Chapter 2318: Surveillance

In the early morning, warm sunlight bathed the earth.

A new day had dawned, and Da Chu was vibrant. The entire Zhutian reflected a glimmer of hope, with the years of recuperation and recovery stretching on endlessly, potentially ushering in a golden age of peace and prosperity.

In the realm of Da Chu, Ye Chen still stood, rooted to the spot throughout the night.

Many Da Chu cultivators passed by, seeing him from afar and bowing respectfully. Some were in such a hurry that they got too close to Ye Chen and were suddenly frozen in place.

"Space confinement?" the old veterans exclaimed in surprise, their eyes shining with wonder.

"It's likely not that simple. Space-based secret arts can't withstand the sunlight."

"Could it be time laws?"

As soon as those words were spoken, everyone present was startled. That was a supreme law, existing only in legends—never before seen in practice. Today, they were truly witnessing something extraordinary. Da Chu's tenth emperor was defying the heavens, having comprehended such a law.

Amid the discussions, Ye Chen, whose eyes were closed, finally stirred. He took a step at a time through the void, gradually walking away.

As he moved, those who had been frozen by time regained their ability to act. They exchanged confused glances, unsure of what had happened, only feeling a brief moment of disorientation.

No one in the crowd explained, as they had all hurried to follow Ye Chen's path.

Time laws were rare to encounter, and it was a golden opportunity to witness someone comprehending them. No one wanted to miss it—if they paid close attention, they might pick up a few superficial insights, which would be a heaven-defying stroke of fortune.

Ahead, Ye Chen walked at a steady pace, with crimson Bian Hua blooming one after another along his path of chaos. It added a touch of life to the chaotic dao and a splash of brilliance to the chaotic world.

The onlookers watched intently, their eyes fixed on the Bian Hua. It was a flower found only on the Huang Quan Road, never seen in the mortal world, yet it bloomed abundantly along Ye Chen's chaotic path.

Because of this spectacle, more and more people gathered, including many old veterans who had been in seclusion recovering from injuries. They rushed over in groups of three or five, forming a continuous crowd.

The scene was quite striking: Ye Chen walked ahead, with throngs of people following behind. The crowd was dense and bustling—if you knew it was for observing enlightenment, that was one thing, but if not, you might think the boss was leading his minions to cause trouble somewhere.

Ye Chen was unaware of all this, continuing step by step. He crossed the Xiong Jiang River and passed over great rivers, with the Bian Hua following him like shadows, blooming wherever he went.

Even more strangely, wherever he set foot, falling leaves in the air would freeze, and flowing spiritual energy would halt. Everything in that world seemed locked in a single moment, more profound than space confinement. The observers tried to imitate it but couldn't.

It was only after some time that Ye Chen opened his eyes, his deep gaze as vast as the starry sky.

His furrowed brows relaxed somewhat, revealing a look of greater enlightenment. His comprehension of the time laws had gained more profound insight, though truly mastering them would still require endless ages.

In that instant, toward the Zhu Xian Sword, he felt not only hatred but also a measure of gratitude. Without it, he wouldn't have suddenly achieved this enlightenment, touching upon such a supreme law—a truly heaven-defying creation.

"We have seen the Sheng Zhu." The followers bowed in unison, cupping their hands and lowering their heads.

Ye Chen was jolted from his thoughts and noticed people all around him, a vast black mass filling the skies and the ground, numbering in the hundreds of thousands. Their eyes were filled with unmistakable reverence.

"Once I fully comprehend it, I will teach you all." Ye Chen smiled, waved his hand, and vanished.

His words energized everyone around him. The supreme time laws—if they could learn them, they could roam the world with ease in the future. Da Chu's tenth emperor was indeed generous, having shared his emperor-level immortal arts in the past as well.

Meanwhile, Ye Chen had already traveled through the air and arrived at Tian Xuan Men.

In a grand palace there, figures filled the space: Dong Huang Taixin, Jian Fei Dao, the emperors, divine generals, holy venerables, Di Ji, Long Cang Jie, and others. To put it simply, everyone in that palace was a peak quasi-emperor, as it was a restricted area of Tian Xuan Men, accessible only to a select few and guarded by ultimate emperor artifacts, making it extremely secure.

As soon as Ye Chen entered, he saw rows of illusionary water screens neatly arranged.

The screens displayed images from various domains, clearly showing the Hong Huang clans building their mountain gates in those domains.

It was evident from their faces that the Hong Huang clan members were extremely ferocious and unwilling.

Anyone could understand why. As the first beings in the world, their bloodlines and origins crushed those of later generations. Many of them had emperor-level inheritances and should have been revered across all domains, yet now they were exiled to these domains. Such a fate was beneath their pride.

"Is this monitoring the Hong Huang clan?" Ye Chen approached, full of curiosity.

"Given the Hong Huang clan's nature, better safe than sorry." Tian Lao chuckled.

"Play it straight, and we'll all get along."

"If they dare cause trouble again, we'll have to set them straight." The holy venerable brushed dust off his shoulder. "Monitoring is essential. You have to handle types like the Hong Huang clan with extra caution."

Ye Chen smiled but said nothing. If he were in their position, he would do the same.

The Hong Huang clan hadn't truly surrendered; they were only submitting under the pressure of Di Huang. A proud race like theirs, given any opportunity, would surely strike back. In terms of overall combat strength, the Hong Huang clan still overwhelmed Zhutian. Without the emperor-level forbidden curses or Di Huang to hold them down, they would launch a counterattack. The domains were merely a barrier, incapable of stopping them.

He didn't see the son of the realm, who was likely in one of the domains right now.

Tian Xuan Men's preparations were thorough indeed—with monitoring here and patrols on Xi Chen's side, it was a two-pronged approach. Any misconduct from the Hong Huang clan would be detected immediately. It wasn't an overreaction; the Hong Huang great clans were just too terrifying.

As they spoke, two more people entered, likely the late-arriving quasi-emperors.

They were Jiu Jian Xian and Yao Chi Xian Mu. It was easy to tell that Yao Chi Xian Mu's cheeks were flushed, and Jiu Jian Xian looked utterly content, clearly indicating they had been quite active the night before.

"I really want to know if their bed broke."

"Don't worry, it's made of pure steel—I already sent one over, the indestructible kind."

"In that case, I'm relieved."

The group of mischievous quasi-emperors bantered back and forth, their words laden with implication, completely ignoring Jiu Jian Xian as they ogled Yao Chi Xian Mu. She was truly captivating.

When the quasi-emperors looked their way, Jiu Jian Xian didn't mind, but Yao Chi Xian Mu's face grew even redder. Once known for her purity and grace, she had ended up in bed with someone amid the chaos of tribulation.

Dong Huang Taixin glanced at Jian Fei Dao, her beautiful eyes flickering with a hint of resentment, as if to say: You're both disciples of the emperor, can't you learn from your senior brother?

Jian Fei Dao gave an awkward dry laugh.

"Come on, we've got good stuff here, one of a kind in the world." The mischievous quasi-emperors had already crowded around Jiu Jian Xian, handing him storage bags. Inside were Da Chu's specialties and potent yang-strengthening elixirs—enough to last for years.

Jiu Jian Xian felt awkward but accepted them; after all, free gifts were free.

Yao Chi Xian Mu couldn't handle the situation anymore. The people of Da Chu were all lunatics, and now she saw it for herself—they didn't have to make it so obvious.

"Since you all have such refined tastes, today I'll show you something interesting." Ye Da Shao spoke up, his expression equally meaningful.

The quasi-emperors perked up at his words and turned to look at Ye Chen.

Ye Da Shao raised his hand and pulled a jade slip from his storage bag, crushing it on the spot.

Immediately, the images sealed within the jade slip appeared perfectly.

As the images displayed, every quasi-emperor present, regardless of gender—including Jian Fei Dao—stared wide-eyed, their mouths hanging open in shock for a long time.

It wasn't their fault; the images were just too tantalizing: In the dead of night, a woman named Dong Huang Taixin was secretly watching something explicit.