Chapter 2519: Delayed

The great battle had ended, and the Wuyue Doufa venue fell into silence. No one knew if the Five Peaks Fighting Method would continue, making the atmosphere awkwardly tense.

In truth, Ye Chen did not qualify to participate in the Wuyue Doufa. Although he had defeated most of the Shenzi and Shennv from the four peaks, some had not been eliminated, such as the Song Shan Shenshi and Tai Shan Shenshi, both of whom had advanced to the finals. Thus, the outcome between those two factions remained undecided.

For a moment, most people turned their eyes toward the Kunlun Zhangjiao.

In fact, the Kunlun Zhangjiao was pondering the issue as well. Every edition of the Wuyue Doufa required a clear winner to uphold the tradition. At the very least, the match between the Song Shan Shenshi and Tai Shan Shenshi had to proceed, but with both of them lying unconscious and sleeping soundly, they would not wake up anytime soon.

"How about postponing it for two days?" the Kunlun Zhenxian suggested casually.

The Kunlun Zhangjiao said nothing and simply looked at the Five Peaks Zhangjiao.

"Whatever," Hua Shan Zhenren shrugged, appearing completely relaxed. Whether it was postponed or not made no difference to him. The outcome of the Wuyue Doufa no longer mattered, for whoever won could not erase the fact of their crushing defeat by Ye Chen. In essence, his Hua Shan sect was already the biggest winner.

"No objections," the Song Shan Zhangjiao said flatly, his expression dark and gloomy.

"No objections," the Tai Shan Zhangjiao echoed. Though they had lost to Ye Chen, his Tai Shan sect had not yet been defeated in the Wuyue Doufa, and he hoped to salvage some face through it.

"No objections," the Heng Shan and Heng Shan Zhangjiao added, their tones far from friendly. Both their sects had already been eliminated, so postponing or not was irrelevant. Let whoever wanted to fight go ahead.

"Very well, the battle will resume in two days."

The Kunlun Zhangjiao stood up, his words echoing across the eight directions, and with that, he flicked his sleeve and departed.

Before leaving, the old Daoist could not help but glance at Ye Chen. You, young man, truly stand out! Lacking the qualifications for the Wuyue Doufa, you still managed to steal the spotlight entirely.

Ye Chen caught that look and felt indignant. You need to understand, it was the others who challenged me first, seeking trouble. How could I pass up such a golden opportunity to claim some treasures?

The crowd cleared their throats and began to disperse. Having attended so many Wuyue Doufa events, this one was the most bizarre, ending with an extension match—an unprecedented occurrence!

And it was all thanks to Hua Shan's little stone, Ye Chen.

As for Ye Chen himself, he was quite leisurely, still sitting comfortably and holding a storage bag. He buried his head, meticulously tallying his spoils. His face was no longer pale but flushed with health, and his aura was no longer weak but robust and powerful, showing no signs of injury.

He had thoroughly outwitted the Shenzi and Shennv of the four peaks!

The elders stroked their beards, their expressions profoundly grave. Aside from the Heng Shan and Heng Shan Shenshi, the others had been utterly defeated or gravely wounded, losing their natal weapons to Ye Chen. The Song Shan and Tai Shan sects suffered the most, having also lost two pieces of heaven-defying divine materials.

The faces of the four peaks' Zhangjiao grew increasingly ugly.

The Song Shan Zhangjiao drew the most hostile glares. It was all because of your precious Shenshi—why challenge Ye Chen in the first place? It spiraled out of control from there.

"My fellow Daoists, don't get too worked up," Hua Shan Zhenren said with a smile, grabbing Ye Chen by the hand and soaring into the sky. His back was straight as a rod, and his steps were full of vigor—the first time in years he had felt so invigorated.

As soon as he spoke, the four peaks' Zhangjiao, who had just risen, nearly stumbled.

The vast fighting venue emptied out as people left in waves, all sighing and clicking their tongues. Ye Chen's battles had been far more thrilling than the Wuyue Doufa itself. What a master of deception—he had swindled a whole string of opponents.

As for the postponement, it was essentially pointless now. Even if someone won the Doufa, it wouldn't change the fact that they were merely Ye Chen's defeated foes. In carrying that glorious burden, they would only elevate Ye Chen's status even higher.

In the future, when people spoke of the Doufa champion, they would inevitably mention Ye Chen as well. The champion might be impressive, but Hua Shan's Ye Chen was even more dominant, having bested the champion.

Night fell quietly.

Outside Kunlun Mountain, it was bustling like a marketplace, filled with elders who claimed to be visiting Kunlun but were really there to chat with the young master Ye Chen. This left the Kunlun Zhangjiao feeling quite awkward.

Inside Kunlun Mountain, figures moved about busily—disciples and elders of Kunlun gathered in groups, whispering and pointing, their discussions endless.

It was all because Ye Chen's performance in the Wuyue Doufa had been too astonishing.

"This is insane! In just a few months, he broke through to Shengwang, and he hasn't even passed the Tianren Wushu Tribulation yet. How did Hua Shan sect find such a gem?"

"You didn't see it—the Shenzi and Shennv from the four peaks were left in ruins!"

"He even won their natal weapons. Ye Chen's solo battles were incredibly rewarding."

"Because of him, the Wuyue Doufa got delayed."

The night, which should have been peaceful, was lively at the base of that mountain peak. Everyone wanted to go up and discuss life and ideals with Ye Chen, but they were all politely turned away by Hua Shan Zhenren. If he let even one in, there would be no end to it, and he knew Kunlun's ways all too well—they loved poaching talent.

At the peak, Hua Shan Zhenren and Hua Shan Xianzi sat opposite each other, casually brewing tea. From time to time, they glanced at Ye Chen nearby, who sat under an old tree, quietly carving wood.

Hua Shan Shennv was there too, resting her chin in her hands as she sat beside Ye Chen. Ever since they returned, she had been staring at him like this, trying to figure out what made this little stone so different.

As for the Hua Shan Shenshi, he had long since vanished. The sight of Ye Chen just made him furious. Today was supposed to be his moment to shine; without Ye Chen, he would have claimed the Doufa championship.

"Why did you advance to Shengwang without passing the Tianren Wushu Tribulation?" Hua Shan Shennv finally asked, her curiosity getting the better of her. She spoke without her usual arrogance.

Hua Shan Zhenren and Hua Shan Xianzi perked up their ears at that.

"I don't know," Ye Chen replied after a pause, shaking his head helplessly.

It was the truth—he still hadn't figured it out. It was probably related to his memory from the tribulation, or perhaps the Dao, or even the imperial essence in the Dao Sutra. Any of those could be the reason.

As he spoke, a fierce wind arose, and a figure descended from the sky.

Looking closely, it was the Song Shan Zhangjiao, his face dark and stormy. The sight of Ye Chen made his anger flare, his eyes practically shooting flames.

"Your Shenshi went up willingly—no one forced him," Hua Shan Zhenren said with a light laugh, releasing a gentle force to shield Ye Chen from the Song Shan Zhangjiao's pressure.

"Enough talk. Hand over the natal weapon," the Song Shan Zhangjiao demanded, extending his hand with a hint of coldness in his voice.

That was the purpose of his visit tonight. In two days, during the Wuyue Doufa, his Shenshi would need to fight, and without his natal weapon, defeat was certain.

"I anticipated your visit, senior, so I've prepared it," Ye Chen said, setting down his carving knife and smiling as he pulled out the Song Shan Shenshi's natal weapon. It gleamed radiantly under the moonlight.

He had brought it out, but he did not hand it over right away. Instead, he took a cloth and began polishing it vigorously, even huffing on it to make it shine.

He was joking—who would just give back a treasure won in a bet? If you wanted the Song Shan Shenshi's natal weapon, you needed to offer something in exchange. Fair trade only.

The Song Shan Zhangjiao understood the implication perfectly. With a flick of his sleeve, he sent out a golden immortal iron, radiating golden light and carrying a mysterious Dao aura.

Ye Chen glanced up briefly but said nothing, continuing to polish the weapon. As a Zhangjiao visiting in the dead of night, was this a game? The Song Shan Shenshi's natal weapon was a genuine quasi-emperor artifact, forged from divine iron. A single piece of immortal iron was not enough—it lacked any real sincerity.

The Song Shan Zhangjiao took a deep breath, suppressing his urge to explode, and flicked his sleeve again. A silver divine iron floated in the air, even more dazzling than the golden one.

"What a treasure," Hua Shan Shennv said, her eyes lighting up at the silver divine iron. She favored it greatly, knowing that the Kunlun Shenshi's natal weapon was made from the same material, which was incredibly precious.

Ye Chen looked up again but remained silent, resuming his polishing.

"You—" The Song Shan Zhangjiao's face turned instantly cold.

Ye Chen did not even lift his head, just kept at his task. If the offer was insufficient, no deal.

Hua Shan Xianzi covered her mouth and chuckled, while Hua Shan Zhenren stroked his beard, grinning broadly. He quite admired Ye Chen's composure—silence was the best response.

The Song Shan Zhangjiao abruptly turned his gaze toward them, his old eyes blazing with fire, as if to say: You're the Zhangjiao here—can't you say something to make him hand it over?

Hua Shan Zhenren said nothing. Instead, he waved his hand and began reading an ancient scroll, ignoring the situation entirely. His actions clearly conveyed: Your Song Shan sect is wealthy—offer more!

The Song Shan Zhangjiao inhaled deeply, his pent-up rage on the verge of erupting, causing him pain in his stomach, liver, kidneys—every part of him ached.

The atmosphere grew oppressively tense, with no one speaking, the silence almost deafening.

"This weapon is quite formidable. If you fuse it with your iron staff, it would become even more ferocious.""Honestly, that's exactly what I had in mind.""I know the art of refining weapons. If you don't, I can teach you."

Hua Shan Shennv and Ye Chen were chatting amicably, heads close together, exchanging words with ease. They seemed ready at any moment to shatter the Song Shan Shenshi's weapon.

Hua Shan Xianzi stifled another laugh, impressed by how well Ye Chen and Hua Shan Shennv worked together. Spending time with this little stone seemed to rub off some mischievous habits.

The Song Shan Zhangjiao's dark face flushed red. As an elder who had lived for thousands of years, how could he not grasp what these two youngsters were implying? They were outright threatening him!

In the end, he reluctantly pulled out a third piece of divine iron from his sleeve, his expression pained.

As soon as this divine iron appeared, even Hua Shan Zhenren turned to look.

It was an extraordinary piece, about the size of a small wine jug, irregularly shaped but glowing brilliantly and shimmering with light. It was incredibly heavy, distorting the space around it, and if you listened closely, you could hear faint heavenly sounds of the Dao, subtle yet present.

"This is..." Hua Shan Xianzi's beautiful eyes flickered with a sharp glint.

"Undoubtedly a piece of Fortune Divine Iron," Hua Shan Zhenren said with a smile.

"Is that enough?" the Song Shan Zhangjiao snorted coldly, his gaze toward Ye Chen filled with chilling intent. If not for Hua Shan Zhenren's presence, he might have struck out and killed the boy on the spot.