Chapter 2686: It's Your Turn

Boom! Bang! Boom!

The human realm was engulfed in endless warfare, with the clamor of battle shaking the entire universe.

Boom! Bang! Boom!

While the human realm was in turmoil, the heavenly realm was equally chaotic, or more precisely, the Taishang Xianyu was in complete uproar. Looking into the distance, crowds of people packed the skies like a dark mass, all chasing Ye Chen. This commotion had even drawn out three generations of ancestors and descendants, scattering throughout the entire Xianyu.

It was fortunate that Daozu was in self-seclusion; otherwise, witnessing this scene would surely have brought him a sense of satisfaction. It truly lived up to that old saying: wherever Ye Chen went, chaos followed. Now that he'd entered this domain, he was stirring up just as much trouble. All the disciples and grand-disciples that the master had carefully nurtured were out to greet him—quite the honor, indeed!

Boom!

In the midst of it, another mountain peak collapsed under Ye Chen's foot, and the palaces and pavilions atop it crumbled with a thunderous roar. Debris—broken bricks, stones, and ancient trees—flew everywhere through the air.

"Still causing trouble?"

"Hong Jun."

Laojun and the others shouted loudly, but Ye Chen's yells were even louder.

In his view, only by making a massive racket would that undying old Daozu show up. If he pushed things too far, he'd just blast a huge hole in this Xianyu. And if that didn't work, he'd have to dig pits and bury all these disciples and grand-disciples alive.

Boom! Bang! Boom!

The pursuit and escape grew even more intense, with explosive sounds filling the skies. It was mostly due to Ye Chen—he was incredibly disruptive, yelling and causing havoc along the way, collapsing numerous immortal mountains wherever he went, leaving utter destruction in his wake.

Such massive disturbances affected the entire heavenly realm. For a moment, people from both the heavens and the lower worlds looked up in unison.

"Where's that booming noise coming from?"

"It's from the misty void—could it be the legendary Taishang Xianyu?"

"More than likely, it's that guy Ye Chen again."

"No need to worry; the great emperors are keeping him in check. He won't stir up much trouble."

Discussions buzzed everywhere, with many old-timers ascending to the void and craning their necks to watch. They all wanted to see the excitement but had no idea where the entrance was. They only heard the constant booms, irregular and noisy, clearly indicating someone was making a scene, with frequent shouts of anger.

At Hua Shan, on Chi Yan Peak, the Chaos Body, who was in the middle of a chess game with Shura Tianzun, couldn't help but glance up.

It was obvious that something was happening in the Taishang Xianyu.

"It's your turn."

Across from him, Shura Tianzun urged, his face looking far from pleased. Ever since Ye Chen had left, they'd played several games, and he hadn't won a single one. As a Tianzun from the Shura realm, he refused to accept defeat and was determined to win at least one.

Otherwise, when he returned to his original universe, what would he have to boast about to Zhao Yun?

"Maybe another day."

"Where are you going?"

The Chaos Body tried to leave, but Shura Tianzun grabbed him firmly, not wanting to let him go when the game was going so well. Unfortunately, the Chaos Body's immortal techniques were profound; with a single instant teleportation, he vanished without a trace.

"You old hag!" Shura Tianzun's face turned pitch black.

"What on earth is causing this huge commotion?"

Taiyi stood with his hands behind his back, Taibai stroked his beard, and Siming carried his wine flask, all of them tilting their heads to look up. Even the Hua Shan Zhenren and the others stood at the mountain peak, baffled by it all.

"Hong Jun."

Ye Chen's shout was infused with his full primordial spirit power, knocking down wave after wave of pursuers. It wasn't just the juniors—even Laojun and the others felt their ears ring from the shock. This guy was ferocious in a fight, and his voice was just as world-shaking!

And his speed? It was like he had some kind of cheat code. They'd seen fast runners before, but never anyone this quick.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk."

The Xuan Emperor of Buzhou Mountain poked his head out again, as if he could peer through the endless mists to see the Taishang Xianyu. What he saw was a sea of people—from Daozu's direct disciples to his great-grand-disciples—all chasing someone through the skies.

To be fair, Ye Chen's agility was truly impressive. Despite such a massive group, no one could catch him; instead, he was leading them on a tour of the Xianyu's finest sights.

The Xuan Emperor chuckled to himself, standing there and waiting for Daozu to appear. He was curious about Daozu's expression—it was probably turning quite dark. There was something especially satisfying about seeing a fellow emperor get embarrassed.

Normally, such a grand spectacle would also draw the Ming Emperor's attention.

But unfortunately, with the grand battles raging across the heavens, the Ming Emperor had no time to spy on the heavenly realm. If he had seen the Taishang Xianyu's chaos, he'd likely be even more amused than the Xuan Emperor.

There was a particular kind of pleasure exclusive to the great emperors: whenever one of them faced humiliation, the others couldn't help but gloat.

"Hong Jun."

This time, Ye Chen's roar was laced with blood—he'd strained his throat so hard it had split.

But it worked.

Looking toward the even more ethereal void, auspicious clouds began to form, wrapped in purple immortal light and swirling chaos. Slowly, the outline of a figure emerged, like the ruler of the world—or perhaps the ruler himself—accompanied by the sounds of the emperor's dao and visions of the ultimate path.

Daozu had finally appeared.

With Daozu's arrival, Ye Chen stopped in his tracks, and Laojun and Tai Gong halted as well. Though their faces were as black as charcoal, they still bowed in unison with hands clasped.

Daozu said nothing, gazing down at the world and surveying the widespread destruction. He instinctively clutched his chest, overcome with an urge to curse.

Was this still the Taishang Xianyu?

The emperor's face wasn't just dark—it was gleaming with intensity.

The way he looked at Ye Chen was filled with fiery resentment. You really outdid yourself, didn't you? You've dragged out all my disciples and grand-disciples just to deal with one person.

In that moment, Daozu felt a twinge of regret, wishing he had sealed Ye Chen away back then.

Counting the time, it hadn't been long at all.

After the first self-seclusion, Ye Chen had wreaked havoc in the heavenly court.

After the second, he'd torn up the Xianyu.

Daozu was certain that another self-seclusion would let this troublemaker flip the entire heavenly realm upside down. He knew you were good at causing chaos, but at least show some respect for an emperor! This was getting embarrassing for me.

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

Ye Chen stood firm and bowed with clasped hands, acting as if nothing had happened.

See? Make enough noise, and you'd come out.

Daozu remained silent, reaching out from the heavens and flicking Ye Chen down with a finger. He grabbed Ye Chen by one leg and vanished in an instant.

At last, the Xianyu fell quiet. Looking at Laojun and the others, their faces were still darkened.

Not only that, but they felt deeply awkward.

So many of them, and they couldn't even catch one little holy body. It took their esteemed Daozu to step in and save face. They hadn't been this humiliated in ages.

The Chaos Body arrived and saw the scene, his mouth twitching involuntarily.

This had to be the holy body's handiwork.

Splash!

In the small bamboo grove, Daozu tossed Ye Chen down, perhaps with a bit too much force, nearly smashing him into a pulp.

Great emperors, beings of supreme status, generally wouldn't strike at ants—it was beneath them.

But today, even someone as even-tempered as Daozu couldn't resist throwing him around.

This showed just how unwelcome a certain emperor from Great Chu was.

"I want to return to the human realm."

Ye Chen scrambled to his feet, not even bothering to fix his clothes, his head spinning from the fall. Daozu's throw had almost sent him straight to Meng Po; a little more force, and he wouldn't have needed her soup.

Daozu didn't respond, simply waving his hand to conjure a water curtain in the air. It displayed the human realm, where war and smoke shrouded the world. Only then did he understand why Ye Chen was so desperate to go back.

"I want to return to the human realm."

Ye Chen stepped forward, staring straight at Daozu, his eyes full of hope.

"Wait until a rift appears; then you can go back."

Daozu replied calmly, then waved his sleeve to dispel the water curtain.

If he could, he'd love to shove this guy back to the human realm right away—to spare the heavenly realm from his constant disruptions. Three days of chaos, two days of trouble, interrupting his seclusions every few days—with a character like this around, even sleep was impossible.

A moment of silence passed before Daozu raised his hand again, summoning the Chaos Body.

Then, he manifested a chessboard with his dao, placing it between Ye Chen and the Chaos Body. The meaning was clear: the two of you, play.

The Chaos Body was indifferent, but Ye Chen had no interest at all. The human realm was in utter chaos—how could he have the mood for chess?

"Win against him, and I'll open that path for you."

Daozu said lightly, then flicked his sleeve and disappeared in an instant.

To prevent Ye Chen from acting up, this emperor thoughtfully set up a sealing barrier over the entire bamboo grove. For someone like him, this was necessary.