Chapter 2364: Having a Temper Tantrum

Upon hearing this, the imperial weapon, Yu Ruyi, buzzed once and rushed straight toward the Blood-Dyed Di Jian, like a lively child circling around the Blood-Dyed Di Jian, as if chatting with it in the exclusive language of imperial weapons.

It actually worked.

The Blood-Dyed Di Jian buzzed in response, circling back and forth around the imperial weapon, Yu Ruyi, chatting away happily. Before long, they headed toward Ye Chen.

The two swords moved on their own accord, one after the other, darting into Ye Chen's Chaos Small Realm to find a spot and chat like old friends reuniting, with tears welling up in their eyes.

Seeing this, the Xuanyuan Jian felt too embarrassed to join them.

With the Blood-Dyed Di Jian gone, the expanse of red cloud sea gradually thinned, dissipating wisp by wisp amid the swirling mists, finally revealing the pure black hole.

Ye Chen's eyes gleamed brightly as he looked inward at his Chaos Small Realm. There were two imperial artifacts: one was the complete Yu Ruyi, and the other was the ancient, damaged Di Jian. Both were buzzing there.

"Treasure." Ye Chen laughed, his joy evident.

A damaged imperial artifact was still an imperial artifact, and it carried imperial blood on it.

At certain specific times, that imperial blood was even more domineering than the artifact itself.

This trip had truly brought him incredible fortune, and it was all worth the fierce battle with the Di Dao Evil Spirit. For that, he had even used the Great Sun Tathagata Purification Mantra, forging another karmic tie with Buddhism.

While he was delighted, the outside starry sky was also bustling.

Many passing cultivators had gathered, all craning their necks to gaze upward into the distance.

"An old man like me did a quick divination and predicts a treasure will emerge." A plump old man stroked his beard and spoke meaningfully, playing the part of an aged fortune-teller to fool the younger crowd.

No sooner had he spoken than he was flattened on the spot—or more precisely, flattened by the very treasure he mentioned.

That so-called treasure turned out to be a person: a lively and jumping Huanggu Sheng Ti who had escaped from the black hole. Perhaps too excited, he hadn't watched where he was going and stepped right on someone as soon as he emerged.

"Sheng Ti?" The onlookers were all stunned at the sight.

"Hey." Ye Chen waved with a smile.

"Friend, could you move your foot?" The plump old man underfoot coughed up old blood as he spoke. A step from a Sheng Ti was no joke—it had directly caused internal injuries.

Ye Chen looked down, gave a dry laugh, and quickly stepped aside.

The plump old man clutched his waist and got up, still coughing blood. Had he talked too much nonsense and brought this upon himself as retribution?

"Senior, you're as vigorous as ever." Ye Chen patted the old man's shoulder. A Great Saint-level elder who could stand up after a kick like that was truly a miracle.

The plump old man didn't reply; instead, he spat out another mouthful of fresh blood, jolted out by Ye Chen's pat. If the force had been any stronger, it might have dislodged his internal organs.

Ye Chen coughed awkwardly and vanished in an instant, leaving the poor plump old man standing out in the crowd, quite conspicuous. He had originally come to watch a heavenly tribulation.

Unfortunately, the tribulation had already dispersed by the time he arrived. Then he heard the black hole rumbling and decided to play the fortune-teller. Well, that almost got him stomped to death.

The gazes of the people around were full of meaning, as if to say they couldn't stand these old charlatans who always tricked the younger generation. Now, he'd gotten his due.

Meanwhile, Ye Chen strode through the void, all the while looking inward at his Chaos Small Realm.

During this time, his Chaos Cauldron was quite restless, constantly trying to edge closer for a chat. But whether it was Yu Ruyi or the Blood-Dyed Di Jian, neither paid it any attention. Still, the cauldron was thick-skinned and kept pestering them shamelessly, even seeming to want to swallow the Blood-Dyed Di Jian.

Yu Ruyi was quite forceful about it, shooing the cauldron away. The Blood-Dyed Di Jian might not know the Chaos Cauldron well, but Yu Ruyi certainly did—it wasn't high-level, yet it had big ambitions, even daring to think about devouring an imperial artifact.

"Behave yourself." Ye Chen scolded, stuffing the Chaos Cauldron back into his divine sea. As if you'd swallow an imperial artifact—how dare you!

Soon enough, the Chaos Cauldron emerged from his divine sea again, this time sent out by the Xuanyuan Jian.

Now, the cauldron finally settled down, slinking off dejectedly into the Dantian Sea. What an unlucky kid—no one wanted it around.

Huh?

As he walked, Ye Chen let out a soft sound of surprise, his eyes lighting up.

In the starry sky ahead stood a woman, graceful and ethereal, surrounded by immortal radiance. Her beauty was otherworldly, breathtaking, untouched by mortal concerns, like a dream or an illusion.

Who else could it be but Zi Xuan? She stood in the stars, as if waiting for someone—specifically, waiting for the young master Ye Chen, as though she knew he would pass this way.

Ye Chen stepped forward in one stride, glancing at Zi Xuan and then scanning the surroundings, but he didn't see Di Huang.

"That Blood-Dyed Di Jian—does it still work well?" Zi Xuan smiled at Ye Chen.

"What Blood-Dyed Di Jian?" Ye Chen feigned confusion, playing dumb to perfection. He wasn't surprised that Zi Xuan knew about the Blood-Dyed Di Jian—if Di Huang knew, then she would too. What he feared was that this woman might swipe his Di Jian away before he could even hold onto it properly.

His act of playing dumb made Zi Xuan chuckle, her eyes full of disdain, as if to say: As if I'd want your sword—look how scared you've gotten. If the Saint Monarch wanted it, would it even be your turn?

Ye Chen gave a hollow laugh and quickly changed the subject. "The senior isn't here?"

"He's gone on a divine journey through the Taixu, which will take many years." Zi Xuan said casually.

"This excuse sounds plausible at first glance." Ye Chen pulled out a wine flask, knowing full well Zi Xuan was bluffing. Yeah, right—with your level, trying to fool me?

Zi Xuan didn't respond. With a light wave of her hand, she gave Ye Chen a storage bag.

Inside the storage bag were valuable treasures: three types of true fire and materials for refining a Soul-Returning Pill.

"How could I accept this?" Ye Chen casually tossed aside his wine flask, though his words said one thing, his hands were already busy taking it and quickly stashing it into his Chaos Small Realm.

"As if there's anything you wouldn't accept." Zi Xuan glanced at him and turned to leave.

"Hold on." Ye Chen hurried a couple of steps to catch up and asked, "Have you heard about that coffin heavenly tribulation?"

"The divine coffin heavenly tribulation appears, and the Di Dao contention for supremacy begins." Zi Xuan murmured those eight words and then vanished without a trace.

"The divine coffin heavenly tribulation appears, and the Di Dao contention for supremacy begins." Ye Chen murmured to himself, furrowing his brow slightly. He wasn't a fool; he could tell that the heavenly tribulation coffin was a sign, a harbinger of the Di Dao struggle for supremacy.

Without dwelling on it further, he summoned a domain gate.

When he returned to Jade Maiden Peak, it was another peaceful night.

He saw Hong Yan sitting under an old tree, lost in thought. The young master Ye dashed over quickly, his steps carrying a gust of wind—joy made him full of energy.

"What did you want to tell me?" Ye Chen sat down and smiled at Hong Yan.

"It's late; I've lost interest in saying it." Hong Yan replied indifferently.

"You're not that big, but your emotions are." Ye Chen didn't mind, carefully retrieving the Blood-Dyed Di Jian from his Chaos Small Realm. It had restrained its imperial might, and the imperial blood on it had merged into the sword, hiding a terrifying power.

"Chi Xiao." Hong Yan suddenly spoke, her expression dazed.

Hearing this, Ye Chen raised an eyebrow.

Clearly, Hong Yan recognized this Blood-Dyed Di Jian and even knew its name.

Of course, the name of this Blood-Dyed Di Jian sounded familiar. Hmm, it shared the same name as his own Chi Xiao Jian, but they were worlds apart in level.

Buzz! Buzz!

The Blood-Dyed Di Jian trembled, as if it recognized Hong Yan. As a sword with human-like emotions, its vibrations conveyed confusion, nostalgia, and a hint of unconcealed resentment.

"Where did you get this sword?" Hong Yan turned to look at Ye Chen.

"What about you? What's your background?" Ye Chen blew on the Blood-Dyed Di Jian and then wiped it with his sleeve. He wouldn't answer her question lightly—he had emotions too. If she wouldn't say anything, why should he?

Hong Yan took a deep breath, her face darkening a bit. She wasn't kidding—if she had the cultivation, she'd give this guy a thorough beating, imperial artifact or not.

"From the ancient times to eternity, the other shore flowers bloom—such a nice place." Ye Chen kept wiping the sword and muttered this, saying it for Hong Yan to hear, certain she would be interested.

Sure enough, Hong Yan was interested. The darkness on her face vanished in an instant, and her clear, bright eyes fixed intently on Ye Chen. "You know where that is?"

"What about you? What's your background?" Ye Chen countered with the same question, refusing to elaborate unless he pried out some useful secrets first.

Well, that did it—Hong Yan's face darkened even more than before, feeling like Ye Chen was toying with her, oh wait, he absolutely was, stringing her along the whole time.

In the end, she just walked away, fuming inside.

Under the moonlight, the young master Ye also felt a bit wounded. This was the umpteenth time he'd asked Hong Yan about her secrets, but that woman never said a word. It was frustrating.

Buzz! Buzz!

The Blood-Dyed Di Jian continued to tremble because of Hong Yan, its vibrations carrying a mix of complex emotions.

Ye Chen kept wiping it, growing more fond of it with every look. He had his doubts, like why the Blood-Dyed Di Jian was in that space black hole, or who had shattered this imperial artifact.

Eventually, curiosity got the better of him. He pointed a finger at the Blood-Dyed Di Jian and performed the Zhou Tian Evolution technique, trying to trace its origins and glimpse those ancient scenes.

Unfortunately, his cultivation was limited, and all he saw was chaos and haze. Only occasionally, for a brief moment, could he make out a blurry image: a massive battlefield with gods and demons everywhere, fighting ferociously. The sky of that ancient era was blood-red, piled high with corpses and rivers of blood.

Until he spat out blood, he finally stopped the Zhou Tian Evolution, not daring to push further. The backlash from an imperial artifact was formidable—the more secrets he tried to see, the stronger the rebound, and even a Quasi-Emperor level Sheng Ti couldn't withstand that force.

It was deep into the night when he finally got up, checking each of the chambers before heading to the Spirit Pill Pavilion.

In the middle of the night, Xu Fu was still diligently at work, not resting as he refined pills—one-striped pills, to be precise. However, his state of pill comprehension had evolved; previously, out of ten one-striped pills, only one or two would attract pill lightning, but now, it was up to four or five.

Qi Yue and Bei Sheng were still there too, the two women not seeming tired at all. They sat on either side, chin in hand, looking bored and lost in thought. Only when Ye Chen arrived did their dull eyes gain a spark of light.

"Who won?" Xu Fu asked casually.

"You're asking knowing full well." Ye Chen replied offhandedly, waving his hand. He knew Xu Fu was asking about the battle between Long Wu and the male Eternal Body. It wasn't even comparable—if Long Yi, Long Wu, and Long Ye had merged, there might have been a slim chance of victory, but on his own, Long Wu was just getting beaten.

Sigh!

Xu Fu sighed, not sure if it was for Dongfang Yuling or Long Wu. At that moment, he actually hoped Dongfang Yuling had an ordinary bloodline, so she wouldn't be targeted by the Eternal Body. An eternal contract could easily turn into a relationship full of wounds.

Ye Chen didn't respond. He lit the immortal fire, warmed the pill furnace, and began adding refining materials one by one. This time, he was making three-striped pills—one pill for one year of comprehension, and this was already the third year.

As dawn approached, two pills emerged simultaneously: one was Xu Fu's one-striped pill, and the other was Ye Chen's three-striped pill. Both attracted pill lightning, but awkwardly, Ye Chen's lightning completely overshadowed Xu Fu's—they weren't even in the same league.

Xu Fu was used to it and remained optimistic, simply ignoring Ye Chen and letting his mind wander in pill comprehension, delving deeper into the mysteries of the pill.

Refining pills alongside a prodigy really sped up his progress.

And so, a month passed quietly.

In that month, Ye Chen produced pills frequently, each one drawing pill lightning, making Hengyue Sect hear thunder every day, day and night.

The people of Hengyue Sect were accustomed to it by now—even if they didn't hear a thunder or two before bed, they couldn't sleep.

Besides that, alchemists from Dan City came every few days, or every couple of days, to seek advice. Most were old-timers, often bringing a young one along, hoping to take Ye Chen as their master.

Ye Chen just smiled and declined, with no intention of taking disciples.

Even so, alchemists kept coming one after another, turning Hengyue into a bustling place.

Hengyue wasn't calm, and Da Chu was lively too, with even more people arriving, claiming to visit but really heading for the Peacock Clan—or more precisely, the Peacock Clan princess. They wanted to ask about the heavenly tribulation coffin and seek insights on the Di Dao Black Shore.

Tian Zhi had indeed come out, but not to her clan; she went to the Spirit Pill Pavilion.

After a month of seclusion, she had fully recovered and stabilized her realm, now a true Quasi-Emperor. Her restored bloodline was incredibly powerful, hiding ancient forces. Even with her immortal light restrained, she exuded an extraordinary aura, with dao principles faintly visible around her.

Such an aura made not just Qi Yue, but even Bei Sheng frown with a hint of wariness. People with restored bloodlines and fully opened divine treasuries were all extraordinarily strong.

"Hengyue has talents emerging everywhere; feel free to choose." Ye Chen said meaningfully, thinking of recruiting Tian Zhi. As the saying goes, don't let good opportunities go to outsiders—becoming Hengyue's daughter-in-law would be perfect.

"I'm fine on my own." Tian Zhi smiled and went over to the Precious Lotus Lamp, offering a strand of her life essence to nourish Nian Wei's soul. She was a true heroine.

"Thank you." From within the Precious Lotus Lamp came what seemed like a soft laugh—it was Nian Wei's—but it quickly fell silent again, with only occasional glimmers of consciousness. Full revival would take time.

Tian Zhi smiled, turned away, and looked at Ye Chen. "What do you make of the heavenly tribulation coffin?"

"The divine coffin heavenly tribulation appears, and the Di Dao contention for supremacy begins." Ye Chen said deeply. Though he didn't fully understand the meaning, it sounded profoundly significant coming from him.

"A sign?" Bei Sheng and Qi Yue asked in unison. They'd heard about the heavenly tribulation coffin but hadn't quite figured it out, yet those words carried deep implications.

"Figure it out yourselves." Ye Chen replied leisurely, acting as if he knew it all—though he was just bluffing.

The three women fell silent, as did Xu Fu. A Di Dao contention for supremacy was no small matter.

"How about passing on that Di Dao Black Shore of yours to me?" Ye Chen looked at Tian Zhi with a smile.

"What about your One Thought Eternity—can you pass that to me?"

"Sure."

With that simple exchange, the Sheng Ti and the clan princess happily settled it.