Chapter 2864: Temporal Turbulence

Ye Chen's voice was hoarse, his eyes filled with tears. For years, his ominous premonition had not been unfounded—those two Sheng Ti predecessors had been struggling on the brink of death, fleeing every single day.

They were holding on desperately, not knowing if they could survive long enough for reinforcements from the Zhutian to arrive.

Unfortunately, the Zhutian lacked any supreme beings. How could they send aid? Even Ye Chen himself might not survive entering the formation, let alone anyone else.

The Zhundi present all paled, realizing that the Tian Mo and E Mo Ye Chen mentioned were Dadi, and that the first lineage of Sheng Ti referred to fully achieved Sheng Ti. With such formidable opponents, how grueling must the battles of Di Huang and Hong Yan have been?

For hundreds of years, their survival was nothing short of a miracle.

Ye Chen's words were audible to both Tian Ming Emperors, and they both furrowed their brows deeply.

"It's not the Taigu Honghuang."

Ming Di lightly shook his head.

"It should be on the way to the Taigu Honghuang."

Dao Zu pondered.

"No wonder she had the Di Zun set out early—there must have been trouble on that path."

"Now it seems, it was far more than trouble—it was a catastrophic disaster."

"The road to Taigu Honghuang is severed."

"Even Di Zun fell in battle—who could forge through, who could continue that path?"

The words of the two emperors were understood only by them.

The Shifang Dashan fell into complete silence.

Everyone gazed at the altar and the formation, which was still spinning rapidly. The aura emanating from it was mixed with imperial essence, faintly carrying the scents of Tian Mo, E Mo, and the first lineage of Sheng Ti.

Ye Chen stepped onto the altar again, his fists clenched tightly.

"Come back."

Sheng Zun and Di Ji, one on each side, pulled him back forcefully. They feared that if he stepped in, the end of the formation would be no joke. Not even a half-achieved Dacheng like him could handle it, let alone a full Dacheng.

Ye Chen fell silent, his laugh self-mocking.

In the Zhutian, he might be a supreme being.

But there, he wouldn't even qualify as an ant. Even powerhouses like Di Huang and Hong Yan fought so fiercely—how could a minor Sheng Ti like him compare? He might be ground to dust in the passage before even arriving.

After all, he had not yet achieved Dacheng.

"Di Zun couldn't make it, and Di Huang and Hong Yan probably couldn't either. Only she could go herself."

Ming Di looked toward Tianxuan Gate and Lingxiao Palace.

"If he becomes an emperor, perhaps he could."

Dao Zu said calmly, still gazing at Ye Chen.

This remark made Ming Di's eyes brighten for a moment, then dim again.

If Ye Chen achieved Dacheng or even became an emperor, he might truly walk the path that Di Zun could not.

But that minor Sheng Ti hadn't even crossed the threshold to Dacheng, let alone emperorship.

Thus, compared to Ye Chen, Ming Di leaned more toward Ruoxi. Waiting for a Sheng Ti to prove the Dao and become emperor—who knew how many years that would take? They could wait, but the Zhutian could not.

"The Zhutian have no emperor; she cannot leave."

Dao Zu sighed, aware of far more secrets and the immense implications of Ruoxi's existence. If she departed rashly, the Tian Mo and E Mo emperors descending on the Zhutian would number more than just Dadi—perhaps even Tian Di or Quasi-Huangdi would come. Before she could reconnect the road to Taigu Honghuang, the Zhutian would be trampled flat by Tian Mo. Even if she reached Taigu Honghuang, defeat would be inevitable—and even more total.

"You and I could try to break through."

Ming Di took a deep breath.

"Our going would be futile. The road is already broken. In this world, only she truly knows where Taigu Honghuang is, and only she can continue that path. Besides, you and I must guard the Tian Ming realms and cannot act recklessly."

"Ah."

Ming Di sighed as well, having watched and pondered for countless years, finally understanding the catastrophe that had befallen Taigu Honghuang—yet powerless to intervene. This sense of helplessness made him feel that being an emperor was a farce.

Boom!

As the two emperors sighed, a sudden boom echoed from Da Chu.

Above the Shifang Dashan, a massive rift tore open in the sky, from which a pillar of pitch-black demonic light descended straight down, carrying destructive force.

"What is that?"

The old man from the earth raised his head, his expression stunned.

Too many Zhundi felt their hearts tremble, sensing an aura of destruction from the demonic light pillar. Even before it fully descended, they felt an urge to prostrate themselves.

"Retreat!"

Ye Chen shouted.

All the Zhundi withdrew, though they didn't know what it was, its dark appearance made it clear it was no trivial threat. Being struck by it would lead to a horrific end.

Boom!

Another thunderous boom followed as the pitch-black demonic light pillar crashed into the altar formation. The formation exploded violently, and the massive altar shattered along with it.

At the same time, a dark vortex appeared, spinning rapidly with the power to devour everything. The scattered altar debris was sucked in piece by piece, and even the surrounding mountains were pulled in one after another.

"Spacetime?"

Ye Chen gritted his teeth, retreating only to be drawn back into the vortex. Even unleashing the power of Dacheng in an instant couldn't steady him, and his Feilei Shen technique proved useless. Once inside the vortex, he vanished without a trace.

If even he couldn't resist, the other Zhundi stood no chance. None escaped; though they retreated, it wasn't far enough. Including the divine generals and imperial figures, all the Zhundi were pulled in and disappeared in an instant.

It was a terrifying sight—the once-crowded Shifang Dashan was suddenly empty, left with only devastation and not a single soul in sight.

"Shikong Luanliu."

"Shikong Luanliu."

The Tian Ming Emperors spoke in unison, their faces grim.

As emperors, they knew the origin of that pitch-black demonic light pillar—it came from the ancient road, drawn by the formation's connection. A force had reversed through the passage, but it wasn't an ordinary pillar; it was woven from the powers of time, space, and spacetime—all forbidden forces that triggered the Shikong Luanliu. Ye Chen and the others had all been swept into it.

Shikong Luanliu was no ordinary place; even an emperor might not escape it.

Unless one mastered the laws of spacetime.

This was a disaster.

After all, those in the Shifang Dashan were all peak Zhundi, many at the ultimate peak level.

In other words, over ninety percent of the Zhutian's peak forces were there.

If they couldn't return, the loss would be catastrophic for the human realm—a devastating blow.

"Damned thing."

Both Han Yin and Dao Zu snorted coldly, shaking the entire heavenly realm.

"Damned thing."

Ming Di's anger was no less, his outburst nearly collapsing the underworld.

The sudden turn of events caught everyone off guard—a single Shikong Luanliu had carried away over ninety percent of the Zhutian's peak forces.

In that moment, the Tian Ming Emperors both clutched their chests, unsure if it was from rage or pain.

Among those swept away were half-achieved Dacheng figures, who in the future might become supreme beings.

Among them were many with the potential to become emperors, who might also rise as supreme beings.

Now, they had all been taken by the Shikong Luanliu.

Would the human realm ever see another Dacheng?

Would the Zhutian ever produce another emperor?

It was fortunate that the Black-Robed Emperor had died earlier; if he had witnessed this, he might have laughed and said,

"You used me as a sacrifice to activate the formation, but look at you now—not faring any better. Swept into the Shikong Luanliu, and don't expect to come out."

Thinking about it that way, it was almost even.