Chapter 802: Son of the Eastern Emperor

"I never expected to encounter him here," Ye Chen's eyes flickered, and he saw a glimmer of hope for survival.

The young man with the massive bell suspended above him, striding through the sky, was none other than the one he and Yin Zhi Ping had observed during the bloody battles in Luan Gu Cang Yuan.

Back then, Ye Chen had only glanced at him and felt an overwhelming sense of oppression, sensing the young man's immense power. Now, seeing him again, the young man's strength was even more terrifying than he had imagined.

"At such a young age, with such profound cultivation and foundation—who could he be?" Ye Chen murmured to himself.

"He is the direct son of Dong Huang, Zhou Tian Yi," perhaps sensing Ye Chen's confusion, Ji Ning Shuang transmitted the information.

"He's the son of Dong Huang?" As expected, Ye Chen was startled. He never imagined that this seemingly ordinary young man had such a massive background.

"No wonder he's so intimidating," Ye Chen murmured again, "Even Nan Ming Yu Shu is wary of him—it's not just empty talk."

Upon reflection, Ye Chen felt relieved. Dong Huang was an extraordinary figure, the former emperor of this land, who had used his great divine abilities to suppress the demon clan's chaos and usher in the most glorious era of Da Chu. His combat prowess was immeasurable, and his direct son was surely no ordinary being.

"He must be like Da Chu Huang Yan and Nan Ming Yu Shu—they were probably sealed away in their era and only unsealed in this one," Ji Ning Shuang said softly.

"You've met Da Chu Huang Yan and Nan Ming Yu Shu?" Ye Chen exclaimed in surprise.

"I've had a brief encounter," Ji Ning Shuang nodded lightly, her expression cautious as she looked at Zhou Tian Yi, who had now stopped. "From what I see, the daughter of Chu Huang and the daughter of Xuan Huang are still slightly inferior to him."

"That's the truth." Ye Chen didn't deny it, also watching Zhou Tian Yi with caution. From afar, he didn't seem particularly special—just an ordinary young man, not like a cultivator at all, more like a scholar. His eyes were like calm ancient stars, and his black hair flowed like a waterfall without any wind.

In contrast, the demon dragon's face had turned extremely grim, even fearful. Its massive dragon body was trembling.

"You two stay here; you can leave," Zhou Tian Yi smiled like a gentle spring breeze, without any killing intent, though his voice was calm yet overwhelmingly dominant.

"They are the ones our demon clan's demon king specifically wants," the demon dragon replied coldly, its entire body covered in dark golden scales that gleamed with divine light. Its enormous dragon eyes stared fixedly at Zhou Tian Yi, not daring to relax for a moment.

As it spoke, the dragon claws gripping Ye Chen and Ji Ning Shuang tightened slightly, ready to fight to the death.

Zhou Tian Yi just smiled. The Dong Huang Bell above his head trembled violently, radiating divine light and unleashing a shocking pressure.

"Let go, let go, I'll let them go." Before Zhou Tian Yi could act, the demon dragon caved in completely, surrendering without any warning or hesitation. Even Ye Chen and Ji Ning Shuang were caught off guard.

On the spot, the demon dragon abruptly lifted its claws and flung Ye Chen and Ji Ning Shuang away. Without a second thought, it tore open the void and darted inside, fleeing at an astonishing speed.

"A peak quasi-heavenly realm expert, and he runs without even throwing a single punch? That's something," Ye Chen looked strangely toward the direction the demon dragon had escaped, then stroked his chin as he glanced at Zhou Tian Yi with a meaningful murmur, "He put on a really impressive show."

"Thank you, senior, for saving us," Ji Ning Shuang, on the other hand, was quite polite and bowed to Zhou Tian Yi. Although Zhou Tian Yi was only about twenty years older than her, he was from at least tens of thousands of years ago, so addressing him as senior was only fitting.

"It was just a coincidence that I passed by," Zhou Tian Yi smiled faintly and flicked his finger, returning Ye Chen's strand of immortal fire to him. It seemed that the fire had encountered Zhou Tian Yi while seeking help, and fortunately, it had—or Ye Chen and Ji Ning Shuang would have been captured today.

"Seen something you shouldn't have?" Zhou Tian Yi glanced at Ye Chen, whose condition was still poor.

"To be honest, yes," Ye Chen replied, rubbing his eyes, which remained blind. Earlier, he had only managed to observe his surroundings barely through his divine sense by aligning with the heavens and earth.

"It seems that bearing the Six Paths Immortal Wheel Eyes isn't always a good thing," Zhou Tian Yi placed his hand on Ye Chen's shoulder.

Ye Chen felt a mysterious power flow into his body, but after circulating once, it mysteriously vanished.

A couple of seconds later, Zhou Tian Yi withdrew his hand and smiled helplessly. "I'm afraid I can't help with this. You'll have to recover on your own—it might take a long time."

"I've already come to terms with that," Ye Chen coughed dryly.

"Has Qian Shang Yue approached you?" Zhou Tian Yi asked Ye Chen with a warm, spring-like smile.

"You know about that?" Ye Chen was stunned.

"With the Six Paths Immortal Wheel Eyes and your recent visit to Dan Cheng, it's not hard to guess she sought you out," Zhou Tian Yi smiled slightly. "And it's not just her. Before long, the direct descendants of Da Chu's Nine Emperors might all come to you—including me."

"So, Dong Huang senior has also been to Shi Wan Da Shan," Ye Chen said, looking straight at Zhou Tian Yi with a meaningful tone.

"As you've surmised, Chu Huang, Yan Huang, Yue Huang, Tai Wang, Tian Zang Huang, Zhan Wang, Xuan Huang, Chen Huang, and my father Dong Huang all went to Shi Wan Da Shan in their later years—and none of them returned," Zhou Tian Yi spoke slowly. "My reason for seeking you is the same as Qian Shang Yue's."

"If our goals align, that's easy to handle," Ye Chen grinned immediately. "Once my Immortal Wheel Eyes recover, I'll gather them all. We could even form a team—it's safer that way. That place is incredibly dangerous; last time I went in with Nan Ming Yu Shu, she came out insane."

"She didn't go insane; she lost a soul," Zhou Tian Yi took a deep breath. "Her experience is somewhat similar to yours—you both saw things you shouldn't have, suffered severe injuries, but you're luckier. At least you're still whole."

"There's definitely something strange about this." Ye Chen stroked his chin. That night, the Taixu Ancient Dragon had said Nan Ming Yu Shu was like a dead person, and Ye Chen hadn't fully believed it then—but now, with Zhou Tian Yi's words, he believed it about eighty or ninety percent.

"One day, I'll come find you." Zhou Tian Yi had already started to step away, about to leave, but Ye Chen called out to stop him.

"Anything else?" Zhou Tian Yi turned back with a smile.

"It's nothing major." Ye Chen laughed awkwardly and rubbed his hands. "I just wanted to ask if Dong Huang Tian Fu Shen Chao is interested in forming an alliance with us. After all, these are turbulent times—sticking together for warmth makes sense!"

Zhou Tian Yi smiled but said nothing, taking a step and vanishing instantly.

Seeing this, Ye Chen's mouth twitched. At least give me a straight answer before you go! What does that smile even mean?

"He's gone!" Ji Ning Shuang murmured from the side.

Ye Chen shook his head and pulled his gaze back from the direction Zhou Tian Yi had disappeared. He took a deep breath. "Let's go home."

With that, he stepped forward.

However, just as his foot was about to land, his state of harmony with the heavens and earth vanished in an instant. Caught off guard and in his weakened condition, he couldn't fly anymore, so he lost his balance and plummeted from the sky, landing headfirst in the dirt like an upside-down onion.

Even Ji Ning Shuang, with her composure, couldn't help but twitch her mouth at the sight. Ye Chen's pose was truly... amusing.

Pfft, pfft, pfft!

Below, Ye Chen clumsily climbed back up, spitting out dirt nonstop. His hard-earned reputation was completely ruined by this mishap.

"Can you still fly?" Ji Ning Shuang asked.

"No." Ye Chen lifted his head pitifully and looked at Ji Ning Shuang. "How about you carry me?"

Ji Ning Shuang didn't respond. She simply waved her hand, summoning a ribbon that wrapped around one of Ye Chen's legs.

"This... this doesn't seem right!" Ye Chen glanced subconsciously at the ribbon binding his leg, his mouth twitching as if he already anticipated some ridiculous outcome.

Ignoring his words, Ji Ning Shuang gripped the other end of the ribbon and elegantly pulled.

Ye Chen immediately lost his balance and was yanked into the air, upside down, looking like a frog dangling from a string.