Chapter 2712: Reaching the Quasi-Emperor Peak, Half-Step to Great Completion

In the moonlit Renjie Lingyu, everything was peaceful and harmonious, steeped in legendary tales. It had once been invaded by Tianmo, endured the baptism of war, and witnessed its inhabitants collectively relocate to Zhutian. Later, the Taotie clan was exiled here, and now they had returned to Zhutian, leaving this vast land devoid of any living presence.

Boom!

A sudden thunderous roar shattered the night's tranquility.

Looking up at the vast sky, one could see a blood-soaked figure falling from the void, like a meteor from beyond the stars, trailing faint starlight and drawing a graceful arc across the heavens.

It was Ye Chen, who had braved the Hunlun Hai and returned to Renjie.

History repeated itself in a strangely similar way. In the past, he had crossed the Six Paths of Reincarnation and landed in Lingyu; now, having emerged from the Tianjie Hunlun Hai, he arrived once again in Lingyu. His deep affection for this domain was truly genuine.

Bang!

Another explosive sound echoed as a majestic mountain peak was smashed to rubble by Ye Chen.

Amid the flying debris, Ye Chen staggered to his feet, his eyes brimming with tears. Recognizing Lingyu, he knew he was home. After three years in reality and over a thousand three hundred years in Hunlun, he had finally returned.

“The familiar aura.”

Ye Chen's voice was hoarse, his expression distant, as tears streamed down his face.

His journey to Tianjie felt like a dream, a trial that seemed like a grand cycle of reincarnation.

His life had been legendary, traversing the three realms of heaven, earth, and humanity. Only after treading through the vicissitudes of time did he realize that the mountains and rivers of his homeland were the most intimate and beautiful, etched eternally in his memory.

Kill!

A roar of fury erupted from the Zhutian battlefield, jolting him from his thoughts.

“Time to go home.”

Ye Chen wiped away his tears and stepped into the sky.

Immediately, he collided with a shadowy figure emerging from the chaos, wielding a seven-colored Xianjian. The sword struck from above, catching even Ye Chen's battle-honed instincts off guard.

Pfft!

A brilliant spray of blood erupted as he was sent flying by the sword. Before he could steady himself, another devastating strike pierced his Shengti. The silent killing intent invaded his body, wreaking havoc in an instant. Half of his Shengti exploded, his bones and sinews stained with golden blood, as his hurtling form demolished yet another mountain.

Ye Chen struggled to rise and stand firm, but a seven-colored divine light descended from the heavens, pouring into his Shengti from his Tianling Gai. It was a terrifying Xianfa that sealed his origins, locked his powers, and covered every inch of his sacred bones with strange divine patterns.

The invincible Huanggu Shengti was completely immobilized, like a statue.

In that moment, Mingdi clutched his chest, having held a sliver of hope for Ye Chen. But now, that hope seemed more tragic than despair. The Hunlun Zhiti had fallen, and the Shengti had not escaped the same fate, sealed utterly. The two most brilliant juniors of Zhutian were about to be wiped out.

It was awkward, truly awkward.

Daozu's expression turned grim, his face darkening severely. Ye Chen had escaped Hunlun Hai only to fall to the Zhu Xian Jian. In his weakened state, his defeat was swift and decisive, just like the Hunlun Zhiti's.

Laojun and the other two sighed, shaking their heads helplessly. Their junior brother had likely met the same end—exhausted and ambushed by the Zhu Xian Jian, left with no resistance.

“Not a bad reunion.”

The Hunlun Zhiti descended from the sky, a smirk playing on his lips, full of mockery and malice. Though the words came from him, it was Zhu Xian speaking. His face twisted with wild joy, a mix of sinister and savage glee, like a demon under the starlight and moonlight, licking his crimson tongue.

Ye Chen said nothing, his brows furrowed deeply.

If the time in Hunlun Hai counted as some form of passage, it had been over a thousand three hundred years since he last saw the Hunlun Zhiti. He never imagined their reunion would be under these circumstances. Daozu's disciple had been controlled by the Zhu Xian Jian, lying in wait and striking him completely unprepared.

“Miss me?”

The Hunlun Zhiti chuckled again, advancing slowly with the Zhu Xian Jian in hand. Reaching Ye Chen, he gently raised his hand and caressed Ye Chen's face, over and over, as if admiring a work of art, careful not to mar it with too much force. His feelings for the Shengti were a twisted mix of love and hate.

“Sneak attacks are becoming your specialty.”

Ye Chen sneered, trying to break free from the seals, but the Zhu Xian Jian's power was too overwhelming. His Daogen, origins, powers—everything was sealed, leaving him as helpless as a lamb to the slaughter. Even with preparation, escape would have been unlikely. The only blame lay in his weakened state and the enemy's unscathed condition.

“Come on! Fuse with me.”

The Hunlun Zhiti's laughter grew more greedy, his face contorted with ferocity.

Zheng!

Accompanied by a resonant hum, the Zhu Xian Jian slipped from the Hunlun Zhiti's grasp and hovered in the air.

Then, it slowly entered Ye Chen's body.

In that instant, Ye Chen's expression turned dull, his eyes filled with cold light growing vacant. His subconscious fought desperately against the Zhu Xian Jian, but he couldn't prevent his mind from being suppressed.

When he smiled again, his eyes flickered with seven-colored ethereal light.

He, too, was now controlled, becoming a puppet of the Zhu Xian Jian after three years.

Opposite him, the Hunlun Zhiti stood motionless, like a statue.

Though the Zhu Xian Jian had left his body, it had implanted a terrifying Xianfa and seal upon him, plunging him into slumber. His fate would be even more miserable than imagined.

“Don't worry, you'll watch Zhutian crumble inch by inch.”

“Your family, your wife, your children—they'll all become ghosts on the Huangquan Road.”

“Ye Chen, do you like this gift I'm giving you?”

The Shengti laughed coldly, but it was the Zhu Xian Jian laughing through him. Every word carried an irresistible demonic force, spoken to himself and to Ye Chen, with excitement bordering on madness.

He slowly raised his hand, fingers splayed toward the Hunlun Zhiti. A seven-colored vortex formed in his palm, spinning rapidly—it was a devouring-type Xianfa.

Immediately, strands of the Hunlun Zhiti's Hunlun origins were drawn out and merged into Ye Chen's body, becoming nourishment for his Shengti. The bloody wounds on Ye Chen's body healed one after another, his depleted powers surging back like a vast sea. Even the arm that had been severed began to regenerate visibly.

In mere moments, an unknown amount of the Hunlun Zhiti's origins had been devoured, while Ye Chen's injuries recovered completely. With the Zhu Xian Jian's aid, he returned to his peak.

“Damn it.” Taishang Laojun growled coldly, as did Yuan Shi Tianzun and Tongtian Jiaozhu, their killing intent icy and their hearts burning with rage, yet they were powerless to intervene.

Daozu remained silent, his calm demeanor hiding a terrifying imperial aura.

Mingdi's face was equally grim. Unless something unexpected happened, the Hunlun Zhiti would be utterly destroyed, and Ye Chen, the Shengti, would become an indestructible weapon in the Zhu Xian Jian's hands.

Boom! Rumbling!

The night in Lingyu grew turbulent, with dark clouds blanketing the sky and lightning flashing amid thunder.

This was no heavenly tribulation but the phenomenon of the Shengti fusing with Hunlun origins.

The Hunlun Zhiti's face had turned deathly pale from the loss of so much essence. In contrast, Ye Chen was enveloped in golden divine radiance, his Huanggu Shengti like forged gold, his surging vital energy rolling like ocean waves, each strand as heavy as a mountain, making the universe tremble.

Pop!

In the void, a faint sound echoed, as if some barrier had shattered.

At that instant, Ye Chen's golden light erupted, a brilliant beam shooting from his Tianling Gai into the sky, piercing a massive hole in the heavens. His cultivation, at Zhundi Level Nine, instantly broke through to Zhundi Peak, its overwhelming pressure causing the sky to crack and the earth to shatter.

He had reached Zhundi Peak, with the Shengti at half-step Dacheng—but without any self-awareness.

Buzz! Buzz!

The sword's hum remained piercing, emanating from within Ye Chen's body.

It was the Zhu Xian Jian, trembling violently.

It was exceptionally ambitious. Having helped Ye Chen break through to Zhundi Peak, it still didn't stop, intent on pushing his cultivation to Zhundi Perfection, or full Shengti Dacheng.

Only then would their partnership truly devastate the heavens and earth.

“Break for me!”

The Zhu Xian Jian roared, its frenzied expression mirrored on Ye Chen's face.

Unfortunately, it couldn't defy the heavens this time and failed to propel Ye Chen further.

“Settled down?”

Ye Chen suddenly spoke, the seven-colored light in his eyes extinguished in an instant, replaced by golden radiance.

He thrust his hand into his own body, seized the Zhu Xian Jian, and casually tossed it aside.

This scene left Laojun and the others stunned, even Daozu and Mingdi gaping in surprise. That boy had truly defied the odds—breaking free from the Zhu Xian Jian's control and counterattacking from the brink.

In the void, the Zhu Xian Jian stabilized, buzzing incessantly.

“You've given me another stroke of fortune.”

Ye Chen chuckled lightly, closing his eyes and stretching his neck contentedly. The power of Zhundi Peak was immensely vast, and the strength of half-step Dacheng made his blood boil with excitement.

His words resonated deeply with Tianming Emperors.

Why say “another”? It was all because the Zhu Xian Jian favored Ye Chen so much. Every time it caused trouble, it delivered him a fortune. Ye Chen's achievements today were largely due to it—no one was more effective than it at honing that piece of rust into a peerless divine weapon.

“Impossible! This is impossible!”

The Zhu Xian Jian buzzed, speaking in human tongue, howling in hysteria. It never imagined Ye Chen could escape its grasp. He had been caught off guard earlier, and now it was the same for it. Its absolute confidence had led to a severe underestimation of Ye Chen.

“If you can't control half-step Dacheng, don't push me to the peak.”

Ye Chen said calmly, opening his eyes. Thunder crackled as he did, making the entire world shake. Centered on him, a golden halo spread endlessly across the seas and lands, reducing the remaining Xian Mountains, floating palaces, and ancient statues in Lingyu to dust. Though not yet at Dacheng, his aura already rivaled it, like a war god incarnate.

Zheng!

The Zhu Xian Jian buzzed, even it unable to withstand the golden halo, forced to retreat.

“Brilliantly done.”

Xuan Emperor whooped, as if he could see the scene in Lingyu, jumping about excitedly.

“Di Huang, you don't need to come back.”

Mingdi's imperial eyes gleamed, laughing heartily—the most genuine laugh in years. The junior of the Shengti lineage had become divine. At half-step Dacheng in Zhundi Peak, who could stand against him? Who could match him? With him guarding Zhutian and Renjie, not even the Honghuang underlings or the demons of Tianmo Domain could prevail.

“With such a junior, my heart is at ease.”

Daozu spoke with profound gravity, then chuckled, the gloom on his face vanishing completely. As he had thought, that little Shengti was extraordinarily capable.

Thus, Renjie was secure.