Chapter 2930: Casting the Emperor's Dao Gate

The night at Tianxuan Men was peaceful and harmonious.

In front of Lingxiao Dian, Ye Chen stood as still as a statue, now covered in another layer of dust.

He had been standing there since he arrived over a hundred years ago.

More than a century had passed for him like a heaven-defying opportunity for enlightenment. He had delved deeper into Lunhui, once summoned a Di Zun, merged eight great Lunhui cycles, and appeared more aged yet more ethereal and elusive.

"Will he even merge the first Lunhui?"

This question had lingered in Ming Di's mind for over a hundred years. He was eager to know what it would look like to merge the Lunhui of a peak-level emperor. Though it defied the laws, he was certain Ye Chen could achieve it.

His belief was shared by Dao Zu.

The two emperors watched on, their eyes filled with hope.

Ye Chen had already merged eight Lunhui cycles; only the first one remained.

Unfortunately, they waited ten years without any sign of merging.

In the eleventh year, Ye Chen opened his eyes.

The moment he did, his eyes were filled with chaos, concealing Lunhui. Ancient light flickered within them, manifesting the essence of the Dao.

Yet, he remained motionless, standing quietly as before.

He had merged eight Lunhui cycles, but the first one eluded him completely. It was because his first life was that of a great emperor, a peak-level one at that, and the emperor's path inherently clashed with the sacred body.

"He's finally awake."

Ren Wang and the others approached.

"You're really something else! You even brought out a Di Zun."

"Merging eight great Lunhui cycles—impressive."

"Find some time to summon the Di Zun again so we can all see."

The group of old-timers chattered away, their tones varying—some sighing in admiration, others clicking their tongues in awe, shocked, astounded, or puzzled. Each expression was directed at Ye Chen.

Ye Chen smiled but said nothing.

He was aware of summoning the Di Zun and merging the eight Lunhui cycles, including slaying heavenly emperor-level celestial demons.

During that time, he could peer through Lunhui and know all matters of the heavens.

In essence, he had disrupted Lunhui, swapping places with the Di Zun—placing him in the ninth life while Ye Chen took the first.

Thus, the Di Zun manifested, while he remained in Lunhui.

This was a heaven-defying technique, requiring a profound understanding of Lunhui. The swap was merely an experiment, and he hadn't expected to actually summon the Di Zun.

As for Lunhui, he still needed to transcend it completely.

There was no other way; to prove the Dao and become an emperor, he had to forge the Di Dao Men. The taboo of the sacred body lineage required taboos to break it.

And Lunhui was one such taboo.

Later, he would need to incorporate time and space as well.

"Can my brother return?"

Di Xuan looked at Ye Chen with tears in her eyes, full of hope.

Shen Jiang and Jian Shen wore the same expression.

"I don't know."

Ye Chen shook his head lightly. That was a peak-level emperor; while he could swap once with Lunhui, it didn't mean he could do it again. That emperor was like an insurmountable mountain, often beyond his ability to move.

Forcing it might cause Lunhui to collapse.

Back when the Di Zun manifested in the heavens, Ye Chen was in Lunhui, teetering on the edge of life and death. Any mishap could have led to its destruction.

They hadn't swapped back immediately for that very reason—Lunhui was unstable.

Whether it could be done remained uncertain.

However, one thing was clear: he was closer to the Di Zun than before. He could now clearly see him.

"I'll do my best."

Ye Chen smiled, left those words, and vanished.

Behind him, the elders all took deep breaths.

The great catastrophe of the heavens back then was worth fighting to the death for. They had bought precious time, creating two supreme beings—the Eastern Wasteland Empress, who was astonishing, and the Great Accomplishment Sacred Body, who was even more domineering than her.

"You must be at peace in the heavens."

Ren Wang took out a wine flask and poured out a libation.

The elders followed suit, offering tribute to the heroic spirits.

When Ye Chen reappeared, he was at Yunu Peak.

Nanming Yushu, Xiyan, Shangguan Yuer, Lin Shihua, and the others had all emerged from seclusion. Ye Ling had also returned from her trials. They sat under the old tree—some carving wood, others embroidering.

The moment they saw Ye Chen, the women were momentarily dazed.

Tonight, Ye Chen seemed somewhat unfamiliar to them.

"Dad?"

Ye Ling blinked and called out tentatively.

"It's me."

Ye Chen smiled and patted the girl's head.

"I feel like you've... changed."

Beisheng murmured, her tone uncertain.

"You're the same—you've grown again."

Ye Chen reached out and poked her playfully.

"Even after reaching great accomplishment, you're still so improper."

Beisheng kicked at him.

"Great accomplishment is still human."

As Ye Chen spoke, he headed toward the small bamboo grove. On the way, he didn't forget to pinch the cheeks of Biyou and Liu Ruyan.

After over a hundred years, coming to pay respects again, he was mostly silent.

The fox spirit had been buried for centuries, as had Ye Fan and Yang Lan. The three tombstones and names were etched into his soul.

That evening, Xiao Yuan Huang arrived, along with the resurrected Kui Niu.

Then came Yao Xin, Xuanyuan Di Zi, Chen Yi, Dongzhou Wu Wang, Riyue Shen Zi, Xi Zun, Nan Di, and Long Jie.

Each of them showed signs of age. In that battle years ago, it wasn't just him who had sacrificed his lifespan—they had all done the same.

"Old Seven, with so many wives, give me one!"

Xiao Yuan Huang was drunk again. Sober, he was silent and withdrawn; drunk, he started rambling, shouting boisterously.

"Pick one, go ahead."

Ye Chen replied casually, with the caveat that you'd have to handle the consequences.

"I like that one."

"Don't fight— Yao Chi is mine."

"Stop messing around; she's an empress."

"So what if she's an empress? She's still a woman."

The monkey was drunk, and now the bull was too. The two brothers draped arms over each other's shoulders, yelling across Mount Hengyue.

Their noise drew more people.

Xie Yun, Situ Nan, Xiong Er, and Xiao Ling Wa showed up.

And that guy Qi Wang, who knows where he came from.

The banquet at Yunu Peak grew even livelier.

Late into the night, the crowd finally dispersed.

To be precise, Ye Chen, the young master, personally escorted them out. For types like Xiao Yuan Huang and Kui Niu, he sent them as far as possible; for types like Xie Yun and Xiong Er, he hung them as high as he could.

In the dead of night, Ye Chen stepped onto the mountain peak under the moonlight.

His eyes were profoundly deep, piercing through layers of clouds in the universe, gazing straight to the most ethereal peak.

There, everything was a chaotic haze.

Only then did he raise his hand, wiping across the void.

In the unseen realm, the Di Dao Men exclusive to the sacred demons was erased by his hand.

Then, he extended a finger, tracing through the endless vastness in the chaotic haze, as if etching something. Lunhui power swirled around his finger, faint and elusive.

The three emperors of heaven, earth, and humanity looked up, exhausting their vision, but couldn't make sense of it.

"He's forging the Di Dao Men."

Ming Di offered his guess. He couldn't see it clearly, but that didn't mean Ye Chen wasn't doing it.

His guess was correct—Ye Chen was indeed etching the Di Dao Men, using Lunhui power to carve stroke by stroke in the chaotic haze at the most ethereal peak, outlining the form of a towering gate.

But it was only an outline.

Time seemed to lose meaning for him.

From the moment he ascended Yunu Peak, he hadn't come down for a hundred years—a span that, in the mortal world, saw generations come and go.

He carved slowly, taking a full hundred years.

Now, looking again at the most ethereal peak, the Di Dao Men was still just an outline, like a piece of wood being sculpted.

Unfortunately, Ye Chen had only merged eight Lunhui cycles.

If he had merged the first one too, the carving would have been much faster. Sometimes, a single stroke took a year.

"Father, have some tea."

"Fathers, have some tea."

Yunu Peak had visitors: Xuan Huang, Dao Huang, Shangguan family head, Jiuli Clan's holy lord, and Haotian Xuan Zhen.

The old fellows, whether by prior arrangement or coincidence, arrived one after another and settled at a table.

"Before I die, can I hold a grandchild?"

The Jiuli holy lord sighed deeply, full of regret.

"Before I pass away, can I hold a grandchild?"

Xuan Huang, Dao Huang, and the others sighed as well.

As they spoke, they couldn't help glancing toward the mountaintop—that guy named Ye Chen had wooed their little cabbages, and after several hundred years, he still hadn't given them a child to play with.

"If you want one, go home and make your own!"

Haotian Shiyue adjusted her hair in a small mirror.

Her words left the old fellows embarrassed.

Xiyan and Lin Shihua covered their mouths and stifled laughs.

"Come on, grandpas, have some tea."

Ye Ling arrived, quite sensible, and poured tea for each of them.

"This child is getting more and more well-behaved."

Xuan Huang and the others chuckled, not treating Ye Ling as an outsider.

"Don't drink it; go wander elsewhere."

Nanming Yushu, Biyou, Beisheng, and the others stepped forward, pulling their fathers to their feet. They weren't even allowed to stay for a meal, let alone finish their tea, as they ushered them out one by one.

You could eat carelessly, but not drink carelessly—especially the tea poured by Ye Ling.

It wasn't ordinary tea; it had special ingredients, a kind called "local specialty." If you drank it and didn't have a wife, like Xuan Huang and the others, things would get awkward.

Yet, the old fellows were completely unaware, still thinking about coming back for more. It was rare to visit, so why were they being chased out?

"Girl, no more mischief."

Nanming Yushu patted Ye Ling's head, grateful they caught it in time; otherwise, the heavens would have turned chaotic.

Uh...

Ye Ling stuck out her tongue, adding a touch of playfulness.

Boom!

As the words fell, a thunderous boom echoed through the void, resounding across Da Chu, the heavens, and the three realms of heaven, earth, and humanity.

Xuan Huang and the others, not yet far, instinctively looked up.

Everyone who heard it tilted their heads in that instant.

Unfortunately, they saw nothing.

They couldn't see it, but the Eastern Wasteland Empress, Dao Zu, and Ming Di could. Yao Chi, who had been carving wood, stood up, and Dao Zu and Ming Di rose in unison.

In the chaotic haze at the most ethereal peak, a illusory gate had appeared—vast and cumbersome, which could tentatively be called a gate.

"Good kid, he really did it."

Ming Di murmured softly. A hundred years ago, he couldn't see it; now he could. That was the Di Dao Men, exclusive to Ye Chen.

"Hopefully, time will allow."

Dao Zu stroked his beard. Seeing the gate didn't mean it was the true Di Dao Men; it was still illusory, cumbersome, and crude, far from the real one. Forging the true Di Dao Men would require a long time.

And Ye Chen might not have that time.