Chapter 2113: My Old Man Can Take a Beating

Ye Chen's brow furrowed slightly. He had never heard of the "Ri Yue Jin Zou" before.

"It's a type of ancient curse, created by Di Qing," Donghuang Tai Xin said unhurriedly. "This curse doesn't harm or kill, nor does it have any real power, but it's a great trick for causing trouble. Anyone afflicted by it appears normal during the day, but once night falls, they become an entirely different person."

"Then Di Qing must have had nothing better to do to create such a troublesome curse."

"You're the first to dare insult a great emperor." Donghuang Tai Xin took a sip of her ancient tea.

Upon hearing that, Ye Chen's heart skipped a beat, and a chill ran through him. You should have just said it was a great emperor! Who even knows what Di Qing's real name is?

"Why would someone get hit by this curse for no reason?" Donghuang Tai Xin continued, pouring herself another cup. "You two must have provoked the descendants of Gui Di."

"The problem likely stems from this." Ye Chen handed over a jade slip, which contained records of the earlier black hole incident, including the purple cloud sea and the blood-stained pagoda. Every scene had been imprinted by him.

Donghuang Tai Xin didn't crush it; she simply glanced at it and absorbed the images within. She could vaguely see the shattered pagoda, stained with a striking purple blood.

"Ever since we came out from inside, Ning Shuang started acting strange." Ye Chen added.

"Di blood," Donghuang Tai Xin murmured softly, her delicate brows knitting together.

"Now that I think about it, the di blood on that pagoda was probably from Gui Di." Ye Chen pondered. "I went in too, but maybe I didn't stay long enough to be affected by the jin zou."

Donghuang Tai Xin said nothing, but the light in her beautiful eyes deepened.

One hundred and seventy years ago, the emperor and Jiang Tai Xu had entered the black hole to save Ye Chen and brought out a blood-stained divine mirror. The blood on that mirror was also di blood.

Back then, the Tian Xuan Gate had studied it for over a decade before identifying it as the blood of the Wu Qing Great Emperor. Now, another di blood-stained artifact had appeared in the black hole, which was truly bizarre.

As for whether it was Gui Di's di blood, it still needed verification. At the very least, they had to retrieve that blood-stained pagoda for examination, and it would require an di weapon for protection.

Ye Chen rubbed his brow. Thinking back, their journey home had been full of hardships. He had been plagued by karmic obstacles, and now Ji Ning Shuang was afflicted with the Ri Yue Jin Zou. They were like two unlucky kids.

"Donghuang sister, is there a way to break the Ri Yue Jin Zou?" Ye Ling looked at Donghuang Tai Xin, her big eyes blinking innocently. She didn't know if she was playing dumb or just naturally so, but calling her "sister" sounded so sweet, instantly elevating the status of the Da Chu talents by several levels.

Donghuang Tai Xin took a deep breath and suppressed her urge to lash out. It was a good thing Ye Ling was a girl; if it had been a boy, she wouldn't stop until he was in tears.

Ye Chen straightened his back again. His daughter was truly on the right path, having learned his ways well. That one word "sister" didn't matter much, but it shot his own status skyrocketing.

"Donghuang sister?" Seeing Donghuang Tai Xin remain silent, Ye Ling waved her little hand.

"I will consult the secret scrolls and find a way to break it," Donghuang Tai Xin replied casually.

"In that case, I'll head back to Heng Yue first." Ye Chen patted his backside and stood up.

"No rush, come with me." Donghuang Tai Xin also rose, her steps graceful and light.

Ye Chen was puzzled but followed along.

Ye Ling, however, stayed behind. In the bamboo grove, she looked around at everything—one plant and one flower after another, all bursting with vibrant colors and surging with life force. They were all extinct in the outside world.

It was a rare visit, so she had to take something back.

Even if she got caught, it wouldn't be her getting beaten—it would definitely be her old dad.

"Old dad can take a beating." Ye Ling chuckled to herself, rolled up her sleeves, and headed straight for a spirit grass. She had no idea what Ye Chen would think if he heard that, but he'd probably be quite proud.

By now, Donghuang Tai Xin had led Ye Chen to an underground palace.

The palace wasn't small, spanning about thirty thousand zhang in circumference, and it was somewhat dim. Lamps hung in the air, their ancient flames burning as part of a formation's foundation.

Besides that, there was an altar engraved with divine patterns, and on it lay a person in a deep sleep—or perhaps sealed away. He appeared as a young man, and at first glance, he looked somewhat familiar.

"Why is he in Tian Xuan Gate?" Ye Chen stepped forward for a closer look and was stunned. He recognized him—it was Lin Xing, formerly the God King of Creation, an absolute formidable figure. Calculating the time, they hadn't seen each other in over a hundred years, and he never expected to find him in Da Chu.

"Just take a look first," Donghuang Tai Xin said indifferently.

Ye Chen didn't speak. He stepped onto the altar and, without immediately examining Lin Xing, first glanced up at the space above. A pagoda hung there, overflowing with immortal energy and radiating the wei of the ultimate dao—it was the Xian Wang Tower of Xian Yu Great Emperor.

Ye Chen couldn't help but frown. Using an di weapon to suppress Lin Xing meant this was no simple matter.

As he thought this, he activated his Wheel of Reincarnation Eye and stared at Lin Xing, peering through the surface to the very source.

At this sight, his eyes narrowed slightly. Deep within Lin Xing's primordial spirit, he saw a thick black mist flickering with demonic light, laced with strands of lightning that were eroding Lin Xing's primordial spirit.

"Heavenly Demon?" Ye Chen retracted his gaze and turned to Donghuang Tai Xin.

"More accurately, it's a strand of heavenly demon origin fused with a curse," Donghuang Tai Xin said softly. "As for why it's like this, we still don't know."

"Can't it be erased?" Ye Chen asked tentatively.

"The heavenly demon origin has merged with the God King of Creation. Erasing the demon origin would mean erasing the God King of Creation." Donghuang Tai Xin sighed lightly. "I called you here to see if you have any way to resolve it."

"Even you're at a loss, so what chance do I have? If Di Huang predecessor could return, he might be able to break it."

"As a Great Saint, you can't summon the Emperor?"

"I've tried, but it doesn't work." Ye Chen shook his head helplessly. "A fully realized Saint Body on par with an emperor is far beyond my current cultivation to move. Even if I could move it now, it's impossible—the underworld is isolated from the void heavens, so I can't summon at all."

This time, it was Donghuang Tai Xin's turn to fall silent.

The entire realm was waiting for Di Huang, hoping he could reverse the heavens.

But the only one who could summon Di Huang, Ye Chen, wasn't strong enough yet. They had to wait longer, though she wasn't sure if the realms could hold out until his return. As for the God King of Creation, if he were truly controlled by the heavenly demon, she would eliminate him without hesitation—not out of cruelty, but to avoid endless future troubles.

The underground palace fell into a dead silence due to their quiet contemplation, a gloom settling over their hearts.

"Old dad, someone's hitting me." At some point, the palace's stillness was broken by a call from outside—it was little Ye Ling's voice.

"Hey!" Ye Chen wasn't having it. He turned around quickly. How dare you hit my daughter?

Donghuang Tai Xin raised an eyebrow and followed suit.

By now, the bamboo grove was quite lively. A group of old folks stood in a circle around Ye Ling, their faces dark and scowling, stroking their beards in annoyance.

Ye Ling had her little head buried, tears welling in her eyes.

"Who hit my Ling Er?" A loud scold rang out as Ye Chen charged in, wolf-tooth club in hand.

Donghuang Tai Xin followed behind.

Ye Chen didn't mind, but when Donghuang Tai Xin entered and saw her bamboo grove, she nearly stumbled. Looking at her own grove, her expression was priceless. The spirit grasses that usually shone brightly and the spirit flowers that burst with color were all gone. At a glance, it was completely bare. Is this still my bamboo grove? Aside from the bamboo, nothing was left!

"Old dad, these old folks are bullying me." Little Ye Ling had already hidden behind Ye Chen, peeking out with half her little head, still teary-eyed and full of grievance.

"What's the meaning of this, you all?" Ye Chen said with a dark face, scanning the group of old folks.

"You still have the nerve to ask? Don't you have any idea?" Di Lao grumbled, pointing at the devastated bamboo grove. "Look, just look—your precious daughter did all this."

"I don't care about that. Bullying my daughter means I'm going to lose it." Ye Chen slung his wolf-tooth club over his shoulder, acting like a rascal and making a big fuss. He could see the mess in the grove the moment he walked in—his first thought was that Ye Ling had done a great job. These old folks, picking on a little girl?

"A perfectly good girl, always up to no good, just stealing and sneaking around. How are you even parenting?" Tian Lao scolded, his face as black as charcoal. Ye Chen stole things every time he came, and now his precious daughter was just as quick-handed, even outdoing him. What, does Tian Xuan Gate owe you something to steal from?

Ye Chen didn't take it to heart, putting on an air of not caring at all.

"Come on, Ye Chen, let's have a chat about life." Donghuang Tai Xin finally spoke, calling him over.

"No need for that!" Ye Chen chuckled and turned to run.

"Where do you think you're going?" Donghuang Tai Xin was faster. She reached out and grabbed him after just two steps, like snatching a chick, and slammed him hard onto the ground.

Then, Donghuang Tai Xin rolled up her sleeves, and the group of old folks piled on, surrounding him in layers inside and out, their faces stern as they gave him a thorough beating.

No wonder she was the emperor of Da Chu—even his screams carried a regal air. A few times he managed to crawl out, only to be dragged back for more.

He had thought too simply. These old folks wouldn't hit Ye Ling, but that didn't mean they wouldn't beat him. Any trouble his daughter caused, her old dad had to take the fall.

As for Ye Ling, she acted like nothing had happened. She hugged her storage bag and sorted through her spoils, a truly filial daughter. She didn't even glance at her old dad getting beaten. As she always said, her old dad could take a beating. Ye Chen was used to it, and so was she.

"From what I can tell, this is a daughter who digs pits for her dad." Yang Xuan in the cauldron said meaningfully, not even daring to show his head for fear the old folks would spot him and drag him out for a beating too.

"Little fatty, I advise you to find a girl from another family. You can't handle this one." Shangguan Jiu patted Tang San Shao on the shoulder, speaking earnestly. A girl who pits her own dad so naturally—forget about being her husband. If you married her, you might get strangled in your sleep without knowing why.

As for Tang San Shao, he was right there, full of determination.

Not to brag, but this little chubby guy was ready to die just to win over Ye Ling.