Chapter 2437: Death Upon Sight

"Young man, are you talking about the Sheng Ti?" the youth asked excitedly, his eyes filled with gratitude.

"This isn't the place for you," Ye Chen said calmly, releasing the person's Yuan Shen. His meaning was clear: if you're not strong enough, don't join the chaos here; leave the ancient land quickly.

The youth bowed respectfully and turned to leave. Even after walking some distance, he couldn't help but glance back, aware of the animosity between Ye Chen and Tian Quan Sheng Di, a complex look on his face.

In the air, Ye Chen stood quietly, his aura incredibly powerful.

As for that ghostly face, it was twisted and hideous, filled with malicious intent as it struggled fiercely. Its blood-red eyes were full of savage fury, desperate to break free from the suppression and devour Ye Chen as well.

"Come on, come to me—you're of great use," Xiao Yuan Huang chuckled, stepping forward to crumple the ghostly face into a ball and seal it into a divine talisman, the purpose of which was unknown.

Ye Chen paid no attention, simply plucking the exquisite Ling Long Xue Lian and storing it in his internal world.

Even with that, he was still missing many materials needed to refine the Return Soul Pill.

After securing the snow lotus, the three continued deeper into the area.

Ye Chen remained vigilant at all times, searching for traces of the mysterious Sheng Ti and the five Shao Nian Di. However, after scouring the path, they found nothing—as if they had vanished into thin air.

The various Tian emperors' heirs were also nowhere to be seen, their whereabouts a complete mystery.

"It's just up ahead," Kui Niu pointed into the distance.

Ahead lay a vast, turbulent sea, its waves crashing wildly. This was where Kui Niu had obtained his thunder Di Yun, and along the way, he had boasted about it endlessly.

"Don't even think about taking it from me," Xiao Yuan Huang said.

"You got it," Kui Niu replied, thumping his chest with a big-brother air.

"Where could they be?" Ye Chen muttered to himself, uninterested in the Di Yun and more focused on the mysterious Sheng Ti. He had come here specifically for it, at the very least to uncover its secrets.

Unfortunately, he had yet to find any sign of it—not even a trace of its aura.

As they spoke, the three had already stepped onto the skies above the sea.

This sea was truly strange, its waters a deep crimson, more accurately called a blood sea. The stench of blood was overwhelmingly thick, clearly indicating that countless lives had been buried within. One could hear the wails of resentful spirits, carrying a demonic power amid the surging waves, enough to make one's mind grow hazy.

"In such an extremely yin place, how could there be yang Di Yun?"

Ye Chen gazed down below, easily deducing that Kui Niu's thunder Di Yun hadn't originated here. It was more likely that Kui Niu had stumbled upon it while passing through, which made more sense.

Otherwise, in a place of ultimate yin, yang Di Yun couldn't possibly exist—they were inherently opposed. That thunder Di Yun must have had its own spirit and willingly chosen Kui Niu.

And indeed, as Ye Chen thought, Xiao Yuan Huang and Kui Niu searched for quite a while, stirring up the waters and overturning everything, but they found no Di Yun—not even a single bird. There were no opportunities to be had.

Xiao Yuan Huang was extremely disappointed, looking utterly dejected.

Ye Chen took a step forward, heading in a random direction since he couldn't locate the mysterious figure.

Boom! Bang! Boom!

Zang Shen Gu Di was far from peaceful. As a ruins of the gods, it was like an ancient battlefield. In the distant past, a bloody war had taken place, and even now, with people entering the area, conflicts raged on—whether from personal grudges or treasure hunts, the fights were relentless.

Along their journey, the three witnessed it all: bodies left to rot in the wilderness, fierce brawls, and blood-soaked bones. The scenes were a grim succession of crimson horrors.

This was reality. Though there were no grand wars, small skirmishes abounded. Human greed bred chaos, and even without demons or prehistoric clans, it persisted.

Zang Shen Gu Di also had its days and nights.

As night fell, the world grew even darker. Shadows flitted through the air, each with a glowing spirit pearl hovering above their heads. In the desolate areas, misty yin fog swirled, obscuring the path ahead, and terrifying evils lurked, having devoured countless lives. Screams of agony echoed endlessly.

Yet, treasure seekers were still innumerable—who said fortune didn't favor the bold?

Bathed in the light of the spirit pearls, Ye Chen and his companions came to a halt once more.

Before them stood a massive palace, dilapidated and crumbling, with half of it collapsed. Bricks and tiles were scattered everywhere in disarray. However, this ancient hall was no ordinary structure—it was incredibly old, retaining traces of Dao essence, much like Ling Xiao Bao Dian.

Of course, this palace couldn't compare to Ling Xiao Bao Dian in any way. Aside from other aspects, just in terms of scale, it was like a small hillock at the base of a towering mountain.

"Zang Shen Dian," Ye Chen murmured softly, spotting the plaque on the hall.

"There might be treasures inside," Kui Niu and Xiao Yuan Huang said eagerly, rubbing their hands together as they stepped into the ancient hall.

Then, the two were sent flying out—quite literally.

Boom! Bang!

Two mountain peaks were consecutively shattered by their impacts.

Ye Chen wasn't surprised at all. While Xiao Yuan Huang and Kui Niu hadn't sensed it, he had been fully aware from the moment they stopped that someone was inside the hall, hidden with an incredibly profound immortal technique. Anyone with such power had to be a Shao Nian Di from the five forbidden zones.

"You idiot, what did we do to you?"

Kui Niu and Xiao Yuan Huang returned, both covered in dirt and grumbling loudly. They now knew who was inside—it was one of the five Shao Nian Di.

"Step foot here again, and you will be executed without mercy."

A cold, desolate voice echoed from within the hall, like a royal decree.

Hey!

Kui Niu wasn't having it. He immediately drew his battle axe, and Xiao Yuan Huang grabbed his weapon too.

However, Ye Chen moved even faster, slamming down a palm with decisive force. He'd seen arrogance before, but never like this—how dare this one attack his two brothers right in front of him?

Boom!

The grand ancient hall exploded in an instant, its flying debris turning to ash.

With the hall's destruction, the person inside revealed themselves. Still cloaked in black robes, unstained by dust, their figure flickered between illusion and reality, like a ghost. Most striking were their desolate eyes, now glinting with a cold light, harboring the essence of extinction Dao.

"You bastard, you hit us twice," Kui Niu cursed. He hadn't gotten a clear look earlier, but now he saw plainly that the Shao Nian Di who had struck him before was this very one. With his fiery temper, how could he hold back?

The black-robed Shao Nian Di ignored the outburst, focusing solely on Ye Chen.

"Jing Yu, Ming Tu, Wang Chuan, Huang Quan, Tian Xu—which one are you from?" Ye Chen asked with a smile, sizing up the black-robed Shao Nian Di. The other wasn't to be trifled with, but neither was he.

At these words, Kui Niu and Xiao Yuan Huang exchanged glances, both seeing the realization in each other's eyes. Clearly, the five suddenly appearing Shao Nian Di belonged to the major forbidden zones!

In that moment, the two shivered involuntarily.

Not long ago, they had been pondering that female Shao Nian Di—who knew she was from a forbidden zone? If they provoked the forbidden zones, it would spell trouble for both the Kui Niu lineage and the Holy Ape clan.

Though they trembled, they were still shocked.

That was why they were called forbidden zones—truly terrifying. They had hidden five Shao Nian Di-level figures. Such a force was beyond what the emperor heirs could match; in a real fight, they would be utterly defeated.

Bang!

As they processed this, the black-robed Shao Nian Di shattered the void with a single step, launching an attack without any preamble. Divine patterns swirled in his palm, infused with destructive power, delivering an unmatched strike.

Ye Chen responded silently, countering with his most powerful attack—a single devastating punch.

Bang!

Their fists and palms collided with earth-shaking force, toppling mountain ranges one after another. Even the treasure seekers hovering in the air were caught off guard, sent plummeting in droves. They had no idea what had happened, their organs jolted in pain, and some even had their bodies explode, splattering blood that added another layer of crimson to the darkness.

This black-robed Shao Nian Di was indeed formidable, clashing head-on with Ye Chen and only retreating half a step. In this regard, he was stronger than the previous female Shao Nian Di.

"Archaic Sheng Ti," the black-robed Shao Nian Di narrowed his eyes, recognizing Ye Chen's bloodline.

"It seems your elders didn't mention me to you," Ye Chen said, brushing off the dust from his shoulder as if nothing had happened. Forcing a Shao Nian Di to retreat half a step left him unfazed.

"I've heard the Archaic Sheng Ti is unbeatable in the same realm, but I don't believe it," the black-robed Shao Nian Di sneered, his desolate eyes now gleaming with fanatical excitement. He was clearly a battle enthusiast, finally finding a worthy opponent—and one said to be undefeated in their realm.