Chapter 2247: Dedicated

Chapter 2247: Zhen Jingye

No!

The Hanjiang Clan Emperor roared in terror, his eyes filled with horror, but he could not escape his destruction. The faint flame of his primordial spirit, Yuan Shen, rapidly extinguished, vanishing into the void like dust in the wind. In that fleeting moment between life and death, he must have felt immense resentment. He had escaped the clan extermination war, only to be utterly defeated by Ye Chen today, despite the absolute suppression of his combat power. As the emperor of a clan, how could he face the ancestors of Hanjiang?

Dammit!

The golden-robed Hanjiang Quasi-Emperor’s furious roar shook the heavens. Of the three Quasi-Emperors surrounding Ye Chen, two had already been destroyed.

And he himself was barely clinging to life.

Ye Chen said nothing more, moving like lightning as he charged toward the golden-robed Hanjiang Quasi-Emperor. He could not let this half-dead enemy escape.

However, ideals are one thing; reality is another.

The nine Hanjiang Quasi-Emperors hidden in the void struck at that very moment—or rather, they had acted the instant Ye Chen shot down the Hanjiang Clan Emperor. Nine Emperor Weapons descended from the sky like nine blazing suns, their radiant light illuminating everything. The desolate Emperor’s might interconnected, collapsing the heavens and earth while sealing off the space. Ye Chen was trapped along with it.

Kill!

The nine Hanjiang Quasi-Emperors attacked in unison, each unleashing a world-shaking strike.

Boom!

That patch of void exploded in an instant. When the smoke cleared, Ye Chen's figure was gone—not dead, but having escaped into a spatial black hole. With nine Quasi-Emperors and nine Emperor Weapons all joining the battle, the barriers of this alternate space were rendered meaningless. For Ye Chen, evading Emperor-level kills with the Heavenly Dao was second nature by now.

Buzz!

Ye Chen had fled, and the Lingxiao Iron Stick let out a hum, shattering the void and bursting out of the alternate space in a flash, vanishing without a trace.

It was truly domineering. Ten Emperor Weapons had united to block it, yet they failed. Even the ten Hanjiang Clan Quasi-Emperors had no idea where it had gone or how to pursue it.

Impressive!

In the spatial black hole, Ye Chen watched with a mix of amazement and admiration. He had underestimated the Lingxiao Iron Stick; he truly hadn't realized how terrifying it was. Though not an ultimate Emperor Weapon, it could clash head-on with one and even break through the blockade of ten Emperor Weapons.

Ah!

In the battered alternate space, furious roars echoed everywhere. The ten Quasi-Emperors had blood-red eyes, their faces twisted like demons. They knew Ye Chen wasn't dead and were aware of his black hole escape, but they couldn't enter it. Their overwhelming rage had driven them mad. It was a humiliation, an utter disgrace. Twelve Quasi-Emperors and ten Emperor Weapons had failed to kill a mere Great Saint, and instead, two Quasi-Emperors were destroyed—including their Hanjiang Clan’s emperor. They had absolute combat superiority, yet the defeat was catastrophically severe.

Ye Chen, on the other hand, remained composed, simply crouching in the black hole and observing the ten of them.

He was still ambitious, constantly thinking about breaking out again to finish off the half-dead golden-robed Hanjiang Quasi-Emperor.

But he quickly dismissed that idea.

The golden-robed Hanjiang Quasi-Emperor might only have half his life left, but the Hanjiang Emperor Weapon had already merged into his body. A peak Quasi-Emperor protected by an Emperor Weapon was beyond Ye Chen's ability to kill—unless he had an Emperor Weapon of his own, which he didn't.

"I should have brought an Emperor Weapon when I left."

Ye Chen sighed with regret. With an Emperor Weapon in hand, this battle would have been even more spectacular for him.

Buzz!

Accompanied by a deep hum, a domain gate opened in the alternate space. The ten Hanjiang Quasi-Emperors stepped into it one after another. Since Ye Chen had escaped into the black hole, their attempted kill was pointless. Staying there served no purpose, so they might as well return and devise a more perfect plan.

It was clear that as they entered the domain gate, each of the ten peak Quasi-Emperors spat out blood—not from wounds, but from sheer fury. Their emperor's heir was destroyed, their clan emperor was destroyed, and their ancestral land was destroyed. The entire Hanjiang Clan was left with only these ten. The glorious Emperor Dao inheritance was gradually fading into oblivion under the passage of time.

It wasn't until sometime later that Ye Chen emerged from the black hole, in high spirits. Taking down two Quasi-Emperors was a dazzling feat.

After a few breaths, he ascended into the sky, summoning his divine sense to call for the Lingxiao Iron Stick.

But there was no response, no matter how long he waited.

This made Ye Chen raise an eyebrow. It had run off, but could it really get lost?

Helpless, he left the alternate space, walking and calling out along the way. But the iron stick wasn't ordinary; once it was gone, it was truly worrisome.

Still, there was no reply.

"Go to Grand Chu and wait for me."

Ye Chen left a trace of his divine sense imprinted in the vast starry sky, visible only to the Lingxiao Iron Stick.

With that done, he waved his hand to summon a domain gate and headed straight for Xuanhuang.

Not long after he left, the starry sky twisted, and a graceful figure slowly emerged, shrouded in a black robe and holding a seven-colored immortal sword.

Upon closer inspection, it was indeed the female Sacred Body with the Zhuxian Sword.

Alongside them was a broken iron stick—the Lingxiao Iron Stick. Its luster had completely faded, reduced to two pieces of scrap metal. At the break, strands of seven-colored ethereal light lingered, clearly from the Zhuxian Sword's cut.

The female Sacred Body waved her hand, gathering a force of annihilation in her palm and grinding the broken Lingxiao Iron Stick into ashes.

She was different from before, her expression somewhat vacant, her beautiful eyes dull and lifeless. Her entire being was enveloped in seven-colored immortal light, standing in the vast starry sky like a ghost, faintly visible, like a dreamlike soul, distant and untouchable.

This state made even the Ming Emperor and Di Huang frown involuntarily.

As supreme beings, how could they not see what she had done? She must have fused with the Zhuxian Sword. The thing they feared had finally happened—a female Sacred Body infinitely close to great completion, combined with a terrifying Zhuxian Sword, making her an invincible existence in all heavens.

"Your descendant has truly done something foolish."

The Ming Emperor sighed and shook his head.

Di Huang remained silent, not intending to argue. The female Sacred Body's current state was inseparable from Ye Chen's actions. If he hadn't struck at her that day, there might have been a chance for redemption. At least, she wouldn't have fused with the Zhuxian Sword.

Unfortunately, Ye Chen had been too reckless that day, shattering her hopes and driving her to turn love into hate. A devoted woman, in utter despair, was capable of anything.

"She didn't join the Hanjiang Clan's ambush on Ye Chen, so deep down, she still held a sliver of hope."

The Ming Emperor took a deep breath. He had watched the entire battle. If the female Sacred Body had participated, Ye Chen would have been doomed.

Meanwhile, on another front, Ye Chen had already exited the domain gate, crossed the Xuanhuang Star Sea, and set foot on the Xuanhuang Continent.

"Don't miss out if you're passing by."

"Freshly forged magical tools—genuine, top-quality, and fierce."

"Divine abilities and secret arts on sale—family heirlooms."

The beach where the star sea met the continent was as lively as ever, even at night, with shouts and hawking echoing nonstop. Each stall owner was incredibly enthusiastic, cranking up their voices whenever someone passed by. But these stall owners weren't exactly upstanding; they claimed to sell treasures but were really fencing stolen goods. Everyone gathered here was up to no good.

Ye Chen glanced around and couldn't help but sigh. The beach wasn't small, packed with people, each stall lit by a luminous spirit pearl. Waves of treasure hunters came and went, all far from respectable, their cursing and yelling even drowning out the hawking.

"Truly dedicated."

Ye Chen remarked meaningfully as he quietly passed by.

"Young friend, interested in some specialties?"

As soon as Ye Chen entered, an old man grabbed him, winking and gesturing. Though he looked like an old man, he was actually a young man in disguise, just a Huang-level cultivator, using his appearance to swindle people. His age was barely over a hundred, yet he dared call Ye Chen "young friend." Was that appropriate? Besides, did Ye Chen look like someone lacking specialties? He was more likely to sell some to the old man. How amusing.

"Get lost."

Ye Chen didn't even bother looking. You, a Huang-level nobody, calling me young friend? Please.

"Don't go! These are personally refined by the Sacred Body."

"You know the Sacred Body, right? The emperor of Grand Chu, a master of scams."

"Hold on! We can negotiate the price."

The old man clung like a persistent plaster, chattering endlessly, determined not to let Ye Chen leave without buying some specialties.

To Ye Chen's surprise, he actually stopped.

The old man quickly approached with a grin, sensing a sale.

But Ye Chen was straightforward. He shoved the man aside and narrowed his eyes at a bearded man not far away—or more precisely, at the wine gourd in the bearded man’s hand. Under the moonlight, it glowed with a brilliant purple light, quite extraordinary.

Ye Chen had something similar, actually two of them—yes, Purple Gold Gourds.

"Young friend?"

The old man, pushed away, tried to approach again.

Ye Chen ignored him, casually waving a hand to send the man flying. The people on the beach barely glanced up; they were all used to such sights. After all, no one here was exactly lawful.

Ye Chen headed straight for the bearded man and smiled.

"Daoist friend, would you sell that wine gourd?"

"Don't joke; it's a family heirloom."

The bearded man glanced at Ye Chen.

"In exchange for this."

Ye Chen waved his hand, suspending a divine pearl in the air, radiating golden light—it was a Saint King Weapon.

"How could I accept that?"

The bearded man's face changed in an instant, beaming as he took the divine pearl. A Saint-level cultivator like him had never handled a Saint King Weapon before, so he polished it with his sleeve for good measure.

Seeing the bearded man's eagerness, Ye Chen was even quicker, snatching the wine gourd and disappearing into the crowd.

On the vast land, he walked slowly, holding the newly acquired Purple Gold Gourd and gently tapping it to break the seal on it.

At once, his other two Purple Gold Gourds flew out, all three humming with excitement.

Ye Chen stroked his chin, examining them from different angles. To this day, he still didn't know the origin of the Purple Gold Gourds or how many there were. One thing was certain—they were extraordinary. Even he couldn't see through them. If they weren't treasures, no one would believe it.

As he was observing, he suddenly stopped and instinctively looked back at the void behind him. He felt like someone was following him, like a pair of eyes watching from the shadows. That sensation came and went.

The three Purple Gold Gourds trembled with a buzz and, one after another, darted into Ye Chen’s storage bag, as if afraid.

Ye Chen furrowed his brow, not just glancing back but turning fully, his eyes narrowed as he stared intently at the void, peeling away layer after layer of mist. But he saw nothing.

A misperception?

Muttering to himself, he turned back and summoned a domain gate, vanishing into the night.