Chapter 2670: Supreme Immortal Realm

This was a stretch of immortal land, enveloped in swirling clouds and mist, situated in the Heavenly Realm yet above the Upper Immortal Realm, known as Tai Shang Xian Yu—the self-sealed domain of Dao Zu and the multitude of immortals.

In one corner of Tai Shang Xian Yu stood a bamboo grove.

Deep within the grove, hidden among the bamboo, lay an immortal pool where Ye Chen rested quietly, his body still and serene like ice, no longer in his demonic state, having returned to his original form.

A gentle breeze swept by, rippling the pool's waters.

He slowly opened his eyes, gazing blankly at the hazy void, everything feeling utterly unfamiliar.

After a few moments, his mind cleared, and he sat up, rubbing his forehead vigorously as memories flooded back—of the slaughter that piled corpses like mountains in the Heavenly Court, disrupting the very order of the Heavenly Realm and awakening Dao Zu Hongjun.

His expression showed neither joy nor sorrow; he simply sat in the pool, head bowed in silence, lost in thought, his eyes betraying an unmistakable sorrow.

"Awake?"

A sudden voice broke the quiet.

Hearing it, Ye Chen stepped out of the immortal pool and followed the sound deeper into the bamboo grove, where he found a row of bamboo huts. In front of them stood a stone table, and there sat Dao Zu, leisurely brewing tea.

"This junior, Ye Chen, greets the senior."

Ye Chen bowed with clasped hands—this was his first true encounter with Dao Zu, the supreme sovereign of the Heavenly Realm, truly a unparalleled divine being. From him, Ye Chen sensed no aura at all; everything was blurred and indistinct, ancient and weathered, like a living fossil from mythology.

"Sit."

Dao Zu smiled, like a kind grandfather.

Ye Chen did not refuse and nodded as he took a seat.

"This time, did you kill to your heart's content?"

Dao Zu spoke with a light, airy laugh, like a ethereal immortal melody. His next action showed even greater respect toward Ye Chen—for a great emperor at the peak realm to personally pour tea for this small sacred body was quite the honor.

"Blood debts must be repaid in blood."

Ye Chen replied calmly, though on the surface he appeared composed and righteous, in reality, he felt a sudden urge to flee. After all, sitting opposite him was Dao Zu, a genuine peak emperor whose mere breath could crush him. To mask his nervousness, he picked up the teacup and drank it all in one go. It was tea poured by Dao Zu himself, so he had to drink it—just to give himself something to do.

However, the moment the tea touched his lips, his expression twisted in pain, and his brows furrowed tightly.

It was simply because Dao Zu's tea was incredibly bitter—so bitter it was hard to swallow. Ye Chen was certain this was the bitterest tea he had ever tasted, bar none.

For a split second, he nearly spit it out, which would have sprayed Dao Zu in the face. He thought, Your tea-brewing skills are really something—terrible! So bitter it's unbearable.

But he forced it down. The tea turned even more bitter in his stomach, making his body tremble and eliciting a muffled groan. Even his primordial spirit was shrouded in an overwhelming bitterness, like a dark cloud looming over him.

Dao Zu merely smiled and continued brewing tea.

Yet, in Ye Chen's eyes, that smile seemed particularly menacing, as if to say: If you dare spit that out, I'll smack you dead with one palm.

Ye Chen coughed dryly and certainly didn't spit it out. It was tea poured by Dao Zu himself—even if it had urine in it, he'd have to pinch his nose and drink it, then say it was delicious.

He wouldn't dare do something like spitting out the tea.

But someone else had done it before.

Once, there was a certain extraordinary figure who, after drinking Dao Zu's tea, had indeed sprayed it all over Dao Zu's face. That was his first life: the Xianwu Emperor.

Perhaps no one knew that after becoming an emperor, the Xianwu Emperor had come to this Heavenly Realm and debated the Dao with Hongjun. And Dao Zu had entertained him with this very tea.

That night remained fresh in Dao Zu's memory. That newly ascended great emperor had been utterly unrestrained—one sip of the bitter tea, and he sprayed it out with explosive force.

Recalling it now, Dao Zu's expression grew meaningfully profound. He always felt that guy had done it on purpose, traveling all the way from the mortal realm just to spray him.

So, whenever he saw Ye Chen's face, he felt an inexplicable irritation! If Ye Chen were still that newly ascended emperor from back then, he would definitely teach him a lesson about respect. Even among sovereigns, there are levels of strength.

Meanwhile, Ye Chen had pulled a pan peach from his pocket, wiped it on his clothes, and took a bite, using the sweet fruit to counter the tea's bitterness.

Across from him, Dao Zu stood with his hands tucked in his sleeves, gazing at Ye Chen with a weighty expression, his emperor's eyes scanning him up and down—that look was profoundly deep!

This scene was strikingly similar to the past. The Xianwu Emperor had once done the same, pulling out a pan peach from his pocket—also from the Heavenly Realm—and using its sweetness to offset the bitterness. Even the motions were identical.

No wonder they said the Xianwu Emperor and Ye Chen shared a profound connection—one was the first life, the other the ninth; one had sprayed him in the face, the other had slaughtered the Heavenly Realm until corpses piled high. Both were quite the characters.

And Dao Zu must feel quite fortunate to have encountered two such talents in nine reincarnations—one outstanding, the other even more so. The Xianwu Emperor was shameless, and the one before him had no shame at all.

Taking a deep breath, Dao Zu finally suppressed the urge to thrash Ye Chen. With a wave of his hand, he summoned two stone lamps, suspending them in the air.

These stone lamps were peculiar, with no wicks yet burning with illusory flames—or rather, flames of primordial spirits: one purple, one black.

"Yue Xin, Tian Zun."

Ye Chen's body trembled as he grabbed one in each hand, staring intently. He was absolutely certain that these primordial spirit flames belonged to Yue Xin and Tian Zun.

The primordial spirit is the core of a person, and the primordial spirit flame is its essence. As long as these flames hadn't extinguished, revival was only a matter of time. They could return to the world.

"Thank you, senior."

Ye Chen said, overflowing with gratitude.

Dao Zu said nothing, merely sipping his tea quietly.

"Since they can be revived, what about the others who died in the Heavenly Realm? Can they be brought back too?"

Ye Chen asked tentatively, his tone lacking confidence.

"The Heavenly Realm has its own cycle of reincarnation."

Dao Zu replied casually, glancing at Ye Chen with a slightly darkened expression. If they couldn't be revived, do you think you'd still be sitting here safely? I worked hard to cultivate those experts, and you nearly wiped them all out.

"Cycle of reincarnation?"

Ye Chen was stunned, looking toward the hazy distance. He hadn't expected the Heavenly Realm to have one. No wonder Dao Zu was so composed, even with so many immortals fallen in battle, he still had the leisure to brew bitter tea here.

"Who created this cycle?"

Ye Chen asked.

"The ancient Heavenly Court Empress."

Dao Zu said slowly, his words ethereal. "Including the cycle in your Great Chu and the one in Zhuxian Town, they all originated from the empress. It's just that the Zhuxian Town cycle has already collapsed in the great calamity, and the Gates of the Heavens followed suit."

"I see."

"Does the Underworld also have its own cycle?"

After a long pause, Ye Chen spoke again, his eyes fixed straight ahead, hoping for a clear answer from Dao Zu.

"No cycle."

Dao Zu replied indifferently.

"I understand."

Ye Chen's eyes showed enlightenment. He realized why the Underworld had no suppression, while the Heavenly Realm restricted external forces—it must be due to the cycle. There were so many intricacies involved.

And his rampage this time, more than disrupting the order, had disturbed the cycle itself, which was what awakened Dao Zu. Mainly because too many had died.

He couldn't blame himself for that—who told this old fellow to choose an unreliable ruler for the Heavenly Court, picking Yu Di as the sovereign? Trouble was inevitable.

Speaking of Yu Di, Ye Chen stood up, lifted the teapot, and poured Dao Zu a full cup, smiling brightly. "Old man, could you tell me about Yu Di?"

"His previous life was the Heavenly Demon Emperor."

"Xuan Di already told me that. What I want to know is, how did you, senior, erase Yu Di's Heavenly Demon bloodline and memories?"

Ye Chen asked with a smile.

"There are secret techniques for that."

Dao Zu said leisurely. "As you've seen, the Heavenly Demon bloodline and memories weren't completely erased. It's not that my secret technique isn't profound enough; it's just missing a certain power to reinforce it."

"What power?"

"The power of reincarnation."

"So, if we use your secret technique along with the power of reincarnation, we can fully erase the Heavenly Demon bloodline and memories?"

Ye Chen held his breath, staring intently at Dao Zu, his body tense.

"As you said."

Dao Zu smiled.

"I have the power of reincarnation."

With Dao Zu's confirmation, Ye Chen's eyes sparkled brilliantly, more joyful than a wedding night. This was exhilarating.

"This method only works on those Heavenly Demons who have reincarnated."

Dao Zu added.

"That's enough."

Ye Chen rubbed his hands together. It was aimed at reincarnated ones anyway. As for those Heavenly Demons who weren't reincarnated, who had time for them? With the effort to erase bloodlines and memories, he could kill a whole bunch instead.

Still, he felt a deep regret in his heart.

If Dao Zu had been in the Underworld back then, Dan Mo wouldn't have to die with regrets, never making it back home alive, leaving only a jar of ashes.

But that regret wouldn't continue. With Dao Zu's secret technique and his own power of reincarnation, they could handle reincarnated Heavenly Demons easily.

Thinking of this, Ye Chen coughed and looked at Dao Zu with a grin. "If it's convenient, senior, could you send me back to the mortal realms of the Heavens? I'm getting homesick."

"Wait."

"How long?"

Ye Chen asked tentatively, looking at Dao Zu.

"Perhaps three to five years, or seven to eight, or even a hundred. You can return fully once there's a rift between the Heavenly and mortal realms."

Dao Zu smiled. "Provided you can cross that Sea of Chaos."

Ye Chen fell silent. In this way, the Heavenly Realm was similar to the Underworld.

The so-called Sea of Chaos was likely like the Underworld's Six Paths of Reincarnation—a path leading back to the mortal realms. If he crossed it, he could return to the Heavens; if not, he'd be stuck in the Sea of Chaos.

Recalling the Underworld's Six Paths, Ye Chen still felt a lingering fear, especially the Human Path. Without Di Huang's predecessor creating the emotional tribulation, he would have been lost in it.

The Heavenly Realm's situation was the same; the Six Paths were hard to cross, so the Sea of Chaos was probably another deadly trial, one of nine deaths and one life.

But he felt no fear.

Back then, he had crossed the Underworld's Six Paths, and soon, he would cross the Heavenly Realm's Sea of Chaos. His obsession with returning home would never fade.

Opposite him, Dao Zu raised his hand and flicked a divine light, which entered Ye Chen's brow and transformed into a divine position—the Ziwei Star Sovereign position, which he had reformed. The meaning was clear: if the Heavenly Realm's barriers dissipated, Ye Chen could use this to borrow passage back to the Heavens, for visits or whatever.

"Thank you, senior."

Ye Chen showed his manners and stood up with the teapot again.

But before he could pour, a ethereal light flashed before his eyes. Instinctively, he looked and saw the illusion of a woman, just like the one with Chu Xuan and the others—elegant and graceful, like a figure from a dream.

"Who is she?"

Ye Chen turned to Dao Zu.