Chapter 2164: I'm the Only One

In the dead of night, Ye Chen emerged from underground, his spirits soaring. He looked inward at the Hun Dun Ding, which was darting through his Shen Hai. The newly added Dun Jia Tian Zi blended in seamlessly, like old friends, etched into the ding's surface and gleaming with brilliant golden light, making the Hun Dun Shen Ding appear even more extraordinary.

Only after withdrawing his gaze from the Shen Hai did Ye Chen release his divine sense, enveloping the entire ancient city. Upon scanning, his eyes sharpened like snow, piercing through the bustling crowds until he entered a tavern. In this city, there were not only reincarnated individuals but also those who responded to calamities.

The tavern's business was lackluster, quiet and sparse with patrons. Ye Chen's target was clear—he headed straight for a table by the window, where two people sat facing each other, drinking merrily. One was a reincarnated person, stout and robust; upon closer inspection, it was unmistakably Xiong Dashan from the Nan Jiang Xiong family. If Xiong Er were here, he would have to address him as Second Grandpa. Across from Xiong Dashan sat another familiar face, a calamity responder from Da Chu, a true emperor with eyes like stars and hair like a cascading waterfall, exuding an aura of fierce dominance. He was undoubtedly the Zhan Wang of the calamity.

Ye Chen stroked his chin, his expression peculiar. This was his first time seeing a calamity responder and a reincarnated person sharing a table so amicably—a Xiong family elder and a Da Chu emperor, drinking with such enjoyment.

"Dao you?"

The tavern owner approached with a smile.

"Bring some wine."

Ye Chen replied, casually selecting a table.

The owner moved quickly, but the wine was terribly unpalatable, which explained the poor business. It was anyone's guess why Zhan Wang and Xiong Dashan had come here to drink.

Ye Chen pulled his hood lower, secretly observing. He had once divined Zhan Wang's fate and knew it was incredibly resilient; he had survived the Tian Mo invasion and the trials of calamity without perishing, a testament to an emperor's might, much like the Sixth Shen Jiang. Zhan Wang's return to his destined role was only a matter of time.

Though the night was deep, Zhan Wang and Xiong Dashan showed no sign of leaving, drinking with increasing enthusiasm. The wine might be awful, but it was cheap, and they piled up the jars high.

Not long after, another patron arrived—a sly, sharp-faced youth who glanced at Zhan Wang and the others before heading straight for Ye Chen, grinning slyly. Without hesitation, he sat down and pulled a scroll from his robes, then mysteriously unrolled it.

Ye Chen glanced at it and nearly spat out his wine in disbelief. It was a painting related to him, and the image was quite eye-catching.

"The genuine Huang Gu Sheng Ti—only I have it across the entire Wan Yu."

The youth chuckled.

Ye Chen's face darkened. It seemed this had spread throughout the heavens and myriad realms. The scrolls that Mo Qin had peddled in Xuan Huang had even reached the Huo Yu. Other realms likely had them too. As for how they spread, there were plenty of ways—connections between realms, like the spiritual contracts between cultivators and spirit beasts, allowed for easy replication and endless copying. It was basically making money from nothing, no different from empty promises.

"How about it? Quite the treasure, right?"

The youth winked and gestured, opening his storage bag for Ye Chen to see. "We've got more if you need—limited edition."

With that, the youth left, flying out of the tavern and straight out of the ancient city. The owner watched him go, and even Zhan Wang and Xiong Dashan glanced over in surprise. What was with that guy's temper?

Ye Chen acted as if nothing had happened, leisurely sipping his wine and waiting for Zhan Wang and Xiong Dashan to finish.

Unfortunately, he had underestimated their stamina—they kept drinking endlessly, to the point where the tavern owner dozed off at the counter.

Growing bored, Ye Chen propped his chin on one hand and watched the two chat nonsense. Out of curiosity, he divined their fortunes. Hmm... both were bachelors. If they had wives, they wouldn't be here drinking—they'd have gone home long ago.

Suddenly, a fragrant breeze wafted by, and Ye Chen caught a flash before him as someone sat across from him. She was cloaked in black robes, revealing only a pair of serene, beautiful eyes. It was the Nu Shen Ti.

"Senior, it's been ages—I've missed you so much!"

Ye Chen said with a grin, pouring her a cup of wine in a show of flattery.

The Nu Shen Ti smiled faintly and took a sip, only to spit it out immediately. It was far too awful.

"She has been transformed by the Tian Mo— is there a way to reverse it?"

Ye Chen summoned the Hun Dun Ding, holding it in his palm like a small object, with Tian Mo Bei Sheng sealed inside.

"What if there is? What if there isn't?"

The Nu Shen Ti replied casually.

"Please, senior, save her."

" I'm only interested in the entrance to Tai Gu Hong Huang."

"Don't—"

Ye Chen's words were cut short as he turned his head. In the distance, Zhan Wang and Xiong Dashan had stood up, no longer drinking but now brawling—one cursing loudly, the other shouting wildly, startling the owner into rushing over to break it up.

"Get lost!"

The two erupted in anger, leaping out the window one after the other. It looked like they were heading somewhere secluded for a proper fight.

Ye Chen rose to follow, but the Nu Shen Ti forced him back into his seat.

Cleverly, Ye Chen shot out a strand of memory immortal light to trail Xiong Dashan.

Soon after, screams echoed. Xiong Dashan, who had soared into the air, let out a wail and plummeted back down, smashing into the ground and creating a crater. He clutched his head, roaring in agony.

Zhan Wang was the most baffled—what was this plot twist when they were supposed to fight?

Before long, sobs filled the streets—it was Xiong Dashan, crying his eyes out. The onlookers, including Zhan Wang, were all confused.

Ye Chen wanted to go out, but the Nu Shen Ti held him firmly in place.

A slight smile curved the Nu Shen Ti's lips as she glanced at Xiong Dashan and then at Zhan Wang. She could tell at a glance—one was reincarnated, the other a calamity responder. In an instant, she averted her gaze, uninterested. What concerned her was the entrance to Tai Gu Hong Huang.

She might not care, but Ye Chen did. Through the crowd, he watched Xiong Dashan, a person from his homeland regaining his memories, filled with the weight of past sorrows and the trials of bygone days, all turning into tears in his eyes, like a lost child calling for home.

Ye Chen smiled, laden with his own weariness. Reincarnated people had been away from home for too long—it was time for them to return.

Across from him, the Nu Shen Ti had already conjured a strand of divine light, shimmering with gold.

Ye Chen's thoughts were abruptly interrupted, and he instinctively turned, only to be struck head-on by the golden divine light, which entered his brow without missing.

Uh!

Ye Chen grunted, clutching his head and roaring in pain.

The tavern owner looked on, his face twisted in confusion. What was going on tonight? Two people drinking, and now they were fighting. One was out on the street wailing, a sharp-faced youth had flown out after just three minutes, and now this hooded one was suddenly howling. Was running a business this hard? So many oddballs and weird events had landed on his doorstep.

Uh!

Ye Chen continued to roar, blood seeping from his seven orifices, his Shen Hai buzzing loudly, his head feeling like it might explode. His dazed mind and blurred consciousness teetered on the edge of collapse.

The Nu Shen Ti remained silent, her serene eyes watching quietly.

In the shadows, Ming Di and Di Huang were also watching, both frowning. The golden divine light the Nu Shen Ti used on Ye Chen was identical to what they had employed before—clearly aimed at uncovering Ye Chen's secrets, or rather, his true identity.

Soon, a familiar scene replayed. Ye Chen seemed to have multiple personalities, acting out various roles—like a bandit one moment, a general the next, then a physician, and later a shop assistant. His expressions and tones shifted with each character, spouting all sorts of strange words.

"Indeed, he has his own cycle of reincarnation."

The Nu Shen Ti murmured softly, her beautiful eyes narrowing into slits, flickering with profound insight, as if she had found the answer she sought.

"Where is the entrance to Tai Gu Hong Huang?"

The Nu Shen Ti asked leisurely.

Uh!

Ye Chen didn't respond, only clutched his head and roared.

"Tell me, where is the entrance?"

She demanded sharply.

Ah!

Ye Chen let out a frenzied scream, bursting out of the tavern and stumbling through the streets, knocking over stalls left and right. The city was already chaotic from Xiong Dashan's crying, and now with Ye Chen's rampage, it descended into utter disorder.

The tavern owner was the most bewildered, chasing after him. What on earth was happening? His wine might be bad, but it wasn't poisoned!

In the underground tomb, Bai Zhi frowned slightly, able to see Ye Chen but not understanding why he was like this. She only knew the Sheng Ti was in immense pain, mindlessly charging through the crowd and drawing a chorus of curses.

Ah!

Amid the curses, Ye Chen stepped into the void, staggering out of the ancient city.

The Nu Shen Ti followed unhurriedly, asking as she went.

"Where is the entrance to Tai Gu Hong Huang?"

The question echoed like a curse in Ye Chen's Shen Hai, like a carving knife etching away repeatedly, until he gave an answer.

Boom!

With a thunderous crash, an eight-thousand-zhang mountain peak was shattered by Ye Chen's collision.

The Nu Shen Ti arrived shortly after, standing under the starry sky and bathed in moonlight, like a dreamlike illusion. She paid no heed to Ye Chen's suffering, her serene eyes devoid of any pity. To find her answers, she would stop at nothing, even if they were both of the Sheng Ti lineage.

It was unclear when Ye Chen's painful roars finally faded. Da Chu's tenth emperor collapsed among the rubble, falling into a deep slumber. Traces of agony still lingered on his brow, as if trapped in a nightmare, his mind ensnared by torment he couldn't escape.

The Nu Shen Ti frowned and descended from the sky.

But before she could approach Ye Chen, a wave of annihilating light spread from his body—that was true Dao Emperor aura, genuine and overwhelming, shattering space inch by inch. Even she, infinitely close to great completion, was forced back half a step by the halo.

The slumbering Ye Chen rose, his eyes still closed, floating upward step by step toward the Nu Shen Ti.

His body was as heavy as a mountain, as if treading on the very fabric of the universe, stepping on yin and yang. Each movement made the heavens tremble, enveloped in an ancient and weathered aura, like a god from the end of time, arriving from a distant era to overturn the world's illusions.

The Nu Shen Ti steadied herself, her delicate brows furrowed, filled with wariness.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The trembling world echoed with rhythmic booms—that was Ye Chen's footsteps.

Under the brilliant starlight, he opened his eyes. His gaze was vast as the starry sky, woven with emperor Dao essence and flickering with Hun Dun light. All things in the mortal world evolved within his eyes; one glance could pierce through eternity, and a single look could suppress the immortal vault.

In that instant, the Nu Shen Ti stepped back.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Ye Chen's pace didn't falter, freezing time with each step. The Nu Shen Ti retreated with every advance, as if he intended to drive her to the edge of the cosmos.