Chapter 3075: Bearing the Universe, Naturally Becoming the Root

Boom! Rumble!

Destructive thunder enveloped the entire Wuming, and that Xiaowa stood at the hazy peak, small in stature though he was, reigning as the absolute master overlooking everything in the Wuming.

This naturally included Ye Chen and the others.

Below, the Nüdi gazed up at him, seeing a glimmer of hope in the Xiaowa, but alongside that hope came a devastating calamity that pushed her Dao heart to the brink of collapse. Even during her battles against the heavens in the past, she had never felt such turmoil.

Ye Chen’s eyes grew even more profound.

He knew full well that even with the Dunjia assisting in battle, they couldn't defeat this strange Xiaowa. However, a certain hypothesis had taken shape because of the Dunjia Tianzi.

These characters were refined from individual universes, perhaps they could serve as a substitute for the so-called root. A single "Xing" character could even seal the Xiaowa, revealing the profound mystery of the Dunjia.

If one carried a universe within, they could naturally become the root.

The Nüdi furrowed her brow, glancing sideways for a moment, able to read Ye Chen's thoughts and thus his hypothesis about the root. It truly enlightened her, and her once dim eyes sparkled with light.

"Can it work?"

Ye Chen turned his head and glanced at the Nüdi.

"There's a chance."

The Nüdi smiled lightly. Anything involving the Dunjia was possible, mainly because of its overpowering origins. The "Xing" character branded on the Xiaowa's forehead showed just how defying its power was.

As Ye Chen had said, carrying a universe within could naturally become the root—this hypothesis wasn't impossible.

"Then let's go!"

Ye Chen said, wiping away a streak of nosebleed. Now that they'd found a potential method, there was no point in fighting anymore. If they kept battling like this, the Wuming Lingyu would become their burial ground.

Not just them—even if all the supreme beings from the upper and lower epochs, whether alive or fallen, were brought here, they'd still be hammered into submission.

What could be said? A being like the Xiaowa couldn't be overcome by numbers alone. Here, it was the absolute master. Without the Dunjia's protection, they would have drunk Meng Po Tang hundreds of times over by now.

With that, they set off.

The two transformed into rainbows, rushing straight for the exit.

Kill!

The Xiaowa let out a shriek, covering the vast expanse with a sky-shrouding curtain, using his mastery to alter the exit.

By the time Ye Chen and the Nüdi arrived, the exit had vanished—or more precisely, it had been relocated. Not only did they fail to escape, but they also crashed into the extremely solid sky-shrouding curtain with a deafening clang.

"You can't escape."

The Xiaowa grinned menacingly, speaking again. Though he was small like a child, his words sounded off, mostly because his childish voice stripped away all the intended dominance.

"So, you can talk."

Ye Chen clutched his forehead, grimacing in pain. That collision had nearly shattered his skull.

As for the Xiaowa, Ye Chen now saw him differently. After three encounters, the guy's lines had been limited to three: giggles, kill, and ah! Now, finally, a fourth.

It was good that he could speak—they could have a conversation, which was better than him not responding at all.

"Ants, lowly ants."

The Xiaowa laughed again, baring his stark white teeth.

That was the fifth line.

Ye Chen steadied himself and looked up at the Xiaowa. Now, it seemed he had gained true intelligence—or rather, had fully become the master of the Wuming, all because of Ye Chen and the Nüdi, who had inadvertently helped his primitive form evolve into a complete one.

"Who exactly are you?"

The Nüdi parted her lips slightly, hoping for an answer.

"Ants like you don't deserve to know?"

The Xiaowa smirked devilishly. Not just Ye Chen, but even the Nüdi nearly lost her composure upon hearing it. Whether it was the Xiaowa's laugh or his words, they carried an supreme demonic power that was impossible to resist.

"You and the Tiandao must have a lot in common."

Ye Chen remarked.

His words likely resonated with many—the Xiaowa and the Tiandao shared the same arrogant demeanor, both dismissively calling others ants.

"Hand over the Tianzi, and you can live."

The Xiaowa extended his hand.

"I can give it, but tell us where you came from."

Ye Chen followed up.

As a supreme being of the Shengti lineage, he stood tall, ready to stall for time and buy the Nüdi a chance to find the exit.

Stalling was his specialty; he was a master at bluffing, his signature skill.

Though the Xiaowa seemed formidable with world-ending power, his intelligence was truly lacking.

As for the Dunjia Tianzi, he'd be a fool to hand it over. With it, the Xiaowa still had reservations; without it, they'd die even faster.

Besides, the Xiaowa wasn't all-powerful; he was still suppressed by the "Xing" character. Otherwise, he would have demanded it earlier and just taken it by force.

His guess proved correct—they couldn't take down the Xiaowa quickly, and he couldn't take them down either. The Dunjia Tianzi was their biggest trump card.

Ye Chen's question made the Xiaowa fall silent—or more accurately, become dazed. Asking about his origins must have touched a deep, painful scar in his soul.

"Even if you don't say, I know."

"The legendary Yongheng Xianyu is truly a place that breeds talents. A senior like you would be a master anywhere."

"Your story must be a long one."

Ye Chen continued, one line after another, truly launching into a verbal barrage. Since the Xiaowa wasn't talking, he'd have to pry it out.

Before speaking, he had engraved the Dunjia Tianzi into his body to block the Xiaowa from reading his thoughts. Though his combat power was inferior, his intellect gave him an edge.

Understanding the human heart was an art, after all.

Ye Chen was as cunning as a monkey, having schemed and been schemed against countless times, growing wiser through it all. He'd seen every kind of grand scene.

As for the Xiaowa, standing so high above, he might not understand the ways of the mortal world. Such beings were born as masters but might not grasp human nature.

Yet, the Xiaowa began to cry.

That's right, he was crying. In his daze, tears streamed down his face, as if recalling past events, brewing blood and tears unconsciously.

Ye Chen raised an eyebrow and fell silent. Making someone cry mid-conversation was awkward, and though he'd imagined many possibilities, this exceeded his expectations.

At that moment, even the Nüdi, who was searching for the exit, couldn't help but glance over. Ye Chen was surprised, and so was she. A master like this, the lord of the Wuming, was actually crying?

"What's there to see? Keep looking!"

Ye Chen transmitted his thoughts. This was a rare opportunity while the Xiaowa was distracted; once he snapped out of it, he might erupt again. As for the Xiaowa's story, Ye Chen was interested, but only if they survived to hear it.

The Nüdi withdrew her gaze and continued her search.

The Xiaowa's divine powers were immense; even as a Huangdi, her vision was obscured. The exit existed, but she had no idea where the Xiaowa had hidden it.

Ha ha ha!

Suddenly, the Xiaowa, still tear-streaked, burst into laughter, somewhat maniacal, making it hard to tell if he was crying or laughing.

"If you were an actor, you'd be the star."

Ye Chen muttered to himself.

In that laughter, he heard a mix of sorrow, fury, resentment, and hatred, as if it contained all the emotions of the world. Such a flawless performance would be a waste if not on stage.

"Hand over the Tianzi."

As he laughed, the Xiaowa abruptly stopped and extended his hand toward Ye Chen again. The tears in his eyes had been extinguished, replaced by a bloody hue, with an ancient ferocity emerging in his gaze.

"I can give it, but tell us where you came from."

Ye Chen repeated the same line.

"Seeking death."

The Xiaowa roared, his eyes shooting thunder that turned into two black demonic swords, aimed straight at the soul and ignoring the physical body.

Bang! Puff!

Those were the two sounds that followed. The Xiaowa's swords did pierce into Ye Chen's divine sea, but they were blocked by the Dunjia Tianzi.

Even so, Ye Chen suffered damage; his divine sea nearly shattered, and he spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, his imperial body cracking on the spot.

"Hand over the Tianzi."

The Xiaowa vanished in an instant and reappeared in front of Ye Chen, reaching into his body. Since it wasn't given willingly, he'd take it by force.

Ye Chen reacted quickly, soaring into the sky with his escape technique, saving the Dunjia Tianzi but nearly having his origin seized by the Xiaowa.

"Hand it over."

The Xiaowa shadowed him relentlessly, chasing without pause.

Puff! Puff! Puff!

The scene that followed was extremely bloody. Ye Chen's escape arts proved useless; he kept spilling blood, his once intact imperial body torn to pieces.

"Sis, haven't found it yet?"

Ye Chen transmitted, dragging his blood-soaked body in a desperate flight, relying on the Dunjia to dodge several fatal strikes.

The Nüdi didn't respond.

The concealment set by the Xiaowa was formless and traceless; it wasn't something she could find just by looking. As a Huangdi outside, she was a master, but here, she was as good as useless.

"You deserve to die."

The Xiaowa's furious roar echoed through the heavens, just as Ye Chen had predicted. Due to the "Xing" character's suppression, he was severely restricted and couldn't take down Ye Chen in a short time. He was the master here, but the other had the Dunjia Tianzi to counter him.

"If you've got intelligence, let's chat!"

"Has the senior heard of the collector's edition? Why not sit down with this junior and study it properly?"

"The scenes are quite... enticing."

Ye Chen fled while still talking, diligently bluffing, but the Nüdi just rolled her eyes at his words. He never forgot about the collector's edition, no matter where they were.

Boom! Bang! Boom!

The Xiaowa raged on, ignoring his nonsense, forcefully enduring the "Xing" character's suppression as he chased and attacked relentlessly, determined not to stop until Ye Chen was dead.

Puff! Puff! Puff!

Ye Chen was in worse shape, his imperial body reduced to half, looking like a person at first glance but revealing a heap of blood and bones upon closer inspection.

"Extinguish."

The Xiaowa snarled viciously, firing a beam of destructive demonic light that pierced Ye Chen's divine soul, even overwhelming the Dunjia.

"I can't hold on."

Ye Chen coughed up blood and plummeted from the sky.

"Ant."

The Xiaowa grinned wickedly, reaching down from above to grab Ye Chen and seize the Dunjia Tianzi.

But before he could catch him, a beam of eternal light flashed by—it was the Nüdi, appearing and vanishing in an instant, having finally found the exit.

"Escape?"

The Xiaowa shrieked, shifting his hand from Ye Chen toward the Nüdi, summoning another sky-shrouding curtain.

Buzz!

The "Xing" character unleashed its power, golden light erupting, instantly destroying the newly formed curtain and causing the Xiaowa to spit blood from the immense binding force, nearly falling from the void.

By the time he steadied himself and looked again, Ye Chen and the Nüdi had vanished, having passed through the exit and escaped the Wuming domain.