Chapter 990: Forcible Soul Search

Xingchen Daoshen dissipated, turning into dust amidst the falling peach blossoms.

Xingyue Shengnu smiled hauntingly, her eyes filled with tears. Her long hair turned snowy white, and the divine light around her body flickered as if on the verge of extinction. Her dim eyes, like the fading peach blossoms, withered in their final brilliance.

Xing'er!

Chu Ling'er and the others rushed forward frantically, hastily using secret techniques to try and preserve Xingyue Shengnu’s life force.

However, no matter how hard they tried, they could not stop the relentless dissipation of Xingyue Shengnu’s true essence and soul.

Ye Chen remained motionless, neither intervening nor using any secret techniques to save Xingyue Shengnu.

Perhaps, from the moment Ye Xingchen closed his eyes, Xingyue Shengnu had already lost all will to live. When a person has no desire to survive, even the most heaven-defying divine abilities are useless.

Perhaps this was her best fate, at least allowing her to accompany Xingchen Daoshen on the journey to the underworld.

Xingyue Shengnu also dissipated, vanishing into a wisp of mist before everyone's eyes and merging into the heavens and earth.

The women fell silent, their faces etched with sorrow as they looked at Ye Chen.

Ye Chen's face was expressionless as he quietly turned and stepped into the void, like a beam of eternal golden light speeding towards Hengyue Zong.

The night was deathly quiet.

The women came out one by one, and Chu Ling'er closed the door of the small courtyard, locking it with an old copper lock, sealing away the garden of grief.

They were a perfect match, destined for an eternity together, yet on their wedding night, one was killed and the other died for love. This marriage was scarred, and this romance was wounded beyond recognition.

The night was extraordinarily still, and in the void above, Ye Chen’s vision was blurred and indistinct, obscured by tears.

Old big brother!

In the haze, it seemed as though he heard such a call in his ear—it was from Xingchen Daoshen, who was called Ye Xingchen.

Ye Chen laughed, his laughter filled with grief and rage.

After a thousand schemes and ten thousand plans, he had unified Da Chu, established his empire, and was revered as a king by the world, yet he still couldn't protect those he cared about.

He hated himself and hated the heavens.

Perhaps this truly echoed what the Taixu Gulong had said: those who defy the heavens are destined to be lone stars of calamity, watching helplessly as the people they care about leave them one by one in endless heavenly tribulations.

After an unknown amount of time, he descended from the void.

Seeing Ye Chen's return, the disciples and elders respectfully bowed in greeting.

Ye Chen said nothing, his demeanor unusually calm. Those who knew him understood that the calmer he appeared, the more terrifying he was. Even long after he had passed by, they were still shivering.

Boom!

A rumbling sound echoed from deep within Hengyue Zong as Ye Chen shattered the stone door of an underground palace with a single palm.

"Saint Lord, you..." The elders guarding the underground palace were startled, staring at Ye Chen in astonishment.

"Everyone, get out. Without my command, no one is allowed to enter."

With that, Ye Chen had already walked toward the central altar in the underground palace. The altar was inscribed with ancient runes, forming an old sealing array, and the man in purple robes was sealed upon it.

Behind him, the elders scratched their heads in confusion, unsure of what Ye Chen intended, but they dared not ask and quickly exited the underground palace.

Ye Chen pointed a finger at the brow of the man in purple robes.

The man in purple robes trembled, his closed eyes snapping open. One eye was murky and chaotic, the other empty and devoid of an eyeball, giving him an eerily strange appearance. A novice cultivator who had never seen such a sight would surely be frightened.

"Blood Succession Limit!"

The man in purple robes, now alert, narrowed his eyes sharply.

"How is that possible?" He stared intently at Ye Chen, muttering to himself, "He can actually activate the Blood Succession Limit a second time."

"Who exactly are you?" Ye Chen spoke, his words surprisingly calm.

"You insignificant ants don't deserve to know." The man in purple robes sneered mockingly, his smile dark and sinister.

"I will make you talk." Ye Chen slowly approached the altar and placed a hand on the man in purple robes' Tianling Gai.

Then, he activated the soul search secret technique. The soul search force was overwhelmingly powerful, aggressively invading the man in purple robes' sea of consciousness.

Ugh!

The man in purple robes' previously sinister expression turned to one of agony. He groaned and roared incessantly, his face twisting in pain as his head felt on the verge of exploding, causing his entire body to convulse.

"Tell me, who exactly are you?" Ye Chen's expression remained calm as he spoke again, his suppressed killing intent beginning to seep out bit by bit.

"Guess." Though the man in purple robes was in pain, he grinned ferociously, as if resigned to his fate. You want to know, but I won't tell you—what can you do? Kill me? Go ahead! Even if you kill me, you'll get nothing.

Ye Chen wasted no words and unleashed an even more forceful soul search power into the man in purple robes' mind, attempting to force the information out.

Buzz!

The man in purple robes' sea of consciousness trembled with a buzzing sound, his expression growing even more pained. Because Ye Chen's forced soul search had triggered the restrictions on his soul, pushing it to the brink of collapse. Not only his soul but his physical body was also on the edge of shattering.

Ye Chen!

A sharp rebuke rang out as the Taixu Gulong shot in like a divine light, interrupting Ye Chen's forced soul search.

Zixuan arrived as well, her delicate brows furrowed as she glanced at the man in purple robes and saw that he was not in immediate danger. Then, she turned her attention to Ye Chen.

At this sight, her beautiful eyes narrowed slightly, as if she had realized Ye Chen was in the state of Blood Succession Limit. She was astonished and shocked that an Archaic Holy Body could activate it a second time—it was truly inconceivable.

"What are you doing?" The Taixu Gulong stared straight at Ye Chen, a meaningful glint in his eyes.

"Nothing." Ye Chen replied flatly, showing no emotion. His blank expression made both Zixuan and the Taixu Gulong frown. They knew Ye Chen well; his apparent calmness meant he was on the verge of explosive rage, and he might erupt at any moment.

"Come on! Kill me! Do it!" The man in purple robes, however, was bellowing, his face savage and his grin twisted, like a mad, depraved demon.

Clang!

Ye Chen immediately summoned his killing sword and charged back onto the altar, slashing toward the man in purple robes' head. Fortunately, the Taixu Gulong and Zixuan reacted quickly; even a split second slower, and the man would have been decapitated.

"You dare kill me? You don't dare." Seeing Ye Chen restrained, the man in purple robes bared his teeth in a wild, unrestrained laugh.

"Noisy!" The Taixu Gulong snorted coldly and struck the man in purple robes with a palm, making him spit out a mouthful of blood.

"Come with me!" Glancing at the blood-spitting man in purple robes, the Taixu Gulong forcibly dragged Ye Chen out of the underground palace.

Zixuan took a deep breath and followed. Before leaving, she made sure to reseal the underground palace.

After they left, the man in purple robes, with blood overflowing from his mouth, curled his lips into a sinister and strange smile. "Ignorant humans, I should thank you."

Immediately, dark mist began to spread across his body, intertwined with thunder, slowly eroding the seal on the altar.

It turned out that Ye Chen's forced soul search had triggered the restrictions on his soul, activating a mysterious force. This very force was now eroding the seal on the altar.

Thus, breaking the seal was only a matter of time—an outcome that Ye Chen and the others had not anticipated.

Outside, Ye Chen was pulled by the Taixu Gulong to the top of a mountain peak, with Zixuan arriving shortly after.

"The dead are gone; mourn in moderation." The Taixu Gulong did not question why Ye Chen had forcibly searched the man in purple robes' soul but instead offered these words, as if aware of the deaths of Xingchen Daoshen and Xingyue Shengnu.

"My heavenly tribulation has ultimately dragged him into it." Ye Chen's words were flat, but his terrifying killing intent was laid bare.

"Doing this will be very risky." Zixuan took a deep breath and glanced toward the underground palace where the man in purple robes was sealed.

"It's the only way I can think of to make her appear."