Chapter 3061: Half a Body

The void was vast and illusory.

At the peak of the Ancient Edge, the Female Emperor still stood, as did Hong Yan, ever vigilant. Even the Xuan Yuan Emperor, who had reached the Quasi-Huang realm, descended from the heavens.

Behind them, peace was absent.

The unrest stemmed from the immensely talented individuals who had achieved the rank of emperor, such as the Little Ape Emperor and Kui Niu. Their aura was formidable, yet they were far from tranquil, constantly challenging the newly elevated emperors to combat.

The outcomes were consistently amusing.

Before becoming emperors, the two had experienced misfortune. Even after proving their Dao, they were no match. They were soundly defeated by the Xuan Yuan Emperor and the other new emperors, unable to raise their heads. The strength of emperors varied, and the Little Ape Emperor and Kui Niu were clearly the weakest links, bringing shame to the Fighting Saint Emperor and the Kui Niu Heavenly Emperor.

There were lighthearted moments, but also solemn ones.

Emperor tribulations for proving the Dao often manifested here. Many exceptional individuals emerged, and even more ascended to emperor status.

Furthermore, the Saint Demon and the Heavenly Dao were exceptionally restless, with lightning and thunder constantly flashing in the void.

To the supreme beings, such disturbances felt like an ill omen for proving the Dao. However, to the Female Emperor, it was excellent news. The Heavenly Dao's agitation was caused by Ye Chen, confirming he was still alive.

As time passed, many Quasi-Huang emperors from the Heavenly Court gathered at the Ancient Edge, perching on the mountain peaks and gazing into the void.

In addition to them, numerous Heavenly Emperors arrived. Even those with little lifespan remaining came to witness the spectacle, wondering what the Female Emperor and the others were observing.

“Sister, I can't hold on much longer.”

Suddenly, a supreme being spoke, his hair white and his breath weak, enveloped in the aura of death. His divine power was depleted. Though a Quasi-Huang Emperor, he was emaciated, his primordial spirit fire dim. His hoarse voice carried an ancient weariness.

This was directed at the Female Emperor.

The Female Emperor remained silent, gently raising her jade hand and placing it on his shoulder, bestowing an eternal seal. Her usually indifferent eyes showed a rare trace of tenderness.

This was her junior brother, from the same sect. He was once a war god who shook the universe, but now he was a hero in his twilight years.

Hong Yan turned her head, her eyes filled with guilt.

The Female Emperor's junior brother was someone she knew well. His name was Qi You, a great general of the Heavenly Court, on par with the Divine Venerable. In her memories, Qi You was an immortal king who dominated the eight directions, but now he resembled an ancient monument at the end of its years.

Her guilt stemmed from her sister. Years ago, after the Divine Venerable fell in battle, it was Qi You who fought against Qi Huan, sustaining irreparable wounds. If not for that, Qi You would not have aged so drastically.

Qi You offered a tired smile and fell into a deep sleep. The Heavenly Dao was merciless, and so was time, wearing down even supreme beings to dust.

The Female Emperor remained silent for a long time. She knew all too well that even an emperor-level seal could only slow the depletion of his lifespan, not halt it.

“Tell me... is that a person?”

The Yellow Springs Heavenly Emperor suddenly spoke up.

The Female Emperor quickly directed her gaze to the void. If even the Yellow Springs Heavenly Emperor could see it, she certainly could. She stared intently at a vortex.

Yes, it was a person.

More precisely, it was Ye Heavenly Emperor. His upper body was already within the vortex, but only the upper body—the lower half remained in the unknown domain.

“Is it him?”

Hong Yan asked urgently, her vision limited. She only saw a person in the vortex but couldn't be sure who it was.

“Yes.”

The Female Emperor provided the answer, but her brows were furrowed. She had indeed seen Ye Chen, but only for a moment before he vanished back into the vortex.

“Gone.”

The Purgatory Heavenly Emperor murmured softly, straining his eyes but finding no trace of the person, only the vortex's dissipation.

“Ye Chen?”

After a long while, the supreme beings turned in unison to look at the Female Emperor. It had been many days since they last saw Ye Chen, and she had been observing here for days. Even a fool could guess what she had done—she had sent Ye Chen into the vortex!

In that instant, more than one emperor's heart trembled. They had been mentally prepared but still underestimated the Female Emperor's daring.

This was a massive gamble, pure and simple! Betting the life of the Sacred Body lineage's supreme being. If they won, all would be well, but if they lost, it would be eternal damnation.

The emperors' questioning gazes received no verbal reply. From the Female Emperor's expression, they knew their suspicions were correct.

“That kid is something else!”

The Underworld Heavenly Emperor muttered, shocked beyond words, only truly believing it was Ye Chen after confirmation.

After all, the vortex was like the gates of hell. Even the complete Heavenly Court Female Emperor had nearly lost her life entering it, let alone a mere Heavenly Emperor.

“The Sacred Body supreme beings are truly terrifying.”

Even someone as reserved as the Forgotten River Heavenly Emperor couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement. If they hadn't witnessed it firsthand, who would dare believe it?

“She must have truly lost her mind.”

The Xuan Emperor crossed his arms, observing the Female Emperor. In terms of audacity, she was unmatched, astounding the world.

Many supreme beings remained silent.

Especially those from the Heavenly Court, who understood the Female Emperor well. She must have been driven to a desperate situation; otherwise, how could she risk Ye Chen like this?

The facts proved that the Female Emperor had won her bet.

At the very least, the Sacred Body supreme being was still alive. As for why she sent Ye Chen into the vortex, it must have been to break their current predicament. Such a daring gamble could only be for seizing a great opportunity—no one would believe otherwise.

The Female Emperor said nothing, her brows furrowing even deeper.

The emperors couldn't see clearly, but she could. Ye Chen was clearly attempting to emerge, yet something was pulling him back.

“An unknown domain with living beings?”

The Female Emperor murmured to herself, her beautiful eyes profound. She had entered it before and seen no strange entities, but now Ye Chen was being dragged back, completely unexpected.

She wasn't mistaken.

Ye Chen was indeed being pulled back by that little child. Half of his body had already emerged, only to be yanked back inside.

Looking at him now, he was in a sorry state, with many bloody holes on his body that even the eternal bloodline couldn't heal immediately.

He had overestimated his escape techniques and underestimated the little child's methods. He had nearly gotten out, yet was still dragged back.

Hee hee hee!

The little child's laughter sounded even more chilling to Ye Chen. This innocent-looking little thing was unbeatable, unsealable, unswallowable, and inescapable, leaving this peak Heavenly Emperor with an unprecedented sense of defeat.

There are people beyond people, and heavens beyond heavens.

These eight words fit perfectly. He had thought Qi Huan was strong enough and the Female Emperor fearsome enough, but he never expected this unknown domain to conceal such a powerful entity.

“Little thing, don't make me curse.”

Ye Chen healed his sacred body, his face as dark as could be. That little child just ate and laughed, with no idea why it was so happy.

In response, it just laughed.

The little child pounced again, its big eyes blinking, as if it wouldn't stop until it devoured Ye Chen completely.

Seeing this, Ye Chen turned and ran.

He was scared—genuinely scared for the first time since reaching the peak of Heavenly Emperor. This little child was driving him mad; nothing he did could kill it, and it ate everything in sight.

Now, as the Sacred Body supreme being, he had become nothing more than prey for the little child.

Their chase was quite lively.

Ye Chen ran swiftly, glancing around and seeing many twisted areas in the vast illusion above, all of which were exits.

That's right, the unknown domain had multiple exits, each connecting to a vortex in the void. In other words, no matter which vortex you entered from, as long as you survived, you'd end up in the unknown domain.

Hee hee hee!

The laughter behind him followed like a shadow, and so did the little child. Even with Ye Chen employing every trick he had, he couldn't shake it off. There were a few instances when he reached an exit, only to be dragged back. In terms of speed, the little child was even faster.

“Don't make me curse... Ugh!”

Ye Chen cursed again, but before he could finish, the little child arrived, headbutting him squarely. Even with his emperor body as hard as iron, he spat out blood from the impact.

Once he steadied himself, the little child had already climbed onto his shoulder and hugged his head, gnawing away. The sound of cracking bones was chilling.

“The demons in the void are no joke.”

Ye Chen grumbled inwardly, grabbing the little child with one hand and throwing it as far as he could. Calling the vortex a demon in the void wasn't accurate; that title truly belonged to this little child.

In the distance, the little child came back again.

“Stop it!”

Ye Chen summoned his Dharma body while his true self escaped. He couldn't stay in this damned place any longer—who knew what other disgusting powers the little child possessed?

“Got it!”

The Dharma body charged forward with a wolf-tooth club, full of momentum. Like his true self, it wouldn't harm a child unless absolutely necessary.

Hee hee hee!

The little child laughed brightly. Originally just one, because Ye Chen had summoned his Dharma body, it split into two—one going for the Dharma body, the other for his true self.

In terms of speed, Ye Chen was far behind.

Precisely because he was slower, he was caught again. Half his body had already emerged, only to be dragged back once more.

“There really is a living being.”

Outside, the Female Emperor's eyes grew even more profound, seeing the truth most clearly. Every time Ye Chen poked his head out of the vortex, she could see it plainly—he clearly wanted to escape but couldn't, or rather, some unknown entity didn't want him to.

So, the question arose:

What kind of being was that unknown entity? A deity in the unknown domain? Had Ye Chen disturbed its peace or challenged its authority by entering, which was why it wouldn't let him leave?

Thinking of this, she couldn't help but worry. She had been confident Ye Chen could survive entering the vortex, but she never anticipated strange creatures in the unknown domain. If things went wrong, Ye Chen might truly perish inside.

“What's going on?”

The emperors looked puzzled, watching intently. There were many vortices in the void, and Ye Chen had poked his head out more than once, but never from the same one. This time from here, next time from somewhere else—it was like a game of whack-a-mole.

Ugh!

In the unknown domain, the scene was quite bloody. The Dharma body had been destroyed, slapped to pieces by the little child, with half its body eaten.

Because of this, Ye Chen suffered a backlash. His Dharma body was in a sorry state, and his true self wasn't much better, as the little child had torn off one of his arms.

Crack! Crack!

The sound of bones breaking was still chilling—the little child was holding Ye Chen's torn-off arm, gnawing it bloody. It looked cute, but now it was terrifying beyond words.

Ye Chen staggered, barely able to stand, with no heart for amusement anymore. That little child was simply too frightening.

As he watched the little child gnawing on the meat, it suddenly lifted its little head and glanced toward the void behind it.

A moment later, it casually tossed aside the half-eaten arm and shot off like a streak of light toward the distance.

That action clearly conveyed one thing: compared to a Heavenly Emperor-level Sacred Body, there was something even tastier over there.