Chapter 2738: Mutated?

The turmoil of the morning finally settled.

Yu Nu Feng regained its tranquility. As for Ye Chen, he had been carried down the mountain by the women and placed in the Xian Chi. It was fortunate that he was unconscious; otherwise, he would surely be cursing Long Ye, muttering something like, "I must have been full and bored to believe your nonsense. Becoming a peak Zhun Di on my own, and it's the first time I've been this miserable."

It took three full days for Ye Chen to remain unconscious, his injuries were simply too severe.

As for Long Ye, he had already slipped away without a trace, afraid that Chu Xuan and the others hadn't gotten their fill of beating him and might drag him back for more. In the future, if he were to pull off such stunts again, he needed to learn his lesson— at the very least, not on Yu Nu Feng. That family's people might talk to you nicely at first, but they'd start fighting at the drop of a hat.

On the fourth day, Shura Tian Zun arrived, hoping to spar with Yao Chi once more, only to be defeated again.

On the fifth day, the five young emperors from the Forbidden Zone paid a visit, seeking out Dong Shen Yao Chi. They were more subtle than Shura Tian Zun, engaging in games of chess to discuss the Dao through strategy.

The outcome was easy to imagine— none of them were a match for Ji Ning Shuang.

Those five were truly embarrassed. Earlier, when they ventured into Xuan Huang, they were beaten by that madman; then, in the Zhutian Starry Sky, they were hammered by the Chaos Body; and now, challenging Yao Chi, they were defeated even more soundly.

So, it seemed that the young emperors of this era were all at the bottom of the pack.

That wasn't the worst of it, though— fighting was just part of it, with wins and losses being normal. What was shameless was the group of old rogues from Da Chu, who ambushed them midway, robbing them of everything except their life-bound weapons.

Furious, the five heavenly kings stormed into Da Chu, wanting to confront those troublemakers: "Are people from the Forbidden Zone born with faces that just beg to be punched? Why are we getting beaten every single time?"

In the end, they left crawling away. The old folks from the Three Realms had gathered, and unless a great emperor showed up, they wouldn't give anyone face. If you tried to throw your weight around, you'd get a beating for sure.

On the seventh day, rumbling echoed from the starry sky as a Hong Huang clan was discovered— not one of the emperor-level inheritances, but they still leaked a trace of their aura. They were captured by Tai Shang Lao Jun and wiped out that very day.

On the eighth day, Mu Liu Qing, who had been lying still on the stone bed, suddenly sat up. He walked step by step out of the bamboo grove, his expression still wooden and his eyes as vacant as ever, with only a faint trace of spirit hidden within. He moved with stiff steps, leaving Tian Xuan Gate and wandering aimlessly into the starry sky.

His appearance caused an uproar among the people.

"The legendary Nine Zhuan Huan Hun Dan truly has boundless divine power!"

"A person who was buried eons ago can actually be revived."

"There's already a trace of spirit; it's only a matter of time before he fully awakens."

"What a terrifying aura."

Amid the discussions, many followed him, trailing along the way. They marveled at the divine power of the Nine Zhuan Huan Hun Dan and were shocked by Mu Liu Qing's fearsomeness. In the Hong Huang era, he must have been a peerless ruthless figure with unmatched elegance. No wonder even the Chi Mei evil gods were infatuated with him.

In the eastern part of the starry sky, Mu Liu Qing's figure vanished— or rather, the people lost track of him.

However, Tun Tian Mo Zun was still following from behind, silently guarding him. Looking at that figure, his mind kept flickering with confusion. Hong Lian was gone, the evil demons were dead, and now only Mu Liu Qing remained in a daze, while he alone was clear-headed. Remembering the glorious past brought too much sorrow and hardship.

In the wandering river of stars, besides Mu Liu Qing, another dazed figure appeared.

It was Sheng Huang Dou, like a puppet, moving with rigid steps, wandering like a lost soul through the starry sky. Zi Xuan followed behind him, silently watching over him.

From east to west, four figures: one dazed, one wooden, one a remnant emperor soul, and one an emperor's lover. They crossed that brilliant star river and brushed past each other.

On the ninth day, the monster sealed in the Tian Xuan Gate's underground palace underwent a change. Its form was no longer so terrifying; bit by bit, it transformed into a human shape, even forming normal facial features. The scales all over its body had fallen off, and the tail it dragged behind had retracted into its body.

At that moment, the group of old folks were surrounding it in circles, inside and out, their expressions full of astonishment.

It wasn't surprising they reacted this way— the person the monster had transformed into looked exactly like Ye Chen. If not for the still ferocious expression, everyone would have thought it was Ye Chen's twin brother.

"Mutated?"

Ren Wang stroked his beard, having circled the monster who knows how many times. He even reached out occasionally to pinch its body. "Hmm, it's flesh and blood— a living being for sure."

"Why did it take on Ye Chen's appearance?"

Lao Jun was full of doubts. Transforming into a human form made sense, but turning specifically into Ye Chen was puzzling. Was it particularly fond of Ye Chen's looks? Or was there some hidden story, some secret involved? And what was its true origin, anyway?

"The great emperor should know."

Chu Jiang Wang said casually, earning quite a few glares. They were all old timers; spouting nonsense like that could sour the atmosphere. Everyone knew there was a barrier between the heavens and the underworld, so what was the point of saying useless things?

On the tenth day, Ye Chen finally stirred slightly but still didn't wake up.

Chu Xuan and the others were with him every day, repeatedly refining his sacred body.

Night fell quietly once more, with all sounds hushed.

In the pool, the water rippled gently, surrounded by swirling mist. Ye Chen sat cross-legged inside, showing no signs of waking, but his wounds had vanished, and his surging vital energy rolled like waves.

"You bastard, don't run if you've got the guts."

"Idiot, chase me if you can."

Curses suddenly rang out, loud and clear, coming from Ye Chen's inner world.

It was the Chaos Ding and Chaos Fire.

Those two were the real troublemakers, fighting every single day from morning till night. They'd start chatting and end up brawling; then, in the middle of fighting, they'd somehow chat again.

Compared to them, Tian Lei was well-behaved. It hadn't become Chaos yet, so it had no choice but to behave— getting called in for lectures every few days and beaten every so often. It remembered every single slight clearly and vowed that once it became Chaos Lei, it would properly deal with the Chaos Ding and Chaos Fire.

Bathed in a wisp of starlight, Ye Chen slowly opened his eyes, his gaze a field of chaos.

Indeed, it was in the state of Chaos Eyes, where chaos evolved all things and intertwined with the Dao laws. Unfortunately, no Chaos Xian Fa had awakened yet, and he still didn't know what abilities it had.

"Woke up."

Qing Ling's voice rang out as Chu Ling and the others approached from afar. It seemed they had gone to pay respects to Bei Sheng and Hu Xian. Chu Xuan Er wasn't there; she had gone into seclusion the day before, having reached a bottleneck.

"How many days was I out?"

Ye Chen stepped out of the Xian Chi, stretching lazily with a series of cracks from his bones. Being ravaged by heavenly tribulation was like an alternative form of body forging— though the process was a bit hard to endure.

"Not long, just ten days." Ye Ling giggled.

"In the future, don't be so reckless." Chu Ling gave Ye Chen a sideways glance.

"Mother's worried about you! How about consummating the marriage tonight?"

"You little brat, no manners at all." Chu Ling turned and glared at Ye Ling.

The girl stuck out her tongue and scooted closer to Chu Xuan's side.

Ye Chen rubbed his brow with a smile, but it wasn't because of Ye Ling— it was because of Long Ye. Long Ye's guess about the bloodline limit had some truth to it, but why it hadn't activated was unclear. If cursing at the heavens could unlock a bloodline limit, it would seem too arbitrary.

"Come to Tian Xuan Gate."

A ethereal voice suddenly sounded— it was Dong Huang Tai Xin's.

"Get some rest soon."

Ye Chen left those words behind and soared upward. Even without Kun Lun Shen Nu calling him, he would have gone. He needed to check on how far Mu Liu Qing's revival had progressed and also study that monster.

It was still that underground palace. As soon as he entered, Ye Chen's eyes narrowed involuntarily.

"Surprised?"

Tian Lao and Di Lao had their hands tucked in their sleeves, and the group of old folks were all the same, turning in unison to look at Ye Chen.

"Very surprised."

Ye Chen replied casually, already standing before the monster, sizing it up from head to toe. How had it changed form in just a few days? And why, with so many people around, did it turn into his appearance?

"Ant."

The monster sneered, its slightly upturned lips conveying mockery and amusement. Though its form had changed, its expression toward Ye Chen remained the same— sinister, violent, and bloodthirsty.

Ye Chen ignored it, circling around for a closer look. He had once activated the Six Dao Lun Hui Eyes to examine the monster's bloodline and used Zhou Tian evolution to trace its origins. For it to randomly take his form without any reason was unbelievable, but after observing for a long time, he found no clues.

As he looked, Ye Chen suddenly lifted his gaze, seeing straight through the void.

In the next instant, he abruptly raised his hand, reaching into a black hole and pulling out a pitch-black figure— more precisely, a Tian Mo at the Zhun Di level, whose true form was a black lotus.

Oh?

The group of old folks all raised their eyebrows. They were studying the monster, and here came another surprise!

The Tian Mo was terrified, trying to escape but unable to break free from Ye Chen's seal. It recognized the sacred body bloodline, and the one before it was a half-step fully formed sacred body— incredibly fearsome.

By the heavens, it had only been passing through the black hole when a hand reached in, grabbing it, a dignified Zhun Di-level Tian Mo, like a helpless chick.

"How many Tian Mo are hidden in this black hole, anyway?"

"This one is also a black lotus body— in the Tian Mo domain, it must be an extremely powerful race."

"Who knows which era's remnant Tian Mo this is."

The group of Zhun Di spoke up, some stroking their beards, others rubbing their chins. Having caught a Tian Mo, they had already forgotten about the monster and crowded around it instead.

Only Ren Wang and Ye Chen exchanged a pointed glance at the monster.

The moment the Tian Mo appeared, a flash of light gleamed in the monster's eyes— brief and well-concealed, but it didn't escape their notice. There was definitely a connection between the two.

Ye Chen casually glanced sideways at the Tian Mo, his eyes mirroring the monster's.

"Now this is interesting."

Ren Wang tucked his hands away, looking from the Tian Mo to the monster, his gaze full of meaning. One Tian Mo and one monster— they might just be acquaintances, or even relatives.

Ye Chen was the most straightforward. He extended one hand toward the Tian Mo and the other toward the monster, drawing out a drop of fresh blood from each. He made the two drops fuse in midair.

The black blood and the green blood merged instantly, the black becoming even purer, occasionally glowing green.

"Sacred blood?"

Lao Jun exclaimed in surprise, and the group of old folks wore astonished expressions. From that fused drop of blood, they detected a familiar aura— the sacred body's aura, unmistakable.