Chapter 957: Weird Ye Chen

High in the virtual sky, Ye Chen paused, gasping for breath, and quietly watched as Ba Huang Zhanshen and Donghuang Tai Xin receded into the distance.

It wasn't that he didn't want to follow them; he simply couldn't keep up.

Ba Huang Zhanshen's steps were extraordinarily mysterious and profound. With each stride, his figure grew more illusory, until it vanished completely after two or three seconds. Even with Ye Chen's keen insight, he couldn't track their trail.

"Have I, in my past, traveled through the myriad realms of the heavens?"

"Have I, in my past, fought side by side with Donghuang Tai Xin?"

"Have I, in my past, possessed the complete Liu Dao Xian Lun Yan?"

"What kind of existence was I back then—a war god who swept across the eight wastelands?"

"What sort of realm is this?" Ye Chen felt his mind growing hazy, his head spinning intensely. He struggled to distinguish reality from illusion. The desolate image of Ba Huang Zhanshen carrying Donghuang Tai Xin lingered persistently in his thoughts.

Bloody winds howled around him. Though these were all illusions to him, they carried a piercing chill.

He stood in the virtual sky, surveying his surroundings. The world was drenched in blood, and he had no memories of this place—it felt utterly unfamiliar. In that moment, he was overcome with profound disorientation.

Boom!

A sudden thunderclap shook the heavens and earth, causing the realm of illusion to collapse violently.

Ah!

In the underground palace, the Xingchen Daoshen, who had been as still as an ice sculpture, suddenly sat up. "Thunder! It's thundering."

"Thunder my ass!" Nearby, Taixu Gulong scowled and cursed, startled by the Xingchen Daoshen's abrupt reaction.

"Huh? Taixu Gulong."

"You slept like a log—three whole years! Why not just sleep yourself to death?"

"Three years?" The Xingchen Daoshen was stunned.

"Why hasn't he woken up?" Taixu Gulong ignored the Xingchen Daoshen's question and frowned at Ye Chen, who remained in a deep sleep, like a frozen statue.

"What... how is this possible?" Only then did the Xingchen Daoshen notice Ye Chen. He scratched his head in confusion, his expression turning oddly awkward at the sight of the two men lying on the same bed.

"Your consciousness was pulled into a strange realm, and you've been asleep for three years," Taixu Gulong explained while watching Ye Chen. "We tried every method to wake you, but nothing worked. So, I used a secret technique linking my true self and dao body to send your true self into that realm as well."

"Oh, I see!" The Xingchen Daoshen scratched his head.

"What kind of realm were you pulled into?" Taixu Gulong shifted his gaze from Ye Chen to the Xingchen Daoshen.

"I don't know. It was just like having a dream." The Xingchen Daoshen stroked his chin.

"What did you dream about?"

"I dreamed..." The Xingchen Daoshen trailed off, scratching his head like a fool. "I dreamed that I dreamed... Wait, what did I dream about? I can't remember a thing."

"Are you messing with me?" Taixu Gulong's face darkened, veins bulging with irritation.

"No, really, I can't remember." The Xingchen Daoshen rubbed his temples vigorously. "Just a second ago, it was all crystal clear, but then in a flash, it's all gone."

"Looks like I need to help you out." Taixu Gulong rolled up his sleeves, dragon patterns appearing in his palm. "I'll search your memories and get to the bottom of this."

"Don't mess around—let me think."

"No, I'll handle it myself—it's more reliable." Taixu Gulong stepped forward and pinned the Xingchen Daoshen to the ground. His hand, marked with dragon patterns, pressed firmly against the Xingchen Daoshen's crown.

"Stop right there! This mountain is mine to claim, this tree is mine to plant. If you want to pass, leave your toll behind."

Before Taixu Gulong could begin, a light rebuke came from the sleeping Ye Chen, uttering words that left everyone baffled.

The Xingchen Daoshen was stunned, and so was Taixu Gulong.

What was strangest was that Ye Chen was still asleep, his eyes shut, as if he were talking in his sleep.

Instinctively, Taixu Gulong released the Xingchen Daoshen and approached the ice jade bed, staring at Ye Chen with a puzzled expression.

Ye Chen was asleep, but his face twisted into a fierce, menacing scowl. Combined with the words he's just spoken, he seemed like a bloodthirsty bandit mid-robbery.

"What's going on here?" The Xingchen Daoshen edged closer.

"Congratulations, master—the lady is with child." Ye Chen spoke again, his bold tone shifting to obsequious flattery. The bandit's fierce expression melted into a servile grin, like a doctor announcing good news to a wealthy family.

"What the hell is this?" Taixu Gulong was thoroughly confused.

"A warrior joins the army to defend the homeland." Ye Chen continued, his voice resolute and commanding. His flattery vanished, replaced by a heroic resolve, as if he were a general marching into battle.

"Ye Chen?" Taixu Gulong called out instinctively, bewildered.

"The weather is favorable— this year should bring a good harvest." Ye Chen responded, but with those unrelated words.

"In my lifetime, I shall expand the borders and establish an eternal dynasty."

"This good sir, are you here for a meal or a room?"

"When I return in glory, I will come to marry you. Wait for me."

"Cross this mountain, and you'll reach Yun Yang. Once this escort mission is done, I'll treat everyone to drinks—on me."

Ye Chen kept speaking, spouting one bizarre phrase after another.

Moreover, with each line, his expression and tone changed completely, as if he were playing different roles—now a bandit, now a general, now a doctor, now an innkeeper.

Strangely, his eyes remained closed throughout, and the words flowed like mere mumblings in a dream.

"Come on, let me try!"

The Xingchen Daoshen pulled Taixu Gulong aside with a meaningful look, then leaped onto the ice jade bed, straddling Ye Chen.

He rolled up his sleeves, spat into his hands, and rubbed them together vigorously.

Finally, he raised his hand and slapped Ye Chen across the face.

Smack!

The slap echoed loudly, twisting Ye Chen's sleeping face.

"Wake up! Wake up, I said!"

The Xingchen Daoshen slapped away with gusto, yelling all the while.

Urgh!

Watching the Xingchen Daoshen's ferocity, Taixu Gulong winced. It looked painful just to see.

Sometime later, the Xingchen Daoshen rubbed his nose and casually stepped down from the ice jade bed, acting as if nothing had happened. "Proves he's not faking it."

"I really like your style." Taixu Gulong gave the Xingchen Daoshen a serious look, then glanced meaningfully at Ye Chen on the bed—his face was no longer recognizable.

"What's this stone lamp for?" The Xingchen Daoshen eyed the eight stone lamps with gleaming eyes.

"Don't touch it!" Taixu Gulong snapped. "Extinguish one, and he might never wake up."

"Really? Or not—hey, hey, hey? He's awake! He's awake!" The Xingchen Daoshen's words cut off as he pointed at Ye Chen on the ice jade bed, who had now sat up and was shaking his head vigorously.

"Thank goodness he's finally awake." Taixu Gulong let out a heavy sigh of relief.

"Big brother." The Xingchen Daoshen rushed over, his eyes welling with emotional tears. After three years of haze, and three years of sleep for both true self and dao body, they were finally reunited.

"As long as you're awake." Ye Chen kept rubbing his temples. "Why does my face hurt so much?"

"What was that realm like?" Taixu Gulong approached, fixing his gaze straight on Ye Chen—mainly because of the shocking things Ye Chen had said earlier, which were likely tied to the realm.

"Hold on, I'm a bit dizzy." Ye Chen waved his hand, his vision blurry. He wasn't sure if it was from the realm or the barrage of slaps; stars were spinning in his eyes.

"It seemed like a dream." After a long while, Ye Chen rubbed his brow and said uncertainly.

"What did you dream about?" Taixu Gulong pressed eagerly, just as he had with the Xingchen Daoshen.

"I dreamed..." Like the Xingchen Daoshen, Ye Chen stopped mid-sentence.

"What did you dream?" Taixu Gulong leaned in closer, eyeing him warily.

"I dreamed that I dreamed... Wait? What did I dream about?" Ye Chen rubbed his dizzy head. "It was all so clear just a moment ago, but now it's completely blank."

"I really like your style too." Taixu Gulong's mouth twitched.

"Big brother, you don't remember either?" The Xingchen Daoshen stared at Ye Chen with wide eyes.

"From what you're saying, you've forgotten too!" Ye Chen was still rubbing his throbbing head.

"What can I say? For a split second, it was all vividly clear, then poof—it vanished."

"Same here."

"This is just ridiculous—wasting my time in the middle of the night chitchatting with you two." Taixu Gulong's face was covered in dark lines as he packed up his things and stormed out, muttering curses the whole way.

"How strange." Watching Taixu Gulong leave, Ye Chen stroked his chin thoughtfully.

"Don't bother if you can't figure it out!" The Xingchen Daoshen was carefree, hugging his wine gourd and drinking heartily, without a worry in the world—unlike Ye Chen, his true self, who had all the troubles.

"Go on! The Xingyue Shengnu has been waiting for you a long time." Ye Chen, still deep in thought, suddenly blurted out.

"Little Yueyue?" The Xingchen Daoshen jumped up in excitement, a graceful figure flashing in his mind, stirring his heart. "I totally forgot about her."

"Take your time thinking, big brother." The Xingchen Daoshen chuckled and dashed out of the underground palace. Soon, a booming wolf howl echoed through the heavenly court: "I, Ye Xingchen, am back!"

"Ye Xingchen." Hearing the Xingchen Daoshen's howl, Ye Chen murmured to himself, feeling as though he'd heard that name in his dream before.