Chapter 964: An Uneasy Night

Chapter 964: Uneasy Night

At night, Ye Chen and Tai Xu Gu Long stood on the summit of a mountain.

Indeed, the two had been traveling for eight or nine full days, visiting nearly all the major forces in Bei Chu except for Shi Xue Dian and the successive generations of kings. And wherever they went, they never returned empty-handed.

"The harvest far exceeds my expectations," Ye Chen said, his mouth curving into a smile.

"Tomorrow is the day of Jiu Yang. Let's rest and adjust our condition," Tai Xu Gu Long said, plunking down on the ground.

"Always be prepared," Ye Chen replied with a smile, waving his hand to produce several tattered pieces of the Jiu Zhou Shen Tu.

Then, he suspended hundreds of pieces of the Jiu Zhou Shen Tu in mid-air, using his own Dao principles to fuse them together once more.

He had reclaimed most of the Jiu Zhou Shen Tu from Nan Chu, while the other half was mostly in Shi Xue Dian. Naturally, he and Tai Xu Gu Long didn't dare to extort Shi Xue Dian—it was nothing like dealing with ordinary cultivation families.

"Aren't you going to reclaim the Liu Dao Xian Lun Yan yet?" Tai Xu Gu Long asked casually.

"When the time comes, I will reclaim it," Ye Chen replied with a smile, continuing to repair the Jiu Zhou Shen Tu while responding offhandedly.

"Still, that same warning: Be careful of his Fei Lei Shen Jue."

"I have it under control."

"Honestly, I've always had a bad premonition." Tai Xu Gu Long pulled out his wine gourd, his words laden with meaning.

"Are you afraid they'll set a trap for us tomorrow?" Ye Chen asked, looking at Tai Xu Gu Long.

"No prohibition, no matter how powerful, can hold you back." Tai Xu Gu Long took a swig of wine and gazed quietly at the hazy sky. "The bad premonition I'm talking about isn't about tomorrow's battle. It's just that I always feel like a pair of cold eyes is watching this vast land."

"You have that feeling too?" Ye Chen furrowed his brow.

"At our level, premonitions are nine times out of ten accurate." Tai Xu Gu Long spoke slowly. "My memories are incomplete, but some fragmented images occasionally surface. They make me feel afraid."

"Afraid?" Ye Chen was stunned. For a remnant soul of a former supreme being to feel fear, that was something truly terrifying.

"From that black-robed person, I caught a strangely familiar aura." Tai Xu Gu Long took another swig of wine before continuing, "An aura that I both loathe and fear intensely."

"If even you feel that way, their origins must be far from simple."

"After tomorrow, go to Shi Wan Da Shan. Once you come out of Shi Wan Da Shan, lead your forces north to unify Da Chu without delay. I hope you become the tenth emperor of Da Chu in the shortest time possible. Only then will you truly have the qualifications to uncover all of Da Chu's secrets at Tian Xuan Men. This unknown sense of unease makes me very anxious."

"The tenth emperor." Ye Chen gave a dry laugh. "I'm still two steps away from that elusive realm, while predecessors like you and Dao Huang are only one step away. If anyone is to be crowned emperor, it should be you."

"This isn't like buying something—it's not first come, first served." Tai Xu Gu Long chuckled. "People like Shen Wang Shen Xuan Feng were from the same era as Chu Huang. Back then, he was at the peak of quasi-emperor, yet he was still surpassed by later generations like Yan Huang and Yue Huang. It requires a destined opportunity. As for me, I'm just a remnant soul of a supreme being, forever suppressed by the imperial Dao imprint. In Da Chu, I can never reach the heavenly realm, and even in the myriad domains of the heavens, I have no chance to become a great emperor."

"But I haven't even touched the bottleneck of quasi-heaven perfection yet," Ye Chen said helplessly, shaking his head. "Let alone the heavenly realm."

"Fortune favors the bold. You've achieved what you have in less than ten years of cultivation—it's unprecedented and unmatched."

"I'm honored to be recognized by a former supreme being." Ye Chen smiled.

"I just like your shameless attitude." Tai Xu Gu Long glanced at Ye Chen, then turned and lay down on the rock, falling asleep in an instant.

Ye Chen cleared his throat and said no more, continuing to repair the Jiu Zhou Shen Tu in preparation for any contingencies tomorrow.

At Heng Yue Zong, on Yu Nu Peak,

Chu Xuan Er lay quietly on the jade bed, sleeping peacefully and serenely.

However, a gentle breeze blew, and her expression instantly turned to one of agony, her face pale and bloodless.

Changes occurred on her body, with multicolored divine light surrounding her, faint and elusive. Even her long hair was threaded with strands of seven-colored divine glow. If one listened carefully, the sound of sword chimes could be heard.

Kill Ye Xing Chen! Kill Ye Xing Chen!

In the depths of her mind, a vague voice echoed endlessly, like a curse that could not be shaken off.

In the next moment, she bolted upright, clutching her head and crying out in pain.

Kill Ye Xing Chen! Kill Ye Xing Chen!

It was still that vague voice, devoid of any emotion, like a brand etched into her soul.

"I've remembered it all, I've remembered everything." Chu Xuan cried out hoarsely, tears streaming from the corners of her eyes. "It was you who made us miss each other for three years and then another three. It was you who made him suffer hardships he shouldn't have. How many more people do you want to kill? Why must you go against him?"

"It was he who went against me first." The voice remained vague, laced with a cold chill.

The night in Bei Chu did not grow calm just because Ye Chen and Tai Xu Gu Long had finished their extortions.

If one looked down from the sky, they would see streams of people from all sides heading toward the eastern border of Bei Chu: Dong Ling Gu Yuan.

The news that Ye Chen would duel the holy son of the killer divine dynasty at Dong Ling Gu Yuan had spread like wings across all of Da Chu. Those flocking there were mostly going ahead of time to watch the battle.

This event created even more of a stir than Ye Chen's duel with Yin Zhi Ping.

This battle would be the ultimate showdown among Da Chu's younger generation.

Thinking of this fight, many people couldn't help but recall Ye Chen's opponents along the way: He defeated Xuan Ling Zhi Ti Ji Ning Shuang at the Three Sects Grand Competition, beat Wu Cheng host Lu Hou in Xuan Gu Zhi Di, outfought Jiu Cheng host Yin Zhi Ping in the ancient lands of chaos, and overcame Tai Yin Zhi Ti Huo Zun at Ji Yang Da Shan.

Now, with the holy son of the killer divine dynasty stepping forward personally, this battle was sure to be even more exquisite and thrilling than the one with Yin Zhi Ping.

"This time, we'll make sure he doesn't return." At Shi Xue Dian, Shi Xue Yan Luo and Shi Hun Wang took off one after the other, followed by the vast army of Shi Xue Dian, their formation incredibly grand.

"We can't let him escape again." Gui Wang, Xue Wang, Yao Wang, Wu Zhu Wang, and You Ming Yan Luo Wang also led their armies toward Dong Ling Gu Yuan.

As for Mo Wang, he went alone this time, without bringing the forces of Mo Yu.

As for Shen Wang, he remained seated in meditation in the divine hall and did not go. He had transferred ninety percent of his power to his Dao body, which was the holy son of the killer divine dynasty as rumored in Da Chu.

Tai Xu Gu Long and Ye Chen's guess was correct—the holy son of the killer divine dynasty was indeed Shen Wang Shen Xuan Feng's Dao body, his only one at that. Its combat strength had long been on par with Ji Ning Shuang's.

Even in the Ling Xu realm, he had nearly slain Zhong Li, who was in the quasi-heaven realm. His record, though not as monstrous as Ye Chen's, was not to be underestimated, and most importantly, he could borrow power from his true self.

At Dong Ling Gu Yuan, Zhou Tian Yi stood at the peak of a mountain, quietly gazing at the hazy sky.

This place was the ancestral ground of his Dong Huang Tian Fu divine dynasty, so he had to fulfill his duties as host.

Beside him were Chu Huang's daughter Da Chu Huang Yan, Yue Huang's daughter Qian Shang Yue, Tai Wang's son Long Teng, Tian Zang Huang's son Di Fan, Zhan Wang's son Xiao Chen, and Xuan Huang's daughter Nan Ming Yu Shu.

This was a tacit understanding—if the successive generations of kings moved, they would move as well. Their existence was to restrain the successive kings until the tenth emperor of Da Chu appeared.

"The scale is getting big!" Long Teng took a deep breath.

"Ye Chen is growing too fast; this might be their only chance," Xiao Chen said thoughtfully.

"If things go wrong, this could turn into the great decisive battle," Da Chu Huang Yan said, inhaling deeply.

"I won't last much longer. Starting the war early might fulfill one of my wishes," Di Fan said in a hoarse voice.

"How many vicissitudes have we endured in hiding? I've forgotten how many years have passed," Qian Shang Yue said with a weary smile.

"I'm beginning to understand the meaning behind my father sealing me in this era," Nan Ming Yu Shu said, her expression somewhat dull.

"He is the holy lord of Yan Huang and the successor of Chen Huang Da Chu Xuan Zong. As the inheritor of Da Chu's two emperors, he must be the one favored by destiny. Protecting his path is extending the hope of this land," Zhou Tian Yi added with a smile.