Chapter 1298: A Hundred Years

Once again on the road, only Ye Chen's solitary figure remained.

Without borrowing the might of the Jian Shen, he had to act with caution, searching for stars one by one.

This was a long and arduous journey.

He was like a traveler, covered in dust, his body etched with the marks of time's passage.

Time flowed on, day after day, year after year.

A hundred years passed in this world, and Da Chu's tenth emperor, Ye Chen, had spent a century in his relentless search, leaving his solitary shadow across countless star domains.

In those hundred years, he found many of Da Chu's reincarnated souls and secured safe places for them.

In those hundred years, his cultivation advanced slowly—not because his talent was lacking, but because he devoted most of his time and energy to searching for the reincarnated ones, reaching only the peak of Huang Jing by the end of it.

At Hengyue Zong, on the peak of Yunu Peak,

A woman with white hair stood gracefully, quietly gazing up at the starry sky. Da Chu's eleventh emperor, with unparalleled elegance, bathed in the pure moonlight, appearing holy and flawless, like a dreamlike vision.

The nights of Da Chu remained as peaceful as ever.

Hengyue Zong was like a mortal paradise, a pure land in the world, utterly serene in the silence of all sounds.

A gentle breeze blew, stirring her white hair, making her instinctively reach out toward the vast starry sky, as if to pluck the brightest star.

"You may still remember a woman named Liu Ruyan."

"Never did I think that two hundred years in this world could feel so long."

Donghuang Taixin descended from Yunu Peak, just like Liu Ruyan, gazing up at the vast starry sky, hoping to see that person return.

"He will come back."

Liu Ruyan's eyes were filled with misty longing, her soft murmur carrying the gentle tenderness of a devoted woman.

"He has never disappointed Da Chu, has he?"

Donghuang Taixin's words were cut short as she suddenly looked toward the vast void, her eyes like clear water narrowing slightly.

"The starry sky is stirring; there are outsiders approaching."

Liu Ruyan spoke softly.

"Open."

No sooner had Liu Ruyan spoken than an ethereal command echoed through the heavens.

In the next instant, the starry sky split open with a massive rift, and a thick beam of immortal light descended from the sky, piercing through heaven and earth. Ripples of immortal light spread in all directions, much like the towering demonic pillar from two hundred years ago.

Immediately, a pressure that made the heavens tremble enveloped Da Chu, causing the firmament to rumble.

The entire Da Chu was shaken; everyone looked up in alarm.

"What is happening?"

"Is that a towering pillar? Is there another demonic invasion?"

Upon seeing the colossal immortal pillar, many people paled in shock, thinking the demons had returned, and many drew their weapons.

"It shouldn't be."

An elder cultivator ascended to the sky. "The light radiates immortality; it's completely opposite to the aura of demons."

"Then what is that?"

Amid cries of astonishment from all directions in Da Chu, many stared in a daze at the towering immortal pillar, where a majestic figure stepped out.

"Chu Huang?"

The cultivators of Da Chu trembled, incredulously gazing at that majestic figure. His form was as steadfast as a great mountain, identical to the statue of Chu Huang that stood in Da Chu.

"Chu Huang!"

The people of the Da Chu imperial clan were all overcome with tears, recognizing their emperor.

"And more."

As shocked voices rose from all sides, the towering immortal pillar trembled again, and a graceful figure emerged, with exquisite poise and unmatched elegance, untouched by the dust of the mortal world.

"Yue Huang?"

"And another."

The immortal pillar shook once more, and another majestic figure appeared, his eyes like stars, his black hair like a waterfall, like a divine emperor overlooking the heavens, his pressure immense, subduing all realms.

"Yan Huang!"

The followers of Yan Huang trembled in excitement.

"The emperors of Da Chu!"

The elder cultivators were deeply moved, their turbid eyes fixed on the towering immortal pillar, from which figures continued to emerge one after another, all of them emperors of Da Chu.

"Chu Huang, Yue Huang, Yan Huang, Tianzang Huang, Dong Huang, Tai Wang, Zhan Wang, Xuan Huang, Chen Huang."

"We pay our respects to the emperors of Da Chu."

All the people of Da Chu knelt on the ground, their shouts shaking the heavens and earth.

"The years are like a blade!"

The nine emperors of Da Chu stood side by side, gazing nostalgically at this vast land, just as in their memories. After endless years of hardship, they had finally returned.

"He succeeded."

On the peak of Yunu Peak, Liu Ruyan's eyes were filled with tears, her clear gaze fixed on the immortal pillar, hoping the one to emerge after Xuan Huang would be Da Chu's tenth emperor, Ye Chen.

The immortal pillar trembled, and indeed someone stepped out, but it was not Ye Chen—it was a person in white robes and white hair.

It was the Jian Shen, the myth of the heavens.

His appearance made Donghuang Taixin's eyes well up with tears, turning to frost in the moonlight.

The Jian Shen surveyed the heavens, his gaze finally settling on Hengyue Zong, locking onto Yunu Peak. He precisely found Donghuang Taixin, and after endless years of separation, even the Jian Shen's eyes grew moist.

Though moved, the Jian Shen of the heavens withdrew his gaze.

Like him, the nine emperors of Da Chu did the same, looking away from below.

The ten of them formed the same seals with their hands.

As their seals stabilized, a massive array spanning a million zhang appeared, etched into the void. It was woven with the ten individuals' dao principles, strands of immortal light dancing, illuminating the starry sky in splendor.

The great array activated, and the starry sky split open again, revealing eight more towering immortal pillars standing between heaven and earth.

The eight pillars shook in unison, and from each, ten figures emerged, each exuding overwhelming pressure, their auras no weaker than that of the Jian Shen of the heavens, all ancient ancestors of their lineages.

Another great array formed; the ten in each group made seals, activating arrays identical to that of the Jian Shen and the others.

Zhutian Lunhui, activate!

From the direction of Tianxuan Gate, a command rang out, opening the great array of Zhutian Lunhui, which covered Da Chu and merged with the arrays of the Jian Shen and the Da Chu emperors, etching itself into this land.

Only then did the heavens cease their turmoil.

Under the watchful eyes of all, the Jian Shen of the heavens, the Da Chu emperors, and those who emerged from the other immortal pillars withdrew their seals. In total, ninety people bowed in unison toward this land.

Though they were all predecessors, they still performed this rite, honoring the heroic spirits who had died in battle for Da Chu.

The cultivators of Da Chu were all in tears; in the bloody war two hundred years ago, Da Chu's ninety million cultivators had fought nearly to extinction, guarding this land and protecting the myriad realms.

The night fell quiet once more.

The Jian Shen and the others descended from the void, continuously inscribing seals across the land.

They had taken a hundred years to find Da Chu, but finding it and bringing it back were two different things. The path for Da Chu to return to the Zhutian Wandu was still distant, requiring a long period of time.

Time was pressing; they could not delay, for Da Chu's origin was already destroyed and rapidly dissipating.

Donghuang Taixin arrived, her eyes tearful, exchanging a smile with the Jian Shen of the heavens, though she said nothing. The years had been too long; their longing and bond were all unspoken.

Liu Ruyan also came, her eyes full of hope as she looked at the nine emperors of Da Chu's past generations.

The people of Da Chu Heavenly Court had arrived too, like a tide, also gazing at the nine emperors with hope.

Yue Huang smiled gently.

"He is in the Zhutian Wandu, still searching for the reincarnated ones. You will meet him in the end."

These words made Liu Ruyan burst into tears. She had waited through past and present lives, through two hundred years of trials, and now she finally had news of him. Knowing he was safe, what more could she ask for?

The cultivators of the Heavenly Court were also teary-eyed; Ye Chen had not let Da Chu wait in vain for two hundred years.

Ye Chen dragged his blood-soaked sacred body, staggering through the starry sky, leaving a trail of bloody footprints.

He was injured, severely wounded by a terrifying Sheng Wang while saving a reincarnated soul, nearly perishing in the process.

He had lost count of how many times he had been wounded in the past hundred years, encountering countless fearsome beings. His body was covered in scars, and the exhausted Ye Chen had collapsed in the starry sky more than once.

Only after some time did he land on a desolate star, hiding in a deep mountain forest.

There, he released the reincarnated soul he had sealed in the Chaos Cauldron—a young man in purple robes, with a sharp face and mischievous eyes, his hair disheveled, his gaze slyly scanning everything.

This was someone Ye Chen knew very well; in Da Chu, he had a notorious title: Dao Sheng.

Indeed, this purple-robed young man was Dao Zhi, a Xuan-generation disciple and one of the nine true successors of the Heavenly Court.

Ye Chen had been wounded this time trying to save him, chased by a Sheng Wang for over eight million li. Thankfully, Ye Chen's escape skills were unmatched, or he would have fallen.

"You bastard, why mess with a Sheng Wang?"

Ye Chen cursed loudly, perhaps too agitated, as fresh blood surged from his mouth. If not for his injuries, he would have beaten Dao Zhi senseless.

"I didn't mess with him."

Dao Zhi quickly protested his innocence.

"That old guy just took a liking to my treasure and chased me."

"Did you or didn't you? Don't you have any sense?"

Ye Chen's forehead was lined with veins.

"I'm baffled—why not do something decent? You stole in your past life, and now you're robbing tombs?"

"I just went in for a look around; I didn't take anything."

Dao Zhi chuckled awkwardly.

"I... puff!"

Ye Chen choked up and spat blood, unsure if it was from his wounds or anger. Not a single Xuan-generation disciple of the Heavenly Court gave him a moment's peace; they were all a real headache.

"Don't get worked up; I'll be a good person from now on."

"I really want to kick you to death."

"Don't scare me."

Dao Zhi grinned shamelessly and approached, casually taking out pills from Ye Chen's storage bag, crushing them one by one and infusing them into Ye Chen's body.

"This isn't Da Chu; behave yourself."

Ye Chen grumbled, frantically absorbing the medicinal power.

"You bet."

Dao Zhi shook his head, then meaningfully smoothed his hair, though in his mind, he was already planning to visit a few ancient tombs on other stars when he had the chance. He had already scouted them; the tombs weren't small, and the treasures should be plentiful.