Chapter 3125: Back to the Old Profession

Zheng!

The Zhou Tian Shen Jian hummed with a sharp sound, following the deductions and slashing towards the origin of the Meng Dao.

"Very good."

Meng Mo chuckled softly and countered with a sword of her own.

Bang!

The two swords clashed and instantly exploded, unleashing an annihilating halo that spread from the void. Wherever it passed, accompanied by thunderous roars, stars collapsed and many celestial bodies were destroyed.

"You have some skill."

Ye Chen smiled leisurely and immediately severed the connection. It wasn't that he feared Meng Mo; if they continued to fight, he would be locked onto by the Meng Dao, leading to a group attack.

"She must be quite terrifying, right!"

In the small world, the little old man muttered.

"Not bad."

Ye Chen left those words and vanished. His casual "not bad" made the little old man's mouth twitch. After all, Meng Mo was a renowned figure in Shen Jie, yet to Ye Chen, it was merely "not bad." Just how high was his sense of superiority?

In reality, Ye Chen was being quite restrained. As a supreme being of the Sheng Ti lineage, he was not to be underestimated. At his peak, Meng Mo would have been no match for him. He had the right to say that. Compared to Wu Wang Mo Zun, Meng Mo lacked a bit in foundation. If his body hadn't been sealed, he would have charged in directly instead of sneaking around.

"You've underestimated me."

Meng Mo's beautiful eyes deepened, with faint, dreamlike gleams appearing. No wonder she was a supreme from another universe; she was truly extraordinary.

"I've located her traces."

A Zhizun sent a message, referring to Yue Shen.

"Position."

Meng Mo replied indifferently, looking away from Ye Chen's direction.

"In the lower realms."

"In that case, I'll go myself."

Meng Mo gave a playful smile and transformed into an illusory dream, disappearing in an instant.

Meanwhile,

Ye Chen didn't stop, continuing until he reached a star river, where he finally paused. He found a meteor and sat down cross-legged, then took out the Hao Tian Shen Jing, examining it closely. It was indeed a treasure; among all he had brought to this universe, this divine artifact was the most impressive. Though damaged, its significance was immense.

Unfortunately, in his current state, refining it was extremely difficult. He could only seal it with Zhou Tian. The mirror spirit was quite strong, always trying to escape its confinement.

"I think finding the Tian Zi is the most important thing."

The little old man said with his hands tucked in his sleeves. With things at this critical juncture, how could he still be in the mood to study treasures?

Ye Chen ignored him and continued to examine it.

Glancing into the Hun Dun Ding, the crowd of Zhizun looked at Huang Jin Shen with deep meaning in their eyes. If they hadn't seen it with their own eyes, they wouldn't have known that the sun god's natal divine artifact was with him. But thinking about it, his origins were indeed frightening.

As for Huang Jin Shen, his expression was terrible. What awful luck! He rarely came down, only to encounter such a formidable ruthless person. The Hao Tian Shen Jing was so dominant, yet in Ye Chen's hands, it was treated like an ordinary object.

Suddenly, a boom echoed.

Ye Chen instinctively looked up, straining his eyes towards the vast sky. Shen Jie was lively again, with quite a commotion that even affected Xian Jie. It was probably another battle among the Zhizun.

It might even involve Kuang Ying Jie.

In his view, that Kuang surname fellow was either fighting or on his way to a fight.

The booms came quickly and faded just as fast.

Once the noise dissipated, Ye Chen put away the Hao Tian Shen Jing and stepped across the star river, heading deeper.

Before long, he entered an ancient star. His body was etched with Tian Zi, and with Zhou Tian and Di Dao perception, he searched for any traces. If there was a Tian Zi, there would be a response.

Sadly, he returned disappointed.

For many days after, he moved like a ghost, appearing and disappearing unpredictably across various star spaces and continents, searching as he went.

This time, his luck seemed terribly off. He visited countless prosperous places, even checking the mortal realms, but found nothing.

Not only the Tian Zi, but he also didn't spot any of the Zhizun.

Of course, the star space was vast, and Xian Jie boundless. If the other side didn't reveal any openings, it was hard for him to find them. After all, his perception wasn't fully unsealed. Or perhaps, the Zhizun had all wised up and were no longer acting so boldly, each moving with caution.

As he expected, the Zhizun had indeed learned their lesson. They had been reckless before, but now they were all careful, not even showing their true forms, just searching in secret.

This situation was like a game of hide-and-seek.

The star space was eerily quiet on the surface, but in reality, undercurrents surged.

"You old hag, how dare you bump into me."

"Run, where do you think you're running?"

"Don't let me catch you, or I'll kick you to death."

The outside was calm, but Ye Chen's small world was extremely lively, thanks to his three troublemakers. They were always causing a ruckus, fighting every few days.

What a bunch of clowns.

The little old man stood with his hands behind his back, sitting on a stool as a loyal spectator.

Shen Yun Suan Yuan stroked his beard with an air of profound depth. What kind of master could cultivate such talents?

They were all treasures.

The Zhizun in the ding were watching too. Whether it was the Hun Dun Ding, Hun Dun Huo, or Hun Dun Lei, they were all supreme divine objects. Any one of them could drive Shen Jie mad.

Three days later,

In the star space, Ye Chen paused again, scanning the surroundings. He couldn't see the end of the universe. It had been half a month with no gains at all.

"Searching like this is like finding a needle in a haystack."

Shen Yun Suan Yuan coughed dryly.

"You're forcing me back to my old trade!"

Ye Chen took a deep breath.

Old trade?

The little old man raised an eyebrow, Shen Yun Suan Yuan turned his head, and even the Chi Yan Xiong Shi lying on the ground sleeping lifted its head.

What was the old trade?

Not just them, even the many Zhizun in the ding glanced at Ye Chen.

"Let's do it."

The Hun Dun Ding jumped up and down, with Hun Dun Huo and Hun Dun Lei also getting excited. They were all instigators who loved chaos.

Ye Chen moved quickly, landing on a desolate ancient star and finding a mountain peak. He erected a stone tablet there.

Once done, he dragged out Huang Jin Shen, who was stunned by a palm strike, and used Zhou Tian order chains to bind him to the stone tablet.

"Got it."

The little old man stroked his beard. It was clearly a kidnapping for ransom.

"With seniors like you, my heart is at ease."

Shen Yun Suan Yuan said with his hands tucked away, his tone deep.

"See that? That's the old trade."

The Hun Dun Ding buzzed, speaking to the Zhizun in the ding.

No need for explanation; the Zhizun could all see it clearly. Each one twitched at the corner of their mouth. They knew Ye Chen was tough and skilled in battle, but they never expected him to be so shameless. A supreme god like him resorting to kidnapping for ransom—what happened to a Zhizun's dignity?

This was all out of desperation.

Ye Chen said nothing, his expression speaking for itself. He'd been wanting to do this for a while. As long as he could get the Tian Zi, face didn't matter. Back in the distant past, he had long forgotten about integrity.

With that, he condensed an avatar using Zhou Tian—this was for collecting the ransom.

As for his true self, he had already hidden away, waiting for the Zhizun to show up. He didn't expect them to exchange with a Tian Zi; just luring them out would be enough.

Naturally, if he could draw Yue Shen over too, that would be ideal. What followed would be easy to handle.

Truth be told, this was a risky move. After all, this wasn't Zhu Tian, and he wasn't in his normal state. This universe was full of hidden experts; one wrong step, and he would lose badly. If he had no other choice, he wouldn't take this path.

He left, leaving Huang Jin Shen tied there. From a distance, the stone tablet on the mountain peak stood out starkly—or rather, Huang Jin Shen did. It was a good thing he was in a deep sleep; if awake, he'd be cursing up a storm.

What a disgrace.

The people from Zhu Tian weren't here; if they were, they would probably give Ye Chen a thumbs-up. His signature skill was unforgettable no matter where he went. He really brought glory to Zhu Tian's people. With a talent like him, this universe was bound to get lively.

"Bring the Tian Zi to ransom him."

Ye Chen's words quickly spread across the star space.

Before the words even faded, the heavens shook, and disturbances arose from all directions. It must be that the hidden Zhizun had been stirred, and they were heading this way.

Not only the Zhizun heard it, but cultivators nearby also perked up their ears. The bolder elders sneaked over, tracing the source to that desolate ancient star.

"Huang Jin Shen?"

"It's definitely him; I've been fortunate enough to see him before."

"This..."

Those who arrived first were all stunned, their faces full of disbelief. That was a god! Yet his immortal body was shattered, his primordial spirit sealed, and he was being held as a hostage for ransom.

What caught even more attention was Ye Chen—or rather, his Zhou Tian avatar—sitting there with legs crossed, hands propping up his chin, just waiting for someone to deliver the payment.

"How strong must he be to capture Huang Jin Shen?"

Shocks of amazement rose one after another, everyone looking at Ye Chen like he was a deity. He was utterly lawless—kidnapping was common, but kidnapping a Zhizun? That was a first.

Pity no one knew his background. Even searching through all their memories, they couldn't find any record of such a figure.

The star space was truly buzzing now.

Looking down, it was packed with people, all keeping their distance and holding telescopes, watching in astonishment. The world was vast, and anything could happen. Kidnapping a Zhizun? Unthinkable. This life hadn't been lived in vain.

Boom! Bang! Boom!

Soon, booms erupted from all sides as the Zhizun arrived, each one commanding the universe with an overwhelming presence that made the world tremble.

And their numbers—over thirty strong, like rounds of suns hanging in the starry sky, their divine light illuminating everything. This didn't even count those hidden in the void; add them up, and there were about fifty.

Gulp!

Shen Yun Suan Yuan and the little old man swallowed hard at the sight. They hadn't realized until now just how massive the Zhizun's lineup was. No wonder Ye Chen had been so cautious before—the situation was against him. Better safe than sorry; one misstep, and it was game over.

"Are those... gods?"

"Obviously, yes."

The people below gaped, staring up in a daze. If they hadn't seen it themselves, they wouldn't believe that Xian Jie had so many Zhizun.

"Meng Mo isn't here."

Ye Chen murmured to himself, hidden in the shadows as he scanned again. He didn't spot Meng Mo, or maybe his vision was limited, and she was already there, just out of sight.

Turning his gaze from the sky, he looked at the Zhizun. Their lineup was indeed huge, with over eighty percent at the Tian Di level, and quite a few stronger than Wu Tian Xue Zun, all lurking in the void.

This proved his earlier caution wasn't unfounded. If surrounded, he would be crippled for sure, let alone with Meng Mo around.