Chapter 3217: The Original Timeline (II)

In the ancient primordial era.

Nǚ Dì had returned to the mountain peak, standing at its summit and gazing quietly at the stars.

In the original history, it was the common people who were defeated.

This was known throughout all heavens, which was why figures like Hóng Chén had reversed time to change it.

What the world did not know was that after the six paths, there were those who attempted to reverse it.

However, they only appeared for a brief moment before being obliterated by time-space into historical dust.

Boom! Rumble!

Suddenly, the void was filled with churning tribulation clouds, flashing with lightning and thunder.

Was this the Huāng Dì Tribulation?

Many supreme beings rose up, their ethereal eyes gleaming with excitement.

This time, it belonged to their heavens.

It was Shén Zūn, who had a sudden epiphany and was finally about to take that step.

"Do not undergo the tribulation."

Nǚ Dì murmured softly, using her eternal power to forcibly seal Shén Zūn's tribulation.

"This..."

Shén Zūn looked embarrassed, having already prepared to make the breakthrough.

"No one is allowed to attempt the Huāng Dì realm."

Nǚ Dì parted her lips slightly, her words echoing through all realms and heavens, filled with authority.

"Not allowed to attempt it?"

"I say, what kind of logic is this?"

"Who knows."

Everyone was baffled, especially Shén Zūn and the peak Zhǔn Huāng experts.

Nǚ Dì offered no explanation.

A certain secret had been revealed to her by Yè Chén before he left: a segment of time-space had been intercepted by a young child, cutting off the path to Huāng Dì entirely—anyone who tried the tribulation would meet destruction.

Doubts lingered, of course.

But the words of the Gǔ Tiān Tíng Nǚ Dì were heeded by all.

Boom! Rumble!

Even if no one in the heavens attempted it, that did not mean the outer domains would not. And sure enough, one arrived right on cue.

This time, it was not from the Shèng Mó Domain.

This time, it was from the Tiān Mó Domain—a heaven-defying talent who had triggered the Huāng Dì Tribulation.

"Good."

The Tiān Mó Huāng Dì's eyes shone brightly, having even suppressed his own mark for this.

But embarrassingly, that individual died swiftly and cleanly.

By "swiftly and cleanly," it meant that as soon as they entered the Huāng Dì-level thunder tribulation, they were reduced to ashes. The speed was so fast that even this Huāng Dì was caught off guard.

Boom! Rumble!

Today was truly eventful. After the Tiān Mó Domain, the Ě Mó Domain brought forth another Huāng Dì Tribulation.

Thud!

This one died even faster, in just a split second.

Still, our side's is impressive.

This was what a generation of Shèng Mó wanted to say—at least they had held out under the tribulation for a long time.

"Done beautifully."

The emperors of the heavens murmured to themselves, their gazes growing deeper. They observed Nǚ Dì's expression, which showed not the slightest change, as if she had long known that the outer domains could not produce a Huāng Dì.

"Who attempts it, dies?"

Shén Zūn folded his hands, muttering to himself in secret. This matter was truly strange.

"Not entirely bad."

Nǚ Dì murmured softly, her words audible only to herself. Without that segment of time-space, the heavens could not produce a Huāng Dì, and neither could the outer domains. Blocking just two Huāng Dì would suffice.

In the original time-space.

Yè Chén was still sitting on the mountain peak, watching the initial history unfold.

Honestly, it felt a bit unfamiliar.

The version of himself in the original time-space was a bit too serious, the epitome of an upright gentleman. He could tolerate the lack of Dà Chǔ specialties, but even the collector's editions were absent.

If he were bored out of his mind, what could he even do?

Not just his original self—even the others in the original time-space were seriously proper, with no one like the amusing Xióng Èr from his memories; everyone was straightforward and earnest.

Where was the promised fierce and bold spirit?

Yè Chén sighed. If he could intervene, he would personally step in and teach them a thing or two. He preferred people with energy, the kind who start fighting at the drop of a hat.

In his view, those who cared too much about face lacked soul.

The altered time-space had so much more drive—people were kind and polite.

Zing!

As he watched, a sword hum echoed, drawing Yè Chén's attention.

No need to guess—it was the Zhū Xiān Sword.

It was not controlling Chǔ Xuān this time, but Dà Chǔ's Huáng Yān, who had unleashed a horrific blood tribulation. She had nearly wiped out the descendants of the Dà Chǔ imperial clan.

In the end, she was defeated by his original self, and the Zhū Xiān Sword escaped.

Huáng Yān, however, was sealed away, only to be released when the Tiān Mó invaded.

Speaking of the Tiān Mó invasion, it existed in the original time-space too.

But it happened much later. By the time the Qīng Tiān Mó Zhù descended, he had already been an emperor for three hundred years, shattering it with a single palm across the void.

Not even the Tiān Mó Great Emperor arrived.

The events in the two time-spaces differed greatly. He had experienced utter despair, with ninety million deaths in battle, while in the original time-space, it was resolved with ease.

It barely even counted as an outer domain invasion.

The reason for the Qīng Tiān Mó Zhù's descent varied between the two time-spaces. In the altered one, it was due to Shén Xuán Fēng and Hóng Chén's arrival, causing flaws in the cycle of reincarnation that the Tiān Mó exploited. In the original, it was the Zhū Xiān Sword stirring trouble, controlling Ruò Xī and tearing open a rift, damaging the reincarnation array.

Unfortunately, it was all for nothing.

The Qīng Tiān Mó Zhù looked impressive, but shattering it with one palm was even more so.

Here, he had not learned the Zhōu Tiān Evolution.

Or rather, in the original time-space, there was no Zhōu Yì, and no one taught it to him.

One thing worth mentioning: heavenly punishment.

His original self had no heavenly punishment, at least not in Dà Chǔ.

Without it, he could stay home and focus on having children!

After Chǔ Líng gave birth to Yè Líng, Chǔ Xuān became pregnant following the Tiān Mó invasion.

It was a boy, named Yè Fán—quite the coincidence.

Yè Líng was gentle and graceful, while Yè Fán was full of mischief, a proper little troublemaker.

Dān Shèng was still that Dān Shèng.

As for the God of Slaughter, Qín Yǔ handled it well, carrying that title and causing chaos everywhere. This dynamic was the opposite of the altered time-space.

"Just two wives."

Yè Chén had muttered this phrase countless times.

Indeed, in the original time-space's Dà Chǔ, he had only two wives: from the Chǔ family and Chǔ Líng.

As for the others, there was no Lín Shī Huà in the original.

Xī Yán never became his disciple; as a princess of her nation, she became the first female emperor in Zhào State's history, living out her days in solitude. And with Nán Míng Yù Shù, they only ever fought; no spark of love ever ignited.

"The altered trajectory is still better."

Yè Chén said deeply. Having just two wives clearly did not match his stature.

Time passed slowly.

His original self followed in the footsteps of Dà Chǔ's nine emperors: entering the Tiān Xuán Gate.

Speaking of Tiān Xuán Gate, one had to mention Dōng Huáng Tài Xīn.

That woman was seriously proper too, with no violent tendencies—in fact, she was a bit naive, all because she inherited the Wú Zì Tiān Shū.

This was a plot point that belonged to Jī Níng Shuāng in the altered time-space.

The Zhū Xiān Sword had been quiet, unusually well-behaved, and had not brought him any opportunities. After escaping earlier, it had simply gone into hiding, steadily building its power.

This was also why it could later control Nǚ Dì.

Of course, the Nǚ Dì in question was incomplete, with flaws.

The Tiān Mó invasion was resolved easily.

There was no talk of seeking Dà Chǔ's reincarnated souls. Eight hundred years after shattering the Qīng Tiān Mó Zhù, he left Dà Chǔ, just like the emperors of old, heading to the heavens.

Emperors still existed.

Dà Chǔ's eleventh emperor was not Liǔ Rú Yān, but the Dāo Huáng; the twelfth was Jī Níng Shuāng; and the thirteenth was a talent named Xiǎo Líng Wá.

These were all later stories.

The river of history flowed on to the heavens.

Without the quest for reincarnated souls, there was no furious overturning of Líng Shān or the Five-Finger Mountain suppression. He did encounter Běi Shèng Jiǔ Lí Mù Xuě, but they never ended up together. And Xuán Huāng's East God was not Yáo Chí, but Yáo Xīn.

The matter of swearing brotherhood still happened.

It was still that sturdy old ox and that unreliable monkey.

Just the three of them.

Not seeking to be born in the same year, month, and day, but to die in the same year, month, and day.

The next day, the Kuí Niu was struck dead by heavenly tribulation.

On the third day, the Little Ape Emperor wandered into the Qióng Qí ancestral ground and was never seen again.

Of the three brothers, only he was left alone.