Chapter 2522: Stealing Emperor's Essence

Returning to the mountain peak, everything was quiet.

Hua Shan Zhen Ren and Hua Shan Xian Zi were nowhere to be seen. They had likely left Kun Lun to visit old friends. Hua Shan Shen Nu was still there, sitting cross-legged under an ancient tree in meditation. When she saw Ye Chen, she glared at him fiercely, her beautiful eyes flashing with anger, and tossed the ancient scroll he had given her the day before right at him.

Ye Chen didn't mind at all. If she didn't want it, he would keep it for himself. It was a rare collector's edition, after all. Who knew if this woman had secretly made a copy to look at later?

Hua Shan Shen Nu ignored Ye Chen completely and simply closed her eyes again, continuing her search for a way to break the spell. She couldn't keep using Ye Chen's body forever; she needed to find a way to switch back, and quickly.

Ye Chen climbed to the mountaintop and sat down cross-legged.

Just as Hua Shan Shen Nu was seeking a solution, so was he. It wasn't his own body, so his powers were restricted, even affecting the Tian Ren Wu Shui.

A day passed quietly.

As night fell, Kun Lun Shen Zi arrived and whisked Kun Lun Shen Nu away, probably to find a secluded spot for some romantic talk. Of course, it was just talking—no more than that.

Hua Shan Zhen Ren and Hua Shan Xian Zi hadn't returned yet, but Tai Yi and Tai Bai sneaked in. Seeing Ye Chen deep in meditation, they didn't disturb him and went off together to find Kun Lun Zhang Jiao for a chat.

The later arrivals, Niu Mo Wang and Jiao Long Wang, were quite amusing. They circled around Ye Chen dozens of times, studying him carefully, but in the end, they couldn't figure anything out.

The night sky was profound, with stars scattered like dust.

Bathing in the moonlight, Ye Chen's divine body glowed brilliantly, emitting specks of light. He sat like an old monk, exuding a solemn aura, more like a deity whose radiant glow illuminated the dark world.

A gentle breeze brushed by, and his brows twitched slightly, furrowing a bit.

Then, Hua Shan Di Yun flew out, circling around him and darting back and forth, full of excitement.

This thing seemed to have its own intelligence, drawing upon some mysterious force from the void.

That force came from another mountain peak in Kun Lun—it was the Kun Lun Di Yun. Both were essences of the emperor's path, naturally connected. Ye Chen could clearly sense it, though it was ethereal.

He smiled, using the Hua Shan Di Yun as a medium to link with the Kun Lun Di Yun.

Once again, he activated his persuasive mode. Just as he had coaxed the Hua Shan Di Yun before, tonight he tried the same with the Kun Lun Di Yun. He didn't expect to take it all; he just hoped to draw out a strand.

With his experience, he went straight to the point, cursing Dao Zu Hong Jun thoroughly.

Sure enough, a restless strand of Kun Lun Di Yun separated on its own. It wandered around at the base of Kun Lun Mountain for a while before flying out and merging into Ye Chen's body, intertwining with the Hua Shan Di Yun. Both were essences of the emperor's path from Dao Zu, essentially one and the same.

As the two Di Yun fused, Ye Chen felt his primordial spirit tremble, and his mind became much clearer.

This guy was ambitious; one strand wasn't enough, so he kept trying to coax more from the Kun Lun Di Yun.

But unfortunately, he didn't succeed again.

At that moment, he opened his eyes, first glancing toward Kun Lun Zhang Jiao's mountain peak, but everything seemed normal.

Clearly, Kun Lun Zhang Jiao had no idea he had taken some of the Kun Lun Di Yun.

Then, with a thought, Ye Chen summoned the Di Yun. A wisp of purple energy swirled around his fingertip, more refined and profound than before. If used in battle, it would surely be even more dominant.

"It seems I need to visit the other four sacred mountains someday."

Ye Chen stroked his chin, pondering his next mischief. Without even entering the mountain base, he had managed to draw out the Kun Lun Di Yun. If he went to Song Shan, Tai Shan, Heng Shan, or Chang Shan, he could probably do the same.

This would be a great opportunity, much faster than nurturing Di Yun with Dao scriptures.

"Holy Lord?"

Not long after, the reincarnated ones arrived, all dressed in Kun Lun dao robes as outer sect disciples.

Ye Chen didn't pay much attention to their cultivation levels or status. As long as they were safe and alive, there was hope—and with hope, they could return to their homeland.

As the night grew late, the group pulled out wine flasks and shared stories of their past lives.

When dawn was about to break, the reincarnated ones left.

Before they went, Ye Chen passed on various immortal techniques, all for self-protection. His advice to them was to stay low-key and wait patiently. If they wanted to return home, they should keep things steady.

After they left, Ye Chen sat back in meditation. It looked like he was enlightening himself, but in reality, he was up to his old tricks, trying to steal more Di Yun. However, the remaining Kun Lun Di Yun proved unresponsive.

Another day passed, and as night fell again, Hua Shan Zhen Ren and Hua Shan Xian Zi returned.

They weren't alone; Kun Lun Zhang Jiao came with them and sat down opposite Ye Chen. He didn't say a word, just clasped his hands and waited quietly for Ye Chen to wake up, intending to discuss alchemy.

In truth, Ye Chen was already awake but deliberately kept his eyes closed, making the old daoist wait for over three hours straight. Kun Lun Zhang Jiao's face turned as dark as could be.

"Awake now?"

Ye Chen opened his eyes, and Kun Lun Zhang Jiao said with a grim expression.

"After a night of enlightenment, I've gained some insights."

Ye Chen replied in a profound tone, his face full of meaning.

"I've heard you produced eight pills in one furnace, each with Dan Lei. Could you explain the secrets behind it?"

Kun Lun Zhang Jiao stroked his beard, no longer wasting time on small talk. This visit was purely to humbly seek knowledge.

"If you sell me the alchemy materials, I'll share the secrets in full."

Ye Chen smiled, hands clasped behind his back. He wasn't about to give away the secrets for free—he needed something in return, like alchemy materials.

"The materials are off the table, but I have something else that might interest you."

Kun Lun Zhang Jiao smiled faintly. He paused for a moment before continuing,

"I can help you switch back to your original body."

Ye Chen's eyes lit up.

"Tell me more."

"The backlash from Da Meng Wu Ji is a forbidden power, so it needs to be broken with another forbidden power."

Kun Lun Zhang Jiao spoke leisurely, straightening up a bit.

"Coincidentally, I possess such a power."

Ye Chen said nothing, just sized up Kun Lun Zhang Jiao with his hands behind his back. His words made sense, but this forbidden power was quite mysterious—he still hadn't sensed it.

"Don't bother looking."

Kun Lun Zhang Jiao chuckled and waved his hand, summoning a dark flame that hovered in his palm. The flame flickered, carrying a strange allure—it was the immortal fire he used for alchemy.

"Forbidden Immortal Fire."

Ye Chen murmured to himself. He recognized this flame. He hadn't noticed it earlier because Kun Lun Zhang Jiao had likely kept it in his inner world, isolating its aura.

As the name suggested, the Forbidden Immortal Fire carried forbidden power.

It was an odd kind of immortal fire that Ye Chen had only read about in fragments of secret texts. This was his first time seeing it in person, and it was as bizarre as the legends described—not your ordinary immortal fire at all.

Kun Lun Zhang Jiao smiled and put the flame away, saying nothing more, just waiting for Ye Chen to speak.

Ye Chen's gaze turned a bit sideways as he looked at Kun Lun Zhang Jiao. This old daoist was quite the sly one. He knew the Forbidden Immortal Fire could resolve the body-swapping issue, yet he had hidden it away. If he and Hua Shan Shen Nu had switched back before their duel, Hua Shan wouldn't have lost so badly.

Now that Hua Shan was out of the picture, he was bringing out the Forbidden Immortal Fire—clearly stirring up trouble.

It was a good thing Hua Shan Zhen Ren and Hua Shan Xian Zi weren't there; otherwise, they might have pointed at his nose and scolded, "Our goddess might be your Kun Lun's daughter-in-law one day—what kind of game are you playing?"

Perhaps sensing the meaning in Ye Chen's gaze, Kun Lun Zhang Jiao didn't care at all.

Heaven and earth could attest—he had only thought of this method last night, and there was no ulterior motive.

"Here, take this for the alchemy secrets. Keep it safe."

Ye Chen pulled out an ancient scroll and handed it to the old daoist. It was indeed about alchemy secrets, but only a part of them, and he had tampered with it. In the future, if anyone used it to refine pills, a few furnaces would probably explode. Scheming was his daily routine, a lifelong mission.

Kun Lun Zhang Jiao focused on reading it, much like Hua Shan Xian Zi had done before. He was full of amazement at Ye Chen's secrets, which opened another door for him, revealing an entirely new world.

"Come to the mountaintop; let's switch back your body."

Ye Chen sent a message downward, calling for the mountain guardian goddess.