Chapter 2375: Ten Thousand Avatars

Chapter 2375: One Hundred Thousand Incarnations

The Hei Lian Tian Mo was slain, reduced to dust and scattered.

Ye Chen took the pill and absorbed it into his body. Although he had defeated the Hei Lian Tian Mo, he still suffered injuries. A heavenly demon that could survive the Di Jie was extraordinarily terrifying, even under the suppression of the heavens. Beings like that were easy to defeat but hard to destroy completely—the difference between defeat and annihilation was vast.

Those who carried Di Yun were especially formidable, able to borrow the power of the emperor's path.

In a certain sense, Di Yun surpassed even the might of supreme emperor weapons.

Even now, the killing intent of the Di Dao Shen Yun lingered within his body.

After recovering from his wounds, Ye Chen did not leave the black hole. He simply stood quietly, gazing into its depths. That direction was where the Hei Lian Tian Mo had been heading—desolate and pitch-black.

Amusing as it might be, some matters were not as simple as they seemed.

For instance, the Hei Lian Tian Mo had been roaming chaotically through the black hole at a critical moment of reshaping its form. There must be some hidden secret. Perhaps the black hole concealed even greater mysteries.

With this in mind, Ye Chen stirred his thoughts and created one hundred thousand incarnations.

"Lao Da is so domineering."

The one hundred thousand incarnations grinned and clicked their tongues, each seeming to possess its own consciousness. As incarnations of the original, they were identical to Ye Chen in every way—and just as infuriating.

"Scatter and head into the depths of the black hole. The farther, the better," Ye Chen said calmly.

"Got it!"

The one hundred thousand incarnations moved in unison, spreading out infinitely in all directions from Ye Chen as their center. They carried out his command without question, advancing into the boundless darkness with an impressive formation.

Ye Chen also manifested one hundred thousand strands of divine sense, attaching them to the incarnations.

He was searching for something—specifically, heavenly demons.

As the saying goes, many hands make light work.

One hundred thousand incarnations was no small number, each carrying Ye Chen's divine sense. Every incarnation would extend its divine sense outward as far as possible, expanding the search range to locate heavenly demons.

This method was crude, but it was the most straightforward.

There was no other way—the black hole was immense, as vast as the universe itself. Even a great emperor could spend a lifetime and still not explore every corner. Finding someone in the black hole was incredibly time-consuming.

As the original, Ye Chen was not idle either. He stepped into the void and headed deeper into the black hole, extending his own divine sense like a layer of golden light. He pushed it as far as it could go. If there were any heavenly demons or traces related to them, they would not escape his scrutiny.

This journey lasted three days.

On the fourth day, he came to a halt, staring ahead at a chaotic realm. He could not tell what forces intertwined there, with faint flickers of annihilating immortal light that were blinding and terrifying to behold. Even the space of the black hole was distorted by it—a truly dangerous place.

He dared not enter and instead circled around it.

The black hole held both opportunities and perils, with countless frightening areas and unsolved mysteries. Even a figure as powerful as the Dacheng Sheng Ti Di Huang could not explain them all. The world was vast, full of wonders.

After bypassing the chaotic realm, Ye Chen continued onward, his divine sense sweeping ahead.

His one hundred thousand incarnations did the same, conducting a thorough, blanket search.

On the fifth day, he passed by a ruins—more accurately, an ancient battlefield. He saw tattered war banners, their origins unknown, along with shattered artifacts, wrecked war chariots, and unweathered bones scattered everywhere. But they were just remnants; anything he touched crumbled to dust. The years had been too relentless.

He glanced at it one last time before silently departing.

The black hole was cold, desolate, and infinitely vast.

Within it, Ye Chen felt as insignificant as a grain of rice or a speck of sand. He traversed patches of darkness and explored sections of the black hole, encountering many perilous places that he avoided from afar.

Nine days passed quietly, and he had traveled far enough.

After more than ten days, his one hundred thousand incarnations had not reported back and were still pressing on.

On the tenth day, he stopped again.

Not far ahead lay a sea of clouds, murky and chaotic.

Buzz!

The Hun Dun Ding hummed and burst out of his inner world unbidden, plunging straight into the cloud sea. In an instant, it emerged again, its body vibrating with excitement.

Ye Chen looked up and saw that the Hun Dun Ding now held a silver copper furnace.

It was a damaged Zhun Di Qi, worn down by the ages. As the saying went, even a Zhun Di could not withstand the blade-like passage of time, let alone a broken artifact.

Crack!

A crisp sound rang out as the damaged copper furnace was crushed and swallowed by the Hun Dun Ding.

Buzz!

The great ding hummed again, appearing even more ancient and weighty, intertwined with the sounds of the great dao.

Ye Chen could not help but sigh, feeling a twinge of regret. A broken Zhun Di Bing was still a Zhun Di Bing, yet it had been devoured just like that. Even as its owner, he had to marvel at its appetite.

The Hun Dun Ding did not return to his inner world; it seemed to be waiting for more. In the space black hole, dangers coexisted with fortunes, and broken artifacts might appear anywhere. It was ready to seize them all, refusing nothing in its quest to feast.

Given its enthusiasm, Ye Chen decided to play along and moved the artifacts from his Hun Dun Xiao Jie to a safer place. With such a glutton watching, it was better to be cautious.

After this brief interlude, he set off once more.

The rest of the journey was long. He did not find any heavenly demons, but he did come across many artifacts. Though their levels were not low, they were all damaged, with only scant essence remaining.

The Hun Dun Ding was not picky—it devoured whatever it could.

Thus, it followed Ye Chen like a scavenger, darting ahead whenever it spotted an artifact. It moved faster than anyone and was more eager, swallowing them without hesitation.

Ye Chen had grown accustomed to this; his ding had its own nature.

However, after consuming so many artifacts, the Hun Dun Ding was indeed evolving. Already a Zhun Di Qi in the making, it underwent changes every day, with small transformations accumulating toward a greater rebirth.

At some point, the Hun Dun Ding stopped wandering and returned to his inner world.

Soon after, Ye Chen heard cracking sounds—it was stealthily devouring more artifacts, leaving him somewhat helpless. It was a good thing he had relocated the higher-level ones; otherwise, they would all be gone.

As the saying went, don't let resources go to waste?

Ye Chen muttered to himself, giving the Hun Dun Ding a justification for its feasting.

He paused again two days later.

In the distance, a vast landmass came into view, about ten thousand zhang in circumference, floating isolated in the darkness. It was barren, devoid of life or vitality—just scorched earth stained with blood.

Ye Chen approached step by step, his eyes sharp and alert.

On that land stood a stone coffin, bound by cold iron chains and inscribed with divine patterns. With his experience, even he could not discern their origin.

His eyes lit up because beside the coffin grew a crimson immortal herb, redder than the Banksia flower and glowing with crimson immortal light, as if stained with blood.

It was the Nine Yin Ming Grass, a material for refining the Nine Revolutions Soul-Returning Pill.

Legend had it that this immortal herb only grew in extremely yin places. Though not extinct, it was incredibly rare. Finding it here was sheer luck, and the evil demons had yet to discover it.

As he spoke, he had already stepped onto the land and headed straight for the coffin.

The moment he entered, a chilling wind arose. His expression remained unchanged, knowing the source—it must be the ancient stone coffin. It had likely been buried for so long that its occupant had become a yin corpse. The absence of yin energy would have been strange; in fact, that energy was nurturing the Nine Yin Ming Grass.

The closer he got to the coffin, the greater the pressure. He could guess that the person buried inside had been immensely powerful in life, leaving behind an ancient aura even in death.

Reaching the coffin, he activated his Wheel of Reincarnation Eye and peered inside.

There lay a youth.

As expected, the body had not decayed; the youth retained his original form, clad in an ancient dao robe covered in dust. His expression was indifferent, masking a wooden demeanor, with thick yin energy that the coffin could not fully contain. It seeped out, chilling to the bone.

Ye Chen focused his thoughts and summoned immortal fire to dispel the yin energy within himself.

He did not underestimate the youth in the coffin. Though he had an ordinary appearance, he had clearly been a supreme overlord in life.

Yet, Ye Chen wondered why such an ancient powerhouse was buried in the black hole.

"Senior, this junior means no disrespect. I must borrow this immortal herb to save a life," Ye Chen bowed respectfully to the stone coffin, then waved his hand to collect the Nine Yin Ming Grass, sealing it in his inner world.

Afterward, he quietly retreated. Though he knew this act was improper, he had no choice. Without the Nine Yin Ming Grass, he could not refine the Soul-Returning Pill and thus could not revive Mu Liu Qing.

However, before he could leave the land, the stone coffin began to hum. Its lid trembled violently, and waves of yin energy surged out, accompanied by the wails of malevolent ghosts.

Ye Chen frowned; the worst had happened. His disturbance had triggered some taboo of the deceased, transforming the coffin’s occupant into a full yin corpse.

Buzz!

The stone coffin vibrated and charged at him, carrying torrents of yin energy and ancient pressure.

Ye Chen hurriedly raised his hand to block it, but he was forced to stagger back.

With no other option, he deployed immortal techniques. His Di Dao Fu Xi Array appeared, powerfully trapping the stone coffin.

The coffin buzzed and thrashed wildly, on the verge of breaking free.

Before it could, the Twelve Heavenly Characters Great Ming Array also activated, perfectly merging with the Di Dao Fu Xi Array and reinforced by the bloodstained emperor sword, finally suppressing it completely.

In addition, he layered on thousands of seals.

Only then did Ye Chen place the stone coffin into his Hun Dun Xiao Jie. Since it had become a yin corpse, it was better to take it back to the heavens, find its relatives, and allow it to return to its roots.

With the Nine Yin Ming Grass harvested and the stone coffin sealed, the landmass began to dissipate.

Ah!

Ye Chen sighed. This karma had formed whether he wanted it or not. Provoking a yin spirit would bring trouble, an invisible burden that cultivators dreaded.

"Lao Da, let me swallow that bloodstained emperor sword!"

As Ye Chen sighed, he heard this voice from the Hun Dun Ding, which had emerged from his inner world and hovered before him, buzzing excitedly.

Ye Chen was stunned, his expression one of surprise.

The Hun Dun Ding speaking was unexpected—it had developed an extraordinarily high level of intelligence, something even supreme emperor weapons might not possess.

"Lao Da?"

Seeing its owner silent, the Hun Dun Ding called out tentatively.

Ye Chen still said nothing, stroking his chin as he circled the Hun Dun Ding, occasionally tapping it with a finger. The sound was quite clear.

He ignored its eager attempts.

As the owner, he was thrilled and excited by his natal weapon's evolution in intelligence.

But allowing it to swallow the bloodstained emperor sword was out of the question.

Thinking this, he swatted it with a palm and sent it back to his inner world. If you want to swallow that sword, go negotiate with it yourself—I can't decide.

Surprisingly, the foolish Hun Dun Ding actually approached, circling the bloodstained emperor sword. "Hey, can I swallow you?"

Then, it was sent flying by the sword. What are you thinking? A damaged emperor weapon is still an emperor weapon. How dare you try to eat me—you're way too bold!

Now, the Hun Dun Ding quieted down, looking dejected. There was still a gap between a Zhun Di Qi and a damaged emperor weapon, just as there was between a Zhun Di and a half emperor— incomparable.

"Interesting," Ye Chen laughed, feeling quite satisfied watching the Hun Dun Ding get its due.

"Lao Da, I'm your natal weapon."

The Hun Dun Ding replied, its entire form seeming darkened. If possible, it would charge out of the inner world and ram him.

"You've swallowed quite a bit, I—"

"Lao Da, there's a heavenly demon."

Before Ye Chen could finish, he was interrupted by a transmission from one of his incarnations.

Immediately after, that incarnation dissipated.

It was not on its own—it had been obliterated by a powerful force: a heavenly demon.

"Excellent."

Ye Chen's voice was resolute. With the incarnation's confirmation of the location, he charged straight toward it. His eyes flashed with cold, infinite killing intent. The mere mention of heavenly demons drove him mad with rage, a deep-seated enmity from both his past and present lives.

Before long, he arrived at that section of the black hole.

From afar, he spotted a massive bronze ancient hall suspended in the depths, shrouded in dark demonic aura, exuding an air of ancient savagery and violence. Though sizable, it paled in comparison to the Ling Xiao Treasure Hall—it was like a minor player next to a giant.

Moreover, this Tian Mo bronze ancient hall was damaged, with parts collapsed.

Ye Chen approached and glanced at the plaque: Tian Mo Dian.

He waved his hand, tore it down, and crushed it underfoot before stepping inside.

The hall was dim and chilling, resembling the golden throne room of a mortal dynasty.

Ye Chen stood against the wall, quietly observing the engraved patterns on it, their meaning unclear. There were also towering copper pillars inscribed with various demonic patterns, including the Hei Lian totem, representing a race of heavenly demons—the very one he had slain earlier.

The Hun Dun Ding slipped out again, hoping to find treasures to devour.

Unfortunately, the Tian Mo origin and the heavens' origin were inherently opposed. It could swallow them, but doing so would be asking for trouble—the conflicting origins could never merge.

"With the Wheel of Reincarnation Eye, you have nowhere to hide."

Ye Chen snorted coldly and smashed a copper pillar with a palm. Inside was a heavenly demon, not in human form but as a black lotus. It fled as a streak of dim light.

Like the previous three black lotuses, this one was enveloped in demonic aura, savage and bloodthirsty. Even in its lotus state, it emitted the aura of a Zhun Di, making it a Zhun Di level heavenly demon.

"You deserve to die," roared a furious voice from the black lotus, twisted and horrific.

"You deserve it more," Ye Chen retorted sharply, the bloodstained emperor sword already in his hand. From his heavenly spirit, a golden light shot up—a sealing array—instantly locking down the entire hall to prevent the heavenly demon's escape. It had taken one hundred thousand incarnations to find it; he would not let it slip away.