Chapter 2348: The Curtain Rises on a Prosperous Era

In the early morning on Yu Nu Peak, all was peaceful and serene.

Ye Chen hadn't left, having watched over her all night. He was accustomed to the changes in Ji Ningshuang's cultivation, as the Dao of Dreams was profoundly mysterious. She must have grasped its true essence, leading to such remarkable transformations.

He stood there for eight full days and nights.

It wasn't until the ninth day that Ji Ningshuang's cultivation stabilized, firmly reaching the peak of Da Sheng. Her comprehension of the Dao of Dreams had also advanced to the next stage, showing signs of a potential breakthrough.

Ye Chen let out a deep sigh of relief and finally moved away. He glanced at Chu Xuan and Chu Ling, both of whom were in seclusion, especially Chu Xuan, whose cultivation was on the verge of a breakthrough.

He knew well the dominance of the Tai Shang Xian Ti. Among his wives, aside from Ji Ningshuang, Chu Xuan had the highest talent. Breaking through to Zhun Di was only a matter of time.

After leaving the room, Ye Chen looked toward the misty distance.

Calculating the time, Xuan Nu and the others had been away on their training journey for a whole year. He wondered which part of the starry sky they were in now, and when they might return—it would likely be a long while.

"This quietness on Yu Nu Peak is really unfamiliar." Ye Chen said, sitting under an old tree. Hong Yan was there, carefully carving a wooden figure, the little one focused intently on her task.

She completely ignored Ye Chen's words, showing no reaction at all.

"I've been to Tian Xuan Gate. Ruo Xi has awakened and regained her memories," Ye Chen said leisurely, his tone full of gravity. He was clearly trying to coax information out of her, hoping to uncover some secrets from Hong Yan.

Sure enough, his words made the female Sheng Ti pause for a moment.

"She asked me to pass on a message—she's coming to settle scores with you." Ye Chen took a swig of wine.

This time, Hong Yan reacted even more strongly, accidentally cutting her hand with the knife.

Not only that, she inadvertently glanced toward the rooms of Chu Xuan and Chu Ling. In her clear, bright eyes, there was unmistakable wariness.

Such subtle movements didn't escape Ye Chen's notice.

He narrowed his eyes slightly and furrowed his brow, convinced that the female Sheng Ti knew Ruo Xi and that there was likely bad blood between them. Otherwise, why would Hong Yan be so afraid?

What puzzled him was that he had mentioned Ruo Xi, yet Hong Yan was looking at Chu Xuan and Chu Ling. Could it be that his twin wives were also connected to that ancient secret?

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but clear his throat. "Even now, you're not willing to speak?"

"Since she's awake, why don't you go ask her yourself?" Hong Yan withdrew her gaze and continued carving the wooden figure intently. She only believed half of what Ye Chen said. Based on her understanding of that certain young master, he was probably just bluffing. She might have regressed to a childlike state, but her wits were still sharp.

"If you can make me happy, I'll put in a good word for you."

"Enemies are better resolved than provoked. Ruo Xi is reasonable; she'd likely let bygones be bygones with a smile."

"Can't you give me some response?"

Ye Chen kept talking without pause, not even pausing for a breath. He was fully committed to his bluffing, pulling out all the stops in an attempt to pry out some secrets.

But Hong Yan was like a block of wood, refusing to engage with him at all.

The female Sheng Ti, who was infinitely close to great accomplishment, had indeed lost her composure earlier, but upon reflection, she realized Ye Chen was definitely bluffing. If Ruo Xi had returned, how could there be no heavenly omens?

Once she figured that out, she had nothing to fear. Let him bluff all he wanted—she wasn't saying a word.

Ye Chen took a deep breath and suppressed his urge to lash out. It was a good thing Hong Yan was a girl; if she were a boy, he'd have dragged her out for a beating by now. She wouldn't answer a single question.

Finding it pointless, he finally left.

Watching his retreating figure, the female Sheng Ti couldn't help but chuckle to herself, delighted at the sight of Ye Chen being thwarted. It felt incredibly satisfying. Still trying to bluff me? You're nowhere near skilled enough.

By then, Ye Chen had already arrived at Ling Dan Pavilion. From afar, he could smell the fragrance of pills.

Xu Fu was as dedicated as ever. Ever since he had triggered a Dan Lei that day, he had been full of energy, still refining one-pattern pills with tremendous enthusiasm. One could even say he was a bit obsessed. For a pill refiner to grasp the essence of alchemy was more exciting to him than getting married.

"After you left, I've refined several one-pattern pills that triggered Dan Lei three more times." Seeing Ye Chen, Xu Fu grinned happily, his tone and expression screaming self-satisfaction.

"Not bad, keep it up." Ye Chen replied casually, slowly setting up his pill furnace. He felt an urge to laugh—triggering Dan Lei three times, and you're proud of that?

Xu Fu coughed awkwardly. Compared to Ye Chen, it was a bit embarrassing.

With a hum, Ye Chen's golden immortal fire ignited in the furnace.

This time, he wasn't refining one-pattern pills but two-pattern pills. He planned to spend a year comprehending them, then move on to three-pattern, four-pattern, and five-pattern pills.

This would be a long journey, and he was prepared to spend a full ten years on pill comprehension.

Night fell quietly. Ye Chen and Xu Fu were both refining pills, while Qi Yue had taken out the Bao Lian Lamp. She was the most diligent one, constantly watching over Nian Wei.

The various heavens were far from calm, as the golden prosperous era approached, with omens appearing one after another.

These omens were the breakthrough phenomena.

On the third day, thunder rumbled across Bei Yue, Zhongzhou, Nan Yu, and Xi Mo in Xuan Huang. Dark clouds surged, filled with lightning and thunder, along with a terrifying pressure that made one's soul tremble. It was the heavenly tribulation for advancing to Zhun Di, shaking the very fabric of the universe.

The ones undergoing the tribulation were Bei Sheng, Nan Di, Zhong Huang, and Xi Zun.

All four were exceptional prodigies, and their tribulations involved imperial Dao laws manifesting as multiple forms, not just one. Crowds gathered to watch, with avatars everywhere, not missing a thing in any direction.

On the fifth day, deep in the starry sky, thunder suddenly erupted as two people triggered their tribulations simultaneously.

They were the Sun and Moon God Child Zhi Yan and Dong Zhou Wu Wang Song Yu. What a pair of brothers—they went everywhere together, even facing their tribulations one after the other, shaking the entire star domain.

On the eighth day, the various emperor's sons also encountered their tribulations.

On the thirteenth day, Xiao Yuan Huang and Kui Niu advanced to Zhun Di, fighting for their lives in a near-fatal battle.

On the seventeenth day, Chen Yi and Di Jiu Xian made a heaven-defying breakthrough from seclusion.

On the twenty-first day, Long Jie, the Wu Clan God Child, the Gu Clan God Child, the Ling Clan God Child, and others all broke through, along with Bai Hu Crown Prince, Zhu Que Princess, and Xuan Wu Crown Prince, all advancing at the same time.

On the twenty-ninth day, Ming Jue and Bai Zhi also entered the Zhun Di realm.

Following that, the various heavens' supreme prodigies continued to break through one after another. A storm of advancements to Zhun Di swept across the starry sky, ushering in a new era of glory during this period of recovery and recuperation.

This would be another great wave.

It wasn't just the heavens' cultivators—even the Hong Huang great clans were no exception. Although their emperor's sons, crown princes, and royal children had been nearly wiped out, there were still plenty of prodigies, with many sealing themselves as Zhun Di.

As for the older generation of Zhun Di, like the Divine Generals, Emperors, Saint Venerables, and the four peak sword cultivators, they became witnesses to this wave. The future would belong to the younger generation.

This era would be one of dazzling stars, as a golden great world gradually unfolded with this new tribulation wave, bathing the world in light.

The outside world was lively, and Da Chu was no different.

As the month drew to a close, Tai Wang's son Long Teng finally took that step, defying the heavens to become a Zhun Di. When the Tian Xuan Gate Zhun Di brought him back, he was already unrecognizable, barely escaping total destruction.

Soon after, Dong Huang's son Zhou Tian Yi and Tian Zang Huang's son Di Fan both triggered their tribulations, living up to their imperial fathers' reputations by undergoing a great transformation and rebirth in the tribulations.

Under the night sky, Ling Dan Pavilion was bathed in starlight, cloaked in a layer of serene aura.

In the quiet night, thunder rumbled.

Looking up, one could see it was from a pill—a two-pattern pill that Ye Chen had refined, triggering Dan Lei for the first time. The pill's heavenly tribulation was even more intense than that of the one-pattern pills.

The appearance of Dan Lei marked another significant breakthrough on Ye Chen's path of pill comprehension. It signified the intertwining of pills and the Dao, revealing even deeper truths of alchemy.

"Why don't you go refine pills on Yu Nu Peak?" Xu Fu coughed and glanced at Ye Chen. Having a prodigy nearby brought not only pressure but also embarrassment. He was supposed to be Ye Chen's master, the one who taught him alchemy, but now, he felt like he'd lost face.

"Sure, no problem." Ye Chen smiled, collected his pills and furnace, and left Ling Dan Pavilion.

"You're really leaving?" Xu Fu muttered, twitching his mouth.

Ye Chen didn't respond; he had already vanished into the void. It wasn't to find a place to refine pills, but because Xiao Chen had arrived. Clearly, Xiong Chen was here for a spar— the son of the War King, inheritor of Zhan Shen Xing Tian's legacy, and a Thunder War Body, wanting to test himself against the Huang Gu Sheng Ti in a practice duel.