Chapter 2601: Unwilling

Chapter 2601: Bu Gan

Bang!

The sound of the brick shattering was quite pleasing.

Dan Shen let out a muffled groan, his head spinning and vision darkening, making his unsteady old body sway before finally collapsing backward. The sword wound in his chest gushed blood, spraying out in a crimson arc.

Normally, a brick to the head would be nothing.

But in this moment, it was fatal.

Ye Chen and his companions were at their limits, and so was he.

Once he fell, Dan Shen never rose again. Though unwilling, he was too weak to fight on, his face a bloody mess and blood pouring from his mouth.

"Senior, you have lost."

Ye Chen gripped his bloodstained xian jian, swaying unsteadily himself.

"I am unwilling."

Dan Shen spoke, his words slurred by the flowing blood.

"Unwilling, I am unwilling."

Dan Shen seemed possessed, too weak to roar anymore. His so-called unwillingness had become a hoarse murmur, and the violent glint in his old eyes gradually faded.

For the first time, his eyes held a trace of clarity.

Perhaps, in the past, he had stood too high, so high that he could no longer see his original path. Only in this most humble instant did he awaken. In his eyes, there was not just clarity but also murky tears that streamed down his face.

In that moment, he aged to the extreme, thick death energy enveloping his body.

He was unwilling, but he had been defeated.

All his schemes over thousands of years had ultimately been no match for fate's decree.

Shura Tianzun and the others limped over unsteadily. Looking at this great enemy, they no longer felt the previous hatred.

Perhaps because he was on the verge of death, they pitied him.

A breeze blew, and Dan Shen tremblingly raised his hand, opening his inner world and releasing all his lifelong treasures—tian shi, fa qi, secret scrolls, xian cao, everything.

He also freed his gongde shenhuo.

He had come alone and unburdened, and he wished to leave the same way, clean and unencumbered.

"They are all yours."

Dan Shen's voice was hoarse as he spoke.

These words were for Ye Chen, his turbid old eyes carrying a hint of hope.

"Bury me in the Yin He."

This was his hope. All his lifelong treasures, including the gongde shenhuo, were the price for his burial.

"On the Yin He, there will be a tomb for you, senior."

Ye Chen bowed his hands.

"Thank you."

Dan Shen smiled wearily, gazing toward the vast sky.

In the haze, he seemed to see a towering gate of light.

It was the gate of the emperor's path, still as ethereal as ever. Yet in this instant before death, it felt incredibly close, as if right before his eyes.

Ironically, only when he let go of his obsessions did he see the gate of the emperor's path.

The heavens truly toyed with people.

In the end, he closed his eyes, two rows of murky tears trailing down his aged face.

The great Dan Shen turned to dust in the wind, becoming part of history.

We won!

Shura Tianzun finally exhaled, collapsing onto the ground.

We won!

Si Ming and the others felt the same, their faces pale and covered in cold sweat. They couldn't help but feel a lingering fear. It was lucky that only Dan Shen was there. If there had been more heavenly soldiers, or elders from the Dan Shen Hall, they would have been doomed for sure. They had all brushed against the gates of death.

We won!

Ye Chen murmured softly, sinking down weakly.

Defeating a great enemy brought him no joy, only sorrow.

Dan Shen was hateful, yet pitiable.

Suddenly, Ye Chen reached out and caught the flickering gongde shenhuo.

It was now masterless, wandering aimlessly.

Seeing Ye Chen hold it, the gongde shenhuo twitched slightly, then circled around him like a faint light before darting into his dan hai. In its confusion, it sought warmth, instinctively treating Ye Chen's dan hai as home.

Ye Chen's golden xian huo did not reject it.

The two flames hovered in his dan hai, their flames gently flickering as they observed each other. As flames of the same origin, they felt both hostility and an indescribable kinship.

"Does this mean the shenhuo belongs to him now?"

"The treasures are just sitting there—go grab them if you want; no one's stopping you."

"Hey, someone give me a hand."

Taiyi, Taibai, and Si Ming chattered away, all trying to get up.

But they were all at their limits, struggling even to stand, so they sat back down obediently. From their storage bags, they pulled out pills, shoving handfuls into their mouths. Once they recovered some strength, they planned to claim the treasures—after all, they were Dan Shen's collection, priceless rarities.

Ye Chen said nothing, only watching the two flames slowly draw near.

Then, they began to merge bit by bit, with no external force and no hesitation, becoming a single flame.

Boom!

In an instant, flames erupted over Ye Chen's body, burning fiercely. The powerful source of fire, brimming with origin power, surged into his limbs, organs, and meridians.

Puff!

Soon after, Ye Chen spat out blood.

The fusion of the two flames had propelled him to the second level of Zhundi. The power came too fiercely, forcing him to vomit blood wildly. His battered body couldn't withstand such external冲击.

Shura Tianzun watched, his mouth twitching. How could advancing like this even happen?

Even he reacted that way, and Taiyi and the others looked equally stunned. It had only been a few days since Ye Chen reached Zhundi first level, and now he had broken through again. How could they, these old veterans who had cultivated for thousands of years, feel any dignity? It was like he was cheating, but faster than anyone could imagine.

Puff!

Under their gaze, Ye Chen spat blood again. The source of fire was too domineering, cracking his body open. For a moment, he nearly crossed into the underworld.

Fortunately, he had an emperor weapon in his body to suppress it.

And thankfully, his foundation was strong enough to endure it. If it had been anyone else, their body would have shattered.

The source of fire calmed, becoming much gentler, like a clear spring nourishing his physique.

This was a stroke of fortune.

Ye Chen's aura stabilized, and his pale face gained a touch of color. The source of fire was like a seed, taking root within him. Given time, he would surely grow into a towering tree.

"What a guy."

Si Ming clicked his tongue, glancing at Ye Chen and then at himself. Without comparison, there was no harm.

Taiyi and Taibai's expressions were awkward enough.

To put it bluntly, spending too much time with a monster like Ye Chen would strip away all your prestige, leaving you embarrassed wherever you went.

Shura Tianzun, however, gazed with deeper insight.

The source of fire was merely the catalyst; the core was Ye Chen himself. His foundation was too solid, his comprehension of the Dao nearing its peak. For someone like him, if an opportunity arose, he either didn't advance, or when he did, it was overwhelmingly powerful.

"Not bad."

Ye Chen smiled. Advancing his cultivation was a great joy.

And the flames merging was another joy.

If he survived the great tribulation in the future, combined with his Nine Martial Xian Yan, he didn't believe he couldn't forge the Chaos Fire.

Shura Tianzun smiled and closed his eyes, focusing on healing.

Only after some time did Ye Chen withdraw his gaze from his dan hai. With a wave of his hand, he collected Dan Shen's robes. Dan Shen's body and spirit were destroyed, leaving only his clothes.

He would go to the Yin He and build a memorial tomb for him. Having accepted the payment, he had to fulfill the task. Once the tombstone was set, it would settle all karma between them—grudges and resentments alike would dissipate with the stone.

After that, he sat down cross-legged, swallowing handfuls of pills.

He needed to recover his injuries quickly. Who knew if heavenly soldiers or generals lurked nearby? In their current state, they didn't even need an Xian Jun—a mere ninth-grade Xing Jun could wipe them out, even with his recent advancement.

This was proven by Taiyi's earlier brick strike.

Who would have thought a Zhundi peak expert could be knocked down by a single brick? It wasn't that Taiyi's attack was strong; it was that they were all too gravely wounded, unable to stand steadily or muster any power, vulnerable to the slightest disturbance.

"The one who took down Dan Shen was me, so I get first pick."

"Get lost. Without my sword thrust, you wouldn't have succeeded."

"As if you didn't contribute."

Under the night sky, Taiyi, Taibai, and Si Ming bickered noisily. Their injuries weren't fully healed, but they had already surrounded Dan Shen's treasures and started dividing the spoils, each afraid of being left out. After all, these were Dan Shen's treasures!

Ye Chen said nothing and casually picked up an iron rod.

At that, the three quieted down, sitting back obediently. Ye Chen's rod had left them quite sore.

Seeing Ye Chen take the initiative, Shura Tianzun tossed aside his wolf-tooth club, looking ready to join in bashing the three, but Ye Chen had beaten him to it.

Only then did the world fall silent.

Meanwhile, the outside world was bustling. The entire Upper Xian Realm was in an uproar.

"Bring him back alive or dead."

Unable to capture Ye Chen, Yin Ming thundered with rage, issuing decrees across the four seas and eight wastelands, mobilizing the true depths of the Heavenly Court. More heavenly soldiers and generals were deployed, and more veteran immortals emerged. Such a massive operation was solely to catch one person.

Looking out, shadows filled the lands below the heavens.

Heavenly soldiers and generals moved in groups of three or five, gripping war halberds or carrying xian jian, sweeping the area methodically. Besides them, wanted posters plastered every ancient city.

At the South Heaven Gate, figures crowded like ants.

Yin Ming's personal order: only entry, no exit. He was determined to trap Ye Chen in the Heavenly Court.

On the other side of the Yin He, people gathered thickly.

These were from the Scattered Immortal Realm, many with hands clasped behind their backs, including Niu Mo Wang and Jiao Long Wang. They had escaped before the Heavenly Court's lockdown, returning laden with spoils. Seeing the Heavenly Court's grand display, they sighed endlessly.

"The Upper Xian Realm is vast; catching Ye Chen won't be easy."

"It's hard to say—they have so many people in the Heavenly Court."

"Mobilizing millions of troops just for Ye Chen—Yin Ming must be furious."

"If the Jade Emperor lifts the seal, I wonder what his expression will be."

The people from the Scattered Immortal Realm chatted leisurely by the Yin He, exchanging quips with great delight, relishing the Heavenly Court's misfortune.

And indeed, the Heavenly Court had suffered a major setback this time.

The heavenly prison collapsed, countless palaces destroyed, and who knew how many treasure grounds plundered—the losses were devastating.

But the worst part was: they hadn't caught Ye Chen.

Letting that guy escape meant not just the soldiers and generals, but even the Heavenly Court's rulers, couldn't sleep peacefully.