Chapter 2972: A Win-Win

Hou Yi's eyes were nearly narrowed to slits, staring intently at Ye Chen.

Hong Yan also stood up, her expression grim.

Under their gaze, the mass of dark energy at Ye Chen's brow had slowly transformed into a pitch-black curse seal, etched into his forehead.

In an instant, Ye Chen's aura plummeted dramatically.

Looking inside his body, every segment of his radiant Sheng Ti bones was now inscribed with demonic patterns due to the curse, eroding his divine power.

The most terrifying part was his Yuan Shen, enveloped in black mist, with even his Sheng Ti's divine repository and Shen Long Shield being corroded, threatening to annihilate his Yuan Shen into ashes.

Uh...!

Ye Chen couldn't help but let out a low roar, his face twisted in pain, fresh blood overflowing from his mouth, and blood streaming continuously from the corners of his eyes—or rather, from all seven orifices.

That wasn't all; his radiant Huang Gu Sheng Ti was actually disintegrating, with his limbs, bones, internal organs, and meridians all fracturing. At this rate, it wouldn't be long before he was completely destroyed.

"What a domineering curse."

Hou Yi's face changed abruptly. This was a Sheng Ti that had achieved Dao and become an emperor, already at the mid-tier level and capable of slaying Tian Di. Yet, it was wounded so severely, showing just how fearsome the one who cast the curse must be.

"Be destroyed for me."

Hong Yan raised her hand and pointed at Ye Chen's brow, trying to destroy the curse seal.

Unfortunately, she couldn't do it.

It was a curse, and external forces were useless—or rather, the curse's level was too high, and her cultivation as a great emperor was far from sufficient.

The curse seal was even surrounded by faint, flickering Yong Heng light.

"It's him."

Hong Yan murmured, her expression now filled with fear, her face turning pale. Clearly, she had figured out who was cursing Ye Chen.

Crack! Crack!

Ye Chen's Sheng Ti was already shattering; the curse's power was too overwhelming to suppress, intent on destroying him completely.

"With your level, you actually use a curse on a minor Sheng Ti."

Hong Yan snorted coldly, shouting fiercely at the curse seal, the fear in her eyes mostly fading, replaced by unmistakable killing intent.

Her fierce shout went unanswered, leaving only Ye Chen's low roars.

As the supreme among emperors, his resolve was unyielding; his blood-streaked eyes held an indestructible light, using Lun Hui power to desperately resist the curse's force. He wanted to use Lun Hui to eradicate the curse but couldn't.

By now, his consciousness was blurred beyond recognition.

In the haze, he seemed to see a twisted ghost face, contorted and grinning maliciously at him, its laughter more sinister than the fiends of Jiu You, carrying an irresistible demonic power.

At a glance, it was clear who was cursing him—it was the first-generation Sheng Mo, whose seniority far surpassed Hong Yan's. His cultivation realm was likely on par with the true Gu Tian Ting Nu Di. For such a supreme being to curse a minor Sheng Ti, Ye Chen was indeed "honored."

"The Dao heart does not die, the physical body does not perish."

Suddenly, an ethereal female voice rang out.

From the sound, it was the Tian Ting Nu Di.

The Nu Di's situation was the same as Ye Chen's.

She was also under the curse, but the curse power she endured was far more terrifying than Ye Chen's—or rather, the curse they both suffered was one and the same, with her bearing over ninety percent of it, leaving less than ten percent for Ye Chen. He might not even withstand that.

Hearing the Nu Di's words, Ye Chen truly understood.

Legend had it there was a kind of Yi Shi Er Niao curse that could target two people at once; if one died, the other would likely follow.

The true target was probably the Tian Ting Nu Di.

As for him, he was just collateral, caught in the crossfire.

He should feel fortunate; if ninety percent of the curse had been on him, he would have been overwhelmed into ashes in an instant.

"Destroy me?"

Once he figured out what was happening, Ye Chen's blood-streaked eyes were filled with veins, whether from pain or rage—it was hard to tell. His face was even more ferocious than that twisted ghost face.

The Dao heart does not die, the physical body does not perish.

He held firm; his will and resolve were unbreakable. The curse's power submerged him repeatedly but couldn't extinguish his Yuan Shen. As long as he endured the most difficult period, he would have a chance to breathe.

Pfft!

A spray of golden blood bloomed as his Sheng Ti exploded violently, leaving only an illusory Yuan Shen, nearly transparent and still being ground away continuously.

Hou Yi was helpless.

Hong Yan was also helpless.

The two great emperors could only watch powerlessly, their expressions gravely serious, knowing the curse's terror—Ye Chen might very well die.

If even the emperors were like this, there was no need to mention the divine generals in the cauldron.

Many who were awake had already rushed out, their faces pale and bloodless, unable to approach. The curse's power was leaking out, and even the two emperors dared not rush forward recklessly, let alone them—they could only watch helplessly.

Pfft!

Under everyone's gaze, Ye Chen's Yuan Shen also disintegrated, leaving only a speck of light, dimmed with faint Yuan Shen fire—it was his will.

In comparison, the Tian Ting Nu Di was faring much better.

Bearing over ninety percent of the curse's power, she still couldn't be destroyed, sustained by Yong Heng, barely holding her own against the curse. The tricky part was Ye Chen's side; if Ye Chen couldn't hold on, her fate wouldn't be much better, even with Yong Heng—it wouldn't be enough.

As always, she was not the complete Tian Ting Nu Di.

Over time, the curse's power slowly dissipated, much like a Tian Jie; once the hardest period was endured, its might gradually weakened.

Looking at Ye Chen, the remaining speck of light showed signs of recovery; the curse was scattering, and he seemed poised to press his advantage.

"What a strange curse."

Zao Hua Shen Wang murmured lightly, supporting Ren Wang as they stood there, his face pale and weak from lack of energy—Ye Chen had drawn blood from him numerous times in recent days.

"Yi Shi Er Niao?"

Ren Wang stroked his beard, able to discern some clues. Besides Ye Chen before them, there must be another person enduring the curse, and far more than Ye Chen. If that was the case, the other must be the ancient Tian Ting Nu Di—only she could withstand it.

No wonder he was called Ren Wang; his experience was vast, perhaps inheriting memories from Ren Huang, whose true self had studied curses extensively.

"It's slightly different from the curses we've seen before."

Long Ye also rubbed his chin. If he had to make a comparison, this curse was similar to a Tian Jie, with its power weakening as proof. As for whether Ye Chen could endure it, that remained uncertain—no one could guarantee the curse wouldn't rebound and strike again.

Still, things looked better than expected at the moment.

Ye Chen's Yuan Shen fire burned brighter and brighter, forcibly condensing his Yuan Shen against the curse, his golden eyes gleaming radiantly.

"Come on, keep coming."

"You despicable one, ambushing a minor great emperor—how shameless?"

"Idiot, the entire Sheng Mo lineage is full of idiots."

Ye Chen didn't speak aloud but cursed with his Yuan Shen, completely discarding any pretense of dignity, like a supreme emperor turned into a shrew hurling abuses.

What was the point of face? The other side had none, so why should he?

It was understandable; getting hit with a curse out of nowhere was like strolling down the street and getting kicked for no reason—who wouldn't be furious?

Hou Yi took a deep breath, his pale expression turning somber and meaningful. Seeing that Ye Chen still had the energy to curse so vehemently, he must have stabilized himself. Hou Yi quite admired this emperor; when it came to cursing, dignity was irrelevant.

The veteran divine generals also stroked their beards, and whenever Ye Da Di started cursing, they felt an urge—an impulse to join in.

Hou Yi's guess was correct; Ye Chen had indeed stabilized.

With him stable, the Tian Ting Nu Di was stable too. Yong Heng power wasn't for show; if one wave couldn't take her down, it wouldn't destroy her.

"Hold on." The Nu Di said faintly, speaking to Ye Chen.

As her words fell, her snow-white hair turned strand by strand into fiery red, as if she had activated some forbidden technique. The black energy enveloping her was extinguished piece by piece by dazzling Yong Heng light.

As the saying goes, one should return a favor.

She counterattacked; the ancient Tian Ting began its assault, tracing the curse's power back to its source, using Yong Heng's laws to attack all the way.

Uh...!

Listening carefully, a muffled groan could be heard.

Ah...!

Then came a roar of rage, likely because the Nu Di had reached the origin and was attacking fiercely, aiming for mutual destruction.

"The Nu Di is showing her might—I've got to see this."

Ye Da Di was quite restless, also tracing the curse back, not as aggressively as the Nu Di but still managing to find it, wanting a glimpse of the first-generation Sheng Mo.

Pushing his vision to the limit, he saw a vast black Mo Hai, with violent demonic energy surging and rolling. Deep in the Mo Hai stood an ancient altar with four towering copper pillars, each bound with Yong Heng chains locking a disheveled figure who was roaring in fury.

In just a moment, Ye Chen withdrew his gaze.

Then, his newly reformed Yuan Shen body exploded again, reduced to a speck of light, with the Yuan Shen fire extremely dim, on the verge of extinction.

It was because he had seen something he shouldn't have.

Such supreme gods were not for ants like him to glimpse.

Awkward—the supreme among emperors felt utterly awkward.

Only after seeing what a true god was did he realize his own insignificance. What great Chu emperor, what Dao-achieving Sheng Ti—all of it was a joke in that instant.

It took a long time for Ye Chen to reform his Yuan Shen again.

This time, he was obedient, extremely obedient, quiet and subdued.

"Did you see it?" Hong Yan asked softly.

Ye Chen nodded slightly, his heart filled with lingering shock.

If he wasn't mistaken, the first-generation Sheng Mo was sealed, likely in the Tai Gu Hong Huang, and by no one other than the true ancient Tian Ting Nu Di—across all Wan Yu Zhu Tian, no one else could do it.

"Just how terrifying are you?" Ye Chen murmured to himself.

He wasn't sure if the "you" referred to the ancient Tian Ting Nu Di or the first-generation Sheng Mo. Even sealed, the Sheng Mo could still curse them both. The Nu Di was dominant too, able to seal such a supreme being.

"You're probably shaken." Hong Yan suddenly said.

"I can't deny, you guessed right."

Ye Chen took a deep breath. Shaken? More than that—he was utterly defeated, barely surviving just from a glance. Were the ancient Tian Ting Nu Di and the legendary first-generation Sheng Mo both Huang Di? He, a minor great emperor, probably didn't even qualify to look up to them.

Tai Gu Hong Huang.

In this moment, those four simple words weighed heavily on his heart. Even with some inherited memories from his first life, he couldn't glimpse the eternal secrets. Perhaps only by truly reaching there would he know.