Chapter 2147: I Truly Don't Know

Chapter 2147: Zhen Bu Zhi

Night fell quietly, peaceful and serene.

In the small bamboo grove, Ye Chen sat before the stone bed, gazing silently at Yan Laodao. He had sorted out his thoughts and was now deeply pondering a way to break through, believing that once he found the source, everything would be easily resolved.

Unfortunately, he couldn't locate the root cause. Or rather, whenever he touched upon it, he suffered backlash, making no progress and even sustaining injuries all over.

Suddenly, a spring breeze brushed by, carrying a faint fragrance of a woman.

Bei Sheng had arrived, now dressed in women's attire. Her pure white immortal robes were unstained by worldly dust, and under the moonlight, she resembled a fairy from the nine heavens, ethereal and immaculate. Strands of her dark hair were tinged with divine glow, making this immortal who shunned mortal affairs as beautiful as a dream.

Ye Chen glanced at her, feeling a momentary daze. The foremost beauty of Bei Yue was indeed exceptional—her skin like polished jade, her figure graceful and light, like a fairy from a dream.

What was tantalizing was that, whether Bei Sheng was clothed or not, in his eyes, it made little difference. Back in the ancient ruins, he had already seen everything clearly.

Unconsciously, Ye Chen wiped the fresh blood from his mouth—wait, no, it was nosebleed.

"The emperor of Da Chu is quite badly injured!" Bei Sheng gave him a sidelong glance and veiled her figure with immortal light. The Jiu Li Clan's concealing immortal technique was truly domineering.

She wasn't afraid of someone having the Samsara Eyes, but of someone with the Samsara Eyes being shameless.

Ye Chen rubbed his eyes again, not forgetting to wipe his nosebleed. Seeing a perfect female form, even the Sacred Body couldn't hold back. Having a pair of Samsara Immortal Eyes was truly troublesome.

"Have you found a way to crack it?"

Ye Chen shook his head helplessly. "Without finding the source, everything is futile."

"If I turn into a Tian Mo one day, would you kill me?"

"Capture her first, have some fun, then kill her." Before Ye Chen could speak, Qi Wang's voice chimed in. That fellow was peeking out from the cauldron's mouth, grinning mischievously. His massive donkey face was full of lewdness, especially those two big front teeth, straight and shiny.

As soon as he said that, Bei Sheng's cheeks flushed red, and her beautiful eyes sparked with fury.

What followed was an exceptionally bloody scene. Qi Wang, who had been clamoring all day to come out for some fresh air, was finally released, only to be nearly beaten into donkey meat by Bei Sheng.

As for Young Master Ye, his expression was quite meaningful.

One had to say, Qi Wang's idea was pretty good.

Bei Sheng seemed to read his thoughts. Her once clear eyes were now filled with flames—the kind that could kill—and waves of blush spread from her cheeks to her neck. The lofty Bei Sheng, the foremost beauty of Bei Yue, was on the verge of exploding.

"You've got a foul mouth—keep it up!" Ye Chen was quick-witted, pinning down Qi Wang and giving him a thorough beating. At times like this, he had to show his loyalty.

Bei Sheng finally left, clutching her chest as she went.

What was supposed to be a romantic night with flowers and a full moon was ruined, leaving her with internal injuries.

After she left, Ye Chen pulled Qi Wang up.

Why say "pulled"? Because he had beaten him so badly that Qi Wang was flattened like a meat patty. It was truly pitiful for this donkey—even his Yuan Shen true form was crushed.

The quiet night grew deeper, with all sounds fading away.

In the bamboo grove, Ye Chen tucked his hands behind his back and circled the stone bed, chatting idly but still focused on the real task: how to find the Tian Mo's fundamental root.

He was observing, and so were the two supreme beings in the underworld.

For this, the two supreme beings kept switching views, scanning various domains to uncover the hidden Tian Mo. With so many people carrying Tian Mo origins, there had to be a foundational base.

However, after searching, neither found any trace.

Their expressions turned profound. Just because they couldn't find it didn't mean it wasn't there. The barrier between the human and underworld realms made it hard for even supreme beings to pierce all illusions. The Zhu Xian Sword was a prime example—they couldn't track it either.

Night quietly passed, and dawn arrived in the blink of an eye.

In the morning, the sunlight was warm. Ye Chen, who had meditated all night, sat bored on a rock, head bowed in thought. He had tried many methods to probe, but still no results.

He sat like that for three days.

During those three days, the small bamboo grove was peaceful, and Bei Sheng didn't come again—perhaps still angry. As for Xi Chen, there was still no news, leaving Ye Chen increasingly restless.

It wasn't until the fourth night that Ye Chen stood up and waved his hand to summon the dan furnace.

Clearly, he was going to refine dan. Who knew how long he'd have to wait? Might as well make use of the time. Besides, it had been a while since he last refined dan.

Immortal fire ignited, and one immortal herb after another was added methodically. Ye Chen didn't even need to control the flames—he used his intent to guide them. His dan refining skills had reached the pinnacle.

"I say, the Jiu Li Clan has quite a few treasures!" Qi Wang was there too, craning his donkey head around, his donkey eyes gleaming. With his talent for finding treasures, he saw wealth everywhere. This wasn't the first time he'd egged Ye Chen on to steal some and then make a run for it.

Ye Chen ignored him, focusing on refining dan. The Jiu Li Clan inherited from the Hong Huang era—who would believe they had no treasures? Not just Qi Wang, Ye Chen saw it clearly too. But those treasures weren't for just anyone to take. On someone else's turf, it was best to stay put.

Qi Wang didn't take it seriously and wandered off unsteadily.

Soon, rumbling sounds echoed, followed by Qi Wang's miserable cries. He'd gone to steal treasures and got caught red-handed. He didn't steal anything and even got a severe beating. When he returned to the peak, his donkey head was knocked askew—not kidding, he was walking sideways.

This time, he behaved himself, lying there listlessly and quietly watching Ye Chen refine dan.

Late into the night, dan emerged from the furnace—genuine eight-pattern Golden Dan, even drawing dan thunder. In the vast night sky, it created a magnificent dan phenomenon, incredibly splendid.

"A dan refiner?" Many from the Jiu Li Clan were awakened, all looking up.

"The person the princess brought back—what's his background?"

"Eight-pattern Life-Extension Golden Dan." The elder dan refiners of the Jiu Li Clan stroked their beards meaningfully, their words full of implication. "There aren't many who can refine this kind of dan."

That was true. The catastrophe of the last tribulation wave had nearly wiped out all peak dan refiners in the heavens. Those still alive were indeed few and far between.

In the dead of night, many Jiu Li Clan members gathered.

At a glance, the crowd was dense, but they didn't dare approach the peak, afraid of disturbing Ye Chen's refining. Only a few peak Great Saints sneaked into the void to watch Ye Chen refine dan, mostly Jiu Li Clan's dan refiners. When they saw his refining prowess, they were greatly shocked.

"So effortlessly refining an eight-pattern dan—this guy's talent is terrifying."

"A pity, his origin is concealed by secret methods; we can't see his true honored status."

"No need to look; with this level of skill, he's likely the Ancient Sacred Body, the Dan Saint of the Zhutian Sect." The highest-ranking dan refiner pondered and gave the answer.

None of them left, all hiding in the void and quietly observing.

Ye Chen said nothing, just focused on refining dan, calm and composed. He had already noticed the people hiding in secret. Let them watch—it was fine as long as they didn't disturb his refining.

That night was quite unrestful.

Phenomena kept appearing on the peak as dan after dan emerged—six-pattern to eight-pattern, all top-grade. The elder dan refiners watched in admiration, sighing that the waves behind drive the waves ahead; the Dan Saint's skills were truly heaven-defying.

In the following days, Ye Chen didn't stop, diligently refining dan.

However, after waiting nine days and refining over a hundred furnaces, there was still no sign of Xi Chen. Ye Chen strongly suspected that the Son of the Plane might have also fallen to tribulation.

It wasn't until the tenth day that Bei Sheng came again. This time, she was clever, veiling her figure with immortal light beforehand. As soon as she arrived, Qi Wang was in for it—he was thrown off the mountain.

"Give people some face; don't fight on sight." Ye Chen coughed dryly and tossed another immortal herb into the furnace. Why else call him the Dan Saint? He could chat while refining.

Bei Sheng huffed, not taking it seriously.

"Tell me straight, where exactly did the Son of the Plane go?" Ye Chen glanced at Bei Sheng, feeling that this woman was hiding something from him, definitely related to Xi Chen.

"Zhen Bu Zhi." Bei Sheng sat down and said slowly, "That day, the Saint Zun was also in our clan. The two of them chased after a wisp of seven-colored immortal light and left in great haste."

Ye Chen narrowed his eyes slightly at her words, easily guessing that the seven-colored immortal light was the damned Zhu Xian Sword—otherwise, they wouldn't have been so urgent.

In an instant, Ye Chen's face darkened, his eyes filled with worry. He had a bad premonition; the Zhu Xian Sword was too mysterious and ominous. Whenever it appeared, there was bound to be a scheme. He even suspected it had deliberately lured Xi Chen and the Saint Zun away.

"What are you thinking about?"

"What's the background of the Saint Zun you mentioned?"

"I've heard my great-uncle mention it; he's not from this era, and his inheritance is quite mysterious." Bei Sheng spoke softly, revealing a secret. "Legend has it he once triggered the Emperor Tribulation, but he fell just short of some destined fortune and nearly perished in the tribulation, missing the Supreme Emperor position. In that sense, he's of the same caliber as Di Ji—both are heaven-defying figures of their kind."

Ye Chen raised an eyebrow at this, feeling a mix of emotion.

It was true; all those who participated in the battle against the Emperor were no ordinary folk. One was the Kunlun Goddess, the guardian deity of the Zhutian Sect, who had lived a second life; one was the peerless divine general, the strongest under Emperor Zun; one was the emperor, the absolute queen of Da Chu; one was the Son of the Plane, who could freely traverse domains and even break through Tian Di arrays.

And the Saint Zun was even more formidable, nearly achieving emperorship—a true peerless powerhouse.

"No need to worry; those two seniors have fought an emperor before—they won't make mistakes." Bei Sheng smiled, as if seeing the concern in Ye Chen's eyes. "Just wait here peacefully."

Ye Chen smiled but didn't respond. Bei Sheng didn't know how terrifying the Zhu Xian Sword was, but he did. Not to mention others, just his Sacred Body lineage—how many Great Accomplishment Sacred Bodies had fallen to it? Such a mysterious and powerful force could potentially trap Xi Chen and the Saint Zun.

Because neither spoke, the bamboo grove fell silent again.

Sometime later, Ye Chen let out a light shout as another eight-pattern dan emerged, drawing a splendid phenomenon. It left the Jiu Li Clan people baffled—was eight-pattern dan now as common as cabbage?

Ye Chen wiped his sweat and stopped refining. After days of nonstop work, even the Sacred Body's vast blood energy couldn't handle the depletion. Refining dan was a meticulous task that taxed the mind greatly.

"Here, to quench your thirst." Bei Sheng stood up and handed him a pot of fine nectar.

"You're being so attentive—surely you want something from me!"

"It's nothing major; I just want to borrow the Dan Saint's hand to refine a dan for me."

"Having the Dan Saint refine dan comes with a fee. Can you afford it?"

"We're this familiar—still want money?" Bei Sheng said irritably.

"No money? Other things work too, like secret scrolls or magical tools. If you really have nothing, send over a great beauty. I'm easygoing and not picky."

"Then, do I catch your eye?" Bei Sheng said, pulling out a broken sword from somewhere. She breathed on the sword blade and wiped it with her sleeve.

"Uh, what dan did you want me to refine again?" Ye Chen coughed awkwardly. Da Chu's tenth emperor wilted without warning—it was impossible not to. That broken sword wasn't ordinary; though it looked shabby, it was a damaged Emperor Artifact, its emperor aura slowly reviving. One encounter could turn him into a fool.

"That's more like it." Bei Sheng smiled and handed over a storage bag.

It proved that with someone like Ye Chen, you couldn't reason nicely; better to act first. Since talking pleasantly didn't work, she'd just brandish the Emperor Weapon.

Ye Chen pursed his lips and took the storage bag. Inside were all dan refining materials, thousands of varieties, and a few immortal herbs were incredibly rare and priceless.

"Eight-pattern Beauty-Preserving Dan?" Ye Chen stroked his chin; he was familiar with this type of dan. As the name suggested, it was for eternal youth—the favorite of women.

"How about it? Can you refine it?"

Ye Chen didn't answer, just extended his hand.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Bei Sheng raised an eyebrow slightly.

"What's it mean? Where's the dan recipe?"

"There isn't one."

"I..." Ye Chen choked, nearly coughing up blood from his own saliva. No dan recipe? Then how was he supposed to refine it? Did she think he was an all-powerful Dan Saint?