Chapter 2875: Gifts from the Six Paths of the Mortal World

In the starry sky, sorrow hung heavy in the air.

Following the war, four statues were erected across the heavens, depicting Ming Jue, Bai Zhi, and Hong Chen Liu Dao. For endless years to come, people would offer their respects, for they had fiercely battled the great emperors and safeguarded the beings of the myriad domains.

In the aftermath, many figures in the starry sky were rebuilding the mountains and rivers, no longer fearing chaos from Hong Huang. That self-proclaimed superior Hong Huang race would likely not dare to emerge again for a short while, as they had piled up mountains of corpses in the heavens, and the Tian Mo Di had slaughtered them until rivers of blood flowed.

None of that mattered now. What was important was that Ye Chen had returned. He would be a towering mountain, suppressing the entire Hong Huang race. With him present, no clan would dare to show its face.

In the quiet night, Ye Chen returned to Da Chu and entered Tian Xuan Men. After several months, he stood once more outside Ling Xiao Hall, gazing at the three identical young girls inside: Ruoxi, Chu Xuan, and Chu Ling.

Fu Ya was there as well, recounting the events of that day.

"When the Tian Mo Di besieged Da Chu, the three of them fused, unleashing emperor path powers, but afterward, they fainted."

Ye Chen's brow furrowed, as if confirming a certain suspicion. The three of them might have originally been one entity. Their fusion was likely due to the pressure from the Tian Mo Di, forcing them to combine and fight an emperor. Their fainting was probably because the fusion went awry, or they were too severely injured.

"This time, the arrival of the Tian Mo Di was quite strange."

Fu Ya took a deep breath and transmitted a strand of divine sense to Ye Chen.

Ye Chen read it, his eyes narrowing slightly. Strange was an understatement—it was incredibly bizarre. There were no towering demon pillars, no vast demon armies; the five emperors simply appeared out of nowhere and could even devour Hong Huang's origin. In all previous demon invasions, none had been this abnormal.

He thought of the Fifth Tian Mo Di, who carried a familiar aura—the breath of ancient Hong Huang.

"From ancient Hong Huang?"

Ye Chen murmured softly, his gaze profound.

This speculation was not unfounded. He had once glimpsed a corner of ancient Hong Huang, where there were many Tian Mo Di, E Mo Di, and first-line great saint bodies. The heavens had portals leading to ancient Hong Huang, so perhaps ancient Hong Huang had channels leading back to the heavens. If so, that would be troublesome.

Who could guarantee that the Tian Mo Di, E Mo Di, and first-line saint bodies wouldn't come through those channels again? One or two might be manageable, but if many came, even with him present, he couldn't hold them off.

Thus, the heavens desperately needed a supreme sovereign to oversee them.

"Where exactly were all of you swept away to?"

Fu Ya asked in confusion, interrupting Ye Chen's thoughts.

"Chaotic space-time currents."

"Chaotic space-time currents?"

Fu Ya was shocked. He didn't understand space-time, but he knew that the currents were not a good place. Without comprehending space-time laws, entering them was as good as death, and even a great emperor might not escape.

"Can you bring them back?"

Fu Ya asked again.

Ye Chen said nothing, only shaking his head gently.

It was the chaotic space-time currents—how could one leave simply by wanting to? He and Di Ji had escaped only by coincidence, due to their space-time laws colliding and creating cracks in the currents.

But such coincidences didn't happen every time. The fact that the two of them were still alive was already a stroke of incredible luck.

Seeing him shake his head, Fu Ya's heart sank halfway. So many quasi-emperors! That was over ninety percent of the heavens' peak forces. If they all perished in the chaotic space-time currents, it would be absurd.

Ye Chen left, vanishing from sight.

When he reappeared, he was at Heng Yue Sect. He could see a mountain peak where Qing Luan sat under an old tree, still clutching Ming Jue's shattered armor. Her hair was disheveled, as if she had lost her soul.

Lin Shi Hua, Tang Ru Xuan, Dong Fang Yu Ling, and Murong Miao Xin were there too, quietly watching over Qing Luan, afraid she might do something rash. After all, she carried a little life in her womb.

After a long while, Ye Chen withdrew his gaze and landed on Jade Maiden Peak.

Nan Ming Yu Shu and the others were there, as were Ye Ling and Ye Fan, all in seclusion, healing from injuries. These wounds weren't from the Tian Mo Di but from the great battle with Hong Huang, and they were quite severe.

Ye Chen's silence seemed to freeze the universe, his anger toward Hong Huang raging like a storm.

Bathed in moonlight, fresh blood overflowed from the corners of his mouth once more.

He sat down under an old tree, calming his mind and spirit. First, he healed the blood gashes across his body, then used space-time threads to mend the scars on his origin soul. His top priority was to comprehend space-time laws and find a way to bring back the quasi-emperors.

In the haze, he seemed to see three figures from behind—equally resilient, equally weathered.

He knew whose backs those were: one was Di Zun, one was Hong Chen, and one was Liu Dao.

Speaking of Hong Chen and Liu Dao, he found within himself the powers they had bestowed—extremely ethereal space-time forces, infused with space-time laws.

He wasn't surprised by this.

Hong Chen and Liu Dao could reverse space-time, proving they had fully comprehended it. In their final moments of clarity, their memories revived, along with their insights into the great dao and space-time.

Unfortunately, during their battle against the emperor, both were in a muddled state, without their core memories, without their fighting mindset, and even without using their secret techniques or divine abilities. They only attacked blindly, far from their peak strength.

If they had been fully aware, even five Tian Mo Di together might not have been their match. When one's comprehension of the dao reaches a certain level, it can compensate for bloodline deficiencies and still slay emperors.

The night grew quiet once more.

By early morning, before dawn fully broke, many figures arrived in Da Chu, nearly encompassing all the races, sects, and forces of the heavens. Each had sent representatives.

They came to Da Chu to find Ye Chen.

Among the missing quasi-emperors were many of their clan's emperors, sect leaders, and ancestors. Only Ye Chen and Di Ji had returned, so they needed to ask where the others were.

Seeing Ye Chen in meditation, the visitors didn't disturb him.

Fu Ya, being understanding, explained many things to them. Hearing this, people from various sects and forces changed their expressions drastically. They had all heard of the chaotic space-time currents, and it was no good place—entering it didn't guarantee escape.

Ye Chen sat there for three days.

In just three days, he had erased the space-time backlash and healed his space-time dao wounds.

If anyone had been there, they would have been shocked. Previously, it had taken Ye Chen over a decade to heal such wounds, but now it was done in three days—an astonishing feat.

This was all thanks to his comprehension of space-time.

In those three days of healing, Ye Chen gained sudden insights, merging the space-time powers from Hong Chen and Liu Dao, and grasping many space-time laws, which sped up his recovery.

Under the moon, he sat as still as a rock.

In his meditation, many wondrous sensations overwhelmed his mind repeatedly—bizarre and fantastical sights, like space-time tunnels or chaotic space-time currents.

It was as if he were in space-time right then.

From there, he could peer through space-time, seeing scenes from the past, though what he saw was limited. He could only view the past, not the future—or perhaps the future was always in flux, impossible to calculate or discern.

While he observed space-time, the two emperors of Tian Ming watched him.

Hong Chen and Liu Dao had clearly granted Ye Chen space-time powers, which is why their gazes were filled with hope. They hoped Ye Chen could defy the heavens and advance to great completion, for the ancient road was too unstable, and Tian Mo Di, E Mo Di, and first-line saint bodies might fall into the heavens at any moment.

Jade Maiden Peak remained as quiet as ever.

While it was silent there, the chaotic space-time currents were somewhat lively, with collisions happening frequently—the weaker the physical body, the more it suffered.

"I wonder if those two have reached the heavens."

Ren Wang was tossed about by the currents, muttering this line countless times, having wandered in the chaos for who knows how many years.

"I've stopped hearing the calls of the living; they must have returned to the heavens and resolved the crisis."

Zao Hua Shen Wang said leisurely.

"Perhaps the method they used to escape is something we can try."

Chu Jiang Wang suddenly spoke.

There was some truth to that.

Earlier, it was precisely because Ye Chen and Di Ji collided, and their space-time laws intertwined, that the chaotic space-time currents cracked open, pulling them out.

However, this method wasn't for everyone. A simple collision wouldn't work; the prerequisite was comprehending space-time laws. Even then, it was extremely dangerous, and not everyone could be as lucky as Ye Chen and Di Ji—a wrong move could lead straight to the Yellow Springs Road.

On the ninth day, Ye Chen opened his eyes.

In that instant, golden light shot out, his eyes even more profound, etched with space-time mysteries. He had grasped more space-time laws, but clearly, it wasn't enough to bring back the quasi-emperors in the currents.

For the first time in nine days, he stood up, glanced at Nan Ming Yu Shu and the others—they were still in seclusion.

He looked at Qing Luan again; she had buried Ming Jue's shattered armor and built a cenotaph. She wanted to live, at least until the child was born.

Ye Chen sighed inwardly and turned, vanishing to the mortal realm.

It was a bamboo grove, bathed in moonlight, peaceful and harmonious.

When he arrived, Tian Zong Lao Zu, Zhong Jiang, Zhong Kui, and Zhong Li were there—one for his daughter, the other three for their master.

In the bamboo grove, Zhong Xiao and Chu Ling Yu sat like ice sculptures, having built a cenotaph for Hong Chen. After many days, they looked haggard and worn, their once clear eyes now dim, with tear stains at the corners that hadn't fully dried.

Ah!

Tian Zong Lao Zu sighed. His daughter truly had a tumultuous fate; heaven gave her hope, only to turn it into despair.

Ye Chen lingered for a long time, his heart filled with grief and gratitude—for Hong Chen's gift.

Bathed in starlight, he left again, heading into the starry sky.

On an ordinary ancient star, he found Xuan Gu Di Zi. His hair was snow-white, with stubble on his chin, utterly dejected, sitting quietly before Bai Zhi's tomb, carving wood and occasionally murmuring to himself.

Ye Chen didn't reveal himself, remaining silent.

He had only learned of Ming Jue and Bai Zhi's story later. Each had fought to the death against a Tian Mo Di, their emperor path powers surely coming from Ming Di and Dong Hua Nü Di.

They were born with a mission.

It was also their destiny: when the heavens faced calamity, they were fated to fight for the living, fated to die for them.

Soon after, he turned and left once more.

Back in the starry sky, his brows were furrowed.

He couldn't summon his saint war form anymore.

After many attempts, it was the same.

After deep reflection, he realized it must involve forbidden powers. His form had died in ancient Hong Huang, and some taboo force seemed to have severed the mystical connection, preventing him from manifesting it again.

Once more, he realized the terrible cost of forcibly opening the array.

At the far end of the star river, he found Di Ji, looking worn and haggard, with none of the glory of the world-conquering empress. She quietly guarded Liu Dao's tomb, intending to do so until the end of time.

This journey was longer than imagined.

Ye Chen closed his eyes, walking in silence, meditating as he went and listening to the dao sounds. Hong Chen Liu Dao's gift was both an opportunity and a heaven-defying fortune.

Many passed by, stopping from afar to bow respectfully.

Five fought the emperors, four fell in battle—Da Chu's tenth emperor was a living legend.

He didn't know when, but he stepped into the Xuan Huang Star Sea.

That day, he and Di Ji had fallen out of the currents here. Those so-called chaotic space-time currents weren't fixed; they might be constantly moving and covering a vast area.