Chapter 2795: Endless Misfortunes

"Great Emperor?"

Ye Chen furrowed his brows slightly, his eyes narrowing. He was absolutely certain he hadn't sensed wrong—the fleeting aura of the Tianmo carried the might of a supreme emperor. Though it was hidden with extreme secrecy, it couldn't escape his detection.

The Di Jian was buzzing, likely for the same reason. As an imperial artifact, it was extremely sensitive to emperor's might. If Ye Chen could sense it, so could the sword as an imperial weapon.

Without further thought, Ye Chen put away the Tai Chu Shen Lei, gripped the Xianwu Di Jian, and charged into the darkness. His expression was one of curiosity—this vast black hole was full of unexpected surprises. It even harbored a hidden emperor-level Tianmo.

"Submit, and do it quickly."

"There was once a Tai Chu Shen Huo that submitted too."

The Hun Dun Ding and Hun Dun Huo were in Ye Chen's inner world, now joined by the Tai Chu Shen Lei. Along with Tian Lei, they seemed oblivious to Ye Chen's changing expression.

The Tai Chu Shen Lei didn't respond, but the Tian Lei was trembling. It was because it had caught sight of the Lingxiao Dian, whose ancient aura emanating from the hall made it hard to breathe.

The little girl playing in front of the Lingxiao Dian was also extraordinarily remarkable. From her, it could vaguely sense a terrifying aura, even stronger than its master's.

"Where do you think you're going?"

In the black hole, Ye Chen shouted sharply.

In reality, he was just bluffing. When he reached that area of the black hole, he found nothing. He hoped this method would lure out the hidden emperor-level Tianmo.

Unfortunately, there was no reaction at all.

Ye Chen extended his divine sense, searching inch by inch.

But it was all in vain.

Even the Xianwu Di Jian had fallen silent now, confirming the presence of an emperor-level Tianmo with high intelligence. It knew Ye Chen was powerful and had likely already fled.

"From which era was that emperor?"

Ye Chen took a deep breath and pondered as he walked, full of doubts. Earlier, three mid-level emperors had invaded the various heavens, so the emperor-level Tianmo hidden in the black hole should have sensed it too. Why didn't it emerge?

For many days afterward, Ye Chen continued his search.

Regrettably, he never detected the Tianmo emperor's aura again. Emperors, as supreme beings, had heaven-piercing methods. If they were determined to hide, they were nearly impossible to find. Besides, this black hole was vast and boundless, like searching for a needle in the ocean—finding Tianmo soldiers and generals was already tough, let alone an emperor.

"Boss, it's not giving us any face!"

The Hun Dun Huo spoke dejectedly.

The Hun Dun Ding and Tian Lei beside it felt the same. Over these days, they'd tried every trick—coaxing and threatening—but the Tai Chu Shen Lei remained unmoved.

"As expected."

Ye Chen replied casually, still scanning his surroundings. The Tai Chu Shen Lei, ranked second, wouldn't submit so easily—it wouldn't live up to its rank and pride. Getting it to yield was as difficult as ascending to heaven, just like the Tai Chu Shen Huo in the past. Without Nian Wei's sacrifice, it would never have bent.

So, good things often require time and effort.

This journey took another half a year.

In half a year, his gains were not insignificant. Though he hadn't found the emperor-level Tianmo, he had raided many nests of E Mo and slaughtered quite a few Tianmo.

In the meantime, the state of the various heavens was far from good.

Gazing over the starry sky, dark clouds loomed with lightning tearing through, accompanied by raging flames and withered ancient stars. All sorts of omens of calamity unfolded one after another.

Half a year later, Ruo Xi turned seven.

On this day, the starry skies of the various heavens rumbled. Too many star domains had unstable space, collapsing inch by inch at times, with spatial rifts appearing without warning. Many people suffered because of it.

"What the hell is this supposed to mean?"

In one part of the starry sky, the Yuan Huang cursed all the way, with Kui Niu Huang by his side, equally explosive in temper. They had no idea what caused the chaos in the various heavens. Without the cultivation of a Quasi Emperor, no one dared to wander the starry sky anymore—for fear of being struck by lightning or caught in rifts.

Indeed, those venturing into the starry sky were mostly Quasi Emperors.

And even those Quasi Emperors looked utterly baffled. In recent days, the various heavens had grown stranger by the day, with the entire starry sky becoming increasingly unstable.

But that wasn't the end of it.

One day, misty clouds appeared in the starry sky—sometimes thin, sometimes thick, sometimes materializing, sometimes dissipating. Some people walking through it got lost and, when they emerged, had no idea where they were.

"Hmm, quite the little beauty."

In the black hole, Ye Chen stopped to rest and brought Ruo Xi out.

She was now eight years old, having grown quite a bit. Her large, clear eyes like water were even more lively. Though she was growing normally, her mindset remained that of a two- or three-year-old, curious about everything and speaking in a childish voice.

"Big brother, I'm hungry."

The little one blinked her eyes and patted her belly.

Ye Chen smiled and took out a Changsheng Guo.

The little girl leaned against Ye Chen, eating happily. From time to time, she'd look up at him with a smile, her big eyes curving into little crescents.

Ye Chen's smile was gentle as he constantly observed Ruo Xi, but he could never see through her—it was his own insight that fell short, while she was too mysterious.

After finishing the Changsheng Guo, Ruo Xi yawned.

Ye Chen waved his hand and sent her back into his inner world.

Soon, she fell asleep.

Whenever she slept, the Hun Dun Ding and Hun Dun Huo would hide far away, afraid she'd do something ridiculous in her dreams, like unleashing that halo again.

In fact, as long as she was in Ye Chen's inner world, hiding far away didn't help much. In her sleep, Ruo Xi really did release a halo, even more domineering than last time. Apart from the Lingxiao Dian, nearly all the mountains collapsed, and the trees needed no mention.

"You're not playing by the rules!"

The Hun Dun Ding buzzed and trembled, its thick body covered in cracks. The Hun Dun Huo's flames nearly extinguished on the spot. Both were utterly dejected.

Pfft! Pfft!

Young Master Ye was in even worse shape, half-kneeling in the black hole's void, coughing up mouthfuls after mouthful of old blood. The halo was more domineering than before, and his injuries were worse. Even his inner world teetered on the edge of collapse, damaging his fundamental Dao roots.

Indeed, she wasn't playing by the rules!

He recalled the last time—before the halo of annihilation, she'd muttered in her dreams for months as a precursor, followed by the halo suddenly appearing.

This time, there were no signs at all. She just fell asleep and unleashed a destructive halo out of nowhere, catching him completely off guard and nearly sending him to the Naihe Bridge.

"Protect the law."

Ye Chen sat down cross-legged and summoned his Sheng Zhan Fa Shen. He also moved little Ruo Xi from his inner world to the copper furnace. He'd truly been fooled by her—he wouldn't put her back in his inner world again. She was like a ticking time bomb. Ever since he entered the black hole, he hadn't been harmed by Tianmo or E Mo, yet she'd gravely wounded him twice. How embarrassing was that?

With the Fa Shen out, its face was also pale and bloodless. The original body was heavily injured, so it was affected too. It stood listlessly, holding the Di Jian beside Ye Chen.

Crack! Crack!

In Ye Chen's body, the sound of bones shattering echoed continuously. More segments of his Sheng Gu were cracking, and his sacred body, enveloped in true essence, healed inch by inch.

That was minor. What was truly painful was his Dao roots.

Besides that, his Yuan Shen true form was also fracturing. Thankfully, the Shenlong Dun was sturdy enough; otherwise, the injuries would have been worse. The halo of annihilation was just too powerful.

The black hole fell into silence as Ye Chen closed his eyes.

"Not feeling great, huh?"

At some point, the Hun Dun Ding spoke up.

This was directed at the Tai Chu Shen Lei. Everything in the inner world during the halo—whether flames, artifacts, mountains, or grass—was hit without exception, including the Tai Chu Shen Lei itself.

The Shen Lei didn't respond; its lightning was depleted.

A half-step Dacheng Sheng Ti had been severely wounded—what made anyone think it would feel fine? It could only think that the girl was no simple matter. This had nearly killed it.

"So, submit already!"

The Hun Dun Huo was healing while still trying to coax.

"Get lost."

This word wasn't spoken by the Tai Chu Shen Lei; it was formed with lightning, an ancient character not from this era.

The Hun Dun Ding and Hun Dun Huo didn't recognize it and assumed the Shen Lei had drawn a "shuai" character—basically praising them.

Hmm?

Ye Chen, with his eyes closed, suddenly frowned—not because of his injuries, but because in the darkness, he sensed the emperor-level Tianmo's aura again. It was faint and elusive, shifting unpredictably in this black hole. He could even feel a pair of blood-red eyes glowing with a cold, eerie light.