Chapter 1069 - 1068: The Final Deadline Approaches

"Splash!"

Dark currents surged, towering waves rolled.

A lone figure cut through the void and entered, moving forward slowly within the seawater.

That figure was Ye Qingchen.

Ever since he chose to remain in the Enchanting Sea Region, apart from cultivating, Ye Qingchen had done nothing but ceaselessly explore this stretch of sea. It was now his third month here, and the magnitude of the power in this region utterly exceeded his imagination.

Seven days prior.

After successive bouts of bitter cultivation, coupled with the endless crushing of the seawater, he'd made a single leap and broken through to the Earth Immortal Ninth Layer. He had thought that this time he would finally be able to reach the seabed.

Yet the deeper he went, the more terrifyingly the pressure at the seabed rose.

"Looks like… there's no way."

Gazing at the shield before him, riddled with cracks and seemingly on the verge of shattering at any moment, Ye Qingchen let out a long sigh.

Just as he thought that this time would end like all the previous ones, with him returning empty‑handed, his eyes suddenly lit up.

He saw the seawater before him abruptly vanish, and discovered that he had actually stepped onto a vast stretch of land. All the seawater had been expelled beyond the palace, like a giant transparent bowl propping up the entire ocean.

The entire palace was ancient and desolate, carrying a vast and mysterious charm; mottled traces along its surface were filled with the lines of passing years.

What shocked Ye Qingchen even more was this—

Corpses lay everywhere.

Not the bodies of Celestial Immortals, but one hulking form after another, each several zhang tall, joints bristling with inverted spikes, and even their very bones were pitch‑black.

"These are pure Asuras!"

Ye Qingchen narrowed his eyes.

It was said that—

An Asura had black bones, unlike those of ordinary folk.

"Could it be that the Heaven and Earth Great Cataclysm refers to this horde of Asuras?"

Ye Qingchen forced down the shock in his heart and continued walking forward. After a short while, his steps halted abruptly as he saw a corpse with three heads and six arms. This skeleton was ink‑black from head to toe, a seamless whole.

Even though it had long since perished, it still gave one a sense of overwhelming dread and awe.

Ye Qingchen clasped his hands behind his back and walked into the great hall.

Though Ye Qingchen's life thus far had been brief, his experiences were plentiful; he had seen the grand halls of Taotian Palace and broken into various Celestial Immortal Tombs, yet none were as towering and majestic as the one before his eyes.

Gigantic pillars supported a thousand‑zhang‑high dome; on the shafts of the white marble columns were carved Fish Dragons, cloud motifs, and all manner of patterns, vast and mighty. In his memory, only that Bronze Hall within Taotian Palace could rival it.

The Immortal Palace was empty and spacious; one could almost take in its entirety at a glance.

At the far end of the hall, upon a tall plinth, sat a white‑haired, white‑bearded elder, cross‑legged. His body hovered between reality and illusion. Ye Qingchen knew that was the posture of a divine soul on the verge of dispersing.

"At last, someone has come in."

The elder's divine soul spoke slowly.

"What is all this?"

Ye Qingchen swept his gaze around. Though he already had his own guess, he still wanted to ask the other party directly.

"As you can see, to resist the Heaven and Earth Great Cataclysm, the chaos of Divine Demons, I sank the Sunken Immortal Palace to the seabed, seizing the waters of the East Sea to suppress them." The other spoke lightly, then suddenly, his eyes sharpened, fixing deeply upon Ye Qingchen: "The vitality within you is vast…and bizarre."

"So that's how it is."

Before Ye Qingchen could reply, the elder's eyes seemed to have already seen through something. "You've taken that man as your master…"

"That man?" Ye Qingchen was puzzled.

"Indeed. That vast vitality of yours comes from a Cultivation Technique. And that Cultivation Technique was created by him. To use that technique and not die—in all my life, I have seen but a scant few, and you count among them."

Seeing Ye Qingchen poised to ask, he simply continued:

"This matter is not mine to speak of. One day, you will understand…"

Hearing this, Ye Qingchen could only forcibly press down the surging questions in his heart.

...

"Mr. Ye still hasn't returned?"

Luo Lin'an stared anxiously toward the depths below the sea, her eyes filled with worry.

Three whole months!

From the moment Yu Hongqing appeared and seized Su Moran and Bai Ji on the spot till now, three full months had already passed. That battle, though it had unfolded in the blink of an eye, left everyone aghast at the strength Yu Hongqing displayed.

Star Gathering Scattered Island had an old‑guard Half‑Step Celestial Immortal; upon hearing the news, he sighed long and said, "To take Heaven and Earth as a prison cage, and beneath the firmament I alone am sovereign—that is a true Celestial Immortal!"

In that instant—

Experts across Star Gathering Scattered Island, and even those from deeper within the East Sea, came to Cyan Cloud Island, seeking audience with this Sect Leader of Taotian Palace, this peerless Celestial Immortal.

His momentum eclipsed that of the day they had come to pay respects to Ye Qingchen by an unknown number of times.

Yet Yu Hongqing paid them no heed. He sat cross‑legged upon the shattered Cyan Cloud Island, beside him Su Moran and Bai Ji, hung in midair, bound by chains condensed from Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi. This posture was exactly like the scene back in Taotian Palace that day.

Clearly—

This Sect Leader had already taken his defeat at Ye Qingchen's hands as a lifelong humiliation.

However—

As time passed, with the three months nearly up, Ye Qingchen still had yet to appear.

"A堂堂 First Earth Immortal, faced with a challenge, actually hid for three months? And he still deserves to be called the Celestial South Fierce God?"

"Yu Hongqing is, after all, the Sect Leader of Taotian Palace. Even the fellow Celestial Immortal Su Moran could not withstand a single move from him. That Ye Qingchen harbors fear in his heart is understandable!"

"Heh, if it were me, even knowing I was no match, I would still fight to the bitter end!"

On Star Gathering Scattered Island, countless people were taking pleasure in his misfortune.

Previously, Ye Qingchen was indeed formidable, sweeping forth with peerless might and crushing the East Sea. But he was ultimately too young; how could he convince all the old‑guard experts? Yu Hongqing's power, on the other hand, had already surpassed what ordinary minds could imagine.

Faced with such an existence, people no longer even had the thought of resisting.

Yet—

Luo Lin'an could not simply do nothing. Staring at Su Moran hanging in the void, she had no choice but to risk entering the Enchanting Sea Region to seek Ye Qingchen. Had she not chanced upon Du Gang, she would likely already be dead.

"I don't know. In the past, Mr. Ye would never be gone for more than three days before returning. I don't know why he's been away so long this time." Du Gang's eyes too revealed a trace of worry.

He had naturally heard about the events in the East Sea. Even having personally witnessed Ye Qingchen's strength, he couldn't help but harbor some concern. The opponent was, after all, a bona fide Celestial Immortal!

"But… there's hardly any time left!"

Luo Lin'an's eyes shimmered with tears.

When Yu Hongqing took Cyan Cloud Island that day, he had proclaimed that he would grant only three months. If Ye Qingchen did not appear by then, he would publicly execute Su Moran and Bai Ji. Yet Ye Qingchen had long failed to show, and so she had decided to brave the Enchanting Sea Region herself.

Staring at the placid surface of the sea, Luo Lin'an could no longer restrain herself and cried out loudly:

"Ye Qingchen!"

"Your life‑and‑death enemy, Yu Hongqing, has come to kill you!"

"He's now on Star Gathering Scattered Island. Su Moran and Bai Ji are both in his hands! Why are you still not coming out?"

"Are you going to hide in the Enchanting Sea Region forever and be a turtle that shrinks its head? Everyone in the East Sea is mocking you. As the Celestial South Fierce God, where is your First Earth Immortal courage and spirit?"

Her ringing voice echoed, ripples slowly spreading.

For a long time, no one answered.

Seeing this, Luo Lin'an let out a long sigh, and the heart that had been full of hope turned completely cold.

"It seems I misjudged you."

"Even you, Mr. Ye, whose name shakes the Kunlun Realm, dare not face a true Celestial Immortal."

"Su Moran's time is running out. I want to go back and accompany her…"

Luo Lin'an's heart was chilled to ash.

There was no hope.

Du Gang and the others exchanged glances, unable to think of any words of persuasion, certain that Ye Qingchen would not appear again.

Suddenly, a clear, cool voice quietly rang out:

"What did you just say?"