Chapter 2602: Heavenly Court's Wanted List

Chapter 2602: Heavenly Court Wanted

Three days passed quietly.

By the fourth night, Ye Chen finally opened his eyes. Xiu Luo Tianzun and the others had also recovered one after another, having eradicated the killing intent within their bodies. However, it would still take some time for them to return to their peak condition.

"Time to divide the treasures."

Taiyi rubbed his hands together, chuckling heartily, while Taibai's old eyes sparkled with brilliant light. Even Siming, who was usually calm, was excited tonight.

Ye Chen smiled and waved his hand, bringing out all the treasures from Dan Shen. It was truly a treasure trove, with items piled up like mountains—celestial stones, magical artifacts, secret scrolls, pills, and more, too numerous to count. They gleamed in various colors, brighter than the stars, dazzling everyone.

"Take what you need."

Xiu Luo Tianzun was the most proactive, casually picking up a pearl hairpin and tucking it into Yuexin's hair.

"This bracelet isn't bad."

"The seven-colored robe? Hmm, it's engraved with defensive immortal patterns, like battle armor. Put it on."

"This jade ring—is it an immortal spirit ring?"

Tonight, Xiu Luo Tianzun was exceptionally enthusiastic, moving with incredible speed. He didn't take anything for himself; he only selected items for Yuexin, from jade hairpins to shoes—nothing was off-limits, and all were for women.

What high standards a Tianzun had! Everything he chose was top-tier among the best.

In just a few moments, Yuexin was fully equipped from head to toe.

His actions left Yuexin flustered and caught off guard. She had no idea why this Tianzun from the Xiu Luo realm was being so kind to her.

Perhaps too puzzled, she glanced at Ye Chen.

"If he gives it to you, just accept it."

Ye Chen smiled and handed a quasi-emperor level immortal sword and a quasi-emperor level golden divine saber to Tianqing and Xiong Wang, respectively. These were real treasures—one forged from immortal iron, the other smelted from divine iron, absolute weapons of war.

As for why the Tianzun was so good to Yuexin, Ye Chen understood it well.

The person he loved most was already gone, and it was rare to see someone who looked exactly like her. Unconsciously, he saw Yuexin as that woman, a comfort to his heart. It might not be about fate, or perhaps Xiu Luo Tianzun was just deceiving himself.

"Items to protect the primordial spirit—here, take them."

Xiu Luo Tianzun continued picking items one by one—pills, artifacts, scrolls—all for Yuexin. From start to finish, he didn't select anything for himself.

He truly saw Yuexin as Zhao Yun's wife.

At that moment, he didn't resemble the mighty Tianzun who shook the eight wastelands at all. He was like an immature youth, full of joy mixed with panic, wanting to gather all the precious things in the world for his beloved, even if it cost his life.

In his homeland, he had always been the same.

If she said a word, he would go through mountains of knives or seas of fire, even into the nine levels of hell, without frowning.

"Thank you, Tianzun."

Yuexin held a pile of treasures, her expression a bit dazed and stunned.

"Call me Ying Jie, Kuang Ying Jie."

Xiu Luo Tianzun laughed and handed her a divine mirror, stuffing it into her arms.

Taiyi raised an eyebrow in surprise, Taibai looked on in astonishment, and Siming gazed in wonder. None of them knew why Xiu Luo Tianzun was so kind to Yuexin.

Had he fallen for her?

Hmm... absolutely, and he was like a doting husband maniac.

Ah!

Ye Chen shook his head helplessly, sighing inwardly.

In that instant, he really wanted to visit Zhao Yun's universe to see what kind of extraordinary woman could make a great Tianzun love her so obsessively.

His sigh was for the Tianzun, and also for Zhao Yun.

People from other universes all came with their stories.

"Mine, mine."

"Get lost! There are so many artifacts—why grab mine?"

"You little—I grabbed it first."

Taiyi and the other two turned their attention away and started snatching treasures, arguing loudly, as if they were about to fight.

Compared to them, Xiong Wang and Tianqing were more restrained, only taking what they needed. They didn't want to act like those three, who had no shame—one carrying a large sack, stuffing everything inside, whether celestial stones or scrolls.

Ye Chen was also selective. He ignored the celestial stones and secret techniques, focusing more on artifacts and alchemy materials. Of course, alchemy formulas were essential.

In a sealed treasure box, he found a nine-pattern alchemy formula.

It was exactly the formula for the emperor-level divine pill.

But when he opened the nine-pattern formula and glanced at it, he couldn't bear to look further and quickly put it into his storage bag. It wasn't that he didn't want to see it; he didn't dare. The materials listed were incredibly rare, each as hard to find as those for the Soul-Returning Pill.

No wonder Dan Shen had taken thousands of years to gather them all.

Refining a nine-pattern divine pill was difficult, but the materials required were the real headache—extremely demanding, with many possibly extinct.

It wasn't until late at night that the spoils were fully divided, and everyone was in high spirits, especially Tianqing, who was undergoing tribulation and felt it all seemed unreal.

Ye Chen raised his hand and led everyone into the treasure pagoda.

As for himself, he changed his appearance and concealed his aura with the Zhou Tian technique before heading off. His injuries were far from healed, so he needed to find a secluded place to recover properly.

Once out of the mountains, he saw heavenly soldiers and generals, led by an old Xian Jun, searching this part of the world.

Unfortunately, they were too late. If they had come three days earlier, they might have caught a group of big fish.

Ye Chen had seen this old Xian Jun before; during the morning court, he was the one yawning the most dramatically. Now, out here capturing someone, he still seemed half-asleep, wandering lazily without any real effort. It was more like sightseeing than a manhunt.

Not just him—the heavenly soldiers and generals were the same, all listless.

In reality, they were just going through the motions, openly defying orders while pretending to obey.

Who was Ye Chen? Not someone they could find.

Even if they did, how could they capture him? Millions of soldiers couldn't, let alone this group. They were just out for a stroll to report back. No one was foolish enough to mess with Ye Chen.

Those people must have a death wish.

"You, come here."

Seeing Ye Chen approach, the old Xian Jun casually beckoned.

Ye Chen didn't slow down; he looked down on these minor figures. It would take just one slap.

"Have you seen Ye Chen?"

"No."

"You can go."

Their brief exchange was quite harmonious. The old Xian Jun wandered off unsteadily, and Ye Chen didn't even glance back.

Later on the road, such encounters happened repeatedly.

There were indeed many heavenly soldiers and generals; every so often, he'd spot a group, usually led by a Xian Jun with his subordinates, patrolling back and forth.

They asked everyone: "Have you seen Ye Chen?"

The answers were always no.

Ever since that night when the heavenly soldiers lost track of him, no one had seen Ye Chen. The only one who had was already gone.

It didn't matter if they hadn't seen him; they kept asking as they went, not really searching but more like touring together.

Far from the emperor's reach, no one was taking it seriously.

Taiyi and the others saw this most clearly. In the entire Heavenly Court, how many were truly loyal to Yin Ming? Even if they found Ye Chen, most would turn a blind eye.

At this point, who dared to provoke Ye Chen?

Yin Ming was the Heavenly Court ruler, with thousands of armies protecting him, but they didn't have that luxury.

Messing with Ye Chen would leave them with no escape.

So, this manhunt, this wanted order, was just a formality for Ye Chen from beginning to end.

Throughout the journey, not a single person properly checked his identity. They basically asked a casual question and let him pass, everyone slacking off, everyone sightseeing. It went even smoother than expected.

As dawn approached, he stopped in a remote small city.

It wasn't quite a city—more like an ancient town, on the edge of the Heavenly Court's wilderness, with thin spiritual energy and extreme barrenness. Even immortals passing by wouldn't bother stopping here; it was truly desolate.

Yet, even in this small town, there was a wanted poster at the city gate.

The wanted man was, of course, Ye Chen himself.

Ye Chen glanced at it casually and couldn't help but smile. Wanted posters were plastered all over the Heavenly Court, but what was the point? With subordinates like this, openly defying orders, even with more soldiers, they couldn't catch him.

It was like searching for a needle in the ocean—just for show.

"Once my strength recovers, I'll turn your world upside down."

He withdrew his gaze and stepped inside.

Immediately, he raised an eyebrow. Though the city was small, there were familiar faces here.

Ye Chen shook his head with a smile and headed straight in one direction.

At the back of the ancient town was a peach blossom forest, with petals fluttering and melodious zither music coming from the depths, hidden among the flowers.

Drawing closer, he saw someone playing the zither and someone dancing gracefully.

Upon closer inspection, it was indeed Yin Yang and Bixia Xianzi—Yin Yang playing the zither and Bixia Xianzi dancing, both in plain clothes, set against the flying petals, looking utterly at peace. It made even Ye Chen envious.

"Ye Chen?"

Bixia Xianzi stopped dancing in surprise.

Yin Yang also set down his zither, looking at Ye Chen with a strange expression.

"Who would have thought that the Heavenly Court's third prince and Bixia Xianzi would hide in a remote small city?"

"One plays the zither, one dances—truly a divine couple."

Ye Chen walked over slowly, sighing endlessly, and casually sat at a stone table, pouring himself some tea.

The two fell silent, their brows furrowed. Though they were in seclusion, they knew what was happening outside—Ye Chen being used as a Dan spirit, rebelling from Dan Shen Hall, breaking into the heavenly prison, causing chaos in the heavenly palace...

And now, Yin Ming was searching for him across the realm.

One was a prince, one was an immortal; the way they looked at Ye Chen was full of shock. They had known he was extraordinary, but not to this extent—his courage was sky-high, and his combat power was terrifying. Millions of troops couldn't stop him.

"Master."

Suddenly, a call came, and Yuexin emerged from the treasure pagoda, her eyes tearful and her voice choked.

"Poor child."

Bixia Xianzi smiled warmly. She already knew Yuexin was with Ye Chen, so seeing her was no surprise.

"As fellow princes, one is the Heavenly Court ruler, the other a free spirit. Tsk, tsk, tsk."

Taiyi stepped out, clicking his tongue.

This was directed at Yin Yang.

"If the Jade Emperor were still in power, I wonder what he would think."

Taibai clasped his hands. In the past, he would have bowed to Yin Yang, but not today. They had rebelled and were no longer part of the Heavenly Court.

"Born into an imperial family, this is fate."

Siming stroked his beard, his expression neutral, having seen through it all long ago.

If he were Yin Ming, he might have done the same to consolidate power, but Yin Ming was even harsher—at least give him a proper city, not just this tiny ancient town. It was excessive.

"Staying away from trouble isn't bad."

Yin Yang smiled, not acting like a prince at all. He played the perfect host, inviting everyone to sit. Having friends visit from afar was a joy.

Honestly, when he was exiled, he was quite confused, not understanding why Yin Ming was so hostile, stripping his military authority and sending him to this remote town—it seemed heartless.

But after calming his mind, he finally understood. Yin Ming was afraid he might rebel.

That day, he truly realized that it was no longer his eighth royal brother, but the Heavenly Court ruler, using the emperor's tactics against him.

In this, he was far behind Yin Ming.

This might be why their father chose Yin Ming as ruler—without the art of ruling, he was just a general, fit for the battlefield, not the court.

Still, being exiled was fine.

He didn't value power much. Compared to the lofty throne, this ordinary life was more precious.

Bixia Xianzi felt the same. At first, she complained, but now she had let it go. This peach blossom forest was quite nice.

The scene in the peach blossom forest was quite bizarre.

If heavenly soldiers were here, they would be stunned.

Yin Ming was hunting Ye Chen across the realm, yet Ye Chen was here, leisurely drinking tea with his third royal brother and sister-in-law, without any hostility—as if they were old friends.

"What if we kidnapped the third prince? Would Yin Ming come to ransom him?"

"He probably would; they're brothers, after all."

"I doubt it."

Taiyi clasped his hands, Taibai stroked his beard, and Siming sipped his tea. These three good friends were chatting nonsense again. Even while being hunted by Yin Ming, they were tempted to kidnap Yin Yang for a hefty ransom—the Heavenly Court was wealthy.

As soon as they spoke, the three were kicked away by Bixia Xianzi.

"Why not descend to the mortal realm?"

Yin Yang smiled at Ye Chen.

"Your Highness has commanded millions of soldiers before; why ask when you know the answer?"

Ye Chen laughed.

Yin Yang shook his head with a smile. That was a foolish question. If Ye Chen went down now, it would attract not just soldiers, but a war engulfing the entire Heavenly Court. He knew Yin Ming's character well.

"This pill maintains eternal youth; take it."

"I've already taken one."

At his side, Xiu Luo Tianzun was quite romantic, ignoring Yin Yang and Bixia Xianzi. Since sitting down, he hadn't stopped, handing Yuexin pills one after another—for extending life, nourishing the body, maintaining youth—as long as he had them, he gave them generously, one after another.

Yuexin kept her head down, feeling quite uneasy.

Bixia Xianzi watched and found it strange—this was her first time seeing Xiu Luo Tianzun and didn't understand why the Tianzun from the Xiu Luo realm was so kind to Yuexin.

Or had love grown over time?

"Who knows, we might even attend a wedding."

The kicked-out Taiyi returned, stroking his beard and speaking meaningfully.

"Ever since I met you, this is the most pleasing thing I've heard."

Xiu Luo Tianzun laughed.

His words caught Yuexin off guard, and her cheeks flushed red in an instant.

"You all chat; I'll head home for a bit."

Ye Chen smiled and set down his teacup, as borrowing immortal light manifested on him once more.