Chapter 2473: Entering the World of the Heavenly Realm

Boom! Once again, the world vibrated.

The Three Realms were in turmoil again, with the sounds of destruction erupting abruptly.

The path to the ancient primordial chaos was buzzing with activity.

Hong Yan was being pursued, and Di Huang was also being chased. The difference was that Di Huang was being hunted by two peak great emperors from the Tianmo, fierce warriors who had once fought against five emperors alone. Even they had to temporarily retreat, as this was not the realm of the heavens, and the Tianmo emperors faced no suppression here.

The two sides were an immeasurable distance apart, their clashes becoming fiercer with each impact.

However, beyond these two groups, a third force was causing an even greater commotion.

Listening closely, it was clearly the sound of an imperial-level battle, genuine and intense, though its source was unknown. It came from the depths, accompanied by the roars of the Tianmo.

As she fled, Hong Yan furrowed her brow more than once, aware that Di Huang was also being hunted, but she had no idea who this third party was. They might be surrounded by Tianmo as well.

She was puzzled, and Di Huang felt the same. Besides them, were there others from the heavens?

Boom! Bang! Boom!

Three sides clashed, three forces thundered, the battle raging fiercely.

Ironically, no matter which side—whether from the heavens or the Tianmo—they were like headless flies, darting chaotically everywhere. They fought with great intensity but had no clue where the ancient primordial chaos was.

More accurately, they didn't know how to reach the ancient primordial chaos.

The Tianmo felt the most frustrated about this. They had many great emperors leading groups of underlings, wandering back and forth, desperate to return home but unable, and eager to find the ancient primordial chaos but unable to locate the way.

Such individuals were the most bored, enduring endless ages without encountering anyone outside their own kind—like the Xianwu Emperor, the million-strong army, or Di Huang and Hong Yan. Whenever they spotted one, they pursued with all their might, seeking some entertainment in their idle existence.

At some unknown moment, the rumbling ceased.

Indeed, the imperial battles were too disruptive, disturbing the very fabric of the universe. Yin and yang reversed, laws collapsed, and a mysterious force scattered everything in all directions.

Before long, the booming resumed.

This world had truly become a labyrinth. Not only Di Huang and his group, but even the Tianmo who had lingered here longer, lost their way. Whenever they crossed paths, it sparked another battle.

After days of constant noise, the Three Realms had grown accustomed to it.

The Ming Emperor sat steadily, just listening to the sounds and knowing that the ancient primordial chaos was lively indeed.

If anyone had style, it was him, along with the Ren Wang and Dao Zu.

The three of them struck identical poses, each propping up their face with one hand, quietly watching Ye Chen's performance. That guy's tribulation immortal light was still darting about chaotically, yet to enter the world.

"This guy wouldn't have gotten lost, would he?"

No sooner had Ren Wang spoken than Ye Chen's tribulation immortal light shone even brighter, making a splendid dash toward one direction, as if tired of playing and ready to enter the world somewhere.

In that instant, Ren Wang, Ming Emperor, and Dao Zu perked up.

Then, the three of them shifted their gaze, following the direction of Ye Chen's immortal light. It had finally entered Tianjie, marking his descent into the world.

Dao Zu stroked his beard, chuckling with great amusement.

"Truly following in my footsteps," Ren Wang said meaningfully. Back in his day, he had undergone his tribulation in Tianjie, and now Ye Chen was doing the same, choosing an excellent spot instead of the heavens.

Ming Emperor's expression was profoundly meaningful.

It seemed Tianjie was about to get lively.

Wherever the Tenth Emperor of Da Chu went, chaos followed—this had become an undeniable truth. In the past, his death had disrupted the underworld, collapsing hell and turning everything upside down. Now, with him undergoing tribulation with his memories intact in Tianjie, it was hard to believe he wouldn't cause a massive stir.

As for Ye Chen's reincarnated form, it exuded an overwhelming presence.

He wasn't in human form or that of a beast; instead, he had become a stone, about the size of a wine jar, irregularly shaped and pitch-black all over.

"How interesting," Ming Emperor remarked with a sigh.

Dao Zu took a deep breath, feeling that this scene was oddly familiar.

Familiar? Of course it was. Back when Ren Wang underwent his tribulation, he too had become a stone, not much smaller than Ye Chen's. It made one wonder if those from the Zhoutian lineage always chose to reincarnate as stones.

"Is this really a tribulation?"

The stone that was Ye Chen looked utterly bewildered.

He was conscious and realized he had reincarnated as a large stone, currently plummeting from the vast sky toward the ground. If it landed as expected, it would create a huge crater.

But that wasn't the main issue. More importantly, he retained his memories from before the tribulation, which didn't align with what he knew about the process—it shouldn't include memories.

Another thing: Where exactly had he reincarnated?

Clang!

Soon enough, a loud crash echoed from a remote mountain valley.

"What the hell?"

That was followed by a furious shout.

It came from a plump old man, covered in dirt, who was in the middle of stewing meat. Before he could eat, a massive stone fell from the sky, smashing his pot and ruining the meal. It was a miracle it hit the pot and not him, or he'd have been flattened.

Ye Chen felt his consciousness spinning. Having become a stone, he had nothing else—no powers, no cultivation. The fall from the sky left him completely dazed.

"Who's the jerk that did this?"

The plump old man scowled darkly, pointing at the sky and cursing up a storm. Out of nowhere, a stone had dropped with pinpoint accuracy, nearly killing him.

Boom!

The sky responded fittingly with a thunderclap.

"Is this someone's stone? Hope it didn't get damaged!"

The old man's expression changed in an instant, turning cowardly without warning. He grabbed a cloth and started wiping down the stone that was Ye Chen, afraid that another curse might bring lightning down on him.

"Old man, where is this place?"

Ye Chen regained his senses and asked with a smile.

Whoa!

That casual question nearly scared the old man out of his wits. He stumbled back several steps. A stone speaking? Had it turned into a spirit?

Without thinking, he steadied himself, spun around dramatically, threw on a daoist robe, and plopped a daoist hat on his head—though he put it on backward in his panic. Clearly, he was a daoist, albeit a fraudulent one. He pulled out a peach wood sword in one hand and an eight trigrams mirror in the other, complete with all the usual props.

Then, he shouted, "Halt! What kind of demon are you, scaring this old daoist?"

Ye Chen didn't respond. Even as a stone, he could tell this wasn't a real daoist—just a charlatan, a complete ordinary mortal without a trace of spiritual power.

People like him were common among mortals. You'd see them on the streets, holding a fly whisk, a bell at their waist, and sometimes carrying a bamboo pole with a white banner, always ready to say to passersby, "Donor, your forehead is darkened!"

As Ye Chen thought about it, he suddenly felt an unknown liquid splash all over him.

Sniffing it, oh—it was boy urine.

Before he could process that, another unknown liquid drenched him entirely, dark and reeking of blood. Undoubtedly, black dog blood.

Both the boy urine and black dog blood came from the old man, his go-to for warding off evil.

Ye Chen's "face" darkened—well, he didn't have one yet, but this was quite a way to start his tribulation. Reincarnating as a stone was bad enough, and on his first day, he was doused in black dog blood and aged boy urine. Did the Tenth Emperor of Da Chu really need such an eventful life?

"It actually worked," the old man said with a smirk, seeing that Ye Chen didn't speak again. He assumed the boy urine and black dog blood had done the trick.

"Worked my foot—clean me up right now!"

Ye Chen snapped.

"Hey!"

The old man perked up, and in a flash, he scattered a handful of glutinous rice over Ye Chen. Once done, he circled around, plastering yellow talismans all over the stone for subduing evil spirits.

Now, Ye Chen went quiet.

The boy urine had no effect, nor did the black dog blood or glutinous rice, but those yellow talismans were something else. They could actually seal him. They were ordinary mortal talismans, yet they had been empowered by a cultivator.

It was his own fault for being a stone now—essentially a spirit creature without any cultivation or powers, no different from a mortal. How could he resist talismans blessed by a cultivator?

"Quiet now, huh?" The old man smoothed his hair and circled Ye Chen again, occasionally tapping the stone. "Hmm, definitely a big rock."

"Fine, just you wait." Ye Chen took a deep breath and began circulating the Nine Heavens Starry Art, absorbing star power to form spiritual energy. Once he became a cultivator, he could transform back into human form. Undergoing tribulation with memories had its perks—all his previous divine abilities were still intact.