Chapter 2349: The Dao in Life and Death

Under the moonlight, Ye Chen stood in the vast sky, his physique powerful and surrounded by Zhan Long.

Seeing Ye Chen emerge from the mountains, Xiao Chen couldn't help but smile slightly. He suddenly turned and dashed into the starry sky. He had come to challenge him to a fight, but not in Da Chu, as the commotion would be too great and harm the innocent.

This unspoken understanding was clear to Ye Chen. He stepped on the ethereal mist and followed closely.

The two moved one after the other, like brilliant immortal light and golden divine radiance, cutting through the profound night and tracing two splendid arcs across the vast firmament.

It was only in a desolate stretch of starry space that Xiao Chen slowly came to a stop.

Ye Chen arrived shortly after, his surging Sheng Ti vital energy gathering into an immortal sea.

The starry space was vast and eerily silent, devoid of any sign of life.

"No need to hold back, just leave me a breath."

Xiao Chen said with a smile, showing foresight in knowing he wasn't Ye Chen's match. This battle was merely to gauge the gap between them.

"Understood."

Ye Chen replied with a smile, refusing to go easy.

Xiao Chen said no more. A brilliant light burst from his Tianling Gai, shooting skyward and tearing a massive hole in the ethereal void. His divine eyes gleamed with piercing radiance, his entire form enveloped in immortal glory, and his black hair like a waterfall was dyed with immortal light. Various profound and ancient visions manifested frequently, his aura surging to its peak in an instant.

Roar!

A deep and resonant dragon roar echoed from Xiao Chen's Zhan Long, a dragon shape formed from battle intent. It cultivated the Zhan Dao, and the appearance of Zhan Long was its hallmark. The domineering power inherited from the Zhan Shen lineage fully awakened in that moment.

Roar!

The dragon roar seemed to echo back from Ye Chen's side. His Sheng Ti was also encircled by a Zhan Long, radiating divine light throughout. Every inch of his body seemed forged from gold, with his feet treading a golden divine sea and his head crowned by the vast starry heavens. His brilliant golden eyes embodied the supreme Dao.

A Zhun Di-level Sheng Ti was truly domineering.

In this moment, Da Chu's Tenth Emperor Ye Chen exuded an overwhelmingly majestic aura and formidable combat power, not inferior to a peak Zhun Di. Visions of all things evolved around him like a true great realm, where every mountain, river, plant, and tree possessed vitality, expounding his Chaotic Dao.

"Battle!"

Xiao Chen shouted resoundingly, shattering the heavens as he advanced. Weaponless and tool-less, he threw a punch, his palm manifesting Di Dao immortal techniques that disrupted yin and yang and obliterated the cosmos.

Ye Chen moved as well, merging the Nine Dao and Eight Wastelands into one.

Their fists collided across the sky, erupting in thunderous booms. Ripples of light spread out, infused with annihilating force, extending infinitely in all directions and causing the void to collapse inch by inch wherever they passed.

Looking at the combatants, Ye Chen stood firm without budging.

As for Xiao Chen, he fared far worse, staggering back over a hundred zhang, his fist bones shattering and a mouthful of fresh blood spraying out. The immortal light surrounding him was nearly extinguished by Ye Chen.

"The gap is indeed vast."

Xiao Chen laughed, his aura not diminishing but growing stronger, his battle intent soaring even higher. His war blood burned like fire, and his dark hair turned golden.

"Battle!"

Accompanied by a fierce shout, Xiao Chen launched another assault, slapping out a sea of immortals that surged and roiled with towering waves. It was both a secret technique and a vision; being swallowed by it would be unthinkable.

Ye Chen countered with a single hand, forming Dao techniques and drawing a finger to outline a star river, infused with Dao principles. Its power was devastating, splitting the starry space and severing the immortal sea.

With his vision and secret technique broken, Xiao Chen grunted in pain from the backlash and staggered back, each step causing the starry space to collapse. Before he could steady himself, Ye Chen flashed forward, waving his hand to unleash the Di Dao Fu Xi's ninety-nine eighty-one arrays, descending from the heavens.

Xiao Chen was stern, recognizing the Di Dao Fu Xi and knowing its terror.

In this critical moment, he instantly employed an evasion technique, narrowly dodging the Di Dao Fu Xi.

"Twelve Heavens Character Great Ming Array."

Ye Chen's voice was ethereal as another array formed. Xiao Chen had evaded the Di Dao Fu Xi, but he charged straight into this one—or rather, he had unwittingly plunged into it.

"Open!"

Xiao Chen snorted coldly. Before the array could fully form, he punched through an opening and leaped out like a soaring flood dragon. With a flip of his hand, he struck down like a mountain.

"Break!"

Ye Chen surged upward against the heavens, still with a single punch, shattering the palm print.

In the same instant, a divine light burst from Xiao Chen's brow, a Yuan Shen secret technique aimed directly at the true self.

Ye Chen was undaunted, countering with Shen Shang.

This clash shook them both back.

"Continue."

Xiao Chen laughed heartily, his battle intent intensifying as he swept in with a torrential divine sea.

Ye Chen merely smiled without speaking, casually forming secret techniques as if strolling through a courtyard.

Boom! Bang! Boom!

The battle erupted again, with the desolate Sheng Ti and the thunderous Zhan Ti clashing in a world-shattering manner. Annihilating halos layered outward, the void collapsing repeatedly, dead stars exploding one after another, throwing the entire starry space into chaos.

Such massive disturbances were impossible to ignore.

In this era of recuperation, everyone was bored out of their minds. Whenever a battle was heard, people gathered in groups—a common occurrence, especially frequent these days.

"Is that Da Chu's Tenth Emperor and the son of the Zhan Wang?"

Some who arrived first caught sight from afar and exclaimed in surprise, never expecting the combatants to be Ye Chen and Xiao Chen.

"One is an ancient Sheng Ti, the other a thunderous Zhan Ti—truly domineering."

Many sighed in admiration, not daring to approach too closely. A Zhun Di-level battle could destroy them in an instant.

"Clearly, the son of the Zhan Wang is no match for Ye Chen."

Quite a few spoke meaningfully.

"One is at the Di Zi level, the other at the Shao Nian Di level. Xiao Chen is still a step behind."

"Hurry up, we finally made it."

On one side of the crowd, Kui Niu and Xiao Yuan Huang had arrived. A bull and a monkey made quite a pair wherever they went—one carrying an iron staff, the other wielding a battle axe—both with eyes gleaming excitedly, their blood boiling at the sight.

In terms of kinship, the battling Ye Chen and Xiao Chen were both their sworn brothers—one the seventh and the other the eighth. This was their first open fight in full view.

"In terms of presence, the seventh still has the edge."

Xiao Yuan Huang scratched his monkey fur.

"Once the eighth is done, I'll give it a try."

Kui Niu's eyes shone with determination as he cracked his neck, his battle intent soaring. It had been so many years since he became sworn brothers with Ye Chen, yet they'd never fought. Though he knew he couldn't win, as a fellow Zhun Di, he wanted to test the gap.

"After you're beaten, it'll be our turn."

More arrivals: Ri Yue Shen Zi Zhi Yan and Dong Zhou Wu Wang Song Yu, another inseparable pair of close comrades.

"This excitement won't miss us."

Nan Di, Zhong Huang, and Xi Zun arrived together, all now at Zhun Di level. They'd long wanted to spar with Ye Chen, traveling from Xuan Huang just for this, only to find the son of the Zhan Wang had beaten them to it.

"I'll pass."

Bei Sheng had also come, smiling slightly with no intention of joining.

"Better late than never."

Ming Jue appeared suddenly, having traveled from afar, with Qing Luan by his side. They were likely on a honeymoon but had come to join the spectacle.

"What a coincidence—we should spar a bit."

Tian Shuo arrived as well, hand in hand with Bai Zhi, an ancient Di Zi and a Di Huang disciple, now a couple.

They weren't the only couple; others like Chen Yi and Di Jiu Xian, Xuan Yuan Di Zi Wu Qing and Yao Chi Shen Nu Yao Xin, all arrived one after another.

"Today, we can have a proper battle."

The speaker was Zhu Tian Da Di's son Mu Yang, striding through the air, here to challenge Ye Chen, his blood already boiling.

"Heroes think alike."

Laughter echoed as figures materialized one by one—all Di Zi level: Wu Ji Di Zi Zi Yu, Tian Que Di Zi Li Feng Qiu, Qing Di's son Feng Yu, You Ming Di Zi Yang Feng, Yu Kong Di Zi Jiu Liu.

Following them came a group: Long Jie, Ling Zu Shen Nu, Wu Zu Shen Zi, and Gu Zu Shen Nu. These four were the real team; wherever one appeared, the others followed.

"This is quite the gathering. Of the Zhutian Di Zi level experts, except for Da Chu's, pretty much everyone's here, right?"

Many elders glanced around, feeling awkwardly out of place.

Awkward? How could they not be? These Di Zi experts were their juniors, yet all had advanced to Zhun Di. Compared to these prodigies, their Da Sheng realm cultivation felt unworthy to mention.

Awkward as it was, there was still a sense of pride. The golden prosperous era had arrived, and Zhutian was rising. In a few years, these rising stars would uphold the mantle for their predecessors.

"So many prodigies gathered, all here to fight the Sheng Ti?"

"That's obvious."

A plump old man adjusted his sleeves, glancing at the prodigies. Ever since arriving in this starry space, all eyes had been on Ye Chen, filled with battle intent.

"This is going to be lively."

The onlookers' eyes sparkled. Such a grand scene was rare, and they felt fortunate to witness an epic battle in this starry space.

Pfft!

Under the crowd's gaze, Xiao Chen spat blood, half his divine body blasted apart.

Or rather, from the start of the battle, he'd been suppressed by Ye Chen all along.

This sight didn't surprise the onlookers; it was as expected. Xiao Chen was at Di Zi level, while Ye Chen was at Shao Nian Di level. The Sheng Ti was invincible in its tier. Even if Xiao Chen inherited the Zhan Shen legacy, even Xing Tian at the same level would likely be no match for Sheng Ti Ye Chen.

After all, Da Chu's Tenth Emperor was the fierce one who had battled sixty-four emperors.

"Battle!"

Xiao Chen roared, reforming his divine body with ancient divine patterns etched on his brow. His bloodline regressed, his combat power rising, and his brilliant golden eyes lost their pupils, resembling two suns.

"Come!"

Ye Chen's shout was resounding, like eternal thunder shaking the immortal dome. Countless juniors among the spectators were stunned unconscious, one group after another.

Boom! Bang! Boom!

The clash between Zhan Ti and Sheng Ti escalated, both like war gods battling to shatter the heavens and earth. Annihilating immortal light shot out, destructive visions manifested, and merely watching made hearts tremble.

Roar! Roar!

Amid the thunderous booms, powerful dragon roars resounded—from Xiao Chen's Zhan Long and Ye Chen's Zhan Long. As their masters vied for supremacy, so did they, fighting until destruction.

It was clear that whether Xiao Chen or his Zhan Long, both were utterly outmatched. Zhan Long against Zhan Long, Xiao Chen against Ye Chen—brilliant blood splattered across the starry space.

Yet, Xiao Chen showed no fear, pressing the attack with his battle intent soaring.

He fought like a madman, attacking without defense, regardless of cost.

This scene made the onlookers twitch their mouths. The unaware might think Xiao Chen and Ye Chen had a grudge like killing one's father. This wasn't sparring—this was risking life!

"The eighth is heading toward death?"

Xiao Yuan Huang couldn't help but cough dryly, looking astonished. Even he thought Xiao Chen and Ye Chen had a feud, as the fight had exceeded mere sparring.

"You know nothing."

Kui Niu scolded, "The eighth is using the seventh's pressure to seek nirvana and transformation. A sudden enlightenment between life and death might reveal the true essence of the Dao."

"Even so, those two are going way too hard."

Xiao Yuan Huang pursed his lips.

Kui Niu fell silent, as did the other Di Zi prodigies. They could see Xiao Chen's intent—there was no grudge with Ye Chen. Only a life-and-death battle could lead to another nirvana.

Indeed, Kui Niu had guessed right; that was exactly Xiao Chen's purpose.

As the opponent, Ye Chen understood this and never held back, nearly finishing Xiao Chen several times. For Xiao Chen's sake, he couldn't go easy; only immense pressure could force his transformation.

The facts proved that the son of the Zhan Wang's blood wasn't spilled in vain. In moments between life and death, he gained a few enlightenments, advancing his comprehension of the Zhan Dao.

Such changes were evident to those with sharp eyes.

"How about I try it later?"

Xiao Yuan Huang stroked his chin, his fiery eyes gleaming. He wanted to emulate Xiao Chen in a life-and-death battle for nirvana.

At these words, Kui Niu, Nan Di, and the others turned to look, eyeing Xiao Yuan Huang askance as if to say: Take it easy, or you'll get obliterated by Ye Chen.

In response, Xiao Yuan Huang returned the gaze, his expression meaningfully implying: You're not much stronger than me, so where's your sense of superiority?

Boom!

As they bantered, a dead star collapsed, struck by the retreating Xiao Chen. His injuries were beyond description, his body covered in bloody gashes, each wound laced with Ye Chen's killing intent that eroded his essence, making them hard to heal.

Zheng!

Amid the flying debris, before he could steady himself, Ye Chen's Feng Shen Sword arrived.

This was a killing strike, ignoring the physical body to target the Yuan Shen and true self, piercing the void and breaking the cosmos. It was Ye Chen's most peak sword since sealing as Zhun Di.

The onlookers watched with pounding hearts. With the Sheng Ti's killing strike, Xiao Chen could hardly block it.

In other words, if Ye Chen didn't hold back, Xiao Chen would be slain.

However, the bloody scene they imagined didn't unfold. When the sword tip was just an inch from Xiao Chen's brow, Ye Chen retracted it, dispersing all its power, and the Dao Sword vanished.

"I lost."

Xiao Chen staggered, laughing with a touch of self-mockery.

The son of the Zhan Wang, inheritor of the Zhan Shen legacy, and possessor of the domineering thunderous Zhan Ti—he was utterly defeated. Only after truly fighting Ye Chen did he realize how vast the gap was; they weren't even in the same league.

"If you want to battle, find me anytime."

Ye Chen smiled, placing his hand on Xiao Chen's shoulder and infusing Sheng Ti essence to erase the lingering killing intent in his body.

Compared to Xiao Chen, he was in much better shape, his Sheng Ti showing not a single scar. From start to finish, he remained composed, his ancient, still eyes as calm as ever.

As Da Chu's emperor, some things he was happy to do, like serving as a whetstone. If a life-and-death battle could aid in nirvana, he didn't mind fighting a few more times.

In that instant, the vast starry space fell into prolonged silence.

The spectators all pondered the result of Xiao Chen's defeat, which was no surprise. In this era, in single combat at the same tier, no one was Ye Chen's match. The myth of the invincible Sheng Ti isn't just talk; even with the Zhan Shen legacy, it wasn't enough.