Chapter 873: Destined in the Dark

Gui Wang!

Ye Chen's heart trembled again. He instinctively stepped back, his eyes narrowed. He hadn't expected the legendary Gui Wang to appear here.

Gui Wang stood still, as if he hadn't noticed Ye Chen and Di Fan at all. He simply stood quietly beneath the stone statue of Tian Zang Huang, motionless and silent, like a towering monument.

"You're here again." Finally, the silence was broken by Di Fan. His tone was calm and even as he continued sweeping unhurriedly, as if he had long known that Gui Wang would come to Tian Zang Ancient City.

"You've grown old." In response to Di Fan, Gui Wang's words were equally flat, his gaze fixed quietly on the stone statue of Tian Zang Huang.

Their conversation left Ye Chen stunned. One was the direct son of Tian Zang Huang, and the other was Tian Zang Huang's greatest foe, yet they spoke with such composure, like two old friends who hadn't seen each other in years, neither warm nor hostile.

After his surprise, Ye Chen began to understand Gui Wang's feelings. He must have come to pay his respects to Tian Zang Huang. Both had been supreme powerhouses in this land. Though mortal enemies, they held a mutual respect. Now, the once transcendent emperor had become a stone statue, while the legendary Gui Wang still lived. Looking at his old adversary's statue standing there, Gui Wang's eyes grew misty, his expression a mix of resentment and nostalgia, as if recalling the glorious years of vying for supremacy with Tian Zang Huang tens of thousands of years ago.

Ye Chen didn't leave. Although Gui Wang was incredibly powerful, with his current cultivation, Ye Chen wasn't without a chance to fight. Besides, Di Fan was here. He was Tian Zang Huang's direct son, a figure from tens of thousands of years ago, whose cultivation had reached the peak of Quasi-Tian level. Though not as strong as Gui Wang, together they might still hold their own.

Buzz!

As Ye Chen was pondering, the Chaos God Cauldron flew out unbidden. From it emerged an elderly man with white hair, who stood beneath the stone statue.

At this, not only Di Fan, but even Gui Wang suddenly turned around. Both their bodies shuddered simultaneously, their eyes filled with disbelief as they stared at the old man who had stepped out of the Chaos God Cauldron.

Ouyang Wang!

Gui Wang's breathing grew ragged, his gaze fixed intently on the elder. Even with his kingly composure, his heart was stirred.

The moment those words were spoken, Ye Chen was completely stunned, his expression one of shock as he looked at the old man from the Chaos God Cauldron. "He... he is Ouyang Wang?"

In an instant, Ye Chen felt overwhelmed. If not for Gui Wang's revelation, he never would have guessed that the person he had rescued from the spatial black hole had such an extraordinary background.

Ouyang Wang, the divine warrior of Chu Sea, a mythical figure across ancient and modern times! Back then, when Tian Zang Huang was weakened from crossing his tribulation, Ouyang Wang single-handedly blocked the entire Ghost Clan army at Chu Sea, achieving a feat that shook history and remains unmatched to this day.

Oh my goodness!

Ye Chen's heart pounded wildly. Who could have imagined that the supposedly deceased Ouyang Wang was in his cauldron, or that the heavens had given him such a monumental surprise?

However, the scene didn't erupt into chaos because of Ouyang Wang's appearance. Gui Wang and Di Fan looked at him with mixed emotions, while Ouyang Wang gazed nostalgically at the stone statue of Tian Zang Huang, his aged face etched with the marks of time's relentless passage.

In that moment, the scene froze. Here was the legendary Gui Wang, the divine warrior Ouyang Wang, and the emperor's direct son Di Fan—perhaps the three people closest to Tian Zang Huang in his life—gathered dramatically in Tian Zang Ancient City tonight. Yet, after the vicissitudes of time, all they faced was a cold stone statue.

Watching them, Ye Chen quietly maintained his silence. Perhaps this was fate's arrangement, predestined that he would come to Tian Zang Ancient City, and that Gui Wang, Di Fan, and Ouyang Wang would meet here.

Ah!

In the end, it was Di Fan's sigh that broke the silence. He seemed exhausted, trembling as he sat down beneath the stone statue, clutching his dry broom, his cloudy old eyes growing moist.

"I didn't expect you to still be alive." Gui Wang stood shoulder to shoulder with Ouyang Wang, both looking up at the stone statue of Tian Zang Huang. His voice was hoarse, and though Ouyang Wang had once thwarted his plans, there was no trace of hatred in his tone—perhaps that resentment had long dissolved into the mists of time.

"Our era is long gone." Ouyang Wang spoke, his words calm but his voice weary and aged.

"When did the great Ouyang Wang learn to compromise?" Gui Wang snorted coldly.

"And what about you? Otherwise, you wouldn't have ambushed Ye Chen in the thunder sea." Ouyang Wang's response was even. "You lost to Tian Zang Huang not just in opportunity, but in the spirit of a true warrior. The moment you struck at him, it became the eternal shame of your life, because you abandoned the pride of a king."

"So what?" Gui Wang laughed ferociously, almost maniacally, roaring, "I refuse to accept it! I am the supreme king. Anyone who blocks my path, gods or Buddhas, I will slaughter them all."

His emotions turned turbulent, and with it, his aura became violently oppressive, the king's overwhelming presence vast and boundless.

Boom! Boom!

Bloody clouds surged in the sky above, lightning streaked through, and thunder roared. The world-shaking pressure made the entire Tian Zang Ancient City tremble, awakening many, though most were pressed down, unable to move.

Seeing this, Ye Chen frowned deeply, his golden vital energy surging like tidal waves, blazing like fire, ready for battle at any moment.

However, Gui Wang's rage subsided quickly, lasting less than three or five seconds before the world fell silent again.

"In this life, if we meet on the battlefield, I will slay you." Gui Wang suddenly turned and left, vanishing back into the darkness from which he came.

Notably, before departing, he glanced at Ye Chen standing beneath the statue, his bloodshot eyes flashing with sharp, cold light, as if recognizing his identity.

At this, Ye Chen activated his left eye's Xian Lun Yan, preparing to sacrifice his lifespan to unleash Tian Zhao and eliminate Gui Wang, for such an opportunity was rare.

But before he could release it, both Di Fan and Ouyang Wang waved their hands in unison, saying the same thing:

"Your Tian Zhao is useless against him."

Useless?

Ye Chen furrowed his brow but trusted Di Fan and Ouyang Wang without question. He knew Tian Zhao's dominance, but it wasn't invincible—it was ineffective against god clan bloodlines or the Taixu Ancient Dragon lineage, and it had been easily broken in his previous clash with the Chu Wang. He had reason to believe that if Chu Wang could counter it, so could the legendary Gui Wang.

With that, Gui Wang departed, and Ouyang Wang silently turned to leave, heading in the opposite direction. In the past, they had been adversaries; now, they still walked different paths.

Senior!

Ye Chen hurriedly stepped forward, looking at Ouyang Wang tentatively. "Where are you going?"

"To see home again." Ouyang Wang smiled gently, though his back appeared slightly hunched, like that of a frail elder, as he quietly disappeared into the darkness.

Now, only Di Fan and Ye Chen remained beneath the stone statue of Tian Zang Huang.

Di Fan sat there as before, hugging his dry broom, saying nothing.

As for Ye Chen, his heart was far from calm—perhaps filled with emotion, for tonight's events felt almost unreal.

In the end, he moved his feet, intending to bid Di Fan farewell, but decided not to disturb him.

"The one who killed your Dao body was a white-haired woman."

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