Chapter 2358: The Riddle

The Nu Sheng Ti's voice was urgent, her eyes fixed.

Her question was exactly what Bei Sheng and the others wanted to know, so they all turned their gazes towards Ye Chen.

Ye Chen, however, looked completely bewildered.

Bei Sheng and Qi Yue exchanged a glance, then looked at Xu Fu. The three of them had question marks practically written on their foreheads, seeing from Ye Chen's expression that he was completely unaware of the sleep-talking incident.

Hong Yan fell silent, her brows furrowed even deeper. She wasn't surprised by Ye Chen's reaction.

This was the strange nature of the memory contract—it transmitted information through sleep-talking, but the one bound by the contract remained completely oblivious. Naturally, Di Huang was an exception, as he was the one who cast it.

So, to resolve this doubt, consulting Di Huang was the most appropriate course of action.

But the problem was, Di Huang was also completely in the dark, knowing only those eight characters without understanding their meaning.

Equally clueless were Ming Di and Dao Zu.

Ten thousand years ago, both of them had been in deep slumber, so they knew nothing about the affairs of the heavens, including the exact location of the entrance to the Taigu Honghuang. Only Xian Wu Di Zun had that knowledge.

With Di Zun now buried in oblivion, he wouldn't manifest again after that battle across reincarnation. Even the memory contract could only reveal those eight characters; it had no access to older memories.

Therefore, to find the entrance to Taigu Honghuang, they needed to decipher those eight characters.

"This riddle is not easy to guess," Ming Di said, rubbing his brow. He felt like charging back to Di Zun's era to ask him outright: You’re already dead, so why make things so mysteriously complicated?

Now, he had something to occupy himself—no need to focus on enlightenment; just guessing riddles would suffice.

In contrast, Di Huang remained much calmer. His biggest confusion was why Di Zun hadn't passed this information to Ming Di and Dao Zu, who were emperors and should have been qualified to know.

Or perhaps Di Zun had shared it, but some force had erased it.

With one doubt unresolved, another arose, and even the mindset of a Dacheng Sheng Ti couldn't help but feel tangled.

At Yu Nu Feng, the Nu Sheng Ti had returned to her boudoir and closed the door tightly. She also needed to solve the riddle, and those eight characters would be the key to finding the entrance to Taigu Honghuang.

Outside the door, Ye Chen still wore a look of utter confusion.

"While you were refining pills, you suddenly spat blood and fell into a deep sleep, and then..." Xu Fu said, pulling out a jade slip from his sleeve and handing it to Ye Chen.

The rest of the story was in the jade slip.

Ye Chen, not understanding, gently crushed the jade slip and absorbed the divine sense imprinted within.

Then, he gazed off into the distant haze, deliberately avoiding the eyes of certain people. The strange part was that during his days of sleep, he hadn't been idle at all. Every night, he would sleepwalk, and that wasn't the worst of it—what he did in those states was utterly shameless.

"The tenth emperor of Da Chu certainly has quite the zest for life," Bei Sheng said with a smile, looking at Ye Chen. His eyes seemed to say: Keep pretending; we saw it all, didn't miss a thing.

"It wasn't my intention," Ye Chen said, taking a deep breath with a meaningful tone. His posture and expression made it seem like someone had held a knife to his neck, forcing him to do it.

"Daytime thoughts lead to nighttime dreams," Qi Yue said with a charming smile, also watching Ye Chen. She wanted to see just how thick his skin was, acting as if nothing had happened.

The most accommodating one was Xu Fu, who had thought about calling him out but decided against it in the end.

As the saying goes, who hasn't had a reckless youth? Not to boast, but Ye Chen wasn't the only one who had done such things back in the day. His good friends, Pang Da Chuan and Zhou Da Fu, were special cases he had taken under his wing, which was why those two kept showing up every few days to cause trouble.

The atmosphere grew awkward for a while.

The clever Ye Chen was always the center of attention wherever he went, and it was the same now. Even with his thick skin, he struggled to handle the situation. His sleepwalking self had been far too active.

Speaking of sleepwalking naturally led to discussing the matter of his deep sleep.

To this day, he still didn't know why he had spat blood, why he had fallen asleep, why he had sleepwalked, or what those eight characters of sleep-talking meant. And what unseen force was driving it all?

After some thought, he recalled the contract with Di Huang. Everything had happened after that contract was formed, coming so abruptly—it must be related.

At that moment, he began to suspect Di Huang's true intentions and what it was all for.

As he pondered, he started walking, step by step down from Yu Nu Feng, heading toward Ling Dan Ge. His brows were slightly furrowed, and the immortal light in his eyes flickered on and off.

Seeing him leave, Xu Fu and the others felt there was no point staying and followed suit.

Behind them, Hong Yan watched Ye Chen's receding figure through the door, lost in a daze. No wonder Di Huang was a Dacheng Sheng Ti—his contract was indeed domineering. It had quickly uncovered a clue. But those eight characters and this riddle were truly hard to guess.

Her state of mind was the same as Ming Di's—great at fighting, even capable of slaying a Tian Mo Da Di, but completely stumped by riddles. It just wasn't her forte.

"Tianhuang ground old, Bi An Hua blooms." On the other side, Ye Chen had one foot already in Ling Dan Ge, muttering those eight characters all the way. They were his sleep-talking words, and he felt there was some hidden secret—more precisely, there definitely was, or else Hong Yan wouldn't have been so agitated.

"If you can't figure it out, don't think about it. Wait until your ancestor returns, and you'll know with a single question," Xu Fu said, walking past him quickly. As Ye Chen's alchemy master, he understood him well.

Ye Chen sighed and shook his head helplessly, gradually setting aside his thoughts.

This little interlude of sleepwalking and sleep-talking came to a temporary end as the flames in the alchemy furnace reignited. Both Ye Chen and Xu Fu settled down to focus on refining pills again.

Not far away, Bei Sheng and Qi Yue sat quietly, both resting their chins in their hands, bored as they watched the two refine pills. They paid particular attention to Ye Chen, often getting lost in thought while watching him.

These two peerless beauties still couldn't figure out why, among all the normal people in the world, they had fallen for someone so abnormal, so shameless, with an aura of unparalleled invincibility.

Looking at Ye Chen now, he appeared so upright, his skilled techniques constantly conveying one message: I'm here to refine pills, not to flirt.

As they spoke, a brilliant light shot up from the furnace—it was a pill.

Immediately after, thunder rumbled, and another two-pattern dan attracted heavenly thunder.

Such phenomena happened every day, with every pill bringing dan thunder.

On the fifteenth day, he spat blood again and fainted once more. The scenes of sleepwalking and sleep-talking played out again, and Xu Fu and the others ended up following Ye Chen around once more.

This time, Ye Chen's activities were no longer limited to Heng Yue. In his sleepwalking state, he wandered to other places, bathing in the starlight and moonlight, strolling through various parts of Da Chu. Wherever he went, he left behind his glorious deeds—a man named Ye Chen who took shamelessness to the extreme, squandering all sense of propriety in his dreams.

His behavior was undoubtedly due to the contract with Di Huang. Since they hadn't guessed the riddle, it was trying to glimpse deeper memories, or at least find some hints.

Unfortunately, there were no results.

On the thirty-seventh day, Ye Chen rubbed his brow and returned to Ling Dan Ge.

Just like the first time, he was completely unaware of the sleepwalking and sleep-talking. Fortunately, Xu Fu and the others had recorded everywhere he went and everything he did.

But he had still underestimated Di Huang's persistence.

Less than half a month later, he collapsed again, sleeping soundly during the day and wandering at night, muttering in his sleep afterward.

Such events happened frequently—spitting blood every few days, sleepwalking every so often. Not just him, even Xu Fu and the others were getting used to it. They had confirmed Ye Chen wasn't faking it, but this constant chaos was unbearable. Everyone has their limits.

So, on a particularly dark and windy night, Ling Dan Ge's master, Xu Fu, finally kicked Ye Chen with a powerful strike, and Bei Sheng joined in for good measure.

As a result, every time Ye Chen woke up, he was basically bruised and swollen.

In fact, over the course of that year, he spent half his time getting beaten up.

All of this was courtesy of his esteemed ancestor. Plagued by the riddle, Di Huang kept trying to find other clues through Ye Chen, activating the contract's power more than once.

Unfortunately, the contract had its limits. Some memories could be accessed, but others couldn't. Every attempt only yielded those eight characters: Tianhuang ground old, Bi An Hua blooms.

When it came to Di Zun, he was truly remarkable. With just an eight-character riddle, he had stumped two great emperors, one Dacheng Sheng Ti, and one Nu Sheng Ti on the verge of Dacheng—the four strongest beings in the current heavens. They were all collectively led astray and now buried in confusion.

The night was quite peaceful, with all sounds hushed.

The medicinal fragrance wafting from Ling Dan Ge grew even richer, but only Xu Fu remained refining pills.

As for Ye Chen, he had lost interest in alchemy. He sat on the stone steps, head drooping listlessly, with fresh blood still trickling from his nostrils and his hair a messy tangle.

That year, he didn't know how many beatings he had endured, and he finally realized a life philosophy: If you play around in the world, you'll have to pay it back. Do too many shameless things, and you'll get your due.

"Why aren't you refining anymore?" Bei Sheng arrived gracefully, perhaps having just bathed, as her hair was damp and dotted with water droplets. Her slender figure accentuated her perfect form, complemented by her stunning immortal face and the intoxicating scent of a woman, creating a wonderfully captivating sight.

"I'm sick," Ye Chen said, keeping his head down and uttering those three words.

That single sentence made Qi Yue, who was approaching, cover her mouth and stifle a laugh. You’re not just sick—you're seriously ill. A quasi-emperor level Sheng Ti who sleepwalks every so often—if that's not sick, who would believe it? You're the most astonishing Sheng Ti in history and also the most peculiar one. If not for the sleepwalking, we wouldn't know your life, Ye Chen, was so eventful.

Ye Chen had nothing more to say. With no heart for alchemy, he could only wait for Di Huang, wanting to ask his ancestor: What kind of contract did you impose on me? Is it just to make me put on a show?

His wait was destined to be fruitless.

Di Huang never came, too embarrassed to face his descendant.

She didn't come, but Zi Xuan did. She brought materials for refining the Nine Revolutions Soul-Returning Dan and said not a word about Di Huang's matters, nor about Ye Chen's doubts regarding the contract. Knowing Di Huang's intentions, she wouldn't reveal them.

After who knows how many days, Ye Chen finally sorted out his thoughts and stood quietly before the alchemy furnace, reigniting the immortal flames for refining. As for Di Huang, he chose to trust him unconditionally. He believed Di Huang could break the contract, just as he had with the Nu Sheng Ti's, but he still wanted an explanation from him.

The Dan Saint refined pills once more, with dan thunder resounding continuously.

As another year drew to a close, his comprehension of two-pattern dans was complete. The next step would be three-pattern dans—comprehending one dan per year was his plan.

Compared to him, Xu Fu was still in an awkward position. Ye Chen was already working on three-pattern dans, while Xu Fu was still striving with one-pattern dans. Only when every pill triggered dan thunder would it be complete. His understanding of the essence of one-pattern dans was taking longer, gradually grasping the mysteries of alchemy.

In the deep night, a little figure flew into Ling Dan Ge. Upon closer inspection, it was the Xiao Ling Wa. After two years of wandering who knows where, he had returned to Heng Yue. Without finding a breakthrough opportunity, he remained at the peak of Great Saint, still far from the Quasi-Emperor realm.

"Oh, a beauty!" Xiao Ling Wa exclaimed, darting straight to Bei Sheng and landing precisely on her jade shoulder. He then extended his tiny hand to touch her cheek. Over the years, he had always done this, using his cute appearance to take advantage wherever he went.

He went over, but Bei Sheng wasn't one to tolerate it. At a glance, she saw through Xiao Ling Wa's true form—a Bawang Long that had transformed into this little figure specifically for shameless acts.

On the spot, Xiao Ling Wa was done for. Bei Sheng grabbed him by one leg and dangled him in the air, extending a jade finger to poke his little belly. The feel was quite satisfying.

It wasn't until late at night that Bei Sheng let go, tying him up tightly and hanging him from a crooked tree in the garden. How dare he try to take advantage of me? Small size, big ambitions.

Xiao Ling Wa didn't mind at all. As the saying goes, walk by the river and you can't avoid getting your shoes wet. There are always some oddballs who don't like cute little figures and end up giving him a thrashing, like Bei Sheng—a fine woman, yet with a violent streak. She nearly beat him to death.

The night grew deeper, and both Qi Yue and Bei Sheng left, returning to their rooms to meditate in a cross-legged position.

In the garden, only Xu Fu and Ye Chen remained, diligently refining pills.

Besides them, there was Xiao Ling Wa, still hanging there, swaying with the breeze. Those in the know would see a little figure; those who didn't might think it was a dumpling.

"Long Yi has challenged the male cultivator with the Yong Sheng Ti—by my count, it should be tomorrow," Xiao Ling Wa suddenly said. "I came back this time to gather reinforcements and kick that guy's ass."

Upon hearing this, Xu Fu raised an eyebrow, his brow furrowing slightly. He knew exactly why Long Yi was challenging the Yong Sheng Ti—it had to do with Dongfang Yu Ling. Due to a Yong Sheng contract, Long Yi and the Yong Sheng Ti had formed a grudge. Anyone would be furious if their wife had a contract imposed on her.

Glancing at Ye Chen, he seemed much more composed, showing no surprise at all. Without needing to calculate, he knew there would be a battle between Long Yi and the Yong Sheng Ti. Only by defeating him could Long Yi demand that the Yong Sheng Ti remove that damned contract. That was Long Yi's way.

"I went to Tianxuan Gate, but no one paid me any attention," Xiao Ling Wa grumbled.

"As expected," Ye Chen said casually. Long Yi was, after all, the remnant soul of Tai Xu Long Di, having inherited Tai Xu Long Di's temperament—fiercely unyielding. Though not always reliable, he was a true man when it counted. He wouldn't disdainfully use outside help to defeat the Yong Sheng Ti.

"Just give the order, and the strong ones from Da Chu could drown him with a single spit," Xiao Ling Wa shouted.

Ye Chen didn't respond, focusing on his refining.

The battle between Long Di's remnant soul and the Yong Sheng Ti—he would go, but he wouldn't bring anyone. Because that would be an insult to Long Yi and a desecration of Tai Xu Long Di. Long Yi wanted a fair fight, and the remnant soul of the Dragon Emperor had its pride.