Chapter 716: Past Events, the Arrival of Chen He

The 【Eternal Calamity Counter-Blood】 formation, if used against an ordinary peak Creation Realm expert, would drain the power from their physical body in an instant.

Against an early-stage Eighth Rank, it would also create a massive obstacle for them.

Such draining is terrifying and immense.

But for the Dream-Eating Tapir, it felt like a mosquito had pricked its body.

Yet this was a bug with infinite capacity; by the moment it was discovered, this bug might have already drained a third or even half of its energy.

It would grow weaker and weaker, and by the moment it realized, it would already be too late.

Rumble!!!

Chen Yan's physical body was swelling, and the ink-colored energy filled every particle of his body to the brim.

This violent energy was like a breached dam, surging continuously and mightily within Chen Yan's body.

Growing stronger, growing more unruly.

Refine!

Chen Yan simultaneously operated the 【Illusion Ripple Pleiades Domain】 and the 【Forging Expansion Vast Vault】.

For a moment, the phantoms of a True Dragon, Black Tortoise, and White Tiger roamed around him, and crimson golden light erupted from every corner of his physical body.

To refine such massive energy, Chen Yan even needed to unleash his own Immortal Will.

It was too much; his physical body was being stretched to the point of breaking, and streaks of blood appeared.

"So that's how it is..."

Chen Yan let out a low roar:

"So, in those cliché stories, it is indeed possible for a villain to be literally burst apart by absorbing the protagonist's energy... it really happens."

His eyes erupted with piercing light:

"But am I a villain?!"

"I am a pure good person, I never kill anyone!"

Rumble!!!

Within Chen Yan's body, a nascent universe of the Horizontal Refining path and a nascent universe of the Blood Qi path were born simultaneously.

Within the Saint-Breaking Realm, orange light representing power, red light representing blood qi, and cyan light representing constitution surged and churned.

The 【Power】, 【Blood】, and 【Constitution】 fruits grew simultaneously, growing rapidly.

One, two, three...

Chen Yan no longer had the capacity to pay attention to the Saint-Breaking Tree.

What he was worried about now was not being burst apart.

His consciousness began to break through its limits, ensuring not a single error occurred in the refinement.

This was seizing the fortune of an Ancient Divine Beast.

The Dream-Eating Tapir was currently still busy draining the Ancient God aura within Chen Changyuan's body, neglecting to hunt down Chen Yan and the others.

Little did it know, its own home was being stolen.

Master Chen must be overjoyed right now, thinking he was about to gain control of a peak Eighth Rank Ancient Divine Beast.

But it was also possible that when Master Chen went to collect his prize, he would discover he had received nothing but an empty shell.

At this moment.

Inside the Ancient War Palace.

"What kind of formation is that? God-level, but why can he execute a God-level formation?"

The woman in the fairy dress actually began to mutter in confusion.

She didn't understand.

If you had such a trump card, why not bring it out sooner?

Why were you hiding your skills?

You were hiding your f***ing skills.

The woman in the fairy dress even started cursing in her heart.

But immediately after, her shock deepened.

She hadn't understood the working principle of the formation at first, but once she understood it, she was bewildered.

"The human race... is draining an Ancient Divine Beast..."

Inside the dim room.

The white-haired old man tilted his head, squinting as he watched this scene.

His expression had become completely different from before.

He could not speak.

…………

At the entrance to the Ancient God Forbidden Land.

This place was desolate; deep abysses crisscrossing north and south were like scars on the earth, appearing to breathe as they contracted and expanded at a speed difficult for the naked eye to perceive.

Everywhere, there was malice.

Everything was barren.

Low, terrifying sounds of battle drifted over from the other side of the horizon.

On top of a mountain peak, three figures stood silently.

"It really is Lu Xunyang; he actually hasn't died yet."

Chen He, wearing a green robe with extremely narrow eyes, spoke in surprise, intense wariness appearing in the depths of his eyes.

"What a monster; if someone said he was the reincarnation of the Xia Master, I would find that more reasonable."

To his left, a charming woman wearing a red dress and sporting twin tails spoke.

Below the red-dressed woman's left eye was a tear mole, making her every expression and smile even more alluring.

And to the right of Chen He was a woman wearing a white robe, her eyes covered by a strip of black cloth.

Although her eyes were covered by the black cloth, judging by the exquisite bridge of her nose and red lips exposed, she was certainly a stunningly beautiful woman.

Chen He took out a bronze array disk and glanced at the red-dressed woman beside him.

"Again..."

The red-dressed woman spoke with annoyance, her fingertip sliced open by a blade of Qi and blood, and a drop of blood dripped onto the array disk.

"After all, Lanqiu, you are a direct ancestor of the Yunmeng Chen Clan and have the bloodline closest to Chen Yan; only by following the guidance of your blood can we determine the direction where Chen Yan is located."

Chen He looked at the red-dressed woman named Chen Lanqiu.

"I never even imagined I would have a Great Xia Heavenly General as a descendant. Tell me, when he sees me, should he call me Big Sister, or should he call me Grandmother?

I still want to let her call me Big Sister; after all, I am still very young now."

Chen Lanqiu smiled winsomely; she appeared young, but in reality, she was already three thousand years old.

The white-robed woman, who had not spoken until now, said calmly:

"You had better be careful when you see him; if he has the chance to punch your head into a pulp, he certainly won't hesitate for even an instant."

Chen Lanqiu chuckled:

"That would be patricide; that is far too unfilial."

Chen He narrowed his eyes and smiled:

"It is better to be careful; although the Chen Master is already controlling Chen Yan, you all should not be too careless."

Chen Lanqiu cast a flirtatious glance:

"I don't even understand it; since the Master has already made a move, why must we take the risk? Am I worried about that unfilial descendant of mine?

What I am worried about is being wiped out by a single slap from Lu Xunyang."

Chen He chuckled aloud:

"According to the Chen Master's methods, within a year, Chen Yan will definitely become his puppet, but you know that the Master acts with caution."

Chen Lanqiu pursed her lips:

"How about I wait for you here? You handle Chen Yan and make it quick; that brat is at most in the middle stage of the Creation Realm, you could wipe him out with a single thought."

Chen He was speechless, merely looking at Chen Lanqiu indifferently.

For an instant, Chen Lanqiu felt as if she were being stared at by an evil fox, and she waved her hand:

"Going together is fine, going together. I know you are afraid of being lonely."

Only then did Chen He turn his head away.

On the array disk, this drop of blood was drawn by an invisible force, flowing toward one direction.

"As expected, inside the Dream-Eating Tapir." Chen He narrowed his eyes.

The expressions of both Chen Lanqiu and the white-robed woman turned ugly.

Killing Chen Yan was not difficult for them.

But what they would have to go through to kill Chen Yan was a bit difficult.

After all, this was the Forbidden Land of the Ancient Gods.

Chen He was silent for a moment, pointing a single finger at the void, and streams of light gathered at his fingertip to form an array disk.

"Dream-Eating Tapir, I wish to speak with you."

His consciousness was transmitted out, establishing a connection with the Dream-Eating Tapir that was still battling Lu Xunyang.

Chen He did not want to directly oppose the Dream-Eating Tapir.

In his view, Chen Yan and Lu Xunyang were both certainly enemies of the Dream-Eating Tapir.

The enemy of an enemy is a friend.

If the Dream-Eating Tapir agreed to let him enter its body, then he would enter.

If it did not agree, he would return directly and report to the Chen Master.

It was not that he did not want to do it, but the difficulty was too great.

Even if the Chen Master were dissatisfied, he would not blame it on him.

The next moment.

Chen He opened his eyes, revealing a look of surprise:

"The Dream-Eating Tapir has agreed."

Beside him, Chen Lanqiu and the white-robed woman were both stunned.

That the Dream-Eating Tapir would actually agree to let them enter exceeded their expectations.

"Could it be that Chen Yan has already become so strong that even the Dream-Eating Tapir needs our help?"

The white-robed woman spoke with rapid breathing:

"How long has it been? When he entered the Five-Clan Struggle, he was only at the Sixth Rank, just the Sixth Rank. Could it be that now he is already... at the Eighth Rank?"

Chen Lanqiu swept a glance at the white-robed woman:

"You are an Eight Elder of the Lu Continent, after all; Lu Zhiwei, you are far too imaginative."

She rolled her eyes; this woman named Lu Zhiwei was being a bit too fanciful.

The Dream-Eating Tapir was, after all, one of the five great Ancient God Beasts.

Why worry about a mere Chen Yan?

Chen He frowned and said:

"I suspect this has to do with Lu Xunyang. Lu Xunyang is battling the Dream-Eating Tapir, and Chen Yan is inside the Dream-Eating Tapir."

This suggests that Lu Xunyang used some method to tamper with Chen Yan, giving Chen Yan the means to threaten the Dream-Eating Tapir."

Chen Lanqiu and Lu Zhiwei nodded slightly.

Chen He's conjecture indeed had some merit.

Otherwise, it would be too much of a coincidence.

"The two of you need not worry," Chen He said with a faint smile:

"If you do not trust me, surely you trust the Chen Master? Since the Chen Master has already tampered with Chen Yan, it means Chen Yan is not worth worrying about.

What the Chen Master worries about is the Chen Yan of the future, but certainly not the Chen Yan of the present."

Chen Lanqiu smiled faintly:

"I will make him kneel before me, his ancestor, and recite our Chen Prefecture ancestral teachings."

Chen He's expression was calm as he looked at Lu Zhiwei:

"I know why you followed; if you encounter Miss Jianxia, be sure to put in a good word for me."

Lu Zhiwei's eyes were covered by a strip of cloth, making her thoughts unreadable.

She nodded slightly:

"I will, though you truly have not a shred of affection for your wife, who has already turned into an Ancient Divine Beast."

Chen He said no more; the few of them had already observed the situation.

Besides the Underworld Nightmare Tapir and the Dream-Eating Tapir, Chi Mi was also battling Lu Xunyang.

Chi Mi had long since turned into an Ancient Divine Beast, having lost all consciousness belonging to a human.

A look of mockery appeared in the depths of Chen He's eyes.

Chi Mi's transformation was something he had single-handedly orchestrated back then.

In those days, Chi Mi, Lu Xunyang, Xia Hanzhou, and Shen Keqing were close friends.

Chi Mi and Xia Hanzhou even held mutual affection for one another.

This caused Chi Prefecture and Great Xia to trend toward drawing closer.

Therefore, the Chen Master interfered, causing Chi Mi and Chen He to become betrothed.

On the wedding night, when Xia Hanzhou went to search for Chi Mi, Chen He used an Eighth-Rank Malice Crystal to corrupt Chi Mi, then pushed Chi Mi toward the unsuspecting Xia Hanzhou who had just arrived.

This act directly led to Xia Hanzhou being branded the culprit responsible for Chi Mi's death.

In the original plan, the powerhouses of Chi Prefecture would have directly wiped out Xia Hanzhou back then.

But that night, Lu Xunyang appeared and used absolute force to stop the slaughter between the Xia Clan and Chi Prefecture.

The Chen Master's plan was directly ruined.

In fact, this was not the first time Lu Xunyang had ruined the Chen Master's plans.

Lu Xunyang had held back the Chen Master for decades with his own strength.

Even so, the situation between the Xia Clan and Chi Prefecture, which had originally eased, became tense once again.

Everything was for the sake of the Five Clans' war today.

Now, even if Chi Mi's older brother, Chi Xun, still suspected the events of that year, and even if the Heavenly Dipper Boxing Tournament—a faction of Chi Mi's—had always been entangled with the Xunyang faction, helping them in secret.

But they had no other choice.

Today, the Five Clans have completely moved to the opposite side of Great Xia, and the Heavenly Dipper Boxing Tournament has long since withdrawn from Great Xia, having been incorporated into the Five Clans' Allied Army.

"Lu Xunyang, Lu Xunyang..."

Chen He stood on the mountaintop, hands behind his back, watching the brutal battle on the other side of the horizon.

"Lu Xunyang is about to reach his limit. For the first time in so many years, I see him in such a sorry state. He is now old and frail; he no longer possesses the dominance he once had."

Chen He spoke calmly, killing intent emerging in his eyes:

"After dealing with Chen Yan, are the two of you willing to wait for the opportunity with me to wipe out Lu Xunyang?"

He wore a trace of a smile.

Lu Zhiwei and Chen Lanqiu exchanged glances, saying nothing.

"I was not asking for your opinions," Chen He laughed.

He was the Third Elder of Chen Prefecture.

His status within the Five Clans Alliance was also far higher than that of Lu Zhiwei and Chen Lanqiu.

"Yes," Chen Lanqiu put away her coquettishness and bowed earnestly.

"Yes," Lu Zhiwei said in a low voice, her breathing rapid.

"Hahaha!!!" Chen He laughed loudly:

"There is no need to care about one Chen Yan; if we can wipe out Lu Xunyang, the three of us will be great heroes of the human race!"

His eyes revealed a look of extreme cunning, growing increasingly cold and sinister.

It was at this very moment.

The void before the three of them began to fluctuate, and ripples spread outward.

A portal appeared.

Inside it lay a desolate world.

Pure Yang Realm.

"Chen Yan..."

Chen He stepped inside:

"He seems to be entangled with Miss Jianxia, which displeases me."

His voice was cold to the extreme, his killing intent fully revealed in his eyes.