Chapter 2323: Three Saints Gather

Drink!

Amidst the lively chatter, night descended quietly.

Bathed in starlight, the banquet showed no sign of ending; instead, it became even more vibrant. The female cultivators of Da Chu were all perceptive and considerate. They offered up strings of luminous pearls, illuminating the Da Chu Zhutian Gate under the moonlight as if it were broad daylight, turning a simple feast into a grand night celebration.

This night banquet held profound historical significance. It was the first true integration between the human realm and the underworld. Such a magnificent scene had never occurred in the history of the heavens.

Thus, the night in Da Chu was far from calm; it was even more bustling.

Ye Chen did not linger, carrying his wine jar and pouring as he walked.

He saw Qin Mengyao, who, since arriving in Da Chu, had been holding Ji Ningshuang’s hand, asking endless questions, every single one concerning Zhao Yun. She missed that person deeply.

Ji Ningshuang smiled softly and answered without reservation, drawing many listeners. They sighed over the experiences of Dongshen Yaochi and were astonished by Zhao Yun's power, surprised that he could fight Ye Chen to a standstill.

Chu Ling and Chu Xuan were also present. As the former goddess of the Naihe Bridge, Chu Ling seemed like an old friend, walking alongside Ye Chen as he poured wine and introducing everyone along the way. From the highest Yanluo Fujun of the underworld to the lowliest Yincao ghosts, she knew them all.

The women couldn't help but sigh, inspired by Chu Ling's stories and feeling tempted to visit the underworld themselves.

The underworld folk sighed even more, never imagining that the former Naihe Bridge goddess was from Da Chu and Ye Chen's wife. This connection was unknown to most.

While sighing, they couldn't help but click their tongues in admiration, thinking how ruthless the emperor had been back then. One emotional tribulation had stirred up the underworld, and Ye Chen must have faced immense pressure at the time. The Sacred Body lineage’s trials were no small matter; when they struck, they targeted the weakest point: emotions.

Without that, Ye Chen might never have overcome his emotional tribulation, let alone braved the six paths of reincarnation.

In hindsight, the emperor's actions had been quite wise.

The banquet was lively, with the younger generation being the most active.

Ye Ling had become the big sister figure, cradling little Ye Fan in one arm and little Yang Lan in the other, leading a group of kids as they darted about. The little ones eyed the underworld people with curiosity, especially the judges, Heibai Wuchang, Niutou Mamian, and Meng Po, surrounding them as if they were exhibits at a zoo, their big eyes blinking rapidly.

The judges felt awkward, and Heibai Wuchang felt awkward too.

There was no help for it; their reputations were too notorious. People in the mortal realm often used them to scare children. Now, seeing the real deal, who wouldn't be curious? And they were just as rumored: fiercely intimidating figures that left kids speechless, afraid of being spirited away.

"Don't run off, stay together."

Ye Ling acted like the boss, but she lacked any real authority; she was the epitome of mischief, the cleverest at pranks, and a master of trouble, inheriting it straight from her father.

In a way, she was half from the underworld, since Chu Ling was already pregnant with her when she died. That story still evoked sighs to this day.

"The people in their family are all absolute freaks!" Watching Ye Ling, Ye Fan, and Yang Lan, the great underworld gods had sighed countless times.

It wasn't just the underworld; cultivators from the heavens who visited Yunu Peak felt the same. There were Huanggu Sacred Bodies, Yaochi Immortal Bodies, Taishang Immortal Bodies, Daoling Bodies, Xuanling Bodies, Shengling Bodies, Tian Sha Guxing, Tian Qian Bodies... so many terrifying bloodlines gathered in one family. If they all matured, it would be more intimidating than any imperial lineage. Who would dare provoke them?

For some reason, the atmosphere of the banquet shifted, taking on a touch of melancholy.

At the tables Ye Chen passed, many underworld powerhouses drank themselves into a stupor, refusing to use their powers to dispel the alcohol, downing cup after cup, jar after jar, with tears streaming from their eyes.

There were so many like that.

Mostly veteran underworld generals, returning to their homeland, seeking solace for their souls and letting loose for once. At the tables, they vented long-suppressed emotions, wanting to get thoroughly drunk to numb their minds and avoid recalling those turbulent pasts. Whenever they did, it brought tears.

Ye Chen remained silent, simply acting as the quiet pourer. A few times, old underworld generals pulled him aside, like a frail grandfather sharing ancient tales with his grandson, their words choked with emotion, full of nostalgia and regret for the years lost.

Ye Chen always listened attentively. Perhaps one day, he too would be like these old generals, a lonely figure lost in memories.

As the night deepened, the once-lively banquet quieted down. Many were passed out drunk on the tables, snoring away, while others grabbed their wine jars and wandered off to visit their hometowns, yearning for it after endless ages.

Ah!

Ye Chen sighed again, quietly turning to head toward a part of Da Chu, intending to find Di Huang.

But halfway there, he changed direction and went to Hengyue instead.

In the dead of night, he entered the room of the Nü Shengti.

Then, he dragged the soundly sleeping beauty out. It was a rare opportunity to see Di Huang, and since they were all Sacred Bodies—the only three in this era—they had to gather.

"You must be sick!" The Nü Shengti was being hauled along, her face darkly furious, eyes blazing with fire. She had been in the middle of a sweet dream, only to be yanked from her bed without even her shoes.

"Going to see the Sacred Body senior—how could I leave you out?" Ye Chen chuckled. He enjoyed seeing her face darken as much as she enjoyed seeing his. No matter how you looked at it, she was adorable.

The Nü Shengti decided not to speak anymore, afraid she'd be driven to death by anger. Why drag me to see Di Huang? You're doing this on purpose. If you didn't haul me, your hands must be itching for trouble.

Ye Chen paid it no mind, striding forward with his back straight and head high. He still remembered how the Nü Shengti had dragged him across the domains back in the day. Now was his chance to hold his head up high.

To her credit, the Nü Shengti had a big heart; even while being carried, she managed to fall asleep again, her little arms and legs dangling, looking from afar like a floppy rabbit.

Soon after, in a peach blossom forest in the mortal realm, Ye Chen appeared once more.

Di Huang was there, sitting under an old tree, quietly carving a wooden figure—of the Donghua Nüdi, of course. Zi Xuan sat nearby, like an ice sculpture, watching Di Huang silently. Though just a remnant soul, her beautiful eyes revealed a woman's tenderness, whether it was the empress's or her own. Yue Shang loved Di Huang, and so did she.

Ye Chen's arrival made Zi Xuan glance over, and seeing Ye Chen lugging the Nü Shengti, she couldn't help but twitch her mouth. That was the Nü Shengti, infinitely close to great accomplishment. If her cultivation were intact, she'd be unmatched in this era except by Di Huang and the great emperors.

Yet here she was, being carried by Ye Chen—a scene that was utterly audacious.

Compared to that, Di Huang was completely unfazed; he'd seen Ye Chen's antics in the underworld before. This was mild; at least he wasn't swinging her around while relieving himself.

"Greetings, senior." Ye Chen set down the Nü Shengti and bowed respectfully.

The Nü Shengti, however, just yawned, glanced at Di Huang, then found a comfortable spot to sit, hugging her knees and dozing off again. She clearly wasn't fully awake.

"Wait a moment." Di Huang replied with a smile, continuing his carving.

"No rush." Ye Chen grinned, pulling out his wine flask and drinking while idly scanning the peach blossom forest. Every now and then, he'd wander over to the Nü Shengti, just to tease her. What was with sleeping so much in the middle of the night? She ate a lot and slept even more.

Whenever that happened, the Nü Shengti would stomp her feet in frustration—adorably so.

This scene in the peach blossom forest was quite historic: Sacred Bodies from different eras rarely gathered, yet in this one, three had come together in a mortal peach grove. One at quasi-emperor perfection, one at quasi-emperor peak, and one not yet crossed the emperor tribulation but still quasi-emperor level—two men and one woman. Such a spectacle was unprecedented, a mythic moment.

Zi Xuan watched in a daze, a witness to this historical event. If given enough time, Ye Chen and the others would surely become great accomplished Sacred Bodies.

Imagine: three fully accomplished Sacred Bodies in the same era—how glorious that would be, surpassing even the Xianyu Great Emperor's time. Without a great emperor, but with three beings more terrifying than emperors, they could turn the tide on any catastrophe.

Unfortunately, she still couldn't see through the Nü Shengti. She'd heard of the Lingyu events and didn't understand why the Nü Shengti had aided the heavenly demons or why she opposed the heavens.

She was even more curious about Ye Chen and the Nü Shengti's relationship: enemies? Old friends? Or lovers? She hoped for the third, and that Ye Chen and the Nü Shengti could unite, perhaps creating an even more fearsome bloodline.

After half an incense stick's time, Di Huang finally put away his carving knife, having sculpted the empress's features vividly.

Ye Chen stopped bothering the Nü Shengti and hurriedly stepped forward, summoning his immortal fire.

Di Huang stored the wooden figure and stood, using a secret technique to extract a faint strand of soul from the immortal fire—so thin it was almost invisible, finer than a hair.

That was Nian Wei's soul, barely containing any soul power, swaying in the wind.

Seeing this strand of soul, Ye Chen's heart ached fiercely. A graceful young woman reduced to just this—guilt overwhelmed him.

Di Huang waved his hand, producing an exquisite treasure lamp in his palm, verdant and etched with ancient immortal patterns, glowing with radiant immortal light. It was formed from a lotus and in a semi-artifact state.

Then, Nian Wei's strand of soul was drawn into the lamp, turning into a tiny flame, weak and flickering, casting a dim purple glow.

Ye Chen watched intently, his eyes narrowing slightly. He could see Nian Wei's soul gathering strength, while the treasure lamp's immortal light nourished it.

"Keep it safe, don't let it touch sunlight." Di Huang said, suspending the lamp in the air. "In time, it will reunite the three souls and seven spirits, and return to the world."

"Thank you, senior." Ye Chen stepped forward and carefully took the lamp. This treasure lamp was a divine soul-nurturing tool, inherently fused with soul power. Once it nurtured her, Nian Wei's revival was only a matter of time.

"You... who exactly are you?" Di Huang turned his gaze to the Nü Shengti, his golden eyes steady and unwavering, just as Ye Chen's had been earlier.

At these words, Ye Chen and Zi Xuan also turned, eager to know the answer.

"Even Ba Yuan doesn't dare speak to me like that. You're more promising than him." The Nü Shengti didn't look up, hugging a spirit fruit and munching away contentedly.

Di Huang said nothing, his eyes flickering with deep meaning. As he suspected, the Nü Shengti's era predated the first-generation Sacred Body Ba Yuan. Her seniority was beyond imagination, at least higher than the Ming Emperor's, or he would have met her.

That's why he couldn't fathom her origins.

Instinctively, his eyes narrowed further, scrutinizing the Nü Shengti intensely. She was no different from a male Sacred Body—an innate one, not one awakened later.

"I say, little Hong, we're all Sacred Bodies here—don't hold back. It's not good for our bond." Ye Chen put away his flask and picked up another spirit fruit, ready to offer it.

But the Nü Shengti exploded in anger, hurling her half-eaten fruit at him. She couldn't stand hearing "little Hong," especially from Ye Chen's mouth.

"Senior, why not try soul-searching?" Ye Chen suggested via transmission.

"It's useless." Di Huang shook his head lightly. As a fully accomplished Sacred Body, if he were to soul-search, he wouldn't need to lift a finger—his earlier gaze was more profound than that. Yet, he saw nothing. Or perhaps, there was a prohibition on her primordial spirit that even a great emperor might not breach.

"In that case, we might have to use force." Ye Chen took a deep breath, pulling a small gourd from his robes, filled with his special brew: Da Chu specialty.

Di Huang just shook his head and smiled, waving his hand to put the Nü Shengti into a deep sleep.

Zi Xuan was considerate, summoning a layer of clouds to protect Hong Lian. She was in a mortal state now and couldn't catch a chill. More than that, Zi Xuan felt a surge of maternal instinct—the Nü Shengti was truly endearing.

Ye Chen coughed and quickly stowed his specialty, realizing Di Huang disapproved of that method.

He felt helpless about the Nü Shengti too. She had such high standards, not even respecting Di Huang, and refused to answer anything. If she reached great accomplishment one day, who knows what would happen.

Yet, this only proved her mystery further. Her era must have had beings surpassing great emperors, witnessing true supreme power, which is why she looked down on Di Huang.

"Can you undo the prohibition on her?" Ye Chen asked, looking at Di Huang.

"Forcibly breaking it would harm her foundations." Di Huang replied calmly. He had no intention of removing the Nü Shengti's prohibition yet—at least not until they uncovered her origins and confirmed her stance.

"I think it's fine as it is." Ye Chen said thoughtfully. They couldn't remove it now; with the Nü Shengti's temper, she'd come after him first once her powers returned. Besides, what if removing the prohibition let her escape?

As he muttered, Di Huang extracted the white jade dragon chair from Ye Chen's sea of consciousness.

Under the moonlight, the dragon chair shimmered with flowing light, enveloped in immortal aura, with faint dao essences circulating and a subtle feminine scent—both ancient and profound.

Di Huang stood quietly, gazing at the chair, curious about the secrets of the ancient heavenly court. This chair might reveal a corner of those eternal mysteries.

Suddenly, he performed a divination secret technique, using the residual dao essences on the chair to trace back step by step to their source—the commander of the ancient heavenly court.

Ye Chen stayed silent, and so did Zi Xuan, waiting patiently.

In that instant, the peach blossom forest fell into a deathly stillness.

Di Huang's divination seemed to involve laws, causing even the floating peach petals to freeze in mid-air and the breeze to halt.

Ye Chen frowned slightly; it resembled his own Nian Yongheng.

But Di Huang's laws weren't related to time; it was some form of divination power disrupting the established order, returning this land to its most primal state.

Buzz! Buzz!

Due to Di Huang's divination, the dragon chair vibrated intensely, on the verge of shattering, unable to withstand the force. It wasn't its own, after all, lacking that heaven-piercing divine power.

Looking at Di Huang, his brows were furrowed, and his face had paled slightly, as if suffering from some hidden backlash. It wasn't the chair that was strong, but its owner. The closer he got to the dao essence's source, the stronger the backlash, and even as a fully accomplished Sacred Body, he struggled.

Zi Xuan was shocked, and so was Ye Chen. Just how powerful was the chair's owner?