Chapter 2953: The Heavenly Emperor Enters a Dream

In the depth of night, Great Chu lay peaceful and serene.

At the summit of Jade Maiden Peak, Donghuang Nüdi stood elegantly, like a fairy from a dream, quietly gazing up at the starry sky.

Three years had passed since Ye Chen’s departure.

For three whole years, her husband had been completely out of contact, with no news of whether he had reached Taigu Road or found Di Huang and the others.

"Relax, that guy is quite capable."

It was Ming Di, who hadn't slept and had a particular fondness for Jade Maiden Peak. Although Ye Chen was gone, Donghuang Nüdi was still there.

Who knows, maybe that little empress would go for a bath.

It was fortunate Ye Chen wasn't around; if he knew about Ming Di's little schemes, he would probably visit the underworld again and leave him half-paralyzed. As the saying goes, shameless people tend to admire each other.

"Jiu Niang, will Dad come back?"

Ye Ling was also there, coming to this spot every night to watch.

"He will."

Yao Chi gently stroked her little head, smiling warmly.

It was only late into the night that the two descended the mountain.

That night, Donghuang Nüdi entered a state of deep sleep, which was essentially a form of seclusion. After over a thousand years, she had reached a bottleneck at the mid-tier realm.

In truth, she was a prodigy; not only Ming Di, but even Dao Zu clicked their tongues in amazement. This youngest empress was simply too heaven-defying.

That same night, Ye Ling left Jade Maiden Peak.

Ever since the great catastrophe of the heavens, over a thousand years had passed, and her cultivation had long reached the peak of Da Sheng. Among her generation of prodigies, most had already survived their heavenly tribulations and entered the Quasi-Emperor realm, but she was still suppressing her advancement, intent on solidifying her foundation with time.

She entered the starry sky, donned a cloak, and pulled up her hood, like a traveler, constantly comprehending the Dao along the way.

In the quiet night, she arrived at the Tang family.

It had been ten years since her last visit; she came to pay respects to Tang San Shao, doing so every decade. She would stand at his grave for a long time, and over the past thousand-plus years, she had been repenting for the events of that year.

She came quietly, without alarming anyone.

As always, she lit three sticks of incense and placed them before San Shao’s grave.

Under the moonlight, her silhouette appeared somewhat desolate, her hood unable to conceal the strands of white hair that gently swayed. Her cloak, fluttering lightly, carried the essence of the Dao and was dusted with the passage of time.

"Tang San Shao, what a good name."

A voice spoke up, and a vague figure suddenly materialized, standing beside her at the gravestone.

It was a young man in white robes, strikingly handsome, with eyes like stars and black hair like a waterfall. He carried an immortal sword on his back and a wine gourd at his waist. His white robes and hair fluttered in the starlight, making him seem like an ethereal exile from the heavens, exuding an immortal aura. His entire demeanor was best described as graceful.

Ye Ling instinctively turned her head, not because of the young man in white, but because in that instant, she felt a sense of familiarity.

"Senior, I am Li Xiaoyao."

The young man smiled, his grin like a spring breeze, and he was very polite, bowing with clasped hands to Ye Ling. In his deep eyes lurked an ancient warmth.

Ye Ling had a moment of daze, due to that familiar feeling, yet she had never seen this young man before.

What shocked her was that he was only twenty years old but possessed genuine Da Sheng cultivation. In the three realms of heaven, earth, and humanity, he was absolutely the youngest Da Sheng, bar none.

"Senior?"

Li Xiaoyao waved his hand in front of Ye Ling’s eyes.

Ye Ling said nothing, only nodded lightly in a courteous manner, then turned away and left, walking gradually into the distance amid the starlight and moonlight, her white hair strikingly visible.

"Your skill at charming women is seriously lacking!"

The speaker was Ming Di, still awake in the dead of night.

What could be said? For Li Xiaoyao's sake, this peak emperor had gone to great lengths, using immense divine abilities to recast his primordial spirit, recreate his life cycle, and select the most handsome body. Over the past thousand-plus years, aside from his past-life memories, he had been completely remade, with no connection to his previous life.

He had done all this just to witness this scene tonight, to have Li Xiaoyao pursue Ye Chen’s little treasure.

But the reality left him somewhat disappointed.

Ye Ling simply didn't engage, showing no particular interest in handsome men, remaining as cold as ice.

This made Ming Di feel that his thousand-plus years of effort had been in vain.

In the starry sky, Ye Ling moved like the wind, passing silently.

Behind her, Li Xiaoyao followed quietly, not daring to get too close, just silently watching her back, his eyes full of warmth.

He had cast aside everything from his previous life, all for a fresh start.

If he hadn't been worthy of that woman named Ye Ling in his past life, he vowed to be worthy in this one. For that, he had waited over a thousand years.

"Why are you following me?"

Ye Ling suddenly stopped and spoke softly, her back to him.

"I'm used to it."

Li Xiaoyao smiled, his expression carrying a deep weariness, his voice hoarse. Though only twenty, the traces of time on him seemed like thousands of years, an inescapable sense of aged sorrow.

If Ye Chen were here, the two might seem quite similar.

It was because both had traversed the six paths of reincarnation.

Ye Ling fell silent, then continued walking with lotus-like steps, one step fading into illusion after another, until she vanished without a trace.

"Even to the ends of the earth, I can keep up."

Li Xiaoyao chuckled, and as he walked, he too disappeared.

"I'm rooting for you."

Ming Di stroked his beard, speaking with genuine earnestness.

If Ye Chen’s little treasure were pursued, his expression upon returning would be quite the sight, and Ming Di was eagerly waiting for that—enough to laugh about for many years.

Speaking of Ye Chen, he was still on Taigu Road.

In the void, he sat cross-legged, sometimes illusory, sometimes solid, his radiant golden emperor body enveloped in dreamlike hues, with dream Dao laws circling around and heavenly sounds echoing in the dream realm.

Since that day of enlightenment, three years had passed.

But in the dream, it was far more than three years—perhaps a hundred or a thousand. To comprehend that dream Dao immortal technique and eliminate the E Mo Tian Di, he had accumulated vast Dao essence.

In contrast, the E Mo Tian Di had been anything but calm over these three years, for the dim heavens were eerily silent.

For three years, he had studied Ye Chen thoroughly and hadn't dared to show himself. Or rather, he felt a deep, soul-level dread toward Ye Chen, unwilling to emerge without absolute certainty.

A breeze blew, and Ye Chen slowly opened his eyes.

In that instant, two tangible emperor beams shot from his eyes, piercing the void. The Dao essence in his eyes also carried dreamlike colors, impossible to see through at a glance.

"The Great Dream Wuji is truly profound."

Ye Chen laughed, his smile full of delight. The dream Dao immortal technique he had obtained from Mount Hua all those years ago, he had only truly comprehended now.

If the creator of the Great Dream Wuji were still alive, they would surely feel honored that a sanctified sacred body like him had taken three full years to grasp its true essence.

As the saying goes, enlightenment knows no order and doesn't depend on cultivation level.

Ye Chen stood up, stretching lazily, his imperial bones cracking with pops. He expelled three years' worth of turbid energy from his body.

Then, he cast the Great Dream Wuji.

Hm?

Far away in the borderlands, the E Mo Tian Di suddenly opened his eyes. Before he could figure out what was happening, Ye Chen had dragged him into a dream.

"You, a mere emperor, dare to drag me into a dream?"

An angry roar erupted as the E Mo Tian Di, dragged in, forced his way out. This heavenly emperor was no pushover.

"Senior, you're truly outstanding!"

Ye Chen then manifested, standing in the void and smiling at the E Mo Tian Di. Being able to pull a flawless heavenly emperor into a dream was already a heaven-defying feat. He didn't expect to keep the Tian Di there; forcing him out was enough. As for the rest, it would be straightforward.

Looking at the E Mo Tian Di, his face was twisted in fury, his eyes filled with shock. He knew Ye Chen mastered time and understood reincarnation, but he hadn't realized he also comprehended the Dao of dreams. That move had caught him completely off guard.

"Three years ago, we didn't finish our fight—let's continue."

Ye Chen launched his attack, his palm covering the sky as it descended.

"I will slay you."

The E Mo Tian Di howled in rage, his battle spear appearing in his hand as he thrust upward, piercing Ye Chen's palm print. The pent-up fury of three years exploded in an instant, his blood-red eyes terrifyingly fierce.

With one palm shattered, Ye Chen used his other hand to manifest a formation, turning it into an eight-thousand-zhang mountain that pressed down from the void.

Boom!

The E Mo Tian Di grunted, staggering back as imperial demonic light flashed over his body, shattering the towering mountain.

But as soon as he steadied himself, the Chaos Cauldron came crashing down, larger than the mountain, overflowing with chaotic energy and surrounded by Escaping Armor heavenly characters that evolved Dao essence, capable of collapsing the immortal dome.

Pfft!

The E Mo Tian Di, who had just stabilized, spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, his legs bending under the pressure. It wasn't that he wasn't strong enough; the Chaos Cauldron was just too fearsome, having absorbed countless divine weapons, including half of the Zhu Xian Sword's body. Its power was overwhelmingly dominant.

Ah!

The E Mo Tian Di roared, his imperial might surging as he forcibly lifted the Chaos Cauldron and fled into the sky, ready to escape.

"Senior, where are you going?"

Ye Chen laughed, like a ghost, blocking his path.

"Seek death."

The E Mo Tian Di snorted coldly and swung his battle spear.

Unfortunately, Ye Chen's Eight Divisions Heavenly Dragon had already emerged. Before the spear could strike, it collided solidly, and even a heavenly emperor suffered from a divine dragon's tail swipe, his imperial body cracking open.

Ye Chen instantly pursued, merging the Twelve Heavenly Characters Great Hades Array with the Imperial Dao Fu Xi and pressing it down from above.

"This array dares to trap me?"

The E Mo Tian Di raged, waving a hand to instantly break it.

"Don't rush—there's more."

Ye Chen shadowed him closely, wielding the Reincarnation Immortal Sword. With a swing, after three years, he once again severed the E Mo Tian Di's head, heavily damaging his primordial spirit in the process.

The E Mo Tian Di was terrified and turned to flee.

He escaped quickly, but Ye Emperor was even faster, catching up in one step. Infusing his hand with reincarnation power, he struck the E Mo Tian Di's back with a palm— a supreme reincarnation immortal technique of ultimate destruction.

The E Mo Tian Di was impressive; three years hadn't been wasted. He had devised countermeasures against reincarnation immortal techniques, using time laws to counter reincarnation, instantly erasing the reincarnation seal.

In the same instant, he reformed his head.

Such resilience left even Ye Chen sighing in admiration. Compared to the Reincarnation Dragon Lord, this heavenly emperor seemed even harder to destroy. Heavenly emperors varied in strength, and this one clearly ranked among the strongest.

"In the future, I will slay you."

The E Mo Tian Di's roar echoed as he fled tens of thousands of li.

"You cannot escape."

Ye Chen snorted coldly, his aura dominating as he used spatial divine abilities to disrupt the space of tens of thousands of li, teleporting the E Mo Tian Di back and blasting half of his imperial body with a punch.

The E Mo Tian Di staggered backward, unable to steady himself.

Before he could, the sanctified sacred body was already upon him, swinging golden fists.

Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!

What followed was exceptionally bloody. Once the Desolate Ancient Sacred Body closed in, it was a nightmare. One heavenly emperor was beaten by Ye Chen from the eastern haze all the way to the western void, punch after unrelenting punch, each more ferocious than the last, drawing blood with every hit and sending the Tian Di's blood and bones flying.

Ah!

The E Mo Tian Di bellowed, trying to stabilize himself but failing, attempting to counterattack yet given no chance by Ye Chen. He couldn't even stand steadily as his imperial body was repeatedly shattered.

At that moment, all his imperial divine powers, time laws—everything became meaningless against the sacred body's golden fists. Truly, one punch broke all laws, rendering everything else decoration.

Boom! Bang! Boom!

The commotion of the heavenly emperor being hammered was considerable.

Wherever they passed, space collapsed inch by inch, the universe destabilized, and chaos raged once more. That mysterious and terrifying force seemed to flicker in and out, weaving through.

Oddly, neither was swept away.

Since the E Mo Tian Di wasn't swept away, he was doomed. Despite his multiple imperial Dao immortal techniques and mastery of time laws, none helped as Ye Chen hammered him relentlessly, forcing his head down until even his imperial Dao primordial spirit fractured.

Such a massive disturbance not only shook Taigu Road but also reached the various heavens, drawing countless gazes upward.

"This emperor calculates it must be that Ye Chen fellow."

Ming Di had his hands behind his back, looking up at the vast sky.

Dao Zu was watching too; he wasn't certain if it was Ye Emperor, but he was sure Taigu Road was in turmoil, with booms echoing almost daily and not just from a single battle.

The people of the three realms had grown accustomed to it; without a few thunderous booms each day, they felt unnatural.

Ah!

With a final roar, the E Mo Tian Di’s imperial body was obliterated by Ye Emperor's punch, leaving only his battered and twisted imperial Dao primordial spirit, on the verge of collapse.

The more it was like this, the fiercer Ye Chen's fists became. They weren't ordinary fists; they fused imperial Dao immortal techniques, reincarnation laws, time laws, space laws—each punch at its peak.

No one knew when the howls finally faded.

At the end of this segment of Taigu Road, only Ye Chen remained.

As for the E Mo Tian Di, he had been beaten to ashes along the way. Even in death, he felt bewildered; three years ago, he could still exchange blows, but after three years of study, he had grown weaker and was ultimately destroyed.

After slaying the heavenly emperor, Ye Chen showed no particular emotion, merely standing at the road's end with his eyes narrowed, gazing into the distance.

Since it was a segment of Taigu Road, it naturally had two broken ends. Three years ago, he had gone to the other end; this time, he came to this one, and it was different from the previous.

Opposite was still a void, impossible to see clearly.

But vaguely, he seemed to spot another segment of Taigu Road, with an unknown distance of millions of li between them.

Standing at this end, the Xing Tian head in his small world became unstable, its eyes opening as they brimmed with destruction, unable to hide the surging pain.

The war god Xing Tian was on the opposite Taigu Road segment.

Ye Chen's gaze shone brightly; this wasn't a guess but a certainty. Because the two segments were nearly adjacent, not too far apart, the Xing Tian head and body had a natural connection.

Indeed, that was the case; the Xing Tian body also reacted strangely, stopping mid-journey with wooing roars.

Di Huang and Hong Yan stepped back, one on each side.

They retreated because this Xing Tian could go berserk at times, attacking anyone indiscriminately. Over these years on Taigu Road, they not only had to guard against foreign supremes but also against Xing Tian.