Chapter 3097: Cosmic Passage

Night had fallen once more.

On Yunu Feng, Ye Chen had returned to the base of the old tree, taking out a piece of wood and a carving knife. He worked stroke by stroke, waiting quietly. The mountain peak was perfectly still, and the women around him shared an unspoken understanding, not breaking the tranquility. From time to time, they would glance sideways at Ye Chen, knowing he was about to embark on a long journey and unsure when he would return. How many years had passed like this? The thing they feared most was parting, dreading that this departure might be forever.

Boom! A rumbling thunder echoed across the vast sky, accompanied by flashes of lightning and thunderclaps. People looked up in confusion, their expressions bewildered, unable to comprehend. Only the great emperors slightly narrowed their eyes, sensing the trembling of the heavens and earth. Beyond that, they could faintly detect traces of an aura that did not belong to this universe. Upon closer inspection, there was even a whiff of blood in the air. Without needing to see, they knew that the neighboring universe was far from peaceful, likely engulfed in smoke and flames, with mountains of corpses bathed in blood.

Suddenly, a gentle breeze drifted by, carrying a faint scent of a woman—it was Qin Mengyao.

Ye Chen was not surprised by her arrival.

In this universe, there were always those in the know, and Qin Mengyao was one of them. The one named Zhao Yun was her destined connection and also her tribulation, dooming her life to be entangled in love. If not for the restriction on how many could go, she would surely follow, just as Yue Xin had done years ago, abandoning everything for her emotional bond with Asura Tianzun.

“Do you have any words to convey to him?” Ye Chen asked leisurely.

Qin Mengyao smiled and handed him a sachet.

Ye Chen took it without looking.

He didn’t need to check; he knew what was inside—a lock of a woman’s hair.

Bathed in moonlight, she turned and left.

Under the moon, her silhouette appeared lonely. Love in legends was truly a strange thing. Even after attaining the Dao and becoming an emperor, it was impossible to forget. It wasn’t that her six roots were impure; it was simply that her love ran too deep. The name Zhao Yun had become an indelible mark, etched into her soul, to be remembered for lifetimes, for eternity.

She had left, and now the Female Emperor arrived.

The moment she landed, her eyes grew momentarily distant, perhaps because of Chu Xuan and Chu Ling. She had a special affection for Yunu Feng, having once been its peak master, with ancient memories from their shared reincarnation that could never be erased. They had once been one, enduring the vicissitudes of time, and both cherished the mortal world. The memories of reincarnation were etched into eternity.

In an instant, a myriad of thoughts flashed through her mind.

The Female Emperor composed herself, waving her hand to present a storage bag, filled with treasures belonging to Ye Chen.

“Not bad, you still have some conscience.”

Ye Chen didn’t stand on ceremony, quickly grabbing it and glancing inside with his big eyes. All his collected treasures were there, except for the rare editions, which had probably been confiscated by her. He knew her style all too well—she loved causing trouble for no reason. If she was in a bad mood, she’d pick a fight, and he was always the punching bag. As a dignified Quasi-Huang Emperor, he got beaten up every few days, his glorious reputation completely ruined by her.

The Female Emperor ignored him, forming seals with one hand as eternal power flowed around her, engraving itself into the void.

Immediately, the heavens and earth began to tremble.

Then, a seven-colored gate slowly opened before them—it was the so-called universe rift, but now more accurately called a yuzhou tongdao. The Female Emperor had carved it open with eternal power. Peering inside, it was a bizarre sight, with flowing energies that were vast and majestic, not of this universe. Beyond that, faint thunder could be heard. It seemed that even with eternal power, this passage was not very stable.

“Prioritize finding the Tianzi.”

“If possible, avoid getting involved in conflicts.”

“Above all, preserve your life.”

The Female Emperor parted her lips lightly, offering her instructions. When it was time to be serious, she was serious—this journey was no game.

“Understood.” Ye Chen replied with a smile, casually tucking away his treasures.

“Come back soon.”

“Shiniang, keep an eye on him so he doesn’t get flirtatious again.”

“Bringing back a few more wouldn’t be bad.”

The women all stepped forward, speaking one after another. As wives, they gave their reminders, each hugging Ye Chen and leaving a kiss. Looking at his plump little face, now covered in red lipstick marks, it was quite eye-catching. It was a good thing the situation wasn’t right for it, or he might have wandered off to a crowded place to show off. After all, having many wives at home wasn’t such a bad thing.

“You, want to give one too?” Ye Chen looked at the Female Emperor and pointed to his face, where there was still a spot left for a kiss.

“Sure.” The Female Emperor was straightforward. She grabbed Ye Chen and tossed him into the light gate. You little brat, do you really think of me as your wife?

Ji Ningshuang gave a dry laugh and followed him in.

“See you later.” Ye Chen waved over his shoulder as he moved farther away.

The light gate slowly closed.

The Female Emperor lowered her hand, and as she turned, she saw pairs of tear-filled eyes—the women were crying.

“He will come back.” The Female Emperor smiled and vanished like the wind. In the moonlight, one could see mist in her eyes, tears from Chu Xuan and Chu Ling. Unfortunately, as not the main consciousness, she hadn’t been able to hug Ye Chen before he left.

“Why does it feel a bit sentimental?”

At the foot of the mountain, Xie Yun tilted his head up, with Situ Nan and the others nearby, along with quite a few more people. They hadn’t been idle late at night and had set up another stone tablet at the base of Yunu Feng. Etched on it were the three characters “Yihong Yuan,” written more neatly this time, with some decorations that made it clear what it was for.

On Yunu Feng, the women wiped away their tears.

Then, the sisters headed down the mountain, followed by cries of agony. Those certain troublemakers were knocked down and didn’t get up again. Even as supreme beings, they were no match—one by one, they suffered complete, pulverizing fractures. It was truly baffling—weren’t they all great emperors and supremes? How were they so exceptional at deserving a beating?

It was fortunate Ye Chen had already left; if he were there, it wouldn’t just be feeding them local specialties or locking them up. He’d find a sharp, gleaming pig-killing knife, slice off a couple of pounds of meat from them, and then throw them into the imperial palace of the mortal world to serve the emperor and learn what a lan hua finger was, so they wouldn’t tarnish the reputation of eunuchs.

In the yuzhou tongdao.

Ye Chen and Yaochi had traveled far enough. The passage was a bizarre spectacle, resembling a space-time tunnel, with twisted spaces and no concept of time. Mysterious forces flowed through it, indescribable and unclear. Looking ahead, it was all hazy; even with the vision of a Quasi-Huang Emperor, it was hard to see through. They only knew the road was long, and the farther they went, the thinner the aura of the various heavens became, while the aura of the opposite universe grew stronger.

The sight of the two was somewhat amusing.

The amusing part was about Young Master Ye, who had quite the talent for finding spots. With his small arms, legs, and body, he was sitting on Ji Ningshuang’s jade shoulder, his little head bobbing like a rattle drum, looking left and right with great curiosity at the passage. It was lucky it was Ji Ningshuang; if it had been Nanming Yushu or the others, they would have thrown him to the ground and stomped on him fiercely, paying special attention to his face.

“Back then, did you travel like this?” Ye Chen asked.

“I don’t know.” Ji Ningshuang shook her head; she didn’t remember. Back then, she had been in a state of soul, without conscious awareness, only learning the reason after arriving in that universe.

“Probably.” Ye Chen mused, hands tucked in his sleeves, already scheming in his heart. Once back in the various heavens, he’d have another chat with Ren Wang. Sending someone in a soul state to another universe? It was a good thing she made it safely; if she had died there, could you even compensate for that? It’s not your own wife, so you don’t feel the pain, huh? It made me heartbroken for a hundred years. That score needs to be settled properly when I get the chance—in other words, I just want to beat you up.

At some point, the two stopped.

It wasn’t that they wanted to; the passage had developed a problem and seemed unstable.

Ye Chen frowned, stepping down from Yaochi’s shoulder, his eyes narrowing as he scanned the surrounding passage. The eternal light had dimmed, and the channel was buzzing with tremors.

“Let’s go.” Ye Chen waved his hand, pulling Yaochi into his great cauldron, transforming into a streak of golden divine rainbow rushing toward the passage’s exit.

The deeper they went, the more unstable the passage became. It had only been buzzing earlier, but now cracks were appearing, and it looked like it might collapse.

“You didn’t do a reliable job with this!” Ye Chen muttered under his breath, cursing the Female Emperor. The passage she opened was falling apart midway.

“Watch out.”

From the cauldron, Ji Ningshuang suddenly spoke, because a strange divine light was approaching from the opposite side. Its power was truly devastating, like crushing dry weeds and rotten wood.

Ye Chen said nothing, dodging instantly.

However, after that first divine light, more appeared, from who knows where. Each one was more domineering than the last, carrying destructive force. Not even Yaochi, let alone Ye Chen, dared to take them head-on. It wasn’t just forbidden power; it was outright destructive. Hitting the passage, they punched holes in it, and the already unstable eternal channel shook violently, with cracking sounds echoing nonstop.

That wasn’t all.

Further in, the pressure suddenly intensified—who knew where it came from? Even Ye Chen felt restricted, his movements and speed greatly reduced.

Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!

What followed was quite bloody. The pressure was immense, and the divine lights were numerous. Even as a Quasi-Huang Emperor, Ye Chen couldn’t dodge them all. His immortal body was pierced repeatedly, and the wounds were strange—despite activating his eternal bloodline, they wouldn’t heal. His already small frame was poked full of holes like a sieve, blood flowing and imperial bones shattering. Just watching was heart-wrenching; if it had been a great emperor or heavenly emperor, they would have been obliterated. The divine lights were just too powerful.

“Quasi-Huang Emperor— what a joke.” Ye Chen murmured to himself, his state of mind utterly shocked. He was a supreme in the various heavens, but in this yuzhou tongdao, he seemed like a living target. How embarrassing.

The injuries were minor; the real annoyance was the suppression.

Those strange divine lights not only packed a punch but also carried a sealing power, with invisible forces engraving into his body, binding his origin and locking his imperial path. Even his manifested ultimate immortal principles were forced back inside. His speed and agility were already compromised, and now they were weakened further. It wasn’t that he wasn’t strong enough; the divine lights were just too bizarre, making everything about a Quasi-Huang Emperor seem useless.

“Be careful.”

Yaochi suddenly emerged from the cauldron, holding an imperial sword, and slashed apart an incoming divine light. For this, she paid a bloody price, struck by the divine light and nearly destroyed. Even Ye Chen couldn’t withstand it, let alone her at the heavenly emperor level. The imperial sword cracked from the collision, shards turning to ash, and still, the divine lights kept coming, each stronger than the last.

“Damn it.”

Ye Chen snorted coldly, wielding a sword in one hand to block while pulling Yaochi with the other, using eternal immortal arts to retreat. The path forward was blocked; heading back to the various heavens was the safest bet.

But before he could fully turn, the passage collapsed. The illusory rifts exploded, unleashing a terrifying devouring force that was impossible to resist.

In an instant, the two were swallowed up.