Chapter 1058: I'm Leaving, Great Chu

In the quiet night, Ye Chen returned to Tianxuan Gate after ten years.

Donghuang Taixin was already waiting, still brewing tea as if using it in place of wine to bid him farewell.

Behind her, in the void, stood a gate of light, with nine elderly quasi-emperors from Tianxuan Gate standing nearby. That gate led to a space black hole, the place where he would depart.

Ye Chen withdrew his gaze and sat down, saying nothing.

Donghuang Taixin remained silent as well, personally pouring a full cup for Ye Chen.

The two of them sat like that in the serene bamboo grove, like old acquaintances who understood each other without words, everything conveyed in the silence.

“It's not too late to regret now.”

“Believe me, I can do it.”

“Then, do you have anything else you want to say about this land?”

“The reincarnation in Da Chu is in chaos. Is it possible for the heavenly demons to find Da Chu again?”

“Even people from Zhutian Wandao can't find Da Chu, let alone them.” Donghuang Taixin tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “You already know the answer to this question, so why ask? Don't beat around the bush with me. Ask what you really want to know, and I'll tell you everything.”

“Ruoxi.”

“I thought you'd keep that secret for a lifetime.”

“What exactly is her origin?”

“I don't know.” Donghuang Taixin watered the teapot, her words calm and straightforward. “I can't see her background, but like Hongchen and Shenxuan Feng, she is someone who transcends the six paths of reincarnation in Da Chu.”

“So what?”

“So her identity is no simple matter. Even the reincarnation of Zhutian can't reveal her past and present lives, the Xianlun Eye can't detect any clues about her, and Zhou Tian's divination can't calculate her origins. People like that usually have only one possibility.”

“What is it?”

“She transcends the mundane world and stands shoulder to shoulder with the emperors.”

“Transcends the mundane world and stands shoulder to shoulder with the emperors.” Ye Chen murmured the words, never imagining that Ruoxi had such a profound background. Who exactly was she? It gave him an unsettling feeling.

“Ye Chen, I know you well.” Donghuang Taixin spoke again. “Both you and the future Ye Xingchen defied the heavens to come to this era, all for her. There's no need to hide it from me or deny it. With the Xianlun Eye, you must have glimpsed a corner of the future.”

“I don't believe in fate or any predetermined destiny.”

“I'll seal her away.” Donghuang Taixin took a light sip of tea. “Until you return.”

“Thank you.”

“Don't thank me. Who knows, I might just destroy her one day.” Donghuang Taixin's words were casual.

As she spoke, she waved her hand and produced a token, placing it in Ye Chen's hand.

It was a token forged from divine iron from beyond the heavens, imprinted with supreme dao principles. It was incredibly heavy, with visions and dao sounds intertwining. On its back were two ancient characters etched with divine principles: Kunlun.

“KUNLUN.” Ye Chen gently stroked the token. Looking at those two characters, he became even more certain that the person before him was the Kunlun goddess he had seen in his visions, the one who had fought alongside him.

“Take this Kunlun token with you.” Donghuang Taixin said. “If you truly reach Zhutian Wandao, go to Kunlun Xu. With the token in hand, it's as if I am there myself. Tell them everything that has happened in Da Chu, and then Zhutian Wandao can use the subtle connection between your original body and your clones or dao bodies to locate Da Chu.”

“Understood.”

“Also, if you can't find Kunlun Xu, you can look for Daluo Zhutian, Da Xia Imperial Dynasty, Jiuhuang Heaven, or the Divine Hall instead.”

“Understood.”

“Remember, don't reveal the Kunlun token lightly. Zhutian Wandao is far more complex and chaotic than you imagine. In that world where the strong rule, you're always at risk of being destroyed. Not everyone knows about Da Chu, and not everyone is aware of what you've done for Zhutian Wandao. Proceed with caution in everything.”

“Understood.”

“Go through that gate of light, and you'll enter the space black hole. Then just keep heading east.”

“Understood.”

“So, on this land, do you have any unfinished wishes?”

“If I don't return, put up a tombstone for me at Hengyue.”

“Is that all?”

“That's all.” Ye Chen smiled faintly, slowly rising to his feet and looking toward the ethereal gate of light in the void. “Donghuang Taixin, in Zhutian Wandao, is there anyone you care about? If I succeed, I can pass on a message for you.”

“Anyone I care about.” Donghuang Taixin murmured softly.

“Jian Feidao, the Sword God of Zhutian.” Ye Chen said leisurely. “He must be an unparalleled figure, and surely the one you care about.”

“Why do you know about Jian Feidao?” Donghuang Taixin paused, looking at Ye Chen with a mix of confusion and bewilderment. She had always kept her feelings for him hidden, and no one knew about them. She was surprised that Ye Chen had spoken of it directly.

“I almost forgot.” A couple of seconds later, she shook her head with a smile. “You've seen visions of the future, so you must have seen the future me, and the future Jian Feidao.”

Ye Chen smiled but said no more, not wanting to reveal too much of the heavenly secrets.

As for the Sword God Jian Feidao, he hadn't seen him in the future visions, but he had heard the name before—it was the one Donghuang Taixin had murmured in her weakest moments.

Donghuang Taixin had already taken out a sachet, with the three characters “Jian Feidao” engraved on it.

She gently stroked the sachet before handing it to Ye Chen. “If you see him, give this to him.”

Ye Chen took it, turned resolutely, and soared upward, steadily approaching the gate of light.

At the gate, Fu Ya and the group of elderly quasi-emperors all bowed with their hands clasped, showing respect despite their status and cultivation. Their turbid old eyes were filled with hope.

This was an immense honor for Ye Chen, that such a grand gesture was made.

Ye Chen returned the bow.

But in the final moment before stepping through the gate, he silently turned back, wanting to take one last look at this vast land and the familiar faces before embarking on his lonely journey.

Suddenly, his eyes blurred with emotion.

Da Chu, I am leaving!

Ye Chen smiled with a touch of weariness, waved his hand, slowly turned around, and stepped into the gate of light, vanishing in an instant.

In Da Chu, whether ordinary people or cultivators, they all gazed toward Tianxuan Gate under the silent night, watching that solitary figure depart on a journey alone, seeking hope for this land.

Ah!

As the gate of light faded away, Fu Ya and the others sighed deeply, as if they had all aged years in that moment.

Believe in him!

Donghuang Taixin looked in the direction where Ye Chen had disappeared and smiled faintly.

Boom!

No sooner had she spoken than the void over Da Chu trembled.

Then, a divine sword wreathed in seven-colored immortal light flew in from beyond the heavens, piercing a massive hole through Da Chu.

The Zhuxian Sword!

Whether it was Donghuang Taixin, Fu Ya, or the elderly quasi-emperors, their expressions changed drastically at the same time.

In the past, when Chu Xuan had died, the Zhuxian Sword had shattered the void and left, and everyone thought it had departed from Da Chu. But now, it seemed it had deceived them all, returning the moment Ye Chen left.

Stop it!

Donghuang Taixin shouted lightly, forming seals with one hand to activate Da Chu's restrictions and summon several imperial artifacts.

Immediately, from five directions in Da Chu, five brilliant divine lights shot into the sky, converging into a massive formation to try to seal the Zhuxian Sword.

However, the Zhuxian Sword let out a resounding hum, ignoring the seal of the five imperial artifacts, breaking free from the restraints and flying toward Hengyue Sect. It dove into a spiritual mountain and finally entered the body of Xiao Ruoxi.

Stay!

Donghuang Taixin stepped out of Tianxuan Gate, her crystalline jade hand covering the sky and enveloping all of Hengyue Sect.

With you?

Xiao Ruoxi emerged, her voice tender but icy and commanding, carrying supreme authority, like that of a world-conquering queen whom no one could defy.

Now, Ruoxi was different from before. She was enveloped in seven-colored divine radiance, with an ancient rune etched on her forehead. Her immense pressure made the heavens tremble, forcing all living beings to prostrate.

Pfft!

Ruoxi swung her sword, cleaving through Donghuang Taixin's hand seal in one strike.

Then, like a beam of eternal divine light, she shot straight into the sky, truly shattering the void this time, and vanished in the blink of an eye.