Chapter 3053: Caught Between a Rock and a Hard Place

In the dim heavens, Ye Chen walked slowly, unaware of the many supreme beings following behind him. His mind wandered through the Xue Ji Xian Jie.

The freedom to activate the Xue Ji Xian Jie felt truly wonderful. This version was different from before—more domineering, purer, and more terrifying.

These qualities suddenly stirred in him an impulse to fight Qi Huan, knowing he still couldn't win, but he certainly wouldn't lose as badly as last time.

"The Sheng Ti lineage has undergone another nirvana."

Behind him, Kui Niu Di spoke meaningfully.

As he said this, he glanced at Di Huang and Hong Yan.

Ye Chen had broken the shackles of the Sheng Ti lineage and gained a heaven-defying fortune. As fellow Sheng Ti practitioners, they too had their opportunities.

That's right, it was also the Xue Ji Xian Jie.

Like Ye Chen, the two of them could now control their Xue Ji within specific time limits, much like when Ye Chen had pioneered the path for Sheng Ti to attain enlightenment, leading them both to become great emperors afterward.

Both smiled.

Though they were predecessors, they benefited from this junior.

It was as if Ye Chen were a general conquering cities and seizing territories, building one stronghold after another, while they reaped the ready rewards—first the emperor positions, then the Xue Ji, all fortunes and opportunities.

"The numbers are few, but the individuals are strong."

The Dou Zhan Sheng Huang laughed. The Sheng Ti lineage now had only three left, but any one of them was a dominating force under the heavens. Just the ability to control Xue Ji at will was enough to terrify.

Ahead, Ye Chen had opened his eyes and was muttering to himself along the way.

He walked on, not knowing how far he had gone.

At one point, his Xue Ji Xian Jie suddenly dissipated, likely because a time limit had been reached. Though he could freely control and activate it, like the Sheng Mo, it was only possible within specific periods.

"I understand now."

Ye Chen's gaze deepened, as he finally figured out one thing. He had comprehended the origins of the Xue Ji, or more straightforwardly, the source of that power.

Based on his experiences activating Xue Ji Xian Jie several times, the situations could generally be categorized into a few types: extreme anger, extreme grief, extreme despair.

Like when Liu Ru Yan died.

Like when Ji Ning Shuang died.

Like when he crossed the Wu Lei Nai He Bridge.

Before activating Xue Ji, his emotions, will, and desires had all reached an extreme, to the point of transcending the control of Tian Dao in that instant, creating a flaw in Tian Dao. As a result, a power only possessed by the heavens above descended to the mortal realm—that was the so-called Xue Ji Xian Jie.

In other words, any living being, whether mortal or cultivator, regardless of status or realm, had the potential to activate Xue Ji Xian Jie.

The prerequisite was to transcend Tian Dao's control.

However, transcending Tian Dao's control didn't guarantee activating Xue Ji—it wasn't absolute.

Naturally, the Sheng Mo and the unshackled Sheng Ti were exceptions. They originated from Tian Dao and inherently carried its power.

As for Tang San Shao, he was a special case; his Xue Ji power was a remnant from his mother, diminishing with each use.

Back then, Long Ye's research on Xue Ji Xian Jie had some correct guesses.

For example, cursing the heavens.

Cursing was just a form; more profoundly, it was defiance against the heavens. The resentment and unwillingness of all living beings could also impact Tian Dao.

Therefore, there were many ways to activate Xue Ji, but they all led to the same end: striving to transcend Tian Dao's control as much as possible.

He had thought it through, but putting it into practice was incredibly difficult. The unseen heavens weren't something you could transcend just by willing it.

Looking behind him, the crowd of supreme beings had vanished; only he remained, walking along the Yin He, sensing the mysteries of Xue Ji and comprehending the immortality of eternity.

These two god-level powers blended perfectly—that was the eternal Xue Ji.

Ah!

He could hear roars of anger, time and again transcending control, making Tian Dao furious once more.

"There will be a final battle."

Ye Chen glanced at the vast sky, then suddenly turned and headed back, not idling along the way.

Having broken Tian Dao's shackles and gained control over Xue Ji, he needed to continue comprehending his eternity. Without fully grasping the essence of various laws, eternity would be hard to evolve.

After many days, he returned to the gathering place of the successive supreme beings. The moment he appeared, many faces turned as black as charcoal.

Like the Gui Di and Xuan Di. The supreme beings who had been drugged earlier were basically glaring with fiery eyes.

Ye Chen acted as if nothing had happened, found a comfortable spot to sit, casually grabbed a wine flask, and drank leisurely.

His demeanor clearly conveyed one message: Behave yourselves—I'm not in the best mood.

This attitude made many supreme beings cough up blood in frustration. It seemed they couldn't beat him in a fight; that guy had already taken off and was unstoppable.

Many female supreme beings covered their mouths and stifled their laughter.

After so many ages, it was the first time seeing so many emperors collectively embarrassed. This junior Sheng Ti was indeed an outstanding talent.

"Little fellow."

An old man with white hair sat down beside Ye Chen, looking kind and benevolent—a supreme being who didn't seem fond of fighting. He was at the peak Tian Di realm, but due to years of depletion, his divine power and vital energy were both withered.

"Dan Di."

Ye Chen smiled and handed him a wine flask.

This old supreme being belonged to the Gu Tian Ting, having attained the dao through alchemy. The female emperor had mentioned him before. Though his combat strength wasn't strong, in terms of alchemy, no one across the two eras could match him.

Ye Chen felt this deeply.

As fellow alchemy masters, both at the Tian Di level, there was no need for a furnace duel—just comparing their intent could determine the winner.

In the alchemy spirit domain, he was indeed inferior to Dan Di, but he had the qualification to stand shoulder to shoulder. In battle, however, Dan Di was worlds apart.

"The younger generation is formidable."

Dan Di smiled and took the wine flask, holding it without drinking.

In the days Ye Chen had been absent, the supreme beings had an unspoken understanding: Anything given by Ye Tian Di—whether wine or mantou—shouldn't go into their mouths. The consequences were severe.

Ye Chen glanced at it.

On heaven and earth's conscience, there was no drug in it.

This emperor still had some professional ethics. He'd treat decent people properly and go all out against the unscrupulous ones, like Gui Di and Xuan Di.

During this time, Dan Di released many divine senses, all embodying the essence and insights of alchemy.

The dao of alchemy was also a dao. Comprehending alchemy was like comprehending the dao itself—this was a path that could be walked, and Dan Di was living proof.

Ye Chen absorbed it, his state of mind rippling greatly.

No wonder he had lived so long—Dan Di's comprehension of the alchemy dao far exceeded his expectations. At least in this field, it opened up another world for him.

"Keep these safe."

Dan Di waved his hand, and a Qian Kun bag fell into Ye Chen's embrace.

Inside, it was packed with jade slips, each one containing a dan formula. Over ninety percent were nine-pattern formulas, of all varieties. Even Ye Chen felt dazzled looking at them.

When he looked up again, Dan Di had already walked away, his back hunched, hair white as snow, his entire body shrouded in the aura of death. He was truly running on fumes, with few years left.

Ye Chen frowned slightly, now understanding why Dan Di had shown him the alchemy intent and given him the formulas. Clearly, he was settling his affairs.

As Ye Chen had guessed.

Dan Di's intention was this: Across the heavens and Tian Ting, Dan Sheng was the only one who could inherit his legacy. He might perish, but the tradition couldn't be broken; he had to leave the treasures of the alchemy domain for future generations.

Ye Chen fell silent, clutching the storage bag in one hand as he surveyed the surroundings. Every supreme being was in view, but all were weakened, most with their lifespans nearly exhausted. Without absolute nirvana, they would turn to historical dust.

Boom! Rumbling!

As he watched, booming sounds erupted again—it was the ultimate emperor tribulation.

This time, it was for Bai Zhi and Ming Jue, one a disciple of Ming Di and the other of Di Huang. They proved their dao almost simultaneously, one in the east and one in the west, drawing two seas of emperor tribulation lightning.

The old supreme beings smiled, a hint of contentment in their eyes. Looking at Bai Zhi and Ming Jue, then glancing at Xuan Yuan Di Zi, Chen Yi, Dong Zhou Wu Wang... many had already touched the emperor dao barrier. Given time, they would surely attain enlightenment against the heavens.

Ye Chen didn't watch, his eyes clouded with gloom.

The new generation was rising, but the old supreme beings were in a dire state. To seal the Sheng Mo and restrain Tian Dao, they had exhausted themselves to the point of depleted lifespans. Each Tian Di was drained of divine power.

After a long while, he stood up and vanished in a step.

When he reappeared, he was on a mountain peak, where the Tian Ting Female Emperor stood gracefully, like a statue of ice, with colorful clouds swirling around her.

Ye Chen's gloom was mirrored in the Female Emperor.

This was why, since arriving in the Tai Gu Hong Huang, she hadn't made any major moves. She herself was fine, and Ye Chen's foundation was strong enough, but the successive supreme beings were like the last rays of the setting sun.

The newly ascended supreme beings could still leave the Tai Gu Hong Huang.

But the depleted old supreme beings couldn't. Leaving would only hasten their deaths, for the Tai Gu Hong Huang held a mysterious power that slowed aging.

Outside, it was different. Three years here might mean barely three days out there.

This scheme to seal the Tai Gu had nearly drained them all; they were truly in a dilemma.

Below, nine figures had gathered: Jian Shen, Zao Hua Shen Wang, Yu Hua Xian Wang, Di Xuan, Xuan Huang, Dong Huang Tai Xin, Hun Dun Ti, Wei Mian Zhi Zi, and Di Si Shen Jiang.

Exactly nine great emperors, under the gaze of the successive supreme beings, headed toward the gateway of the Tai Gu Hong Huang. They would return from the Tai Gu Road to the Zhutian, as the crisis in Tai Gu Hong Huang was resolved and reinforcements were needed to guard the Zhutian.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, the nine figures gradually faded into the distance.

Soon after, the gateway of the Tai Gu Hong Huang closed, to prevent power from leaking out and to maintain the force that slowed the supreme beings' aging.

"Perhaps we can alter the rules."

Ye Chen suddenly spoke, this being the method he had in mind. It was unlikely they could break through to the Zhun Huang Di level with their limited lifespans.

Compared to that, altering the rules might offer a chance.

In plain terms, it meant seizing lifespan from Tian Dao and using the method of altered rules to reverse the lost years for the supreme beings.

The Female Emperor remained silent, only gazing up at the vast sky.

Altering the rules was easier said than done.

She hadn't tried such methods before, but they were hard to execute.

Tian Dao wasn't foolish.

The unseen laws operated under its control, following certain patterns. Forcibly altering them required finding the right point of entry.

Unfortunately, Ye Chen was only at the peak of Tian Di.

If the Sheng Ti supreme being were a Huang Di, the beings of the realm would unhesitatingly go to war. The present supreme beings would use their remaining lifespans for ultimate sublimation to complete the final battle. They would die, but their deaths would have meaning.

Yet, time waited for no one.