Chapter 2729: Auspicious Day

Chapter 2729: Auspicious Day

Boom! Bang! Boom!

The battle between Dong Shen and Tian Zun seemed to act as a trigger, setting off explosions across the four seas and eight wildernesses. The powerful experts of the Three Realms, who had been silent for so long, began challenging each other, each finding their own opponents.

In the starry sky, crowds of figures were everywhere, with those who loved excitement eagerly joining in.

Seeing this scene, the hidden Hong Huang clans dared not show their faces.

Look at that—all the people of the various heavens were bored out of their minds, starting wars among themselves when there were none. If those clans emerged now, they’d surely be attacked; they had to stay hidden.

On a peaceful night, the starlight and moonlight bathed Yu Nu Peak.

Chu Xuan and the others gathered under the old tree, chatting and laughing, enjoying the tranquility.

As for Ye Chen, he stood at the mountain peak, gazing silently at the stars.

He remained there for three days and nights without moving.

During that time, many visitors came. Once they reached the peak, they stood like him, tilting their heads upward to look. After watching for a long time, they still couldn’t figure out what he was seeing, and he seemed utterly absorbed.

On the fourth day, the five young emperors of the Forbidden Zone finally arrived.

Seeing Ye Chen standing motionless, they assumed he was in deep enlightenment and didn't disturb him. They thought about sparring with Yao Chi but quickly dismissed the idea—since even Tian Zun and the others couldn't defeat her, let alone Ji Ning Shuang.

After leaving Heng Yue, the five of them were dragged away by Tian Zun.

Next to arrive was the Chaos Body, who set up a chessboard under the old tree for a game with Yao Chi. Just like when playing against Ye Chen, it stirred up many unusual phenomena, drawing crowds to watch.

That game lasted three full days.

When the phenomena faded, the Chaos Body stood up with a smile and a shake of his head—it was a draw, no winner or loser.

Another peaceful night descended.

Ye Chen, still standing at the peak, finally showed a glimmer of light in his eyes, though he remained unmoving.

A fragrant breeze arrived as a graceful figure landed at the summit.

Upon closer inspection, it was Chi Mei Xie Shen. In recent days, she had been visiting frequently, her eyes filled with growing hope. She wanted to ask Ye Chen when he would refine the Soul-Returning Pill.

Ye Chen's silence made her hesitate to speak.

She didn't leave, standing quietly behind him, waiting for a clear answer. They had gathered all the materials, yet the pill wasn't being refined, and she was growing anxious. It had been endless ages, and his loved one had been dead for far too long, through the passage of time and the aging of the world—they were waiting only for that one pill.

"Soon."

Ye Chen suddenly spoke, smiling. The time to refine the pill had come; the heavenly timing, geographical advantages, and human harmony were all perfectly aligned. If he couldn't produce a Jiu Zhuan Huan Hun Dan, it would defy the natural order.

Those two simple words thrilled Chi Mei Xie Shen.

"Do you need anything prepared?"

"Perhaps, it will require your life."

"Life? As in the Dan Spirit?"

"As you said."

After that brief exchange, Chi Mei Xie Shen fell silent, her sleeves hiding tightly clenched jade-like hands, her cheeks turning slightly pale. Though not a refiner herself, she knew about the spirit of a pill. Indeed, for something like the Jiu Zhuan Huan Hun Dan, how could it not need a Dan Spirit? And she might be the most suitable one.

"Tomorrow, in Dan City," Ye Chen said again.

She said nothing more, silently turning to leave. If she was needed as the Dan Spirit, she would do so without hesitation.

Behind her, Ye Chen also fell silent, though he let out a sigh.

The next day, before dawn fully broke, countless figures converged on Dan City. There were cultivators from Da Chu, as well as powerful experts from the Tian Ming and other realms, many of them refiners. The crowds stretched across the vast land and filled the endless sky.

Dan Sheng was about to refine a pill, and not just any pill—the Jiu Zhuan Huan Hun Dan. Producing a nine-pattern pill was equivalent to a cultivator achieving emperor status; it would create a legend, so how could anyone miss it? They all had to watch with wide eyes.

"The Jiu Zhuan Huan Hun Dan! I've only heard of it in legends."

"Dan Sheng is truly Dan Sheng—he even managed to gather all the materials for the Jiu Zhuan Huan Hun Dan."

"But I wonder if he can actually refine it."

As the sky brightened and a red glow spread from the east, the gathered crowds covered the immense earth and soared through the vast heavens. They were all there to observe, with the refiners being the most dedicated, already buzzing with discussion before the refining even began. This was a major event in the refining world.

Among so many refiners, there was one whose face was extraordinarily dark.

He was Kun Lun Lao Dao. By now, he had realized who robbed him in the Tian Jie—it had to be Ye Chen; who else could it be? Many of those refining materials were his.

"Lao Dao, why is your face so black?" Niu Mo Wang glanced at him.

Kun Lun Lao Dao took a deep breath, swallowing a long-brewed curse. He just stared darkly at Ye Chen, you despicable person, you shameless despicable person.

Ah-choo!

On the massive cloud platform, Ye Chen let out a powerful sneeze.

Looking every bit the part, he knew exactly who was cursing him. Ever since he arrived on the platform, he'd been sneezing nonstop. From that, it was clear how viciously he was being cursed. So many precious materials had been stolen, so it was normal to be cursed—it was bound to come out eventually, and letting off some steam with curses was fine.

Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!

Under everyone's gaze, Chi Mei Xie Shen arrived, accompanied by the humming of the emperor's path.

There were five supreme emperor weapons, which she arranged in all directions, suspending them in the ethereal void. The emperor's laws cascaded down, and the supreme emperor's might overflowed, forming a massive barrier that sealed the cloud platform where Ye Chen stood, inside and out, even freezing the very fabric of space.

She held the Xuanyuan Sword, guarding one side of the platform.

This setup was clearly to protect Ye Chen's path. Anyone who dared to step in or disturb his refining would face her thunderous assault, even if it were someone like Tun Tian Mo Zun or Mo Yuan.

A woman trapped by love, if driven mad, would show no mercy, even to kin.

Ah!

Qin Guang Wang sighed, and the elders sighed too. Those who knew Chi Mei Xie Shen's story mostly understood her state of mind. For the revival of her loved one, that evil god had cast aside everything.

May all lovers in the world find happiness together.

Such prayers echoed in many hearts, filled with well-wishes. They hoped Ye Chen would succeed in refining the Soul-Returning Pill and that the great Hong Huang god could be revived, reuniting with Chi Mei Xie Shen.

On the cloud platform, Ye Chen's mind was clear and empty. He didn't bring out a pill furnace or summon flames; instead, he gazed at the vast sky. Refining was a skillful art, and for a nine-pattern immortal pill, one had to choose an auspicious day.

Cultivation had its own profound ways, and so did refining—though not all refiners knew it. There was a kind of perfectly auspicious day that carried certain omens, bringing forth a mysterious fortune from the void.

And he had been waiting for that moment, for two full years. To others, it might seem superstitious, but sometimes, fate worked in strange ways—you couldn't afford not to believe.

Buzz!

Under everyone's watchful eyes, he finally moved, using his origin essence to form a refining furnace. It was over ten zhang tall, engraved with his Chaos Dao principles and marked with Dun Jia Tian characters. Though illusory, it possessed the power to seize heaven's creation, making many refiners' eyes light up in admiration.

Then came the Chaos Fire, surging into the furnace.

"Don't cause trouble," Ye Chen transmitted, speaking to the Chaos Fire. This was no joking matter.

The Chaos Fire chuckled, "At the critical moment, I'm still reliable."

Ye Chen didn't respond. With a wave of his hand, he tossed in a immortal grass, followed by over a dozen refining materials. He steadily controlled the flames, extracting their most essential essences.

The observers held their breath, not daring to make a sound, their eyes fixed straight ahead. No one would dare approach and disturb— with a evil god guarding the area, no one could get through.

The world fell silent.

The only sounds were the roaring flames and the fragrant scent of herbs, wafting in soothing waves. Each material was possibly extinct in the world, each containing vast essence. Enveloped by Ye Chen's origin essence furnace, not a drop of essence would escape.

Ye Chen's techniques were masterful and effortless—one thought to control the fire, another to add materials.

In just over ten breaths, over a thousand types of immortal ingredients had been refined into streams of pure essence, wandering and merging within the furnace. They came in various colors, shimmering with divine light.

Refining a nine-pattern pill consumed a tremendous amount of materials and demanded the highest skill in refining techniques. Any slip-up in the process could lead to failure.

The refiners all understood this point.

For a moment, Ye Chen frowned slightly, tilting his head to look at the vast sky.

Then, his expression darkened.

Because in the void, changes were occurring. That so-called auspicious day, due to the upheavals in the emperor's path of this era, was shifting toward an ominous sign—something beyond his control, foretelling impending disaster.