Chapter 2961: Expedition to the Ancient Path

In the early morning, gentle sunlight bathed the earth, casting a layer of peaceful warmth over the vast mountains and rivers.

The mists shrouding Yu Nü Peak had finally dispersed.

Looking out in all directions, one could see that the skies were filled with people from every realm, both elders and youths, crowding the peaks and standing in the heavens, all gathered to listen to the Dao sounds. Many had sudden enlightenments.

"I told you! It's even more dazzling now."

Xiong Er stuffed his hands in his pockets, sighing as he gazed at the summit of Yu Nü Peak. That guy named Ye Chen stood there gracefully, like a banished immortal in the mortal world, ethereal, ancient, and weathered. Though visible, he seemed impossibly distant, even more so than a dream.

"Beautiful, truly beautiful."

Not everyone was there for the Dao sounds; some had come to admire the beauties. Quite a few old rogues had gathered in a crowd, staring at the Dong Huang Tai Xin, who stood shoulder to shoulder with Ye Da Di. Only she could match him.

Ye Ling had returned, but Li Xiao Yao was nowhere to be seen.

Soon, the aroma of food filled Yu Nü Peak. Some talents tried to sneak up the mountain for a free meal, only to be thrown out by Ye Chen, all the way from Heng Yue to the Tian Huang starry sky.

"Dad, what's Tai Gu Road like?"

At the dining table, Ye Ling blinked her big eyes curiously and asked.

"It's very long, very ancient, and very weathered."

Ye Chen smiled. These seven words summed up Tai Gu Road perfectly. In his first life, he hadn't reached its end, and in this ninth life, he hadn't either. He only knew that the road was far longer than imagined, standing through endless ages and witnessing the changes of seas and lands.

Ye Ling half-understood it. She didn't know when it started, but her dad had begun speaking in such profound ways, no longer simple and straightforward. Every word he said carried some deeper meaning.

The brilliant stars had filled the night sky before anyone realized it.

On the quiet Yu Nü Peak, Ye Chen sat under the old tree, waiting patiently for the Ancient Heavenly Court Female Emperor to merge with her five souls. Once that day came, they could charge into Tai Gu Road.

Yao Chi was there too, sitting in a daze. She had achieved the Dao a thousand years ago but still hadn't shaken off her bookish habits. She often sat alone like that, motionless for an entire night.

By the second day, before dawn fully broke, thunderous booms echoed.

It was Xiao Ye Ling, who had broken her seal and triggered a Quasi-Emperor heavenly tribulation. So many people rushed over that they surrounded that stretch of starry sky completely.

They didn't go in vain. Xiao Ye Ling was extraordinarily talented, drawing in a total of over thirty Emperor Dao dharma bodies one after another, all from Great Emperors of the primordial great clans across the realms.

Awkward!

The new generation of prodigies, like the Jiu You Mo Ti, the Zi Fu Xian Ti, Zhang Zi Fan, and others, all shook their heads self-mockingly. They had advanced to Quasi-Emperor a hundred years ago and had each encountered Emperor Dao dharma bodies, but compared to Xiao Ye Ling, it was like child's play.

The legend was true after all—the people of the Sheng Ti lineage, no matter who you picked, were all heaven-defying talents.

The heavenly tribulation ended in glory, with Xiao Ye Ling barely surviving. Yao Chi brought her back to Yu Nü Peak and used Emperor Dao divine power to nourish her primordial spirit. In the future, she would be the top expert below the Emperor level.

Nine days later, Ye Chen set down his carving knife, brushed off the wood shavings from his clothes, and left Yu Nü Peak alone.

When he reappeared, he was at Tian Xuan Gate.

He stood once more before the Ling Xiao Bao Dian, unable to help but sigh. Though he had advanced to the mid-tier, compared to the one inside, he still seemed inadequate. That woman was truly formidable.

"It's indeed the eternal Dao."

Ye Chen murmured softly, wanting to enter the hall, but he was blocked.

What could he say? The Female Emperor inside didn't think much of him—who could blame him for having taken two of her reincarnation bodies?

After lingering for a while, Ye Chen left reluctantly.

This departure lasted a month. He went to the Tian Jie and discussed the Dao with Dao Zu for two days; then to the Ming Jie, where he gave the Ming Di a good beating.

After that, he wandered like a traveler, appearing and disappearing unpredictably.

On a quiet night, the Ling Xiao Hall suddenly trembled with a hum.

At the same time, the five great forbidden zones of Xuan Huang shook together: Tian Xu, Di Huo, Ming Tu, Wang Chuan, and Huang Quan. Shadows emerged from each, all graceful figures like dreams, crossing the void toward Da Chu. Each one was surrounded by a kind of taboo law, accompanied by heavenly sounds all the way, as the people of the world watched them enter the Ling Xiao Hall.

These were the five souls of the Ancient Heavenly Court Female Emperor. After endless ages, one after another, they merged into her body.

Then, visions filled the sky, splendid and ancient, with ethereal heavenly sounds echoing through the realms, even more profound than Ye Chen's. The two were on completely different levels.

That day, layers of halos spread out from the Ling Xiao Hall as the center, extending infinitely across the seas and lands. Ordinary people felt it like a spring breeze, but the four Emperors of heaven, earth, and humanity felt immense pressure, sensing a kind of aura that only Great Emperors could perceive.

From that day on, Dao Zu, the Ming Di, Ye Chen, and Yao Chi became extraordinarily busy, rushing to various places.

Because the five souls had left the forbidden zones, it drew the two souls out of their realms, causing massive changes in the universe of the realms. The grand formation in the void even paused for a few moments due to the soul fusion, exposing the realms' positions and attracting many heavenly demon emperors.

However, no matter how many foreign supreme beings came, they were no match.

The four Emperors wandered everywhere, not for sightseeing, but to reshape the universe and maintain the grand formation in the void.

"What a heavy burden."

The Ming Di clicked his tongue repeatedly. With the Female Emperor's soul gone, he had to take her place, only then realizing the pressure her soul had borne. Even as a peak Great Emperor, he found it exhausting.

On another front, Dao Zu upheld the Tian Jie, truly shouldering the burden, and even with his supreme state of mind, he couldn't help but be shocked.

In the realms, the Dong Huang Tai Xin supported the human world. Among the three realms of heaven, earth, and humanity, her cultivation was the weakest, yet the pressure she faced was the strongest.

But all three Emperors persevered, finally understanding the hardships of the Ancient Heavenly Court Female Emperor. Before them, it was she alone who had upheld the myriad realms, through endless ages and the vicissitudes of seas and lands.

Ye Chen wasn't idle either. With his heaven-defying great divine abilities, he sealed his own Emperor Dao imprint, and Yao Chi's as well, leaving a future hope for the human world of the realms.

As for Dao Zu and the Ming Di's imprints, he couldn't seal them and didn't plan to, as it would disrupt the grand formation.

This night was far from peaceful.

From the direction of Tian Xuan Gate, brilliant rainbows intertwined as the Ancient Heavenly Court Female Emperor stepped out, soaring straight up to the highest ethereal peak before coming to a stop, standing gracefully. An ancient immortal mark was etched on her brow, with strands of immortal energy cascading down. Eternal Dao laws wound around her, faintly visible, and her aura of destruction radiated, making even Dao Zu and the Ming Di feel a tremor in their souls.

She bathed in the immortal glow, as if standing at the end of time, more weathered than the desolation of heaven and earth, more dreamlike than a dream.

Many in the world looked up, staring in a daze for a long time, unsure who she was, only knowing she was incredibly powerful, surpassing Ye Chen—perhaps a peak Emperor, or even a Heavenly Emperor.

"Female Emperor."

Those in the forbidden zones had mostly awakened, their eyes brimming with hot tears. After so many ages, they beheld the Female Emperor's peerless elegance once more.

Xuan Di's phantom took a deep breath, his expression full of bewilderment, and the same went for the Qian Mian Di shadow from the Xiu Luo domain.

Ye Chen glanced at the vast sky and then withdrew his gaze, returning from outside and entering the Heng Yue sect gates. He walked up the steps step by step, just as he had on his first visit to Heng Yue, his pace firm, with a certain obsession still etched in his soul.

He was an Emperor, yet also a traveler, not using any divine abilities, just walking slowly. He looked at Feng Yun Tai, visited the Ling Dan Ge, paused in front of the Ling Qi Ge, and stopped at the Wan Bao Ge—all the places he had been before, revisiting them alone, with no companions.

"Are you leaving again?"

Xu Fu, Pang Da Chuan, Zhou Da Fu, Yang Ding Tian, and many other elders stood at the gate, watching Ye Chen's back fade into the distance. Every such moment carried a sense of farewell.

Their gazes were ones of seeing him off, just like in his past life when Ye Chen went alone to the realms in search of reincarnated ones.

The current situation was strikingly similar, his back as weathered and lonely as that night.

"Don't neglect your cultivation, and smarten up."

"Find time to bring back a daughter-in-law for me."

"Guard Da Chu well."

Under the night sky, many hadn't slept, like Xie Yun, Si Tu Nan, Xiao Ling Wa, and the descendants of the emperors. They had all donned armor and were giving instructions to their loved ones.

That night, many were unsealed: Ren Wang, the Zao Hua Shen, Long Ye, Long Yi and Long Wu, Bai Zhi, Ming Jue, the Hun Dun Ti, Jian Shen, Jian Zun, Dong Huang Tai Xin—all those whose lifespans were nearing their end, awakened from slumber, or more precisely, summoned, to embark on a road far from the realms.

Ye Chen had returned to Yu Nü Peak, standing quietly in front of a row of chambers, as if his soul had departed, gazing for a very long time.

"Dad?"

Ye Ling appeared at some point and tugged at his sleeve.

Ye Chen smiled faintly and gently patted Ye Ling's head, full of a father's tenderness, his smile warm.

Ye Ling felt uneasy, sensing that something was about to happen.

Indeed, a breeze brushed by, and she felt dizzy. Under the moonlight, she swayed and fell into a peaceful sleep.

Ye Chen waved his hand, sending her into the chamber.

After one last look at the chambers, Ye Chen slowly turned and went to the small bamboo grove, standing before the graves of Hu Xian, Yang Lan, and Ye Fan, remaining there for a very long time without a word.

A fragrant breeze carried a woman's scent as Ji Ning Shuang manifested like a dream, like a woman from mythology.

Ye Chen turned slowly, gently brushing aside the strand of hair falling over his wife's face, caressing her cheek. His weathered smile was filled with a husband's affection.

"If I take a million divine generals with me, can you hold the line for the myriad realms and all living beings?"

Ye Chen's voice was hoarse.

He had asked something similar once before, on the walls of Nan Chu City in his past life.

That night, the Da Chu expeditionary force left the city to assault the Qing Tian Demon Pillar, and in the end, except for him, the entire army was wiped out.

"As long as Ning Shuang is here, the realms will stand."

Yao Chi smiled softly, her tenderness like water.

She had given the same answer once before, on the walls of Nan Chu City in his past life.

History repeated itself in this way.

It was the same prelude to an expedition.

In his past life, he needed Da Chu's Quasi-Emperors for the battle.

In this life, he needed the divine generals of the realms to bolster the front.

"Wait for me."

Ye Chen's words were still gentle.

"Ye Chen."

Yao Chi instinctively reached out and lightly grasped his sleeve.

In that moment, she was no longer the peerless Dong Huang Tai Xin, but like a fragile young woman.

"Could you hug me?"

Yao Chi lowered her eyes, her words seeming directed at Ye Chen, yet also like self-murmuring, so faint they were almost inaudible.

Ye Chen smiled warmly and opened his broad arms.

"Come back alive."

Yao Chi pressed her cheek against his chest, her arms wrapping around him as if using all her strength, as if trying to merge herself into his body. Tears welled in her eyes under the moonlight, forming frost, carrying a unique, sorrowful beauty fitting for a Female Emperor.

She knew that this departure might mean eternal farewell. Ye Chen could follow in the footsteps of his first life and perish on Tai Gu Road—it was a path of immortals, but also a path of no return.

"Wait for me."

Ye Chen kissed his wife's forehead, then turned away. With each step, an ancient armor materialized inch by inch on his body, its fierce cloak stained with the scent of blood and the dust of ages.

At the grave, she watched him fade into the distance through tear-filled eyes.

Even now, she wasn't sure whether the man named Ye Chen loved Dong Shen Yao Chi or Ji Ning Shuang.

Ye Chen had left, departing Da Chu, leaving only his back.

Behind him followed beams of light: Jian Shen, Di Xuan, the divine generals, Jian Zun, Dong Huang Tai Xin, the descendants of the emperors, Xie Yun, Si Tu Nan, Zi Xuan, Bai Zhi, Ming Jue...

It wasn't just Da Chu; figures gathered from all corners of the starry sky: Kui Niu, Xiao Yuan Huang, Chen Yi, Dong Zhou Wu Wang, Ri Yue Shen Zi, Xuan Yuan Di Zi, Long Jie, Nan Di... and many more.

After ten thousand years, a new million divine generals had formed, an even larger force than during Xian Wu Di Zun's time, led by Sheng Ti Ye Chen and the Heavenly Court Female Emperor, advancing once more toward Tai Gu Road.

Boom... Boom boom boom boom boom.

The war drums suddenly sounded, starting slow and growing faster, the prolonged bell tolls resounding through the three realms, honoring the expeditionary army of the realms.

Boom! Rumbling!

The starry sky thundered, and the entire universe shook.

At the forefront, Ye Chen and the Female Emperor raced side by side like two divine rays, with the million divine generals behind them like immortal lights, cutting dazzling arcs through the vast starry sky.

Passing a stretch of space, Ye Chen glanced down briefly, as if he could see through time and space to a scene from the past: himself, Ye Ling, Ji Ning Shuang, and Tang San Shao.

In that instant, time seemed to intersect, and the past version of him looked up, as if he could see through time and space as well.

Ye Chen smiled and slowly withdrew his gaze.

Perhaps only now did he realize that the visions he had seen back then weren't illusions, but glimpses of the future.

And now, it was that future scene.

Buzz!

The Heavenly Court Female Emperor waved her hand, forcefully opening the entrance to Tai Gu Road in the Tian Huang wilderness. A colossal gate pierced the heavens and earth, exuding an ancient and profound aura, mixed with traces of blood.

Ye Chen and the Heavenly Court Female Emperor entered side by side.

Before leaving, he couldn't help but glance back at the realms.

The million divine generals did the same, like Ye Chen and the Female Emperor, looking back at their homeland, at the beautiful mountains and rivers, for this might be their final farewell.

"Why does it feel a bit sentimental?"

The Ming Di sat on a mountaintop, hands in his pockets, watching with a sense of emptiness, even losing interest in his treasured collection.

"Hopefully, they can hold out until reinforcements arrive."

Dao Zu took a deep breath. The primordial great wilderness awaited reinforcements, and so did the three realms of heaven, earth, and humanity.

The war that had endured for eons finally began.