Chapter 2743: Sealing the Forbidden Zone

Tian Wang took a deep breath and simply uttered one phrase: "Tian Ji Bu Ke Xie Lu."

Ye Chen glanced at him sideways. At that moment, he truly felt like carving Tian Xu Tian Wang into the shape of a pig on the mountaintop with a chisel. He knew everything but refused to say it. People who teased with secrets deserved to be struck by lightning.

Tian Wang sighed and shook his head. It wasn't that he wouldn't speak; it was because it involved ancient secrets from time immemorial, and Ye Chen had no qualification to know. Not even he could reveal it. If Di Huang came, it would be the same.

Ye Chen withdrew his gaze and stopped pressing. He focused on carving his wooden sculpture. Even if Tian Xu didn't say anything, he could still find the answer himself. What kind of heavenly secret was so deeply hidden?

Tian Wang fell silent, his eyes flickering with uncertainty.

Tian Xu Di Zi was the same. Though he didn't know the ancient secrets, he understood that the appearance of those monsters was no good omen. From Tian Wang's expression, he could tell it was a major issue.

Over here, Ye Chen had finished carving the wooden sculpture and infused it with the power of Jing Shi. He picked up his wine flask and, out of the corner of his eye, casually glanced toward the depths of Tian Xu. The reason he couldn't see through the forbidden zone was due to the mysterious entities deep within—not just Tian Xu, but also Lian Yu, Huang Quan, Wang Chuan, and Ming Tu. Those mysteries made his heart palpitate.

Not just him; even when Di Huang had come, he felt the same way. To unravel the ancient secrets, one first needed to uncover the mysteries of the forbidden zones, which were filled with too many unknowns.

"This item is for you."

Tian Wang waved his hand, and a silver thunderbolt hung in the air, snapping Ye Chen out of his thoughts.

"Hao Mie Shen Lei."

Ye Chen's eyes lit up at the sight. Flames had their levels, and so did thunderbolts. Shen Lei was no match for ordinary thunder; it contained more of thunder's essence and was far more dominant in power, distorting even the space it tore through.

"How could I accept this?"

Ye Chen casually tossed aside his wine flask. Whenever he said that, it was never from the heart, but he grabbed it quickly all the same. It was the first time he found Tian Xu Tian Wang somewhat agreeable.

"If there's nothing else, you may leave."

Tian Wang said indifferently.

"See you around."

Ye Chen waved as he turned away, clutching the Shen Lei. It was unclear if it was intentional or not, but as he left, he stomped on Tian Zhu and Di Mie—who had just woken up—knocking them out again. Faintly, the sound of bones cracking could be heard. A kick from the Sheng Ti was incredibly powerful.

Tian Xu Di Zi chuckled and shook his head. The emperor of Da Chu was truly one to hold a grudge—stomping on someone before leaving, probably breaking their spine in the process.

Tian Wang stood quietly, watching Ye Chen depart, his eyes filled with hope. He hoped Ye Chen could break through to Sheng Ti Da Cheng in the shortest time possible. Only then could he truly stabilize the grand array of the heavens.

"Tian Wang, that monster is..."

Tian Xu Di Zi asked tentatively.

"Don't ask what you shouldn't."

Tian Wang replied and vanished, leaving the emperor standing there awkwardly.

In the distance, Ye Chen had already left Tian Xu and was met by Xiao Yuan Huang and the others. They had likely heard Ye Chen was at Tian Xu and came to join the excitement. They arrived just in time to see him emerge and were thinking of heading into Tian Xu for a look.

"Yours is still the most beautiful."

Zhu Que Gong Zhu said with a smile, glancing at the massive statue of Bei Sheng standing at the entrance of Tian Xu.

"With all due respect, mine isn't bad either."

Long Jie said meaningfully.

His words earned him plenty of eye rolls.

Especially from the Ling Zu Shen Nu, whose beautiful eyes burned with a hint of fire. Long Jie had indeed carved well, but it was four parts Bei Sheng and six parts Yao Chi. Anyone could see it was modeled after Dong Shen.

Ye Chen's gaze was also slanted. He had seen the statue Long Jie carved—it was just as massive, standing at the entrance of Lian Yu forbidden zone. Was that really Bei Sheng? It looked more like his family's Lao Jiu.

"Some people talk as if they're full of hot air."

Xiao Yuan Huang scratched his monkey fur, his gaze even more slanted than Ye Chen's. He had promised to let it go, yet he still thought about Lao Qi's wife. How thick could his skin be?

Long Jie was as unreliable as ever—who knew that while carving, he ended up sculpting Dong Shen Yao Chi.

"Let's go, time to drink."

Nan Di broke the awkward atmosphere with a word. The emperors of Da Chu didn't come to Xuan Huang often, so they had to drink until they were thoroughly drunk.

Soon, on a picturesque mountain peak, a bonfire was lit, stewing a fragrant soup and serving the finest jade nectar from Tian Ting—Ye Chen had brought back quite a bit.

"Lao Qi, this method of yours can only revive her?"

Kui Niu nudged Ye Chen with his elbow.

"People always need something to hold onto."

Ye Chen replied with a smile, sitting on the mountaintop. Through the endless haze, he could see rows of towering statues, each one of Jiu Li Mu Xue. At night, people still came to worship, their expressions full of devotion.

"Does it take someone dying once for you to realize your feelings?"

Gu Zu Shen Nu said with clear irritation. The entire heavens knew Bei Sheng loved you, yet you're the only one oblivious.

Ye Chen said nothing, just buried his head in his drink.

However, Gu Zu Shen Nu's words were quite profound. Looking back at the wives of the Sheng Ti lineage, which of them hadn't died once? As a result, the people of the heavens had unwittingly formed a truth: to become Ye Chen's wife, one had to cross the Nai He Bridge. It was remarkably effective.

Xiao Yuan Huang patted Ye Chen on the shoulder, a gesture of comfort. Though this monkey didn't seem reliable on a daily basis, he understood his sworn brother well. This man, cursed by heaven, didn't dare easily give his heart—bearing his affections came with hardships.

"Drink up!"

Bai Hu Tai Zi shouted, dispelling the melancholic mood.

The night grew deeper.

The group drank themselves into a stupor, but only Ye Chen sobered up, quietly leaving the mountain peak.

Before departing, he left some Jing Shi Xian Li for them. Many hands make light work; they needed to spread the worship across the entire heavens and gather infinite power.

Boom! Boom!

Before dawn broke, thunderous booms echoed from the five forbidden zones of Xuan Huang, shaking people's hearts.

Looking down from above, the five forbidden zones were sealing themselves inch by inch, visible to the naked eye, enveloped in hazy mist that shrouded their worlds. Even quasi-emperors could no longer glimpse what lay inside.

"They've self-sealed?"

The immortals who went to observe showed expressions of surprise. This sudden self-sealing was baffling.

In the distant sky, Ye Chen furrowed his brow slightly, sensing that the forbidden zones' self-sealing was deeply connected to that monster. From Tian Wang's expression last night, he could see the worry lingering in his eyes.

Precisely because the five forbidden zones had self-sealed, a shadow fell over Ye Chen's mind. That monster must be heavily involved. What seemed like self-sealing felt more like self-preservation.

Thus, what the forbidden zones guarded was what intrigued Ye Chen the most—what could it be that even the forbidden zones dared not emerge or interfere lightly with the affairs of the heavens?

After a long while, Ye Chen withdrew his gaze and followed a mighty river into an ancient town.

In this town, there was also a statue of Bei Sheng, carved by someone unknown. It was exquisitely detailed, made of immortal jade—the valuable kind.

Ye Chen wasn't surprised by this. As the princess of Jiu Li, she was the top beauty of Bei Yue, on par with Dong Shen Yao Chi, and must have countless admirers. Love at its deepest could even be etched into a statue.

Ye Chen infused a thread of Jing Shi Xian Li into the statue and noticed a pair of eyes watching him silently from the street side. It was a young man in plain clothes, sitting by the window of a tavern, drinking alone. His hair was slightly disheveled, with stubble on his chin, looking quite dejected. His expression was complex.

Ye Chen didn't look directly at him; he didn't need to ask to know that the Bei Sheng statue was carved by this young man. The way he looked at it was different from others—unique to a man's tenderness.

Clearly, he also loved Jiu Li Mu Xue, which was why his dim eyes held that trace of complexity, unsure whether to hate or be grateful.

Ye Chen didn't leave; he carried his wine flask and walked to the other end of the street, his expression indifferent.

At the very end, in a miscellaneous shop, he slowly stepped inside.

"Young friend, feel free to browse. If you find something you like, this old man will give you a good deal."

The shop owner was a kindly elder, sitting behind the counter reading an ancient book. Seeing Ye Chen enter, he smiled warmly.

"Your life—is it for sale?"

Ye Chen said coldly.

"Young friend, you're joking. This old one..."

The elder's words were cut short as a ghostly figure flashed before him. A cold hand had already gripped his neck, lifting him into the air.

The one who struck was Ye Chen, his speed so fast it upended the universe, all in a flash.

"Young friend, you..."

The elder's eyes bulged as he struggled violently, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't break Ye Chen's seal.

"You're quite good at playing with people's hearts!"

Ye Chen sneered, and from his fingertip, a wisp of golden divine power emerged, forcing out the elder's true form and destroying his concealment technique. Where was this a cultivator? It was clearly a Tian Mo, a quasi-emperor level one. Ye Chen had sensed it the moment he entered the ancient town. As a half-step Da Cheng Sheng Ti, any illusion was meaningless to him; no matter how well hidden, it was useless.

With his true form exposed, the Tian Mo's face twisted into something hideous, though fear was hard to mask. He thought he had hidden well, but he couldn't escape Ye Chen's scrutiny and was seen through so easily.

The idea that the most dangerous place is the safest—he had played that card well, hiding in this town for many years. Many great powers and masters had passed by without noticing his true nature. Who would believe a quasi-emperor Tian Mo was hiding in Xuan Huang Continent?

Unfortunately, today he had met his match and was done for.

Ye Chen's eyes turned cold, and he directly reverted the Tian Mo to its original form—a black lotus with petals swirling in demonic aura, violent and bloodthirsty, like the source of all demons.

Afterward, it was sealed into Ye Chen's small world, suppressed by the Hun Dun Ding. Hidden for endless ages, it still couldn't escape capture—all because it was too overconfident.

With the Tian Mo caught, it was a living one, and Ye Chen's purpose for coming out was finally achieved. He had searched for months in the black hole and only found one; coming to Xuan Huang, his luck was good, full of surprises.

Boom!

As soon as he left the shop, Ye Chen heard a thunderous rumble that shook the entire ancient town. Most pedestrians on the streets couldn't keep their balance, and many cultivators flying overhead were shaken down from the sky.

Ye Chen tilted his head slightly, gazing into the distance.

This kind of rumble was nothing new to him; the changes in Tai Gu Hong Huang were growing more intense each time.

This time, the path to Tai Gu Hong Huang was truly lively, with the Zhutian trio, Tian Mo, and terrifying creatures—those monsters whose forms couldn't be identified, all extremely powerful.

And today, new visitors had arrived: the Huang Gu Sheng Ti, the first of its kind.

The Di Huang trio was escaping even more desperately, not daring to reveal their aura.

Fortunately, the universe was shifting, something even great emperors couldn't resist. A mysterious force would always descend unexpectedly, scattering the combatants in all directions.