Chapter 1047: Speak Freely

The night sky was profound and filled with sorrow. Ye Chen engraved the final name, took out his flask, and poured the wine at the base of the towering tombstones. Behind him, Tang Ruxuan and many young cultivators followed suit. Under the moonlight, their ninety-three figures appeared desolate and isolated—out of Da Chu's over ninety million cultivators, only these ninety-three remained.

Ye Chen departed, returning to Nan Chu and stepping into Tianxuan Men. The place was eerily sparse with people, utterly ravaged and scarred by the accursed war. In the great battle against the Tianmo, Tianxuan Men had paid a horrific price, sacrificing countless lives to suppress the Tianmo army's cultivation through blood offerings—all thanks to those fallen spirits.

At the end of the bamboo grove, Ye Chen saw Donghuang Tai Xin, her hair completely white. Her complexion remained pale, her cultivation unstable, her life-source primordial spirit nearly translucent, and blood occasionally seeped from her lips.

Sit.

Donghuang Tai Xin spoke softly, busy brewing tea. For this young man before her, she felt both pride and profound shock—he was the first in Zhutian Wanyu to slaughter a great emperor. Though not a sovereign himself, he had already surpassed the nine emperors of Da Chu.

As unmoving as a mountain peak, his yin and yang inscrutable!

This was her inner assessment of Ye Chen at that moment. Even though her own cultivation far exceeded his, she could not see through him.

Ye Chen had already sat down, gently lifting the teacup and sipping the tea, which was more bitter than life itself.

"Today, I will reveal all secrets to you without reservation," Donghuang Tai Xin said softly.

"What exactly is Da Chu?" Ye Chen began, his voice hoarse, carrying an indescribable weariness and age. "And what is its place in Zhutian Wanyu?"

"Da Chu is the legendary Gate of Zhutian, the gateway to Zhutian Wanyu. To enter Zhutian Wanyu, one must pass through Da Chu."

"Gate of Zhutian." Ye Chen furrowed his brow slightly, surprised by Donghuang Tai Xin's answer. He had considered many possibilities for Da Chu's origins, but never this one.

He had once heard from the Taixu Ancient Dragon about the Gate of Zhutian, where Xuan Gu Great Emperor—among the 130 emperors of Xuan Huang—had fallen in battle, the only one among them to die as a great emperor.

Now, it seemed Xuan Gu Great Emperor was buried on this very land—a secret spanning eternity. For some reason, in that instant, Ye Chen felt a deep reverence for this land. Who would have thought that this vast territory had once entombed a ruler of myriad realms?

Only after a while did Ye Chen gather his thoughts and ask again, "Why, in every era of Da Chu, is only one person allowed to reach the supreme cultivation level? Why, among the countless beings, is only one able to become the Da Chu sovereign?"

"For the sake of Zhutian reincarnation." Donghuang Tai Xin's words were light and graceful. "Though Da Chu is the gateway to Zhutian Wanyu, it forms its own cycle of reincarnation. It mimics Zhutian Wanyu, where only one can become emperor per era, so in Da Chu, only one can become sovereign per era. On this land, if two reach the peak cultivation in the same era, it would disrupt Da Chu's reincarnation. Thus, from the day Tianxuan Men began guarding Da Chu, we established an innate prohibition, limiting each era to a single sovereign."

"Such a world is truly cruel," Ye Chen said flatly.

"Indeed, it is cruel." Donghuang Tai Xin gave a self-mocking smile. "No one understands this land better than I do. Through endless years of trials, I have witnessed too many peerless heroes—the kings of Da Chu's dynasties, the Chu Sea Divine Soldiers, the Saber Sovereign. They were only a step away, yet they could never cross it. Their unwilling roars and howls still echo in my ears. But there's no way around it! From the day they became part of this land, they were destined to be the anchors of Zhutian reincarnation, forever burdened with regret across lifetimes."

"You aren't entirely heartless—at least you left one spot for the beings of Da Chu. Even if that spot is negligible, it's a hope, a pitiful and tragic one."

"Your words now echo those of the former nine emperors of Da Chu." Donghuang Tai Xin laughed, her tone laced with sadness.

"It's a settled fact; I won't argue it." Ye Chen spoke indifferently. "What I want to know is, why does each era of the nine emperors of Da Chu last exactly nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine years? And why, every two emperors, does the peak cultivation level change? Is this another innate prohibition from Tianxuan Men?"

"Correct." Donghuang Tai Xin nodded lightly. "Nine is the ultimate number, and Zhutian reincarnation borrows from this limit. As for the peak cultivation changing every two emperors, it draws from the cycle between the Heavenly Realm and the Sovereign Realm. These are all subtle forces at play in the unseen, all for the sake of Zhutian reincarnation. In Da Chu, every living being, every inch of land—whether cultivators or mortals, flowers and birds, mountains and rivers, or even ultimate Dao weapons and the five forbidden zones—are all parts of the Zhutian reincarnation array. They perish and rebirth in the cycle, enduring endlessly. But the same is true: they can never leave this land."

"They can never leave this land." Ye Chen murmured. "Does that include the nine emperors of Da Chu?"

"Not at all." Donghuang Tai Xin tucked a strand of fallen hair behind her ear. "This is the hope Zhutian Wanyu gives to Da Chu—only those who become Da Chu sovereigns are qualified to leave this land."

"So, the nine emperors of Da Chu throughout history didn't die; they went to Zhutian Wanyu."

"As you said." Donghuang Tai Xin spoke softly. "The nine emperors of Da Chu were all beings who seized heaven's fortune. Having risen to become sovereigns on this land, without the suppression of Zhutian reincarnation in Zhutian Wanyu, they might write another legend and even ascend to great emperor status—it's not impossible."

"They were the fortunate ones, able to see beyond the heavens." Ye Chen smiled wearily. "But the rest must continue to live and die on this land, which is like a prison."

"This is the fate of Da Chu's beings—to serve as the anchors of Zhutian reincarnation, suppressing the Gate of Zhutian. They are the first great barrier for Zhutian Wanyu, standing eternally before it, shielding the myriad realms from invading Tianmo, yet never remembered by the world."

"Tianmo." Ye Chen's hand trembled, a flash of cold light in his eyes. "What kind of existence are they, and what is their origin? For their sake, Zhutian Wanyu went to such lengths, even sacrificing Da Chu's cultivators to build Zhutian reincarnation here."

"The Tianmo Realm and Zhutian Wanyu are not in the same plane. The Tianmo Realm's existence predates Zhutian Wanyu by far. No one knows what it is or where it came from—only that they are incredibly powerful, invading Zhutian Wanyu every ten thousand years or so."

"Before I shattered the Qian Tian Magic Pillar, I sensed the aura of a second great emperor." Ye Chen pondered, looking at Donghuang Tai Xin. "Can the Tianmo Realm have multiple emperors in one era?"

"As you think." Donghuang Tai Xin nodded. "That's the strangeness of the Tianmo Realm. In our Zhutian Wanyu, two great emperors cannot exist in the same era, nor can two become emperor simultaneously."

"I'm puzzled—why, with more than one great emperor and knowledge of Zhutian Wanyu's entrance, hasn't the Tianmo Realm conquered it after all this time? Like this invasion, if they sent two great emperors at once, they could easily sweep through Da Chu."

"Don't underestimate Zhutian Wanyu." Donghuang Tai Xin sighed softly. "In ancient times, Zhutian Wanyu united to set up the Zhutian reincarnation array in Da Chu, concealing its location. The Tianmo Realm can't just stumble upon Da Chu. Without knowing its exact position, they can't find the precise entry to Zhutian Wanyu. As for sending two great emperors simultaneously, that requires time—transmission between planes involves too many uncertainties. Besides, a single Qian Tian Magic Pillar can't support two great emperors at once."

"I see." Ye Chen murmured.

"Do you know why the Tianmo invade Da Chu every ten thousand years or so?"

"I'd like to hear the details."

"It's because every ten thousand years, Zhutian Wanyu produces a great emperor." Donghuang Tai Xin explained. "Once someone becomes emperor, a unique imperial Dao principle manifests. That imperial Dao principle can't be hidden by any array; it spreads infinitely across planes, including to the Tianmo Realm."

"Are you saying the Tianmo follow that emperor's principle to locate Zhutian Wanyu and launch a full invasion?"

"Exactly." Donghuang Tai Xin nodded. "The Tianmo can only find the entrance to Zhutian Wanyu at that specific time. If no one in Zhutian Wanyu becomes emperor, they absolutely can't find Da Chu. That's the mystery between planes—they're moving, and we're moving; the entrance isn't fixed and changes constantly. Even a slight deviation could mean millions of miles. Of course, throughout this, the Zhutian reincarnation array plays a crucial role in misleading the Tianmo."

"This time, the Tianmo found the correct entrance—does that mean someone in Zhutian Wanyu has become emperor?"

"Xianwu Emperor Venerable fell only nine thousand years ago; it's impossible for anyone in Zhutian Wanyu to have become emperor."

"If no one has become emperor, does that mean there's a problem with Zhutian reincarnation?"

"Indeed, Zhutian reincarnation has a problem—more precisely, the issue is with you." Donghuang Tai Xin's words were laden with meaning.

"With me?"

"By now, do you know the origins of Hong Chen and Shen Xuan Feng?"

"What are you getting at?" Ye Chen furrowed his brow.

"Hong Chen isn't actually called Hong Chen—his real name is Ye Chen. And Shen Xuan Feng isn't called Shen Xuan Feng—his real name is Ye Xing Chen."

"What do you mean?" Ye Chen's brow furrowed even deeper, his gaze fixed on Donghuang Tai Xin.

"Neither Hong Chen nor Shen Xuan Feng belongs to this time. They both come from the future." Donghuang Tai Xin finally revealed this secret. "Hong Chen is the future you, and Shen Xuan Feng is the future Ye Xing Chen. They defied the heavens to traverse time and space, descending to Da Chu. The difference is, Ye Xing Chen arrived in the era of the Chu Sovereign, while Hong Chen arrived in the era of the Chen Sovereign."