Chapter 2363: Emperor's Evil Spirit

The night in Da Chu was not peaceful. The unrest came from outsiders who had come to witness Tian Zhi's heavenly tribulation, many of whom had followed to Da Chu, claiming they were there to explore. In reality, they wanted to get close to the Kong Que Zu. The Kong Que family, however, politely declined all visitors and sealed their mountain gates the moment Tian Zhi was brought back.

Despite this, the visitors did not give up. Each found a place to stay and waited for the gates to reopen, planning to form teams afterward to inquire about the heavenly tribulation coffin and the Di Dao black shore.

Meanwhile, Ye Chen had already arrived at Yu Nu Feng. Hong Yan was still awake, sitting quietly under an old tree. She wasn't eating spirit fruits or carving wood; she simply rested her small hands on her cheeks, lost in thought, though no one knew what was on her mind. To this day, she still hadn't solved the eight-character riddle, despite pondering it for many days.

Ye Chen glanced at her briefly before sending a divine sense into the void. Soon, two rays of extreme light manifested, carrying the aura of emperors. One was the Di Jian Xuan Yuan, and the other was the Di Bing Yu Ruyi, which Chu Xuan had brought from Wu Lei Zhi Cheng. Through his summoning, both emperor artifacts stirred and fused into Ye Chen's body.

Hong Yan turned her head and glanced casually. She had long known that Yu Nu Feng was guarded by two extreme Dao emperor artifacts. After all, the people on Yu Nu Feng held far too many secrets.

"Come over. I have something to say to you."

"Wait until I get back." Ye Chen replied as he turned and vanished in an instant. He moved with incredible speed, rushing off to find treasures and having no time for idle chatter. It wasn't an exaggeration to say that even if a beautiful woman stripped naked right then, he wouldn't linger for a second. Compared to beauties, he preferred the treasures in the black hole.

Watching the direction Ye Chen had left, Hong Yan was stunned. This wasn't like the usual Ye Chen at all—in the past, if she said she had something to tell him, he would have rushed over eagerly.

Although he had gone, the little spirit child hadn't. The child rubbed his hands together and chuckled.

Hong Yan glanced at him but quickly looked away, not wanting to engage. Why did this perfectly fine Overlord Dragon have to take on this form? Sure, it was cute as a little person, but she had no interest in it.

"I heard about it—the princess of the Kong Que Zu had a massive coffin in her quasi-emperor heavenly tribulation."

"Are you sure it was a coffin?" Hong Yan furrowed her delicate brows slightly.

"Absolutely genuine." Finally finding a topic, the little spirit child squatted on Hong Yan's shoulder and even crushed a jade slip. Inside it was sealed an image of the coffin tribulation.

As she quietly watched the image, Hong Yan murmured softly, "The appearance of the divine coffin tribulation signals the rise of Di Dao contenders." Her clear, beautiful eyes flickered with a hazy light, and she fell into a momentary daze, over and over.

"This little face is so smooth." The little spirit child chuckled mischievously, his restless little hand reaching out to touch Hong Yan's cheek. It had to be said, the feel was incredibly good.

But as soon as he spoke, Hong Yan grabbed him, set him down on the ground, and stomped on him hard.

On the other side, Ye Chen had already left Da Chu and activated a teleportation domain gate. When he reappeared in that stretch of starry space, it seemed much emptier. Most of the cultivators who had come to watch the heavenly tribulation had already departed, though a few stragglers still arrived, regretting that they had missed the main event.

Ye Chen pinpointed his location and used a great reincarnation heavenly path to enter the black hole.

Buzz! Buzz!

As soon as he entered the black hole, the Xuan Yuan sword and Yu Ruyi began to hum, floating on his left and right sides. They were surrounded by emperor Dao laws, with faint strands of emperor aura emerging, incredibly terrifying.

Ye Chen wasn't surprised by this. He was certain that there was an emperor artifact in the crimson sea of clouds. Emperor weapons had some kind of connection between them, and these two extreme Dao emperor artifacts must have sensed it.

Buzz! Buzz!

Just like them, the crimson sea of clouds also buzzed with emperor Dao heavenly sounds echoing through it, making the sea of clouds extremely agitated and stirring up massive waves.

The black hole was silent and dark, but the crimson sea of clouds was dyed with ancient immortal light, standing out starkly. No one knew how vast it was, only that deep within the clouds lay something extremely ancient.

Ye Chen took a deep breath and, with the two emperor weapons hovering above him, stepped into the crimson sea of clouds. The waves in the sea were turbulent, carrying mysterious forces and terrifying pressure. Even with the protection of the two extreme Dao emperor artifacts, Ye Chen felt immensely suppressed, his entire body turning ice-cold. He couldn't help but sigh—such intense pressure explained why even peak quasi-emperors couldn't withstand it.

The deeper he went, the more his heart trembled, as if a pair of eyes in the darkness was watching him. This feeling grew stronger with every step toward the depths.

At some point, he suddenly stopped and stared fixedly into the depths. Using his reincarnation immortal eyes, he pierced through layers of clouds and mist, as if glimpsing a vast world. Majestic mountains and rivers stood tall, with vast rivers flowing through, enveloped in rain and fog, hazy and ethereal, truly like a fairyland.

He was so absorbed in the sight that he hadn't expected the depths of the sea of clouds to hide such a realm.

Buzz!

In that instant, both the Xuan Yuan sword and Yu Ruyi trembled, with emperor light cascading down.

Ye Chen's body shuddered, and he regained his clarity, his heart filled with shock. He realized that the so-called vast world was just an illusion, of an incredibly high level that even his reincarnation eyes couldn't fully penetrate.

Whoosh!

A gust of Yin wind blew, and a ghostly shadow flashed past him.

"Who is it?" Ye Chen roared sharply, manifesting his Dao sword. This place was too strange—not only were there treasures deep within, but he also sensed living things lurking.

Woo! Woo! Woo!

Suddenly, cold winds howled, carrying the wails of fierce ghosts. It wasn't just one; evil thoughts, malicious intents, and resentments intertwined, echoing endlessly like a curse, with an irresistible demonic power. Even someone as mentally steadfast as the holy body nearly lost his focus.

Ye Chen silently recited the Saint Heart Mantra, gripped his Dao sword, and with the emperor artifacts above him, continued deeper.

Zing!

A blood light suddenly flashed, shooting straight at him. Ye Chen swung his sword and destroyed it, his eyes fixed straight ahead. A vague figure slowly materialized, shrouded in clouds and mist. Its features were indistinct, but it had three heads and six arms—a monstrous, violently savage being.

"Evil spirit," Ye Chen murmured, recognizing what it was. It was formed from intertwined evil thoughts, malicious intents, and resentments over endless ages, gaining sentience. Creatures like this were common in the Ten Thousand Mountains, but he hadn't expected to find one here in the crimson sea of clouds, and one so powerful.

Woo!

The three-headed, six-armed evil spirit attacked. Now he could see its face clearly—three grotesque visages, with exposed white fangs even more terrifying than demons. Its six pairs of eyes shot out blood light, ignoring the physical body and targeting the primordial spirit directly. Moreover, each blood light carried emperor aura.

"A Di Dao evil spirit." Ye Chen's eyes flashed with surprise. From the emperor aura in the blood light, he could tell this evil spirit was formed from an emperor's evil thoughts, malicious intents, and resentments, rivaling a peak quasi-emperor.

Without time to think, Ye Chen sheathed his Dao sword and gripped the Xuan Yuan sword, slashing out an immortal river with one strike.

Thud!

The evil spirit was split in half on the spot, turning into blood mist and dispersing.

But Ye Chen didn't relax. His divine sense scanned all directions—there were more evil spirits, not just one. The blood-colored mist surged, and evil spirits swarmed in, howling and roaring, disrupting his mind. If not for Yu Ruyi's protection, his focus might have been lost.

As he spoke, an evil spirit lunged at him, wielding a illusory divine blade and slashing down from above.

Ye Chen snorted coldly, dodged in an instant, and pierced its brow with a finger of divine light, destroying it instantly.

The sea of clouds grew chaotic, with dozens of evil spirits pouncing. They spat flames and shot blood light, targeting both his primordial spirit and physical body. One wrong move, and his spirit could be burned away.

Roar!

A dragon's roar erupted as Ye Chen unleashed the Eight Heavenly Dragons technique. Every attacking evil spirit was flung back, even the Di Dao ones unable to withstand the divine dragon's tail swipe, exploding one after another.

However, he had underestimated the evil spirits. Though they dissipated, they could reform, merging one after another. The newly formed evil spirit was hundreds of feet tall, with nine heads, each with three blood eyes, its body covered in scales shimmering with sinister light.

Ye Chen looked up involuntarily. This thing was enormous; standing before it, he was like a tiny ant. Size wasn't the issue—what was terrifying was the Di Dao evil thoughts. Anything connected to an emperor was no joke. Not exaggerating, a single slap from it could make even a peak quasi-emperor kneel.

Sure enough, the massive Di Dao evil spirit slammed down a palm, overturning the heavens and earth, reversing yin and yang. The space beneath the palm shattered inch by inch, like an apocalyptic strike.

Ye Chen didn't dare be careless. He instantly used the great reincarnation heavenly burial, boosting his power tenfold, activated his Overlord Body external form, merged the nine paths of the eight wastelands, added chaotic laws, and infused emperor Dao divine might. With a punch that shattered all obstacles, he blasted through the descending palm and even forced the Di Dao evil spirit to stagger back.

Roar!

The creature seemed enraged, its roar like ancient thunder that could shatter even a quasi-emperor. From its mouth, a blood mist spewed out, forming a vast blood sea. Within the sea, vengeful spirits and demons struggled in agony.

"Sea of wickedness," Ye Chen frowned. The blood sea formed by the Di Dao evil spirit was identical to the one in the underworld, a convergence of evil thoughts, malicious intents, and resentments that manifested as wicked karma. Even the Ming Emperor struggled to completely eradicate it, and over time, it could spawn terrifying creatures, like the wicked sea demon dragon.

In mere moments, the evil spirit's blood sea engulfed him.

Ye Chen instantly used an evasion technique to soar upward, but he collided head-on with the Di Dao evil spirit's palm, sending him back into the blood sea. Even with the emperor artifacts protecting him, he was shaken enough to spit blood.

His eyes gleamed brightly as he infused the Xuan Yuan sword with a power: wicked karma. He had comprehended this force in the underworld, similar to Buddhist nianli, surging like tides. As long as wicked karma endured, its power was endless.

Zing!

The Xuan Yuan sword rang out, slicing through the heavens and earth, cleaving the blood sea apart.

Once again, the Di Dao evil spirit struck with a palm that collapsed the skies.

Having learned from his mistake, Ye Chen wouldn't fall for it twice. He used the emperor Dao ethereal step to evade the palm, then ascended to the nine heavens and slashed off three of the evil spirit's heads with one strike.

Roar!

The Di Dao evil spirit roared in fury, its remaining six bloody maws gaping wide and forming a black vortex that spun rapidly, possessing the power to devour heavens and earth.

Ye Chen tensed, unable to resist the suction, and was pulled into the vortex.

When he reappeared, he was in a gray, misty world. Lightning flashed above, and a blood sea raged below, much like the sea of wickedness. Vengeful spirits writhed in the blood sea, along with various grotesque monsters, their faces twisted as they waited for Ye Chen to fall so they could devour him.

Ye Chen halted abruptly in mid-air, scanning his surroundings. This must be the inner world of the Di Dao evil spirit, bound by laws and dreadful pressure, along with an irresistible force of dissolution. Chunks of his body's essence were being dissolved—if things continued, he would turn to ash and become one of the vengeful spirits, never to be reborn.

"Truly exceptional," Ye Chen muttered, forming seals with one hand.

Om, ma, ni, pad, me, hum!

Then came the sound of Buddhist chants, deep and majestic, solemn and pure—it was the Great Sun Tathagata purification mantra. Unable to break this evil spirit's world, he turned to the Buddhist purification mantra to dissolve the vengeful spirits and escape.

Woo! Woo! Woo!

The purification mantra echoed like tolling bells, carrying a demonic power of its own, resonating endlessly and making the vengeful and evil spirits clutch their heads in agony. Any touched by the Buddhist sound were dissolved.

Roar!

Outside, the Di Dao evil spirit in the crimson sea of clouds wailed miserably, thrashing about and stirring up massive waves that rippled through the black hole. The commotion was so great that the rumbling reached the starry space.

"What's going on?"

"Another heavenly tribulation?"

"It must be from the black hole." An elderly cultivator pondered, his aged eyes narrowing slightly.

As the onlookers gazed upward, the Di Dao evil spirit in the crimson sea began to disintegrate amid its wails, its massive body cracking open with blood spraying out due to the purification mantra.

This proved that one shouldn't swallow just anything, especially someone like Ye Chen. Fighting him was one thing, but shoving him into your mouth was another—once he was in your belly, the regret would be immense.

"Open!"

With a cold shout, a bloody hole was blasted through the Di Dao evil spirit's body. Ye Chen burst out forcefully, fusing his Dao sword with the Xuan Yuan sword, enhancing it with emperor might and chaotic Dao principles, and split the evil spirit in two.

Only then did the crimson sea of clouds fall silent. Though evil spirits remained, they were mere small fry, easily suppressed by Ye Chen.

Gripping the Xuan Yuan sword, Ye Chen charged straight into the depths, his killing intent thick.

Finally, in the depths shrouded by crimson mist, he spotted the so-called treasure—it was indeed an emperor artifact, but a damaged one. It was engraved with emperor Dao divine patterns, entirely crimson, stained with vivid blood. The entire sword was drenched in it, leaking emperor aura that was extremely powerful. The most formidable aspect was the blood on the sword—that was the blood of a great emperor. A single drop could crush eternity and destroy heavens and earth.

"No wonder it's so strong." Ye Chen murmured, blood trickling from the corners of his eyes. It was all because that emperor blood was too piercing; even his reincarnation eyes couldn't block it. If that blood could attack, a single drop could crush him.

Buzz! Buzz!

The Xuan Yuan sword hummed, as if expressing its confusion.

Compared to it, the Yu Ruyi trembled even more violently, with excitement, agitation, and sorrow. It seemed that this broken, blood-stained emperor sword was an old friend of Yu Ruyi's.

As it trembled, so did the blood-stained emperor sword, mirroring Yu Ruyi.

Ye Chen watched quietly. The Di Bing Yu Ruyi didn't belong to the various heavens but to Wu Lei Zhi Cheng. Perhaps this blood-stained emperor sword also came from there—this guess made sense.

To this day, he still had a doubt: Where did the emperor artifacts of the forbidden zones and the emperor weapons of Wu Lei Zhi Cheng come from? Surely, beyond the 130 emperors of Xuan Huang, there were others?

The answer was yes, likely connected to the ancient heavenly court. The emperor artifacts in the forbidden zones and the emperor weapons in Wu Lei Zhi Cheng probably all belonged to the emperors of the ancient heavenly court, passed down through endless ages to the present.

Shaking off his thoughts, Ye Chen looked at the Di Bing Yu Ruyi and chuckled, rubbing his hands. "Since you two know each other, why don't you discuss it and have it come with me?"