Chapter 682: Killing God Qin Yu, Pill Saint Ye Chen

*Ka cha!*

The sound of the Gui Ming mask shattering was exceptionally crisp.

In the bloody wind, Ye Chen's figure stood tall and unyielding, his blood-stained clothes fluttering wildly, his long black hair cascading like a waterfall and dancing in the air.

Yet, in that instant, the entire world fell into a deathly silence.

At that moment, everyone's eyes were fixed on that face.

Silence reigned over heaven and earth, an eerie quiet filled with gazes flashing various emotions: shock, disbelief, confusion...

"I... I didn't see it wrong, did I?" It wasn't until three or five seconds later that someone finally spoke, thinking they must have been mistaken, and many instinctively rubbed their eyes. But when they looked again, it was indeed a living person—the very one they had witnessed dying so tragically.

"Dan Sheng Ye Chen?"

"He's... he's still alive?"

"Sha Shen Qin Yu is Dan Sheng Ye Chen? They... they're the same person?" The expressions of countless people shifted dramatically in an instant.

"Dan Yi, is... is that really him?" In the crowd, Dan Chen opened his mouth, his face turning somewhat dazed.

"Or... or maybe not?" Beside him, Dan Yi also spoke, staring in disbelief at the young man standing in the barrier.

"Qin Yu is Ye Chen." Dan Chen felt his mouth go dry; this scene was so dramatic it far exceeded his wildest imagination.

For a moment, Dan Chen and Dan Yi's aged bodies trembled with excitement. Even with their composure and status, they couldn't help but lose their composure. How could they have ever imagined that Sha Shen Qin Yu was their Dan Sheng Ye Chen? What could be more thrilling than this?

"Qin... Qin Yu is Ye Chen." Nearby, Xuan Nu stared blankly at Ye Chen, her face full of disbelief, as if she had been struck by lightning and left numb.

As she watched, she unconsciously raised her jade hand to cover her lips. The young man who had impressed her with his alchemy skills on the refining platform, earning her admiration and affection, was actually still alive.

"Ye Chen, is that you?" At her side, looking at Ye Chen in the barrier, Xiao Luo Xi's eyes blurred with tears, her little face covered in teardrops, because the person who had haunted her dreams was still alive.

"Now I know why he beat us up that night." Beside her, Wei Wen Zhuo, Chen Rong Yun, and Li Zhang all coughed awkwardly, feeling a chill run through their bodies. Sneaking a peek at someone's sister bathing—how hadn't they been beaten to death? Not to brag, but we can't believe we're still standing here alive.

"It's really you." In the crowd, Ji Ning Shuang, disguised as a man, stared blankly at Ye Chen. As she watched, she began to smile, though her beautiful eyes soon misted over with tears.

Although she had faintly sensed it when she saw Ye Chen again in the Shen Ku, now that his face was before her, it felt like she had entered a dream. That dreamlike sensation made it hard for her to distinguish reality from illusion.

"In this life, can we ever fight side by side again, so I can entrust my back to you without worry?" Ji Ning Shuang smiled through her tears, her eyes full of complexity and self-mockery. Although they were now part of the past, being able to watch him from afar was still a blessing from the heavens.

"What a surprise!" Nearby, Xu Nuo Yan's expression had become extremely vivid.

As she spoke, she couldn't help but glance sideways at Ji Ning Shuang. Seeing the mist in Ji Ning Shuang's eyes, her own face showed surprise. "Why are you crying?"

"Ye... Ye Chen." On another side, gazing at that angular face, Shangguan Yu Er stood frozen in place. That face was so familiar, etched deeply in her heart, growing clearer rather than fading with the passage of time.

"My Ye Chen..." As two lines of tears streaked down her cheeks, she instinctively raised her jade hand toward Ye Chen, as if she could touch that weathered and tired face through the barrier, or feel the long-lost warmth from it. She stared unblinkingly, afraid that this scene would turn from memory to mere recollection the moment she blinked.

"Sha Shen Qin Yu, Dan Sheng Ye Chen." Beside her, Shangguan Han Yue's expression carried disbelief, shock, and complexity. How could she have imagined that these two legendary heroes were the same person?

"No wonder you returned the storage bag you took from me, and no wonder you exhausted your vital energy to save me." Shangguan Han Yue's beautiful eyes were full of intricate emotions. Her sister and her own beloved were both legendary heroes—one a Sha Shen, the other a Dan Sheng—both named Ye Chen.

"Ye Er." In the crowd, Hao Tian Xuan Zhen's body was trembling uncontrollably, his wise eyes brimming with tears that blurred his vision. Yet, through the tears, he could see that straight figure flickering.

Like everyone else, how could he have thought his child was still alive, or that his child was Sha Shen Qin Yu? And the peerless hero who had helped the Hao Tian family through crises was also his child.

Once, they had been so close, yet they hadn't recognized each other.

"No wonder you asked me for that wooden carving." Hao Tian Xuan Zhen's words trembled. "Back when you visited the Hao Tian family, you chose to watch me in pain rather than reveal yourself. Ye Er, are you still holding a grudge against me?"

In his overwhelming mix of joy and excitement, he overlooked Hao Tian Shi Yue standing beside him.

"Sha Shen Qin Yu is my brother." As Hao Tian Shi Yue said this, tears welled up uncontrollably in her beautiful eyes. Her beloved was the peerless hero of her dreams, and her dream had come true, but reality had cruelly turned it into a fate full of wounds.

At that moment, she couldn't tell if she felt more joy or sorrow.

Should she rejoice that her brother was alive, or grieve that her beloved turned out to be her half-brother? She didn't know if her tears were for joy or for sorrow.

*Ah!*

Watching Hao Tian Shi Yue like this, Hua Xu beside her couldn't help but sigh. If it were truly Qin Yu, her daughter might still have a chance at a union with him. But if he was Hao Tian Chen Ye, that was absolutely impossible.

"Surprised, aren't you? Almost scared us to tears." On another side, Tai Yi Zhen Ren and Wu San Pao both scratched their ears.

"A bit like my surname... Niu." Nearby, Niu Shi San stroked his little beard.

"The old man here did a quick calculation—this act is spot on." In the crowd, the Zhuge old man stroked his beard meaningfully.

"He's a peerless hero, so he should have the bearing of one, just like my father." Beside him, Bi You smiled brightly, and looking at Ye Chen, she felt as she had when seeing her father in the past.

"I say, Du Gu, feeling any pressure?" The Zhuge old man glanced at Du Gu Ao beside him.

"I have to admit, I've been prepared for that." Gazing at Ye Chen in the barrier, Du Gu Ao rarely smiled. "He's the most astonishing junior I've ever seen—bar none. His future achievements won't be beneath those of the Dao Huang or Jian Sheng."

"Or perhaps, we are witnessing the rise of an emperor." Fu Ling smiled lightly, her world-class beauty radiant, her gentle smile captivating all around her, leaving the Zhuge old man momentarily stunned.

"Shang Ren..." Over here, a group of cultivators all turned to Ling Zhen Shang Ren.

"We of the righteous path must take it upon ourselves to eliminate demons and protect the dao." Ling Zhen Shang Ren flicked his robe, adopting a superior demeanor.

Though he appeared calm on the surface, his heart was in turmoil with shock.

Even now, his mind was still dizzy. The dead Ye Chen was alive, and moreover, he was Sha Shen Qin Yu. This outcome was beyond his expectations and hard to accept.

"Those who cultivate the demonic path must be slain again." A cold light flashed in Ling Zhen Shang Ren's eyes, and he had already made up his mind. Once the duel ended, he would rally the heroes to slay the demon once more.

"How can he possibly still be alive?" Over here, the people of Zheng Yang Zong all looked grim.

Clearly, Ye Chen revealing his true identity had greatly exceeded their expectations. However, whether it was Sha Shen Qin Yu or Dan Sheng Ye Chen, both had grudges against Zheng Yang Zong.

Thinking of this, a cold light kept flashing in their eyes: no matter what, he had to die today.

"Shixiong..." On Qing Yun Zong's side, several elders all looked toward Qing Yun Lao Zu.

"Let's wait and see." Qing Yun Lao Zu took a deep breath.

Unlike Zheng Yang Zong, he was a bit calmer than them. In his view, whether it was Dan Sheng Ye Chen or Sha Shen Qin Yu, both were far more mysterious than he had imagined.

Such a person—either make him a friend or eliminate him completely.

For some reason, he leaned toward the former.

This idea wasn't unfounded; the fact that Ye Chen had survived multiple attempts on his life spoke volumes. Without absolute certainty of killing him, it was best not to make an enemy, because Ye Chen's potential was too vast. Choosing the wrong side could lead to utter disaster.

"Ye Chen." Over here, Tong Xuan Zhen Ren's face was extremely dark, and he spat out the name "Ye Chen" through gritted teeth.

How many times had it been? This disciple he had always suppressed had shattered his expectations time and again, and too many people had defied his authority because of Ye Chen.

Now, with Ye Chen still alive, it made him question his own rights and wrongs.

But how could someone as lofty and self-proclaimed as the Heng Yue Tian ever admit to mistakes? In the tangle of right and wrong, a raging anger and killing intent surged within him.

Compared to him, the Heng Yue Zhen Ren and others were far more excited.

In the past, they had chosen Yin Zhi Ping as leader, believing he was the more suitable candidate. But they had increasingly realized how arrogant, domineering, and lawless Yin Zhi Ping was as leader. They knew they had chosen wrong and had considered removing him more than once, but without Ye Chen, who else in Heng Yue could challenge him?

Now, seeing Ye Chen alive, they saw hope. Wasn't this another chance from the heavens? Heng Yue's stagnant waters needed a boulder like Ye Chen to stir up massive waves.

They were all old folks who had lived for hundreds of years and saw things clearly. Who was right or wrong, who was fit to lead Heng Yue, and who would guard its future—all became clear the moment the Gui Ming mask shattered.