Chapter 2291: 悟道 On the City Wall

"Do you miss me?" Ye Chen smiled and asked.

One arm casually draped over Chu Xuan's shoulder, his restless hand kept trying to pinch somewhere, making him look like a complete rogue, openly flirting in broad daylight.

Chu Xuan rolled her eyes and said, "You're supposed to be the supreme commander of the heavens, but you're not serious at all." She pushed his hand away, mindful of her image in public.

Ye Chen shrugged it off and said, "Who knows if we'll survive tomorrow? What's the point of saving face?" His other hand wasn't idle either, lifting Chu Ling's chin as he clicked his tongue. "Truly beautiful."

"You don't need to tell me that," Chu Ling replied with a playful grin.

"We should make time for another one," Ye Chen added.

"Everyone, stand in formation. We need to look like we're ready for battle."

"Um, a purple undergarment."

Ye Chen strolled along with his hands behind his back, checking each one and teasing them one by one, like an inspecting official. His hands were particularly naughty, always wandering for a feel. His reincarnation eyes had no pupil power, but they weren't idle, scanning everything inside and out that should or shouldn't be seen. Teasing his wives in such a serious atmosphere had its own unique charm.

The women's gazes had turned sideways, as if to say that someone like Ye Chen deserved to be looked at askance and not given any favor, or he'd just cause more trouble.

In contrast, the gazes of the heavenly warriors were full of admiration. No wonder he was the emperor of Da Chu—each of his wives was stunningly beautiful. Without the chaos of war, what a comfortable life that would be.

Chu Ling's crisp voice rang out, "What's there to look at? Stand straight, all of you." Ye Ling suddenly appeared, clad in battle armor with an immortal sword at her waist, acting like a big boss. She was just a regular soldier, but anyone who didn't know better might think she was a commander.

Then came Tang San Shao, shouting along the way, "What's there to look at? This is my wife—don't even think about it." Ye Ling was lecturing as they went, and this guy was yelling even louder, his fat jiggling with every step. Those in the know saw a person; those who didn't might think it was a black, wobbly meatball.

"Who's your wife?" Chu Ling shot back.

"Don't be shy—it's just a matter of time," Tang San Shao replied.

"Get lost."

These two were always eye-catching wherever they went—well, more accurately, Tang San Shao was the one who stood out. Standing next to Ye Ling, they looked completely mismatched. Anyone who saw them, whether elder or younger, would stroke their chin thoughtfully, their eyes seeming to say: If the Holy Body gives his daughter to this little black fatty, that would truly be a mistake.

Seeing Ye Ling, Chu Ling furrowed her brow and asked, "Why are you here? What about Fan Er and Lan Er?"

"I've sealed them away," Ye Ling answered.

"Sealed?" Chu Ling nearly choked, almost throwing Ye Ling off the city wall.

Ye Ling quickly sought refuge, linking arms with Ye Chen and sticking her tongue out at her mothers as she said, "Dad, Mom's being mean to me again."

Ye Chen said seriously, "Don't always scare the child. Be a bit gentler." No sooner had he spoken than he was kicked over by the woman named Chu Ling.

Ye Ling helped Ye Chen up and whispered, "Dad, after this battle, I'll put some special stuff in Mom's tea."

"I didn't raise you for nothing," Ye Chen replied.

"Just watch—I'm quite experienced at this."

Ye Ling and Ye Chen huddled together, muttering away. It wasn't even a proper whisper; everyone could hear it. The women all turned their heads, glancing at Ye Chen and then Ye Ling. What a pair—they were cut from the same cloth. The father was improper, and the daughter loved to stir up trouble. If you're going to whisper, at least keep it quiet!

Boom! Bang! Boom!

Amid the rumbling, the scene at Nan Tian Men Mountain seemed discordant but was actually quite warm, using this lightheartedness to mask the cruelty of the war.

At some point, Ye Chen pulled out a wine flask and drank quietly, gazing out at the city. Outside, the heavenly cultivators had already formed their ranks, like a black carpet spread across the land and filling the sky, with the heavenly war banners fluttering fiercely.

"What's the chance we'll win this battle?" Ji Ningshuang asked softly, gently turning her head to stand beside Ye Chen. She had asked the same question back during the heavenly demon invasion, but this time, her words carried an extra touch of a wife's tenderness.

Ye Chen shook his head with a smile and said, "I don't know."

The women fell silent, but Ling Che's beautiful eyes, like those of the heavenly cultivators, held a firm resolve. If needed, they would stand unflinchingly in front of their husband, believing that the dawn of hope would shine brightest through Ye Chen.

His silence, and theirs, cast a shadow over everything.

Even the usually playful Ye Ling and the mischievous Tang San Shao now wore serious expressions. In this dim world, the light was being overshadowed—who could be sure they'd see tomorrow's sun?

The cultivators guarding the city wall shared this mindset.

Standing here, they could inexplicably feel the despair the Da Chu cultivators must have felt back then. Those 90 million heroic souls had stood right here, forging a blood-red great wall with their flesh and blood for the beings of the ten thousand domains. Everyone owed Da Chu a life.

Night fell quietly.

The sky was pitch black, and even the illuminating divine pearls couldn't cast their proper light.

Boom! Bang! Boom!

Outside Da Chu, Hong Huang was raging like mad, the bombardment never stopping. All the ultimate Dao emperor weapons had been brought to Da Chu, unleashing beams of annihilating immortal light.

In the vast starry sky, their faces looked even more ferocious, like demons staring at the world's creatures. Their white fangs gleamed in the starlight, flickering with a cold, eerie glow. After so many years, they had finally surrounded Da Chu, venting their fury to the extreme.

Amid the booms, tidal waves of figures surged from all directions—it was the army attacking Xuan Huang, along with Hong Huang's affiliated forces. Their formation was massive, merging with the Hong Huang army like a dark ocean, roiling with terrifying waves that could swallow Da Chu at any moment.

In the depths of the starry sky, on a desolate star, Tian Zhu gazed into the distance, his old eyes unable to hide his worry as he said, "This lineup means if Da Chu's barrier breaks, we're likely to be wiped out completely."

"At most, in half a month, we'll know the outcome," Di Mie stroked his beard and said.

While they watched, the two great sovereigns of the underworld were also observing, but unlike Tian Zhu and Di Mie, Ming Di and Di Huang had been focused on Ye Chen from the start. There was no sign of a breakthrough, and getting a great saint to advance to quasi-emperor in fifteen days was indeed as difficult as ascending to heaven.

Bathed in moonlight, Ye Chen carried his wine flask and left Nan Tian Men.

He wandered aimlessly along the city wall, like a ghost to the guarding warriors, moving silently without a trace.

He seemed more mysterious than before. Though he was a flesh-and-blood person, his body would occasionally turn ethereal, like a yuan shen.

Though he was walking, his mind had already sunk into the realm of the Dao. He needed to comprehend it, not just rely on the Tai Chu divine fire. The Dao was endless, and any moment of sudden insight could lead to a breakthrough opportunity. It was difficult, but not impossible.

His Dao encompassed all things, evolving in chaos, cycling between all things and chaos—chaos turning into all things, all things turning into chaos. It was like a cycle, almost like reincarnation, perfectly aligning with his reincarnation Dao.

Unfortunately, the laws of reincarnation were too profound. He struggled to grasp them in reincarnation and couldn't break through them in reality. The most elusive Dao was the hardest to comprehend.

"Seen the commander."

"Seen the holy lord."

Such voices echoed endlessly along the city wall. As he passed, people from Da Chu and the heavenly cultivators bowed in respect, spotting him from afar and starting their salutes.

But he heard none of it. His mind was in the realm, like a puppet or a walking corpse, his eyes vacant and expression dull as he walked on quietly.

Hua Yun, on one side of the city wall, watched the ethereal Ye Chen and shook his head with a smile, saying, "At this moment, we don't even qualify to look up to him." He spoke not as the sect master of Zheng Yang Sect, but as a former true disciple.

"We can't catch up, and we've gotten used to it," Zhou Ao of Qing Yun Sect coughed and said.

Liu Yi of Heng Yue Sect smiled slightly and said, "He's walking the path against the heavens." Gazing at Ye Chen's receding figure, his mind wandered, recalling that junior brother from back then, who had crossed a sea of blood and a mountain of corpses.

Ye Chen didn't stop, his steps slow and steady.

More heavenly warriors saluted as he passed, but they did so quietly, afraid to disturb his enlightenment. Even the usually troublemaking Xie Yun and those from Si Tun Nan kept silent, which was rare for them.

Ye Chen walked for an entire day.

In that day, he covered countless sections of the wall. His comprehension of the Dao had some gains, but far from enough for a breakthrough—it was only superficial, not the essence.

On the first day of enlightenment, he finally stopped and looked toward the outside of Da Chu.

The Hong Huang forces were gathering more and more, no longer just figures but a black curtain shrouding Da Chu's sky, blocking the vast starry expanse. All that could be seen were the Hong Huang war banners waving fiercely and the overwhelming attacks, a scene that made hearts tremble.

Ye Chen's voice echoed from outside, "Ye Chen, I will make you watch Da Chu's destruction with your own eyes."

Such words entered from the outside, the savage laughter of the Hong Huang clan emperors filling Da Chu, carrying an irresistible demonic power, like funeral bells or dirges, disrupting the world's minds.

Ye Chen said nothing, slowly closing his eyes and ignoring the Hong Huang taunts.

After downing a flask of wine, he closed his eyes again and lifted his foot. With each step, his mind reentered the Dao realm, forcing himself to comprehend despite the instability.

His body remained dreamlike and illusory as he walked, with mysterious phenomena appearing—faint and elusive, sometimes chaotic, sometimes teeming with all things, sometimes flashing with lightning and thunder, sometimes witnessing stars collapsing, all fleeting and fully manifesting the essence of the Dao.

As the highest commander of the heavens, Ye Chen was the focus of all eyes.

Many quasi-emperors from various forces had emerged from Tian Xuan Gate, positioning themselves on mountain peaks to guard formations, but their gazes were fixed on the Nan Chu city wall, as if they could see through the vast distance to Ye Chen's back, filled with hope.

Though Ye Chen was enlightening, he could clearly sense the hopes of the masses—a power of belief gathering on him, like the Buddhist incense power, invisible and intangible but distinctly felt.

Yet, this belief also weighed heavily on him, almost suffocating. While it might aid his nirvana, at a certain moment, it could become a chasm.

On the city wall, Yao Wang said softly, "Forcing enlightenment like this could lead to inner demons."

"He's a myth-creator—don't underestimate him," Gui Wang laughed and said.

Mo Wang Kui Yu Jiang took a swig of wine and said, "That's true. Ever since his reincarnation life, this king has believed in him unconditionally. He'll be a dawn of hope."

The kings smiled without rebuttal, each holding their killing swords and wine flasks, patrolling the wall. As they passed Ye Chen, they didn't avoid him, and after walking far, they still glanced back at the emperor's figure. They were carefree, having long seen through life and death.

On the second day, Ye Chen stopped again, standing on the city wall and drinking quietly.

The Hong Huang forces were still increasing, even drawing from their headquarters for the battle.

As they reinforced, Da Chu did the same. The Hong Huang army besieging Xuan Huang had withdrawn, and the heavenly cultivators guarding Xuan Huang had arrived.

Hong Huang didn't stop them; instead, they deliberately opened a back door to let the Xuan Huang cultivators in, saving the trouble of chasing them across the stars later. Wiping them out in one go was the cleanest way.

On the third day, Ye Chen tossed away his wine flask and continued on his way.

He walked without end, no goal, no destination—the Dao was endless, so his path was too. In his enlightenment, he had forgotten his true self, and there were times his yuan shen suddenly left his body, drifting in the air without returning.

If not for the great masters on the city wall helping to guide his yuan shen back, he might have wandered into the void, lost forever.

On the fourth day, the one comprehending the Dao suddenly halted.

Then, he slowly opened his eyes, his brows furrowed slightly. It wasn't a voluntary awakening; he was jolted by a strange fluctuation.

That strange fluctuation came from his dantian—more precisely, from the Tai Chu divine fire.

For some unknown reason, the dormant Tai Chu divine fire had trembled slightly just a moment ago, which woke him.

Ye Chen raised an eyebrow. After all this time since obtaining the Tai Chu divine fire, this was its first active response.

But when he looked at it now, it had returned to calm, as if nothing had happened, completely ignoring his scrutiny and showing no sign of submission.

Ye Chen was stunned, unsure what that tremble from the Tai Chu divine fire meant.

A female voice sounded, "Seen the holy lord."

Ye Chen withdrew his gaze from his dantian and looked ahead, seeing a woman bowing to him.

Upon closer inspection, it was Nian Wei, a disciple of Xing Yue Palace in her past life, and after reincarnation, the princess of You Du on Zhu Que Star, Xie Yun's imperial sister, and Yan Fei's grandniece.

"No need for formalities," Ye Chen smiled and said. He couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

Counting it up, he and Nian Wei had an unbreakable karma. In his past life at Xing Yue Palace, he had obtained a fragment of the Di Jue from her hands.

And in the thousand-year Da Chu, there was another karmic tie.

His fifth life was essentially Chen Shi Mei, making that life's Nian Wei wait sixty years, dying with regret without the one who made those mountain-and-sea vows, leaving only desolate peach blossoms to wither through the ages.

Perhaps due to reincarnation, the moment he saw Nian Wei, his heart was filled with guilt—not his own, but his fifth life's, wanting to convey through the ethereal reincarnation: I was wrong.

Nian Wei called out tentatively, seeing Ye Chen just staring without speaking, "Holy lord?" Being stared at like that made her uncomfortable, her face flushing red.

Ye Chen snapped back to his senses, but instinctively lowered his gaze, staring in astonishment at his dantian and the Tai Chu divine fire, because it had trembled again the instant Nian Wei spoke.