Chapter 3072: Return to the Origin Point

"Why aren't we fighting anymore?"

Ye Chen and the others had stopped their battle, and the world fell silent. The supreme beings of past dynasties, who were still buzzing with excitement, all looked surprised. They exchanged glances, as if asking if the outcome had been decided so quickly.

"The Empress has intervened."

Many veteran quasi-Huang Emperors stroked their beards. They could see into the depths. Besides Ye Chen and Shen Zun, the Empress was there, as was Xiao Ye Fan.

"A sense of foreboding."

The emperors cupped their hands. They could see into the depths and therefore observed the expressions of the Empress and Ye Tian Di, including Shen Zun. Their faces were all extremely grim, suggesting the situation was far from simple.

"Wugeng."

Ye Chen murmured again, his face pale. The Heavenly Court Empress's demeanor was no better.

They had thought too simply.

The root of the issue lay with the child, who was the unknown master. For it, any revival within that realm was an arbitrary occurrence, reversing the rules of life and death, which directly challenged its authority. Naturally, it would not allow those people to remain undisturbed.

It could also be seen as a curse.

Anyone who returned to the human world from the unknown domain would be marked with a certain imprint, gradually stripping away their roots bit by bit until they faded away.

Ye Chen lifted his gaze, looking at Ye Fan, then Shen Zun, and finally the supreme beings of past dynasties. He had believed the crisis was resolved, but now it seemed they were back at square one.

If nothing changed, it wouldn't be long before Ye Fan dissipated, Shen Zun perished, and the emperors of past dynasties who had revived from the unknown became nothing but historical dust, one after another.

A self-mocking smile appeared on the Empress's face.

From the beginning, they had merely been entertaining themselves. In the presence of the child, they were ultimately no more than ants.

"I have already perished once; returning to the human world is already a great honor."

Shen Zun smiled, his hair like a waterfall now streaked with a strand of silver. His roots were fading, and he was declining rapidly, aging at an unimaginably fast speed, with his lifespan slipping away without a trace.

Compared to him, Ye Fan showed no such signs yet, but his roots were gradually collapsing. Soon, he would follow Shen Zun's path, as would the emperors of past dynasties.

Ye Chen said nothing, casting the eternal immortal law to seal Ye Fan, but it could not halt the erosion of his roots—it only slowed it down.

The Empress also tried her techniques, attempting to seal her brother, but to no avail. Even with the seal in place, it could not stop the flow of his lifespan; at best, it merely delayed the process.

"Come with me to the unknown domain."

Ye Chen took Ye Fan and turned to Shen Zun. To untie the bell, one must use the one who tied it. Since the roots originated from the child, they would seek a solution there. That realm could reverse laws, so perhaps they could truly reshape their roots.

"Don't bring them." The Empress reached out, blocking Ye Chen. "Those revived within cannot return."

"What do you mean?"

Ye Chen furrowed his brow, looking at the Empress questioningly.

She nodded lightly.

Her insight surpassed Ye Chen's, and she saw the situation more clearly than he did.

Outside that realm, Ye Fan and Shen Zun, despite lacking roots, could still survive for a time. But if they went back, they would certainly die, assimilated by the child. As beings that appeared out of nowhere, the so-called unknown domain would become their place of ultimate ruin. Once they faded there, they would vanish completely, with no possibility of revival.

"Tomorrow, I will go with you."

The Empress waved her hand, enveloping Shen Zun and disappearing. As a Huang Emperor, she possessed heaven-defying abilities and would attempt to reshape his roots—perhaps it was possible.

Ye Chen took a deep breath and turned to leave, reappearing at the Taigu Great Array.

"What happened?"

Long Ye spoke first, knowing Ye Chen well. Though Ye Chen hid it well, a hint of worry lingered in his eyes, indicating something had gone wrong.

"Everyone, just sit quietly."

Ye Chen said only that, not elaborating further. As he spoke, he glanced at the first-generation Sheng Mo.

Sheng Mo's smile was particularly sinister, as if he already knew—or rather, as if the Heavenly Dao had learned of it. If the Heavenly Dao knew, then he knew too. What a delightful surprise; this was exactly how it should be—recklessly reviving people without any flaws.

"I'll deal with you eventually."

Ye Chen said indifferently, then turned and vanished.

Behind him, the emperors were somewhat bewildered, unsure of Ye Chen's meaning. From his demeanor, they knew another change had occurred.

Ye Chen strode through the skies and returned to Taigu Jade Nü Peak, placing the sealed Ye Fan on a cloud bed.

He stood like a statue, meditating deeply, determined to reshape Ye Fan's roots. He had finally brought the child back to the human world and could not let him fade away in time.

"Why have you sealed Fan Er?"

Liu Ruyan was puzzled, and the other women shared similar expressions. He had left with Ye Fan in good condition, but returned with him sealed. As his wife, she understood her husband well, and his gloomy expression said it all.

"It's nothing."

Ye Chen smiled, not explaining.

The women fell silent.

Ye Chen said no more, quietly gazing at Ye Fan. He had managed to pull him back after over two thousand years of death, yet now he was helpless against the lack of roots.

The Empress faced a similar predicament.

As a Huang Emperor with unparalleled power, even she was powerless. She tried numerous methods, but none worked. Not only did she fail to reshape Shen Zun's roots, but she also suffered considerable backlash.

"Don't exhaust your eternity."

Shen Zun smiled wearily, waving his hand gently. His voice was hoarse, his long hair adding more silver strands, and his once deep, clear eyes now held a hint of turbidity. Everything—his essence, bloodline, divine power, primordial spirit, and Dao essence—was decaying.

He had considered separating his essence to pass his bloodline to some promising individual, so that even in death, he could benefit future generations.

Regrettably, he could not.

Without roots, his essence and bloodline were meaningless; they turned to nothingness the moment they left his body.

A fragrant breeze arrived as a beauty descended from the heavens, coming from Jade Nü Peak. She had learned of the events, and her pale, immortal face showed no trace of color.

Seeing her, Shen Zun rose, his expression dazed and unsteady, for she resembled Qi Huan exactly, as if he could find traces of Qi Huan in her.

Perhaps lost in the sight, he suddenly reached out, touching toward her face, his expression full of tenderness.

"I—I am Hong Yan."

Hong Yan instinctively stepped back, lowering her head, whether from guilt or fear, she dared not meet Shen Zun's gaze.

Her words broke his trance, pulling him back from the haze of past events to reality.

"You look so much like Huan."

Shen Zun smiled, letting his outstretched hand fall sadly. Toward Sheng Mo Qi Huan, he had always felt only love, never hate, even though he had died by her hand.

His death had been worthwhile.

At least, Qi Huan had spared the expeditionary forces of the myriad heavens at the gate of the Taigu Honghuang.

Whether from guilt or weariness, she had trusted in the common people once before her own destruction.

That was enough.

Hong Yan left, and Shen Zun aged a little more. In his sleep, he was forcibly sealed by the Empress, but it was only a temporary measure with limited effect.

"If possible, I will bring her back."

The Empress murmured to herself, referring to Sheng Mo Qi Huan. Since she could revive Shen Zun, she might also revive Qi Huan. Perhaps the outcome would be the same, but it could resolve a lingering regret.

The next day, she arrived at the peak of Taigu.

Ye Chen was already waiting. Both were fighting for their loved ones and dared not slack off. They shared the same madness—if necessary, they would seize Ye Fan and Shen Zun's roots by force.

The two entered the illusory realm together, stepping into the vortex, just as before, being crushed by destruction.

As soon as they left, the first-generation Sheng Mo grew restless, like he had been injected with chicken blood, violently assaulting the seal as surging demonic energy rolled forth.

"Still not behaving?"

The supreme beings snorted coldly, none leaving their positions, firmly suppressing him. The rampaging and violent first-generation Sheng Mo was forcefully subdued.

Sheng Mo let out a eerie laugh, not angered at all.

However, before long, he caused trouble again, his assault on the seal even more ferocious than the first time.

Thereafter, he continued in this manner, like a guerrilla fighter—strike once and retreat, then rest before striking again.

The emperors' faces darkened, holding back a bellyful of anger. They knew he couldn't escape the seal and that it was futile, yet he refused to stay quiet, causing disruptions every few days.

In truth, Sheng Mo was not idle; he had his own purpose—to disrupt the generations of supreme beings. By doing so, he aimed to accelerate the erosion of their roots.

As time passed, the supreme beings furrowed their brows, sensing something was wrong. Upon examining their bodies, they found their roots collapsing, and they could not stop it. Many veteran supreme beings now had striking silver strands at their temples.

"How... how could this be?"

Kui Niu was stunned, staring at Kui Niu Emperor in bewilderment. His ancestor's life force, essence, divine power, and Dao essence were all rapidly deteriorating.

It was not just him—many supreme beings were in the same state. One common point was that all affected were emperors revived from the unknown domain, such as Xuan Yuan Emperor and the newly ascended emperors, who were not impacted.

"Though I don't know what happened, the Empress and Ye Chen must have known all along."

Long Ye took a deep breath, recalling Ye Chen's earlier demeanor and that hidden worry.

"This revival is incomplete."

Ren Wang looked around, quickly discerning the issue. With roots fading, the body decayed, aging at an alarming speed. At this rate, perishing was only a matter of time.

"The sense of foreboding has come true."

The supreme beings chuckled self-mockingly. They had said it before—revival couldn't be that easy. Just because the unknown laws could be reversed didn't mean they could be overturned at will.

"What a sight."

The first-generation Sheng Mo let out another eerie laugh, assaulting again. The more fiercely he attacked, the faster the emperors decayed. Now that he understood this, he went all out.

"You won't escape."

The supreme beings snorted coldly. They might be decaying, but they were still here and would never let the first-generation Sheng Mo break free.

Sheng Mo was not angry; his laugh grew even more sinister.

Endure, keep enduring. I want to see how long emperors without roots can last.

Indeed, the supreme beings could not hold out much longer. Sitting quietly was one thing, but if Sheng Mo kept causing chaos, their decay would accelerate.

"Back to square one."

The emperors sighed in despair, their hearts shrouded in gloom, feeling an unprecedented sense of helplessness. It was the same deadlock, and the invisible scales seemed to tilt once more.

This time, they tilted toward the Heavenly Dao. If this continued, the supreme beings of past dynasties would eventually perish.