Chapter 2568: Dan's Group Fight

"Open the door! Open the door! Let us in."

"In your dreams! All of you stay outside."

The Dao residence was bustling late at night, with an unknown number of people gathered outside, forming a massive crowd that blocked the main gate. Due to a barrier set up by certain individuals, no one could enter, and they were shouting loudly from the outside.

Their shouts were loud and fierce, and the Xianjun inside the Dao residence were cursing back just as enthusiastically.

There was an old saying: "Those near the water get the moon first."

Life-extending Dans were common, but a Baowen Ban Xueming Xiandan was a rare treasure among Dans, and it couldn't be given away cheaply—they had arrived first.

As a result, the newcomers were all kept outside the gate. With one group of Xianjun inside and another outside, they were hurling insults at each other with spittle flying everywhere.

Boom! Rumble!

Amid the chaos, the Dan thunder grew even more intense.

More people looked up, witnessing the extraordinary phenomena of the Dan, which intertwined and transformed amidst the lightning and thunder, sketching out a magnificent scene. It seemed as if it wasn't the Dan undergoing tribulation, but a person, with thunder displaying its domineering power and the majesty of destruction.

"Little one, still putting up a futile resistance?"

In the bamboo grove, Dan Zong was already seated, his back straight as he stroked his beard and smiled at Ye Chen. He was not a Danjun, but an old-timer who had lived for ages, with his own backing; otherwise, he wouldn't have come here to challenge Ye Chen in alchemy, and even make such a high-stakes bet.

"Until the end, the outcome is unknown."

Ye Chen replied calmly, still in the process of refining the Dan, his expression as still as an ancient well. As he always said, anything short of Jiuwen was all meaningless.

With that, he gently tapped the Dan furnace.

Immediately, three beams of light shot out from the furnace, soaring straight into the sky.

"Three more."

Dan Zong, who had just sat down, stood up again, his previously composed expression no longer so calm.

Ye Chen had produced three Dans from one furnace before, which he had already witnessed, but he couldn't fathom how this Da Sheng realm novice had gathered so many refining materials—all at the Baowen pinnacle level. Even he couldn't gather three portions, yet Ye Chen had them.

"Baowen Duanhun Dan, Baowen Zhugu Dan, Baowen Xishen Dan."

Bi Xia clicked her tongue and smiled at Dan Zong.

"Don't underestimate my Xueming Dan."

Dan Zong said steadily, his demeanor confident about the Dan he was refining. It was no joke—a Dan infinitely close to Jiuwen; even three others wouldn't change that—it would still obliterate them.

Bi Xia smiled and glanced back at Ye Chen.

Earlier, Ye Chen had asked to borrow materials from her, but she hadn't had any. However, after returning from her borrowing trip, Ye Chen hadn't mentioned it again. Now that he had produced three Dans, it was clear he had gathered the refining materials during that journey.

"Baowen Dan, three of them?"

"Inside, how many Dan masters are there? One Baowen Ban, and three at Baowen pinnacle."

"Are they all from Ye Chen's hand?"

"Impossible. Even a Danshen couldn't do it, let alone a minor Xingjun."

"There must be other Dan masters inside."

Outside, the discussions had turned into a tidal wave, with everyone gazing at the Cangmiao. The sharp-eyed old Xianjun had already spotted the clues: in that purple bamboo grove, there must be an unseen Dan duel going on, and with such alchemy skills, it had to involve someone from the Danshen Hall.

Boom! Rumble!

Under the watchful eyes of the masses, thunder resounded again, and the three Baowen Dans each summoned Dan thunder. The already vast thunder tribulation became even more immense, forming a sea of thunder that obscured the vast starry sky, making everyone's hearts tremble at the overwhelming sight.

No one knew when the Dan thunder would dissipate.

Roar!

Accompanied by a roar, Dan Zong's Xueming Xiandan transformed into a divine dragon, its agile body coiling through the nine heavens, strikingly radiant.

Roar! Roar!

Beast roars followed one after another: Ye Chen's Baowen Duanhun Dan turned into a Xuanwu, Baowen Zhugu Dan into a Baihu, and Baowen Xishen Dan into a Zhque.

"This..."

The spectators were all astonished, looking up at the four Dans, which had formed the array of the Four Divine Beasts: the Eastern Canglong roared, the Western Baihu howled, the Northern Xuanwu opened the immortal path, and the Southern Zhque was reborn in flames.

Boom! Rumble!

Amid the roars, battle erupted in the sky. The Xuanwu, Baihu, and Zhque joined forces to besiege the Canglong. Each collision spread waves of destructive light, causing the void to hum and space to collapse inch by inch.

"Is that... a Dan duel?"

The immortals murmured. It was called a Dan duel, but it looked more like the Four Divine Beasts in a fierce brawl, fighting to the death.

It was clear that the Xueming Canglong was extremely ferocious, facing three Dans alone and battling fiercely. Its massive body was as majestic as a mountain, radiating brilliant divine light, with eyes shooting lightning and mouth spewing immortal flames, repeatedly striking its opponents.

However, as the fight went on, the situation slowly shifted—from having the upper hand to a stalemate, and then from a stalemate to falling behind. Its initial dominance waned, and its divine power diminished, making it hard to suppress the others.

In contrast, the three Dans showed great intelligence, forming their own battle array: the Xuanwu acted as the tough front shield, the Baihu delivered high damage output, and the Zhque focused on healing, their coordination flawless.

This synergy caused the Canglong immense trouble, with its body covered in wounds and scars etched deeply.

"How is this possible?"

Dan Zong furrowed his brows, his face growing more serious. His Baowen Ban Xiandan was actually at a disadvantage, unable to withstand the three-Dan assault.

It wasn't that his Dan was weak; it was that Ye Chen's Dans were too strange—one more ferocious than the last, their strength far beyond expectations. They were infused with Ye Chen's Dao and carried an invincible will, coordinating perfectly; even a Jiuwen Dan might struggle against them.

A miscalculation, a serious miscalculation.

If this continued, his Dan was doomed to lose.

Compared to him, Ye Chen remained composed, his expression unchanged. After all, anything short of a Jiuwen Dan meant the outcome was predictable.

Roar! Roar!

The Xueming Canglong's roars carried a touch of misery under the three-Dan siege, its body battered and on the verge of collapse. If not for its deep foundation, it would have already fallen from the sky.

But its defeat was only a matter of time. Even people feared a group assault, let alone a Dan; each collision weakened its energy further.

The Dan duel had an inevitable result.

As dawn approached, the Xueming Canglong was defeated, plummeting from the sky and reverting to its Dan form, its divine light faded and covered in cracks.

In the void, the Dan Xuanwu, Dan Baihu, and Dan Zhque still lingered, their roars echoing through the nine heavens. Though scarred, they were all brimming with fighting spirit.

At that moment, Dan Zong fell silent, his old eyes clouded with defeat.

He had lost, and lost badly. A Dan master like Ye Chen, in a Dan duel, could only be suppressed by a Jiuwen Dan. A Danjun wouldn't suffice, and neither would he, Dan Zong; it would require the Danshen to emerge.

"An infinitely close Jiuwen Dan, yet it lost."

"Proven fact: even the strongest Dan fears a group assault."

"I just wonder who was dueling Ye Chen."

The spectators sighed, having witnessed both the glory and the decline of the Dans. It worked in one-on-one fights, but a group assault changed everything—anything short of Jiuwen was nonsense. A three-against-one formation could overwhelm even a Baowen Ban Xiandan.

"Impossible! This is impossible!"

Amid the sighs, one person howled hysterically, his voice piercing.

That person was, of course, Danjun, unable to believe that Dan Zong had lost, just as he hadn't believed his own defeat that day. His initial joy was now overshadowed by a ferocious expression, like a mad dog barking wildly.

With Dan Zong's defeat, his Wanmie Xianyan was also lost for good.

The immortals all turned to look, stroking their chins and sizing up Danjun. From his behavior, it was clear that the one dueling Ye Chen was from the Danshen Hall—likely his master uncle, Dan Zong.

In the entire Danshen Hall, aside from the Danshen, only Dan Zong had the ability to refine a Baowen Ban Xiandan.

But that didn't seem to matter much now; he had refined it, only to be defeated by Ye Chen.

In the bamboo grove, Ye Chen had already raised his hand to retrieve the three Dans.

Bi Xia Xianzi finally stood up, stretching lazily without a word, just looking at Dan Zong with an expression that clearly said: Don't welch on the bet.

Dan Zong gave a bitter laugh, showing the grace of a senior, and with a wave of his hand, his natal Xianhuo flew out from his Danghai. He was far superior to Danjun, not just in alchemy skills, but in character; a loss was a loss, and he accepted it.

Ye Chen reached out to catch it, holding it in his palm.

This was a silver Xianhuo, known as Wuxing Xianhuo, derived from the gathering of the five elements, no less powerful than Wanmie Xianyan. It burned so intensely that it distorted space, containing vast origins of fire, incredibly pure.

Bi Xia Xianzi breathed a sigh of relief, truly afraid that Dan Zong might renege. If this old-timer did, she could only scold him a bit; after all, as the Danshen's junior brother, his background was extraordinarily strong.

Fortunately, Dan Zong had that level of integrity and could afford to lose.

"What a formidable younger generation!"

Dan Zong smiled, without the expected outburst, and silently turned to leave the bamboo grove, not bothering to hide his form. Since he could afford to lose, he wasn't afraid to face the immortals; the truth would come out eventually.

This earned him a bit more respect from Ye Chen.

The Danshen's junior brother, a great Xianjun, and a genuine Quasi Emperor at the peak—daring to walk out like this was commendable. Among those from the Danshen Hall, Danjun and he were worlds apart.

"Oh? It's really Dan Zong."

"I knew it! Besides the Danshen, only he could refine a Baowen Ban Dan."

"Sneakily dueling Ye Chen—quite the schemer!"

"I don't know why, but I just feel like laughing. They defeated a Danjun, and now this old-timer came for revenge and got beaten too. The Danshen Hall is quite entertaining."

"Without his natal Xianhuo, he must have lost it to Ye Chen."

As Dan Zong emerged, the outside erupted in chatter. In the various pavilions, the old-timers all had their hands behind their backs, sighing and clicking their tongues. They sighed at Dan Zong's boldness in showing himself and clicked their tongues at his grace. If it were them, they might have fled the moment they lost—who cared about being a Quasi Emperor peak?

Dan Zong said nothing, his expression unchanged, as he made his way out of the Dao residence.

"Master Uncle." Danjun suddenly appeared from somewhere, his face dark with fury, his eyes filled with malice toward Ye Chen.

"This matter is beyond me. Take it to your master." Dan Zong said leisurely, then flicked his sleeve and left. He had come to settle a score, but ended up in an awkward mess—not only failing to reclaim Danjun's Wanmie Xianyan, but also losing his own natal Xianhuo.

Danjun gritted his teeth, glaring at Ye Chen's Dao residence with even more ferocity.

"Hurry, hurry!"

The crowd of Xianjun rushed after Dan Zong like a swarm, nearly knocking Danjun over. Although Dan Zong had lost, his Baowen Ban Xueming Dan was real, and for those wanting to live longer, that Xiandan was a lifesaving treasure.