Chapter 2848: At Least an Emperor

"Don't come over."

Ye Chen roared hoarsely, staggering back a step before dropping to one knee on the ground, coughing up large mouthfuls of fresh blood. His already shattered Huanggu Sheng Qu was covered in blood, with gleaming bones exposed in several places.

Even so, his Sheng Qu was still disintegrating. Every wound on his body was entwined with strands of destructive dark light—that was the killing intent from across time and space, incredibly terrifying. It prevented the wounds from healing and was constantly ravaging his Sheng Qu, potentially consuming him at any moment.

Unfortunately, his words came too late.

In that instant, too many Zhundi arrived.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

They were all sent flying afterward. Even someone as powerful as the Jian Shen was no exception. Those with weaker foundations, like the Di Lao, had their bodies explode on the spot, nearly having their souls scatter in an instant.

"This..."

The hearts of the people trembled violently. What on earth had happened? Even the strongest peaks were repelled. What had Ye Chen experienced? What kind of power was burdening him? Had the space around him turned into a forbidden zone?

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The Zhundi steadied themselves, swaying unsteadily, and most coughed up blood. They all realized that what had repelled them wasn't Ye Chen himself, nor was it him that had injured them—it was the killing intent on his body, originating from the future time and space. Even just the killing intent was beyond their ability to withstand.

One could only imagine how powerful the one who attacked truly was.

"At least an Emperor."

Ming Di furrowed his brows deeply.

The laws of time and space were inherently forbidden domains, and performing a cross-time-space absolute kill wasn't something anyone could master. At minimum, it required the level of an Emperor, and not every Emperor could comprehend that heaven-defying immortal technique.

Ming Di had some superficial knowledge of such Emperor-level forbidden arts, but that was all. Since comprehending it, he had never used it—not because he couldn't, but because he didn't dare.

That's right, he didn't dare.

A cross-time-space absolute kill could alter history, setting off a chain reaction that dragged the caster into the variables. Any moment could lead to eternal doom, and even a Great Emperor couldn't reverse such changes.

The outcome was unpredictable, making it an unknown.

Thus, no Emperor would dare use such a forbidden technique unless absolutely necessary, as it could mean killing oneself while killing others—who would gamble on that?

Yet, someone had done it, targeting Ye Chen, with two such attacks already. The caster was at least a Great Emperor, perhaps a Tian Emperor, or even the legendary Huang Emperor. To act so recklessly, they must have been driven to madness.

"How strong are you in the future?"

Dao Zu murmured, gazing quietly at Ye Chen.

In the domain of time and space, he was no match for Ming Di. He had never mastered that Emperor-level forbidden technique, and even after endless eons, he hadn't fully comprehended it.

But he was well aware of the drawbacks of cross-time-space attacks. For so many not to be targeted, yet Ye Chen singled out, it proved one thing: the future Ye Chen was terrifyingly powerful, forcing others to resort to such measures out of desperation.

"It's undoubtedly him."

Ming Di pondered, taking a deep breath.

Dao Zu said nothing, knowing exactly whom Ming Di meant.

Unfortunately, neither he nor Ming Di had ever seen that person. Throughout the ages, the only one who had truly fought him was the Ancient Heavenly Court Empress.

"Uh."

In the void above Da Chu, Ye Chen clutched his head, letting out a low, agonized roar. He was enduring another cross-time-space absolute kill, and this one was even worse than the last.

"You damn well better stop."

"If you can do it, you try defending against this crap."

In a daze, he seemed to hear those words, and vaguely saw that scene again: a person with blood-red hair, one with golden hair, and one with white hair. Their faces were unclear, but the white-haired one looked strikingly like Zhao Yun; the golden-haired one resembled himself; and the blood-haired one just seemed unpleasant no matter how he looked at it.

Thud!

As the vision shattered, he vomited blood again and fell into unconsciousness, plummeting from the sky.

This day would be unforgettable for him forever. He had entered the Dacheng gate, only to suffer a cross-time-space absolute kill. In the lineage of the Sacred Body, he was absolutely the first.

No matter how strong his combat power, he couldn't withstand that variable. It wasn't that he wasn't monstrous enough; it was just that the tribulation came too suddenly, and the attacker must have surpassed the Emperor level.

"Ye Chen."

Ji Ningshuang stepped through the air and caught him.

She hadn't been repelled, or perhaps the time-space killing intent on Ye Chen had already dissipated, whether erased or absorbed, no one knew.

"Seal Hengyue Sect and have all unrelated people withdraw."

The strongest peaks all descended onto Jade Maiden Peak. As for the people from all sides, they were gently pushed out of Hengyue by a force. Some things were better left unknown.

Ah!

The people sighed deeply. He had clearly stepped into Dacheng, yet such a mishap occurred. The absurdity was that they still didn't know what the mishap was. That variable had dragged what should have been a successful Dacheng back to half-step Dacheng.

"Advancing further will be difficult now."

The older generations shook their heads with sighs, understanding breakthroughs all too well. One failure, two failures—each added to the difficulty.

"Whether the Sacred Body can even survive is uncertain."

The younger generations whispered, their eyes full of worry. The earlier scene of the Zhundi being repelled was proof enough. Who knew what calamity Ye Chen had faced?

"Damn it, can't he have one smooth breakthrough?"

The Kui Niu squatted on a rock, hands in pockets, cursing. Counting back, which of Ye Chen's cultivation breakthroughs had ever been peaceful? There were always heavenly tribulations and law manifestations galore. Now, advancing to Dacheng had failed twice, front and back—the most ridiculous being that he had entered the gate only to be knocked out, experiencing just a fleeting moment as a Dacheng Sacred Body.

"It's all fate."

Xie Yun took a deep breath, his face extremely dark. As a Hengyue Sect member, he had no idea how he ended up being thrown out, and he was furious about today's events.

Not just him—cultivators inside and outside the mountains were all furious. Whether it was the Chaos thunder emerging back then or the Shen Ding today, those had been smooth, but with Ye Chen, why were there always so many troubles?

"If the Sacred Body wakes, who knows what his state of mind will be."

The new generation gathered, all gazing toward Hengyue. The most disheartened was undoubtedly Ye Chen. He had finally entered the gate, finally achieved Dacheng, only for such an absurd event to happen. It wasn't that the Sacred Body wasn't brilliant; it was just that the calamity came too unexpectedly and at the worst possible time.

On Jade Maiden Peak, Emperor Dao divine light enveloped everything.

In the void, five Emperor weapons suppressed the area, sealing the mountain.

Under the old tree, figures crowded together.

Ye Chen lay quietly on a cloud, still in deep sleep, his face pale without a trace of color. His entire body was covered in wounds, his shattered Sheng Qu barely resembling a human form anymore. It was a miracle he was still alive.

"Time-space Dao wound."

Di Ji's expression was grave as she detected a crack in Ye Chen's Yuan Shen. It was extremely hard to heal and wasn't an ordinary Dao wound—it involved time and space. Even with Chaos thunder present, it would be useless.

"Invasions by Tian Mo aren't scary."

"Chaos from Hong Huang isn't scary either."

"But cross-time-space absolute kills are truly indefensible!"

Tian Lao rubbed his brows fiercely. When Ye Chen was breaking through, he had been holding an Extreme Dao Emperor weapon, prepared for everything. Whether Tian Mo came or Hong Huang attacked, Da Chu had the power to protect him. But human plans can't outwit fate—Tian Mo didn't come, Hong Huang didn't come, yet a cross-time-space absolute kill did. That was awkward. Not even a Great Emperor on site could defend against it.

"Can you still achieve Dacheng?"

Donghuang Taixin murmured softly, channeling her origin to heal Ye Chen. She couldn't do anything for the time-space Dao wound, but she could mend the wounds on his Sheng Qu.

Her question was also on the minds of all the Zhundi.

Yes, could he still achieve it?

If he tried to break through again and another cross-time-space absolute kill came, who could endure that? Being targeted by a supreme being from the future, his path to Dacheng would be unimaginably difficult.

It wasn't until late night that the Zhundi stopped.

Looking at Ye Chen, the blood gashes on his body had vanished, but the wound on his Yuan Shen remained unchanged. Even after they tried, the time-space Dao wound was beyond their power.

No one left; they found comfortable spots to settle—some with hands in pockets, some meditating, some gazing at the sky. It seemed they were planning to stay for a meal.

Ji Ningshuang and the others silently guarded Ye Chen.

His condition was poor, with fresh blood constantly overflowing from his mouth, impossible to wipe away. The root of the injury was in his Yuan Shen, and since the Zhundi couldn't heal it, neither could they.

He slept for three full days.

In those three days, he didn't move or show any sign of waking. There were no particular anomalies, except that the fresh blood from his mouth kept flowing nonstop. The wound on his Yuan Shen not only failed to heal but was slowly expanding outward.

On the fourth day, the Chaos Ding restored itself and began buzzing intensely.

Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!

The five Emperor weapons suspended in the air trembled because of the Chaos Ding. A Dacheng Sacred Body rivaled a Great Emperor; a Dacheng Ding rivaled an Emperor weapon. And Ye Chen's life-bound weapon was clearly even stronger, making the Emperor weapons feel dread. Under the moonlight, it was extraordinarily extraordinary, its heavy form causing the heavens and earth to shake. Though it lacked Emperor might, its presence surpassed it. The weapon was independently evolving Dao manifestations, with the sounds of the Great Dao echoing frequently.

In the past, the Chaos Ding might have sought out the Emperor weapons to discuss life's ideals or even trick them into fusing, but today, it had no such mood.

Its trembling was likely from anger or unwillingness. It had shattered itself to pave the way for its master's Dacheng, only to invite a cross-time-space absolute kill.

The Chaos fire and Chaos thunder were there too, both leaping about with similar frustrations, annoyed by this. In the dead of night, they were restless, cursing away.

"Has he woken up yet?"

Outside the mountains, most people were still waiting. Ye Chen had slept for three days, and they had waited for three days, holding onto a sliver of hope that he might recover and try breaking through again.

Regrettably, they hadn't seen it happen.

It wasn't until the ninth day that Ye Chen woke up.

After opening his eyes, he stared blankly for a long time, whether from a muddled mind or sheer exhaustion, he didn't get up for quite a while. He just quietly gazed at the vast starry sky.

"Ye Chen."

Nanming Yushu stepped forward and called out softly.

Ye Chen smiled and slowly sat up.

"Tonight, you're allowed to curse."

Ren Wang approached with hands in pockets, and the remaining Zhundi gathered as well. Such a thing would annoy anyone; it was just too absurd.

Ye Chen said nothing, gently wiping the fresh blood from his mouth. Cursing wouldn't help; healing was the priority. He had failed once, failed twice, but that wouldn't erase his determination. He would try breaking through again, until his dying breath.

"Rest for now. Do your best, that's enough."

Seeing his calm demeanor, the Zhundi smiled warmly and withdrew from Jade Maiden Peak, lifting the seal and the Emperor weapons. Their expressions were grimmer than ever.

"Don't look so glum. Come on, smile."

Nanming Yushu blinked her beautiful eyes.

"Hehehe."

Ye Chen's laugh was quite proper, a bit silly.

"Do your best, that's enough."

His wives' gazes were full of tender affection.

Ye Chen laughed as he stood up, tied on an apron, and headed to the stove. Dawn was approaching, and this homemaker was about to make breakfast for his wives.

For a moment, he glanced toward the vast sky.

"Thank you for your gift."

His words were directed at the one who had attacked, devoid of joy or worry, anger or hate.

He had suffered two cross-time-space absolute kills, bringing not only calamity but also a stroke of fortune—a comprehension of time and space. He would master this law and uncover the true essence of the cross-time-space absolute kill.