Chapter 3227: Borrow You an Item

Ye Chen sat cross-legged on the mountain peak, still as a statue.

The qin music continued, played by Hong Chen Xue, performing the Jiu You Xian Qu Xing Shi Pian. The awakened Hong Chen was much quieter than before, perhaps due to having been in a muddled state for too long, or maybe because of interference from the original timeline, which often unconsciously drew him into a hazy dream filled with sorrow, blood, and tears.

"Front and back contradict."

Da Chu's tenth emperor murmured to himself, audible only to him. He was meditating on the Yong Heng melody, which contained a dreamlike silhouette—that of the Gu Tian Ting Nu Di. Precisely because of her, he couldn't understand: if all living beings were destroyed, could there be a second Nu Di?

A breeze blew by, and Hong Chen ascended the mountain peak.

With the awakening immortal melody, he remained clear-headed and handed Ye Chen a jug of wine.

He also sat down on the mountain peak.

After so many cycles of sea changes, this was the first time the two of them sat side by side like this. As the Yan Huang Sheng Lord, one was the ninety-seventh generation, and the other was the ninety-ninth. The Ye Chen from both timelines seemed to have led Yan Huang, and if they added Liu Dao, it would make the scene even more fitting.

The two of them spoke no words, only quietly drinking.

Ye Chen understood that the awakened Hong Chen was merely the Yan Huang ninety-seventh-generation Sheng Lord, carrying the original timeline. Only the truly muddled Hong Chen would have that parallel timeline. To put it plainly, Hong Chen was like two people: one was the ninety-seventh Yan Huang Sheng Lord, and the other was his most original self.

Hong Chen was this way, and so was Liu Dao.

The awakened Liu Dao was Qing Yu, the lover of Di Ji; while the muddled Liu Dao was the true future Hong Chen, carrying Hong Chen's timeline.

It was a moonlit night.

Hong Chen left, and so did Chu Ling Yu and Hong Chen Xue, returning to their homeland—Yan Huang of Da Chu, and that small village where a wedding once took place.

It wasn't until the third day that Ye Chen rose.

He fetched a meteorite from the heavens and carved it with Yong Heng into the likeness of Liu Dao. Then, from his own body, he extracted a drop of blood; from Hong Chen's body, he drew out a strand of soul. The soul and blood merged and were infused into the Liu Dao statue.

After Hong Chen, he aimed to resurrect Liu Dao.

Having seen Hong Chen's timeline, he also wanted to see Liu Dao's.

The premise was that Liu Dao could be resurrected.

Soon, statues of Liu Dao were placed throughout the heavens, just as with Hong Chen's resurrection, which required offerings from all living beings. As long as there was a trace of spirit, he could pull Liu Dao back to the heavens. It was the power of the people's thoughts, drifting bit by bit across the world.

Then came the Yong Heng melody.

The tune was melodious and ancient, echoing through all realms and heavens. Too many people wept upon hearing it.

Once again, the Nu Di began to dance.

Because of her, all the emperors perked up, and many others came to watch.

Ye Chen played this melody for a full nine days.

And the Nu Di danced along with the Yong Heng qin music for nine full days.

Yet, by the end, the Xing Zi Xiao Wa did not appear.

On the tenth day, Ye Chen finally stopped the qin music and sat alone in meditation.

The melody was correct, so why couldn't it summon the Xing Zi Xiao Wa?

Or perhaps, the qin was missing something—or someone.

He descended the mountain and went to the sealed altar.

This was the first time since achieving Zhun Huang Da Cheng that he formally visited the Yi Dai Sheng Mo, without the suppression of the past. Whether in bloodline or cultivation, the supreme of the Sheng Ti lineage and the supreme of the Sheng Mo lineage were now only half a step apart.

"All living beings are mere ants."

As soon as he stepped onto the altar, he heard the Yi Dai Sheng Mo's sinister laugh, uttering the same words as before, still full of confidence even now. The Tian Mo Chong Qi Sha virtual image had already manifested, and the great destruction of the heavens was only a matter of time. If Ye Chen couldn't seal the Huang Di position, all living beings would still lose. One Zhun Huang Da Cheng couldn't hold back three Huang Di.

Ye Chen was already aware of this.

As for Tian Mo Chong Qi Sha, he couldn't destroy it or stop it.

However, the heavens' destiny remained vast and enduring.

No matter how difficult the times, all living beings had endured them before, like in the previous epoch when the Nu Di single-handedly turned the tide. In this epoch, Ye Chen could do the same. No matter how slim the hope in the face of despair, there were infinite possibilities. This was one of the obsessions and beliefs he had upheld throughout his cultivation path.

On the altar, he stood quietly.

He hadn't come here for leisure; he was here to see the Yi Dai Sheng Mo, but what he was truly observing was the heavens above. In the Huang Di-level domain, aside from the Sheng Ti, no one could truly kill the heavenly dao.

This was another of his realizations.

The Nu Di's thoughts were not wrong; the Sheng Ti was like a divine sword, a sword that could slay the heavens. Since cultivation couldn't surpass the heavenly dao, only the Sheng Ti could do it. This might be the curse set between all living beings and the heavens, an invisible restraint. Unless one transcended the heavenly dao, like the Xing Zi Xiao Wa, it could be ignored.

Being stared at by Ye Chen, the Yi Dai Sheng Mo felt some fear.

Or rather, fear, stemming from the heavenly dao. Though both originated from it, they were innate enemies. The current Sheng Ti supreme carried the destiny and beliefs of all living beings. It wasn't that he feared Ye Chen, but rather the collective will of all living beings, which even the heavenly dao dreaded, as it could form a force to oppose the heavens. And that will had gathered on Ye Chen, placing him, in a certain domain, above the Yi Dai Sheng Mo.

It wasn't until some time later that Ye Chen turned and left for the unknown.

As he expected, the Xing Zi Xiao Wa was not there—heaven knew where it had wandered off to.

On the mountain peak, there was also a statue of Liu Dao.

When Ye Chen arrived, the Nu Di was already there, offering a portion of her imperial thoughts.

"In the original timeline, what was the outcome?"

The Nu Di asked softly, her first inquiry since Ye Chen's return.

"All living beings were buried, the heavenly dao collapsed, and the universe was destroyed."

Ye Chen's words were flat and simple, just twelve characters, but they stirred the Nu Di's heart. So, there were no true winners after all. The end of an epoch wasn't the finale; true destruction was the universe's fate. It was unknown if this timeline would follow the same path or if it could fill the world with light.

"Then, what about the Yong Heng melody?"

The Nu Di asked again softly, curious about its origin and why it made her dance.

"I learned it from someone else."

Ye Chen's words were drawn out. He had originally intended to use the Yong Heng melody to lure the Xing Zi Xiao Wa, but in the end, he had oversimplified it. Not just anyone playing the Yong Heng melody could summon the Xing Zi Xiao Wa. It wasn't that the tune was wrong, but the player was. For instance, with the Jiu You Xian Qu Xing Shi Pian, if Xiong Er played it versus Hong Chen Xue, the meaning would differ. Even if Xiong Er played it perfectly, he couldn't awaken Hong Chen.

So, the qin melody was there, but it lacked the right person to play it.

He tentatively defined that person as the Nu Di, since she danced upon hearing the tune, and there was a silhouette in the qin. He had reason to believe it required her to play it.

"Lending you an object."

After a long while, Ye Chen suddenly spoke.

"What object?"

"A dream."

As Ye Chen spoke, he vanished from the world and entered the Nu Di's dream.

In that instant, the Nu Di also disappeared.

It was more accurate to say it was the Yong Heng dream rather than hers.

"Divine Lord, those two have entered a dream."

Xuan Di stroked his beard, his tone meaningful.

"I see."

Shen Zun replied indifferently, sitting under an old tree, quietly carving wood.

"Once they're in a dream, what might they do?"

"Make a child? Talk about love? Hmm, that last one seems most plausible."

"Heroes think alike."

Wherever you went, there was the Di Dao F4 group—whether serious or not, the world didn't know, but their imaginations were vivid. Why go into a dream for anything? There must be some profound secret hidden there.

Shen Zun set down his carving knife and wood.

Some emperors just needed a good thrashing. If you didn't beat them for three days, they'd be climbing on the roof to rip off tiles. Especially those four, chattering all day and getting beaten every few days without learning their lesson. Their thick skins seemed to grow thicker with every hit.

The screams of the emperors were quite pleasing.

The local emperors were all used to it—who asked for such customs?

The people here were all downright crazy.

This remark was probably what Meng Mo wanted to say. At a glance, there weren't many normal people around. This might be why the heavenly dao wanted to destroy the human world—such chaos and shamelessness would annoy even the heavens.

In Zi Tian, things were relatively calm.

Just as he thought, after Zhao Yun died and was resurrected, it was like he became a different person, especially in temperament. It was mostly picked up in this universe. He used to be a proper person, but after returning, he seemed to forget what shame was.

In the illusory dream realm, Ye Chen's true form manifested.

This was his first time entering the Nu Di's dream. Her dream was like her person—dreamlike and illusory—with mist swirling around, immortal fog billowing, and faint feminine fragrances drifting through the haze, invigorating to the senses.

Ye Chen walked slowly, looking around as he went.

"What are you looking for?"

A faint voice echoed from the void, from the Gu Tian Ting Nu Di.

In the dream, only Ye Chen was present.

As for the Nu Di, she had become one with Yong Heng, her true form hidden but her consciousness faintly present.

"Just coming in to take a look, see if there's a rare edition."

Ye Chen said casually, walking and observing. He was still as playful as ever, but professional nonetheless. There might be a rare edition, but what he sought was the deepest end of this dream—to see the Nu Di's true self and whether it hid ancient secrets. Those secrets were likely unknown even to her; she might not see them herself.

Buzz! Buzz!

The dream realm grew unstable, likely because the Nu Di was annoyed. Was he making fun of her like this?

"Behave yourself."

Ye Chen unleashed a great divine ability, with Yong Heng blooming from his body, forcibly stabilizing the Nu Di's dream.

Since both had reached Yong Heng perfection, in terms of dreams, he surpassed her.

Speaking of Yong Heng, he couldn't help but recall the unknown place, where he dueled the purple-clothed youth who transcended the heavenly dao. His Yong Heng was beyond perfection. The dao was endless, and so was Yong Heng, but in this universe, with Huang Di as the peak, they unconsciously regarded heavenly dao-level Yong Heng as the ultimate perfection.

He walked slowly, stopping now and then.

The dream realm would tremble lightly from time to time, indicating the Nu Di's unstable emotions.

The one who could frustrate her seemed to be only Ye Chen.

It wasn't until some point that Ye Chen stopped, spotting the dancing Nu Di in the dream—it was her as a young girl, likely before she had attained the dao, with a smile as bright as flowers.

"Little girl, quite spirited."

Ye Chen clasped his hands behind his back, becoming a dedicated observer.

"Have you seen enough?"

The Nu Di snapped coldly, feeling like she was a monkey on display with Ye Chen as the spectator.

"I need to relieve myself."

Ye Chen came up with that line.

Da Chu's tenth emperor had no sense of propriety. This remark was meant for the Nu Di: behave and sleep, or he'd do it right there.

The Nu Di fell silent, waving the white flag.

She believed him absolutely. A shameless person was capable of anything.

Ye Chen withdrew his gaze from the young Nu Di and continued onward.

This dream was incredibly vast—heaven knew how far or how long he walked. Perhaps three to five years, or maybe thousands of years. He had no intention of leaving until he found the dream's end and uncovered the Nu Di's truth.

The further he went, the more blurred the Nu Di became.

Until the end, her consciousness vanished entirely from the dream, turning formless.

At some unknown moment, Ye Chen halted.

Ahead was a chaotic void. He wasn't sure if it was the end of the Yong Heng dream, only that there was no path forward and that even he couldn't see through this chaos.

"I underestimated you."

His murmur was full of meaning. This chaos must hide some secret.

And that secret was absolutely unknown to the Nu Di.

Because upon reaching this point, her consciousness was gone. She didn't know it herself, but outsiders could see it. He was that outsider. The dream's end was the Nu Di's end; he had used Yong Heng to forge ahead and force a view of the truth through the dream. This method worked, but whether he could see it depended on his own cultivation.