Chapter 2362: Incompatible

Boom! Bang! Boom!

The coffin rumbled and roared incessantly, shaking the starry sky. This massive coffin, like a towering mountain, radiated lightning in all directions as it hung in the cosmos, an eye-catching sight. Its thunderous sounds echoed through the universe, shaking the hearts of all beings time and again.

Ever since Kong Que Princess (孔雀公主) entered the coffin, no one knew how much time had passed, but the battle within grew increasingly fierce. Strands of blood mist drifted out from the coffin, adding a crimson hue to it.

"Kong Que family's (孔雀家) princess might end up buried in there."

"I'd say, that would save on the cost of a coffin."

"Don't joke around; lives are at stake."

Whispers rose and fell among the crowd. People weren't just idle; they had a certain flair, standing with arms crossed, watching the enormous coffin and spouting meaningless chatter, just like the Dao Zu (道祖).

Looking out, the scene was truly captivating, with a sea of people gathered, not even thinking to leave, but instead forming groups to stare at the coffin, their eyes shining brightly.

On one side of the crowd, Ye Chen (叶辰) had already stood up, his Wheel of Reincarnation (轮回眼) eyes dimmed, not daring to probe further. He simply gazed quietly, unable to see through the coffin, and thus unaware of whom Tian Zhi (天稚) was fighting.

"Your ancestor must know about this." Xiao Ling Wa (小灵娃) said. This little one was quite perceptive, sitting on Ye Chen's shoulder, hugging a spirit fruit and munching on it with delight.

It was nonsense, of course; the Da Cheng Sheng Ti (大成圣体) would definitely know.

The problem was, where to find Di Huang (帝荒)? Ye Chen's contract matters still hadn't been sorted out. Unfortunately, his ancestor was as elusive as a dragon, nowhere to be found.

Crack!

The tide of discussions halted abruptly due to this crisp sound.

All eyes gathered on the massive coffin.

A faint crack had appeared on it, no thicker than a hair, barely visible to those with poor eyesight—blame it on the coffin's enormous size.

In that instant, the Kong Que clan members' eyes lit up. With the first crack came the second and third; more cracks might mean the coffin would shatter, saving Tian Zhi.

Indeed, the first crack triggered a chain reaction, followed by the second and third, with crisp sounds ringing out endlessly and cracks spreading one after another.

Ye Chen narrowed his eyes slightly. Through the fine cracks, he could vaguely see the scene inside: a chaotic haze, dark clouds rolling, lightning flashing and thunder booming—it was a heavenly tribulation (天劫). Several shadowy figures flickered in and out, bathing in the tribulation lightning as they besieged Tian Zhi.

"Emperor Dao Law Bodies (帝道法则身)." Ye Chen murmured lightly, spotting Xuan Gu Da Di (玄古大帝), Heng Yu Da Di (恒宇大帝), Ren Huang (人皇), Xuan Wu Da Di (玄武大帝), and Han Jiang Da Di (寒江大帝). Without exception, they were all Emperor Dao Law Bodies.

In other words, Tian Zhi's Law Body Tribulation was occurring inside that massive coffin.

As for Tian Zhi herself, she was in a wretched state. Her dazzling outer path immortal form had already collapsed, reverting to her true body—a seven-colored Kong Que, covered in blood and scars. Even her protective immortal light was nearly extinguished, on the verge of being destroyed at any moment.

Crack! Crack!

The sounds of the coffin cracking grew more frequent, spreading from the first fissure toward the edges. What spilled out through the cracks wasn't just blood energy, but also faint strands of annihilating immortal light.

The crowd could hear the cries of the Kong Que, heart-shaking and profound.

Indeed, Tian Zhi was undergoing nirvana under the tribulation. Beyond her seven colors, two more had emerged, making her nine-colored. The five emperors besieging her had transformed into Dao-shaped dragons. A nine-colored Kong Que and five Emperor Dao Law Bodies were clashing with the Dao, the battle nearing its end.

Ye Chen watched intently, noticing that Tian Zhi's Dao light was growing brighter in the fight, while the five emperors' Dao light was fading. She was gradually gaining the upper hand.

Under everyone's gaze, the five emperors turned illusory and stopped their attacks.

The massive coffin no longer rumbled.

"It's over?" Xiao Ling Wa, who had been sitting, stood up, staring fixedly at the enormous coffin.

"It's over?" The eyes of cultivators from all directions converged as well.

The starry sky fell into a profound silence. With no more rumbles and no coffin vibrations, it just hung there, and the people simply watched quietly.

Boom!

This prolonged silence was finally shattered by a thunderous boom from within the coffin.

Bang! Boom! Bang!

Starting with the first boom, the sounds came one after another. Listening carefully, it seemed someone inside was pounding against the coffin, trying to break out. That someone was undoubtedly Tian Zhi. With the five emperors dispersed, she only needed to shatter the coffin to complete her nirvana, and no one else could help—it had to be done by her alone.

Crack! Crack!

Accompanying the booms, the crisp cracking sounds multiplied. The massive stone coffin was covered in fissures, the entire structure buzzing and trembling, on the brink of exploding.

Ye Chen smiled for the first time. This tribulation was over; the coffin couldn't contain Tian Zhi.

Sure enough, with a deafening boom, an opening was blasted in the coffin. Tian Zhi leaped out like a female war god, surging with overwhelming killing intent, as if emerging from a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood. The disintegrating coffin was shattered completely by her palm.

The heavenly tribulation coffin exploded, its essence turning into lightning that returned to the heavens.

Only then did this strange heavenly tribulation truly come to an end.

Tian Zhi descended, nearly stumbling and falling. She was gravely injured, her body covered in bloody gashes laced with Emperor Dao immortal light—that was the Emperor Dao killing intent, still eroding her vital energy.

The Kong Que clan ancestor stepped forward from the sky, overjoyed beyond words.

However, before he could get close, the starry sky buzzed again. The anomaly originated from Tian Zhi's side. Centered on her, black holes began to expand, with starry space underfoot and black holes all around.

"Emperor Dao Black Shore (帝道黑岸)?" The Kong Que ancestor was stunned, his steps too swift; he hadn't been careful and was sucked into the black hole. A peak quasi-emperor vanished in an instant.

"This..." People from all sides twitched their mouths, their expressions full of amusement. An Emperor Dao Black Shore appearing so unexpectedly had swept away their ancestor.

"In this state, she can still comprehend Emperor Dao Black Shore." Tian Lao (天老) sighed in admiration, having seen it before. The caster stood at the center, with the surrounding black holes as the best defense. To attack or kill her, one first had to cross the black holes.

"A single heavenly tribulation, what more than a stroke of fortune—it's simply defying heaven." Di Lao (地老) said meaningfully, his eyes burning with interest in the Emperor Dao Black Shore, an absolute divine-level technique.

"In the future, we should interact more with the Kong Que clan." Many people stroked their chins, hoping to glean some insights into the Emperor Dao Black Shore.

"Why can't I comprehend it?" Xiao Ling Wang (小灵王) grumbled, utterly envious of the Emperor Dao Black Shore. In the future, if he wanted to flirt and things went south, he could run; if he couldn't run, he could hide, and this technique was perfect—cross the black holes, and no matter how many came, they'd be useless.

"Interesting." Ye Chen stroked his chin, sighing in wonder. He had truly underestimated the Kong Que family's princess. Xiao Ling Wa was envious, and so was he; he needed to have a chat with Tian Zhi.

Pfft!

Amid the astonishment in the air, Tian Zhi spat out blood and staggered another step. Her Emperor Dao Black Shore was unstable, dissipating with her blood spit. Even she didn't understand how she had suddenly activated it—was it a gift from the heavens?

With the Emperor Dao Black Shore gone, the Kong Que clan members dared to approach, not wanting to end up like their ancestor, sucked into the black hole without a way out.

Tian Zhi fainted, collapsing into her mother's arms. The Emperor Dao killing intent was still ravaging her, trying to consume her. Having exhausted her powers in battle, she was at her weakest, with no resistance.

The Kong Que clan's experts all acted, working together to suppress the backlash for her.

The Kong Que Holy Lord (孔雀圣主) arrived, smiling at Ye Chen.

"Young friend, about our ancestor..."

"No problem." Ye Chen smiled, summoning a great Wheel of Reincarnation Heavenly Dao (轮回天道), vanishing handsomely into the black hole. He needed to retrieve the Kong Que clan's ancestor—this was a favor.

However, in the next instant, he reappeared, looking disheveled and coughing up blood.

Everyone around was stunned at the sight.

"This place doesn't match my ba zi (八字)." Ye Chen wiped the fresh blood from his mouth, teleporting over a thousand zhang away and using the great Wheel of Reincarnation Heavenly Dao again. He had vomited blood earlier because his luck was poor; upon entering the black hole, he had encountered a terrifying presence and nearly been crushed to ashes.

Once inside the black hole, what he saw was a vast sea of red clouds.

The cloud sea was eerie, shrouded in mist and rain, hazy and chaotic, with no clear path ahead. The scent of blood was thick, carrying destructive power. He had suffered because of this red cloud sea; even his quasi-emperor sacred body couldn't withstand its pressure.

Even worse off was the Kong Que clan ancestor.

That old man was not far away, coughing up blood profusely. He had probably entered the red cloud sea too and couldn't handle the pressure; his peak quasi-emperor body had been nearly destroyed.

Ye Chen hurried over, clicking his tongue in amazement. Your precious princess is quite the troublemaker—one Emperor Dao Black Shore sucked you into the black hole, and then you stumbled into the red cloud sea, nearly getting yourself killed. It almost dragged me down with you.

"What exactly is this?" The Kong Que ancestor sat cross-legged, circulating his origin to rebuild his sacred body, gazing warily at the red cloud sea. Its pressure was enough to destroy heaven and earth.

"It must be related to emperor blood and emperor weapons." Ye Chen said, placing his palm on the ancestor's back and channeling sacred body origin energy. He said this because he had encountered such things before, like the blood-stained divine mirror from back then, tainted with emperor blood and carrying emperor Dao killing intent.

Emperors shook the ancient and modern worlds; in a universe without emperors, even a single strand of emperor blood could crush the immortal dome of eternity, let alone emperor blood fused with killing intent. A peak quasi-emperor entering it would struggle to survive.

"Treasure." Ye Chen laughed, healing the Kong Que ancestor while eyeing the red cloud sea, his eyes gleaming. He made a mental note of this place. Once out, he'd go to Da Chu (大楚) for emperor weapons—one wouldn't do; he'd bring two. He had to claim the treasures inside for himself.

"I think we should split it—finders keepers."

"If you say that, I might just leave." Ye Chen chuckled. I came in to save you, got injured, and now you want a share of my treasure? No way.

The Kong Que ancestor laughed, dropping the joke. He knew Ye Chen's nature well; not having your treasure robbed was already good enough—forget about sharing.

Putting those thoughts aside, he turned his gaze back to the red cloud sea.

Even with his vision, he couldn't see through it; it must be obscured by emperor Dao power.

For such a place, without Extreme Dao emperor weapons for protection, don't even think about entering—unless you're out of your mind, or your brain's waterlogged, or you just have a death wish.

"Old man, does your clan still need a son-in-law?" Ye Chen said with a grin.

At that, the Kong Que ancestor raised an eyebrow, glancing sideways at Ye Chen with an unfriendly look, as if to say: You already have plenty of wives; now you want to steal my precious one?

"Don't get the wrong idea; it's not for me." Ye Chen coughed.

"That's a relief." The Kong Que ancestor laughed.

He laughed, but Ye Chen's face darkened. What do you mean, "that's a relief"? I'm the majestic tenth emperor of Da Chu, a quasi-emperor level ancient sacred body—am I not good enough for your princess?

Such straightforward words could easily get you beaten outside.

Of course, Ye Chen kept these thoughts to himself; he couldn't say them out loud.

"Heng Yue (恒岳) has talents in abundance; if you're interested, pick anyone you like, senior." Ye Chen said deeply. He was someone who cherished talent, like Tian Zhi. Such a prodigy should become Heng Yue's daughter-in-law—more people meant more liveliness, and more geniuses meant even more excitement. He was a fan of lively scenes.

The Kong Que ancestor said nothing, just glanced sideways again, sizing up Ye Chen. That look perfectly conveyed: How desperate would I have to be to go to your Heng Yue for a son-in-law? You, as the emperor, should know what kind of people you have there.

After a long while, the Kong Que ancestor said earnestly, "The first standard for selecting a son-in-law in our Seven-Colored Kong Que clan: He must have a sense of shame."

Now, it was Ye Chen's turn to fall silent.

In that moment, the tenth emperor of Da Chu felt a strong urge—to kick this old man straight into the red cloud sea and let him feel that warm embrace of pressure again. You're criticizing us for being shameless in so many ways; you're quite the outstanding Kong Que yourself.

Men! What's the use of shame?

In the end, Ye Chen used the Heavenly Dao, dragging the old man out of the black hole. As they emerged, his face was covered in dark lines, thoroughly blackened.

Seeing the ancestor return, the Kong Que clan members rushed forward in relief. It was best if nothing happened; if something had, it would've been a real disaster, and being tricked by your own people wasn't something you'd want to admit.

"Let's go home." The Kong Que ancestor flicked his robe and personally carried his precious princess, heading straight for Da Chu. His energy was full, and he felt an immense sense of accomplishment, his back straight as an arrow, striding with an air of ignoring all kin.

No way around it; when the younger generation brought honor, it was just that satisfying.

" Why do I feel like itching for a fight!" Watching the Kong Que ancestor, the old eccentrics from Tian Xuan Gate (天玄门) stroked their beards, tempted to drag the Kong Que clan ancestor to some deserted spot for a good chat about life. Walking was fine, but swaggering like that was a bit much.

With the ancestor leading, the Kong Que clan members all felt a bit floaty, as if they might ascend as a group while walking.

"Someday, I'll have your princess snatched away." Ye Chen took a deep breath, deciding that once back, he'd give Heng Yue's talents a proper lesson on wooing women—it was an essential skill.

With the main characters gone, the cultivators who had come to watch were still relishing the spectacle.

From this day on, she was destined to be famous across the realms. Though her combat strength wasn't the strongest, her heavenly tribulation was the most unique—a domineering coffin that was so large it made people question life.

The grand show ended, and everyone returned home, the onlookers dispersing.

"Once she's recovered, I need to chat with her." Xiao Ling Wa pulled out another spirit fruit, munching away shamelessly, plotting to ask Tian Zhi about the coffin and the Emperor Dao Black Shore.

"Heading home." Ye Chen was quick on his feet, vanishing in an instant. He was off to Da Chu for emperor weapons—the treasures in the black hole were there today, but might not be tomorrow.