Chapter 2469: Purification Sacrifice

Zhuxian Jian had escaped, and the two Shennian Shenti pursued, leaving the shattered star-space in silence. All that remained was an ancient altar, with Ye Chen firmly suppressed upon it.

He was still in his demonic state, no longer in the Xueji Xianjie condition. His eyes were terrifyingly crimson, radiating savagery and bloodlust, as if desperate to break free from the grand array, yet lacking the power to do so.

After a long while, people began to gather from all directions, forming a dense crowd.

"At last, he's been suppressed."

Seeing Ye Chen on the altar, everyone let out a collective sigh of relief.

It was no wonder—he was incredibly formidable, having evaded capture by over a thousand peak Zhundi. It had taken the intervention of two Dacheng Shengti to finally subdue him. If he were to break free again, it would plunge the world into chaos.

"Hey, let's give him a good beating!"

Xiaoyuan Huang scratched his monkey fur as he spoke.

Such nonsense drew no responses. Ye Chen was indeed suppressed, but his demonic nature remained. Whether it was the Zhundi from Da Chu or those from Zang Shen Gudi, they all understood that his demonic essence was not so easily erased. Who could say if it might ever be completely wiped out?

On another side, Chu Ling and her companions rushed toward the altar.

To their surprise, before they could get close, a layer of golden light spread across the altar. It carried no destructive force but gently pushed them away.

The arriving peak Zhundi faced the same fate, all repelled by the golden light, as if it refused all kin and seemed to say: Go back to where you came from.

As a result, no one could approach within ten thousand zhang of the altar.

"How could this be?"

Chu Xuan and the others were all puzzled.

"The altar has a restriction," Sheng Zun said slowly. "Set by the female Shengti."

"The meaning is clear—it only allows specific people to pass."

"Specific people?"

"That has to be me."

Xiaoyuan Huang smoothed his monkey fur and stepped forward. After all, he and Ye Chen were like brothers, closer than blood kin, so it should grant him some favor.

But to his embarrassment, as soon as he entered that star domain, he was flung back out.

This proved that the monkey's face carried no weight, earning him glares from the crowd. Even the wives of the Shengti weren't allowed in—how could he be so bold?

Xiaoyuan Huang coughed awkwardly, his head drooping in defeat.

As the crowd puzzled over this, another figure stepped into the star space.

It was a graceful silhouette, ethereal and elegant, with lotus-like steps. Upon closer inspection, it was indeed Bei Sheng.

To everyone's astonishment, she faced no restrictions.

"Clearly, she is that specific person," Tian Lao said, stroking his chin.

The crowd raised their eyebrows, deeply confused.

And they should be confused.

Since it was a restriction set by the female Shengti, it held her deeper intentions. Perhaps Hongyan had long known Bei Sheng's true identity and anticipated this very moment. Only those with Jingshi Xianli could approach Ye Chen, and across all the heavens and realms, only Bei Sheng possessed it.

Under the watchful eyes of all, Bei Sheng continued step by step toward the ancient altar.

As she walked, her form began to change.

The change referred to her attire—the fairy garment shifting into a fiery red wedding dress. The hem fluttered elegantly, complementing her peerless beauty, making her appear extraordinarily radiant.

"This..."

The crowd stared in bewilderment. Why had she put on a wedding dress?

Chu Xuan and the others furrowed their brows slightly, with Nanming Yushu seeming to sense something, as this scene mirrored her own past so closely.

Bei Sheng paid no heed to the crowd's doubtful gazes.

Today, she would indulge herself once. Before the eyes of the world, she would wear the crimson wedding dress for her beloved, a vision she had fantasized about for years.

Ah!

Ren Wang sighed, unable to bear watching any longer. He turned away alone. The remnant soul of Ren Huang, usually unreliable, now seemed unusually serious, his hunched back evoking the weight of worldly sorrows. From the moment the remnant soul took human form, it had witnessed the vicissitudes of life and the joys and sorrows of humanity.

Not everyone, like Ren Wang, knew the hidden truth.

Most people's expressions were a mix of fascination and curiosity.

Evidently, Bei Sheng's wedding dress was for Ye Chen, but his wives were all present. Was this brazen display appropriate?

In the end, Bei Sheng stepped onto the altar and stood before Ye Chen.

"Is my wedding dress beautiful?"

Bei Sheng murmured with a soft smile, gently extending her jade hand full of tender affection to stroke Ye Chen's face, wishing to erase the unwarranted ferocity from it.

As she touched him, streams of immortal light began to flow from her body—pure and flawless, untainted by any worldly impurity. In all the realms, no power could be purer than this.

"Jingshi," Tianzhu Dimie whispered in surprise.

"Jingshi," the Five Great Tian Wang murmured in unison, their brows furrowing as they recognized Bei Sheng's aura. They had thought it a coincidence, but this Jingshi force was no accident.

"She actually has Jingshi Xianli," Diji said softly, identifying the power.

The Zhundi took a deep breath, finally grasping the implication.

In the eyes of the world, the altar was now enveloped in Jingshi Xianli, with Ye Chen bathed within it. The demonic aura surrounding his body vanished instantly upon contact with the force.

At the same time, within Ye Chen's sea of consciousness, a wondrous scene emerged.

In the midst of his slaughter, Ye Chen suddenly looked up and saw rain of light descending from the heavens—pure and white, its power immaculate, adding splendor to the dim consciousness realm.

Piercing screams erupted from hordes of evil spirits; any touched by the light rain were utterly annihilated. Vast seas of demonic blood also dissipated en masse.

In the void, the ghostly faces of the Mysterious Shengti, Mo Tiandi, and Lu Tundi Zi all twisted with fear, their already grotesque features becoming even more distorted.

Ye Chen furrowed his brow, gazing in bewilderment at the immortal rain, unsure of its origin, yet knowing it brought purity and light to his dark consciousness.

Ah!

As he watched, wails filled the air. The ghostly face of the Mysterious Shengti exploded first.

Next came Lu Tundi Zi, crumbling into ashes and vanishing. Only Mo Tiandi's ghostly face remained, writhing in the void.

"You cannot destroy me."

Mo Tiandi's face howled defiantly, alternating between savage laughter and expressions of terror, its voice laced with demonic power that made even Ye Chen's mind falter.

Indeed, Jingshi Xianli alone could not eradicate the curse.

Thus, it required the addition of a life stained with blood.

On the altar, Bei Sheng smiled tenderly.

Then, her graceful immortal form began to dissolve inch by inch into light, merging with the Jingshi force. As the bearer of Jingshi Xianli, she was that very life.

"Is she going to offer herself as a sacrifice?" the crowd exclaimed in shock.

"Immortal one!"

Chu Xuan and the others rushed forward again, their faces pale. If a sacrifice was needed, each of them would step up without hesitation. They could not bear to see this devoted woman leave behind a world of scars.

Buzz!

The altar trembled once more, the golden light pushing the women back. A sacrifice was required, but it could only be Bei Sheng. No one else could eliminate the Tiandi curse.

This tragedy was destined to be hers alone.

"No wonder she wore the wedding dress," many realized, staring in a daze.

This infatuated woman knew she was fated to die, so what did modesty matter? She would boldly don the crimson gown for her beloved—this was her first and last time.

"Does it have to be someone offering themselves?" Xiaoyuan Huang gripped his Wujin Iron Stick, his fiery eyes blazing.

No one answered the question. Clearly, the answer was yes.

This was a poignant wedding ceremony—the bride clear-minded, the groom unconscious. The altar was their bridal chamber, and the masses their witnesses.

Bei Sheng did not turn around; she only looked at Ye Chen, her eyes like limpid water, misty and blurred.

She recalled the ancient ruins of years past, where a rogue had stripped away her garments. From that night, she had fallen in love with a scoundrel named Ye Chen.

In this moment, she desperately hoped the young man before her would open his eyes and look at her—just once—to see if she made a beautiful bride in her wedding dress.

Alas, with the demonic aura dispersed, Ye Chen had fallen into a coma, standing like a stone statue bathed in Jingshi light, utterly still.

Suddenly, Ye Chen's body trembled, his Shengti disintegrating inch by inch into ash.

The scene was dreamlike—a young man, a woman, a Da Chu sovereign, a Xuanhuang Bei Sheng. One turned to ash, the other to light.

The difference was, one faced his tribulation, the other her end.

Bei Sheng wept, tears streaming down her face. She was ending, and he was facing his fate.

This parting would last for eternity. When he remembered her again, who knew how many years would pass.

"Ye Chen, will you remember me?"

Bei Sheng cried and laughed, her hand still caressing his face as it dissolved into light. Her tears, her wedding dress, her affections—all transformed into strands of Jingshi force, carrying a touch of reluctance as they faded away.

On the altar, the figures of the two were gone—one answering his tribulation, the other perishing. All that lingered in the world was a love story marred by scars.

Regrettably, Ye Chen never once opened his eyes to see that bride.

The star space seemed to freeze in that instant, deathly silent.

Everyone stared in a daze, many with moist eyes, whether from heartache or emotion.

What is love in this world? It drives people to live and die for it.

How many devoted women had embodied these words with their lives?

The Tenth Sovereign of Da Chu was truly fortunate, with so many women willing to sacrifice for him—like Chu Ling, Ji Ningshuang, Nanming Yushu, Liu Ruyan, and countless others. Each love story was stained with tragedy.

"May we bid farewell to the Xian Wang."

The words came sometime later, from the Five Great Tian Wang, Tianzhu Dimie, and the Forbidden Zone young Di, all bowing in unison.

Now, there was no need to ask; they knew that woman was a female Xian Wang from the Ancient Heavenly Court. For reasons unknown, she had fallen into the mortal world and become entangled in love, offering herself to become Jingshi, all to erase the curse for a man named Ye Chen.

With that farewell to the Xian Wang, the elders glanced sideways, wondering about her connection to the Five Great Forbidden Zones and her status in the Ancient Heavenly Court.

But more remained silent, like the Di Zi, many sighing; or Dijiuxian and Zhuque Princess, their eyes brimming with tears.

From this day forth, Xuanhuang would have no Bei Sheng.