Chapter 2811

Chapter 2811: You Ling

"Shi Shen Chong."

Ren Wang saw it, his deep eyes narrowing slightly. He truly recognized it, and his expression became unnaturally tense, with a hint of wariness in his eyes.

"It's undoubtedly Shi Shen Chong."

Long Ye frowned, his own expression far from pleased.

Seeing their reactions, Ye Chen knew that Shi Shen Chong was no trivial matter. Even the remnant soul of the emperor showed wariness, which meant these insects must be terrifying.

"Where did it come from?"

Zaohua Shenwang asked, turning to Ye Chen.

"The black hole."

Ye Chen lightly waved his hand, summoning a vision that displayed the dark vortex, the unknown realm it connected to, and the thick, viscous blood within.

"So many of them."

Sheng Zun was startled, and the other Zhundi felt the same.

The female Zhundi, in particular, turned even paler at the sight of the blood-smeared ground, looking as if she might vomit. After all, that was insect-related.

"This is just too much."

Tian Lao scratched his arm, his skin crawling with goosebumps.

"The black hole is full of pitfalls!"

The Zhundi murmured among themselves, their scalps tingling at the sight. Even a Zhundi falling in might not escape.

"They have incredibly strong vitality and are extremely hard to refine."

Ye Chen, being considerate, dismissed the vision. If they kept looking, the female Zhundi present might actually throw up, and even he felt a shiver run through him.

"Ancient legends say these insects devour the heavens, consume the earth, and gnaw through the universe. There's nothing they won't eat, and their lives are extraordinarily tough."

Yan Huang said with a sigh, full of lamentation.

"So, where do these insects come from?"

Fu Ya asked, glancing around at the Zhundi.

"I don't know."

Even Ren Wang, the know-it-all, shook his head lightly. If he didn't know, the others certainly wouldn't.

"Make time to enter the black hole again and reinforce the seal."

"Understood."

Ye Chen pulled out his wine flask. Even without Ren Wang saying it, he planned to go back. If these insects could truly devour the heavens and gnaw through the universe, they might even eat through seals. He couldn't let them escape—if they spread to the realms, who knew how many people would suffer.

Night fell quietly.

Tianxuan Men set up a banquet, seemingly on purpose, right in front of Lingxiao Baodian. Every guest was at the peak of ultimate strength, without exception.

"Moon Emperor sister, let's chat when you have time!"

"Don't mess around, I'll chat first."

"Get lost, I'll chat first."

The banquet's atmosphere was incredibly lively. Some old fellows, fueled by alcohol, got up to no good, leading to quite the entertaining scenes afterward. Every time someone said something cheeky, they'd get thrown into Lingxiao Baodian and then tossed out.

"Let's exchange some resources!"

"Absolutely."

The more reserved Zhundi handled things discreetly, gathering at a table. From time to time, they'd pull ancient scrolls from their sleeves—those legendary rare editions.

"Da Chu is so full of energy."

Long Ye sighed, glancing at the emperors, the divine generals, Yan Luo, and Lao Jun. Basically, all the old folks from the three realms had gathered here, giving it a unique vibe.

"Drink up."

After so many years, it was finally this lively again.

At one point, Ye Chen stood up to communicate with Lingxiao Baodian. It was clear he wanted to send some talented people inside for cultivation, but the hall shook him dizzy in response.

"It only favors little Ye Ling!"

Chu Jiang Wang laughed. Ye Chen wasn't allowed in, but Ye Ling could come and go freely, so only she cultivated inside, as if she had special privileges.

For this reason, Lingxiao Baodian even channeled its aura to refine the young girl's body and strengthen her origins. The veteran Zhundi watched with envy.

Naturally, the reason for treating little Ye Ling so well was likely due to Chu Xuan, Chu Ling, and their connection to Ruo Xi. Ye Ling could make as much noise as she wanted inside, but as for everyone else, they could go wherever they pleased to cool off.

Even so, some drunken old fools tried to barge in shamelessly. When they came out, they were flying—more effective than any sobering remedy.

It was late at night when Ye Chen finally left.

Chu Xuan, Chu Ling, and Ye Ling were still in the baodian. He wasn't worried about their safety—the entire Da Chu and Tianxuan Men probably had no safer place than Lingxiao Baodian.

The Zhundi dispersed as well, all still tipsy. They would sleep soundly tonight, free from invasions, battles, or Zhu Xian Jian, with no worries.

Ye Chen had already stepped onto a quiet path. Before leaving, he wanted to check on Hong Chen Liu Dao. Those two had been badly injured in the black hole, and Ruo Xi had been utterly merciless back then.

From afar, he spotted a person reclining under an old tree, leaning against the trunk and drinking alone. His hair was slightly disheveled, with stubble on his chin, and his demeanor was full of dejection. In the peaceful night, he showed no sign of vitality.

It was Mu Liuqing, the Hao Mie Shenwang of the Hong Huang.

"I've seen you, senior."

Ye Chen bowed respectfully. This bow was for Chi Mei Xie Shen. After taking the Nine-Turn Soul-Returning Pill and merging with Cang Lan, one life and two fates were now etched into his body.

Hao Mie Shenwang smiled faintly, though it was forced.

Ah!

Ye Chen sighed inwardly and walked on lightly.

But after two or three steps, he suddenly stopped, instinctively turning back. His eyes narrowed into slits as he stared intently at Hao Mie Shenwang. In the previous instant, he seemed to have caught a faint trace of demonic energy.

He turned back, saying nothing, and pointed a finger to Mu Liuqing's forehead, using a profound immortal technique. From the Shenwang's body, he drew out a thread of divine light—so fine it was hundreds of times thinner than a hair, nearly invisible if not looked for closely. This thread carried a faint presence of Cang Lan, flickering subtly.

"Ling?"

Ye Chen held the thread of divine light, examining it closely. The more he looked, the brighter his eyes became. There was no mistake—this contained a trace of the evil demon's ling. With ling, everything could be managed, such as reviving Cang Lan.

"It's her, it's her."

Hao Mie Shenwang had already stood up, staring at the thread with tears in his eyes. He hadn't sensed it inside his body before, but now that Ye Chen had extracted it, he could clearly detect it. As long as there was ling, there was hope—even if just a trace—it could bring Cang Lan back to the world. It was only a matter of time.

Ye Chen didn't delay. He immediately took out the Ever-Bright Lamp and fused Cang Lan's trace of ling into the wick. A tiny flame, no larger than a speck of dust, ignited. Over the many years to come, it just needed to absorb the essence of the sun and moon, along with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, to gradually revive. Of course, nurturing it with Yuan Shen power would make it even more efficient.

A hundred years ago, the same method had revived the sacrificed Nian Wei, who had only a trace of ling, after ten cycles of blooming and fading flowers.

"Thank you, thank you."

Hao Mie Shenwang was deeply moved, his eyes brimming with tears and his hands trembling as he carefully took the Ever-Bright Lamp, cradling it gently for fear of damaging it.

"In the human world, deep emotions lead to eternal bonds."

Ye Chen took a deep breath and turned away, smiling broadly. He had always thought that Chi Mei Xie Shen wouldn't die so easily. In the not-too-distant future, that tiny spark would surely become a roaring fire of Yuan Shen.

Behind him, Hao Mie Shenwang had already left, one hand holding the Ever-Bright Lamp and the other wiping away tears. His demeanor was no longer dejected; he was full of energy, his slightly hunched back now straight, and he looked years younger. What was once dull and lifeless was now radiant.

Deeper in Tianxuan Men,

Ye Chen checked on Hong Chen Liu Dao. Though they were in a dazed state, their recovery was formidable. Sealed on the altar, they slept quietly, and he reinforced the seal.

Having witnessed Ruo Xi's terror, he now understood why the original timeline was so disastrous, why even great emperors fell in battle. Ruo Xi, controlled by Zhu Xian Jian, was a match for no one and could slaughter the entire myriad realms alone.

So, Hong Chen's actions were correct, but he had underestimated Ruo Xi's role. Removing her from the world led to the realms collapsing even faster, which prompted the six paths to reverse time. Everything was playing out in the shadows of fate.