Chapter 2581: Refining a Hundred Classics in the Furnace

Inside the dan furnace, Ye Chen's eyes were slightly closed.

Soon after, faint strands of Dao principles flickered into existence, each one imprinted as a kind of Dao—Qiankun Dao, Yin Yang Dao, Lei Zhi Dao, Yan Zhi Dao, and countless others—etched into his divine body.

At that moment, his body was like a vessel, containing various Daos that intertwined and merged under the forging of the merit divine fire.

He was comprehending the Dao and refining it, his body serving as a dan furnace, with every kind of Dao acting like an ingredient for an immortal elixir.

The Dan Shen was refining, and so was he.

The difference was that the Dan Shen was refining a dan, while he was refining the Dao.

Seeing the Dao essence flourishing around Ye Chen, the Dan Shen's face lit up with joy, instinctively believing that the Dao wine and enlightenment tea had taken effect, drawing out Ye Chen's various Daos, which he intended to incorporate into his Emperor Dao divine dan.

Beyond that, the aura of alchemy mysteries provided an enhancement, including his own and Ye Chen's.

Dan Shen laughed.

"Choosing you as the Dan Ling was the right decision."

With that, he added another ingredient, extracting its essence and merging it into Ye Chen's body.

"Besides me, Senior must have backups," Ye Chen said with his eyes closed.

"Of course, there's my junior brother Dan Zong, my disciple Dan Jun, my nephew Dan Feng, including the old Kunlun Daoist and your Huashan fairy from the Heavenly Realm—each could potentially serve as a backup Dan Ling. But compared to you, they are all illusions."

"For the sake of becoming an emperor, is it worth abandoning everything, Senior?" Ye Chen asked.

"Worth it," Dan Shen replied firmly.

"I've been blocked by that gate for thousands of years—I'm unwilling to accept it."

"I once defied the heavens and created myths—why can't I become an emperor?"

"I must cross that chasm and see the heavens beyond."

Dan Shen's words grew more fervent with each sentence.

Perhaps it was the emotions suppressed for endless ages finally erupting—a roar and howl from the depths of his soul.

In the end, his originally gentle face took on a hint of ferocity, revealing the evil lurking deep in his heart and his profound, desperate desire.

"Even if you become an emperor, you'll still be alone," Ye Chen said calmly, feeling neither hate nor anger. Understanding the Dan Shen's state of mind, he also grasped that sense of unwillingness.

It was like back when the heavenly demons invaded, and he had swallowed half of the Tian Ji Dan—he could see that gate but could never cross it.

In that instant, his unwillingness surpassed even the Dan Shen's.

After a long while, the Dan Shen finally calmed down. Having poured out words suppressed for thousands of years, he felt an unprecedented sense of relief.

His smile returned to its gentle state.

The two spoke no more—one diligently refining the dan, the other quietly focusing on refining the Dao; one seeking to use Ye Chen to achieve emperorship, the other seeking to use the Dan Shen to advance.

Who had outmaneuvered whom remained unclear.

In Da Chu, at the Tianxuan Gate underground palace,

Under the watchful eyes of the quasi-emperors, the God of Creation coughed up blood again, suffering backlash from the red dust and the six paths, his aura weakening. If not for the power of creation sustaining him, he might have fallen into a deep sleep like the Human King for several months.

"Give me a moment to rest," the God of Creation said, waving his hand and sitting down heavily, spitting out another mouthful of old blood.

It wasn't that he wasn't strong enough—the red dust and six paths were too mysterious, involving time and space, which touched upon taboos. Especially the red dust, which involved both time and space as well as reincarnation, making its backlash even stronger than that of the six paths.

"Just hand these two over to the Honghuang—let them study it," the Earth Elder said, hands tucked in his sleeves.

This was the latest in a series—the quasi-emperors present had all ended up spitting blood when trying to deduce the red dust and six paths, leaving them all battered over time.

"Spot on," the Heaven Elder said, stroking his beard.

As soon as the words were out, Di Ji threw the two out of the underground palace.

The quasi-emperors coughed awkwardly, each finding their own seat and sitting down steadily. Even those mischievous old fellows became well-behaved, afraid of being thrown out themselves—Di Ji was not someone anyone could handle when she lost her temper.

"Ye Chen and the Kunlun Shen Nü are a pair—how interesting," one said.

"In the altered historical trajectory, she's with Jian Fei Dao; in the unaltered one, she's with Ye Chen—one is the disciple of the Emperor, the other is the Emperor's reincarnation. Quite the novelty."

"You fool, keep it down—it's embarrassing," another whispered.

The divine generals huddled together, hands in their sleeves, chattering away endlessly.

As they spoke, these old fellows kept glancing at Donghuang Tai Xin from time to time—you truly stood out!

"Get lost," Donghuang Tai Xin exploded, like a frenzied tigress, grabbing a stool and hurling it over, her cheeks flushed—whether from shame or anger, who could say? Her clear, beautiful eyes sparkled with vivid flames.

Only then did the divine generals quiet down, switching to silent transmissions.

Donghuang Tai Xin took a deep breath and glared at the God of Creation, the flames in her eyes burning even brighter, as if to say: Spread any more rumors, and you're done for.

The God of Creation raised an eyebrow and coughed, simply turning away. It was just the truth!

The Sword God also coughed. Who knew what shocking events had upended the original historical trajectory?

In reality, what the God of Creation saw was only the surface.

If Ye Chen were here, he would explain the truth: Regardless of whether the historical trajectory changed, the Kunlun Shen Nü had always loved the Zhutian Sword Myth Jian Fei Dao. It was only because the Emperor's reincarnation body carried Jian Fei Dao's fate.

At Dan Shen Hall, it was bustling with visitors.

Many came to pay respects, claiming to discuss the Dao with the Dan Shen, but in truth, they were probing for information. Ever since the Dan Shen took Ye Chen away, there had been no word.

Unfortunately, though many arrived, no one could see the Dan Shen.

"Is it covered by a barrier? Is he personally nurturing something?" one asked.

"Or maybe he's passing on his legacy—when Ye Chen comes out, he might be the new lord of Dan Shen Hall," another speculated.

"Good thing Ye Chen didn't kick him while he was down when he was captured," someone else added.

The group of old immortal monarchs gathered, discussing animatedly. They had been at Dan Shen Hall for three days without seeing the Dan Shen or Ye Chen. The entire Dan Shen Immortal Mountain was isolated from the outside world, and no one knew what was happening inside.

Not even the people of Dan Shen Hall itself could enter—Dan Zong had tried to seek an audience but was turned away.

At that moment, the Dan Shen had no time for them.

He had been refining for three days, with no sign of the dan being complete.

To be precise, he was only halfway through. Refining a nine-pattern Emperor Dao divine dan was an intricate process, and the Dan Shen dared not be careless. Any minor mistake could lead to failure, wasting both effort and materials.

In the dan furnace, Ye Chen remained seated in a dignified posture, still as a statue of ice.

In the serene atmosphere, profound Dao principles manifested, each one engraving into his physique and giving rise to the sounds of the great Dao.

The Dan Shen listened with even greater delight—Ye Chen as a Dan Ling was more extraordinary than he had imagined. He might truly succeed in refining the Emperor Dao divine dan and perhaps even achieve the Dao to become an emperor.

"If you can become an emperor, I'll take your surname," Ye Chen thought to himself. This old man was truly obsessed—and dangerously so.

If taking a dan could lead to enlightenment, the world wouldn't have so many regrets.

It was easy to wake someone who's drunk, but impossible to rouse someone who's pretending.

The current Dan Shen was that pretender.

Slowly retracting his thoughts, Ye Chen focused his mind.

After three days, the Dao principles he refined had become even more refined. He could now glimpse the gate to the quasi-emperor realm, though he couldn't cross it yet—the opportunity hadn't arrived.

And that opportunity lay right in this refining furnace.