Chapter 2692: Being Hung

The night in Xianyu was quite peaceful.

In the misty Zizhu Lin, it was tranquil and secluded, with rows of bamboo all glowing with immortal light.

However, in this otherwise idyllic immortal land, there was one discordant scene.

The discord came from a crooked-neck tree.

Hanging from it was a person, bound hand and foot, swinging back and forth with each gust of wind, like the hands of a clock, moving rhythmically.

That person was Ye Chen.

Hongjun was a man of his word—he said he would wait, and if you didn't behave, he'd make sure you did.

Once that was done, Ye Chen was tied up.

Truth be told, back when the Xianwu Emperor had come, he had wanted to do the same.

But that newly ascended young great emperor was not only a master of causing trouble but also incredibly quick on his feet. He had vanished before anyone could catch him.

Now, hanging Ye Chen here was like making up for that regret.

Tsk tsk tsk.

Taishang Laojun arrived, standing under the crooked-neck tree, hands behind his back, clucking his tongue endlessly. The domineering Huanggu Shengti had such an embarrassing moment! No wonder they called him Hongjun—always efficient in his actions. His disciples and grand-disciples had chased for half a day without catching this guy, but the old master had to step in.

Mmmph!

Ye Chen struggled violently, flailing about, wanting to speak, but his mouth was gagged. No one knew if it was Hongjun or his disciples who had stuffed a rag in his mouth; his entire body, including his magical power, origin, and small world, was sealed.

Taishang Laojun was quite perceptive and removed the rag. The poor guy was already tied up, so he should at least be allowed to talk!

"Hongjun, you old fool."

In an instant, Taishang Laojun regretted it. Letting Ye Chen speak was like unleashing a storm of irreverence—he not only called Hongjun by name but started cursing outright.

"You little rascal."

Taishang Laojun blew his beard and glared, stuffing the rag back in.

Ye Chen's face turned as black as charcoal. He'd remember this one. When he reached his peak, he'd come to the Heavenly Realm to stir up trouble, taking down Hongjun's disciples and grand-disciples one by one and hanging them all in the trees.

Taishang Laojun finally left, humming a tune as he went, seemingly in a good mood.

This night became far from calm.

Groups of people wandered over in the dead of night, not sleeping, claiming they were here to seek guidance from Hongjun, but really just to gawk at Young Master Ye.

So much so that the area under the crooked-neck tree was always crowded with shadows.

As dawn approached, these disciples and grand-disciples finally dispersed.

Ye Chen, however, remained hanging there, swaying with the wind, cursing Hongjun a thousand times in his heart for not keeping his word and bullying the younger generation.

Boom!

Suddenly, a thunderous boom echoed as a beam of light shot into the sky, piercing a hole in the firmament.

Chaos phenomena appeared next, with strands of laws intertwining and dancing, outlining mountains, rivers, grass, and trees, forming a vast realm. Immortal rain fell from the sky, creating a magnificent scene, accompanied by the sounds of the Great Dao that made one's mind trance-like.

This was the phenomenon of a breakthrough.

The one breaking through was, of course, the Hun Dun Ti. After a night of enlightenment, he emerged from seclusion and ascended to the Ninth Heaven, astonishing the immortals with their tongues wagging. When the Hun Dun Ti first arrived in the Heavenly Realm, his cultivation wasn't that high, but his progress had been rapid, leaving many old-timers sweating in shame.

Speaking of the Hun Dun Ti, he was far more reliable than those unreliable old fogies.

After breaking through, he headed to the Zizhu Lin and, seeing Ye Chen hanging from the tree, paused in surprise.

He could easily imagine who had hung Ye Chen there.

In all the heavens and earth, only Hongjun could capture a Ninth Heaven Shengti. His master truly had a sense of flair—a peak great emperor toying with a small Zhundi, even stuffing a rag in his mouth.

Ye Chen flailed wildly again. Though he couldn't speak or transmit his divine sense, his eyes conveyed a clear message: Keep staring, and get me down!

The Hun Dun Ti chuckled and flicked his sleeve, lifting Ye Chen's seals.

Ye Chen landed and immediately doubled over, retching. That filthy rag tasted awful!

"Ye brother, let's have another game when you have time."

The Hun Dun Ti smiled and walked away gradually, heading off to find Hongjun.

Ye Chen, with a dark expression, followed. It wasn't to play chess with the Hun Dun Ti but to see Hongjun and check if that peak great emperor knew what embarrassment felt like.

It was the same immortal pond. The Hun Dun Ti stepped in first, and Ye Chen followed right behind.

But while the Hun Dun Ti went in, Ye Chen came flying out—not walking, but soaring through the air, tracing a graceful arc. The Tenth Emperor of Great Chu's style was as domineering as ever. If Hongjun hadn't held back, he might have flown all the way to the Bridge of Helplessness.

"Fine, you're the boss."

Ye Chen wiped the blood from his nose, clutching his sore waist, limping as he walked. Who could blame the other for being a great emperor? Not even a fully realized one would fare better against a peak great emperor—that was no joke.

"In the future, follow me, and you'll eat well and drink fine."

"Don't listen to him; I'll look out for you, bro."

In his small world, the Hun Dun Ding and Hun Dun Huo floated on either side, bantering back and forth like a comedy routine.

Surrounded by them was the Purple Gold Little Gourd.

The little guy was meek as could be, completely intimidated by this cauldron and flame.

Ye Chen couldn't help but smile, especially when he looked at the Hun Dun Huo—his eyes lit up. This flame was just as unruly as the Hun Dun Ding, a real troublemaker, very much in his style.

The cauldron and flame never settled down in his small world; they were always fighting.

Hm?

As he watched, the little gourd suddenly buzzed and shot out of his small world like a streak of light, flying toward something.

Ye Chen raised an eyebrow and stepped on the Taixu, vanishing like thunder and lightning.

When he stopped, his eyes weren't just bright—they were dazzling.

Before him stood a massive vine.

This vine was enormous, taking several people to encircle it, and quite extraordinary. Its roots weren't in the soil but emerged from the void, hanging down with large, lush leaves glowing with crystalline light.

What caught Ye Chen's eye wasn't the vine itself but the several small gourds hanging from it, all purple gold and shimmering with brilliant divine light, inherently infused with profound mysteries.

No doubt about it—these were Purple Gold Little Gourds, from the same lineage as his own.

"This old guy, just how many treasures does he have?"

Ye Chen sighed, and by "old guy," he meant Hongjun. The Daluo Divine Iron was his, the Hongmong Purple Qi was his, the Wordless Heavenly Book was his.

And now, looking at this, the Purple Gold Little Gourds were his too. Altogether, there were nine of them.

Ye Chen glanced around, rolled up his sleeves, and promptly plucked the small gourds from the vine, stuffing them all into his small world. After being hung on a tree all night by Hongjun, he deserved to swipe some treasures.

It was his style as an emperor of Great Chu—never leave empty-handed.

After picking them, he turned and bolted, moving as fast as wind and thunder, like a bolt of lightning.

Back in his small world, the little gourds gathered, orbiting each other and buzzing incessantly, full of spirit. Who knew if they were joyful or excited, like long-lost family reuniting.

As Ye Chen watched, they slowly began to merge into one.

Suddenly, an extremely terrifying aura spread out from the little gourd as its center, radiating in all directions. Even the Hun Dun Ding, which had come over for the excitement, was knocked flying with a clang, and the arriving Hun Dun Huo fared no better. It had barely started to make a fuss when it was sent tumbling after the cauldron.

Pfft!

Ye Chen spat out a mouthful of fresh blood and staggered, nearly falling over.

Looking inside his inner small realm, it was a mess due to the layers of halo emanating from the Purple Gold Little Gourd. If his small world hadn't been tough enough, it might have burst.

Ye Chen steadied himself, his eyes nearly squinted into slits.

The nine merged Purple Gold Little Gourds glowed with intense divine light, stinging his eyes. Ancient immortal patterns were etched on it, exuding an aura of age and desolation. Beyond that, a fearsome power lurked deep within, making even him shudder—it was destructively strong.

"It's not a supreme dao emperor weapon, so how can it be this overbearing?"

Ye Chen murmured softly, straining his eyes to peer into its secrets, but he couldn't see through it. A mysterious barrier blocked his view, and his Samsara Eyes were even backlash with fresh blood overflowing.

"How does it feel?"

A ethereal voice echoed as Hongjun suddenly manifested, his true form materializing bit by bit.