Chapter 2181: Demon Lotus

Chapter 2181: Mo Lian

Ye Chen stepped off the cliff, using the technique of Shrinking Earth into Inches a few times to reach the bottom of You Yuan.

You Yuan was pitch-black, with visibility reduced to nothing, filled with a gloomy and desolate silence, just like above, where not a blade of grass grew, resembling a spatial black hole.

Ye Chen spread out his divine sense to scan the surroundings.

Only then did a glint of surprise flash in his eyes. "What a clever deception."

Upon descending, he realized how strange this place truly was. The strangeness came from a mysterious force that had inverted the yin and yang of You Yuan, concealing its true opportunities. On the surface, it was just an ordinary abyss, but in reality, it hid shocking secrets. If not for the small fragment of the Mo Zhu and the Tian Mo origin showing anomalies in this realm, he would never have come to You Yuan, nor would he have discovered its mysteries.

The so-called mystery was that beneath this abyss lay another world.

Ye Chen let out a cold shout and stomped the ground hard, creating a large crater.

Just as he thought, there was a vast realm below the earth. Rolling Tian Mo killing qi surged out from the crater, violent and bloodthirsty, ancient and weathered, clearly existing from an extremely distant era.

He was certain that Xi Chen, who oversaw patrols of the various domains, had visited Luo Sha Yu.

He was also certain that Xi Chen had not passed through this You Yuan; otherwise, it would have been marked on the map. There were too many domains, and even as the child of the realm, it was hard to explore every corner, let alone a place hidden so secretly. Without the guidance of Tian Mo objects, it would be nearly impossible to detect any clues.

Without further thought, he vanished in an instant and entered the underground.

When he reappeared, he was in a dim and desolate world.

Ye Chen merged the Tian Mo origin into his body, holding the small Mo Zhu fragment in his palm. Then, using his primordial spirit power, he ignited nine flames of the primordial spirit: three hovering above his head, three circling his body, and three leading the way ahead. With one hand gripping the damaged imperial weapon, he pressed onward into the depths.

Buzz! Buzz!

The small Mo Zhu fragment grew even more agitated, or rather, the deeper Ye Chen went, the more it stirred, as if desperate to escape his grasp.

However, it was just a small fragment and could not break free from his restraints.

As he walked, he spotted a forest ahead. The trees were all jet-black, leafless, with only dark trunks and withered branches.

The bottom of You Yuan actually had a forest—merely thinking about it felt eerie, let alone seeing it.

Ye Chen said nothing and entered the forest sword in hand. As soon as he stepped in, a piercing chill hit him, making even his primordial spirit feel icy cold. Deeper in, strands of black qi appeared, weaving into dark mist that carried the aura of Tian Mo, intertwined with killing qi, adding another layer of gloom to this shadowy world.

Ye Chen walked straight ahead without glancing sideways, occasionally raising his sword to cut off a branch and examine it mid-air. These were no ordinary trees; they had grown by absorbing Tian Mo origin.

Woo woo woo!

A shrill wail suddenly echoed as swarms of black, ferocious ghosts materialized, their faces twisted, licking their crimson tongues as they lunged at Ye Chen. Their eyes glowed with a greenish light. They weren't real ghosts but manifestations born from resentment and malice, having gained some rudimentary intelligence.

Ye Chen transformed immortal fire into armor, enveloping his sacred body.

The pure and yang energy of the immortal fire specifically countered evil entities. The ghosts wailed and scattered in droves.

Though the ghosts fled, the black trees began to change, moving on their own—not randomly, but following a specific pattern, rearranging themselves.

Soon, the scene before him transformed into a vast realm, with raging winds and storm clouds, lightning flashing and thunder booming, as terrifying visions intertwined and manifested.

This was a massive formation, one designed to trap intruders.

"Such a formation thinks it can trap me?" Ye Chen snorted coldly and easily escaped.

The dark forest returned to its original state. No matter how it tried to act up, it was futile against Ye Chen.

After some time, Ye Chen stopped again, finding a pitch-black pool in the depths hidden by the trees. It was about five hundred zhang in circumference, calm and still, with Tian Mo mist drifting above it, occasionally flashing with Tian Mo light.

At the center of the pool grew a lotus flower, a black one, surrounded by demonic qi with strands of killing energy flowing from it. Its petals were veiled in an enchanting glow.

Ye Chen had put away the small Mo Zhu fragment and ignored the pool, focusing only on the black lotus. The anomalies in the Mo Zhu fragment and his own Tian Mo origin were all due to this black lotus.

Ye Chen had seen such a black lotus before, back in his previous life when searching for reincarnated individuals. He and Shangguan Yu'er had accidentally entered a black hole and encountered a Tian Mo black lotus, which transformed into a Tian Mo Quasi-Emperor and chased them to the outside world. It was only thanks to Liu Dao's timely arrival that they held it off, beating the Tian Mo Quasi-Emperor until it couldn't lift its head, sending it flying eighty thousand li across the stars.

Boom!

As he observed, a sudden boom erupted, shaking the entire underground world. The sky cracked, the earth collapsed, lightning and thunder raged, and lava spewed forth. Ghostly wails rose again, blending into a chorus like funeral bells, disrupting one's mind.

Ye Chen stood amid it all like an unyielding monument, his eyes slightly closed, unmoving.

"Break!"

With his cold shout, his eyes snapped open, and a layer of invisible halo spread from them like an unseen hand, restoring the chaotic world to its original state wherever it passed.

"Such illusory tricks are unnecessary before me," Ye Chen said indifferently, extending his hand to grasp at the black lotus across the pool.

The trapping formation earlier had been controlled by it, and the illusion just now had been sustained by it. This was no ordinary lotus; it was the true form of a Tian Mo. From the moment he arrived, it had seen through him. In other words, this black lotus was identical to the one from the black hole back then, both being the body of a Tian Mo, possibly even from the same race.

The black lotus trembled and fled the pool, dashing toward the outside, as if aware of Ye Chen's power—or perhaps because it hadn't fully transformed and was in a weakened state.

"Where do you think you're going?" Ye Chen soared into the sky with one step and pressed down with a palm, manifesting the eighty-one formations of the Emperor Dao Fuxi Array, trapping the escaping black lotus on the spot.

Yet, he had underestimated the lotus. It self-destructed one of its petals, tearing open a crack in the array, and shot out like a dark beam.

At the same time, it finally took human form: a figure in black python robes, with blood-red hair fluttering. His eyes were like deep abysses, pitch-black and profound, with a lotus demon mark on his forehead. A genuine Quasi-Emperor, he glared at Ye Chen with gritted teeth, his face twisted like a fiend.

"Where is the Qing Tian Mo Zhu?" Ye Chen advanced with his sword, regarding the black-clothed Tian Mo Quasi-Emperor with indifference, his words stark and cold, carrying authority like a royal decree.

"You insignificant ant, I truly underestimated you," the black-clothed Tian Mo Quasi-Emperor sneered, his face slightly pale. To break the array, he had self-destructed a petal, damaging his core, and blood still trickled from his mouth. Forcing the transformation had also backfired on him.

Ye Chen said nothing more and swung his sword to strike.

The black-clothed Tian Mo Quasi-Emperor didn't move but formed a seal with one hand, casting a strange secret art—a separation technique—that sent Ye Chen's damaged imperial weapon flying away.

This move caught Ye Chen off guard. Had separation techniques become so widespread now? Anyone could use them? The Tian Mo were truly full of talents!

Given the black-clothed Tian Mo Quasi-Emperor's exceptional skills, Ye Chen naturally responded in kind, using the Emperor Dao Separation to strip away the opponent's natal weapon—a red demonic sword. If I'm without a weapon, you won't have it easy either.

Unfortunately, his Emperor Dao Separation wasn't fully mastered; he had intended to separate the Tian Mo Quasi-Emperor's origin as well but couldn't.

"Without your damaged imperial weapon, you're just a dog," the black-clothed Tian Mo Quasi-Emperor charged, unleashing torrents of killing qi as he pressed down with a palm that covered the sky, aiming to suppress Ye Chen. He didn't let the loss of his natal weapon distract him; as a Quasi-Emperor, suppressing a Great Saint level sacred body should be straightforward.

Ye Chen chuckled coldly and countered with his most powerful attacks, teaching the black-clothed Tian Mo Quasi-Emperor a lesson. Even without an imperial weapon, he could still destroy him. A mere third-heaven Quasi-Emperor—who gave you the confidence to take me on?

Boom!

His Ninefold Unity of the Eight Desolations Fist was overwhelmingly dominant, shattering the sky-covering palm and even forcing the Tian Mo Quasi-Emperor back, shock filling his eyes. Before he could steady himself, Ye Chen struck again, his finger like a divine ray piercing the Quasi-Emperor's forehead, creating a bloody hole as black blood sprayed out, starkly vivid.

The black-clothed Tian Mo Quasi-Emperor's eyes turned blood-red with rage. A dignified Quasi-Emperor, heavily wounded by a Great Saint—it was utterly humiliating.

Ye Chen spread his five fingers, manifesting a golden hand as massive as a mountain, crushing the void as it descended.

Thud!

The black-clothed Tian Mo Quasi-Emperor knelt without warning, his demonic body fracturing. He tried to rise but couldn't withstand Ye Chen's palm. He had severely underestimated just how terrifying Ye Chen was.

Buzz!

The void hummed as the Emperor Dao Fuxi Array reappeared, trapping the Tian Mo Quasi-Emperor. Ye Chen also summoned back his separated damaged imperial sword, enhancing the array to suppress him.

"If I were in my complete form, how could you suppress me?" the black-clothed Tian Mo Quasi-Emperor roared hoarsely, his hair disheveled as he rampaged within the array, desperate to break free but lacking the strength.

"If my origin were complete, I'd slap you to death with one hand." Ye Chen descended from the sky, well aware of the Quasi-Emperor's reluctance. There was no helping it—who made him face a Great Saint level sacred body? He had slain emperors before; would he fear a minor Quasi-Emperor? Not trying to scare you, but in a fair fight at the same level, you wouldn't last a single move against me.

As he spoke, Ye Chen placed his hand on the black-clothed Tian Mo Quasi-Emperor's forehead and used the Soul Search technique.

Ugh!

The Tian Mo Quasi-Emperor grunted, his divine sea rumbling as his skull threatened to split, blood flowing from all seven orifices, his mind on the verge of collapse.

Ye Chen showed no mercy, forcefully searching his soul.

In a fleeting glimpse, he saw vast mountains and rivers, along with a damaged Mo Zhu, in the memories.

In an instant, the black-clothed Tian Mo Quasi-Emperor's divine sea shattered, for his soul bore a powerful secret art that would self-destruct upon soul search.

Ah!

The black-clothed Tian Mo Quasi-Emperor howled in fury and resentment, disintegrating inch by inch into ash until he vanished completely.

Even in death, he felt aggrieved. He had been quietly in the underground world when someone barged in out of nowhere. The funniest part was that it was the Tian Mo origin and the small Mo Zhu fragment that had guided Ye Chen here. This kind of team-sabotaging move would have gotten him killed hundreds of times over in Tian Mo territory.

With the black-clothed Tian Mo Quasi-Emperor gone, Ye Chen's brow furrowed tightly.

Though it was just a brief glimpse, he recognized that vast landscape: Ling Yu.