Chapter 2624: The Bandit Emperor's Essence

Night gradually deepened.

Gazing into the distance, there was a remote mountain peak where Ye Chen sat steadily, legs crossed, with a stick planted beside him.

He held an old tobacco pipe, puffing away and exhaling deep smoke rings, surrounded by swirling mist that made him look as if he were cultivating immortality.

As for the old man, he had vanished without a trace.

Indeed, Ye Chen had lost him. He had chased with all his might for half the night, using every technique at his disposal, but still couldn't catch up. In all his years of robbery, this was the most embarrassing failure.

So, in a moment of frustration, he had run to this mountain peak to smoke a pipe and calm his nerves.

"A god position higher than Yu Di, the legendary Jiang Taigong?" Ye Chen stroked his chin.

This guess was quite plausible. He had long heard that all the gods in the heavenly realm were appointed by Jiang Taigong, and he was the only one whose divine rank surpassed that of Yu Di.

"No wonder I couldn't catch him." Ye Chen clicked his tongue, underestimating the old man. He didn't know how fierce the old man was in a fight, but he ran incredibly fast.

At that moment, a hint of regret arose in his heart. He should have identified the target before robbing, or at least asked some questions first.

Someone of Jiang Taigong's level probably knew about Dao Zu. If the conversation had gone well, he might have even led Ye Chen to Hong Jun. But now, after chasing and losing him, finding the old man again would be difficult.

After some time, Ye Chen collected his thoughts, took out a map, quickly identified the direction, and headed straight onward.

Another night passed, and he stopped at a mountain peak.

Tonight, there were no stars or silver moon, just a dark and windy night—perfect for that kind of activity.

In the distance stood a stretch of immortal mountains, enveloped in a massive barrier that appeared faintly. Immortal energy swirled within, radiating brilliant colors, and under the glow, it looked like Hua Shan, like a true immortal realm.

That was Song Shan, one of the Wu Yue, with a reputation not inferior to Hua Shan, and it also possessed Di Yun.

Ye Chen sat down cross-legged and activated the Di Yun within his body from Hua Shan.

The Di Yun of the Wu Yue, along with that of Kunlun Sect, all originated from Dao Zu, forming a single lineage with some inherent connection. Forcibly robbing it outright was impossible. The Di Yun was elusive, sometimes responsive and sometimes not, and with the barrier in place, it was hard to steal in without alerting Song Shan.

To steal Di Yun, he could do it from anywhere, as long as he could connect to the Song Shan Di Yun, everything would be fine.

In the void, he used the Hua Shan Di Yun to form a link, evading detection, and located the Song Shan Di Yun. It was also at the base of the mountain, within a sea of purple clouds, where the Di Yun was hidden.

The Hua Shan Di Yun slipped in, causing the Song Shan Di Yun to stir. Both were quite spiritual, like two long-lost children reuniting at the mountain base.

"Come, follow brother."

Ye Chen chuckled, using the Hua Shan Di Yun as a medium to start his persuasion.

Unfortunately, the Song Shan Di Yun ignored him. It was friendly toward the Hua Shan Di Yun but not toward Ye Chen—who are you, anyway? Where did you come from?

"Forcing me to use my ultimate move."

Ye Chen took a deep breath, switching from persuasion to outright scolding, cursing Dao Zu Hong Jun and even his ancestors for eight generations.

Back in the day, he had separated the Hua Shan Di Yun this way, and it was also with this method that he had stolen a trace of Di Yun from Kunlun.

The results proved it worked. It stirred the rebellious side of the Di Yun.

Before long, a thread of Di Yun emerged, as thin as a hair, ignoring the Song Shan barrier and exiting the immortal mountains to enter Ye Chen's dantian.

Roar! Roar!

Soon, dragon roars echoed. The Hua Shan Di Yun was excited, transforming into a dragon, and the newly arrived Song Shan Di Yun did the same, both coiling upward into the void, full of vitality.

Under Ye Chen's watch, the two Di Yun merged into one, strengthening the Di Yun's power and invigorating his spirit.

Buzz!

Song Shan suddenly trembled due to the Di Yun's agitation.

"Who is it?"

Shouts erupted from the Song Shan grand hall.

Perhaps sensing the anomaly in the Di Yun, groups of elders rushed toward the mountain base, even alarming the sect leader and the supreme elders.

But they found nothing.

On the mountain peak outside, Ye Chen had already stood up, glanced back at Song Shan one last time, and quietly left.

Looking into his dantian, the Di Yun had turned into a wisp of purple energy, slowly merging into the Dao Sutra. It would be like a seed, and with enough worldly nourishment, it could grow into a towering tree.

Next was Tai Shan.

The Tai Shan lineage was much more domineering, with a grand name and majestic mountains, also covered by a barrier. For days, it had been closed off to visitors, especially those from Hua Shan. The message was clear: We're not allying with you. Whoever wants to die can go ahead; it's none of our business.

Ye Chen just smiled and shook his head at this.

If one day Hua Shan were destroyed, none of the other four Yue sects could escape. Normally, acting independently was fine, but in a war against the upper realm, not uniting would be foolish. They didn't understand the principle of mutual dependence—if one falls, the others follow—and they would eventually be conquered.

Yin Ming had ambitions to unify the heavenly realm, and no force in the scattered immortal world could stay out of it; it was just a matter of time.

Once again, he found a small peak outside Tai Shan, sat down cross-legged, closed his eyes, and used the Hua Shan Di Yun to connect with the Tai Shan Di Yun.

Then, Dao Zu Hong Jun was dragged into it again, cursed thoroughly by someone named Ye Chen. It was a good thing Hong Jun was in self-seclusion; otherwise, who knows how many sneezes he would have.

Ye Chen's verbal barrage was no joke—once he started cursing, even a Gatling gun couldn't keep up.

As dawn approached, a thread of Tai Shan Di Yun leisurely emerged, passing through the barriers and drifting into Ye Chen's dantian.

The two Di Yun instantly fused.

The mysterious power of the Di Yun became even more refined, with vast and majestic forces surging through his limbs, organs, and meridians, filling him with divine energy that made Ye Chen grunt involuntarily.

Like with Song Shan, the loss of a thread of Di Yun agitated the Tai Shan Di Yun, causing the entire mountain to rumble. Early in the morning, Tai Shan became lively, with crowds gathering and rushing to the base, baffled by the Di Yun's unrest without knowing the cause.

Having obtained a thread from each of two mountains, Ye Chen was full of energy, turned, and vanished, heading straight for the next sect.

Hmm?

While passing through a forest, he suddenly stopped, detecting a familiar aura—the essence of a dan, quite elusive.

Looking closely, he saw Dan Zong, dressed in simple clothes, holding a hoe and tilling the soil. He emitted no trace of a cultivator's energy, looking just like an ordinary mortal.

Ye Chen smiled and descended from the sky, startling Dan Zong.

"Senior, you're quite leisurely."

Ye Chen laughed, handing over a wine flask. He had known Dan Zong left the Dan Shen Hall but didn't realize he had come to the lower realm, finding a secluded mortal spot to live as a simple farmer.

Dan Zong set down his hoe, took the wine flask, and looked at Ye Chen with a complex expression. Because of this young man, the Dan Shen Hall had collapsed overnight, and it was also because of him that Dan Zong had seen Dan Shen's true nature.

Disappointed in Dan Shen and with no attachment to the Dan Shen Hall, Dan Zong was tired of schemes and deceit. Living plainly felt more fulfilling, and if possible, he would rather be a mortal.

"Dan Shen is dead."

Ye Chen said calmly, without anger or hatred, joy or sorrow. Toward that seemingly gentle but insidious old man, he felt mostly pity.

"As expected, I already set up his memorial tablet."

Dan Zong sighed. On the day he came to the lower realm, he had prepared a spirit tablet for Dan Shen, his senior brother, once a close companion.

Ye Chen left, inviting Dan Zong to join Hua Shan before departing, but he was politely declined.

Ye Chen didn't insist; everyone had their own path.

Along the way, he encountered many old acquaintances, like Dan Feng, who had also come to the lower realm and settled in a small ancient town as a teacher.

Besides the Dan Shen Hall, many immortals he had met in the upper realm had resigned and found their own retreats, hiding in the mountains.

"Star Lord! How long will you keep us sealed?"

In a bronze furnace, Barefoot Immortal awoke, along with Thousand-Mile Eye and Favorable Wind Ear. They had been imprisoned by Ye Chen since that day.

Ye Chen said nothing, released the three, wiped their memories of him with a wave of his hand, and then disappeared.

Behind him, the three clutched their heads, swayed, steadied themselves, looked at each other in confusion, and glanced around, realizing they were in the scattered immortal world. They were completely baffled about how they got there.

Ye Chen crossed a vast plain, leaped over a vast sea, and under the moonlight, landed on a mountain summit, gazing into the distance.

Heng Shan under the moon was peaceful, bathed in moonlight.

Ye Chen stood on the peak, narrowing his eyes and straining his vision, spotting a few figures in black robes sneaking into the Heng Shan Sect. He could sense the aura of divine positions.

No need to guess—they were from the Heavenly Court. Their purpose was obvious: to recruit Heng Shan as an ally, so when the Heavenly Court's army descended, they could join in attacking Hua Shan.

Of course, Yin Ming, though in Buzhou Mountain, was far from idle and was preparing for the assault on Hua Shan. He understood the strategy of alliances and conquests—destroy Hua Shan first, then deal with the rest one by one.

Ye Chen ignored them and sat down cross-legged.

What followed was cursing Dao Zu, doing it with great enthusiasm. Without cursing Hong Jun, the Di Yun wouldn't emerge!

Bathed in starlight and moonlight, he appeared dignified, but no one would guess that this seemingly proper person was privately cursing a great emperor. He had taken shamelessness to the extreme—for treasures, he cared nothing for face or integrity.

Perhaps it was this quality that appealed to the Heng Shan Di Yun, which surprisingly flew out two threads, making his eyes light up with delight—an unexpected bonus.

Buzz! Rumble!

Heng Shan shook. The Heng Shan Sect Leader, in the middle of discussing an alliance in the grand hall, suddenly stepped out and rushed to the base, leaving the Heavenly Court experts waiting in the hall.

For them, the Heng Shan Di Yun was more important.

But the agitation of the Di Yun revealed no cause, and they remained unaware of the theft.

That mountain peak was now empty of Ye Chen's presence. After stealing from three sects, he headed straight for the last one.

Using the same trick, he stole a thread of Di Yun from the final mountain.

The Di Yun of the five Wu Yue, plus that of Kunlun, intertwined and fused, weaving together mysterious forces that were vast and profound.

Immediately, a brilliant divine rainbow shot from Ye Chen's celestial spirit, soaring into the sky and piercing a hole in the vast expanse, even manifesting wondrous visions that outlined a great realm.

In addition, the sounds of the Great Dao echoed, attracting many cultivators who didn't know who caused the phenomenon or what it signified.