Chapter 2703: Believe It or Not

"You didn't see it, two emperors from the Tian Mo Yu!"

"One was crippled, the other was slain."

"The Huang Gu Sheng Ti dominates heaven and earth, truly exterminating the supreme ones."

The Tian Jie under the moonlight was bustling with activity. Looking around, in every gathering place for cultivators, like teahouses and taverns, there was always that one chatterbox spouting off, spraying saliva everywhere, while the so-called listeners were all seasoned old-timers who had just emerged from seclusion. They had inadvertently missed a grand spectacle of emperor-slaying and could only watch it through memory crystals—and the pricey kind at that.

This night was destined to be sleepless, as both the heavens and the mortal realms buzzed with talk of the myth created by the Sheng Ti.

The Tai Shang Xian Yu was also crowded, with everyone sighing in amazement.

As for the protagonist, Ye Chen, he was still unconscious.

Bathed in the glow of stars and moonlight, the Xian Chi rippled with waves, surrounded by swirling mist and surging divine power.

As for the reincarnated Long Ye, he was still suspended in midair, lying quietly like a stone-carved statue.

Dao Zu sat leisurely, quietly brewing tea, occasionally glancing sideways at the slumbering Ye Chen. He truly held a deep affection for this young Sheng Ti. To temper him, he had nearly buried the entire Tian Ting; he had helped him break through all the way to the eighth heaven; forged heart tribulations for him to reach the ninth heaven; and then orchestrated the life-and-death emperor-slaying trial, allowing him to touch the barrier of Quasi-Emperor peak.

Many events seemed coincidental but were actually orchestrated by him. From the moment Ye Chen arrived in Tian Jie, a destined fate had been set in motion, all to transform this piece of rusty iron into a peerless divine weapon. His care for Ye Chen even surpassed that for his own disciples.

"There is one final trial, and then it will be complete."

Dao Zu smiled, like a kindly grandfather.

The final trial he mentioned referred to the Hun Dun Hai. Once Ye Chen survived it, he would surely advance to Quasi-Emperor peak, or half-step Dacheng. With his combat power, he would be able to repel the Hong Huang.

"It's best for him to reach Dacheng first, then for the Zhutian to produce a new emperor."

"With a Dacheng Sheng Ti to protect the path, even if the Tian Mo invade, the new emperor can safely undergo their tribulation."

"If he proves the Dao and becomes an emperor, the human realm will have two supreme ones."

Xuan Di's words suddenly echoed, ethereal and vague, as if speaking to himself or to Dao Zu.

Dao Zu said nothing, merely sipping his tea quietly.

What Xuan Di said was also what he was thinking.

However, in this era of chaotic imperial paths, too many things were uncertain. It would be ideal for Ye Chen to reach Dacheng first, allowing him to protect the new emperor during their tribulation. But if the Zhutian produced an emperor first, it would become troublesome. The ultimate emperor tribulation would attract the Tian Mo, and not just one emperor. A half-step Dacheng Huang Gu Sheng Ti would struggle to hold the line for the Zhutian, and the battles would likely be fiercely devastating.

"Who knows, the new emperor's ascension and Ye Chen's Dacheng might happen at the same time."

Xuan Di mused to himself, not ruling out the possibility. That would be a mess—neither could protect the other, which would be truly awkward. The perfect order would be for Ye Chen to reach Dacheng first.

A gentle breeze blew as the Hun Dun Ti stepped into the Zi Zhu Lin, bowing respectfully.

"Take this with you; it might come in handy when you return to the human realm." Dao Zu smiled and handed over a storage bag, bestowing several fortuitous opportunities on the Huang Gu Sheng Ti. He couldn't neglect his own disciple.

Hun Dun Ti accepted it with both hands. "Shifu is so certain that I can survive the Hun Dun Hai?"

"I believe in him, and I believe in you just as much." Dao Zu chuckled.

At the mention of "him," Hun Dun Ti took a deep breath and glanced at Ye Chen, his eyes filled with even more wariness. A ninth-heaven Sheng Ti slaying an emperor was unprecedented in the three realms, and Ye Chen had actually done it.

In that regard alone, he was inferior to Ye Chen.

The path to proving the Dao wasn't frightening; what was frightening were the people on that path. In this life, if he wanted to become an emperor, he had to defeat Ye Chen. Only by surpassing the Sheng Ti could he claim the supreme position.

Hun Dun Ti left, preparing to brave the Hun Dun Hai—a path that might lead straight to the Yellow Springs.

In the Xian Chi, the slumbering Ye Chen showed no sign of waking, only manifesting frequent visions.

It wasn't until the fourth night that he slowly opened his eyes. Divine light shot from his gaze, as if tangible, piercing through the cosmos. His eyes were deeper than before, with endless Dao principles evolving within them.

"Boss." The Hun Dun Ding suddenly appeared out of nowhere, buzzing and trembling.

Now, its body bore no cracks but was etched with traces of the Dao, its divine aura mixed with the ferocity of the imperial path. As a ninth-heaven artifact, it had destroyed an emperor's weapon—an unprecedented feat.

Ye Chen smiled and stepped out of the Xian Chi, landing in front of Long Ye. He gently waved his hand.

Immediately, Long Ye's divine body trembled, and his eyes snapped open.

Just as Dao Zu had anticipated, Long Ye's expression was quite dull, his eyes vacant and lifeless. The way he looked at the world was filled with endless confusion, his memories completely blank, like a puppet.

Ye Chen raised his hand and pinched a thread of memory immortal light, merging it into Long Ye's brow.

Uh!

Long Ye let out a muffled groan and clutched his head fiercely. His past life's seal unraveled, and memories flooded back like an invisible force overwhelming his divine sea, causing him to roar in pain.

Ye Chen stood firm, waiting quietly. Every reincarnation had to endure this.

Uh!

Long Ye's face twisted in agony, his eyes bulging slightly, veins throbbing on his forehead, and bloodshot lines spreading. He hugged his head and growled lowly. What returned wasn't just his past memories but also the fragmented memories of the Long Di. From the start, his suffering was far greater than that of an ordinary reincarnation. Even with the foundation of a Quasi-Emperor peak, in those moments, he couldn't distinguish reality from illusion.

In this state, as he integrated the memories, he recalled his past life: he was a remnant soul of the Long Di. After endless ages of erosion, he had developed human intelligence, only to be cleaved into three parts by someone named Xuan Chen and sealed in three different sects, forced to serve despicable masters.

It wasn't until he met someone named Ye Chen that he opened his heart to the world again, becoming part of Da Chu and its expeditionary force, only to be slain by a great emperor.

"Long Ye, long time no see."

Ye Chen's smile was tearful, his voice hoarse and full of weariness.

This long-lost address made Long Ye suddenly lift his gaze, staring blankly at Ye Chen. As he stared, tears welled up in his eyes, blurring his vision and his mind.

"Am I dreaming?"

"Not a dream."

"I don't believe it."

Smack!

Ye Chen slapped him across the face. If you don't believe it, that's fine—just feel the pain.

What could be said? A feeling of pain was more straightforward than anything. Whenever someone said that, he greeted them this way. If they dared say it again, it wouldn't just be a slap; he'd kick them where it hurts, ensuring they perked up faster than a monkey.

Long Ye clutched his face, swaying unsteadily, stars exploding in his vision. He could barely stand, his old face burning hot. Ye Chen's slap had been forceful, nearly disfiguring him. His mind, already foggy, was now a complete mess.

"Believed it now?"

Ye Chen blew on his hand, the slap having felt quite satisfying.

Long Ye finally steadied himself, his face darkened oddly. He confirmed it wasn't a dream and that the shameless guy in front of him was indeed Ye Chen—only he had that eye-catching aura.

"Da Chu has reincarnation; you were reborn."

"By some twist of fate, you were reincarnated into the Tian Mo Yu and even became an emperor there."

"I used a secret technique to purge your Tian Mo bloodline and memories."

Ye Chen pulled out a pipe from somewhere and puffed on it, speaking word by word in a meaningful tone. As he exhaled smoke rings, he looked almost like he was cultivating immortality, exuding an indescribable air of sophistication—he was truly getting into the groove.

Long Ye listened with wide eyes, his expression turning to stone.

Knowing he didn't believe it, Ye Da Shao was quite understanding and sent a wisp of divine sense into his brow. Within that divine sense were engraved all the past events, from the day Long Ye died up to now. Every story in between was there, including Di Huang and the female Sheng Ti Hong Yan.

Long Ye's body trembled again. Though the divine sense was small, the story it contained was long, filled with scars of separation and mountains of corpses and seas of blood. Every detail etched into his soul.

In that instant, even his state of mind was thrown into turmoil. The story was too lengthy, with far too many shocking events: Ye Chen slaying more than one emperor, the three realms of heaven, earth, and humanity, the Dacheng Sheng Ti Di Huang, the female Sheng Ti Hong Yan, the Zhu Xian Jian, the Hong Huang... so much more.

What shocked him most was that his reincarnation had become a Tian Mo and even proven the Dao to become an emperor. He never imagined he could stand shoulder to shoulder with the Tai Xu Long Di in some era.

Ye Chen sat down, crossing his legs and puffing on his pipe.

Something like reincarnation required time for anyone to process, let alone Long Ye's, which was the most bizarre and outstanding. Even the Long Di's remnant soul couldn't handle the shock.

It had to be said, Long Ye's thoughts were truly chaotic.

Past and present lives felt like a dream, and his dream seemed even longer. Before waking, he had been drenched in blood in the void sky, slain by a Tian Mo emperor; after waking, the world had already passed a thousand years.

His memories from the Tian Mo Yu were a blank, but the stories of the Zhutian felt as if he had experienced them himself, filling in that blank. This death and rebirth carried so much weariness.

"Ancient and modern events have become mere tales; let's have a drink!"

Ye Chen put away his pipe and set out the wine jug and cups. As someone who had been through it, he saw it all as fleeting clouds. What others called a dream of reincarnation, he had walked step by step.

Long Ye said nothing and slowly sat down. For some reason, the way he looked at Ye Chen carried an unprecedented heartache. The once-vibrant Huang Gu Sheng Ti was covered in traces from head to toe, more like an old man weathered by storms, exuding an air of age.

"This journey must have been exhausting."

Long Ye picked up the wine jug and poured for Ye Chen once more, after a full cycle of reincarnation.

"People just get old as they go along." Ye Chen smiled.

These words made Long Ye's mind blur for a moment. The Ye Chen before him felt both familiar and strange. Was this still the young Sheng Ti from back then? The person was the same, but his mindset was dusted with the greys of time, unable to hide his weariness or his solitude.

Long Ye laughed, his laughter full of contentment. He should feel grateful for that fateful encounter in Zhengyang Sect, which let him witness a living myth—and he would be the first to bear witness to it.