Chapter 654: The World Becomes Peaceful

Boom! Rumble!

Under the heavens, thunder still rumbled, but it rapidly faded away. After the thunder and clouds dispersed, what was revealed was a scarred landscape. This stretch of heaven and earth, after being scourged by the thunder tribulation, was left riddled with craters, with space cracks still wreaking havoc everywhere.

Immortal Wheel Heavenly Dao, activate!

While everyone was still caught up in the aftermath, Ye Chen had already used the Immortal Wheel secret technique to escape into the space black hole. Soon, those who snapped out of it rushed forward to pursue him, especially the experts from the three sects, who wouldn't rest until they confirmed his death.

Several thousand people scoured the void over a radius of 100,000 zhang but found no sign of Ye Chen. Only then did they gather together, confirming that he had perished under the heavenly tribulation, and finally felt at ease.

Zhengyang experts glared at Qingyun Laozu and his group with dark expressions.

"Qingyun, cut out the sneaky moves from now on."

"Our sect leader had better be fine. If anything happens to him, you'll regret it." Hengyue experts shot cold stares at the Qingyun Sect experts.

"Then you'd better pray for your own good fortune." Qingyun Laozu sneered, flicked his sleeve, and led his people away.

After they left, Zhengyang Sect and Hengyue Sect faced off again. This was because Zhengyang Sect's experts had previously chased Yin Zhiping, and if Hengyue hadn't arrived in time, the outcome would have been disastrous.

"If you want a fight, we're ready anytime." Tongxuan Zhenren snorted coldly and led the Hengyue experts away.

"Qingyun, Hengyue—you'll both be swallowed up by Zhengyang eventually." Zhengyang Laozu sneered, seeing no point in lingering, so they all stepped into the misty void, streaking across the sky like a divine rainbow.

Ji Ningshuang, as she departed, couldn't help but glance back at the ruined land. She had witnessed a peerless genius die under the heavenly tribulation with her own eyes. For some reason, her emotions were mixed—that person who had infuriated her countless times, that person who had saved her from peril repeatedly, was gone just like that, leaving her feelings indescribable.

"Well, we didn't catch him after all." Once the three sects' experts had gone, those who had banded together to hunt Ye Chen also dispersed.

After they left, the spectators followed suit, as there was no more drama to watch, and lingering there served no purpose. However, the price they paid for this spectacle was steep—most were injured, and many had been blasted to ash by the thunder tribulation. It was absurd; they could even lose their lives just from watching.

Soon, the heavens and earth fell into tranquility. But Nan Chu, Bei Chu, and the entire Da Chu were far from peaceful. Across the land, voices were filled with sighs, exclamations, and astonishment.

"Such a world-shaking genius dying is such a waste." Many elders sighed quietly.

"Such a shameless scoundrel—serves him right to die." Others couldn't help but curse bitterly.

"He's a scoundrel and shameless, sure, but a force like him is one of a kind in Da Chu. In my book, the title of Killing God Qin Yu fits him alone." Someone marveled.

"I wonder if he's really okay!" In Qianqiu Ancient City, the Su family ancestors and others turned to Hongchen Xue.

"Look, his soul jade is still intact, which means he's alive." Hongchen Xue opened her hand, revealing a golden soul jade to the group.

The heavens and earth were tranquil.

In the pitch-black and desolate space black hole, Ye Chen's mutilated body floated silently. He was barely recognizable as human—or more like a mass of flesh and blood. But thankfully, he still had a breath; for a cultivator, as long as the soul remains intact, even a single drop of blood can lead to full recovery—it's just a matter of time.

Crack! Crack!

Soon, the sound of bones grinding echoed. From Ye Chen's nearly destroyed body, green smoke rose, and his wounds healed at a visible rate. His shattered flesh, under the Barbarian Desolation Refining Body technique, regrew fresh blood and bones.

Barbarian Desolation Refining Soul!

As he refined his body, Ye Chen shouted lightly once more, activating the supreme secret method for refining the soul as well. Thus, immortal fire aided his physical refinement, while heavenly thunder strengthened his soul. Both his body and spirit underwent nirvana and rebirth simultaneously.

Soon, storage bags flew out one by one, spilling blocks of spirit stones—twenty million in total. In this space black hole, there was no spiritual energy, and he had lost contact with his clone, so he had to resort to this costly method to replenish himself.

Crack! Crack!

Nearly twenty million spirit stones shattered in an instant, releasing a surge of spiritual power. Centered on Ye Chen, it formed a massive vortex of energy, pouring into his body through every pore. At that moment, his body was like a bottomless pit, devouring the spiritual power ravenously. Under the Barbarian Desolation Refining Body and Refining Soul techniques, his physical form, soul, fractured meridians, and battered limbs all surged toward a new peak.

Time passed slowly.

Roar! Roar! Roar!

Soon, centered on Ye Chen's body, roars resounded. Then, five massive phantoms encircled him: a coiling divine dragon, a roaring white tiger, a screeching phoenix, a paving black tortoise, and a howling qilin.

Above the Daluo Divine Cauldron, heavenly sounds of the Great Dao intertwined, making it even more extraordinary after the tribulation's baptism.

After an unknown amount of time, Ye Chen, sitting cross-legged, awoke. His transformation was profound—his once-broken body was now flawless, radiating brilliant light with mysterious phenomena flickering in and out. His powerful aura carried low dragon roars, and enveloped in immortal fire, his form seemed forged from gold, with muscles and bones as tough as steel, utterly dominant.

Whew!

Exhaling a turbid breath, Ye Chen opened his eyes, and two sharp beams of light shot forth, rendering his gaze incredibly restrained.

"The feeling of nirvana transformation is really something else." Twisting his neck side to side, a smile curved at Ye Chen's mouth. Sensing the surging power within, he felt an unprecedented thrill.

With that thought, Ye Chen leaped to his feet and surveyed the dark space black hole. This time, it was the Immortal Wheel Heavenly Dao that had saved him again. He never used this secret technique unless absolutely necessary, as the dangers lurking in the space black hole were far worse than those outside.

This time, beaten to a pulp as he was, he wouldn't have risked entering the space black hole to heal. With experts from the three sects surrounding him, staying meant certain death—entering offered a slim chance of survival. Fortunately, his luck held; he hadn't encountered any chaotic zones in the space black hole, or he would have been pulverized on the spot.

"I entered through a space crack this time. When I leave, I won't end up in Bei Chu again, will I?" Ye Chen stroked his chin, not daring to move an inch. He remembered the last time: moving less than 30,000 zhang in the space black hole had resulted in a displacement of over 8 million li due to spatial supershift.

So, he'd learned his lesson this time—he wouldn't budge. Staying still would minimize the distance discrepancy, or so he believed. Besides, the space black hole was fraught with peril, so immobility was the safer bet.

Immortal Wheel Heavenly Dao, activate!

With a light shout, the vortex reappeared, and he vanished from the spot.