Chapter 2753

"My name is Wu Lei," said Wu Lei Chengzhu calmly, answering the question but not resolving Ye Chen's doubts. Clearly, she didn't want to elaborate.

Ye Chen took a deep breath, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Still, that same old saying held true—people who tease with half-answers like that should all be struck by lightning and fried to a crisp. All of you look exactly like the Female Emperor, and if there's no connection, no one would believe it.

Thinking about connections, his mind wandered wildly.

Maybe Chu Xuan, Chu Ling, Ruoxi, and Wu Lei were all fragments of the Female Emperor's soul. If that were true, did that mean he had slept with the Female Emperor and even had a precious daughter with her?

"No wonder the forbidden zones all dislike me," Ye Chen muttered to himself. From the Five Great Heavenly Kings down to the Heavenly Execution and Earthly Annihilation, anyone who saw him had a dark expression and always seemed to want to beat him up.

Now, it seemed there might be some misunderstanding involved.

Suddenly, a fierce wind arose, even stronger than before, stinging his Sacred Body with pain.

On top of that, there was a creaking sound coming from the void, like a house on the verge of collapse, its beams about to snap.

Ye Chen's eyes darted around, scanning the surrounding world.

In his view, the universe itself was like those beams, unable to bear some kind of pressure and on the brink of shattering. The entire Wu Lei City had become unstable, swaying unsteadily.

Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!

From outside, Wu Lei City looked even more terrifying, shrouded in dark clouds with lightning tearing through it. Cracks had formed in several sections of the city walls, and a halo of annihilation spread endlessly from its center toward the eight directions. Wherever the halo passed, vast swaths of space collapsed.

Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!

People still outside the city were knocked over in waves, their weaker cultivators exploding on the spot, and many ancient stars were crushed into rubble, leaving the starry sky in utter chaos.

"What's going on?"

The people steadied themselves, full of confusion as they gazed into the distance. That ethereal immortal city seemed on the verge of collapsing, and in all the times they'd seen Wu Lei City descend into the world, they'd never witnessed anything like this.

"Maybe it's Wu Lei losing her temper again."

"Or it could be our seventh one causing trouble in the city, as usual."

"Sounds plausible."

Creatures like Kui Niu chimed in with their guesses, one after another.

The older generations had deeper, more knowing gazes. They didn't think it was Wu Lei raging or even Ye Chen causing chaos—it was more likely that Wu Lei City itself had a problem.

Boom! Rumble!

The starry sky trembled, and within Wu Lei City, thunderous roars filled the air. Dark clouds churned in the void, with streaks of annihilating lightning ripping through it. Looking closely, destructive visions materialized, radiating the glow of doomsday.

Ye Chen stood in silence, still observing his surroundings.

Mountains in Wu Lei City collapsed one after another, and numerous floating palaces and pavilions plummeted down. Even the white jade statue standing at the city's center shook with a rumble, on the edge of toppling, its jade-carved form now marred with spots of decay.

Ye Chen lowered his gaze and looked up at the void.

Amid the flashes of lightning, he could see hundreds of Emperor Artifacts manifesting, each like a blazing sun. The supreme heavenly sounds echoed, and the Emperor Dao principles overflowed—it was as if they were suppressing the universe of Wu Lei City. But with the universe in chaos, even these hundreds of Emperor Artifacts trembled and shook unsteadily.

"What kind of force is reversing the universe?" Ye Chen murmured, his expression filled with shock. He couldn't help but imagine: if hundreds of supreme Emperor Artifacts working together couldn't hold it down, how terrifying must that hidden power be?

Wu Lei said nothing, simply waving her hand to release Ye Chen.

She clasped her hands together, silently reciting Dao incantations, channeling the Emperor Artifacts to the utmost to stabilize the universe.

Ye Chen landed and narrowed his eyes into slits, peering at the universe.

The hidden force was incredibly powerful, its origin unknown, only that it felt as heavy as mountains, making it hard for him to breathe. There was also a destructive power flickering in and out, which made his Sacred Body tremble and his soul quiver involuntarily.

"The origin," Wu Lei said softly.

Hearing this, Ye Chen stepped forward, placing one hand on Wu Lei's back and channeling his Sacred Body origin into her.

Wu Lei immediately raised her hand toward the void.

Then, the Sacred Body origin surged like a beam of light into the sky, sprinkling over the Emperor Artifacts. The hundreds of trembling supreme Emperor Weapons suddenly blazed with Emperor light, halting their shaking entirely.

Ye Chen raised an eyebrow in surprise—he hadn't realized his origin could enhance Emperor Weapons.

With the Emperor Artifacts stabilized, the chaotic universe gradually calmed. The gathered dark clouds in the void slowly dissipated, and the flickering lightning vanished into nothingness.

Buzz! Buzz!

Afterward, the supreme Emperor Artifacts vibrated as they one by one faded back into the void.

Only then did Wu Lei descend from the mountaintop.

Ye Chen followed her down and couldn't help asking, "Where did that force reversing the universe come from?"

"It originates from the Taigu Honghuang," Wu Lei replied indifferently, walking along while continuously waving her hand to cast spells.

Ye Chen could see ancient immortal patterns emerging from her palm, each infused with Sacred Body origin, merging into the void and becoming invisible.

Behind her, Ye Chen furrowed his brow slightly. It was the Taigu Honghuang again.

In that moment, an unprecedented sense of dread overwhelmed his state of mind, shrouded in gloom. What exactly was that legendary Taigu Honghuang? Even the Xianwu Emperor had fallen in battle, with millions of divine generals wiped out. Just the force leaking from it could disrupt Wu Lei City's universe and even make hundreds of supreme Emperor Artifacts unable to suppress the unrest.

Ahead, Wu Lei had stopped, standing before an immortal maiden.

The maiden had a vacant expression, her eyes hollow, maintaining a posture with hands clasped together like a statue, utterly still. Immortal light flowed over her body, radiant and beautiful.

Wu Lei extended her hand, pointing a finger to the maiden's forehead.

She continued like this, either inscribing ancient immortal patterns or pausing before each maiden.

Ye Chen's eyes grew even deeper.

Every time he passed an immortal maiden, his eyes narrowed slightly—they all bore array patterns on them.

"As you see, they are all array anchors for Wu Lei," Wu Lei said leisurely, still casting her spells frequently.

"Each one taken away creates a flaw in the universe, making it impossible to restore completely."

Ye Chen frowned and said, "You know they are array anchors. You know there's true emotion in the world. You know they might form mortal bonds. So why do you release one every few decades to enter the secular world for cultivation? Are you fishing? Luring those in love to cross that damned Naihe Bridge?"

"That's correct, it's fishing—to collect mortal bonds with the Naihe Bridge," Wu Lei replied coldly. "The process is cruel, but Wu Lei City needs the power of those bonds."

"But you've still underestimated the emotions of the world. First, there was the Wu Lei Goddess, then the Wuqing Immortal, the Wu Lei Immortal, and the White-Clad Immortal. Wu Lei City has already lost four array anchors."

"I have never underestimated it," Wu Lei said, stepping over a fairy pond and stopping again. "The Wu Lei Naihe Bridge collects not only emotion but also the undying and eternal Bloodline Limit."

"You can collect Bloodline Limit?" Ye Chen asked, stunned.

"Of course."

"So, the collected Bloodline Limit power can be used?"

"Naturally."

"Then teach me that method!" Ye Chen quickened his pace, rubbing his hands eagerly with a grin.

Wu Lei glanced around and replied casually, "There's only one Naihe Bridge. I can't teach it."

"Don't kid around—there must be more."

Ye Chen hurried even faster, his eyes shining with hope.

Bloodline Limit power! If he could integrate it into his body, he could activate it at will, just like the little black fatty, who had a god-tier cheat. His combat strength might not match Ye Fan's, but if he activated the Bloodline Limit, Ye Fan might not be his match. The power of undying and eternal was just that dominant.

Unfortunately, Wu Lei focused only on inscribing immortal patterns and didn't respond further.

Ye Chen persisted like a shadow, sticking close behind her wherever she went.

He wasn't exaggerating—even if Wu Lei went to relieve herself, he'd stand guard outside the restroom.

In any case, if you won't teach me that secret technique, I'll just follow you everywhere.

It wasn't until some time later that Wu Lei stopped again, now at the base of the white jade statue.

Ye Chen glanced around. This white jade statue was likely an effigy of the Ancient Heavenly Court Female Emperor, worshiped for generations in Wu Lei City. Due to the universe's chaos, it was now covered in patches of decay.

Wu Lei waved her hand, casting waves of immortal light to dispel the stains.

Ye Chen had a moment of leisure, so he pulled out a wine flask and sat on a rock. "Those who cross the Naihe Bridge—if they activate the Bloodline Limit, they can basically make it through and take an immortal maiden from Wu Lei City. Over time, aren't you afraid the city's universe will collapse from losing too many anchors?"

"If that day comes, Wu Lei City will have no reason to exist," Wu Lei said faintly, her words laden with deeper meaning.

"Then this time, Wu Lei City might end up at a loss. I didn't activate the Bloodline Limit and still crossed the Naihe Bridge," Ye Chen said, taking a swig of wine, his back straight with pride. He was the first to make Wu Lei City suffer a setback, the first to cross the Naihe Bridge without the Bloodline Limit. If you counted it that way, he'd broken Wu Lei's defenses twice. Just thinking about it felt satisfying.

"Without the Bloodline Limit, no one can cross the Naihe Bridge—not even an Emperor."

"You're talking nonsense. I—"

"If I hadn't let you through, you'd be ancient dust by now."

Wu Lei glanced at him, her indifferent eyes flickering with a spark of irritation. She could read his thoughts, and every time she heard those two words from him, it inexplicably made her angry. If you weren't a Sacred Body, I'd have kicked you to death long ago. You look presentable, but how are you just like the Emperor in behavior?

Ye Chen's mouth twitched, and his heart skipped a beat.

Wu Lei's words hit him like a slap in the face—he hadn't realized she'd let him pass. He'd thought he'd crossed that Naihe Bridge on his own strength.

Clearly, he'd just been amusing himself.

"Why does the Sacred Body lineage have the first Sacred Body with a Bloodline Limit, while the second doesn't?" he asked.

"As fellow Archaic Sacred Bodies, the gap is too big."

"If you know, sister, please don't hold back—teach your brother-in-law. I'm always eager to learn."

Cleverly, Ye Chen changed the subject to cover his embarrassment.

Wu Lei ignored him. After casting the final wave of immortal light to clear the last of the decay from the statue, she turned and headed deeper in. It was all because the universe's chaos had caused too much disturbance.

Ye Chen hurriedly got up and followed.

This time, he held a purple gold flask in his hand, walking behind Wu Lei and waving it around—up, down, left, right—like a diligent guard conducting a search.

Sure enough, a few strands of Emperor essence leaked from Wu Lei and were absorbed by the purple gold flask. He knew it—someone who could thrash even a half-step Dacheng must have Emperor essence on her.