Chapter 2585: Hidden Evil

Ye Chen spoke, his voice calm and devoid of any emotion.

"You cannot become emperor."

With that, he summoned the Yu Men.

The massive commotion here would surely not escape Yin Ming's notice, so he had to move quickly, before Yin Ming could react, and reach the Tian Lao to rescue the Zhu Wang and Shura Tianzun.

Once that was accomplished, his mission would be complete.

With no more ties holding him back,

He could then wreak havoc in the Heavenly Palace, soaring through the heavens and earth as he pleased.

If the Dao Ancestor emerged, so be it; if not, he would continue to stir up chaos until the world was turned upside down, forcing the Dao Ancestor to take notice.

"Stop him!"

The Dan Shen Hall elders roared furiously, one after another charging into the Yu Men.

Boom! Clang! Bang! Crash!

From the unclosed Yu Men came a cacophony of noise.

Soon, those elders who had rushed in were sent flying out, many with heads split open, others reduced to bloody mist. They had all felt the full force of Ye Chen's iron staff—each one felled by a single blow.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Dan Shen howled in rage, instantly teleporting into the Yu Men.

Boom! Bang! Boom!

Explosions followed, shaking the nine heavens.

There was no need to look to know a fierce battle raged inside the Yu Men, an extremely brutal one at that. It was fortunate it was an Emperor Path Yu Men; an ordinary one would have shattered by now.

Pfft!

Under the watchful eyes of all, a blood-soaked figure was hurled out of the Yu Men.

A closer look revealed it was Dan Shen.

The sight shocked everyone once more.

After all, Dan Shen had regained his full strength, yet in a one-on-one fight with Ye Chen, he was blasted out. No one would believe that Quasi-Emperor first level hadn't cheated.

In an instant, the Yu Men sealed shut, and Ye Chen vanished without a trace.

Ah!

Dan Shen's hair was disheveled, his eyes blood-red, his fury driving him to madness.

"Find him! Find him for me!"

"Catch Ye Chen, and you'll be rewarded with a nine-pattern Dan!"

Dan Shen's roar thundered like lightning, shaking the immortal vault and making the entire world rumble. No one knew how many Dan Shen Hall disciples were shaken into bloody mist.

The elders exchanged glances, took a deep breath, and rushed off in pursuit, as if they could lock onto Ye Chen's position.

As always, the Emperor Path Shen Dan hadn't been swallowed in vain. Though Dan Shen had turned dark, he was still the ruler of Dan Shen Hall.

If they wanted to stay in Dan Shen Hall, they had to obey his orders.

As for Dan Zong and his group, they laughed wearily. After a final glance at Dan Shen, they turned and left silently.

Along with them went many junior disciples, truly frightened, sticking close as they followed Dan Zong into the distance, bathed in the evening sunlight.

Dan Shen was no longer the Dan Shen of old.

And Dan Shen Hall was no longer the Dan Shen Hall of the past.

This immortal mountain, which seemed like home, no longer held any warmth. Utterly disappointed in Dan Shen, they were all exhausted and wouldn't stay here any longer.

Hmph!

Dan Shen snorted coldly, striding off the mountain peak with a surge of demonic malice.

From start to finish, he didn't even glance at Dan Zong and the others. In his twisted mind, only Ye Chen remained—he was determined to devour him.

"Hurry! Hurry up!"

The noise continued unabated, and the immortal monarchs were not idle.

Especially the Quasi-Emperor peak elders, each one faster than the last, their eyes gleaming with sharp light, filled with cold intent.

They were chasing Ye Chen, but not for Dan Shen or the nine-pattern Dan—it was for themselves.

Once they captured Ye Chen, who needed a nine-pattern Dan?

Today, they had seen Dan Shen's true nature. For the Emperor Path Shen Dan, he had gone mad, even devouring his own disciple Dan Jun like a son. There was nothing he wouldn't do.

So, even if they caught Ye Chen and handed him over, Dan Shen wouldn't give them the nine-pattern Dan—in fact, he'd likely kill them to keep them quiet.

In that case, why help him?

They were all at Quasi-Emperor peak; if he had a chance to become emperor, so did they. Devouring Ye Chen might just let them achieve the Dao.

Once they became emperor, what would Dan Shen Hall, Heavenly Court, or Heavenly Realm matter?

Thus, the once-crowded Dan Shen Hall emptied in an instant. Some went to hunt Ye Chen, others to watch the spectacle.

In this turmoil, human nature was displayed in all its vivid complexity.

In the face of the emperor's throne, Dan Shen was mad, and so were the elder immortal monarchs.

For ultimate supremacy, they all revealed the evil hidden in their hearts.

Pfft!

In the Emperor Path Yu Men passage, Ye Chen coughed up blood nonstop, staggering and barely able to stand. His once ruddy face was deathly pale.

Earlier, when Dan Shen charged into the Yu Men, he attacked with reckless abandon. Even someone as strong as Ye Chen was left in a wretched state, half his divine body blown apart. Every wound emitted a eerie glow—Dan Shen's killing intent, eroding his vital energy.

Dan Shen fought desperately, and so did he, paying a heavy price to drive Dan Shen out of the Yu Men.

"Kid."

Si Ming poked his head out from the treasure pagoda, his face full of worry.

"No big issue."

Ye Chen waved it off, immediately sitting cross-legged and popping a handful of Dans into his mouth.

Then, his shattered body began to reconstruct flesh and bone at a visible speed. Brilliant golden light enveloped him entirely, forcefully erasing the killing intent and stabilizing his Dao foundations.

The dominance of this recovery speed left Si Ming and the others swallowing hard.

It was all thanks to the Emperor Path Shen Dan.

The Dan's power hadn't fully dissipated yet, and it was precisely the nine-pattern Shen Dan's energy enhancing Ye Chen's recovery. Under the golden glow, a dense medicinal fragrance carried wisps of essence.

"Nine-pattern Dan, truly extraordinary."

The three licked their lips. They had never seen a nine-pattern Dan, let alone tasted one. Seeing Ye Chen radiating light, they couldn't help but want to try one themselves.

Ye Chen remained serene, fully focused as he channeled his cultivation, infusing the Shen Dan's power into his limbs, organs, and meridians. The surge of energy revitalized his depleted blood and Qi.

As a cultivator, this was his first time swallowing a nine-pattern Dan—it was incredibly potent.

This Dan not only provided medicinal power but also Dao essence. It might not help Dan Shen achieve the Dao, but it could aid Ye Chen in advancing to Quasi-Emperor.

"This kid's got real guts, gambling with his life like that," Si Ming tsked.

"You gotta say, Dan Shen's the one being stupid. He could've just captured Ye Chen and refined him directly. Why all these twists and turns? He ended up trapping himself," Tai Yi said, hands clasped, shaking his head in amazement.

"You don't get it," Tai Bai glanced at him. "Without the Dao wine and enlightenment tea interacting, how could Ye Chen's Dao essence be settled? If you don't know alchemy, don't yap about it—it just shows your IQ."

"Your IQ isn't much higher," Si Ming said leisurely. "Haven't you figured it out? This is a three-way game."

"Three people?"

"Ye Chen, Dan Shen, Yin Ming," Si Ming said flatly. "Get this straight: Ye Chen is Yin Ming's target, and Dan Shen is stealing his food. All those twists are just for show. How else could Yin Ming get what he wants from Dan Shen without capturing Ye Chen? And how could Dan Shen get Ye Chen without giving Yin Ming something?"

"So, what's Ye Chen's role?"

"He's a player in the game and an observer. He's gambling with Yin Ming and with Dan Shen, while also watching them fight each other."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk."

Tai Yi and Tai Bai both clicked their tongues. Only now did they grasp this deeper layer—it was because they had thought too simply.

So, their IQ was still a step behind Ye Chen's.

In this three-way game, Ye Chen had known from the start. It was a grand performance, testing not just acting skills but also intelligence.

But compared to Yin Ming and Dan Shen, Ye Chen had one more thing: sheer audacity.

Without the guts to dance with death, he couldn't have created this crimson wedding dress.

"How much will Dan Shen have to pay to snatch food from Yin Ming's mouth?"

"That guy is loaded, filthy rich."

"But after today, his reputation is utterly destroyed."

Si Ming and the others kept chatting about the spectacle at Dan Shen Hall—it was incredibly entertaining.

Yue Xin said nothing. She wasn't skilled in schemes and didn't understand them; she just watched Ye Chen. As long as her emperor was safe, that was enough.

Though silent, she felt a sense of astonishment at Dan Shen's corruption.

Under the four's gaze, Ye Chen suddenly opened his eyes.

His gaze was even clearer and deeper, with specks of starlight flickering—he had fully recovered to his peak.

The Shen Dan's power was still slowly unfolding.

"Kid, you've basically dragged us all onto your pirate ship today," Tai Yi said with his hands clasped.

"Even if we didn't plan to rebel, we have to now."

"Since you're on good terms with me, did you think Yin Ming and Dan Shen would let you off?" Ye Chen said indifferently. Through the Yu Men passage, he gazed at the outside world, as if identifying his direction.

"That's true."

The three coughed awkwardly. It was a good thing Ye Chen had pulled them in; otherwise, with Dan Shen and Yin Ming's natures, they would have been flayed alive.

"Any destination in mind?" the three asked.

"Off to Tian Lao to rescue two people," Ye Chen replied casually.

"Don't joke around."

The three twitched at the corners of their mouths. They had just escaped Dan Shen Hall, and now he wanted to jump back into the fire pit. Was his brain waterlogged, or had he been kicked by a donkey? Going to Tian Lao to break out prisoners—could he even survive?

Ye Chen ignored them, instantly stepping out of the Yu Men and landing in a Dao residence.

In the pavilion at the lake's center, a person sat cross-legged in meditation—it was the tribulation-bound Tian Qing.

Ye Chen appeared suddenly, startling Tian Qing.

"Xing Jun, you..."

Ye Chen said nothing, waving his hand to pull him into the treasure pagoda.

Tian Qing was completely baffled.

Si Ming and the others were equally confused, looking at Tian Qing with strange eyes. As fellow officials, they recognized this minor Xing Jun, a lowly ninth-rank official.

"Holy Lord, is he also reincarnated?" Yue Xin asked Ye Chen via divine sense.

"A fellow from my homeland," Ye Chen smiled, then summoned another Yu Men, with no time to explain further.

This was the first divine general of the Emperor, and Yue Xin wouldn't recognize him. Besides, with the layers of tribulations, if he said it outright, it might short-circuit her mind.

Yue Xin scratched her head, sizing up Tian Qing. In her memory, she was sure she didn't know this person.

But thinking about it, she let it go. Da Chu was vast, with countless people—who could she have met them all?

The others looked at him oddly, making the tribulation-bound Tian Qing feel uncomfortable all over. He was dedicated, unaware of the huge disturbance at Dan Shen Hall, and had been cultivating in his residence.

"Do you know why we brought you?" Tai Yi poked Tian Qing.

"No idea," Tian Qing shook his head.

"We're rebelling; we're going to rebel."

"Look at you, so refined and talented, a one-in-a-million genius."

"So, we brought you along."

The three old fellows bantered back and forth around the tribulation-bound Tian Qing, speaking with great flair, their faces full of meaningful smiles.

Tian Qing's face turned pale at their words. Rebelling?

Yes, he heard right—these people were rebelling. But why bring me along? With my cultivation, I couldn't even withstand an immortal monarch's breath.

In that moment, Tian Qing's face was etched with one phrase: I want to go home.

Ye Chen smiled and continued toward Tian Lao.

In his heart, he held a glimmer of hope, wishing for the first divine general to pass his tribulation and for those in the Heavenly Realm to do the same.

That way, causing chaos in the Heavenly Palace would be even more lively.