Chapter 2325: Half an Incense Stick

Boom! Rumble!

The void echoed with thunderous roars, growing ever more intense. Not only was the heavens and earth trembling, but the vast starry sky was shaking as well, with the universe swaying violently. Many cultivators with weak foundations could barely stand steady.

As for ordinary people, they had already prostrated on the ground, convinced that the heavens were furious and about to unleash calamity. Even the cultivators' faces turned pale, let alone them—they lay motionless, not daring to stir.

The terror of the Di Jie carried the overwhelming pressure of the emperor's path, enveloping the entire world.

"Is this a counterattack?" In the Taohua Lin of the mortal realm, Ye Chen looked up thoughtfully, knowing exactly where the rumbling originated. He also realized that the one triggering the Di Jie was from the Taotie lineage, a race with an imperial dao inheritance, now attempting to break through to the Wushang Di realm.

His expression was strangely enigmatic.

It wasn't just him—Zi Xuan felt the same. After all this time in the Zhutian, they had never seen the Taotie trigger a Di Jie. Now, shortly after being exiled to the Ling Yu, they had found a breakthrough opportunity?

"With oppression comes resistance?" Ye Chen stroked his chin, suspecting that the Taotie's Di Jie was no coincidence. It must have been the pressure from Di Huang that forced their heavenly awakening.

Withdrawing his gaze from the void, he turned to Di Huang.

Di Huang had awakened and forcefully suppressed the backlash, but he paid no attention to the sky. Instead, he picked up his carving knife and continued working on his wooden sculpture, seemingly indifferent to the Taotie's Di Jie.

This was the unyielding spirit of a Da Cheng Sheng Ti—he had no intention of interfering or obstructing. If you want to undergo the Di Jie, go ahead. Even if you become an emperor, I fear you not. But if you dare cause chaos, I will destroy you.

"Senior, aren't you going to check out the Ling Yu?" Ye Chen asked tentatively.

"Whether he achieves dao depends on his own fate." Di Huang replied calmly.

Ye Chen wanted to say more but held back. This was Di Huang—if it were him, he would have charged straight to the Ling Yu. He couldn't allow the Taotie to become an emperor; given their aggressive nature, they would surely ignite war. And that so-called imperial dao curse would be useless against an emperor.

Compared to him, Zi Xuan was far more composed, knowing Di Huang all too well.

It could be said that, aside from Xuanyuan Di, Xianwu Di Zun, the Di Fu Ming Di, and the Tian Jie Dao Zu, Di Huang feared no other great emperor, including any from the Taotie race.

A Da Cheng Sheng Ti stood on par with great emperors, a supreme existence. Di Huang would never disrupt someone's Di Jie, especially since the one undergoing it was from the human realm.

Boom! Rumble!

In the silence, the thunder grew even more ferocious. Layers of invisible halos spread from the Ling Yu, ignoring the realm barriers and reaching the Zhutian side.

"The direction of the Ling Yu—the one undergoing the tribulation is from the Taotie race." People exclaimed in shock.

"What about the Da Cheng Sheng Ti? Has he gone to stop it? If the Taotie produces an emperor, they'll seek revenge."

"In my view, the Sheng Ti has likely already gone."

Discussions erupted everywhere, across continents and starry skies, wherever cultivators gathered. If the one triggering the Di Jie were from the Zhutian, it might be fine, but if it were from the Hong Huang races, it could spark another war.

The Zhutian was buzzing with activity, but the realm was even more chaotic.

The other Hong Huang races didn't look as grim as expected. Knowing it was the Taotie triggering the Di Jie, they strongly hoped for their success. As long as it wasn't from the Zhutian, it didn't matter which race—it would allow the Hong Huang to regain some ground, rather than being scattered across realms.

The most intense scene was in the Zhutian Ling Yu.

Looking up, the sky was darkened by storm clouds, with terrifying lightning tearing through them, carrying destructive force. The pressure of the imperial dao caused the universe to crumble, its glow casting an apocalyptic hue, intertwined with supreme dao visions.

The one undergoing the Di Jie was a golden-robed elder, already standing in the void, awaiting the tribulation's descent.

He was a powerful Taotie, a peak-level Zhun Di with strength rivaling the Zhutian Jian Shen. Perched at the zenith of the heavens, he was like an eternal monument, suppressing the ages. His eagle-like eyes embodied the essence of the dao, radiating brilliant immortal light, while his battle blood burned like fire.

"I will surely become an emperor." The golden-robed Taotie Zhun Di declared firmly, brimming with confidence to survive the Di Jie. After endless years of waiting, this was his day to defy the heavens and prove his dao.

"The first emperor has manifested his spirit."

"After ten thousand years, our Taotie race will finally produce another emperor."

"Seal the emperor!"

The Taotie clan's royals howled, standing tall and straight. Though the one triggering the Di Jie wasn't them, they were more excited than he was, their eyes filled with bloodshot veins and savage gleams.

Like them, the entire Taotie race was thrilled. Their imperial dao inheritance had been exiled to the Ling Yu—a tremendous humiliation. If a Taotie became emperor, they could stand against Di Huang.

All Taotie were convinced that their race's emperor would surpass Di Huang.

"The Taotie race truly breeds talents." On a peak in the Ming Jie, Ming Di stood gazing toward the Zhutian Ling Yu, his emperor eyes shining with a hidden glimmer of hope.

Under his watch, the Taotie Zhun Di soared upward, ascending to the Da Dao Tai Shang Tian.

It was the supreme battlefield, dedicated to tribulations and emperors. Survive it, and the Tai Shang Tian would become the divine platform for sealing the emperor. Fail, and it would be your grave.

Boom! Rumble!

Accompanied by thunder, the supreme Di Jie descended. Billions of lightning bolts poured from the sky, of every color, forming immortal rivers and waterfalls that blanketed the heavens, striking toward the Taotie Zhun Di. Each bolt of the imperial dao's divine tribulation carried destructive power, capable of collapsing the eternal blue sky.

The Zhutian shook again, even affecting the Ming Jie and Tian Jie, buzzing with resonance.

Fight!

The Taotie Zhun Di roared, charging against the heavens. Merging his bloodline essence, he forged an immortal sword, slashing out a brilliant galaxy that cleaved through the Di Jie thunder sea.

But before he could steady himself, the thunder sea reformed, swallowing him whole.

Pfft!

Blood flowers bloomed in the thunder sea, strikingly vivid. In an instant, his Taotie divine body was pulverized into mist, leaving only a faint primordial spirit.

Witnessing this, the Taotie race couldn't help but tremble. The imperial dao's divine punishment was indeed terrifying—a peak-level Zhun Di was obliterated in a single clash.

Fight!

The Taotie Zhun Di bellowed, bursting through the thunder sea once more. He madly burned his lifespan and essence, forcefully reconstructing his divine body, defying the heavens to obliterate the Di Jie.

Yet, he had overestimated himself and underestimated the supreme punishment. No sooner had he escaped the thunder sea than a dark lightning bolt from above shattered his body again, sending his primordial spirit plummeting back into the reforming sea. The lightning raged, intent on erasing his true form.

This time, he didn't emerge, completely submerged.

Ah!

A roar of unwillingness echoed through the Da Dao Tai Shang Tian, originating from the thunder sea, but no sign of the Taotie remained. All that was visible was the imperial dao lightning, piercing the eyes with blood.

Boom! Rumble!

As the Taotie race watched, the thunder gradually faded. Strand after strand of lightning dissipated into the void, and on the battered Da Dao Tai Shang Tian, the Taotie Zhun Di's figure was gone.

In that moment, the entire Taotie race collapsed to the ground, staring blankly at the emptiness. The hopeful light in their eyes vanished with the lightning, fading into darkness.

The hope of the Taotie clan had been shattered.

They had triggered the Di Jie, but failed to endure it, perishing in the process. The dawn of their imperial dao inheritance turned to despair in their hopes, unable to defy the heavens and seal an emperor.

"What a pity." Ming Di sighed, shaking his head helplessly.

It was hard to describe the mindset of a great emperor—whether lamenting the terror of the Di Jie or pitying the Taotie Zhun Di. He hadn't even lasted half a zhu xiang; how could he prove the dao?

To be fair, that Zhun Di was quite remarkable, merely qualifying for the Di Jie. As for sealing an emperor, he was far from ready. That heavenly chasm wasn't so easily crossed.

With another sigh, Ming Di turned and walked away, gradually disappearing.

The rumbling ceased, the Di Jie coming and going swiftly.

The cultivators of the Zhutian, still gazing at the void, stared in bewilderment. Where was the promised imperial dao divine tribulation? Had it vanished? Or had the one undergoing it been destroyed by the Da Cheng Sheng Ti?

"It's undeniable, he's far inferior to me back then." Sheng Zun said deeply, his words laden with meaning. "Wiped out by the Di Jie before even half a zhu xiang—proving what dao?"

Beside him, Di Ji's expression was equally odd. When she had undergone her Di Jie years ago, she had endured for several hours. This one, however, hadn't even made it half a zhu xiang before being buried.

"A lesson learned—wait until Ye Chen passes the Zhun Di Tian Jie before attempting the emperor realm; that's the safest way." Tian Lao stroked his beard. "Triggering the Di Jie carelessly has serious consequences."

The crowd of Zhun Di didn't argue; they needed no reminder from Tian Lao. Unlike the Hong Huang, who were unaware of the secrets, they knew full well. The higher Ye Chen's cultivation, the weaker the imperial dao suppression, and thus the Di Jie would be milder. To prove and seal an emperor, one must endure solitude; otherwise, death would be swift.

"What the hell, I feel like cursing." The Fifth Shen Jiang slapped his forehead hard. If he had known Ye Chen could summon Di Huang from the Ming Jie, he wouldn't have risked triggering the Di Jie that day. In the end, he hadn't summoned it and had ended up injured, completely cutting off his path to emperor.

If he could do it over, he'd wait until after Ye Chen became a Zhun Di to try—it would surely succeed, at least giving him a chance to fight, rather than this frustrating regret.

Ah!

The group of Zhun Di sighed, patting Shen Jiang's shoulder before dispersing.

That night, the people of the Zhutian were restless.

Especially the peak-level Zhun Di, who felt it most acutely. In the haze, they seemed to glimpse the gate of the imperial dao. For a few moments, they were tempted by the Di Jie, sensing that this era might produce a new great emperor—perhaps one of them. The allure of the peak dao and the emperor's throne had clouded their minds.

The Taohua Lin remained peaceful as ever.

Ye Chen still gazed upward, his expression peculiar—the Di Jie had dissipated too quickly.

Zi Xuan, however, was as calm as before.

The remnant soul of the female emperor held memories of her own tribulation. The imperial dao divine tribulation wasn't as simple as it sounded; merely triggering it didn't mean becoming an emperor—it was just qualification.

Ye Chen finally lowered his gaze and approached the old tree, pulling up a small stool. "Senior, since you've brought so many experts from the Ming Jie, are you planning to leave?"

"The secrets from ten thousand years ago need to be investigated." Di Huang smiled.

Ye Chen furrowed his brow slightly, understanding what Di Huang meant—it was related to the Di Zun, meaning his senior intended to follow the path of the Di Zun to the Tai Gu Hong Huang.

But he wasn't sure if Di Huang knew where the entrance to the Tai Gu Hong Huang was.

Speaking of the entrance, he glanced at the female Sheng Ti—she had been searching for it too, without success. He wondered where that so-called entrance truly lay.

Under the night, the Taohua Lin bathed in moonlight, like a veil of dazzling immortal garments.

Ye Chen wasn't idle; he sat properly on the small stool and earnestly asked about his doubts—one after another—such as Ruoxi, Chu Xuan and Chu Ling, the Xuan Huang Five Forbidden Zones, and the three realms of heaven, earth, and humanity. There were too many questions he wanted Di Huang to resolve.

Di Huang, as a senior, answered everything he knew.

Naturally, some secrets, like those about Chu Xuan and Chu Ling, even he didn't know, so he couldn't provide answers. The two conversed like teacher and friend, discussing much that night, occasionally touching on cultivation paths, such as reincarnation and the laws of time—areas where Di Huang couldn't match Ye Chen.

As dawn approached, Ye Chen departed, with Di Huang passing him a secret technique for restoring eye power. Before leaving, he also handed over the dormant Hong Chen.

Hong Chen was still sealed, with Di Huang's personal seal upon her.

For Hong Chen, Di Huang had tried soul-searching, but all he saw was chaos—her memories erased by time, leaving nothing but emptiness, with no useful secrets.

A Da Cheng Sheng Ti had his own hopes.

His hope lay in the Hong Chen Six Paths, wishing for the six paths to return through tribulation, for the two to reunite. He, as a Da Cheng Sheng Ti, would exert immense pressure on them, potentially forcing a nirvana and transformation, leading them to undergo the Di Jie.

After Ye Chen left, the Taohua Lin welcomed a new guest.

This time, it was the Yu Hua Xian Wang, carrying a air of ancient weariness, dusted by the years. His arrival made both Zi Xuan and Di Huang pause for a moment.

Di Huang finally set down his carving knife and set up a tea table.

A Da Cheng Sheng Ti and a Yu Hua Xian Wang—they were rivals and old friends. With the female emperor gone, yet her remnant soul present, the three sat together, feeling the weight of time like a blade.

Meanwhile, Ye Chen had already arrived in the cultivator realm, striding through the skies.

Only then did he crush the jade slip with Di Huang's secret technique, reading the divine consciousness within. The method for restoring eye power relied on external forces, specifically the starlight and moonlight.

This technique was a heaven-defying creation; paired with cultivation methods, it absorbed starlight and moonlight into the eyes to condense eye power. It wasn't as fast as directly swallowing eye origin, but it required time—at least, it was much quicker than his own recovery, needing gradual accumulation.

"Not bad." Ye Chen smiled and headed straight for Tian Xuan Men.

Still far from Tian Xuan, he stopped and manifested his fa shen, bringing Hong Chen along. This was Di Huang's instruction—to seal Hong Chen beneath Tian Xuan Men.

As for why he sent his fa shen, it was to avoid Dong Huang Tai Xin seeking revenge.

"Boss, this doesn't seem right!" The fa shen coughed awkwardly, knowing exactly what the original intended—to take the beating himself. He really didn't want to handle this kind of task.

"So much nonsense." Ye Chen kicked him.

The fa shen grumbled but headed stubbornly toward Tian Xuan Men.

Soon after, booming sounds came from the Tian Xuan direction. The fa shen came rolling out in a mess, with Dong Huang Tai Xin—yes, that feisty woman—chasing behind.

Knowing it was the fa shen, Dong Huang Tai Xin showed no mercy, beating him to oblivion.

This proved Ye Chen's foresight was spot on.

Tasks like getting beaten were best left to the fa shen. After offending the Kunlun Shen Nu, Tian Xuan Men was off-limits, and even sleeping at night required caution to avoid being strangled.