Chapter 3196: Dream Recall

"Wait for me," Ye Chen said, sitting cross-legged on the mountain peak where illusion and eternity intertwined.

"Zhao Yun, are you still alive?" Before entering the dream, Ye Chen murmured softly. He was fine now, but he wondered if that guy had any chance of survival.

Bang!

His first attempt ended with him crashing badly, bloodied and battered. He had no idea what immense force was blocking his dream. He was certain that when Yao Chi crossed through dreams, she must have collided many times too. If Ji Ningshuang were here, she would feel awkward. It wasn't just a few collisions for her—she nearly got smashed to pieces. After all, this was crossing universes. If it were within the same universe, dream travel would be extremely simple—just think it, and you'd arrive. But crossing two universes was different. In between lay a vast void, a universe-level void.

"Dream back through the ages." Ye Chen murmured, trying again on his second attempt. He did dream into the heavens, but couldn't pass through. Methods like this required repeated tries. Like the Dong Huang Empress, who, when stranded in another universe back then, must have attempted it for many years. And that was under the condition of the universes being adjacent.

Ye Chen wasn't in a hurry. Here, he was the Heavenly Dao, able to alter time at will, with endless years at his disposal.

On the third try, the impact was thunderous, leaving his head buzzing. Still, he wasn't rushed. While performing the dream path, he also contemplated the mysteries of dreams.

In Da Chu, at Yu Nü Peak. The night was peaceful, with moonlight bathing the mountain in a dreamlike haze of shadows. They had returned—Ji Ningshuang and the others were back. Because new emperors were frequently emerging in the heavens, the burden of guarding the three realms had lightened. Tonight was their shift change, and they had a tacit understanding to return to Yu Nü Peak and wait for Ye Chen.

Under the same old tree, the women sat in a circle, quietly gazing at the stars. Ye Ling was there too. Even though she had become an emperor, she still had her childlike demeanor, quietly lying on Yao Chi's lap.

"Mother, will Father come back?" the little girl whispered, as if she had heard something but didn't dare ask loudly.

"He will." All the women smiled gently, steadfast in their belief that Ye Chen could defy the heavens and return. The night was calm and serene. A gentle breeze brushed by, carrying a faint glow, whether from starlight or moonlight, it was unclear.

"Wives, do you miss me?"

Bang!

In the void, there seemed to be a familiar call, followed by the sound of a collision.

Ugh! Ye Chen grimaced in pain. He had dreamed to Yu Nü Peak and was about to manifest his true form, but an invisible barrier blocked him, causing an awkward crash. He had planned a grand entrance, but this was just embarrassing.

"Did anyone hear a call?" Nan Ming Yu Shu asked softly, looking around at her sisters.

"It seemed like yes, but also no." The women murmured to themselves, unsure if it was an illusion or a hallucination.

"Wives, I miss..."

Bang!

Again, that same call, followed by another collision, even louder.

Ugh! It was still Ye Chen causing the ruckus. This time, the impact was harsher, making his primordial spirit tremble. What on earth was going on? Why couldn't he manifest?

Under the old tree, the women exchanged glances and stood up, as if they had all heard it. No one breathed, no one spoke. Everyone waited, anticipating that voice's return. But after a long while, there was nothing.

"Did we hear wrong?" The light in the women's eyes gradually faded.

"Dream back through the ages." At the small universe's mountain peak, Ye Chen snorted coldly, thoroughly annoyed by the collisions. He vanished in an instant.

In the dream, he arrived in the Zhu Tian universe, at the Tian Jie, specifically at Buzhou Mountain.

"Good, this is good."

"This old man has treasured it for eight hundred years—it's the only one in the three realms."

"Such a waste, truly a waste."

The night at Buzhou Mountain was quite lively, filled with *hehehe* laughter. It was Ren Wang and Xuan Di's projections. Those two were birds of a feather, squatting at the mountain base, admiring their rare collection. By sheer coincidence, Ye Chen, in his dream return, caught sight of them.

"You two scoundrels." Ye Chen didn't hold back. From the dream, he kicked out, landing a foot on each, nearly turning them into a mess.

"Who is it?" The two scrambled up in disarray, cursing as they went. They were just getting into it, and their fun was ruined.

"Wait for me next time." Ye Chen muttered under his breath, trying to exit the dream and manifest, but once again, the invisible barrier blocked him. At the small universe's mountain peak, he sat in meditation for a long time.

He performed the dream path again, but this time, it was after ten years. As the Heavenly Dao, time meant nothing to him.

Splash! Soon, a sound echoed in the Zhu Tian—a splash of water. In his dream return, he hadn't positioned himself well and fell into a fairy pool, all within the dream.

"Who is it?" A sharp rebuke rang out, from a familiar person—Hong Chen Xue, who had already drawn her emperor sword. The flowers were in bloom and the moon full; she had finally found a moment to rest and was bathing in the fairy pool. She had just removed her immortal robes when she heard the splash. Strangely, she saw no one, only towering waves.

"Damn, too early for the dream." Ye Chen clicked his tongue, full of regret. If he had arrived a bit later, the scene would have been quite enticing.

"Who is it?" Another shout came, this time from Chu Ling Yu, who was guarding the same formation and had rushed over upon hearing Hong Chen Xue's cry. Unfortunately, they couldn't find anyone, and Ye Chen had already been repelled by the invisible force.

"Again." Ye Chen shouted coldly, turning ten years into an instant, and performed dream back through the ages once more.

Boom! Immediately, a thunderous boom shook the Yin Cao underworld, collapsing the Yan Luo Hall. It must have been the dream's urgency that caused the collapse. His collision stirred things up, alarming the emperors guarding the underworld, with Chu Jiang Wang showing the strongest aura.

"Intrusion from another realm?"

"Probably not—the great formations in the void are operating normally, and no heavenly demon pillars are seen."

"Must be some old troublemaker causing chaos."

The group of great emperors huddled together, muttering endlessly, but eventually, it came to nothing. Ye Chen had already left, refusing to believe he couldn't succeed. As the Heavenly Dao, how could he fail to dream back? Was it the distance, or some void resistance? Since he didn't believe it, he had to keep trying. As for time, he had plenty. He was sure he could dream back; he just needed to hone his skills.

Boom! Bang! Boom! His determination made the night in the Zhu Tian quite eventful. If you stood in the starry sky and listened, booms echoed one after another. It wasn't battles; it was all Ye Chen colliding—with mountains, ancient halls, or old cities, each time more precise. By the time the emperors arrived, nothing was found, though there were plenty of injured, covered in blood and bones.

Of course, not every attempt ended in a collision. In dream back through the ages, he occasionally encountered some romantic spring scenes, leading to a string of curses.

At the small universe's mountain peak under the moon, it was peaceful and harmonious. Ye Chen emerged from the dream and opened his eyes, his face slightly flushed. You could see blood trickling from one nostril—who knew if it was from the collisions or from seeing too much he shouldn't, perhaps even some inner fire rising.

"Such a waste, truly a waste." Under the stars, he muttered with a hint of flair, his nostril stuffed with cotton.

This wait had been longer, fully three hundred years. But for him, it was just a fleeting moment, mainly spent in enlightenment. After multiple attempts, he gained new insights. As he enlightened, the small universe changed dramatically—sometimes with thunder and lightning, sometimes with raging winds, and other times with the universe frozen still, like a motionless painting. Profound dao sounds echoed through heaven and earth. The eternal dao and the dream dao intertwined and danced, merging together.

It wasn't until the four hundredth year that he opened his eyes. His three hundred years of enlightenment brought deep sudden realizations, not just about eternity, but also the dao of dreams. Bathed in starlight, he suddenly vanished.

In the dream, he returned to the Zhu Tian universe, going to the Taigu Hong Huang. Previous dream paths couldn't reach Taigu, due to the invisible barrier and the temporal chaos that disrupted dreams. At the end of Taigu, he landed in the dream but couldn't exit it.

Hmm? The Empress frowned, and Zi Zai Tian frowned too. They exchanged glances and looked to their side.

"This woman is still alive?" Ye Chen raised an eyebrow, his expression odd. Not only was she alive, but she was also helping refine the "Tian" character for the Zhu Tian.

"Ye Chen, is that you?" The Empress spoke softly. Her vision was sharp, but she couldn't see him, only sense him. The reason she couldn't see was due to Ye Chen's power as the Heavenly Dao, which concealed him. Yao Chi hadn't sensed him earlier for the same reason.

"It's me." Ye Chen replied, but the Empress was destined not to hear it, let alone Zi Zai Tian.

"Ye Chen, is that you?" The Empress spoke again, her beautiful eyes nearly narrowed to slits, trying to pierce through the void.

Ye Chen didn't reply. Instead, he raised his hand.

Slap!

The sound was crisp—a direct pat on the Empress's backside.

"You!" The Empress's eyes sparked with fire, her stunning face instantly turning bright red. No need to ask; it had to be Ye Chen. Who else would dare be so bold with her, openly teasing like that?

"This works well." Ye Chen laughed, showing his teeth fully. That one slap clarified everything. He had to admit, the feel was excellent. Zi Zai Tian just smiled and shook her head. The slap was clear as day. People in this universe were truly interesting. If this were their universe, he would have been eliminated at birth.

"Come out!" The Empress snorted coldly, her face flushed—whether from embarrassment or anger, it was impossible to tell. With no outsiders, it was one thing, but with others present, where could she hide her face?

Her words went unanswered. Ye Chen was already gone. He had lingered there only by force. Because this was Taigu Hong Huang, different from other places. Though he had left, the Empress's anger hadn't subsided. She turned and headed toward the Taigu great formation.

"You mad woman, what did I do to you?" Shouts rang out—it was Di Zun. That guy was just thinking about where to wander when the Empress arrived. Then, he was dragged away.

Screams soon followed, from a remote mountain corner. Di Zun was beaten. The Empress did it, without holding back, beating him until even his own mother wouldn't recognize him. Who told you to look exactly like Ye Chen?

"It's better to behave." Listening to the screams, Ming Di, Gui Di, and Xuan Di sat straight as boards. They were as meek as little lambs. The Empress of the Ancient Heavenly Court was not right in the head—she beat people without reason. When Di Zun reappeared, he had no idea why he was beaten. Seeing him again, he was clutching his waist with one hand, limping along, his hair a tangled mess like a bird's nest.

"Refreshing." Not just the Heavenly Court's emperors, even the Zhu Tian's emperors saw it and chuckled.

Boom!

Just then, a dazzling light shot into the sky, brilliant and piercing, punching a hole in the firmament and unleashing apocalyptic visions. The entire universe shook, and even the Taigu road became unstable.

"The Huang Di tribulation." All the emperors focused their gazes and stood up together, looking deep into Taigu. Someone was breaking through—it was one of their Heavenly Court's emperors.