Chapter 1056: Stepping into the Five Prohibitions

Chapter 1056: Treading the Five Forbidden Zones

The heavens and earth were vast and boundless, drawing the gaze of all.

High in the ethereal void, Ye Chen had returned, like an eight desolate war god conquering the heavens.

He had succeeded, achieving the Tianjing realm and being crowned as a Huangzhe. He was the tenth Huangzhe of Da Chu since Chen Huang, and destined to be the strongest among them.

As the holy lord of the Heavenly Court, he had forged a myth uniquely his own—one without precedent and unlikely to be surpassed.

"Seal!"

As everyone looked up, Ye Chen raised one hand to the sky, with divine light flickering at his brow.

The heavens trembled, and a mysterious power gathered—it was the imprint of his Huangzhe Dao.

Now sealed as a Huangzhe, like the nine emperors before him in Da Chu, his Dao principles were imprinted upon the lands of Da Chu, suppressing the cultivators there just as theirs had.

Thus, what he was doing now was defying the heavens.

He gathered his Dao imprint and sealed it away.

This was indeed a heaven-defying act, and his purpose was simple: he did not want his Dao imprint to suppress the cultivators of Da Chu.

He would eventually leave Da Chu, but his Dao imprint would remain. He hoped that after his departure, this land could produce new Huangzhe, rather than have his imprint cause countless extraordinary talents to halt at the peak of their cultivation, leaving lifelong regrets.

As a Huangzhe, this was all he could do.

Da Chu was a unique existence. He had obliterated the will of heaven, yet he could not break its innate prohibitions.

"Awesome!"

Even Fu Ya, with his composure, couldn't help but sigh in admiration once more.

The nine emperors of Da Chu's history were not without those who had considered sealing their Dao imprints, but none had succeeded.

Now, Ye Chen had accomplished what they could not, and for that alone, he was worthy of the title of Da Chu's strongest Huangzhe.

The world fell silent, and Ye Chen sat cross-legged on the ground.

After the heavenly tribulation, he needed to consolidate his cultivation and comprehend the true essence of the world's origins in meditation.

Dong! Dong! Dong!

In the depths of the void, it was as if grand bells were tolling, their source being Ye Chen. It was the sound of the Great Dao woven from his Dao principles, resonating endlessly across this vast land, carrying profound Dao insights.

"Quickly! Quickly! Quickly!"

On the ground below, the cultivators of Da Chu sat cross-legged one after another.

Ye Chen was now a Huangzhe, and the strongest one at that. His understanding of the Dao surpassed that of Da Chu's nine emperors, or he would not have been able to perform the great divine ability of sealing his own Dao imprint.

Ye Chen's Dao was no ordinary path. The Great Dao sound it wove carried a mysterious realm.

Gazing down upon the world, all the cultivators of Da Chu sat in meditation, eyes closed, like monks in deep Zen, comprehending under the baptism of Ye Chen's Great Dao heavenly sound and gaining insights into the true meaning of the Dao beneath its veil.

Soon, beams of light rose to the heavens. Those with exceptional talent were already breaking through under the xǐlǐ of Ye Chen's Dao, their eyes still closed but faces filled with joy—this was a stroke of great fortune.

After that, more beams of light continuously ascended.

One by one, the gifted cultivators of Da Chu found their opportunities under the cover of the Dao, reaching levels they had never touched in their previous lives. Ye Chen's Dao had opened a generous path for them.

Nine days later, Ye Chen, who had been sitting in the void, slowly opened his eyes.

His eyes were not as deep as the vast starry sky, but calm like an ancient well, like those of an ordinary person.

The divine glow radiating from his entire body also faded away, retracting into him. In his enlightenment, he had achieved complete return to simplicity. Whether it was his Sacred Body, sacred blood, or innate origin soul, all had undergone a qualitative transformation, and in that instant, his understanding of the heavens and earth reached its peak.

He descended from the void, like an ordinary person, with no trace of ferocity about him—everything seemed so unremarkable.

On the ground below, the cultivators of Da Chu were still sitting in meditation, beams of light rising as fortuitous encounters unfolded.

They remained immersed in that realm.

Ye Chen smiled and did not disturb them, stepping into the sky and departing.

He reappeared in the barren desert forbidden zone, pausing for a moment before walking inside.

As in the past, the barren desert was filled with flying yellow sand, and even with his current cultivation, he was still suppressed.

Within the desert, he could clearly sense the imperial Dao principles emanating from the Kai Tian Fu.

The Kai Tian Fu was the imperial weapon of Pan Gu Da Di.

Pan Gu Da Di was one of the 130 emperors of the Xuanhuang era, and the most mysterious among them.

Myths about Pan Gu Da Di had been mentioned more than once by the Tai Xu Gu Long—it was a powerful ancient emperor who once cleaved open the myriad domains of heaven and earth with a single axe, from which the Kai Tian Fu derived its name.

Seeing the Kai Tian Fu with his own eyes, he confirmed the words of his predecessors—it was truly a supreme divine weapon, vast as the universe, its power carrying the essence of heaven and earth. Listening attentively, it was like strands of the Great Dao woven into heavenly sounds.

Three days later, he walked out of the barren desert forbidden zone.

He left and went to the Shen Yuan, first offering a respectful bow before entering, ignoring the prohibitions within.

Returning to the Shen Yuan filled him with endless emotion.

It was here that he obtained the Sacred Body essence, and here that he truly rose to prominence.

He stopped before that stone tablet, looking at the poem left by the mortal world back then. The names Ye Chen and Chu Xuan in that poem were particularly striking, and even with his current state of mind, they caused waves of pain.

Shifting his gaze, he looked deeper, as if he could see that towering giant shadow.

It was the ancient Sacred Body, named Chen Zhan, the last Sacred Body of the ancient era. The myriad heavens and domains marked the end of the ancient era and the beginning of the primeval era with his death, ensuring it would never be forgotten by posterity.

As he watched, streaks of golden light streaked across the sky—they were golden characters surrounded by golden light.

"Dun Jia Tian Zi!"

Ye Chen murmured, recalling events from the past. Those golden characters all came from the profound Dun Jia Tian Shu, each one containing supreme Dao insights, capable of arranging themselves and outlining the Great Dao of heaven and earth.

In the past, he had collected many and even snatched some.

Since leaving the Shen Yuan, he had searched for them more than once, and over those ten years, he had occasionally found a few.

However, he knew he was far from gathering all the Dun Jia Tian Zi. He had scoured every corner of Da Chu and found no more such characters. The remaining ones from the Dun Jia Tian Shu must be in the myriad heavens and domains.

As he pondered, those flying Dun Jia Tian Zi had already imprinted themselves one after another onto the Hun Dun Shen Ding, intertwining with the characters already on it, arranging themselves and depicting various profound visions.

Ye Chen took one last look into the depths before turning and leaving.

At Wu Wang Da Ze, he appeared once more.

Again, he stepped into the forbidden zone. The dark waters converged into a black surface like a mirror, reflecting all things in the world and capable of replicating them.

It was here that he had once battled a replica of himself from Wu Wang Da Ze. Because he had recklessly blurred the line between illusion and reality, he had fallen into a state of confusion, triggering a tragic episode from his mortal past.

Now, entering Wu Wang Da Ze again, he was still replicated.

Just as before, he fought another version of himself, the battle bloody and brutal, ending only when emotion prevailed.

He dragged his battered Sacred Body out of Wu Wang Da Ze, pausing to glance into the depths before leaving.

There, a divine mirror floated—the imperial weapon Kun Lun Jing. It was grand and natural, woven with imperial Dao principles, and stained with fresh blood—that of the Xuan Gu Da Di, who had once fought to save the myriad domains and perished in Da Chu.

Ye Chen moved his feet and walked out of Wu Wang Da Ze.

He reappeared in the Huan Hai, still one of Da Chu's five forbidden zones.

A gentle breeze blew as he stepped inside.

This was his first time entering, and suddenly, illusions flashed before his eyes, drawing him into a wondrous realm. Scenes of the past unfolded, faces of old acquaintances appearing—all events and people from bygone days.

For the first time, he experienced the power of the Huan Hai. Even with his current cultivation, he was trapped in the illusions for a full month.

He saw the Xuanyuan Jian. The imperial sword did not oppose him, for he carried the paternal bloodline of Xuanyuan Di. It was precisely the Xuanyuan Jian that had helped him slay the Tian Mo Da Di, making them comrades-in-arms from the past.

He bowed respectfully to the Xuanyuan Jian, honoring both the sword and Xuanyuan Di.

The title of the strongest emperor among the 130 emperors of the Xuanhuang era inspired awe in him—it was an incomparably grand goal.

After leaving the Huan Hai, he stood quietly atop a mountain peak, remaining there for three days.

On the fourth day at dawn, he finally took a step, vanishing in an instant.

He reappeared in a stretch of land.

Looking around, as far as the eye could see, it was all scorched earth with no grass growing, and in places, there was still undried blood, with bones half-buried by the wind and sand.

This was the most mysterious of Da Chu's five forbidden zones: the You Ming Gu.

This forbidden zone was not stationary; it moved constantly, which was why many Da Chu cultivators had been drawn in. The former Blade Emperor Sui Yan had accidentally ended up in the You Ming Gu, trapped there for a hundred years.

Bloody winds howled, carrying wails, and strange forms appeared—entities resembling spirits but not quite, each incredibly powerful, as if intent on devouring him.

Ye Chen struck out, continuously destroying those strange monsters. Though his combat prowess was formidable, he sustained injuries repeatedly.

Nine days later, he stopped, a path of blood trailing behind him, his own body covered in blood and broken bones.

Deeper ahead stood a pagoda inlaid with 999 divine pearls, each radiating divine light, woven with imperial Dao principles, exuding an imperial aura, and suppressing this land of the netherworld.

The Xian Wang Ta, the imperial weapon of the Xian Yu Da Di—it was an emperor who shook antiquity and modernity, ruling during the most glorious era of the myriad heavens and domains.

As Ye Chen gazed at it, it trembled, perhaps because of his Liu Dao Xian Lun Yan. Xian Yu Da Di was of the immortal race, and Ye Chen possessed the heaven-defying immortal eyes of that race. As the imperial weapon of Xian Yu Da Di, the Xian Wang Ta seemed to sense the bloodline of its master, filled with excitement and hesitation.

Ye Chen left and reappeared in the Shi Wan Da Shan.

He had always approached the Shi Wan Da Shan with reverence.

It was an ancient battlefield from some unknown era, burying countless supreme experts, including quasi-emperors from the myriad heavens and domains— all predecessors who now lay in eternal rest.

As the tenth Huangzhe of Da Chu, with heaven-defying combat strength, returning to the Shi Wan Da Shan still filled him with the same oppressive feeling as before.

At some point, melodious qin music echoed from within the Shi Wan Da Shan, as if a woman were plucking the strings. The strands of music were like celestial tunes from the nine heavens, purifying the soul and cleansing the world's impurities.

"Jiu You Xian Qu!"

Ye Chen murmured. He was familiar with that qin music; a devoted woman had once played it for him, only to die in his arms. Her name was Liu Ru Yan, and she had used that qin tune to help him escape his confusion.

The Feng Huang Qin, the imperial weapon of the Dong Hua Empress Yue Shang—she was an emperor rich in mythic lore, the only one among the 130 emperors of the Xuanhuang era to achieve emperorship before the age of 5,000.

Gazing at it, Ye Chen felt a sense of closeness, perhaps due to his bloodline. The supreme beauty of Di Huang should have been extraordinarily elegant.