Chapter 2116: Come In

Chapter 2116: He Bu Jin Lai

Night deepened, and all was silent.

At the foot of Yu Nu Peak, crowds gathered once more.

From afar, the most prominent figure was unmistakably Xiong Er, that fellow, with all the Heng Yue talents rushing over to join in. After 170 years apart, it was like dry wood meeting a raging fire.

But awkwardly, there was no sound at all—everything was eerily calm, which felt unnatural.

Indeed, it wasn't normal. The women held memory crystals and were sneaking off to their rooms to giggle about it. In the end, they even locked their doors to prevent someone from sleepwalking in.

That someone, needless to say, was Ye Chen.

The vast Yu Nu Peak was full of beautiful ladies, yet they all left him hanging alone.

On this perfect night, the clever young master Ye sat under an old tree, rubbing his brow hard. If not for fearing heavenly retribution that might harm the women, he wouldn't be so well-behaved. As a man, what good is face? With so many beautiful wives, it would be a waste not to make the most of it.

In the end, reason triumphed over desire.

In the quiet night, he ascended to the peak and focused on comprehending the Shenlong Shield and Babutian Long.

These two newly unlocked divine treasures were even more extraordinary than imagined. The Shenlong Shield was incredibly sturdy, capable of withstanding a strike from the God Emperor Shen Shang; Babutian Long was even more overbearing, with a single divine dragon tail sweep nearly crushing a primeval emperor, excelling in both offense and defense, truly defying the heavens.

It was only before dawn that he finally stood up, steadying himself.

Then, the Great Reincarnation Heavenly Burial activated instantly, boosting his power tenfold. The overwhelming Great Saint pressure made the heavens rumble, startling the Heng Yue people out of their caves, their faces pale.

"Got it, we're suppressed again."

Gazing at the top of Yu Nu Peak, Xie Yun and the others felt utterly embarrassed. After 170 years, they had all reached the peak of Saint King realm.

Yet, Ye Chen was even more monstrous, having advanced to Great Saint level—a genuine Great Saint-level Ancient Holy Body. Even at the same realm, they couldn't beat him, let alone being a whole level below. So, for this lifetime, they were destined to be overshadowed by Ye Chen. Sharing the same era with him was just awkward.

The older generations of Heng Yue, however, felt quite gratified.

They vaguely remembered when Ye Chen first came to Heng Yue as a mere intern disciple, yet he had risen against all odds. His achievements now not only surpassed his predecessors but outright crushed them.

"What's that guy up to?"

Situ Nan exclaimed in shock.

No need for him to say it—many others had already noticed.

They saw Ye Chen with his hands clasped together, his eyes bloodshot, turning his gaze crimson, veins bulging on his forehead. He seemed to be gritting his teeth so hard that blood overflowed from the corners of his mouth.

Even more frightening, his Ancient Holy Body began to crack, spraying brilliant golden blood that flowed all over, a bloody mess that was shocking to behold.

"Is it heavenly retribution again?"

Liu Ruyan looked up, her eyes full of worry.

"It's not heavenly retribution."

Chu Ling said softly, her brows slightly furrowed.

Pfft!

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Ye Chen spat out blood and staggered, nearly collapsing.

The women hurried up to the peak in panic.

Ye Chen gave a comforting smile, wiped the blood from his mouth, and focused on healing his Holy Body. It really wasn't heavenly retribution; he was doing this to erase the Great Sun Tathagata Curse. The Buddhist thought-body was still in his sea of consciousness, randomly reciting scriptures with a power that sought to convert him, making him suffer terribly.

Seeing Ye Chen's face gradually regain color, the women finally breathed a sigh of relief.

That day's breakfast was warm as always, but the number of people crashing the meal was unusually high.

After 170 years apart, Ye Chen's good brothers missed him a lot. They originally planned to team up and beat him, but in the end, they were the ones who got hammered instead.

Overall, the atmosphere was still harmonious, with both elders and juniors present, especially doting on little Yang Lan. That little one was so chubby and adorable, just looking at her brought joy.

Later, talents from Da Chu arrived one after another.

They claimed to be visiting Ye Chen, but once they reached Yu Nu Peak, they all wanted to chat about life with the women. For people like that, the women treated them more formally than Ye Chen—those who entered upright usually left carried out, with all their treasures confiscated.

"I say, why haven't we seen Ji Ningshuang?"

Gu Santong nudged Ye Chen.

Reminded by him, Ye Chen slapped his forehead—he'd completely forgotten about Ji Ningshuang. She was still sealed in the cauldron, and now it was daytime, perfectly normal, so she needed to come out for some air.

With a wave of his hand, Ji Ningshuang was unsealed and emerged from the Chaos Cauldron.

Just as she was 170 years ago, the sect leader of Zhengyang Sect, still radiantly stunning, embodying both beauty and talent, untouched by worldly dust, like a fairy descending from the nine heavens, pure and flawless. Though right in front of them, she seemed more distant than a dream.

Seeing her, the people of Da Chu couldn't help but sigh and click their tongues.

Back then, the death of Yao Chi had caused a huge uproar across the heavens, and everyone believed the Eastern God had truly perished. Many had even witnessed that tragic scene.

Especially Xiao Chen, who was there that day. Who would have thought that 170 years later, the former Eastern God Yao Chi would stand alive here, joining forces with Ye Chen in the starry sky to deal devastating blows to the primeval races.

People should realize that Ye Chen's family were all absolute monsters. Ye Chen died and came back; Ji Ningshuang perished and returned. It was truly against all reason.

To the crowd's sighs, Ji Ningshuang only gave a courteous smile.

Then, she turned to Ye Chen, her eyes seeming to ask: Was I normal last night?

"Come on, Master, let me show you something fun."

Xi Yan chuckled and pulled out the memory crystal she had tucked away, which had recorded everything from last night.

Ji Ningshuang's cheeks flushed red in an instant, and she covered her face as she fled. It was too embarrassing.

The people of Da Chu watched in astonishment, completely baffled.

If Xi Yan were to make last night's events public, who knows what expressions the world would have—it would surely be quite the spectacle.

After that, even more people arrived, turning the vast Heng Yue into a sea of people.

For several days, Heng Yue was bustling with visitors.

On the sixth day, Qin Xiong and the imperial consort arrived. His words, "This humble general Qin Xiong pays respects to the princess," brought tears to Xi Yan's eyes. In their past life, he was a general of Zhao Kingdom, and she was the princess. That bond, even after one cycle of reincarnation, was etched deep in Qin Xiong's soul.

That day, Xi Yan cried bitterly, remembering her parents from her previous life, but alas, they had already passed through that reincarnation.

On the seventh day, talents from Xuan Huang arrived, wave after wave, including many from the older generations.

Recently, Ye Chen had routed the primeval races in retreat, bringing great honor to the heavens, so they came to offer greetings. With an Ancient Holy Body rising, it was wise to build good relations.

On the eighth day, the emperor-level heirs of the heavens arrived together, all having reached their bottlenecks, needing just a thought to advance to Great Saint.

Naturally, these monsters didn't want to waste their heavenly tribulations—they were saving them for the primeval races. Ye Chen liked excitement, and so did they. If the primeval races gathered again, this group of emperor-level heirs would undergo their tribulations collectively. Even in death, they'd drag enemies down with them, making the primeval races remember the lesson and know that the heavens were not without fighters.

Yu Nu Peak remained as lively as ever.

This crowd of talents, from Da Chu, Xuan Huang, and the heavens, gathered properly for the first time, discussing scriptures and sharing their insights from the past 170 years.

During this, Ye Chen couldn't help but glance toward the mountains outside several times.

With his vision, he could see that in a stretch of space beyond the mountains, a person was hidden, dressed in purple robes fluttering, naturally exuding Dao essence, with an extraordinarily dominant bloodline.

That was the Son of the Earth, who had come to Da Chu but hadn't entered. He was just gazing through the haze at little Ye Fan playing on the ground. These years without battles, he had been quite lonely. In his view, among juniors of the same realm, only the Heavenly Tribulation Body could match him as an opponent.

Unfortunately, Ye Fan had turned into a child, losing all his cultivation.

He didn't even recognize who he was anymore. In this state, there was no way to fight.

"Why not come in?"

Ye Chen smiled, without any air of a senior, his smile warm.

"Thank you, senior, but this junior won't impose."

The Son of the Earth was quite polite, bowing with hands clasped before turning to leave. Even as he walked far away, he couldn't help but look back at Ye Fan and then at Ye Chen. Ye Fan was his respected rival, while the Ancient Holy Body Ye Chen was the lifelong goal he aimed to surpass.

"Indeed extraordinary."

Xuan Gu Emperor's Son Tian Shuo laughed, seemingly having sensed the Son of the Earth as well.

"Heaven and earth, the future of the heavens will be quite exciting."

Zi Yu smiled slightly.

"Who is stronger or weaker remains to be seen."

The expressions of the emperor-level heirs all carried a mysterious depth.

Two bloodlines that appear once in ten thousand years meeting in the same era—how could there not be earth-shattering events? There was also the Heavenly Calamity Lone Star and the Holy Spirit Body; they would all be the brightest stars of this era.

"Have you ever heard of the Sun and Moon Forbidden Curse?"

After a few rounds of drinks, Ye Chen looked at the crowd with a smile. As inheritors of the emperor's path, they knew more secrets, so there might be a way out.

"A curse that tricks people— we've heard of it."

The emperor-level heirs spoke in remarkably unison.

"Is there a way to break it?"

Ye Chen asked tentatively.

The actions of the emperor-level heirs were strikingly consistent: they shook their heads helplessly.

Ye Chen sighed and rubbed his brow again.

These days, he had asked Long Yi and Zi Xuan, but neither knew how to break it. Even the emperor's path inheritors were powerless. It was truly frustrating.

"What's that? What is that?"

From another side, Xiong Er's loud shouts drew everyone's attention to the mountains outside.

In sight, a beam of black immortal light streaked across the sky, heading straight for Heng Yue.

The black immortal light didn't enter the mountains but stopped outside, buzzing and trembling, cold and desolate, with primeval aura overflowing and a faint destructive force flickering.

No one present was a fool; they could tell that black immortal light came from the primeval races.

Under everyone's gaze, the black immortal light exploded, transforming into an illusory figure.

That figure was tall and upright, clad in dark python robes billowing in the wind. His face was unclear, but his eyes were vast and profound, etched with Dao essence, weaving terrifying visions that made one afraid to look directly, lest their mind be swallowed.

"Kui Luo."

Qing Emperor's Son Feng Yu narrowed his eyes slightly.

"It's just a shadow."

"How about it, your old flame?"

Dong Zhou Wu Wang Song Yu raised an eyebrow.

"The son of Kui Luo Emperor."

Chen Yi said leisurely, "The legendary God-Demon Body."

"We didn't see this one at the Tian Zun ruins!"

Chi Yan stroked his chin.

"He must have been unsealed in recent years."

Yan Emperor's Son Xiao Lu said coldly, "Kui Luo's power ranks among the top three among the primeval emperor-level heirs. Three thousand years ago, in the Tian Zun ruins battle, our heavens' Heng Yu Emperor's Son fell to his hand."

Not just Xiao Lu—other emperor path inheritors, like Xuan Yuan Emperor's Son Wu Qing, Tian Que Emperor's Son Li Fengqiu, and Yu Kong Emperor's Son Jiu Liu, all exuded killing intent.

Clearly, as emperor-level heirs, they had participated in that battle and witnessed Heng Yu Emperor's Son's death.

Ye Chen fell silent, his brows furrowing slightly. The fact that he could slay an emperor-level heir of the heavens spoke volumes of Kui Luo's strength.

"Ye Chen, in nine days at Wang Xuan Star, a battle to the death."

From outside the mountains, Kui Luo's illusory figure let out an eerie laugh, echoing throughout Heng Yue, carrying a demonic power that spread infinitely across the eight directions.