Chapter 2651: Emperor's Realm

In the Upper Immortal Realm, within the Supreme Ruler's palace.

Yin Ming held a wine cup, his eyes fixed with great interest on a spot to the side. There, a hazy immortal glow emerged, and a graceful figure slowly materialized. She wore flowing robes, ethereal as a fairy.

Upon closer inspection, it was indeed Yue Xin.

Yue Xin revealed her true form and glanced around, her brows furrowing as if she recognized the place. She also sensed a pair of demonic eyes, gleaming with a sinister light, fixed on her—those of the Supreme Ruler of the Heavenly Court.

Yet, she was puzzled. Moments ago, she had been dancing lightly on Chi Yan Peak, so how had she suddenly ended up in the Supreme Ruler's palace? It felt like some kind of summons.

"How's that? Surprised?"

Yin Ming chuckled softly, rising to his feet, still holding his wine cup. His lips curved into a teasing, playful smile.

"You certainly have clever tricks, fellow daoist."

Yue Xin replied coolly, her expression as cold as ice, showing no trace of fear. She didn't even glance at Yin Ming.

"After a trip to the lower realm, your wings have truly grown strong. You dare to address me directly as fellow daoist."

Yin Ming laughed again, stopping in front of Yue Xin. He gently extended a finger to lift her chin, examining her face as if admiring a work of art.

"The disciple of the Third Emperor's consort is indeed a natural beauty."

Yue Xin said nothing. She raised her hand to push him away, her cold demeanor now mixed with a hint of disgust. Still, there was no fear in her expression, for she had endured many storms in life.

"Such a fiery spirit—I like it."

Yin Ming smiled, taking a sip of his wine before circling behind Yue Xin. He lifted a strand of her hair and gently sniffed the woman's fragrance, looking quite content.

A sharp sword hum rang out.

A dagger appeared in Yue Xin's hand, gleaming with cold light. However, it was not aimed at the Supreme Ruler of the Heavenly Court but at her own primordial spirit.

From the moment she appeared, she had resolved herself to this.

Yin Ming intended to use her as a hostage to threaten the Great Chu Emperor and the Xiu Luo Tian Zun. Knowing this, she could not allow him to succeed. Better to end it quickly—that was the righteous path. She was not afraid of death.

Unfortunately, her strength was insufficient. Otherwise, this strike would have been directed at Yin Ming. Unable to kill the Supreme Ruler of the Heavenly Court, she could only kill herself.

"Not foolish at all."

Yin Ming smirked mockingly and merely raised his hand slightly, sealing Yue Xin's movements.

"I won't let you die, so you can't die. Without this bait, how can I catch the big fish?"

"The mighty Supreme Ruler of the Heavenly Court, resorting to such deceitful schemes—aren't you afraid of being ridiculed by future generations?"

Yue Xin retorted coldly.

"Once I destroy them and unite the heavens under my rule, the world will remember only my glorious achievements."

"You are truly pitiful."

"Such a sharp tongue."

Yin Ming showed no anger. He finally turned away, leisurely savoring another cup of wine before casually waving his hand.

"Take her away and guard her well."

At his command, two Immortal Monarchs entered and led Yue Xin away.

Yue Xin was now like a puppet, completely powerless, unable even to take her own life. She slightly turned her head, gazing toward the void, as if she could see through the endless haze to the peaks of Hua Shan. Her eyes were filled with worry.

"Where did she go?"

On Chi Yan Peak, Tai Yi and Tai Bai were still searching in circles. A living person had just vanished without a trace.

Si Ming remained silent, his eyes flickering with uncertainty, as if sensing an ominous premonition.

The Tian Zun narrowed his eyes slightly and said nothing. Suddenly, he turned and headed straight for the base of Hua Shan—he needed to find Ye Chen. Ye Chen was skilled in divination and could uncover the clues.

At the base of Hua Shan, what he saw was still that expanse of purple cloud sea. Straining his eyes, he could barely make out Ye Chen's form, no longer sitting in meditation but lying deep within the clouds, like a fallen leaf drifting with the sea, showing no sign of awakening.

"Ye Chen, wake up quickly."

The Xiu Luo Tian Zun transmitted his divine sense, his tone somewhat urgent.

After a long while, there was no response.

Or rather, Ye Chen couldn't hear it.

At that moment, he was still trapped in the intent realm of Di Yun. In that vast, ethereal world, immortal energy swirled and mist shrouded everything. Every mountain, river, tree, and plant seemed both real and illusory. His mind was immersed in it, unable to distinguish reality from illusion. Though he wanted to leave, he couldn't find the way out. Ever since Di Yun had pulled him in that day, he hadn't escaped and didn't know how.

"Stop messing around—there's still a war going on outside."

Ye Chen grumbled, standing at the mountain peak and gazing as far as he could, scanning the four seas and eight wastelands. He used his Zhou Tian divination to search for flaws in this intent realm.

However, his vision was limited, and he couldn't see through anything.

This intent realm was more profound than he imagined, with the universe constantly shifting. It was even more bizarre than the one in Bu Zhou Mountain. His Zhou Tian divination had to keep up with the universe's changes to find an exit.

"Hong Jun, you're quite the expert at this!"

Ye Chen's face darkened as he cursed the Dao Ancestor again, even invoking his ancestors for eighteen generations. By merging with your Di Yun, you've locked me in here. Couldn't you pick a better time? There's a war raging outside, and you're trapping me here.

After venting, he descended from the peak and walked in a certain direction. He crossed a vast sea, traversed a Cangyuan plain, observing as he went.

The world of Di Yun's intent was even more extraordinary than he thought. The Dao essence was perfectly integrated, and he could see strands of chaotic Dao principles descending from the sky like light rain. Though visible, they were untouchable.

Ye Chen paused again, bathing in the Dao principles and quietly listening to the sounds of the Great Dao.

The Dao Ancestor Hong Jun was also a chaotic body, the first to achieve emperorship with it. His comprehension of the chaotic Dao surpassed the Great Dao itself. In terms of insight into chaos, he far exceeded Ye Chen.

The intent realm of Di Yun had no day or night.

Ye Chen walked and stopped, encountering chaos wherever he went and hearing the sounds of the Great Dao. As fellow practitioners of the chaotic Dao, the essence in his body resonated with it, weaving an supreme Dao aura.

However, more than the Dao essence, Ye Chen was concerned about the war—whether it was still ongoing, whether it had ended, whether the Heavenly Court had won or the lower realm had triumphed, and if the legendary Jiang Tai Gong had awakened from seclusion.

These were all unknowns to him. Trapped in the Di Yun intent realm, he was completely isolated from the outside world, unable to hear any calls.

He reached another mountain forest and stopped briefly.

Looking up, he saw a towering peak where a shadowy figure stood. It wasn't real but illusory, clad in a purple robe that fluttered like that of an exiled immortal.

Ye Chen stepped forward and focused his gaze.

The illusory figure in purple only showed a human form, not a face. It stood there gracefully, hands behind its back, quietly gazing at the vast expanse. Though illusory, Ye Chen could feel the emperor's pressure from it, along with an unmistakable sense of ancient weariness.

Ye Chen stroked his chin, confirming that this was the Dao Ancestor—or more precisely, a residual imprint of the Dao Ancestor left in Di Yun. As long as Di Yun existed, so did it.

As he watched, Ye Chen couldn't resist. From behind, he kicked out—he had long wanted to strike at this old Daoist. Ever since arriving in the heavens, he had faced obstacles everywhere, building up a bellyful of frustration. Unable to find the Dao Ancestor, he could only vent on this imprint, like landing a kick.

Then came a thunderous boom.

Perhaps he kicked too hard, and since the Dao Ancestor's imprint was illusory, his foot missed. Missing wasn't the issue, but in his carelessness, he tumbled down the peak. Though his body was also illusory, the impact made a loud noise upon landing, echoing thunderously.

Ye Chen got up, looking quite disheveled. In the outside world, a fall like this would be nothing, but in this Di Yun intent realm, it hurt all over.

"You little..." Ye Chen muttered curses, puzzled. Their bodies were both illusory, so why had he missed? He hadn't managed to hit the Dao Ancestor's imprint and had ended up half-crippled himself.

A sword hum suddenly sounded.

When he looked back at the peak, the Dao Ancestor's imprint now held an illusory sword, entwined with chaotic Dao principles that resonated. It was the Dao Sword.

Under his watch, the imprint's aura surged instantly, filled with ultimate emperor's might, making the entire intent realm rumble and shake.

Ye Chen coughed dryly, feeling a chill run through him. He sensed that the Dao Ancestor's imprint was quite vengeful and might be toying with him, teaching him a lesson.

"I didn't even hit you."

Ye Chen forced a laugh.

In reality, he was overthinking it. The imprint's aura subsided in an instant, and it stood on the peak, quietly performing sword forms. Each move was slow, yet each contained supreme Dao essence with endless variations.

Ye Chen watched in a trance, his mind captivated.

Without further thought, he stepped onto the peak, and a Dao sword appeared in his hand. He mimicked the Dao Ancestor's sword techniques, gently wielding them and emulating his aura.

This dance went on for an unknown length of time.

When he looked again, the Dao Ancestor's imprint had dissipated, leaving only Ye Chen on the peak, still holding his Dao sword and swinging it. From the Ancestor's sword forms, he occasionally grasped a trace of the Dao's true essence and meditated on it through his own practice.

Strangely, as he wielded his sword, the Di Yun intent realm began to change. Mountains and peaks shifted positions, great rivers flowed backward, and even flowers and grasses withered and budded repeatedly, cycling through rebirth in various ways.

The biggest change was that the realm now had day and night, followed by the seasons of spring, summer, autumn, and winter, appearing in sequence and cycling according to some pattern. The universe still shifted, but it seemed he had caught up with the rhythm.

Night fell, and he finally sheathed his sword.

Though his eyes opened and closed, his deep pupils now carried a different aura. In that moment, they evolved into a vast starry sky.

"Interesting."

Ye Chen murmured, stepping off the peak and walking across the universe, bathed in starlight and moonlight, heading into the distance.

His figure in this intent realm appeared small and solitary, each step endless, with no clear destination.

He stopped at a vast sea.

Above the sea, the night sky was filled with brilliant stars. Ye Chen gazed upward quietly, his eyes narrowing deeper the longer he looked, and his gaze growing brighter.

Amid the radiant starlight, he seemed to see the Dao Ancestor.

Besides the Dao Ancestor, there was a graceful shadow, enveloped in hazy immortal glow, dreamlike and illusory. She looked exactly like Chu Xuan and Chu Ling, perhaps grown-up Ru Xi, standing at the end of ancient times.

"The Ancient Heavenly Court Empress?"

Ye Chen whispered, staring in a daze. Only the Ancient Heavenly Court Empress could match such divine grace, unmatched throughout eternity.

As he watched, the Dao Ancestor Hong Jun and the Ancient Heavenly Court Empress seemed to be sparring.

To call it sparring wasn't quite accurate—it was more like the Dao Ancestor was being utterly defeated. He couldn't even withstand a single move and was sent flying by the empress's palm straight into the nine heavens.