Chapter 2881: The Induction

Bathed in starlight, Ye Chen returned to the Shi Wan Da Shan mountains and arrived at that vast open area. It was here that he and the various Zhundi from the heavens had previously been swept into the time-space chaotic flow.

The place was still in utter disarray.

Standing there, one could vaguely glimpse the chaotic flow and faintly see the people within it, though it wasn't always possible to spot that flow from this spot.

Ye Chen already knew that the chaotic flow was mobile, and he chose this location because it served as a time-space node. His plan was to enter the chaotic flow through this node again.

This was the method he had in mind.

As long as he could re-enter the chaotic flow, he might be able to rescue the Zhundi. However, this approach would require numerous attempts, and whether it would truly succeed remained uncertain.

"I've thought of a method." Fu Ya was the first to arrive, descending from the sky.

"I'm not sure if it will work." Ye Chen replied casually, still gazing at the chaotic flow. Space was distorted, lacking a fixed shape; time was also twisted, devoid of any temporal concept. The forces of time-space and semi-time-space created a bizarre and wondrous spectacle.

Fu Ya's eyes gleamed with hope.

"Don't stay in this area anymore. Step back." As Ye Chen spoke, a halo of light spread from his body—a gentle force that pushed Fu Ya out of the area, all the way to the peak of a distant mountain.

Then, Ye Chen stood firm, clasping his hands together. His left hand channeled the power of time, while his right hand manifested the power of space. Time transformed into a sword, and space into a blade. Neither the sword nor the blade was visible to just anyone, for they were manifestations of intangible forces, visible only to those who comprehended time and space.

Buzz! Zheng!

The space divine blade hummed, and the time immortal sword rang out. Space twisted, time distorted, producing crackling sounds as if destructive lightning was tearing through the void.

That stretch of the universe instantly fell into chaos.

At least, in Fu Ya's eyes, it was chaotic. Anyone who accidentally fell into it would be obliterated into ashes. Even Ye Chen's sacred body was slashed by invisible forces, leaving deep bloody gashes.

Ye Chen continued to gather his power, with time and space both trembling, causing his sacred body to shudder violently.

"What on earth is he doing?" Gu San Tong had also arrived, landing on the mountain peak where Fu Ya stood, accompanied by Tai Er Zhen Ren.

"I don't know." Fu Ya shook his head lightly, able to vaguely see a blade in Ye Chen's right hand, formed from time-space power. As for the time immortal sword, he couldn't see it at all. Only those who understood the laws of time could perceive it, and that included neither Gu San Tong nor Tai Er Zhen Ren—such forces were too ethereal.

More people arrived: Si Ming Xing Jun, Tai Bai Jin Xing, and Tai Yi Zhen Ren, all keeping their distance and perching on the peaks of surrounding mountains, straining their eyes to observe.

Keng!

As everyone watched, a sudden metallic clash echoed.

It was Ye Chen forcefully colliding the time immortal sword with the space divine blade, attempting to recreate the time-space chaotic flow—even a single rift would suffice.

Unfortunately, he had underestimated it.

The time immortal sword striking the space divine blade did stir up time-space turbulence, but it didn't produce the chaotic flow.

Bang! Keng! Pound!

Such sounds rang out repeatedly afterward.

Ye Chen gripped the time immortal sword in one hand and the space divine blade in the other, clashing them again and again. The universe grew even more disordered, and time-space became agitated, yet still, no chaotic flow emerged.

Not only that, he suffered backlash with each collision, blood overflowing from his mouth each time. His once ruddy face gradually turned pale.

In this way, a day passed quietly.

As night fell once more, he finally withdrew his divine abilities and sat down cross-legged, using time-space power to erase the latent backlash. It sounded simple, but in practice, it was extremely difficult—as if wandering in endless darkness without a single light, everything requiring blind exploration.

In the dead of night, he rose again.

Soon, the metallic clashing sounds resumed.

After two days, there was still no success.

"What exactly is he doing?" Even more people had gathered, all baffled.

"His divine abilities are beyond our comprehension."

"That clanging sound is truly unsettling."

"He's definitely experimenting with something."

Murmurs spread across the various mountain peaks. They witnessed Ye Chen spitting blood multiple times, and on several occasions, his sacred body even exploded. The sight was harrowing.

Kacha!

Mid-conversation, a crisp snapping sound rang out.

Ye Chen's time immortal sword and space divine blade in his hands both shattered, perhaps due to the infusion of time-space power.

That patch of heaven and earth was instantly filled with flashing lightning and thunder.

Immediately after, at the point where the blade and sword had collided, a vortex began to form, starting small and growing larger, spinning rapidly. It contained the power of time, space, time-space, and semi-time-space, with a devouring force so strong that it was irresistible. Even Ye Chen was instantly sucked into the vortex.

"What on earth is that?" The people around trembled at the sight of the vortex.

The older generation narrowed their eyes, as if recognizing it, and seemed to understand why so many Zhundi had vanished before. There must have been a similar, even larger vortex that day in the Shi Wan Da Shan mountains, from which no one, including Ye Chen, had escaped.

Pu!

A spray of blood appeared in the chaotic flow as Ye Chen entered, only to collide head-on with Ren Wang flying by, hitting him squarely. Ren Wang's sacred body was incredibly tough, like slamming into steel, and he was knocked unconscious on the spot.

Without even seeing what he had hit, Ren Wang blacked out completely.

"You brat, how did you end up back here?" Chu Jiang Wang passed by, his face full of shock.

Many other passing Zhundi wore the same expression.

"Of course, I'm here to rescue you all." Ye Chen replied, scanning the chaotic flow around him. He could see figures flying by—one after another, many elderly Zhundi had graying hair; many more were shrouded in deathly aura. Due to the varying flow of time, centuries might have passed here, with their lifespans ebbing away. If delayed further, many Zhundi would likely perish of old age.

His words made the Zhundi's eyes light up with excitement.

Ye Chen said no more, enveloping his sacred body with time-space power and wrapping himself in time-space laws. In this way, he managed to stand steady in the chaotic flow, unaffected by its turbulence.

This scene left the Zhundi staring in disbelief. Had this guy truly mastered time-space? Not only could he re-enter the time-space chaotic flow, but he could also stand firm within it. Had he obtained some heaven-defying fortune in the heavens?

Ye Chen moved again, sending strands of time-space laws flying from his body, weaving them into a net—like a fishing net used to catch fish.

If the time-space chaotic flow was like a river, then the trapped Zhundi were like fish in it. Casting a time-space net could catch quite a few.

In fact, he had already caught one: Sheng Yuan Huang, who was flying swiftly but was halted by Ye Chen's net and pulled to his side.

"Seeing you again is damn exciting." Sheng Yuan Huang grinned widely.

"I'm damn excited too." Ye Chen formed a blade from time-space and slashed open a rift in the chaotic flow, tossing Sheng Yuan Huang through it.

Boom!

Faintly, a thunderous boom echoed, as if a massive boulder had smashed into a mountain, collapsing the peak with a crash.

Indeed, Sheng Yuan Huang was that boulder, and he had truly smashed into the mountain.

However, he had made it back—to the heavens. Ye Chen could vaguely see it through the chaotic flow.

Ye Chen's eyes shone brightly. This method worked.

"Has it succeeded?" A passing Zhundi asked tentatively.

"It has." Ye Chen laughed, casting the net again and catching over a dozen Zhundi. He slashed open another rift and tossed them out casually, like discarding melon rinds—especially since they were all a bunch of old rogues.

What followed was quite a spectacle.

Da Chu's tenth emperor stood in the flow, like a fisherman hauling in his catch, swinging his time-space net back and forth with impressive accuracy, always coming away with something.

The Zhundi, regardless of gender, whether emperors or divine generals, had all become fish. No matter who they were or how fast they fled, they were caught first.

"What a habit."

Another haul of big fish—Ye Chen had netted over a hundred, with Chu Jiang Wang squished at the bottom. He felt awkward, and so did the Zhundi piled on top.

Ye Chen didn't delay, slashing open a rift and throwing them out, his movements seamless and natural.

That day, the heavens were quite lively.

Deafening booms echoed from the void, followed by rifts appearing, from which disheveled figures tumbled out—some landing in mountains, others in the starry sea. The thuds rang out continuously, leading the heavens' cultivators to think it was another invasion from the outer domains. But when they rushed over, they found it was the previously missing Zhundi.

"Ancestor!"

"Sect Leader!"

"Holy Lord!"

Calls rang out endlessly. Each returnee soon drew crowds. They had been gone for over a year and had finally come back.

"You've outdone yourself." Ming Di sighed in admiration. In such a short time, Ye Chen had comprehended the laws of time-space, not only forcing his way into the time-space chaotic flow but also opening rifts in it. Ye Chen's talent was monstrous, even surpassing his own as an emperor.

Dao Zu remained silent, his eyes filled with quiet satisfaction. He only hoped that no outer domain great emperors had arrived during this period.

"Don't try to run."

In the time-space chaotic flow, Ye Chen was still casting his net, rescuing batches and sending them off. He could see tears in the eyes of those old fellows—it had been centuries, and they no longer had to stay in this wretched place. It was utterly repulsive.

This was a time-consuming rescue operation. The heavens were vast, and over ninety percent of their peak forces were trapped here. With so many people, it naturally took time.

Many Zhundi had darkened expressions.

That guy Ye Chen was gentle with the female Zhundi, but with them tough old men, he was straightforward and rough—tossing or kicking them with considerable force.

Countless Zhundi returned to the heavens in a sorry state. Those not injured by the chaotic flow ended up half-crippled from Ye Chen's kicks.

Ming Di and Tian Ming didn't watch the heavens' commotion.

The two emperors focused on a realm called the Miaomiao Domain. There stood a pitch-black demonic pillar piercing through heaven and earth—the Qingtian Magic Pillar—with rolling demonic energy surging forth, blotting out the sun and moon. It was also protected by a Zhaxian Heaven Emperor Array, shrouded in dark mist that veiled the mysterious void.

More heavenly demons were delivering themselves as offerings.

This was what the two emperors wanted to say.

Judging by the pillar's level, it was at most a mid-tier emperor artifact. With Ye Chen holding the fort, the heavens could handle it.

Boom!

As they observed, a booming sound erupted.

This thunderous noise made both emperors look up abruptly, ignoring the demons and focusing on the void.

Before their eyes, clouds swirled with mist, and radiant colors burst forth, weaving into a galaxy-like waterfall. Ancient visions materialized, and ethereal dao sounds echoed, as if some entity was about to break through its shackles.

However, those dao sounds were audible only to great emperors.

And those visions were clear only to great emperors.

In that instant, both emperors turned their gazes and exchanged a look.

"Has someone in the heavens attained the emperor realm?"