Chapter 2549: Going Home!

Gazing at Ye Chen's departing back, Bi Xia Xianzi's brows furrowed even deeper. She had underestimated Ye Chen, not only his combat strength but also his daring. In the strictly governed Tian Ting, who would dare to provoke the Yu Di, let alone investigate him? That was a capital offense, and one misstep could lead to the complete destruction of one's soul. Yet, Ye Chen dared to do it and even spoke openly in front of her. If she wasn't exaggerating, if she went to the Yu Di right now and repeated what he said, Ye Chen would never see the light of day again, for he had challenged the supreme authority.

However, she had no intention of doing that. She had no grudge against Ye Chen, and there was the matter of her own disciple to consider. Most importantly, she harbored a sense of kindness and didn't want to send such a heaven-defying talent to the execution block.

"Shizun, he is my closest kin."

Yue Xin lowered her eyes and whispered.

"Don't worry, I won't harm him." Bi Xia Xianzi smiled. In fact, she felt even more admiration for Ye Chen. People like him were rare these days.

"Reinforce the seals."

In the prison under the moonlight, shouts echoed continuously. The disturbance caused by Xiu Luo Tian Zun had alarmed the entire Upper Immortal Realm, drawing crowds from all directions. They unleashed powerful divine abilities, layer upon layer of seals, locking down the divine tower so tightly that no one could approach. It was all because Xiu Luo Tian Zun was too formidable. In the battle of the past, he had slaughtered so many in the Tian Ting, leaving mountains of corpses and leaving too many people terrified. They never wanted to face that god of slaughter again.

In reality, they were overreacting. The Xiu Luo Tian Zun in the tower had no intention of resisting and knew he couldn't break the seals. The reason for his agitation was that he had glimpsed a face identical to his own, evoking memories of past events.

At that moment, no one was quieter than him. He sat like a stone-carved statue on the altar, head bowed and eyes downcast. His disheveled hair, streaked with silver strands, covered half his face. Through the gaps in his hair, one could see the lines of hardship etched on his features, each one a mark of the passing years.

Meanwhile, Ye Chen and his companion had already arrived at Zi Wei Dao Fu. "What do I need to do?"

In that bamboo grove, Ye Chen set up a barrier while asking the question. After all, this was his first time being borrowed for a ritual, and he felt a bit nervous.

"Just wait." Si Ming Xing Jun chuckled.

Compared to Ye Chen, he was completely at ease, having done this many times before and knowing all the procedures well.

Ye Chen sat down and pulled out his wine flask, his heart pounding with excitement at the thought of returning home.

They waited like that for an entire night.

By the time dawn broke, they still hadn't been borrowed. One stood with his hands tucked in his sleeves, the other propped his chin on his hand, both looking bored and impatient.

"That guy hasn't fallen asleep, has he?" Ye Chen muttered.

"The barrier's dissipation will cause anomalies in the human realm, but there's a time difference between the realms. If nothing goes wrong, it should happen in the next day or two." Si Ming Xing Jun said leisurely, then yawned. After waiting all night, he was quite tired.

"How long will the barrier's dissipation last?"

"Who knows? Maybe a day or two, maybe three to five months, or even just a couple of hours. No one can say for sure."

"I just hope we don't miss it." Ye Chen took a deep breath.

The bamboo grove fell silent again.

By now, the bells for the morning court session had already rung, but neither of them moved. They had already taken leave, so there was no need to attend. They knew today's session would be lively—the commotion from Xiu Luo Tian Zun last night was too big, and it was bound to be discussed.

Time passed quietly, and before they knew it, night had fallen once more.

In the same night, the skies over Da Chu were also filled with stars.

The Ren Wang sat cross-legged on the mountaintop, hands tucked away and head bowed, occasionally glancing up or to the side, staring into the vast expanse as he waited for some sign from the heavens.

Just as Si Ming Xing Jun had said, there was a time difference between the heavenly and human realms. Although the barrier in the Tian Ting had dissipated, anomalies wouldn't appear immediately in the human realm. A full day and night had passed, and the Ren Wang still hadn't seen anything. He was waiting so long that he was nearly falling asleep.

He wasn't the only one getting drowsy—Si Ming Xing Jun's eyelids were drooping, on the verge of dozing off, while Ye Chen remained wide awake. The long wait was sheer torment.

At some point, Si Ming Xing Jun's body suddenly trembled.

That tremor snapped the sleepy Si Ming Xing Jun awake. One could see immortal light enveloping his body—a mysterious force, similar to the imperial path's connection to the underworld, carrying the scent of the human realm.

"Just wait patiently."

He smiled and spoke.

As soon as the words left his mouth, he vanished with a whoosh. The entire bamboo grove, the entire Zi Wei Dao Fu, no trace of him could be found, as if he had evaporated into thin air.

"How profound."

Ye Chen murmured softly. The borrowing ritual of the Ren Wang was far superior to that of Yan Laodao. Yan Laodao only borrowed the yuan shen, while the Ren Wang borrowed the entire person to the various heavens.

In the Tian Xuan Men underground palace, figures crowded the space, all the quasi-emperors gathered there.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Si Ming Xing Jun appeared, but his face was pitch black. He was the type to hold a grudge—every time he came, he got beaten, and anyone would be furious, especially toward that jerk of a Ren Wang.

"Have you found him?"

The Ren Wang asked hastily.

"Zi Wei Xing Jun." Si Ming Xing Jun replied gruffly, his eyes glaring at the Ren Wang and not much friendlier toward the other quasi-emperors. Those pairs of sneaky gazes alone were enough to annoy him.

"Hmm, a sixth-rank official."

The Ren Wang stroked his beard involuntarily. He had once answered a heavenly tribulation and served as an official in the Tian Ting, so he knew about the Zi Wei Xing Jun. Hearing that title, his expression turned a bit odd—the previous Zi Wei Xing Jun had bullied him quite a bit.

"What's up?"

Tian Lao kicked him.

Only then did the Ren Wang snap out of his thoughts. Once that was done, he kicked Si Ming Xing Jun and sent him back in a special way. The force of that kick was as strong as ever, nearly knocking him apart.

In the Zi Wei Dao Fu bamboo grove, Si Ming Xing Jun landed face-first in the dirt, sprawled out in a mess.

Ye Chen coughed at the sight, immediately realizing that Si Ming Xing Jun had been kicked back. He knew the people of Da Chu well—they were all incredibly tough.

"Damn lunatics, your whole family is full of lunatics." Si Ming Xing Jun got up, clutching his waist and cursing.

"You'll get used to it." Ye Chen said meaningfully.

Then, immortal light also appeared on him—the light of the borrowing ritual, enveloping his entire body with mysterious power.

"Time to go home." Ye Chen said cheerfully.

Whoosh!

As soon as he spoke, he vanished with a whoosh. To be precise, his yuan shen disappeared, leaving his physical body in the bamboo grove like a cold stone statue, standing tall with empty eyes, expression blank, and no emotion.

In just a few moments, his physical body also vanished.

Si Ming Xing Jun raised an eyebrow at the sight. First the yuan shen, then the physical body—what kind of method was this?

In the Tian Xuan Men underground palace, the quasi-emperors stood in neat rows, each one acting suspiciously proper. Many of them had already pulled out iron rods from their storage bags, huffing on them and wiping them with their sleeves until they shone brightly.

What could be said? It had been a long time since Ye Chen answered his tribulation, and they hadn't beaten him in ages. Their hands were itching for it. Now that he was back in Da Chu, they had to make up for that regret.

As for the Ren Wang, he had his hands clasped together, the array already set up, but he remained still for a long time, leaving the quasi-emperors fidgety with anticipation.

Soon, the array lit up.

Then, a figure materialized—it was Da Chu's tenth emperor, his face just as they remembered.

However, when the quasi-emperors saw Ye Chen, their expressions were all quite strange.

"Why is it just the physical body?"

Di Lao said in astonishment.

"What the hell, which bastard borrowed his yuan shen first?"

The Ren Wang dispelled his seals and stroked his beard thoughtfully.

As soon as he said that, the expressions of the quasi-emperors became even more interesting. They weren't fools; they could tell from the Ren Wang's words that someone had used a borrowing ritual before him, pulling Ye Chen out of the Tian Ting.