Chapter 2954: The Ancient Path Collapses

At the end of Taigu Road, Ye Chen stood for a long time, gazing intently. Even with his full Emperor Dao vision, he couldn't see the road on the other side. A mysterious force in the void blocked his view, making it impossible to peer through. All he knew was that Xingtian, the God of War, was over there. As for whether Di Huang and Hong Yan were also there, it was unknown.

Boom! Bang! Boom!

As he watched, faint rumbling sounds came from Taigu Road on the other side, suggesting the fluctuations of a great battle. Just as he expected, it was indeed a battle. Xingtian had gone berserk, wielding his battle axe with no regard for anyone, not even his own kin. This wasn't a joke; he was serious, swinging his axe wildly with power that dominated heaven and earth.

Whenever this happened, Di Huang and Hong Yan felt extremely awkward. There were already so many foreign realm supreme beings causing headaches, and now this guy was stirring up trouble every few days. Fighting against demons like Tianmo, E Mo, or Sheng Mo was one thing, but most of the time, it was them who ended up suffering. As the fighting intensified, rumbles echoed from all directions. The foreign realm supreme beings had sensed the commotion and were closing in from every side. Rolling demonic energy engulfed the universe, making the entire world shake.

Listening to the noise, Ye Chen furrowed his brow again. He couldn't see clearly or cross over. He had once tried to extend an Immortal Road as a bridge to the other side, but since he wasn't Gu Tian Ting Nu Di, he couldn't connect the two broken sections of Taigu Road. He had also attempted using Dream Return to Ancient Times or Reincarnation Power, but nothing worked. It was as if the broken road before him was an unbridgeable chasm or a heavenly tribulation that even an emperor couldn't cross.

"Xingtian."

Full of frustration, Ye Chen called out, his voice shaking the immortal dome. He hoped for a response from the other side. This shout might not have reached Xingtian, but Di Huang and Hong Yan, in the midst of their escape, suddenly turned their heads and exchanged a glance. Their eyes conveyed the same meaning—they seemed to hear a familiar voice. However, with the foreign realm supreme beings chasing them fiercely, they fled separately, unsure if it was really Ye Chen or just an illusion. The chaos on Taigu Road was just too overwhelming.

Ye Chen didn't call out again and silently turned away.

Sometime later, he arrived at another end, standing on the cliff's edge and listening carefully. Taigu Road on the other side also had battle fluctuations, and the noise was extraordinarily loud. It seemed that people from the various heavens were involved, perhaps divine generals or great emperors emerging from the ancient Hong Huang. This frustrated him even more. Both ends of Taigu Road were in the midst of war, while the section he was on was eerily calm, almost frighteningly so. He couldn't even find anyone to fight, and he couldn't cross to help either—he was stuck here.

I must return to Zhutian.

Ye Chen murmured to himself. Only Gu Tian Ting Nu Di could reconnect Taigu Road, so he would have to come back with her, entering from the original gateway to clear the path all the way. With that thought, he suddenly turned and spread his Emperor Dao divine sense, scanning as he went, as if searching for something. What was he looking for? Cracks—cracks that could lead back to Zhutian. That was the only way he could think of to return.

"On Taigu Road, the fighting is fierce!"

In the dead of night, Ming Di was still looking up at the vast sky, instinctively assuming that Ye Dadi was displaying his divine might over there. After gazing for a while, he withdrew his eyes and looked toward the Da Chu direction. From Tian Xuan Men, a brilliant immortal rainbow shot into the sky, projecting ancient visions in the ethereal void. This drew countless people to look up, seeing immortal light raining down like flowers blooming on the ground. Anything touched by the immortal light—be it flowers, grass, or trees—was infused with vast vitality, and the life force of living beings surged.

It was Gu Tian Ting Nu Di, who had merged her powers again. She sat cross-legged in Ling Xiao Hall, her entire body bathed in divine radiance, even her strands of hair dyed with dazzling immortal splendor, beautiful like a dream or an illusion. Though she had merged her powers, she was still far from complete. The remnant part of her needed much more time to return to her peak.

After that night, good news kept coming. Before dawn fully broke, joyful shouts echoed from the Bei Chu direction. It was the statue of Hong Huang Qilin Jiuchen that had manifested a trace of spirit. On the same day, You Ming Di Zi also miraculously gained spirit. Following that came Yu Hua Xian Wang. In other words, the power of mortal worship was much like Buddhist nianli—truly mysterious. Not only the people of the world sighed at this, but even the emperors of heaven and underworld marveled. In a Zhutian without reincarnation, those fallen heroic spirits actually had hope of revival. How intriguing.

On Taigu Road, Ye Chen stopped again. Since that day of searching for cracks, three to five months had passed without finding any. He stopped now because this section of Taigu Road had changed from before. Already dim, it was now filled with murky yin fog, with lightning flashing and thunder roaring, accompanied by what seemed like wails.

Ye Chen frowned and looked up. As soon as he did, he saw a massive ghost face materializing in the void above. It wasn't very clear, but the entire face was grotesquely twisted, sinister and terrifying. Its blood-red eyes were like two bottomless abysses, even making him feel a chill in his heart.

"What thing is that?"

Ye Chen narrowed his eyes slightly, unsure if it was just a vision or if other parts of Taigu Road had similar strange phenomena. All he knew was that being stared at by it made his whole body feel ice-cold. As he frowned, the already twisted and ominous ghost face grew even larger, eventually covering the entire sky. Standing beneath it, he felt smaller than an ant.

Woo...!

With a wail, the ghost face opened its massive maw, a vortex forming inside with immense suction, as if to devour heaven and earth. Caught off guard, Ye Chen was swallowed into it. When he reappeared, he steadied himself with a shake and looked around. It was pitch black, like a space black hole, but even more dreadful. A terrifying force of annihilation enveloped him. In just two or three instants, the golden divine light around his body was extinguished by the darkness. Not only that, his Emperor Dao origin and divine power were being wildly devoured by some unknown force.

"Can you really swallow me?"

Ye Chen snorted coldly and unleashed One Thought Eternity. The endless darkness instantly bloomed with Manzhushahua flowers, one after another, freezing time in a brief moment that became eternal. In that same instant, a Reincarnation Immortal Sword appeared in his hand, wrapped in Reincarnation Power. Starting from his grip, it extended infinitely, the sword body ringing with destructive force.

"Open!"

He swung the Reincarnation Sword, slashing through the endless darkness and leaping out from within. Then, he thrust it straight into the vast void, stirring the winds and clouds violently. The sky-covering ghost face wailed shrilly, its twisted features crumbling away under the assault. Yet, strangely, the ghost face reformed, now even more grotesque, laughing in a sinister and terrifying way.

Ye Chen gripped the Reincarnation Sword and scanned it up and down. Taigu Road was truly full of surprises, and this ghost face was no exception. He had no idea what it was, but it certainly had big ambitions, always trying to swallow him.

"Seal!"

Ye Chen pressed a palm toward the sky, imprinting a seal of prohibitions. He had no time to deal with this ghost face. Regrettably, his Emperor Dao seal had no effect on the ghost face—it was like a mere decoration. The ghost face still laughed sinisterly, its features as twisted as ever.

Helpless, he raised his sword again, destroying the ghost face for the second time. As before, it reformed, accompanied by wails as it opened its massive maw once more, attempting to devour him. Ye Chen was prepared this time, activating his Tyrant Body Outer Manifestation, standing firm like a mountain. No matter how the ghost face tried to devour him, it couldn't shake him.

The ghost face seemed enraged, its devouring becoming even more ferocious. But it was still futile.

The ghost face grew angrier, roaring and howling. Originally massive enough to cover the sky, it suddenly disintegrated. The ghost face vanished, transforming into a sky full of black lightning bolts that connected heaven and earth, then struck down fiercely on Taigu Road.

Boom! Bang! Boom!

This section of Taigu Road became unstable, shaking and exploding under the lightning. Many parts had already collapsed, with debris flying everywhere, the entire space in chaos. Ye Chen's expression changed. He realized the ghost face, now lightning, was trying to destroy this section of Taigu Road. It didn't matter if the road was destroyed, but he would fall with it and likely be obliterated.

Without thinking, he immediately summoned chains of Emperor Dao order, locking onto the collapsing Taigu Road in an attempt to fuse it back together. No matter what, he couldn't let himself fall. Unfortunately, it was all in vain. The lightning in the sky continued to strike, each time more violently than the last, making Taigu Road crumble even faster.

Boom! Boom!

The massive noise reached Zhutian, where people looked up, and the emperors of heaven and underworld also gazed skyward, their hearts trembling at the rumbles. In Ling Xiao Hall, Gu Tian Ting Nu Di stepped out, her delicate brows furrowed as she stared into the vast sky, as if she could see through the void to the collapsing section of Taigu Road, where the universe was in utter disarray.

She immediately extended her jade hand toward the void.

Boom!

The void erupted with a thunderous boom, forcing her extended hand back and making her stagger a step. This sight made the emperors of heaven and underworld frown. They knew how formidable Gu Tian Ting Nu Di was, yet she was repelled, meaning the hidden force was incredibly dominant—even she couldn't withstand it.

"Damn it."

On Taigu Road, Ye Chen could no longer stand steady. No matter what Emperor Dao techniques he used, he couldn't stabilize the crumbling road. Every collapse released destructive forces that he couldn't resist. Just brushing against one had half his emperor body reduced to ash, and it was extremely difficult to regenerate. It was a terrifying scene: the once vast Taigu Road was shattered by the black lightning, debris flying, and much of it turned to dust before it even fell.

Ye Chen's face was extremely grim. He had underestimated that ghost face's power. Even his battle with the Heavenly Emperor hadn't destroyed Taigu Road, yet this lightning from the ghost face was so overbearing. Its intent was clear—it was trying to kill him!

Zheng!

He moved the Reincarnation Sword for the third time, thrusting it into the void and stirring with all his might. He couldn't let the lightning continue; if it did, Taigu Road would be completely destroyed, and he would fall with it. His action wasn't futile. As the Reincarnation Sword stirred, the lightning bolts withered one by one, their power greatly diminished, until they all dissipated into nothing.

Now, Ye Chen's situation was awkward. This vast section of Taigu Road had been reduced by the lightning to just the piece of debris under his feet, less than two zhang wide. He stood on it, not daring to lift his foot, afraid that one misstep would send him into the void, where he would be instantly erased.