Chapter 2391: A Curse from the Vague

Under the moonlight, Heng Yue was both tranquil and bustling. Thanks to Xu Fu's *Dan Lei* and the anomalies at *Yu Nu Peak*, a night that should have been quiet turned into one buzzing with activity, keeping many awake.

"Not bad." Ye Chen's smile held many layers of meaning, and he made a mental note to find someone to swap bodies with when he had the chance.

He found a good spot and sat down cross-legged, falling into a state of Dao comprehension.

Xu Fu glanced over as he finished refining his pills, unable to help but sigh and click his tongue. With so many beautiful wives at home, how could you still have the mood to comprehend the Dao? And you're doing it right here in my Ling Dan Pavilion.

Once he looked away, he popped a handful of pills into his mouth and continued refining.

His pursuits differed from those of other cultivators. While they sought the great Dao, he focused on the path of alchemy. As an alchemist, creating higher-level pills was his ultimate glory in life.

Meanwhile, the anomalies at *Yu Nu Peak* gradually faded.

One could see that Chu Xuan and the others wore expressions of deep realization. Swapping bodies had brought unexpected surprises, and no one could explain such events, though they knew boundless opportunities lay within.

The night fell quiet once more.

Xu Fu refined his pills, and Ye Chen comprehended the Dao, neither interfering with the other.

In the night, both worked diligently. The realms of pills and the Dao were different paths leading to the same goal; understanding pills was a form of understanding the Dao, and progress in the Dao greatly benefited alchemy.

In the tranquil night, Ling Dan Pavilion was enveloped in anomalies of chaos.

These anomalies belonged to Ye Chen—a mountain, a river, a tree, a plant—all illusions yet each possessing spirituality and Dao essence, with faint traces of chaotic Dao principles emerging.

Looking at Ye Chen's sacred body, it was bathed in radiant light, like a divine being. If a halo were added behind his head, it would be even more fitting, exuding an dazzling aura.

He sat there for an unknown number of days, as if in a state of eternal meditation, utterly still.

In the meantime, the starry sky, which had been calm for a while, gradually grew lively again.

The liveliness referred to the younger generation, who had rested enough and were now challenging each other nonstop. Battle after battle unfolded with stunning flair, drawing attention from all sides.

They were all prodigies, the future leaders of the various heavens, poised to usher in a new era.

The Heaven's Punishment Body and the Heaven's Lone Star had yet to appear, but Tai Yin and Tai Yang, who had once stood on equal footing with them, were frequently battling, with wins and losses, establishing their own reputations. Aside from those top-tier prodigies, no one dared to challenge them.

The battles among prodigies were like spectacular performances, captivating the world.

There were always people trying to rank the future talents, but they couldn't find anyone who could truly surpass the rest. Even powerful figures like the Dao Yuan Divine Body and the Zi Fu Immortal Body didn't dare claim the top spot.

Another quiet night arrived.

Bathed in the light of *Dan Lei*, Ye Chen's sacred body suddenly trembled.

Then, his brows furrowed slightly.

In the depths of his consciousness, he sensed a mysterious force, elusive and ethereal, appearing and disappearing without a trace, its origin untraceable. All he knew was that he deeply loathed it.

This went on for several days; that unknown mysterious force would manifest unexpectedly, coming and going swiftly, giving him no chance to trace it.

Over time, his brows furrowed even deeper, as if he were being targeted by that force. It was so ethereal that every time it appeared, a chill would wash over him, making even his mighty, yang-dominant sacred body shudder, and in a few moments, his soul would tremble with fear.

In the end, on a quiet night, that mysterious force fully erupted.

Looking closely at his forehead, dark light swirled around it. In the mortal world, this would be called a black mark on the forehead seal. A fortune-teller might stroke his beard and say: Young friend, you may face great calamity!

And indeed, that was the case. As the dark light faded, an ancient curse mark slowly etched itself out, carrying an eerie and sinister aura with a greenish glow. Centered on the curse mark, the mysterious force spread, invading his divine sea and locking onto his primordial spirit.

Not only that, his sacred body inexplicably gained a layer of dark energy, eroding his sacred body essence and blood, even making his origin and bloodline pulse wildly, as if eager to break free.

Buzz!

A buzzing sound rang out as the Chaos Cauldron emerged, hovering above Ye Chen's head.

Then, the Escaping Armor Heavenly Characters circled around, the sounds of the great Dao echoed, and strands of chaotic Dao principles descended, enveloping Ye Chen's entire body and automatically wiping away the dark energy for its master.

"This..." Xu Fu glanced over, stopping his pill refining mid-process and stepping forward in an instant.

"Don't get close. Stay back!" The Chaos Cauldron trembled, cursing out loud.

This outburst left Xu Fu completely stunned. Oh no, this thing can actually speak.

Though stunned, he halted his steps and dared not approach further, for the dark energy was too chilling. Even with his Great Saint cultivation, he couldn't resist it, feeling his soul tremble in fear.

"Old boss, wake up." The Chaos Cauldron loyally protected him, ignoring Xu Fu and calling out to Ye Chen.

"I'm awake." Ye Chen replied calmly, without opening his eyes.

"Someone's cursing you."

"I know that." Ye Chen's words were casual. From the moment the curse mark appeared, he had realized it. He had allowed it to act unchecked while trying to trace its source, wanting to see exactly who was cursing him and with such a terrifying curse at that.

In an instant, his sacred body was infused with the power of the Zhou Tian, gathering to its fullest and tracing back along the curse mark with overwhelming force, as if he wouldn't stop until he found the culprit.

As he pursued, all he saw were layers of misty clouds. Clearing one layer revealed another, a divine ability of the caster meant to obscure and block his tracing.

But the caster had underestimated a Quasi-Emperor level sacred body. Though the Zhou Tian power belonged to the realm of divination, it was domineering beyond compare. Countless clouds were erased, and the tracing reached the ultimate source.

In that moment, Ye Chen vaguely saw a graceful figure standing in the chaos, dressed in white and radiating an otherworldly aura, as ethereal as an immortal, like a dream or an illusion.

"It's you." Ye Chen said sharply, recognizing her at once. Wasn't it the white-clad woman he had encountered when entering Da Chu? She had schemed against Di Huang and tricked all of Da Chu. If not for the Feather Transformation Immortal King holding the line, little Ruoxi might have been abducted.

But what he didn't know was the true secret of that white-clad woman—the Zhuxian Sword was within her. It was more accurate to say the Zhuxian Sword was cursing him, not her.

"Exterminate."

Ye Chen snorted coldly, transforming the Zhou Tian power into an immortal sword and slashing toward the white-clad woman.

Unfortunately, he only struck a patch of chaos. The woman seemed impossibly distant; though visible, he couldn't reach her. Or perhaps, what he saw was merely her illusion.

After the sword strike, the white-clad woman vanished without a trace, leaving only surging chaotic clouds.

Ye Chen had no choice but to withdraw from the tracing. He suddenly opened his eyes, having failed to strike the woman, but the curse remained. The curse mark on his forehead was gathering power, slowly devouring him. The curse's strength was still formidable, far beyond imagination.

"Old boss, need any help?" The Chaos Cauldron trembled, eager to show its loyalty—who knew, maybe its master would reward it with some artifacts.

Ye Chen said nothing, instead casting the Reincarnation Immortal Technique to lock onto the curse.

Curses and contracts were both formless forces. Since he could use reincarnation to dissolve contracts, he could also use it to dissolve curses.

This was something the Zhuxian Sword could never have anticipated.

The power of reincarnation manifested, enveloping Ye Chen's entire body. The invisible curse force was all captured, with nowhere to hide under reincarnation, being erased bit by bit.

As for the curse mark on his forehead, it vanished completely.

Pfft!

Though the curse was broken, a faint sound of someone spitting blood echoed in the void.

Clearly, it was the white-clad woman who had spat blood. What was injured was the Zhuxian Sword. They had gone to great lengths to curse Ye Chen, only for it to be undone.

Breaking a curse came with backlash; it hadn't harmed Ye Chen but had backfired on them.

"Underestimated you." From the ethereal void came a cold laugh, laced with a demonic power. Even the Chaos Cauldron, upon hearing it, felt a moment of daze and nearly plummeted from the air.

"When the seniors awaken, I'll settle this with you." Ye Chen snorted coldly and sat down cross-legged again, closing his eyes. He wouldn't trace the white-clad woman anymore—it was futile. Someone who dared scheme against Di Huang must have their own backing. If she could be found so easily, that would be unnatural.

Seeing Ye Chen return to normal, Xu Fu finally breathed a sigh of relief and went back to his pill furnace. Before looking away, he couldn't help but glance at the Chaos Cauldron. You're quite impressive! You've even awakened intelligence and can speak. A talking artifact—first time I've seen something like that. Truly fascinating.

"Hey, old man, your pill furnace is pretty good!" The Chaos Cauldron flew over, circling the furnace up and down, left and right. It wasn't just a pill furnace; it was also a Great Saint weapon.

"Get lost." Xu Fu scolded, well aware of the Chaos Cauldron's habits—it loved devouring others' artifacts.

"Eh? Why isn't your disciple wearing clothes?" The Chaos Cauldron exclaimed in surprise.

"Not wearing clothes?" Xu Fu raised an eyebrow and instinctively turned to look behind him.

But there was no Qi Yue behind him, not even a bird in sight.

Realizing he'd been tricked, he whipped back around. Damn it, where's my pill furnace?

That night, Xu Fu clutched his chest, waves of pain washing over him—not just heartache, but physical pain too. He'd been outsmarted by an artifact and lost a Great Saint weapon. How embarrassing.

Who would have thought an artifact could be so cunning? Just like its master, it could talk and had mastered the art of deception perfectly.

Helplessly, he waved his hand and summoned a new pill furnace.

The minor incident passed, and the fire was reignited. Immortal herbs were added one by one in an orderly manner, filling the air with the fragrant scent of pills.

Sometime later, Ye Chen awoke, exhaling a breath of stale air and pulling out his wine flask.

"My pill furnace!" Xu Fu cursed immediately.

"Can I be blamed for that?" Ye Chen chuckled, thoroughly amused by the Chaos Cauldron's antics.

"Just wait until I finish refining these pills." Xu Fu grumbled, patting his furnace.

In an instant, a purple pill shot into the sky, and dark clouds gathered—clearly, Dan Lei was incoming.

Boom!

The next moment, a thunderous boom echoed through Heng Yue, Da Chu, and even the myriad heavens, shaking Xu Fu off balance and nearly making him fall.

"This Dan Lei is way too..." Xu Fu swallowed hard.

"It's not Dan Lei; it's a heavenly demon." Ye Chen shouted, already gripping his blood-stained emperor sword and soaring into the sky, his full power unleashed. His icy killing intent froze the very heavens and earth.