Chapter 2538: The Heavenly Prison

After leaving the palace estate, the reincarnated Shangguan Yu knelt down with a thud. "Thank you, fellow daoist, for saving me. Your life-saving grace is unforgettable."

"Why are you acting like a damsel in distress?" Ye Chen pulled him up with one hand and turned away with a smile. "Let's go, off to Tian Lao to rescue your clan."

Shangguan Yu wiped away his tears and hurriedly followed, gazing at Ye Chen's back with a mix of gratitude and confusion. The joy had come so suddenly that his mind was still foggy, and he couldn't quite believe it all. He still didn't know why Ye Chen had saved them.

He only knew that Ye Chen's silhouette felt strangely familiar, oddly warm, and full of light.

As Ye Chen emerged, Si Ming Xing Jun and the others approached together.

"Your Dao Jing!" Tai Yi was the sharpest, spotting the issue at once—Ye Chen no longer had the Dao Jing inside him.

"I traded it with Yu Di for some treasures." Ye Chen shrugged.

"You little wastrel." Tai Bai Jin Xing rubbed his brow in frustration and scolded him thoroughly. "I've never seen anyone as foolish as you, traveling thousands of miles from the mortal realm just to hand over treasures to others."

Si Ming Xing Jun remained silent, glancing at Shangguan Yu more than once.

He had once visited the various heavenly mortal realms and fought alongside Ye Chen, so he understood Ye Chen's character. The young man seemed unreliable on the surface, but in reality, he was meticulous and determined. His trip to the Heavenly Court must have a specific purpose.

"Let's chat later; I'm heading to Tian Lao to pick up people first." Ye Chen waved casually and turned to leave, flicking his robe.

"You idiot, Tian Lao is over there."

"I'm new to the Heavenly Court and a bit lost on directions." Ye Chen took a deep breath and strode forward with purpose. At one meter eighty tall, he exuded the presence of eight meters one, his steps so domineering that they seemed to reject even his own kin.

The two walked farther away, leaving the other three with thoughtful expressions.

"The curse seal in Yang Yu's body has been lifted. It seems the so-called treasure he mentioned is the Yang Clan."

"He wouldn't give up the Dao Jing just to save them unless there's a deep connection with the Yang family."

"Could he be the illegitimate son of the Yang family saint?"

The three chatted back and forth, piecing together the situation clearly, though their hearts ached at the thought. The Dao Jing was now with Ba Tai Zi, and borrowing it to look at later would be harder than climbing to heaven.

Ye Chen and Shangguan Yu sped along like two streaks of divine light.

As they passed an immortal mountain, Ye Chen flicked his finger, sending a beam of memory immortal light into the reincarnated Shangguan Yu's brow.

Uh...

Shangguan Yu grunted in pain, his divine sea buzzing. He stumbled, nearly falling from the void sky.

Ye Chen raised his hand, summoning a cloud to support him. He could see Shangguan Yu's agonized expression as he clutched his head and knelt on the cloud, roaring softly. A vast wave of memories, carrying past events, was etching itself into his divine sea bit by bit.

"It'll pass soon."

Ye Chen smiled and sped up, carrying the cloud along.

They encountered many immortals on the way, who looked at Shangguan Yu in surprise. But when they saw Ye Chen, their astonishment grew even more.

In recent days, Ye Chen had caused quite a stir: the Hua Shan Dao Jing recognizing him as master, separating the emperor's essence, breaking through four realms in a day, producing eight pills in one furnace, and dominating the Wu Yue combat—each feat was defying heaven. He was already a celebrity in the Heavenly Court.

The reincarnated Shangguan Yu was also well-known in the upper immortal realms. Everyone in the Heavenly Court knew of the Yang family's troubles, and no one failed to recognize him. He had been implanted with a curse seal by Ba Tai Zi and kept as a guard to be tormented. Anyone who saw him sighed in pity.

Now, this pair seemed an odd combination. How had the newcomer to the Heavenly Court, this little stone, ended up with Yin Ming's guard?

What followed was even more baffling. After his painful roar, Yang Yu burst into tears and hugged Ye Chen, sobbing uncontrollably.

"This..."

The immortals all raised their eyebrows, clueless about what scene was unfolding.

Ye Chen ignored the surrounding gazes, and so did Shangguan Yu. The hot tears welling in his eyes couldn't be stopped. He had regained his past memories—it was like a dream, a bloody and endless one. In the dream, he fought in the dim Great Chu; upon waking, a full cycle of reincarnation had passed. How could others understand that state of mind?

The rest of the journey was quite emotional.

Ye Chen pulled out a wine flask and handed one to Shangguan Yu, casually recounting events from the past and speaking of people from their homeland. He skipped over the tragic parts, focusing only on the fond memories.

Shangguan Yu listened with blurred vision, tears streaming down even more. As a member of the Shangguan family, and Ye Chen as the family's son-in-law, he knew Ye Chen well—always one to share good news and hide the bad. Though Ye Chen spoke lightly, there must be untold stories behind it. As the emperor of Great Chu, Ye Chen must have endured countless hardships just to bring the reincarnated people home.

His emotions were overwhelmed by the memories. Each tear carried feelings of emotion, excitement, shock, world-weariness, nostalgia, and longing.

Eventually, they spotted a massive, imposing pass, more like a towering ancient city, grand and majestic. Even from afar, a chilling aura rushed toward them.

That was the Tian Lao of the Heavenly Court, where immortals and serious offenders were imprisoned. Whether they were truly guilty was another matter—like the Yang Clan, who were innocent but had offended Ba Tai Zi, enduring a hundred years of suffering.

"Tian Lao is a restricted area; halt!"

As soon as they landed, the heavenly soldiers and generals guarding Tian Lao shouted sternly, their faces stern and fierce. Like those at Nan Tian Men, they were seasoned from the battlefield, carrying a deep-seated killing intent that only war could forge, etched into their bones and impossible to fake.

Ye Chen said nothing and simply waved out Yu Di's decree.

Well, that simple decree was more effective than anything. The soldiers and generals didn't even question it, stepping aside to clear a path, though their eyes held curiosity and confusion. How had Ba Tai Zi's guard ended up with Ye Chen?

The two entered without a word.

"Injustice! Injustice!"

As soon as they stepped into Tian Lao, Ye Chen heard wails echoing from all directions, like funeral bells from hell, making one's heart tremble.

Shangguan Yu was used to it; as a frequent visitor, he was familiar with the place, often sneaking in to see his family.

For Ye Chen, however, it was his first time, and everything was novel.

Tian Lao was dim and lightless, shrouded in a dark veil like the ghostly city of the underworld. Anyone entering felt an inexplicable oppression.

What caught Ye Chen's eye were rows of pavilions and towers, large and small, scattered orderly. Each was sealed with divine talismans, and heavenly soldiers stood guard at every pavilion and tower entrance.

Beyond that, patrolling soldiers with war spears moved back and forth, their expressions imposing and unapproachable.

Ye Chen walked and observed, his perspective broad.

He could tell that each pavilion and tower contained its own realm, divided into individual cells. Serious and minor offenders were separated, and prisoners with connections received different treatment. Some cells were pitch-black, while others glowed with splendor and luxury, giving the impression that those inside were there for cultivation and enjoyment rather than punishment—though such cases were rare.

"What a heavily guarded place; it even has emperor dao array patterns." Ye Chen sighed. Even a quasi-emperor at the peak might not escape with a prisoner from here.

"Such incidents are all too common and bloody." Shangguan Yu whispered through sound transmission. "Over endless ages, countless have tried to break in and rescue prisoners. The most brutal was a hundred years ago, when nearly a thousand great demons and devils from the scattered immortal realms stormed Tian Lao. The weakest among them was a quasi-emperor at the eighth heaven, but they were surrounded by heavenly soldiers and generals. The battle lasted three days and two nights, and not only did they fail to save anyone, but their entire force was wiped out."

"Nearly a thousand quasi-emperors— that's bold indeed." Ye Chen couldn't help but click his tongue.

"The person they wanted to save is locked right there." Shangguan Yu pointed into the distance.

Ye Chen followed his gaze to a massive black tower, towering into the sky. It was the largest in Tian Lao, covered in sealing talismans, engraved with emperor dao array patterns, and bound by ancient rune chains. The guards around it were unusually numerous, clearly indicating that the prisoner inside was no ordinary foe; otherwise, the Heavenly Court wouldn't have gone to such lengths.

"Who is suppressed inside?" Ye Chen asked curiously.

"Shura Tian Zun."

"Never heard of him."

"Rumor has it he came from the Shura realm, with overwhelming power." Shangguan Yu explained. "I don't know what provoked the Heavenly Court, but the battle to capture him was fierce. It involved the nine great immortal lords, twelve golden immortals, twenty-seven star lords, plus a hundred thousand heavenly soldiers and generals. Yet, he alone routed them, leaving mountains of corpses and rivers of blood. In the end, even Yu Di joined the fight to suppress him, and for that, Yu Di suffered lasting injuries that haven't healed to this day."

"That's terrifyingly strong!" Ye Chen murmured, his gaze toward the tower now mixed with awe. He knew Yu Di's power well; if even Yu Di couldn't handle Shura Tian Zun, just how formidable was he?

"Oh? A reincarnation with memories—interesting."

Ye Chen was still looking when he suddenly heard a voice from the tower imprisoning Shura Tian Zun. The words carried surprise but were laced with immense demonic power, enough to make even Ye Chen's mind falter.

Ye Chen's expression changed; he knew exactly who was speaking. Besides Shura Tian Zun, no one else could.

Precisely because of that, he was shocked. Even Yu Di hadn't seen through his reincarnation, yet this imprisoned Shura Tian Zun had spotted it at a glance—and even realized he carried his memories.

"This junior, Ye Chen, pays respects to the senior."

"You're not that young." Shura Tian Zun chuckled lightly, his voice ethereal yet full of demonic power. "You carry emperor dao killing intent. Hmm... before your reincarnation, you must have slain great emperors, and more than one."

"Senior must be joking; there's no such thing."

"I won't spread it around, so no need to hide."

"Senior, did you truly come from the Shura realm?"

"What if I said I came from another universe? Would you believe it?" Shura Tian Zun laughed.

"Another universe?" Ye Chen raised an eyebrow.

"Ah, that would take a long story." Shura Tian Zun took a deep breath. "It was a dark and windy night when I..."

"Senior, do you know Zhao Yun?" Before Shura Tian Zun could finish, Ye Chen interrupted him.