Chapter 961: On the Road

Ye Chen landed on a mountain peak at Xingyue Palace.

Immediately, he took out the crescent pendant and the jade pendant.

Buzz! Buzz!

Just as he expected, both the crescent pendant and the jade pendant were trembling, emitting a purple glow. They flew out of his hand on their own, circling each other, and the purple divine light became even brighter and more dazzling.

Under Ye Chen's gaze, they fused together, or perhaps, pieced together.

"As I thought, they are one whole." Ye Chen waved his hand to grasp the fused jade pendant. In his mind, it was a piece of an extraordinary jade fragment that had shattered, with the crescent pendant and the irregular jade piece being parts of it.

Buzz!

The jade pendant trembled slightly in his hand again, with purple waves spreading out, making his entire body feel invigorated.

What surprised him even more was that within the damaged jade pendant, there were profound and inscrutable Dao principles that he couldn't comprehend. It appeared ordinary but contained the vastness of heaven and earth, hiding endless Dao essences.

"Its value far surpasses that of the Ding Shen Zhu." Ye Chen murmured to himself, "Such an extraordinary item—what could its origins be?"

"Holy Master." The Master of Xingyue Palace and the others arrived through the air, landing on the mountain summit.

"Have you all discussed it?" Ye Chen put away the damaged jade pendant and smiled at the group.

"Since Holy Master has already made such a decisive move, what more is there for us to say?" The Xingyue Palace Master smiled gracefully. "Let this good marriage proceed as they wish. Xingyue Palace will simply select another Saintess."

"That's excellent." Ye Chen smiled and casually took out a storage bag, handing it to the Xingyue Palace Master.

"Holy Master, this..." The Xingyue Palace Master glanced quickly into the storage bag and was instantly shocked. It was filled with spirit stones totaling ninety million, along with high-grade spirit tools, spirit pills, and various profound cultivation methods—several of which even Xingyue Palace couldn't match.

"In the mortal world, betrothal gifts are given for marriage proposals, and the cultivation world naturally follows the same customs," Ye Chen said with a leisurely smile.

"If Holy Master is offering it, I shall humbly accept," the Xingyue Palace Master smiled charmingly.

"In that case, this junior will take his leave." Ye Chen performed a junior's salute, turned, and stepped into the void. Before leaving, he couldn't help but glance toward a corner of Xingyue Palace, where he saw his Star Dao Body circling around the Xingyue Saintess.

Watching Ye Chen depart, the Xingyue Palace Master smiled lightly. "The Heavenly Court Holy Master is truly bold and decisive."

"Not just bold—his generosity is on another level!" A Grand Elder opened the storage bag wide, and even with her cultivation and esteemed status, she was astonished by the betrothal gifts inside.

"I doubt even the Bloodthirsty Hall would make such a grand gesture!" The other elders exclaimed in admiration and surprise.

"It seems coming to Southern Chu back then was the right choice," the Xingyue Palace Master smiled again. "At least, he didn't use his power to oppress us. The Heavenly Court Holy Master's breadth of mind, character, and decisiveness are destined to make him an emperor of his era."

By now, Ye Chen had already flown out of the spiritual mountains of Xingyue Palace.

This trip could be considered a complete success, fulfilling one of his wishes and arranging a marriage for his Star Dao Body.

He didn't return to Hengyue Sect but headed straight for Northern Chu. The Jiuyang day was approaching, and he needed to go to Dongling Ancient Abyss for the battle. Only he and Taixu Ancient Dragon knew about this; he hadn't informed Chu Xuan or the others.

The sky was still early when Ye Chen reached the border of Southern Chu, and the Heavenly Court cultivators on the city walls paused for a second.

"We greet Holy Master!"

In the next instant, all the armored Heavenly Court cultivators within sight bowed respectfully in unison.

"I'm just going out for a stroll!"

Ye Chen smiled and stepped out of the Southern Heaven Gate.

What caught his eye was a tall, slender figure, standing straight and firm like a mountain, with black hair cascading like a waterfall, swaying without wind, and a powerful physique that exuded immense pressure.

"Why are you everywhere?" Ye Chen walked over slowly. Without even seeing his face, he knew it was Taixu Ancient Dragon.

"Dongling Ancient Abyss is in Northern Chu territory. Going alone—aren't you afraid of being ganged up on?" Taixu Ancient Dragon said casually.

"I've faced over a million cultivators charging at me and feared nothing."

"You're really good at playing it cool." Taixu Ancient Dragon glanced at Ye Chen.

"Looks like you're coming with me!" Ye Chen looked at Taixu Ancient Dragon with interest.

"Honestly, I also want to play it cool for once," Taixu Ancient Dragon said with a serious expression.

"You're thinking of going to the One Hundred Thousand Great Mountains, aren't you!" Ye Chen started walking.

"You know me well, Ye Chen." Taixu Ancient Dragon followed, keeping pace with him. "After the battle, I'll head to the One Hundred Thousand Great Mountains for a look. I'm incredibly curious about that place."

"The descendant of the emperor has already sent me a message." Ye Chen took a deep breath. "Truth be told, I really don't want to go back to that damned place."

"I'm different—I love adventures. Don't ask why; it's thrilling and impulsive!"

"Enough chit-chat. Come on, take a look at this jade pendant and tell me about its origins." Ye Chen changed the topic, taking out the damaged jade pendant and handing it to Taixu Ancient Dragon.

"Where did you get this?" To Ye Chen's surprise, Taixu Ancient Dragon snatched the jade pendant directly, gripping it tightly as his dragon eyes burst with dazzling light, almost too bright to look at.

"From your expression, this thing must be something special."

"This is Emperor Jade," Taixu Ancient Dragon took a long, deep breath.

"What is Emperor Jade?" Ye Chen asked curiously, looking at Taixu Ancient Dragon.

"A precious jade once inlaid on a supreme emperor weapon," Taixu Ancient Dragon explained slowly.

"A supreme emperor weapon?" Ye Chen was startled and quickly took the damaged Emperor Jade back from Taixu Ancient Dragon's hand. He huffed on it and wiped it with his sleeve. "I knew it! It has to be a great treasure. An Emperor Jade inlaid on a supreme emperor weapon—it's a heaven-defying divine object!"

"Hold on." Ye Chen seemed to think of something and looked at Taixu Ancient Dragon in confusion. "If it's an Emperor Jade from an emperor weapon, why did it shatter and end up in the human world? Did the emperor weapon get destroyed?"

"Do you remember I once told you about a supreme emperor weapon that was severed by the Immortal Slaying Sword?"

"This Emperor Jade came from that supreme emperor weapon?" Ye Chen paused.

"Just as you thought." Taixu Ancient Dragon nodded lightly.

"How many eons have passed since then? It's from an era even before the Primordial era, which you've never seen, and yet you recognized it as Emperor Jade at first glance?" Ye Chen looked at Taixu Ancient Dragon skeptically.

"When it comes to identifying emperor weapons, not just in Da Chu but across the entire myriad worlds, no one knows them better than I do," Taixu Ancient Dragon spoke leisurely. "As a remnant soul of a supreme being, my memories on this are the most complete. Back in the day, the Taixu Supreme traveled through the myriad worlds, uncovering countless secrets and gaining the deepest insight into supreme emperor weapons. Among the Xuanhuang 130 emperors, no one could match him."

"No wonder," Ye Chen sighed.

"This isn't the first time I've heard you mention the Supreme of your Taixu Ancient Dragon clan." After sighing, Ye Chen looked at Taixu Ancient Dragon. "If it's not too much trouble, could you tell me which of the Xuanhuang 130 emperors he was?"

"Taixu Great Emperor," Taixu Ancient Dragon didn't hide it, and whenever he spoke of the great emperor, his eyes filled with reverence. "Or perhaps, if you ever go to the myriad worlds, someone might call him Taixu Dragon Emperor. He's the only one who advanced to great emperor status by crossing two steps directly from Quasi Emperor Ninth Heaven."

"The most mysterious great emperor is Fo Emperor," As before, Ye Chen started counting on his fingers. "The one with the shortest lifespan is Dou Zhan Sheng Huang, the strongest in battle is Xuanyuan Great Emperor, the only one who died in battle is Xuangu Great Emperor, the one with the most glorious reign is Xianyu Great Emperor, the youngest when ascending is Donghua Great Emperor, the oldest when ascending is Yuantian Great Emperor, the one who lived the longest is Yan Emperor, and the only one who crossed two steps from Quasi Emperor Ninth Heaven to become emperor is Taixu Great Emperor."

"Each great emperor is a legend, with stories that shake the ancients and illuminate the present. Taixu Great Emperor is no exception," Taixu Ancient Dragon continued. "My Taixu Ancient Dragon clan nearly dominated the entire Primordial era, and it wasn't for nothing."

"I believe that." Ye Chen sighed again.

"So, where exactly did you get this damaged Emperor Jade?" Taixu Ancient Dragon shifted back to the previous topic.

"I picked it up."

"You picked it up? Did you step in dog shit or something? You've been lucky since birth!"

"It's a matter of character."

"You're freaking possessed or something." Taixu Ancient Dragon quickened his pace, still muttering curses under his breath.

"This really is about character." Ye Chen followed closely.

"Get lost!"