Chapter 2288: Ruckus at the Primordial Headquarters

Chapter 2288: Causing Chaos at the Honghuang Headquarters

The black hole was dark and desolate, cold and lifeless.

Ye Chen seemed quite leisurely, with a luminous pearl hovering above his head as he wandered through the black hole, keeping a close eye on the outside world. It wasn't that he was idle; it was the Honghuang demonic land outside that was idle. True, it was the Honghuang headquarters, but it wasn't stationary—it was constantly on the move. As it moved, Ye Chen followed suit. It had taken great effort to track it down, and he couldn't afford to lose sight of it carelessly.

The idea of a mobile Honghuang headquarters sounded quite novel.

It was hidden extremely secretly, making it nearly impossible to detect from the outside. If not for being in the black hole, he wouldn't have seen this patch of Honghuang demonic land, let alone known that the headquarters was concealed within.

What concerned him more was the Honghuang Star Chart.

Compared to the Zhutian's Ancient Star Chart, this Honghuang Star Chart was even more vast and profound. With it in place, any Zhutian cultivators fleeing outside were hard to escape its surveillance.

Ever since the war began, he had felt as if someone was watching him all along.

Now, it was clear that the Honghuang Star Chart was to blame, constantly monitoring him. Fortunately, he had the Zhou Tian Evolution to conceal himself; otherwise, his position would have been locked.

He was an exception, able to ignore the Honghuang Star Map, but others couldn't. In short, wherever there were Zhutian cultivators, the Honghuang could see them clearly and precisely lock onto each one's location.

This was rather terrifying.

It wasn't hard to imagine what being locked meant for Zhutian cultivators—it meant that no matter where they fled, they would face Honghuang's encirclement.

Of course, this referred to Zhutian people who were on the run.

As for Da Chu, Xuan Huang, and the previous Youming, the Honghuang Star Chart couldn't see them, because all three had immortal arrays for concealment, blocking its view.

Similarly, the Zhutian's Ancient Star Chart couldn't see the Honghuang headquarters, as the Honghuang also had immortal arrays for concealment—and theirs were even more domineering.

In the silent black hole, Ye Chen's eyes gleamed brightly.

As the Tenth Emperor of Da Chu, he was quite ambitious, focusing on studying the Honghuang Star Chart. It had to be destroyed; with it spying on them, Zhutian people outside were in extreme danger. Without it, finding fleeing Zhutian cultivators would be much harder.

In this way, it would also alleviate pressure on the Zhutian people.

After some research, he targeted the numerous upright copper pillars, which were the foundations of the Star Chart. The most direct way to destroy it was to damage these foundations.

With his target confirmed, he popped a handful of pills into his mouth. He planned to cause chaos at the Honghuang headquarters, but not right now. He had sustained serious injuries and needed to heal first.

Even the Chaos Divine Cauldron was wilted and listless, and the same went for the Immortal Fire and Heavenly Thunder—they had all been heavily damaged while blocking the Zhuxian Sword and were now recovering their wounds.

Even while healing, Ye Chen didn't idle. Having found his target, he also needed to scout the enemy's forces. It had to be said that the number of experts at the Honghuang headquarters was alarmingly large—over a thousand at the Zhundi level alone, not to mention the countless Dasheng and Shengwang levels.

But upon reflection, he understood why.

The Honghuang was the first batch of beings in the world, with over sixty percent of the Emperor Dao inheritances originating from it. Its foundations were far stronger than imagined. Just speaking of Zhundi levels, there were millions—maybe even more, a conservative estimate—and that number was over a hundred times that of the Zhutian. Among those Zhundi, thirty percent were at the peak level, including many on par with the Nine Emperors.

At that moment, he somewhat understood the mindset of the Honglian Female Emperor.

The Honglian Female Emperor from ancient times had the power to flatten the Honghuang but only burned the Eight Desolations' gods. She didn't exterminate the Honghuang not because she couldn't, but because she shouldn't. The Honghuang was too powerful; wiping out such a massive force would be a waste. As a great emperor, she had to leave some living power for the human realm. If heavenly demons invaded or the Zhutian were destroyed, the task of resisting them would fall to the Honghuang.

Perhaps this was also the mindset of past emperors. Precisely because they understood the Honghuang's importance, they hadn't ruthlessly exterminated it. The emperors' pride also prevented them from slaughtering ants.

As someone who was only at the Dasheng level and not yet an emperor, Ye Chen couldn't fully grasp an emperor's mindset, but he had his own obsession: when he achieved greatness, he would definitely flatten the Honghuang. Keeping such turtles that hide in their shells would only bring chaos to the world; better to eradicate them for a clean slate.

He should feel fortunate that the experts at the Honghuang headquarters weren't as numerous as he imagined, and even more so that there were no ultimate Di Bing guarding it.

Speaking of emperor weapons, he couldn't help but think of the Honghuang Di Bing he had taken away.

Generally, a great emperor's Di Bing could enter and exit a black hole, but only at specific times. For example, if the Di Bing revived some of its master's abilities, it could then enter or leave the black hole, unlike ordinary Di Bing.

He wasn't sure if those six Di Bing were still in the black hole, but reviving even a bit of their master's power required specific conditions, simply put, powerful external pressure.

He didn't know when, but he finally stopped swallowing pills, donned a black robe, and used Zhou Tian Evolution to conceal his aura. He could only use the Heavenly Dao once more, so he had only one chance and needed to be extremely cautious, aiming to destroy the Honghuang Star Chart in the shortest time possible.

As the Heavenly Dao was cast, he escaped the spatial black hole and entered the Honghuang demonic land.

The Zhou Tian Evolution was indeed domineering; it concealed his origin aura so thoroughly that no one noticed. Only upon truly arriving in the Honghuang demonic land did Ye Chen realize its mysteries—hidden in the shadows were countless secret array patterns, densely packed with emperor-level concealment formations, making it impossible to see from the outside.

Ye Chen glanced up at the sky, where misty clouds swirled around floating palaces. The largest one hovered at the peak of the void, a symbol of authority, surely guarded by Zhundi levels inside, and ones with extremely high status among their races.

Retracting his gaze from the void, Ye Chen looked elsewhere.

The Honghuang demonic land was vast, with ancient copper pillars standing tall—exactly nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine of them. Each one reached to the heavens, engraved with intricate divine patterns, serving as the foundations of the Honghuang Star Chart. At the base of each pillar, Honghuang people stood guard, sitting in neat circles.

In addition, there were patrols on the ground and in the sky, composed of various races, all clad in armor and wielding war spears, their eyes sharp and vigilant.

Ridiculously, with so many experts present, not a single one detected Ye Chen.

Since no one noticed, Young Master Ye didn't rashly reveal himself. He sneaked to the base of a copper pillar and inscribed a reincarnation mark there, just in case for the upcoming fight.

Hm?

The expert guarding the copper pillar slightly opened his eyes, furrowed his brows, and glanced around. His perception was decent, but unfortunately, he didn't catch sight of Ye Chen.

After a few breaths, that Honghuang expert closed his eyes again.

Ye Chen sneered and, still concealing his aura, moved through the void space toward the second copper pillar, where he also inscribed a reincarnation mark, being thorough to guard against any mishaps.

Thereafter, Young Master Ye did the same—sneaking around like a thief, doing things in secret. At each stop, he left something behind, such as Heavenly Thunder curses, ground thunder bombs, and detonation talismans, to prepare for diversions.

That's why he was called the highest commander of the Zhutian—full of boldness, daring to wander the Honghuang headquarters. Not only the Honghuang experts but even most Zhutian cultivators would never imagine it.

Though the Honghuang headquarters had many experts, at that moment, they were all like decorations; no one sensed anything amiss. They had no idea that an intruder had slipped into this realm—and it was Ye Chen, the Tenth Emperor of Da Chu, the current highest commander of the Zhutian myriad domains.

At a certain instant, Ye Chen halted, opened his dust space, and within it, manifested his Saint War Dharma Body. For this battle, he needed the Dharma Body's assistance.

"Destroy as many of those copper pillars as you can."

"Got it."

The Dharma Body grinned and slipped out of the dust space, also using Zhou Tian Evolution to conceal his aura, arriving at the base of an ancient copper pillar.

"Explode!"

With Ye Chen's soft command, he detonated a Heavenly Thunder curse to the east.

Boom!

As his words fell, a thunderous boom echoed through the heavens and earth.

Who is it?

Shouts erupted instantly. The Honghuang experts guarding the pillars leaped to their feet, while the patrolling Honghuang people charged toward the sound's source with their war spears, quite dutifully.

In that instant, the Saint War Dharma Body moved, merging nine paths of the Eight Desolations and slamming into a copper pillar.

Bang!

Another boom followed, and that towering copper pillar collapsed with a crash. Its destruction affected the other foundations, causing the vast Honghuang Star Chart to blur slightly.

"Intruder! Seize them at once!"

Angry roars rose from all sides as groups of Honghuang experts surged in, their faces twisted in fury, eyes blood-red. They had already guessed what was happening—the earlier boom was just to draw their attention, while the real target was the foundation copper pillars, or more precisely, the Honghuang Star Chart.

"What audacity."

A Honghuang Zhundi snorted coldly, with various experts suspending their magical tools as they charged. Though they didn't know who the intruder was, they knew it had to be a great master.

"Fools, all of them in Honghuang are fools."

"Let's fight one-on-one. In eighteen years, I'll still be a good man."

"You're all a bunch of shrinking turtles."

The Saint War Dharma Body went berserk, shouting one line after another, spittle flying everywhere. Wherever he went, a copper pillar collapsed. He made as much noise as possible, hoping to lure all the Honghuang people to his side to clear the way for the main body. Essentially, his role was to create a diversion.

It had to be said, his actions were effective. Countless Honghuang experts rushed toward him, and those who arrived first had already engaged him in battle.

Boom! Bang! Boom!

The battle's fluctuations were significant. The current Dharma Body matched the main body's strength—not only could it fight, but it was also highly resilient. It wielded the main body's secret techniques skillfully, especially Shifting Heaven and Earth, destroying foundations while trapping Honghuang people.

"It's Ye Chen."

"Seal the space immediately to stop his Shifting Heaven and Earth."

"Dead or alive, doesn't matter."

The Honghuang was furious, recognizing the intruder as Ye Chen—though they mistook it for his Dharma Body. More Honghuang experts charged over, with various Zhundi weapons like divine lights piercing the sky, connecting through mysterious arts to seal the space.

"Seal me?"

The Saint War Dharma Body cursed loudly, shooting a beam of immortal light from his brow—a Zhundi-level copper mirror—which he self-destructed, forcibly blasting open the space seal.

In an instant, he used an escape technique and rushed to another copper pillar.

"Stop him!"

The Honghuang guards at the pillar swarmed like a tide.

Roar!

A sudden dragon roar sounded as the Eight-Part Heavenly Dragons pounced, and the charging Honghuang experts suffered collectively, sent flying by a domineering dragon tail swing, with the weaker ones exploding on the spot.

Boom!

After repelling the attackers, the Dharma Body punched and shattered that copper pillar.

"Kill!"

The Honghuang people's furious shouts shook the heavens, as figures like a vast ocean swept in from all directions.

Boom! Bang!

The commotion in the heavens grew even larger. Though the Dharma Body was strong, it couldn't withstand the siege. Bathing in blood, it fought and fled, destroying any copper pillar it encountered without hesitation.

In the dust space, Ye Chen quietly observed the void.

As copper pillars were shattered by the Dharma Body, the foundations became chaotic, and the Honghuang Star Chart lost its proper order, with many areas missing and no stars visible.

"Boss, I can't hold on much longer."

The Saint War Dharma Body's roar echoed into his divine sea.

"Do your best."

Ye Chen replied, stepping out of the dust space in an instant. He activated his Hegemonic Body form, wielding the vast Dao sword, and summoned the Immortal Fire and Heavenly Thunder to form a sea of thunder and fire.

Boom! Bang! Boom!

The disturbance he created was even greater than that of the Dharma Body. Thanks to the Dharma Body drawing attention, there weren't many experts in his area, giving him the opportunity. He advanced while slashing, not only destroying the foundation copper pillars but also severing swathes of hidden array patterns. With numerous pillars collapsing, the so-called Honghuang Star Chart completely lost its function—what should have been a vast starry sky was now just a dim void.

"Damn it!"

Seeing chaos on this side as well, countless Zhundi rushed over, their faces twisted like demons. They realized they'd been tricked—the one they were attacking earlier was the Saint War Dharma Body, while Ye Chen's true body wasn't there. Amid their fury, they were also puzzled, unsure how Ye Chen had gotten in.

Boom!

As they spoke, another towering copper pillar was toppled, exploding with a bang.

Hundreds of Honghuang Zhundi arrived, activating their magical tools in unison.

However, their luck seemed poor. Just as they arrived and before they could attack, they collided head-on with a flying copper furnace—a genuine Zhundi weapon.

"Explode!"

Ye Chen issued a cold command, detonating that Zhundi weapon.

Instantly, a wave of annihilation spread, blasting away an unknown number of arriving Honghuang Zhundi. Ye Chen was bold enough to blow up a Zhundi weapon just like that. To buy time, he was going all out—compared to the Zhundi weapon, he cared more about the lives of Zhutian cultivators.

"Die!"

Peak-level Honghuang Zhundi charged in, not just one, each with overwhelming momentum.

Ye Chen sneered, instantly using Flying Thunder God to evade the fatal strike, and conveniently smashed a palm into a copper pillar, collapsing it. In the next instant, he used Flying Thunder God again, and the second pillar exploded as well, driving the Honghuang experts to the brink of madness—the feeling of chasing someone they couldn't catch was incredibly frustrating.

On the other side, the Saint War Dharma Body had reached a life-or-death crisis and self-destructed its body before leaving.

Without the Dharma Body's support, Ye Chen's pressure increased sharply, and he dared not linger. After smashing three more copper pillars, he tore through space and escaped. His goal was achieved; staying longer would be pointless.

"Chase!"

The Honghuang experts roared in anger, surging wave after wave. What was supposed to be a well-guarded Honghuang headquarters, with countless experts, had been turned into a complete mess by Ye Chen alone, and the Honghuang Star Chart was destroyed. What a loss—this battle was another devastating defeat for the Honghuang.