I look that scary?" Mo Qin called out, shamelessly following them.

Ye Chen and the others didn't respond, quickening their pace.

"Why are you running? I'm not robbing you," Mo Qin shouted.

Ye Chen and the others still said nothing.

"I have treasures for sale cheap!" Mo Qin persisted, pulling out a scroll.

At that, Ye Chen had had enough and was about to turn back and kick him.

Fortunately, Ji Ning Shuang held him back. Otherwise, Wu Tian Jian Zun might not die in his tribulation but get kicked to death by Ye Chen, ruining his illustrious reputation.