Chapter 937: Saint Son of the Divine Dynasty

Chapter 937: Shen Chao Sheng Zi

Ye Chen left, departing quietly and without a trace, setting off on his return journey to Heng Yue.

His childhood was indeed a bloody memory, one that no one knew about, including Ji Ning Shuang and Chu Xuan.

In his early weakness, he had long understood how cruel this seemingly glamorous world truly was. The ugliness of human nature had created countless tragic scenes, and even now, when he occasionally recalled it, he couldn't help but tremble.

Only through personal experience could one truly understand how wonderful things like peace and contentment were.

That was why he yearned for a peaceful world under heaven. For this grand aspiration, he was willing to become as ruthless and cold as the world's laws. He needed iron-fisted methods to achieve his goals, even if it meant paving his path with blood and bones, or bearing eternal infamy.

However, standing at his current height, with his present cultivation and the glory he carried, he found himself lost in confusion more than once.

The times might change, but the world's laws remained the same.

Now, like the emperors of past generations, he was deceiving himself. The so-called grand aspiration of peace under heaven had always been a joke from the start.

After experiencing the vicissitudes of the mortal world and witnessing so much human ugliness, he finally understood that unifying the world did not mean true peace. This world was full of too many inevitabilities; he couldn't even control his own fate, so how could he talk about a grand aspiration for peace?

He stopped and slowly lifted his head, quietly gazing at the hazy void of the sky.

A gentle breeze brushed by, stirring his white hair, but it could not shake his body, which was as unyielding as a monument. He stood there like a statue, between heaven and earth.

"How much longer are you going to follow me?"

After a while, he finally spoke, his voice carrying a slight hoarseness.

As his words fell, the space not far behind him trembled slightly.

In the next moment, a graceful figure emerged from the space. Upon closer inspection, it was Hao Tian Shi Yue.

"You knew I was following you?" Hao Tian Shi Yue pursed her lips and tentatively looked at Ye Chen.

Ye Chen said nothing, still quietly gazing at the sky.

His silence made Hao Tian Shi Yue feel a bit awkward; her previous question had indeed been a bit foolish.

Who was he? The revered Holy Lord of the Heavenly Court, a genuine peak Quasi-Heaven Realm powerhouse who commanded the world.

She, on the other hand, was merely at the Void Nether Realm. Such a sloppy attempt at tracking would be easily detected by any ordinary Quasi-Heaven Realm expert, let alone Ye Chen, who had once battled millions of cultivators.

She moved slightly closer and stood beside Ye Chen, also tilting her face up to look at the hazy void. "What are you looking at?"

"I'm looking at that merciless heaven, wondering how long it plans to toy with us," Ye Chen replied faintly.

"Toy... toy with us?" Hao Tian Shi Yue was stunned, completely baffled by what Ye Chen meant.

"Go back!" Ye Chen withdrew his gaze and offered no further explanation, stepping once more onto the vast expanse of land.

Uh, Hao Tian Shi Yue nodded lightly. Though she was curious, she followed him obediently. When he walked fast, she walked fast; when he slowed down, she slowed down. Along the way, she looked around left and right, as if pretending to be oblivious—or perhaps she truly was.

Ouch!

After some time, she let out a cry of pain, likely because she was walking too quickly and hadn't noticed Ye Chen had stopped, bumping straight into his back.

The sacred body of the Ancient Holy Body was incredibly tough, like flesh and blood turned to steel. It felt as if she had collided with a metal plate, leaving her forehead bruised and purple—not just embarrassing, but painful too.

"You could have said something before stopping." Hao Tian Shi Yue rubbed her forehead continuously.

However, Ye Chen offered no response to her complaint.

At that moment, he was narrowing his eyes, staring intently at the dark expanse ahead, his brows furrowing slightly.

For some reason, gazing at that darkness evoked a sense of unease in him. Though not as overwhelming as the pressure from the mortal world, it still made his entire body feel chillingly cold.

Suddenly, a breeze blew by, carrying a bone-piercing killing intent.

Instinctively, Ye Chen sidestepped and extended his hand, wrapping it around Hao Tian Shi Yue's slender waist.

You...!

The sudden action left Hao Tian Shi Yue completely stunned, wanting to say something, but she realized Ye Chen had already pulled her back, retreating over a hundred zhang in an instant.

Clang!

Less than a third of a second after they moved, the spot where they had stood was cleaved open by a pitch-black killing sword, ripping space apart.

In an instant, Hao Tian Shi Yue's face turned pale; she still hadn't fully processed what had happened.

Ye Chen came to a stop. Even though he had dodged the fatal strike, a blood mark appeared on his chest, with flickering dark light at the wound, eroding his vital energy.

Break!

Ye Chen uttered a soft command in his mind, mobilizing his bloodline power, Dao principles, and the essence of his sacred body to forcibly dispel the killing intent left in his body.

"His bloodline..." Ye Chen stared coldly at that patch of space, his eyes narrowing as he murmured, "Sacred Body of Extinction, the Shen Chao Sheng Zi."

"Heavenly Court Holy Lord, your reputation is well-deserved." A faint, eerie laugh echoed, ethereal and cold. Even Ye Chen couldn't pinpoint its source—it wasn't that he couldn't track it, but the speaker was moving while talking, using a guiying body technique that made Ye Chen's expression turn serious.

"With your level of cultivation and status, resorting to such sneaky attacks—aren't you afraid of being ridiculed by future generations?" Ye Chen said calmly, manifesting an eight trigrams array beneath his feet that enveloped both him and Hao Tian Shi Yue.

"You're quite clever, Ye Chen." The ethereal laugh sounded again. "You qualify as my opponent."

"Is this a declaration of war?" Ye Chen's tone remained even.

"What do you think?" The Shen Chao Sheng Zi chuckled eerily.

"Then this junior is truly honored." As Ye Chen spoke, he activated his innate astral armor, which also covered Hao Tian Shi Yue, for the Shen Chao Sheng Zi was extraordinarily powerful.

"I don't enjoy fights without a challenge." The Shen Chao Sheng Zi's voice grew more distant. "On the ninth sunny day, at Dong Ling Gu Yuan, bring your Six Paths Immortal Wheel Eye. I'll be waiting for our battle."

The Shen Chao Sheng Zi had departed, but his ethereal voice lingered in the air.

Ye Chen's expression was grave as he stared quietly at the darkness.

He knew full well that without the Six Paths Immortal Wheel Eye, he stood no chance against the Shen Chao Sheng Zi, as he couldn't even track his movements.

Moreover, in that earlier strike, he had distinctly sensed a mysterious force in the Shen Chao Sheng Zi's body technique, something similar to the Immortal Wheel Heavenly Illumination, touching upon the domains of time and semi-space.

This body technique secret art, which brushed against the realm of time and space, far surpassed spatial teleportation.

Back in the Spirit Void Realm, the Shen Chao Sheng Zi had nearly assassinated a Quasi-Heaven Realm expert like Zhong Li. Now, at the peak Quasi-Heaven Realm and armed with that deadly secret art and heaven-defying divine abilities, to face him, Ye Chen would need the Six Paths Immortal Wheel Eye as an aid.

"Is... is he the Shen Chao Sheng Zi?" While Ye Chen frowned, Hao Tian Shi Yue nervously clutched his arm, her face pale as she stared at the darkness.

"He's on par with the kings of past eras." Ye Chen took a deep breath and began walking again.

"Then... then will he rampage through the Nan Chu Heavenly Court?" Hao Tian Shi Yue hurried after him. "If even you aren't his match, what about everyone else?"

"He won't."

"You're so certain?"

"A world-class assassin wouldn't bother killing insignificant people." Ye Chen replied indifferently.

"That makes sense." Hao Tian Shi Yue gave an awkward smile.

Ye Chen said no more, continuing his steady pace.

Beside him, Hao Tian Shi Yue tightly gripped his arm with considerable force.

She seemed shaken, glancing around warily from time to time, fearing that other assassins might suddenly appear. In this dark world, ever since the Shen Chao Sheng Zi had shown up, it felt as if countless eyes were watching her.

Ye Chen remained silent and did not push her hand away.

Though he had not yet accepted the Hao Tian family, if she were in danger, he would protect her with his life.

The night fell quiet once more.

The two walked through the vast expanse of heaven and earth, leaving behind two slanted silhouettes.

Ye Chen maintained his silence throughout, while Hao Tian Shi Yue repeatedly stole glances at him. Each time she did, her expression would briefly turn dazed, as if she were imagining that the person she was with wasn't Ye Chen, but Qin Yu.

Subconsciously, she released her grip and lowered her eyes, becoming utterly still.

Fantasy was beautiful, but reality was harsh. What she thought was merely her own illusion. Hao Tian Chen Ye was Hao Tian Chen Ye, and he would never become the God of Slaughter, Qin Yu, because of her fantasies.