Chapter 1217: Dream Vision

Chapter 1217: Seen in the Dream

Donghuang Taiyi!

Ye Chen stared blankly at the scroll, the ethereal and dreamlike figure—it was unmistakably Donghuang Taiyi, wasn't it?

In an instant, Ye Chen's thoughts tangled like a knot. He had already found it baffling to see the painting of the mortal world in the various heavens and myriad domains, and now, within this scroll, he was seeing Donghuang Taiyi's figure again. It added another layer of mystery to what was already incomprehensible.

What could it mean?

Ye Chen gathered the power of his Xianlun pupils, staring intently at the scroll and peeling away layer after layer of fog.

However, his scrutiny seemed to touch upon some forbidden taboo in the unseen realm.

The scroll trembled, and the immortal light on it vanished in an instant.

Uh!

Ye Chen clutched his head fiercely, letting out a pained roar. His divine sea buzzed and thundered, his entire skull feeling as if it might explode.

This time, it wasn't just his left eye that suffered backlash—blood flowed from all seven orifices, struck by some mysterious force from the void.

Pfft!

As he spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, Ye Chen collapsed heavily to the ground. The blood soaked the scroll, outlining a beautiful scene: an ethereal, dreamlike figure dancing gracefully.

In the cave dwelling, with Ye Chen unconscious, an absolute silence fell.

Outside, night had already descended.

The Mo family’s immortal mountain was still lively, with cultivators from all directions coming to visit, every one of them at the quasi-saint level.

On one mountain peak, the air was filled with the scent of wine, and the atmosphere was warm and vibrant. There were over two hundred people, men and women alike, all reincarnated from Da Chu. Each held a wine jug; some gazed up at the stars, others reminisced about the past.

What they all shared was laughter mixed with tears and a sense of world-weariness.

As the night grew deeper, the reincarnated people from Da Chu gradually dispersed.

In the quiet night, a few reincarnated individuals always came to Ye Chen's cave dwelling, kneeling respectfully. For them, he was their holy lord, who had endured countless hardships to find them—this was a tremendous act of grace.

But Ye Chen was unaware of all this; he remained in a deep sleep, his consciousness drifting erratically.

After some time, his sacred body trembled slightly, and his wandering consciousness was pulled into a wondrous dream. He was like a falling leaf, drifting with the wind, unsure where it would take him.

In the haze, Ye Chen opened his eyes.

Before him was a blurry world, veiled by misty clouds that obscured his vision.

In his confusion, the hazy world gradually cleared. Vast rivers and towering mountains shed their mysterious veil, revealing an ancient and desolate landscape—a magnificent land of rivers and mountains.

Da Chu?

Ye Chen was stunned, instantly recognizing where he was.

Dreaming back to Da Chu?

He pondered this in his heart, scanning his surroundings constantly. With previous experience, he was certain he was in a dream realm, back in Da Chu, and without Yan Fei this time.

Without thinking further, Ye Chen ascended into the sky, surveying the heavens while streaking across the firmament like a divine ray. He saw real, existing people—some familiar, some he had never met.

Soon, he flew into a realm that seemed like an immortal domain: the Tianxuan Gate, the guardian deity of Da Chu.

Donghuang Taiyi!

Before even truly entering Tianxuan Gate, Ye Chen couldn't help but call out, his form like a ghost as he dashed straight to the depths of the bamboo grove, hoping the all-powerful Donghuang Taiyi could sense his presence.

Ahead, he saw the bamboo grove, where Donghuang Taiyi resided. Ye Chen shot into it like a divine light.

Wow!

Immediately, a cry of surprise came from the bamboo grove.

In the bamboo grove, the scene was extraordinarily alluring. There was an immortal pool, and Donghuang Taiyi had just finished bathing and stepped out, only to be caught off guard by Ye Chen bursting in.

Mis... misunderstanding!

Ye Chen quickly turned away, his expression extremely awkward.

Donghuang Taiyi gently shook her hair, the strands cascading like a waterfall, each one tinged with immortal radiance. Her crystalline skin glowed inch by inch, but this perfect form had been glimpsed entirely by someone in a careless moment—oh, how awkward.

If the Sword God knew, would he kick me to death?

Ye Chen swallowed hard, still facing away from Donghuang Taiyi.

Who is it?

As Ye Chen muttered to himself, he suddenly heard Donghuang Taiyi's light rebuke. She turned gracefully, now clad in immortal robes, her beautiful eyes narrowing as she scanned the entire bamboo grove, sensing someone was spying.

Can she sense me?

Ye Chen hurriedly turned around, but when he looked at Donghuang Taiyi, he couldn't help but recall the earlier scene. Even though she was dressed in immortal robes now, in his eyes, it was no different from her being bare.

Donghuang Taiyi?

Ye Chen instinctively reached out, trying to pat her shoulder, but his hand passed right through. He was like a phantom, untouchable.

Donghuang Taiyi's delicate brows furrowed slightly, and she gently closed her beautiful eyes.

The next moment, her clear eyes opened wide again, flashing with the essence of the Dao as she scanned the bamboo grove once more. But all she saw were the bamboo plants—nothing else.

Ye Chen frowned too, realizing Donghuang Taiyi could sense some abnormality but couldn't see him.

Was it just my imagination?

Donghuang Taiyi murmured softly, lightly raising her jade hand and waving it around her body, like a blind person groping for something, hoping to find some unusual presence.

Ye Chen extended his hand, trying to meet hers.

Yet, though their hands crossed repeatedly, they passed through each other. One was real, the other a dream phantom; even face-to-face, they were destined to touch nothing.

Goddess?

As they fumbled like this, a voice came from outside the bamboo grove—it was Fu Ya.

Come in!

Donghuang Taiyi replied while continuing to wave her hands around.

Fu Ya entered, and seeing Donghuang Taiyi like this, he was momentarily stunned, not understanding what she was doing.

Have you confirmed it?

Donghuang Taiyi asked lightly as she kept searching.

Hearing this, Fu Ya snapped back and hurriedly took out a Bagua disk. "As you suspected, Goddess, Da Chu is indeed moving, and its origin is depleting. The spiritual energy is also dissipating. In less than five hundred years, this place will become a barren land without any cultivators."

Da Chu's origin is depleting?

Ye Chen's brows furrowed deeply upon hearing this, and he instinctively overlooked the four directions of Da Chu.

As he looked, his eyes narrowed.

Compared to his last dream of Da Chu, the spiritual energy here was indeed less abundant. Many flowers and grasses were withering, and ancient trees were shedding leaves, as if winter were approaching.

How could this be?

Ye Chen's brows furrowed even more, realizing the severity of the problem.

If it was as Fu Ya said, in less than five hundred years, Da Chu would have no cultivators left. Then, the people of Da Chu without cultivation would be mere mortals, and mortals only lived about a hundred years.

While Ye Chen was frowning, Donghuang Taiyi had already taken the Bagua disk from Fu Ya, her expression full of worry.

The bamboo grove fell into a dead silence.

Until a breeze blew again, Fu Ya tentatively looked at Donghuang Taiyi. "Could it be from a hundred years ago?"

"Besides the Zhuxian Sword, who else could it be?" Donghuang Taiyi took a deep breath. "I still haven't figured out the origins of that girl named Ruoxi. Her mystery surpasses even the Heavenly Demon; she's the greatest schemer. A hundred years ago, when the Heavenly Demon attacked, it was likely connected to her."

"The future Ye Chen and the future Ye Xingchen went against the heavens to come to this era and kill her, which proves one thing: there must be shocking upheavals in the various heavens and myriad domains in the future."

"What happened after I left?" Ye Chen listened with a grave expression; his worst fears had come true.

"I hope Ye Chen can find his way to the various heavens and myriad domains." Donghuang Taiyi sighed wistfully.

"Honestly, a hundred years ago, our preparations were a bit rushed." Fu Ya shook his head helplessly. "We sent him on his way without even a source stone. The various heavens and myriad domains are so vast; we should have given him a star map. All that planning, and yet we overlooked something crucial."

"What's said is said; it's too late now." Donghuang Taiyi sighed.

"It's not too late now—show me the star map of the various heavens and myriad domains!" Ye Chen's eyes blazed with divine light as he stared intently at Donghuang Taiyi, hoping to catch her attention again.

Ye Chen's gaze made Donghuang Taiyi's delicate brows furrow once more, and her divine eyes scanned the bamboo grove again. "Fu Ya, have you sensed anyone spying here?"