Chapter 2296: Hope of the Living

"Next, will it be Hong Chen and Liu Dao?"

This wasn't just Ye Chen's hope. All the elders who knew the secrets whispered these words in their hearts. They stared intently at the void, hoping the Ying Jie Xian Guang would fall upon Hong Chen and Liu Dao. If those two returned, they could unite with Ye Chen, defying the heavens to create a supreme being.

This supreme being wasn't a mere illusion; there was a precedent of them defying the heavens in battle.

In the past, when Tian Mo Di was resurrected, it was the three of them uniting that led to the slaughter of an emperor. With the power to slay an emperor, they naturally possessed the strength to repel Honghuang, rivaling Da Cheng Sheng Ti Di Huang.

Under the world's gaze, beams of Ying Jie Xian Guang streaked across the sky, landing in Nan Chu, Bei Chu, or on the walls of Nan Chu city. Each beam was received by someone.

Unfortunately, among all those beams, not a single one went towards Hong Chen or Liu Dao. Hong Chen Xue and Chu Lingyu stood silently, as did Di Ji on the other side.

"Am I also a Ying Jie person?"

"Is that beam of Ying Jie Xian Guang coming for me?"

"My child, you are truly a Ying Jie person."

Such words echoed repeatedly. Every time a beam of Ying Jie Xian Mang appeared, there was surprise, because many of the Ying Jie people had no idea they were such until the immortal light fell upon them, leaving them utterly stunned. The joy was so unexpected.

"Will Hong Chen and Liu Dao return?"

The elders of the various heavens, though silent, conveyed their thoughts through their expressions. They were all calling out to Hong Chen and Liu Dao from the depths of their souls.

"With so many Ying Jie seniors returning, can we repel Honghuang?" Ying Jie Hong Chen murmured, glancing at Chu Lingyu on his left and Hong Chen Xue on his right.

The two smiled faintly but didn't reply.

"Senior, do we know each other?" On the city wall, the Ying Jie Liu Dao coughed more than once. Ever since Di Ji had returned to her position, she had stood beside him, staring intently, making him feel utterly uncomfortable, as if he wanted to flee.

Di Ji smiled faintly but didn't answer. The way she looked at Liu Dao was filled with a woman's tenderness. After so many years, it was the first time Liu Dao had spoken to her. Even though he was now a Ying Jie person, her once cold and sealed heart melted instantly because of his words.

Ah!

The elders of the various heavens shook their heads and sighed. It was a pity that Hong Chen and Liu Dao, those two unparalleled ruthless figures, were standing right there on the city wall, yet even now, they didn't realize they were Ying Jie people.

To be precise, they were half-Ying Jie. Among those present, no one was quite as unique as them.

"No matter how many come, it's useless. None of you can escape your doom."

The sinister laughter of the Honghuang clan emperors, carrying irresistible demonic power, suddenly echoed throughout Da Chu. The Honghuang Zhun Di were countless, and they could see that the Ying Jie people of the various heavens were returning.

But that was irrelevant. The various heavens had peak-level experts, and so did the great Honghuang clans—and far more of them. If a real battle broke out, the various heavens would be far outmatched.

The Zhun Di of the various heavens said nothing, fully aware of the lineup on both sides. The absolute suppression of combat power meant that, unless a supreme being emerged, no one could turn the tide.

"You idiots, all of Honghuang are idiots."

The elders were speechless, but the younger generations of the various heavens wouldn't stand for it. No one knew who started it, but someone suddenly howled, and the entire Da Chu erupted. Talents from all sides joined in, raising their voices in curses that shook heaven and earth, making ghosts and gods weep.

It wasn't an exaggeration to say that the elders could no longer hear the rumbling sounds; their ears were filled with curses, making their heads buzz as if they'd been hit with a club.

"Having such juniors brings me great comfort." The various divine generals all took a deep breath in unison.

"In verbal battles with the Honghuang clans, when has the various heavens' Wan Yu ever lost?" Tian Lao stroked his beard, while Di Lao pinched his, one speaking with profound meaning, the other with earnest gravity.

This was no exaggeration. Every time Ye Chen clashed with Honghuang, this support group was there, backing him spiritually while cursing Honghuang so fiercely that they couldn't hold their heads up.

Amid the rumbling and the cursing, the beams of Ying Jie Xian Guang continued, one after another.

"Not seeing Hong Chen or Liu Dao, and not even that Ren Wang fellow." Sheng Zun murmured.

"I can't calculate his fate." Ye Chen shook his head helplessly. As a half-baked successor of Zhou Tian, how could he compare to the Zhou Tian progenitor? His cultivation was far from enough to divine him.

From some unknown moment, the Ying Jie Xian Mang streaking across began to dwindle.

By the time night fell again, the dark night sky no longer held any splendid immortal light.

The people looked up at the void.

For a long time, no more Ying Jie Xian Mang appeared. They hadn't waited for Hong Chen and Liu Dao, nor for Ren Wang. The hopeful light in the eyes of the masses gradually dimmed, along with the fading splendor.

Ye Chen was the same; the brilliance in his golden eyes faded. With no more Ying Jie Xian Guang, that path of borrowing the power of Hong Chen and Liu Dao was cut off. He had to return to the original plan: exhaust all efforts to seal his position as Zhun Di, connect with Ming Di Huang, and resolve this crisis.

"Boom, blast for me."

The brief silence was finally broken by the eerie laughter of Honghuang.

In the night, people vaguely felt as if they could see through the void to Honghuang's faces—grinning with bared fangs, each one as hideous as a malicious ghost, their eyes gleaming with a greenish, sinister light.

Boom! Bang! Boom!

Honghuang's attacks arrived: emperor dao immortal light, assault formations, divine abilities, secret treasures—all sweeping in like a vast ocean, intent on submerging Da Chu.

Boom!

The Hu Tian Jie boundary trembled, and the entire mountains and rivers of Da Chu buzzed and shook. The tremors were so massive that countless mountains and peaks collapsed in an instant, with rocks flying everywhere. Too many palaces and pavilions were destroyed, turning to dust as bricks and tiles fell.

"If it's war you want, then bring it on—who's afraid of whom?"

Once again, it was the younger generations of the various heavens who stared angrily at Honghuang, their curses resounding. Especially the juniors of Da Chu, their expressions were the most resolute, without a trace of fear. In the past, their ancestors had fought on this very land, even repelling Tian Mo. Why fear Honghuang?

"Divide the forces to guard the positions." Chu Huang spoke, being the first to step out from the city wall, heading straight for Bei Zhen Cang Yuan. With him were the other eight rulers of Da Chu, their momentum grand and sweeping.

Following that, the nine great divine generals went to Xi Ling You Valley.

Dong Hua Qi Zi and Honghuang Qilin Jiu Chen went to Dong Ling Gu Yuan.

Wu Tian Jian Zun, Jiu Jian San Ren, Tian Lao, Di Lao, and other Zhun Di went to Nan Yan Da Ze.

Jiu Jian Xian, Jian Fei Dao, Yao Chi Xian Mu, and Dong Huang Tai, along with other Zhun Di, went to Nan Chu Dong Yue.

Sheng Zun, Wei Mian Zhi Zi, Long Cang Jie, and other Zhun Di went to Xi Shu.

Mo Yuan, Xie Mo, Di Ji, and other Zhun Di went to Nan Jiang.

You Ming Sheng Zhu, Kui Niu Huang, Sheng Yuan Huang, Qi Lin Huang, and other Zhun Di went to Bei Yue.

The remaining Zhun Di of the various heavens split into two groups.

One group rushed to various mountain peaks, as each peak held a boundary array base. They formed teams of three or five, working together to guard them, burning mountains of source stones at any cost to maintain the formations and support the Hu Tian Jie boundary.

As for the other group, they stayed on the Nan Chu city walls. The Da Chu boundary could collapse at any moment, so they needed to guard the walls, for this wall was the final barrier of Da Chu, just as in the past when Tian Mo invaded—if they couldn't breach the Nan Chu walls, they couldn't take Da Chu.

Boom! Bang! Boom!

Honghuang's bombardment grew even fiercer, each wave more intense than the last, as if they wouldn't stop until the boundary was broken. Every pair of their eyes was blood-red and terrifying, flashing with fervent light. After surrounding for so long, they were not weary but even more excited, determined to break Da Chu and slaughter all the living beings of the various heavens' gates. Taking Da Chu would mean taking the various heavens.

With Honghuang's fighting spirit high, the cultivators of the various heavens burned with even greater war blood.

Gazing over the vast expanse, every person of the various heavens was like a fiercely burning flame, in all colors, merging into vast patches that covered the skies of Da Chu.

The beliefs of the masses gathered once more. With the Ying Jie people of the various heavens returning and so many supreme experts coming back, it gave them immense faith. Cang Sheng was not fighting alone; countless predecessors stood shoulder to shoulder against the enemy. In this battle, win or lose, they would die without regrets.

Zheng!

On the Nan Tian Men, Ye Chen manifested his dao sword, his expression indifferent, though his eyes burned with unstoppable fighting intent. His boiling Huanggu Shengxue was like raging flames.

As the tenth emperor of Da Chu and a monument in his own right, he would stand on this city wall, waiting for Honghuang to come. In his heart, he held a steadfast resolve: as long as Sheng Ti Ye Chen stood, the Nan Chu city walls would stand.

Suddenly, someone pulled him back, dragging him two or three steps.

The ones who pulled him were Chu Xuan and Chu Ling.

Ye Chen was startled, not understanding why.

Chu Xuan and Chu Ling smiled charmingly and stepped forward, blocking him.

Before Ye Chen could react, someone else pulled him again.

This time, it was Ji Ning Shuang, Nan Ming Yu Shu, Lin Shi Hua, Liu Ru Yan, Shangguan Han Yue, Shangguan Yu Er, Xi Yan, Hao Tian Shi Yue, Xuan Nu, and Luo Xi—all his wives.

Immediately, the women stepped forward together, blocking him behind them in a neat line, like heroic female commanders. Who said women were inferior to men? They were no less than any man with a beard.

Ye Chen frowned, as if grasping the meaning.

"Focus on your enlightenment in peace."

These were the words his wives said to him, with their backs turned.

"Old man-in-law, don't block the way!"

More words rang out—this time from Tang San Shao.

Along with him was the chuckling Ye Ling. Tang San Shao and Ye Ling, one on each side, pulled Ye Chen away and, like the women, stepped forward to block him.

"What's the point of standing here? Get out of the way."

"This isn't your battlefield. Quietly pursue your enlightenment."

"Head south, as far as you can go."

Words like these rang out frequently, like beautiful notes amid the flames of war.

Every time a word was spoken, Ye Chen was pulled back a good distance, and at the same time, figures surged forward like tides, blocking him one after another, wave upon wave.

So much so that he, who had been on the Nan Chu city walls, was pushed further and further into the rear of Da Chu—from Bei Yue to Nan Chu Zhongzhou, from Nan Chu Zhongzhou to Nan Chu Nan Jiang, and from Nan Chu Nan Jiang, endlessly to the southernmost wilderness of Da Chu.

Ye Chen stood there in a daze, staring blankly toward the north. All he saw were crowds of people—his wives, daughters, mentors, brothers, comrades, countless predecessors, countless juniors—all blocking him, leaving him with nothing but their backs. It was just like when Tian Mo invaded, when they would forge a blood-red great wall with their flesh and blood, willing to shatter themselves for him.

"Immortal, focus on your enlightenment."

His thoughts were interrupted again.

When he turned back, he saw ordinary people, led by various mortal emperors in armor, with their subjects behind them, formed into orderly ranks.

The eyes of these mortals also held hope, from emperors to prisoners, all smiling resolutely. Though they didn't know why they were protecting Ye Chen, they knew he was the dawn of hope.

"March the army forward!"

With the command from the mortal emperors, the sounds of golden drums and iron horses rose, heading straight north.

In the Honghuang war flames, the various heavens had become a total mobilization, whether cultivators or mortals, even the elderly, weak, women, and children had taken up weapons, ready to fight Honghuang to the death at any moment.

They shared a tacit understanding: to keep a man named Ye Chen behind them. Even if it blocked just a moment or two, it might help him achieve a heaven-defying breakthrough.

In the southernmost wilderness of Nan Chu, where few people tread,

Ye Chen stood foolishly, his sword-holding hand trembling. His brilliant golden eyes were blurred by something called tears.

This scene moved even the two supreme beings in the underworld.

This truly was Cang Sheng's hope!

And Da Chu's tenth emperor was the one carrying that mission.

Zheng!

In the Nan Chu wilderness, Ye Chen gazed at the gradually receding mortal army and finally sheathed his dao sword. Yes, that wasn't his battlefield. Even if you let him kill, how many could he kill? His battlefield was the gate of Zhun Di. Only by crossing that gate could he live up to Cang Sheng's hope.

On a mountain peak, he sat down cross-legged, forcibly calming his thoughts and gently closing his eyes.

This stretch of heaven and earth was deathly quiet, with barely a soul in sight. Perhaps it was the only pure land left in Da Chu, free of rumbling booms or towering flames—just him alone.

Sitting in meditation, he resembled an ancient monk, dignified and serene.

His mind had entered the realm of the dao.

The world around him became hazy and chaotic. From the chaos emerged the heavens and the earth, with all things evolving and life proliferating. Then, everything gradually perished, returning to chaos. It changed and evolved repeatedly, his mind unchanging while the dao transformed.

With the breeze rising, various profound phenomena manifested: azure dragons coiling, phoenixes crying, white tigers roaring, and black tortoises paving the way. The dao was endless, changing in countless ways.

In the haze, he saw that illusory gate again, which the cultivator world called the Zhun Di gate.

It was as ethereal as ever—visible but unreachable. The distance between him and that gate seemed even greater than life and death. To cross it, he needed a stepping stone.

For the first time, he took a step, transforming into a divine dragon that spiraled upward, charging straight for the Zhun Di gate.

"Nonsense." Ming Di's voice was deep, as if he could see the scene and knew what Ye Chen intended—this was a forced breakthrough!

Beside him, Di Huang furrowed his brow. Without a breakthrough opportunity, forcing an advancement would have absolutely zero success rate and could even lead to backlash from the failure.

Pfft!

Sure enough, before three breaths passed, Ye Chen spat out blood, his face turning pale in an instant. An invisible force surged into his divine sea, attacking his primordial spirit—it was the backlash of the failed advancement, mysterious and terrifying, ignoring even the divine dragon shield and overwhelming his primordial spirit.

"Suppress it."

Ye Chen shouted coldly, his primordial spirit power surging forth, forcefully extinguishing the backlash.

For this, he paid a heavy price. His Sheng Ti nearly exploded, with countless bones shattering and affecting his Sheng Ti origin. His entire aura plummeted.

His eyes bulged slightly, filled with bloodshot veins, and his fists clenched until they bled.

In his first forced breakthrough, he failed miserably, not even touching the Zhun Di gate. The distance was too vast; without a stepping stone, it was impossible to cross.