Chapter 2266: San Niang

Chapter 2266: San Niang

“Hurry up, move quickly, don’t be lazy.”

“This star’s position isn’t accurate; shift it eastward a bit. There can’t be any deviation at all.”

“Where are the people setting up the array? Engrave the array patterns immediately.”

In the dead of night, Da Chu was far from peaceful—or rather, the areas around Da Chu were in turmoil. Shouts echoed one after another, urgent and pressing, like officers urging laborers to move stones. The noise blended into a continuous roar, not only reaching Da Chu but also resounding through the starry sky.

At that moment, the surroundings of Da Chu were teeming with figures.

One could see streaks of divine rainbows streaking across, each one carrying a person. From veteran Quasi-Emperors to younger Emperor Realm experts, as far as the eye could see, it was a dense crowd.

Compared to usual days, the areas around Da Chu now had nine massive stars, all ancient stars of life, brought here through the combined efforts of the Quasi-Emperors from the depths of the starry sky. They were positioned in nine directions around Da Chu. Each ancient star was guarded by an ultimate Emperor Weapon, and every one of them was inscribed with Emperor Dao array patterns, centered around the Emperor Weapons to form an Emperor Dao immortal array.

Gazing into the distance, the nine massive stars resembled nine suns, hovering around Da Chu. Their dazzling light illuminated the gates of the heavens, truly like nine suns aligned, supporting an Emperor Dao formation that created a protective barrier, enveloping all of Da Chu and safeguarding its vast mountains and rivers.

Da Chu itself was also protected by an Emperor Weapon, echoing the nine stars from afar. Numerous immortal arrays connected one after another, elevating Da Chu’s defenses to an unprecedented peak.

“The Ren Huang immortal array truly lives up to its reputation,” Shen Jiang Tianjiu exclaimed in admiration.

“That guy Ren Wang is quite the prophet,” Tian Lao said, stroking his beard.

“Does the Hong Huang war even need predicting?” Di Lao remarked with his hands clasped. “But this immortal array left by Ren Wang is indeed a heaven-defying creation. With defenses like this, even Hong Huang would struggle to break through easily.”

“I hope Ye Chen can achieve Quasi-Emperor status before the Hong Huang war begins,” Donghuang Taiyi said softly, withdrawing her gaze from the starry sky and peering through the haze toward Hengyue Sect.

On Jade Maiden Peak, Ye Chen sat cross-legged like a stone-carved statue, still striving to guard his Dao. He could see the gate to Quasi-Emperor, but only barely. He needed a stepping stone to leap through like a carp turning into a dragon, and finding that stepping stone was no simple task.

While he was immersed in enlightenment, the female Saint Body was not idle. She sat under an old tree, diligently munching on spirit fruits, and once finished, she picked up a piece of wood and began carving.

Not far away, in the Golden Divine Sea, Ye Ling and Tang San Shao were still there.

Since they had passed their Saint King tribulations that day, several months had passed. Although both had recovered from their injuries, they had not awakened, focusing instead on solidifying their foundations and precipitating their Dao. After all, their rapid advancement was alarmingly fast, and in a certain sense, it wasn’t entirely beneficial.

Under the moonlight, the two bathed in its glow, exuding an extraordinary aura.

Ye Ling’s hair fluttered without wind, her body surrounded by colorful immortal radiance, dreamlike and illusory. Her Dao principles occasionally surfaced, faint and elusive. Upon closer inspection, one could see various profound visions intertwining and dancing, with her bloodline on the verge of sublime transformation.

The immortal light on Tang San Shao was equally brilliant.

Compared to Ye Ling, this little chubby black guy was unremarkable in appearance except for his darkness, but he could freely control his Bloodline Limit, a technique unmatched across the heavens.

Accompanied by a gentle night breeze, the immortal light on Tang San Shao gradually receded into his body. In the next instant, he opened his eyes, two tangible beams of immortal radiance piercing through space.

Only then did he stretch lazily, grinning with delight. The power of the Saint King realm felt wonderful; if he activated his Bloodline Limit, he could be invincible in his tier.

Eh?

As he smiled, he let out a light sound of surprise and noticed the female Saint Body not far away.

The little black guy raised an eyebrow, glanced at Ye Ling, and instinctively stood up. He walked over to the old tree, stroking his chin as he scrutinized the female Saint Body up and down, his expression peculiar. After being in seclusion for months, how had this little girl suddenly appeared? Could she be the old man’s daughter?

With that thought, he tentatively asked,“Who are you?”

The female Saint Body remained silent, just focusing on her wood carving.

However, over these days, she had peeked at Tang San Shao more than once, astonished to discover that this little black guy was no ordinary person. He harbored a mysterious power within him, known among the heavens’ cultivators as the Bloodline Limit.

In other words, this seemingly unremarkable chubby guy could freely control the Bloodline Limit—an god-tier ability, granting an undying state that was overwhelmingly dominant.

“Girl?” Seeing no response, Tang San Shao called out again.

“What girl? She’s the female Saint Body,” came the reply, but not from her—it was Ye Ling, who had just awakened from her seclusion and arrived like the wind. As the daughter of a Saint Body, her insight was keen; at a glance, she recognized the female Saint Body’s identity. More precisely, it was connected to their bloodline, with an innate resonance.

“The female Saint Body?” Tang San Shao’s expression turned to one of shock. He had heard of her—an existence infinitely close to great accomplishment, capable of facing off against supreme beings. Seeing her in person was truly unexpected. The surprise lay in her current form—how had she regressed to a childlike state?

Ye Ling said nothing, her eyes fixed straight on the female Saint Body. Her expression and gaze were as cold as ice. Though years had passed, she still held a grudge against the female Saint Body. Back then, if not for her, her father wouldn’t have nearly met his end.

Yet she was puzzled: how had the once peerless female Saint Body ended up like this—her cultivation lost, reverted to youth, and now on Jade Maiden Peak? Clearly, many events had occurred during her seclusion, and she was eager to understand them.

“Why are you here?” Ye Ling asked coldly.

“Is there a problem?” the female Saint Body replied flatly.

“Since you won’t say, I’ll find out myself.” Ye Ling said indifferently, gathering immortal light in her palm—it was a soul-searching secret technique, obviously intended to probe the female Saint Body’s soul.

“Ling’er.” Before she could act, a light rebuke sounded.

The speaker was Ye Chen, who had descended from the peak and stopped Ye Ling. Soul-searching wasn’t something that worked on just anyone. Even though the female Saint Body had lost her cultivation and regressed, attempting it would invite backlash. Even he wouldn’t dare try it lightly, let alone Ye Ling.

“Dad, I don’t understand.” Ye Ling pouted.

“Old man, I don’t get it either.” Tang San Shao chimed in.

Don’t say it, but even the female Saint Body couldn’t help glancing up at that. She first sized up Tang San Shao, then gave Ye Chen a strange look: Is this one of yours? Your taste in choosing sons-in-law is quite… unique.

“Stop messing around.” Ye Chen waved his hand.

“Keep calling him that, and see what happens.” The most straightforward one was Ye Ling, who had already pinned Tang San Shao down for a thorough beating. Tang San Shao was straightforward too—he just covered his head and didn’t fight back.

It was precisely because of his straightforwardness that Ye Ling kicked him right off Jade Maiden Peak.

Ye Ling’s temperament was quite like Ye Chen’s. After sending the little black guy away, she turned back to Ye Chen, her eyes still full of confusion about the female Saint Body.

“Ling’er, you need to look at things with a long-term perspective, not be so short-sighted.”

“This is the female Saint Body, infinitely close to great accomplishment—a great ally.”

“Bringing her on board would be incredibly reliable.”

Ye Chen transmitted his thoughts to Ye Ling, speaking non-stop and tossing in a bunch of profound principles, sounding like a true philosopher.

However, Ye Ling didn’t take in a word of his lofty talk.

The way she looked at Ye Chen seemed to say: You’ve got your eye on her, haven’t you?

Ye Chen took a deep breath, his expression earnest and sincere.

No wonder he thought his daughter was so clever—she just wouldn’t buy his nonsense. If it were Ye Fan at the same age, he was sure he could bamboozle the boy until he was dizzy.

“My other mothers have quite the tempers, you know!” Ye Ling said with a smile.

“Don’t think of your dad that way—it’s purely about forming an alliance with her, nothing more.” Ye Chen said it without batting an eye, though truthfully, if he could win her over as a wife, that would be ideal.

“San Niang, are you tired? Let Ling’er take you to rest!” Ye Ling was quick on the uptake, ignoring her father and smiling sweetly at the female Saint Body. Her earlier coldness had vanished completely. The way she said “San Niang” was incredibly endearing.

The female Saint Body was completely stunned. Ye Ling’s sudden change left her off guard. Weren’t you ready to fight me just now? How are you so affectionate now? This behavior was strikingly similar to her father Ye Chen—truly a chip off the old block.

With a daughter like this, he couldn’t be prouder.

Ye Chen, standing nearby, felt extremely gratified. This little girl hadn’t been spoiled in vain; she even knew how to help her dad woo someone. Where else could you find such a great daughter?

“San Niang?” Ye Ling waved her little hand.

“Who’s your San Niang?” The female Saint Body’s face turned slightly red as she stood up and walked away. Even as she left, she hadn’t figured out how this “San Niang” ranking worked—was it by height or weight? If she knew, she’d probably show a knowing smile.

“Don’t be shy!” Ye Ling chased after her with light steps.

She was utterly unrestrained, not even asking if the female Saint Body was willing. She just scooped her up, her hands wandering a bit as she pinched the female Saint Body’s little nose and poked her cheek. Whether it was maternal instinct or something else, the whole scene was quite endearing.

“Put me down.”

“We’re all family now, no need to be so formal.”

“Who’s family with you?”

The Holy Spirit Body and the female Saint Body bantered as they gradually walked away.

Behind them, Ye Chen pulled out his pipe and took a puff.

Amid the swirling smoke, his meaningful expression grew even deeper. With such divine assistance, things would be much easier going forward. He had to shamelessly bring the female Saint Body into the fold, and he was gratified that his daughter was even more resourceful than he’d imagined.

The door to the inner chamber closed, and one could still hear Ye Ling’s laughter mixed with the female Saint Body’s childish voice.

Ye Chen withdrew his gaze, stepping into the sky and focusing his vision to the utmost, peering through the void to see the nine massive stars surrounding Da Chu. It was like a wall, a protective barrier for Da Chu. To invade the gates of the heavens in Da Chu, one would have to breach that wall first.

Like Da Chu, Youming Continent and Xuanhuang Continent were also working nonstop to build defenses, all using the Ren Wang Emperor Immortal Array, with Emperor Weapons as the array foundations.

In the depths of the night, Ye Chen left Jade Maiden Peak and headed straight for Tianxuan Gate.

This was his first visit to Tianxuan Gate since that day he berated the Quasi-Emperors.

Tianxuan Gate was now bustling with people.

Looking up, there was a vast expanse of ancient starry sky map, inherited from Long Di. It had played a crucial role in Ye Chen’s unification of Da Chu back then. With this starry sky map, one could oversee the entire battlefield, seeing at a glance where forces were concentrated and where conflicts were intense.

In addition, there were numerous illusionary water screens monitoring the four directions of Da Chu.

Ye Chen walked along, observing as he went, noting that Tianxuan Gate hadn’t been idle these past days. This place would become Da Chu’s command center; once Hong Huang attacked, all orders would be issued from here. Coordinating the four directions and unified command would maximize their combat strength.

“Greetings, Tenth Sovereign.”

Every Tianxuan Gate cultivator he encountered—whether engraving array patterns, cultivating, or even flirting—bowed to him upon sight, their eyes filled with admiration.

It was all because this sovereign was so audacious. That day’s tirade was still fresh in memory; through countless eons, he was the only one who dared do such a thing.

Ye Chen was well aware of those looks.

As a result, his walking posture became even more imposing, his back straight, each step more vigorous than the last, striding with utter confidence.

When he reached the small bamboo grove, only Donghuang Taiyi was there.

This woman was not as leisurely as before. In the past, when Ye Chen visited, she was always brewing tea, but tonight, she was studying the starry sky map, occasionally making notes with her hand.

“Oh, if it isn’t Ye Chen?” Donghuang Taiyi glanced at him before returning to the map. Her face didn’t look great—how could it? As the Kunlun Goddess, when had she ever been scolded to her face? Granted, they had been negligent, but couldn’t he have saved some face? Or at least taken it to a private spot.

“I have to admit, I was a bit too heated that day,” Ye Chen said with a dry laugh, feeling a chill all over, as if she might drag him off for a beating.

“In your view, which side will Hong Huang attack first?” Donghuang Taiyi asked, not dwelling on that incident. This was serious business; while Ye Chen might surpass her in combat power, when it came to strategy and warfare, she was far behind him.

“Youming Continent,” Ye Chen replied without hesitation.

“Oh? What makes you say that?”

“Xuanhuang Continent has the Five Forbidden Zones; even if the zones don’t join the fight, Hong Huang would still be wary and avoid provoking that trouble first. As for Da Chu, our defenses are renowned across the heavens—Hong Huang must know that. Even the Heavenly Demons couldn’t break through, so what chance do they have? In the short term, they won’t succeed. Compared to Da Chu and Xuanhuang, Youming Continent is the weaker target, so it’ll be Hong Huang’s first goal. Once they take Youming, the next will be Da Chu, and finally Xuanhuang.”

“Then, in your opinion, how long can our heavens hold out?” Donghuang Taiyi sat down.

“No more than a month,” Ye Chen said gravely.

“In that month, can you create another myth?” Donghuang Taiyi’s beautiful eyes didn’t waver, her tone laced with hope—something she knew he would understand.

This time, Ye Chen didn’t answer, and he even avoided her gaze.

Hong Huang could strike at any moment; reversing the situation to become a Quasi-Emperor in such a short time was incredibly difficult. Even if he succeeded, it might not lead to emerging from the Emperor’s Wasteland. Moreover, the human and nether realms were still isolated.

Given all that, even with his resolute Dao heart, he had no confidence. It wasn’t defeatism; this myth was just too hard to write—he was only a minor Great Saint.

PS: Sorry, something came up at home. I’ll reply to everyone’s comments as soon as possible.