Chapter 3094: Farewell

Uh...!

Shen Zun also let out a muffled grunt, clutching his crotch as his straight back bent, making him unsteady on his feet. Ye Chen's punch was brutally hard, even drawing tears from him.

Walk by the river often, and you're bound to get your shoes wet.

This ancient truth was proven once again.

One was the brother-in-law, the other the younger brother-in-law, and it seemed both had a peculiar obsession with each other's manhood.

"Pit, swindle, kidnap, and deceive—he's an expert at it all."

Many supreme beings showed expressions of satisfaction. So many old veterans, from Great Emperors to Huang Emperors, had all been completely outmaneuvered by a mere small Sacred Body. Spending time with that guy meant pitfalls everywhere.

Still, to be fair, Ye Chen's punch just now was executed beautifully.

As the saying goes, whether it's Ye Chen getting hammered or Shen Zun getting beaten, it's always a delight to watch.

What can I say? They just love seeing these two at each other's throats in that twisted way.

Turning to the female emperor, her flawless immortal face was covered in dark lines. Ye Chen's earlier collision looked like an accident, but it was deliberate. In that instant, he did plenty of things he shouldn't have.

For instance, those restless little hands of his squeezed places they had no business touching.

Even now, there were a few faint handprints on her chest, all bruised and messy.

It was only because that guy escaped fast enough that she hadn't caught him yet. If she had, she wouldn't stop until she kicked him into a pulp.

So, Ye Chen was quite the audacious talent, always risking his life for a thrill.

Daring to punch Shen Zun.

Daring to grope the female emperor.

Across the upper and lower epochs, aside from the Tenth Emperor of Great Chu, you couldn't find another like him.

The beauties exchanged awkward laughs and vanished from sight.

This little interlude finally came to an end.

It wasn't clear when, but Ye Chen finally showed up again, sitting under an old tree, lost in a daze by himself. It wasn't hard to see that his face was exceptionally dark.

How many times was this now?

His encounters with Ji Ningshuang never seemed to go normally.

The first time, they were influenced by the seductive immortal melody of the evil demons, leading to a union in a state of mental chaos.

The second time, they fell under the Dayue Forbidden Curse, tricked by Donghuang Taiyi into getting a room, and even broke the bed.

The third time, it was Kui Niu's interference that turned it into a dreamlike entanglement.

This was the fourth time, and by far the most absurd. They hadn't even gotten started when he suddenly regressed to childhood. It left Ji Ningshuang embarrassed, and even he felt awkward beyond words.

"Old dad?"

Ye Ling woke up and approached under the old tree, tentatively calling out, her expression full of surprise.

"It's me."

Ye Chen replied, sounding utterly deflated.

Ye Ling coughed lightly, her big eyes blinking curiously. It was her first time seeing her dad as a child, and just as her mom had said, he was incredibly cute. Even she couldn't resist the urge to reach out and poke his little belly.

It was a good thing she didn't know the full story.

Otherwise, she'd probably be covering her mouth and laughing all day.

"How did he end up regressing to childhood?"

Ye Ling muttered to herself, glancing at him repeatedly but not asking aloud. From Ye Chen's demeanor, she could tell it wouldn't be easy for him to return to normal.

Soon enough, Yao Chi appeared.

In the dim light, her cheeks still held a lingering blush, adding to her enchanting allure.

Seeing her, Ye Chen instinctively raised his hand and clutched his chest, wincing at the thought.

"I'll go wander elsewhere."

Ye Ling chuckled and slipped away, heading to the female emperor's peak to chat with her mom.

Under the old tree, only Ye Chen and Yao Chi remained. The sky was still romantically dim, and with no one to interrupt, it was perfect for sweet talk. But that was all it could be—just talk.

With Ye Chen as this tiny kid, even if he climbed into bed, he wouldn't know what to do.

"Do you know the reason?"

Ji Ningshuang leaned down and sat, her head bowed in thought.

"Body swap."

Ye Chen sighed, his body tilting as he lay on his wife's lap. Whether from the regression or sheer exhaustion, he quietly drifted into a dream.

Yao Chi said nothing, just gently waved her hand and stroked Ye Chen's hair, the picture of a tender wife.

In her eyes, Ye Chen wasn't some little child; he was still that legendary war god. From beginning to end, he was an eternal monument, standing at the end of time. Even regressed to childhood, he couldn't hide the deep-seated weariness in his bones. People with blood and flesh were perhaps most genuine only in the dead of night.

If she could redo it all, she'd rather Ye Chen live an ordinary life, free from the burdens of that ancient destiny.

This night was far from peaceful.

There was an emperor tribulation brewing, at the Quasi-Huang Emperor level.

That's right—a Heavenly Emperor was advancing.

It was Hong Huang Zu Long Di, breaking through in one go. He became the third in the heavens to reach Quasi-Huang after Xuan Yuan and Ye Chen. His mighty dragon roar echoed across the four seas and eight wastelands. The tribulation's scale wasn't smaller than Xuan Yuan's, but compared to Ye Chen's, it still fell short. No bloodline could match the Ancient Sacred Body when it came to heavenly tribulations.

"Mom, the Heavenly Dao is weaker."

Ye Ling glanced at the emperor tribulation and murmured.

The female emperor turned her head, her expression tinged with surprise. She had underestimated this girl; she could actually sense the strength and weakness of the Heavenly Dao.

But after thinking about it, it made sense.

Ye Ling wasn't your average emperor Dao heir. Her father was an Ancient Sacred Body, and her mother was a reincarnation body. Her ability to detect the Heavenly Dao's fluctuations likely came from her parents and her own reincarnation.

Ye Ling's perception was spot on.

The Heavenly Dao had indeed weakened, and the invisible restraints had loosened a bit, all because Hong Huang Zu Long Di had advanced to Quasi-Huang.

It wasn't just Sacred Bodies that could weaken the Heavenly Dao when they advanced. Every time a being from the masses became an emperor or advanced further, it impacted the Heavenly Dao to some extent.

However, Sacred Bodies advancing or undergoing nirvana weakened it more significantly. There was a lever between sacred demons and Sacred Bodies, and the same between mortals and the Heavenly Dao.

Now, with Hong Huang Zu Long Di's advancement, it was a promising sign.

Perhaps in the near future, more peak Heavenly Emperors would break into the Quasi-Huang realm.

Once she withdrew her gaze, she continued her contemplation.

Ye Chen's regression was no trivial matter. Given the time constraints, it was best to help him recover before they headed to other universes. The stronger he was, the safer they'd be.

After all, that wasn't their territory, and as the saying goes, a strong dragon is hard-pressed to suppress a local snake.

Unfortunately, after a full day of insight, she hadn't found a way to break it. A Huang Emperor might dominate the universe, but they weren't omnipotent, especially against the Sacred Body lineage.

So, it would have to rely on them themselves. If he could shatter his own seals and shackles like breaking through his cultivation, it would be a heaven-defying transformation.

The next day.

In front of the Taigu gate, figures gathered once more—all Great Emperors, preparing to return to Zhutian for guard duty.

Besides them, Ye Chen and Yao Chi were there too. In two days, they'd be heading to other universes and wanted to go home for a visit.

"That short stature, but walking with such swagger!"

The supreme beings clicked their tongues.

From afar, they could see Ye Chen, barely half a meter tall, yet striding with the presence of an eight-meter giant.

Look at those cocky little steps, swaggering along as if he owned the world.

Ye Chen glanced sideways at the crowd of old timers, paying special attention to Shen Zun. Just seeing him stirred up Ye Chen's anger.

Don't underestimate me just because I've regressed—I've still got eighty percent of my fighting power and could beat you to tears.

"Regret it."

Shen Zun sat cross-legged, puffing on a tobacco pipe, exhaling deep smoke rings as if cultivating immortality.

His face was quite dark.

He regretted not flicking Ye Chen a few more times yesterday and not turning him into a eunuch.

Ming Di had a similarly dark expression.

A few days had passed, and he had finally woken up, looking utterly dejected. He had been thoroughly beaten by Donghua Female Emperor and Di Huang, leaving internal injuries that still hurt. Even now, blood trickled from his mouth.

"The rare edition wasn't free to watch."

Ye Chen said meaningfully.

Just you wait. When I have time, Yue Shang and Di Huang will pin Ming Di down and beat him again—as many times as he's watched it.

Ye Chen shifted his gaze from Ming Di and glanced at Xuan Di, Gui Di, and Di Zun.

Those three emperors looked at him with faces dark enough to match, flames flickering in their eyes.

This isn't on me.

Ye Chen pursed his lips. You three getting beaten has nothing to do with me.

Bullshit.

That would be the three emperors' response.

If you hadn't come to switch positions, would Ming Di have gotten beaten? And if Ming Di hadn't, would those two have dragged us into it?

Ye Chen took a deep breath. By that logic, it wasn't entirely wrong.

But poor Di Zun—he always got pulled into the mess no matter what.

"See you later."

Ye Chen turned around, waving back at the emperors.

This return to Zhutian would lead them to other universes. Who knew how many years it would take, or if they'd even come back.

"Take care."

The successive supreme beings saw them off. Whether serious or not, these two words were sincere.

Fun was fun, but when it came to the serious stuff, they knew how to be serious.

In front of the Taigu gate, the beauties were already there to bid farewell.

"Come on, give your brother a smile."

"Heh heh."

The two Ancient Sacred Bodies, both regressed to children, had a hilariously formal conversation—one full of mischief, the other smiling with deadpan seriousness.

"Come back alive."

"Easy enough."

Ye Chen laughed, pinching the beauty's little cheek before stepping out of the Taigu gate. He waved goodbye over his shoulder, gradually disappearing from the sight of the beauty and the emperors.

The path ahead was a journey meant just for him and Yao Chi.

It might be more dangerous than the Taigu Road.

Speaking of the Taigu Road, Ye Chen felt a wave of emotion walking it again. Since entering the Taigu Honghuang, this was his first time leaving.

Looking back, it was a path of endless battles, incredibly tough, with several near-death experiences.

"Dad, did you ever feel despair?"

Ye Ling looked up at him from the side.

"Yes."

Ye Chen smiled with a touch of weariness. Even now, recalling it felt overwhelmingly dark. The female emperor had died in battle along the way, and he had taken her place. The pressure and duty had pushed his mind to the brink of collapse more than once.

Thankfully, they had made it through.

"Those times were damn hard."

The little spirit child sighed.

He was one of the first to come through, knowing the path was paved with blood and bones.

The later divine generals who heard about it fell silent.

The predecessors planted the trees, and the successors enjoyed the shade.

Compared to their smooth journey, the first wave of Zhutian expeditionary forces had it truly rough.

"Let's go."

Ye Chen smiled, gathering his thoughts and collecting the external Great Emperors into his Chaos Cauldron. With one step, he crossed the void.

As a Quasi-Huang Emperor, his speed was impressive.

It wasn't long before they reached Zhutian.

Boom! Boom!

As soon as they arrived, a vast starry sky filled their view.

And thunderous booms filled their ears, echoing through the universe and eight wastelands.

"Emperor tribulation?"

The little spirit child was stunned, and with the Great Emperors, they all emerged from the Chaos Cauldron. Someone was proving the Dao to become an emperor.

This shocked them.

After all, Zhutian wasn't like Taigu—it was suppressed by emperor Dao marks. Not to mention the emperors who had returned earlier or the successive supreme beings of Zhutian, just Ye Chen and the Donghuang Female Emperor's marks were strong and domineering. They had been sealed before, but as they advanced step by step, the marks couldn't hold them back anymore.

Yet, in this situation, someone had defiantly proven the Dao.