Chapter 2316: Rest

Chapter 2316: Rest and Recuperation

With the Honghuang suppressed, the war that had engulfed the heavens finally came to an end.

All sides began their journeys back, and though the Honghuang had been subdued, people could not find joy in their hearts. Instead, their eyes were filled with tears of exhaustion, weariness, and sorrow, etched deeply on their faces. Along the way, there was only silence, broken by the sounds of stifled sobs and anguished cries.

Upon reflection, this war had no true victors.

The Honghuang suffered devastating losses, and the heavens fared no better, with mountains of corpses and rivers of blood.

The once prosperous lands were left in ruins, scarred and stained with crimson blood. So many heroic souls were lost without even a body to bury, so many lineages were wiped out by the Honghuang, and so many ancient stars of life were destroyed, leaving their inhabitants homeless.

Under the moonlight, Da Chu was shrouded in drifting blood mist and enveloped in grief.

The cultivators of Da Chu gathered, including the guardian deities of Da Chu, the imperial rulers, the Heavenly Court Holy Lord, and the various commanders. They stood at the borders of northern and southern Chu, facing the ruins of the southern Chu city walls, pouring out libations of wine. Countless people wept, for that blood-soaked wall had become the grave of too many heroes.

That night, a new stone monument called the Heroes' Tomb was erected in Da Chu. It was inscribed with name after name—those of reincarnated souls, those who fell in the invasion of the heavenly demons, and those who perished in the great war against the Honghuang. The names were densely packed; some people still lived, while others existed only as inscriptions.

Like Da Chu, the Youming Continent, the Xuanhuang Continent, various star domains, and ancient stars all raised their own heroes' monuments. They set out offerings of fruits, lit incense, and poured wine to honor the fallen souls. The entire starry sky echoed with cries of mourning.

A cataclysmic war had washed the heavens in blood, leaving everything in utter devastation.

In the aftermath, an era of rest and recuperation began.

The cultivators from across the heavens, who had gathered for the war against the Honghuang, now took ordinary people with them and set off in all directions. Accompanied by blood and tears, they embarked on the path back to their homelands to rebuild.

Beyond that, the inhabitants of various realms began to establish new ancient stars of life. Their original homes had become places of exile for the Honghuang, so the starry skies of the heavens became their new sanctuaries.

Everything proceeded in an orderly manner, truly allowing for rest and recovery.

Just as after the invasion of the heavenly demons in ancient times, a long period of peace followed, free from major conflicts. This was because the myriad realms and heavens now had a war god named Di Huang. He was a symbol, a towering mountain, guarding all living beings and protecting the heavens.

Day after day, the bloody stench of war gradually faded, and the gloom that had shrouded the heavens dissipated. Pure moonlight and brilliant starlight bathed the world once more.

The once vast and desolate starry sky now brimmed with the warmth of human life. Every ancient star of life teemed with people, continuing their lineages amid rest and recuperation.

Fortunately, the resources plundered by the Honghuang were not insignificant, allowing them to barely replenish the losses from the great war. The universe was boundless and vast, with countless untapped resources waiting to be developed.

This was a pure haven on earth, shrouded in mist and haze, filled with the songs of birds and the fragrance of flowers. It was dotted with peach blossom trees, and deep within their shade stood a row of clean bamboo houses, covered in the dust of ages.

Moonlight scattered gently, and all was silent.

Under an old tree, Di Huang sat quietly. He had changed out of his bloodstained clothes into simple robes, showing no trace of a cultivator's aura, like an ordinary mortal. In one hand, he held a carving knife, and in the other, a block of wood. He carved a wooden figure with tender eyes, each stroke deliberate and filled with the marks of time, bringing his Yue Shang to vivid life.

This peach blossom grove was his home. In some distant ancient era, a man named Di Huang and a woman named Yue Shang lived here like immortal companions, detached from worldly affairs and human cultivation, as a simple couple who worked at dawn and rested at dusk.

In the blink of an eye, countless ages had passed. Di Huang remained, but the Donghua Empress was gone, leaving only this peach blossom grove and those dreamlike, sorrowful memories.

"Moon, I'm back. When will you come home?"

Di Huang's eyes welled with tears, and his hand holding the carving knife trembled uncontrollably.

The word "Moon" spoke volumes of the world's fleeting sorrows.

Who says the supreme ones have no tears? Who says Di Huang has no heart? No matter how many ages passed, they could not erase the name of Yue Shang. That ethereal, dreamlike figure had been etched into his soul since ancient times.

She was his wife, and he would never again see her world-shaking smile.

The night grew deeper, and as Di Huang carved, he drifted into sleep, leaning against the old tree. Strands of his black hair fell, covering half his face, but they could not hide the traces of time.

In this moment, he was no longer the mighty Di Huang who shook the universe; he was just an ordinary person. Only in this peach blossom grove could he sleep so peacefully, find solace for his soul, and willingly fall into dreams to seek the one who was long gone.

Suddenly, Zi Xuan materialized in human form and squatted under the old tree. She gently brushed aside Di Huang's scattered long hair, as if on behalf of the Donghua Empress, and softly stroked his face, as though wiping away all his sorrows.

"Empress, the holy lord has returned. Have you seen him?"

Her eyes were misty with tears, turning to frost in the moonlight.

Her tears were also the Donghua Empress's tears, full of a woman's tenderness and a touch of melancholy.

The remnant soul of the empress held the same feelings and loved Di Huang.

But alas, she was not truly the Donghua Empress, so she only dared to steal these moments in the dead of night to touch his face. Through her blurred tears, she could always see an ancient scene: a war god named Di Huang, standing alone at Tianhuang, protecting the path for his beloved, fighting to the point of body and dao dissipating.

Ah!

A sigh echoed from the ethereal void, from the emperor of the underworld.

This emperor had quite the flair; though he sighed, his imperial eyes shone brightly. He held his treasured collection, examining it over and over, utterly shameless.

In the morning, gentle sunlight bathed the gates of Da Chu's heavens, casting a peaceful veil over the ruined mountains and rivers. Every flower, blade of grass, mountain, and stream glistened with light.

How leisurely!

Every person in Da Chu stretched as they stepped out of their doors, uttering such words.

Leisurely indeed—without the Honghuang threat and with Di Huang standing guard, a unprecedented sense of security filled them. Everyone's faces glowed with vitality and spirit, feeling the world had never been so stable, free from worries of war or the path ahead.

Boom! Bang! Boom!

This tranquility was shattered by rumbling sounds.

The noise came from Hengyue Sect, where certain eccentrics rose early and couldn't stand the quiet. They started lobbing landmines at various peaks, claiming it was just to wake people up.

"Throwing landmines first thing in the morning? Are you idiots?"

"You fat deadbeat, I know it's you! Throw one more, and I'll kick your ass!"

"Xie Yun, what's wrong with you?"

Such curses echoed through the heavens before dawn fully broke. The folks at Hengyue were as lively as ever, always up to some shameless antics when you least expected.

In contrast, Yunu Peak was exceptionally warm and cozy.

The women rose early and gathered in the kitchen, like gentle wives preparing breakfast. Little Ye Fan and little Yang Lan played innocently on the grass, their laughter ringing out like little sprites.

The Female Holy Body was there too, still her massive size, sitting steadily under the old tree and munching on spirit fruits with her usual enormous appetite.

"Little mom, need more?" Ye Ling chuckled helpfully and brought over two more baskets. No one knew how such a small person could eat so much—was it just that Holy Bodies had such big appetites?

"Don't call me mom—I'm not your mom!" The Female Holy Body hugged her spirit fruit with both tiny hands, eating it with delight. A talent like her would be hard for any ordinary family to support.

"Dad told me you two shared a bed, and you called out so sweetly. On the bed, you're as lively as a dragon!" Ye Ling squatted down, chuckling again.

At those words, flames ignited in the Female Holy Body's clear eyes. She glared fiercely toward the peak of Yunu Peak, her pink, chubby face flushing with red.

Looking up to Yunu Peak, Ye Chen was there, sitting like an old monk in meditation, dignified and still, not moving an inch. Since returning to Da Chu, he had stayed on the peak for over ten days.

Now, he was no longer in his yuan Shen state; it had taken him four months to fully reshape his holy body.

Though he had not yet undergone the quasi-emperor tribulation, his aura was immensely powerful. Bathed in golden light, his holy body seemed forged from gold, with vague ethereal visions surrounding him. Strands of chaotic dao principles wound around him, and if you listened closely, you could hear the resounding echoes of the great dao.

Above his head, the Chaos Divine Cauldron hovered, buzzing and trembling. As its master advanced to the quasi-emperor realm, it too had evolved into a quasi-emperor artifact. It remained as massive and ancient as ever, even more extraordinary than before, much like its master, continuously evolving its dao principles. It awaited Ye Chen's quasi-emperor heavenly tribulation to complete its own nirvana transformation.

Equally active were the Immortal Fire and Heavenly Thunder.

Especially the Immortal Fire—it was full of energy, darting around Ye Chen, leaping up and down. Having merged with the Taichu Divine Fire, its level had risen again, with even purer chaotic origins, shining golden.

Unfortunately, it still hadn't transformed into Chaos Fire. Its current rank was akin to that of a peak quasi-emperor, and evolving into Chaos Fire was as difficult as a peak quasi-emperor ascending to great emperor status. Though infinitely close, that final step of nirvana was a true chasm—perhaps Ye Chen and it would spend their lives without crossing it.

A breeze blew by, and Ye Chen's holy body trembled slightly.

In the depths of his consciousness, he seemed to glimpse a golden divine pattern—the emperor's dao seal that Di Huang had mentioned—hovering in his soul, faint and elusive, visible yet intangible.

Now, he couldn't unleash its power. As Di Huang had said, it would only activate when the Honghuang rebelled, allowing their extermination with a single thought.

He didn't know when, but he opened his eyes.

Immediately, two beams of tangible divine light shot from his eyes, piercing holes in the void. His dazzling golden eyes were terrifying; a mere glance could obliterate a great saint. That was the might of a quasi-emperor level Holy Body.

Alas, his eye power was depleted, and his Six Paths Reincarnation Eyes remained sealed.

Though the immortal light faded, his eyes returned to calm, deep as the starry sky and flickering with golden starlight. Though still as an ancient well, they evolved with dao principles, impossible to see through.

"What a domineering power." Ye Chen murmured softly, clenching his fist lightly. The space in his palm shattered with a crack, and arcs of destructive lightning tore through his fingers.

In the path of cultivation, each realm was a world apart. Even without tribulation, he far surpassed a peak great saint. He felt confident he could slay an ordinary peak quasi-emperor—though not ones like the Nine Sovereign Divine Generals.

Perhaps only after passing the quasi-emperor heavenly tribulation would he be worthy to face such levels.

Thinking of the quasi-emperor tribulation, he couldn't help but feel a headache. Sixty-four emperor dao law bodies—what a lineup. Whether he could survive was uncertain; facing sixty-four at once was a near-fatal ordeal. And he wasn't even fully prepared—it would be a life-or-death trial.

Slowly collecting his thoughts, he summoned the Immortal Fire.

Gazing quietly at the flame in his palm, his expression was hard to hide his grief, as if through the fire he could see a graceful figure smiling back at him.

That was Nian Wei, a disciple of the Star Moon Palace in her past life, and a princess of the Tianque family in this one. In a moment of crisis, she sacrificed herself to merge the Taichu Divine Fire with the Immortal Fire.

Without her, he couldn't have advanced to quasi-emperor against all odds, let alone connect with Di Huang. If anything, she was the greatest contributor, saving the myriad realms and heavens.

This was an immense favor, and his heart ached with pain. He had made her wait sixty years in their third life, never returning before she died, and now in this life, she had sacrificed for him again. Their karma was unbreakable, and Ye Chen owed this woman a debt he could never repay.

"She might be revived," a ethereal female voice sounded as a graceful figure descended from the sky. It was Di Xuan, the sister of the Emperor Zun, accompanied by the various divine generals. Except for the first divine general who had perished in the calamity, the others had all come.

"Can you seniors save her?" Ye Chen hurried forward, his eyes full of hope.

"In sacrificing herself, a trace of her soul must remain in the Taichu Divine Fire," Di Xuan said with a gentle smile. "With my cultivation, I'm powerless, but your ancestor can surely do it."

At that, hope blazed in Ye Chen's eyes. How could he have forgotten Di Huang? As a fully realized Holy Body with heaven-piercing dao laws, there was no reason he couldn't save her.

Speaking of Di Huang, he had vanished since suppressing the Honghuang.

Ye Chen guessed he had gone to the homeland of the Donghua Empress, having been away for endless ages and wanting to pay his respects. He would surely come to Hengyue one day, and reviving Nian Wei was just a matter of time. If even Di Huang couldn't save her, no one could.

In an instant, Ye Chen's grief was overshadowed by hope. Reviving Nian Wei was his hope, at least giving him a chance to repay the favor and resolve their ancient karma.

His emotions stirred, but the nine divine generals remained silent, just staring at him with strange expressions—a mix of nostalgia, reminiscence, excitement, and tears.

In recent days, they had pieced together Ye Chen's identity: he was the reincarnation of the Emperor Zun! The Emperor Zun was his first life, and he was the ninth. The bonds of reincarnation were unbreakable. Looking at him was like seeing the immortal Emperor Zun of old.

Ye Chen raised an eyebrow, feeling uncomfortable under their gaze, a chill running down his spine.

"I suggest we beat him up!" the sixth divine general said meaningfully.

"That doesn't seem right!" the seventh, eighth, and ninth divine generals protested, though they were already rolling up their sleeves, clearly itching for a fight—or more precisely, to thrash someone named Ye Chen.

"We beat me plenty back in the day; now's our chance to get even." The third divine general pulled out an iron club and polished it vigorously.

"Every time you peeked at fairy baths, you made me take the blame, getting me chased across the world. I'm still bitter about that." The fifth divine general fished out a binding rope, looking ready to tie up a certain young master and hang him from a crooked tree.

"Honestly, I've wanted to hammer him for ages." The fourth divine general took a deep breath. "Couldn't win back then, but today, I'll teach him how to be a person."