Chapter 1593: A Heart-to-Heart Talk

In Tianxuan Men's Xiao Zhulin, Donghuang Taiyi had already brewed the tea.

As soon as Ye Chen entered, she beckoned him over.

It had been three hundred years since they had truly met – their parting back then felt like ages ago.

He vaguely remembered that when he left that year, it was in a similar setting, with Kunlun Shen Nü personally brewing tea to see him off.

"You didn't disappoint Da Chu in the end," Donghuang Taiyi smiled faintly and poured tea for Ye Chen, just as she had done years before.

"Back then, Da Chu's origin was scattered and couldn't sustain the cycle of the heavens. Now that the origin has revived, why not recreate the heavens and earth?" Ye Chen took a sip of tea and looked at Donghuang Taiyi. "Without the cycle of the heavens to conceal it, aren't you afraid the heavenly demons will attack again?"

"You're underestimating the cycle of the heavens," Donghuang Taiyi shook her head with a smile. "Without a great emperor personally setting up the formation, we couldn't create such a defiance against heavens and earth with our means."

"So, does that mean the heavenly demons can easily find Da Chu?"

"That's why the emperor weapons guarding Da Chu have increased from five to nine, to cover up Da Chu's opportunities."

"Honestly, I've had this hope more than once," Ye Chen picked up his teacup, his words calm. "I wish the heavenly demons' iron hooves would trample across all the heavens and myriad domains, so that the so-called common people would understand what it means to be protected."

"I understand your state of mind. Da Chu has sacrificed so much, yet it's not remembered by the myriad domains. Your journey through the heavens was truly desolate."

"It's not me who's desolate, but the fallen souls. So many people are buried in foreign lands, dying without even knowing about Da Chu."

Ye Chen's smile carried a hint of sorrow, and he couldn't help but recall the reincarnated ones. They had protected the common people, yet died so miserably.

Donghuang Taiyi fell silent, her heart filled with its own grief.

The two of them said nothing more, simply sipping their tea quietly, the atmosphere serene and undisturbed, like two tacit old friends with everything understood without words.

"That little one, Ruoxi, was taken away by the Zhu Xian Jian," After a while, Donghuang Taiyi spoke softly.

"I know," Ye Chen took a deep breath. "I returned to Da Chu during that time – or more accurately, I dreamed back to Da Chu. I heard every word of your conversation."

"No wonder," Donghuang Taiyi sighed. "No wonder I felt your presence more than once but couldn't find you. The emperor path's immortal law, dreaming back through the ages, is truly profound."

As she spoke, Donghuang Taiyi rested her chin on one hand, her beautiful eyes flickering as she smiled and gazed at Ye Chen.

Ye Chen felt uncomfortable under her stare, especially with that smile of hers – it made his back feel chillingly cold.

"Haven't you seen my body already?" Donghuang Taiyi looked at Ye Chen with a laugh. There was that one time when she had just finished bathing and hadn't changed yet, sensing a pair of eyes on her. Now, she figured it must have been Ye Chen in his dream state.

"That was an accident," Ye Chen coughed dryly. "You can't blame me – who knew you were bathing?"

"A great beauty like me, and you've been fantasizing about it for days, haven't you?"

"Nonsense, I didn't see anything. Don't wrong me."

"Is that so?" Donghuang Taiyi raised an eyebrow, her smile growing wider.

"I'm a proper gentleman, you know," Ye Chen said, while subtly adjusting his pants. Who could blame that scene for being so alluring? Any man would struggle to hold back!

"As if I'd believe you," Donghuang Taiyi glared at Ye Chen fiercely. Even as a quasi-emperor, she was still a woman, and she hadn't even shown her sword or dao to anyone, yet this guy had seen everything.

If he weren't the sovereign of Da Chu, if he hadn't made such significant contributions to the myriad domains, she would have slapped him to death on the spot.

The atmosphere grew a bit awkward. Ye Chen focused on drinking his tea – this woman had a fiery temper and might actually hit him.

And then there was the Jian Shen; if he found out, he'd probably strike Ye Chen down with a sword, no questions asked – coincidence or not, he'd deal with it later.

"Hongchen has also reincarnated. When I first saw him, he became a saint on the spot. When I saw him again, a hundred years ago, he was already a quasi-emperor," Ye Chen cleverly changed the topic.

"A person from the future timeline can actually reincarnate," Donghuang Taiyi frowned, her shock hard to hide.

It had to be said, Ye Chen's topic shift was spot-on, even leaving Donghuang Taiyi incredulous.

Becoming a quasi-emperor at two hundred years old was too bizarre – it severely violated the laws and was an outrageously demonic rate of advancement.

As she thought about it, Donghuang Taiyi looked at Ye Chen with deep meaning. "What is the relationship between Hongchen and Liu Dao?"

"Hongchen is the future me, and Liu Dao is the future Hongchen."

"This..." Donghuang Taiyi couldn't help but part her lips in astonishment.

The news was too shocking, catching her off guard.

One was a legend of Da Chu, an unbeatable force in single combat; the other was the nightmare of the heavens, taking on the forbidden zones one by one.

They had already disrupted the laws of time and space, and now they were overturning the laws of reincarnation. It seemed all the rules of the world were mere decorations before them.

"Hongchen wants to kill Ruoxi, and Liu Dao wants to protect Ruoxi," Ye Chen revealed another secret without holding back.

"One wants to kill, the other to protect?" Donghuang Taiyi narrowed her beautiful eyes slightly.

Perhaps only now did she truly understand the reason Hongchen had gone against the heavens to come to this timeline – it was precisely to kill Ruoxi.

But the future Hongchen and Liu Dao had missions that were completely opposite, which was utterly inconceivable.

"I'm starting to understand why the Zhu Xian Jian is so against you," Donghuang Taiyi's words carried even deeper meaning. "Whether it's Hongchen or Liu Dao, their roots are all in you, Ye Chen. The one the Zhu Xian Jian truly wants to eliminate isn't you, but Hongchen and Liu Dao."

"Hongchen and Liu Dao must have uncovered some shocking secret, which is why the Zhu Xian Jian wants to silence them," Ye Chen pondered. "It couldn't defeat Hongchen and Liu Dao, so it shifted its target to you, hoping to strike them by killing you."

"The Zhu Xian Jian wants to destroy Liu Dao and Hongchen, while Hongchen and Liu Dao have one killing and one protecting Ruoxi. From this, it's clear that the Zhu Xian Jian and Ruoxi aren't on the same side."

"The Zhu Xian Jian, Liu Dao, Hongchen, and even you – all of you are connected to Ruoxi," Donghuang Taiyi murmured.

"So, Ruoxi's true identity is the key to unraveling all these mysteries," Ye Chen said slowly.

As they spoke, the two fell silent again. One secret had been uncovered, yet it shrouded many things in more fog.

What was certain was that if the wheel of history hadn't deviated, the future heavens would face a great catastrophe.

And that catastrophe would be destructive, with even great emperors falling in battle. One could imagine how terrifying it would be.

"You don't need to worry about this anymore. Just focus on living out your remaining time," Donghuang Taiyi eventually broke the silence.

"Understood," Ye Chen smiled and slowly stood up.

Three years was like a fleeting moment for cultivators, truly short – a blink, and it would be the end.

He really couldn't get involved in this matter. With his level of cultivation, he couldn't handle it anyway, so he'd leave it to the quasi-emperors to fret over.

He had come to terms with it and deserved a good rest.

"Three years is too short – don't let them have any more regrets," Behind him, Donghuang Taiyi's words lingered faintly in the air.

Ye Chen smiled but didn't reply, stepping out of the Xiao Zhulin.

Watching Ye Chen leave, Donghuang Taiyi's expression turned distant.

In a haze, she seemed to see a woman in white putting on wedding clothes, step by step approaching the altar.

That woman wasn't a bride getting married; she was giving her life to him, just so he could gain three more years of life.

Through yin-yang borrowing, the heavens and earth were reversed. The Ren Wang was the matchmaker, and the thread was the karma between her and him.

Ten years of cultivation bring a shared boat ride; a hundred years bring sharing a pillow.

Love was the boat that ferried them; the altar was the bed where the two "newlyweds" lay together, settling their karma.

It was a sorrowful scene. She smiled radiantly, yet until her death, she never saw him open his eyes to look at his bride.

Slowly collecting her thoughts, Donghuang Taiyi sent out a divine sense.

Soon, Fu Ya arrived. "What does the Shen Nü summon me for?"

"Go invite the nine emperors of Da Chu, and bring the Ren Wang Fu Xi as well," Donghuang Taiyi said lightly. "Also, have the Heaven and Earth Elders go to Heng Yue and secretly protect Ye Chen."

"Secretly protect?" Fu Ya looked stunned. "Does the Shen Nü mean someone might make a move against Ye Chen?"

"He will be a variable, affecting too many changes."