Chapter 2673: Human Realm War

In Xianchi, Ye Chen sat in meditation for three full days.

Over those three days, Jiang Taigong would come by occasionally, but he neither spoke nor made a sound. He would simply watch quietly for a moment before turning and leaving. From that day onward, he was the only one who visited.

Or perhaps it could be said that in the entire Taishang Xianyu, only he and Daozu were awake. As for the Hunluan Ti and the others, they were mostly still in self-seal, requiring more time to emerge.

It was another night filled with a sky full of stars.

Jiang Taigong arrived as expected, not out of curiosity about Ye Chen, but because Daozu had instructed him to keep an eye on this fellow to prevent him from causing trouble in Taishang Xianyu.

"The ancestor is making a big fuss."

Jiang Taigong sat down and muttered to himself. He took out a piece of wood and a carving knife, quietly carving away, puzzled by Daozu's intentions.

He didn't understand, but Daozu did. If they were to recount Ye Chen's glorious exploits, Jiang Taigong would likely visit every day and keep a close watch on him. This guy was anything but peaceful—wherever he went, things got lively.

In this regard, he was quite similar to Diczun. Back in the day, no one knew what Diczun had thrown into Tianxu, but it caused half of Tianxu to collapse. Even Daozu admired Diczun's audacity for daring to stir up trouble in the forbidden zone.

The nights in Zhutian Renjie were far from peaceful. The vast starry sky echoed with rumbling sounds, rising and falling one after another. Looking into the distance, one could see blood mist drifting through the air.

Upon closer inspection, it was clear that war was raging. At the border between Zhutian and Honghuang, figures swarmed like ants, with battles erupting everywhere. Shouts of anger filled the starry expanse.

"These provocations happen every few days."

"Is Honghuang trying to start a war?"

In the underground palace of Tianxuan Gate, before the Huan Tian Water Curtain, all the quasi-emperors stood solemnly. Apart from the weaker ones like Renwang, most were clad in wartime armor, exuding a thick aura of killing intent, ready at any moment to rush to the front lines.

From some unknown point, the once-dormant Honghuang had begun to stir again, always finding excuses to cross that border. Zhutian, of course, wouldn't stand for it, and with a single disagreement, both sides erupted into conflict.

Though these were just minor skirmishes, they occurred frequently, resulting in casualties on both sides. At the desolate border of the Yinming Star Domain, blood mist surged, burying countless lives.

Yet, these very skirmishes reignited the scent of war. Honghuang's provocations were a clear prelude to a full-scale conflict. It might erupt at any moment, with their armies pressing in—they were just waiting for the right excuse.

Today's Renwang was unusually quiet, standing with his hands behind his back, gazing steadily. Though his divinations were no longer effective, his strong intuition told him that Honghuang's repeated actions were undoubtedly linked to the Zhuxian Jian.

If Zhuxian Jian aided Honghuang, things would become troublesome. One sword wasn't frightening, but what was scary was that it knew too many heaven-defying techniques. In a short time, it could elevate Honghuang's overall combat strength, and Zhuxian Jian was certainly capable of that.

On this point, he believed without a doubt.

"Pass the order: Do not provoke Honghuang proactively."

Donghuang Taiyi spoke calmly, her expression icy cold. The quasi-emperors all took a deep breath—it was a sign of great restraint. Honghuang was just looking for an excuse, and they couldn't give it to them. Being able to endure didn't mean they were cowards; it just wasn't the right time for war. They needed to wait for Dihuang and Hongyan to return, or at the very least, for Ye Chen to come back to Zhutian. Give him enough time, and he would surely achieve great success—even half-step would do. Only then would they have the confidence to fight.

However, if Honghuang ignited the war first, that would be a different story. Zhutian might not start trouble, but they weren't afraid of it. If it came to a real battle, no one would back down.

Boom! Rumble!

This war proved impossible to avoid.

On a certain pitch-black night, Honghuang launched the attack. Their excuse was absurd: "Our treasure is missing, and you Zhutian stole it."

That was their reasoning—plain and simple. They started fighting without further ado, and Zhutian didn't bother to refute it. Refuting wouldn't help anyway; if the other side wanted war, they could always find an excuse, and the flames of conflict were inevitable.

Boom! Bang! Boom!

The starry sky, silent for years, was once again engulfed in smoke. Both sides deployed their peak-level forces, with extreme Dao emperor weapons shining like blazing suns. Across that ethereal border, they clashed repeatedly, shattering the very fabric of the universe. Honghuang's offensive was fiercely aggressive, clearly premeditated. In just two days, they breached Zhutian's border, their massive armies surging like a vast ocean, sweeping across the entire starry sky. Countless star domains collapsed, and stars exploded one after another.

As Renwang had foreseen, Honghuang's overall strength had indeed improved significantly. Many of their warriors bore traces of multicolored fairy light, carrying a terrifying power that forced Zhutian to retreat repeatedly.

"You sly Zhuxian Jian, quite the trick up your sleeve."

Mingdi was merely an observer, his extreme Dao emperor eyes cold as ice. He saw it most clearly: Zhuxian Jian must have passed an ancient secret technique to the major clans of Honghuang. Anyone who cultivated this secret technique would undergo a temporary transformation of their origin. The more practitioners there were, the more nourishment Zhuxian Jian would absorb. Zhuxian Jian was helping Honghuang, and in turn, the Honghuang clans were subtly aiding Zhuxian Jian. Perhaps it wasn't a formal alliance, but they were mutually dependent, all for their own interests, making it a perfect match.

On the ninth day, Ye Chen awoke. The moment he opened his eyes, two beams of divine light shot out, tangible and real, piercing two massive holes in the void.

His eyes appeared even deeper than before.

After nine days of comprehension, he finally grasped the true essence of Dao Transmutation into Thousands. It was a heaven-seizing creation, in no way inferior to his Reversal of Samsara in Lingyu. One was the power of Dao, the other of Samsara—both profoundly mysterious forces that, when intertwined, produced an unimaginable divine power.

Sensing this power, Ye Chen's thoughts wandered unexpectedly, giving rise to a terrifying hope: If the Tianmo invaded, he could seek out reincarnated individuals and use this method to eliminate their Tianmo bloodline and memories.

Buzz!

Accompanied by a buzzing sound, the Chaotic Cauldron emerged from his inner world, jumping about energetically. It occasionally ran over to rub against Ye Chen's body. It was fortunate that it was Ye Chen—if it were any ordinary eightfold quasi-emperor, they would have been sent flying.

"Boss, I'm hungry."

The Chaotic Cauldron chuckled mischievously. During Ye Chen's seclusion, it had wandered around his inner world countless times, particularly eyeing the Dinghai Shen Zhen.

Ye Chen smiled and summoned the Dinghai Shen Zhen.

Along with it, he also brought out numerous divine irons and magical artifacts, each of exceptional quality.

The Chaotic Cauldron had quite the appetite, swallowing the divine iron and fairy iron in one gulp, and devouring the magical artifacts just as easily, without even chewing.

But when it came to the Dinghai Shen Zhen, things didn't go so smoothly.

The Chaotic Cauldron had its own spirit, and the Dinghai Shen Zhen's spirit was no less formidable. It looked down on this big brute—if it weren't outmatched, it would have hammered it long ago.

Still, it listened to its master's command.

Under the moonlight, the Chaotic Cauldron and the Dinghai Shen Zhen floated side by side, one on the left and one on the right, bathed in starlight as they slowly merged. Naturally, it was the Dinghai Shen Zhen integrating into the Chaotic Cauldron, their spirits fusing together as well.

Buzz! Buzz!

The Chaotic Cauldron's rumbling grew even more resonant and powerful, becoming even more extraordinary. Having absorbed numerous magical artifacts as nourishment, its body was now massive and sturdy, enhanced by chaotic energy. A single strike from it could overwhelm even a peak quasi-emperor.

Finally, it settled down, hovering quietly in the air and digesting the nourishment from the artifacts. This meal had filled it to the brim, enough to keep it busy for a long time.

Beside it, Ye Chen sat cross-legged once more, closing his eyes in meditation. His entire body was enveloped in a golden divine glow, with golden vital energy surging powerfully. Every pore on his body breathed in essence, making his sacred body burn like golden flames, dazzlingly radiant in the night.

At the fifth step of the fifth heaven, he was solidifying his foundation. Beyond that, he was merging the pre-karma and post-karma forces, unexpectedly gaining another power known as karma force. It was as profound as the Samsara force—visible yet intangible, hiding a terrifying divine might.