Chapter 2145: Heavenly Void Enlightenment Stone

Ye Chen coughed awkwardly, feeling a chill run down his spine. He couldn't shake the feeling that these two old men would settle the score with him. Using Tian Jie to threaten the five forbidden zones was truly a bit much.

Di Mie's old face turned a dark shade of black, a strong urge to punch someone flickering in his eyes.

Tian Zhu, however, remained calm and gentle. He waved his hand lightly, signaling Ye Chen to relax and focus on his enlightenment.

Ye Chen smiled sheepishly, then sat cross-legged and closed his eyes.

The Wu Dao Shi felt cool and infused with a mysterious power, nourishing his Sheng Ti. Most profound of all was the Da Dao Tian Yin, which echoed in his ears the moment he sat down, resonating with his Dao principles. He could even clearly see strands of Dao principles wandering through his divine sea.

Suddenly, Ye Chen's mind trembled, and he entered a wondrous realm.

This realm seemed like a real great world, with pure and majestic life. Towering mountains stood tall, lush immortal forests thrived amidst swirling clouds and mist, hazy and indistinct. Vaguely, various phenomena appeared, accompanied by the Da Dao Tian Yin, evolving the myriad things of the world.

Ye Chen's mind was completely immersed, unable to extricate himself, as he comprehended the Da Dao.

In the outside world, he sat like an old monk in meditation, dignified and utterly still.

"We should have just kicked this guy to death, I say," Di Mie grumbled, still holding a grudge over the past events. It was a humiliation for Tian Xu to have been threatened like that.

"Are you saying that inside him is... Tian Mo essence?" Tian Zhu asked in surprise.

"Tian Mo essence?" Di Mie echoed, setting down his pipe in astonishment. He moved closer to Ye Chen, narrowing his old eyes and peering through Ye Chen's physical form to its most fundamental source.

At this sight, Di Mie raised his eyebrows.

The two exchanged glances, their expressions strange. How could the body of a Huang Gu Sheng Ti contain Tian Mo essence? Not only had they never seen it, but even hearing about it felt novel.

A few seconds later, they both turned back to Ye Chen. One stroked his beard, the other rubbed his chin, as they circled around him, trying to uncover all his secrets.

"No Qian Tian Mo Zhu, so where did the Tian Mo essence come from?"

"Could it be left from the time of Dou Di?"

"It's already passed one cycle of reincarnation; even if it existed, it would have been erased by the wheel of reincarnation."

"This is truly bizarre."

The two bantered back and forth, observing Ye Chen for most of the night without figuring anything out.

Ye Chen was unaware of their scrutiny, remaining as still as a statue.

As for the Wu Dao Shi, it was truly extraordinary—ancient and natural, its origins unknown, exuding an aura of antiquity. Faint divine light made Ye Chen's Sheng Ti glow with golden radiance, and even the strands of white hair on his head gained a hint of golden sheen, strikingly bright.

In this way, three to five days passed quietly.

Tian Xu was completely silent, without a sound. Only Tian Zhu and Di Mie were active—more precisely, the other living beings were all in seals. Every so often, another two would be released to take their place, maintaining this endless cycle of shifts through the ages.

Another dark night arrived, with all sounds hushed.

Di Mie lay sprawled on a rock, sleeping soundly, his snores rumbling loudly.

Compared to him, Tian Zhu was more restrained, resting with one hand supporting his cheek in a light doze.

One had to say, the Tian Xu Tian Wangs were not ones for romance. With just two men on duty, there wasn't much to do for entertainment. It was said that male-female pairs were more reliable—you could chat when bored and even sneak off for some private time.

Hm?

At some point, Tian Zhu was startled awake and immediately glanced at Ye Chen.

He saw that from the top of Ye Chen's head, a divine rainbow shot out, soaring straight into the sky. It shone brightly in the night, and his Sheng Ti was enveloped in golden light, as if cast from gold. A thick, prolonged Long Yin echoed endlessly from within him—that was the sound of the Dao, as well as his bloodline, manifesting as dragon roars, something ordinary people couldn't achieve.

"I told you, this guy's a real monster," Di Mie said, waking up with a sigh of amazement.

"A person who's slain an emperor isn't that simple, as we said," Tian Zhu remarked leisurely.

As they watched, the golden light on Ye Chen's body gradually retracted into him. It was because he had gained some insight from his enlightenment, seizing a bit of good fortune, marking a minor transformation.

Precisely because of this small transformation, his cultivation advanced slightly.

At that moment, both Tian Zhu and Di Mie frowned and looked up at the ethereal void. Then, they turned back, their deep old eyes fixed on Ye Chen.

"Can you sense it?" Tian Zhu asked.

"The Di Dao suppression has weakened a bit more," Di Mie replied.

With that single sentence, both fell silent, their old eyes narrowed as they stared intently at Ye Chen.

This time, neither felt sleepy anymore. They sat right in front of him, hands tucked in their sleeves, watching without blinking, afraid he might vanish in an instant.

Day and night alternated, the sun and moon cycled, and another three days passed quietly.

Ye Chen's enlightenment brought continuous opportunities. Without warning, bursts of dazzling immortal light would erupt from him. Each time, Tian Zhu and Di Mie would look up at the void, as if verifying something.

"Every time his cultivation strengthens a bit, the Di Dao suppression weakens a bit. What kind of logic is this?"

After several days, Di Mie spoke for the first time, glancing sideways at Tian Zhu.

Tian Zhu said nothing, equally baffled. As they gazed at Ye Chen, their eyes grew even more profound. Di Mie could sense it, and so could he. As peak Zhun Di, they felt it keenly—each time Ye Chen's cultivation advanced, the Di Dao suppression weakened. At first, they thought it a coincidence, but after observing multiple times, it clearly wasn't.

"What exactly is his connection to Di Zun?" Tian Zhu murmured.

"How about we invite her out to confirm?" Di Mie suggested tentatively.

"You'd better thank the heavens that Tian Wang is in the midst of tribulation. If she heard you say that, she'd slap you to death without a second thought," Tian Zhu retorted, glancing at Di Mie with a hint of severity.

"I'm just saying." Di Mie coughed dryly and dared not mention it again.

Tian Zhu took a deep breath and pulled out a pipe, puffing on it as he circled Ye Chen. Anything that could affect the Di Dao suppression—this kid was that eerie, even more so than the Six Paths. Why were there so many strange people like this?

On the tenth day, Ye Chen finally awoke.

As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw two old faces practically pressed against his, their wrinkles clearly visible. Anyone unaware might think they were about to kiss him.

Ye Chen jolted, nearly falling off the Wu Dao Shi, and let out a nervous laugh.

"Tell me honestly, what's your relationship with Xian Wu Di Zun?" Di Mie demanded, his wise old eyes fixed straight on Ye Chen, seeking the exact answer.

"No relationship," Ye Chen immediately shook his head.

"Not telling the truth? That's forcing this old man to use the knife!" Di Mie's face darkened ominously as he pulled a gleaming kitchen knife from his robes and waved it in front of Ye Chen, as if to say that any more nonsense would get him chopped up and fed to the dogs.

Tian Zhu was more reliable. He pushed Di Mie aside and smiled at Ye Chen. "As your cultivation advances, do you feel anything unusual? Like, perhaps, some ancient memories?"

At that, Ye Chen shook his head again.

He didn't have any ancient memories, but he did feel something unusual—a sense that the pressure from the heavens and earth wasn't as strong as before.

Of course, he didn't realize that this was the Di Dao suppression, the very force that left peak Zhun Di feeling powerless, like an insurmountable chasm.

Tian Zhu and Di Mie didn't press further. From Ye Chen's expression, he wasn't lying—or at least, he was completely unaware. As a mere Da Sheng realm cultivator, how could he touch upon the Di Dao suppression?

"What if we force his cultivation to rise? Would the Di Dao suppression keep weakening?" Di Mie whispered to Tian Zhu. "If so, we might just create an emperor."

"Is that simple?" Tian Zhu chuckled. "Advancing from Da Sheng realm isn't that easy. Even if it were possible, and even if it infinitely weakened the Di Dao suppression, what if the one who becomes emperor is from the Hong Huang? That would be awkward for everyone in the Zhutian."

"You're right." Di Mie coughed, realizing his idea was far-fetched.

While they whispered, Ye Chen quietly slipped away. It wasn't that he didn't want to stay on the Wu Dao Shi; he had other missions and needed to rendezvous with Xi Chen as soon as possible.

Another reason was that these two old fellows might catch him off guard and beat him half to death, settling that old account from when he threatened Tian Xu.

Tian Zhu and Di Mie didn't stop him, letting him leave.

Once he was gone, Tian Zhu formed a seal with one hand, and suddenly, a massive stone stele rose from the ground. It stood ten thousand zhang tall, grand and imposing, much like the one at Tian Xuan Gate. It was hung with numerous Yuan Shen jade plaques, each belonging to the peak Zhun Di of Tian Xu who were undergoing tribulation.

At a glance, it was shocking—more than half of the jade plaques had shattered, meaning over half of Tian Xu's tribulation-bound peak Zhun Di had perished.

And that wasn't the end; plaques would continue to shatter unexpectedly.

"A bunch of old fools, surviving the destruction of heaven and earth, only to capsize in a ditch," Di Mie gasped roughly, cursing loudly. Though his words were harsh, tears streamed down his old face, blurring his eyes. His hoarse voice carried endless weariness and sorrow.

Tian Zhu said nothing, but his aged body trembled, his back bending even more.