Chapter 2680: Lao Jun

"Sheng Zhu." Yue Xin stepped forward hurriedly.

Ye Chen remained silent, his brow furrowed tightly, and a premonition of impending disaster surged in his heart.

At his level, such feelings were often true.

"What is it?" From not far away, Tian Zun, who was sitting under an ancient tree, raised his eyes.

Ye Chen gently shook his head, unable to grasp the source of the disaster, only knowing that his heart ached more intensely.

As they spoke, a purple divine rainbow suddenly descended from the sky. It emerged from chaos, outlining a figure, imbued with perfect Dao essence and carrying the sounds of the Great Dao.

"Hun Dun Zhi Ti."

Yue Xin felt a tremor in her heart as she looked, seemingly recognizing this bloodline. It was overwhelmingly dominant, making her feel suppressed. What shocked her was that the Heavenly Realm actually had a Chaos Body.

Tian Zun also raised an eyebrow, his eyes filled with caution. There was an unspoken understanding between the strong. He could see that this Hun Dun Zhi Ti was at the same level as Ye Chen, an equally monstrous and terrifying existence.

"When will the Heavenly Realm's barrier dissipate?" Ye Chen asked, looking at the Hun Dun Zhi Ti.

"The barrier originates from the Heavenly Realm's cycle of reincarnation. It will only dissipate when there are cracks in the reincarnation cycle," the Hun Dun Zhi Ti replied leisurely.

"Is there a way to remove it early?" Ye Chen asked, still looking at him.

The Hun Dun Zhi Ti smiled and shook his head. "It would require my master to take action and reverse the heavens and earth."

"When will Dao Zu be unsealed?"

"I don't know."

Ye Chen fell silent again, still clutching his chest, his face looking unwell. He felt that the disaster came from the myriad heavens, which was why he was so desperate to return. However, the Heavenly Realm's barrier and Dao Zu's self-seal prevented him from borrowing laws to go back to the mortal realm.

"Since you're here, how about a game?"

"No time."

Ye Chen said this and turned to walk away, leaving the Hun Dun Zhi Ti feeling rather awkward. He had come all this way only to be refused. Seeing that Ye Chen had something on his mind, the Hun Dun Zhi Ti understood and didn't insist.

"Come, I'll play."

Tian Zun grabbed his wine jug and hurried over. Though not at his peak, he could still manage a game of strategy. He wanted to test the Hun Dun Zhi Ti's Dao comprehension without relying on combat power.

"Please."

The Hun Dun Zhi Ti smiled and waved his hand, conjuring a table and chairs. He wasn't about to leave empty-handed.

Both sat down, their fingertips entwined with Dao principles. Each drew a virtual chessboard with a stroke, and even the pieces were formed from Dao essence, just like Ye Chen's in the past.

Yue Xin glanced at Ye Chen, who was already walking farther away, before approaching.

Upon closer inspection, what she saw wasn't just a chessboard—it was like an entire world. Every piece represented an element of all things, each evolving in its own Dao and competing on the board. At her level, it was hard to fully grasp, but she knew it was profoundly mysterious, leaving her staring in a daze.

Meanwhile, Ye Chen stepped into the void and left Mount Hua.

Bathing in the starlight and moonlight, he headed to the upper realm. He had to try, and if he could awaken Dao Zu, it would be a cause for joy.

He arrived at the Tai Shang Immortal Domain, where Jiang Taigong stood at the entrance, holding the Da Shen Bian. His dark face was furious, his old eyes blazing with fire. "Hand over the Longevity Fruit Tree."

"Awaken your master, and I will return the Longevity Tree to you," Ye Chen said, hands tucked in his sleeves.

Jiang Taigong took a deep breath but said nothing, his anger only growing. He was a peak great emperor, yet he didn't know where his master had self-sealed. How could he wake him? Even if the Xuan Emperor's shadow came, it would be futile. A great emperor's self-seal could only be broken by disturbing the Heavenly Realm's order—otherwise, no one could do it. Compared to waking Dao Zu, it would be easier to just snatch back the Longevity Fruit Tree.

Ye Chen didn't bother arguing. With an ethereal emperor's path, he passed through the entrance.

Then, a wolf-like howl echoed through the Immortal Domain: "Dao Zu."

That cry was filled with primordial spirit power, enhanced by the power of reincarnation. The sound waves made countless mountains rumble and the earth tremble. Even Jiang Taigong, caught off guard, nearly lost his footing.

"You insolent brat, how dare you!" Jiang Taigong cursed loudly, whip in hand as he charged.

"Dao Zu."

Ye Chen's voice was as booming as ever. He fled while howling, sending flocks of immortal cranes crashing down, stunned.

"Don't cause trouble."

Behind him, Jiang Taigong chased and scolded all the way. This wasn't the lower realms—this was Dao Zu's sealed domain, where the immortals resided. He might not disturb Dao Zu, but he would certainly bother the others. If anyone lost their focus, it could lead to serious consequences.

"Dao Zu."

"You little rascal, still howling?"

"Dao Zu."

"Shut your mouth!"

"Hong Jun."

"Me."

The two raced one after the other, like divine light and immortal glow; one howling, the other cursing. It was quite the spectacle. Jiang Taigong's old face was no longer a face—at first, he had called out Dao Zu's title, but now he was shouting the emperor's personal name.

Ahead, Ye Chen moved at an astonishing speed, his voice growing even louder. It wasn't just for chaos—he had real business, his heart tied to the myriad heavens, yet unable to return home. This was his only option. If Dao Zu woke up and beat him, it would be worth it.

To his surprise, his howling actually drew someone out, though not Dao Zu. It was a white-haired elder holding a fly whisk, dressed in a Daoist robe embroidered with the Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams. He exuded an air of immortality, his Dao essence even more profound than Jiang Taigong's.

This white-haired elder was no ordinary figure—he was Dao Zu's chief disciple, Tai Shang Laojun.

He had been in self-seal but was startled awake by Ye Chen. In an instant, he emerged from seclusion. However, what he saw wasn't Ye Chen, but the state of the Immortal Domain, and his expression grew stranger the more he looked.

He remembered that before his seal, the domain was full of spiritual herb gardens. Now, glancing around, it was all barren. The immortal pools, spiritual lakes, enlightenment stones, Dao essence waterfalls, and lush spiritual fruit trees—too many things were gone, as if robbers had struck and taken plenty.

"Hong Jun."

"Stop right there."

As he watched, shouts and curses echoed from afar. Ye Chen and Jiang Taigong, one in front and one behind, flashed like streaks of light across the sky.

"Huang Gu Sheng Ti."

Tai Shang Laojun was surprised, detecting the Holy Body's blood aura from a distance.

He narrowed his eyes and focused on Ye Chen, his brows furrowing slightly. He confirmed it was an Ancient Holy Body, but not an innate one. The divine treasury, origin, and holy bones weren't congenital—they came from three different people. Strangely, they had perfectly fused.

"The origin doesn't belong to the Heavenly Realm—it's from the mortal realm."

Laojun's insight was extraordinary. With a single glance, he figured out Ye Chen's background.

That's why he was puzzled—how had a Holy Body from the mortal realm ended up in the Heavenly Realm?

And this young Holy Body was brazen enough to call out Dao Zu's name directly.

"Another disciple my master took from the mortal realm?"

Tai Shang Laojun stroked his beard thoughtfully, his expression meaningful.

The past Hun Dun Zhi Ti had been recruited by Dao Zu from the mortal realm. This Ancient Holy Body was likely the same. Dao Zu, as an emperor, had high standards for disciples—he only accepted bloodlines that appeared once in a myriad of ages.

Hmm, this guess seemed plausible.

"Hong Jun."

Ye Chen's howl this time was the loudest, nearly toppling a mountain.

"You little brat, too audacious."

Tai Shang Laojun lightly rebuked and waved his fly whisk, summoning a massive Eight Trigrams formation that wove with Dao principles and was empowered by Dao essence—a sealing technique meant to capture Ye Chen.

"Hong Jun."

Ye Chen kept running and howling, ignoring the massive Eight Trigrams. In his bold manner, he charged straight through, smashing a huge hole in it. No seal could hold him.

The most awkward part was for Laojun. He had cast the Eight Trigrams with full confidence, just about to stroke his beard, when Ye Chen collided with it and sent him flying.

"Uncle-Master."

Jiang Taigong arrived shortly after and quickly bowed in respect upon seeing Laojun.

As for Laojun, he staggered before steadying himself. His flowing white hair was disheveled from the impact—not just awkward, but quite embarrassing. He had underestimated the Holy Body; instead of sealing him, he got knocked away. Luckily, his old bones were tough, or he might have fallen apart.

"Such promising youth brings me great comfort."

Laojun took a deep breath and finally stroked his beard properly, though he felt an urge to curse. Getting headbutted was infuriating.

He was furious, and Jiang Taigong was too, his old eyes conveying one thought: Uncle-Master, that's nothing compared to what I've endured these days—I've nearly been driven mad by him.

To their surprise, Ye Chen, who had run far away, suddenly doubled back, startling them both. What kind of movement technique was that—so eerily elusive!

"Good stuff."

Ye Chen rubbed his chin, eyeing Tai Shang Laojun up and down, especially the small purple-glowing gourd at his waist. It shimmered with immortal energy, was wrapped in Dao essence, and hid a mysterious power. Wasn't that the Zi Jin Xiao Hulu?

He had something like it himself, and more than one.

After looking at Laojun, he glanced sideways at Jiang Taigong's waist—he also had a small gourd. Ye Chen had noticed it the first time they met, which was why he had chased Jiang Taigong half the night.

"Old man, is this little gourd of yours for sale?" Ye Chen asked with a grin.

In an instant, both Laojun and Jiang Taigong's eyes narrowed as they sized up Ye Chen. This young Holy Body had quite the nerve—before they could settle scores with him, he was already trying to buy their treasures.

"For sale?"

"Not for sale."

"Then you shouldn't have said no."

Ye Chen's hands moved swiftly. In the blink of an eye, he snatched Laojun's small gourd with a moment of eternal thought, freezing the universe briefly, and grabbed Jiang Taigong's gourd along with it.

Then, he turned and ran.

The emperor of Great Chu was still his old self—never wasting his immortal techniques, which were mostly for stealing treasures or snatching items.

As always, for treasures, one could forget about face.

"Hey!"

A moment later, Laojun cursed loudly, and Jiang Taigong did the same. Now, it was two chasing one: an uncle-master and his nephew; one Dao Zu's disciple, the other his grand-disciple; one wielding the imperial artifact Da Shen Bian, the other the imperial artifact white fly whisk, both pursuing Ye Chen for all they were worth.

Boom! Bang! Boom!

The Tai Shang Immortal Domain grew lively again. The two not only chased but also unleashed immortal techniques along the way. They couldn't catch Ye Chen, and mountains suffered as a result, with rocks tumbling everywhere. What was once a peaceful pure land turned into utter chaos, filled with endless curses.

More people were awakened, emerging from their residences, their expressions stunned at the scene.

"Ancient Holy Body?"

"Where did this Holy Body come from? Those legs are incredibly fast."

"It's the first time I've seen Laojun and Jiang Taigong so angry."

Discussions buzzed, with everyone's eyes gleaming as they watched the three dart back and forth—or rather, three beams of light.

That speed was impressive.

As they chased, Ye Chen suddenly stopped—not because he was sealed or tired, but because dazzling immortal light burst from his body, the kind used for borrowing laws.