Chapter 2474: Stone Spirit

Chapter 2474: The Stone Spirit

Eh?

Seeing Ye Chen's entire body glowing brightly, the fat old Taoist exclaimed in surprise.

"Why is it still glowing!"

The fat old Taoist muttered to himself, truly a diligent Taoist. He pulled out a small hammer from his robe and began tapping it all over Ye Chen's body, as if studying it.

Ye Chen took a deep breath, suppressing his urge to lash out. He focused diligently on absorbing the power of the stars, determined to transform into human form as quickly as possible and restore his cultivation to protect himself. Who knew where this place was? If a passing cultivator happened by and carelessly destroyed him, that would be absurd.

This was a tribulation response; if he were destroyed, it would be for real.

Putting those thoughts aside, he calmed his mind and circulated his technique silently. More starlight was drawn in, enveloping his stone body and gradually merging into it, turning into spiritual energy.

The Nine Heavens Star Technique was indeed profound. He had obtained it from the forbidden desert years ago and refined it multiple times. Now, it was a genuine emperor-level immortal method.

Nourished by the starlight, his dark, dull body gradually shed its black hue, gaining a brilliant sheen, like a radiant gem embedded in the earth.

"What a strange stone."

"This must be a treasure. I should take it back to my master; he'd be thrilled."

"Why is it so heavy?"

The fat old Taoist continued his examination, convinced this stone was a valuable artifact. He thought about carrying it home, but his strength was limited, and he couldn't budge Ye Chen at all, leaving him drenched in sweat.

So, he brought out his tools for the job—a larger iron hammer replaced the small one, and he also grabbed an iron drill. It looked like he intended to chisel the stone open.

He got right to it, and soon the pounding echoed loudly as he worked with great effort.

Ye Chen started to feel the pain. The stone was his body, after all, and having someone hammer holes into it was agony. If the old man had enough time, he might really break him into pieces.

"Stop right there!"

Suddenly, the fat old Taoist shouted and dashed off in one direction, dropping his hammer. After a few steps, he turned back to grab his peachwood sword, Eight Trigrams mirror, and various other items.

Ye Chen glanced over and saw a ghost wandering in this area late at night. Spotting the fat old Taoist, it turned and fled—ordinary ghosts feared Taoists.

One ghost and one Taoist chased each other, disappearing into the darkness.

It was easy to imagine the ghost's misfortune. The fat old Taoist had all the tools for capturing ghosts and subduing demons, especially his blessed yellow talismans, which were quite powerful.

With no one chipping away at him, Ye Chen enjoyed the peace and continued gathering starlight.

The essence of the star power, like streams of immortal light, bathed him, washing away the impurities and grime, and the pure energy entered his body, forming his Dao roots.

If any cultivator passed by now, they would surely be astonished—a glowing stone must be an extraordinary treasure.

In fact, Ye Chen hoped a cultivator would come along. He wouldn't need to say much; just mentioning Ye Chen's name would make any cultivator in the heavens recognize him. They could help him transform, and that would save a lot of trouble.

Unfortunately, this wasn't the heavens. Besides a few, no one here would know who Ye Chen was. If someone got murderous, they might send the Tenth Emperor of Da Chu on a one-way trip to the afterlife.

Time passed, and dawn was approaching.

Accompanied by a hum, Ye Chen's stone body burst into brilliant light.

Then, a dazzling beam shot from his stone form straight into the vast sky. This wasn't ordinary light; it carried the power of tribulation, like a sudden release.

Boom!

A rumbling echoed from the void, and an ethereal heavenly palace was affected, shaking with a buzz. Everyone inside the palace lost their footing and nearly fell.

This heavenly palace was truly magnificent, with golden eaves and jade railings, exuding grandeur and majesty. Immortal mist swirled within, enveloped in clouds, like a dream or an illusion.

It seemed to be a kingdom, currently holding morning court in the golden hall. Ministers stood in rows on either side, bowing respectfully, while the king sat on the dragon throne in imperial robes. This emperor was no ordinary ruler—the legendary Jade Emperor, that was him.

This peaceful morning court was disrupted by Ye Chen's light beam, startling all the immortals in the hall.

"What caused the disturbance below? Investigate immediately," the Jade Emperor said calmly, his every gesture radiating imperial authority, surrounded by the aura of nine dragons, symbolizing supreme sovereignty.

At his command, two figures left the palace—one with strangely shaped ears, the other with extraordinarily large, bright eyes. They were Qianli Yan and Shunfeng Er. Standing outside the hall, one peered into the yin and yang of the lower realms, the other listened to the affairs of the world, piercing through the misty clouds to see Ye Chen.

Not long after, they returned to the hall. "Reporting to the Jade Emperor, it is a stone turning into a human."

"Such things are born from the essence of heaven and earth—nothing unusual," the Jade Emperor said with a smile.

Ye Chen, of course, knew nothing of this.

By now, he was no longer a stone; he had transformed into a human form. Though he had changed shape, he was completely naked, with his manhood standing out boldly.

"A ghost!"

The returning fat old Taoist was terrified at the sight, letting out a howl and scrambling away.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Ye Chen cursed and casually grabbed him back.

What followed wasn't very harmonious.

The Tenth Emperor of Da Chu pinned the fat old Taoist to the ground and stripped him of his clothes, leaving only a pair of floral underwear. Ye Chen then put on the clothes himself—there was no way he could face anyone naked.

"Run now, why aren't you running?"

Ye Chen tied up the fat old Taoist and said with a grin.

The fat old Taoist's face was pale, sweating profusely, not daring to breathe. This guy wasn't a treasure at all; he was clearly a demon, a stone spirit that had become a monster.

"Where is this place?"

Ye Chen took the fat old Taoist's wine flask and took a swig.

"Dongsheng Shenzhou, Aolai Guo," the fat old Taoist whispered.

Ye Chen raised an eyebrow at the names—he'd never heard of them.

"How far is it from Da Chu?"

"Da Chu?"

"Have you heard of Xuan Huang?"

"Xuan Huang?"

Ye Chen didn't ask further; it was pointless. A mere mortal Taoist wouldn't know.

He glanced around and looked up at the sky.

The faint stars in the distance were dimming, but different from the starscapes in his memory. His vision from the tribulation was still there, but his eyesight was much weaker. He had no idea which star domain or planet he was on, or how far from Da Chu.

"The most reliable way is to find a cultivator and ask," Ye Chen muttered. He poked the fat old Taoist with a stick, still grinning. "Do you know where I can find immortals?"

At the mention of immortals, the fat old Taoist perked up. Even though he was tied up, he jumped to his feet and hopped around excitedly.

"You didn't say so earlier! Let me go quickly—my master is an immortal. Watch out, or he'll destroy you."

Ye Chen didn't think twice and slapped him across the face.

Smack!

The slap was crisp, and the fat old Taoist's face twisted to the side.

That made him behave. He'd tried to intimidate with his master's name, but this stone spirit didn't care. The slap left him seeing stars.

"Take me to your master."

Ye Chen hoisted him up.

"Southeast, eighty li."

The fat old Taoist became incredibly compliant.

Ye Chen set off immediately. He wanted to fly, but he didn't have the cultivation for it. After absorbing starlight all night, he was at best at the peak of Qi Condensation.

This was the reality of responding to tribulation—starting over from scratch.

Still, he should be grateful. He had entered with his memories, giving him an innate god-level advantage. His memories were an endless treasure trove.

As he spoke, he stepped over a rock and entered the forest.

By now, it was fully light, with no stars in sight, only the warm sunlight.

Once again, he silently circulated his technique.

This time, he absorbed the power of the sun. The method was one he had created himself. Compared to absorbing spiritual energy, forces like starlight and sunlight were purer.

Bathed in the warm sunlight, his body was enveloped in a layer of radiant divine glow.

"This stone spirit is no ordinary one."

The fat old Taoist, being carried, looked up more than once, his expression full of curiosity. He'd heard his master say that those who could emit light were of the immortal class. Ye Chen, having transformed from a stone, was clearly one too, though he was a demon.

It wasn't until later that Ye Chen stopped.

Before him stood a great mountain, with fairly abundant spiritual energy and an air of prosperity.

Ye Chen glanced around and ascended the stone steps.

Through the mist, he could see a Taoist temple at the mountain's peak.

Many villagers came and went, mostly to pray for safety, with a steady stream of people, making the temple's incense thick and the smoke curling. If there were no immortals here, even ghosts wouldn't believe it.

His arrival drew curious stares from the villagers.

People who came here were all devout, but this one just showed up carrying someone, tied up and stripped nearly naked. He looked like a bandit, and it seemed he wasn't here to offer incense but to cause trouble.

"Leave me some dignity."

The fat old Taoist subconsciously covered his face.

Ye Chen ignored him and passed through the corridors to the depths of the temple.

From afar, he saw an old Taoist sitting cross-legged on a cushion, with two young attendants on either side, gently fanning him—it was quite leisurely.

No need to guess; this old Taoist was the fat old Taoist's master. He wasn't a true immortal—more accurately, a half-immortal, the kind you could swat dead with one palm.

"Master, save me!"

The fat old Taoist flailed his arms and shouted.

The old Taoist was startled awake and opened his eyes, only to see a figure suddenly in front of him, nearly making him fall off his cushion in fright.

"At your age, barely a half-immortal—your talent is truly impressive," Ye Chen said, sitting down. He brushed the dust off himself and looked at the old Taoist with a grin.

The old Taoist was shocked and scanned Ye Chen up and down. He could tell at a glance that this wasn't an ordinary person—more like a stone spirit, a demon.

Well then! The old Taoist got fired up, stepping back and holding his flywhisk. "Halt, you demon! How dare you cause trouble in my temple?"

Then, he was down for the count—Ye Chen had tied him up too.

Now it was complete: one fat old Taoist, one fat old master; master and disciple side by side, both bound tightly, their hair a messy bird's nest.

"Do you recognize me?"

Ye Chen adjusted his collar, thinking his face was a great calling card. In the heavens, whether immortals or half-immortals, most would know him.

But to his embarrassment, both the fat old Taoist and the fat old master shook their heads blankly. On their honor, they'd never seen this stone spirit before.

Ye Chen coughed awkwardly. Clearly, his pose for showing off hadn't landed.

In moments like this, he always found a good excuse for himself: half-immortals in this remote backwater wouldn't recognize him anyway.

"My friend, let's talk this out nicely."

The fat old master chuckled, already cowed.

"Do you have a star map?"

"What's a star map?"

Ye Chen opened his mouth to ask more but decided against it. Instead, he directly took the fat old master's storage bag—it was a low-grade one, with a patch on it, and it even leaked when held.

Then, he dumped out everything inside.

There wasn't much of value—just yellow talismans and some ghost-catching tools, all cheap. He didn't even see a single pill. This storage bag was patched, and the old master was dirt poor. He really was just a half-immortal.

After rummaging through, Ye Chen picked up an ancient scroll. It described human geography, and after a quick glance, his eyebrows shot up.

No wonder—he was in the Heavenly Realm.

In an instant, his expression became quite interesting. He didn't need to ask anymore; he knew his tribulation had brought him to the Heavenly Realm. No surprise the fat old master knew nothing— a half-baked immortal, poor as could be, hadn't even figured out the Heavenly Realm, let alone the rest of the worlds.

"It's actually the Heavenly Realm."

Ye Chen muttered to himself, a bit surprised. He subconsciously looked around and noticed the aura of this world was slightly different from the myriad realms in his memory, much like the difference between the underworld and the human world.

Finally, he gazed into the sky, as if he could see through the endless void to Hongjun Daozu. Since he'd tribulation-responded to the Heavenly Realm, as a great emperor, Daozu must know.

Indeed, Daozu knew and sensed Ye Chen looking at him, but he didn't respond.

"Senior, don't you want to chat?"

Ye Chen rubbed his hands and said with a smile, "I ended up in your territory by accident. How about sending me back to the heavens?"

But after waiting a long time, there was no heavenly phenomenon, no response from Daozu. It was as if he hadn't heard, or perhaps he had and just didn't care.

Ye Chen felt awkward, staring expectantly.

As he watched, the fat old Taoist and fat old master beside him also looked up, whispering to each other about what this stone spirit was staring at. Was he sick?

"How can I see Daozu?"

Ye Chen withdrew his gaze and glanced at the fat old master.

"Who is Daozu?"

The fat old master was stunned.

Ye Chen took a deep breath, holding back his irritation. What a case of not knowing anything! The real Hongjun Daozu, a genuine great emperor, and you claim not to know.

But thinking it over, he understood. Daozu was of such high status; it was normal for a half-immortal not to know. He was sure that even in the Heavenly Realm, few immortals knew about Daozu—only those with great abilities would understand the secrets.

With that thought, he looked back at the sky, stroking his chin thoughtfully. In that moment, a bold idea formed in his mind.

Daozu wasn't seeing him because his level was too low.

If that was the case, he needed to make some noise—big noise. If you won't see me, I'll stir up your Heavenly Realm. I'll beat up all your people until they're crippled.