Chapter 2426: The Holy Emperor

Ye Chen didn't delay and immediately activated the domain gate.

On a quiet night, the group returned to Da Chu, but they didn't see Di Huang and Hong Yan return. All they saw was that fellow Ren Wang, sitting under an old tree, legs crossed, carving wood. Each stroke and pause was infused with a divine essence.

"Before the entrance opens, don't go out wandering anymore."

Before Ye Chen could speak, Ren Wang's words came first, his meaning clear: he didn't want Ye Chen to have any accidents. After all, the reincarnation body of the Emperor was a matter of great importance, which was also Di Huang's intention.

The women listened without understanding, having no idea what the "entrance" referred to.

Ye Chen understood perfectly. He gently waved his hand and set up a barrier, enveloping the entire Jade Maiden Peak. His meaning was equally clear: he didn't want Ye Ling and the others to go out wandering either.

The night passed without incident, and dawn arrived in the blink of an eye.

Before the sky was fully bright, Di Huang and Hong Yan returned. One entered Tian Xuan Gate, and the other came to Heng Yue Sect. The one who arrived was Di Huang, and he brought quite a few treasures for Ye Chen.

These so-called treasures were true fire and true thunder.

In addition, there were materials for refining the Jiu Zhuan Huan Hun Dan. Most of these were obtained from Wu Lei Cheng, that immortal city of the human world, filled with rare herbs and exotic plants, many of which had vanished from the heavens.

"Senior, what is the origin of Wu Lei Cheng?" Ye Chen put away the materials and tentatively looked at Di Huang. This doubt had crossed his mind in the underworld before, and at that time, Di Huang hadn't known either.

After this trip to Wu Lei Cheng, this great Cheng Sheng body had likely uncovered some secrets.

"You will know in due time," Di Huang replied indifferently. With a wave of his hand, he produced a stone coffin – it was the Jiu Ming Guan. The person inside had been personally buried by Dong Hua Nu Di, and he was Di Huang's junior brother, named Di Dou. In that ancient era, he was also a peerless ruthless figure.

Di Huang took the Jiu Yin Ming Cao and casually placed it into Ye Chen's chaos small realm. His meaning was obvious: Di Dou no longer needed the Jiu Yin Ming Cao, or rather, the day of his revival had arrived.

Buzz!

With a buzzing sound, the coffin lid was flung open.

Immediately, rolling yin energy surged out, along with Di Dou. His divine body was incredibly heavy; as soon as he stepped down, the heavens and earth trembled. He had no vitality, still a dead man, his expression wooden, his eyes hollow, and his entire body covered in the dust of ages.

"I have seen the Sheng Huang." Zi Xuan was also present, bowing with her hands clasped in respect.

Di Dou showed no reaction, only a faint glimmer flashing in his hollow eyes.

Ye Chen watched quietly. They truly lived up to being master and disciple – one was Di Huang, the other Di Dou; one the holy monarch, the other the Sheng Huang. What kind of divine being must their master have been?

Di Huang's expression was filled with nostalgia. Seeing his junior brother again after countless ages, his state of mind was imaginable. He had thought Di Dou was completely buried, but unexpectedly, Yue Shang had placed him in the Jiu Ming Guan. When Zi Xuan brought it that day, he had been quite surprised, only learning upon inquiry that it was Ye Chen who had brought it out from the black hole.

He should thank Dong Hua Nu Di for finding the Jiu Ming Guan and giving Di Dou a glimmer of hope.

Slowly collecting his thoughts, he drew three drops of holy blood from Ye Chen's body and fused them into Di Dou. The holy blood was extremely pure and yang, helping to dispel the yin energy. He didn't use his own because his fully developed saint blood was too domineering and would harm Di Dou.

As the yin energy gradually dissipated, the wooden Di Dou gained a trace of vitality.

Ye Chen frowned and leaned in closer, activating his Lun Hui Yan to examine this Sheng Huang. He discovered a seal within his body, belonging to the emperor's path level. It was this seal that had revived a certain power and granted Di Dou a faint divine spirit, though it was incredibly weak.

No need to say it – it was the seal planted by Dong Hua Nu Di, persisting to this day.

Afterward, Di Huang continuously waved his hand, sprinkling waves of golden light that merged bit by bit into Di Dou's body, working in tandem with that emperor seal, both trembling.

"Will he have his wits about him after being revived like this?" Ye Chen tugged at Zi Xuan's sleeve.

"It depends on fate," Zi Xuan whispered. "Sheng Huang has been dead for so long, after all. Even with the Jiu Ming Guan and the Nu Di's seal, it's hard to bring him back perfectly. When he returns to the world, there will inevitably be flaws."

"As long as he's alive, there's hope." Ye Chen smiled and said no more. Even if the revival wasn't perfect, this ruthless figure would still be extraordinarily formidable. Just his physical body alone exerted immense pressure; if he regained his wits, he could certainly reshape his primordial spirit, and his combat power would dominate heaven and earth.

At some point, another person arrived – it was the Chi Mei Xie Shen, coming to deliver materials.

"The Jiu Ming Guan." The evil spirit paused, her insight sharp; she recognized the coffin and knew its origin and purpose. The scene before her confirmed everything.

Ah!

She sighed. The person Di Huang was about to revive was much luckier than her Mu Liu Qing. With the Jiu Ming Guan to preserve the body, he could return to the world after eons.

"Perhaps you could put your Mu Liu Qing in there to rest for a few years," Ye Chen suggested.

"It wouldn't help without an emperor's seal. The Jiu Ming Guan alone is useless." The evil spirit shook her head lightly, handing over the materials for the Huan Hun Dan to Ye Chen, along with a purple flame.

Ye Chen accepted them without hesitation and checked the list. They were still short on quite a few materials.

He had studied it before; there were a few materials that could be substituted, but the potency of the Jiu Zhuan Huan Hun Dan would definitely weaken. He wouldn't resort to that unless absolutely necessary, and the evil spirit wouldn't allow it either – if they were refining a Huan Hun Dan, they needed the best materials.

Boom!

Suddenly, a booming sound erupted. Not only the evil spirit and Zi Xuan, but even Di Huang furrowed his brow slightly. Knowing more secrets, he understood the source of the disturbance and had an ominous premonition.

That's why he was so urgent to revive Di Dou. Once he arranged everything, he could head to Tai Gu Hong Huang as quickly as possible. As for the Zhu Xian Jian matter, he and Hong Yan had already reached an understanding.

By the time night fell, Di Huang finally stopped.

Looking at Di Dou now, he sat quietly like a statue, his hollow eyes devoid of human emotion, only occasionally flashing with a trace of immortal light, carrying a sense of ancient weariness.

As Zi Xuan had said, he was revived, but with flaws – his mind was not whole and would need more time to nurture his soul. How much he could recover truly depended on fate.

"Very strong," Ye Chen murmured to himself. In his eyes, Di Dou was like a dormant god; once he awakened, he would shock the world and restore his divine glory from ages past.

Zi Xuan took Di Dou away, bringing him to the mortal realm. For someone like him, he needed the vitality of ordinary people to nourish him – the most mundane human energy – to gradually gather and reconnect with the world's essence.

Under the moonlight, Di Huang stood silently, gazing up at the vast sky.

The booming sounds still occasionally rang out. Earlier, there had been one every day, but today they were frequent, like tolling funeral bells, even making this great Cheng Sheng body tremble slightly.

Plans couldn't keep up with changes – or more accurately, with unforeseen events. He had originally intended to wait for a new emperor to emerge in the heavens before going to Tai Gu Hong Huang for a look, but now it seemed time was running out.

"Senior, does the Dun Jia Tian Zi also come from Tai Gu Hong Huang?" Ye Chen asked.

"As you said," Di Huang confirmed. In the past, he hadn't known, but after learning many secrets, he realized that the Dun Jia Tian Zi was also tied to ancient mysteries.

He said no more on the subject, not revealing further secrets. It wasn't that he didn't want to; it was just that Ye Chen wasn't qualified yet. Even he, as a great Cheng Sheng body, wouldn't have been qualified if not for the female saint body's revelation.

Since he didn't elaborate, Ye Chen didn't press. Whatever Di Huang could tell him, he would.

The two Sheng bodies stood one on the left and one on the right, bathing in the starlight, perfectly still.

As dawn approached, Di Huang left again, departing from Da Chu.

This time, Hong Yan didn't follow. With one great Cheng Sheng body venturing out, another had to remain to guard Da Chu. This would continue until the entrance to Tai Gu Hong Huang opened.

Ye Chen was left with some free time, though he wanted to go out for a stroll – the problem was, he couldn't.

Hong Yan had reinforced the Jade Maiden Peak with an emperor-level barrier, one that could even block the heavenly dao, ensuring he stayed put during this critical period. She didn't want any mishaps because of him.