Chapter 2422: When to Leave

Under the moonlight, Xian Chi was shrouded in hazy mist and swirling rain fog. Ye Chen returned and placed Hong Yan in the Xian Chi. Now that she had achieved Great Accomplishment, her overwhelming pressure made it hard for him to breathe. Carrying her like a massive mountain all the way back had left his legs trembling.

Hong Yan silently entered the Xian Chi, still in a daze from being carried. The peerless queen had always been lofty and exalted, never tasting the mundane world's smoke or dust, nor touching its trivial affairs. Yet, this journey was the most peaceful she had experienced in eons. That back was so warm, like a solace for the soul.

Perhaps, as Ming Di had said, someone like her was most easily moved. It must have been that year, that night, in her most vulnerable moment, when a pair of hands pulled her from hell back to the human world. That instant of warmth had planted a seed of emotion, now taking root and sprouting.

"Still unwilling to tell me your origins?" Ye Chen asked, holding a wine flask and standing by the pool's edge. He gazed at the swirling mists and the vague, enchanting figure hidden within.

"In my era, the Ancient Heavenly Court had not yet fallen," Hong Yan replied softly.

Ye Chen furrowed his brows slightly. She truly was an ancient demon! In terms of seniority, she could outrank Di Huang by miles—an absolute elder, even Ba Yuan would have to address her as a senior.

He wanted to ask more, with so many doubts: about Ruo Xi, about Wu Lei Chengzhu, Chu Xuan, and Chu Ling, about the Ancient Heavenly Court, and the true origins of the Huang Gu Sheng Ti. But Hong Yan had already sat cross-legged, closed her eyes, and begun healing.

He didn't disturb her further and quietly left the Xian Chi.

As soon as he stepped out, he saw Ren Wang crouched on a rock, chuckling as he looked at his treasured collection. Bathed in starlight, that old face was as lecherous as could be.

"There's something I want to ask you," Ye Chen said, approaching with his wine flask.

"Go ahead."

"Do you know the connection between Ruo Xi, Wu Lei Chengzhu, Chu Xuan, and Chu Ling?"

"No idea."

"Do you know the true origins of the Sheng Ti?"

"No idea."

"Do you know the secrets of the Primeval Hong Huang and Emperor Zun's encounters from eons ago?"

"No idea."

Ye Chen nearly choked, almost exploding on the spot. No matter what he asked, the answers were always the same. Wasn't Ren Wang's remnant soul supposed to know everything?

"I'm not a god, and I'm not all-powerful," Ren Wang said casually, still flipping through his collection. "For matters like this, the forbidden zones know best. When you become an emperor one day, you'll find out with a single inquiry."

Ye Chen's face darkened. If he achieved Dao and became emperor, why would he need to ask the forbidden zones?

He was certain Ren Wang was hiding something from him. If he pressed further, the man would just say, "Heaven's secrets cannot be revealed." It was the same old trick used by all the world's crafty old schemers.

"In the Heavenly Realm, I've seen the Chaos Body," Ren Wang added.

At the mention of the Chaos Body, Ye Chen climbed onto the rock and squatted beside him, his eyes gleaming with curiosity. He had been to the Yin Cao Underworld but never to the Heavenly Realm, so he was quite intrigued.

"He's incredibly strong, terrifyingly so—a genuine young emperor level."

Ren Wang continued, referring to the Chaos Body. His expression showed unmistakable admiration. In this era, few could make him react like that.

Ye Chen wasn't surprised by the assessment. He had once seen the Chaos Body in the Tian Zun ruins, and it was extraordinarily powerful. Now in the Heavenly Realm, it must have received true transmissions from Dao Zu, so how could it be weak?

"Only by defeating him will you qualify to become an emperor," Ren Wang said.

"You should have brought him back while you were at it," Ye Chen replied earnestly. All this talk was useless. The Chaos Body was in the Heavenly Realm, while he was in the human world—what chance did they have to fight?

For some reason, he felt a sense of anticipation, wishing to bring Zhao Yun over.

Since their parting in the Underworld, centuries had passed, and that guy's combat prowess must have grown even more fearsome. Ji Ning Frost was already so strong, yet she had no guarantee of victory, which spoke volumes about Zhao Yun's achievements.

Imagine how lively it would be if Zhao Yun came to the various heavens and the Chaos Body returned as well.

Ren Wang finally put away his treasured collection and sat properly on the rock, seriously describing the Heavenly Realm. It was truly a fairyland, with Dao Zu presiding over it and countless experts. Its strength was on par with the Underworld, but unlike the dark Underworld, the Heavenly Realm was filled with radiant immortal light.

Beyond that, there were ancient secrets: like Ming Di, Dao Zu seemed to be guarding something of great importance, only daring to remove the barriers between the heavenly and human realms at a specific time.

For once, Ren Wang spoke like an elder mentoring a junior.

Ye Chen listened quietly, occasionally asking questions, but some secrets even Ren Wang didn't know—like what exactly Ming Di and Dao Zu were guarding, or the changes in the three realms.

That night, the Tenth Emperor of Da Chu and Ren Wang's remnant soul chatted casually.

Both were unprincipled types, and seeing them so serious even made Ming Di raise an eyebrow.

As the night faded, Ye Chen finally stood up to leave.

Before departing, he learned another secret about Zhu Xian Town. As he had suspected back then, that ordinary ancient star had once formed its own cycle of reincarnation, much like Da Chu.

However, due to a catastrophic calamity, the star's heavens and earth collapsed, breaking the reincarnation cycle.

From that day on, it became an ordinary ancient star, with no cultivators left after endless ages of evolution. Yet, remnants of the reincarnation cycle occasionally manifested, which was why the Qi Wang World Prince could be reincarnated—though such cases were extremely rare.

In the early morning, Tian Xuan Men was peaceful and serene.

Many Great Saint-level elders had gathered on the rocks, gazing expectantly at the vast sky, waiting to witness the Great Accomplishment tribulation of the Sheng Ti. People from all corners of the heavens were waiting too.

Unfortunately, the tribulation had already ended, leaving them disappointed. Not everyone was fortunate enough to see such an eternal spectacle—only peak quasi-emperors truly qualified.

Fortunately, Young Master Ye was kind-hearted and distributed copies of the engraved images to them all.

Tian Xuan Men was instantly thrown into an uproar, and soon the entire heavens were buzzing. Da Chu became extremely lively, with countless visitors seeking the tribulation footage.

Tian Xuan Men would provide it, but not for free—it had to be bought.

A month later, strange phenomena appeared in the mists, shaking all of Da Chu. An supreme pressure overflowed from Xian Chi as Hong Yan awoke, having recovered her injuries and consolidated her realm. Her supreme aura, though not as domineering as Di Huang's, was still not something anyone could withstand.

This drew countless visits from ancient sect leaders, all eager to see the female Great Accomplishment Sheng Ti.

The results were predictable: they didn't see the female Sheng Ti, but they did encounter plenty of old fellows.

When they finally left Da Chu, most of these ancient sect leaders were carrying treasures—referring to the treasured collections, which weren't given away for free; they had to pay for them too.

That night, Jade Girl Peak was quiet and deserted.

The women had all gone to bed, their chambers tightly shut with anti-theft bells—not to ward off thieves, but to keep out a certain young master, lest he steal their clothes again, which would be embarrassing.

"Damn heavenly retribution!"

Under the moon, Ye Chen lurked like a thief, peeking through windows one by one. Maybe some wife would have a change of heart and let him in to chat about ideals.

Regrettably, not a single one did—not even opening the door when he knocked.

"Does the emperor of Da Chu have such refined tastes?" Qing Ling's voice rang out as a graceful figure materialized, bathed in moonlight like a dreamlike vision. Upon closer look, it was indeed the female Sheng Ti—a ethereal exiled immortal.

Ye Chen coughed awkwardly and, to cover his embarrassment, pulled out his wine flask and approached slowly.

Hong Yan had already sat down under that old tree, picking up her carving knife and working steadily. Years ago, when she had reverted to youth, she had spent twenty years on this very peak.

Now, returning, her state of mind was different, and recalling it brought a faint smile.

"When are you leaving?" Ye Chen sat down too, asking with a smile.

"After destroying the Zhu Xian Jian," Hong Yan replied without lifting her eyes, focused on her wood carving. Her tone was flat, without joy or sorrow. Only when mentioning the Zhu Xian Jian did a flicker of immortal light flash in her eyes—whether complex or sharp, it was hard to tell.

Her words left Ye Chen speechless. Destroy the Zhu Xian Jian? Then go find it! Why come here to carve wood? Would it just deliver itself? With that thing around, he wouldn't even dare sleep, fearing he'd be strangled in his dreams and never see the sun again.

To his surprise, Hong Yan really did leave, leaving behind a wood carving of Ye Chen.

Bathed in moonlight, she departed Da Chu and headed to Xuan Huang.

Her arrival caught the attention of the five forbidden zones, waking even the sealed Tian Wang. Like before, she didn't enter the zones, only stood at the base of the mountain like a statue, motionless for a long time.

It wasn't that she didn't dare enter; she feared awakening old acquaintances and facing them.

"After eons, will you finally trust the common people this time?" Tian Xu Tian Wang spoke, his ethereal voice echoing through heaven and earth as he gazed at her from afar. His turbid old eyes held resentment and a trace of ancient weariness.

"I only believe in him," Hong Yan said indifferently, then silently turned and walked away.

"Will we really let her enter the Primeval Hong Huang?" Tian Zhu asked Tian Wang, glancing at Hong Yan.

"If she goes, we can't stop her," Tian Wang replied calmly. "Xian Wu Emperor Zun died in battle, and his hundred thousand divine generals were wiped out. Even if Di Huang went, it wouldn't be enough—we need her to join the fight."

Tian Zhu and Di Mie fell silent, still not trusting the female Sheng Ti.

In reality, the forbidden zones had no choice but to trust her. The Primeval Hong Huang had already undergone changes, requiring supreme beings to investigate. One wasn't enough; they needed two to barely qualify.

After the Tian Mo invasion, the various heavens fell into true peace for the first time.

Many people set out for deeper parts of the starry sky to cultivate. With no wars in sight, they continued the old ways of recuperation. With two Great Accomplishment Sheng Ti overseeing things, genuine tranquility was achieved.

In these days, Hong Huang had become noticeably subdued, with no one daring to undergo emperor tribulations. Even if they could attract one, they wouldn't dare face it, suppressed as they were by Di Huang and Hong Yan—achieving emperor status would be futile.

Nine days later, a rumbling sound shattered the starry sky's calm.

Countless people looked up, but they couldn't pinpoint the source—it came from the black hole.

Upon closer inspection, it was Di Huang and Hong Yan who had found the Zhu Xian Jian. Even teaming up, they only managed to let it escape, though it was heavily damaged and nearly destroyed.

In the days that followed, the two didn't rest, determined to destroy the Zhu Xian Jian quickly so they could head to the Primeval Hong Huang. Their ominous premonitions grew stronger, bringing a mounting sense of oppression.

They located the Zhu Xian Jian a few more times, but each ended in disappointment.

It was incredibly elusive, able to hide and flee masterfully. With two Great Accomplishment Sheng Ti pursuing it and two peak great emperors watching, it still slipped away time and again, impossible to catch.

Deep in the black hole, Hong Yan suddenly stopped, no longer moving forward.

Di Huang was there too. The two Great Accomplishment Sheng Ti shared a tacit understanding and decided to abandon the chase. Compared to pursuit, another method was more reliable, though it would invite more complications.