Chapter 3036: Arrived

The dim Taigu Lu fell silent.

Because of one war spear and the death of one peak Sheng Mo, the supreme beings from Zhutian and Waiyu once again ceased hostilities, or perhaps simply laid down their arms entirely.

Is he a god?

The Waiyu Tian Di–level figure gazed toward the east, his expression dazed, his voice trembling. As he spoke, he instinctively retreated, his eyes filled with deep-seated fear. He hadn't even seen who it was, yet his soul quaked with terror. No matter who it was, they were beyond anything they could contend with. A single spear had slain a peak Sheng Mo—a feat not just anyone could accomplish. Anyone capable of it was a supreme among supremes.

It wasn't just him retreating; the great emperors were retreating too.

In fact, the entire Waiyu army, from the peak Tian Di down to the lowest Mo Bing and Mo Jiang, was falling back. They were utterly intimidated by that single spear, their morale shattered. Not even the Mo Bing dared to move, and even the Tian Di felt an overwhelming urge to turn and flee.

In contrast, the people of Zhutian were extraordinarily invigorated.

Whether the various emperors or the divine generals, they all stood tall and straight. Zhutian's great general had returned from the illusory realm.

Boom! Bang! Boom!

A series of banging sounds suddenly rang out, slow and rhythmic. Listening closely, it was the sound of footsteps. Perhaps the steps were so heavy that each one caused the universe to tremble and shake.

It was Ye Chen, like a war god who had conquered the eight desolate regions, returning victorious. His radiant glory illuminated the dark sky.

However, the moment they saw him, the hearts of the emperors and divine generals ached fiercely.

It was indeed Ye Chen, but he no longer had a human form. Fresh blood flowed from his entire body, with multiple areas of exposed bloody bones. Every step he took left a bloody footprint, showing just how brutal his battles in the illusory realm had been.

Silence fell over the people of Zhutian. They had never felt so utterly useless.

“Tian Di Saint Body?”

The Waiyu supremes stared with bulging eyes, their pupils contracting tightly. They knew of the two Di Dao Saint Bodies, but they had no idea there was a Tian Di–level Saint Body.

So, they had been fighting mere minions before. Now, the true great general had arrived. He must be the supreme of the Saint Body lineage, the one who pioneered the path for Saint Bodies to achieve Dao. Such a Tian Di had the capability to slay a peak Sheng Mo with a single spear.

They retreated faster now, their faces deathly pale. Even the Tian Di's legs went weak; after stumbling and falling, they got up and continued retreating, as if they wouldn't stop until the end of time.

Too terrifying—that Saint Body was too terrifying.

Not just in terms of combat power, but also in form.

Injured to this extent, had he fought a god? And that pervasive Di Dao killing intent—had he slaughtered gods? It was so intimidating that their true forms were on the verge of collapsing.

Ye Chen said nothing, and his steps did not pause.

Indeed, his injuries were severe; his exterior was gruesome, and his interior was even worse. He had forced his way back from the illusory realm, barely holding on, at risk of collapsing at any moment.

This was evident from his eyes.

His gaze was extremely dim, though overlaid with a layer of light that seemed dazzling.

Yet, even in this half-dead state as an ancient Saint Body, he intimidated the entire Waiyu army into a collective retreat, including the Tian Di.

This was the might of a Saint Body supreme.

“Retreat.”

The Di Dao Sheng Mo roared and turned to flee. Ye Chen could nail his good friend with one spear, so he could do the same to him. Even gravely wounded, he was not someone this Sheng Mo could face.

No need for him to say it—the Waiyu supremes were already escaping.

The scene was truly ironic. So many emperors, including Tian Di and Di Dao Sheng Mo, who weren't entirely without the power to fight, were scared into a frantic, collective rout.

Bang!

Ye Chen took a step, crossing eighty thousand li in an instant.

Pfft!

Then came a spray of striking black blood. The fleeing Di Dao Sheng Mo had his head severed by a sword from Ye Chen, severely wounding both his original form and Yuan Shen. This was in a weakened, bloodied state; if at his peak, one sword would have ended him outright.

And yet, he had to shout out like that. Why not just run? He clearly hadn't learned his lesson. The gun always shoots the bird that sticks its head out, and he had become that bird.

“I'll fight you to the death.”

The Di Dao Sheng Mo howled shrilly, offering up his bloodline power in sacrifice. His headless Mo body and headless Yuan Shen expanded rapidly, becoming wildly unstable—a clear sign he intended to self-destruct and gravely injure Ye Chen.

Ye Chen didn't speak. With one hand, he yanked out the Yuan Shen, applied the law of time, and forcibly reversed it. The Sheng Mo's swollen body and Yuan Shen returned to their original form, reverting him directly.

The Sheng Mo despaired.

He had every reason to despair. As a Di Dao–level Sheng Mo, in front of Ye Chen, he couldn't even qualify for self-destruction—or rather, he was nothing but an ant.

Ye Chen raised his hand and forcefully devoured him.

In an instant, he vanished, chasing down the E Mo Tian Di. His kick was truly domineering and unmatched; the peak E Mo Tian Di was stomped into a puddle of blood, his Yuan Shen crushed along with it.

“Boss is so badass.”

The Hunlun Ding howled as it followed along, essentially picking up scraps. Whatever Ye Chen destroyed usually forced out some magical artifacts, and it collected those as nourishment.

Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!

The scenes that followed were exceptionally bloody.

Ye Chen, striding through the heavens, was like a god of slaughter, killing everything in his path. Wherever he went, Waiyu supremes fell—whether Tian Di, great emperors, or Mo Bing and Mo Jiang, none could withstand him.

The wails were piercing, heart-shaking.

The emperors followed behind, originally intending to help out, but they got nothing. Wherever Ye Chen passed, nothing was left alive; not a single blade of grass remained.

“The great general is just different.”

Kui Niu clung to the edge of the cauldron, his eyes shining brightly as he watched.

“His fame is all earned through battle.”

The old divine general murmured, his expression somewhat dazed. Recalling the legendary life of the heaven-defying Saint Body, it was a tale of myths and legends, his path paved with blood and bones.

Many more divine generals wore expressionless faces.

Compared to these supremes, slaying two Tian Di and Sheng Mo was truly domineering. Remember, Ye Chen had been in a weakened state at the time, while those two Tian Di and Sheng Mo were at their peak.

It wasn't until some time later that Taigu Lu finally quieted down.

Gazing over the vast sky, not a single Waiyu demon remained. They had all been sent to the gates of hell, becoming blood and bones under Ye Chen's feet.

With Waiyu completely wiped out, Ye Chen did not return.

When the emperors found him, he had already collapsed in a mountain range. He had held on for so long, but exhaustion had finally overcome him—from battle fatigue and sheer tiredness.

“Ye Chen.”

Hongyan rushed forward in panic, cradling him in her arms. She poured in rolling streams of Yuan Qi to nourish his emperor body and soothe his wounds. He was utterly battered and broken.

The emperors were not idle either.

The scene was eerily silent, with everyone struck dumb in silence. This battle had been too brutal for Ye Chen. Without him holding the line, the Zhutian expeditionary force would likely have been annihilated.

It took three full days for Ye Chen to awaken.

His eyes remained dim and listless. The external wounds could heal, but the internal ones would require much time to nurture. That devastating battle had damaged his very foundation.

That very day, he stood at the end.

Though his injuries weren't fully healed, he forcibly activated the formation array. There was no time to delay further. This fractured Taigu Lu had endured too many great battles, becoming increasingly unstable, especially the universe, which showed signs of impending collapse.

So, it needed to be connected as quickly as possible.

He also knew about Zhutian's main camp without needing to check—war likely raged there endlessly. The Nv Di's burial extinction had widespread effects, and the situation in Taigu Honghuang was probably even worse.

Buzz!

Accompanied by a buzzing rumble, Taigu Lu extended once more.

Earlier, because two Tian Di and Sheng Mo had sneaked into Taigu, the extended Taigu Lu had retracted somewhat. Now, it had to be reconnected and pioneered. He bypassed two vortexes and avoided a sea of lightning before returning to the original path.

This stretch was not long.

In just half a day, he connected to the opposite Taigu Lu. Moreover, there were no Waiyu people, though they did find many skeletons, collected by the war gods. Most were from the divine generals, buried in this land.

After resting for just a moment, the journey resumed.

In the days that followed, Taigu Lu echoed with continuous booms—from the rumbles of connection or the fluctuations of battles. It was a path of pioneering and slaughter.

Though without the Nv Di, under Ye Chen's leadership, the Zhutian expeditionary force was unstoppable. They connected countless segments of the road and slaughtered an unknown number of Waiyu supremes.

Naturally, the cost was also devastating.

On this campaign, not just the emperors, but even Ye Chen couldn't hold out. Old wounds hadn't healed before new ones appeared; he never returned to his peak state, growing exhausted time and again.

“Old Seven, how much farther?”

After enduring for many days, Xiao Yuan Huang finally asked quietly. There had to be some limit; continuing like this, they'd all collapse. Even an emperor's divine power was finite.

“It's close.”

Before Ye Chen could answer, Xing Tian chuckled.

Hou Yi didn't refute this.

They had all come from Taigu Honghuang, so they recognized some of the route. The other emperors saw only chaos and illusion, which had grown even more disordered—the more chaotic, the closer they were. It was only a matter of time.

The divine generals took a deep breath and said nothing.

This "close" was something the Nv Di had once said, yet it had still been so distant. They didn't know if the war god's "close" would be the same.

Whoosh!

As they spoke, Ye Chen manifested his Dharma body.

“Boss, watch this!”

The Dharma body stepped into the illusion because a bolt of lightning was approaching from the opposite side, carrying terrifying destructive power. It wasn't that there weren't many; it was impossible to dodge, so the Dharma body had to intercept it.

As before, once the Dharma body went out, it didn't return, its Saint Body exploding to block the lightning. This was how Ye Chen had been proceeding all along.

Half a day later, Taigu Lu was connected.

On the second day, another segment of Taigu Lu merged, followed by a great battle as the emperors pushed forward.

On the third day, Taigu Lu extended further.

On the fifth day, Ye Chen navigated around a chaotic field of meteorites, enduring hardships to connect to the other side.

On the sixth day...

By the ninth day, the entire Taigu Lu trembled with a buzz. Under the gaze of the emperors and divine generals, it transformed its form. Originally a stone road, it inch by inch turned into a path of light. The chaotic universe began to operate normally, the dim heavens suddenly bursting with brilliant colors. Mysterious heavenly sounds echoed, and ancient visions intertwined.

“What's happening?”

The divine generals all clung to the cauldron's edge, their eyes sparkling.

“We've arrived.”

The war gods like Zhan Shen and Hou Yi smiled wearily. Back when they left Taigu Honghuang, Taigu Lu hadn't been broken yet; it had been in this form of light. Now, with the stone road evolving into a light path, it proved that Taigu Lu was fully connected—they had reached the end.

Well then! This single word "arrived" was incredibly uplifting. Many old divine generals were so moved they nearly cried, and the emperors felt a deep sense of emotion. This journey of braving thorns and slaying enemies had been full of trials, but they had finally made it through.

“Ruoxi, Wulei, Chu Xuan, Chu Ling.”

“We've arrived.”

Ye Chen's voice was hoarse, with traces of tears at the corners of his eyes. Taking weary steps, he ascended step by step toward the hazy peak, where the gateway to Taigu Honghuang would open.

Zhutian's reinforcements had come.