Chapter 2572: 劫中劫

Bathed in moonlight, Ye Chen walked slowly along the path toward the Dao Fu, feeling it stretch on endlessly.

A cup of enlightenment tea had given him a clearer perspective.

Or perhaps, he had miscalculated.

That night, he had expected Yin Ming to try to destroy him and had prepared for battle accordingly.

But in reality, he had underestimated Yin Ming.

This newly ascended ruler of the Tian Ting possessed a depth of scheming far greater than he had imagined.

You anticipated that I would destroy you, so I won't. I'll make you miscalculate, leave you on edge, lost in wild thoughts, and filled with dread.

It's like a condemned prisoner who's been told of his execution but is never taken to the scaffold. Over time, that becomes a torment of the soul, an agony worse than any physical wound.

"Yin Ming, you're going further and further down the path of perversion."

Ye Chen muttered suddenly, his laugh enigmatic, a mix of hatred and anger, sorrow and fury—he couldn't tell which.

There are people so clever that they become twisted, turning their torments into signs of a distorted mind.

He was now utterly alone.

This contest would prove more intriguing than he thought. They were enemies, yet also kindred spirits.

An enemy killing an enemy brings laughter; a kindred spirit killing another brings pain.

In the Dao Fu, Taiyi and his two companions were still there, unclear if they had left in the morning and returned or never left at all.

As Ye Chen entered, the three perked up.

Ye Chen smiled and brought out pan tao and qiong jiang yu lu. He knew exactly what they were after. Having been in the Tian Ting for so long, they had never tasted pan tao, and since he had attended the Pan Tao banquet, they figured he would bring some back.

True to expectations, Ye Chen didn't disappoint—it was more than a few, practically a whole basketful, making their wait worthwhile.

Crunch! Crunch!

Soon, the bamboo grove echoed with those sounds as the three devoured the pan tao with true passion, even chewing up the pits.

"You managing to come back alive is a miracle," Taiyi sighed, popping another pit into his mouth. His teeth were remarkably strong, and he ate with relish, unbothered by the risk.

"They couldn't bear to kill me, so here I am," Ye Chen replied, taking a seat. He casually picked up a carving knife and a block of wood, resuming his wood carvings.

The three couldn't help but chuckle at his reasoning. It sounded plausible at first glance—there was even a part about reluctance to kill? If I were Yin Ming, I'd have chopped you up and made soup by now.

As dawn approached, the three finally left, arms around each other's shoulders.

Later, Yuexin stopped by. She was on her way to the Tian Lao and hesitated as if wanting to speak but held back. She probably wanted to advise Ye Chen to return to the lower realms. The Tian Ting's ruler had changed, and while the Yu Di had shown some respect to Hua Shan, it was uncertain with Yin Ming. There was always the risk of death.

To this, Ye Chen merely smiled faintly. He was well aware of his situation, but it wasn't time to leave yet.

Yuexin sighed and continued on to the Tian Lao.

Ever since that day when Ye Chen had spoken of it, she visited more frequently. She felt a strange affection for the legendary Shura Tianzun and, whenever she had free time, wanted to go to the Tian Lao to chat with that formidable figure.

The bamboo grove was peaceful, with only the faint sounds of wood carving breaking the silence.

How many days had passed? The entire grove was now filled with wood carvings, each one representing a reincarnated soul he hadn't found yet—Long Ye, Ye Xingchen, Hu Wa, Dao Huang, Shen Xuanfeng, and so many more.

Unfortunately, there was still no news of them.

As he worked, another carving was completed and placed on the jade stone—it was of Zhuge Yu. The memory was fresh, so he carved it vividly, especially capturing that sleazy aura to a tee.

It wasn't just Zhuge Yu; every carving here was lifelike. He remembered every one of the nine million heroic spirits of Da Chu, each memory etched into his soul like an indelible mark.

"Star Jun, are you there?"

Lost in thought, Ye Chen heard someone at the edge of the bamboo grove. It was a minor immortal who didn't dare enter without permission, fearing to offend. If it were an Xian Jun, they might have just walked in.

"Come in and speak."

Ye Chen said casually, picking up another piece of immortal wood to continue carving.

Before long, a figure in a black robe emerged from the grove. It was indeed a minor immortal with modest cultivation, only at the Sheng Ren Jing level—a ninth-rank minor official without a divine position. He entered hesitantly, intimidated by Ye Chen's higher rank.

Ye Chen set down his carving knife and stood up instinctively, furrowing his brow as he stared at the minor immortal without a word. His eyes narrowed into slits, making the minor immortal shiver uncomfortably.

"I have true fire and wish to ask Star Jun to refine some pills for me."

The long silence was finally broken by the minor immortal's words. This quiet intensity was oppressive. I'm not even a beauty—do you have to stare like that?

Ye Chen still didn't speak. With a light wave of his hand, he dispelled the minor immortal's black robe.

As the robe vanished, the minor immortal's true appearance was revealed: a young man in a purple dao robe with thick black hair. Though not old, his eyes held many untold stories.

At first glance, he looked somewhat familiar, and upon closer inspection, strikingly so—he resembled Tian Qing, the first divine general under Xianwu Diczun.

To say they resembled each other was an understatement; they were identical.

"How is this possible?"

Ye Chen murmured, his brow furrowing deeper. This wasn't just a resemblance—it was exactly the first divine general. The one from the jie zhong jie.

From his memory, the first divine general had already perished, as confirmed by Ren Wang himself, with no room for error. Tian Qing's yuan shen yu pai had shattered, and in Da Chu, a tombstone stood in his honor. On quiet nights, the divine generals would bring wine to pay respects, sitting vigil through the night.

Yet here he was, the first divine general of the jie zhong jie. How could Ye Chen not be shocked?

After a moment, a glint flashed in his eyes as a bold theory formed: perhaps the first divine general from back then hadn't truly perished but had undergone another jie within the jie.

This theory was quickly confirmed. From within Tian Qing, he detected traces of recent jie—not just one, but two.

Well then! Even with the composure of a Da Chu emperor, Ye Chen felt a bit dizzy.

The first divine general under Diczun was extraordinarily talented, undergoing jie within jie—an unprecedented feat. Everyone thought he was dead, but he was still in the midst of it. This jie was bold and dominant, even surpassing a half-jie.

It was a good thing Ming Di didn't know, or he'd surely click his tongue in amazement.

You folks from the Zhutian realm really have a lot of talents! There are those who slaughter emperors, those who survive the emperor's jie, those with half-jie, those who jie in dreams, those who jie with memories, those who jie and then jie again, those who reincarnate repeatedly, those who wander between the three realms, those who've been to other universes... It's all so fascinating.

"Star Jun?"

Seeing Ye Chen remain silent, the jie zhong jie Tian Qing waved a hand in front of him. If you can refine, then refine; if not, at least say something. Staring at me like this is making me shy.

Ye Chen opened his mouth, wondering whether to speak or not.

He was the one who had jie with memories, so he wasn't afraid of disturbing it, but this one before him was different—undergoing jie within jie. He wasn't sure if it would be disrupted. If his words caused the first divine general to perish, that would be a huge mess.

"Can you refine it?"

The jie zhong jie Tian Qing asked with a dry laugh.

"Yes."

"Thank you, Star Jun."

"Come on, let's chat."

Ye Chen said, placing a hand on the jie zhong jie Tian Qing's back and leading him deeper in. This divine general was quite the character, incredibly resilient, having survived the jie frenzy. Disturbing his jie now should be fine.

From behind, the two looked like old buddies, a pleasing sight.

One undergoing jie within jie, the other with memories from jie; one the reincarnation of Diczun, the other his divine general—they met in this foreign land. Such a scenario wouldn't happen once in eight lifetimes.