Chapter 2354: Lady Tough

Chapter 2354: The Nǚ Hànzǐ

The vast starry sky, frozen for an instant, plunged into a dreadful silence.

Most people wore expressions of utter confusion, staring blankly and unsure of what had just happened in that split second. They only knew that the Saint Body's Dao sword was already resting on Tian Que Di Zi's shoulder, ready to strike him down instantly.

"Time principles?"

Chen Yi murmured, his eyes filled with undisguised astonishment.

"This trump card is incredibly domineering."

Wu Ji Di Zi clicked his tongue, once again underestimating Ye Chen. The time principles were profoundly mysterious, so elusive that even great emperors spent their lives struggling to comprehend them fully.

Yet Ye Chen had broken new ground, actually mastering time immortal techniques.

"Comparing people is truly disheartening."

Yu Kong Di Zi shook his head with a smile. Sharing an era with a prodigy like Ye Chen was downright awkward. Among all these emperor's sons, they collectively felt embarrassed—he would be a massive chasm on their paths to becoming emperors, an insurmountable mountain.

"What happened?"

Voices of doubt rose one after another, with many juniors scratching their heads in bewilderment.

As for the sharp-eyed elders, horror had already crept into their gazes.

They hadn't been mistaken—it was indeed the time principles at play. That single frozen moment had decided the victor. Yet, the world found it hard to believe that Ye Chen truly understood time immortal techniques.

Ah!

Li Feng Qiu let out a sigh, waving his hand to retract his immortal sword.

Everyone could see that, as an emperor's son, he clearly recognized the situation. He had truly underestimated Ye Chen—surprise after surprise. He had defended against the elusive emperor path, erased the reincarnation mark, but still couldn't break through that eternal thought, those vibrant clusters of other shore flowers.

In this battle, he was defeated, utterly crushed, and now he knew the gap between him and Ye Chen was enormous. After all, Ye Chen hadn't even been at his peak during the fight.

The emperor's son lost, but he accepted it gracefully.

And so, on Kui Niu's side, there was another new member.

"Old Seven's aura is getting more refined by the day."

Xiao Yuan Huang said with a tone of deep admiration.

"I need to find time to chat with him."

Song Yu stroked his chin, utterly fascinated by Ye Chen's time immortal techniques. His own elusive emperor path also involved time, so the two of them surely had plenty to discuss.

It wasn't just him—all the emperor's son-level prodigies present, including the elders watching from the four directions, were pondering ways to talk with Ye Chen. Who knows, they might grasp a hint or two of the true essence.

As the crowd mulled this over, Chen Yi stepped forward into the sky.

Yao Chi's younger brother lived up to his name—ethereal as an immortal, like a white-robed immortal king. He trod upon the star river, with the vast universe hanging above his head. His demeanor could be summed up in two words: graceful and free.

His appearance made countless women gaze at him with rippling eyes, lost in admiration. There was no helping it—he was just too handsome, always making the ladies fall head over heels.

"Keep looking, and he's mine."

"You, yes you, stare any more and I'll break into your house tonight."

"Behave yourselves—I'm not in a good mood."

Di Jiuxian erupted on the spot, her words flying out one after another, each laced with domineering primordial spirit power, sharp and piercing. With her hands on her hips, she resembled a spoiled princess from the mortal world, a bit willful and feisty. She had clearly staked her claim on Chen Yi, fiercely protective like a guard dog over its food.

Her outburst was highly effective, leaving many women to lower their eyes in disappointment.

"That's more like it."

Xiao Jiu Xian chuckled smugly.

"Now that's a real female warrior."

Xiao Yuan Huang secretly gave her a thumbs-up.

Everyone understood the implication.

After all, the Great Chu Sovereign had whisked away Dong Shen Yao Chi; Xuan Yuan Di Zi had taken Yao Xin; and the Emperor Zun's disciple had, without a second thought, swept off Yao Chi Xian Mu.

But Di Jiuxian had outdone them all by snagging the female emperor's brother.

With this, her status had skyrocketed. If you traced it back through the female emperor's lineage, even her grandfather, Jiu Xiao Zhen Ren, would have to call her "ancestor" upon meeting her.

Chen Yi shook his head with a smile and steadied himself, his eyes fixed only on Ye Chen.

Ye Chen, however, wasn't looking at him but at Di Jiuxian's little ninth immortal. She looked exactly like Xi Yan—both were on the shorter side—and even their personalities were strikingly similar.

From the first time he met Di Jiuxian years ago, he had a feeling that Xi Yan and Di Jiuxian were like twin sisters, alike in every way.

Unfortunately, they shared no blood relation—it was pure coincidence.

Now, she was with Chen Yi, and he was with Xi Yan. Not only did his wife look identical to her, but he and Chen Yi both had "Chen" in their names.

This kind of fate felt predestined by the heavens.

As he watched Di Jiuxian, she was watching him too, her fiery little eyes seeming to say: If you dare go hard on my Chen Yi, I'll show up at your place every day and cause chaos.

"Having a wife like that must bring you great comfort, brother."

Ye Chen's words carried a deeper meaning.

With that, he withdrew his gaze and finally looked at Chen Yi opposite him.

Today marked the first time he and Chen Yi stood as opponents. Since they first met, they had never sparred before, but he had long heard of Chen Yi's strength.

As Yao Chi Female Emperor's brother, he also inherited the emperor path and was in no way inferior to an emperor's son.

"No need to hold back."

Chen Yi smiled warmly, like a spring breeze.

"Understood."

Ye Chen replied with those two words and launched his attack on the spot. He stepped with the Taixu Divine Step, crossing over in an instant, merging thousands of secret techniques into one finger and thrusting it toward Chen Yi's forehead.

Whoosh!

Chen Yi's body technique was equally heaven-defying, effortlessly dodging before flipping his hand to strike with a palm.

Ye Chen used the same trick again, employing the elusive emperor path to etherealize his body. At the same time, he combined the Nine Paths and Eight Wastelands, blasting it in reverse—heaven-shaking and effective against Chen Yi.

Chen Yi waved his hand, unleashing a vast immortal sea with his palm.

This immortal sea was strangely unpredictable. Ye Chen's punch felt like it sank into quicksand, its power dissipated. Not only did it fail to harm Chen Yi, but the surging immortal sea engulfed him from above, with mysterious forces dissolving his vital energy and sealing powers trying to confine his origin.

Break!

Ye Chen's voice rang out firmly as he cleaved through the immortal river with a palm.

In that instant, Chen Yi had already closed in, transforming into a Dao sword aimed straight at his forehead.

Ye Chen didn't dodge or evade— the other shore flowers blossomed again.

But to his surprise, Chen Yi completely ignored the eternal thought, piercing his forehead with a sword. It was just a pierce, though; the Saint Body's divine dragon shield was quite resilient.

After taking a sword strike out of nowhere, how could he not retaliate? He blasted Chen Yi back with a palm.

Boom! Bang!

Both steadied themselves—Chen Yi had blood overflowing from his mouth, while Ye Dà Shǎo's forehead streamed with fresh blood. It was a complete shock; he had calculated everything but never expected Chen Yi to ignore the eternal thought. Thankfully, his foundation was deep enough, or that sword might have finished him.

"Clearly, he understands some time principles too."

Ye Chen stroked his chin, the blood on his forehead flowing backward as the sword wound healed.

"Emperor's sons aren't to be trifled with—they all have their backings."

Ri Yue Shen Zi chuckled. Only time principles could break the eternal thought, and Chen Yi had likely comprehended a bit of it.

"When we chat with the Saint Body, we should include Chen Yi."

Many prodigies were already planning this. Among so many people, only you two stand out—teach us about the time principles.

Boom! Bang! Boom!

After a few breaths of pause, the battle erupted again, with thunderous roars echoing through the sky.

It was evident that Chen Yi had some real skill. Not only did he ignore Ye Chen's eternal thought, but he also disregarded the Flying Thunder God technique. Profound immortal techniques were integrated into his body, preventing Ye Chen from engraving any reincarnation marks on him. Moreover, this starry sky was laced with Dao principles—any reincarnation mark carved would be erased in the same instant.

Beyond that, Chen Yi's immortal techniques were fiercely powerful, cultivated from the elusive path as well. Ye Chen had experienced this before, getting thoroughly beaten by the old man that day.

Even so, Chen Yi was still far from matching Ye Chen.

The gap between an emperor's son and a young emperor-level Saint Body was no small matter. Chen Yi had his advantages, but Ye Dà Shǎo's trump cards kept emerging, dominating the fight from start to finish.

This battle had no suspense—Chen Yi was defeated.

Ye Chen was quite principled and didn't go for the kill. The last thing he wanted was for Di Jiuxian's little ninth immortal to show up at Jade Maiden Peak every day making a racket—that girl was a troublemaker through and through.

"There are always stronger people out there."

Chen Yi smiled breezily as he exited the field.

"If you need special products, just come find me anytime—I've got plenty."

Ye Chen laughed, shouting loud enough for everyone to hear. The lively Di Jiuxian blushed, her little face turning red.

The crowd's expressions grew even more meaningful.

The Great Chu's Zhutian Gate was truly a peculiar place, nurturing so many talents, especially the Great Chu's Tenth Emperor, who had led the people of that land to be vibrantly energetic.

In the future, anyone visiting Great Chu would likely bring back a couple of pounds of special products.

"Your turn."

Xuan Gu Di Zi Tian Shuo stepped up, crossing over in one step to face Ye Chen. His divine body was incredibly heavy, making the entire starry sky tremble with his step.

Well then!

Before Ye Chen could speak, Bai Zhi's voice transmitted over.

This transmission was basically about life advice: Hit too hard, and you'll regret it.

"Having a wife is great."

Ye Chen took a deep breath, feeling quite emotional. He thought that next time he fought, he'd bring Chu Xuan and the others along to threaten people one by one.

"No need to hold back—let's have a fair fight."

Tian Shuo laughed, without a hint of jest.

Ye Chen pursed his lips—your family has a fierce wife, and I don't dare go all out.

Zheng!

The sword's hum suddenly rose as Tian Shuo drew his sword, shattering the cosmos in a devastating sweep.

Ye Chen dodged instantly, stepping up to the nine heavens and deploying the Emperor Path Fuxi Array.

But amusingly, Tian Shuo ignored the array too, breaking free in an instant after being trapped. It left Ye Chen extremely embarrassed—his array, refined for a hundred years, was useless.

Of course, it wasn't that the array was weak—it depended on the opponent.

As a Xuan Gu family emperor's son, there was no reason he wouldn't understand arrays. Though not as profound as the Emperor Path Fuxi, breaking them was child's play. Their array spirit domains were on par.

Boom! Bang! Boom!

Amid the roars, this great battle came quickly and ended just as fast.

No need to watch—the winner was clear.

Even the astonishing Tian Shuo, as an emperor's son, couldn't rival the young emperor-level Saint Body. His defeat was inevitable—not because he was weak, but because Ye Chen was that much of a monster, truly unbeatable in the same realm.

Ah!

Tian Shuo sighed and sheathed his killing sword, retreating dejectedly.

Behind him, Ye Dà Shǎo's face was covered in dark lines—his face was crooked, tilted to one side, with a bright red palm print on it.

Yes, that was left by Xuan Gu Di Zi. To slap his face, he had taken a sword from Ye Chen in return. It seemed this fight with Ye Chen was just to land that slap.

Bai Zhi watched and covered her mouth to stifle a laugh. That slap had echoed loudly, making everyone shudder and feel an indescribable thrill.

Ye Dà Shǎo's face darkened even more—he really wanted to charge back and kick Tian Shuo. What the hell— I was holding back for you, and you slap me?

Ah!

Tian Shuo walked farther away, his back to Ye Chen, still sighing.

But Kui Niu and Xiao Yuan Huang saw it clearly—though Tian Shuo sighed, his face bore a huge "satisfied" character. It was incredibly refreshing.

The crowd's eyes held deep meaning: Nicely done.

"My turn."

Zhu Tian Di Zi Mu Yang stepped up, shouting with a resounding voice.

Ye Chen didn't say a word and directly pulled out his great cauldron, turning it into a spiked club.

"No need to hold back, I—dammit, let me finish!"

Mu Yang was speaking when he started cursing. He always wanted a proper opening line, but Ye Dà Shǎo was in a hurry, charging over with the spiked club before he could finish.

What followed was quite gruesome.

Gruesome referred to Zhu Tian Di Zi, who was smashed down by Ye Chen's club.

After that, he never got steady footing. Ye Dà Shǎo truly didn't hold back—full power unleashed, blocking all divine abilities and immortal techniques. The key was his pent-up anger, all vented on Mu Yang.

This battle was bloody from start to finish.

The onlookers watched with hearts pounding—forget experiencing it, just seeing it made them wince in pain.

When the thunderous roars faded, Zhu Tian Di Zi was sprawled out flat.

In moments like this, Kui Niu and Xiao Yuan Huang were always on hand, one on each side, grabbing Mu Yang's legs and dragging him back—another new member added.

"Bring it on."

Ye Chen shouldered the spiked club, shouting boastfully.

From afar, that guy looked like a street thug, arrogantly cocky.

No mistake—he had the capital to be cocky.

He hadn't held back against Zhu Tian Di Zi at all. Coincidentally catching him in a foul mood, the slap from Tian Shuo was all taken out on Mu Yang—who told you not to have a wife?

Poor Mu Yang—choosing the worst time to go. He hadn't even finished his sentence before getting hammered into doubting life, with no chance to use his trump cards.

"I must have sinned in a past life."

Tian Shuo said gravely, looking at the bloodied Mu Yang with pity. But everyone could see the "satisfied" on his face.

Satisfied? Of course—another emperor's son defeated, but why the huge gap? At least, the Xuan Gu Di Zi had slapped Ye Chen.

"The next one up will definitely get beaten."

Many old folks chuckled with hands behind their backs, knowing Ye Dà Shǎo's temperament well—he held grudges, and when angry, he wouldn't spare even his own mother.

Sure enough, the other emperor's sons didn't move.

Like Yu Kong Di Zi, Wu Ji Di Zi, Qing Di Zhi Zi, and the others, they glanced around—fighting wasn't the issue, but it depended on the opponent. Someone as shameless as Ye Chen? Better wait until his temper cooled, or they'd end up half-crippled.

They didn't step up, but Xuan Yuan Di Zi did, stepping forward steadily, firm as a mountain.

The son of the strongest great emperor had a unique silence, not one for words.

Every time they saw him, the other emperor's sons wondered how Yao Xin had fallen for this blockhead—he was on par with Jiu Jian Xian in that regard. His combat prowess aside, he probably sucked at romance.

"This is tricky for me!"

Ye Chen rubbed his chin—his anger hadn't subsided; he wanted to vent on someone fun.

"Brother-in-law, go easy, okay?"

Yao Xin transmitted, her big eyes blinking playfully as she giggled. Calling him "brother-in-law" so sweetly made it hard for Ye Chen to strike.

Xuan Yuan Di Zi advanced step by step, his silence speaking volumes.