Chapter 2878: Perhaps Needed in the Future

The great battle came swiftly and ended just as fast.

In the shattered Zhutian starry sky, yet another emperor was buried.

The way people looked at Ye Chen was filled with awe and reverence. Who said Zhutian couldn't stand without a supreme being? A half-step Dacheng Sheng Ti could do the same.

Ye Chen said nothing. Across the vast expanse, he grabbed Xiao Yuan Huang and left, disappearing from sight.

Xiao Yuan Huang knew Ye Chen's intent. He projected the previously recorded scenes onto a water screen for Ye Chen to see, allowing him to witness the arrival of the Tian Mo Di.

Ye Chen watched quietly, his brow slightly furrowed. He became even more certain that this Tian Mo Di came from the Taigu Honghuang, carrying faint traces of that ancient aura. That massive hole was likely not a passage, but a rift. The five innate Tian Mo emperors and the previous million Tian Mo were probably all pulled into Zhutian through this rift, rather than originating from the Tian Mo domain.

The same likely applied to the Tian Ming two realms. It was unclear whether an emperor had descended there as well, but judging by the commotion, it was far from simple—perhaps even involving a first lineage Dacheng Sheng Ti.

Xiao Yuan Huang said:"Old Seven, can my dad come back?"

After a long while, Xiao Yuan Huang finally spoke.

Ye Chen collected his thoughts and replied:"Yes."

His tone was firm. In the short term, he might not be able to summon the group of Zhun Di back, but in the future, he would certainly achieve it.

Xiao Yuan Huang asked no more and walked away, staff in hand.

Ye Chen headed in the opposite direction, walking and observing along the way. At each stretch of starry sky, he left behind a unique mark and a strand of indestructible divine sense. If another emperor descended, he would know immediately. Anomalies were increasing, and an ominous premonition had begun to cloud his mind.

In the starry sky, the cultivators of Zhutian had not dispersed. They moved in groups of three or five, weapons at the ready, patrolling in case they encountered any Tian Mo.

These were turbulent times, and no one dared to be careless. It wasn't just Ye Chen who felt this sense of foreboding—they all did.

By now, Ye Chen had stopped and closed his eyes slightly, absorbing the temporal power granted by the red dust six paths. Strand by strand, it merged into his body. The wonders of temporal power could enhance the origin of the Dao principles and boost combat strength. Without it, he wouldn't have slain the Tian Mo Di so easily. That emperor was no ordinary one—it had considerable skill, at least stronger than the Fifth Tian Mo Di.

As the temporal power integrated, a golden divine glow enveloped his Sheng Ti, with faint temporal laws circling around him, intertwining with the laws of time, space, and reincarnation. A faint Dao sound could be heard.

A star wind blew by, carrying a faint feminine fragrance.

It was Di Ji, her white hair disheveled and her immortal form still stained with blood from her battle with the Tian Mo Di. She looked exhausted, her once clear and beautiful eyes now dim.

From afar, she spotted Ye Chen.

In that instant, she stopped and gazed at him quietly, staring at his face, which was identical to that of her Liu Dao incarnation. For a moment, she almost thought it was Liu Dao himself. The temporal power surrounding him felt intimately familiar, half of which had been granted by Liu Dao and now resided in Ye Chen.

Ye Chen opened his eyes and said:"The deceased are gone; please grieve in moderation."

He felt a pang of heartache for Di Ji. This once majestic queen showed no trace of her former glory, appearing utterly despondent, as if she had lost her soul.

Di Ji managed a forced smile and quietly walked away.

Ye Chen did not watch her go. With a sigh, he continued on his way.

The journey was long. As he absorbed the temporal power and comprehended the temporal laws, he also gazed up at the vast expanse. Occasionally, he could see chaotic temporal flows, but though he could see them, he didn't know how to connect or extract anyone from them.

The Tian Ming two emperors knew the method, but Ye Chen couldn't replicate it yet—his understanding of time and space was not deep enough. Even if they taught him, he couldn't bring back the group of Zhun Di.

Half a month later, Ye Chen stopped at an ancient star.

He saw a beam of tribulation fairy light descending onto the star.

It was Yan Fei, the wife of Chen Huang. She had reincarnated before, once as the Ruo Tian Zhuque, and shared a blood connection with Xie Yun and Nian Wei. Centuries had passed, and unexpectedly, she was undergoing tribulation again. She was one of Zhutian's peak forces, a Zhun Di who was no ordinary one, similar to Ji Ning Shuang in that she also cultivated the dream Dao.

Perhaps sensing his presence, Yan Fei, having passed her tribulation, stepped into the sky. Bathed in moonlight, she appeared sacred and flawless, with strands of fairy light carrying a dreamlike hue, like a fairy emerging from a dream.

Ye Chen felt a sigh in his heart. On the path of the dream Dao, Yan Fei might have gone further than Ji Ning Shuang, as she specialized in it, while Ji Ning Shuang only practiced it alongside other paths. Though both followed the dream Dao, their approaches differed, much like the contrast between Ye Chen's chaos Dao and Ji Ning Shuang's myriad things Dao.

By the time he finished his thought, Yan Fei had already landed on the mountaintop.

Ye Chen bowed and said:"I have seen you, senior."

Yan Fei smiled and said:"A tribulation is but a dream."

She gently raised her hand and touched a finger to Ye Chen's forehead, using dream power to etch an ancient fairy mark that slowly merged into his body. Even with Ye Chen's keen eyes, he couldn't find it within himself, and it caused no unusual sensations.

As he searched, his vision suddenly darkened, and the scene changed dramatically. All around was a hazy white mist, with clouds swirling and fairy light drifting, like an illusory dream.

Ye Chen said:"Senior, what is this?"

Yan Fei replied:"It is my dream realm."

Ye Chen said:"Why bring me into the dream?"

Yan Fei said with a light smile:"In the future, perhaps it will be useful."

With a gentle wave of her sleeve, she pulled Ye Chen out of the dream and back to reality.

Ye Chen was puzzled but knew her words held deeper meaning.

Yan Fei departed, fading into the distance. Before leaving, she left behind an ancient scroll containing fairy techniques of the dream Dao. It wasn't for Ye Chen but for Ji Ning Shuang. In this era, while many might cultivate the dream Dao, only she and Ji Ning Shuang truly grasped its essence.

As for Ye Chen, he was still a novice in it, and she had no intention of teaching him. The dream Dao wasn't for everyone—misunderstanding it could lead to confusion and chaos.

When Ye Chen returned to Da Chu, it was already three months later.

Under the starlight, he arrived once more at Tian Xuan Men.

Fu Ya was still guarding the place. The moment he saw Ye Chen, he felt an overwhelming pressure, even though Ye Chen emitted no aura. It was an ethereal, heavy sensation.

He had felt something similar the first time he met Di Huang.

But Di Huang was a Dacheng Sheng Ti, while Ye Chen was only half-step Dacheng.

Fu Ya stood up and asked tentatively:"Can you see the gate to Dacheng?"

Ye Chen shook his head lightly. He wasn't even sure if the gate to Dacheng still existed, and he showed no signs of breaking through, nor could he sense that invisible barrier in the void.

That cross-temporal assassination had destroyed the gate to Dacheng and blocked his path. This was unprecedented in Zhutian, and he had no idea how to achieve Dacheng.

The pressure Fu Ya felt wasn't from any aura—it stemmed from the temporal power.

Over these three months, Ye Chen had absorbed temporal power every day. The gift from the red dust six paths was a heaven-defying opportunity, but fully integrating it would take considerable time.

Buzz!

As they spoke, Lingxiao Hall trembled suddenly.

Ye Chen glanced over, and so did Fu Ya.

Inside the hall, Ruoxi and the others had changed forms again. No longer little girls, they now appeared around twenty years old, with the same stunning features.

Under their gaze, a fairy mark etched itself on each of their foreheads at the same moment. Then, Chu Xuan and Chu Ling slowly merged into Ruoxi's body.

The three had united once more.

In that instant, Ruoxi opened her eyes.

In that same instant, a surge of emperor Dao power erupted, sending out a layer of halo that spread from Lingxiao Hall. Not even Fu Ya could withstand it—Ye Chen was forced to step back.

Fu Ya was somewhat accustomed to it, having seen it before.

Ye Chen, however, showed a hint of shock in his eyes. He had seen Dao ancestors and Ming emperors, but their emperor Dao pressure paled in comparison to Ruoxi after merging. This was why he believed Ruoxi could take on the five emperors alone.

Fu Ya sighed:"She has fallen again."

Ruoxi managed only two steps before staggering and collapsing. The merger lasted mere moments before they separated once more.

Ye Chen wasn't looking at Lingxiao Hall but at the vast expanse.

The moment Ruoxi fell, the emperor Dao suppression on Zhutian weakened slightly, making the path to proving the Dao and becoming an emperor a bit easier.

He couldn't fathom the connection between Ruoxi's merging and the emperor Dao suppression. Was it the emperor's mark pressing down on Zhutian, or Ruoxi's mark stabilizing the universe? Was there some hidden secret?

He didn't understand, but the Tian Ming two emperors did.

Describing Ruoxi as a subconscious guardian was most fitting.

She was upholding Zhutian's foundation.

She was supporting the three realms of heaven, earth, and humanity.

In essence, as long as she was there, no external emperor-level threats—not Tian Mo, not E Mo, not even the first lineage Sheng Ti—could invade Zhutian.

This was also why she couldn't act recklessly. One move would affect the whole— if she stirred, the three realms would stir; if she fell, the three realms would face calamity. By then, the invaders wouldn't just be great emperors.

This was something the deceased Liu Dao understood best. When Hong Chen destroyed Ruoxi, it collapsed Zhutian's foundation. The Zhutian of the Liu Dao timeline fell even more disastrously than that of the Hong Chen timeline.

That's why Liu Dao reversed time and returned—to correct the mistake, to protect Hong Chen. With Ruoxi alive, Zhutian might still fall; without her, it was certain to fall.

Lingxiao Hall fell silent once more.

Outside, Ye Chen continued to observe and ponder. The stronger he grew, the more terrifying the world seemed. He was beginning to understand why only great emperors were qualified to know the eternal secrets—those below were mere ants. Knowing them would only bring curiosity, worry, and helplessness.

It was like the identities of Hong Chen and Liu Dao. If a peak Zhun Di asked, they would likely be told, but if a great saint inquired, he wouldn't reveal it.

The principle was the same: without reaching a certain level, one had no right to know.

Fu Ya chuckled:"My lifespan is running out. When that time comes, I'll have to give it a try."

He was also at the peak Zhun Di level and seemed to sense the weakening suppression. An old warhorse still harbors ambitions—a glorious death in battle was better than fading away.

Sometimes, it wasn't that veteran Zhun Di sought thrills; they were forced into it. After a lifetime pursuing the supreme Dao, they would seize any chance before the end.

Ye Chen didn't respond. He suddenly turned and left.

His state of mind was the same. If it came to desperation, he would fight too. Even without the gate to Dacheng, he would risk everything for a glimmer of hope in the universe.